“North Queensland communities are bracing for more torrential rain, while the state’s southwest is baking in another summer heatwave.
“Water inundated backyards and lapped at doorsteps in Ayr, just south of Townsville, after an extraordinary deluge dumped 458mm of rain in just 24 hours on Monday… Rita Island, just south of Ayr, had even more rain, with more than 615mm falling since Monday morning, and 529mm in 24 hours to 9am Monday.”
“Homes in Canberra were expected to come under threat from a bushfire on Tuesday eveningas an out-of-control blaze in the Orroral Valley – accidentally lit by a military helicopter – ran towards the southern edge of the city…
“The blaze was started in the Namadgi national park, a rugged mountainous area to Canberra’s south.”
“Much of Australia’s southeast faces severe to extreme heatwave conditions over coming days, bringing elevated bushfire danger and uncomfortable nights.
“A hot air mass that has delivered scorching temperatures across large parts of Western Australia is expected to move across the country ahead of an approaching cold front, the Bureau of Meteorology says.”
“The traditional way of life in island nations like Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands is deteriorating because of climate change.
“They’re experiencing warmer waters, coral bleaching, tidal flooding, erosion, changing weather patterns, and more brutal cyclones.”
“The death toll from last week’s heavy rains in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has risen to 52 people, with 65 people reported injured and two more missing, the state civil defense agency said on Tuesday.
“Some 33,000 people have been displaced or evacuated from their homes, rescue workers said.”
“Price of chicken rises in Bolivia… [this] is related to the heat wave that caused the deaths of 24,000 broilers and laying hens between Saturday and Monday.
“Estimate losses worth $ us 100,000. In those three days the temperature fluctuated between 37 and 41º [106f.”
“The last six years were the six hottest on record in Mexico and climate change is to blame, according to the heads of the National Metrological Service (SMN) and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change…
“SMN forecaster Reynaldo Pascual Ramírez told Milenio that temperatures have been rising in Mexico since 2005, with only one year – 2010 – bucking the trend.”
“Where’s winter? Most areas east of the Rockies, along with much of the West, have recorded above average temperaturessince meteorological winter began on Dec. 1, according to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.
“A ridge of high pressure has dominated the East for most of this winter. That high pressure is favorable for warmer-than-average temperatures.”
“Lake in Banff National Park goes from emerald to sapphire blue in 2 years… Shimmering mountain lakes will start to show new colours in coming years, new research suggests.
“A scientific duo has wrapped up seven years of measuring how lakes are changing due to glaciers melting. They’ve found that, as glaciers shrink, the lakes are changing colour — and rapidly.”
“As the Arctic warms faster than any region on Earth, public attention has largely been focused on the rapid disappearance of Arctic sea ice.
“But major changes are also taking place on land, and one of the most striking is the thawing of vast swaths of permafrost that have underlain these polar regions for millennia.”
“It’s still only January, but spring is already making its presence felt in parts of the archipelago in southwest Finland. Brightly-hued yellow coltsfoot flowers (leskenlehti in Finnish) have been seen pushing their way through the soil in Utö, a small island in the southernmost part of the archipelago…
“…it could well be the first time that the blooms have made an appearance in the country as early as January.”
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Jan. 21 the world needs to prepare for “millions” more climate change refugees and cited a U.N. ruling this month that such people deserved international protection.
“These images [of Elephants] were takenby professional photographer Clint Ralph in the Savuti desert near Chobe National park [Botswana] while the area was undergoing the worst drought in living memory.
“The animals can be seen clamouring over each other trying to get some water from one of two remaining waterholes in the area.”
“Heavy rains that pounded for hours yesterday were felt in a number of the parts of Kigali city [Rwanda], one of the affected areas being Gisozi-Gakiriro area where the waters flooded the road connecting to the Nyarutarama-Kagugu road…
“Even long after it had subsided however, the flooding persisted in different parts of the city, causing paralysis.”
“More than 2.6 million people living on Madagascar were affected by drought at the end of 2019, while recent flooding has left at least 31 people dead, according to emergency management agency BNGRC.
“Another 10,600 homes remain flooded a week after storms brought widespread flooding, while infrastructure was damaged in seven regions and critical cropland was inundated.”
“Though many researchers had thought that air originating in the Arctic couldn’t make it to the equator, Kennel and Yulaeva said their work suggests it does.”
“The days of Antarctica’s Pine Island glacier are numbered, but no one really knows what that number is. New models could help to shed some much-needed light on the matter.
“In the past four decades, this slow-moving monstrosity of ice has contributed more to sea level rise than any other glacier on Earth, and recently, scientists have noticed signs it might be accelerating and thinning unusually fast.”
