Huge thanks to Gerry for being this month’s sponsor. He has asked me to post the following: Still alive in ’25 – we’re all in this together! Find supportive community and resources at postdoom.com (founded by Michael Dowd; RIP).
“January 3-10 all saw record high global surface temperatures.
“The 365-day running average is once again at 1.60°C above pre-industrial. January 10th was 1.76°C above pre-industrial.
“The climate 8-ball is overworked and exhausted.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lfkdspq2322f
“The 40 million km² of the North Atlantic have been above pre-2023 temperatures for 676 days in a row, and counting!
“This is unprecedented! Hat tip to Eliot Jacobson for making this graph.”
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1878819540832047263
“Looking at another year of ECMWF reanalysis data, it still looks like the AMOC is rapidly slowing down.
“Northward heat transport through the tropical Atlantic Ocean has decreased significantly. A decrease of 0.5 PW represents ~16,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules per year! [Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1878402801732067610
“The utterly plausible case that climate change makes London much colder [and drier]…
“A full collapse of the AMOC would be a “massive, planetary-scale disaster”, says Stefan Rahmstorf, a climate scientist at Germany’s Potsdam Institute and one of the world’s leading experts on the system.”
https://www.ft.com/content/7711109e-0338-43ad-aada-853f058a24f1
“Water shortage fears as Labour’s first AI growth zone sited close to new reservoir…
“The first of these will be in Culham, Oxfordshire, only seven miles from a reservoir planned by Thames Water in Abingdon, which was supposed to provide water to people in the severely water-stressed south-east of England.”
“UK faces broccoli and cauliflower shortage this spring…
“Growers blame weather challenges in UK and Europe, which Met Office says will become more frequent with climate breakdown… It will also be hard to supplement any vegetables with crops from the continent, as floods in key growing areas prevented many farmers from planting…”
“Just Stop Oil protesters spray-paint ‘1.5 is dead’ on Charles Darwin’s grave…
“The slogan “1.5 is dead” was sprayed in chalk paint on the gravestone of the 19th-century naturalist – widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology – at about 9.30am on Monday.”
“Flooding: a giant basin to protect Paris from the waters is being tested in Seine-et-Marne…
“At the start of 2025, several départements are under flood alert. In 2024, Paris broke its rainfall record, a sad performance that worries many private and public players: Paris City Hall is preparing action plans to train Parisians in the scenario of a major flood on the Seine.”
“Frosty days increasingly rare, setting new weather record [Netherlands].
“Despite the overnight frosts of the past few days, and the snow in the south of the Netherlands, there has been no 24-hour period of sub zero temperatures at the De Bilt weather station for 756 days – and that means a new weather record.”
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/01/frosty-days-increasingly-rare-setting-new-weather-record/
“Warm winter in Ukraine: January 2025 breaks temperature records.
“Ukrainians are experiencing unusually warm weather in January 2025. On 10 January, new temperature records were set at weather stations, with the daytime maximum reaching +15.4°C in Kherson.”
https://nikvesti.com/en/news/public/299925-warm-winter-ukraine-january-2025-temperature-records
“Turkey experienced its hottest year on record in 2024, its weather agency said Monday, as bouts of extreme temperatures multiplied across the globe due to climate change.
“”In 2024, the average temperature in Turkey was 15.6 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 1.7C higher than the average between 1991-2020,” a statement said.”
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/2024_was_Turkeys_hottest-ever_year_on_record_999.html
“Traditional Kurdish ‘Rain Bride’ Ritual Resurfaces Amid Regional Drought Concerns…
“As the Kurdistan Region faces noticeable climate challenges, an ancient rain-summoning ritual known as “Bûke Barane” (Rain Bride) has gained renewed meaning, merging centuries-old Kurdish spiritual traditions with contemporary environmental concerns.”
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/819268
“Jordan signed a preliminary agreement on Sunday to begin a major project for desalinating and transporting water from Aqaba south of the kingdom to the capital Amman.
“The agreement was inked with a consortium led by two French companies, Meridiam and Suez, to address water shortages in the kingdom.”
“December was the driest month on record [Portugal].
“December was the driest month on record, with Portugal having rainfall that was “only 12% of the average value” recorded in the period between 1981 and 2010… In the Algarve… water consumption have already been applied…”
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2025-01-13/december-was-the-driest-month-on-record/94839
“2024 was the driest and second warmest year on record in the Canary Islands…
“The annual mean temperature across the archipelago reached 19.6°C, marking a deviation of 1.2°C from the average… Precipitation was markedly below average, with the islands receiving just 52% of the expected rainfall.”
