Changes in Amazon vegetation resilience since the 1990s and from 2003. (a) A map of the Kendall τ values of individual grid cells from 2003. (b) Histogram of the Kendall τ values for the Amazon rainforest, considering data from 2003 onwards. Of the grid cells, 76.2 percent have a positive Kendall τ value from 2003 onwards and 77.8 percent have this for the full time series. (c) Mean Vegetation Optical Depth (VOD) AR(1) time series (solid line) along with ±1 s.d. (dotted lines) created from grid cells that have BL fraction ≥80 percent in the Amazon basin and also contain no human land use (main text and Methods). The full AR(1) time series from 1991 (grey) has a Kendall τ value of 0.589 (P = 0.006) and from 2003 (black), a value of 0.913 (P 

The Amazon Rainforest is approaching a tipping point beyond which it would become savannah – “When it will be observable, it would likely be too late to stop it”

By Eric Shank 14 March 2022 (Salon) – A vast expanse of unique biological diversity hangs in the balance as the “lungs of the world” approach a tipping point from which there is no recovery. The Amazon Rainforest is losing its ability to regenerate, reported a peer-reviewed study, Monday, in Nature Climate Change. For 10% of all known species on […]

Aerial view of an area in the Amazon deforested for the expansion of livestock, in Lábrea, Amazonas state. The Amazon is still covered in smoke and torn by criminal and unrestrained destruction, according to overflights produced by the Amazon in Flames Alliance, organized by Amazon Watch, Greenpeace Brazil and the Brazilian Climate Observatory. The expedition took place between September 13th and 17th 2021, in the cities of Porto Velho (Rondônia state) and Lábrea (southern Amazonas state). Photo: Victor Moriyama / Amazônia em Chamas / Greenpeace

Brazil detects record Amazon deforestation in January and February 2022 – Forest destruction rate in 2021 was highest in ten years

By David Biller 11 March 2022 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Detected deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached a record high for the month of February following a similar record the prior month. Satellite alerts of deforestation in February corresponded to 199 square kilometers (77 square miles), the highest indicator for that month in seven […]

FAO Food Price Index, January 1961 - February 2022. In February 2022, the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI), averaged 140.7 points, up 5.3 points (3.9 percent) from January and as much as 24.1 points (20.7 percent) above its level a year ago. This represents a new all-time high, exceeding the previous top of February 2011 by 3.1 points. The February rise was led by large increases in vegetable oil and dairy price sub-indices. Cereals and meat prices were also up, while the sugar price sub-index fell for the third consecutive month. Graphic: FAO

FAO Food Price Index rose to new all-time high in February 2022

4 March 2022 (FAO) – The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 140.7 points in February 2022, up 5.3 points (3.9 percent) from January and as much as 24.1 points (20.7 percent) above its level a year ago. This represents a new all-time high, exceeding the previous top of February 2011 by 3.1 points. The […]

Map showing no-contest elections, coups, and power grabs globally in 2021. Numbers indicate score declines for events in 2021, on a 100-point scale, in the 2022 edition of the “Freedom in the World” report. Coups were more common in 2021 than in any of the previous 10 years. Graphic: Freedom House

The global expansion of authoritarian rule – “The present threat to democracy is the product of 16 consecutive years of decline in global freedom”

By Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz 24 February 2022 (Freedom House) – Global freedom faces a dire threat. Around the world, the enemies of liberal democracy—a form of self-government in which human rights are recognized and every individual is entitled to equal treatment under law—are accelerating their attacks. Authoritarian regimes have become more effective at […]

Cattle gather next to a column of fire in Santo Tome, Corrientes province, Argentina, on Sunday, 20 February 2022. Fires continue to ravage the Corrientes province that has burnt more than a half-million hectares. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo

Wildfires ravage northern Argentina – “It never happened to us, we never lived something like this”

