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It
is a simple truth that the vast majority want to ignore, that flora
and fauna are unable to adapt to rapid changes in their environment
such as abrupt climate change.
We
are in the early stages of this. Wait for simultaneous crop failures.
No one wants the truth.
The
European Union may harvest almost
6 million tonnes less wheat this year after crops in the north
of the bloc suffered from a hot, dry spring and amid late signs
of crop damage in top EU producer France, a Reuters poll
showed.
Potential
losses in the EU have added to expectations that ample
global supplies of the food staple will shrink in 2018/19 as
several production regions face adverse weather.
The
28-country EU, collectively the world's largest wheat grower,
should produce 136 million tonnes of soft wheat (common wheat)
this year, an average of 10 estimates show.
That
outlook is 4 percent below a 2017 crop of 141.8 million tonnes,
around the volume forecasters were anticipating for 2018 two
or three months ago.
"It
has been extremely dry since early June and as such crops
have suffered, in particular in northern Europe," Benjamin
Bodart,
director of consultancy CRM AgriCommodities, said.
Exceptionally
warm, dry weather has left grain belts parched around
the Baltic Sea, including parts of Germany, the EU's second
biggest wheat grower.
Irish
Water extends hosepipe ban to rest of country as heatwave continues
The
vast majority of the country officially enters a state of “absolute
drought” today with no rainfall recorded at 24 out of 25 weather
stations during the last two weeks.
The
extreme weather conditions have prompted Irish Water to expand a
hosepipe ban from the Greater Dublin Area to the whole country from
Friday morning.
From
8am on Friday the use of hoses in nearly all circumstances will be
banned across the country. Irish Water warned the ban will likely
continue until at least July 31st in order to allow water sources to
replenish themselves.
The
hot dry spell is expected to continue for the foreseeable future with
Met Éireann saying it does not expect any rainfall within the next
10 days.
On
average, demand across all water resources nationally has increased
by 15 per cent, a level Irish Water said “cannot be sustained for
any period of time”.
UK
heatwave: More wildfires and food shortages loom as temperatures soar
In
some areas grass has stopped growing and crops are ripening too early
while milk yields and animals’ winter food supplies are at risk
Almost
two weeks into a heatwave which has sent temperatures soaring into
the thirties across all four UK nations, forecasters predict
conditions could remain similar for another fortnight.....
It could be a bad summer for dairy farmers, with the National Farmers Union (NFU) warning that in many areas the grass has stopped growing, crops are ripening too early and milk yields and animals’ winter food supplies could be hit.
In
addition, wildlife charities are calling on the public to take action
to help the UK’s small mammals, birds and insects – all already
facing major threats – by helping to provide water sources and
maintaining damp habitats.
Earlier
this week farmers warned of lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli
shortages if there wasn’t enough water to keep irrigation levels
up.
The
British Leafy Salad Association said the heat was wreaking “havoc”
on harvests.
Elsewhere,
fish are being threatened by falling water levels as rivers and
streams run perilously low.
In
Herefordshire the Environment Agency passed electrical currents
through part of the River Teme in order to stun more than 130 trout
and salmon, allowing them to move them downstream to deeper waters.
And
in Ireland, anglers have been asked to avoid using “keep nets”
during the hot weather so they do not distress or accidentally kill
fish they are planning to release.
In
Wales the dry weather has already begun to have a direct impact on
farmers.
Dylan
Morgan, head of policy at NFU Cymru, told The Independent: “It’s
probably the last 10 days or so it’s begun to hit Wales after the
severe heat of last week. The ground is so dry now that the grass is
not growing.
“It
means there’s less fodder available to cattle. Quite a few farmers
are having to use their winter supplies to keep their animals going
to make sure they’re continuing to produce milk.
“The
main concern for everyone is the welfare of their animals and making
sure they’ve got supplies of fresh water. But we’ve got some
streams and wells and boreholes drying up that we haven’t seen dry
up since 1976,” he said.
“We
hope mother nature comes to our rescue and as summer goes on that we
see a more normal period so we can try and make up for some of this.”
