2023 set to be hottest year in 125,000 years

TL;DR: With two months still to go, European Union scientists declared overnight that 2023 is on track to be the hottest in 125,000 years, with October a full 0.4 degrees celcius warmer than the previous record. That’s the equivalent of someone breaking Usain Bolt’s record for the 100 metres of 9.58 seconds by half a second. The warming of oceans is also making it one of the wettest on record for rainfall on land, including the wettest ever for Auckland by a large margin, as these charts show.So why isn’t this front page news or leading the 6pm bulletins?Here’s the details for any news editors reading this, via ReutersPaying subscribers can see more detail below the paywall fold and hear more of my analysis in the podcast above. I’ve included more above the fold today because it’s of public interest and this fits with the public journalism ethos backed by subscribers, who I thank in advance.Links to news, views, papers, reports, data et al elsewhereTop scoops & deep dives in Aotearoa’s political economy & globallyThe ‘policy bonfire’, a jeopardised climate target, and the mathematical change that fixed it The Press Charlie MitchellHousing, transport, education, infrastructure & population NZ Post buying major parcel competitor - A bookshop manager has already complained to the Commerce Commission that NZ Post buying PBT Couriers would damage the quality of the courier network Newsroom Andrew BevinClimate, water, energy & environmentHow shipping more US natural gas to Europe helped fuel CO2 pollution Reuters2023 set to be hottest year on record, EU scientists say ReutersHow are people supposed to rebuild Paradise, California, when nobody can afford home insurance? AP News Janie HarPoverty, inequality, health, wealth, income, education, crime & justiceBlind, solo mum desperate for Pharmac to fund life-changing medicine so she can see her kids Newshub Patrick Gower and Amanda GilliesChildren driven to school breathe in health-hurting pollutants, research finds Stuff Olivia WannanGeopoliticsThousands of civilians flee north Gaza as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battle ReutersEconomy, business & markets globally and locallyChina authorities ask Ping An to take controlling stake in Country Garden, sources say ReutersWall St edges higher as investors digest central bank comments ReutersComing upHalf a billion on a hall and a courtyard - Wellington City councillors are considering spending another $240 million on repairs to Te Ngākau Civic Square, just two weeks after committing $330m to fix the Town Hall, which is also part of the square. They’ll debate that later today at a Long Term Planning meeting. The Spinoff Joel MacManusCharts of the dayNo wonder the most-sold vehicle in the United States is the F150And that minutes/gallon measure ignores efficiency gainsMap/Chart combo of the dayWarmer oceans mean more moisture in the atmosphereHere’s NIWA Meteorologist Ben Noll with detail on the map above and the chart below:You have probably heard about October 2023 being the warmest October on record by a wide margin, but what about atmospheric moisture? A warmer world is a moister world and that's evidenced by a weather variable called "total column water" or "precipitable water", the total moisture amount in a column of air, from the ground all the way up to the top of the atmosphere.In October 2023, total column water was above normal across 67% of the planet, shaded blue on this map. Higher atmospheric moisture content loads the dice toward extreme rainfall events Ben Noll via XOff the chartsCartoon of the dayKa kite anoBernard This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe