Huge thanks to this month’s donor, who wishes to remain anonymous but has asked me to post a link to this poem by their friend, Arthur L Wood. I’m no great shakes when it comes to literary criticism but I was moved by its tenderness and honesty, and heartily recommend giving it a listen.
“November 2025 was the third warmest November on record in ERA5 at 1.54C above preindustrial levels – below only the records set in the prior two years (2023 and 2024).
“We now expect 2025 annual temperatures to more or less tie 2023 as the second warmest year on record in ERA5, at around 1.48C relative to preindustrial (1850-1900).” [Zeke Hausfather]
https://x.com/hausfath/status/1995745402776092760
“The extent of global sea ice cover is more than 3 million square kilometers below the 1981-2010 average. This is the 2nd lowest on record for this date over the satellite-era.”
“Data from NSICD.”
[Zack Labe]
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3m6rniomkgk2i
“Monday ice update – Arctic sea ice extent is currently the lowest on record (JAXA data)
!• about 1,110,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,600,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 2,310,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,810,000 km² below the 1980s mean! [Zack Labe]
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3m6wslqkohk2z
“In the UK due to climate change, our average winter temperature has increased by 2.1°C since 1660.
“Days of frost and snow have more than halved in that same period. Earth is running a fever and it’s because of us.” [Met4Cast]
https://x.com/Met4CastUK/status/1995475909797618107
“Summer drought costs UK arable farmers over £800m – new analysis.
“Arable farmers in the UK are facing an estimated reduction in revenues of over £828m following one of the worst harvests the UK has seen. Crop production has been hit by the hottest spring and summer on record as well as drought conditions.”
“Autumn vanishes as Cyprus hurtles towards 40-degree [104F] future…
““From this year’s November we are getting a taste earlier than we expected of what was supposed to happen after the middle towards the end of the century. To experience November like September,” Dr Panos Hadjinicolaou, professor at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute, told philenews.”
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-heading-cairo-climate-autumn-vanishes-experts-warn/
“EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN NORTH AFRICA:
“40.7C [105.3F] Garoua CAMEROON; 40.6 Mongo CHAD November record; 40.5 Yola NIGERIA 0.1C from November record. Minimum 27.4 Bogande BURKINA FASO. This is just beginning: expect nearly every single December record in the area to be swept away. Unprecedented.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1994851574544568410
“Africa’s booming rice cultivation is fueling regional warming.
“The significant increase of surface air temperature in Africa during the recent industrial period has been previously attributed to emissions from rapidly growing urbanization and industrial emissions. This study highlights the rapid growth of rice cultivation as another major influencing factor.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-27436-5
“One person dead following hail, flooding amid severe thunderstorms in Gauteng [South Africa].
“One person has died after a home in Welbekend, Tshwane collapsed. Severe thunderstorms hit Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo, causing flooding, hail, and damaging winds on Sunday night.”
“As if the storms Tshwane and the rest of South Africa have already faced weren’t bad enough, residents are now being warned of more rain and severe weather on the way.
“Forecasters have cautioned that this may include potentially dangerous conditions in the coming days.”
https://www.jacarandafm.com/shows/breakfast/pretoria-residents-warned-brace-more-severe-storms/
“Rainfall delay amplifies Tanzania’s biting heatwave.
“Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is experiencing unusually high temperatures this month, with several parts of the country recording heat levels up to four degrees above the long-term average, according to new data from the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA).”
“Weather forecast: unseasonably warm ahead of further heating this week [Israel].
“Temperatures will rise through the week, with a slight increase Wednesday and another on Thursday; by Friday the country will heat up further, reaching unseasonably hot levels that may approach sharav conditions, the region’s dry heatwaves.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/sktcnk311zl
“INSANE WINTER HEAT IN MIDDLE EAST & CAUCASUS:
“Late summer-type MINIMUMS up to 15C [59F] in RUSSIA; Records include Min 12.6 Mahachkala, 12.4 Derbent etc. Record warm Nights in IRAQ 9- Min 18.8 Al kut,17.7 Nassirya,17.4 Samawa,17.2 Rafei. Maxes up to 34C.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995453738685706603
“Euphrates-Tigris water dispute: New chapter in Türkiye-Iraq relations.