Meanwhile,
arable crops are also short of water, resulting in them ripening
earlier. “The harvest hasn’t quite started yet, but with the
water stress on those crops, if this continues there is concern we’ll
see lower yields,” Mr Morgan added.
Consumers
face increasing potato prices as the weather causes havoc with this
year’s crop.
A
combination of the snow and blizzard conditions in February and
March, the ongoing heatwave, and a dearth of rain will seriously
affect crop yields, according to farmers.
Eddie
Doyle, of the potato committee of the Irish Farmers’ Association
(IFA), told the Irish Independent that potatoes had to be planted
late this year.
“Early
growers have suffered because of the cold weather. And once it gets
24C to 25C, they stop growing,” he said.
While
the location of a farm influences when a potato crop will be sown,
many farmers tend to do it around early March – when the country
was covered in snow this year.
“Yield
will be quite light this year. I’d be fairly sure they’ll go up
in price,” he said.
Farmers
have warned of an impending crisis amid drought conditions in parts
of Scotland.
They
said land had been "scorched" during the heatwave, leaving
some struggling to feed livestock.
After
several weeks without significant rainfall, the lack of grass has
also left some unable to make enough silage to see them through the
winter.
That
has led to reports of farmers selling cattle so that they have fewer
mouths to feed.
Not
all farmers are suffering during the heatwave however - with many
soft fruit farms celebrating a bumper harvest
Many
have begun harvesting their crops two weeks early to prevent them
being killed by the high temperatures which have consistently been in
the mid to high twenties for several weeks.
They
say that this could lead to a lower yield which would in turn lead to
higher prices.
Münster/Borken
- The heat combined with the extreme dryness of the nature. The
farmers fear the crop, especially in the münsterland region, it does
not look good.
„Die
Lage auf vielen Feldern ist dramatisch“
Drastic
crop failures, extreme forest fire risk and high consumption of water
for Watering gardens and plants, – the ongoing drought of the past
few months, the münsterland. "In many fields the situation is
dramatic. In some regions, grow a green leaf,“ says Heinrich
Brockhoff, Grain expert of the chamber of agriculture of North
Rhine-Westphalia, based in Münster. After a wet autumn, the cultures
from shoots in the warm months of April, may and June, very quickly.
"And now is parked at extremely high temperatures, the wheat and
the Corn of the faucet. It's really bad,“ said Brockhoff.
"
In many fields the situation is dramatic. In some regions, there is
no green leaf grows more. “
Experts
expect crop losses of up to 30 percent, especially in the North-East
of Germany, the situation was dramatic. In Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania, there are individual regions, in which the surfaces in a
size of 100,000 hectares of nothing more grows. Also in the Western
part of the münsterland, dried up at the moment, particularly on
sandy soils a large part of the plant.
Drastic
crop failures, extreme forest fire risk and high consumption of water
for Watering gardens and plants, – the ongoing drought of the past
few months, the münsterland. "In many fields the situation is
dramatic. In some regions, grow a green leaf,“ says Heinrich
Brockhoff, Grain expert of the chamber of agriculture of North
Rhine-Westphalia, based in Münster. After a wet autumn, the cultures
from shoots in the warm months of April, may and June, very quickly.
"And now is parked at extremely high temperatures, the wheat and
the Corn of the faucet. It's really bad,“ said Brockhoff.
Experts
expect crop losses of up to 30 percent, especially in the North-East
of Germany, the situation was dramatic. In Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania, there are individual regions, in which the surfaces in a
size of 100,000 hectares of nothing more grows. Also in the Western
part of the münsterland, dried up at the moment, particularly on
sandy soils a large part of the plant.
Fear
of loss of yield
The
expected failures, particularly in the case of wheat and Maize in the
districts in the Region, which is strongly represented animal
fattening farms meet. Many farmers feed the harvested Maize and sell
it to appropriate buyers. To a high financial outlay for the
necessary cooling, and irrigation of the stables and Courtyards.
In
addition to the fear of loss of yield, the second highest forest fire
danger in the forests of the country currently. "Especially the
dry grasses, and needles lying on the ground, can ignite at any time,
and represent a tangible risk," says Friedrich Louen, a
spokesman for the Farm forest and wood with seat in Münster. The
forestry experts, there is currently reinforced behavior
recommendations to make the risk even higher. "As simple as it
sounds: But compliance with the smoke - and-barbecue ban in the
forest," said Louen.
