Climate Thoughts with Brian

Tag: climate

WMO: ‘Prepare for El Niño’

El Niño is coming- and we are not prepared. By Storm surge by David Baird, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123271310 A new WMO El Niño/La Niña Update indicates an 80% likelihood of an El Niño event during June–August 2026. Probabilities for this to continue until at least November are near or above 90%. Although some uncertainty…
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Consultation continues on Hope Moor Wind Farm Proposal

First steps in assessing the environmental impact for Hope Moor wind farm proposal taken in Yorkshire Fred. Olsen Renewables continue their public consultation on their proposals to build approximately 23 wind turbines on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, near to Richmond and Barnard Castle. This planned project would generate more than 150MW of renewable…
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European heat records are broken by spring heat dome

Credit @Tomer Burg The UK has just set a provisional new May heat record with 35.0C recorded in West London, exceeding the 34.8C reached yesterday. France has also seen record breaking heat with 36C recorded in the country’s southwest on Monday as a heat dome sits across much of western Europe. Friederike Otto, Professor of Climate Science,…
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Review of ‘Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home’ by Katharine K Wilkinson

Wilkinson’s book crackles with purpose and the potential of what might be possible. It reminds us that there is a ‘we’ at the heart of this journey and that we are bound and bonded by a common framework of humanity. ‘Climate Wayfinding’ is a book which encourages- even demands- time for reflection; time for strengthening…
Read more: Review of ‘Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home’ by Katharine K Wilkinson
Review of ‘The Fate of the World: A History and Future of the Climate Crisis’ by Prof Bill McGuire

‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death.’ Shakespeare’s words, from over 400 years ago, seem shockingly relevant today, as we face an existential climate crisis, but we witness no…
Read more: Review of ‘The Fate of the World: A History and Future of the Climate Crisis’ by Prof Bill McGuire
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…
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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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Human- caused climate change increases rain intensity in Western Europe

Humans are now ‘fighting a humanitarian crisis driven by a changing climate.’ Key findings from a recent World Weather Attribution study concludes that human-caused climate change has increased the intensity of the torrential rain that led to flooding across Western Europe. Researchers identified a clear trend showing the wettest days are now around a third…
Read more: Human- caused climate change increases rain intensity in Western Europe