🌴 Hawaii is Sinking 40 Times Faster Than Predicted

🌴 Hawaii is Sinking 40 Times Faster Than Predicted

A new study from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa revealed that parts of Hawaii are sinking at an alarming rate, posing an imminent threat to coastal communities, businesses, and infrastructure. Sea level rise has been a well-known threat, but land subsidence is accelerating the risk of flooding much sooner than expected. As global temperatures rise, glaciers and ice sheets melt, adding more water to the oceans. At the same time, seawater expands as it warms, pushing coastlines inland and increasing the frequency and intensity of flooding. Certain locations on Oahu’s south shore are sinking at a rate of more than 25 millimeters per year, a speed that is 40 times faster than the general subsidence rate of the island. The accelerated subsidence rate could lead to a 50% increase in flood exposure by 2050 for some areas, cutting flood-preparation timelines in half.

Arezki Amiri, MSN

🌊 North Sea Sees Fall of Oil and Rise of Offshore Wind

The British North Sea is one of the world’s oldest offshore oil and gas basins. It has also become one of the world’s largest and fastest growing offshore wind basins. In the early 2000s, the basin reached peak output of 4.4 million barrels of oil per day. Production has declined due to reservoir depletion to around 1 million barrels in 2024, with output set to fall to around 660,000 barrels by 2029. Currently, Britain has almost 15 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind farms with a target to quadruple and reach 60 GW by 2030. As oil and gas companies retreat, Britain’s SSE, Norway’s Equinor, and Vargronn are building the world’s largest offshore wind farm called Dogger Bank. When complete, it will produce 3.6 GW and create enough electricity to power around 6 million homes.

Reuters

💵 Climate Change Will Cause the Average Person to be Poorer

Experts say that previous economic models have severely underestimated the impact of global heating and how it will impact people’s wealth. A new study found that 4 degrees Celsius of warming will make the average person 40% poorer - an almost four-fold increase. The study also suggests that average per person GDP across the globe will be reduced by 16% even if warming is kept to 2C above pre-industrial levels. Previous estimates had the reduction at only 1.4%. Scientists are now estimating that global temperatures will rise by 2.1C even if countries hit short-term and long-term climate goals.

Graham Readfearn, The Guardian