TICK TOCK THE CLIMATE CLOCK, PART ONE

NASA Earth Observatory, Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf

Does anybody really know what time it is? Is it five minutes to Midnight or five minutes past? Let’s take a quick look at the climate change headlines from last week, and then let’s synchronize our watches.

· Wait! What? Last week it was warmer in the UK than it was in Bermuda. The record heat was so far above normal, that scientists had to reconsider their statistical models. The Guardian, 02.03.2019

· Bye bye, Great Barrier Reef. All-time heat records were broken across Australia this summer. Typically, seasonal records are set by small margins, but this summer's heat obliterated them. Axios, 02.03.2019

· Is it just me, or is it hot in here? 2018 was Earth’s fourth warmest year, EU scientists find. Axios, 07.01.2019

· Let them eat cake! The world is losing fish to eat as oceans warm. Fisheries provide a vital source of protein for over half the global population as well as income for over 56 million people. The New York Times, 28.02.2019

· Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Severe flooding in Northern California turned the town of Guerneville on (in?) the Russian River into an island. The Washington Post, 27.02.2019

· That should make quite a splash! An iceberg twice the size of New York City is about to break off Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf. (See NASA photo above.) The Washington Post, 25.02.2019

· Gold! It's not just about decor anymore! Evidence for man-made global warming has reached a “gold standard” level of certainty, according to a US-led team of climate scientists. World News, 25.02.2019

· Ladies and gentlemen, we have a New Normal! A recent study found that extreme weather can feel normal after just a few years. “The definition of ‘normal weather’ shifts rapidly over time in a changing climate,” the authors wrote. The New York Times, 26.02.2019

Cult-ivating Climate Science. The President's reported pick to chair his Presidential Committee on Climate Security is William Happer, a retired Princeton physics professor with no expertise in climatology. He has called climate science a "cult," and actually said in a 2014 CNBC interview: “The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler. Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews. " Everybody got that? Good to go then! Huffpost, 26.02.2019

No pretty photos with this post. Climate change is not a pretty story.

Keep it real!

Marilyn

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