Farmers
on Australia's east coast are being driven to the brink by
devastating drought, with some regions experiencing the driest start
to the year ever recorded.
In
its monthly drought report released yesterday, the Bureau of
Meteorology said June rainfall was below average for the Kimberley,
south-western Western Australia, most of the Northern Territory and
much of South Australia and Queensland.
But
it's farmers in NSW – especially the far west and north-western
areas – that are feeling the effects of drought the most.
"While
the dry spell is affecting all inland districts across the state,
some of the most notable rainfall deficiencies during the last six
months have occurred in the far west," Weatherzone's Ben
Domensino said.
"Broken
Hill collected just 18.2mm of rain during the last six months, which
makes this their driest first half of a year in records dating back
to the late 1800s.
It’s
been few and far between and the lack of it has broken all-time
records, especially in western NSW. That’s rain we’re talking
about of course.
NSW
in general has had its driest start to a year in 30 years, but in
some areas of NSW, it’s the driest it’s ever been. That’s
despite some solid rain in the last week in parts of central NSW and
in the far north of the Northern Tablelands.
Broken
Hill collected just 18.2mm of rain during the last six months, which
makes this their driest first half of a year in records dating back
to the late 1800s, according to Weatherzone.
“Further
east, Cobar hasn't fared much better. The Cobar Meteorological
Office's 24.4mm during the first half of 2018 was the town's lowest
January to June total since 1902 and the second lowest on record,”
Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino said.
“Parts
of western NSW just had their driest first half of a year on record,
with the prospect of El Nino still looming in the months ahead. Most
of western NSW received less than half of its average rainfall during
the first half of 2018 and every month since January has been drier
than usual for the state as a whole.
“While
the dry spell is affecting all inland districts across the state,
some of the most notable rainfall deficiencies during the last six
months have occurred in the far west.”
Broken
Hill resident Mark Hutton, from the Darling River Action Group, said
he went to Menindee Lakes last weekend and there was a dead emu every
20 metres by the banks of the lake. “They can get water, but
there’s just no feed,” he said. “We are in drought seven years
out of 10 but this has been very bad. We have had virtually no rain
all year. It’s taking its toll on the wildlife. There’s hundreds
of dead emus, dead pelicans and other birds all around the Lake
system. It’s terrible to see.”...
...The
Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) was not going to offer any relief as well
as it was in a neutral phase.
A
positive phase of the IOD can cause below average rainfall and above
average temperatures in NSW during winter and spring, while the
opposite is true for the negative IOD phase.
Currently,
all six of the climate models surveyed by the bureau indicate that
neutral IOD conditions should persist during the rest of winter and
spring. A neutral IOD causes little change to Australia's climate.
Meanwhile,
the Department of Primary Industries’ droughthub map gives a sorry
sight on how bad things are despite the recent rainfall events, with
the majority of the state either in drought or on drought watch.
There is only 0.1 per cent of NSW that is declared “non-drought”
on the DPI’s droughthub map.
Perhaps not all droughts are caused by man-made climate change, particularly in the war-torn Middle East?
Iraq
after Isis: After decades of war – including the last battle
against Isis – Iraq is in danger of losing the waters of the Tigris
and Euphrates. In the first part of a new series, Patrick Cockburn
reports that as Turkey, Syria and Iran dam its rivers, parts of the
country are turning into desert
“I
once rescued a friend from drowning when he was swept away by the
force of the current as we were swimming in the Diyala river,” says
Qasim Sabti, a painter and gallery owner in Baghdad.
“That
was 50 years ago,” he recalls. “I went back there recently and
the water in the Diyala is so shallow today that a man could walk
across it with his dog.”
The
rivers of Iraq, above all the Tigris and Euphrates, are drying up.
The country is becoming more arid, and desertification is eating into
the limited amount of agricultural land.
Dams
built upriver in Turkey, Syria and Iran since the 1970s have reduced
the flow of water that reaches Iraq by as much as half and the
situation is about to get worse.
