betfred login

Trump intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard is on Capitol Hill amid Syria falloutNevada 90, Oklahoma St. 78Mountain Wheels: Three-row Audi Q7 can still be outrageous, when prompted
Skin doctor sues Ronaldo over ace’s £40k ‘unpaid’ billNFL odds, lines, picks, spreads, bets, predictions, what to bet for Week 12, 2024: Model eyeing Bears, Eagles
The battle over elk on private lands in Montana is heading to the state Supreme Court. On Nov. 19, the United Property Owners of Montana (UPOM) with the high court regarding its lawsuit against the state Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Fish and Wildlife Commission over elk management. In the notice, the group challenged the final judgement and “all previous orders, rulings, and decisions excepted or objected which led up to and resulted in the Final Judgement.” An FWP spokesman refused to comment on ongoing litigation as did the agency’s attorney. “We feel the district court judge did not address the key question of whether the law requires FWP to manage big game populations to objective levels, and to use every tool available to do so,” said Chuck Denowh, policy director for UPOM. “We’re confident that the Supreme Court will answer this question, and provide the need of relief to the Montana landowners who are suffering from FWP‘s inaction.” Judge’s ruling UPOM is a nonprofit that touts ties to ranchers, landowners and outfitters. The group sued FWP and the commission in 2022 to compel the agency to “remove, harvest, or eliminate thousands of elk this year” citing damages that caused “an economic crisis” for its members. In September, Tenth Judicial District Court Judge Gregory Todd ruled FWP and the commission had “considered the concerns of private landowners” and were managing for a “sustainable elk population,” the Montana Free Press reported. Judge Todd shot down UPOM’s request seeking to require FWP to reduce elk populations, saying Montana statutes “do not provide the ‘clear legal duty’ to cull elk herds to UPOM’s objectives.” “The obligation of FWP and the Commission is not to kill thousands of elk, but rather to manage their objectives,” . “The standard is to use discretion to facilitate reducing and maintaining elk at their objective levels. If the State had no discretion, there would be no need for an elk management plan.” Denowh disagreed. “We’ve asked that FWP use every tool available to bring elk populations down to a reasonable level,” he said. “They’ve refused to do so, resulting in our lawsuit and now this appeal to the Montana Supreme Court.” Intervening Seven Montana sporting groups and public access advocates successfully petitioned the court to intervene in the lawsuit, which UPOM has also challenged. Frank Szollosi, executive director of the intervening Montana Wildlife Federation, said the groups are willing to do whatever it takes to defend science-driven, equitable elk management and licensing. He admitted some landowners experience game damage as elk populations have grown, but disagrees with UPOM’s suggestions for reducing elk numbers. Szollosi said his group has worked with agricultural producers in the past to find solutions and will continue to do so. Yet Denowh said, “Central Montana landowners are being asked to shoulder an inordinate burden with big game populations that are far in excess of the target populations set by FWP. It’s costing them millions in lost feed and forage every year.” Elk divide The largest population of elk in central Montana is in Hunting Districts 411 and 535, next to the Big Snowy Mountains, where large landowners control access to a herd that numbered around 10,300 in 2023, within FWP’s management goals. Wildlife such as deer and elk on such properties are touted as selling points for ranches when they are listed, boosting a property’s price especially if access is exclusive. Meanwhile, outfitters sell trophy bull elk hunts for $6,000 to $12,500 each on lands where they claim exclusive access. Killing cow elk is the recognized way to reduce elk populations, since they produce offspring. However, outfitting for cow elk doesn’t generate the same amount of revenue. More recently, FWP has identified chronic wasting disease (CWD) infecting individual elk across the state. The always fatal disease is spread by contact with an infected animal’s bodily fluids. Agricultural fields where elk congregate are more likely to see the disease spread. Emily Mitchell, an FWP biologist, said CWD may be more prevalent in the state’s elk population than known since so few animals have been tested. There is no test for the disease in live animals. “I think we have such a small sample size of elk that it isn't that it's new on the landscape, we just hadn't gotten enough samples to detect it yet,” Mitchell said last month. Wildlife In 2024, Montana estimated the state’s elk population at 145,000, an increase of about 1.700 from the previous year. The state’s population goal is between 96,000 to 151,400. Thirty hunting districts, out of 138 were over FWP’s population goals, which are set based on landowner tolerance. Region 3, in southwest Montana, has the largest concentration of elk in the