DOTr: No extension for PUV consolidation
DOTr: No extension for PUV consolidation
El Niño and climate change created disastrous weather in 2023
Surfing Santas ride waves raise funds in Florida
El Niño and climate change created disastrous weather in 2023
Surfing Santas ride waves raise funds in Florida
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Nightly greetings one and all.
00:09 William Thieau here, homegrown and happy to be bringing you the latest developments on
00:14 the planet.
00:15 And at the top of tonight's late breakers, the government stands firm in its decision
00:20 not to extend the deadline for the consolidation of the PUV modernization program that is set
00:26 to end on December 31st.
00:29 And Undersecretary Timothy Jan Bataan maintained, "There will be no more extensions despite
00:34 the persistent appeals of operators and drivers."
00:37 There are still a substantial number of drivers and operators who remain hesitant to join
00:43 the cooperative.
00:44 Others say they are not willing to give up the ownership of their units.
00:49 But under a cooperative, a jeepney operator will lose ownership of his unit because it
00:53 will form part of the assets of the group.
00:58 Meanwhile the year 2023 demolished temperature records worldwide.
01:03 It was the hottest year on record and some scientists say the hottest in 125,000 years.
01:09 Those supercharged temperatures helped drive a series of climate disasters around the world.
01:15 VOA's Steve Baragona has a look back.
01:21 Wildfires in Canada, flooding in Libya.
01:25 Two disasters in a year of weather extremes.
01:28 2023 will go down as the hottest year on record.
01:32 Every month from June through November was the hottest for that time of year.
01:36 July 2023 was the warmest July on record for the globe.
01:40 It was the warmest July by a long shot.
01:42 September's global temperatures were so much hotter than normal that one climate scientist
01:47 called them "absolutely gobsmackingly bananas."
01:51 Relentless heating from human-driven climate change, plus the periodic global weather phenomenon
01:56 known as El Niño, drove extreme weather around the world.
01:59 So we know with this extra heat in the atmosphere it brings with it extra energy, which means
02:06 we get more intense extreme events.
02:09 Not every bout of bad weather is due to climate change.
02:12 But climate scientists with the World Weather Attribution website found the fingerprints
02:16 of global warming on these weather disasters.
02:20 In April, Thailand and Laos broke all-time high temperature records.
02:25 Scientists say that heat wave was nearly impossible without climate change.
02:29 The Western Mediterranean shattered temperature records that month in a heat wave made 100
02:34 times more likely.
02:36 Southern Europe roasted again in July.
02:38 So did China and the United States-Mexico border region.
02:42 The southwestern U.S. city of Phoenix logged 31 days over 43.3 degrees Celsius, or 110
02:49 Fahrenheit.
02:50 That's a record.
02:51 It's not a record anyone wanted to break, but it's definitely one that people in Phoenix
02:56 are not happy about.
02:57 The intensity of these heat waves was almost impossible without climate change, according
03:01 to World Weather Attribution.
03:03 But on today's hotter planet, we can expect them every 5, 10 or 15 years.
03:09 Higher temperatures dry out soils and vegetation faster.
03:13 That helped make the record-breaking wildfires that ravaged eastern Canada this year at least
03:17 seven times more likely and 50% more intense.
03:21 That's also what amplified the severe droughts in Syria, Iraq and Iran, and the food security
03:27 crisis in Somalia and the rest of the Horn of Africa.
03:30 Both were made at least 100 times more likely.
03:33 Although Somalia makes virtually no contribution to climate change, the Somalis are among the
03:39 greatest victims.
03:42 Climate change intensifies droughts, but also floods, because warmer air holds more water,
03:47 which means heavier rainstorms, like the one that burst dams in Libya in September and
03:52 killed thousands.
03:53 The World Weather Attribution team says it was 50 times more likely and 50% more intense
03:58 than it would have been without climate change.
04:02 And November's torrential rains in the Horn of Africa were about twice as intense.
04:06 Already the drought has brought many people in the area to the brink of what they are
04:11 able to deal with, and this now followed by floods really shows the limits of what people
04:17 can adapt to are really not far off in many parts of the world.
04:22 And as long as we are keeping burning fossil fuels, these things will happen again and
04:28 again and again.
04:29 Forecasters say El Nino probably will taper off around the middle of next year.
04:34 But there's no sign that climate change is letting up.
04:37 As we continue to warm the planet, weather that used to be extreme is happening more
04:41 and more often.
04:42 Steve Baragona, VOA News.
04:48 Santas of all stripes descended on Florida's Cocoa Beach this Christmas Eve, not to deliver
04:54 presents but to ride some waves and raise funds for a good cause.
04:59 Beginning early Sunday, the beach filled up with thousands of adults and children alike
05:04 dressed as Saint Nick, elves or reindeers for the annual Surfing Santa celebration.
05:10 Launched in 2009, the event raises funds for Grind for Life, a charity helping cancer patients
05:16 travel for treatment as well as the local surf museum.
05:20 While dozens of wetsuit-clad surfers headed out to the chilly water, albeit much warmer
05:26 than the North Pole, others were content to lounge on the beach under cloudy skies, sipping
05:32 cocktails and taking in the programming, including a costume contest and a Hawaiian dance show.
05:39 Under a tent, volunteers were selling t-shirts and raffle tickets to raise additional funds.
05:46 And that's a wrap for tonight.
05:48 We look forward to bringing you the fresh and latest events around the planet same time
05:52 tomorrow.
05:53 Keep in mind to always work hard, aim high, give thanks, be of use as you catch the news
05:59 right here.
06:00 William Theo wishing you a restful evening ahead.
06:03 [Music]