Tedious Temperature Twaddle

Average global temperature to hit 1.4°C above preindustrial levels in 2026, warns UK’s Met Office

Scientists predict that 2026 will be one of the hottest years since 1850, as heat-trapping emissions continue to boil the planet.

Earlier this month, data from Copernicus warned that 2025 is currently tied with 2023 as the second-warmest year on record, with the global average temperature from January to November 2025 hitting 1.48°C above preindustrial levels.

2024 remains the hottest year since records began, and the first to exceed 1.5°C over the 1850-1900 baseline.


An hour ago, about 4pm, we came back from a long lunch with relatives, lit the wood-burner and by 5pm the room temperature was already 2°C higher than when we arrived. Yet somehow we don't feel doomed even though the temperature is still climbing.

Two conclusion are possible. Either we are immune to such a scorching rise in temperature or we are immune to Met Office twaddle.

As an aside, I wonder how many Met Office folk are bored with this tedious twaddle? Will some of them finally admit it during the latter stages of the Christmas party?

Twaddle(1.0) Revised to Twaddle(1.1)

Major study on catastrophic cost of climate change retracted - but revised figures remain alarming

The study originally predicted that climate change would trigger a decrease in global income of 19 per cent by 2050. Revised analysis now puts the figure at 17 per cent.

Authors of the study also found that there was a 99 per cent chance that by midcentury it would cost more to fix damage from climate change than it would to build resilience. However, the new analysis, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, lowered that figure to 91 per cent.


Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves seem to be well on track to reduce UK incomes by 19 per cent much earlier than 2050. A substantial UK overshoot seems more likely by 2050, or would that be a substantial undershoot?

Make money from recycled twaddle

Reeves to hammer London in Budget tax grab on homeowners and workers

Ahead of delivering her Budget speech in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Reeves said: “Today I will take the fair and necessary choices to deliver on our promise of change.

“I will not return Britain back to austerity, nor will I lose control of public spending with reckless borrowing.

“I will take action to help families with the cost of living, cut hospital waiting lists, cut the national debt.

“And I will push ahead with the biggest drive for growth in a generation.”

I've just remembered that today is the Big Day for Rachel from Accounts.

Let us hope it's her last.

And Starmer's.

The Failure of We Know Best

Why Starmer is pinning his hopes on economic growth as he faces eye-watering choices in which there can be no compromise

After the end of the Cold War, leaders across the West banked the so-called "peace dividend" that came with the end of this conflict between Washington and Moscow.

Instead of funding their armies, they invested in the welfare state and public services instead.

But now the tussle over this question is something that the current prime minister is grappling with, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest challenges for Sir Keir Starmer since he got the job last year.

As Clement Attlee became the Labour prime minister credited with creating the welfare state after the end of the Second World War, so it now falls on the shoulders of the current Labour leader to create the warfare state as Europe rearms.

Strewth - this latest political fashion for militaristic twaddle is unconvincing. It comes across as a weak distraction from endemic government cowardice and incompetence. Leaves a chap wondering about AI systems too - surely they can use one to polish up the twaddle. Apparently not. 

As we know too well, UK nomenklatura still live their professional lives on the basis of We Know Best, but they clearly don't. They don't even try to grapple effectively with that ridiculous tangle of unaccountable ministries, agencies and NGOs we call government. Effective decision-making has been designed out, We Know Best left in.

Yet in spite of We Know Best, the UK cannot support current levels of government taxation, wasteful spending and bureaucratic obstruction amid the relentlessly expansionist nature of the public sector. 

It's not working, can't work and Starmer is not the man to change anything worth changing. He doesn't even understand the problem because the need to understand anything but twaddle and back-stabbing has been designed out of the political system too.

Unfortunately for We Know Best, a significant number of people know it isn't so. The number appears to be growing. 

Not satisfied

UK growth slows - as chancellor admits she's 'not satisfied'

Reacting to the figures, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "Improving economic growth is at the heart of everything I am seeking to achieve, which is why I am not satisfied with these numbers.

"At my budget, I took the difficult choices to fix the foundations and stabilise our public finances.

"Now we are going to deliver growth through investment and reform to create more jobs and more money in people's pockets, get the NHS back on its feet, rebuild Britain and secure our borders in a decade of national renewal," Ms Reeves added.