state, estimated at about 54,600 animals in 2023. One of the biggest herds in the state is in Region 3’s Gravelly Mountains, last estimated at more than 8,500 animals. In a Western Landowners Alliance article published last May, Granger Ranch operations manager estimated the costs of feeding about 600 elk during the 2021-22 winter on the Region 3 ranch at $32,400 in lost crop productivity. Politics UPOM’s appeal comes as Cory Swanson is waiting in the wings to be sworn in as the new Montana Supreme Court chief justice. Denowh’s political lobbying company, The Montana Group, was one of the to Swanson’s campaign. Swanson has worked as the Broadwater County attorney since 2014. Gov. Greg Gianforte also appointed a new director to lead FWP, Christy Clark, who has been the director of the state Department of Agriculture. Clark’s family ranches in the Choteau area where she also served as a Republican legislator for three terms. In the 2021 session, attempted to weigh in to the elk dispute with proposals to give landowners more freedom in providing hunting tags to people of their choice and may seek to again this session, Szollosi worried. So far, hunting groups have been successful in keeping wildlife a public resource in the state.LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman warns against Elon Musk’s ‘conflict of interest’ in setting AI policies
More night road closures as M1 extension works steam ahead
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria fallout
The Winnipeg Jets have been getting a glimpse of life without Nikolaj Ehlers lately as the flashy winger remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * The Winnipeg Jets have been getting a glimpse of life without Nikolaj Ehlers lately as the flashy winger remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? The Winnipeg Jets have been getting a glimpse of life without Nikolaj Ehlers lately as the flashy winger remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. It hasn’t been pretty. They’ve only won two of the (mostly) six games he’s missed, scoring just 13 goals in the process. The power play has gone from potent to punchless in the form of an ugly two-for-18 rut. Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS files Nikolaj Ehlers, second from left, celebrates a power play goal with teammates in October. The Jets have been pedestrian at best with the man advantage since Ehlers was injured in late November. In three of the four Winnipeg losses — in Vegas (the game Ehlers got hurt), in Dallas and on Sunday at home against Columbus — the score was tied in the third period, the outcome still very much up for grabs. Those are ones where a game-breaker like Ehlers can be so valuable. Instead, the Jets came away with nothing. Might they have been able to snatch a victory or two along the way if Ehlers was in the lineup? We’ll never know, but it certainly would have increased their odds. Ehlers, 28, was off to a terrific start and on track to have the best season of his now decade-long career, with 25 points (9G, 16A) in his first 24 games. He’s never been a point-per-game player, coming closest during the COVID-impacted campaign in 2021 with 46 points (21G, 25A) in 47 games. When he’s healthy — and that’s unfortunately been an issue now in parts of five different years even though he did play all 82 last year — Ehlers is as dynamic as they come, with a mix of speed and skill and savvy instinct that is hard to replace. Impossible, really. When it comes to the power play, Ehlers was feasting in the “pop” position and was a major reason the Jets had the No. 1 unit in the league. Without him, those numbers have taken a hit as they often struggle even to gain entry into the offensive zone and get set up. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Cole Perfetti has replaced him on the top unit and simply doesn’t have the experience, nor the speed, to replicate what he does. Ehlers is never afraid to shoot the puck, either, and the Jets have been guilty of over-passing and trying to get too cute at times in his absence. At five-on-five, Brad Lambert was summoned from the Manitoba Moose to take Ehlers’ spot beside Perfetti and Vlad Namestnikov. Although he showed some promising glimpses — the dynamic Lambert might be the closest thing the Jets have to a reasonable facsimile of Ehlers — the 20-year-old didn’t record a point in four games and was sent back to the AHL on Monday afternoon. Nikita Chibrikov, 21, was called up to take his spot, and the Moose’s leading scorer (13 points in 19 games) appears next in line to try to help fill the void. Ehlers is in the final year of his seven-year, US$42-million contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent next July 1. A compelling argument can be made that seeing how the team looks without him lately has increased his value. No doubt his agent will have that mindset. Paul Vernon / The Associated Press files Before his injury, Ehlers was off to a terrific start this season with 25 points in his first 24 games. A multi-game stretch without Ehlers in November and December is one thing. Are the Jets prepared to absorb his loss for good? If so, how? It’s impossible to predict