85% of British farmers 'feel responsible' and want to take action on climate change
The vast majority of farmers in the UK want to get involved with fighting climate change, 'with 85 per cent suggesting they feel responsible to take action,' according to a Farmers Guardian report on a new survey.
The research also showed that 39% are already taking steps such as installing solar panels and wind turbines, or using more efficient machinery and practices. Almost 60% said that they will put measures in place in the next two years.
Good news/bad news for climate change predictions
Sometimes a triumph for science is bad news for humanity. That is certainly the case for climate change prediction models created by scientists going back to the 1970s. A new analysis looking at 17 predictive models going back five decades found that they have proven to be very accurate in predicting man-made climate change.
The bad news, of course, is that we'd all rather they had massively overstated the case, that everything will be fine after all, and that we've no need to worry. 'Since climate models have accurately anticipated global temperature changes so far, we can expect projections of future warming to be reliable as well,' writes The Guardian, to hammer home the point.
World of cricket pays tribute to Bob Willis, hero of the 1981 Ashes
Tributes flooded in yesterday for former England cricketer — and captain — Bob Willis, who died age 70.
A bowler, and a very quick one at that, Willis took 325 wickets in 90 Tests over 13 years, famously helping his country to beat Australia in the 1981 Ashes.
Though it's Ian Botham who stole the headlines at Headingley, in truth Botham had just opened the door with his century. It was Willis's performance with the ball — 8 wickets for 43 runs — which turned a chance into a win.
Vic Marks writes in his obituary in The Guardian: 'In that famous spell in Leeds he was in a trance, oblivious to the outside world, a state he often pursued with the ball in his hand. [Captain Mike] Brearley had told him to forget about the no-balls that had been plaguing him and to bowl fast. And so he did.'
Willis retired in 1984, not before he captained England in 18 Tests and 29 one-day internationals, then spent many years as a hugely popular — and brutally honest — cricket broadcaster. RIP to an English sporting legend.
Today is... World Soil Day
That's right — a day dedicated to giving thanks for the wonder that is soil, and the perfect moment at which to consider today's fun fact: there are more microorganisms in a handful of soil than there are people on earth.
And finally...
An important question to debate before polling day on December 12th; if the animal worlds can coexist, why can't we?
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Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
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Polluting water executives now face up to two years in prison, but will the new laws make much of a difference?The Government has announced that water company executives caught covering up illegal sewage spills could now be imprisoned for two years, under new laws — but many still have their doubts.
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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.