“s water scarcity intensifies in the Middle East, the longstanding dispute over the Euphrates-Tigris rivers between upstream Türkiye and downstream Iraq has gained renewed urgency. Iraq often accuses Türkiye of restricting the flow, whereas Türkiye maintains it has acted within its rights and in good faith.”
“Kurdistan’s hydropower stations at Dokan and Darbandikhan failed to restart this week as declining water levels prevented electricity generation.
“Rahman Khani, the Director General of Dams in the Kurdistan Region, told Shafaq News that technical teams made several attempts in recent days, but the turbines could not operate under the current reservoir levels.”
https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/7cm-fall-in-Kurdistan-s-Dokan-reservoir-stalls-hydropower-restart
“Wheat Production in Iran Down By 30% In Past Year Due To Drought…
“The Mehr News Agency also noted that Iran has been experiencing drought for several years, writing: “The decline in water stored behind dams has caused the agricultural sector’s water share to drop by more than 50%.””
https://iranfocus.com/economy/56171-wheat-production-in-iran-down-by-30-in-past-year-due-to-drought/
“A serac broke off high on the steep Ultar Glacier and the avalanche reached the Hunza Valley, Pakistan [which saw astonishing 40+C temps at elevation this year], covering Karimabad and surrounding with snow and dust!
“Ultar Sar (7,388 m) is the peak at the background right!” [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/1994002025772929317
“Days on, Forest officials battling ‘high-risk’ fire along LoC in Gurez valley [Kashmir].
“Amid dry weather and biting cold conditions, forest officials in Gurez Valley are battling a rare but “high-risk” forest fire along the Line of Control (LoC) that has spread across several hectares over the last four days.”
“‘We have to rebuild from scratch’: Sri Lankans relive the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah.
“The scale of the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah is still unclear, but in a speech on Sunday night, Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, described it as the “largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history”.”
“Sri Lanka braced for more damage after torrential rain kills hundreds across Asia.
“More heavy rainfall is expected in Sri Lanka in the coming days, likely resulting in further damage across the country. It comes after torrential rainfall in south-east Asia triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides…”
“Southern Thailand Floods: Over Two Million People Still Affected as Water Levels Slowly Recede…
“The severe flooding that has swept across Southern Thailand continues to affect a vast swathe of the population, with over 2.08 million people across eight provinces still experiencing disruption.”
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40059121
“One million people evacuated in Indonesia as death toll from floods surpasses 600…
“Aid workers and response teams are racing to reach survivors, but have been hampered by blocked roads and broken bridges, and some areas of northern Sumatra remain inaccessible by road.”
“Exceptional heat in TAIWAN:
“33.5C [92.3F] at Matoushan and Yujing 2nd hottest December day in Taiwanese history (0.2C from national record). 15 stations >32C. dozens more above 30C/31C.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995384416991080636
“HISTORIC WARMTH IN JAPAN.
“Winter starts with record mildness: Over 21C [70F] in Northern Honshu, 15C in Hokkaido. 50 Monthly records so far and more possibly coming. (see list below by JMA).”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995354110229684549
“Warming seas cited for spiny lobster caught off Hokkaido.
“A juvenile Japanese spiny lobster has been captured along the coast of the northern main island of Hokkaido, a discovery that scientists primarily attribute to rising seawater temperatures due to global warming.”
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16143356
“What the hail is happening with Brisbane’s weather?
“As Brisbane and Southeast Queensland are in the midst of yet another storm clean-up after Monday’s destructive hybrid-supercell complex swept through, one thing is clear to storm-weary locals: this season has been exceptional. In six weeks, we’ve seen ten days with giant hail across the Southeast Coast — nearly twice per week.”
https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2025/12/what-the-hail-is-happening-with-brisbanes-weather/
“Summer frost in AUSTRALIA:
“As your author hinted, record cold swept Eastern Australia with some stations setting new December lows, including the airport of capital Canberra with -0.3C. A super hot airmass in Western Australia will move East: expect violent temperature swings.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995682628511604875
“Argentine cherry producers count cost of hail and rain.
