Enormous thanks to my anonymous donor for May, who wishes to call attention to Rob Mielcarski’s thought-provoking un-denial site, also featured in my blogroll, which looks at overshoot and related issues.
“EXTRAORDINARY WORLD RECORD:
Mind blowing MINIMUM temperature of 38.5C [101.3F] at Khasab Airport in OMAN is WORLD RECORD OF HOTTEST NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN THE 1-15 MAY PERIOD. Crazy maxes >47C from Emirates to Iran. We are witnessing something historic.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1919372152723198189
“HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN MIDDLE EAST – 48 [118.4F] DEGREES IN SAUDI ARABIA.
“Insane unprecedented heat for this time of the year with absurd temperatures rare even in summer. SAUDI ARABIA 47.9 Al-Nairyah, 47.3 Buqayq; IRAN 46.5 Dayyer Port (right on the coast); IRAQ Crazy MINIMUM 33.5 Basra AP.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1918717670016373186
“Emergency protocols have been initiated across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan after a massive dust storm swept in and engulfed an entire town.
“A ‘wall of dust’ surged through the Al Qassim province of central Saudi Arabia on Sunday, blocking out sunlight and towering over residents.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14679693/wall-dust-sand-storm-engulfs-Saudi-Arabia.html
“Neom climate adviser warns futuristic city could alter weather patterns.
“A leading climate scientist advising Saudi Arabia’s mega-project Neom has warned that plans for its new futuristic city could alter weather patterns and the path of wind and sand storms, in yet another problem for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship scheme.”
https://www.ft.com/content/8bb45e6e-5a1b-4e93-ad40-8f0568e02274
“Heavy rains flood parts of southern Israel, leading to closures on major roads.
“Parts of southern Israel were flooded on Sunday, amid heavy rains and strong winds that picked up strength in the afternoon, leading police to close several main routes to traffic, including the main entrances to the southern city of Eilat.”
“Belgian tourist and son killed in floods in Jordan…
“The four had been missing since Sunday due to floods in the Shoubak region, about 200 km south of the capital Amman, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency. On Monday, the bodies of the mother and one son were recovered.”
https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-tourist-and-son-killed-in-floods-in-jordan
“Iran’s water crisis priming ground for earthquakes, expert warns…
“Mehdi Zare says human responses to prolonged drought—particularly rampant groundwater extraction—are altering underground stresses and could trigger seismic activity in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad.”
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202505033469
“Pakistan experienced its second-hottest April in 65 years [of records], with average temperatures soaring well above historical norms, meteorological data revealed, as experts warned of a looming climate emergency.
“…average nationwide temperatures during April 2025 were 3.37°C higher than the long-term norm.”
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2543752/pakistan-records-second-hottest-april-in-65-years
“Rawalpindi [Pakistan] has declared a water emergency for the second time this year due to severe water shortages and falling dam levels. The city’s daily demand exceeds supply by 20 million gallons…
“WASA urged residents to save water immediately. Without rain, Rawalpindi may soon face a serious supply disaster.”
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1295924/rawalpindi-declares-emergency-as-water-supply-falls-short/
“Sindh’s increasingly fragile agriculture [Pakistan].
“Sanghar and Matiari are the districts located on the left bank of the Indus River… Water shortage in left bank areas, especially at the time of early Kharif sowing, remained severe due to unprecedented water shortage in the river system, affecting lower riparian Sindh the most.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1908539
“‘Glaciers feeding eastern rivers of Indus basin retreating faster,’ says top glaciologist Anil V Kulkarni…
“In the face of climate change-induced retreat of glaciers feeding eastern rivers of the Indus river basin, and projections of reduced water availability, the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) needs to be reviewed.”
“14 dead as thunderstorm, dust storm hit parts of Gujarat [NW India].
“Fourteen people lost their lives across Gujarat as unseasonal rain, accompanied by strong winds and dust storms, swept through the state on Monday evening during what is typically the peak of summer.”
https://deshgujarat.com/2025/05/06/14-dead-as-thunderstorm-dust-storm-hit-parts-of-gujarat/
“A sudden storm in southwestern China’s Guizhou province has capsized four boats, killing 10 people and injuring 70.
“More than 80 people fell into the water, state media reported on Monday, when the rain and hailstorm struck the vessels on a stretch of the Wu River near Qianxi City on Sunday afternoon.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/5/storm-kills-10-in-china-as-tourist-boats-capsize
“Southeast Asia’s climate-driven pest invasion threatens China’s food security, study finds.
