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Euronews
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
Europe faces drought as May declared second-hottest on record
This May was the world's second warmest ever recorded, exceeded only by May 2024, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), bringing unusually dry conditions to northwestern Europe. Data shows that the global average surface air temperature was 15.79°C last month, 0.53°C higher than the 1991 to 2020 average. May was an estimated 1.4°C above the average for 1850 to 1900 - the period used to define the pre-industrial average. It interrupts a sweltering stretch where 21 out of 22 months breached this 1.5°C threshold, though EU scientists say this is unlikely to last. 'May 2025 breaks an unprecedentedly long sequence of months over 1.5°C above pre-industrial,' says Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S at ECMWF. Whether or not the world breaches the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 1.5°C is measured over decades, not single months, meaning it has not technically been passed. 'Whilst this may offer a brief respite for the planet, we do expect the 1.5°C threshold to be exceeded again in the near future due to the continued warming of the climate system,' Buontempo adds. High temperatures have been paired with dry weather across much of the world over the last few months. In Europe, May brought drier than average conditions to much of northern and central Europe as well as southern regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye. This spring has been a contrast between drier-than-average conditions in the north and west and wetter-than-average conditions across the south and northwestern Russia. Parts of northwestern Europe saw their lowest precipitation and soil moisture levels since at least 1979. And persistent dry conditions have led to the lowest spring river flow across Europe since records began in 1992. More than half of the land in Europe and the Mediterranean basin faced some form of drought from 11 to 20 May, according to data from the European Drought Observatory. That is the highest level recorded for that period of time in the year since monitoring began in 2012. Farmers across northern Europe have voiced fears for their crops, with unusually dry weather delaying the sprouting of wheat and corn. In the UK, the National Farmers' Union warned in early May that some crops were already failing due to the country's driest spring in well over a century. In late May, the European Central Bank warned that water scarcity puts nearly 15 per cent of the euro area's economic output at risk. New research conducted with experts at the University of Oxford found that water was the single biggest nature-related risk to the euro area economy. 'People often think of countries like India, Italy and the US when we talk about climate change and heatwaves,' says Dr Sarah Kew, researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. But, as a new study from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group shows, 'even cold climate countries are experiencing unprecedented temperatures.' A record-breaking heatwave in Iceland and Greenland last month was made around 3°C hotter due to human-caused climate change, the group of researchers has found. On 15 May, the Egilsstaðir Airport station in Iceland recorded 26.6°C, a new national record for the month. Just days later, on 19 May, the Ittoqqortoormiit station in eastern Greenland reported 14.3°C, well above the monthly average of daily maximum temperatures of 0.8°C. 'To some, an increase of 3°C might not sound like much, but it contributed to a massive loss of ice in Greenland,' adds Dr Kew, one of 18 global researchers behind the new WWA study. The climate change-driven heat from 15-21 May corresponded with around 17 times higher than average Greenland ice sheet melting, according to preliminary analysis from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the US. 'In the Arctic, local populations have built communities on weather conditions that have been stable for centuries,' says Maja Vahlberg, Technical Advisor at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. 'However, heatwaves like these signal emerging risks in Greenland and Iceland that are warming much faster than other regions.' The Arctic has warmed at a rate more than double the global average. This phenomenon, known as arctic amplification, is largely driven by melting sea ice: as the ice vanishes, it is replaced by an expanding area of dark ocean water that absorbs sunlight instead of reflecting it. 