“World’s record heat is worsening air pollution and health in Global South.
“…oppressive heat helps degrade air quality, making people sick. While air pollution sources are typically local or regional, the invisible hand of climate change is further deteriorating air quality around the planet.”
“RECORD HEAT ALL OVER AFRICA.
“Records keep being smashed all over the tropics, every day. CAMEROON Douala also broke its January record with 36.2C [97.2F] after breaking those of all previous months.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1878153634522829217
“Climate change forcing farmers to replace cows with goats, chickens with ducks.
“South African farmers are choosing goats, which can survive better in arid terrains created by climate change-induced droughts, over cows. In Bangladesh, where floods have progressively worsened, the choice between chickens and ducks has become clear.”
“Nineteen hippos die in Zimbabwe after severe drought.
“Nineteen hippos have died in Zimbabwe in the past three months most likely due to a lack of adequate food because of severe drought, the wildlife authority said… Samples from the dead animals showed no trace of abnormalities or anthrax poisoning, ZimParks said in a statement.”
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20250111-nineteen-hippos-die-in-zimbabwe-after-severe-drought
“More record heat in MOZAMBIQUE and MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL in this insane heat wave which has been going on relentlessly for months.
“Latest Records for January: 41.9 [107.4F] Massangena; 36.1 Inhambane; 35.7 Inhambane AP; 36.8 Massinga; 39.0 Mocuba; Tmin 26.5 Mocuba… Juan de Nova Island unbelievable MINIMUM 30.3. HOTTEST NIGHT IN HISTORY OF FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1878828753608184233
“‘Nightmare’ fire threatens iconic Madagascar national park.
“A mighty blaze in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park is menacing the home of the world’s rarest lemur species. Disastrous dry conditions have turned the biodiversity haven into a tinderbox.”
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/nightmare-fire-threatens-iconic-madagascar-national-park/
“Mayotte hit by new storm [Dikeledi] just weeks after devastating cyclone.
“A fresh tropical storm has struck Mayotte in the Indian Ocean just weeks after a deadly cyclone which killed at least 39 people and left more than 200 still missing.”
https://news.sky.com/story/mayotte-hit-by-new-storm-just-weeks-after-devastating-cyclone-13287801
“Sri Lanka’s children suffer amid climate change-fuelled floods and disease.
“Turbocharged monsoon floods are intensifying the spread of waterborne diseases in the Indian Ocean island nation… For a week, seven-year-old Nathushika suffered from diarrhoea, vomiting, and a high fever.”
“Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir [Himalayan India] experienced its lowest precipitation in over five decades in 2024, surpassing the 50-year low recorded in 1974…
“The anomaly has been attributed to a combination of climatic shifts and unusual weather phenomena, which have caused lower-than-expected rainfall throughout the year.”
“In mid-January, China will experience an extremely fierce warming, and temperature in most areas will hit the highest record of the same period!
“Such a large-scale and fierce warming is unprecedented in January!”
https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/1878421539357630597
“Rainfall recorded in Singapore for January hits new high on Pulau Tekong on Jan 10…
“Pulau Tekong recorded 241.8mm [9.5 inches] of rain on Jan 10, surpassing the previous high of 238.2mm recorded on Jan 30, 2011 on Pulau Ubin, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Jan 14 in response to queries from The Straits Times.”
“Endless record heat in the PHILIPPINES.
“We are close to 2 years of continuous record heat with some stations failing to record a single colder than average day in the whole 2024. Today new records of January highest minimums include: 27.2 [80.9F] Puerto Princesa; 26.0 Borongan.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1878984753275420914
“Record heat is unstoppable in Oceania with winter hot nights:
“Saipan NORTHERN MARIANAS, Pohnpei MICRONESIA both Min 27.8C [82F] – HOTTEST JANUARY NIGHTS ON RECORD.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1878273214671151309
“Better known for its scorching temperatures at this time of year, Marble Bar, 1,470 kilometres north of Perth, was hit with 104mm [4.1 inches] of rain in just over two hours on Monday evening…
“Flood warnings remain after rain left …the outback town cut off. Roads across the Pilbara, including North West Coastal Highway, were also cut by flood waters.”
“Australians may have to pay more for their home insurance due to the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles, as international firms raise premiums to pay for the expected massive payouts from those blazes.
“Natural disasters have already fuelled Australians’ insurance costs beyond inflation, analysis from The Australia Institute has shown.”
