“Antarctica and Greenland lost thousands of gigatons of ice in the last 16 years, according to results from a new NASA mission published Thursday.
“Scientists reported that the two land masses have lost 5,000 gigatons of ice in that time period, which is enough to fill Lake Michigan. A gigaton is equal to a billion metric tons.”
“Utquiagvik, Alaska — The United States’ northernmost city plummeted to a bone-chilling minus-20 degrees Wednesday morning, beating out the previous daily record set in 1973.
“Not only is that their first record low in more than a decade, but it’s also the latest in the season that Utqiagvik has ever observed a temperature so frigid.”
“Partly cloudy tomorrow with a gusty and very hot afternoon. My forecast high for Lubbock is 99°. That’s NEAR 100°. Lubbock’s May 1 record high is 96° (in 2012)…
“Lubbock will close out this April with just 0.02″ of precipitation measured at the airport. It’s the second driest April in Lubbock’s record, which dates from 1911.”
“Environmentalists in Bolivia warned Thursday of a marked increase in forest fires this year that threaten a repeat of the environmental disaster that ravaged much of the Amazon in 2019.
“Bolivia registered 15,354 forest fires in the first four months of the year — a 35 percent increase on the same period last year…”
“…to biologists and virologists, the sudden appearance of the coronavirus wasn’t surprising. It is simply a natural consequence of humans disturbing ecosystems in equilibrium and wildlife trade…
“Pandemics such as COVID-19 might become increasingly frequent as humans continue unabated on their course to expand their range at the expense of wildlife.”
“A cold front has begun sweeping across southern Queensland, bringing record low temperatures to the outbackin a snap that will remain until next week…
“In outback Queensland, Thargomindah yesterday broke the 1989 record for the coldest April day when the maximum temperature only reached 18.5C.”
“Government logging has resumed in fire-damaged forests in NSW despite warnings that devastated bushland and endangered wildlife are too fragile to withstand further disruption.
“Newly released documents from the NSW government’s logging agency – the Forestry Corporation – reveal that at least 85 per cent of harvestable native hardwood forests in the south coast region was burnt in the fires.”
“The wet and wintry change comes on the back of a very dry April for western and southern parts of WA, including Perth…
“Overall Western Australia experienced its second warmest April on record, with average overnight and daytime temperatures 2.39C higher. Several individual heat records also fell across the state.”
“On the night of 19 April, torrential rains caused the banks of the Ruzizi River [Burundi] to overflow, flooding nearly 7,000 homes and displacing thousands of families in the province of Bujumbura Rural, roughly 12 km outside the city…
“…the flooding displaced an estimated 39,342 people, although that number is still rising as flooded houses continue to collapse.”
“More than 300 families in the Bana area of South Bougainville [Papua New Guinea] are in need of food aid after flooding.
“The Papua New Guinea MP for South Bougainville, Communications Minister Tim Masiu, said most of the families had their gardens near the banks of the three rivers in the area.”
“April 2020 is the driest in Romania’s history, given that, with an average quantity of 11.1 liters / sqm, it exceeded the record of 2007, by 14.2 liters / sqm, according to data made public by the Ministry of Environment.
“”April 2020 is the driest in history, with an average amount of 11.1 liters / sqm, exceeding the record set in 2007, by 14.2 liters / sqm,” the Ministry of Environment said.”
“April 2020’s sunshine levels beat the previous record [Holland] – April 2007 – by five hours.
“On average, the sun shines for 178 hours in the month although April has become sunnier since 1991and now enjoys an average 195 hours of sunshine. The month was also the second driest on record, with just 10 millimetres of rain falling, compared with 42 millimetres in the average April.”
“The fire which had been raging through the Galloway Forest Park [Scotland] since lunchtime last Thursday (April 23) was finally contained on Sunday morning.
“Thousands of acres of grassland near Mossdale have been burnt, reportedly killing local wildlife but luckily missing nearby grazing livestock.”
“A recent study of the genetic history of narwhals reveals these medium-sized Arctic-dwelling whales face an uncertain future, thanks to climate change…
“…suitable narwhal habitat will shrink as sea temperatures continue to rise and sea ice continues to melt.”
