'The next 18 months will decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels'
HRH The Prince of Wales gave a speech at Clarence House to Commonwealth foreign ministers on Thursday in which he warned that the next year and a half will be crucial in deciding the future of the planet:
'Ladies and gentlemen, I am firmly of the view that the next 18 months will decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels and to restore nature to the equilibrium we need for our survival...'Next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, therefore, could not be more important and I can only say how much I look forward, I hope, to seeing you and your leaders in Kigali so that we will succeed in raising our level of ambition, while matching it with the practical action that is required.'I truly believe that the Commonwealth is uniquely positioned to join forces and lead the world by example.' Read full speech (Daily Telegraph)
The only thing better than grabbing a picture of a kingfisher...
...is grabbing one of two kingfishers at once.
Just a 20% drop in methane 'would reverse global warming and cause cooling' says Oxford scientist
Could the answer to climate change really be as simple as reducing the farming industry's methane output? It's certainly an attractive idea and seems to make sense, given that methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. An Oxford don named Myles Allen believes this could be just what we need, and said as much at a conference last week:
'Allen, a professor from the University of Oxford, who has served on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, claimed this kind of gentle reduction in methane emissions would be enough to fully compensate for the warming impact of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from agriculture...'"Say we reduce UK agricultural methane emissions by 20 per cent, instead of 100 per cent, between now and 2050, what does that do to global temperatures?" [asked Prof Allen].'"That gentle decline in methane would be enough to fully compensate for the ongoing warming impact of CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions from UK agriculture over the next 30 years.'"
Stat of the Day
2,239 square miles
The size of A68, the world's biggest iceberg, which is on the move after two years being stuck in currents.
The ice sheet is 100 miles long, but just 600ft thick - a similar length-to-thickness ratio of a credit card.
Fracking to start up again in Lancashire
Fracking - drilling for gas in shale deposits - has been largely put on hold across Britain in the face of widespread opposition. But one of the major companies looking into tapping this energy resource, Cuadrilla, is resuming operations in Lancashire, according to The Guardian: 'Francis Egan, the company’s chief executive, plans to use the data to convince the government and regulators to loosen the safety rules that have slowed the progress of the UK shale industry.'
On This Day in 1543: Henry VIII marries for the sixth time
The definition of insanity, so the saying goes, is repeating the same action but expecting a different result. Yet for Henry VIII, a different result was indeed what he got at the sixth time of asking.
Catherine Parr is often described more as a nursemaid than wife, as the woodcut above shows, but that's a little unfair. She survived plots against her, skilfully managed the relationships between the king and his daughters (Mary in particular was close to Catherine) and earned a position of respect which saw her awarded a pension on Henry's death.
And finally: Something to cheer about for cricket fans... and sports fans in general
England have lost semi-finals of both the men's and women's football World Cups in the last year, but on Thursday the cricket team made it through with a thumping display against four-times champions Australia. The final is on Sunday.
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Dawn Chorus: A Blue Plaque for Marc Bolan, holidaying in the Caribbean with Francis Ford Coppola and a history of the National Gallery in 25 picturesPlus the best of the property pages, and how the railways will save the countryside.
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Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