how this might play out. Other drafted-and-developed core players such as Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor never got to the point of playing a single game in their pending UFA seasons as they inked lengthy contract extensions. In that sense, has this already reached the point of no return for Ehlers, the ninth-overall pick from 2014? The Jets did lock up trade addition Nino Niederreiter last December after he’d played a couple months in the final year of his deal, so perhaps that could happen with Ehlers. It’s also possible the Jets simply let this play out, the way they did with defenceman Dylan DeMelo last year, and then re-engage before he can hit the open market. Of course, you need two to tango, and there’s no telling how Ehlers feels about all of this. He’s brushed off questions since training camp about the issue and clearly has no interest in discussing it publicly. One thing is clear: With the salary cap set to rise significantly, Winnipeg should have no problems finding a way to make the money work. With the Jets still in great shape at 20-9-0 overall, we can probably rule out moving Ehlers at the trade deadline, the way they did with UFA Andrew Copp a few seasons ago when they were not in the playoff race. The worst-case scenario here is they use him as their own “rental,” even if it ultimately means getting no assets in return should he eventually sign with another club. Ehlers has plenty of company, as forwards Namestnikov, Mason Appleton and Alex Iafallo and defencemen Neal Pionk, Haydn Fleury and Dylan Coghlan are also pending UFAs. If nothing else, that’s a lot of motivated skaters who are playing for their next contracts. The good news for the Jets is their sizzling start to the year, winning 15 of the first 16 games, gave them plenty of cushion to absorb some bumps along the way such as the temporary loss of Ehlers, who went down awkwardly after trying to hit Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev on Nov. 30. There’s also hope that his absence won’t extend much longer. Initially listed as day-to-day, he was placed on injured reserve last week but is eligible to come off at any time now. Following the 4-1 defeat to the Blue Jackets to open a four-game homestand, coach Scott Arniel was asked by the for an update. Paul Vernon / The Associated Press files Ehlers, centre, celebrates a goal with linemates Cole Perfetti and Vlad Namestnikov. Ehlers is in the final year of his seven-year contract with the Jets and set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. “There’ll be a chance he might be skating this week. We’ll see,” he said. “Good chance he’ll be out on the ice this week.” The Jets took Monday off after a busy stretch which saw them play 10 times over a 17-day stretch. In addition to losing Ehlers, shutdown defenceman Dylan Samberg also suffered a broken foot and is out at least another couple of weeks, while the likes of Scheifele, Namestnikov and DeMelo have been playing through various ailments. With just three games now over an eight-day span, it’s a good chance to rest up and hopefully heal up. The Jets will return to the ice on Tuesday as they host the Boston Bruins. Might Ehlers be ready to at least take a twirl at the morning skate? Winnipeg also has practices set for Wednesday and Friday this week in between games against Vegas (Thursday) and the Montreal Canadiens (Saturday). Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the Jets (and their fans) should certainly be pining for the speedy return of the guy known as “Fly.” mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the before joining the in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. . Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reviva l Gold Inc. (TSXV: RVG, OTCQX: RVLGF) (“Revival Gold” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce voting results for the election of directors at its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of Shareholders held on November 21 st , 2024, in Toronto. A total of 114,232,316 common shares representing 57.81% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares were voted in connection with the AGM. Shareholders approved all items of business before the AGM including the election of Directors as follows: Following the AGM, Revival Gold re-appointed Tim Warman as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, Robert Chausse as Audit Committee Chair, Wayne Hubert as Compensation Committee Chair, Maura Lendon as Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Chair, and Larry Radford as Technical, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility Committee Chair. Additionally, Revival Gold’s executive leadership consisting of Hugh Agro, John Meyer and Lisa Ross, were re-appointed as President & CEO, VP, Engineering & Development, and VP & Chief Financial Officer, respectively. Following seven years of service with the Company, Revival Gold announces the retirement of Steve Priesmeyer as Vice President, Exploration, effective December 31 st , 2024. Mr. Priesmeyer was a founding member of the Revival Gold exploration team in 2017 and has been a tireless champion of Revival Gold’s exploration