“Migratory pests from mainland Southeast Asia, thriving under El Niño, are partially driving rice yield losses in southern China, a study led by Peking University has found.”
“RECORD HEAT IN INDONESIA – records are falling all over the world these days of May: Oceania, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe & South America.
“Never happened anything like this in centuries of climatology. Today 35.9 [96.6F] Tanjung Karang MAY RECORD; 26 months of non-stop record heat in Indonesia.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1919007703357088140
“Victoria just had its warmest April on record.
“April was exactly 1°C warmer than the long-term average across Australia, but the warmth was even more pronounced in Victoria, where temperatures were 2.37°C higher than the long-term average.”
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-just-had-its-warmest-april-on-record/ar-AA1EdtlO
“Hobart, parts of Melbourne sweat through hottest May night on record as warm, windy weather sweeps across Australia’s south east.
“Parts of Victoria and Tasmania have clocked their warmest May nights since records began, as a hot blast of air sweeping across the south-east sends temperatures soaring.”
“Warning as ray attacks snorkeller amid mass die-off of fish…
“A snorkeller has been attacked by a ray while conducting a marine survey, which biologists say might be linked to oceanic algal blooms. The incident occurred on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, west of the capital city, Adelaide…”
“It was the warmest April on record for the south coast town of Ngawi and Wairarapa experienced less than half its normal rainfall last month [NZ].
“National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s (NIWA) recent climate summary found temperatures and rainfall were well above average throughout the country.”
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360677831/new-records-broken-regions-weather
“RECORD HEAT ALSO IN TONGA:
“31.3C [88.3F] in the Fua Motu Int. Airport which serves the capital Nukuʻalofa. HOTTEST MAY DAY IN HISTORY. Record heat is sweeping all the tropics,specially in the Pacific and Indian oceans.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1918591358849216855
“Acarigua and Araure under water: heavy rains collapse avenues and residential areas [Venezuela].
“Local authorities and emergency services remain alert to address the situation and prevent further damage.”
“Urgent! One dead, one injured, and several affected by heavy downpours in Itagüí [Colombia].
“A man died in Itagüí reportedly died after saving his family from a torrential downpour. The mayor’s office declared a state of emergency following serious incidents.”
“Rare ‘Mini Tornado’ strikes Belcourt area in Guadeloupe, causing major damage.
“Severe weather rocked the island of Guadeloupe as multiple tornadoes reportedly touched down across parts of the country, leaving residents shaken and damage reported in several communities.”
“Incredible images: Floods and landslides caused by storm in Oaxaca [Mexico]…
“In the city of Oaxaca , heavy rains caused flooding in several streets, avenues and sections of federal highway 190. In addition, power outages were reported in various neighborhoods of the capital due to fallen trees and branches caused by strong gusts of wind and hail.”
“Rare Hailstorm Strikes South Palm Beach County [Fla] —Is This the New Normal?
“Residents across South Palm Beach County were startled Monday afternoon as a sudden and powerful thunderstorm unleashed golf ball-sized hail across parts of Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach.”
“It’s official: 2025 is El Paso’s dustiest year on record.
“The dust has been relentless- blowing through windows, sneaking into cars, and turning my allergies into a full-time job. And now scientists are saying what we’ve all been wheezing about: this is officially the dustiest year El Paso has ever had.”
https://klaq.com/el-paso-dustiest-year/
“After record-breaking heat in 2024, Tucson will open more cooling centers and distribute more supplies…
““We are feeling the full force of climate change and extreme heat has become a year-round challenge,” Romero said during Monday’s news conference, as long-awaited rain clouds gathered overhead. “This is no longer a summer problem.””
“L.A. Officials Test Residents for Lead After Fires…
“Early findings from the long-term L.A. Fire Health Study found that in the days after fighting the Los Angeles fires, firefighters had elevated levels of lead and mercury inside their blood cells. They also had higher levels than firefighters who battled forest fires in less urban areas…”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/well/los-angeles-fires-lead.html
“Dangerously hot in Alaska? New warnings show climate change impact.
“Websites can be scrubbed of climate change references and the U.S. halted from international and national climate assessments, but rising temperatures leave their own evidence, especially in the nation’s most northern state.”
“How the climate crisis threatens Indigenous traditions in Canada: ‘It’s not the way it used to be’…
“In northern Ontario, warming temperatures are threatening wintertime events such as broomball, hockey, ice fishing and goose hunting. Shorter winter seasons and disappearing ice are forcing subarctic communities to adapt.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/05/climate-crisis-indigenous-traditions-canada-ontario
“Wildfire destroys about 5,000 hectares of Dartmoor national park…
“The UK has had the warmest start to May on record, with 29.3C registered on Thursday afternoon at Kew Gardens in south-west London, as firefighters battled a 1.6 mile (2km) moorland blaze that broke out near Ripponden, West Yorkshire the same day.”
