A week of deadly warnings as the UN issues a code-red for mankind, NOAA claim July was the hottest ever recorded, scientist claim the Gulf Stream is slowing, Europe hits its highest temp ever and 7 massive deadly quakes rumble in just 24 hours around the globe

Credit NOAA

You may not have noticed but it has been a very difficult week for many this week the UN claimed Global warming is 'unequivocally' human-driven, at an unprecedented rate as they issued a "code-red" for mankind. NOAA has also thrown its 10 cents into the bag claiming July was the hottest ever recorded. It was a week when Europe recorded its hottest temp ever when Italy saw a record-breaking 48.8 deg C, 120 deg F on the mercury, and Spain clocked a preliminary record of 47.2 C (116.96 F).

Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet’s main potential tipping points. The research found “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century” of the currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown.

Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America, and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level in eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets.

Yesterday a string of massive earthquakes rocked the globe. A very shallow, powerful mag 7.2 rocked Haiti killing more than 300 people and injuring nearly 2,000. Their Prime Minister has warned of "extensive damage" and declared a month-long state of emergency. You may remember Haiti is still reeling from the devastating earthquake in 2010 which killed 220,000 people injured 300,000 and left 1.5 million homeless.

To make matters worse, Tropical Storm Grace could hit Haiti early next week with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain and Tropical Storm could also regain strength according to the National Hurricane Center. 

The Haiti quake was the 7th massive quake have rocked the planet in a 24 hour period yesterday. In the South Sandwich Islands, just seconds apart, off the east coast of Argentina yesterday a mag 8.1, the second biggest quake of the year followed a mag 7.5 quake just a few seconds earlier, 3 major quakes, mag 6 or higher hit the area earlier. The area continues to be rocked by after shocks. Also yesterday a powerful mag 6.9 struck Alaska.

In Japan, two million people have been urged to evacuate after torrential flooding in the Hiroshima area. More rain is expected in the coming days. Rain is causing havoc around the world but is widely not reported.

This week, in the central African Republic thousands have been affected after floods and rain destroyed homes in Bangui. In  India, 7 rivers above the danger mark in Bihar, have caused floods affecting 250,000 people this week. Fresh flooding in central China has killed another 21 people. In Sudan. The list goes on. 

Even a one-time climate skeptic, Russia's Vladimir Putin is worried about the scale of natural disasters hitting Russia this year.  He has gone on record this week as saying 2021 is "absolutely unprecedented" as fire and floods ravage the massive country.

In California, small towns are now so desperate for water hotel owners are charging guests 5 dollars for a five minutes shower and are sending the guest outside to use portable toilet cabins and as the drought drags on the water shortage will continue. 

Southern Europe became the third continent in the last three years to be devastated by out-of-control record-breaking wildfires. In 2019/20 Australia lost 25% of its temperate forests along with a 60% summer crop loss and 3 billion animals to their worst wildfire in Australia's history. 2020 saw North America's West coast succumb to the worst wildfire crisis in their history and, in the summer of 2021 Europe is in flames. But while humans are finding it difficult animals are suffering terribly.

In the US for example, if you are a longtime bird watcher or one of the legions who have started that hobby while stuck at home during the pandemic, you may have heard there's a mystery disease affecting songbirds in the eastern United States. It's just the latest assault on those birds, which have seen a 25% decline in their population in the past 50 years. A new mystery disease is not only affecting the eyes of songbirds but causes them to have seizures and other neurological symptoms. It's just another problem with the ongoing threat to songbirds from diseases and domestic predators such as cats. Their populations are declining. "One in four are gone in the last 50 years".

Starting last week, regional residents reported numerous dead seabirds washing up on regional beaches. UAF Alaska Sea Grant Agent Gay Sheffield said the uptick in washed-up sea bird carcasses on beaches started last week, July 28. Different species of sea birds were washed onto beaches at Golovin, Solomon, Nome. On August 2, a Nome resident found 15 dead birds on a 7.2 mile-stretch at Nome’s West Beach. The birds were one-horned puffin, six murres, seven shearwaters, and one kittiwake. Sheffield said multiple species were found dead and that preliminary analysis found them in a severely emaciated state. The birds will be examined for disease or harmful algal biotoxins but the likely cause of death is probably starvation and these birds have been dying by the hundreds of thousands since 2016. 

Migrating storks crossing through Greece on their way to Africa have fallen victim to the wildfires raging across the country for the past week, becoming disoriented by the flames and getting lost, injured, or killed, wildlife groups said. Every year, storks cross the Attica region around Athens, heading for Cape Sounion about 70km (45 miles) southeast of the capital where they wait for favorable winds to help carry them across the Mediterranean into Africa for the winter. “Unfortunately, they were passing at the time of the fire,” said Maria Ganoti, president of the Hellenic Wildlife Care Association ANIMA, which nurses and rehabilitates wild animals at its first aid center in Athens. She said for the past three days storks were being found in “places where they would never have been, like in Vrilissia, in Halandri, on the apartment buildings,” referring to two residential areas in northern Athens. In the unfamiliar urban terrain, some of the birds have become confused and large numbers have died after crashing into power lines and electricity pylons. “It is the first time we have had so many dead storks in Athens,” she said. “People in Athens are picking up dead storks from their lawns.”

Unliveable Hell-Hole

Untold millions of people are being displaced along with billions of animals as their environment is gobbled up by rich planners and callous businessmen. More animals and an ever-increasing number of humans too are lost every year due to wildfires, drought, heat, cold, floods, disease, neglect, over-farming, and natural disasters. Many billions of birds are dying around the world. Billions of fish are being brutally overfarmed and are not being replenished which is causing a knock-on effect in our oceans causing other fish and mammals and migrating seabirds to die of starvation. Crops are failing around the world along with soil erosion due to climate change. Millions of farms are going bust due to Covid-19, pest and disease invasions, and extreme weather events. We are beginning to see huge populated areas of the world which are becoming impossible to live in, areas that for years have been heavily populated and teeming with life and vegetation. But now, for certain parts of the year at the very least, have become "unlivable," due mainly to extreme climate events such as wildfires, droughts, flooding, and hurricanes.

The population of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, bees, and butterflies has seen an incredible decline of almost 70% since 1970. Just stop here and wonder! Can you imagine if 70% of humans had died since 1970? Well, I’m sorry but, it is about to happen to us in the “VERY NEAR” future and I think we are too late, we can’t stop it and it will happen very quickly too, we are seeing it now, our cities are becoming unlivable at least for parts of the year due to extreme weather events and our fragile infrastructure, which cannot cope just when we need it. Have we left it too late to stop the decline? Hard to get your head around it, isn't it?

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