Summer of extremes View Online [[link removed]] | Subscribe now [[link removed]]Powered byKnow better. Do better.Climate. Change.News from the ground, in a warming world

By Alister Doyle [[link removed]] | Climate Correspondent

Human fingerprint on the weather

In a summer of extreme weather in the northern hemisphere, heatwaves are again scorching parts of Europe, California is struggling with floods and wildfires are raging across Canada's British Columbia province.

For scientists - and journalists - it's always hard to know when to link bleak news about the weather to a changing climate. Extreme storms, droughts and floods have, after all, happened throughout history.

Increasingly, scientists say the weather has become like dice in the hands of a crooked gambler in a casino weighted to land more frequently on six - extremes are happening far more than they would by pure chance.

Residents of the town of Aguamansa watch the wildfires rage out of control on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

The buildup of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels, is supercharging the weather and ushering in a "new normal" of formerly freak events, from downpours to wildfires.

Nova Scotia, on Canada's east coast, has been a relative haven from the changing climate [[link removed]]. But even here, storms, floods and a cold snap and wildfires have struck in the past year.

Our correspondent David Sherfinski met farmer Matthew Roy, who even manages to joke grimly about the plagues that may be yet to come.

"Let's bring it all on. We had the floods, we had the dry (spell), we had the fires – let's bring the locusts and see what happens," he said.

Nowadays, scientists have more and more data to show the links between climate change and weird weather.

June heatwaves in the United States and Mexico and Europe would have been "virtually impossible" without man-made climate change [[link removed]], according to the World Weather Attribution initiative, a group of climate scientists.

They examine historical records to work out how rare an extreme event would be in the late 1800s and then compare that with the frequency now in a world with temperatures about 1.2 Celsius (2.2 Fahrenheit) hotter.

And what can be done to limit damage from wildfires as some areas become tinderboxes? The wildfires on Hawaii's Maui have killed at least 114 people, the deadliest U.S. wildfires in more than a century.

Another of our correspondents, Michael Taylor, has looked at the ways we can prevent wildfire disasters [[link removed]] - often caused by human activities including farm expansion, camp fires and climate change.

Technology leaders attend a generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) meeting in San Francisco as the city is trying to position itself as the AI capital of the world, in California, U.S., June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

AI and climate change

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a new problem to solve - how to limit its gargantuan use of electricity and water to cool data servers run by tech giants such as Google and Microsoft.

"ChatGPT needs to 'drink' a 500ml bottle of water for a simple conversation of roughly 20-50 questions and answers, depending on when and where ChatGPT is deployed", according to research by the University of California, Riverside.

Read our correspondent Adam Smith's article about the tech companies' quest to limit harm to the environment [[link removed]].

By 2030, Google plans to replenish 120% of the freshwater it consumes by investing in projects to restore or conserve resources, such as in rivers or lakes.

The United Nations has predicted that the need for water will exceed supply by 40% by 2030, and estimated that the number of people in cities facing water scarcity will rise from 930 million in 2016 to between 1.7 and 2.4 billion people in 2050.

A general view of the plough roundabout in Hemel Hempstead, Britain March 24, 2020. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

A roundabout way to fix climate change?

The "Lord of the Rings" has a new spinoff - the grand title of a man seeking to promote traffic roundabouts.

Kevin Beresford, chair of the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society, says roundabouts cause fewer accidents than traffic lights at intersections.

They also save fuel and carbon dioxide emissions because drivers usually merely slow down when they negotiate a roundabout, without having to stop at a red light.

Our video producer Fintan McDonnell made a fun report after visiting Beresford by the first roundabout in England [[link removed]], set up in 1909.

"Wake up America, wake up!" he encourages the United States, where stop lights are the norm. A rare U.S. exception is the city of Carmel [[link removed]], Indiana, with about 100,000 people and 138 roundabouts.

Please get in touch if you have smart ideas!

Alister

This week's top picks What are the environmental costs of AI? [[link removed]]

Artificial intelligence uses a lot of energy and water, posing climate concerns for tech giants like Google and Microsoft

Climate haven no more? Floods and fires hit farmers in east Canada [[link removed]]

Here's how Canadian farmers are recovering from record wildfires - and steeling for future climate change impacts

Trash to treasure: Indonesian firm turns plastic into bricks [[link removed]]

Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, has a construction boom and plastic waste problem; solving both could help achieve its climate goals

How can we prevent wildfire disasters? [[link removed]]

Deadly wildfires on Maui island come weeks after fires linked to climate change caused devastation in Canada and Greece. Can anything be done to stop them?

How is Inflation Reduction Act helping U.S. fight climate change? [[link removed]]

Biden's key climate legislation is driving clean energy investments and green jobs

How will India find the climate finance it needs to go green? [[link removed]]

Funding the energy transition will be discussed at G20 summit, with host India needing trillions of dollars just for its own plans

Read all of our coverage here [[link removed]] Editor's pick Roundabouts are good for the planet. Why don’t we see more? [[link removed]]

Kevin is the UK’s top roundabout fan. What can his obsession teach us about cutting emissions from traffic?

[[link removed]]Discover more Nature [[link removed]] Climate Risks [[link removed]] Net Zero [[link removed]] Just Transition [[link removed]] Climate Justice [[link removed]] Green Cities [[link removed]] Thank you for reading!

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