These twelve stories show how the climate crisis is wreaking havoc across the globe

When an oil truck breaks through melting ice, it’s hard to respond without sarcasm, environmental economist Gernot Wagner commented on Twitter Read Wagner’s tweet here. in March 2016. The photograph making its way around the world at that moment pretty much said it all.

The picture was taken near the town of Deline in northern Canada. The government had increased the maximum weight for trucks on this ice road from 10,000 to 40,000 kilos – a decision that, following the warmest February ever recorded, turned out to be a poor A news article about the incident can be found here. one.

The irony was unmistakeable. Still, taken on a day-to-day basis, it is easy to lose sight of global warming. The crisis is unfolding stealthily, and outside our field of vision. I collected twelve stories, each of which – in its own way – illustrates how climate change is affecting the world. Not in ten years, or twenty or fifty years, but today.

1. Drought stops Zambia in its tracks Africa is exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and Zambia is a tragic example. Between 1960 and 2003, the average temperature in the country has increased by some 1.3°C (that's 2.3°F) – more than the global average. The rainy season has gotten shorter and when it does rain, it's often torrential and over a short period, with flooding as a result. Recently, severe drought has caused the water behind the Kariba Dam to dry up. The dam has been a source of cheap hydroelectric power for years, driving Zambia's economic prosperity. Zambia's subsequent downfall illustrates how climate change threatens the fledgling economic development taking place across Africa, concludes the New York Times journalist who wrote this piece. Read the story here: Climate Change Hits Hard in Zambia, an African Success Story (April 12, 2016, 9-minute read)

2. A North Pole without winter In Fort Yukon, an indigenous town just inside the polar circle in northern Alaska, the ice is no longer to be trusted. The locals normally get around by driving snowmobiles over the frozen rivers – but last winter, that was impossible. The ice wouldn't support them. In early March, it was 10°C (18°F) warmer than average here. In December 2015, it was an astonishing 16°C (29°F) warmer than normal at the North Pole; for years, the North Pole has been warming at a rate twice that of the rest of the world. To put that into context, says a local official, just imagine it being 30 degrees warmer than usual in Los Angeles. Read the story here: Record-breaking temperatures ‘have robbed the Arctic of its winter’ (March 15, 2016, a 6-minute read)

3. Perpetual forest fires in America In the United States in 2015, a record-breaking amount of woodland was destroyed by wildfire: nearly 25 million acres. These forest fires are no longer limited to the driest seasons. Last year, they continued until late fall. This year, Alaska was hit by its first wildfire at the end of February. “You would think this is as bad as it can get,” an ecologist quoted in the NYT story says. “But the thing is, we do expect it to get worse.” At the same time, more Americans are making their homes in wooded areas than ever before. The problem is obvious, the stakes are high, and the ravenous flames are becoming ever harder to control. Read the story here: Wildfires, Once Confined to a Season, Burn Earlier and Longer (April 12, 2016, 10-minute read)

4. Extreme weather occurring worldwide In Ethiopia, more than ten million people are currently dependent on food aid. The reasons for this include an unusually strong El Niño – the periodic, significant warming of seawater along the equator in the eastern Pacific – which impacts weather around the world. Some areas are getting drier while others are becoming wetter. This article charts the effects of El Niño across the globe, from India to South Africa. To some extent, you can see the piece as a sampler of the varied effects brought on by climate change. The extreme high temperatures the world experienced in 2015 and in recent months – breaking one heat record after another – are chiefly the result of long-term warming trends that only appear to be intensifying. In 2015, according to climatologists, some 10% of the extra warmth could be attributed to El Niño. Read the story here: El Niño Upsets Seasons and Upends Lives Worldwide (March 19, 2016, 17-minute read)

5. Too many dams in the Mekong Find out how climate change, deforestation, and large dams are impacting all of Southeast Asia in this impressive interactive report created by ten members of The Guardian's staff. Travel through Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam on a six-leg journey. You'll start in Laos, which aspires to provide the entire Mekong delta with clean hydroelectric energy. As a result of the dams, less water now flows through the rivers that provide a livelihood for so many people. The construction of one new dam alone – the Don Sahong – could potentially jeopardize the food security of millions of people. And unfortunately, it's not the only one: some 100 new dams are planned for the region. Building them would be like sawing off the branch of the tree you're sitting on, one interviewee said. Additional challenges from higher temperatures, more extreme weather, land grabs, deforestation, and urbanization only compound the problem. Read the story here: Mekong: A river rising (November 26, 2015, 21-minute read plus optional viewing time of 9 minutes)

6. How do you survive in a drowning country? (in Dutch only) “No other country in the world is as vulnerable to climate change as Bangladesh,” writes Ben van Raaij in this article in the Volkskrant. Not only is the water coming from the sea, in the form of a rising sea level that is nibbling away at the country's edges and rendering its fields saline; it's also coming from the Himalayas, as melting glaciers cause the rivers to breach their banks. It's possible that in 2100, some thirty million people will be driven from their home country as a result of global warming. But there are already plenty of climate refugees today, according to Van Raaij. That the delta has become so vulnerable is largely the result of human action: the construction of dams, dikes, and polders has throttled the natural process of sedimentation. “The delta landscape is a water desert that has become uninhabitable.” Read the story here (in Dutch only): How do you survive in a drowning country? (November 21, 2015, 10-minute read)

