Washington Post (December 6)
“Global temperatures remain at near-record levels. After 2023 ended up the warmest year in human history by far, 2024 is almost certain to be even warmer. Now, some scientists say this could indicate fundamental changes are happening to the global climate that are raising temperatures faster than anticipated.”
Tags: 2023, 2024, Faster, Fundamental changes, Global, Global climate, Human history, Record levels, Temperatures, Warmest
Washington Post (October 2)
“The United States just witnessed its most extreme October heat.” On Tuesday, temperatures hit 117 degrees (47 °C) in Palm Springs, tying the October record for North America. “More than 200 warm weather records were set on Tuesday alone in the western United States on the heels of around 2,500 records set in the final third of September between the Southwest and Upper Midwest.”
Tags: 47 °C, Extreme, Heat, North America, October, Palm Springs, Record, September, Southwest, Temperatures, U.S., Upper Midwest, Weather
Sydney Morning Herald (August 28)
“The hottest winter day ever recorded for Australia was this week: 41.6 degrees at Yampi Sound.” Temperatures are more comfortable in Sydney where “trees are blossoming, cafe dining has shifted outdoors, and Sydneysiders have flocked to beaches and parks.” The freakish heat “has also sent local and national climate records tumbling, sparked wildfires around NSW, and led to early closures and patchy snow at many ski resorts.”
Tags: 41.6 degrees, Australia, Beaches, Blossoming, Climate records, Freakish heat, Hottest, Outdoors, Parks, Ski resorts, Sydney, Temperatures, Wildfires, Winter
CNN (August 3)
“A record-breaking heat wave unfolding at what should be the coldest time in Earth’s coldest place has scientists concerned about what it could mean for the future health of the Antarctic continent, and the consequences it could inflict for millions of people across the globe.” Since mid-July temperatures have been up to 50°Fahrenheit hotter than usual “over parts of Antarctica and unseasonable warmth could continue through the first half of August.”
Tags: Antarctica, Coldest, Consequences, Earth, Future, Heat wave, Inflict, July, Record breaking, Scientists, Temperatures, Unfolding, Unseasonable
The Economist (June 19)
“Rising temperatures in the Arctic are slowly opening up new possibilities for transport.” Geopolitical stakes are also rising in the region. “China’s support for Russia is fuelling Western distrust of the Asian power’s ‘polar silk road’ plans. But China is not retreating from the Arctic. It still sees a chance to boost its influence there, and to benefit from the area’s wealth of natural resources.”
Tags: Arctic, China, Distrust, Geopolitical, Influence, Polar silk road, Russia, Support, Temperatures, Transport, Wealth
Wall Street Journal (March 10)
“This is the winter that wasn’t in Minnesota and other states across America’s normally frozen northern tier. Record warm temperatures and low snowfall have forced the cancellation of everything from ice fishing tournaments to dog sled races to winter carnivals. Business has dried up for ski resorts, snowmobile makers and any other venture that relies on cold weather and white powder to make a living.”
Tags: Cancellation, Cold weather, Dog sled races, Frozen, Ice fishing, Minnesota, North, Record warm, Ski resorts, Snowfall, Snowmobile makers, Temperatures, Winter, Winter carnivals
New York Times (December 4)
The temperature is rising at COP28 as “climate concerns boil over.” Sultan Ahmed al Jaber lit the fuse with “contentious comments” that expressed “skepticism about the world’s ability to halt a rise in global temperatures by reducing the use of hydrocarbons.” Since the oil executive and Emirati politician is “presiding over the COP28 climate summit,” the remarks are “casting fresh doubts over the U.A.E.’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis.”
Tags: Al Jaber, Climate summit, Concerns, Contentious, COP28, Crisis, Doubts, Hydrocarbons, Oil, Politician, Rise, Skepticism, Sultan, Temperatures, U.A.E
Euromoney (October 30)
“There comes a point when investors cannot ignore the E, the S and the G in their investment strategies because there will be companies, business models and even entire industries that will no longer function if global temperatures exceed1.5 degrees over preindustrial levels, or if socio-political crises escalate, or if corporate mismanagement scandals multiply.”
Tags: 1.5 degrees, Business models, Companies, Corporate mismanagement, Crises, ESG, Industries, Investment strategies, Investors, Preindustrial, Scandals, Socio-political, Temperatures
Washington Post (August 22)
“As a heat dome promises to smash more records this week across swaths of the Midwest, South and Southeast. The country can expect that extreme heat, which already kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined, will only worsen in the coming summers.” Cities can do little “to reduce the intensity of hurricanes” or change the path of tornadoes, but they can intervene to “reduce heat-wave intensity.” Almost “80 percent of the U.S. population lives” in cities where “the urban heat island effect can increase temperatures by 8 degrees.” Measures like requiring “reflective building materials, such as cool roofs;” and “increasing green spaces” can lower “peak temperatures by as much as 2 to 9 degrees Celsius.”
Tags: Cool roofs; Green spaces, Extreme, Floods, Heat dome, Heat wave, Hurricanes, Intensity, Intervene, Records, Reflective building materials, Summers, Temperatures, Tornadoes, U.S., Urban heat island
Washington Post (August 3)
“The world just got its first real taste of what life is like at 1.5 degrees Celsius.” July was far and away the hottest month ever recorded. Previously, “the world had briefly passed over 1.5 degrees for a few times” but always during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, which muted “impacts on the largest population centers. This was the first month where temperatures were that far above preindustrial levels and most of the world’s population was under hot, summer conditions.”
Tags: 1.5 degrees, Hot, Hottest, Impacts, July, Northern Hemisphere, Population centers, Preindustrial levels, Records, Summer conditions, Temperatures, Winter
