Kees van der Leun
@sustainable2050
40 years of experience in the energy transition. Building Common Futures, a new energy transition consultancy. Posts about energy, climate, Ukraine & more. Also on Mastodon. Reposts not an endorsement, views my own. #EnergySky
Main highway from Paris to the Mediterranean closed for a third day because of the wildfires.
Water level (above sea level) of the Rhine where it enters the Netherlands, at Lobith. Blue = measured, red = forecast. Anything below 7.70 m is 'low', and we're now around 1 metre below that.
The precipitation deficit in the Netherlands (evaporation minus precipitation, cumulative since 1 April) has jumped into the 5 driest years zone again. Already 198 mm now, were it peaks around 120 mm in August in a median year. Forecast: increase to 240 mm in two weeks from now.
A6 Autoroute du Soleil - from Paris to southern France- still closed in both directions due to wildfire.
Wildfire shuts down Autoroute du Soleil, south of Paris. Climate-fueled heatwaves have consequences.
6,800 excess deaths in Germany in the 22-28 June heatwave. www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Ge...
In western Europe (west of 15°E), June was the warmest on record, over 3°C above the 1991-2020 average, beating the previous records, set last year...
June 2026 was the second-warmest June on record globally, 0.12°C cooler than the warmest June in 2024. The average global temperature for the last 12 months (July 2025 to June 2026) was 0.55°C above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.43°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
More hot summer weather coming our way in the central Netherlands. This summer will be taking over the #1 spot in the 126-year record here within a few days now.
Dutch public news @nieuws.nos.nl has it right: "Le Pen after conviction for fraud: I will take part in the elections"
On your way to a summer holiday in the Mediterranean? 45°C near Valencia today...
This could already become the next heatwave for the Netherlands. 'Plume forecast' by @knmi.nl
The first half of 2026 was the 5th warmest on record here in the central Netherlands. Just following the forecast for the coming 2 weeks, and then the 1991-2020 average (cool by now) would already bring this year into the top-3 warmest since 1901.
Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa averaged ~431.4 ppm in June, based on daily averages. That's 1.8 ppm higher than last year.
However, it was and is great to work with so many colleagues and clients on such an important topic, now at Common Futures. Energy Transition Specialists. ⤵️Let's bend the curve together, and drive emissions down to zero. By 2050, of course!
💯One of the many highlights to me was our Ecofys team coming up with the first global scenario for a 100% renewable energy system by 2050, for WWF, in 2011. wwf.panda.org/es/?199318/I...
🗓️1 July: Exactly 40 years ago, I started working on the energy transition! Right after studying phyics in Utrecht, I was asked to join startup Ecofys (Ecology & Physics ;) by its founders Kornelis Blok and Ad van Wijk.
The temperature at @knmi.nl 's main station De Bilt (in the centre of the Netherlands) just inched past 25°C so this has now become a 12-day heatwave in June! The pre-July record so far was 8 days.
Nasty little heat sources identified: two skylights. Need to cover those.
Cooling down the house by opening the windows now. Air temperature (inside and outside) 26°C, but walls still 27.6°C. If I'd close the windows now, the temperature inside would be pushed up by the heat in walls, floor, and ceiling. As long as the air temperature is below that, ventilation helps.
The second half of June is absurdly hot, here in the Netherlands. Its average temperature of 23.3°C will beat the previous record by 3 degrees! It's also hotter than any full month ever recorded here (July 2006 had 22.3°C).
After this brutal heatwave, June will end up as the second warmest on record in the Netherlands, right behind 2023, and ahead of 2025. Average temperature 19.2°C, above the already warmed 1991-2020 average for July and August.
Until yesterday, nightly temperature in the central Netherlands had never stayed above 19.5°C in the 126-year record. Yesterday: 21.3°C. Today: 21.2°C. Tomorrow: probably even higher.