“The death toll caused by record rainfall in south eastern Brazil has jumped to 53 and officials expressed alarm about continuing storms…
“The capital of Minas Gerais state, Belo Horizonte, recorded 6.7 inches in one 24-hour period from Thursday to Friday, the highest rainfall in 110 years…
“Authorities in Espirito Santo said they were on “maximum alert” due to the forecast of more rain. In the city of Alegre, officials warned that a dam was in danger of breaking and urged people living below to evacuate.”
“In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the western glacier stonefly (Zapada glacier) and the meltwater lednian stonefly (Lednia tumana) to the Endangered Species List, both under the designation of threatened.
“And while the two species are extremely sensitive to pollution, as all stoneflies are, another very significant risk factor is what triggered the listing [- climage change].”
“Although it’s January, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at a thermometer. Many areas across the eastern U.S. have been experiencing temperatures typically seen during March and April…
“This springlike warmth has even tricked some plants into thinking it is time to sprout with early budbreak seen in many locations.”
“This winter is proving to be one of the mildest on record in Sweden. Hardly any snow, temperatures as high as 12C and even the flowers are blooming months ahead of spring.”
“Malaga [Spain] has reactivated its emergency protocol after areas of the province have been left heavily damaged by a fresh onslaught of stormy weather.
“In Campanillas, cars have been dragged and stacked upon one another while another was thrown through a bank’s shop window by more than metre-high rapids.”
“In Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo, Abraham Kavalanjila and his two sons have given up waiting for the water to come back on, and trekked out into the maize fields to draw on an open well.
“They know it is risky drinking untreated water from a borehole used by so many other people. “We have no option…””
“Heavy rainfall and flooding caused by a tropical disturbance have affected nearly 107,000 people, including more than 16,000 displaced, and caused at least 31 deaths in Madagascar over the last week.
“At least seven regions in the north of the country have been affected.”
“More than two weeks after severe flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan Province [Iran], nearly 80% of the flood stricken locals lack access to potable water.
“This was acknowledged by a representative of the Health Ministry’s nursing directorate.”
“The Gondwanan forests have survived a continental breakup and a planetary mass extinction event. Now, they’re being tested by humanity.
“More than 80 percent of the Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area lies within New South Wales, the eastern Australian state that’s been hardest hit by this year’s devastating bushfires. Of it, some 54 percent—a little over 400,000 acres of land—has burned in recent months, in some cases quite severely…”
“From Somalia to South Sudan, torrential rains have devastated crops and made roads impassable, sending the cost of food soaring…
“The rains have drowned or destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of cropland in Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. They have flooded roads, making it difficult to transport surviving crops, and forced many farmers to abandon their homes and fields.
“These countries were already reeling from extended periods of drought…”
“Floods across the island of Madagascar has killed at least 12 people this week, with 18 missing, after unseasonably heavy rain, the national disaster office said on Thursday.
“Parts of Africa have experienced heavy rain in recent months because the Indian Ocean is warmer than usual, partly as result of a cyclical weather phenomenon and partly because oceans are warming everywhere.”
“Record high oceanic temperatures triggered an unprecedented global-scale coral bleaching event from 2014 to 2017, which was the longest-lasting and most severe.
“More than 75% of the world’s tropical reefs – the most diverse ecosystems in the world – were exposed to bleaching-level heat stress and many corals perished.”
“Flooding has [again] occurred in parts of Jakarta [Indonesia] on as a result of heavy rain in the early hours of Friday morning, according to data from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency.
“The BPBD recorded 54 inundated areas across the capital, of which 28 are located in North Jakarta.”
“The devastating, unthinkable summer continues [in Australia], and the end is not yet in sight.
“And whether Australians are contemplating the big questions – such as how to rebuild, if the devastated wildlife and scarred land can ever recover, whether this crisis will finally push the government to action on the climate crisis – or are just waking each day to check the weather forecast, the air quality index, the “fires near me” app, the questions we are asking are the same: what next? What now? What more?”
“This recent spike in temperature is estimated to have killed one-tenth of the local population of flying foxes and at least 50% have been infant animals, limiting the ability for the population to recover in the region.
“Though the Yarra Park region was not heavily affected by the recent bushfires, the flying foxes’ other habitats along the east coast have been.”
“”Copper production decreased by 13% to 158,800 tonnes…
“”Chile´s central zone continues to face unprecedented climate conditions, with 2019 being one of the driest years on record and the driest since the start of the current decade-long drought.””
“The world is heating up… 19 of the past 21 years have been the hottest on record.
“This dramatic increase in temperature and other more subtle climate changes have been pronounced in the California desert, where temperatures have increased almost four degrees in the past 100 years. As heat rises and weather patterns change, our storied California desert bird populations have fallen.”
