Huge thanks to August’s sponsor, who wishes to remain anonymous. At his request, I’m sharing a link to his brief but fascinating essay about Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the origins of Britain’s enslavement of Africans. He welcomes feedback in the comments section.
“AI analysis reveals dramatic rise in global ocean algae blooms.
“An analysis of 1.2 million satellite images powered by artificial intelligence has uncovered a massive expansion of floating seaweed across the world’s oceans, which scientists say could damage and reshape marine habitats and coastal ecosystems.”
“Lough Neagh algae crisis deepens as local businesses and wildlife suffer [Northern Ireland].
“The ecological crisis in Lough Neagh, the UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake, has significantly worsened as toxic blue-green algae blooms continue to devastate local businesses, wildlife, and public health.”
“Swimmers are being warned not to enter the water at the first official bathing site on the River Thames, in south-west London, because of toxic blue-green algae in the water.
“The blue-green algal blooms are rare in moving water but are likely to be caused by the extreme heat, low river flow, and nutrient pollution from sewage waste.”
“River salinisation is widespread across Europe.
“A new Nature Communications study reveals that around half of European rivers and streams are affected by salinisation, while more than 23,000 km of the river network (around 2%) exceed 1 mS/cm, a salinity level well above available international standards for the protection of aquatic life.”
“Millions in France report eco-anxiety after summer of heatwaves and wildfires.
“Record-breaking heatwaves, drought and wildfires are driving a surge in eco-anxiety across France, with some sufferers “paralysed” by panic attacks, unable to work and, in the most severe cases, experiencing suicidal thoughts.”
“French farmers dip into winter fodder as drought leaves pastures bare.
“Repeated heatwaves and drought have made it a punishing summer for French farmers – scorching pastures, straining livestock and driving up costs. With grass disappearing from fields, cattle farmers across the country are already dipping into fodder meant to feed their herds through winter.”
“Scorching summer triggers record rockfalls in Alps, scientist says.
“This year “will undoubtedly be a record year” both in terms of the frequency of rockfalls and the sheer volume of rock breaking away from the mountains on an almost daily basis, the research director at CNRS, France’s national scientific research centre, told AFP.”
“Monaco Marine Heatwave Shatters Records as Sea Temperatures Stay Above 28°C for 39 Days.
“The situation is unprecedented. For several weeks, record-high temperatures have been recorded across the Mediterranean. But behind the striking figures lies another phenomenon that is even more concerning for ecosystems: the length of these heat episodes.”
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN SPAIN:
“Dozens of MINIMUMS >30C [86F]. Records of Hottest night destroyed in Murcia, Catalonia, Valencia and Balearics like: 30.4 Pego, 29.3 Murcia, 29.3 Cartagena, 29.2 Formentera, 29.1 Ibiza, 28.9 Alicante AP, 27.5 Castello… Max 41.5 Pollenca BALEARIC.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090465882195509680
“Spain ends August with unusual-for-summer storm and very heavy downpours.
“Meteored forecasts that coming weather system will bring a marked increase in instability in its wake, triggering warnings of storms accompanied by locally heavy rain and other adverse weather conditions.”
https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/storm-that-unusual-20260820140416-nt.html
“Thunderstorms in Liguria, train struck by lightning and flooding in Tigullio. Portofino isolated [Italy].
“More than 100 millimeters [4 inches] of rain are being exceeded, in two hours, in the Bisagno basin of Genoa. Likewise, 103 millimeters were recorded in one hour in Chiavari. The village of Portofino is isolated due to a landslide…”
“Deadly overnight storms batter Germany as tornado hits region.
“A tornado struck the town of Fürstenwalde, 78 kilometers (49 miles) southeast of Berlin. Roofs were torn off and several cars were damaged by falling trees, and one person was injured, according to dpa.”
“RECORD HEAT IN THE BALKANS – both Western and Eastern Europe are again with record heat!
“Today it was scorching hot also in The Balkans, locally >40C. In Particular, the BOSNIA town of Gradacac had its hottest day in history with 41.0C [105.8F]. More records tomorrow.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090509780863352932
“Wildfires across Greece amid late-summer heatwave.