“Researchers investigating the 2018 storm [in Argentina] found one hailstone likely measured between 7.4 and 9.3 inches across, potentially setting a new world record. The current record belongs to a hailstone that measured 8 inches across, or about the size of a volleyball, that fell near Vivian, South Dakota.
“”It’s incredible,” said Matthew Kumjian, associate professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmosphere Science at Penn State. “This is the extreme upper end of what you’d expect from hail.””
“The Iguazu River, which feeds the falls, is running at just 13% of its usual flow, according to Iguazu National Park officials. The nearby Parana River, similarly, is at its lowest level in 50 years, leaving ships stranded, hydropower production slashed and government officials in northeast Argentina worrying about whether water for drinking and hand-washing will hold out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Brazil plans to deploy its armed forces to fight deforestation and fires in the Amazon jungle, Vice-President Hamilton Mourao said on Wednesday (April 29), in an effort protect the world’s largest rainforest where destruction has surged since last year…
“From January to March, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose 51 per cent from a year ago, according to preliminary satellite data.”
“The winter season in 2019-20 was strange in several respects…
“A number of cities in the East, including Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta; Baltimore; Louisville, Kentucky; and Raleigh, North Carolina, had their mildest winter on record… But that wasn’t the case everywhere.”
“A damaged bridge in Waibau [Fiji], a landslip in Sawani, Dilkusha, Narere and more flooded areas because of poor drainage were some of the results of the heavy rain experienced nationwide.
200 millimetres of rain [8 inches] was recorded in Koronivia, 160mm in Suva, 170mm in Navua and 150mm in Nausori.”
“Farmers in Northland and Hawke’s Bay are still facing a drought that appears to be deepening as the country heads into winter.
“As of April 21, the New Zealand Drought Index map shows that meteorological droughts, and in some places, severe droughts, continue to affect the Coromandel Peninsula, while extremely dry conditions and droughts continue in Hawke’s Bay and Northland.”
“Melbourne has had its wettest April since 1960 and its wettest start to the year since 1924, as unseasonably low temperatures brought snow to the state’s ski resorts.
“More rain has fallen on the city in the first four months of the year than in the whole of last year…”
“A giant sinkhole has appeared in a suburban Melbourne park after torrential rain which along with a cold blast is set to spread to Sydney and Brisbane.
“The 12-metre wide and five-metre deep hole on the corner of Childers Street and Park Cresent in Kew, east of of the city, opened up at about 3.15pm on Wednesday.”
“Several parts in North Jakarta are at risk of tidal flooding as the water level at a nearby floodgate rose following hours of heavy rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, inundating at least 20 community units (RW) across the capital…
“Water levels in residential areas ranged from 10 to 90 cm deep.”
“Heavy rain has caused flooding in parts of Aceh and Central Kalimantan…
“…affecting hundreds of households and forcing residents to seek shelter. Floodwater inundated at least 2,000 houses in Pidie Jaya regency of Aceh on Tuesday evening.”
“Unseasonal rains with thunder-showers and gust swept across across several villages of Amreli, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Botad [India], leaving a trail of destruction on Wednesday.
“It is feared that the unseasonal rain and heavy winds might might have destroyed the mango crop and onions.”
“At least 116 people died due to floods caused by torrential rains in Kenya, local media reported on Wednesday.
“The floods in the eastern African country have affected some 29 counties, leaving 100,000 households displaced, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa announced Wednesday.”
“The first generation of desert locusts in Kenya has matured and is ready to breed, according to a United Nations agency. Desert locusts normally mature and start laying eggs from two to four months.
“This means that the first generation of locusts bred in the counties of Samburu, Isiolo, Wajir Mandera and Marsabit could begin mass breeding.”
“Morocco’s total cereal production for 2020 is expected to stand at about 4.1 million tonnes, one-fourth lower than the previous year’s «already weather-stricken harvest and about 50 percent below average», the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.”
“The Czech Republic is facing its worst drought in 500 years, experts said on Wednesday, with its environment minister describing a long stretch of bone-dry weather as “simply catastrophic”…
“Last year’s drought-affected around 99.5 percent of the Czech Republic, causing crop damage estimated at nine to 11 billion koruna (350-427 million euros, $408-500 million), according to the Agrarian Chamber.”