“A severe hailstorm struck Patagonia’s Valle Medio on Sunday, sparking concern amongst the region’s cherry producers that they could face extensive losses. As reported in Mas Producción, the storm caught growers by surprise at a critical stage of the season…”
“The impact of a severe hailstorm in the municipality of La Calera, in Cundinamarca, was captured in several videos taken by citizens and shared on viral platforms such as Pasa en Bogotá and Colombia Oscura.
“The videos show how the water reached commercial premises and forced people to seek refuge.”
“EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN SOUTH AMERICA. Extreme heat is sweeping all Americas from Mexico to Patagonia, records smashed everywhere.
“In FRENCH GUIANA 35.8 [96.4F] St George pulverizes its December record.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995677346465284210
“Extraordinary heat in The Caribbean. Records are falling allover the area:
“DOMINICA HOTTEST DECEMBER DAY IN HISTORY 34.2 [93.6F] Canefield AP. In few hours of December over 100 countries have already broken monthly heat records from Oceania To Asia, Europe, Africa and Americas.”
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/1995564859124334943
“November 2025 is now the driest November on record in Dothan [Alabama], with only 0.4 inches of rain recorded.
“This is the lowest amount since records began in 1965. To put the 2025 record into perspective, that amount is about one-tenth of the monthly normal rainfall of 3.91 inches.”
https://www.wdhn.com/news/local-news/dothan-registers-driest-november-on-record/
“This part of California just had its rainiest November in 115 years. The driest place on Earth just had its wettest November on record.
“Furnace Creek in Death Valley picked up just over 1 ¾ inches of rain last month, the most on record in the station’s 115-year history and nearly the amount of rain that the desert typically sees in an entire year.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-rainiest-month-115-years-21216676.php
“Reno breaks record for warmest November and a snowpack update.
“November 2025 is officially the warmest on record at the Reno airport. The average temperature when you combine both the low and high was 48.8 degrees taking the top spot by a tenth of a degree. Reno also broke the daily record on November 1st with a high of 78 degrees.”
“Record-breaking snowfall in the Midwest leaves Chicagoans preparing for harsh winter…
“The monumental flurry, which, according to the National Weather Service, saw an average of 8.4 inches fall across the city, set the record for the single largest November snowfall in Chicago’s history, beating out the previous record of 8 inches set over 70 years ago in 1951.”
“Winter storm to morph into bomb cyclone as it hits the Northeast.
“The third winter storm in a week has dumped snow and ice on parts of the central US and is poised to deliver the first widespread snow of the season to the Northeast and New England. The storm will strengthen rapidly into a bomb cyclone as it moves up the East Coast on Tuesday…”
https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/winter-storm-bomb-cylone-climate
“Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales.
“Zillow, the US’s largest real estate listing site, has removed a feature that allowed people to view a property’s exposure to the climate crisis, following complaints from the industry and some homeowners that it was hurting sales.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/01/zillow-removes-climate-risk-data-home-listings
“Critical minerals [environmental warning] dropped from final text at COP30…
“An earlier draft text on the just energy transition included a paragraph recognizing “the social and environmental risks associated with scaling up supply chains for clean energy technologies, including risks arising from the extraction and processing of critical minerals… however, China made it clear that any inclusion of language about minerals governance was a red line…”
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/critical-minerals-dropped-from-final-text-at-cop30/
“I’ve had an appalled IPCC employee reach out to me about this.
“They told me that they scrapped statements about ‘1.5°C being breached in the early 2030s in all scenarios’ from the IPCC report, during a huddle…” [Leon Smith]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/1992723061611659271
“Coral reefs have fuelled severe global warming in Earth’s past…
“When the balance between shallow-water coral reefs and deep-sea plankton breaks down, says Salles, it can take hundreds of thousands to millions of years to re-establish equilibrium… Alexander Skeels at the Australian National University in Canberra says the study shows there is a “deeply intertwined feedback cycle between life and climate”.”