“Water-dropping aircraft and firefighters on the ground battled to contain at least five wildfires across Greece amid high late-summer temperatures Friday… A heatwave is forecast to persist through the middle of next week, with temperatures hitting a maximum 42 degrees Celsius [107.6F].”
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1313043/wildfires-across-greece-amid-late-summer-heatwave/
“‘Another kind of lockdown’: Inside Europe’s hottest town transformed forever by climate change…
“The shift is clear across the town of 20,000 near Syracuse, on Sicily’s south-eastern coast. Piazza del Popolo, long the central gathering spot with its cafes, palm trees and civic buildings, now stands largely empty for much of the day.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/europe-hottest-town-floridia-italy-b3036830.html
“Climate change is raising diarrhea risk for children across Africa.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is also a leading cause of malnutrition in young children. The viruses, bacteria, and parasites behind the disease tend to thrive in warmer, wetter conditions. As the planet heats up, these pathogens are expected to spread further.”
https://www.earth.com/climate/climate-change-is-raising-diarrhea-risk-for-children-across-africa/
“EXTRAORDINARY – WORLD CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN; 40c 1[04F] IN WINTER IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.
“We are witnessing something beyond any imagination with records smashed every day and full summer Temperatures. SOUTH AFRICA HIGHLANDS – 37.0 Augrabies Falls, 33.6 Brandvlei, MADAGASCAR, 36.0 Mahajanga.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090917756119953480
“Sudan farms lie barren as El Nino leaves Nile banks dry.
“Along the bone-dry riverbanks of the Nile in Sudan, farmers struggle to pull water to their crops. Others gather to pray for rainfall over cracked earth. Across the country, farmland that could feed the world’s largest hunger crisis many times over lies fallow, as weary farmers once again find themselves in the crosshairs of faraway destruction.”
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/sudan-farms-lie-barren-as-el-nino-leaves-nile-banks-dry-1337241425
“Heavy rains and floods inundate the streets of Ibb city, obstructing traffic amid rising water levels [Yemen].”
[Arab Storms]
https://x.com/Arab_Storms/status/2090387631884628473
“EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN CENTRAL ASIA:
“Record heat never ends in Central Asian Republics: temperatures still reach 44C [111.2F] in Turkmenistan with Minimums locally >30C. Earlier this month TAJIKISTAN had its hottest August night in history: min 28.7C at Parkhar, after breaking that of July.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090359666328920436
“Record rainfall in several districts of Punjab [Pakistan]…
“Several districts of Punjab have received record rainfall during the sixth spell of the monsoon that began on August 16.. According to statistics released by the Housing Department Punjab, Jhelum recorded the highest rainfall, with an average of 368.6mm and a maximum of 498mm [19.6 inches].”
https://www.thenews.pk/print/1433136-record-rainfall-in-several-districts-of-punjab
“Indian elephants are being squeezed out of their habitats.
“India’s elephant population has declined 18% since 2017 to 22,446, as infrastructure development fragments habitats and forces conflicts with humans… wild elephants are now restricted to a mere 3.5% of their historical range, driven out by rapid agricultural expansion, mining, highways, and rail tracks.”
https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/08/20/indian-elephants-are-being-squeezed-out-of-their-habitats
“More records of August Highest MINIMUMS IN [EASTERN] INDIA:
“31.0 [87.8F] Sagar Island, 31.0 Golaghat, 30.5 Ongole.”
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090829370818486315
“‘It was a tsunami’: Floods leave death trail in India’s Assam…
“Kukil Das, a 30-year-old Facebook vlogger in Debiram’s village of Nepali Khuti, told Al Jazeera that “the torrent of the flood was like an apocalyptic event seen in the movies. “Trees as tall as 30 to 40 metres (100-130ft) came down from the hills, flooding the river, and wiped out everything as they crashed against our homes,” he said. “There is no home left. It was a tsunami.””
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/22/it-was-a-tsunami-floods-leave-death-trail-in-indias-assam
“The death toll from a recent typhoon in China’s southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has reportedly spiked. State media say the figure now exceeds 150.
