zenzen comments

A couple of years back (Dec 2021) there was a massive undersea volcanic eruption: Hunga Tonga in the South Pacific. It is estimated that this eruption pushed 60 million gallons of water up into the atmosphere. meteorologists expect this event will upset / affect weather patterns for several years.

As possible examples of the impact, you can note quite cool summers in the US / Canada and Europe in 2024, and an inconsistent warm cool warm here in Japan. Heavier rains in some regions and, perhaps, later snowfall on Mt Fuji.

Somehow this Hunga Tonga event has garnered very little media attention.

From Wikipedia -- *"One study estimated a 7% increase in the probability that global warming will exceed 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) in at least one of the next five years,[77] although greenhouse gas emissions and climate policy to mitigate them remain the major determinant of this risk.[78] Another study estimated that the water vapor will stay in the stratosphere for up to eight years, and influence winter weather in both hemispheres.[79] More recent studies have indicated that the eruption had a slight cooling effect.[80] [81]"*

That's the astronomical summer (and it ends on September 22 or 23, this year it's the former).

The meteorological summer, which this article talks about, always starts at June 1 and ends at August 31.

oh!...

1] Summer is not over yet. Summer is: June 21 to Sept 21.

2] What is an "instance of extreme heat"?

Japan has so far recorded 8,821 instances of "extreme heat" of 35 C or higher, surpassing the previous peak of 6,692 seen last year.

Science does not work by consensus

Thank you GreenPeas. Agree.

In fact, the "97% consensus of the IPCC" is not accurate. A majority of scientists drew no conclusion regarding anthropogenic climate change from their research. In a speech some years back pres. Obama stated that 97% of scientists agreed. This was calculated by eliminating the majority who garnered no opinion / inconclusive. 97% who had an opinion...

the public and media, not seeking to do any in-depth reading or investigation on their own, grab hold of sound bites.

Only one (unreferenced) fact stated. No references, no quotes, no byline. If this was submitted as an assignment it would garner an "F".

Readers, if you consider yourself to be an open-minded, critical thinker please consider reading, watching lectures and interviews of Patrick Moore, Richard Lindzen, Judith Curry and Bjorn Lomborg. These folks will provide objective, fact-based perspective.

..thanks.

That this is even an issue in 2023 is shameful.

Interesting. Thank you, editors, for posting this story.

This story is brought to you by the Japan Robot Manufacturers Association

Thanks for posting this article.

The two biggest elements that impact climate: the sun and the oceans. However, "science", governments, media blame "global warming" on humans' emissions of CO2. CO2 is 0.04% of earth's atmosphere; humans contribute 3% of CO2. Why focus on CO2? because it is easy to blame, control and tax. Govts can't tax the oceans or the sun...

Zoroto is correct: There is plenty of doubt.

Only the media do not offer ANY counter arguments. An open mind, a few hours invested in some lectures / interviews, and some critical thought and intelligence (you guys are open minded and intelligent, right?) and you will see another side. Let me start you off: google: Richard Lindzen and Patrick Moore (founder of Greenpeace). Both offer rational and informed perspectives.

An odd hypothesis. Consider humans are animals and we've spent the past 100,000 years surrounded by nature. The test ought to be: Living away from green space makes you ___ years older.

solution: boost people's immune systems.

when one's immune system is strong and healthy, allergies diminish.

how to boost? exercise, sleep, reduce stress, eat a variety of unprocessed foods, keep your weight down, live and work where the air is fresh (not recirculated), get sunshine (vitamin D) everyday.

way way way too much centralization of power. this will not end well.

"State-backed Chinese mouthpiece". Quality journalism.

I'd rather have the VW Beetle. easy to fix, cheap to operate. nothing electronic, no chips.

Yes, similar to Ise Jingu, which is torn down and rebuilt anew every 20 years, a custom spanning 1,300 years.

and

and those trees aren't either.

Far too many trees around Meiji Shrine. Sure. keep the shrine, but certainly "Harajuku Hills" or a lovely Harajuku theme park or extending Takeshita street would be great for the economy. Yup, time to move on.

"Tokyo is a city in constant development, the old stadium has its days numbered..."

Yeah, you're right. they should redevelop Meiji shrine, too. Time to move on.

Peeping_Tom

agree. it is a defensive move to limit foreign investment. once the yen eventually slides vs other currencies it will make all Japanese assets much more attractive.

as well, the difficulty and inability to set up and conduct business in Japan is by design. been happening since the Dutch traders showed up in Nagasaki centuries ago.

the problem is the bone-crushing govt debt in an aging sluggish economy exacerbated by the recent COVID situation. the debt is going nowhere but up.

I was reading this afternoon - apparently some sort of break though in Thailand in treating the virus.

"Global warming has been going on for a long time and it's behind all sorts of phenomena," he told AFP. "But we can't simply hold it responsible for this season's particular, low snowfall."

Nice to see.

Weather varies. In the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, snow was lacking - was unseasonably warm. 10 years on and the city is expecting freezing temperatures and snow. So, there you go.

JT - Thanks for posting this story.

Anyone who claims that a team with a massive room full of silverware are "underdogs" doesn't know the meaning of the word. Try supporting a team that's been relegated a few times.

I hear you. Seems weird to consider Liverpool an underdog. But for the past decade plus it's been Man U, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal getting all the attention. LFC has the silverware but that's a while back. Relegated? Yeah, I was a huge Wigan supporter back in the day.

I've been a staunch LFC supporter for many years - while they were the underdogs & long over looked.

The owners are smart to sign this guy. Suddenly everyone in Japan will be a Liverpool fan. Other premiere teams were after him, too. Even if he never plays, the owners will make billions ¥ from jerseys, other merchandise and advertising. Watch "Yunker" show up on the sidelines at Anfield next season as it did in Seattle during the Ichiro era.

@zenzen: Thank you so much for those links to information.

You're welcome.

I am open minded. I used to believe. In the past couple of years I sought out to educate myself on the issue. I read, watched, listened objectively and with an open mind to an array of scientists and researchers who have researched, investigated, measured, hypothesized and dedicated decades to the study of climate. I encourage everyone to invest a little time to self-educate on the science of climate.

Nils-Axel Mörner - Sea-level expert. Former member of the IPCC

Patrick Moore - Founder of Greenpeace

Tony Heller - An excellent fact-checker

Lord Monckton - Aggregator of scientific information on climate science

Richard Lindzen - Atmospheric physicist at MIT

Freeman Dyson - Nobel-Prize winning physicist

William Happer - Princeton University professor of physics

the overuse of antibiotics on people and animals,

the "and animals" is the unsettling part for everyone. Eggs, chicken, milk, pork, beef, aquaculture: how much are we all impacted by antibiotics in the food system?

The yen is the top safe haven currency among global investors.

For now, it is a safe haven, yes. It is safe until it's not.

Japan Today editors: thank you for publishing this story.

I'm really enjoying the wonderful comments here. They're all spot on.