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☆ Tony Finau caddies for young sons, just hours after Mexico Open win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hours after clinching the Mexico Open title with a three-shot win over world No. On Sunday, his sixth PGA Tour victory fell on El Día Del Niño – Children’s Day in Mexico – and Finau had a message for youngsters. If you do that, then you can do some great things.”Finau and his family celebrate his Mexico Open win. Having finished joint runner-up to Rahm at last year’s Mexico Open, Finau derailed the Spaniard’s title defense to clinch his fourth win in his last 18 starts and jump five places to world No. Finau denied Rahm back-to-back Mexico Open titles.

☆ Pace of rise in global sea level has doubled, UN climate report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The remains of houses are pictured as rising sea levels destroy homes built along the shoreline, forcing villagers to relocate, in El Bosque, Mexico, November 7, 2022. Extreme glacier melt and record ocean heat levels - which cause water to expand - contributed to an average rise in sea levels of 4.62mm a year between 2013-2022, the U.N. agency said in a major report detailing the havoc of climate change. "We have already lost this melting of glaciers game and sea level rise game so that's bad news," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas told a press conference. Rising sea levels threaten some coastal cities and the very existence of low-lying states such as the island of Tuvalu - which plans to build a digital version of itself in case it is submerged. Climate scientists have warned that the world could breach a new average temperature record in 2023 or 2024, fuelled by climate change and the anticipated return of warming El Niño conditions.

☆ Earth Day 2023: The world just failed its annual health checkup
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The WMO’s annual State of the Climate Report, published Friday ahead of Earth Day, is essentially a health checkup for the world. Global sea levels climbed to the highest on record due to melting glaciers and warming oceans, which expand as they heat up. “Communities and countries which have contributed least to climate change suffer disproportionately.”A man uses a hand fan in a park in central Madrid during a heatwave, on August 2, 2022. The hottest year on record, 2016, was the result of a strong El Niño and climate change, said Baddour. “This is really a wake up call that climate change isn’t a future problem, it is a current problem.

☆ World could face record temperatures in 2023 as El Nino returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei KatoBRUSSELS, April 20 (Reuters) - The world could breach a new average temperature record in 2023 or 2024, fuelled by climate change and the anticipated return of the El Nino weather phenomenon, climate scientists say. During El Nino, winds blowing west along the equator slow down, and warm water is pushed east, creating warmer surface ocean temperatures. "El Nino is normally associated with record breaking temperatures at the global level. Climate models suggest a return to El Nino conditions in the late boreal summer, and the possibility of a strong El Nino developing towards the end of the year, Buontempo said. The world's hottest year on record so far was 2016, coinciding with a strong El Nino - although climate change has fuelled extreme temperatures even in years without the phenomenon.

☆ For Food Price Inflation Clues, Watch India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A World Bank report noted that export restrictions by India could raise world rice prices. A poor season can topple governments and threaten global food security—especially when export restrictions on food have become sticky despite easing food prices. U.S. and Australian forecasts now point to an increased probability of an El Niño episode in 2023. El Niño is a periodic weather event that drives monsoon clouds away from India—and has historically hurt food production. A subpar monsoon is an underappreciated threat to global food security and inflation.

☆ Global rice shortage is set to be the largest in 20 years – here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The global rice market is set to log its largest shortfall in two decades in 2023, according to Fitch Solutions. "At the global level, the most evident impact of the global rice deficit has been, and still is, decade-high rice prices," Fitch Solutions' commodities analyst Charles Hart said. That would mar the largest global rice deficit since 2003/2004, when the global rice markets generated a deficit of 18.6 million tonnes, said Hart. "The global rice production deficit situation will increase the cost of importing rice for major rice importers such as Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and African countries in 2023," said Tjakra. "It is our view that global rice production will stage a solid rebound in 2023/24, expecting total output to rise by 2.5% year on year," Fitch's report forecast, hinging on India being a "principal engine" of global rice output over the next five years.

☆ Coral reef discovered in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Quito, Ecuador Reuters —A scientific expedition has discovered a previously unknown coral reef with abundant marine life off Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, the country’s environment ministry said on Monday. “A deepwater scientific expedition has found the first totally pristine coral reef, approximately two kilometers (1.2 miles) long, at 400 meters (deep), on the summit of a submarine mountain,” Environment Minister Jose Davalos said on Twitter. “Galapagos surprises us again.”Scientists had believed that the only Galapagos reef to survive El Nino weather in 1982 and 1983 was one called the Wellington reef, along the coast of Darwin Island, but the new discovery shows other coral has persisted, the ministry said in a statement. The South American country last year expanded the Galapagos marine reserve by 60,000 square kilometers (23,166 square miles), an extension of the 138,000 square kilometers already in place, to protect endangered migratory species between the Galapagos and the Cocos Island in Costa Rica. The Galapagos, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, are also home to giant tortoises, albatrosses, cormorants and other species, some of which are endangered.

