Geopolitics and Markets Review 11/7/2022:

A few weeks ago I mentioned wanting to know more about water politics. Certain places around the world are under threat from rising sea levels or drought, both due to rising global temperatures melting ice caps and drying out natural water sources.

An example of this, Spain and Portugal are currently going through the driest climate their countries have seen in 1200 years. This will also affect food growth, at a time when countries try to become more self-sufficient. The reason for this dry climate is debated to be the Azores High, which is a pressure zone in the Atlantic Ocean that affects weather in Northern Africa and Southern Europe. The Azores High is blocking wet weather from the Atlantic and pushing it upwards towards the UK and Scandinavia. As more heatwaves and forest fires are occurring around the world, how long will it be before some places become too hot in the summer months?

Remaining with Portugal and wildfires are controlling Northern and Central Portugal which is requiring large efforts of 3000 firefighters and more than 60 aircraft to handle. More extreme weather is now a staple of the summer months for warmer climates such as these. The question is can we limit or slow the severity of these incidents?