floods of crocodile tears

The Environment Agency has defended its response to the flooding and warned that climate change may mean they cannot defend people from "unpredictable" rainfall.

Yeah, we know that. What's needed, and I've said this before, is that people need to be aware that the situation is becoming more dangerous each day, that the 'freak' weather events of the last few months (from flooding in Britain, Pakistan and Australia to heatwaves in southern and central Europe) are just the start. That when a weather warning is issued - and the current floods far from being 'unexpected' as claimed by the BBC were actually forecast (on the BBC!) three days before they hit - we have to take PERSONAL responsibility to prepare for them. Why were idiots still trying to drive up the M5 on Friday night when it was under five feet of floodwater in places? Do they think that they are somehow immune from the effects of this severe weather or, worse, that it's all a bit of fun and an adventure? There again with almost half the population believing that they will be unaffected by climate change what do you expect? They are living in a dream world, made possible by oil and cheap money, and the crash is going to be enormous - possibly worse than the Great Depression. And still they buy stuff they don't need on credit and drive gleefully into fatal weather conditions, softened up by a lethal combination of Britishness and Hollywood disaster movies.

french connections

I try to take all but one holiday a year in the UK. This year's trip away was just over the Channel to France, or Britanny to be more precise (the Bretons are no more French than the Cornish are English). There was a touch of the English 'summer' in the air, but no rain and a few sunny days.



This is the fantastic castle at Josselin, a few kilometres from where we were staying.



This was the view in our garden across the pool to some smaller houses beyond. The pool was enthusiastically used, right up till 11pm on the Friday before we left! It was bloody cold!



The view from our lounge window.

France seems far better prepared for Peak Oil. Most of its energy is generated by nuclear power, the villages are full of life rather than braindead old brigadiers and hunter/shooter scum, it's investing heavily in modern transport (now nearly 30 cities with new tramways!) and its roads are not full of chundering old fossil lorries etc but do a real job of moving people around quickly and efficiently, even if only for a few more years.

But the French lifestyle is so superior to the English I'm surprised the whole damn country doesn't move there! Cultured, community and family orientated, slow rather than rushed ... we're off ourselves in about five years time for good. Find a nice not too isolated country property with water, some woods and a south-facing slope and we'll be well set up. Not too far south of course - the south of France will probably be unihabitable within 50 years - and on high ground!

the idiocracy abides

The most recent survey on public attitudes to Climate Change are extraordinary.

51% believe that Climate Change will have little or NO effect on them. How wonderful it must be to be so stupid! One third admitted they were taking NO action to reduce their carbon emissions. Guess which ones will be the ones who suffer the most!

Amazingly 56% of people believe that scientists are still debating whether human activity is contributing to climate change - in reality of course there is an almost total concensus that we are.

Bloody hell, it really makes you wonder, but it does explain why people are behaving so stupidly still.

I wonder what the results would be if the survey was looking at Peak Oil?

And people wonder why we feel so superior and clued up!

fuck!

It is July 5th, about half four in the afternoon. And the above is what passes for summer weather this year.

If anyone doubted Climate Change surely the last three or four weeks have shown even them that something is seriously wrong. After the floods last week we've hardly seen the sun. My shed is still in pieces in the garden waiting for a couple of dry days so I can put it together. Visitors have almost vanished from the railway and who can blame them?

Well on Saturday we're off to Brittany. Even there the weather is only reasonable. D'you suppose 2007 will be remembered as the Year Without a Summer?

This time last year temperatures were in the thirties. This is what happens when the Jet Stream sticks. We get heatwaves or crap. And this is just the beginning ...