“‘Shocking’: Global Glacier Ice Loss Accelerates by 36% in Last Decade.
“In a first-of-its-kind global assessment, an international team of researchers found a sharp increase in melting over the past decade, with around 36 percent more ice lost in the 2012 to 2023 period than in the years from 2000 to 2011… European glaciers have shrunk 40% since 2000.”
https://www.sciencealert.com/shocking-global-glacier-ice-loss-accelerates-by-36-in-last-decade
“A new study shows that meltwater from glaciers on Svalbard releases methane into the atmosphere…
““The Svalbard methane reservoir is estimated to be up to 21,000 Pg of carbon. You can compare this to the fact that our current atmosphere only contains about 780 Pg of carbon. So the source of methane on Svalbard is seemingly limitless”, Dr Gabrielle Kleber told the Barents Observer…”
“Dark algae could accelerate melting of Greenland ice sheet…
“Global warming is already causing the snow line to retreat to increased altitudes over time, exposing more ice, which is less reflective than snow and therefore accelerates melt. Ice algae add yet another layer to these interactions…”
“Tiny Quakes Discovered Deep Within Greenland’s Ice Sheet Could Change Sea-Level Rise Predictions, Study Suggests.
“While scientists once thought Greenland’s ice streams flowed slowly and uniformly, new research reveals a quake-driven “stick-slip” motion that’s linked to volcanic activity thousands of years ago.”
“Greenland’s rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract…
“…amplified by climate change, natural hazards make resource extraction and military endeavors in Greenland uncertain, expensive and potentially deadly.”
“Anchorage’s scarcity of new snow since December sets dismal record…
“The 4.3 inches of snowfall the National Weather Service reported this week at its Sand Lake gauge is the lowest amount measured between Dec. 1 and mid-February since at least 1953, when the agency started keeping records.”
“Montreal pleads with residents as it struggles to clear record-breaking snowfall.
“Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante pleaded for patience and urged caution on Wednesday as the city’s snow removal trucks and plows struggled to clear the record-shattering snowfall from back-to-back major storms.”
“Trump’s musings on ‘very large faucet’ in Canada part of looming water crisis, say researchers…
“For water experts, there’s worry that climate change and shifting U.S. policies could put pressure on long-standing cross-border water agreements. And century-old infrastructure isn’t helping matters.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/donald-trump-water-canada-peter-lougheed-1.7459583
“Climate change is threatening Lake Ontario. Lessons from the Little Ice Age show us why we need to adapt…
“The Toronto region could not have become Canada’s economic and cultural capital without the resources of Lake Ontario. But all this economic and political growth has come at a tremendous cost. Lake Ontario is now imperiled because of the way we’ve come to rely on it.”
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-climate-threatening-lake-ontario-lessons.html
“An Arctic blast tied in part to the polar vortex is driving record frigid air south from the Northern Plains toward the [US] Gulf Coast Wednesday in a cold snap that will last the entire week.
“This event is setting daily record cold temperatures and is forecast to bring the coldest temperatures on record for this late in the season.”
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/18/polar-vortex-arctic-outbreak-record-cold-weather
“The California wildfires are likely to become “one of the costliest insured catastrophes in history,” a London-listed insurance company has said.
“Insurers are facing a “significant loss” from the fires with $100bn (£79bn) of payouts likely, according to Conduit Re.”
“Much of northern Arizona in severe drought amid historically dry winter…
“Almost all of western Arizona is in the extreme category, with the Lake Mead area along the Nevada border deemed to be in exceptional drought, which is the highest designation.”
“New study links dust storms to increased emergency department visits in the US Southwest…
“A new research study highlights the significant health risks associated with dust storms, revealing an increase in emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, as well as motor vehicle accidents, in three Southwestern U.S. states.”
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-links-storms-emergency-department-southwest.html
“Because of the harmful red tide algae off the coast of Florida, DeSantis is encouraged to declare an emergency…
“The outbreak, which scientists say started in the Gulf of Mexico last year when Hurricanes Helene and Milton destroyed nutrient-rich waters that support the algae, has prompted health alerts from a number of states.”
https://floridainsider.com/nature/desantis-is-encouraged-to-declare-an-emergency-over-red-tide/
“Hurricanes to hit Atlantic harder and more often, study says.
“Hurricanes are likely to become more frequent and more intense in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans over the next decade, a new study has shown, spelling increased danger for coastal communities across North and Central America.”
