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Large U.S. wheat purchases by China have been rare. The last daily U.S. wheat sale to China was in July 2021, also soft red winter wheat, and twin sales of hard red spring and hard red winter wheat were confirmed in July 2020. China’s recent U.S. wheat purchase was not a one-off, as it secured up to 600,000 tons of French wheat three weeks ago. China has been a top-three global wheat importer in the last few years, but those imports account for a very small fraction of annual Chinese wheat consumption. A decline in world wheat prices would amplify this effect.

Persons: Karen Braun, Rod Nickel Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, China, U.S, States, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Nobel Peace Prize could give a glimmer of hope amid era of conflict and climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Norway on Friday, as Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine rages on and other flashpoints threaten to ignite across the globe. But the peace prize can serve as a beacon of hope in fraught and fractured times. “I think it’s precisely in a situation like this that the peace prize becomes particularly important. But Nobel specialists have been quick to dismiss such speculation, saying it is rare for the peace award to go to a wartime leader. “It would be like saying in 1941 that (then-British Prime Minister) Winston Churchill should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Persons: humanity’s, “ There’s, ” Dan Smith, ” Henrik Urdal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston Churchill, Zelensky, ” Smith, Bryan R, Smith, Urdal, “, ”, ” Urdal, Alfred Nobel’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Center for Civil Liberties –, Ales Bialiatski, Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, ANDERSEN, El Niño, El Niño hasn’t, Victoria Tauli, Annie Ling, Juan Carlos Jintiach, Raoni Metuktire, Evaristo Sa, Lula da Silva Organizations: CNN, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Peace Research Institute, British, Getty, International Court of Justice, ICJ, Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine – Memorial, Center for Civil Liberties, AFP, UN, New York Times, Brazilian Amazon, Brazil Locations: Norway, Ukraine, Stockholm, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Europe, SIPRI, AFP, Russia, Rome, Belarusian, Russian, Oslo, China, Pakistan, Canada, New York, Mexico, ”, Victoria, Ecuadorian, Brazilian, Amazonia

☆ 2023 on track to be the hottest year as September shatters heat records
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Northern Hemisphere may be transitioning into fall, but there has been no let up from extreme heat. New data shows last month was the hottest September – the fourth consecutive month of such unprecedented heat – putting 2023 firmly on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. That’s well above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold to which countries aim to limit global warming under the Paris Climate Agreement. The extreme September “has pushed 2023 into the dubious honor of first place – on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial average temperatures,” Burgess said. The significant margin by which heat records are being broken matters, she told CNN.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Samantha Burgess, Paulo Amorim, Zeke Hausfather, Maximiliano Herrera, ” Herrera, Chris Ratcliffe, ” Burgess, El Niño, Friederike Otto, ” Otto Organizations: CNN, Bloomberg, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Grantham Institute, Climate, “, United Locations: Paris, Libya, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Canada, South America, York, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Austria, France, Europe, London, Dubai, United Nations, COP28

☆ The rest of 2023 hurricane season in 'uncharted waters' because of El Niño, record ocean temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Experts fear an already active hurricane season could come to an eventful and exceptional end as unusually warm, storm-boosting ocean temperatures and a slow-to-emerge El Niño combine. The first half of October is typically the final stretch of the busiest time of the Atlantic hurricane season. The battle between warm ocean water and the effect of El Niño has posed a forecasting challenge throughout this hurricane season, as one factor is seemingly negating the other. “Usually as we get into the back half of the hurricane season, El Niño tends to dominate, even if the Atlantic is warm. “Is El Niño at some point going to say, ‘Forget this, I’m in charge?’” Klotzbach said.