7. Climate refugees from the Pacific (1) An in-depth report from the Marshall Islands and Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. These small islands are as flat as pancakes: an rise in sea levels of just over an inch is enough to allow the sea to rush nearly 100 feet further inland in the event of a flood. For these islanders, warming below the threshold of 2°C (3.6°F) – which, until recently, was regarded as “safe” – would still mean the end of the world as they know it. The president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, views the situation as hopeless. He has encouraged the country's young people to “migrate with dignity” before it's too late. One clergyman criticizes the apathy he sees. “Those of us in this part of the world are suffering because of people in the rich world [and their emissions]. The consequences are on our heads here in the Pacific. [The rich people] have been selfish... What can we do? We are living with that dying feeling in our hearts. Our voices are nothing to them.” Read the story here: Losing paradise: the people displaced by atomic bombs, and now climate change (March 9, 2015, 19-minute read)

8. Climate refugees from the Pacific (2) In the next century, many millions of people will be forced to relocate if we are unable to curb the warming trend. The Marshall Islands are already dealing with issues of flooding and soil salinization that make agriculture impossible. In this piece, the New York Times reports on the Islands’ situation and follows foreign minister Tony deBrum as he prepares for the climate summit held in Paris in late 2015. The story provides solid insight into the current discussion on “loss and damage”: the question of whether industrialized nations, who are largely responsible for creating the problem, should pay damages to the most vulnerable countries on earth. Read the fantastic New York Times production: The Marshall Islands Are Disappearing (December 2, 2015, 11-minute read)

9. Mass extinction in the oceans Future historians will point to 2015 as the year things really started going off the rails, asserts climate journalist Eric Holthaus in this piece from Rolling Stone. He gives a run-down of the extreme dryness, heat, and wildfires of the past year. Holthaus also addresses recent research by climatologist James Hansen and others, which shows that the sea level could potentially rise between six and ten feet before this century is out. He goes on to describe the consequences for marine life: how whales, walruses, and other sea creatures are shifting their habitats, confused by the changes in water temperature and currents. The shells of mollusks are dissolving as the seawater acidifies at a rapid pace – a result of our CO2 emissions. All signs point to a worst-case scenario for marine life. Holthaus’ conclusion? The dreaded effects of global warming are already happening. Read the whole story here: The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here (August 5, 2015, 18-minute read)

10. Searing heat and uninhabitable conditions in the Middle East During an extreme heat wave in 2015, parts of the Middle East saw temperatures of over 122° Fahrenheit. On some days, the heat index made was more like 158°F. These extreme temperatures are occurring more and more often, and the humidity – and therefore the perceived temperature – is increasing as a result of global warming. Human beings simply cannot handle such temperatures; even a healthy body would not be able to sufficiently cool itself through perspiration. Physical exertion could be deadly. A pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia will become virtually impossible. At the beach, you would literally burn your feet. If we do nothing to limit further warming, last year's extremes will be the new normal by 2070. So says research that appeared in Nature Climate Change at the end of last year, and which is discussed in this piece from The Guardian. Global warming could make parts of the Middle East uninhabitable. Where will they go, the millions of refugees who can then no longer survive in their own countries? Read the story here: Extreme heatwaves could push Gulf climate beyond human endurance, study shows (October 26, 2015, 7-minute read)

11. Miami sinks into the sea This is a great article on Miami Beach, the sun-drenched city on an island off the coast of southern Florida that's known as “ground zero for rising sea levels”. Its limestone substrate renders the entire region vulnerable. At high tide, the salt water comes in, flooding yards, roads, and basements. The author expertly interweaves the scientific reality, the area's history, and the physics of climate change with the detachment of some politicians, who don't believe the problem is exacerbated by global warming. I found the article to be a revelation in terms of the technological optimism on display, which prevents some people from facing inherent risks. The solutions described are equally bizarre: the road that was raised by three feet, for instance, while the adjacent sidewalks and restaurants were left at the old level – meaning they now look out onto a wall. Read the story here: The Siege of Miami (December 21, 2015, 30-minute read)

12. Greenland is melting away Stunning visuals in this New York Times piece show how quickly Greenland is melting due to global warming. Four journalists followed a group of scientists who put their lives in jeopardy to find out how much meltwater is being released as Greenland's ice thaws. At the spot where the team conducted its measurements, the meltwater was flowing at a rate of 1.6 million liters per minute. This kind of data is helpful in more accurately estimating the speed at which sea level will rise if global temperatures continue to increase. If all of Greenland melts, it could raise sea level by nearly 20 feet. Be sure to check this piece out – the drone footage alone is well worth your time. Read the story here: Greenland Is Melting Away (October 27, 2015, 12-minute read)

—Translated from Dutch by Liz Gorin and Erica Moore

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