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-hurricanes-atlantic-harder.html
“Months after Hurricane Helene, North Carolina farms are still in crisis…
“…one of the aftershocks only now coming into clearer focus is Helene’s profound impact on farms and farmers across the region — and the uncertainty that pervades all that lies ahead.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/02/19/hurricane-helene-wnc-aid-farmers/
“A bag of potato chips now costs nearly 50% more than 10 years ago [US]… Part of the reason is that potatoes are sensitive to rising soil temperatures.
“”If the climate is changing, and changing kind of rapidly, we have to develop potatoes that are adapted to the new climate,” Cornell University professor Walter De Jong told The Allegheny Front.”
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/potato-chip-prices-climate-change-factor/
“McCain steps in to support UK potato farmers hit by flooding and other challenges.
“The UK’s largest frozen potato product manufacturer, McCain Foods, says it will increase its financial support for potato farmers over the next three years by £30m, as they grapple with challenges including climate change, according to a report by edie.”
“Parents ‘turn up TV when it rains’ as kids suffer PTSD after floods [Wales]…
“Sharon Elward, organiser for the Pontypridd Foodbank, said repeated flooding in recent years had led to “skyrocketing” mental health issues locally. “How can you physically keep living like that? Moving furniture and cabinets upstairs whenever there’s a warning… it’s just not realistic,” she said.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqly3gy93d0o
“Another cold night in Central Europe with down to -30.1°C [-22.1F] in Czech Republic, -19.4°C in Slovenia and -19.3°C in Austria.
“Also -27.4°C in the sinkhole of Conca Prevala, Italy (1,787 m).”
https://x.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1892301189678579980
“Arctic Wave Set to Bring Snow and Cold Snap to Mediterranean…
“National forecasters across the region have issued alerts and warned of unseasonably cold conditions in Slovakia, Serbia, Romania and Greece. The frigid temperatures are being fueled by a wobbly jet stream…”
“Over the last few days, global mean surface temperatures have dropped below 1.5°C over pre-industrial, reaching 1.41°C on February 16th. The last time the planet was below 1.5°C was December 21, 2024 [lot of cold over N Hemisphere landmasses; v early cold snap in Antarctica]
“This too will pass.” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lijxop2nrs2a
“HISTORIC HEAT IN AFRICA – 43.4C [110.1F] at Sansanne Mango today destroys the HOTTEST FEBRUARY DAY EVER RECORDED IN TOGO.
“Africa immediately answers to the extraordinary 43.5C of Mexico few days ago. All tropics are with unprecedented heat.“
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1891918204722667589
“Severe Weather Hits South Africa With Tornadoes And Floods…
“Parts of the country, particularly Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and the Free State, are under severe scrutiny as torrential rains and storm conditions threaten to create more chaos.”
https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/severe-weather-hits-south-africa-with-tornadoes-and-floods-207410
“Drones show heavy flooding across Botswana’s capital.
“Heavy rain caused severe traffic disruption and forced the closure of several roads, local media Mmegi reported… Reuters was able to independently verify the date using the original file metadata from the source.”
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/drones-show-heavy-flooding-across-021140714.html
“Burundi: Climate change makes rainy season a public danger in urban areas…
“”Although the authorities know what happens to us every rainy season, they have abandoned us. This rainfall kills, disrupts sleep, and results in environmentally displaced people every rainy season due to their homes flooding.””
“Tanzania to establish climate change finance department.
“Heavy rains in the previous season caused widespread damage, leading the allocation of over Sh1 trillion for infrastructure repairs, including bridges, roads, and crops lost to flooding.”
“‘Nothing to eat’: South Sudan farmers suffer as climate shocks devour crops.
“Extreme weather, including erratic rainfall and extended droughts, along with pest and bird invasions, have left thousands facing acute food insecurity in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state.”
“RECORD HEAT IN THE MALDIVES – endless record heat all over the tropics goes on: Today 33.6C [92.5F] at Male Int. AP ties its hottest February day on record.
“Every single tropical country has been breaking heat records in the past weeks: insane.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1892206107411497225
“Kerala faces temperature rise as dust storms intensify, despite La Niña [India]…
“By mid-February, temperatures in Kerala have already started rising, with meteorologists predicting even hotter days ahead… Heatwaves are typically observed in India from March to May, but they are less common in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.”
https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kerala-faces-heatwave-coming-days-1.10359317
“The vicious cycle pushing Bangladeshi climate migrants into modern slavery.
“Nearly all Bangladeshi migrants who leave areas hit hard by climate change to seek work in other parts of the country or overseas in Gulf States are subject to forms of forced labour, researchers have found.”