“The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California’s coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed…
“Along with farming, climate change is one of the main drivers of the monarch’s threatened extinction.”
“The western United States has experienced such intense droughts over the past decade that technical descriptions are becoming inadequate. In many places, conditions are rocketing past “severe,” through “extreme,” all the way to “exceptional drought.”
…””I was really stunned at how big an effect we found with just a 2-degree warming,” said Chris Funk, director of the university’s Climate Hazards Center, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and one of the study’s coauthors.”
“[Storm Gloria in Spain] has been labelled as ‘historic’ by Manola Brunet, president of the Climatology Commission of the World Meteorological Origanisation (WMO)…
“Brunet described Storm Gloria as an ‘extreme weather phenomenon’ and ‘historic’ due to its impact and its link to climate change.”
“The price of electricity is around half the level that it was at the same time last year in Sweden, and the mild yet windy winter is a big factor behind the drop…
“…the higher than usual temperatures for the season have helped reduce electricity use, which in turn lowers prices.”
“An appeals court in Norway on Thursday upheld a ruling that acquitted the government against charges from Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic that drilling for oil and gas in Arctic waters would violate the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution…
“It is understood the ten drilling licences have been permitted in [Norway’s] Arctic region.”
“Not only does a warming Arctic affect the presence of sea ice, it also alters the distribution of the little auk’s prey.
“Little auks feed on large zooplankton, which remain at depth in clearer waters. As the Arctic warms, the smallest (and lower calorie) Atlantic species of zooplankton is extending northward, threatening the range of the two larger (and higher calorie) Arctic species that little auks prefer… With sea ice disappearing, the fate of little auk survival may be at risk.”
“‘This is the greatest dissolve occasion we know to have happened on the George VI ice rack [Antarctica],’ she said.
“‘What’s stressing is if George VI resembles this, other ice retires on the promontory likely have a lot of meltwater as well,’ Banwell said. ‘What’s more, those ice racks are less steady.’”
“Intense floods and storms around the world could double in frequency within 13 years, as climate breakdown and socioeconomic factors combine, according to a new study…
“Broadly, the researchers… see governments around the world as critically unprepared.”
“Incredible footage and pictures captured the moment an apocalyptic dust storm swept through rural drought-stricken towns in three [Australian] states.
A cold front swept through areas of South Australia, picking up dust and creating an intense storm in drought-stricken areas in the state. The dust storm was so severe it swept through parts of New South Wales and Victoria, reducing visibility and turning the sky a stark shade of red.
“The Bureau of Meteorology said the dust extended into NSW and Victoria, covering an area of 275,000 square km. [larger than the UK].”
“The mercury is breaking 40C in many parts of NSW as a heatwave grips the state, and it’s so hot the government has told residents to limit their electricty use as the state’s supply nears full capacity.
“Sydney Airport hit 43.3C at 3pm this afternoon according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s readings…”
“The threat of mass fish kills is emerging across the Murray-Darling Basin as low river flows and the influx of soil and ash from bushfires reduce water quality.
“In recent days, fish deaths have been reported in the Macquarie River near Dubbo and the Macleay River east of the Dividing Range in NSW, while a “wall of mud and ash” is moving down the Upper Murray.”
“After dust storms, hail and flash floods battered Australian cities in recent days, wildlife officials are warning residents against another natural threat: the venomous Australian funnel-web spider…
“…recent wet weather, followed by hot days, has created “perfect conditions for funnel-web spiders to thrive.””
“New research from scientists with the Global Fire Emissions Database shows that the [Australian] bushfires likely contributed 900 million metric tonnes of carbon, Bloomberg reports.
“That means the fires have effectively doubled the nation’s annual greenhouse gas output.”
“Extremely dry conditions across all of Northland [NZ] are costing farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars and driving families to extreme measures to save precious water.
“The region has just experienced its hottest and driest year, breaking 16 records in 2019.”
“Native bird life has taken a major hit in the wake of the Rangitata floods [NZ], with the Department of Conservation “devastated” to report several nests destroyed and many missing.
“The significant flooding event in December 2019, which saw the Rangitata River flowing at up to 2300 cumecs, caused significant damage to roading, electricity and farming infrastructure.”
““It is likely that water levels on lakes Michigan and Huron will set new monthly mean record high levels over the next couple of months,” said John Allis, chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office, Detroit District.
““This sets the stage for coastal impacts and damages in 2020 similar to, or worse than, what was experienced last year.””
“British brassica growers are considering switching to cereal crops, after two consecutive seasons of nightmare conditions have seen costs spiral.
“British Growers’ Association (BGA) chairman Jack Ward said there needed to be an “urgent review” on the sustainability of UK brassica production, as the losses mount for embattled growers, who have endured extreme rains this winter.”
