Tim Chatterton @Tim_Chatterton

The rise in Niño 3.4 region sea surface temperatures over the past few weeks has been nothing short of astonishing. We are now hotter than any days during the 1997/1998 super El Niño event, and we are still many months from the peak.

If there is a language that has no right to complain about “Inshallah” is English: Oh my God God willing Good God Godless Godsend In God we trust Jesus Christ! WWJD? Holy Mother of God! Literally someone sneezes and people go “bless you!” Most religious language ever!

Well, if #Ukraine doesn't win, then the chances of #Russia to #BuildBackBetter might be even slimmer than @BorisJohnson's efforts....

Daractenus @Daractenus

2 weeks ago

To put Russia's appetite for more land into the context it deserves by showing what they've done with the apparently insufficient land they already have, I decided to combine all my old and new travel guides through Russia's very posh cities into one colossal final thread.🧵

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Jeremy Corbyn didn't endorse a neo-Nazi who was jailed for antisemitism but Kemi Badenoch did and she gave him a job as an advisor. The mainstream media will move on and won't keep asking Kemi Badenoch to apologise in every interview.

Firefighter James Rodgers speaking alongside Zack Polanski, on the need to address climate change "When people talk about climate change, they often talk about the year 2050. I’m a firefighter. I want to talk about now, because for firefighters, climate change isn’t a prediction, it’s a shift we’re already working. Climate change is the fire call to multiple back gardens alight, children’s clothing burning on the washing line." "Climate change is the acrid smell as you effect entry into a flat because someone has succumbed to heat stroke and hasn’t been checked on in weeks. Climate change is the sound of people in floods of tears when they’re stuck in a lift 20 floors up in 30-degree heat." "Climate change is the taste of dust in your dry mouth watching a fire sweep uncontrollably across a park you used to play football in as a child in your summer holidays. Climate change is this becoming a day-to-day reality." "This week I’ve spoken to my colleagues from all over the United Kingdom and they have said no one wants to admit it, but the heat is getting to all of us. We’re getting shorter with each other and we’re finishing jobs feeling like we’ve done a full day’s work even before lunch." "Another said, my station gets very hot inside and there isn’t a place I can find relief from the heat whilst at work. It leaves me having more headaches and brain fog, less able to do my job after 24 years in the job. Another firefighter said to me, when are we finally going to get the workwear designed for this climate?" "Everyone who works in the fire brigade is feeling the exhaustion. We expect the fires, we expect the floods, we expect the road traffic collisions. What we didn’t expect was for the extreme heat itself to become the emergency." "Not just for the public, for the people responding to it too. Climate change is rapidly changing the conditions in which every part of our job happens. Make no mistake, we will turn up. Don’t fear the sound of our sirens – it’s the sound of help on its way." "We will keep responding, we will keep adapting. The question isn’t whether us firefighters will do our job, the question is whether the rest of us are willing to do ours. The climate crisis is stretching the fire service long before it makes headlines." "And whilst the same debates continue to happen, whilst fossil fuels are exploited from the earth for the profit of the few, our jobs are getting harder, days longer, resources thinner and incidents more severe." "Major fires can start with a single spark. Every solution starts with a decision to act. Every action that cuts emissions, protects our green spaces, teaches our children to care, supports resilience or helps a vulnerable neighbour matters." "Our future isn’t decided by one big decision, but millions of small ones. And the longer we wait, the harder it becomes for communities, for governments and, yes, for firefighters too. Because the climate crisis isn’t coming." "It’s calling 999."

"People talk about 2050. I'm a firefighter. I want to talk about now." 👇🏽

Farrukh @implausibleblog

2 weeks ago

Firefighter James Rodgers speaking alongside Zack Polanski, on the need to address climate change "When people talk about climate change, they often talk about the year 2050. I’m a firefighter. I want to talk about now, because for firefighters, climate change isn’t a

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"Why don't our towns look like this any more?" Because the local authorities that pay for this municipal planting have seen their incomes slashed since 2010, And they now have to spend 60%+ of that on statutory social care costs. And those social care costs are going to private care providers, many owned by offshore private equity, which pay their staff poverty wages. Public money funnelled straight into private sector profits. We won't see towns looking like this again until that's fixed.

This is.. bad. Recent ECM forecasts are suggesting a “very extreme” wildfire risk for next week as heatwaves return. Extremely dry vegetation will allow any fires that do get started to spread extremely rapidly. This is about as high-end extreme as it gets for the UK.

Look at the scorched grass in the background of the photo. We're literally in a drought, next summer will probably be even hotter. Is the acceleration of climate collapse the best that the working class can get?

