“A new world record for high air pressure has provisionally been set in a high mountain valley in Mongolia. An automatic weather station in Tsetsen-Uul, in western Zavkhan province, recorded a mean sea-level pressure of 1,094.3 millibars along with bitter temperatures of -45.5C.
“If verified by scientists, it will top the previous world record of 1089.4 millibars, which was also set in Mongolia exactly 16 years ago on 30 December.”
“The collision of a warm, wet weather front with a mass of cold air from Siberia could set a new record: the lowest barometric pressure recorded in the North Pacific.
“That could mean hurricane-force winds and high seas in the southwest Bering Sea.”
“The storm that brought snow to southern Ontario… was much harsher to the communities of Nunavut [Canadian Arctic], with several days of blizzard conditions and strong winds peaking in record territory.
“From Saturday through to Tuesday, Environment Canada recorded staggering wind gusts ranging from 80 km/h to in excess of 136 km/h [84.5 mph].”
“A double header of winter storms is set to bring snow, ice, rain and plummeting temperatures to millions across the US by New Year’s Eve, with the Midwest bracing itself for as much as 24 inches of snowfall Tuesday.
“The first of two low pressure systems already brought heavy snow and rainfall to parts of the Southwest on Monday…”
“California’s wildfire hell: how 2020 became the state’s worst ever fire season. Impossibly fast and ferocious blazes burned a staggering 4.1m acres, making for an ‘astonishing and horrifying’ year.”
“Crippled Apalachicola River [Florida] leaves wetland forests in peril, famous oysters extinct:
“The collapse began nearly a decade ago with drought that left bay water lethally salty. Oystermen continued to harvest more than the bay could sustain.”
“The last glacial mass at the Humboldt Peak, known as the second highest peak in Venezuela, is rapidly melting due to global warming...
“A group of Venezuelan researchers found that the last glacier at the Humboldt, located on the Mount Sierra Nevada de Merida is close to disappearing, as they evaluated data on climate change in the region from May 2019 to October 2020…”
“South America’s Amazon rainforest will be wiped out by 2064due to deforestation and prolonged droughts from climate change, a scientist predicts in a new paper…
“…it stands on the verge of a ‘tipping point’ as a consequence of human-caused disturbances, ‘for which we are all responsible’, according to Robert Walker, a professor of geography at the University of Florida.”
“Parts of New South Wales [Australia] could potentially break rainfall records by the end of December, as thunderstorms bring a rainy end to 2020.
“By New Year’s Day, areas in northern NSW, including the town of Gunnedah, could have officially broken previous December rain records, according to preliminary data collected by the Bureau of Meteorology.”
“Vietnamese pick up the pieces after 2020’s relentless storms: Climate change increases the risk to hard-hit central provinces, but few want to leave the only home they know…
“Across central Vietnam, cascading floods from October onward inundated the living and the dead, as record rainfall submerged towns and cemeteries.”
“The year 2020 was the hottest year in France since records began in 1900, state weather forecaster Météo-France said, in a new sign of global warming.
“France’s weather forecaster said that the average temperature across the country in 2020 was 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the 13.9C (57 Fahrenheit) recorded in 2018, it wrote on Twitter.”
“Ireland’s climate: A year of extremes, from wettest February to driest spring. ‘2020 is on course to be the 10th consecutive year of above-normal temperatures…
“Any notion Ireland in 2020 escaped the effects of global heating that is triggering more extreme weather events does not tally with Met Éireann’s data for the year.”
“A well-preserved ice age woolly rhino with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered from the permafrost in Russia’s extreme northern region.
“Russian media reported on Wednesday that the carcass was revealed by thawing permafrost in Yakutia in August.”
“Microscopic metal particles in air pollution linked to brain disease.
“While huge efforts are taken to prevent deaths and illness from Covid, air pollution is a menace that is impacting almost everyone… There is growing evidence that these often strongly magnetic particles can worm into our brains and set in motion what looks worryingly like the early stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”
“The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius continues to face a major political, social and economic crisis following this summer’s oil spill.
“On December 29, the capital city saw further protests. This comes five months after the major oil spill by the Japanese bulk carrier, the Wakashio, which rocked the island nation.”
“…the number of face masks that made it into the oceans this year may be as high as 1.5 billion. Plastic pollution is devastating the oceans.