efforts. Mr. Priesmeyer played a key role in the assembly and discovery of the multi-million-ounce Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project in Idaho, and the acquisition and integration of the Company’s new Mercur Gold Project in Utah earlier this year. Mr. Priesmeyer’s leadership, deep knowledge of geology and mineral exploration, and strong ‘shoulder to the wheel’ have been invaluable to Revival Gold’s development and success. Mr. Priesmeyer’s day-to-day involvement in the business will be missed but he will continue his association with Revival Gold as a technical consultant to assist with the transition and for special assignments as needed. Ongoing exploration leadership duties will be assumed by Revival Gold’s Chief Geologist, Dan Pace, B.A., M.Sc. (Economic Geology), Regis. Mem. SME, Member SEG. “Steve has had a tremendous impact on Revival Gold success and, together with the team that Steve assembled, is credited with Beartrack-Arnett’s emergence as one of the largest new discoveries of gold in the United States in a decade,” observed Hugh Agro, Revival Gold’s President & CEO. “Steve’s leadership, knowledge and commitment have played a vital role in developing the Company and building a strong foundation for future growth. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Revival Gold team, we extend our sincere thanks to Steve and wish him all the best in his retirement,” added Agro. Mr. Pace joined Revival Gold in 2023 and quickly helped transform the Company’s in-house geoscience capabilities and capacity with a focus on data-driven techniques to refine and improve upon Revival Gold’s exploration targeting and results. Mr. Pace obtained his master’s degree in Economic Geology from the University of Reno in Nevada, U.S.A. and has a wide breadth of technical experience and a fifteen-year track record of project generation and ore deposit discovery. Mr. Pace is a co-discoverer of the exceptional Silicon gold deposit in Nevada. “Revival Gold remains committed to building value through responsible exploration and development at Beartrack-Arnett and Mercur,” commented Agro. “We are excited about Dan’s expanded role in the business, and we look forward to carrying on Revival Gold’s exceptional past track record of gold discovery.” Pursuant to the Company’s stock option plan, Revival Gold has granted 3,195,000 incentive stock options (the “Options”) to directors, officers, and consultants of the Company as part of its annual compensation plan. The Options are exercisable at a price of $0.35 per share for a period of five years and are subject to vesting provisions. About Revival Gold Revival Gold is a pure gold, mine developer operating in the western United States. The Company is advancing engineering and economic studies on the Mercur Gold Project in Utah and mine permitting preparations and ongoing exploration at the Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project located in Idaho. Revival Gold is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol “RVG” and trades on the OTCQX Market under the ticker symbol “RVLGF”. The Company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada with its exploration and development office located in Salmon, Idaho. Additional disclosure including the Company’s financial statements, technical reports, news releases and other information can be obtained at www.revival-gold.com or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. For further information, please contact: Hugh Agro, President & CEO or Lisa Ross, CFO Telephone: (416) 366-4100 or Email: info@revival-gold.com . Cautionary Statement Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This press release includes certain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. securities legislation (collectively “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “will,” or “plan.” Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking statements could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, the Company’s objectives, goals and future plans, and statements of intent, the implications of exploration results, mineral resource/reserve estimates and exploration and mine development plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to maintain the modelling and assumptions upon which the interpretation of results are based after further testing, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, changes in regulatory requirements, political and social risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, uncertainties or challenges related to mineral title in the Company’s projects, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity and in particular gold prices, delays in the development of projects, capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates, the continued availability of capital, accidents and labour disputes, and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, an inability to raise additional funding, the manner the Company uses its cash or the proceeds of an offering of the Company’s securities, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains, future climatic conditions, the discovery of new, large, low-cost mineral deposits, the general level of global economic activity, disasters or environmental or climatic events which affect the infrastructure on which the project is dependent, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR+. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Specific reference is made to the most recent Annual Information Form filed on SEDAR+ for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements and the risks that may affect the Company’s ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.Russia has a stock of powerful new missiles “ready to be used”, President Vladimir Putin has said, a day after his country fired a new ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. In an unscheduled TV address, the Russian leader said the Oreshnik missile could not be intercepted and promised to carry out more tests, including in “combat conditions”. Russia’s use of the Oreshnik capped a week of escalation in the war that also saw Ukraine fire US and British missiles into Russia for the first time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for world leaders to give a “serious response” so that Putin “feels the real consequences of his actions”. His country was asking Western partners for updated air defence systems, he added. According to news agency Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv is seeking to obtain the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), or to upgrade its Patriot anti-ballistic missile defence systems. In Friday’s address Putin said the Oreshnik hypersonic missiles flew at 10 times the speed of sound and ordered them to be put into production. He had earlier said that use of the missile was a response to Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow and Atacms missiles. Thursday’s strike on Dnipro was described as unusual by eyewitnesses and triggered explosions which went on for three hours. The attack included a strike by a missile so powerful that in the aftermath Ukrainian officials said it resembled an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Justin Crump, CEO and founder of the risk advisory company Sibylline, told the BBC that Moscow likely used the strike as a warning, noting that the missile – which is faster and more advanced that others in its arsenal – has the capacity to seriously challenge Ukraine’s air defences. This week’s escalation has also prompted several warnings from other world leaders about the direction of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the war was entering a decisive stage – with a real risk of global conflict. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meanwhile said the West should take Vladimir Putin’s warnings “at face value” because Russia “bases its policies primarily on military power”. – BBCCommentary: To recline or not to recline – why we feel so strongly about airplane etiquetteEarth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record due to human-caused climate change coupled with the effects of an El Nino. But after this summer registered as the hottest on record — Phoenix sweltered through 113 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit — scientists anticipated 2024 would set a new annual record as well. In November, global temperatures averaged 14.10C (57.38F). Last year's global average temperature was 14.98C (59F). FILE - People are silhouetted against the sky at sunset Nov. 12 as they run in a park in Shawnee, Kan. Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, who wasn't involved in the report, said the big story about November is that "like 2023, it beat out previous Novembers by a large margin." This also likely will be the first calendar year in which the average temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, the report said. The 2015 Paris Agreement said human-caused warming should be limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally below 1.5. In the following years, the world's top scientist said limiting to 1.5 was crucial to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, such as increasing destructive and frequent extreme weather events. Scientists say the main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. That "does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever," said Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess. A young family visiting Washington cools off from the warm weather in a fountain Nov. 6 at the base of the Washington Monument. Francis said the new records are "terrible news for people and ecosystems." "The pace of warming is so fast that plants and animals cannot adapt as they always have during previous changes in the Earth's climate. More species will go extinct, which disrupts natural food webs they're a part of. Agriculture will suffer as pollinators decline and pests flourish," she said, also warning that coastal communities will be vulnerable to sea-level rise. Heat waves over the oceans and a loss of reflective sea ice and snow cover probably contributed to the temperature increase this year, experts said. Copernicus said the extent of Antarctic sea ice in November was 10% below average, a record. Oceans absorb about 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, later