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☆ Hundreds of thousands of fish died in a single reservoir in Vietnam, another sign of how climate change is strangling the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prolonged drought in southeast Asia contributed to massive fish deaths in southern Vietnam. The climate crisis and human development threaten the Mekong Delta, a key global agricultural center. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In Vietnam, the maze of wetlands that comprise the Mekong Delta is called the country's "rice bowl" because of the vast agriculture it supports. Related storiesMeanwhile, in southern Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fish died in a reservoir last month as temperatures peaked over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no rain fell for weeks, the AFP reported.

Persons: —, El Niño, they're, Ksor Phung, VnExpress Organizations: Service, Mekong Delta, country's Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, World Bank, AFP, Residents, Business, Getty, Commission Locations: Asia, Vietnam, Delta, El, Mekong

☆ Panama elections: Mulino declared ‘unofficial’ winner of presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Juan Carlos Paz | Mia Alberti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —José Raúl Mulino, a rightwing former public security minister, was declared the “unofficial” winner of Panama’s presidential election on Sunday, the country’s electoral court confirmed. “I receive with joy these results, which are the will of the majority of the Panamanian people in our democracy, which I assume with great responsibility and humility as a Panamanian,” Mulino said during his victory speech. He originally ran as the vice-presidential candidate of former President Ricardo Martinelli. After a court sentenced Martinelli to 11 years in prison for money laundering, Mulino moved to the top of the ticket. “To Ricardo Martinelli: my friend, mission accomplished Ricardo.

Persons: Mulino, Ricardo Lombana, ” Mulino, Ricardo Martinelli, Martinelli, “, Ricardo, ”, Matias Delacroix, Fitch, Panama that’s, El Nino Organizations: CNN, Central Locations: Central American, Panamanian, Nicaraguan, Panama’s, Panama City, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia

☆ Kenya floods: Anger mounts as people left homeless and searching for loved ones swept away in floods
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Larry Madowo | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —When Julia Wanjiku put her son Isaac to bed last Sunday after a day celebrating his third birthday, she didn’t realize she was also saying goodbye. She was among the survivors gathering at Ngeya Girls High School in Mai Mahiu on Tuesday. A damaged car buried in mud in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in the village of Kamuchiri, near Mai Mahiu, on April 29. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople removing mud and water from their house in Mai Mahiu, Kenya, on April 29. Rescuers carry the body of a young man recovered in the debris following flooding, in Mai Mahiu, Kenya.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —, Julia Wanjiku, Isaac, Wanjiku, — Isaac, “, ” Wanjiku, Isaac’s, Mai Mahui, It’s, Luis Tato, El, William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, Isaac Mwaura, ” Ruto, Mark Laichena, ”, Simon Maina, Mwaura, Nyagoah Tut, James Wakibia, Joyce Kimutai, herder, Makau, “ I’m, ” Larry Madowo, Laura Paddison, CNN’s Louis Mian, Allison Chinchar, Mary Gilbert Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Girls High School, Getty, Getty Images, “, Kenyan, Space Agency European Space Agency, European Space Agency, Isaac Mwaura ., Communities, United Arab Emirates, Rights Watch, Kenya Meteorological Department, Human Rights Watch, Rescuers, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute Locations: Kenya, Mai, Kenya’s, Nairobi, Mai Mahiu, Kamuchiri, AFP, Getty Images Kenya, Garissa, Tanzania, Tana, Mathare, New York, El, Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa, East Africa, London

Great Barrier Reef, Australia CNN —As the early-morning sun rises over the Great Barrier Reef, its light pierces the turquoise waters of a shallow lagoon, bringing more than a dozen turtles to life. CNN witnessed bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in mid-February, on five different reefs spanning the northern and southern parts of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) ecosystem. “It’s a die-off,” said Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a climate scientist at the University of Queensland in Australia and chief scientist at The Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Our destination is Lady Elliot Island, a remote coral cay perched on top of the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Guano miners once stripped Lady Elliot Island of its topsoil.