“From delaying Arctic expeditions to canceling climate summits, the coronavirus pandemic is hindering global progress on fighting climate change and raising fears over a long-term hit to scientific research budgets.”
“Humanity has only recently become accustomed to a stable climate. For most of its history, long ice ages punctuated with hot spells alternated with short warm periods. Transitions from cold to warm climates were especially chaotic.
“Then, about 10,000 years ago, the Earth suddenly entered into a period of climate stability modern humans had never seen before. But thanks to ever accelerating emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, humanity is now bringing this period to an end.
“This loss of stability could be disastrous. If the coronavirus pandemic can teach us anything about the climate crisis it is this: our modern interconnected global economy is much more vulnerable than we thought…”
“The meteorological trend that has prevailed during the month of April will give way in the first days of May to very high temperatures and a dry environment.
“In some parts of the Spanish geography 37 ° C will be reached…”
“Last week, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation said the locust situation in East Africa was “extremely alarming”.
“Swarms are gathering and maturing in Ethiopia, Kenya and possibly Somalia, it said in an update. “This represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods because it coincides with the beginning of the long rains and the planting season.””
“Motorists have been put on notice that Rwambwa bridge on the Nzoia River might flood in the next few days following the ongoing heavy rains in the Western part of Kenya…
“The weatherman further predicts heavy rains in other parts of the Country, especially Eastern and Northern counties.”
“A crisis California didn’t foresee — the Covid-19 pandemic — is complicating preparations for one that arrives with a vengeance every year.
“Withwildfire season on the horizon, state officials have ordered prevention efforts to proceed after rains have tapered off and before the heat of summer.”
“Forest fires in Yucatan have affected more than 1,767 hectares in recent days, forcing the National Forestry Commission, Civil Protection, the Fire Department and even municipal police from different municipalities to join forces.
“Forming brigade teams, they have worked in coordination to fight an always dangerous enemy that is very difficult to control, mainly in a period of intense heat in Yucatan.”
“A major outbreak of severe weather is forecast across the southern Plains into early Wednesday, with portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas at the greatest risk for the fierce storms.
“Massive hail, hurricane-force winds and a few tornadoes are all possible, forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center said, warning that a “damaging squall line is expected.””
“Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans saw record-high temperatures last month. Meanwhile, the average ocean temperature worldwide came in just shy of the record set in 2016.
“On Saturday morning, a tropical depression formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean — the earliest tropical cyclone in that area since reliable record-keeping began in the early 1970s.”
“…unfortunately, conservation and management measures have lagged resource exploitation for sharks and shark-like rays.
“Although considerable progress has been made in raising awareness throughout the general public of the threats these animals face and implementing management, it hasn’t been enough it seems.”
“Microplastics pollution is causing disruption and behavioural changes among hermit crab populations, researchers have claimed.
“Academics from Queen’s University Belfast and Liverpool John Moores University authored the paper, which focused on the impact on the crabs, which require shells from snails for protection and to reproduce.”
“From their experiments, the duo found that glaciers slide atop soft sediments at slower speeds, but once they reach a certain threshold speed, they begin to deform the underlying sediment – a process which then becomes the dominant slip mechanism.”
“Extreme weather displaced 24 million people within their countries in 2019, with conflict and other disasters driving a further 9.5 million from their homes, according to a report published Tuesday by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).
“Floods and storms — particularly cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes — displaced 10 million and 13 million people respectively, with wildfires, droughts, landslides and temperature extremes contributing to another 900,000 displacements. About one million people fled volcanoes and earthquakes.”
“Uncontrolled vegetation fires on this island of ours [UK] are becoming more common.
“According to the European Commission, which monitors wildfire activity through its European Forest Fire Information System, there were 79 fires larger than 25 hectares in 2018, rising to 137 fires in 2019. (Compare that to the years 2011 to 2017 when there were fewer than 100 fires altogether.).”
“Fires in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant engulfed an area of around 20,000 hectares, Sergei Kalashnik, chief of Ukraine’s state agency for the management of the exclusion zone, said on Monday…
“…efforts are continuing to extinguish two beds of smoldering wood in the exclusion zone.”
