Record north atlantic sea temperature.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Expanding a discussion from the Spring Weather watch thread, we need to give this the attention it deserves.

The north Atlantic is running at record breaking temperatures, far exceeding anything that has been measured before. Why does this matter? The Atlantic is a powerhouse of our weather in the UK. It helps create our climate, transporting heat across us. It is also where many of our wind storms are born.

Of course the Atlantic is also where hurricanes gain their energy from. Warm sea temperatures provide the very fuel that keeps them going and determines how strong they become.

It seems that this is unlikely to be down to El Nino. El Nino warming in the Pacific ocean. El Nino years tend to be low hurricane years though. So perhaps the two factors will balance out the increased hurricane risk.

We have to be deeply concerned about what this will do to Greenland ice.

One factor that might be causing this, might be the record low levels of saharan dust, which is probably down to climate change.

No doubt the press will be picking up on this. If they don't then they are missing out critical climate news that will affect us all.

Sure, warm seas provide energy for storms. One of the main reasons is that hurricanes become extra tropical storms as they reach closer to the UK is because the sea tends to be cooler here.

After a brief dip, the anomaly has grown further.

That’s a frightening graph. Says “tipping point” to me. So much heat has been absorbed by the oceans, perhaps it’s reaching the point where it’s hard to absorb any more - but we are not (globally) slowing down.

Elliot Jacobson is a doomer. He calls himself that. He says we have no hope and climate collapse is happening now and fast.
Terrifying. I’m just paralysed with fear now.

I did a quick Google of him and he’s a researcher but (if I’ve got the right guy) it looks like his main specialism is casino table design. That’s not to say everything’s fine, but just maybe not to take everything he says as absolute gospel. I had a similar thing with Bill McGuire who the Guardian gave a lot of column space to last year during the heatwave. Yes, he’s a scientist, but he’s a vulcanologist and he also writes apocalyptic fiction on the side, so has a certain way of framing and phrasing things which really didn’t help my climate anxiety.

If you’re looking for interesting people to follow online about the climate emergency, I’d recommend Leah Stokes, Jesse Jenkins and Zeke Hausfather. They’re all US-based, and Jenkins did a lot of modelling for the Inflation Reduction Act which passed last year, to see what the potential impacts of it could be. He did a really interesting couple of episodes of the Volts podcast, which I found really insightful and something more concrete, rather than the slightly abstract doom things that we can sometimes get hooked on. Bill McKibben is another great person to follow, I think he has a substack as well.

I hope you’re ok, I know how scary climate anxiety can be. I had a thread on here last year about it (under a different name), and a poster called daftasabroom really helped me with her knowledgeable posts. I think she works in climate research or renewable energy.

@RenewableNewt Thank you. You’re so kind. I have been down a bit of a rabbit hole of misery. I really appreciate you helping. I’ll look into everything you suggested.
Thank you. X

I would be careful with Jacobsons conclusions that we have reached tipping point into a runaway scenario. I don't think we know that. His graphs are sound enough though.

I think one way to help not fall into a rabbit hole of doom is to look at what you can do personally. It might feel small, but creating your own oasis of change and coping can help.

There are the obvious things like trying to be more 'green' or lobbying for change, whether it is at a national level or challenging your own council.

There are other things we can do, helping make our homes more climate resilient. A few examples. Some of which cost a lot, some of which cost much less.

Improving insulation to help reduce heat loss in winter and minimize heat gain in summer. Consider adding insulation to the walls, attic, and floors to maintain a more stable indoor temperature and reduce energy consumption. Shades, blinds or shutters on windows

Installing double or triple-glazed windows and well-insulated doors.

Installing waterbutts to down pipes connected to sheds, garages as well as the roof to help cope with water shortages.

Create green spaces around your home with shrubs and small trees. They help absorb excess rainfall, provide shade, and cool the surrounding area around the home.

Maintain gutters and drains: Regularly clean and maintain gutters, drains, and downspipes to ensure proper drainage and prevent water damage, particularly during heavy rainfall.

If you are renovating your garden consider whether installing a new soakaway will help prevent with ground surface flooding, if it is an issue for you.

If you live in an area prone to flooding, consider installing flood barriers, sealing air bricks when needed, and permanently raising electrical sockets to higher levels.