“Massive hail storm shuts down metros in Paris…
“Several days of unseasonably hot weather was broken by the dramatic storm, which produced marble-sized hailstones… French media reported several metro stations were forced to close amid flash flooding.”
“The Alps are cooking… in winter! This first part of 2025 is WARM in the northern Alps.
“In Chamonix, the average temperature from 1 January to 4 May 2025, 5.3°C, is the highest ever measured! Just ahead of the same period in… 2024 (5.2°C)!”
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1919328853576548726
“EU scientists sound alarm over escalating spring drought.
“The spring drought plaguing Europe since March is worsening and spreading to more countries, the European Commission’s scientific service warned today… Dry conditions are starting to spread to almost every corner of the continent, with little relief in sight…”
“Killer fungus could spread through parts of Europe due to climate change…
“Aspergillus, a type of mould which can cause lung and breathing problems if it infects a human, may infect millions of people a year as it spreads to more northerly countries in Europe, Asia and America due to rising temperatures, the study shows.”
“Oxygen concentrations in Europe’s coastal and marine waters…
“Results show that large parts of the Baltic and Black seas suffer from severe oxygen depletion. During 2012-2023, 14% of the assessed spatial area in the Baltic Sea and 24% in the Black Sea recorded near critical concentration conditions, below 4mg/l…”
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/oxygen-concentrations-in-coastal-and
“Nigeria’s farmers gamble with climate chaos as agric insurance falls short…
“Climate-induced disasters are no longer anomalies but annual realities for Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The unpredictability and growing intensity of rainfall patterns have shifted the focus for farmers and stakeholders alike.”
“Record again in Juan de Nova Island – 4 in 4 days of May! Minimum temperature of 29.2C [84.6F], Hottest May night in FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES history.
“Heat Records have also fallen in South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya these 4 days.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1918967169481580738
“Coffee farmers face deepening crisis despite soaring prices amid ‘perfect storm’ of rising temperatures and supply chain chaos, leading UK supplier warns…
“Experts at Matthew Algie… say that although record prices should in theory boost farm income, in practice, they are being eroded by higher input costs, extreme weather, limited access to finance and increased uncertainty.”
“‘Sitting ducks’: the cities most vulnerable to climate disasters…
“Athens, like other big cities including Dallas, Lisbon, Sydney and Cape Town, are what some scientists refer to as “sitting ducks”. In these places, the climate and geographical conditions mean they are extremely vulnerable to global warming-related disasters.”
https://www.ft.com/content/57835a0c-9e58-4c1a-9c5a-f6a4cbe3f748
“In case you haven’t been paying attention…
“The rise in annualized global CO2 (the difference in the 12-month running average of global CO2 from Jan. 2024 to Jan. 2025) set a record in the latest data from NOAA, growing at a rate of 3.51 ppm per year.”
https://bsky.app/profile/climatecasino.net/post/3lodzvmg3mc25
“Another paper finding that Earth’s Energy Imbalance has tripled!
“Using a different line of evidence: ‘Accelerated Ocean thermal expansion and its contribution to Global Sea-level rise’.” [Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1919017367499141174
“With the first four months of the year now available, I estimate that 2025 is most likely to be the second warmest year on record at 1.52C in ERA5, with a ~8% chance of beating 2024 as the warmest and a ~25% chance of coming in at the third warmest after 2023.”
[Zeke Hausfather]
https://x.com/hausfath/status/1919483498458427874
“Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to “terminate pollution” as he promoted an international climate conference with the help of Sir Tony Blair and Danny DeVito.
“The Hollywood action hero posted a picture of himself next to an outdoor swimming pool with the former prime minister and DeVito, his co-star in the films Twins and Junior.”
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You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be tomorrow for an ”Economic” thread.
Every day is historic, what’s unfolding is madness.
This day’s headlines just crank the dial one notch closer to collapses.
“Shakes head, mutters…..”
Regardless of IPCC technicalities, we are functionally over the Paris 1.5C guardrail now. Meanwhile, the global economy is fragmenting, as the world order in place since the end of the Cold War crumbles.
History is very much in the making.
Earth gonna terminate humans.
The other half of that equation is that we have collectively constructed a global civilisation that is inherently self-terminating. Most of us have a long way to fall and not much in terms of a safety net.
