SOME LIKE IT HOT!

A quick look at this weeks stories – Greece, Turkey, and France are among several popular holiday destinations in Europe currently struggling with devastating wildfires following record-breaking heatwaves. Tourists and business travelers alike have had their travel plans disrupted or are now reconsidering their journeys due to safety concerns. Travelers are left questioning their options as wildfires continue to threaten these picturesque regions.

Wildfires across Europe this summer have increased dramatically, with destinations including mainland Greece, Greek islands like Rhodes and Crete, parts of Turkey, southern France, and the Balkans heavily affected. Extreme heat saw temperatures soaring to a staggering 50.5°C in Silopi, Turkey, and reaching 44°C in cities such as Athens and regions of Cyprus, intensifying the blaze and making it difficult to control. New York and New Jersey are also suffering from flooding.

Santa’s reindeer are suffering in the heat! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/nordic-countries-hit-by-truly-unprecedented-heatwave

Beijing has had massive floods and mudslides are affecting Columbia and Venezuela.

EPPING

Naked agression towards the police should result in harsh penalties. Social media is probably a culprit in spreading the words of a demo. Shut them down for 24 hours and doubling? The police have 200+ clear images of the violent perpetrators – prosecute them. If they were campaigning against the Jewish genocide in Gaza or against the climate crisis which threatens us all they would now be in jail.

The one law for one and another for the rest also applies to water. Water companies have built up debts of over £60 billion whilst paying huge bonus payments and dividends, whilst at the same time dumping sewage in our rivers and seas. Senior Whitehall figures (bullshit speak for rich white publicly educated males) have said that pollutin fines may put firms off from investing. They can fuck off! nationalise them – no compensation. If foreign companies do not wish to invest in companies unless the economics are weighed in there favour – well then they can FO too.

Andrea Jenkyn state that climate change did not exist and was just a money making racket. Obviously appealing to knuckle draggers. Obviously thick as shit, but how many due brains voted for her? In teaching climate change I never once was questioned about the safety of my results as I presented. TBH there is no doubt.

WEATHER

The tragedy in Texas was horrific – possibly 80 dead – after 250mm of rain fell in just 3 hours. Of course people are looking for someone, or some organisation to blame. Is it facetious to suggest that it maybe referred to as “An act of god”. This term is used to identify unpredictable events and is much used by insurance policies to avoid claims. And it was a summer camp for Christian girls. Just sayin’ thats all!

Analysis of the weather event has pointed to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry which passed over the Gulf of Mexico (or can it be natures way of rebelling against Trump’s renaming it the Gulf of America? This lifted huge amounts of moisture into the atmosphere above Texas. And the hurricanes season in the south-west North Atlantic has only just begun. As a former geography teacher I have long taught that in a hurricane the wind is of less importance than the storm surge and the excess rainfall. It is predicted to be a busy year for hurricanes – but one can never be 100% certain about long range forecasts. However I can be certain that there will be another horrendous hurican in the next couple of years. With higher temperatures there is more evaporation, and thus more flooding. I am not sure about the formation of tornado’s, but …. they are more likely to proliferate with conditions favouring their development.

There is also a human element here. Apparently floods were not unusual – why was there no escape plan? Yes it rained a lot and the river rose rapidly. But with so many little girls resident, surely there should have been an evacuation procedure. If this event had occured on a Geography field trip there is absolutely no way in which we would not have evacuated the area. Radio warnings were given. Gross negligence seems to have occurred!

TV

It is time for TV companies to get topical – something they use to justify the blanket coverage of the racist Reform Party. My proposal a weekly bulletin about the climate crisis. It should include extreme weather events from around the world – todays bulletin would include the Texas floods and the heat wave in the Mediterranean. It should also braodcast the abount of renewable energy produced weekly (or daily). Green initiatives could be highlighted with expert input. It could also report on sewage events – name and shame. It could also include debate between climate deniers and green proponents.

National Grid https://grid.iamkate.com stats show 71.5% of energy used at this moment was renewable. I do not care about the arguments that it is daytime and breezy. This is 71.5% of non-polluting energy now. If we can scale this up and add battery storage we can lead the world. The Guardian today has a report on balcony solar panels – cost abot £2000. I know many cannot afford this but maybe some of the UK’s wealthy cound set up a fund to support. My solar panels repaid in 8 years and this year have been spectacular!

PS. My wild garden is well known, but I wonder just how effective it is? Does it attract insects and other wildlife? Does it lower the temperature in summer and raise it in winter? And I know I get a financial result from the herbs and Mulberries at the front and the tomato and raspberries at the back. My little apple tree is now 3m around and the replacement apricot tree is doing ok. It sounds like I have a large garden but this is not true, about 10m wide and 5m at front and 10m at back. It is wild though! A dozen roses and a large sage and a large rosemary, also thyme and a variety of mints. And tomato and a cucumber and basil in greenhouse. Some neighbours are restricting mowing – whether for ecological reasons or just lazy I have no idea!