Persons: Elliot Island, ”, Kate Quigley, “ We’re, Ove Hoegh, I’m, Guldberg, ‘, Elliot, Peter Gash, “, ” Gash, Lady Elliot, ” Peter Gash, CNN Gash, Derek Manzello, Peter Harrison, “ We’ve, ” Harrison, ” David Ritter, ” Ritter, David Wachenfeld Organizations: Australia CNN —, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, CNN, Minderoo, University of Queensland, Eco, Reef Watch, Southern Cross University, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Greenpeace, Australia CNN Scientists, AIMS Locations: Australia, El, Brisbane, Queensland, Red Sea, Indonesia, Seychelles, Caribbean, Florida, “, New South Wales, Greenpeace Australia, Briggs, Elliot Island

☆ Global trade and immigration on the line in Panama’s presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Achieving Goals presidential candidate José Raúl Mulino speaks with reporters after meeting with members of the Electoral Observation Mission, in Panama City, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The case of former President Ricardo Martinelli, who was disqualified from running by the courts because of a past corruption conviction, stands out. Once the favorite to win this year’s presidential race, Martinelli was disqualified from running by Panama’s electoral court in March because of the conviction and sentence. There are seven other presidential candidates, including current Vice-President José Gabriel Carrizo, former President Martín Torrijos, and Rómulo Roux, another former minister under Martinelli. Martinelli has thrown his support behind Mulino, even releasing campaign videos from inside the Nicaraguan embassy.

Persons: Daniel Zovatto, El Nino, Fitch, ”, José Raúl, José Raúl Mulino, Matias Delacroix, Mulino, Panama that’s, Ricardo Martinelli, Martinelli, José Gabriel Carrizo, Martín Torrijos, Rómulo Roux, “ Organizations: CNN, Central, Latin America, Wilson, Americas Society, Panamanian, Gallup, Nicaraguan Locations: Panama, Central American, Panama City, United States, Venezuela, Panamanian, Colombia, Mulino, Americas, Nicaragua’s, Nicaraguan

☆ Dubai rain: Flights cancelled, schools and offices shut as storm hits UAE just weeks after deadly floods
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mostafa Salem | Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The floods also killed at least 19 others in Oman, including 10 children whose school bus was swept away in the deluge. A driver navigates a flooded road following a rainstorm in Dubai on May 2, 2024. Scientists linked the record rainfall that hit the UAE and Oman two weeks ago to climate change. Over a period of less than 24 hours during that event, the UAE experienced its heaviest rainfall in since records began 75 years ago. Dubai experienced the equivalent of more than a year and a half’s worth of rain in that time.

Persons: Rouhana, Abu Dhabi, CNN’s Brandon Miller Organizations: United Arab Emirates CNN — Emirates, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, CNN, Residents, Authorities, UAE Locations: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman, UAE, Ras Al, Khaimah, Abu, El

☆ Kenya floods: Maasai Mara visitors stranded as death toll nears 200
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Larry Madowo | Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Staff and visitors have been left stranded and buildings submerged at Kenya’s famous Maasai Mara nature reserve, as the death toll in catastrophic flooding in the country’s southwest rose to at least 188 people. Local authorities ordered some tourist facilities in the National Reserve to close after River Talek, one of the tributaries of the Mara River, burst its banks and swept through more than a dozen riverside tourist lodges and camps. In Maasai Mara, camp owners were told to leave the affected properties and “move to higher ground further away from River Talek,” governor of Narok county Patrick Ole Ntutu said on Wednesday. Parts of Maasai Mara National Reserve were left submerged by the flooding. Authorities said they had deployed two helicopters to rescue stranded tourists and local staff around the national reserve after receiving distress calls.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Isaac Mwaura, Susan Kihika, Mara, Patrick Ole Ntutu, Bobby Neptune, Luis Tato, Kipkech Lotiatia, Bush, James Apolloh Omenya, couldn’t, “, X, El Niño, Jagan Chapagain, ”, Nyagoah Tut Organizations: CNN — Staff, National Reserve, CNN, Mara National Reserve, Authorities, Cross, Paramilitary, ”, Youth Service, ” International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Human Rights, “ Kenyan Locations: Mara, Kenya, Nairobi, Mai, Nakuru County, ”, Narok, AFP, Talek, Kenya’s, Africa, East Africa, Tanzania, Burundi, “ Kenya, Nyagoah Tut Pur

☆ Drought That Snarled Panama Canal Was Linked to El Niño, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The recent drought in the Panama Canal was driven not by global warming but by below-normal rainfall linked to the natural climate cycle El Niño, an international team of scientists has concluded. Low reservoir levels have slowed cargo traffic in the canal for most of the past year. Without enough water to raise and lower ships, officials last summer had to slash the number of vessels they allowed through, creating expensive headaches for shipping companies worldwide. The area’s water worries could still deepen in the coming decades, the researchers said in their analysis of the drought. That means future El Niño years could bring even wider disruptions, not just to global shipping, but also to water supplies for local residents.