Persons: Phil Klotzbach, Hurricane Lee, Brian McNoldy, El Niño, Fischer, Klotzbach, we’ve, ” Michael Fischer, ” Fischer, Idalia, Lee –, El, ” Klotzbach, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Colorado State University, Atlantic, Hurricane, University of Miami Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean, Florida, Africa, Bermuda, East, El

Funds continued to purchase NYMEX and ICE WTI (+16 million barrels), reflecting the intensifying squeeze on crude inventories around the delivery point at Cushing in Oklahoma. WTI purchases have totalled 152 million barrels over the five most recent weeks and taken the net position to 286 million barrels (60th percentile for all weeks since 2013). But funds were net sellers of Brent in the most recent week (-22 million barrels) after buying in the three previous weeks (+63 million). Chartbook: Oil and gas positionsOn the product side, fund managers were significant sellers of U.S. gasoline (-13 million barrels) and European gas oil (-7 million), which was only partially offset by some small buying of U.S. diesel (+2 million). U.S. NATURAL GASInvestors became increasingly bearish on the outlook for U.S. gas prices despite progressive elimination of the large inventory surplus inherited from 2022.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Cushing, John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, ICE Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Funds, ICE, U.S ., U.S, Investors, Henry Hub, Climate, Nino, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Cushing, Oklahoma, Brent, Louisiana, U.S, Pacific, Saudi

☆ Ecuador presidential rivals agree tough stance on crime, differ on economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Leftist Luisa Gonzalez, a lawyer and protege of former president Rafael Correa and young businessman Daniel Noboa will compete in a run-off vote on Oct. 15. Gonzalez won the first round with almost 34% of the votes while Noboa took a surprise second place. Both candidates promised in Sunday's debate to get tough on organized crime gangs, to strengthen the security forces and to seek international help to tackle spiraling insecurity. Gonzalez pledged to boost oil production and reiterated plans to inject $2.5 billion of international reserves into the economy. However, he also clarified that a previous proposal to use $1.5 billion of international reserves was for worst-case scenarios only.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Karen Toro, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Noboa, Guillermo Lasso, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, El, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO

☆ Indonesia denies smog from forest fires drifted to Malaysia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Indonesia's Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar responded by saying Jakarta has not detected any travelling haze from Indonesia to neighbouring countries. "We continue to follow up any development and there is no trans-boundary haze to Malaysia," she said in a statement. At the moment, Indonesia is focusing on quelling forest fires in some provinces in Sumatra and Borneo with water bombing from helicopters, the minister added. As well as maritime boundaries, Malaysia shares a land border with Indonesia on Borneo island. While forest fires are typically started by farmers to clear land for plantations, authorities say putting out fires this year has been harder due to El Nino.

Persons: Antara, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, El, Ananda Teresia, Danial Azhar, Gayatri Suroyo, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Rights, Environment, El, El Nino, Authorities, Danial, Thomson Locations: Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, REUTER, Rights JAKARTA, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Jakarta, Central Kalimantan, Jambi, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Panama Canal slashes the number of ships allowed through — drought means there isn't enough water in the channel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Panama Canal Authority has further restricted the number of boats that can cross per day. Traffic restrictions in August caused a backlog of hundreds of ships waiting to cross. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Panama Canal Authority further reduced the number of boats that can transit through the strategic waterway, which has been hit by an intense drought. Unlike the Suez Canal, which relies on seawater, the Panama Canal uses freshwater from an artificial lake to supply its waterway. AdvertisementAdvertisementBecause of this, the canal authority has had to ration the transit through the Panama Canal locks, per the AP.

Persons: —, Avance Gas, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Vásquez, France24 Organizations: Panama Canal Authority, Service, Avance, French Locations: Panama, Suez, France

☆ Mass death of Amazon river dolphins linked to severe drought, heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Bruno Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANAUS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The carcasses of 120 river dolphins have been found floating on a tributary of the Amazon River since last week in circumstances that experts suspect were caused by severe drought and heat. Low river levels during a severe drought have heated water in stretches to temperatures that are intolerable for the dolphins, researchers believe. The Amazon river dolphins, many of a striking pink color, are unique freshwater species found only in the rivers of South America and are one of a handful of freshwater dolphin species left in the world. The scientists do not know with total certainty that drought and heat are to blame for the spike in dolphin mortality. Global warming's role in the current Amazon drought is unclear, with other factors such as El Nino at play.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, El Nino, Miriam Marmontel, Marmontel, Brazil's Chico Mendes, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Mamiraua Institute, Sustainable Development, REUTERS, Rights, Environmental, El, International Union for Conservation, Brazil's Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Thomson Locations: Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, South America, Tefé's, Lake Tefé, Tefé

☆ Veteran investor David Roche has a contrarian call on grain prices, says prices will soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Grain prices have been in freefall of late as investors bet on a resurgence of supply from the U.S., Russia and Ukraine — but veteran strategist David Roche disagrees. Contrary to market consensus, Roche, president and global strategist at Independent Strategy, expects a 13-15% annual increase in wheat prices over the next two years. His comments come as wheat prices remain down around 29% year-to-date and at their lowest levels since September 2020, with short positions — bets that prices will fall — recently hitting a three-month high, according to a report from Independent Strategy. Corn prices are also trading around three-year lows while soybeans recently notched a four-year low. Meanwhile Russia, the world's largest grain exporter, has also produced large harvests which analysts expect to get through export blockades.

Persons: David Roche, Roche, CNBC's, we've Organizations: Independent, El Nino, U.S . Department of Agriculture Locations: Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Mississippi

☆ Ecuador Presidential Rivals Agree Tough Stance on Crime, Differ on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Gonzalez won the first round with almost 34% of the votes while Noboa took a surprise second place. Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso called early elections in May when he dissolved the legislature to avoid an impeachment process. Both candidates promised in Sunday's debate to get tough on organized crime gangs, to strengthen the security forces and to seek international help to tackle spiraling insecurity. Gonzalez pledged to boost oil production and reiterated plans to inject $2.5 billion of international reserves into the economy. However, he also clarified that a previous proposal to use $1.5 billion of international reserves was for worst-case scenarios only.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Daniel Noboa, Gonzalez, Noboa, Guillermo Lasso, Oliver Griffin Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, El

☆ Australia swelters through 'scorching' heat lifting bushfire risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Australia's southeast on Sunday sweltered in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue fire bans for large swaths of New South Wales state. Australia faces a high risk bushfire season as it experiences an El Nino weather event, recently announced, which is typically associated with extreme events like wildfires, cyclones and droughts. State Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the "scorching" heat lifted the risk for bushfires in the week ahead. Fire authorities on Sunday issued nine fire total bans for parts of the state in a bid to reduce the chance of bushfires. Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kingsford, Jihad Dib, Dib, Sam McKeith, Nick Zieminski Organizations: SYDNEY, New, Airport, Emergency Services, Thomson Locations: New South Wales, Sydney, Australia's, Australia, El Nino, Turkey

☆ India's monsoon rains hit five-year low due to El Nino
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nearly half of the farmland in the world's most populous nation lacks irrigation, making the monsoon rains even more vital for agricultural production. The summer rainfall deficit could make staples such as sugar, pulses, rice and vegetables more expensive and lift overall food inflation. The IMD had anticipated a rainfall deficit of 4% for the season, assuming limited impact from El Nino. El Nino is a warming of Pacific waters that is typically accompanied by drier conditions over the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon was uneven, with June rains 9% below average because of the delay in the arrival of rains, but July rains rebounding to 13% above average.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, El Nino, Rajendra, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, El, India Meteorological Department, IMD, El Nino, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, MUMBAI

☆ Mississippi River forecast: Grim outlook for rain and water levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Water levels on the Mississippi River are nearing historic lows for the second consecutive year, triggering a drinking water emergency in Louisiana as ocean water flows upstream, unimpeded by the river’s uncharacteristically weak flow. Lower Mississippi River water levels are forecast to continue to drop through at least mid-to-late October, according to Dedeaux. A confluence of extremesWater levels on the Mississippi River began to plummet in early September, well ahead of the October drop last year. This outlook from the Climate Prediction Center shows how drought is expected to improve in many areas along the Mississippi River which desperately need rain. Sixty percent of the water that flows into the lower Mississippi River comes from the Ohio River, while the other 40 percent comes from the upper Mississippi River, Dedeaux told CNN.

