The only theme for today is that there is no central theme. I am going to present to you a wide variety of news that reports on what’s happening. They cover some of the various topics upon which I try to keep you informed. Included in these are: disconcerting changes to the planet, impacts of climate change on our human civilization, the insurance industry and the science of climate change. I am leaving out anything to do with the auto industry this week despite lots of technology developments. Finally, I will leave you with some good news.
The thing is, you can go about your life and wonder what’s the big deal about climate change? You look around and day to day mostly nothing seems different. But when you take a minute and stop to take a broader view, there’s a lot going on every day. If you do nothing else, just looking at the headlines will give you a broad overview of the news. As always, it’s quite unsettling. Sorry…but better to aware than ignorant.
First are two articles about major changes happening to the planet that will have enormous impacts on our civilization.
From E&E News
Climate Change May Accelerate World’s Most Powerful Ocean Current
A faster Antarctic Circumpolar Current could cause ice to melt even faster
March 27, 2024
For the last 5 million years, the current’s strength has oscillated in tandem with global temperatures, strengthening when the planet is warmer and weakening when it’s cooler.
These fluctuations can have a big effect on the Earth’s climate system.
From E&E News
Global warming is changing time itself
Melting polar ice could affect the timing of the planet’s next “leap second.”
March 28, 2024
Melting polar ice is having an unexpected side effect on the planet: It’s messing with global timekeeping.
And that, in turn, is making it harder for the scientists tasked with preserving the accuracy of the world’s universal clocks, down to a quarter of a second.
Let’s now turn to HOW the changes in the atmosphere are impacting us NOW.
From E&E News
At Least 45 Die in Kenya After Dam Collapses from Heavy Rains
April 30, 2024
Ongoing rains in Kenya have caused flooding that has already killed nearly 100 people and postponed the opening of schools. Heavy rains have been pounding the country since mid-March, and the Meteorology Department has warned of more rainfall.
From The Washington Post
WHERE SEAS ARE RISING AT ALARMING SPEEDhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/southern-us-sea-level-rise-risk-cities/?utm_campaign=wp_the7&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_the7&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3d8c714%2F662f7bf7a702ee4d203fc6b7%2F615b259dae7e8a5bad6f57eb%2F54%2F91%2F662f7bf7a702ee4d203fc6b7
WHERE SEAS ARE RISING AT ALARMING SPEED
April 29, 2024
One of the most rapid sea level surges on Earth is besieging the American South, forcing a reckoning for coastal communities across eight U.S. states
At more than a dozen tide gauges spanning from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels are at least 6 inches higher than they were in 2010 — a change similar to what occurred over the previous five decades.
From The New York Times
Heat-Related E.R. Visits Rose in 2023, C.D.C. Study Finds
April 18, 2024
The rate of emergency room visits caused by heat illness increased significantly last year in large swaths of the country compared with the previous five years…
The research… offers new insight into the medical consequences of the record-breaking heat recorded across the country in 2023 as sweltering temperatures stretched late into the year.
E&E News
UN Issues ‘Red Alert’ After Record Heat, Ice Melt Increases in 2023
March 20, 2024
The U.N. weather agency is sounding a “red alert” about global warming, citing record-smashing increases last year in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures, and melting of glaciers and sea ice, and is warning that the world’s efforts to reverse the trend have been inadequate.
E&E News
Chunk of California’s Coastal Highway Spills into Ocean after storm
April 1, 2024
The collapse occurred amid heavy rain Saturday afternoon near Rocky Creek Bridge about 17 miles south of Monterey, sending chunks of asphalt tumbling into the ocean from the southbound side of the two-lane road.
E&E News
Raging Storms Pushed Insured Disaster Damages Over $100B in 2023
April 27, 2024
Around the world, insured damages inflicted by natural catastrophes are climbing fast and set to double in roughly 10 years
The financial repercussions for policyholders will be painful if the trajectory continues as predicted.
The Washington Post
Is Climate Change Speeding Up? Here’s What the Science Says
December 26, 2023
This year’s record temperatures have some scientists concerned that the pace of warming may be accelerating. But not everyone agrees.
For the past several years, a small group of scientists has warned that sometime early this century, the rate of global warming — which has remained largely steady for decades — might accelerate. Temperatures could rise higher, faster. The drumbeat of weather disasters may become more insistent.
And now, after what is poised to be the hottest year in recorded history, the same experts believe that it is already happening.
From The Washington Post
The U.S. Just Changed How it Manages a Tenth of Its Land
April 24, 2024
For decades, the federal government has prioritized oil and gas drilling, hardrock mining and livestock grazing on public lands across the country. That could soon change under a far-reaching Interior Department rule that puts conservation, recreation and renewable energy development on equal footing with resource extraction.
