Posted on 17 March 2019 by John Hartz

Story of the Week...

Here's a running list of all the ways climate change has altered Earth in 2019

Earth is now the warmest it's been in some 120,000 years. Eighteen of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record. And concentrations of carbon dioxide — a potent greenhouse gas — are likely the highest they've been in 15 million years.

The consequences of such a globally-disrupted climate are many, and it's understandably difficult to keep track. To help, here's a list of climate-relevant news that has transpired in 2019, from historically unprecedented disappearances of ice, to flood-ravaged cities. As more news comes out, the list will be updated.

Here's a running list of all the ways climate change has altered Earth in 2019 by Mark Kaufman, Science, Mashable, Mar 16, 2019

Editorial of the Week...

Big Oil must choose: bad guys or good guys on climate change

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors and associate professors participate in a Frontiers of Science and Innovation: Future Technologies to Meet the Energy and Climate Challenge talk during the final day of IHS CERAWeek at the Hilton Americas in Houston Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle ) 

There is no better place to be in the energy industry than the United States. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler made that much clear during his opening statement at CERAWeek.

“If you are looking to buy energy on the open market, look to the U.S.” he said Monday. “If you are looking for energy technology or technical assistance, look to the U.S. If you are looking for reliability, certainty, and security, look to the U.S.”

Left unsaid: If you want leadership in the fight to confront climate change, look somewhere else.

Big Oil must choose: bad guys or good guys on climate change by Editorial Board, Houston Chronicle, Mar 14, 2019

El Niño/La Niña Update...

'Monster' El Nino a chance later this year, pointing to extended dry times

Relief for Australia's drought-hit regions could be a long way off, with climate influences in the Pacific and Indian oceans tilting towards drier conditions and a large El Nino event a possibility by year's end.

Sea surface warmth

El Ninos are marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures that typically result in rainfall patterns shifting eastwards away from south-east Asia and the Australian continent.

Climate scientists said the conditions in the Pacific were particularly concerning given an unusual build-up of equatorial heat below the surface that could provide the fuel for a significant El Nino.

If such an event transpires, the Great Barrier Reef would face another bout of mass coral bleaching while the drought gripping southern and eastern Australia could intensify.

'Monster' El Nino a chance later this year, pointing to extended dry times by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Mar 16, 2019 

Toon of the Week...

Hat tip to the 100% Renewable Energy FaceBook page.

SkS in the News...

Gregory Hill's Guest Opinion: Climate change scientists use language accurately — their critics are not (Bucks County Courier Time, Mar 11, 2019) references and draws from the Intermediate versions of two SkS rebuttal articles:

1. What were climate scientists predicting in the 1970s?
2. What has global warming done since 1998? 

Coming Soon on SkS...

• Holistic Management Cannot Reverse Climate Change (Seb V)
• Global Warming ‘Hiatus’ Is the Climate Change Myth That Refuses to Die (Kevin Cowtan & Stephan Lewandowski)
• Editorial cartoonists lampoon, praise Green New Deal (Michael Svoboda)
• Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2018 (Robert McSweeney)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #12 (John Hartz)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #12 (John Hartz)

Climate Feedback Claim Review...

Claim that cows have more impact on climate than cars depends on the timescale

CLAIM

"Burping cows are more damaging to the climate than all the cars on this planet."

VERDICT

SOURCE

Financial Times, 19 Feb. 2019

DETAILS

Lacks context: This statement can be accurate or inaccurate depending on the timeframe you select. Just considering the next couple decades, it's true, but in the longer-term it is not.

Claim that cows have more impact on climate than cars depends on the timescale, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Feb 21, 2019

Poster of the Week...

SkS Week in Review...  

• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11 by John Hartz
• New research, March 4-10, 2019 by Ari Jokimäki
• Hopes for our climate future, YouTube Video by Climate Adam
• Wallace Broecker: Scientists memorialize a titan of climate science by Bud Ward (Yale Climate Connections)
• The temperature evolution after 2016 suggests hotter future by Ari Jokimäki
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #10 by John Hartz