“Twin cyclones are bearing down on Pacific islands, with Fiji’s main island likely to be directly hit by a category five storm for the second time this year.
“Tonga and Fiji were bracing for potentially catastrophic damage as tropical cyclones Zazu and Yasa intensified off their coastlines on Wednesday.”
“A major flood warning has been issued near Grafton on the New South Wales north coast as heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms batter much of the region.
“In Lismore the State Emergency Service received about 100 calls for assistance in just a few hours on Wednesday afternoon, after the regional city received more than 200mm [7.9 inches] of rain.
[This is now Grafton’s wettest December on record].”
“The season’s most powerful cold air mass over Japan is bringing heavy snow to areas on the Sea of Japan coast…
“Snowfall in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning was 128cm [50.4 inches] in Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture, and 113 cm [44.5 inches] in Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture — both the heaviest 24-hour snowfalls on record.”
“There hasn’t been a huge amount of mainstream attention paid to cloud seeding or other forms of geoengineering, but now is the time to sit up and take notice.
“China has massively ramped up its efforts to control the weather, a move that should alarm us all… It is not just posturing (although that certainly plays into it), it is also desperation.
“The climate crisis isn’t around the corner – it is here.”
“Photos released on social media this week show how much climate change and pollution have affected the Rongbuk Glacier on Everest’s north side…
“The Rongbuk Glacier is a primary source of water for major Asian rivers such as the Indus and Yangtze, so its seasonal melt is essential to millions of people in India and China.”
“‘It’s over for us’: how extreme weather is emptying Bangladesh’s villages.
“…Like other villages nearby, Chakla in Bangladesh’s Satkhira district has not re-emerged from the flooding caused by Super-cyclone Amphan, which battered the south of the country in late May…”
“Turkey’s third-largest city İzmir has been battered by heavy rainfall since last week. Four days of precipitation led the Aegean Sea to overflow, inundating some residential blocks in the Karşıyaka district.
“Two people trapped in a car that was carried away by floodwaters elsewhere in the city were found dead on Monday morning.”
“Cyprus’s Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris visited the areas of the Nicosia District affected by a tornado, in order to assess the damage on the ground.
“In his statements, he said that “Our number one priority, of course, was to address people’s immediate needs. We are already transferring two families from Nikitari whose houses were deemed uninhabitable to a hotel in Nicosia.”
“A winter storm taking aim at the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast from Wednesday night into Thursday is likely to dump more snow in about 24 hours than Philadelphia and New York City recorded all last season.
“It may also produce a significant snowstorm in Boston.”
“Tennessee Valley Authority records record rainfall in 2020 for third year: With just over two weeks still to go, 2020 has already become the wettest year ever recorded in the Tennessee Valley, according to a recent report from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
“The record marked the third year in a row of above-average rainfall. As of Monday, TVA officials recorded 68.27 inches on average across the valley, beating the old record of 67.01 inches set in 2018. The third-wettest year? That was 2019, with 66.47 inches of rainfall.”
“Ocean heatwave has triggered new toxic algal blooms on the US west coast:
“Fishermen, swimmers and seafood enthusiasts may already know the dangers of “red tides,” but a recent study in Frontiers in Climate shows that climate change is increasing the frequency of one type of highly toxic algal bloom off the US west coast.”
“Even disaster experts are stunned by the devastation this fall in Honduras…
“The two Category 4 hurricanes – Eta and Iota — made landfall in Central America on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, respectively. Even today, the region continues to dig out from mudslides. Aid agencies say nearly 7 million people… are in need of assistance.”
“In recent years, wildfires have become increasingly frequent in the Brazilian savannahs, also severely affecting the riparian forests.
“Investigations carried out with a scientist from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart have now shown how great the threat to these sensitive ecosystems actually is: “The loss here is even worse than in the tropical rainforest of the Amazon, because the area affected is larger,” said Dr. Anna Abrahão.”
“Wildfires in the Arctic Circle and western US reached ‘unprecedented intensity’ in 2020 – although global fire emissions are decreasing overall, new EU data shows…
“There’s been increased wildfire activity in Siberia, Colorado, California, Australia, and parts of the Caribbean and the Pantanal region of Southern Brazil…”
“Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires:
“When wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state’s drinking water standard.”
“Wildfires have taken over from industry as a major source of a group of cancer-causing chemical toxins in the air, Environment Canada says.
“The first national assessment of polycyclic aromatic compounds in more than 25 years has found that air has improved around aluminum and steel plants. But wildfires and vehicles have stepped in to keep average concentrations at about the same level that they were in the 1990s…”
“Climate crisis sends temperatures soaring in Lapland: Traditional way of life under threat in vast area straddling the Arctic Circle.
“…recent summers have had unseasonably high temperatures, with records being not just broken, but smashed… In July 2018, Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland – the self-styled “official hometown of Santa Claus” – recorded an unprecedented high of 32C (90F).”