“Wildfires in Siberia, Russia, are bringing even more misery to an area which is already on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“On April 23, 2020, strong winds helped to push fires set by locals to dry grass out of control. The regions of Kemerovo and Novosibirsk among others have been the hardest hit to date.”
“Strong wind hit some townships in Taungoo district, Bago Region [Myanmar], for two consecutive days starting from April 24th to 26th destroying over 160 houses and buildings, according to Township Administrative Records…
““Taungoo district is very hot. If a region is above 40C day temperature continuously for six or seven days, there will be an unstable atmosphere.””
“Victoria [Australia is on track to see its coldest April day in more than two decades as the state braces for heavy rainfall – and maybe even snow. Bureau of Meteorology Victoria senior meteorologist Keris Arndt on Monday said temperatures would reach just 13C in central Melbourne on Thursday and Friday, an April low not seen since 1996, or 24 years ago.”
“The climate crisis will make insurance unaffordable for many people, particularly those in regional areas [of Australia], as the damage from extreme weather events increases, a consumer group has warned.”
“Torrential rains that trigger widespread flooding around this time of year [in Japan] could cause havoc to medical institutions designated for special infectious diseases such as COVID-19…
“A research team at Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute warned that about one-third of the 372 facilities around the nation could be submerged, some by as much as 10 meters of water.”
“The city of São Paulo [Brazil] is having one of the driest months of April in its historical climate.
“In 27 days it rained about 10% of the historical average for the month. By automatic measurement by INMET – Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia – at Mirante de Santana, in the northern part of São Paulo, the total rainfall in 27 days was just 7.4 mm.”
“Poorer rural Amazonians are going hungry despite living in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet – a new study reveals.
“Massive seasonal floods mean many ribeirinhos, a marginalised social group who live alongside rivers in Brazil’s Amazonian floodplain forests, struggle to catch enough fish to eat and can go hungry.”
“Two climbers were rescued by helicopter from San Jacinto Mountain in California on Friday after a spike in temperatures from “extreme heat” in the Southwest triggered an avalanche, according to officials…
“”The extreme heat has been setting off avalanches from the large storm last week,” the RMRU said. “The subjects got caught in one and called for a rescue.””
“Floods have forced mandatory evacuations in parts of Fort McMurray, the hub for Canada’s oil sands industry, even as the province of Alberta tries to stem the spread of the coronavirus…
“Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, said the federal government was looking “very urgently” at ways to help the area.”
“Flooding in parts of British Columbia’s Interior region has been exacerbated by the 2017 and 2018 fires that left the soil and ecosystem with a limited capacity to absorb water, experts say.”
“This year is on course to be the world’s hottest since measurements began, according to meteorologists, who estimate there is a 50% to 75% chance that 2020 will break the record set four years ago…
“Heat records have been broken from the Antarctic to Greenland since January, which has surprised many scientists because this is not an El Niño year, the phenomenon usually associated with high temperatures.”
“Addressing the coronavirus without paying attention to climate change and biodiversity crises would be a mistake, given the ways in which all three are interrelated, an expert in wildlife conservation…
“More than a billion people each year become sick from diseases related to animals… Many of the most recent serious new diseases came from animals.”
“Germany’s spring showers haven’t materialized this year, and that’s drying out the country’s most important river, prompting concerns that key industrial goods might have trouble making it to their destination.
“Typically one of the wettest months, Europe’s biggest economy has received just 5% of its normal April rainfall so far, according to Germany’s federal weather service. It’s on course to be the driest month since records began in 1881.
“In addition to yellowing vegetation that’s usually a lush green in this season, the dry spell has depressed water levels on the Rhine River, a conduit for barges delivering everything from steel to oil and coal to Germany’s factories.”
“Thousands of blue tits have been found sick or dead in Germany, prompting an investigation by conservation groups and scientists.
“More than 11,000 cases of dead and sick birds, mostly blue tits, have been reported to the German conservation group NABU in the past fortnight. Most of these are reported from the west of Germany.”
