rain at last

There has been intermittent rain here today, the first for nearly 3 weeks, which in May, in this part of the world, is really saying something. Thing is, what will it do in June, July and August, our "proper" summer? For 3 years in a row we have had lousy Julys, which statistically at least should be the warmest and driest month of the year. Could it be global warming? I remember learning with a mixture of horror and resignation that one consequence of climate change is warmer, but wetter (and windier) summers in north-west Europe- just our luck, huh?

COMMENT

I see the shit-brown gold is still gushing unchecked from BP's fractured oil rig. They say 5000 barrels a day; other observers claim as much as ten times that. And it is certainly true that it has now reached the priceless and exceedingly vulnerable wetlands of Mississippi and Louisiana. Barack Obama has been highly vocal in his condemnation of BP, and who can blame him? BP, like other huge transnationals, often behaves in an arrogant and lordly fashion, and such is the enormous power they wield, they usually get away with it. But what I haven't heard anyone say yet is that this disaster, like previous mega oil spills such as the Amoco Cadiz, which devastated the Brittany coastline, or the Exxon Valdez, which did the same for parts of Alaska, is just this: it is actually down to the insatiable demand for oil throughout the developed world, a demand led by America itself, which although it constitutes only 2% of the world's population, still manages to use 25% of the world's oil production.

And I concede that I too am part of the problem. I drive a petrol driven car, and even though my mileage is relatively low, at around 7000 miles a year, I should still look to myself to solve this problem. As should we all...