“On
1 July, Turkey will start filling the Ilisu dam on the Tigris and
this will cause another decline in the inflows to our country of
about 50 per cent,” Hassan Janabi, minister of water resources,
told The Independent.
He
says that Iraq used to get 30 billion cubic metres of water a year
from the Euphrates, but now “we are happy if we get 16 billion
cubic metres”.
Earlier
this week, the Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization blamed
Iran’s drought on “cloud and snow theft,” allegedly engineered
by Israel.
In
a series of comments at the Third National Conference on
Non-Proactive Defense in Agriculture on civil defense tactics in
agriculture, held in Tehran on Monday, Brigadier General Gholam Reza
Jalali condemned Israel for its severe drought, insisting that the
country has fallen victim to the ‘Jewish State stealing its rain.’
Brigadier
General Gholam Reza Jalali addressing media earlier this weak about
rain theft via Israel. (Source: Iranian Students’ News Agency)
He
said Iranian academic institutions had confirmed that foreign
entities played a significant role in manipulating weather patterns
over the country. A scientific study conducted in the country
“confirms” the validity behind Jalali’s accusation — mostly
directed at Israel, said Iranian Students’ News Agency.
“Foreign
interference is suspected to have played a role in climate change,”
Jalali emphasized. “Israel and another country in the region have
joint teams which work to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are
unable to release rain,” a translated report from the Tasnim News
Agency quoted Jalali as saying.
Jalali
went in depth to describe the scientific evidence supporting his
claims. He said a recent study carried out over the past four years
regarding the climate of high altitudes from Afghanistan to the
Mediterranean Sea indicated that all elevations above 2,200 meters
(7,217 feet) in these regions, except in Iran, have a dense layer of
snow.
Tasnim
News Agency said climate change has caused many arid and semi-arid
areas around the world, including Iran, to suffer from severe
drought, which has forced Iran’s Ministry of Energy and the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) into cloud-seeding operations.
Ahad
Vazife, the head of the Islamic Republic’s meteorological service,
acknowledged that Jalali’s statements regarding Israel stealing
Iran’s rain was scientifically impossible.
“[General
Jalali] probably has documents of which I am not aware, but on the
basis of meteorological knowledge, it is not possible for a country
to steal snow or clouds,” Vazife was quoted by ISNA, according to
The Times of Israel.
Twitter
users erupted with laughter in both countries this week, after
Jalali’s statements on Monday. Here are some of the tweets:
One
IDF reservist said, “Special Israeli Mossad agent stealing #Iran’s
clouds in action.”
Special Israeli Mossad agent stealing #Iran's clouds in action.
An
Israeli Diplomat in the US tweeted, “The uber-genius head of
☫#Iran’s civil defense organization Brigadier General Gholam
Ridha Jalali presented a research which proves Israel is stealing the
rain and snow clouds destined to Iran, to cause a drought now that’s
true @NobelPrize material!”
The uber-genius head of ☫#Iran's civil defense organization Brigadier General Gholam Ridha Jalali presented a research which proves Israel is stealing the rain and snow clouds destined to Iran, to cause a droughtnow that's true @NobelPrize material!
english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle…
Ex-Deputy
Head of Iran’s Dept. of Environment tweeted, “Developing a
conspiracy theory is the best strategy to justify failure! Head of
Iran’s Civil Defense Organization is skeptical of #ClimateChange
and claims that Israel & ‘one of the neighbors’ have caused a
#drought in Iran by stealing clouds & snow! #CloudStealing.”
Developing a #conspiracy theory is the best strategy to justify failure!
Head of #Iran's Civil Defense Organization is skeptical of #ClimateChange and claims that Israel & 'one of the neighbors' have caused a #drought in Iran by stealing clouds & snow!#CloudStealing#ابردزدی
As
a reminder, weather warfare or the use of weather modifications for
purposes of causing damage or destruction was prohibited by world
governments on May 1977 in Geneva and entered into force on October
1978 via the Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD).
While
the technology for weather manipulation has been around for decades,
it is anyone’s guess to the validity of Iran’s claims that Israel
is stealing its water through weather modification techniques.
However, it is important to know that the technology does exist and
both countries want to nuke each other.
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