“Typhoon Maysak caused extensive damage and flooding last month. On July 9, local authorities said 39 people had died. China Central Television says the figure as of Friday stands at 159, adding that more than 1.65 million people were affected.”
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260822_01/
“President Lee Jae Myung Declares Geoje, Tongyeong Special Disaster Zones [S Korea].
“Regions declared as special disaster zones will receive additional national funding to cover part of the local government’s share of recovery costs. Affected residents will be provided with disaster relief funds, along with deferred payments for national and local taxes, and reduced public utility fees.”
https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/08/21/CTJ4JQCFSZHENC3NYNOZ7PIVLI/
“Philippines floods fuel anger over alleged corruption.
“Weeks of monsoon rain have flooded northern Philippines, where residents are demanding answers over alleged corruption in flood-control projects. Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan is there.”
“INDONESIA RECORD HEAT:
“Record heat never ends in Indonesia. Today more records of August Highest MINIMUMS were broken: 26.3 [79.3f] Miri, 26.0 Bengkulu… Kuantan in MALAYSIA also had its hottest August day in history with 36.1C.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090414582766440818
“Wildfire Smoke Disrupts Flights at Airports Across Kalimantan.
“Forest and land fires in parts of Indonesia’s Kalimantan have begun disrupting air travel, with thick smoke affecting operations at Singkawang Airport in West Kalimantan and causing flight delays at Iskandar Airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan.”
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/wildfire-smoke-disrupts-flights-at-airports-across-kalimantan
“Smoke transport in the Arctic and intense seasonal fires in Indonesia.
“Wildfire emissions have significantly increased in some regions in the past two weeks, as seasonal fires start to increase in Indonesia, and are expected to be enhanced by El Niño. Wildfires in North America and Eurasia sent thick columns of smoke around the Northern Hemisphere, including the Arctic…”
https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/smoke-transport-arctic-and-intense-seasonal-fires-indonesia
“Australians are set to battle record-breaking temperatures this Spring as the country is expected to also record its wettest El Nino year on record.
“Across the country, frequent rainbands persist into August while temperatures are expected to rise as El Nino takes full effect through the end of winter and into spring.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/aussies-battle-record-breaking-heat-063709777.html
“Antarctic krill fishing is now concentrated in the exact pattern conservation rules were designed to prevent.
“The companies fishing for Antarctic krill have harvested so much so quickly that the season had to close in August 2026, three months before it was scheduled to end. That’s the second consecutive year of an early closing… [but] what currently concerns me most is how locally concentrated that harvest has become.”
“Storm-Battered Hawaii Faces Torrential Rain, Mudslide Threat…
“Another five to 10 inches of rain are expected through the weekend, with as much as 15 inches in some parts of the Big Island, according to an update from the US National Hurricane Center. The system is forecast to reach tropical-storm strength Friday, when it would be assigned the name Moke.”
“Peru rescues people trapped by landslides on highway for nearly a week.
“Authorities have begun helicopter evacuations in Peru’s Arequipa region after heavy rains and landslides destroyed sections of the Southern Coastal Highway, leaving dozens of people and vehicles stranded for six days.”
“Endless Extraordinary Heat in Tropical Americas RECORDS ARE FALLING IN EVERY COUNTRY.
“Last Records of August Highest MINIMUMS – 28.7 Liberia COSTA RICA, 20.9 Chilpancingo MEXICO, 25.2 St Georges and St Laurent FRENCH GUIANA. Still >40C [104F] in COLOMBIA where records are falling every day.” [Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2090807237585277081
“Climate Change Is Driving More Warm Summer Nights in U.S. Cities…
“New analysis shows that the number of unusually warm summer nights has risen since 1970 in 95% of 243 major U.S. cities. On average, these cities now experience 24 more such nights each summer than they did in the early 1970s.”
https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/warm-summer-nights-us-cities
“Congress must act now to keep the Rio Grande flowing…
“The river has already lost 85% of its natural flow, delivering just 15% of its historic volume to the Gulf. Meanwhile, snowmelt that sustains the basin has dropped 17% since the year 2000 and is projected to decline another 16–28% as the climate warms. The consequences are profound.”