“A ‘frozen rainforest’ of microscopic life is melting Greenland’s ice sheet:
“Biodiversity is usually considered a good thing, but in this case the profusion of microbial life is speeding up ice melt [via declining albedo], and likely causing global sea levels to rise faster than scientists have predicted.”
““The story of methane really is a story of a very serious definitive threat to our future existence on this planet.” (Peter Wadhams)…
““The Arctic is no longer the Arctic” (Wadhams). It is something entirely different. The change is palpable. It has morphed into a looming threat of radical climate upheaval. Regrettably, neither the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) nor any major nation/state is braced for Arctic upheaval. It is not universally recognized as an impending threat in the near future.”
“Just how warm Earth stays this December will determine if 2020 goes down as the hottest year on record. And it’s looking a lot like it will…
“Earth’s temperature in November was 56.95 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 1.75 degrees above the 20th century average, according to NOAA. Nearly 7 percent of the world had record-warm November temperatures, including Australia and Norway.”
[Also of interest, although not in the press – the Maldives and Niger both recently set new December heat records].
“Just days after bushfires threatened an Australian World Heritage site, thousands were bracing for floods on the subtropical east coast on Sunday, with beaches closed and the authorities urging people to sandbag their homes.
“With as much as 475 millimetres (18.7 inches) of rain in the previous 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a “severe weather warning” for the border area between New South Wales and Queensland states, a heavily populated area that includes the Queensland state capital Brisbane.”
“Byron Bay locals say damage to the town’s main beach is “the worst in a generation” as heavy rain, abnormally high tides and wild surf, combined with long term erosion problems, washed away much of the remaining sand.
“Storms have battered a 1,000km stretch of the Queensland and northern NSW coastline for several days…”
“Australia’s disastrous 2019-2020 fire season blew so much smoke into the upper atmosphere that it blocked sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface, potentially causing a brief global cooling effect comparable to a moderate volcanic eruption, new research has found.
“In late 2019 and early 2020, raging wildfires in southeastern Australia spawned a rash of rare fire-induced thunderclouds…”
“Search and rescue teams [Philippines]… on Sunday rescued eight persons, including one with disability, who were trapped on the other side of a river due to a flash flood that affected low-lying villages here.
“A spot report of the municipal government unit of Pudtol said incessant heavy rains since Saturday night caused sudden flooding in Barangays Cabatacan, San Mariano, Alem and Imelda.”
“A U.S.-funded project using satellites to track and publish water levels at Chinese dams on the Mekong river was announced on Monday, adding to the superpowers’ rivalry in Southeast Asia.
“The 4,350-kilometer waterway — known as the Lancang in China and flowing south through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam — has become a focus of competition.”
“More than four months since the major oil spill event on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, many questions still swirl around how the Japanese vessel ended up grounded on Mauritius’ coral reefs in July.
“Now the Japanese shipowner behind the Wakashio, Nagashiki Shipping, is attempting to hide behind a screen of corporate secrecy to not disclose material information to the shipwreck inquiry…”
“Fungal disease looms over Cyclone Burevi affected paddy crops [India].
“It appears like farmers would not get respite from nature’s vagaries as the agriculture department has warned that paddy crop inundated by rain during cyclone Burevi are likely to be affected by Grain Discoloration Disease (Nel Manigal Niram Maarum Noi).”
“In Pakistan, the number of migratory birds has decreased from 1.7 million in 1992 to less than 1 million in recent times. Migratory birds have changed their routes from Pakistan.
“Climate change is also altering the timing of reproductive cycles of fishes and plants in Pakistan.”
“A woman was crushed to death when her house collapsed, while dozens of homes were damaged after a twister tore through five villages outside Middledrift in the Eastern Cape [South Africa]…
“The tornado struck around 21:00 on Thursday, according to villagers.”
“Croatian Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic said on Friday that the government would do everything to repair the damage from the floods in the Vrgorac area…
“Recalling that such a flood had not occurred in that area for more than 50 years, Vuckovic warned that the damage from this year’s flood was severe.”
“Low water after dry weather in past weeks continues to prevent cargo vessels from sailing fully loaded on the river Rhine in Germany, traders said on Monday.
“Low water is hampering shipping in the northern and central sections of the river, especially around Cologne and Kaub, traders said.”
“In the three years since the tiny Caribbean community of Barbuda was ravaged by Hurricane Irma, locals have been engaged in a David-and-Goliath battle with powerful, well-connected US developers building luxury beachfront resorts for the ultra-rich…
“The Barbuda council wrote that the CLNP designated wetland was under threat “as a result of the actions of those who believe that their monied wealth should supersede the rights of the many”.”
“Looking back at the top weather events of 2020, “record-setting,” “unprecedented” and “historic” are just a few of the words to describe this year’s volatile weather and extreme events.