“It might not feel like it, but it is actually winter in Germany! Unsurprisingly, all this mild weather has got a few people wondering where the winter has got to – and whether we can ever expect any snow… Unfortunately, things don’t look good for snow this year, according to DWD’s seasonal forecast.
“This shows that the temperature this year will probably be one degree higher than the average temperature for the years 1990 to 2017 for February to April.”
“Officials have warned that St Mark’s basilica [Venice, Italy] may not be able to withstand a repeat of the damage caused during record flooding in November.
“A 1.2 metre (four foot) high glass barrier has been suggested as a way to protect the world-famous monument and its priceless mosaics from the acqua alta…”
“More than 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in south west France after Storm Gloria caused widespread flooding…
“Over the last 48 hours there was 120 mm of rainfall around Perpignan, 246mm in Amélie-les-bains, 280mm [11 inches] in Arles-sur-Tech, 272mm in Argelès and 197mm in Saint Paul de Fenouillet.”
“Another [South African] province has officially been declared a disaster area due to drought – just as another municipality battles crippling water shortages, with its dam water levels below 23% of capacity.
“Northern Cape premier Zamani Saul… officially declared the country’s largest province a disaster area due to drought.”
“Zimbabwe’s Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) is down to below 100,000 tons of the staple maize from the mandatory 500, 000 tons following a drought last year, a cabinet minister said Wednesday…
“Zimbabwe’s consumes about 1.8 million tons of grain annually…”
“A solitary sloth bear gave a tiger the fright of its life as it stood on its hind legs and chased it off a field. Footage shows the tiger wandering along the landscape, appearing to show the signs of a mega drought, in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India…
“Altercations have centred around the safari animals access to a watering hole.”
“For the past 15,000 years, a glacier on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau of China has hosted a party for some unusual guests: an ensemble of frozen viruses, many of them unknown to modern science.
“Scientists recently broke up this party after taking a look at two ice cores from this Tibetan glacier, revealing the existence of 28 never-before-seen virus groups.”
“Recent research has shown that most glaciers in the Himalaya are shrinking, most likely because of long-term increases in temperature.
“The contribution of glacier meltwater to river flow cannot be sustained over long periods of glacier shrinkage, which means the sustainability of river flow in south-east Asia will soon be at risk.”
“”Climate and Earth system models often treat these winter permafrost CO2 emissions as insignificant or even non-existent,” said Roser Matamala, a scientist in Argonne’s Environmental Science division and a contributor to the study.
“”But this study, with its large volume of data extending over multiple seasons, shows that winter respiration is substantial and significant.””
“2018 was a record year as far as Typhoons are concerned. However, 2019 set a new mark surpassing the previous year’s records not only in number but it has also been the costliest Pacific season on record…
“Another record breaking incident occurred on the first day of 2019 itself, when the first named storm Pabuk was formed. Pabuk was the earliest forming Tropical storm on Western Pacific on record, breaking the earlier record of Storm Alice from 1979.”
“Rising numbers of children in Guatemala are going hungry as drought linked to climate change reduces food harvests, fueling child malnutrition rates in the Central American nation, the United Nations and charities said…
“Guatemala’s farmers are reeling from a series of prolonged droughts in recent years and from a lengthy heat wave last year…”
“States across the Southern and Eastern United States are facing freezing temperatures with icy winds, frost, snow and…iguanas expected to fall in parts.
“The unusual reptilian addition to the usual list of wintry weather elements was issued in Miami, southern Florida, – home to a booming iguana population.”
“The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador was hit with more than 70cm (27in) of snow in a record breaking blizzard. The military has been called in to help with recovery efforts.”
“Shock figures have shown a skyrocketing increase in flood investigations across the county as experts warn more floods could be on the way because of climate change.
“Statistics from Lincolnshire County Council [UK] have show that its number of flood investigations have more than doubled.”
“Extreme weather has come to western Europe. A powerful anticyclone is breaking records for high pressure across Belgium, France and the UK, while Storm Gloria, pushing the anti-cyclone south, is causing heavy rain, winds and even rare snowfall in Spain.
“It has broken France’s record with 1049.7 hectopascals (hPa) in Abbeville, northern France, and Belgium’s record of 1049.9 hPa.”
“Mallorca has been smashed by huge waves and another town filled with foam as a storm continues to lash Spain, leaving four dead and 200,000 without power…
“…in the Costa Brava holiday resort of Tossa de Mar, locals woke up to the surreal sight of sea foam which had invaded part of the old town.”
“According to the most recent forecasts, winter in Croatia is finished.