'Inuit communities face growing threats to traditional ways of life, while people in Iceland with existing health conditions are increasingly vulnerable to rising heat,' adds Vahlberg. Although Iceland experiences very low rates of heat-related deaths compared to countries in southern Europe, the heatwave may have impacted people with underlying health conditions before they had time to acclimatise. Warnings of sunburn and softened roads in Iceland highlight how cold-climate countries are beginning to experience new climate risks that can catch people off guard, the researchers say. Sea ice loss is also impacting Inuit Indigenous communities, who make up 90 per cent of the population in Greenland. Reliable sea ice is vital for travel, but thinning ice is creating unstable conditions that cut off access to traditional hunting grounds. The loss of sea ice has also seen a rapid decline in the number of sled dogs in Greenland, which have been used by Inuit groups for thousands of years. An Arctic heatwave might still seem like an anomaly, but such events are becoming increasingly common. 'In recent years, my colleagues and I in the Climate Group at the Icelandic Meteorological Office have noticed unusual weather extremes, such as rainfall events that far exceed in rainfall duration and amount, anything expected based on prior data,' says Dr Halldór Björnsson, group leader at the Icelandic Met Office. 'In short the old statistics do not apply.' May's heatwave broke records even in weather stations going back more than a century - including in Stykkisholmur, for example, where there is reliable data for more than 174 years. Dr Björnsson says the event was the largest May heat they've ever seen, with 94 per cent of weather stations setting new temperature records. 'What we are witnessing is not just an isolated event, but a change in weather statistics,' she says. If greenhouse gas emissions continue on their predicted course, and warming reaches 2.6°C by 2100, heatwaves are set to become a further 2°C more intense in Iceland. For Greenland, the scientists analysed data from a weather station in the eastern part of the country. They found the hottest single day in May was about 3.9°C warmer than it would have been in the preindustrial climate. While this analysis did not include climate models, the scientists say it's likely that almost all of the increase was due to climate change. 'What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic,' warns Dr Friederike Otto, Associate Professor in Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. 'The unusual heat would have accelerated ice melt and contributed to sea level rise, which is threatening the survival of communities on small islands, like Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu, as well as Indigenous peoples such as the Inuit.' Greenland loses an average of 43 billion tonnes of ice per year, and a growing body of evidence suggests that continued warming could push the country past a tipping point where the melting of the ice sheet becomes irreversible. A recent study has warned that even 1.5°C of warming could trigger the loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, potentially causing several metres of sea level rise over the coming centuries, which would threaten the existence of low-lying islands around the world. Another potential tipping point could have concerning consequences for Europe. The melting of the Greenland ice sheet is known to slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a vast ocean current that could weaken or collapse with further ice melt, potentially disrupting global climate patterns, causing severe weather changes worldwide and plunging Europe into a deep freeze. 'We know exactly what is causing the warming and the melting - the burning of oil, gas and coal. The good news is we can stop extreme heat from getting worse and worse, which means shifting away from fossil fuels,' adds Dr Otto. 'That does not require magic. We have the know-how and technology needed, but it does require recognising that human rights are for all, not just the rich and powerful.'
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
I tried out for the Rockettes on a reality TV show as a teen
I was 17 years old, wearing nothing but a black leotard, nude tights and an intolerable pair of 2-inch heeled Capezio character shoes as a camera crew followed my anxiety-ridden peers and me in the rehearsal hall of Radio City Music Hall. How did I end up here? Considering it was my — and my mother's — dream to be a Radio City Rockette, I signed up to audition for 'The Rockette Summer Intensive' almost 15 years ago. It was a demanding, weeklong, boot camp-like program where eager young women danced their hearts out, praying they would stand out enough to possibly be offered the opportunity of a lifetime — a coveted spot on the world-famous kickline. 6 Fabiana Buontempo featured on 'The Rockette Summer Intensive' show. MSG Varsity TV Advertisement The same year I signed up to audition for the intensive with hundreds of other girls — which has since been replaced by two other summer programs and operates differently — MSG Network was piloting a cable reality TV-type show featuring 10 slightly naive, aspiring Rockettes. To be considered for the show, I submitted a janky video of myself performing with my New Jersey high school dance team, and much to my surprise, I was selected for what would become a life-changing experience — but not for the reason you'd expect. The crew followed me and the nine other local tri-state area girls around, 'Real Housewives'-style, as we performed what felt like 1,000 kicks to film the opening credits of the show at an empty Radio City in the wee morning hours. Advertisement I didn't realize it at the time, but watching it now, the magic of reality-produced drama was apparent. They honed in on one girl's injury, which resulted in her terribly messing up her audition. Another castmate revealed to the cameras that she irresponsibly went to a concert the night before the audition and was running on empty fumes — which led viewers to believe she was going to blow her chances of nailing her audition. 