Collapse Catch-Up: June 10–16, 2023

Welcome to the 18th edition of Collapse Catch-Up, a weekly newsletter that catches you up on the latest signs that we are living through the collapse of global industrial civilization. You can find the 17th edition here.

This week I have news about high temperature records, shockingly high sea surface temperatures, the fight between climate activists and governments, a copper shortage which could halt the green energy revolution, lower crop yields due to heat and droughts, microplastics getting lodged in our airways, the largest air exercise in NATO history, and much more. Here we go…

Heat

The average global temperature temporarily rose 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time this month, exceeding the threshold agreed to in the Paris Climate Agreement, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. They warned that as El Niño continues to develop, global temperatures will exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C in the coming year.

Mexico is sweltering under an atypical heat wave, with temperature records being broken all over the place, including Mexico City, which had its hottest June day ever. The heatwave is spreading north across Texas and Louisiana, and will likely last until June 24th.