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Thursday 25 August 2022

Walls of flimsy



Europe's record-breaking heatwave will be an 'average' summer sooner than you think

The heatwaves will kick in even if countries stick to their current climate targets, but refreezing the Arctic could curb dangerous changes, former chief scientific advisor Sir David King says.


Thus Alice built her walls of flimsy, working always gaily, or with at least the air of gaiety; and even as she rattled on, there was somewhere in her mind a constant little wonder. Everything she said seemed to be necessary to support something else she had said. How had it happened?

Booth Tarkington - Alice Adams (1921)

5 comments:

Doonhamer said...

He was a chemist. If he talked about the impending doom of anti-covid chemical cocktails I might listen to him.
But weather? I would not trust him to tell me the weather in a month's time.
And a couple of hot weeks does not a - doom-da-doom-doom- a climate change make.

dearieme said...

"Sir" David King is an arse.

(By convention any knighthood awarded on the recommendation of Toni Blair carries inverted commas.)

Sam Vega said...

"Europe's record-breaking heatwave will be an 'average' summer sooner than you think"

I don't doubt it. Teams of arts graduates are already working on the re-definition of "average".

Tammly said...

Why should the public not listen to scientists? Because Professor David King.

A K Haart said...

Doonhamer - as a chemist, he's a good litmus test. If "Sir" David grabs a headline then the headline is bunkum. It's a remarkably accurate test too - it ought to be named after him.

dearieme - he is an arse, but a very good example of your convention.

Sam - and even worse, it will be teams of average arts graduates.

Tammly - it's an unanswerable argument, possibly more powerful than "because Neil Ferguson".