By Victor Caivano 21 February 2022 CORRIENTES, Argentina (AP) – Wildfires that have been ravaging northern Argentina for several weeks advanced relentlessly Sunday, although the light rains that began over the weekend gave some hope to firefighters. Corrientes province is the most affected area, where officials said at least eight separate fires continued to burn […]

Raw data and modelled estimates for the percentage of pathogen isolates that are resistant by country and territory, 2019. Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (A), isoniazid and rifampicin co-resistant (excluding XDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (B), third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli (C), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (D), fluoroquinolone-resistant E coli (E), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (F), and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant K pneumoniae (G). Locations with no data or modelled estimates are presented in white. XDR=extensively drug resistant. Graphic: Murray, et al., 2022 / The Lancet

Drug-resistant bacteria kill 1.2 million globally – “This new study clearly demonstrates the existential threat that resistance poses to global health and modern medicine”

By Mike Stobbe 20 January 2022 NEW YORK (AP) – Antibiotic-resistant germs caused more than 1.2 million deaths globally in one year, according to new research that suggests that these “superbugs” have joined the ranks of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. The new estimate, published Thursday in the medical journal Lancet, is not a […]

Satellite view with heat map showing temperatures rising to 45C (113F) in Argentina on 11 January 2022. At the start of 2022, Argentina faced a historic heatwave with temperatures soaring above 40°C. On the day this image was acquired, Buenos Aires recorded a temperature of 41.1°C, the second highest in the history of the Argentine capital. Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-3A imagery

Power grid fails as Argentina hit by record-breaking heatwave – Temperatures hit 45°C (113°F) with extreme heat set to last until the weekend

By Harry Cockburn 12 January 2022 (The Independent) – A historic heatwave with temperatures soaring up to 45°C (113°F) has hit Argentina, causing power grids to fail and leaving at least 700,000 people without electricity in Buenos Aires. Hot dry weather, driven by the Pacific Ocean’s La Niña weather pattern, has made the South American […]

Temperature forecast for South America, 10 January 2022 - 23 January 2022. Temperatures in Argentina were expected to may soar above 40°C (104°F) in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entre Rios and Santiago del Estero. Graphic: WeatherOnline

Argentina braces for heatwave, with temperatures set to pass 40°C (104°F) – Buenos Aires could become the hottest place on Earth for a few hours – 4 found dead with piranha bites in Paraguay while swimming to escape heat

7 January 2022 (Buenos Aires Times) – An extreme heatwave is expected to hit Argentina, with experts warning temperatures may soar above 40°C in parts of the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entre Rios and Santiago del Estero. According to a specialist weather company, some of the aforementioned places could become the hottest […]

Map showing the near-surface air temperature differences from the 1981-2010 average for January to September 2021. Data are from the ERA5 reanalysis product. Graphic: C3S / ECMWF

State of the Climate in 2021: Past seven years are on track to be the seven warmest on record – “Extreme events are the new norm”

GENEVA, 31 October 2021 (WMO) – Record atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and associated accumulated heat have propelled the planet into uncharted territory, with far-reaching repercussions for current and future generations, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The past seven years are on track to be the seven warmest on record, according to the provisional WMO […]

Map showing blended land and sea surface temperature anomalies in October 2021, relative to the 1981-2010 base period. The unusually warm temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere land resulted in the warmest October on record for the Northern Hemisphere land, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 by 0.11°C (0.20°F). The 10 warmest Octobers for the Northern Hemisphere have occurred since 2003. Graphic: NOAA / NCEI

October 2021 was Earth’s fourth-warmest October on record and warmest on record over Northern Hemisphere land areas

By Jeff Masters and Bob Henson 15 November 2021 (Yale Climate Connections) – October 2021 was Earth’s fourth-warmest October since global record-keeping began in 1880, 0.89 degree Celsius (1.60°F) above the 20th-century average, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, NCEI, reported November 15. NASA also reported October 2021 as the fourth-warmest October on record, 1.23 degrees Celsius (2.21°F) […]

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