It's Hot Even Where It's Supposed To Be Not

For most of my considerable life heatwaves were not associated with the far north. Over the past few years that has changed even to the point of wildfires spreading high inside the Arctic Circle.

The Siberian town of Verkhoyansk just set a record 118 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 47.8 degrees Celsius. For comparison, Las Vegas is expecting a 43 C heatwave this weekend. 43 in the desert. Just shy of 48 in Siberia.  The knock-on effects of these Arctic heatwaves could be devastating.

Even Vancouver Island is in for a heatwave this weekend with temperatures in some areas forecast to hit the mid-30s.  

We're also bracing for the arrival of the first wave of wildfire smoke. A recent cool and wet period spared us so far but that rarely lasts into July.

The American southwest hasn't been so lucky.


This image of Lake Oroville, showing receding water levels surrounded by charred forests, is a metaphor for California's plight.

 


It was only four years ago that California braced for a possible breach of the Oroville dam, America's tallest, after heavy rains.


Christ on a crutch, when are we going to start taking this climate emergency seriously? Have we already thrown in the towel?

Comments

  1. LorneJune 23, 2021 at 6:17 PM

    All of this is very discouraging, Mound. I was talking with a newly retired neighbour this morning, and as we discussed future possibilities post-Covid, given the miraculous speed with which vaccines have been developed, we agreed that it would be wonderful if the same sense of urgency could inform the world's tackling of climate change. Neither of us was optimistic about this happening, however.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Northern PoVJune 24, 2021 at 5:34 AM

      "future possibilities post-Covid, given the miraculous speed with which vaccines have been developed,"

      That would be the prudent, mature lesson we should take away, Lorne.
      Instead we will relax about climate change and just wait for a vaccine-like techno fix so we can go on consuming.

      Carbon capture anyone?

      Delete
  2. TrailblazerJune 23, 2021 at 9:30 PM

    As with the prior article , the worlds governments or should I say their corporate enablers play chicken with fortunes of humanity.

    O my! politics (trumps) necessity ...


    https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/06/16/burn-in-the-usa-canadians-who-got-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-cant-see-springsteen-on-broadway.html

    Heaven forbid that an inexpensive remedy could pave the way to better world.

    That profit has become more important than the longevity of the human race is puzzling.

    TB

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Disaffected LibJune 24, 2021 at 8:58 AM

    Remember the narrative, or pitch, we were fed about global warming 15 years ago: "we have to get emissions down to X so that we can limit man-made warming to Y so that we won't trigger natural feedback mechanisms and runaway global warming.

    We're struggling to avoid mentioning the obvious; those feedback mechanisms that presage runaway global warming are happening now. They're most evident in the polar regions, in equatorial nations, along certain coasts but I can't think of anywhere that is exempt to some degree.

    Unfortunately, when I read these reports, when I have to seal off my home and employ air purifiers to defend against pm 2.5 wildfire smoke, when I see the migration of marine life out of the south into our local waters, I'm worried.

    ReplyDelete
  4. John B.June 24, 2021 at 3:53 PM

    If the water gets too hot, the plutocrats will have to give up on Peter Thiel's floating-archipelago Escape-to-Libertopia proposal to avoid the legacy costs. I don't think there's enough room for them all in the rocket ship. Maybe there's enough room in the rocket for the money they can't hide in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Disaffected LibJune 24, 2021 at 5:38 PM

    Hey, John. I worry about the destabilizing consequences of continuing to ignore climate change threats. Few people grasp the critical link between infrastructure, the economy, and civil society. We read reports of thousands of bridges in the US that are in decay, some already at risk of collapse. What happens when people and goods cannot travel freely without disruption?

    America's electrical grid is worrisome. A hotter climate increases demand for electrical power that can overwhelm and take down generating plants. This is especially worrisome with fossil fuel or thermal plants that need abundant water for cooling.

    As for your last sentence, what do they think that money will buy once they're on their rocket en route to wherever?

    I read an item from a prof at NYU, a futurist. His agent called him with a speaking gig. The fee was good so he prepared a suitable address. When he arrived at the venue he discovered he had an audience of three - hedge fund managers. They didn't want a speech. They wanted to barrage him with questions about strategies to survive a social upheaval. The main question they posed was a situation in which money became irrelevant. What, they wanted to know, did that portend for their personal security staff? How could they keep these bodyguards from turning on them and taking whatever they could carry off? They knew all that money wouldn't prevent them from becoming prey.

    ReplyDelete
  6. TrailblazerJune 24, 2021 at 6:21 PM

    America's electrical grid is worrisome. A hotter climate increases demand for electrical power that can overwhelm and take down generating plants

    Perhaps BCs site C will have a use after all.

    When he arrived at the venue he discovered he had an audience of three - hedge fund managers..

    At the end of the day its all about the money, we have not evolved!

    Canada has to be aware of US desires for our! water.
    many years ago US politicians suggested flooding much of BC as to provide a water supply.

    Water or the lack of it may just bring the world to its senses on climate change.

    TB





    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Disaffected LibJune 25, 2021 at 7:57 AM

      The conditions you foresee, TB, are not those that tend to bring people to their senses. There'll be a reaction, to be sure, but the instincts behind it may have little to do with logic or reason.

      Delete

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