“It kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, over a million seabirds and even greater numbers of fish, invertebrates and other animals each year.”
“This year has broken a series of unwelcome weather records. Last month was the warmest November in history. This followed the hottest January, May and September. All-time temperature peaks were registered from the Antarctic to the Arctic.
“Since the start of the year, Australia, Siberia and California have suffered record fires. The Atlantic has generated record storms. Ice in the Laptev Sea has started forming later than ever.”
“After record heat comes extreme cold to Russian Arctic coast:
“The year is coming to a close with temperatures down to minus 50 °C [-58F] in parts of northern Siberia… as if in a last counter offensive, a wounded Arctic in late December hit back with a freeze harsher than far below normal.”
“A desperate search is under way today for 17 fishermen in perilous Arctic waters after their boat became “caked with ice” and “sank under its weight”.
“The vessel sank at 7am local time today off the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the far north of Russia.”
“Flash floods, the warmest summer on record and 15 tornadoes spawned in one day: Chicago’s extreme weather during 2020.
““What sticks out to us was that we experienced many extremes,” Brett Borchardt, meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Chicago office, said after conferring with colleagues.”
“This year’s wildfires have left a lingering hazard [in Oregon]: burn scars and compromised soil. This means potential flooding and landslides throughout the winter.
“For places like the McKenzie River Corridor, which was ravaged by the Holiday Farm Fire this year, the soil has been stripped of its ability to absorb moisture.”
“Scientists have discovered why thousands of songbirds dropped dead earlier this year in the southwestern US.
“Starvation and an unexpected cold snap linked to the climate crisis were the causes of mass die-offs, according to the US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.”
“Residents accustomed to Yucatán’s heat [Mexico] huddled under blankets and some likely resorted to wearing socks and wool caps to keep warm overnight…
“Computer models show that it could get even colder in January and February, he said. The 2020-2021 winter season may be one for the record books…”
“‘Miners out, Covid out’: threats to indigenous reserve in Brazil grow:
“Illegal goldminers supported by Bolsonaro bring environmental destruction and coronavirus to Yanomami communities… with no sign of the garimpeiros leaving, indigenous leaders continue to fear for their people.”
“This year’s Atlantic hurricane season set a staggering number of records. There was a record 30 tropical storms and hurricanes, of which 12 hit the US mainland, another record.
“Most shocking were two immensely powerful hurricanes that pulverised much of Central America in November at the tail end of the season when storms are generally fewer and weaker.”
“High winds have added to widespread flooding as Storm Bella continued to wreak havoc across much of the UK.
“In many coastal areas, communities were forced to erect flood defences to counter the impact of waves whipped up by gusts that reached 100mph overnight.”
“Nigeria: Travails of Lagos farmers as climate change bites hard:
“Flooded farms and scorched crops are realities of farmers in Lagos… Climate change has led to an increase in the risk of food insecurity for vulnerable groups, with Africa recording between 1-18% decreases in food production, says Agronomy Expert, Tanja Folnovic.”
“Survivors of Cyclone Idai, which ravaged parts of eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique in March 2019, killing hundreds of people, are worried that Cyclone Chalane may be equally ferocious.
“Tropical storm Chalane… is now in the Mozambique Channel, according to ReliefWeb, a UN-sponsored information service… it could strengthen before it makes landfall…”
“The forest fire that started in the Pathivara area in Taplejung district [Nepal] has entered the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area (KCA). The fire is continuous for more than five days…
“The fire has destroyed a huge forest area, affecting the habitat of red panda, an endangered animal.”
“Taiwan saw its highest average temperature on record in 2020, in line with a global warming trend…
“The average temperature in Taiwan this year was 24.62 degrees Celsius [76.31F]… It surpassed the previous record set in 2019, when Taiwan saw an annual average temperature of 24.55 degrees Celsius [76.19F].”
“The world continued to pay a very high price for extreme weather in 2020, according to a report from the charity Christian Aid.
“While the world has been struggling to get to grips with the coronavirus pandemic, millions of people have also had to cope with the impacts of extreme weather events.”
“Scientists find 12 new deep sea Atlantic species – but they are already at risk from climate change: Cold-water coral is thought to be particularly under threat, with over half of these habitats at risk from climate change by 2100.”