Persons: El Locations: Panama

☆ Philippine dam: A 300-year-old settlement resurfaces as severe drought dries up a reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | Monica Garrett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A nearly 300-year-old settlement once submerged beneath a major dam in the Philippines has reemerged as sweltering heat and drought dry up the reservoir. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesSome visitors brave the extreme heat to see the dam, where parts of damaged structures still stand. But a drought currently affecting about half of the country’s provinces has pushed the dam’s water levels down, according to AFP. The town of Muñoz near the dam has seen heat index over 41 degrees (106 degrees Fahrenheit) the last five days. On Sunday the temperature felt like 47 degrees (117 degrees Fahrenheit) because of other contributing factors.

Persons: Marlon Paladin, Ezra Acayan, Paladin, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, ” Organizations: CNN, National Irrigation Administration, PAGASA, AFP, Prediction Locations: Philippines, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, Philippine, Southeast Asia, Muñoz, Luzon, El

Rescue teams are digging through the mud and debris trying to find survivors near Mai Mahiu, in Kenya’s Nakuru County, Gov. In Mai Mahiu, Kihika said a serious situation was unfolding as floodwaters swept away people and homes. Access to Mai Mahiu, 20 miles north of the capital Nairobi, had been difficult as part of the road had been cut off from recent heavy rains, Kihika said. Other video shows vast flooding around the Tana River, with large parts of the surrounding area underwater. Heavy rains in East Africa have also affected Tanzania and Burundi.

Persons: Susan Kihika, Isaac Maigua Mwaura, Mai Mahiu, Kihika, ” Kihika, Tana, Andre Kasuku, downpours, El Niño, Jagan Chapagain, Kassim Majaliwa Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Gov, CNN, Kenya Red Cross Society, of Education Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Mai Mahiu, Kenya’s Nakuru County, Mai, Mororo, Tana River, Garissa, North Eastern Kenya, Tana, Kona, Tana River County, East Africa, Tanzania, Burundi, Tanzanian

☆ Your latte could get even more expensive, thanks to a drought in Vietnam that's strangling coffee bean production
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Robusta coffee futures hit a 16-year high because of a prolonged drought in Vietnam. The robusta coffee variety is the basis for both espresso and instant coffee. A long, El Niño-induced drought in Vietnam pushed up the price of robusta futures on Wednesday to the highest in at least 16 years, Bloomberg reported. This year's drought in Vietnam could continue the low-supply cycle, hurting next year's production. Vietnam is increasingly importing cheaper robusta from Brazil to satisfy soaring local demand from coffee drinkers, Bloomberg reported in March.

Persons: —, El Niño, Tran, Lan Anh Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, US Department of Agriculture, Co, International Coffee Organization Locations: Vietnam, Brazil, Asia, Europe, mocha

☆ Dubai’s floods were made worse by climate change, scientists find
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Using scientific models, the team was unable to determine precisely how much more likely climate change had made the floods. Changing circulation patterns driven by global warming are also increasing rainfall intensity, the analysis noted. Global warming was the only remaining reason they could identify to explain the heavier downpour. However, the focus must be on slowing climate change, she added. “While we can’t stop El Niño, we can stop climate change,” Otto said.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, ”, Sonia Seneviratne, Mansour Almazroui, King Abdulaziz University’s, Friederike Otto, Niño, Otto said, El, ” Otto, Francois Nel, Sultan Al, Jaber, CNN’s Abbas Al Lawati Organizations: CNN, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, Global, Reuters “, Institute for Atmospheric, Science, King Abdulaziz University’s Center, Excellence, Change, Grantham Institute, International Energy Agency Locations: United Arab Emirates, Oman, El, Dubai, UAE, Dubai’s, Zurich, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, London, Paris, deadlier

☆ Tanzania flooding: 155 dead and at least 236 injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Flooding in Tanzania has killed 155 people and left at least 236 injured, the country’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday. More than 10,000 houses have been damaged and upwards of 200,000 people have been affected, Majaliwa told the Tanzanian parliament in the capital Dodoma. The flooding has also affected Kenya, which shares a border with Tanzania in East Africa. Kenya has registered heavy rain since mid-March but downpours have intensified over the past week, leading to mass flooding that has affected around 103,500 people. Kenya Railways also suspended commuter train services nationwide.