releasing heat and water vapor back into the atmosphere. Last year's record heat was caused partly by an El Nino — a temporary natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide. People walk Nov. 27 on an autumn-colored ginkgo tree-lined avenue in Tokyo. But that ended this year and a cooling effect that often follows, called La Nina, failed to materialize, leaving the scientific community "a little perplexed by what's going on here ... why temperatures are staying high," said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. One explanation is that an El Nino releases more heat to the atmosphere because of warmer ocean waters, then "we're not getting the cooling effect that often in decades gone by helps bring the temperature back down," Overpeck said. "So it does look like this could be contributing to the acceleration of global warming. But this year, he said, "is such a big jump following yet another jump, and that's a scary thing." It's no secret that a warming world will drive food prices higher, a phenomenon increasingly known as " heatflation ." What's less known, but a growing area of interest among economists and scientists alike, is the role individual extreme weather events — blistering temperatures in Texas , a destructive tornado in Iowa — may have on what U.S. consumers pay at the supermarket. At first glance, the answer might seem logical: A drought or flood that impacts agricultural production will, eventually, drive up prices. But it's not that simple, because what consumers pay for groceries isn't only reflective of crop yields or herd sizes, but the whole supply chain. As Grist reports, that's where it gets interesting: Economists are beginning to see a growing trend that suggests weather forecasts play a part in sticker shock. Sometimes the mere prediction of an extreme event — like the record-breaking temperatures, hurricanes, and wildfires forecasters are bracing for this summer — can prompt a spike in prices. It isn't the forecast itself to blame, but concerns about what the weather to come might mean for the entire supply chain, as food manufacturers manage their risks and the expected future value of their goods, said Seungki Lee, an agricultural economist at Ohio State University. "When it comes to the climate risk on food prices, people typically look at the production side. But over the last two years, we learned that extreme weather can raise food prices, [cause] transportation disruptions, as well as production disruptions," said Lee. How much we pay for the food we buy is determined by retailers, who consider the producer's price, labor costs, and other factors. Any increases in what producers charge is typically passed on to consumers because grocery stores operate on thin profit margins. And if manufacturers expect to pay more for commodities like beef or specialty crops like avocados in the future, they may boost prices now to cover those anticipated increases. "The whole discussion about the climate risks on the food supply chain is based on probabilities," Lee said. "It is possible that we do not see extreme temperatures this summer, or even later this year. We may realize there was no significant weather shock hitting the supply chain, but unfortunately that will not be the end of the story." Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages are among the reasons food prices have climbed 25 percent since 2020 . Climate change may be contributing as well. A study published earlier this year found " heatflation " could push them up by as much as 3 percentage points per year worldwide in just over a decade and by about 2 percentage points in North America. Simultaneous disasters in major crop and cattle producing regions around the world — known as multi-breadbasket failure — are among the primary forces driving these costs. Crop shortages in these regions may also squeeze prices, which can create volatility in the global market and bump up consumer costs. Historically, a single, localized heat wave or storm typically wouldn't disrupt the supply chain enough to prompt price hikes. But a warming world might be changing that dynamic as extreme weather events intensify and simultaneous occurrences of them become the norm. How much this adds to consumers' grocery bills will vary, and depends upon whether these climate-fueled disasters hit what Lee calls "supply chain chokepoints" like vital shipping channels during harvest seasons. "As the weather is getting more and more volatile because of climate change, we are seeing this issue more frequently," he said. "So what that means is the supply chain is getting more likely to be jeopardized by these types of risks that we have never seen before." An ongoing drought that plagued the Mississippi River system from the fall of 2022 until February provides an excellent example of this. The Mississippi River basin, which covers 31 states, is a linchpin of America's agricultural supply chain. It produces 92 percent of the nation's agricultural exports, 78 percent of the world's feed grains and soybeans , and most of the country's livestock. Vessels navigating its roughly 2,350 miles of channels carry 589 million tons