Severe winter flooding seems to be an annual occurrence in the UK now: “Severe flooding across parts of the UK has caused chaos and concern for residents during the festive period…
“Storm Bella has swept across swathes of the UK, bringing heavy rainfall, floods and damage.” [Video]
“Mwacheta village in Chipinge [Zimbabwe], received heavy rains from the eve of Christmas up to Christmas Day with the result that houses were destroyed and food items including hens were swept away leaving the villagers in a quandary of huge proportions…
“…the flooded river gushed into people’s homes wreaking havoc on the social and economic lives of the people.”
“Climate change ravages Kashmir’s ‘red gold’ saffron crop: Dry conditions blamed on climate change have seen yields of the world’s most expensive spice halved in the past two decades, threatening the future of a cash crop that has brought wealth to the region for 2,500 years.”
“Fury as Goa’s rare wildlife park faces invasion by rail and road:
“Mollem National Park and the adjoining Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary [India], covering a protected area of 240 sq km, is set to be splintered and partially deforested by three invasive projects; the doubling of a railway line, road expansion and an electric power transmission line.”
“A forest fire in the Pathivara Temple area of Taplejung district [Nepal] has gone out of control.
“The forest fire in a community forest is spreading toward the temple area. Pathivara Temple is one of the famous hindu shrines in the country [Nepal].”
“Floods hit five sub-districts in Cirebon Districts, West Java Province [Indonesia], on Sunday, following incessant heavy rain…
“The flooding was triggered by downpours that caused Ciberes River to spill over its bank and swamp residential areas, Cirebon BPBD Chief Executive Alex Suheriyawan said here on Sunday… The flood waters reached a height of up to one meter in several residential areas, he noted.”
“Fire bans have been put in place along swathes of Australia one year on from the horror Black Summer blazes.
“Much of Victoria’s northwest has been placed under a total fire ban as the state braces for soaring temperatures beyond 41C [106F] and dry winds, as well as parts of South Australia and southern NSW.”
“‘It’s as if we’ve learned nothing’: alarm over Amazon road project.
“Brazilian activists have voiced alarm over their government’s plans to bulldoze a 94-mile highway through a biodiverse corner of the Amazon along the border with Peru that is home to at least three indigenous communities.”
“Due to floods, they declare public calamity in Zaragoza, Antioquia [Colombia]:
“The mayor of Zaragoza, Víctor Perlaza, reported that it was decided to decree public calamity in the Antioquia municipality after 212 families were affected by sudden floods…”
“As 2020 winds to a close, firefighters are still struggling to contain three active California wildfires. These three wildfires are part of the more than 57,000 that occurred this year…
“As of December 23, these tens of thousands of wildfires have scorched more than 10.3 million acres, a record-high…”
“All signs are pointing to a dry start to 2021 across much of the Colorado River watershed, which provides water to about 40 million people in the Western U.S.
“A lack of precipitation from April to October made this spring, summer and fall one of the region’s driest six-month periods on record.”
“As southwest Louisiana recovers from the back-to-back hurricanes that hammered the region this year, signs of progress compete with lingering evidence of mass destruction.
“The fallen trees that carpeted neighborhoods have mostly been chopped up and hauled away, but the roofs they devoured are still covered in blue tarps. Piles of debris still line the roads.”
“Alabama could “go from being the king of diversity to the king of extinctions,” says journalist Ben Raines:
“Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, but few people know it. And even scientists are still discovering the rich diversity of life that exists there, particularly in the Mobile River basin.
“All this newly discovered biodiversity is also gravely at risk from centuries of exploitation…”
“Several Quebec rivers [Canada] are at risk of flooding and an evacuation has been ordered in parts of the city of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, north of Quebec City.
“Almost 200 people have been evacuated, said Audrey Beaulieu, the deputy city manager. Flooding has begun in some parts of the municipality of 8,000 people, Beaulieu said…”
“Warmest Christmas day on record for province’s largest cities [New Brunswick, Canada]:
“Fredericton broke it’s record by five degrees. Fredericton’s previous high was 12C [54F] in 2003. On Friday, temperatures reached a maximum of 17C [63F].”
“Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center has forecast that Western and Central Siberia will see temperatures as low as -50 celsius [-58F] before the end of the year – around 20 degrees lower than the typical December cold…
“According to Roman Vilfand, the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center, extreme cold is also a consequence of climate change, pointing out that “global warming is not only high temperatures, but also a large amplitude of variability.””