“The US has a plan to save the Colorado River. Experts say it won’t be enough to stop the crisis.
“Under the new federal framework, California, Arizona and Nevada could collectively lose up to 3m acre-feet of water – roughly 40% of their supply – per year… The document doesn’t spell out how exactly those cuts would be handed out.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/colorado-river-water-crisis-plan
“Hundreds of America’s wild horses reportedly sent to slaughter under Trump.
“This week, the New York Times reported that several hundred of America’s wild horses have been sold to slaughter, in a total betrayal of public trust, congressional direction and the historic legislation that first set the stage for their protection in the mid-twentieth century.”
https://www.humaneworld.org/en/blog/americas-wild-horses-sent-slaughter-under-trump-administration
“Microburst hurls Alabama sunroom 225 feet into front yard.
“Footage from a home in Ashford, Alabama, captured the moment a microburst obliterated a sunroom during an evening of severe storms. The video shows wind and rain lashing the house, knocking down an exterior wall along with windows and furniture.”
https://weather.com/2026/08/20/news/trending/video/alabama-severe-storms-destroy-sunroom
“A Flooded Basement, A Failing Heart: Real Face of Climate Change in Brooklyn…
“In Brooklyn, thousands of seniors and immigrant families live in basement apartments. During devastating storms, these homes — the last frontier of affordable housing — become deathtraps.”
“Rare Tornadoes Hit New York City as Storm Drenches Mid-Atlantic.
“Rare tornadoes struck New York City and Long Island on Thursday evening, as severe weather drenched parts of the Mid-Atlantic and disrupted traffic on some major highways… The Long Island tornado damaged cabanas and buildings at Sun and Surf Beach Club…”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/nyregion/tornado-storm-long-island-delaware.html
“Say what you will about the tropical Pacific ocean, but the North Atlantic, with its lack of tropical weather and ample amounts of Saharan dust, is nearing record daily highs.
“Here’s a snapshot of August 19th, 1982-2026:” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2090511548632772638
“Hurricane forecasters watch ‘unusual’ activity in Atlantic.
“An area of low pressure off the coast of Portugal may transition into a tropical storm over the weekend… No hurricane has ever made landfall on mainland Portugal, according to the historical database.”
“…with the new Westerly wind burst and a reduction of tradewinds… along with a historically strong oceanic kelvin wave… I would give two or three weeks and sea surface temperatures and anomalies will really start skyrocketing upward not just a little bit but potentially at very alarming rapid rates…
“Also it is worth noting that the sub surface Max anomaly is around 11.1°C above average and I’m not saying that lightly either. We are seeing the highest subsurface anomalies out of any previous El Niño…” [David Schlotthauer]
https://x.com/Weatherunited1/status/2090855621428219950
“Super-Duper El Nino and the Bigger Problem…
“…increasing global climate anomalies, poleward shifting of climate zones, increased rainfall extremes, more rapid flash droughts and fires, and marine heat waves are a result of accelerating human-made global warming. The abnormal El Nino strength is itself likely human-driven.” [Prof Jim Hansen]
https://jimehansen.substack.com/p/super-duper-el-nino-and-the-bigger
“We’re now on day 83 of record breaking daily global sea-surface temperatures. There’s still an outside chance that this year could break the all-time daily record set back on April 24, 2024.
“The Climate Casino is taking the Over.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2090819102441168975
“Breaking News! Another record hot day. August 19th was nearly 1.69°C above pre-industrial. The planet has now seen 13 consecutive record daily highs.
“The Climate 8-ball is playing in a fountain.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2090772808049786895
“Climate Change Wreaks Havoc on Wine Industry…
“A study by the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that temperatures during the wine growing season have drastically increased around the world. “That kind of change can affect harvest times, grape ripening, and thus the taste of the wine,” reports UBC’s Elizabeth Wolkovich, one of the study authors.”
https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/climate-change-wreaks-havoc-on-wine-industry/
“Climate change could triple the price of wheat…
“”Wheat is one of the world’s most important food crops, which means climate-related production problems can quickly have global consequences. This study shows that we need to view drought as an international challenge rather than a series of isolated local events,” says Jørgen E. Olesen.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1141008
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“Footage from a home in Ashford, Alabama, captured the moment a microburst obliterated a sunroom during an evening of severe storms. The video shows wind and rain lashing the house, knocking down an exterior wall along with windows and furniture.”
