“The global mean ocean surface temperature anomaly for January 1-8, 2026, was 1.60°C (3.00°F) above the 1850-1900 IPCC pre-industrial baseline.”
Australian heatwave brings flying fox die off
A mass Australian die off of flying foxes echoes similar horrific events during the Black Summer of 2020. Temperatures reached 110°F for several days in early January in South Australia, including Sydney. This temperature is at the threshold of what these and other animals are able to survive, meaning these mass mortality events will likely continue as the planet heats. At the same time, a State of Disaster was declared as a fast-moving bushfire scorched 741,000 acres in Victoria. Hundreds of structures have been destroyed, and thousands remain under evacuation orders.
37,000 acres burn in Patagonia as fires spread
A mass Australian die off of flying foxes echoes similar horrific events during the Black Summer. Around 3 000 tourists in Puerto Patriada and 15 families in Epuyén had to be evacuated, according to the governor, while more than ten houses were destroyed by the flames and 14 more were damaged in the region, according to earlier media reports. The region is in the midst of an ongoing catastrophic drought.
Cottages demolished as UK coastal erosion worsens
The soft, sandy cliffs of Norfolk and Suffolk are among the fastest-eroding coastlines in northern Europe. Natural processes — persistent wave action, storms, tides, and weak geology—have caused coastal land to gradually slipping into the North Sea. This has been going on for centuries but has acceler-ted due to sea-level rise and increasingly frequent storms.
In mid-January, thousands of trees were destroyed in the Channel by another massive storm as winds reached 95mph.
Turkey another nation facing water crisis
Ankara is facing an ongoing water crisis as severe drought and crumbling infrastructure trigger daily outages across Türkiye’s capital, fueling widespread criticism of the city’s management. Dam reservoir levels have dropped to 1.12 percent and taps are being shut off for several hours a day.
37,000 acres burn in Patagonia as fires spread
A mass Australian die off of flying foxes echoes similar horrific events during the Black Summer. Around 3 000 tourists in Puerto Patriada and 15 families in Epuyén had to be evacuated, according to the governor, while more than ten houses were destroyed by the flames and 14 more were damaged in the region, according to earlier media reports. The region is in the midst of an ongoing catastrophic drought.
Cottages demolished as UK coastal erosion worsens
The soft, sandy cliffs of Norfolk and Suffolk are among the fastest-eroding coastlines in northern Europe. Natural processes — persistent wave action, storms, tides, and weak geology—have caused coastal land to gradually slipping into the North Sea. This has been going on for centuries but has acceler-ted due to sea-level rise and increasingly frequent storms.
In mid-January, thousands of trees were destroyed in the Channel by another massive storm as winds reached 95mph.