“It May Be Too Late to Save The World’s Largest Lake From Climate Change:
“The largest inland body of water on Earth, the Caspian Sea, is on a particularly precipitous decline, according to a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment.”
“Dog owners have been warned that pet food supplements containing krill could threaten vital food supply to seals and penguins in the Antarctic.
“Krill sourced from fisheries in the Antarctic is an increasingly popular supplement for cats and dogs, as it provides a source of Omega-3…
“But experts say the trend effectively means native species including chinstrap and gentoo penguins, and fur seals are left to compete with our pets for their food.”
““While all extreme events have multiple causes we’re increasingly seeing the fingerprints of climate change in our weather, including events that would be almost impossible to imagine happening without human-caused climate change,” said Friederike Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.”
Extreme weather reporting is hitting a Christmas lull so we have more of an eco-thread today:
“A ship fuel scandal is being uncovered that looks likely to be larger than the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal. It involves some of the biggest names in the global oil and shipping industry, and goes to the very top of the UN shipping regulator, the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
“As a result, thousands of ships around the world are at risk of catastrophic engine failures, putting the lives of millions of sailors, coastal communities and the ocean environment at risk around the world.”
“A groggy climate giant: subsea permafrost is still waking up after 12,000 years:
“…the researchers estimated that the subsea permafrost region currently traps 60 billion tons of methane and contains 560 billion tons of organic carbon in sediment and soil. For reference, humans have released a total of about 500 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. This makes the subsea permafrost carbon stock a potential giant ecosystem feedback to climate change.”
“On Jan. 1, the Russian government is set to significantly reel back important environmental regulations protecting Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake that is home to creatures found nowhere else on earth.
“It’s a move that could lead to the biggest environmental crisis in Baikal’s history, environmental experts and activists say.”
“Rarely before has Mother Nature played such a roaring good game of Weather Bingo for Western Washington as she pulled off on the Winter Solstice Monday, with a rare hat trick in Seattle of record warmth, record rainfall, and even some measurable snowfall!
“The day would go on to set some eye-popping weather records…”
“An uptick in cases of so-called brain-eating amoeba in northern states could be the result of warmer water temperatures brought on by climate change, according to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba’s scientific name, is known to prefer warm, freshwater environments. When inhaled through the nose of humans, typically when swimming in lakes or rivers, it can cause a rare type of brain infection…”
“Climate warming linked to tree leaf unfolding and flowering growing apart:
“Climate warming is linked to a widening interval between leaf unfolding and flowering in European trees, with implications for tree fitness and the wider environment, according to new research.”
“Tropical trees have shorter life spans than trees in other parts of the world, living, for example, just over half as long as temperate trees.
“A new analysis suggests that, as the world warms up, tropical trees will live even shorter lives, spelling trouble for global biodiversity and carbon stocks.”
“Microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”.
“The health impact of microplastics in the body is as yet unknown. But the scientists said they could carry chemicals that could cause long-term damage or upset the foetus’s developing immune system.”
“…storms [that] pour large volumes of rain over saltwater oceans, slowly turning them into freshwater reservoirs [are becoming more common with climate change.
“Because of the decreased salinity, dolphins develop patchy, raised lesions over their bodies that sometimes cover more than 70% of their skin, according to a new study…”
“Plastic pollution is killing Dubai’s wild camelsby the hundreds because the animals mistake the toxic waste for food, experts have claimed.
“Marcus Eriksen, who studies plastic waste in the Gulf, said camels have been ingesting up to 10-stone of waste which then balls up in their stomachs – subjecting them to ‘agonising’ deaths that can last months or even years.”
“In 2019, deaths and disability caused due to air pollution cost India a GDP loss of 1.36% valued at $36.8 billion. This is the key takeaway from a recent study published in the peer-review scientific journal The Lancet…
“In 2019, 1.67 million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution. This was nearly one in every five deaths in the country.”
“Inland New South Wales rivers [Australia] may never recover from the last drought, expert warns…
“The CSIRO’s 2020 State of the Climate report revealed a clear trend of declining rainfall and streamflow: “In the south-east of Australia there has been a decline of around 12 per cent in April to October rainfall since the late 1990s,” it said.”