6 Like many young dancers, Buontempo grew up idolizing the Rockettes. Courtesy Fabiana Buontempo And of course, when it came to me, the cameras made sure to zoom in on my panicked face in that audition room — fortunately for the crew, I looked genuinely petrified the entire time. Advertisement I was pulled aside to do green-screen confessionals, all while trying to get through the audition process without crying — or throwing up — from both exhaustion and nerves. I didn't actually throw up, but I was close to it. 6 The many kicks done on audition day. Buontempo is fourth from the right. Courtesy Fabiana Buontempo I remember being a ball of nerves and anxiety, wondering how I got myself into this situation. Advertisement When it was time to open my acceptance — or rejection — email to the program, it was in front of a film crew in my parents' kitchen. My camera-averse mom was so nervous for me that she sneakily filled up a glass of wine to chug in our laundry room at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday. She admitted it to me after the fact, and my family still laughs about it to this day. I got accepted and I was relieved, excited and apprehensive knowing that this journey had just begun. 6 'We were a group of high school girls desperately trying to get noticed by both the cameras and the program's director,' Buontempo (left) writes. Courtesy Fabiana Buontempo The day of auditions was only a small glimpse into what the weeklong program was going to entail — and that was a bit terrifying. I knew I was a good dancer, but never considered myself to be amazing, like some of the other girls who had the same dreams as me. Looking back now, I may have been typecast as the 'rookie with potential' — but at the time, I was just relieved that I didn't have to read a rejection email to a camera. Every day was an exhausting six-hour day of training — something real Rockettes are accustomed to — full of intense warm-ups followed by drilling Christmas routines dozens of times and, of course, hundreds of kicks. 6 We rehearsed for six hours a day and then there was even more drilling at home. Courtesy Fabiana Buontempo Advertisement Afterward at home, more drilling. I was so anxious that I wouldn't remember the routines. I'd wake up every morning limping around, trying to get my tights on. This program was one of the hardest things I ever did, both mentally and physically — maybe still to this day, but especially at 17. The scariest part of all of this was that everything was documented for TV, at a time when Facebook was barely a thing and no one was utilizing their camera phones to their full potential. 6 At the end of the weeklong program, we performed a few numbers from the Christmas Spectacular for friends and family. Courtesy Fabiana Buontempo Admittedly, every day that week, I tried brainstorming an injury I could fake to excuse myself from the program early. Not because I wasn't enjoying it or that it wasn't worthwhile — but because I was an insecure teen who doubted herself. Advertisement It didn't help when the pros leading the intensive revealed on camera my biggest insecurities about my technique as a dancer for the world to see — that's enough to traumatize a teen. I remember them saying that some of my moves weren't sharp enough or that I had to work on my skills. We were a group of high school girls desperately trying to get noticed by both the cameras and the program's director — a recipe for cattiness, as one could imagine. I remember asking one of the girls a question about a routine we were learning and she only talked to me when the cameras were rolling. This gave me a taste of both reality TV and the world of dance — and I didn't care for either. I was in a room among so many incredibly talented dancers who would give their left kidney to be a Rockette — yet I was more fascinated with the operations of the TV show than anything else. I loved the workings of the cameras and being on-screen — all of the pre- and postproduction work excited me. Advertisement The show was an incredible experience for many reasons, but mainly because it helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life — and what I wanted to leave behind. At the time, I thought I would chase the dream of becoming a Rockette or professional dancer throughout my adulthood, but this experience helped me realize that I wanted to work in media — something I would've never known if it wasn't for that TV exposure as a teen. While I didn't become a Rockette, rather than fall down in life like the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers dance, I kicked my way to my own Spectacular.