Persons: Katie Dedeaux, “ We’re, Dedeaux, It’s, Cullen Jones, Gerald Herbert, Alexis Highman Organizations: CNN, NOAA, Geological Survey, National Weather Service, Army Corps, New, Louisiana, US Drought Monitor, Forecast Center, Center Locations: Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Jackson , Mississippi, Memphis, Missouri, Lower Mississippi, New Orleans, Mississippi , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Nebraska , Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota , Wisconsin , Iowa , Mississippi, El, Midwest

☆ Bolivia faces water shortage as winter heat wave drives drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bertha Apaza, a local resident, said the extreme heat was a clear sign of shifting climates that had now forced the city to ration water use. Bolivia has experienced some of the most extreme temperatures in August and September, which are usually temperate months. Many of those living in El Alto, a city of around one million people, come from farming communities raising livestock and planting vegetables to survive. Members of the scientific community warn the situation could become critical with the El Nino weather pattern set to arrive in December, potentially altering the forecast and turning up the temperature. El Nino can prompt extreme weather events from wildfires to cyclones and droughts in some areas and more rainfall in others.

Persons: Isabel Apaza, Gabriel Flores, Claudia Morales, LA, Bertha Apaza, Mancilla, Oscar Paz, El Nino, Monica Machicao, Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi, Daniel Ramos, Lucinda Elliott, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, American, Southern, Authorities, El, Universidad Mayor de, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Huarina, Bolivia, LA PAZ, El Alto, Bolivian, La Paz, Neighboring Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Australia, Universidad Mayor de San Andres

☆ Brazil sets up task force for unprecedented drought in Amazon, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is preparing a task force to provide emergency assistance to inhabitants in the Amazon region hit by a severe drought that has impacted the rivers that are their life support, Environment Minister Marina Silva said. Low river levels and hotter waters have killed masses of fish seen floating on river surfaces, contaminating the drinking water, she said. The drought in the Amazon, like the flooding in the south of Brazil, results from the El Niño phenomenon, which warms the surface water in the Pacific Ocean. Silva said this was the effect of a periodic El Niño mixing with changes in weather patterns brought by global warming. Worsened by climate change, this combination has caused drought not seen before in the Amazon and "is incomparably stronger and could happen more frequently," she added.

Persons: Marina Silva, Bruno Kelly, Silva, Lisandra Paraguassu, Anthony Boadle, Alistair Bell, Jamie Freed Organizations: Environment, Reuters, REUTERS, Air Force, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Port, Manaus, Rio, Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil, Acre

☆ Brazil sets up task force for unprecedented drought in Amazon -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Low river levels and hotter waters have killed masses of fish seen floating on river surfaces, contaminating the drinking water, she said. The civil defense agency warned that the drought could eventually impact up to 500,000 people in the Amazon. The drought in the Amazon, like the flooding in the south of Brazil, results from the El Niño phenomenon, which warms the surface water in the Pacific Ocean. Silva said this was the effect of a periodic El Niño mixing with changes in weather patterns brought by global warming. Worsened by climate change, this combination has caused drought not seen before in the Amazon and "is incomparably stronger and could happen more frequently," she added.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Marina Silva, Silva, Lisandra Paraguassu, Anthony Boadle, Alistair Bell, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Environment, Reuters, Air Force, Thomson Locations: Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights BRASILIA, Port, Manaus, Rio, Acre

Riverside Animal Control looks for stray dogs as as the Fairview Fire smoulders near Hemet, California, U.S., September 9, 2022. After disastrous years in 2020 and 2021, wildfire damage this season has been largely limited to the sparsely populated northwest corner of the state. The five-year average over the same interval is 6,142 fires and 1.2 million acres burned. "We're really only a prolonged heatwave followed by a windstorm away from having major fires," Chavez said. UCLA meteorologist Daniel Swain said climate change is going to result in more extreme dry years periodically interspersed with more extreme wet years.