“56 million years ago, the Earth suddenly heated up – and many plants stopped working properly…
“Global warming of more than 4°C exceeded mid-latitude vegetation’s ability to adapt during the PETM. Human-made warming is occurring ten times faster, further limiting the time for adaptation.”
“Two Billion Dead at 2C Warming?
“…If the course toward 3C is unchanged, our civilization risks suffering and death on an unprecedented scale: four billion dead between 2060 and 2090, along with a 50 percent drop in world GDP. The actuaries noted that “no realistic plan [is] in place to avoid this scenario.””
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/11/26/two-billion-dead-at-2c-warming/
“Optimism in an era of complexity (The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change: IIGCC)…
“The momentum behind clean energy investment is undeniable; the world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels according to the International Energy Agency. This is not just a temporary spike – it’s a structural shift. Competition is driving innovation and opportunity, whilst geopolitical shifts are creating new openings.”
https://www.iigcc.org/insights/iigcc-annual-report-2025-executive-foreword
“Climate change, AI and finding hope in artistic activism…
“It is 2076 – the climate crisis is fading, the Earth is in recovery, humanity is rebuilding, and the world is breathing a sigh of relief on its second chance at life. Beneath it all stretches the biggest communication network humanity has never seen, a tangled chimera of fungus and A.I. curling deep beneath the earth.”
https://quayslife.com/people/climate-change-ai-and-finding-hope-in-artistic-activism/
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
“It is 2076 – the climate crisis is fading, the Earth is in recovery, humanity is rebuilding, and the world is breathing a sigh of relief on its second chance at life. Beneath it all stretches the biggest communication network humanity has never seen, a tangled chimera of fungus and A.I. curling deep beneath the earth.”
What’s really sad about this is that fungi really are fascinating and can help ecological remediation. In a society that is compatible with real climate action this guy might have come up with actionable solutions to problems using the same skillset that in our present circumstances enables him to spin yarns about the AI-mushroom hivemind messiah.
Aspergillus Tubingensis is a polyester polyurethane degrading fungi using the strength of its mycelia to help tear the plastic apart. It doesn’t take very long either; the scientists noticed that a significant breakdown of the plastic samples took only weeks to achieve.
Jupiviv, you reminded me of the radiation-eating fungi of Chernobyl. Along with the jellyfish, they may be a species poised to do well.
“Something Strange Is Happening to the Fungus in Chernobyl.. Some researchers suspect its melanin can interact with ionizing radiation in a way that echoes photosynthesis, a proposed process called “radiosynthesis.””
https://www.vice.com/en/article/something-strange-is-happening-to-the-fungus-in-chernobyl/
I liked Arthur L. Wood’s poem.
“But there’s beauty most astonishing in the flight before the fall.”
For me that is a VITAL truth and reminder in these dark times.
This also hits home for me (after loss):
“It was most miraculous we even met at all.”
It was so fun last month when people shared some of their favorite classical music pieces. I’d love people to post or link to favorite relevant poems if and when so moved.
In any case, thank you to the anonymous donor for their support of Panopticon’s daily, much appreciated work!
Dear Cassandra,
I so much agree with your post
“Breathe another breath” works so well for me as a mantra.
I’d like if you posted your favourite poem.
Great mantra! Our breath is such an amazing tool for self-regulation. As for my favorite poem, hmmm, I will need to ponder that. Maybe better to think of “one of” my favorite poems.
My favorite poem is ‘Ozymandias’ by Shelley. Especially when read by Vincent Price on YouTube.
No better poem has been written that expresses how pointless human efforts at gaining power and wealth will be swept away by the forces of Mother Nature.
Listen to Vincent, then weep.
Also, Xraymike at the website: The Collapse of Industrial Civilization has many outstanding Collapse poems.
Bob Shaw. Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Oh yes, Bob! Ozymandias is perfect!
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
– Percy Shelley
Thanks to all of you, much inspiration here!
Arthur L. Wood is a very good name for a poet, too. The L lends it just the right amount of gravitas.