More from Robert Hunziker: Absurd (Scary) CO2 Emissions
Robert Hunziker’s article paints a stark and urgent picture of our current climate trajectory—one that aligns with the most dire scientific warnings. The article isn’t just a warning—it’s an obituary for incremental climate action. The question now is whether humanity will fight like a cornered animal or go quietly into the greenhouse night.
We know the answer to that.
Thanks for the link. Good one.
CRISIS AHEAD: Why Your Home Insurance Might DOUBLE Soon
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-6UxboqT-IU&t=345s
This video discusses a HIDDEN CRISIS happening RIGHT NOW- the dramatic rise in the cost of homeowners insurance. From the fires in California, to the floods in Florida, to the tornadoes in the Midwest, American are getting hammered by natural disasters. What’s not being talked about is the dramatic increase in the cost of property insurance that is happening nationwide – until now.
The Sh#t is getting real..
People can’t ignore it any longer…gotcha right in the pocket….🤮🤑💲
Thank you, Edward. That is a good article. It’s mind-boggling, really, the extent to which we have modified the planet and altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere in the blink of an eye on a geologic time scale.
Vince, I’ll watch that video later, but the added affordability pressure of rising insurance premiums made me think of the WSJ article I posted the other day about how exposed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are to another crisis.
“Neom climate adviser warns futuristic city could alter weather patterns”
Climate advisor employed by thinly veiled money laundering/tax dodge operation pretends to do his job.
In other news, Musk’s Mars colony architect warns resettling all two million of his baby mommas+kids over there might prove difficult absent more funding. Sad!
Desert super-cities and colonies on Mars… I’m afraid these ventures are absurdly hubristic and out of touch with reality.
“NEOM in Saudi Arabia is a pioneering example that drives the advancement of green energy through its cutting-edge project. Through its leadership role, the NEOM Green Hydrogen Company will establish the Earth’s biggest green hydrogen facility to produce 1,200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. This visionary development restructures primary world energy systems while providing Earth-scale sustainable power for thousands of years.”
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/neom-green-hydrogen-project-energy/14028/
Riiight. Nurse, the patient needs more Thorazine!
Remarkable, Pan.
I keep seeing these claims of inexhaustible, infinite energy… such as cold fusion.
The fusion may be cold, but the energy it produces comes with a caveat: no energy system anywhere in the universe generates power without generating “waste” heat. Ergo should any of the pipe dreams of infinite “clean” energy actually be realized we would toast the planet all that much faster, as the heat we produce ourselves has no Avenue of escape through the dense CO2/CH4 blanket we’ve enveloped the earth in anymore than the sun’s reflected heat does.
Think for example of how we use the energy we are currently producing: to make ever larger quantities of plastic and to raze more habitats for monocropping to grow biofuels.
Here is some irony. I asked DeepSeek how much AI research is currently contributing to worsening climate change. Here is the output.
1. The Staggering Energy Costs of AI
A. Training LLMs (The “One-Time” Energy Burn)
GPT-3 (2020): ~1,300 MWh (megawatt-hours)
Equivalent to 120 US homes for a year
GPT-4 (2023): Estimated 50,000–100,000 MWh
10x more than GPT-3 (per AI Index Report 2024)
GPT-5 (2025?): Projected 500,000+ MWh
Enough to power a small country for a day
B. Inference (The Constant Energy Drain)
ChatGPT Daily Queries (2024): ~200,000 MWh/month
Equal to 180,000 US homes’ monthly use
Google’s AI Search (if fully deployed): Could consume 29 TWh/year
Ireland’s entire annual electricity consumption
C. Total AI Energy Use (2024 Estimates)
Global Data Centers: ~2% of world electricity (pre-AI boom)
AI’s Share: Now pushing toward 3.5–5% by 2027 (IEA)
Doubling every 6–10 months (faster than Bitcoin’s rise)
2. The Hidden Costs: Water, Materials, and E-Waste
A. Water Cooling (The “Liquid Energy” Problem)
Microsoft’s Iowa Data Centers: Used 6.4 million gallons/year for GPT-4 training
Enough for 3,500 US households
Google’s Oregon Campus: Diverts billions of gallons from local rivers
B. Hardware (The Dirty Supply Chain)
NVIDIA’s GPUs: Each H100 chip requires 1.5 kg of CO₂e to produce
Rare Earth Mining: AI servers need lithium, cobalt, copper—all tied to ecological destruction
C. Planned Obsolescence
AI Hardware Lifespan: ~3 years (vs. 10+ for traditional servers)
Result: Mountains of e-waste with toxic heavy metals
3. The Climate Paradox: AI as Both Arsonist and Firefighter
A. How AI Worsens Climate Change
Rebound Effect: AI accelerates energy demand by enabling:
More crypto (AI-optimized mining rigs)
More content (4K AI-generated videos consume 10x more energy than text)
More surveillance (smart cities, facial recognition)
B. How AI Could Help (But Isn’t Yet)
Optimizing Grids: Google’s DeepMind reduced data center cooling by 40%—but this is a drop in the bucket compared to AI’s own growth.