“Germany’s forests, covering a third of its territory and as much a part of its cultural landscape as its physical one, are in danger…
“The last two exceptionally hot and dry summers have weakened millions of trees, undermining their defences against the bark beetle, which can be fatal to ancient woodlands.”
“The long Siberian winter this year has stopped well in advance, the temperatures are not only higher than normal but they are registering real records. Since the beginning of April, anomalous values have been detected in the city of Tomsk… On April 23, 2020 the absolute record was recorded for the month of April (30.1 ° C)…
“An anomalous heat also in southern Asia between Myanmar and especially Thailand where between 21 and 23 April they reached 43 ° C with many records broken…”
“The worst plague of locusts in 70 years has already affected East Africa millions of locust have now invaded in Pakistan…
“…farmers are facing the worst locust infestation which has declared a national emergency since these have already ravaged cotton , wheat , maize and other crops which are the leading agricultural crop for Pakistan…”
“Rice worth Sh.800 million at Ahero and West Kano irrigation schemes [Kenya] has been destroyed after River Nyando broke its banks and swept through the farms.
“The raging floods experienced over the last three days have also extensively damaged the National Irrigation Board (NIB) infrastructure at the two schemes.”
“Three people were killed and three others were injured on Friday following heavy rains that have hit several parts of Rwanda, the Ministry of Emergency Management said…
“This is the latest incident in which the heavy rains have resulted in death and destruction.”
“More than 400 plants and nearly 200 invertebrates need urgent attention after the bushfire crisis, new analysis for the federal environment department has found…
“The most severely affected species have had at least 30% of their range burned, and in some cases the figure was much higher.”
“The eastern Pacific Ocean made history on Saturday with the formation of Tropical Depression One-E, the earliest tropical system ever recorded in the ocean basin.
“The premature depression developed about 900 miles off the southwestern coast of Mexico.”
“Three days after a deadly tornado tore through the East Texas town of Onalaska and nearby areas, the scope of the devastation is becoming heartbreakingly clear.
“306 homes damaged. 173 completely destroyed. Three people dead. Four critically injured.”
“Strong heat wave hits Nicaragua – let’s take precautionary measures to avoid heat stroke…
“Agustín Moreira, Agrometeorologist at the Humboldt Center, warned that videos circulating on social networks of people fading away may be a sign that the heat wave is hitting the Nicaraguan population with coronary heart disease.”
“Since Bolsonaro took office, deforestation has progressed at a startling rate, with 51% more area deforested between January and March 2020 than in the same period last year.
“In this increasingly permissive environment, illegal loggers, miners and even missionary groups have intensified their activities in the Amazon. Now, they could be spreading the coronavirus to vulnerable indigenous communities.”
“2020 has gotten off to a record warm or wet start for a number of cities in the Southeast US due to a stubborn weather pattern leaving some either sweltering in summerlike heat or repeatedly drenched…
“The culprit for this record start to 2020 has been a persistent dome of high pressure aloft centered over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
You may recall that Cuba broke its national heat record last week (for the second year running).
“Cuba is currently suffering an intense drought and its water reservoirs are below 50 percent of storage capacity. Until April 21, there were 4,230 million cubic meters of the precious liquid, reported on Thursday Granma daily.”
“Southern California’s first heat wave of the year is poised to bring scorching temperatures that could break records in Los Angeles County by the weekend…
““These are very warm conditions for this time of year,” said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.”
“Satellite data show regions of the Amazon with severe negative changes in soil moisture and groundwater, meaning this year will likely be drier than 2019…
“…a drier year may increase the spread of wildfires and trigger an earlier spike in deforestation rates, experts say.”
“After years of drought and the summer’s devastating bushfires, large tracts of eastern Australia have received a deluge…
“For Caroline Henry, who battled flames for 10 days in January to only just save her oyster farm at Wonboyn Lake in southern NSW, heavy rain later flushed ash and sediment through the catchment, damaging her stock.”
“…spreading to more than 900 hectares of land in Almaty region, Pavlodar region and East Kazakhstan region… Rescuers warned that the peak of fires might be yet to come.”
“At least two people have been killed and 50 houses have been swept away by flash floods in Tanzania’s northern safari capital of Arusha, an official said on Thursday.