“Flash floods in Pattaya bring misery to motorists [Thailand]…
“Heavy rains brought severe flash flooding to Pattaya in the early hours of Wednesday morning, causing damage to vehicles. Nation TV press reported at 4.26am that about an hour of heavy rain had led to surface runoff of over 90 centimetres [35.4 inches].”
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40041575
“Farmers hit by heatwave in Malaysia’s Kedah…
““A prolonged heatwave can jeopardise padi quality, as excessive heat often leads to pest infestations and diseases common during the dry season,” said Shuib, who has more than 30 years of experience in padi planting.”
https://asianews.network/farmers-hit-by-heatwave-in-malaysias-kedah/
“SE ASIA HEAT WAVE:
“Another scorching hot night in Southeast Asia with minimum temperatures locally close to 28C [82.4F]. And another record of February highest minumum: 25.8C at Calapan, Philippines. Record heat in SE Asia has been going on for nearly 2 years.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1891759567970680915
“Thousands of residents and businesses in the Perth Hills [Western Australia] are still without power, more than 17 hours after a freak storm tore through the area on Wednesday.
“The storm, which brought strong wind, hail and heavy rainfall to the area, uprooted trees and ripped roofs from homes …was described by those who saw it as a ‘mini tornado’ lasting several minutes.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-20/aerial-footage-captures-the-extensive-damage/104961828
“Australian bushfires leave wildlife facing increased predator risk, decades of recovery.
“Simultaneous wildfires since December 2024 have left Grampians, Little Desert and the Great Otway National Parks in Australia devastated. Scientists say it will take decades for plants and wildlife to recover.”
“Tasmania bushfires: A growing crisis in an era of climate change…
“The fires are expected to continue burning for several more weeks. Due to the region’s remote and challenging terrain, authorities report that significant effort is still needed to gain control over the blazes.”
https://www.earth.com/image/tasmania-bushfires-a-growing-crisis-in-an-era-of-climate-change/
“Flash flooding ‘unlike anything we have seen before’… [NZ]
“Torrential rain resulted in flash flooding in parts of Central and South Otago last night. David Robertson believed more than 70mm of rain [nearly 3 inches] fell in 30 minutes…”
https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-national/flash-flooding-unlike-anything-we-have-seen
“Climate change is robbing Pacific islands of another resource: Tuna.
“Fourteen Pacific island nations will receive $107 million to adapt their tuna-dependent economies as climate change pushes the fish farther from their shores, the Green Climate Fund announced Tuesday.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/19/pacific-islands-tuna-fishing-climate-change/
“Argentina on fire: from north to south, almost 150,000 hectares lost to fires in 2025…
“Since the beginning of 2025, 150,000 hectares of forests have burned in the country, leaving two dead, destroyed houses and incalculable losses to ecosystems of enormous value. Budget cuts limited the prevention and action capacity of the forces responsible for fighting the flames.”
https://es.mongabay.com/2025/02/argentina-en-llamas-incendios-forestales/
“São Paulo Storms Lead To Fatalities And Power Outages.
“A deadly storm results in significant flooding and community concerns over infrastructure safety… The storm unleashed nearly 70 millimeters (mm) of rain within just two hours, overwhelming the city’s drainage systems, leading to extensive flooding.”
https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/so-paulo-storms-lead-to-fatalities-and-power-outages-207007
“Houses flooded and collapsed due to heavy rains in Cajamarca: Celendín and Jaén are the main affected provinces [Peru]…
“The heavy rains affecting various regions of the country continue to cause serious material damage and put families at risk . In Cajamarca , the rainfall has caused flooding, the collapse of homes and damage to roads and crops.”
“The atmosphere on a hotter planet can hold more water. Each 1°C increase in surface temperature increases the capacity to hold water vapor by about 7%.
“1.5°C anomaly ≈ 11% more water vapor. This graph shows the 12-month running average for the “total column precipitable water.” You can see it!” [Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lil47hp7ls2p
“Extreme weather to prompt more food price spikes in 2025, experts predict…
“Central banks should consider shifting to more flexible inflation targets to respond to the supply shocks that climate change will make more likely, Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva, the former deputy general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, has argued.”
https://greencentralbanking.com/2025/02/19/extreme-weather-food-prices-2025/
“HSBC net zero goal delayed 20 years, as CEO offered 600% bonus…
“HSBC has been criticised after it delayed key parts of its climate goals by 20 years, while watering down environmental targets in a new long-term bonus plan for its chief executive, Georges Elhedery, that could be worth up to 600% of his salary.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/19/hsbc-net-zero-goal-delayed-20-years-ceo-bonus
“Sweden’s top court rejects Greta Thunberg lawsuit on climate action…
“Activists filed a lawsuit in 2022 arguing that the state violates the European Convention on Human Rights by not doing enough to limit climate change, or mitigate its effects, and the case has since been subject to review on procedural grounds.”