“…scientists worry that ocean currents will carry chunks of iceberg A68 southeast, away from South Georgia island, but then turn them back to the west, grounding them on the island’s eastern side. If this occurs, penguin colonies in that region, as well as other marine wildlife, could have a harder time foraging for food…
“The Antarctic Peninsula, where the Larsen C ice shelf is located, is one of the fastest-warming areas in the world. In February, a temperature of nearly 70 degrees was recorded on Seymour Island…”
“The black-market trade in wildlife has moved online, and the deluge is ‘dizzying’:
“The internet is now a global bazaar for the multibillion-dollar black market for exotic pets and animal parts, used for everything from curios and medicines to leather boots and skin rugs.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back on the 27th with either an ‘Economic’ or ‘Climate’ thread, depending on which looks more interesting!
Public service announcement: If you’re struggling with the reality of these posts, confidential and free support is available atdoomersupport.org.
“With global temperature rises now affecting even Siberian cities like Yakutsk – one of the world’s coldest places – the time when the Lena’s ice is declared safe enough to drive on arrives later every year.
“Kostya Germogin, however, has a living to earn, and does not have time to wait for the official all-clear, which would normally have come weeks ago. So off he sets across the ice sheet – undeterred by the risk of plunging through the ice, a fate that kills numerous drivers every year.”
“Two fisherman have been rescued after an unfortunate accident left them stranded on a piece of ice drifting untethered around the Arctic seas surrounding Russia…
“The two were riding on a snowmobile across the frozen wastelands of northern Siberia when the machine fell through an ice chasm… The fragility of the ice also proved a problem for the rescuers.”
“Residents of the port town of Seydisfjordur in east Iceland have been moved to safety following a mudslide after record levels of rainfall.
“Some houses were destroyed by the deluge of mud and rocks. An 11-year-old boy has told how he and his father didn’t have time to dress before running from their home.” [Video]
“Scotland has failed to meet international targets to prevent wildlife from becoming extinct by 2020 – despite ministers insisting last year they were on track, the Herald can reveal.
“An analysis by Scotland’s countryside agency, NatureScot, seen by the Herald reveals that efforts to protect endangered animals and plants were “insufficient” to meet 11 of 20 agreed United Nations targets by 2020.”
“Parts of Wales have been affected by deep flooding on Saturday morning while there are concerns a coal tip is in danger of slipping down the mountainside in the Rhondda valleys.
“Wales was battered by heavy rain throughout Friday evening and into the night and river levels were quick to rise.”
“Four million minks culled in Denmark over a mutant coronavirus strain will be exhumed next year to prevent contamination, the Scandinavian country’s government said.
“The move follows complaints from residents about potential health risks after some of the mink had resurfaced.”
“2020 will hold shared first place as warmest year ever recorded in the Netherlands.
“It looks like 2020, together with 2014, will be the hottest year on record. With one and a half weeks to go, the average temperature will probably be 11.7 degrees, the same value as six years ago, reports Weeronline.”
“The Edenville and Sanford dam failures displaced thousands of people in mid-Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic and destroyed homes, businesses and infrastructure. Heavy spring rains led to the flooding, which state officials labeled a once-in-500-years event.
“Since then, it has inspired the Sanford Strong hashtag and an outpouring of community support.”
“Heat deaths of people experiencing homelessness more than doubled between 2019 and 2020, according to Maricopa County data [Arizona].
“The cause? A fatal combination of the hottest summer on record and limited indoor escape from the heat because of COVID-19 closures of places such as libraries and community centers.”
“After the hottest, driest summer in Arizona state history, authorities have recovered close to a 10-year record in the number of bodies of people who crossed from Mexico into Arizona’s deserts, valleys and mountains.
“It’s a reminder that the most remote paths to enter the U.S. can be the deadliest.”
“Toxic spills offer a bleak vision of the end of oil in Venezuela:
“Broke and subject to international sanctions, President Nicolas Maduro’s government is squeezing what it can from Venezuela’s collapsing oil industry, unleashing an environmental disaster in one of Earth’s most ecologically diverse nations.”
“Tropical forests in Brazil have begun to release more carbon than they absorb as the warming climate kills more of the trees, researchers said.
