Steve McGookinWorld gets yet another climate ‘wake-up call’
On Monday morning, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report. It does not make for uplifting reading, concluding that human activity has “unequivocally” warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. The UN Secretary-General called it “code red for humanity”.
It comes after “apocalyptic” scenes in Greece this week, with raging wildfires leaving hundreds of families homeless and destroying record amounts of woodland.
Sometimes it feels like the movie The Day After Tomorrow was more accurate than we thought at the time…
Here in NI, after some of the hottest weather on record, everyone’s favourite topic of conversation has returned, with half the average monthly rainfall for August falling in just 24 hours.
See Also:
The Case For An Eco-Thinking Centenary
Re-framing The Next Hundred Years
Weather Extremes Prompt Urgent Climate Warnings
Build Back Differently: How NI Can Tackle Climate Change (2020)
‘Everything Is Getting Much Worse, Much Faster, Everywhere’ (2019)
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Covid threat remains tragically real
At the end of a week that saw the first Covid-related death of someone under 15, Northern Ireland now has the highest infection rate in the UK. The total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 here since the start of the pandemic is now 2,220.
Meanwhile in the rest of the UK…
Across the World, governments continue to wrestle with the health and social fallout from Covid:
In the US, there is deepening concern about the speed of the growth of Covid in a number of states including Florida, with the state breaking its record for new cases three times this week as hospitalizations increase, particularly among children.
See Also:
Olympics Opens As Covid Concerns Continue
Lobbying For Lung Health In The Time Of Covid
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In US politics, sleaze again crowds the stage
However Gov DeSantis plans the next steps in Florida, it’s the fate of another Governor, New York state’s Andrew Cuomo – who appears to be on the brink of either resigning or being impeached following a report outlining sexual harassment allegations – which overshadowed most other US political stories this week.
Among the stories being largely drowned out is the drumbeat of growing revelations about former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the result of last November’s election and the precedent it might set for 2024.
See Also:
As Trump’s Legal Woes Mount, The GOP Doubles Down
After Trump, What Lies Ahead For The GOP?
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British Army ready to help deliver food
A shortage of HGV drivers has reached ‘crisis point’ with the government exploring options for distributing supplies across Britain.
But at least one industry appears to be prospering post-Brexit…
Meanwhile the inevitable outworking of Brexit as it affects Ireland North and South continues to roil, with seemingly little immediate prospect of progress.
News Letter political editor Sam McBride stepped down this weekend and signed off with a plea for both better politicians and greater scrutiny of their work.
Finally, hondootedly something that would cause a distraction…
See Also:
Big Launch For RHI Book ‘Burned’ (2019)
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An Olympics ‘unlike any other’
The often fraught but always compelling Tokyo games ended with some final weekend success for both the GB and Ireland teams. The Olympic torch now passes to Paris 2024, after the upcoming Paralympics, which run from August 24 to September 5, then next year’s Winter Games in Beijing.
Tokyo organizers said there had been more than 450 Covid cases related to the Games since July 1st.
Meanwhile, former Olympic boxer Michael Conlan won the interim WBA featherweight title after defeating TJ Doheny at Falls Park this week as part of Feile an Phobail.
In football news ahead of the return of the Premiership next week, Jack Grealish broke the British transfer record when he moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City. Meanwhile Argentinian genius and arguably the world’s best player, Lionel Messi announced he would be leaving Barcelona after two decades. He looks set to join French club Paris St Germain.
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See Also Last Week’s Five Points:
Also published on Medium.