“In the current part of the climatological winter, which began on December 1, we have not yet had a single winter cyclone, and no significant snowfall, even in most of the higher elevations.”
“Egypt has a total of 110 animal species, including 70 species threatened with extinction due to climate change impacts and poaching, said Ayman Hamada, director of Biodiversity Department at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation.
“”Climate change, habitat fragmentation due to human interference, and over harvesting are the main reasons behind the big loss in biodiversity,”he told reporters.”
“Namibian state-owned meat processing and marketing firm Meatco is in talks with neighbour Botswana to import cattle, as severe drought decimates local herds and threatens beef export deals with China and European countries.
“The southern African desert nation moved closer to famine last month…”
“A devastating drought has gripped Zimbabwe with 8 million people in need of drought relief aid.
“Almost 20,000 cattle have been decimated by the drought in rural Matabeleland region. Against this background, VOA Studio 7 will run a five-part drought series starting Monday next week.” Video:
“Since the beginning of the month, several areas of Madagascar have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rain, resulting in at least 6 deaths and widespread damage…
“Rain will continue to affect most of the country over 22-23 January.”
“While Ras Al Khaimah has seen unprecedented showers, snow, hail, and sub-zero temperature in recent weeks, the unstable weather has also resulted in the formation of tornadoes or waterspouts in the emirate [UAE]…
“”It is so weird to see this number of tornados in the Arabian Gulf at the same time.””
“Elephants in Thailand’s southern Trang province take leave of absence from their routine works as their owners are concerned of the effects of drought on their health.
“Owners and mahouts say they opt to take their elephants away from logging industry in drought-hit areas…”
“Fire crews are bracing for the return of severe fire conditions with hot and windy weather forecast across Australia’s east.
“Although fire grounds across NSW have received rainfall in the past week, the RFS has warned forecast high temperatures and winds could see fire activity increase on Thursday.”
“A renowned angler says a mass fish kill in the parched Macquarie River in New South Wales this week left the waterway looking like “tomato soup.”
“Tens of thousands of fish of all sizes and species are estimated to have perished near Dubbo, in the state’s west, after much-needed rain washed sediment into the river, causing dissolved oxygen levels to drop rapidly.”
“An intense and ‘remarkable’ weather system triggered the hailstorms that swept through Australia and left $320million worth of damage in their wake, according to the Bureau of Meteorology…
“The ICA has declared a ‘catastrophe’, meaning claims relating to storm damage will be prioritised by insurers.”
“New Zealand is home to species found nowhere else in the world – a flightless parrot, a reptile as old as the dinosaurs, a bat that uses folded wings as “limbs” to scramble around on the forest floor… New Zealand has been in a biodiversity crisis for more than 100 years.
“Now, the added effects of climate change could tip our internationally important species over the edge.”
“Record high temperatures in northern Russia this winter have prevented sea ice from forming, threatening the birth of baby seals as the pupping period approaches, a local NGO has warned.
“Thousands of ringed and grey seals live in the waters of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga near the city of St. Petersburg, which has seen temperatures more than 10 degrees Celsius above average this winter.”
“Arctic sea ice cannot “quickly bounce back” if climate change causes it to melt, new research suggests.
“Scientists used the shells of quahog clams, which can live for hundreds of years, and climate models to discover how Arctic sea ice has changed over the last 1,000 years.”
“The highest air pressure in the UK in more than 60 years has been recorded in Wales.
“A reading of 1050.5 hectoPascals (hPa) was recorded at the Mumbles, in Swansea, on Sunday evening, making it the highest UK reading since January 1957.”
“When there’s a big storm, a sudden spring thaw or an onslaught of rain — as there was on Jan. 11, when 56.6 mm fell, eclipsing a record for rainfall in one day in January that had stood since 1893…
“…the water flowing rapidly into storm drains and seeping through the ground can gush into [London‘s] sanitary system and overwhelm facilities meant to capture its sludge.”
“With another winter storm hitting Israel this week, and following two such tempests in recent weeks that caused mass flooding in multiple cities and several deaths, municipalities were bracing for new havoc — and this time with a chance of snow.”
“Heavy rainfall continued in December 2019 and January 2020 in several locations across East Africa, bringing the number of people affected by flooding since July 2019 to nearly 3.4 million…
“The unusually heavy rains that have impacted Eastern Africa since October 2019… have contributed to a serious and widespread desert locust outbreak…”
“Residents in Maritzburg [South Africa] were forced from their homes when the Msunduzi River burst its banks on Saturday.
“On Sunday Msunduzi mayor Mzi Thebolla, ward councillors and disaster management teams were still assessing the damage. Thebolla said many homes along the river were damaged.”
“Australia had already suffered through perhaps it’s ‘angriest’ summer on record when hail storms ravaged Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney this week.
