Climate Thoughts with Brian

Category: climate

MPs call for urgent, drastic and decisive action on pervasive PFAS pollution

A report, published today, by a cross-party Environmental Audit Committee, called for the phase-out of ‘forever chemicals’ in non-essential uses, as well as recommending a group- based approach in tackling PFAS chemicals, rather than an individual approach of separate PFAS. The report argued that current UK Government action is lagging behind standards in Europe and…
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Review of ‘The Visual Life of Climate Change’ by Saffron O’Neill

‘The Visual Life of Climate Change’ is an enthralling exploration and evaluation of the efficacy of climate related images and challenges the reader to be more critical of the ideologies and narratives posed by any image. O’Neill makes the early point that, ‘Images are not simply facile illustrations accompanying the ‘serious’ work of textual communication,…
Read more: Review of ‘The Visual Life of Climate Change’ by Saffron O’Neill
Review of ‘Green Thinking- Unlearning Outdated Ideas in Science, Economics and Politics’ by Natalie Bennett

In ‘Green Thinking’, Natalie Bennett calls for a deep, transformative, ‘breaking the chains’ moment, to move us away from outdated ideas which promote harmful outcomes. It challenges assumptions and models and really is a ‘breakthrough book’- the transformative model that we need for the 21st-century. She argues that, ‘We are in the Age of Shocks-…
Read more: Review of ‘Green Thinking- Unlearning Outdated Ideas in Science, Economics and Politics’ by Natalie Bennett
Halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 critical to avoid disastrous effects on human well-being

Immediate call for global action to shift world towards a “Nature Positive” approach is published today in Frontiers in Science. Harvey Locke @2026 ‘Human activities are driving a global decline in biodiversity and are interfering with the natural processes essential for human well-being. Achieving climate and development goals is impossible without keeping nature intact.’ This…
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National Emergency Climate viewings help to inform the public more about climate breakdown

Swinsty Reservoir in 2025 Following last year’s successful National Emergency Briefing on the climate to MPs, more action is still required from the Government to ensure that the public is informed, prepared and protected about the climate and nature breakdown. To ensure that this happens, multiple venues across the UK will host public viewings of…
Read more: National Emergency Climate viewings help to inform the public more about climate breakdown
Earth’s climate swings increasingly out of balance

‘Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits’ UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The State of the Global Climate 2025 report, published today by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), confirms that 2015-2025 were the hottest 11 years on record and highlights that the Earth’s energy imbalance is at its highest in sixty five-year record. With 2025…
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Welsh Council to spend over £2.5 million to protect residents from climate change

Homes at severe flood risk to be demolished by council Councillors for Rhondda Cynon Taf council have approved the acquisition of 16 homes in Ynysybwl, which have been described as at ‘severe flood risk’. The homes in Clydach Terrace will be bought for £2,570,000 and are at high risk of flooding from the local river,…
Read more: Welsh Council to spend over £2.5 million to protect residents from climate change
Review of ‘The Insect Crisis’ by Oliver Milman

Global wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% on average since 1970. Flying insects numbers have plunged 64% since 2004. ‘A landmark United Nations finding in 2019 outlined how 1 million species across the animal kingdom are facing extinction in the coming decades. Half of these lost species will be insects.’ Our apathy to these headline…
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Review of ‘Nomad Century- How to survive the Climate Upheaval’

by Gaia Vince ‘A great upheaval is coming. It will change us, and our planet.’ Vince tackles the elephant in the room with regards to the climate emergency with a refreshing frankness. Climate migration and the protective regulations surrounding migrants need to be front and centre, as tens of millions continue their migration. Vince makes…
Read more: Review of ‘Nomad Century- How to survive the Climate Upheaval’