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Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Climate
- Extra.ie
Wave goodbye to the rain -- there's a heatwave coming to Ireland
Stop looking out the window at those leaden skies and wondering where summer went – there's a heatwave on the way. A prolonged period of blistering sunshine and blue skies is on the cards for this week, Met Éireann predicts. The forecaster is predicting temperatures will reach a sweltering 26C. Met Éireann defines a heatwave as 'five consecutive days of temperatures above 25C' – and it looks like we could hit that mark, or surpass it, this week, according to the latest weather charts. Current forecasts, which are subject to change, indicate a gradual rise from the low 20s at the start of this week to much hotter temperatures. Today, we will see spells of sunshine, though it will be cloudier in north Connacht and Ulster with isolated showers. Stop looking out the window at those leaden skies and wondering where summer went – there's a heatwave on the way. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin Highest temperatures of 14C in the northwest, rising to 23C in the southeast in moderate winds, are expected. However, there will be a small blip tomorrow as it will be largely cloudy, with patches of light rain and drizzle spreading over the western half of the country while remaining dry further east. On a happier note, the highest temperatures will vary between 17 and 22C in light to moderate west-northwest winds. Wednesday will start cloudy but brighten up through the day with spells of sunshine developing and temperatures rising to 23C, warmest in the south, in a light to moderate westerly breeze. It will be another dry day on Thursday with sunny spells, though scattered showers will develop through the day. It will be 'very warm' with the highest temperatures of 20 to 25C in a light southwest or variable breeze. Stop looking out the window at those leaden skies and wondering where summer went – there's a heatwave on the way. Pic: Shutterstock Although remaining dry at first on Friday, the weather will become more unsettled over the weekend with outbreaks of rain spreading from the Atlantic, and possibly blustery conditions at times. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be the hottest days, potentially rising to 27C. Met Éireann said this week 'is showing a slight signal for high-pressure building', which indicates more settled weather. It added: 'Temperatures are indicating to be above average for this time of year. Precipitation is likely to be below average, especially in parts of the southwest and west.' Meanwhile, scorching temperatures on mainland Europe are not deterring Irish tourists from travelling, travel agents have found. Temperatures have surged past 44C in parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. Europe is currently experiencing an extreme heatwave known as a 'heat dome', resulting in unbearable temperatures. Pic: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Portugal and Spain recorded their hottest June ever. Scientists said the extreme temperatures in the region were related to a 'heat dome' over continental Europe. This is an area of high pressure that becomes stuck in place over a region because the atmospheric dynamics around it block it from moving. Mary Denton, chief executive of Sunway Travel, said they 'haven't received queries from customers asking to re-arrange their holiday dates or cancel due to the temperatures at their destination'. Ms Denton added: 'We have a lot of people due to travel this weekend [and] most of our customers will be going to Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Morocco. 'People are paying attention to what's going on around the world, but it isn't dampening enthusiasm for summer holidays. 'Holiday resorts and hotels are well prepared, and once customers are sensible and follow local advice, they will enjoy their time away.'
Extra.ie
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Extra.ie
Red Alert! Europe becomes 'too hot' for Irish tourists abroad
Irish holidaymakers could face travel misery as parts of Europe look set to shut down amid an extreme heatwave. The recent warm spell here has largely passed, but scorching temperatures across Europe have been surging past 45C. Now, experts have warned that Europe may be 'too hot' for Irish tourists. In western Turkey, rescuers evacuated around 50,000 people yesterday as more than 342 wildfires were reported across the country. Europe is 'too hot' amid a heatwave. Pic: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) And in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was shut to visitors as red weather alerts – France's highest warning level – were issued for 16 regions. In Spain, Barcelona reported the hottest June on record, dating back more than 100 years. Meanwhile, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heatwave, according to health officials. Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4C warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40C expected every year. June temperature records were broken in two locations in Portugal on June 29. Even London hit 34.7C yesterday – the hottest temperature recorded in the UK so far this year. Pic:) Katherine Atkinson, of The Safer Tourism Foundation, said: 'The current heat dome under which much of Europe is sweltering right now has a lot of people, rightly, asking themselves if they should be travelling to some of these destinations this summer.' There will be no records broken in Ireland this week, however, with outbreaks of rain spreading from the Atlantic.
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
UN Input On AI: Winners, Losers, And Opportunities
The United Nations logo is seen inside the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September ... More 20, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) The United Nations office of Trade and Development put out a report this year on artificial intelligence, and as you can imagine, it's quite lengthy. 'History has shown that while technological progress drives economic growth, it does not on its own ensure equitable income distribution or promote inclusive human development,' writes Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, in the preamble. Thinking that I was in for a dense read, I decided to ask ChatGPT 4 to summarize the report for me. The model, in its quick response, noted that the report 'examines the socioeconomic implications of artificial intelligence and offers policy recommendations to ensure equitable technological progress, especially for developing countries.' The model provided estimates on the size of global leadership in AI funding, with the United States at $67 billion in private AI investment in 2023, China with $7.8 billion, and India with $1.4 billion. It estimated AI will affect up to 40% of jobs globally, and that it will be concentrated in a specific cluster of companies, with around 100 companies driving 40% of global R&D. It mentioned around 118 countries being mostly left out of the discussion on AI, suggesting more collaboration is needed. ChatGPT also noted that the report provided recommendations for investment in infrastructure, data and skills, and suggested there should be a 'shared AI resource facility' and a 'public disclosure framework' developed in order to work on these goals. 'The Technology and Innovation Report 2025 underscores the transformative potential of AI and emphasizes the necessity for inclusive policies and international cooperation to ensure that AI benefits are equitably distributed across all nations,' ChatGPT wrote. Clicking into the report on my own, I was surprised to find that it's presented in a very visual way, with a scrolling presentation that makes these modules digestible to the human reader. First, the report represents billions of dollars in AI funding in dots, and shows visually how the field exploded in the last 10 years. For example, the data showed AI represented 7% of spending in 2023, and that by 2033, it will be more like 29%. The report cited auxiliary categories of investment, including the Internet of things, electric vehicles, and solar. In another segment, the report broke down how AI will automate things like coding and data science, saying about one third of jobs in developed economies are at risk. Scattershot graphs show the relative positioning of countries with a Frontier Technologies Readiness Index that shows developed countries are more prepared in general. The report, however, specifies how Brazil China India and the Philippines are outliers in more significant AI development. Advanced economies, in general, have a larger pool of workers, and often more developed national strategies. The report highlights these differences in promoting the idea of better distributed gains from technology. In addition, there are tips on designing policies for AI, evaluation of the G7 countries and their initiatives, and notes on global collaboration. Both ChatGPT's analysis and my own reading saw a lot of focus on India, where the model's input estimated a talent pool of around 13 million developers. The global collaboration component was also highly visible in both formats. Part of my takeaway here is that you can use ChatGPT to summarize long and complex documents. But this report from the UN was surprisingly visual and engaging. Take a look for yourself, and think about what's next.