Persons: Kassim Majaliwa, Majaliwa, downpours Organizations: CNN, country’s, El Nino, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Kenyan, Kenya Railways Locations: Tanzania, Dodoma, Kenya, East Africa, Nairobi

☆ Costuming a Small Army of Virgins for the Met Opera’s ‘El Niño’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Louis Lucero Ii | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of “El Niño,” which reimagines the story of Jesus’ birth and early childhood, there are singing and dancing Virgin Marys, Marys of the land and sea; there’s an Indigenous Mary, a Tropical Mary, a Golden Mary. In the director Lileana Blain-Cruz’s vision, the action takes place across multiple “planes.” It could be a lot to take in. Thankfully for Mr. Levi Blanco, 39, he has developed something of a shorthand while working with Ms. Blain-Cruz, whom he has known since he was an M.F.A. The pair have collaborated several times, including on “The Skin of Our Teeth,” for which Mr. Levi Blanco won a Tony Award in 2022. In the case of “El Niño,” painterly scenery by the set designer Adam Rigg evokes the natural environment.

Persons: El, Jesus ’, Virgin Marys, Marys, Montana Levi Blanco, John Adams, Peter Sellars’s, Lileana Blain, Levi Blanco, . Blain, Cruz, Adam Rigg Organizations: Metropolitan, Yale School of Drama Locations: Mary

☆ Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New Milestone
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Aatish Bhatia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Global carbon dioxide levels as of … Play animation Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Monitoring Laboratory The chart shows monthly numbers of carbon dioxide molecules per million molecules of dry air. Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New MilestoneCarbon dioxide acts like Earth’s thermostat: The more of it in the air, the more the planet warms. More carbon dioxide, warmer temperatures Source: NOAA (carbon dioxide); NASA (temperature) The chart shows the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951–1980, versus global carbon dioxide levels. Currently, carbon dioxide levels are rising at near-record rates. Annual change in carbon dioxide levels Source: NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory The chart shows the increase in global carbon dioxide levels over the course of each year.

Persons: Glen Peters, Doug McNeall, Xin Lan, ”, El Niño, El, Mr, McNeall, “ Organizations: NOAA, NASA, National Oceanic, Global, Budget, CICERO Center, International Climate Research, Britain’s Met

☆ Drought Pushes Millions Into ‘Acute Hunger’ in Southern Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Somini Sengupta | Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An estimated 20 million people in southern Africa are facing what the United Nations calls “acute hunger” as one of the worst droughts in more than four decades shrivels crops, decimates livestock and, after years of rising food prices brought on by pandemic and war, spikes the price of corn, the region’s staple crop. Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all declared national emergencies. Its effects are all the more punishing because in the past few years the region had been hit by cyclones, unusually heavy rains and a widening outbreak of cholera. ‘Urgent help’ is neededThe rains this year began late and were lower than average. In February, when crops need it most, parts of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana received a fifth of the typical rainfall.

Organizations: United Nations Locations: Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana

☆ Coral bleaching: Ocean heat is driving a mass bleaching event, and it could be the worst on record
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Rebecca Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Coral reefs around the world are experiencing a mass bleaching event as the climate crisis drives record-breaking ocean heat, two scientific bodies announced Monday — with some experts warning this could become the worst bleaching period in recorded history. If ocean temperatures don’t return to normal, bleaching can lead to mass coral death, threatening the species and food chains that rely on them with collapse. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a climate scientist specializing in coral reefs based at the University of Queensland in Australia, predicted this mass bleaching event months ago. In February, scientists at the Coral Reef Watch program at NOAA added three new alert levels to the coral bleaching alert maps, to enable scientists to assess the new scale of underwater warming. Bex Wright/CNNIn mid-February, CNN witnessed extensive coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest coral reef system – on five different reefs spanning the northern and southern areas.