“Developing world urges rich nations to defy Trump’s ‘climate nihilism’…
“Diplomats from the developing world are rallying to support Brazil, which will host a crucial climate summit [COP30] in November, after last year’s talks in Azerbaijan ended in disappointment and acrimony.”
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What a round-up!
Thank you, Doom Wizard. The news is certainly keeping me on my toes these days.
Yes, I agree Doommie, Justin outdid himself today..
I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds here by observing this day of the someone that did investigate the oil companies and actually wrote an article about their unholy behavior only to have it shelved because was never published for legal reasons.
Gonzo Ecology: A Surprisingly Green Hunter S. Thompson – David S. Wills – Essays
Feb 10, 2022 — In a letter, he explained that the people running America’s oil companies “make the Hell’s Angels seem like a bunch of manacled pansies” and that they were complicit in “the murder of the American dream” – a long-running theme in his writing.
Hunter S. Thompson died by suicide on February 20, 2005 at the age of 67. The American journalist and author was found dead at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado.
Known for: Inventing “gonzo journalism, Writing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Writing Hell’s Angels, and Writing “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved.
Career:
A pioneer of New Journalism
A writer for Rolling Stone magazine
A countercultural figure
A writer who reached out to a generation cynical about the Vietnam War and Watergate
“It is like a death ship, a sinking hulk of shame and disease, being towed back and forth through the sea lanes by a hired tugboat with a crew on the verge of mutiny and a captain going crazy with fear. The cargo – 62,000 pounds of rotten meat, human excrement and unspecified toxic wastes – is so foul that it can’t even be sunk in the deepest holes of the ocean.
He drags the scene out with dark comedy as various Caribbean nations threaten the boat with military action. It is an effective illustration of Thompson’s views on human irresponsibility. He has used absurdist comedy and vituperative language to make clear that this is something that simply never should have happened – the inevitable consequence of that same human greed that compels people to tear down forests and level mountains for profit.
Thompson remained committed to environmental causes until his death”
Yes, Hunter even wrote his last words …” Not to be greedy”
“I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds…”
Vince, not at all. I have a soft spot for Hunter S Thompson. I remember reading “Fear and Loathing” along with William S Burroughs’ “Junkie” on holiday as a very young man and finding them both deliciously shocking.
I suppose you could make a case that those sinister oil company execs helped facilitate the American dream, as well as partook in its murder. IOW, our modern way of life carries the seeds of its own destruction.
Wish it was only those oil executives being charged.
Watching here in the US the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir announcing record shattering breaking cold that 75 million are in danger with brutal lows ….next week may be in the 60s….we will feel great..
No need to worry concerning Global Warming folks
Hello Pan
Well, your summary… oh dear. Today, the French assembly passed a bill to ban PFAS…
Today, France passed its first law banning the production and sale of PFAS in clothing, shoes and cosmetics from 1 January 2026. PFAS, also known as ‘forever pollutants’, are extremely resistant chemical substances that are associated with serious health problems, including cancer. In the ‘Vallée de la Chimie’ near Lyon, a region with a high concentration of chemical industry, the pollution is widespread and there is great concern among the residents. Soil samples show that the ground is heavily polluted, including the soil around schools and allotments. Many residents have cancer, but there have been no official studies to confirm the link with PFAS. Several lawsuits have now been filed against polluting companies, including Arkema. The lawsuits are aimed at forcing companies to conduct thorough environmental studies and health checks on the population, financed by the industry itself. Arkema claims that the company complies with all regulations and stopped discharging PFAS three months ago. The impact of the pollution extends beyond Oullins-Pierre Bénite and could affect up to 220,000 people in South and West Lyon. To substantiate any potential damage claims, hundreds of files have been collected that deal with issues such as the loss of quality of life (such as not being able to eat home-grown vegetables) and emotional stress and depreciation of property value.
Without PFAS, this world would come to a standstill… but people don’t understand that. Even!!! or rather the energy ‘transition’. Our relationship with ‘nature’ is fundamental and deeply destructive.
Well, who will be the successor of ‘gonzo journalism’?
in which a floating ship full of waste and decay is used as a metaphor for human irresponsibility, perfectly demonstrates his style and worldview. Thompson used absurdity and grotesque images to expose major social problems. His environmental activism was less well known than his political criticism, but it was inextricably linked to his broader cynicism about human greed and corruption.
