Many thanks to my friend, Barry Smiler, for being May’s sponsor. Do take a look at his website, which nicely complements mine: Climate News · Research · Perspectives. He recently upgraded the site and welcomes any feedback you’d care to offer.
“Redistributing Life: How Climate Change Is Redrawing the Map of Species Migration…
“As the climate shifts, animals face a crisis of spatial survival: the landscapes they once called home are becoming unrecognizable or unreachable. Species’ ranges are already shifting towards the poles, but also to higher altitudes and cooler latitudes to track more favorable life conditions.”
https://earth.org/redistributing-life-how-climate-change-is-redrawing-the-map-of-species-migration/
“HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN RUSSIA:
“An exceptional heat wave kicks off today and will persist the whole week. Today Temperatures up to 34C [93.2F] at 50 latitude and 32C at 60 latitude and will get much hotter next days.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2056420541901238494
“How climate change is affecting water demand in Scotland.
“The volume of water drawn from Scotland’s rivers and lochs by the agricultural sector surged by more than 500% during periods of water scarcity in recent years, new research has found.”
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-climate-affecting-demand-scotland.html
“High levels of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found off coast of southern England.
“Scientists have found high levels of toxic Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, in soil, water and throughout the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent strait, including at protected environmental sites, according to a new study.”
“Infectious diseases such as hantavirus and Ebola becoming more frequent and damaging, say experts…
“The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) said in a report published on Monday that “as infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging”, warning that pandemic risk is outpacing investments in preparedness and “the world is not yet meaningfully safer”.”
“Hantavirus in Africa: why climate change, rats and weak surveillance are worrying scientists…
“In Africa, scientists have discovered several hantaviruses, including Sangassou virus in Guinea in small mammal species, such as rodents. More recently, hantaviruses were found in shrews and bats too – not just in rats and mice as previously thought.”
“South African floods devastate fruit crops across Cape regions.
“South African minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen and the premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde are today (18 May) conducting an overview of the Cape regions by helicopter. Sources said, however, that will be a long time before the real effect of the storm and flood damage is quantified.”
“BRUTAL HEAT IN …THE MIDDLE EAST. 49 DEGREES [120F].
“This insane historic heat wave which has broken hundreds of records for weeks all over Africa is moving East. Incredible heat – 48.6C Jeddah and 48.4 Makkah SAUDI ARABIA; 47.0C Luxor EGYPT.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2056448725883527495
“Saudi Arabia braces for extreme heat and dusty winds during Hajj…
“Ghulam said the centre had completed operational preparations for the Hajj season, deploying weather radars, satellite systems, fixed and mobile monitoring stations and artificial intelligence technologies to support authorities serving pilgrims and improve weather forecasting accuracy.”
“Heavy sandstorm hits Iraq as hospitals battle respiratory issues.
“A powerful dust storm has swept across Iraq, including Najaf and Baghdad, sending people to hospital with breathing difficulties.”
“Oil Slick Reaches a Pristine Persian Gulf Island in Iran.
“The tiny, uninhabited island of Shidvar is one of Iran’s most important protected nature reserves. It is home to large coral reefs and a breeding ground for more than 80,000 birds. The videos, verified by The New York Times, show large dark ribbons of oil snaking along the island’s pristine white sand beaches.”
“Outstanding 42.0C [107.6F] yesterday at Serhetabat, in TURKMENISTAN at 630m asl.
“Arguably the hottest spring day ever recorded anywhere in Central Asia above 500m asl in the past 83 years. (42.3C in May 1944 at the same place still stands).” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2056377916758401356
“Kazakhstan’s mining dreams run up against water realities…
“Kazakhstan’s mining sector is booming just as the country’s water supply is coming under increasing stress from climate change, antiquated infrastructure and a growing population. Water supply will be vital to the sector’s long-term success, yet the issue is all too often overlooked.”
https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstans-mining-dreams-run-up-against-water-realities
“Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are negotiating summer water allocations as rising temperatures, agricultural demand and pressure on shared rivers intensify water security concerns across Central Asia.
“As summer approaches, Central Asia is once again confronting one of its most persistent challenges: water security.”
“Heatwaves no more are seasonal affairs [Pakistan].
“The extreme heat in Karachi in recent days, with temperatures soaring to 41°C, has reminded us that heatwaves are a major cause of many life-threatening perils, and climate change has been absolutely overwhelming in its impact.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/2001456
“Are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point?