Persons: David Swanson, California's, Tim Chavez, Nick Schuler, Michele Steinberg, Chavez, Daniel Swain, we'll, Swain, Daniel Trotta, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Riverside, REUTERS, of Water Resources, Labor, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Cal Fire, National Fire Prevention, UCLA, YouTube, Thomson Locations: Fairview, Hemet , California, U.S, California, Western Canada, United States, Hawaii, Lahaina, Southern California

☆ California Escapes Fire Season Mostly Unharmed, but Danger Could Lie Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

After disastrous years in 2020 and 2021, wildfire damage this season has been largely limited to the sparsely populated northwest corner of the state. Cal Fire has reported 5,474 wildfires burning 257,407 acres (104,169 hectares) in 2023, similar to the same period of 2022. The five-year average over the same interval is 6,142 fires and 1.2 million acres burned. "We're really only a prolonged heatwave followed by a windstorm away from having major fires," Chavez said. UCLA meteorologist Daniel Swain said climate change is going to result in more extreme dry years periodically interspersed with more extreme wet years.

Persons: Daniel Trotta, California's, Tim Chavez, Nick Schuler, Michele Steinberg, Chavez, Daniel Swain, we'll, Swain, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: of Water Resources, Labor, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Cal Fire, National Fire Prevention, UCLA, YouTube Locations: California, Western Canada, United States, Hawaii, Lahaina, Southern California

☆ An El Niño winter is coming: What could that mean for the US?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

El Niño is one of three phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which tracks water temperature changes in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that can have rippling effects on weather patterns around the globe. A wetter southern tier and a drier northern tier in an outlook for this winter from the Climate Prediction Center have all the fingerprints of an El Niño winter. El Niño winter patterns are less regular in California, the Southwest and the Northeast. The Northeast doesn’t have a well-defined set of expectations during an El Niño winter. A very strong El Niño during the 2015-2016 winter contributed to the warmest winter on record for the US mainland, according to NOAA.

Persons: it’s, Niño, El Niño, Niña, Harry Lynch Organizations: CNN, El, West, NOAA, Rockies, snowpack, ., Raleigh News, Observer, Tribune, Service, Carolinas Locations: El, Southern, Texas , Louisiana, Mississippi, South, Pacific Northwest, Plains, Midwest, Pacific, California, Raleigh , North Carolina, Texas, East Coast

☆ Why all signs point to an Australian summer of heat and fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On top of El Niño, there’s another climate fluctuation in the mix that amps up the likelihood of heat and drought. A fire rages in Bobin, 350 km north of Sydney, on November 9, 2019, during Australia's catastrophic Black Summer fire season. A combination of extreme heat and wind would likely fuel very intense fires “that will seem to come from nowhere,” he added. Whether summer heat will be unprecedented remains uncertain. “Increasing extreme heat is the clearest example,”he said, but it’s worsening the impacts of drought and extreme rain too.

Persons: CNN — It’s, El, ”, David Bowman, Steve Christo, ” Bowman, Karl Braganza, “, –, Peter Parks, Robb Webb, rainier, ” Braganza, Andrea Taschetto, Jason Evans Organizations: CNN, Sydney Marathon, University of Tasmania, Sydney, Getty, Australia’s, Meteorology, El, National Council, University of New Locations: Australia, New South Wales, AFP, Bobin, Sydney, Sydney’s, University of New South Wales

☆ Argentina wheat sales stall as farmers wait for election, rains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Maximilian Heath | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

This figure compares with 5.28 million tons recorded at almost the same date 2022/23, according to the farming secretariat. The Buenos Aires grains exchange forecasts a 2023/24 wheat harvest of 16.5 million tons, up from the previous drought-hit harvest but lower than a peak of 22.4 million tons in 2021/22. Reuters GraphicsWEATHER AT PLAYThe other factor that is holding wheat sales in the weather, after a historic drought hammered crops over the last year. Cane agreed that, along with a drop in international wheat prices compared with last season, climate uncertainty is weighing farmers as they wait for heavier rainfall. A report on Wednesday by the Rosario grains exchange said heavier rain may only arrive "in the last days of September or the first days of October."

