Meteorologists are reaching for superlatives to describe an oncoming heat wave so intense and rare for this time of year that it could leave some locations shattering their all-time temperature records for April before that month has even begun.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/17/weather/heat-wave-west-records-climate-change

#extremetemps #climate

When I read Murakami, I feel as though something in my mind opens up, as if he’s shifted the walls of my imagination.

#reading #books

On the other side of the world ...

Brazil has released its first major climate‑mitigation update since 2008, outlining goals through 2035.

The plan places ending all deforestation by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 67% compared with 2005 levels.

This is significant because around 40% of Brazil’s emissions come from deforestation, largely driven by illegal land clearing for agriculture.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/17/brazil-s-new-climate-plan-prioritizes-stopping-deforestation_6751513_4.html

#forest #climate #environment

There is a pattern, by now tediously familiar, to the British energy crisis.Trouble abroad sends gas prices soaring, and British households pay. Politicians express concern. Economists discuss volatility and global markets. We are told this is unavoidable.

It is not. The crisis is not only geopolitical.

It’s the result of a market design that functions exactly as intended . And that design is a political choice, not an inevitability.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/why-ed-miliband-is-right-about-britains?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Trump spent his term insulting U.S. allies, threatening about taking Greenland by force, and slapping tariffs, all under the banner of ‘America First.’

Now, faced with the potential disastrous consequences of his own decisions, he wants to hand the responsibility off to NATO, as if the alliance were some kind of hired muscle meant to carry out his wishes and clean up his mess.

NATO is a defensive alliance, not a mercenary force at the disposal of the United States.

Humans can make the world an ugly place, but nature is always here to remind us that beauty still exists.

This photograph, which won the 2026 British Wildlife Awards, captures a toad gliding through the clear waters of a Sheffield lake, beneath the quiet shelter of bare treetops - a small, still moment of grace in an imperfect world.

The weekend is here. Take a moment to slow down and hold close the people and things that matter most.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-toad-the-lake-and-everything?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#nature #wildlifephotography

El Niño is likely to return in 2026, and push global temperatures into uncharted territory. Whether it arrives with a roar this year or quietly builds toward 2027, one thing is no longer in doubt.

The planet is on a trajectory where records exist to be broken. We once treated each new temperature record as an anomaly. We are now learning that anomaly can evolve into routine.

And when the anomaly becomes the routine, it’s the routine you should be afraid of.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/the-heat-is-coming-back?triedRedirect=true&_src_ref=mastodon.social

Sam Altman: “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.”

Meaning: We stole all your knowledge , writing, and art, and now we’re gonna put a meter on it and sell it back to you. You’re welcome.”