Europe Experiencing A Historic Winter Warm Spell

Washington Post: Thousands of records shattered in historic winter warm spell in Europe 

As 2022 turned to 2023, an exceptionally strong wintertime heat dome pounced on much of Europe, producing unprecedented warmth for January. 

As temperatures soared 18 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 20 Celsius) above normal from France to western Russia, thousands of records were broken between Saturday and Monday — many by large margins. 

The extreme warm spell followed a record-warm year in many parts of Europe and provided yet another example of how human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extraordinary weather events.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This is a Godsend to those who were worried about a very cold winter and not enough energy supplies to keep everyone warm.

Is Steak About To Become A Luxury?

Bloomberg: Steaks Could Soon Become Champagne-Like Luxury 

(Bloomberg) -- The boss of Europe’s top meat processor said beef will become a luxury like champagne because of the climate impact of producing it. 

“Beef is not going to be super climate friendly,” Danish Crown Chief Executive Officer Jais Valeur said in an interview with Danish newspaper Berlingske. “It will be a luxury product that we eat when we want to treat ourselves.” 

Valeur said pork would be a more climate-friendly protein. Danish Crown is one of Europe’s largest pork producers, although it is also a player in the beef market. 

Meat companies are coming under pressure to curb greenhouse gases, with 57% of all food industry emissions coming from making animal products, according to one study. Tackling methane emissions from livestock is one of the most critical climate challenges for producers. 

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WNU Editor: Will a majority of the electorate accept this type of government policy and regulation to be implemented? I think not.

Is The World Facing A Nitrogen Crisis? The Netherlands Says Yes

A dairy farm in Barneveld, the Netherlands. The Dutch government is considering ways to cut nitrogen emissions from farms to protect natural habitats and biodiversity. Photograph: Robin Utrecht/REX/Shutterstock  

The Guardian: Netherlands proposes radical plans to cut livestock numbers by almost a third 

Dutch farmers could be forced to sell land and reduce the amount of animals they keep to help lower ammonia pollution 

Dutch politicians are considering plans to force hundreds of farmers to sell up and cut livestock numbers, to reduce damaging ammonia pollution. 

After the highest Dutch administrative court found in 2019 that the government was breaking EU law by not doing enough to reduce excess nitrogen in vulnerable natural areas, the country has been battling what it is calling a “nitrogen crisis”. 

Daytime speed limits have been reduced to 100kmph (62mph) on motorways to limit nitrogen oxide emissions, gas-guzzling construction projects were halted and a new law pledges that by 2030 half of protected nature areas must have healthy nitrogen levels.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: They are now going after your beef!

Is The U.S. Facing A Grasshopper - Locust Invasion?

Zero Hedge: "They're Everywhere" - Megadrought Sparks Grasshopper Plague In Western US 

By now, it's become quite evident that the western half of the U.S. is facing one of the worst megadroughts in decades. We've spoken about fallow land and drying up reservoirs, but the question remains what happens next? 

Well, it's not great, and it's straight out of the playbook from the 1930s Great Depression when the same parts of the U.S. were transformed into a desert, triggering a grasshopper plague. 

A.P. News said federal agriculture officials are set to launch one of the largest grasshopper-killing campaigns in three decades amid an outbreak. The insects belong to the suborder Caelifera family and are probably the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects. These creatures survive and multiply rapidly in drought or very dry conditions and will decimate crops. Read more ....  

Update:Western drought brings another woe: voracious grasshoppers (AP)  

WNU Editor: At the same time we are now hearing the media narrative shifting to make the case that this drought is a national security crisis .... The national security risks of the US drought (Erin Sikorsky, The Hill). More here .... Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks Explains How Climate Change Threatens National Security (Forbes).