climate action News

 

 

 

Stories of the week 22 September

 

Environment

This week saw the largest Climate Strike so far with millions marching around the world to stop the rapid destruction of our planet.   As thousands are choking on smoke from the fires in the Amazon and Pacific islands are disappearing under rising sea levels, school children inspired by Greta Thunberg and adults inspired by Extinction Rebellion took to the streets in cities around the world.

This in a week that also saw proof that toxic air and micro-plastics are crossing through the placenta and affecting unborn children.

But in good news, American citizens are waking up to the Climate Emergency and in the UK 85% of adults are concerned by the Climate Crisis.  In the UK, Labour has pledged to plant a million trees on NHS property.

 

 

Politics

This week saw the culmination of the Supreme Court’s review of whether Boris Johnson acted unlawfully by misleading the Queen over the prorogation of Parliament.  Brexit and Tory press tried to push this as unelected judges standing in the way of the will of the people but they didn’t try too hard. All other press viewed this as a fight for democracy and freedom against a dictatorial executive.  The Supreme Court is expected to reveal its decision in the coming week but legal experts are expecting a shock for the Government. They say that the fact that the judges talked about potential remedies at length and also refused to announce their judgement with reasons to follow means that that are going to find against Boris Johnson, now a Prime Minister who misled the Queen.  In the summing up, Lord Pannick said the Mother of Parliaments had been silenced by Boris Johnson, the father of lies.

Boris Johnson came in for more public humiliation this week at the Mercury Music Prize ceremony when prize nominee rapper Slowthai performed brandishing a severed Boris Johnson head and encouraged the audience to sing ‘F Boris’.

The Liberal Democrats launched ‘the fight of our lives for the heart and soul of Britain’ as they pledged to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU without a referendum if they were in power.  The party led by Jo Swinson saw a wave of new support with their decision to remain.

 

Brexit

This has not been a good week for Boris Johnson at all. He faced international humiliation as he refused to take part in a press conference because there UK protestors angry at his No Deal Brexit stance. Johnson had met the Prime Minister of Luxembourg who continued with the press conference and pointed repeatedly to an empty podium. More international embarrassment for the UK.

 

 

Stories of the week 17 February 2019

 

 

Environment

The future takes control as thousands of UK school children stage a climate strike against the climate crisis facing us all. Following recent reports from the UN and the Met Office on emissions and global heating, there has been a growing Extinction Rebellion around the world. Theresa May slammed kids for protecting their future while adults looked the other way. Many more climate strikes are planned as part of the continuing global Extinction Rebellion.

In more distressing and alarming environmental news, insect numbers are collapsing at a staggering rate, triggering fears for the ‘collapse of nature itself’.

 

 

 

Brexit

This week Brexit finally sank to the bottom of the glass when Theresa May’s chief negotiator was overheard revealing May’s negotiating strategy in a bar. It’s great to know our country’s future is being sorted out down the pub.

Europe remains totally bemused and confused over the UK’s approach to Brexit and the fact that Theresa May only seems to be negotiating with the Conservative Party.  The Dutch Prime Minister highlighted the fact that the UK is fast retreating from the world stage and will be an insignificant force on its own.

The constant Tory party in-fighting has now turned into a total war.  Hard line Brexiteers have accused of giving Brussels the perfect excuse not to renegotiate.  Rees-Mogg, Johnson and the ERG have been told to leave the Conservative Party and join UKIP by the other Tory MP’s as the civil war continues and the Tories move closer to a final split. Guy Verhofstadt joined the condemnation claiming Brexiteers could end up on the guillotine like the leaders of the French Revolution for not representing true national interests.

Even worse was to come for May and the Conservatives. At least a dozen ministers and many more Conservative MP’s are set to resign if there is No Deal. At the same time, a ‘purple momentum’ is rising where UKIP members join Conservative associations to deselect moderate Tory MPs.

 

 

 

Middle East

This week saw strong reactions against the west in the region.

Firstly in Iran, the President called Donald Trump and idiot and there were chants of ‘Death to Theresa May’ on the streets of Tehran as the country celebrated the 40^th Anniversary of the Revolution.

In more condemnation of the UK, UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are killing women and children in Yemen as people there kill themselves rather than face the pain of starving to death.

 

 

World

Donald Trump called a State of emergency in order to fund his border wall. He was accused of ‘shredding the constitution’ and is being taken to court by California. Trump encouraged families to hold up images of their relatives ‘killed by illegal immigrants’ to create some kind of threat.