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/environnement/pollution/pfas/reportage-les-terres-sont-souillees-dans-la-vallee-de-la-chimie-les-habitants-demandent-reparation-aux-industriels_7085955.html
The extent to which we are poisoning ourselves and our environment is quite horrifying, Zip. I was reading the other day that Bisphenol A, another synthetic chemical (primarily used in plastic packaging), may be contributing to the huge rise in cases of autism.
Like our simple comrades in consumption, the yeast cells, we seem destined to die en masse in a medium of our own waste.
As someone who has reached the acceptance stage of collapse long ago, I wonder about the mental state of people who are less informed. Are most still in denial? Will they stay there until climate change hits them on their head? And even then will they find something/someone else to blame?
It reminds me of those who denied the existence of Covid even as they were strapped to a ventilator on their death bed.
Some people cannot accept they are wrong. I suppose if you start questioning parts of your perception, it can lead to a mental breakdown. Much easier to deny reality forever.
Nat, I have reached an abstract, intellectual acceptance of collapse but not an emotional one – I worry a lot about my kids.
I really think that to achieve even the former, you need an unusual willingness to look unpalatable facts in the face plus a ton of time to do sufficient research to satisfy yourself that our predicament really is all-encompassing. That makes for a fairly small group of people.
Possibly there is another category of individuals who look around and intuit, or simply deduce via basic common sense, that our rampaging civilisation is inherently unsustainable.
“you need an unusual willingness to look unpalatable facts in the face plus a ton of time to do sufficient research to satisfy yourself”
Nothing has ever described me better!
If I had kids I would probably worry about them as well. With my nephew and nieces I have accepted the world as it is, and the chaos of a future they will inherit. Comparatively I think their future lives will likely not be as bad as many others current existence. But who really knows.
https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/news/we-are-playing-with-fire-it-highlights-the-urgency-for-action/425034
Good thing the “Urgency for action” has been highlighted so we can get right on it. The “Action” they refer to, however, entails nothing more than a more robust switch to EV’s while simultaneously plowing under pristine ecosystems to plant corn for biofuels (to power exactly what if we’re all ensconced in multi-ton Electric SUV’S Designed to carry 9 people but in fact transporting but one lone occupant?).
If we were beside that lone occupant, we would see them transfigured into a creature livid with road rage when anyone dares thwart their forward progression. We’ve all not only witnessed this in others who we thought we knew, but have experienced this phenomenon in our own selves. I would argue that this is why Corporations, altho run by humans, are completely uninterested in “urgent action” to avert Climate breakdown, (if for no other reason than that it has already proven, during the course of this entire century, CC is not only a source of profit, but a source of the uninterrupted revenue streams flowing into corporate coffers from governments defending Free Enterprise). The drivers of the economic engine, akin to those behind the wheel of an internal combustion engine, are no longer quite human. The effortless extension of their power induces a sort of temporary insanity.
But wait, there’s more!:
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-02-12/massive-methane-leaks-detected-in-antarctica-posing-potential-risks-for-global-warming.html
The methane in the Antarctic is deep enough that it gets hydrolyzed before it reaches the surface, which speeds up acidification of the ocean. Luckily that won’t negatively impact anything.
“If we were beside that lone occupant, we would see them transfigured into a creature livid with road rage when anyone dares thwart their forward progression.”
It is a curious phenomenon. I know I’ve been swept up in that state of outraged self-righteousness at the wheel, although I am mellower now in middle-age. Plus there is nary a traffic-light nor roundabout on Islay, and the worst case scenario is that you get stuck behind a tractor for a bit, so triggers for rage are few.
“Why Driving Makes Us So Mad… If you were an evil genius and wanted to develop a situation that made people angry, it would look a lot like driving. Here are four reasons why…”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/all-the-rage/201112/why-driving-makes-us-so-mad
Your link proves once again what a talented researcher you are. Side note: the only time in her 60+ years of driving that a friend’s mother got pulled over by a cop was when she was GOING TOO SLOW.
Thank you, Kali – that is very kind of you to say!
In the UK, going too slow can get you prosecuted for careless driving, although I doubt it happens much. We have a lot of winding back-roads where overtaking can be dangerous, and very slow drivers can frustrate other motorists into doing stupid things.
Some here may find this chat interesting.
The math chaos of climate change, applied to social systems
https://youtu.be/bk9bs0F_oIU?si=6UF3fjv1GnKsEgxV
Thank you for that, Rain. Nate has had some great guests on that show.