“This is the sixth consecutive year in which 10 or more billion-dollar weather events have occurred in the United States.”
“Could Americans become the next wave of refugees?
“As our climate changes and nations battle, the number of displaced persons will rise. And, as wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and pandemics increase, we are just as likely to be among the 80 million refugees worldwide who will seek safety and prosperity at someone’s border this year?”
“Equinor [Norwegian oil company] expands in oil on thawing permafrost in Siberia: In November, the Norwegian oil giant announced big ambitions to become a net-zero energy company.
““The stake in the North Danilovskoye development seems to be at odds with the strategy to reduce its carbon footprint,” says Aage Borchgrevink, author of a book about the Norwegian oil giant’s history.”
“Thinning ice in the Arctic Ocean made this year’s navigation season for natural gas tankers the longest on record, the latest sign that the pace of climate change is accelerating in the Earth’s northernmost latitudes.
“The Northern Sea Route, stretching more than 3,000 nautical miles between the Barents Sea west of Russia and the Bering Strait in the country’s east, traditionally opens from June through October, when higher temperatures break up ice. This year, voyages started a month early and will continue until at least the end of December.”
“Glaciers: The hidden source of pandemics? We all need to remain vigilant of the increasing pace of glacier melting and the consequent biological disasters it could unleash…
“With the melting of glacier ice, the world faces an ever-increasing possibility of the release of ancient viruses and bacteria buried deep within the frozen mass.”
“2020 has been a record year for flooding in the Asia-Pacific region, with cities in East, Southeast, and South Asia seeing economic losses, loss of life, and widespread displacement due to heavy rains.
“The figures are staggering — in China alone, 2.7 million were evacuated and 63 million were affected, while Nepal has experienced 4,500 landslides, and, at one point, one-third of Bangladesh was underwater.
“Another 17 million were affected by flooding in South Asia. Floods also impacted parts of Indonesia, and in the past month, Vietnam and the Philippines have also been hit.”
“A new report has found more than 75% of India’s districts are hot spots of extreme climate events.
“With an unusual spike in extreme events since 2005, these districts are bearing the effects of changing microclimate with loss of property, livelihoods and lives.”
“A human rights group has urged authorities in Bulawayo [Zimbabwe] to immediately activate disaster response mechanisms as flash floods continue to pound parts of the city, destroying infrastructure and property…
“Last year, the State’s disaster management agency, Civil Protection Unit (CPU) was blamed for poor response mechanisms after failing to take measures to prepare for, and reduce the effects of Cyclone Idai which killed hundreds and displaced thousands in the country.”
“Turkish scientists cautioned that the world may end up unable to return if humanity does not learn necessary lessons, talking about growing trends of risky weather events, particularly high temperatures.
“November 2020 was the warmest November on record,” Huseyin Toros, an expert in atmospheric science and air quality at Istanbul Technical University, said: “Humanity is shooting itself in the foot…””
“Heavy rains have battered parts of Slovenia and Croatia [you may recall that Split was hit with a remarkable rainfall-event last week] close to the Adriatic Sea coast, causing floods and landslides, blocking roads and disrupting traffic.
“In Croatia, rain and winds kept ferries to and from the islands in port and flooded coastal towns.”
“Decomposing mink buried in dirt pits in Denmark following a nationwide cull may have contaminated groundwater, a local radio station reported.
“The Danish government ordered a cull of some 17 million mink in early November after outbreaks of coronavirus hit hundreds of farms and authorities found mutated strains of the virus among people.”
“Scotland’s most globally important species and natural habitats are being “devastated” by air pollution, according to a new report.
“The Plantlife paper, commissioned by the Scottish Government, found that 80 per cent of land within special areas of conservation – such as the Cairngorms – now have intolerable nitrogen levels.”
“‘That roof over there is mine’: Guatemala’s flooded communities…
“The Guatemalan Coordinator for the Reduction of Disaster (CONRED)… lists 2.4 million people affected by flooding, with more than 270,000 in temporary shelters. However, David Deleon, a spokesman for CONRED, acknowledges that they do not yet know the total amount of loss and damage to property.”
“Uruguay will declare an agricultural emergency for 10 departments, as the country is being hit by drought…
“In total, 5.5Mha are affected by the measure, which will initially remain in force for 60 days, daily El Observador reported quoting the head of the agriculture ministry’s rural development office, Carlos Rydström.”
“Marine heatwaves driving change in Hokkaido’s fishing industry:
“Surrounded by the bountiful waters of the Sea of Japan, the Pacific and the Sea of Okhotsk, Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido accounts for 20% of the country’s total fisheries output. But recent years have seen record low catches of salmon, saury and squid, among others.”
“Australia’s hottest spring on record, which saw temperatures more than 2C above average, would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, new analysis has found.