of cargo annually . Transportation barriers created by low water, seen above, hampered the ability of crop-producing states in the Corn Belt to send commodities like corn and soybeans, primarily used for cattle feed, to livestock producers in the South. Thus emerged a high demand, low supply situation as shipping and commodity prices shot up , with economists expecting consumers to absorb those costs . Past research showing that retail prices increase alongside commodity prices suggests that the drought probably contributed to higher overall food costs last year — and because droughts have a lingering impact on production even after they end, it may be fueling stubbornly high grocery prices today. But although it seems clear that the drought contributed to higher prices, particularly for meat and dairy products, just how much remains to be gauged. One reason for that is a lack of research analyzing the relationship between this particular weather event and the consumer market. Another is it's often difficult to tease out which of several possible factors, including global trade, war, and export bans , influence specific examples of sticker shock. While droughts definitely prompt decreases in agricultural production, Metin Çakır, an economist at the University of Minnesota, says whether that is felt by consumers depends on myriad factors. "This would mean higher raw ingredient costs for foods sold in groceries, and part of those higher costs will be passed onto consumers via higher prices. However, will consumer prices actually increase? The answer depends on many other supply and demand factors that might be happening at the same time as the impact of the drought," said Çakır. In a forthcoming analysis previewed by Grist, Çakır examined the relationship between an enduring drought in California, which produces a third of the nation's vegetables and nearly two-thirds of its fruits and nuts , and costs of produce purchased at large grocery retailers nationwide. While the event raised consumer vegetable prices to a statistically significant degree, they didn't increase as much as Çakır expected. This capricious consumer cost effect is due largely to the resiliency of America's food system . Public safety nets like crop insurance and other federal programs have played a large part in mitigating the impacts of adverse weather and bolstering the food supply chain against climate change and other shocks. By ensuring farmers and producers don't bear the brunt of those losses, these programs reduce the costs passed on to consumers. Advanced agricultural technology, modern infrastructure, substantial storage, and efficient transport links also help ensure retail price stability. A 2024 study of the role climate change played on the U.S. wheat market from 1950 to 2018 found that although the impact of weather shocks on price variability has increased with the frequency of extreme weather, adaptive mechanisms, like a well-developed production and distribution infrastructure with sufficient storage capacity, have minimized the impact on consumers. Still, the paper warns that such systems may collapse when faced with "unprecedented levels of weather variability." Last year was the world's warmest on record , creating an onslaught of challenges for crop and livestock producers nationwide. And this year is primed to be even more brutal , with the transition from El Niño — an atmospheric phenomenon that warms ocean temperatures — to La Niña , its counterpart that cools them. This cyclical change in global weather patterns is another potential threat for crop yields and source of supply chain pressures that economists and scientists are keeping an eye on. They will be particularly focused on the Midwest and stretches of the Corn Belt, two regions prone to drought as an El Niño cycle gives way to a La Niña, according to Weston Anderson, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Those growing regions for corn and soybeans are what he'll be watching closely as La Niña develops. It's something Jennifer Ifft, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, is also thinking about. "If you have a very severe drought in the Corn Belt ... that's going to be the biggest deal, because that's gonna raise the cost of production for cattle, hogs, poultry," said Ifft. "So that would probably have the largest inflationary impacts." As of January , U.S. beef herd inventory was at its lowest in 73 years, which multiple reports noted is due to the persisting drought that began in 2020 . Americans, the majority of whom are already spending more on groceries than last year, are poised to soon see "record" beef prices at the supermarket. Food prices are also expected to rise another 2.2 percent in 2024 , according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. In a world enmeshed in extremes, our already-fragile food supply chain could be the next system teetering on the edge of collapse because of human-caused climate change. And costlier groceries linked to impending risk is the first of many warning signs that it is already splintering. This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox!
- Previous: 8jbet
- Next: login betfred