“The forests play an important role in the climate fight for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere, but dry and warm seasonal forests in SE Brazil have been progressively absorbing less carbon while releasing more over time, with the region transitioning “from a carbon sink to a carbon source” in 2013…”
“Northeast NSW is set for another soaking, with a weather system wreaking havoc in northern Australia also forecast to cause flooding…
“Massive rainfall totals have already been recorded, with Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula receiving 244mm [9.6 inches] in a day – almost half of that falling in a single hour.”
“Weather officials in Japan warned that there will be more heavy snow this weekend… The record snowfall this week in Niigata and neighbouring Gunma was brought by a strong cold air mass.
“More than 2,000 vehicles were stranded for many hours on an expressway. Snowfall is expected to intensify in some areas on Sunday. About 100 centimetres [39.4 inches] of snowfall is expected in Niigata.”
“Cambodia’s giant life-giving Tonle Sap lake in peril:
“More than a million people live on or around the lake, the world’s largest inland fishery, but water levels have plummeted and fish stocks dwindled because of climate change and dams upstream on the Mekong.”
“The number of people made homeless by floods in four Terengganu districts [Malaysia] now stands at 5,869 people from 1,516 families, with agencies involved in rescue operations on high alert to evacuate more people tonight.
“As at 8pm, 4,961 people from 1,198 families in Kemaman have been evacuated to 24 relief centres.”
“Feisty torrential rains across Pakistan in the pandemic-hit 2020 not only highlighted the climate change issues but also laid bare the country’s administrative weaknesses.
“This year’s torrential rains also severely affected Sindh and the economic hub of the country, Karachi.”
“Winter conditions have started to show their damaging impact on northeastern Syria’s Idlib province, where thousands of displaced Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance struggle to hold onto life in refugee camps.
“Over the weekend, heavy rain hit the province, leaving the camps in mud and water as shelters become unusable.”
Sorry, I can’t find a good English language source for this but hopefully Google-translate will oblige you:
“Residents of Presidente Getúlio [Brazil] are still trying to understand everything they saw in the tragedy that struck the city at dawn this Thursday (17th).
“The heavy rain and landslides in the region’s hills became a veritable avalanche of mud, rocks and vegetation, which dragged everything it found along the way.
“Houses were destroyed and entire families died…
“The mayor of Presidente Getúlio , Nelson Virtuoso, signed the state decree of public calamity after the municipality faced the greatest climatic tragedy in history.”
“Presenting a report to Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday, Muferiat Kamil, Ethiopia Minister of Peace, said various parts of Ethiopia in recent weeks have experienced severe floods, displacing around 283,000 people.
“Kamil also said emergency relief and rehabilitation services are being provided by the Ethiopian government to the hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians displaced by floods.”
“New swarms of desert locusts are threatening the livelihoods of millions of people in the Horn of Africa and Yemen despite a year of control efforts, the United Nations has warned.
“This year had already seen the worst East Africa invasion in 70 years.
“A long and intense fire season is exacting a grim toll across Madagascar. At its onset in May, a wave of fires ate into the dry forests that line the island’s western coast, one of the world’s most threatened biomes.
“In the past two months, the rainforests fringing the eastern coast have gone up in flames.”
“…illegal activity in Madagascar’s forests is especially worrying to conservationists because of the grave situation facing the island’s 107 species of lemurs…
“Nearly a third of them are critically endangered, and most of the rest are considered threatened, largely because of deforestation in recent decades.”
“Asia-Pacific has faced a record number of climate-related disasters in 2020, affecting tens of millions of vulnerable people already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross said on Wednesday.
“The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had responded to 24 climate-linked crises this year in the world’s most disaster-prone region – up from 18 in 2019…”
“A total of 1,567 people have fled home as their houses were flooded since Monday in Cilacap district, Central Java province, the local disaster management agency reported Wednesday.
“The Cilacap District Disaster Management Agency said the flooding was caused by heavy rains between Sunday afternoon and early Monday. Previously, floods had inundated 35 villages…”
“The wet season has well and truly arrived for the north of Western Australia in the wake of late November and early December rainfall data.
“According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) Broome Airport in the Kimberley [NW, Australia] had its wettest November rainfall in 80 years of records.”
“The early-season rain – and the onset of a La Niña weather pattern – had outback folks talking about whether the eight-year drought might be about to break.
“It hasn’t… While south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales flood, barely a drop of rain has made its way out west in the past month.”