“A spring as hot as the one Australians just experienced would come along only once every half a million years without the extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere…”
“In a summer that was supposed to be unusually cool and wet [due to La Nina], Australian builder Rob Lye did not expect to be trapped by a bushfire on sub-tropical Fraser Islandand battling with his neighbours to protect their homes.
“…scientists say wildfires like the one that tore through half of the island’s forest in recent weeks are increasingly likely.”
“Australia could run out of locally grown rice by January next yearafter a combination of droughts, low allocations of irrigation water and Covid-19 panic buying created a shortage.
“According to forecasts from SunRice, who currently produce 98 per cent of Australian rice, all rice on supermarket shelves will be imported from early 2021.”
“An enormous iceberg is heading toward South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic, where scientists say a collision could devastate wildlife by threatening the food chain.
“Scientists have long been watching this climate-related event unfold…
“The peninsula is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, registering a record high temperature of 20.75 degrees Celsius (69.35 degrees Fahrenheit) on Feb. 9.”
“The scientists, who in 2020 participated in an expedition onboard the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh research-survey vessel, plan to continue studies of methane emissions, which emerge in Russia’s Arctic seas due to the thawing permafrost, said Igor Semiletov of the Ilichev Pacific Oceanological Institute (the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Far Eastern Branch)…
“The scientists want to put together the first ever 3D map of massive methane emissions with the indication of their depths.”
“Emails from the edge: Svalbard’s polar bears are sending messages to scientists…
“These large mammals are canaries in this frigid coal mine. A warming climate means a vast amount of sea ice is melting in the region, and rising temperatures are also preventing seasonal ice — which melts and recurs annually — from forming in places it once did.”
“The Earth remains on course to warm beyond 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century (an optimistic assessment!) despite a dip in greenhouse gas emissions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“A new report …found this year’s 7-percent fall in carbon pollution would have “negligible impact” on warming…”
“The Arctic region has had its second-warmest year since 1900, continuing a pattern of extreme heat, ice melt and environmental transformation at the top of the world, scientists reported Tuesday…
““Taken as a whole, the story is unambiguous,” Alaska-based climate scientist Rick Thoman, one of the report’s editors, said in a statement. “The transformation of the Arctic to a warmer, less frozen and biologically changed region is well underway.””
“As climate experts sound the alarm over record temperatures in Russia’s Arctic, the Christmas season is unlikely to be much different than the preceding months.
“According to Roshydromet, the extraordinary Arctic heat of November was followed by temperature records in a number of places across the Russian north on the first day of December.”
“Amid record low Arctic sea-ice, Russia to lay down yet another nuclear icebreaker:
“The 60 MW strong icebreakers are powered by to water-cooled RITM-200 reactors. With such power, the shipyard says it is possible to break through 2,8 meters think ice. Such ice thickness, however, was not possible for the Arktika to test when she in October sailed to the North Pole. Simply because this time of the year there are no longer such thickness of the ice, neither at the top of the world or anywhere along the Northern Sea Route.”
“The Azov Sea [Ukraine] has burst its banks due to the powerful storm. As a result, a dozen recreation centers, hotels and recreation houses were flooded in Zaporizhia region…
“Almost all buildings on the first line were flooded. Two-meter waves created the lakes in the territories of the hotels and it is possible to move from one house to another only by fishing units.”
“Wildfires burned more than 7,750 square kilometers of Alberta’s forests [Canada] last year.
“New research indicates the conflagrations are part of a pattern showing increased average burned areas every year since 1970, and climate change is poised to accelerate this trend.”
“Troopers suspended search operations Monday for the two Haines residents missing and presumed dead after a major landslide [caused by a record-rainfall event] swept through a residential area last week.
“”The search for 23-year-old kindergarten teacher Jenae Larson and 30-year-old David Simmons, director of the Haines Economic Development Corp., was called off “due to continued rain and the likelihood of additional landslides in the area,” troopers said in an online report Monday.”
“Record-breaking wildfires and a relentless hurricane season — on top of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — have left more Americans in need of emergency housing than ever before.
“American families have spent more time in Red Cross emergency lodging in 2020 than any other on record, the humanitarian organization recently announced.”
“The Golden State hasn’t seen the last of wildfire season.
“The gusty Santa Ana winds were blowing throughout Southern California on Monday and into the night, spreading one fire in Ventura County and prompting power shutoffs and red flag warnings in other areas.”
“Deforestation in the Amazon destroyed an area bigger than Spain from 2000 to 2018, wiping out eight percent of the world’s largest rainforest, according to a study released on Tuesday.
“The Amazon plays a vital role in curbing climate change, but destruction of the rainforest has only accelerated in recent years…”
“Fires burned more than 30,000 acres of forest and brushland in both 2018 and 2019 – far more than any other year in more than a decade, according to the latest State of Hawaiʻi Data Book…
“Hawaiʻi has seen a spike in drought intensity since 2016, especially during the summers.”