☆ 2023 Hurricane Season Predicted to Be Below Average After a Costly 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fort Myers Beach, Fla., is rebuilding after being hit by Hurricane Ian in September. This year’s Atlantic hurricane season will likely bring fewer storms than average, scientists said—offering a potential respite for coastal locales after a costly 2022—though they cautioned the forecast is less certain than usual because it is complicated by El Niño. Researchers at Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science anticipate 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes in 2023, according to a forecast released Thursday. A typical hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, results in 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

However, strong suppressive trade winds have not yet allowed this warmth to disperse across the ocean and allow El Nino to gain its footing. The most recent two weeks where the anomaly was as warm or warmer were in July 2015, preceding the 2015-16 El Nino event, and in June 1998, coming off the 1997-98 event. A few forecasters see a possible Super El Nino in 2023. The timing of El Nino is most immediately pressing in the Southern Hemisphere, which begins planting wheat next month. Argentina, often wet during El Nino, is wrapping up a catastrophic crop year due to severe drought.

Palm oil prices have fallen some 49% from last year's record, but the tight supply means they are expected to stay above pre-pandemic levels. Another palm oil giant, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLKK.KL), told Reuters it plans to replant 10,000 hectares this year, up from a lower-than-usual 6,000 hectares in 2022. The scheme targeted replanting of 2.4 million hectares but only managed to replant around 278,000 hectares by February, partly due to land legality issues. We are ageing faster than we are replanting," Malaysia Palm Oil Association chief executive Joseph Tek told Reuters. In Malaysia, replanting costs doubled to around $4,500 per hectare after the pandemic inflated prices of fertiliser and labour.

☆ US CPC says 62% chance of El Niño developing during May-July
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 13 (Reuters) - ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere spring, followed by a 62% chance of El Niño developing during May-July 2023, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The El Niño phenomenon is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, sometimes causing crop damage, flash floods or fires. Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thousands of blue, jellyfish-looking blobs are washing up on California shores
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

By-the-wind sailors are beginning to wash up onto shores in California. Beaches from Dana Point to Point Reyes National Seashore have seen the creatures on their shores. Known by the scientific name Velella velella, the hydrozoa is actually a collection of polyps that float through the ocean using a translucent "sail" that sits upright on a flat, oval body to catch the wind. In 2014 and 2015, a Velella bloom resulted in billions of by-the-wind sailors washed ashore beaches from California to Washington. Dana Wharf Whale Watching did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ India likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 - Skymet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, April 10 (Reuters) - India is likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 with an increasing likelihood of El-Nino, which typically brings dry weather to Asia, private weather forecasting agency Skymet said on Monday. "Likelihood of El Nino is increasing and its probability to become a dominant category during the monsoon is growing large. El Nino return may presage a weaker monsoon," Jatin Singh, managing director, Skymet said in a statement. Monsoon rains in India are expected to be 94% of the long-term average, said Skymet, retaining its previous view of sub-par monsoon. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, known as the agriculture bowl of North India, are likely to observe less than normal rains during the 2nd half of the season, the weather forecaster said.

☆ Instant View: Here’s what experts think of India's surprise rate decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

The monetary policy committee (MPC) retained the key lending rate or the repo rate (INREPO=ECI) at 6.50% in a unanimous decision. With the likely softening of CPI to the low- to mid-5% levels in the coming month, the current repo rate of 6.5% implies that India’s real policy rate will hover around 1% during 2023-24, while maintaining a policy rate differential of about 1.5% with the US. Room for additional rate hikes has been retained with MPC’s policy stance continuing to remain unchanged at ‘withdrawal of accommodation’. We believe the bar for future rate hikes has increased, especially since near-term prints of CPI will be sub 6%. Scope for further hikes is limited given our growth-inflation outlook and impact of the past rate hikes on the same.

☆ AccuWeather sees average-to-fewer Atlantic storms this hurricane season
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Erwin Seba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. private forecaster AccuWeather expects a near-average to below-average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, according to a forecast issued on Wednesday. AccuWeather said it expects between 11-15 named tropical storms, 4-8 hurricanes and between one and three major hurricanes to form in the Atlantic Ocean before the season ends on Nov. 30. "We think El Nino will drive this season," said Dan Kottlowski, lead hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather. Kottlowski noted that even in a year when fewer storms are expected, people as far as 100 miles (160 km) inland have to prepare for tropical storms. Between 1990 and 2020, the average season has seen 14 named tropical storms, seven hurricanes with three of those considered to be major.

☆ How Can We Measure Droughts and Deluges? Weigh the Planet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Scientists have long cautioned that warming temperatures would lead to wetter and drier global extremes — increasingly severe rainfall, more intense droughts. km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month 30,000 Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Source: Rodell and Li, Nature Water (2023), based on analysis of NASA Grace and Grace-FO data. Europe July 2018–April 2021 Drought across Europe returned with the La Niña that lasted through 2022. Central Africa 2. Central Africa 2.