Persons: ” Derek Manzello, Ove Hoegh, “, Guldberg, ”, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Niña, El, Manzello, ” Manzello, Lady Elliot, Bex Wright, Selina Stead, ” Stead, David Ritter Organizations: CNN, Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Reef, Reef Watch, Pacific, University of Queensland, NOAA, Getty, Niña, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Park Authority, AIMS, UN, Greenpeace Locations: Pacific, Florida, Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Persian Gulf, Indonesia, Africa, Seychelles, Raja Ampat, Indonesia's West Papua, AFP, El, Lady, Greenpeace Australia

☆ One of the world’s highest cities starts rationing water as reservoirs fall to critical levels
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But this marks the first time in recent history that Bogotá has been forced to implement water rationing measures. Mayor Carlos Galán announced that water rationing measures for Bogotá would begin on April 11. El Niño is a natural climate pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean along the equator, which influences weather around the globe. In a country as politically divided as Colombia, the urgency of addressing El Niño is a rare point of consensus. Bogotá’s water rationing plans have been supported by the country’s president, who has historically had a testy relationship with the city’s mayor.

Persons: Colombia CNN —, Montgomery Burns, “, El Niño, Ivan Valencia, Carlos Fernando Galán, ” Galán, It’s, El, Bogotá, Magdalena, ”, Armando Sarmiento, Sarmiento, Mayor Carlos Galán, Fernando Vergara, Niño, Susana Muhamad, ” CNN’s Heather Law, Ana Melgar Organizations: Colombia CNN, ”, Bogotá’s Javeriana University, CNN, Bogotá, El Niño Locations: Bogotà, Colombia, Bogotá, San Rafael, El, Colombian, Latin America, Mexico City, Magdalena, Colombia’s, Bogota, Mayor, Sarmiento

☆ Searing heat is back across Southeast Asia and it’s not going away anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The death of a toddler from extreme heat highlighted the risk of climate-related illnesses across Malaysia. And in the Philippines, hundreds of schools suspended classes after daily temperatures soared past 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius). Sweltering heat is back in Southeast Asia, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. But alongside these natural variations, the world continues to blast through climate records, with deadly heat waves becoming the norm. A resident attempts to pump underground water from a dried reservoir in Vietnam's central Ninh Thuan province during a heat wave and drought on April 6, 2024.

Persons: climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, Herrera, “, ” Herrera, ”, El Niño, Stringer, Adly Zahari, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Aidil Iman Aidid, fasted Organizations: CNN, Getty, El, heatstroke, Education, Philippines Locations: Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Bangkok, Rice, Ninh Thuan, AFP, Asia, Pahang, Kelantan, Sabah, Borneo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila

☆ Colombia’s capital Bogotá to ration water as El Niño adds to drought
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Heather Law | Ana Melgar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, will begin rationing water this week as several of its reservoirs face unprecedented lows amid a drought made worse by the El Niño climate pattern. Speaking to the media on Monday, Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said reservoirs had reached “historically low” levels and been worsened by El Niño, which causes high temperatures and impedes precipitation. The country and region have experienced long periods without rain since June 2023 due to El Niño, the city wrote on its official website. The plan will see nine different zones take turns rationing water services. Each zone’s water restrictions will begin at 8 a.m. local time and last 24 hours before shifting to the next zone in line.

Persons: Carlos Fernando Galán, El Niño, Gustavo Petro, El, Galán, ” Organizations: CNN, Bogotá Locations: Bogotá, El, Colombia, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ ‘Alarming’ Ocean Temperatures Suggest This Hurricane Season Will Be a Daunting One
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Judson Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A key area of the Atlantic Ocean where hurricanes form is already abnormally warm, much warmer than an ideal swimming pool temperature of about 80 degrees and on the cusp of feeling more like warm bathtub water. These conditions were described by Benjamin Kirtman, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami, as “unprecedented,” “alarming” and an “out-of-bounds anomaly.” Combined with the rapidly subsiding El Niño weather pattern, it is leading to mounting confidence among forecasting experts that there will be an exceptionally high number of storms this hurricane season. One such expert, Phil Klotzbach, a researcher at Colorado State University, said in his team’s annual forecast on Thursday that they expected a remarkably busy season of 23 named storms, including 11 hurricanes — five of them potentially reaching major status, meaning Category 3 or higher. In a typical season, there are 14 named storms with seven hurricanes and three of them major. Dr. Klotzbach said there was a “well above-average probability” that at least one major hurricane would make landfall along the United States and in the Caribbean.

