The link between c02 and rising temperatures is well established and this year Global Temperatures got an extra boost thanks to el nino, which brings warmer water to the surface of parts of the tropical pacific. That explains why february was 1. 77 degrees warmer than preindustrial temperatures, and why global average temperatures hit a record 1. 55 degrees above preindustrial levels over the last 12 months. It means we have temporarily at least breached the 1. 5 degrees threshold the world agreed to try and limit temperature rise to, to avoid the worst impacts of Climate Change. February 2024 was the warmest february on record globally, with an average temperature of 13. 54 degrees, above the 1991 2020 temperature. While this is remarkable, because, for instance, it is a tenth of a degree warmer than the warmest previous february, which was 2016, its not really surprising, because this has been the el nino year, where temperatures tend to be warmer than usual, and more importantly, we
A persistent Gender Pay Gap and sexism in the city as bad as ever, is there much for the Business World to celebrate . And, groomed for success how the pampered pooches at crufts are part of a booming pet economy tipped to hit half a trillion dollars by 2030. A very warm welcome to the programme. The greatest Comeback Story never told thats how President Biden has described his handling of the us economy, as he delivered his state of the Union Address in the last few hours. It is a Comeback Story for sure. Since the president took office in 2021, the us has put the pandemic firmly behind it, performing better than most other developed economies, with strong jobs growth and buoyant consumer spending. But that is not how Many Americans see it. Soaring inflation means the cost of living is simply much higher than when he took office. And the polls reflect that. President biden s average Approval Ratings are at a record low ofjust 38 . When asked in an nbc poll who would do a betterjob ha
across the region. they re venting their anger over soaring fuel and fertilizer costs, low prices for their produce, and increasingly restrictive eu regulations. demonstrations by farmers are planned in poland, hungary and italy today. italy s government has promised tax breaks to ease hardship for farmers after hundreds began gathering with their tractors this week, on motorways outside rome and turin. this was the scene on thursday. and in cyprus, farmers blocked the entrance to the european union s offices in nicosia, on thursday. there were also demonstrations in bulgaria. and more tractor protests across spain for the third day in a row, with farmers disrupting traffic in barcelona, and in smaller cities all over the country. they say eu rules to protect the environment make them less competitive. they have also had to compete with imports from ukraine after brussels waived duties and quotas after the russian invasion. this and renewed eu talks on a south america trade d
of 3.3% in the last three months of 2023 much stronger than expected. that s raised hopes that the us federal reserve might have achieved a soft landing getting inflation under control by raising borrowing costs without crashing the economy. the strong economic numbers helped stoke an ongoing rally on us stock markets. both the dowjones industrial average and s&p 500 closed at new record highs on thursday. and traders weren t the only ones celebrating. the gdp figures have been seized upon by president biden, who is battling for re election. he s been suffering poor approval ratings for his handling of the economy, as american households feel the impact of higher prices on their finances. from new york, here s michelle fleury. for an economy many said was headed for recession, the us continues to defy expectations. in the final three months of last year, the american economy grew faster than expected, expanding at an annual rate of 3.3% while inflation fell. growth for th
badly. the data however paints a different picture. the us economy grew 2% in the first three months of this year. that is almost double initial estimates. consumers spend more, exports held up and prospect for the second quarter also look better with the housing market focused on recovery and subsidies for semiconductor and electric car parts beginning to kick in. the challenge for america s central bank is to keep inflation trending down. data due out later this friday from the us commerce department is likely to confirm prices are cooling. but with inflation still stubbornly hire, policymakers here as in many other developed economies are not done raising interest rates. susannah streeter is senior investment analyst at hargreaves la nsdown. susannah, biden is obviously on a re election campaign. but if we look at his economic track record as president, how successful have his policies been? well, the problem that the us has faced, as have other economies around the world