Just took a train ride from Vienna to Budapest for a few days, and couldn’t help but notice how very, very dry everything is .. as an Australian living in Europe for a few decades now, I’ve always been intrigued by just how green everything is, literally something growing in every single crack in the pavement, or endless rolling green fields of prosperity during spring - whereas, where I’m from its year-long spinifex…
Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
171–180 of 472 posts
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#172Just took a train ride from Vienna to Budapest for a few days, and couldn’t help but notice how very, very dry everything is .. as an Australian living in Europe for a few decades now, I’ve always been intrigued by just how green everything is, literally something growing in every single crack in the pavement, or endless rolling green fields of prosperity during spring - whereas, where I’m from its year-long spinifex…
El Nino involves moving moisture around, not just reducing precipitation all over. So the opposite can also be seen in some places. The eastern US and parts of the midwest have had a very good year, an the US harvest of maize is projected to be the 2nd highest ever, slightly above 16 billion bushels. Locally (New York state), things have been so wet we're seeing premature leaf drops from maple trees due to leaf fungu…
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an European, no, current situation is unprecedented. It was getting bad already, but like this? Absurd.
I agree with that, but was specifically referring to the description of everything being very dry in that area. I noticed this already 15 years ago, the area around Budapest was much more yellow and dry compared to countries up north. But yes, the intensity and especially the duration of the heat has intensified. I stopped visiting my family in the south of Europe around five years ago, and visit in either fall or sp…
The cities will have to refactor themselves to avoid becoming ovens.
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#174Just came back from a bike tour through rural Bavaria, it's insane how dusty everything is - and that despite a short but intense rain today night. The farmers around here are pretty much screwed this season, and not just the crop farmers but the cattle farmers as well, as they have to buy lots of feed now that they'd only have to buy in winter.
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
0. stop eating meat?
No....because it would make no difference. https://youtu.be/sGG-A80Tl5g?si=dAqbVb9JV_uzLRl1
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#176Just took a train ride from Vienna to Budapest for a few days, and couldn’t help but notice how very, very dry everything is .. as an Australian living in Europe for a few decades now, I’ve always been intrigued by just how green everything is, literally something growing in every single crack in the pavement, or endless rolling green fields of prosperity during spring - whereas, where I’m from its year-long spinifex…
Balaton's current level is something like... 40-50cm so yeah you're right. This is unprecedented
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#177Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#178How do we get Earth back to something resembling the steady state we know can work long term? 1. Electrify almost everything that can reasonably be electrified. Move quickly to EVs, and replace anything that can practically become electric with an electric version. Self driving & fleet utilization will push transportation cost per mile lower than ever before. For the power grid, data centers, and other large 24/7 con…
this tech bro utopia ALWAYS ignores relatively basic solutions. A great example is reliable, regular, and efficient public transit. We don't need self driving cars and all that mumbo jumbo. A bloody train, tram or a bus would solve most of these problems.
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unironically the anti nuclear luddites killed the main chance to be divert climate change that we had over unfounded fearmongering
Successful massive nuclear and renewable deployment at world scale, would it have happened, would have only solved one third of the problem. Agriculture, construction and all carbon-emitting industry processses (steel production) require their own solution too.
I'd take it.
Re: Europe's summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
West coast of Norway. 12-15 degrees and rain most of the summer.
that sounds wonderful from the ~1000 square miles of Phoenix, Arizona, where a century of concrete and asphalt retain so much heat that the clouds bounce around the borders of the heat bubble overhead, unable to dump rain regularly enough to evaporate away the stored heat, but with rainfall regularly visible outside the edges of the metropolitan area, in the wide open skies.
So... I had a look at Eureka CA weather this morning. Looks like Western Norway. Nice. Spending July and August up there might be mandatory for our mental health.
We spent 3 years in Tempe back in the '80s. It sucked then too.