“The storms have left at least a $320 million insurance bill… The weather extremes can best be exemplified in Queensland which has faced near record rainfalls, temperatures and extreme fires so far this summer.”
“There is concern for the accelerated and constant disappearance of snow and ice at the O’higgins and Frei bases of Chilean Antarctica, a sector that in the last 19 days has been affected by a heat wave .
“The place has received temperatures above 4.8 degrees Celsius , reaching a maximum of 6.9 , for almost 17 days , reports the commander of the Army base, Major Fernando Inostroza.”
“Ice cream, plenty of water and refreshing baths are part of Wild Freshness, an activity that the conservatives of the Zoological Park Santa Fe de Medellín are applying to animals to combat the heatwave…
“2020 began in Colombia with high temperatures and, according to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, Ideam, the dry season will last until mid-March, which has raised the threat of fires…”
“According to the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture, heavy spring rains across the [USA] in 2019 caused nearly 20 million acres of farmland to go unplanted.
“Farmers incurred, collectively, billions of dollars in losses, disrupting rural economies across the country as well as the communities they support. Last year was both the second hottest and second wettest year on record…”
“Japan’s burgeoning ski industry has hit a stumbling block, with unusually low levels of snowfall across the country disappointing visitors and forcing many resorts to shut their doors.
“Northern Japan has been hit particularly hard, with only 38 per cent of its average snowfall in December, marking the lowest level since the Japan Meteorological Agency started collecting records in 1961.”
“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.
Search
About This Site
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.
“North Queensland communities are bracing for more torrential rain, while the state’s southwest is baking in another summer heatwave.
“Homes in Canberra were expected to come under threat from a bushfire on Tuesday evening as an out-of-control blaze in the Orroral Valley – accidentally lit by a military helicopter – ran towards the southern edge of the city… 
“Much of Australia’s southeast faces severe to extreme heatwave conditions over coming days, bringing elevated bushfire danger and uncomfortable nights. 
“The traditional way of life in island nations like Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands is deteriorating because of climate change. 
“The death toll from last week’s heavy rains in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has risen to 52 people, with 65 people reported injured and two more missing, the state civil defense agency said on Tuesday. 
“Price of chicken rises in Bolivia… [this] is related to the heat wave that caused the deaths of 24,000 broilers and laying hens between Saturday and Monday. 
“The last six years were the six hottest on record in Mexico and climate change is to blame, according to the heads of the National Metrological Service (SMN) and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change… 
“Where’s winter? Most areas east of the Rockies, along with much of the West, have recorded above average temperatures since meteorological winter began on Dec. 1, according to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center. 
“Lake in Banff National Park goes from emerald to sapphire blue in 2 years… Shimmering mountain lakes will start to show new colours in coming years, new research suggests. 
“As the Arctic warms faster than any region on Earth, public attention has largely been focused on the rapid disappearance of Arctic sea ice. 
“It’s still only January, but spring is already making its presence felt in parts of the archipelago in southwest Finland. Brightly-hued yellow coltsfoot flowers (leskenlehti in Finnish) have been seen pushing their way through the soil in Utö, a small island in the southernmost part of the archipelago… 
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Jan. 21 the world needs to prepare for “millions” more climate change refugees and cited a U.N. ruling this month that such people deserved international protection. 
“These images [of Elephants] were taken by professional photographer Clint Ralph in the Savuti desert near Chobe National park [Botswana] while the area was undergoing the worst drought in living memory. 
“Heavy rains that pounded for hours yesterday were felt in a number of the parts of Kigali city [Rwanda], one of the affected areas being Gisozi-Gakiriro area where the waters flooded the road connecting to the Nyarutarama-Kagugu road… 
“More than 2.6 million people living on Madagascar were affected by drought at the end of 2019, while recent flooding has left at least 31 people dead, according to emergency management agency BNGRC. 
“The days of Antarctica’s Pine Island glacier are numbered, but no one really knows what that number is. New models could help to shed some much-needed light on the matter.
“
“
“
“Although it’s January, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at a thermometer. 
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“Gardens are dead, people skip showers and water quality has worsened — the big dry dominates conversation in coffee shops, pubs and homes. 
“From Somalia to South Sudan, torrential rains have devastated crops and made roads impassable, sending the cost of food soaring…
“Floods across the island of Madagascar has killed at least 12 people this week, with 18 missing, after unseasonably heavy rain, the national disaster office said on Thursday. 
“Record high oceanic temperatures triggered an unprecedented global-scale coral bleaching event from 2014 to 2017, which was the longest-lasting and most severe. 