Ozymandias couldn’t be more appropriate for our vainglorious era… I’m going to opt for “Digging” by Seamus Heaney, as localised spud-cultivation may loom in my future:
“Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging
What does an energy war actually look like?
Kurdistan offers a remarkably clear preview—on a scale still small enough to be legible.
In the final week of November 2025, a structural catastrophe unfolded in Kurdistan. The attack on the Khor Mor gas field by Iran-backed militias, combined with the collapse of water reserves at Dokan and Darbandikhan, triggered a systemic reversal in the region’s fortunes. It was the moment when water scarcity, energy shutdowns, and geopolitics converged into the fall of Kurdish energy sovereignty—and with it, the undermining of the export pipeline to Turkey that had only just been restarted.
Water: the beginning of the end
Dokan, Kurdistan’s strategic reservoir, lost 93% of its total storage within months. A daily drop of seven centimeters made hydropower impossible. Turbines went offline, irrigation stopped, drinking-water supplies dwindled. With the dams failing, the regional electricity grid collapsed. Water scarcity turned into an energy crisis. The energy crisis became an administrative crisis.
Gas: the strike that broke the system
Exactly in this vulnerable phase, a drone or rocket attack hit the Khor Mor gas field, the lifeline of Kurdish electricity generation. The timing was far too precise to be accidental. Behind the operation stand almost certainly Iranian proxies within the Popular Mobilisation Forces, especially Asaib Ahl al-Haq or Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada. Their strategy is clear: by cutting Kurdistan’s energy flow, the region becomes dependent on Iranian electricity and loses all room to negotiate independently with Turkey or Baghdad. The outage at Khor Mor instantly shut down more than 80% of electricity production.
Oil: the engine stops
Without electricity and without gas, the electric pumps in Kurdistan’s oil fields cannot operate. Fields like Shaikan, Taq Taq, and Khurmala saw immediate production declines. Water injection for pressure maintenance became impossible. Kurdistan lost the foundation of its economic model: confidence in stable output. International companies—Gulf Keystone, DNO, HKN—saw their margins evaporate and their exposure multiply.
The pipeline: rendered unreliable
The pipeline to Ceyhan in Turkey, closed for months due to arbitration disputes, had only just been cautiously reactivated. But a pipeline is economically viable only if flow is stable and continuous. That stability has now evaporated. In Ankara, the assessment is sober: a region that cannot guarantee water, electricity, or reservoir pressure is not a reliable corridor. Turkey naturally shifts back toward Baghdad.
Geopolitics: Iran’s strategic gain
With Kurdistan brought to its knees energetically, a vacuum opens in which Iran expands its influence. By withholding water, sabotaging gas infrastructure, and playing Baghdad against Erbil, Iran secures precisely what it has pursued for years: control over the northern segment of Iraq’s energy chain. Ankara loses leverage. Erbil loses autonomy. Baghdad gains temporarily—but only as a transmission belt for Iranian geopolitics.
Thank you, Zip. What a witch’s brew that is for poor Kurdistan.
My assumption is that Iranian foreign policy will become more assertive to project strength and deflect from internal woes if their drought does not ease. It may even become reckless.
Thanks Zip . Kurt Cobb on Texas and water .
https://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2025/11/proposed-east-texas-water-pipeline-and.html
Dog, eat Dog….that sums it up nicely…
China floods the world with gasoline cars it can’t sell at home
Chinese automakers export gasoline cars due to domestic EV growth
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/motoring/3148614/china-floods-the-world-with-gasoline-cars-it-cant-sell-at-home
China’s so overpopulated with car companies,” he said. “It’s right on the edge of dog-eat-dog.”
Most brands have focused on gasoline-car exports, the managers said, simply because they are easiest to sell in most regions. “We can fine-tune our offering for every market,” said Nic Thomas, Changan’s European marketing director.
Other top exporters SAIC, BAIC, Geely and GWM and the government’s economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, did not comment for this report.
Global automakers’ executives have widely acknowledged that rising Chinese rivals pose a serious competitive threat, but mostly in the context of their innovative and affordable EVs rather than gasoline models. Representatives of Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Hyundai did not comment on China’s export surge.
