Climate Thoughts with Brian

Tag: sustainability

Review of ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson

I must begin by making a whispered confession- this is the first time that I have read ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson. Of course, I have previously been aware of its revolutionary impact, ground-breaking work and awakening of the public, but it always seemed to be a book to be read at another time. Here,…
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Yorkshire Water have ‘no plans for water restrictions’ as reservoir levels hit 45.5%

As the latest water situation report for September is published, Yorkshire Water repeat their statement that they have ‘no plans for water restrictions’. Levels hit 45.5% for September, coming very close to the 46% levels of September 2025, when the region was under a hosepipe ban. Readings remain well below the 68.7% average for this…
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Review of ‘Eat The Planet Well’ by Dave Goulson

Certainly, I missed the parade of ‘Eat The Planet Well’ by Dave Gouson, when it was published earlier this year, and what a shame. This is a delightfully informative book which takes the reader on a journey through our ‘toxic food systems’ and suggests a pathway, which is more than just a ‘faddy diet plan’,…
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Back to Bentham: What next for the people of Bentham still waiting for answers?

Almost four months ago, ITV released their documentary on high PFAS levels in the blood of some Bentham residents. Bentham, once dubbed ‘the most PFAS polluted town in the UK, has been in the spotlight for several years now, as investigations revealed incredibly high levels of PFAS chemicals in the groundwater of their wastewater lagoons.…
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Ripon Repair Café: One Year On and Still Going Strong.

Repair culture proving popular against rising consumerism Ripon Repair Café opened its doors once again this Saturday (11th July) to mark the first anniversary of beginning their repair journey in 2025. Sue Griffin, an organiser for the local repair team said, ‘In the first year of the repair café, we have saved a lot of…
Read more: Ripon Repair Café: One Year On and Still Going Strong.
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
NOT A SINGLE COMPLETED WATER COMPANY PROSECUTION FOR POLLUTION INCIDENTS IN LAST FIVE YEARS

In yet another exclusive on pollution incidents, Channel 4 revealed last night (Wed 6th May) that the Environment Agency has not completed a single prosecution of a water company for any pollution occurring in the last five years, despite almost 2 million sewage discharges. None of the completed prosecutions relate to the thousands of serious…
Read more: NOT A SINGLE COMPLETED WATER COMPANY PROSECUTION FOR POLLUTION INCIDENTS IN LAST FIVE YEARS
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,…
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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…
Read more: Halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 critical to avoid disastrous effects on human well-being