Climate lesson of the day – do not build sunrooms, or any structures mostly made of glass, in a weather disaster zone like Alabama. This is definitely a skill issue, as the kids like to say.
Jupiviv, I must confess I worry about our Velux windows in a world of increasingly violent hailstorms. Didn’t really think that one through…
Now that we humans have turned the planet into a giant pile of shit: it seems very appropriate that many hundreds of millions will die from diarrhea.
Also, horrific photo of the molotov cocktail burning the baby elephant. Give that bastard a burning tire necklace.
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
What do you mean “turned planet into a giant pile of shit”, it has always been shit. Life, in general, is about shit.
Shit is The Future™, man. Better start composting, so you can grow potatoes on it.
Bob, that is a very upsetting picture. Elephants are such sensitive and emotionally sophisticated animals, so they are suffering in technicolour, as it were.
“Asian elephants seen burying their dead for the first time. Five elephant calves have been found buried in drainage ditches on tea-growing estates in India in a rare example of burial behaviour in non-human animals.”
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2420561-asian-elephants-seen-burying-their-dead-for-the-first-time/
The Mustang Without the Ford Around It
The word mustang is more likely to make many people think of a long hood, a V8 and an endless American highway than of a horse. Ford understood that perfectly well in 1964. The name stood for speed, freedom and, above all, that vast American West where you could go wherever you pleased.
But the real mustang, of course, had been around for much longer.
Mustangs are descended from horses brought to North America by Europeans from the sixteenth century onwards. Animals that escaped or were released formed herds that spread across the West. They became part of the landscape and eventually of American mythology: the horse that belonged to no one.
In 1971, that mythology even received legal protection. With the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the United States Congress determined that wild horses and burros on federal land should be protected.
But half a century later, freedom turns out to be complicated.
The Bureau of Land Management regularly removes horses from the range when, according to the agency, herds become too large for the available land. Some are adopted, while others are sold. In 2025, the BLM sold 2,387 wild horses, almost three times as many as the year before. The official rule is unequivocal: the animals may not be sold for slaughter.
And yet things went wrong. A livestock dealer from Ohio bought around five hundred horses from the BLM. A substantial number of them are reported to have subsequently entered the slaughter pipeline through dealers and intermediaries. The peculiar legal problem is that the BLM no longer tracks a horse once it has been sold: immediately after the sale, it becomes private property and is no longer under the agency’s supervision.
This creates a remarkable transition.
On Monday, the horse is still a federally protected symbol of the American West. Once sold, that same animal becomes private property. From there, it can disappear through auctions and dealers into a chain in which hardly anyone ultimately knows what became of it.
We first made the animal a symbol of freedom. Then we put that freedom on a car. In the end, the car became far more famous than the horse.
And the horse itself?
It turned out to be just another commodity.
That is well said, Zip. It seems there’s pretty much nothing we won’t toss into the gaping maw of commodification.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU
How many parents will be glad that their kids will seek jobs refurbishing old lead-acid batteries?
It is a better job than stoop field labor in lethal wet-bulb temps in the blazing sun.
The Honest Sorcerer’s latest essay:
https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/i-saw-the-future-of-the-west-in-india
Thank you, Bob, it is a good read, even if the conclusions seem a little rose-tinted to me.
Thanks, Bob. While honest sorcerer is not a climate denier IMO he still perpetuates fantasy.
“Collapse is not all doom and gloom, and not something which happens overnight. It is a long process which will take decades to a century to fully unfold (2), and who knows, in the end it might land us in a not so inhospitable place.”
So I don’t read him as much as I user to, or if I do, I skim. 🤪
It’s just after noon here and 102, with the hottest yet to come. 104 last couple days. Will we have a South Africa winter??