Climate Modeling: Faster predictions, but who acts on them?
C. Net Impact Today
AI is a net carbon contributor—and the gap is widening.
4. Why No One’s Stopping This Train
The “AI Arms Race”: US/China/EU prioritize dominance over sustainability
Greenwashing: Companies buy dubious carbon offsets while expanding data centers
Regulatory Lag: Laws can’t keep up with AI’s exponential growth
5. The Inevitable Conclusion
Unless:
Renewables scale faster than AI (unlikely, given mineral bottlenecks)
Governments tax AI energy use (laughable in 2024 politics)
A major AI-caused blackout forces reform (plausible by 2030)
AI will become the single fastest-growing source of CO₂ emissions by 2030.
What Can Be Done? (Realistically)
Demand Transparency: Force AI firms to disclose energy/water per query
Support “Small AI”: Use local models (like Llama 3) instead of cloud-based behemoths
Push for Nuclear: Only fission/renewables can power AI without cooking the planet
Final Thought
AI’s climate impact is the dirty secret of the tech revolution. The question isn’t “Will AI worsen climate change?” but “By how much?”
Sorry, should have formatted it better and didn’t realize it would take up so much comment space.
I like the spacing. Very readable. Jawdropping info.
++++yes, indeed, jaw dropping 😩
No problem, Edward. It is, as Kali says, interesting stuff.
I recall reading that even a standard Google search uses up half as much energy as boiling a kettle. I dread to think how energy-intensive just pulling together one of these threads is.
A line from Blazing Saddles: You fellows act like it’s 120 but it can’t be over a 114.
Someone should ask AI what happens to a species when it overpopulates it’s only habitat.
Such a great movie. I need to re-watch that. Laughter helps.
Here’s the clip: https://youtu.be/SJweV0-yg9A?si=pO77XpSMcDy_02J-
I guess next time someone tells me how great ai is i will ask them if they would like water and power for their home or ai? I wonder if i will get blank stares again
Heather, even in the relatively soggy UK we do not have enough water/water infrastructure for our AI ambitions and the government has, in its wisdom, decreed that AI centres will be given priority access to the grid.
AI (and making lots of armaments) is going to save the economy, apparently, so I guess we’ll just have to suck it up.
The ironic part to me is that hydraulic fracturing gets a complete pass. No one has ever said, “ The question isn’t “Will hydraulic fracturing worsen climate change?” but “By how much?”
Hydraulic fracturing increases the amount of flaring to such an extent that year after year enough natural gas is flared in Texas alone to meet the electricity demand of the entire energy-hungry State of Tx. Yet AI’s,180,000 homes is apparently considered a lot. Fracturing has been going for a generation now … 20 years, year after year flaring enormous amounts of the “bridge” fuel to get the oil … yet never a word about our literally burning our bridges behind us. Yet flaring towers are CO2 and water vapor production facilities… and inefficient ones at that, as they also release unburned methane into the troposphere as well. Hence my question to that AI engine would be, “How much HAS hydraulic fracturing contributed to the acceleration in climate derangement?”
Humans don’t have an energy crisis, we ARE an energy crisis, as it is not that we can’t produce enough energy to satisfy our needs, it’s that we squander what we do produce on inanities like AI and crypto and PTM’s (Personal Transportation Modules) that we now feel (apparently) put upon if we’re actually expected to pilot them (not Drive … humans don’t drive cars, the engine does, we merely pilot them. ALL cars are self-driving …that’s why they’re called auto-mobiles).
Rob, the very fact that we have “needed” to resort to these environmentally horrendous practises like extracting bitumen from tar sands and fracking was always pretty clear evidence to me that we were heading for an energy crisis.
I fondly remember Nicole Foss’s analogy of a drunk sucking beer out of the carpet.
OMG, Pan … that is so vivid! I love it; what a perfect picture of modern times’ desperation to keep their/our high going.
https://youtu.be/-xNQKSHBDFY?si=aIPZn0dvA8_ei_15
Here is a clip about our tech overlords and their plans. They will crash industrial civilization