“”Two people were killed by flash floods early Thursday and scores of others were made homeless after the floods washed away at least 50 houses,” said Jerry Muro, Arumeru district commissioner in Arusha region.”
“One of the more ominous indicators of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa has been the dramatic recent shifts in rainfall patterns.
“With rain-fed agriculture crucial for the livelihoods of millions in the region, a better understanding of this is critical to help the most vulnerable to mitigate climate impacts.”
““From pre-production, to growing of food, rearing of animals, and clearing of land, all along to the post-harvest processing, transport, distribution, you bringing your food home, you storing it, and you throwing it away… All that together makes a major contribution to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions,” says Tara Garnett, Founder of the Food Climate Research Network.
“Agriculture is the leading factor in land use around the globe and the leading contributor to deforestation.”
“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.”
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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.
“Antarctica and Greenland lost thousands of gigatons of ice in the last 16 years, according to results from a new NASA mission published Thursday.
“Utquiagvik, Alaska — The United States’ northernmost city plummeted to a bone-chilling minus-20 degrees Wednesday morning, beating out the previous daily record set in 1973. 
“Firefighters from the Alaska Division of Forestry were working Thursday to contain a fast-growing wildfire between Wasilla and Point MacKenzie…
“A 25-kilometre-long ice jam has caused major flooding and forced about 13,000 people from their homes in Fort McMurray’s downtown. 
“Persistent waves of severe thunderstorms made this the most active April for severe weather since the historic outbreaks of 2011… 
“Partly cloudy tomorrow with a gusty and very hot afternoon. My forecast high for Lubbock is 99°. That’s NEAR 100°. Lubbock’s May 1 record high is 96° (in 2012)… 
“Environmentalists in Bolivia warned Thursday of a marked increase in forest fires this year that threaten a repeat of the environmental disaster that ravaged much of the Amazon in 2019. 
“…to biologists and virologists, the sudden appearance of the coronavirus wasn’t surprising. It is simply a natural consequence of humans disturbing ecosystems in equilibrium and wildlife trade…
“A cold front has begun sweeping across southern Queensland, bringing record low temperatures to the outback in a snap that will remain until next week… 
“Government logging has resumed in fire-damaged forests in NSW despite warnings that devastated bushland and endangered wildlife are too fragile to withstand further disruption.
“The wet and wintry change comes on the back of a very dry April for western and southern parts of WA, including Perth… 
“On the night of 19 April, torrential rains caused the banks of the Ruzizi River [Burundi] to overflow, flooding nearly 7,000 homes and displacing thousands of families in the province of Bujumbura Rural, roughly 12 km outside the city… 
“More than 300 families in the Bana area of South Bougainville [Papua New Guinea] are in need of food aid after flooding. 
“April 2020 is the driest in Romania’s history, given that, with an average quantity of 11.1 liters / sqm, it exceeded the record of 2007, by 14.2 liters / sqm, according to data made public by the Ministry of Environment. 
“April 2020’s sunshine levels beat the previous record [Holland] – April 2007 – by five hours. 
“The fire which had been raging through the Galloway Forest Park [Scotland] since lunchtime last Thursday (April 23) was finally contained on Sunday morning. 
“A new ridge of land is becoming exposed in the Breiðamerkur glacier [Iceland] as ice thins due to global warming. 
“A recent study of the genetic history of narwhals reveals these medium-sized Arctic-dwelling whales face an uncertain future, thanks to climate change… 
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“The Iguazu River, which feeds the falls, is running at just 13% of its usual flow, according to Iguazu National Park officials. The nearby Parana River, similarly, is at its lowest level in 50 years, leaving ships stranded, hydropower production slashed and government officials in northeast 
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“The meteorological trend that has prevailed during the month of April will give way in the first days of May to very high temperatures and a dry environment. 
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Deadly flash floods in Puntland (Somalia).
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“A heatwave in Western Australia’s Pilbara region has broken national records for late season maximum temperatures
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“Since Bolsonaro took office, deforestation has progressed at a startling rate, with 51% more area deforested between January and March 2020 than in the same period last year. 
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You may recall that Cuba broke its national heat record last week (for the second year running)
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