“…Across South Asia, melting ice is contributing to the formation of unstable glacial lakes and increasing the risks of floods, droughts and avalanches. The Himalayas are a vital source of water for millions of people, supporting agriculture, energy production and livelihoods from tourism.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct98pn
“Water scarcity triggers protest at Batamaloo [Kashmir].
“Srinagar, May 18: Scores of residents, mostly women, from Shigan Mohalla area of Batamaloo on Monday staged a protest against the months-long drinking water scarcity in the area.”
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/city/water-scarcity-triggers-protest-at-batamaloo-11849382
“INDIA RECORD HEAT.
“Another Record in India: Tonight the Minimum Temperature of 32.6C [90.9F] at Chittorgarh was the hottest night ever recorded in the city, matching that of 7 June 2011. More records are on the way.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2055957552026857650
“Cooler conditions have returned to Nepal and Myanmar after the record heat of April.
“Yamethin, Myanmar had a minimum of 19.0C [66.2F], the lowest ever in May. Kudos Moezala and Meteo60.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2055713267058721281
“Climate change drives ‘emptying’ of rural Bhutan.
“Homes are being abandoned as climate change accelerates migration out of rural Bhutan, new research shows… climate change is a “background stressor” that drives migration by making rural livelihoods increasingly precarious.”
“Emergency Crews Conduct Rescues as Record Rainfall Hammers China’s Hubei Province [360mm / 14.2 inches of rain falling in 12 hours]…
“The Hubei Fire and Rescue Mobile Brigade released this footage of emergency personnel moving residents through inundated streets during the extreme weather event.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/emergency-crews-conduct-rescues-record-001311325.html
“Shimen County in Changde, Hunan Province, was hit by an exceptionally heavy rainstorm on May 17-18.
“The AWS recorded 460mm [18.1 inches] of rainfall in 16 hours, causing river levels to surge by 12 meters, breaking historical records.” [Jim Yang]
https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/2056350230413734098
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN JAPAN >35C / 95F.
“Dozens of records smashed. Temperatures up to 35.3C at Hita and Tooyoka,34.4C at Tottori. 313 stations >30C! And MANY more coming next days. See list of records of spring highest temperatures in history by JMA. HISTORIC.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2056306931346608502
“South Korea is hot 36 [96.8F] degrees – the highest temperature in May.
“The Korean Meteorological Agency said the early heat was triggered by a high pressure system that made the sky bright and cloudless. High pressure systems are atmospheric conditions that usually make the weather sunny, hot, and clouds difficult to form.”
“SE ASIA RECORD HEAT.
“Terrible hot and humid conditions 24/7 worsens especially in VIETNAM and THAILAND with Minimums Temperatures >30C [86F] in some areas (the highest of 2026) and extreme humidity.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2055575013097377960
“Woman killed, dozens of teens rescued in flood chaos [Queensland]…
“The deadly crash came as severe storms hammered Queensland’s southeast from Bribie Island to Coolangatta, triggering flash flooding and soaking the Gold Coast with up to 160mm [6.3 inches] of rain.”
“Australia’s farmers, hit by Iran war costs and dry weather, grow less wheat.
“Justin Everitt is planting 50% less wheat this year than he thought he would… He is one of thousands of farmers across Australia deciding to plant less wheat and spread less fertiliser… Australia… may have as much as 10 million tons less to ship in the upcoming season, an amount equivalent to 5% of annual global exports.”
“The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away.
“The floating ice shelf of world’s widest glacier – Thwaites glacier in Antarctica – is detaching… “Its final demise could happen suddenly, and to avoid being caught on the hop, we have already prepared an ‘obituary’ press release,” says Rob Larter at the British Antarctic Survey.”
“Organized crime adds to environmental destruction in the Amazon, report finds…
“Latin America has the highest homicide rate in the world, and the number of deaths across the Amazon is even higher, according to the report. Globally, two-thirds of environmental defenders killed are Indigenous, Afro-descendant and small-scale farmers.”
“Latin America Faces ‘Hydrological Whiplash’ as Climate Risks Mount…
“The report described “hydrological whiplash” as a key challenge broadly across the 33-country region, spanning Puerto Rico to Patagonia and home to 660 million people. Droughts lengthen and downpours are rare but so intense that they cause massive floods and trigger landslides without refilling reservoirs or replenishing depleted soils.”
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18052026/latin-america-global-warming-climate-risks/
“High risk yet home to thousands: the makeshift towns at the mercy of landslides and floods in Peru…
“Throughout Latin America, one in five people live in unplanned settlements, built haphazardly and often in high-risk zones for flooding, landslides or drought. These are inherently more vulnerable to natural disasters brought on by the climate crisis.”