“Japan activates military and PM Suga urges vigilance amid record snowfall across wide areas:
“Japan called on soldiers from the Self-Defence Forces on Thursday (Dec 17) to help with disaster relief, as a cold air mass dumped heavy snow across wide areas of the country. More than 1,000 vehicles were stranded on two expressways…”
“A three-month-old baby was one of two people killed when category-five Cyclone Yasa tore through Fiji’s second-largest island Vanua Levu on Thursday night. The cyclone destroyed hundreds of buildings and caused hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage.
“By Friday, the full extent of the damage was yet to be revealed as many parts of the affected island remained without communications…
“An enormous landslide has scoured the watershed of a remote B.C. inlet [Canada] and triggered a wave of debris that has wiped out critical salmon and grizzly habitat, and is causing hazards for marine traffic in the region. [surely the recent extreme rainfall played a role here].
Helicopter pilot Bastian Fleury surveyed the devastation along the 12-kilometre slide down the Southgate River that has also pushed trees, rocks and mud into Bute Inlet on B.C.’s central coast.
“The first major snowstorm of the season left the north-eastern US blanketed in snow, setting records in some areas.
““Williamsport regional airport made history,” the National Weather Service in State College said, reporting 24.7in of snow [62.7cm]. Forecasters said that was the most snow in that location from a single storm on record…”
“The sea turtle rescue season on Cape Cod set records in 2020, according to the New England Aquarium.
“Over 900 turtles were stranded on the Cape since early November, and a record-breaking 720 were brought in for veterinary care at the aquarium’s animal care center in Quincy and the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay.”
“Germany Is Set for Hottest Year on Record in Blow to Farm Crops:
“Germany will set another temperature record this year, according to Wetter.net, marking the hottest period since such data collection begun in 1881 and a third year of extreme weather conditions.”
“Sweden’s average temperature this year is the highest measured in the 160 years since records began, and even a sharp cold spell over Christmas would not be enough to break the trend.
“The average temperature of almost 7.5C is 0.5C more than the previous highest, which was recorded in 2014.”
“Mountain hares in Scotland are failing to adapt to climate change, making them more vulnerable to predators:
“A team of researchers from the U.S. and the U.K. has found that mountain hares in Scotland have not been changing their molt times in response to climate change.”
“Beluga whistles and clicks could be silenced by an increasingly noisy Arctic Ocean:
“Climate change is causing sea ice to melt earlier in the spring and to freeze later in the autumn, which leads to a longer open-water season. This is allowing greater access for human activities, including noisy activities such as shipping.”
“Frozen Arctic soils are set to release vast amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere as they continue to thaw in coming decades… the scale and speed of this important climate process remain uncertain.
“To help address this knowledge gap, ESA-funded researchers have developed and released a new permafrost dataset – the longest, satellite-derived permafrost record currently available.”
“The moon could be affecting how much methane is released from the Arctic Ocean seafloor, a new study finds.
“The tides, which are controlled by the moon, affect how much methane is released from seafloor sediments: Low tides mean less pressure and more methane released, while high tides create more pressure, and therefore less methane emission…
“It means that slight pressure changes can release significant amounts of methane. This is a game-changer and the highest impact of the study,” study coauthor, Jochen Knies, a marine geologist at the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, said.”
“The icy colossus [iceberg] that is A68a has knocked off a corner, seemingly as a result of striking the seafloor.
“The 3,800-sq-km iceberg, which has been bearing down on the island of South Georgia, looked in recent days to be turning with the prevailing current. But as it spun around, it appears part of the frozen block may have scraped the bed, inflicting damage on itself.”
“More than 30,000 tremors have rocked Antarctica since the end of August, according to new research…
“Scientists have been closely monitoring the impact of climate change on Antarctica’s icebergs and glaciers. The snowy peninsula is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth.”
“Smoke from wildfires could be a surprising new route for the spread of infections, according to research. Scientist say that microbes and fungi can survive in large numbers in smoky plumes.
“The authors believe it’s likely that organisms from the soil, known to cause infection, could be transferred in this way. They argue that greater monitoring of wildfire smoke by health authorities is urgently needed.”
“According to a new Oceana report, Amazon generated an estimated 465 million pounds of air pillows, bubble wrap and other plastic packaging waste in 2019, which, in the form of air pillows, would provide enough plastic to circle the Earth more than 500 times.
