40-degree weather set to arrive in Britain
If you felt hot and sticky during last week's heatwave, you'd better get used to the sensation. As we come to the end of Britain's hottest-ever July, a selection of experts spoke to The Observer this weekend — and the overwhelming consensus is that such episodes will get both more intense and more frequent.
While the global average rise in temperature is only one degree since the Industrial Revolution, Britain's weather will change by far more than that in real terms. 'The rise isn’t even across the globe, as some regions have warmed more than others,' said Dr Peter Stott, of the Met Office.
Dr Karsten Haustein of Oxford University was more blunt, describing it as 'weather on steroids' and stating that we'd have reached 40 degrees last Thursday — rather than just a new record of 38.7 degrees, in Cambridge — if it hadn't been for cloud cover late in the afternoon.
Why did the chickens cross the motorway?
To avoid the 2-hour tailback on the M5.
Monday is 'Earth Overshoot Day'
Monday 29 July marks the date on which we've used more of the Earth's resource than can will be renewed this year, according to Friends of the Earth, who've dubbed it 'Earth Overshoot Day'. Given that it's over five months until the end of the year, this is a salutary reminder of how far we need to go to get to the 'sustainable future' that we hear so much about.
'Farmers will be defenceless' if there's a no-deal Brexit
British farming will be brought to its knees by 'flood of cheap imports', according to a report in the Daily Telegraph on Sunday night. The newspaper steadfastly supported Boris Johnson during his campaign to become Prime Minister, but warn that his cadre of newly-minted, gung-ho pro-Brexit ministers have had a bit of a shock after discovering that 'the UK will have no legal basis on which to levy protective tariffs in the event of a no deal.'
Amusingly, the Telegraph also report on a leaked memo banning leak memos, apparently written by Johnson's strategic mastermind Dominic Cummings.
The Day of the Tiger
It's International Tiger Day — a time to spare a thought for these majestic beasts and hope for their survival. There are around 3,900 left in the world, with their habitats having been reduced to 7% of what they once were.
Canal boats as the new catwalks: 'We have a thing called towpath chic'
If the ice caps go and the flood waters arrive then more of us will be living on the water — The Guardian spoke to a number of people who already do to find out what life afloat is like. Rather surprisingly, they've focused less on practicalities and more on what canal boat residents wear — sandals, for example, are a no-no in case you trip and fall in the drink.
'We have a thing called towpath chic – it’s like a dystopian rustic mix and the colours are very natural: greens and brown,' says a musician from Hertfordshire called 'Hawkeye'. (No doubt his parents were fans of M*A*S*H.)
And finally... a story which will make you think twice about telling the kids to turn off the games console and play outside instead
Don't get us wrong — you absolutely should still tell them that. But, you know, if they show a bit of talent playing Fortnite, then perhaps an hour out of that midday sunshine might not be a bad idea after all...
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If the future of Ferrari is electric vehicles, then it is our future tooIt's widely believed that Ferrari will unveil its first electric car this year. It's the signal that the internal combustion era is coming to an end.
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Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
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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.