“UNBELIEVABLE, HONDURAS RECORD HEAT AGAIN.
“42.6C Choluteca ALL TIME RECORD… MINIMUM 29.7C [85.5F] at Choluteca Today. HOTTEST MAY NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN HONDURAS… Hundreds of records all over Central America for months: COSTA RICA with relentless Minimums up to 29C and tropical nights >1000m asl.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2056116930323399164
“Caribbean coral reefs began crumbling decades sooner than expected after heatwave and disease…
“The newly published study, explained by two of the authors for The Conversation, found that these warmer waters, combined with the deadly stony coral tissue loss disease, pushed most monitored reefs in the region past a critical tipping point that many experts believed was at least a decade away.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/caribbean-coral-reefs-began-crumbling-192000103.html
“Sargassum begins to affect the south coast of Grand Cayman.
“A recent influx of sargassum seaweed along parts of Grand Cayman’s southern coastline is being linked to a wider regional bloom that scientists say is spreading across the Caribbean at near record levels.”
“Trump officials plan to repeal limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water…
“The Trump administration’s plan comes just two years after the US Environmental Protection Agency set legally enforceable drinking water limits for six of the most dangerous Pfas compounds that have been studied.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/18/trump-administration-epa-pfas-water
“High humidity and record heat will make it feel like July in the East.
“Around 110 million people — including many easterners — can expect high temperatures in the 90s and increasingly muggy conditions through Wednesday, making it feel more like July than May.”
“When “extreme” becomes the new normal: How flood and drought cycles are changing the Potomac River region…
“The new normal of “predictably unpredictable” summer weather is more than just an inconvenience for your weekend plans. As extreme conditions become more frequent, it’s harder for Potomac River communities to recover—especially while contending with compounding crises like those we’ve already faced this year.”
https://potomac.org/blog/2026/5/19-extreme-new-normal-drought-flood
“Minnesota deploys national guard to help fight wildfires in northern region.
“Governor Tim Walz authorized the deployment by issuing an executive order that declared a peacetime emergency. “Unpredictable and fast-moving wildfires are putting Minnesota communities at risk,” Walz said in a statement.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/17/minnesota-national-guard-wildfires
“Water users around the west seek billions in federal drought help as Colorado River forecast worsens.
“Dozens of communities and environmental groups in the Colorado River Basin are asking Congress for $2 billion to endure what they’re calling “one of the most challenging hydrologic years in more than a century of recordkeeping.””
“Thousands ordered to evacuate as Southern California wildfire threatens homes…
“The statement from Newsom’s office said California on Monday secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will be used to ensure a robust firefighting response to the Sandy Fire.”
“Slowing Atlantic circulation may intensify atmospheric rivers.
“The contrast surprised the researchers. Atmospheric river frequency increases across the mid-latitudes when the AMOC slows. The strongest signal appeared along the west coast of North America, particularly in California.“
https://www.earth.com/news/slowing-atlantic-circulation-may-intensify-atmospheric-rivers/
“Marine heatwave could combine with El Niño in Alaska this summer.
“Marine heatwaves can wreak all sorts of havoc in Alaska: last year, a marine heatwave in the North Pacific ocean fueled Typhoon Halong, which devastated Alaskan communities. This summer there could be an extra hiccup: a strong El Niño event…”
https://www.kmxt.org/news/2026-05-18/marine-heatwave-could-combine-with-el-nino-event-this-summer
“Here is a graph of the daily temperature anomalies above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline over the last 20 years using Copernicus data. As you can clearly see, the trendline shows the planet passing 1.5°C within a year.
“Get on the boat, people!” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2055640952342241602
“We probably shouldn’t assume billions of tons of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to happen in the decades ahead, which is what the new low emissions scenarios do, in order to “keep global warming below 2°C.”
“Find the current level of CDR in this figure…” [Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2056417739707687184
“Seasonal patterns that farmers trusted for generations have suddenly turned unpredictable…
“Climate change has disrupted steady seasonal patterns that generations of farmers have relied upon. They have scrambled to adapt by adopting new irrigation techniques, changing crops, or adjusting the timing of planting. Still, losses are mounting.”
“Global wheat and fertiliser concerns keep grain markets volatile.