“Flooding has [again] occurred in parts of Jakarta [Indonesia] on as a result of heavy rain in the early hours of Friday morning, according to data from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency. 
“The devastating, unthinkable summer continues [in Australia], and the end is not yet in sight.
“This recent spike in temperature is estimated to have killed one-tenth of the local population of flying foxes and at least 50% have been infant animals, limiting the ability for the population to recover in the region.
“”Copper production decreased by 13% to 158,800 tonnes… 
“Mendoza [Argentina] is going through one of its hottest summers on record and the heat wave has been a constant this week . 
“The world is heating up… 19 of the past 21 years have been the hottest on record. 
“The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California’s coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed… 
“The western United States has experienced such intense droughts over the past decade that technical descriptions are becoming inadequate. In many places, conditions are rocketing past “severe,” through “extreme,” all the way to “exceptional drought.”
“[Storm Gloria in Spain] has been labelled as ‘historic’ by Manola Brunet, president of the Climatology Commission of the World Meteorological Origanisation (WMO)… 
“The price of electricity is around half the level that it was at the same time last year in Sweden, and the mild yet windy winter is a big factor behind the drop… 
“An appeals court in Norway on Thursday upheld a ruling that acquitted the government against charges from Nature and Youth and Greenpeace Nordic that drilling for oil and gas in Arctic waters would violate the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Norwegian constitution… 
“Not only does a warming Arctic affect the presence of sea ice, it also alters the distribution of the little auk’s prey. 
“‘
“Intense floods and storms around the world could double in frequency within 13 years, as climate breakdown and socioeconomic factors combine, according to a new study… 
“Incredible footage and pictures captured the moment an apocalyptic dust storm swept through rural drought-stricken towns in three [Australian] states.
“The mercury is breaking 40C in many parts of NSW as a heatwave grips the state, and it’s so hot the government has told residents to limit their electricty use as the state’s supply nears full capacity. 
“The threat of mass fish kills is emerging across the Murray-Darling Basin as low river flows and the influx of soil and ash from bushfires reduce water quality. 
“After dust storms, hail and flash floods battered Australian cities in recent days, wildlife officials are warning residents against another natural threat: the venomous Australian funnel-web spider… 
“New research from scientists with the Global Fire Emissions Database shows that the [Australian] bushfires likely contributed 900 million metric tonnes of carbon, Bloomberg reports. 
“Extremely dry conditions across all of Northland [NZ] are costing farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars and driving families to extreme measures to save precious water. 
“Native bird life has taken a major hit in the wake of the Rangitata floods [NZ], with the Department of Conservation “devastated” to report several nests destroyed and many missing. 
““It is likely that water levels on lakes Michigan and Huron will set new monthly mean record high levels over the next couple of months,” said John Allis, chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office, Detroit District. 
“On Hatteras Island [North Carolina], temperatures in January have already broken or tied high temperature readings six times. 
“British brassica growers are considering switching to cereal crops, after two consecutive seasons of nightmare conditions have seen costs spiral.
“It might not feel like it, but it is actually winter in Germany! Unsurprisingly, all this mild weather has got a few people wondering where the winter has got to – and whether we can ever expect any snow… Unfortunately, things don’t look good for snow this year, according to DWD’s seasonal forecast. 
“Officials have warned that St Mark’s basilica [Venice, Italy] may not be able to withstand a repeat of the damage caused during record flooding in November. 
“More than 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in south west France after Storm Gloria caused widespread flooding… 
“The death toll from Storm Gloria in Spain rose to nine on Thursday as freak weather continues to batter the east of the country. 
“Another [South African] province has officially been declared a disaster area due to drought – just as another municipality battles crippling water shortages, with its dam water levels below 23% of capacity. 
“Zimbabwe’s Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) is down to below 100,000 tons of the staple maize from the mandatory 500, 000 tons following a drought last year, a cabinet minister said Wednesday… 
“…farmers to carpet weavers are under threat as changing weather patterns wreak havoc [on Afghanistan]. 
“A solitary sloth bear gave a tiger the fright of its life as it stood on its hind legs and chased it off a field. Footage shows the tiger wandering along the landscape, appearing to show the signs of a mega drought, in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India… 
“For the past 15,000 years, a glacier on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau of China has hosted a party for some unusual guests: an ensemble of frozen viruses, many of them unknown to modern science. 
“Recent research has shown that most glaciers in the Himalaya are shrinking, most likely because of long-term increases in temperature. 
“”Climate and Earth system models often treat these winter permafrost CO2 emissions as insignificant or even non-existent,” said Roser Matamala, a scientist in Argonne’s Environmental Science division and a contributor to the study. 
