Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
What do you know about the nation of Nauru?
April 29th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
I am a fan of the American television series “Madam Secretary” which is broadcast in the UK on the Sky Witness channel. A strength of the series is that – as with “The West Wing” – it features very contemporary and controversial political issues. So, for instance, a recent episode highlighted the impact of climate […]
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The introduction of the world’s first 24-hour seven-day-a-week Ultra Low Emission Zone
April 8th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Two weeks ago, I started to live in the centre of London, so it is a fortuitous coincidence that today sees the introduction in the capital of the world’s first all-day, all-week Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). You can find a question and answer guide to London’ ULEZ here and an examination of how it […]
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What happened to change the whole world in 535 AD?
August 22nd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The extreme weather events of 535–536 were the most severe and protracted short-term episodes of cooling in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 2000 years. The event is thought to have been caused by an extensive atmospheric dust veil, possibly resulting from a large volcanic eruption in the tropics, or debris from space impacting the […]
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1976 and 2018: two exceptionally hot summers – but a lot of differences
July 28th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I remember the long hot summer of 1976. It was the summer I became a father and my life had never been sunnier. But, as explained in this article in the “Mirror” newspaper, there were lots of other things that made that year a better one than this year for so many people in Britain.
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Antarctic melting underneath much faster than we thought
April 3rd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Most of the news in the media is about specific events involving specific people, but often what’s going on underneath – sometimes literally – these headlines is a more significant story. An example is this “Guardian” news item which begins: “Hidden underwater melt-off in the Antarctic is doubling every 20 years and could soon overtake Greenland […]
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It’s World Water Day
March 22nd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I spent five years as Chair of the Customer Challenge Group at South East Water and this experience underlined my view that water plays an absolutely crucial role in life and all our lives. So, what is the United Nations World Water Day? “World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention […]
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7 things you can do to reduce plastic pollution
November 22nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I’m currently watching the wonderful new BBC series “Blue Planet II” and the latest episode highlights the issue of plastic in our oceans. Consider these facts – compiled by Plastic Oceans – on plastic pollution: The proliferation of plastic products in the last 70 years or so has been extraordinary; quite simply we cannot now […]
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Reasons to be cheerful: the seven megatrends that could beat global warming
November 8th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
… a series of fast-moving global megatrends, spurred by trillion-dollar investments, indicates that humanity might be able to avert the worst impacts of global warming. From trends already at full steam, including renewable energy, to those just now hitting the big time, such as mass-market electric cars, to those just emerging, such as plant-based alternatives […]
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The Toxicity Charge (T-Charge) and improving air quality in London
October 23rd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Today Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, introduced the Toxicity Charge (or T-Charge) in central London to tackle emissions from the oldest polluting vehicles. Since I’ve lived in London for 46 years and visit central London several times a week, I welcome this policy. The T-Charge is part of a package of actions intended to […]
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What are the links between climate change and all these devastating hurricanes?
September 10th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
“Climate change cannot be blamed for the hurricane count in any single season, nor for the occurrence of any single storm, but there are three ways in which it is making the consequences worse. First, although the intensity of a hurricane depends on many factors, warmer seawater tends to promote stronger storms. Average sea surface […]
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