GMB London Region @GMBLondonRegion

2 weeks ago

Great to be at last night's Back the Third Runway dinner, meeting fellow members and colleagues from across the movement. A third runway at Heathrow means jobs. Good, skilled, unionised jobs and apprenticeships for workers and communities across London and beyond. GMB backs the

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If you think it’s an exaggeration to say that climate change will be as devastating as World War II, then you are not paying attention. It will be far worse and it won’t end. 2024 was the hottest year in over 125,000 years, long before human civilisation arose. David Attenborough warns ‘the collapse of human civilisation is on the horizon’. Scientists in his documentary BREAKING BOUNDARIES warn that we risk the complete stabilisation of the planet. For fuck’s sakes, please God listen to these scientists who have spent their entire professional lives studying how the planet works: youtu.be/2Jq23mSDh9U?is…

LBC @LBC

2 weeks ago

“It will make WW2 look like a teddy bear's picnic.” Caller Michael explains why he is full support of @ZackPolanski's comments comparing climate change to WW2.

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Six years into the pandemic, COVID-19 is no longer just an acute respiratory illness—it has become a chronic public health challenge. A new review highlights how our understanding has evolved: ➡️ #LongCOVID has emerged as one of the pandemic’s most significant legacies, with persistent symptoms affecting multiple organ systems and substantial impacts on quality of life. ➡️ At the same time, vaccines and early antiviral treatment have dramatically reduced severe disease and are increasingly being investigated for their role in lowering the risk of LongCOVID. 1/

Government ‘continues to ignore warnings’ as wildfire near Sizewell B. Blaze 'highlights the vulnerabilities of nuclear infrastructure to the impacts of climate change'. “Proceeding with a project vulnerable to extreme weather events betrays future generations - risk of severe coastal threats, including sea-level rise, increased storm surges, and rapid erosion”. “Located on one of Europe’s most vulnerable coastlines, the area directly in “The project currently relies on an average of 18 tankers of potable water a day, sourced from the Anglian region, for construction and is yet to secure a guaranteed sustainable supply for the 2.2 million litres of potable water per day it needs to operate.” energyvoice.com/renewables-ene…

Paul Marshall, the co-owner of GB News, has tripled his hedge fund investments in fossil fuel companies in the first quarter of 2026 to £2.1bn. They're a propaganda channel cashing in on destroying our future. Always follow the money.

There now follows a party election broadcast by the Count Binface Party, And if I do say so myself, it's a banger. #VoteBinface #Clacton

This is what climate failure looks like. Nature, homes and livelihoods are being destroyed. The Government must act now.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists noticed that a SARS-CoV-2 infection can “wake up” other, dormant viruses already present in the body. A new study extends those and subsequent observations, documenting viral reactivation for a cohort of more than 1000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 before mid-2021. The findings provide a detailed picture of the hidden viruses that become active at different points of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, and link reactivation of some of them to more severe COVID-19 and to lingering symptoms, such as fatigue, that are the hallmark of Long Covid. Learn more: scim.ag/4fOlifR

Paula Vennells. In her 7 year tenure as CEO of the Post Office she waltzed off with £5.1 Mn; around £2.2 Mn coming from performance related incentives and pension in lieu payments. Yet postmasters/mistresses are still waiting for their compensation. #Newsnight #PostOfficeScandal

Broxted Estate solar farm in Suffolk has had a 41% increase in its biodiversity since 2011, suggesting a future where nature and renewables can co-exsist. Since 2013, Broxted Solar Farm has generated more than 350 GWh of electricity. At the same time, 19 red and amber listed bird species (under threat), have been recorded in and around the farm. Jo Green, Wilder Ecology Manager at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, said: “More than 12 years of habitat and key species monitoring has generated a valuable long-term ecological dataset in an area where such evidence is scarce. “This robust evidence base, combined with collaborative working through the Environmental Management Group, has been fundamental to the site’s ecological success.” The solar farm manages its wildlife habitats using grazing sheep, whilst also supporting food production. energylivenews.com/2026/08/05/sol…

