Climate Letter #1134

A new European report on extreme weather events has provocative information.  This update of a major study issued in 2013 has data confirming the fast-growing pace of change in recent decades.  It also reviews evidence of a weakening and even the possibility of a shutdown of the gulf stream circulation that keeps Europe warm in spite of its northerly location.

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–Here is how the Guardian reported the study, emphasizing the enormous increases in flooding and extreme rainfall events that are on record.
–Inside Climate New has additional perspectives on the meaning of this study, plus a chart that shows the trend of catastrophic events globally since 1980, with flooding very much in the lead..
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A new study projects the hydrological impact on Asian monsoons in the event of a 2C warming being realized.  Based on the agreement of five climate models, results “confirm that half a degree additional warming would bring more frequent and stronger heavy precipitation events, exerting devastating impacts on the human and natural system over the Asian monsoon region.”
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Indonesia still lacks control over deforestation.  This country has been the world leader for several years after overtaking Brazil.  The bulk of this activity is taking place on peatlands, which compounds the problem of CO2 emissions when they dry out and burn.  There are efforts being made to gain control, both inside and out of the country, but they are simply not enough compared with the huge economic incentives behind continuation.
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There is some good news related to coal combustion, but is it enough?  Globally, the number of new plants in the early stages of planning and/or construction is in sharp decline, and the number of retirements of old plants has been increasing, but newly built plants are still commencing operations.  On balance, “According to the new report, on current trends, the capacity of closing old plants may exceed the capacity of newly commissioned plants in 2022.”  Since capacity is what counts, that means four more years of waiting for a real downturn.
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A new survey has been made of ocean pollution by plastic waste.  The surveyors wanted a clear, precise picture of what the waste looked like.  “The Garbage Patch has been described before. But this new survey estimates that the mass of plastic contained there is four to 16 times larger than previously supposed, and it is continuing to accumulate….”  The total volume entering the ocean is far greater than the amounts found in this famous Pacific Ocean patch that is three times the size of France and growing in density.
Carl

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