Collapse Catch-Up: June 24-30, 2023
Welcome to the 20th edition of Collapse Catch-Up, a weekly newsletter that catches you up on the latest signs that we are living through the collapse of global industrial civilization. You can find the 19th edition here.
This week I have news about widespread heat waves, declining crop yields, failed climate goals, rapidly melting ice sheets, the danger of forever chemicals, ecosystems collapsing faster than expected, and much more. Here we go…
Heat & Fire
Texas continues to bake under a record-breaking heat wave that las lasted for weeks. Several cities have hit or surpassed 110°F, making Texas one of the hottest places on Earth. The rate of emergency visits for heat-related conditions is up 30% from last year, and there have been at least 13 deaths. But that’s not nearly as bad as Mexico, where the heat has caused over 100 deaths.
The historic heat wave has led to an all-time record demand for energy as people crank up their air conditioners. The heat heave is expected to get even worse, and now it’s spreading to other states across the US including New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Officials fear the heat will cause energy shortages across 2/3 of North America.
Technically, this heat wave could have happened even if there were no climate change, but scientists calculate that climate change made the heat wave five times more likely, and they know exactly how. As the Arctic warms, the jet stream is becoming more unstable. It’s gotten so chaotic that it looks like a Van Gogh painting, and this has allowed the development of a heat dome over Texas and Mexico.
The wildly undulating jet stream is also partly responsible for the worst wildfire season in Canadian history. Over 250 wildfires have already burned a total of 20 million acres, releasing over 600 million tons of carbon dioxide. Smoke from the wildfires has blanketed the Great Lakes region and has reached as far as Europe.
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