Persons: Benjamin Kirtman, Phil Klotzbach, Klotzbach Organizations: University of Miami, Colorado State University Locations: United States, Caribbean

☆ Southern Africa’s drought and floods could push tens of millions into hunger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The country’s top priority “is securing food for all Zimbabweans,” the president told journalists at the state house in Harare. Kb Mpofu/ReutersIn Zambia, Malawi and Central Mozambique, extreme drought has damaged more than 2 million hectares of crops, Oxfam said. Zambia declared its drought a disaster on February 29. In Mozambique — a country accounting for only 0.2% of global emissions — 3 million people face hunger, according to Oxfam. The country’s capital, Maputo, experienced devastating floods in March, after Tropical Storm Filipo hit followed a few weeks later by further intense rainfall.

Persons: South Africa CNN —, Emmerson Mnangagwa, El Niño, Zimbabwe —, Filipo, ” Teresa Anderson, Machinda Marongwe, ” Marongwe Organizations: South Africa CNN, Oxfam, Reuters, Democratic, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, United States Agency, International, Systems Network Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Harare, “, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Pumula East, Bulawayo, Central Mozambique, ” Southern Africa, Maputo

☆ Venezuela battles record wildfires worsened by Amazon drought
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Billy Stockwell | Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Reuters —Venezuela is battling a record number of wildfires, according to data released on Monday, as a climate change-driven drought plagues the Amazon rainforest region. An aerial view shows a burned forest after a forest fire in Henri Pittier National Park on March 30. Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/ReutersA Bolivarian National Police helicopter flies over during a wildfire in the Henri Pittier National Park on March 29. The fires are blanketing with smoke Guayana City, Venezuela’s largest urban center in the Amazon, according to a Reuters witness. In Venezuela, Lozada, firefighters and other experts said the government response was lacking.

Persons: Manoela Machado, ” Machado, “, ”, Carlos Carruido Perez, Henri Pittier, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Henri, Jose Rafael Lozada, Michael Coe, Lozada, Juan Carlos Hernandez, ” Lozada, Oxford’s Machado, William Lopez Organizations: Reuters —, Satellites, University of Oxford, Henri, Reuters, Bolivarian National Police, NASA, Universidad de Los, Research, AFP, Getty, “ Firefighters Locations: Reuters — Venezuela, Venezuela, South America, Pacific, Brazil’s, Brazil, Henri, Uverito, Manhattan, Universidad de Los Andes, Merida, Brazil’s Roraima, Roraima, Naguanagua, Carabobo State

☆ The Baltimore bridge disaster is just the latest knock to global shipping and trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Over the past few years, supply chain woes have repeatedly come into the spotlight. Since then, global integrated supply chain systems just seem to keep getting disrupted — be it by the COVID-19 pandemic or Russia's war in Ukraine. The domino effect is due to the "just in time" model that supply chains have been relying on for decades. Here are three key reasons why supply chains just seem to keep screwing up in recent years. Examining ongoing conflicts in the Black Sea and Red Sea respectively shows how geopolitical conflicts affect global supply chains.

Persons: —, they've, Donald Trump, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Project44, Nari Viswanathan, Viswanathan, tailspin, Julie Gerdeman, Trump, Rahul Khanna, Geoff Weiss, Allan Post, Justus Heinrich, Khanna Organizations: Service, Business, Maersk, BI, Shipping, Allianz, Allianz Commercial, Technologies Locations: China, Ukraine, Baltimore, The Port, of Baltimore, Europe, Asia, Iran, Israel, Suez, Good, Africa, Panama, El, Egypt

☆ Global ocean heat has been at record levels every single day for the last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But he added that the records were unsurprising, given that ocean heat is being supercharged by human-caused global warming, a series of marine heatwaves and El Niño, a natural climate pattern marked by higher-than-average ocean temperatures. Global ocean warmth can add more power to hurricanes and other extreme weather events, including scorching heat waves and intense rainfall. Ocean heat sets the stage for more ferocious hurricanes. “Measuring ocean warming allows us to track the status and evolution of planetary warming,” Schuckmann told CNN. But, she added, it’s currently impossible to predict when ocean heat will drop below record levels.

Persons: ”, Joel Hirschi, El, Karina von Schuckmann, Brian McNoldy, ” Hirschi, ” Schuckmann, it’s, Derek Van Dam Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, University of Maine’s, National Oceanography, University of Miami Rosenstiel School Locations: Australia, France

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