“A lack of rain is affecting wheat crops across Europe and parts of the US Midwest Plains where some damage to the US wheat may be too bad to produce a meaningful yield… Australia is projecting a 19% reduction in their 2026-27 harvest…”
“How nuclear war would impact the global food system. And how to prepare for it…
“The disruption to the food system in a nuclear war scenario would happen through direct destruction, a colder climate, and cascading disruptions of the food trade system… simulations predict a food production decline of up to 90 percent…”
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
George Carlin 🙂
Human beings are nothing more than ordinary jungle beasts. We’re still operating out of the lower brain, the reptilian brain. Now we like to think we’ve evolved and advanced because we can build a computer, fly an airplane, travel underwater, write a sonnet, paint a painting, compose an opera but you know something we’re barely out of the jungle on this planet. What we are is semi-civilized beasts with baseball caps and automatic weapons…
Seven minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv3LWN3rvOA
Thank you, Flippr. George could be really quite doomy at times:
“The planet isn’t goin’ anywhere, folks. We are! We’re goin’ away. Pack your shit, we’re goin’ away. And we won’t leave much of a trace. Thank God for that. Nothing left. Maybe a little Styrofoam. The planet will be here, and we’ll be gone. Another failed mutation; another closed-end biological mistake.”
Weapons are never automatic, tho, are they? It takes an ordinary jungle beast with a reptilian brain to pull the trigger.
I remember caps: they came in rolls and were loaded into cap guns, so that each pull of the trigger would advance the roll to the next “cap”. Glorification of violence while abjuring sex is purely human, Mr. Carlin. Leave those poor beasts alone. Humans are not ordinary jungle beasts. They are s/t far more dangerous and deadly as we not only don’t belong in the jungle, we don’t belong anywhere. And that’s frightening.
I’ve not read these for a few months as it was seriously affecting my mental health, and have felt much better. Coming back to them the last few days has been like a freezing cold shower of reality 😢 Not only having to face up to it all again, but things have got noticeably worse. Thanks for making it possible to see what’s actually happening, when next to none of it is covered in the mainstream news.
You are welcome, Lorraine. Glad you are feeling better.
These threads aren’t for everyone. I’m the sort of person who, if given a terminal diagnosis, would draw comfort from finding out absolutely everything I could about the disease, but, for some, ignorance is bliss. I guess it depends on how you are wired.
I think we’re all the kind of people who, condemned to death by firing squad, would refuse the blindfold.
I think you’re right, Mike. And thank you, Lorraine, for your comment too. I appreciate your honesty. I had to take three or four months off for the same reason a few years back. Thank goodness Panopticon doesn’t post on Sundays! 🤪
Came across this Gentleman on YouTube who discovered he was terminally ill and is really having a “good” attitude about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SA2aCJGvo8
8 Big Surprises About Being Terminally Ill
David Mills… he’s 67 and expected to live to be 82 and the Doctor told him he has maybe one to two years to live…..very enjoyable chuckles during his talk..
The other two videos about it are 👍too.
Hope this helps…
I agree, it’s not easy seeing all this unfolding, mostly because of our species actions…
He is admirably up-beat, Vince, given the circumstances.
Without wishing to devalue that positivity at all, I think it is harder for younger people to be as accepting, especially those who have young kids that they don’t want to leave behind.
Thanks VPK, I’ve been following David’s story as I’m also fighting prostate cancer. He’s an interesting guy:
David Mills (born January 24, 1959) is an American author. Mills has argued that science and religion cannot be successfully reconciled. He is best known for his book Atheist Universe which was published in 2004. In his book The God Delusion, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins cites Mills’ writings as “admirable work.” Mills claims in his books to rebut both young- and old-earth creation science, as well as Intelligent Design.
I read them daily for a couple of years, I reckon – and support you because they’re important. Think I needed a break to reset a bit, but back to facing reality now.
“We probably shouldn’t assume billions of tons of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to happen in the decades ahead, which is what the new low emissions scenarios do, in order to “keep global warming below 2°C.”
Yeah, it’s the same “science won’t solve the problems but it will make them irrelevant by removing their causes” fallacy repeated over and over in different contexts. It’s not even funny anymore, just existentially claustrophobically sad. Like when candidates for American Idol are both crazy and ridiculously untalented, yet stake their life/career on qualifying for a stupid reality show.
And then you realize that even these spectacularized rejections are, well, part of the spectacle. They probably get a cross section of rejects to sign some forms and then play out a scripted “incompetent arrogant candidate” act. The “oblivious and myopic bougie climate mitigation op-ed writer” has by now become a part of the climate/energy spectacle. What was once a breach in the illusion has been assimilated by the illusion as a fourth-wall-break moment.
Reality is both more radical and more mundane than our attempts to spectacularize it. Everyone knows we’re irreversibly fracked but tell themselves the bad stuff won’t start happening until after they’re dead. In the meantime, money needs to be made, op-eds need to be written, as do critical responses to said op-eds that swap out the obviously stupid fantasy with ones couched in “realism”, “adaptation” and other platitudes.
