The Braindump Blog

The environment

2026-10-01: Public uproar over plans that might disturb Dobby's grave

2026-09-22

‘Incredibly encouraging’: healing the scars of traditional anchors in Dorset’s seagrass meadows: Eco-anchors work, it seems.

2026-09-04: British people urged to make emergency preparations before next year's weather starts its deadly onslaught

2026-08-29: Developing the UK's North Sea oil fields further would likely end up being a pointless disaster

2026-08-16: One of the exceedingly rare upsides of being in the midst of the UK’s fifth (!!) heatwave of …

2026-07-29: Uh oh, it’s back :( Britain braces for fourth heatwave of year as fire chiefs issue public …

2026-07-13

June heatwave killed up to 440 people a day in England and Wales, data suggests: ‘…about 2,200 heat deaths occurred between 18 and 28 June, a period encompassing the peak 24-26 June period, the study indicated. About 38% were attributed to global heating, the result of the extra heat baked in by the climate crisis.’

2026-07-11: World records are being broken all over the place in recent times. And not in a good way. Is Europe …

2026-07-09: The UK is currently undergoing its third heatwave in as many months. Given we have such a low …

2026-05-16

Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts tell WHO: ‘The international spread of vector-borne disease, such as dengue and chikungunya, as well as the health impacts of extreme weather events, global heating, food insecurity and air pollution make a Pheic necessary…’

2026-05-09: The Dirty Business documentary provides yet more evidence in favour of nationalising water provision in the UK.

2026-03-22

Lockdowns trigger dramatic fall in global carbon emissions: “Responses to coronavirus crisis cause sharpest drop in carbon output since records began”

2026-03-22: The IEA's ten steps to mitigate against the sky-rocketing price of oil

2026-03-21: ‘Record-shattering March temperatures in Western North America virtually impossible without …

2026-03-07

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns: ‘The first UK Food Security Report in December 2021 found the country was 54% food self-sufficient’

2025-11-16

Dark forces are preventing us fighting the climate crisis – by taking knowledge hostage: ‘What stifles effective action is a deadly conjunction: the climate crisis running headlong into the epistemic crisis.’

2025-11-13

World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds: ‘That all means the end of agriculture in the UK and across Europe, drought and monsoon failure in Asia and Africa, lethal heat and humidity’

2025-10-20: Talks I attended from New Scientist Live 2025

2025-10-15

Towns may have to be abandoned due to floods with millions more homes in Great Britain at risk: More climate change related disasters(plus poor building decisions).

2025-09-07: The insect apocalypse is upon us

2025-04-20

There’s only one way to fight the climate greenlash: appeal to the naysayers’ self-interest: ‘If green policy is going to survive the culture wars, it needs a new pitch - cleaner air, cheaper bills and healthier cities’.

2025-04-10

In the face of fascism, climate activists tell a better story: ‘A new network named ‘The Surge’ called a series of joint rallies for climate justice, anti-fascist and peace activists in January 2025, and were pleasantly surprised by the level of response.’

2025-03-20

Greenpeace must pay at least $660m over Dakota pipeline protests, says jury: I hope they appeal and win against what seems like an unjust verdict.

2025-03-11: Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation. It …

2025-02-15

Revealed: ‘extremely concerning’ industry influence over UN aviation body | Airline emissions: The relatively secretive UN’s committee on aviation environmental protection (CAEP) seems to be dominated by representatives from the aviation and fossil fuel companies.