“Australia’s weather for 2020: Country records fifth warmest year on record while weak La Nina fails to increase water storage.
“Australia’s has endured its warmest spring on record, with 2020 likely to be among the top five hottest years in history. Statistics from the Bureau of Meteorology show Spring and November 2020 were the warmest on record around the country.”
“Heavy downpours battering North Sumatra since Thursday have caused floods and landslides in some parts of the region, claiming the lives of eight people.
“North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said floods and landslides had been reported in some areas in at least six regencies and cities…”
“Flash floods spanning across five provinces in the south of Thailand have killed at least 24 people, the disaster mitigation department said Monday evening…
“There was over 900 millimeters [35.5 inches] of rain over the past seven days, compared to 2,000 millimeters on a yearly average.”
“Cascading floods and devastating landslides in central Vietnam have left more than 2.5 million children at risk of disease, poor nutrition and delayed development.
“Between October 6 and November 17, the region was hit by seven consecutive tropical storms and cyclones, affecting an estimated 7.7 million people…”
“Autumn floods have caused severe damages to many urban and rural areas in several southern provinces of Iran, killing at least seven people as of Monday.
“Heavy rainfalls over the past days have created flash floods and swollen rivers in seven provinces in southern Iran, claiming the lives of at least seven people in Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces.”
“Like most people in Zimbabwe, 66-year old Angelina relies on the rain to grow the crops she needs to survive.
“A terrible drought was already causing Angelina and her family to go hungry, but the impact of Covid-19 has left her struggling to provide meals for her three young grandchildren.”
“Flooding in different parts of Nigeria this year has killed 68 people and affected 129,000 others in terms of its devastating impact on lives, properties, and farmlands, according to the National Emergency Management Agency…
“…the disaster also affected 320 local government areas in 35 states including the Federal Capital Territory.”
“Venice has been hit by high tides of up to 1.5 metres (5ft) after its flood barrier system was not activated as a result of mistaken forecasts…
“By the time the water had entered the lagoon on Tuesday morning, completely flooding the narthex of St Mark’s Basilica, it was too late for the system to take effect.”
“Analysis of the Met Office’s UK Climate Projections reveals that climate change is expected to decrease markedly the number of so-called ice days, where the daily maximum temperature doesn’t exceed 0.0 °C…
“”In southern England, the maximum temperatures on the coldest winter days would be in the range of 2.0 °C or 4.0 °C.””
“Over 200 Years, Humans Have Hunted Some of Antarctica’s Animals Almost to Extinction:
“While mining is currently banned under the Antarctic Treaty and the days of sealing and whaling are over, Antarctica’s marine living resources are still being exploited to this day.”
“Yet, the recent and ongoing catastrophic fires around the world – including in Brazil, the US, Sweden, Russia and Australia – are not moments of a healthy fire cycle but conflagrations of a dying biosphere.”
“Record-smashing Antarctic heat waves, melting glaciers, wave after wave of drought and wildfire, and an unending string of megastorms: Since the 2015 Paris deal, the deadly effects of climate change have been ever more visible.
““The world has changed since Paris. It has changed for the worst,” said Saleemul Huq, from the International Center for Climate Change…”
“Twice in the past 10 days, impressive solar flares have heralded the building Solar Cycle 25, a stark contrast from earlier this year, when a “solar minimum” between cycles meant that 200 days didn’t feature a single sunspot…
“Solar Cycle 25 is expected to peak in July 2025.”
“The world just experienced its hottest November on record while Europe had its warmest fall, according to an alarming report from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“Temperatures were most elevated in a large region across northern Europe, Siberia and the Arctic Ocean, where sea ice was at the second lowest level ever seen in November.”
“Climate change could result in the loss of up to 92% of glaciers in the Alps by the end of this century according to new research findings…
“The findings suggest [the Alps’] popular ski resorts’ glaciers would be all but gone by the turn of the next century. There will also be knock-on effects for water storage, run-off and Alpine eco-systems.”
“Several communities in the Austrian Alps put mass coronavirus testing on hold Sunday and others were urged to do the same after a storm dumped huge amounts of snow, sending some avalanche warnings to their highest level.
Some parts of the province of Tyrol saw 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) of snow fall overnight Friday into Saturday, and another 110 centimeters (43 inches) were expected on Sunday… More than a meter (three feet) of snow fell within a few hours in the Italian Dolomites…”
“Around 60 families were forced to evacuate their homes after heavy rain triggered floods in central parts of Italy.
“In the area of Modena, firefighters helped families to safety after the Panaro River burst its banks following heavy rain, forcing the closure of roads and railways.”
“Some flamingos not migrating from Turkey due to global warming: Academic.