Second homeowners demand halt to double council tax policy. Second homes stimulate housing market but many people can't afford to buy, or rent at affordable rent. Many second homes are empty for large parts of the year, make local businesses uneconomic. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Zack Polanski, "Today I was in Oxfordshire, standing in the aftermath of the devastation caused by a wildfire. Trees reduced to charcoal, cars turned to burnt out wrecks. The smell of smoke still lingering in the air on the site of what was once a thriving local business now reduced to ash." "Wildfires, literal scorched earth and a looming sense. And I really want everyone to hear this. This is only just the beginning. And today, as temperatures fall at the end of yet another extreme heat alert, we know that if it rains now, the soil being baked dry means it's much more likely to flood." "These days feel exceptional. But what we are living through right now are likely some of the least extreme summer temperatures we'll experience in our lifetimes. Today I am sounding the alarm and I'm laying out a plan." "Because last week, while a wildfire the size of 200 football pitches was raging across Suffolk, I called on, Prime Minister Burnham to act urgently to address the crisis. I suggested a COBRA meeting being the very least he could do." "And six days later, with another heat alert just having ended, we have still heard next to nothing from the very top of government. No emergency briefings, no new plan and precious little detail about how this government will protect people from the crisis." "It is putting lives and livelihoods at risk across the entire uk. So today I'm delivering a reality cheque. We are facing the biggest threat to this country since the Second World War." "I'm setting out what Prime Minister Burnham can do now to tackle the crisis and I am challenging him to act with the urgency we need. You will hear today from those on the front line of this crisis and they will lay out what they have dealt with in the past few weeks." "And to them, on behalf of the entire country, I want to say thank you. Extreme weather is now the new normal and without action, the impact on the people of this country will be unimaginably grave." "The threats we face are three hold first, the threat to the safety of the population. Almost 3,000 people have died from the effects of extreme heat this summer. And we know that older people and those with pre existing conditions are particularly at risk from these dangerous temperatures." "Those are the people who have been forced to stay at home for days on end, windows, curtains closed, trying to wait out the extreme heat. And these are the people who are most likely now to have grieving families whose bodies were under such intense strain and trying just to stay cool that their kidneys and their hearts could no longer cope." "Meanwhile, wildfires have seen hundreds evacuated from their homes, while many thousands more wait anxiously with Flames on the horizon and smoke in their lungs. We've seen across Europe how bad things can get." "Hundreds of thousands evacuated, half a million acres burned. The sheer scale of the devastation is hard to comprehend, but we need to look it in the face, because this is only a taster of what's to come if we don't act now." "Second, we face a threat to our food and water security. Farmers are now warning we could see food shortages after flooding followed by drought has decimated crops. And despite farmers working really hard through the nights to avoid the heat, food production is grinding to a halt and our food prices are set to rise." "Half of England is experiencing serious drought. And across the country, 8 of our water reservoirs are at risk of running dry. Privatised water companies they've failed to build a single new reservoir to since 1992, are, losing nearly 3 billion litres of water a day from leaky pipes." "That's five times more than a nationwide host pipe ban would even save. The threat is so severe that the UK's National Risk Register warns that if we have three years of exceptionally dry weather like this, we could face water rationing." "These aren't distant possibilities, they're very real scenarios and they are coming straight at us down the track because finally, we face a threat to our very way of life. Parents unable to take their children to the playground because the slides are so hot it could burn, their skin off." "Temperatures so high they keep us inside for days for the sake of our health. Cities feeling like ghost towns, parks turned into deserts. We only have to look across the Channel to France and Spain to see what faces us in the years ahead." "Europe is heating at, twice the rate of the rest of the world. Wildfires, droughts, deadly floods. The scenes we have seen play out on our TV screens are, frankly apocalyptic. And yet the response from our government is to pretend none of this is happening." "It is an astonishing dereliction of duty from those whose very first responsibility is to keep all of us safe, and from the media. With some brilliant and notable exceptions, we have seen more clamouring for North Sea drilling in the last few weeks than actually raising the alarm on climate breakdown." "While our country has come together, people have offered shelter to those who have had to leave their homes due to wildfires. They've checked in with older neighbours to care for those who are sick because of the heat. But the government. The government have been far, far too quiet on what is an emergency." "So today you will hear from some of those on the front line of this crisis and Those with vital insights into how we face this threat. A doctor, a firefighter, someone who served this country in the armed forces, and someone who has dedicated his entire career to our precious nature and wildlife." "It's experts like these that this government should be bringing to the table to design a full scale emergency response. So I want to step out from this big picture and look at some of the urgent steps that Prime Minister Burnham needs to urgently announce to protect people right now and keep us safe from what we know is coming down the track." "In the immediate term, we need to keep people safe from extreme temperatures. That means a free accessible cool space in every local area. And financial support for households so they can heat proof their homes. Second, we need a robust wildfire prevention strategy." "A fire service with the resources it needs to tackle blazes when they come. And that must include firefighting helicopters when needed. And not again ever seeing the shocking sight of requiring a charity to step in to contract a private firm to help fight fires." "And this should all be funded by taxing the fossil fuel giants who are profiting from fueling these infernos. And finally, to secure our water supply, prevent droughts and protect our food system, we need to bring water back into public hands." "Right now, money is flowing out of our hands into the pockets of shareholders, just like water is flowing out of those companies leaky pipes in the middle of a drought. Every single penny households pay for their water needs to go back into strengthening our infrastructure, building new reservoirs and protecting us from the droughts of the future." "We know that these extreme temperatures, these deadly wildfires, are being driven by the burning of fossil fuels. The sad reality is decades of inaction of politicians allowing fossil fuel companies to profit from pumping out deadly emissions have guaranteed the extreme weather we are seeing right now." "And we will see for the rest of our lifetimes. But there is still time to stop total breakdown. So let me speak directly to the Prime Minister. If we are to secure a livable future for our children and for our grandchildren, there can be no new drilling for oil and gas." "On this, the, the science is crystal clear. As politicians, we have a moral responsibility to do what is right for the people we serve, even when it's not politically convenient. And I know that whatever our differences, we both care deeply about the people of this country and the future of our planet." "So when the time comes, I hope you will have the courage to be truthful, be brave and hold firm to your party's commitment to no new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, including both Rosebank and, Jackdaw." "Now, some will say we can't afford to make these changes. These last few weeks are showing we can't afford not to. We are facing an existential threat. People are dying. People are scared." "It is time to act. And when we do, we won't just avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown. We will lower bills permanently, help our communities thrive, and give a grounded sense of hope for generations to come."