Plants We Used to Use 15. Red clover

As Red clover (Trifolium pratense) contains phytoestrogens, some herbalists have recommended it as a treatment for menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis. Dodgy, however, for males. There are also safer treatments for these female conditions.

September Without the Rain

There have been places with unseasonal flooding. What's been very notable, however, has been the lack of rainfall in diverse areas of the globe. Australia has had its driest September on record, with wildfires raging in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/02/australia-records-driest-september-since-observations-began-as-fires-rage-in-victoria-and-nsw). At the same time, Autumn (Fall) heat continues in Europe, after its record-breaking September (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/01/autumn-heat-continues-in-europe-after-record-breaking-september). A combination of climate change and El Nino seems the likely culprit?

Splash Back!

The privatised English and Welsh water companies 'urgently' need to spend £96 bn on upgrading reservoirs, pipelines and sewage treatment. The companies expect to add up to £156 per year to household bills to cover these 'essential' costs. Those companies have had 30 years to spend some of their 'monopoly profits' on upgrading the Victorian systems they inherited. Much of that money was, however, splurged on inflated shareholder dividends along with massive remunerations (plus shares) for their CEOs. The consumer 'protection' agency, Ofwat, seems minded to approve the spend. How come Ofwat didn't push earlier for the spending of profits on improvements, before water leaks and sewage discharges became 'political hot potatoes'? (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/02/uk-water-companies-plan-cut-leaks-sewage-discharges). Many of the water company shares appear to be held by foreign pension funds. Increasing the living costs for stretched UK home owners, isn't likely to go down at all well. The trouble with water is that you just can't avoid using it or paying for its waste removal. It's also illegal, in the UK, to cut folk off for non-payment.

Going For the Dogs

UK charter firm, K9 Jets (get it?) will use private jets to whisk a rich dog owner's pooch between Dubai and London. It will only cost the owner a tad over £8000. Now, it's not only the well-heeled contributing massively to global emissions, it's their pets as well! (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/30/private-jet-service-for-rich-dog-owners-condemned-by-climate-campaigners). How crass is that? Environmentalists are somewhat taken aback. Let's hope no dog fights break out on the journey. They don't always end well for planes.

Seeing the Changes 1887

Michaelmass daisy (Aster novi-belgii) blooming in Loughor.

Some 'Thinktanks' Don't Really Think

Need a vastly inflated figure, to score political 'brownie points'? A 'thinktank' will supply one! Civitas has produced a report on the cost of the UK reaching net zero (in carbon emissions) by 2050 (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/29/how-a-thinktank-got-the-cost-of-net-zero-for-the-uk-wildly-wrong). The Civitas report, written by an avowed 'climate sceptic', estimates the 'true' cost as being £4.5 tn. Much higher than the £1.4 tn estimate by the Climate Change Committee. Why the difference? The Civitas report a) Ignores any savings of the costs of fossil fuels; b) Ignores the catastrophic economic and fiscal consequences of rampant climate change; c) When discussing wind turbines, confuses power capacity (mega watts) with mega watt hours, producing a figure 10,000 times lower than actual and d) even manages to mix up billions with trillions. In spite of it's 'schoolboy errors', the Civitas report was reported by large sections of the right wing media, as a contribution to 'honest debate' on costs with UK tax payers. If you don't like a figure, just get it changed by your friendly, neighbourhood thinktank! The trouble with such rubbish is that, even after corrections, sections of the public are simply left with the impression the costs will be too high.

Never a Good 'Career Move'?

Climate scientist, Michael Mann (Penn State University) pronounces that "We're not doomed yet". So that's alright? (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/30/human-civilisation-climate-scientist-prof-michael-mann). Mann admits that humans are in a 'fragile moment'. He thinks, however, the species has a narrow window of opportunity to save itself. Mann also thinks we can learn about climate change and its consequences, by examining 4 billion years of Earth history (as detailed in his recent book). It seems to be a story of fragility and resilience. Major climatic changes, however, often led to mass extinctions and replacement of earlier biota (living organisms). The difficulty is that nobody really knows whether the planet has reached 'tipping points', where specific regions or the entire globe will become incapable of long-term support of human life. There's no point to climate scientists, if they don't offer some hope. 'The end of the world is nigh' is a message that only works for religious folk with a particular bent!