China’s gasoline-vehicle exports alone – not including EVs and plug-in hybrids – were enough last year to make it the world’s largest auto-exporting nation by volume, industry and government data show
And don’t forget you-all, no mention of rare earth minerals…we are on a 🥐 roll, just giving the consumers what they want (at the “cheapest” price, of course)… Capitalism 101…
Vince, Chinese cars are selling like hot cakes over here:
“Chinese cars are on a roll across Europe – they outsold Korean rivals in western Europe for the first time in September. That success is highly reliant on the UK. Of the half a million Chinese cars sold in western Europe between January and September, 30% were bought by Britons, according to Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based automotive analyst.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/07/china-in-push-to-dominate-europe-electric-vehicle-market-with-uk-as-gateway
Not selling well in Australia, still too expensive. But then Tesla’s or other EVs don’t sell well here either. We are still dominated by Japanese & Korean cars, I must admit I fell in love with a 10-year-old Mazda I bought used in 1998. Ran all around the country in it, ran it into the ground, for a total 375,000 kms on it, with nothing more than annual servicing, it started 1st time, every time.
It finally died, at 20 years old, spent it’s last 6 months with a stuffed gearbox/clutch I learned to fiddle & “work around”, along with one dodgy rear light nobody could figure out how to fix, the wiring was rotting with age) but when the driver’s seat belt locked-in hard from decades of rust and it took me half-hour to get out one day, I decided it had to go 🙂
But I was so impressed with its performance & longevity, I sent an email to the Mazda head office giving a glowing review. They sent me a present of a Mazda pen set, key-chain and 5% off a new one. But bought another 10-yr old Mazda, and same thing again..
So when I retired, I did buy a brand new Mazda — my very first brand new car, hahahah.. It’s now 10 yrs old, with only 30,000 kms on it, every time I put it in for a service, the dudes tell me what good nick it’s in.
Now I’ve been overseas, and waiting to get my 2nd eye de-cataracted, I’m thinking I might do the Great Australian road trip and watch the clock crawl up to 100k.
On my recent trip to China, I was a little surprised, I thought the EV hype was exaggerated, but no, vast majority of cars, and even small trucks, were EV, not to mention e-bikes, scooters, mopeds etc (which have their own traffic light system, lights indicating independently for 2 (and 3) wheeled vehicles vs 4- wheeled vehicles regardless of lanes..
Even the petrol stations had more charging spots than pumps..
“I’m thinking I might do the Great Australian road trip and watch the clock crawl up to 100k.”
Go for it, Rain. I bought a high-mileage ’79 Datsun Sunny in Sydney’s Kings Cross Car Market in the early 90’s and drove it all the way up to Port Douglas. Good times.
The twice per week giant hailstorms down under will quickly make insurance companies withdraw coverage.
Next fashion trend will be the near constant wearing of motorcycle helmets and football pads to prevent injury from the ‘hail from hell’.
It would be interesting to have some meteorologists & physicists try to predict just how big hailstones could get at 3C or 4C.
Cantaloupe sized, volleyball sized?
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Bob, extreme hail is no friend of solar panels either. Here’s a look at some of the largest hailstones on record:
“On the 8th of February, 2018, gigantic chunks of ice were falling from the sky in Villa Carlos Paz, a resort city west of Córdoba, Argentina. A supercell thunderstorm bombarded the city center.
“Researchers investigating the 2018 storm found that one of the hailstones had a diameter between 7.4 inches (18.8 cm) and 9.3 inches (23.6 cm) across. This diameter may approach or even exceed the official world record for the biggest hail – recorded in Vivian, South Dakota.
“The hailstones were so large that scientists suggested a new category to describe them — a gargantuan hail.”
https://www.severe-weather.eu/learnweather/severe-weather-theory/hail-world-records-the-biggest-heaviest-and-deadliest-hail-mk/
How soil collapse and fertilizer dependence are creating the next food emergency.
https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/the-crisis-under-our-feet
Ravi, good link,thxs! Making soil the natural way is best.
When FFs deplete, then Sulphur will deplete too as much comes from oil & natgas extraction.
