The graph here is from the World Bank post Fertility rate, total (births per woman). In 2020 the rate was 2.3, barely above the stable rate of 2.1. The page includes rates for countries with the lowest Korea (Rep) at 0.8, the U.S at 1.6, at the highest Niger at …
Read More »How hot was Dec 2022?
From NOAA’s December 2022 Global Climate Report: December 2022 ranked as the eighth-warmest December in NOAA’s 143-year record. The December global surface temperature was 1.44°F (0.80°C) above the 20th-century average of 54.0°F (12.2°C). December 2022 marked the 46th consecutive December and the 456th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, …
Read More »Will the Antarctic set a new sea ice minimum?
Currently, 2022 is the record minimum for Antarctic sea ice extent, but based on the graph here from the Charctic Interactive Sea Ice Graph from NSIDC 2023 seems primed to beat that record. The Charctic interactive Sea Ice Graph is a fun tool that lets users select years to graph. …
Read More »Which state grew the fastest in 2022?
You probably looked at the graph already and know the answer, Florida. The graph is from the Census Bureau article New Florida Estimates Show Nation’s Third-Largest State Reaching Historic Milestone by Marc Perry, Luke Rogers and Kristie Wilder (12/22/2022). This leaves us with more questions than answers, which we’ll get …
Read More »How expensive is fertilzer?
The world ban blog looks at fertilizer prices in the post Fertilizer prices ease but affordability and availability issues linger by John Baffes and Wee Chian Koh (1/5/2023). In Europe The sharp increase in natural gas prices in Europe has led to widespread production cutbacks in ammonia—an important input for …
Read More »How much do your legos cost?
The cost of legos vary around the globe and the article The Countries that Pay the Most and Least for Lego by Jess Peace. But LEGO also tells a tiny tale about world economics. The price of LEGO differs depending on the country where you shop. In fact, TheToyZone found a 744% difference between …
Read More »What should we know about oil markets?
The World Bank blog post Oil prices remain volatile amid demand pessimism and constrained supply by Peter Nagle and Kaltrina Temaj (12/16/2022) is a overview of the oil market. There are seven graphs but one, U.S. strategic reserves, caught my attention and is copied here. The United States and other …
Read More »How hot was Nov 2022?
From NOAA’s November 2022 Global Climate Report: The November 2022 global surface temperature departure was the ninth highest for November in the 143-year record at 0.76°C (1.37°F) above the 20th century average of 12.9°C (55.2°F). Despite ranking among the ten warmest Novembers on record, this November was the coolest November …
Read More »How much natural gas does the industrial sector use?
The eia post Natural gas consumption in the industrial sector has grown slowly in recent years by Mike Kopalek (12/12/2022) provides the graph copied here. What may be more interesting is what all this natural gas is used for. A few highlights: Natural gas used to produce fertilizer is one …
Read More »Should you bet on a white Christmas?
The answer to the question depends on where you live, which will dictate the odds of snow on the ground on Dec 25. If you aren’t sure then take a look at the map on the NOAA’s climate.gov article Interactive map: Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? by Rebecca …
Read More »