A Catastrophic New Normal Has Arrived
Image by NOAA.
A new study published in Earth’s Future by researchers from Uppsala University with Belgian, French, and German universities have shown that climate change is morphing into a full blown ogre of destruction as several regions of the world are no longer affected by isolated events, instead, several different events occur concurrently or in quick succession. These multi-series events are a new phenomenon that typically overwhelms society with unparalleled suddenness, speed, and ferocity, increasingly striking urban areas as well as the hinterlands.
It’s happening more frequently with more ferocity than ever before, for example, massive LA Fires (Jan.2025); village of Blatten, Switzerland buried by collapsing glacier (May 2025); flash floods slam Vermont third year in a row (July 2025); Texas river rises 30 feet in one hour (July 2025), China real-life apocalypse 11-level winds, 4-story high flood, 150°F heat (July 2025); fatal storms flood south France (May 2025); glacial lake outburst washes away five villages, Afghanistan (June 2025); Queensland, one of worst floods of all time (2025); Kentucky flood kills eleven (Feb. 2025); glacial lake outburst kills 28, Nepal (July 2025); deadly flash floods kill 32 Pakistan (June 2025); northeastern India States devastated by massive flooding, landslides, buildings collapse, 34 dead (June 2025); Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, 49 dead flash flood (May 2025); villages washed away in seconds, Nigeria flash flood, killing 151 (May 2025); East Africa massive flood kills hundreds (March 2025) Balkans pounded by thunderous storms as wildfires break out in Türkiye, Greece, Spain, and France (July 2025); Massive flood, northeastern Spain (July 2025); severe drought, northern and western Europe, river transport and agriculture threatened under emergency drought alert (June 2025)
“We have long known, for example, that there will be more heat waves, forest fires and severe droughts in many regions—that in itself is no surprise. What surprised us is that the increase is so large that we see a clear paradigm shift with multiple coinciding extreme events becoming the new normal,” according to Professor Gabriele Messori, the study’s lead author.” (Heat Waves, Droughts, and Fires May Soon Hit Together as ‘New Normal’ Study Finds, Topics, Uppsala University, June 5, 2025)
As of July 15, 2025: Dangerous flooding has hit several locations in the United States. Water gushed into subways, New York City, roads flooded, New Jersey in a series of pounding thunderstorms. Flash floods hit a mountainous region, New Mexico. Massive downpour clobbered roads and homes, North Carolina. In every case, the flooding was caused by sudden extremely heavy pounding rainstorms. Global warming has turned into a monster of mass destruction on a biblical scale. It has hatched ‘Weather Whiplash’, a vicious cycle of sudden sizeable wet periods bringing on rapid vegetation growth followed by extreme dry hotness followed by ferocious wildfires as weather cocktails of catastrophic scale hit in quick succession.
The Messori study clearly identified this new phenomenon: “By analyzing postprocessed data from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project, we provide a global mapping of future changes in the compound occurrence of six categories of hazards or impacts related to climate extremes. These are: river floods, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, tropical cyclone-induced winds and crop failures… A striking change is projected for the future recurrence of compound hazards or impacts, with many locations experiencing specific compound occurrences at least once a year for several years, or even decades, in a row. In the absence of effective global climate mitigation actions, we may thus witness a qualitative regime shift from a world dominated by individual climate-related hazards and impacts to one where compound occurrences become the norm.” (Source: Earth’s Future)
Climate change has broadened its reach via temperatures climbing globally, which feeds into a series of increasingly powerful events. Insurance companies worldwide have been caught flat-footed, unable to turn left or right politically, as neither offers serious solutions. According to Gallagher Re, a major reinsurance company: World on Fire 2025: Impacts of an Expanding Wildfire Season: “As events during the past 12 months have demonstrated, every season is now wildfire season, and fires in urban areas are an increasingly growing concern.”
Out of control wildfires as well as flooding from sudden ‘atmospheric rivers’ are hitting cities, towns, and villages worldwide on a scale never seen before. This is climate change strutting its stuff on TV, nightly somewhere in the world. This new TV stardom brings to light, in every living room, the brutal truth of an obscenely crazed human-induced climate system flailing wildly on its own power that humans ignited. Now, nobody can turn it off.
Consequently, governments of the world are massively beefing up relief agencies to help their citizens. Trump is Gutting Weather Science and Reducing Disaster Relief, The New York Times, July 12, 2025, as he gooses up the wallets of billionaires via obscene tax cuts that will blow up America’s deficit like a hot air balloon. Watch for it to burst. This is presidential?
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