American Idol is basically “The Gong Show” gone mild.
+1, good one Rob.
😉
“They probably get a cross section of rejects to sign some forms and then play out a scripted “incompetent arrogant candidate” act.”
I suspect a small segment of applicants are obnoxious and/or bonkers enough for them to get organic footage, Jupiviv.
Another happy day.
To celebrate, this morning I’m having T O A S T.
Haha perfect, Mike!
Mike, your comment reminded me of this truly dreadful novelty single from 1978 by Streetband, which I’m embarrassed to confess I quite liked as a very young child. Apologies to anyone who clicks on the link. 😂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJmKStqugMc&list=RDWJmKStqugMc&start_radio=1
Scrape that toast boys! LOL!
The Saudi coast and Dubai are only a few degrees away from the new wet bulb limits for survival of over 65s, August and September are going to be interesting on the Persian Gulf in more ways than one.
“Seasonal patterns that farmers trusted for generations have suddenly turned unpredictable…” – I think that’s the main thing we have presently lost as we say goodbye to the holocene, more important than the warming (so far).
That’s why I posit that Climate Change doesn’t quite cut it; climate derangement is not only more accurate, it better describes the situation we’ve created.
Climate derangement does the job nicely, Rob.
George, some argue that we left the Holocene behind in the mid-50’s when they posit that the Anthropocene began. We’re only a decade or two off the Pyrocene now.
https://sciencemediacentre.es/en/study-places-beginning-anthropocene-1952
It’s just semantics though; I know what you mean.
Parchment manuscripts and the optical Illusion of the “Now Moment”
Perhaps the strangest feature of our age is not the speed of events themselves, but the speed at which we believe they come into existence.
As if everything happens suddenly. A war “breaks out overnight.” A river “suddenly” runs dry.
A harvest fails “because of this heatwave.” An electrical grid becomes “unexpectedly” overloaded. A society polarizes “all at once.”
But anyone who looks carefully usually sees something else.
Beneath every supposedly sudden moment lies years of preparation. Not conscious preparation, but accumulation. Slow shifts. Tiny fractures. Deferred maintenance. Falling groundwater levels. Aging infrastructure. Debt rolled forward year after year. Political language slowly radicalizing. Soils becoming thinner with every season.
Like old parchment manuscripts, the underlying text remains faintly visible to those willing to look long enough.
Yet modern society exists inside a permanently illuminated present — an endless stream of notifications where cause and effect collapse into a single flashing instant. The camera always arrives at the collapse itself, never at the slow erosion that preceded it.
And so reality begins to feel almost hallucinatory.
A dried-up reservoir appears to be a disaster of today, while the water may have been extracted faster than replenished for thirty years. A financial crisis looks like the result of one bad trading day, while the system may have spent decades surviving on ever-cheaper debt and ever-thinner margins of stability.
Even nuclear power politics works this way. A military exercise appears to be a reaction to current headlines, while the logistics, rail planning, fuel storage and command structures may have been set in motion months earlier.
The “now” is often nothing more than the moment a long-hidden process becomes visible.
Zip, outstanding essay!
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
“And so reality begins to feel almost hallucinatory.”
Zip, it certainly has that quality. The complexity, the information overload and the speed of events all have a disorientating effect, as does the sheer craziness of our fellow humans and this runaway freight train we call civilisation.
I’ve noted before that, geopolitically, this decade feels like the 1930’s on psychedelics.
Ok, this just posted by CNN, it’s all natural…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/19/climate/super-el-nino-impacts-history-climate
The coming “Super” El Niño is poised to affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide as it strengthens through the year into the winter season. It may also alter ecosystems for decades to come, judging from the repercussions of past intense El Niños.
The last Super El Niño reshaped weather and economies around the world, leaving disruptions that lingered long after the Pacific cooled. Now, as another powerful El Niño builds, we’re looking for clues about what hundreds of millions of people — and the planet’s most fragile ecosystems — may face next.
El Niño is a naturally occurring weather cycle in the Pacific Ocean characterized by unusually hot waters near the equator, which changes the circulation of air in the atmosphere. But the effects of El Niño do not stay limited to that part of the Pacific; they ricochet outward to affect weather and climate patterns around the globe.
Now the clincher…Our modern resilience comes from being able to see El Niño coming well before its worst effects hit. But there are some concerns
Yep, no need to panic, we are good at planning for the future…compounded interest and all