Persons: Nina, Agustin Marcarian, Miguel Cane, Cane, Patricia Bullrich, Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Roberto Frigo, Rosario de Tala, Frigo, Maximilian Heath, Nicolás Misculin, Adam Jourdan, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Entre, Tala, Thomson Locations: Navarro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, El, Rosario de, Entre Rios, Rosario

☆ Opinion: Why we’re seeing so many deadly floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Jessica Chia | Opinion Adam H. Sobel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Is this climate change, or just a particularly severe bunch of weather flukes happening in close succession due to the climate’s own natural variability? But climate change acts by loading the dice on many types of weather events. That shouldn’t be comforting; climate change could be playing a larger role than we expect in many of these events. Even without climate change, it would behoove us to catch up on their maintenance, or, where these dams are no longer truly needed, remove them. What we know about climate change and extreme weather should strengthen that motivation; what we don’t know should strengthen it even more.

Persons: Adam H, Sobel, Columbia University’s Lamont, Adam Sobel Danny Goldfield, Daniel, it’s, El Niño, El Niños, El Organizations: Columbia, Fu Foundation School of Engineering, Applied, Twitter, CNN, Humanitarian Affairs, El Locations: Massachusetts, Hong Kong, Greece, Spain, Libya, El, Europe

☆ China's property crisis weighs on developing Asia's 2023 growth outlook - ADB
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Enrico Dela Cruz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Updating its regional economic outlook, the ADB trimmed its 2023 growth forecast for developing Asia to 4.7%, from 4.8% projected in July. But the growth forecast for next year for the grouping, which consists of 46 economies in the Asia-Pacific and excludes Japan, Australia and New Zealand, was revised slightly upwards to 4.8% from 4.7% previously. China's property crisis "poses a downside risk and could hold back regional growth," the ADB said in its report. The Manila-based lender maintained its 2024 growth forecasts for China and India at 4.5% and 6.7% respectively. While growth has so far been robust and inflation pressures are receding in developing Asia, Park said governments need to be vigilant against the many challenges the region faces, including food security.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Albert, Park, Enrico Dela Cruz, Mikhail Flores, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Asian Development Bank, ADB, East, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights MANILA, Asia, El, Pacific, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Manila

☆ Australia braces for severe bushfires as Sydney swelters under record September heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The threat of intense bushfires looms over New South Wales as record spring temperatures and high winds fan the flames of more than 60 blazes already burning in Australia’s most populous state, authorities have warned. Several cities along the east coast saw record spring temperatures Tuesday, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meterology (BOM). Sydney, the NSW capital, was expected to record its hottest September day ever Wednesday, with BOM forecasting a high of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). “The climate influences driving increased risk of bushfire this season are widespread,” said AFAC CEO Rob Webb. On Tuesday, BOM declared an El Niño weather event was underway, which typically results in a warmer, drier spring and summer and an increased risk for bushfires.

Persons: Miriam Bradbury, “, we’ve, ”, Rob Rogers, Rob Webb, climatologist Zhi, Weng Chua, BOM, Karl Braganza Organizations: CNN, Bureau, NSW, Fire Service, Facebook, ABC, Australasian Fire Authorities Council, ”, 9News Locations: New South Wales, Australia’s, Sydney, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Australia, Tennant, Northern Territory, New Zealand, ” Australia, El, BOM

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