“Lake Van in Turkey’s east is one of the resting centers in the country for birds migrating between North Africa and Iran, but some flamingos there have not left the region in the last 10 years due to global warming, an academic has said.”
“Rainfall on Saturday caused flash floods in the Dead Sea and Arava areas of southern Israel, requiring emergency services to rescue hikers stranded by the flooding.
“Due to the floods, police closed a portion of Route 90 along the Dead Sea to traffic in both directions.”
“An unscrupulous British exporter dumped whole container loads of household rubbish in Malaysia but fortunately it was seized and re-exported back to its source.
“Malaysia has subsequently closed down 155 illegal processing plants but plastic waste from abroad is still imported into the country, albeit illegally.”
“At least 20 people have been killed in severe flash floods in the South [of Thailand] with more than 553,000 households affected from the disaster, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation yesterday.
“The victims are in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the worst-hit area, it said. Few details of the fatalities or the age of those who died were available.”
“Floods caused by unremitting torrential rains over the last 72 hours have displaced 9,988 people in East Aceh District, Aceh Province [Indonesia], according to the local disaster mitigation office (BPBD).
“”Owing to heavy rains over the last three days and the overflowing of rivers in the area, water levels at several locations had reached up to 200 centimeters high,” Head of BPBD East Aceh Ashadi stated in Idi, Monday… The flooding swamped a total of 17,648 homes in 226 villages in East Aceh District.”
“Last week a record-breaking heatwave scorched swathes of eastern Australia – and it wasn’t even summer. Australia has just had its hottest November on record.
“The heat and accompanying fire risk were an ominous reminder of the devastating bushfires that burned a fifth of Australia’s forest last summer.”
“Forecasters predict that Tuesday will be Perth’s first proper summer scorcher, with the temperature tipped to hit a maximum of 39C [102F]… Perth residents could be forgiven for being a little bit confused about what season it actually is.
“Last Tuesday the city experienced its coldest summer morning in 124 years when the temperature dropped to a chilly 6.6C… To top off the confusing stats, Perth recorded its wettest November since records began…”
“…in the past 35 years, there has been a 670% increase in the extent of pits and ponds created by miners digging for small deposits of alluvial gold in the Peruvian Amazon.
“According to the scientists, the proliferation of these ponds has dramatically altered the landscape and increased the risk of mercury exposure for indigenous communities and wildlife.”
“The news went from bad to worse this weekend for an Alaska city still reeling from a record-setting rainstorm that triggered mudslides and widespread flooding.
“”The Haines area received another eight inches of snow [Saturday] night,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Rick Fritsch told USA TODAY on Sunday.”
“The warmer water [in the Arctic] is pulling some species further north, into higher latitudes.
“The thinner ice is carrying more people through the Arctic on cruise ships, cargo ships and research vessels. Ice and snow can almost entirely black out the water beneath it, but climate change is allowing more light to flood in.”
“An Escape Route for Seafloor Methane: Puzzling Leakage From Frozen Layers Explained.
“By some estimates, seafloor methane contained in frozen formations along the continental margins may equal or exceed the total amount of coal, oil, and gas in all other reservoirs worldwide. Yet, the way methane escapes from these deep formations is poorly understood.”
“A warning on climate and the risk of societal collapse:
“Scientists and academics including Prof Gesa Weyhenmeyer and Prof Will Steffen argue that we must discuss the threat of societal disruption in order to prepare for it… Surveys show many people now anticipate societal collapse.”
“Juneau, Alaska, smashed its all-time 24-hour rainfall record Tuesday and Wednesday, triggering destructive flooding and mudslides from an atmospheric river.
“Juneau picked up 5.08 inches of rain in 24 hours ending 3 a.m. Wednesday, topping the previous record for any 24-hour period in Alaska’s capital city, 4.66 inches on Oct. 9-10, 1946… “Two other towns, Pelican (9.75 inches) and Skagway (5.37 inches), also set new all-time calendar-day rainfall records…”
““The bottom line is, it’s getting hotter and wetter here in Philly,” says Rachel Valletta, an environmental scientist at the Franklin Institute.
“…since 1895, the average temperature in Pennsylvania has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and in 13 of the past 15 years, the average annual temperature has exceeded that of the annual average across the entire 20th century — a strong sign that temperatures in recent years have been historically hot and not just a fluctuation.”
“Thanks mostly to a combination of human-caused climate change and urbanization, winters in Washington are warming hastily and taking on an entirely new character.
“Our winter climate is on a southbound journey, with nothing in the way. Over the past five decades, the region has seen winter average temperatures increase between three and five degrees F.”
“Fire crews battle to tame Southern California wildfire after thousands flee:
“Firefighters battled to tame a wildfire on hillsides southeast of Los Angeles late on Thursday, some 24 hours after it broke out in a wooded canyon, apparently triggered by a faulty domestic generator.”