VENICE and Tourism

So Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez thought their wealth would enable them to “hire” Venice. The obscenity of their extravagant display of wealth was however no match for locals who threatened to flood the canals with plastic crocodiles!. However there are a reported 95 private planes flying in for the wedding. The cost is gross, and did Ms Sanchez’s space flight count as a bachelorette party? Venice is blighted by too much tourism anyway – cruise ships over 25000 tonnes have already been banned due to the congestion and pollution cased.

Unrest is spreading across the Mediterranean Region. House prices have risen by double in some cities. But wages are low in tourism, locals are forced to leave as properties are bought up to turn into Airbnb and apartments. Tourists flock from Northern European countries and movements to restrict these migrants are growing in momentum, despite the jobs they bring. Even some areas of the UK are imposing surcharges on holiday stay overs. Councils have the right to increase council tax on second homes.

So this has become a difficult problem. The right to holiday away from home in a nice environment versus the right to be able to live in ones home area. Congestion in Cornwall can be horrific at times, and parking is expensive. House prices in Cornwall have soared (especially due to covid). House pices in villages make the traditional small cottages extortionately expensive. A parking space in a laybye was sold in St.Ives for over £50000. Is there an equitable answer? Probably not. Places like Cornwall and west Wales are too remote for the growth of employment hubs. Wages are therefore depressed and often seasonal.

But conversely it is surely every workers right to escape from the urban existence once a year? 2nd home ownership is perhaps the worst example. 1 in 19 homes in Cornwall is a second home. 19000 properties are classified as second homes. Occupancy levels are 89% in peak season – but statistics out of season are difficult to obtain The average salary in Cornwall is £34.6kaccording to Cornwall Community Foundation, while the UK average salary is £42.2k.  Education levels of achievement are also lower commensurate with the employment opportunities offered. And still the Numpties voted for Brexit that cut off a lifeline of investment! It is definitely a problem – solution ?????

STOP – NOW

Yesterday I stated that Israel may have had a reasonable reason for the strike on Iran. Inevitably Iran struck back and some missiles got through the shield and fatalities occurred. This maust have been factored in by the Israeli government. But again Israel;s response is disproportionate. The escalation by Israel is of concern – they are perhaps the only nuclear country that is likely to use nukes as an offence weapon rather than a last resort one. Even Putin has not used his huge arsenal in the Ukraine. Iran’s religious leaders will be strengthened and whilst Netanyahu may call for the Iranian people to rise up he is talking bullshit. The people of Gaza have not rebelled against Hamas despite the carnage and destruction wrought by Israel. Iran is a theocracy with indoctrination installed in children from an early age (was it true that Iran children were offered two more years at shool if they walked through minefields to clear them?).

Israel has used a huge amount of bombing raids, and ground forces against Hamas and has still not recovered all the hostages. the cost to Israel of the Gaza offensive is estimated to be $250 billion with total costs nearer $400 billion. Of this the USA has According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, the United States spent $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel from October 2023 to October 2024. In December 2023, the WSJ report stated that US arms shipments to Israel since the start of the war included 15,000 bombs and 57,000 155mm artillery shells. Trump maybe happy with this but will the American people? Mid terms are coming over the horizon – he has alienated most of the non-knuckle draggers – will he have aenough support after Nov.2026? Or will he pass laws disenfranchising vast swathes of the population?

Back to Iran – its land borders seem secure; Goergia and Turkmenistan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; Turkiye and Iraq to the west maybe its weakest link but nothing is straight forward in this region. Iraq appears to be a mess after meddling by the west and NATO, whilst Turkiye is proving its independence and ability as a mediator wherever possible whilst being a muslim country it is Shia rather than Sunni. So that leaves the south bordered by the Red Sea with Saudi Arabia being the largest neighbour along with the Arab metro states and Oman. So a land force is unlikely to gain much traction. Which leaves air attack and missiles – with probable vast civilian casualties. Has the holocaust done something to Jewish minds that trivilises death of innocents?

For a while it looked like soft diplomacy might make roads into the Shia theocracy, but this will embolden the bigots in Iran, as warmongering has emboldened and strengthened the `jewish bigots.

So today is pessimistic – Without external pressure neither Israel or Iran look likely to back down. And as a major funder of Israel and the worlds leading superpower (despite Trumps attempts to localise it) it is up to America to take a lead (Oh fuck Trump would be looking to build a resort in Tehran as part of the deal? So basically we are fucked – years of conflict and death with no outcome. Bollocks.

PRIORITIES

I am wondering what a Labour Prime Minister is doing when fawning to a want-to-be facist dictator? I totally agree that we should join arms with our European neighbours to ensure that Putin and Russia cannot even contemplate invading democratic countries on our eastern flanks. However he seems to have gone over the top in his reaction to Trump’s negotiating nonsense. The USA has several $trillion invested in Europe – Trump will not pull out! (the figures are $3.5 trillion at end of 2023).