If you are redoing your driveway then consider the most permeable materials, such as gravel.

Have a power cut kit and always have a few bottles of water in your home in case of supply disruption.

I do realise that a good deal of that list is impossible in a rented flat, but some of it can be adapted like plants on a balcony to create shade and creating a community garden if one doesn't already exist. Reporting any issues with drainage etc straightaway to letting agents/landlords and nagging until they are sorted.

@OhYouBadBadKitten that’s all great advice. Re. the gardening suggestions, @Sunnysunbun if you have any garden space or space for pots etc on a balcony or windowsill, I’ve found that growing things has been such a great way to be more ‘present’, if that doesn’t sound too daft - I’m thinking about nurturing the seedlings and plants in the here and now and fixating much less on some big unknown future. It’s also nice to feel I’m doing something small to help pollinators and to grow a bit of our own food. Take care x

@OhYouBadBadKitten great advice.

I started a thread on positive action on climate change a while back it's here.

I'm going to come across like a broken record but every public space and facility including schools, parish halls, playing field, sports club etc will need to decarbonise. We are already a nation of enthusiastic volunteers so I'd suggest set up a sub committee of school governors, get on the parish council or at least attend meetings, same with your local sports club etc etc. There are lots of grants available but they all take effort to find and apply for.

The other big step is education, Eastleigh College do an excellent free Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Environmental Sustainability - GCSE level (takes twice as much time as they suggest!).

The GHG Protocol also has some excellent free courses. Could you set up a working group at your place of work?

This reminds me of The Day After Tomorrow.

Sorry to drag down the discussion!

@Daftasabroom that's such a great thread. I'll give it a bump in a moment.

How would you feel about us proposing a merger of the Weather and Climate Change topics to give the Climate Change threads more traffic? The two are becoming so intertwined.

@OhYouBadBadKitten I'd have no problems with that.

You've probably heard this before but it's a phrase I really like:

'Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."

I can't link to previous weather posts because I change my username often lol But when I daydream about my ideal house these days, it has all the climate resilience stuff built in - including all those you mentioned above @OhYouBadBadKitten and things like shutters on windows, solar powered fans etc.

That is a good phrase @Daftasabroom

Lets see if others would be happy with a merger. I've suggested it before, but the question sunk without a trace. I'll start threads in both topic areas.

@Onlyhereforthebatshitneighbours we undertook a major conversion of a 70s bungalow to a full house. We did the following (no mains gas):

• floorboards up and 120mm rigid insulation under joists, underfloor heating pipes, lightweight screed, floorboards back down.
• ditched the night storage heaters

New first floor

• timber frame with 300mm insulation all round. Maybe upto 450mm in the roof void.
• low emissivity high reflectivity barrier fabric
• rain screen cladding
• extended eaves by about 200mm, this shades the building when the sun is directly overhead in summer but allows light and warmth in when the sun is lower.
• super efficient windows
• mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

We do have a woodburner, but no requirement for heating upstairs. Our heating is half what it used to be. And if we can ever find someone to install and air source heat pump it'll drop again.

It probably added 10% to 20% to the cost but we'll recoup in running costs, we also have a very comfortable and healthy home.

@Daftasabroom

• low emissivity high reflectivity barrier fabric

Please tell me about this - is it internal to reflect heat in? In the roof?

There are reflective roof paints you can buy to reflect heat off buildings but I don't know that they're fully suited to the UK.

And what are the particular benefits of the rain screen cladding?

MVHR is something I only came across recently and it's definitely on my list of future-home home-improvements!

Are you windows made with solar glass?

*your (obviously)

I've created a thread with the proposal here.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weather/4837337-proposal-of-merger-of-weather-and-climate-change-boards

@Onlyhereforthebatshitneighbours the membrane is this sort of thing but there are many others, ours is Tyvek Reflex, Norton are also good.

The MVHR is awesome I reckon it saves about 2C during the winter. The other thing is it changes all the air in the house every two hours or every hour on boost. It has a humidistat built in so as the air goes over 60% humidity it goes on to boost.

@OhYouBadBadKitten Thanks for the ideas. You’re absolutely right. I need to take more positive action. I don’t fly or eat meat. I’m vegan 5 days a week. But I think growing things would really help me.