“Five of the six largest fires in California history and three of the four largest in Colorado history all burned this year. This dramatic increase in the acres burned by immense wildfires is being driven by fires which are burning hotter and more intensely than they used to.
“In fact, according to a new study, there’s been an eight-fold increase since the mid-1980s in annual area burned by high-severity wildfires [in the US]…”
“Storms, coronavirus and drought spread hunger to millions in Central America:
“In Guatemala, the problem is particularly severe. Even before the storms hit, some 3.7 million people – or more than a fifth of the population – were already suffering high levels of acute food insecurity…”
“The past decade has been the warmest in recorded history. Governments around the world have been reluctant to implement policies to effectively slow climate change, preferring to view its impacts as part of an abstract, distant future.
“But, for communities such as the Wayuu [indigenous people. Colombia], the consequences of climate change have already arrived— and their children are bearing the cost.”
“Wildlife conservationists braved crocodile infested waters to rescue a critically endangered Nubian giraffe trapped on a flooding island in Kenya.
“The giraffe, named Asiwa, was one of eight stranded due to days on intense rain that cut off access to the mainland, leaving the herd imprisoned on Longicharo Island.”
“In the drought-hit south of Madagascar, people are forced to fill their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine.
“More than a year of no rain is slowing leading locals to the brink of famine. The staple food like cactus fruit cannot be produced because of the drought.”
“Cyclone Amphan, which battered West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh, could be the costliest tropical cyclone to be recorded in the North Indian Ocean, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) provisional report on the State of Global Climate.
“Released on Wednesday, the report pegged economic losses caused by the super cyclone at a staggering $14 billion.”
“River deep, tensions high: China assures India over Tibet dam plans amid spectre of drought. Plans to build hydropower plant on Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows from Tibet to India, are at early stage and impact will be assessed, embassy says
“India has said it may build its own plant downstream to mitigate the effects, while the neighbours’ border row shows little sign of easing.”
“China has pledged to boost its ability to modify the weather with artificial rain and snow to gain more control on its agriculture, natural disasters and ecosystems.
“The ambitious plan would cover over 6million square kilometres of land (2.3million square miles) by 2025 with an extended weather programme, according to the country’s cabinet on Wednesday.”
“Food shortages loom after floods destroy central Vietnam Fields…
“”We don’t know what to plant to make a living,” said Rao, a 46-year-old resident of Huong Son Commune in Quang Tri’s Huong Hoa District. Two wet bags of grains they have are all that’s left for the next six months, he said…”
“Flash floods have claimed at least nine lives in southern Thailand and affected half a million people, officials said Thursday as the region braced for even more rain.
“The deaths all came in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where a state of emergency has been declared. The youngest victim was just five years old.”
“Floods swamped several villages in Banjarsari Sub-district, Lebak District, Banten Province [Java, Indonesia], as the Cimoyan River overflowed its banks, compelling panic-stricken residents to flee to higher ground.
“”We have not been able to confirm the number of refugees, as they are still evacuating residents trapped in floods,” Sumardi, head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Office of Banten Province, stated here on Thursday.”
“The enormous economic and health crisis brought on by the pandemic may have overshadowed the tragedy of last season’s bushfires but the recent spate of hot weather is a stark reminder of the potential dangers Australia faces once again this summer.
“Spring was a scorcher. Based on minimum and mean temperatures, it has been the hottest seasonal lead-up to summer on record…”
“Fewer than 300 critically endangered swift parrots could remain in Australia, a new study has revealed, as a court challenge against logging in their Tasmanian habitat was heard in the federal court…
““Extinction is coming rapidly for the swift parrot,” said researcher Dejan Stojanovic on Wednesday.”
“The outlook for five Australian world heritage sites including the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains and the Gondwana rainforests, has deteriorated, according to a global report that finds climate change is now the number one threat to the planet’s natural world heritage…
“The reef suffered its third mass coral bleaching in five years during the 2019-20 summer.”
“Split’s streets [Croatia] are mostly underwater as torrential rain flooded the city on Thursday morning – and it doesn’t look like there is an end in sight.
“The official 24-hour precipitation record in Split is 228.5 mm [around nine inches], which happened in September 1948. There is a possibility that today this record will be broken.”
“…the climate crisis—is… unsparingly reflected on the Eiger’s north wall [Switzerland].
“A diminishing snowpack and unprecedented ice melt mean the North Face’s climbing routes are no longer what they once were. Add to this the hazards of more avalanches, crumbling buttresses, and explosive rockfalls.”
“Several [Swedish] weather records were broken in the month of November. Regions in southern and central Sweden measured the hottest temperatures.
“What’s unique is the amount of temperature records that were broken,” Lisa Frost, meteorologist at Sweden’s national weather agency SMHI, told the TT newswire.”
“The great global energy shift could push Moscow towards plastics production on Arctic tundra.