With much less Sulphur,then much less chemical fertilizer can be made as sulfuric acid is the starting point for manufacturing NPK fertilizer.
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Thank you, Ravi. This is an often overlooked facet of our ecological crisis:
“European and British soils seriously degraded by intensive farming. Experts found 60% of the EU’s agricultural soils had been degraded, with about 40% similarly damaged in the UK.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/09/more-than-a-third-of-uk-agricultural-soil-degraded-by-intensive-farming-report
Yes that is an excellent article. We farmed for a living for 15 years. What people don’t realize is that it is not as simple as just sticking seeds in the ground. We have recently moved to coastal Maine above the 45th parallel. The climate here should be a little more forgiving going forward. The soil what there is of it is awful. Very hard to get manure. We compost everything we can. Lucky to have an endless supply of seaweed. Taken us 5 years to improve the soil to the point where we can reliably grow produce. I have communicated with others that have chosen to move to higher ground. Above 3000 feet here on the east coast. Same problem the higher you go the worse the soil is. Lesson I guess is if you have plans to move some place better suited to a warming world give yourself enough time.
Duke, we are likewise blessed with an abundance of seaweed here on Islay, although it can be a mixed blessing when it starts rotting on the shores of the bay. 🤢
Future – Madonna & Quavo
Love the refrain
“Not everyone is coming to the future
Not everyone is learning from the past
Not everyone can come into the future
Not everyone that’s here is gonna last”
https://youtu.be/VhY9J6yYSgU?si=Ua7Y-f36zBk9DnnZ
Nice, Texas Guy. Madonna goes reggae.
Opinion article, NOT financial advice. But intriguing thoughts such as the common man is now buying silver for some safe-haven security as he becomes more aware of our declining Predicament.
From Kitco.com:
https://www.kitco.com/opinion/2025-12-01/silvers-historic-surge-century-old-metal-finds-new-relevance
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
“…overall, I’d say that what we see on the markets today supports the case that silver’s outlook is bullish even though gold and mining stocks are likely to decline.”
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/is-silver-really-decoupling-from-gold-1565254
The crazies have taken over the asylum .
”Between 7 p.m. and midnight, the president reposted roughly 150 tweets — averaging about one post every two minutes for five hours — from what appeared to be a random assortment of unknown figures on X and his close allies discussing an unpredictable range of topics. The heaviest concentration of posts occurred between 11 p.m. and midnight, with about 100 posts in the final hour alone. ”
https://mishtalk.com/economics/trump-makes-160-truth-social-posts-in-four-hours-is-that-enough/
“Let me tell you, folks, 160 posts in four hours is not just posting – it’s performance art; pure genius. Nobody has ever posted like Trump, believe me. It’s called stamina, it’s called virility – two things the fake news and the haters know nothing about! People say, “Sir, how do you do it?” and I say, “It’s because my mind works faster than all of Silicon Valley combined.” Truth Social is the best!”
https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/states/CO/products/#state=co&element=wteq
Colorado snow pack report. The snow pack goes from oct1 to march/april so late in the season with very little snow doesn’t look good.
Well below average, Heather. State negotiators still bickering over how to divide up whatever water makes it to the Colorado River:
“After Western water officials missed a federal deadline, what’s next for the Colorado River negotiations?”
https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/26/colorado-officials-whats-next-colorado-river-negotiations/
Well its hard to fight over a really bad drought and no water flowing. We need to negotiate over drought no water and dead pool which some are aware is coming soon but can’t face the consequences coming soon.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/water-shortage-threatens-texas-refining-hub/
Apologies if this has been posted before. Sounds a little bit like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, etc.
https://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2025/11/proposed-east-texas-water-pipeline-and.html
Ugo Bardi of The Seneca Effect has an intriguing post:
https://senecaeffect.substack.com/p/are-we-on-the-edge-of-collapse-impressive
Me: This is a new analysis of The Limits of Growth using the latest data. Is the cliff dead ahead?
Bob Shaw Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?
Let me try to summarize all these links: This is what we do & how we do it & we are damn good at it.