“Exceptionally high temperatures in Patagonia [Argentina]!
“43.6°C [110.5F] Trelew – ALL-TIME RECORD broken by 1°C and worldwide highest temperature ever recorded at this latitude [43.2°S]! [This is also a new all time record for the province of Chubut and the highest temperature ever recorded in the world so far south; h/t Extreme Temps].
https://x.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1878605968365510730
“At least 10 people have died after landslides swept through two cities in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, state officials have said.
“The Bethania neighbourhood in the city of Ipatinga was the worst affected… The mayor’s office said that 204mm (8in) of rain fell in Ipatinga on Sunday morning.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvglwd34l81o
“San Diego has driest start to water year in recorded history…
“The meteorological water year — the “rainy season” — starts on Oct. 1 and, so far, San Diego County has only received a little over a tenth of an inch of rain, leaving a rain deficit of almost four inches. As a result, moisture in vegetation, both in living and dead plants, is at critically dry levels…”
“‘Particularly dangerous’ wildfire weather returns to California and could linger for months, say forecasts.
“The good news is there’s no sign on the horizon of a windstorm close to last week’s Santa Anas, which brought record-setting 100mph wind gusts to Los Angeles. The bad news is that it looks like Los Angeles’s record-dry start to its rainy season will keep getting worse.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/13/california-wildfire-weather-conditions-forecast
“Where there’s fire, there’s smoke: Los Angeles blazes raise fears of ‘super toxic’ lung damage.
““Wildfire smoke is super toxic to the lungs, more so than ‘regular’ smoke, because of the concentrations of fine particulates,” said Don McKenzie, an assistant professor at the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/13/los-angeles-wildfires-smoke-exposures
“Canadian insurers face record costs from 2024 extreme weather…
“Events that cause significant destruction “are escalating at a shocking rate and Canada is simply not prepared,” said Celyeste Power, president of the IBC, an industry association representing Canadian insurers.”
Alaska record January warmth:
“Today the overnight minimum at Anchorage, Alaska was 36F/2.2C again, therefore it ties for the second time in few days its record of January. 54F yesterday at Nenana AP ties its January highest temperature on record. Sittka might pass the whole month WITHOUT A SINGLE FREEZING temperature. In Alaska climatic history it happened just once.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1878860385350242445
“It always helps to see a straight line next to a Non-linear Trend line.
“Global warming has accelerated! …Even with La Niña, January 2025 might end up record warm…”
[Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1878523735009058959
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
It’s my birthday.
Thank you for this.
Going to try to throw funds your way for your fine work.
Happy birthday, Doom Wizard! May you have many more! But it’s looking doubtful 🤪 😬
Happy Birthday, Doom Wizard. I hope you have something fun planned in your off-grid retreat.
Re the funds, thank you if you can. I know for some people it just isn’t possible.
BTW, readers of the comments section will notice that we have implemented the “like” function. This is on an experimental basis… Might be interesting… Could just send us all into a lather of needy insecurity. 😂
Feedback is welcome.
I like it. I don’t comment as often, but appreciate the ability to “support?” other commenters.
I’m going to be busy liking my comments.
There’s a line in an American commercial; “I got tens & tens of likes.”
Silly has got it going on! 😉
“This vast assault, perhaps the largest such project in the world, has accelerated the release of carbon emissions that, unchecked, will render the planet uninhabitable for humans and most other species. There is a direct line from the destruction of the boreal forest and the raging wildfires in California.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/chrishedges/p/fire-weather
Hedges didn’t used to be quite so doomy. He’s catching up with us.
Cassandra, yes, my goodness; I am not that familiar with his work but I remember him being more concerned with wealth inequality and political injustice than climate catastrophe. His final para is doom, served black, no sugar:
“We are addicted to fossil fuels. But it is a suicide pact. We ignore the freakish weather patterns and disintegration of the planet, retreating into our electronic hallucinations, pretending the inevitable is not inevitable.
“This vast cognitive dissonance, fed to us by mass culture, makes us the most self-deluded population in human history. The cost of this self-delusion will be mass death. The devastation in California is the harbinger of the apocalypse.”
Jesus H. Christ has himself a son, Pastor Chris Hedges, a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School (how a graduate “divinity school” co-exists with science departments is another feat of capitalizer incoherence), long-time reporter for the genocide-supporting New York Times, interview show host for Vladimir Putin’s RT, and now professional self-appointed martyr, witnessing to the poor, the imprisoned, the frontline communities, lifting them up to the heavenly skies in lugubrious, sententious prose for his pipe-smoking acolytes.