“Russia’s powerful petroleum industry feels a mounting pressure from alternative energy sources, and strong voices now say the country’s vast natural gas resources in the Arctic should be used in petrochemical production.”
“The Trump administration has formally announced the go-ahead for the fiercely opposed sale of controversial gas and oil drilling licences in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“The refuge is a pristine wilderness and home to polar bears, caribou and many other wildlife species.”
“Greenland’s massive ice sheet will continue shrinking even if snowfall rates return to the higher levels of decades ago, when the ice sheet was stable, a new study shows.
“Rates of ice loss climbed dramatically in the early 2000s before settling at a higher, sustained state of decline. For each kilometer that Greenland’s glaciers retreat, their rate of ice loss speeds up by 4 to 5 percent—a bleak trend that will accelerate sea-level rise.”
“Climate researchers discovered that changes in Northern Hemisphere sea levels contribute to the shrinking of the Antarctic ice sheet…
““The implication of this study is that under our warming world, we have now two remaining ice sheets in Greenland and in the Southern Hemisphere,” Han said. “Once an ice sheet in one hemisphere starts to go, then the ice sheet in the other hemisphere is also in danger.””
“New research found microplastics in every sample taken from a vast fjord system in remote Chilean Patagonia, showing the immense global scale of marine plastic pollution.
“Cristóbal Castillo and his research team from the Universidad de Concepción published their findings last month in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.”
“Heatwaves are killing a record number of people. Exposure to extreme heat is getting worse as a result of climate change…
“Last year, people aged over 65 endured a combined extra 2.9bn days of extreme heat compared with a 1986-2005 baseline (see chart). This beats the previous record, set in 2016, by 160m days.
“India and China were among the worst affected, thanks to large populations and already hot regions.”
“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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Weekday updates on both climate change and the global economy. Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.
“Twin cyclones are bearing down on Pacific islands, with Fiji’s main island likely to be directly hit by a category five storm for the second time this year.
“A major flood warning has been issued near Grafton on the New South Wales north coast as heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms batter much of the region.
“The season’s most powerful cold air mass over Japan is bringing heavy snow to areas on the Sea of Japan coast…
“There hasn’t been a huge amount of mainstream attention paid to cloud seeding or other forms of geoengineering, but now is the time to sit up and take notice.
“Photos released on social media this week show how much climate change and pollution have affected the Rongbuk Glacier on Everest’s north side…
“‘It’s over for us’: how extreme weather is emptying Bangladesh’s villages. 
“Turkey’s third-largest city İzmir has been battered by heavy rainfall since last week. Four days of precipitation led the Aegean Sea to overflow, inundating some residential blocks in the Karşıyaka district. 
“Cyprus’s Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris visited the areas of the Nicosia District affected by a tornado, in order to assess the damage on the ground.
“A winter storm taking aim at the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast from Wednesday night into Thursday is likely to dump more snow in about 24 hours than Philadelphia and New York City recorded all last season. 
“Tennessee Valley Authority records record rainfall in 2020 for third year: With just over two weeks still to go, 2020 has already become the wettest year ever recorded in the Tennessee Valley, according to a recent report from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
“Ocean heatwave has triggered new toxic algal blooms on the US west coast:
“Even disaster experts are stunned by the devastation this fall in Honduras…
“In recent years, wildfires have become increasingly frequent in the Brazilian savannahs, also severely affecting the riparian forests. 
“Wildfires in the Arctic Circle and western US reached ‘unprecedented intensity’ in 2020 – although global fire emissions are decreasing overall, new EU data shows…
“Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires:
“Wildfires have taken over from industry as a major source of a group of cancer-causing chemical toxins in the air, Environment Canada says.
“Climate crisis sends temperatures soaring in Lapland: Traditional way of life under threat in vast area straddling the Arctic Circle.
“A ‘frozen rainforest’ of microscopic life is melting Greenland’s ice sheet:
““The story of methane really is a story of a very serious definitive threat to our future existence on this planet.” (Peter Wadhams)…
“Global warming is faster than evolution [just a bit!]. 
“Just how warm Earth stays this December will determine if 2020 goes down as the hottest year on record. And it’s looking a lot like it will…
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“Looking back at the top weather events of 2020, “record-setting,” “unprecedented” and “historic” are just a few of the words to describe this year’s volatile weather and extreme events. 
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“As climate experts sound the alarm over record temperatures in Russia’s Arctic, the Christmas season is unlikely to be much different than the preceding months.
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“Record-breaking wildfires and a relentless hurricane season — on top of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — have left more Americans in need of emergency housing than ever before. 
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“A good, natural fire can be a cleansing force. 
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“Thanks mostly to a combination of human-caused climate change and urbanization, 
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“The past decade has been the warmest in recorded history. Governments around the world have been reluctant to implement policies to effectively slow climate change, preferring to view its impacts as part of an abstract, distant future. 
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