“Up to 22 million pounds of this waste, the report estimates, found its way into freshwater and marine ecosystems…”
“As far as I know, your work is unique in pulling together stories from all over the world. Very sobering but a better and more complete view. Terrific and necessary work. Thank you!” – Simon
“With the inundation of so much depressing news, Justin Panopticon presents it in a succinct format that one can quickly go thru and see the big picture of climate and economics/politics to stay current and if a particle topic is of interest one can delve into the details… I try never to miss any of his posts…I am a Patreon of his work.”
– Karina S.
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“A new world record for high air pressure has provisionally been set in a high mountain valley in Mongolia. An automatic weather station in Tsetsen-Uul, in western Zavkhan province, recorded a mean sea-level pressure of 1,094.3 millibars along with bitter temperatures of -45.5C.
“[Beijing, China] saw its coldest recorded December day in 42 years at -26 C [-14.8F], with residents astonished at the sudden temperature drop.
“The collision of a warm, wet weather front with a mass of cold air from Siberia could set a new record: the lowest barometric pressure recorded in the North Pacific. 
“The storm that brought snow to southern Ontario… was much harsher to the communities of Nunavut [Canadian Arctic], with several days of blizzard conditions and strong winds peaking in record territory.
“A double header of winter storms is set to bring snow, ice, rain and plummeting temperatures to millions across the US by New Year’s Eve, with the Midwest bracing itself for as much as 24 inches of snowfall Tuesday. 
“The combination of clear skies, light wind, and fresh snow caused temperatures in Colorado’s mountain valley locations to plummet Tuesday night.
“Heavy snowfall closes roads in Chihuahua, Mexico December 30 2020.”
“Crippled Apalachicola River [Florida] leaves wetland forests in peril, famous oysters extinct:
“The last glacial mass at the Humboldt Peak, known as the second highest peak in Venezuela, is rapidly melting due to global warming...
“South America’s Amazon rainforest will be wiped out by 2064 due to deforestation and prolonged droughts from climate change, a scientist predicts in a new paper…
“The state [Hawaii] said that a severe drought on Molokai this year has led to the starvation of deer on the island.
“Parts of New South Wales [Australia] could potentially break rainfall records by the end of December, as thunderstorms bring a rainy end to 2020.
“Vietnamese pick up the pieces after 2020’s relentless storms: Climate change increases the risk to hard-hit central provinces, but few want to leave the only home they know…
“A powerful tropical storm dubbed Chalane made landfall near the central Mozambique city of Beira early on Wednesday.
“The year 2020 was the hottest year in France since records began in 1900, state weather forecaster Météo-France said, in a new sign of global warming.
“Ireland’s climate: A year of extremes, from wettest February to driest spring. ‘2020 is on course to be the 10th consecutive year of above-normal temperatures…
“An extraordinary drone video shows the vast extent of the recent flooding over the Cambridgeshire fens [UK].
“Poland – hit by back-to-back droughts – is on a mission to save water and end its reputation as dry man of Europe.
“A well-preserved ice age woolly rhino with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered from the permafrost in Russia’s extreme northern region.
“Microscopic metal particles in air pollution linked to brain disease.
“The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius continues to face a major political, social and economic crisis following this summer’s oil spill.
“…the number of face masks that made it into the oceans this year may be as high as 1.5 billion. Plastic pollution is devastating the oceans. 
“This year has broken a series of unwelcome weather records. Last month was the warmest November in history. This followed the hottest January, May and September. All-time temperature peaks were registered from the Antarctic to the Arctic. 
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Severe winter flooding seems to be an annual occurrence in the UK now: “
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“Tropical trees have shorter life spans than trees in other parts of the world, living, for example, just over half as long as temperate trees. 
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Sorry, I can’t find a good English language source for this but hopefully Google-translate will oblige you: 
“Houses were destroyed and entire families died…
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“The wet season has well and truly arrived for the north of Western Australia in the wake of late November and early December rainfall data.
“Moreton Bay’s windy week of downpours [Queensland] is set to continue into the weekend, with temperatures remaining in the mid-20s.
“The early-season rain – and the onset of a La Niña weather pattern – had outback folks talking about whether the eight-year drought might be about to break.
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