“
“Rising numbers of children in Guatemala are going hungry as drought linked to climate change reduces food harvests, fueling child malnutrition rates in the Central American nation, the United Nations and charities said… 
“States across the Southern and Eastern United States are facing freezing temperatures with icy winds, frost, snow and…iguanas expected to fall in parts. 
“After last spring’s heavy rains and flooding, many Midwestern communities are still living with damaged water infrastructure. 
“The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador was hit with more than 70cm (27in) of snow in a record breaking blizzard. The military has been called in to help with recovery efforts.”
“Norwegian fish farming giant Mowi has revealed that tens of thousands of salmon have escaped from one of its sites off Colonsay [Scotland]. 
“Shock figures have shown a skyrocketing increase in flood investigations across the county as experts warn more floods could be on the way because of climate change. 
“Extreme weather has come to western Europe. A powerful anticyclone is breaking records for high pressure across Belgium, France and the UK, while Storm Gloria, pushing the anti-cyclone south, is causing heavy rain, winds and even rare snowfall in Spain.
“Mallorca has been smashed by huge waves and another town filled with foam as a storm continues to lash Spain, leaving four dead and 200,000 without power… 
“According to the most recent forecasts, winter in Croatia is finished. 
“Egypt has a total of 110 animal species, including 70 species threatened with extinction due to climate change impacts and poaching, said Ayman Hamada, director of Biodiversity Department at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation.
“Namibian state-owned meat processing and marketing firm Meatco is in talks with neighbour Botswana to import cattle, as severe drought decimates local herds and threatens beef export deals with China and European countries.
“A devastating drought has gripped Zimbabwe with 8 million people in need of drought relief aid. 
“Torrential rain is continuing to fall in the central Mozambican city of Beira, and on Monday claimed the life of a 15 year old boy.”
“While Ras Al Khaimah has seen unprecedented showers, snow, hail, and sub-zero temperature in recent weeks, the unstable weather has also resulted in the formation of tornadoes or waterspouts in the emirate [UAE]…
“Elephants in Thailand’s southern Trang province take leave of absence from their routine works as their owners are concerned of the effects of drought on their health. 
“Fire crews are bracing for the return of severe fire conditions with hot and windy weather forecast across Australia’s east. 
“A renowned angler says a mass fish kill in the parched Macquarie River in New South Wales this week left the waterway looking like “tomato soup.” 
“An intense and ‘remarkable’ weather system triggered the hailstorms that swept through Australia and left $320million worth of damage in their wake, according to the Bureau of Meteorology… 
“New Zealand is home to species found nowhere else in the world – a flightless parrot, a reptile as old as the dinosaurs, a bat that uses folded wings as “limbs” to scramble around on the forest floor… New Zealand has been in a biodiversity crisis for more than 100 years.
“Record high temperatures in northern Russia this winter have prevented sea ice from forming, threatening the birth of baby seals as the pupping period approaches, a local NGO has warned.
“Arctic sea ice cannot “quickly bounce back” if climate change causes it to melt, new research suggests.
“Gases that deplete the ozone layer could be responsible for up to half of the effects of climate change observed in the Arctic from 1955 to 2005. 
“The highest air pressure in the UK in more than 60 years has been recorded in Wales. 
“When there’s a big storm, a sudden spring thaw or an onslaught of rain — as there was on Jan. 11, when 56.6 mm fell, eclipsing a record for rainfall in one day in January that had stood since 1893…
“Four people have died as strong winds and heavy snowfall battered parts of Spain on Sunday and Monday, according to officials. 
“Heavy rainfall continued in December 2019 and January 2020 in several locations across East Africa, bringing the number of people affected by flooding since July 2019 to nearly 3.4 million… 
“Residents in Maritzburg [South Africa] were forced from their homes when the Msunduzi River burst its banks on Saturday. 
“Seasonal rains in recent weeks have caused severe flooding and landslides in Indonesia. 
“Over half of the populations of more than 100 threatened species in Australia may have been killed in the ongoing bushfire crisis. 
“Australia had already suffered through perhaps it’s ‘angriest’ summer on record when hail storms ravaged Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney this week. 
“There is concern for the accelerated and constant disappearance of snow and ice at the O’higgins and Frei bases of Chilean Antarctica, a sector that in the last 19 days has been affected by a heat wave .
“Ice cream, plenty of water and refreshing baths are part of Wild Freshness, an activity that the conservatives of the Zoological Park Santa Fe de Medellín are applying to animals to combat the heatwave…
“According to the United States Department of Agriculture, heavy spring rains across the [USA] in 2019 caused nearly 20 million acres of farmland to go unplanted. 
“Japan’s burgeoning ski industry has hit a stumbling block, with unusually low levels of snowfall across the country disappointing visitors and forcing many resorts to shut their doors. 