Jesus H. Christ Jr. writes the same dirge over and over, for every new day and every new event, using his stack of classics and embrace of non-violent lectern lecturing to get us all in the penitential mood.
Keep Hope Alive. We Shall Overcome. I see Jesus in every beggar. That kind of common useless horseshit – that’s the Pastor’s specialty.
Hedges was Cornel West’s hype promotor – if C&E folks want to waltz down that lonesome road, be my guest, but let’s put it this way – be forewarned, he ain’t no Doom Wizard.
Jeez, Martin. I have to admit your cynicism wears me out sometimes. I don’t see any “keep hope alive” in Hedges piece. He tries to bring awareness to a lot of issues. More than I am doing; not sure about you. And as for Cornell West & company, who did you vote for? Kamala? LOL. I actually unregistered to vote. That was my protest vote. Since we are well beyond that shit.
You are right that Pastor Hedges was getting kinda doomy in this piece, but he’s been at this for decades now, always urging nice mild-mannered protest-sign carrying in the name of his deity.
My votes are plain useless, as Jason Brennan explains in “Against Democracy,” , and especially not in this US corporate-owned dummkopf farce.
I don’t think cynicism” needs any defense these days – oh wait Pete.Hegseth is testilying right now.
Thank you, Martin. I did not know that was underway. Pete Hegseth’s appointment would, I assume, be geopolitically significant, given his passionately pro-Israel stance.
“Hegseth says he supports Israel “killing every last member of Hamas” …When asked by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton to respond to a protester who interrupted Hegseth’s opening remarks by calling him a “Christian zionist,” Hegseth said, “I robustly support the state of Israel and its existential defense.””
https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-cabinet-confirmation-hearings-01-14-25/index.html
Although it’s not my birthday (happy birthday Doom Wizard), I did find enough to celebrate to warrant contributing to C&E (as if I needed any other reason). These include (not making this up) International Dress Up Your Pet Day, International Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day, Feast of the Ass Day and International Kite Day. I’ll buy several coffees.
Thanks to Cassandra for the Hedges link. Very informative. He and a few others I had followed in the past seem to be waking up…
Feast of the Ass Day… Ron, my initial, absurd thought was that it must be some promotional bacchanal cooked up by the porn industry. Clearly, I need to get my mind out of the gutter.
“The Feast of the Ass is a medieval Christian feast observed on 14 January, celebrating the flight into Egypt. It was originally celebrated primarily in France.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Ass
Ai vs water and power and the running of industrial civilization we will see how they deal with these issues. Not only ai, bitcoin and all of increasing surveillance technology too. This will crash and burn soon by hitting a brick wall.
Heather, I suppose hyper-artificiality is part and parcel of hyper-complexity. It is a weird dynamic, consuming nature to extend ourselves further and further from it until, as you say, it all comes crashing down.
“U.S. natural gas is set to be a big winner in the AI boom with several dozen new gas-fired power plants expected to be built in America by the end of the decade, according to analyst.”
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Natural-Gas-Power-Plants-to-Flourish-Alongside-the-AI-Boom.html
As words as biblical as apocalyptic are used together with describing the LA inferno as a war zone, no one seems to have noticed that had the US spent a tenth of the billions it has spent on supporting Israel’s deliberate razing of Gaza, creating an actual war zone, clearing dried-out landscape debris (such as firefighters are doing right now) perhaps the devastation would have been less severe.
Of what use is Homeland Security when all that’s left of the Homeland is ashes? As ex-president Plump waddles into the Offal Office next week, the number one threat to National security, per the Pentagon, is Climate Change, yet their Commander-in-Cheats insists it’s a hoax.
What could possibly go wrong?
In 2020, when I posted this linked rave, the CO2 ppm’s were 415; by this June, they will be 430ppm. That’s an acceleration from 2.0 to 3.0 since the turn of the century (during the timeframe of the extreme build back better in “renewables):
https://robertlowrey.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-hoax-that-chokes-extremes-greatest.html
Rob, almost as alarming as the fires is their instant politicization and the rancour of the blame-game that has sprung up around them.
These extreme weather events are turning into major political flashpoints. The anger in Valencia over the Spanish government’s handling of their October deluge doesn’t seem to be dissipating, for example. And I am wondering what France’s handling of the drought and recent cyclone in Mayotte will mean for the territory’s relationship with the motherland. Macron was roundly heckled when he visited.