I CAN’T SEE IT SO IT DOES NOT MATTER!

The childs view – or if we talk about ostriches – I bury my head in the sand and all you can see is my arse – oh, sorry that was about Farage and his mates.

The statistics are beyond frightening. Inevitable loss has risen from 20% to 39% – sea level rise predictions vary, as inevitable with the variety of scenarios and spread of glaciers across 6 continents. Of course the different geographic and climatic factors affecting each glacier is different. As is the impact on coastal regions. Sea level was both lower and higher in the past, and coastal erosion and deposition has changed coast lines significantly. I am sure that communities will take measures to resist the rising sea levels, but the combined effects of tides, winds, rainfall and temperature may cause huge disasters in the near future as we have 20% of the worlds population living at or near sea level. Could the Thames Barrier with stand similar conditions to 1953? Is the migration that so occupies the right wing wankers just a wavelet on the shore compared to what may follow?

I really, really, really do not understand why people are so dumb?

OBSCENE

Trump signs a £107 billion defence deal with Saudi Arabia. WTF! Oh and there was reportedly another $400 billion in other deals! Just think of the poverty that could be eradicated, the education programmes, the health centres. But no the men with small cock syndrome have to go for the biggest weapons. To my knowledge neither the USA or Saudi Arabia is under no threat of invasion or war. Oh, and he has cut the American aid programme – what a complete and utter bastard.

On a good news story Everton FC have turned their old stadium of Goodison Park over to the womans football team. Whilst the capacity will be drastically reduced from 39000 it is great that the women will have a Premiership quality ground of their own, rather than a soulless housing estate. Sunderland have got through to the playoff final by the skin of their teeth. Whilst it would be great for them to bank the money that the Premiership doles out, they are not a team that can compete in the big league. All 3 sides promoted last year have been relagated despite some premiership sides being crap.

Labour are being slated from left and right regarding migration. I have already stated that I find the whole issue more complicated every time I look at it. Taking in 900000 migrants in a year is way too high, but also the vacancies in the NHS and Care system are way to high. Without doubt there are many people making extortionate profits from the NHS and Care systems, and also emergency housing for migrants. Care work is generally at minimum wage and the costs of a resident in a care home are also way too high, and would be unaffordable for many. family units and ties are also virtually non-existent – so family care is not possible.

Moving Civil Servants jobs out of London is a great idea – London has a vibrancy and momentum of its own, and spreading skilled jobs around the country is a great idea.

Cyclists – a newspaper report states that Paris has overtaken Amsterdam and the best city for cyclists. The accompanying photo was revealing. No lycra clad 30’s – just young people on bikes with baskets. How different to the cycling situation in the UK.

GLOBAL WARMING

When hearing about arguments regarding the above I have to ask the question “why are you ignoring the evidence?”

So the evidence is not just theoretical – there is the FACT that CO2 and methane are greenhouse gases. There is the FACT that the proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen 25% in last 65 years. Sun spot activity can cause fluctuations but the trend is forever upwards. Just because there are variations from place to place and year to year cannot deny the warming trend.

So the FACTS are clear we have a warming world, and CO2 pollution is probably the cause – I say probably because it is possible, but unlikely, that Earth is in a warming phase (evidence points to the opposite.

So the IMPACTS. FACT. Sea level rising with greater coastal erosion. Long-term measurements of tide gauges and recent satellite data show that global sea level is rising, with the best estimate of the rate of global-average rise over the last decade being 3.6 mm per year (0.14 inches per year). Tuvalu is a maximum of 2m asl.

FACT. Glaciers which regulate the flow of water to some of the most fertile and densely populated parts of the world are melting and retreating at an alarming rate. This could cause food insecurity and an increase in environmental migration.

FACT. Insects across Europe are in decline along with the subsequent food chain. Insects (bees are the best known) re essential for the production of food. Decline maybe down to pesticides, but due to the fecundity of most insects areas where harmful chemicals have been banned they should be making a comeback.

FACT. Climate has warmed and species that can adapt are moving – northwards in the Hemisphere. Sharks have become more common in UK waters. Plants are flowering earlier whilst animals with a longer lifecycle take longer to change.

Peoples arrogance to other species is affecting the diversity of life on this planet. Arrogant fuckwits like Trump and Musk may believe that money and economics will outwit nature – they are wrong! When Earth flexes its muscles people suffer (Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are becoming stronger and more common.

As the Arctic warms up – and FACT – it is, methane from the permafrost will be released (methane hass 10x the impact of CO2 as a greenhouse effect). And the disappearance of ice will mean the surface is darker and the albedo effect diminished.

So bozos who deny this are probably well below the 100 IQ average – or just greedy fuckers who want the profits of carbon burning rather than safeguard their childrens futue.

FACT. Most people dislike and avoid change and therefore like the status quo. We fucking love our cars and are quite terrified of the proplems of EV’s. Maybe we need to consider less travel?