Indonesia, the world's biggest producer of palm oil, raised the mandatory blend of palm oil in biodiesel to 35% starting in February, from 30% earlier, to reduce diesel fuel imports amid high global energy prices and to reduce emissions. The benchmark palm oil contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange slid 24 ringgit to 4,181 ringgit a tonne on Wednesday. An El Nino episode usually results in below-average rainfall in main palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia, cutting yields and pushing up global prices. "It used to be palm oil is export-oriented for Indonesia, but sales are declining and domestic consumption is increasing," Fadhil said. James Fry, the chairman of commodities consultancy LMC International, however, cautioned that the correction in gasoil prices could bring down demand for biodiesel and pull-down palm oil prices.

☆ Australian officials warn of bushfire threat as heatwave grips Sydney
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A total of 33 fires are burning across New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state of which Sydney is the capital, with 12 not contained yet. Five public schools have been shut amid a total fire ban across large parts of the state. Two bushfires have been downgraded from emergency warning levels overnight, but officials said they could flare up again. Since late 2020, Australia's weather has been dominated by La Nina, which brings more rain and floods. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney, Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indonesia's inflation to stay above 5% in first half of 2023, central bank chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The country's inflation has held above 5%, driven by high food prices. Indonesia's inflation will remain above 5% in the first half of 2023 and below 4% in the second half, mainly due to high food prices, central bank governor Perry Warjiyo said on Sunday, warning that the fight to control inflation must continue. "The game is not over, let us together anticipate inflation mainly food inflation," Perry said at an event on Makassar, in South Sulawesi, where he urged local authorities to work with the central government to reduce inflationary pressures. "We must control inflation because it relates to people's prosperity and welfare," he said. "Let's strengthen synergy amongst stakeholders to control inflation."

☆ Sydney swelters through autumn heatwave, bushfire threat looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray/File PhotoSYDNEY, March 6 (Reuters) - Parts of Australia's east including Sydney recorded their hottest day in more than two years on Monday with temperatures hitting more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), raising the risk of bushfires. Firefighters are working to contain nearly 40 bushfires across New South Wales, the home state of one-third of Australians, with crews on the ground supported by aircraft. Penrith, a suburb in western Sydney, recorded 40.1 degrees Celsius on Monday afternoon - the hottest day since Jan. 26, 2021 - while some inland towns reached nearly 41 degrees. Australia's east coast has been dominated by the La Nina weather phenomenon - typically associated with increased rainfall - over the last two years, which brought record rains and widespread flooding. In 2022, Sydney recorded its highest annual rainfall since records began in 1858.

☆ Citi upgrades Alcoa, says aluminum producer is a buy with China reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There's a buying opportunity in shares of aluminum producer Alcoa now that China is reopening, according to Citi. Analyst Alexander Hacking upgraded shares to buy from neutral, saying that aluminum is "the next leg of the China reopening trade." The rolling smelter cuts from southwestern China due to power availability restrict supply response to margins," Hacking added. What's more, Alcoa shares can rise 35% from Tuesday's close, according to the analyst. The aluminum stock added more than 1% in Wednesday premarket trading.

Power-hungry aluminium producers in Yunnan and neighbouring provinces were already operating at reduced capacity, some of them since September, dragging down China's national output. The latest cuts will impact around 740,000 tonnes of annual production capacity, adding to the million tonnes already offline, according to industry consultancy Mysteel. Aluminium capacity has grown to around 5.25 million tonnes, making it the fourth largest provincial producer after Shandong, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. January's estimated annualised production was 40.50 million tonnes, a drop of almost one million tonnes over the last five months. Registered inventory on both exchanges has risen fast, cushioning the supply chain from the loss of Chinese production momentum.

☆ El Niño’s Return Grows More Likely as La Niña Weather Pattern Winds Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/el-ninos-return-grows-more-likely-as-la-nina-weather-pattern-winds-down-fb43cc58

Corn planting pace in ParanaParana’s 2021 safrinha crop was its latest planted since at least 2009, so it was especially subject to frost and freeze toward the end of the season. 2 producer of first crop corn, but it does not plant a second crop. Corn planting pace in Mato GrossoAlthough Mato Grosso’s planting pace is not necessarily alarming, it may reduce the corn’s resilience to any potentially tough weather conditions later, and last year provides a great example. May followed the exact same pattern, though Mato Grosso’s corn yields were very respectable last year. Mato Grosso’s biggest risk of late corn planting is the onset of dry season, as early as April.

☆ The return of El Nino could make the world even hotter — endangering a critical climate threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The El Nino Southern Oscillation system is composed of El Nino and La Nina — two opposite states of fluctuation in the Earth's climate system, which can have significant consequences on weather, wildfires, ecosystems and economies across the world. An El Nino event is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5 degrees Celsius above the long-term average. The warmest year ever recorded, 2016, started off with a powerful El Nino that helped to boost global temperatures. This lagged effect is why forecasters believe 2024 could be the first year that humanity surpasses 1.5 degrees Celsius. Weather conditions are likely to be drier than average in Indonesia during an El Nino event as rainfall moves out to the Pacific Ocean.

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