Twaddle. 

Curiouser and Curiouser

From the US -


How can scientists better understand, promote, and support childhood curiosity?

In a recent review published in the journal Nature Reviews Psychology, researchers explore current research on childhood curiosity, its definition, its variability across age, contexts, and culture, its long- and short-term benefits, and the ideal means to support its development.


Okay, I didn't read much further than this before skimming down to a section called Future Directions.


Future directions

Given the highly beneficial role of curiosity in childhood growth and development across both information-gathering and emotional spectrums, future research should focus on elucidating novel metrics for measuring the characteristic, thereby allowing for comparisons between studies and, in turn, the discovery and optimization of methodologies to foster/promote its persistence across childhood.

The present review suggests three primary means by which to achieve this goal. Firstly, metacognition frameworks should be further developed to operationalize internal curiosity in isolation or combined with external curiosity/interest. Secondly, research questions should be refined to more adequately explore curiosity across different physical and social contexts. Finally, curiosity should be assessed in non-US populations and particularly in minority communities to broaden our understanding of the cultural determinants and variability in the characteristics.

We're doomed.

To tell meaningful stories

New Banksy mural defaced just days after appearing

The huge green painting on the side of a block of flats in Hornsey Road, near Finsbury Park, was first spotted on Sunday.

But photos show that just three days after it first appeared, white paint has been thrown over the mural.

Islington Council told Sky News: "In recent days, the piece has created a real buzz in the borough and beyond, and we very much want it to stay.

"This is a really powerful piece, which highlights the vital role that trees play in our communities and in tackling the climate emergency.

"Culture is a powerful way to tell meaningful stories, and we very much hope that the piece, which is still fantastic, will now be left alone for people to enjoy."

I thought that throwing paint at artworks was a radical way to tackle the climate emergency collapse crisis. A positive act in other words. Maybe it's the colour of the paint which is important, but it's so difficult to keep track of these things. 

Perhaps Banksy knows which paint colour is appropriate for tackling the climate last decade to do something catastrophe. Perhaps not.

The Brutalist venue finally goes

 

Assembly Rooms demolition and Market Place revamp finally going ahead

It comes on the 10th anniversary of the fire that ultimately closed the Brutalist venue

On the 10th anniversary of the fire that closed Derby's Assembly Rooms, the city council has announced the demolition of the almost 47-year-old building will begin in autumn to clear the site and make way for a new multimillion-pound cultural, commercial and creative public space in its place. The future of the building had been under the spotlight almost from when it closed, following a fire on top of the adjacent car park on March 14, 2014.


A remarkably ugly building, it was quite an achievement to plan and build something so horrible, Derby will be well rid of it. Unfortunately, here's what is supposed to replace it. Sounds suspiciously like twaddle to me... 

Okay - it obviously is twaddle.

Mrs Peatfield said: "For the past ten years the Assembly Rooms has stood empty, waiting to be regenerated into a hub of cultural activity. After several unviable plans being put forward over the past decade, this administration is confident that we can deliver on these plans for the citizens of Derby. I’m thrilled to be announcing that we plan to progress on the demolition of the Assembly Rooms this autumn.

"We’re on a journey to transform Derby into a vibrant city centre with culture at its heart, creating a go-to destination which not only attracts visitors from outside of the wider region but also offers an affordable place for our citizens to enjoy. It’s fantastic to see change happening in the city centre, with the Market Place taking centre stage at the heart of Derby’s transformation."

Nefarious actors

Climate misinformation is mutating on YouTube – and the platform is profiting

Climate misinformation is rapidly mutating across social media, allowing nefarious actors to skirt restrictions and continue to profit, according to a new report...

Researchers analysed thousands of hours of YouTube content from the past six years and found that “old” climate crisis denial – which claims that global heating is not happening and burning fossil fuels is not the cause – is giving way to a new type of misleading content intended to muddy the waters.

The report, by the non-profit research group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), found that this “New Denial” falls into a few broad groups: that the impacts of global heating are beneficial or harmless; that climate solutions won’t work; and that climate science and the climate movement can’t be trusted.

Of course the nutty aspect of this is that you are not allowed to have a contrary opinion without being grouped with those nefarious actors skirting restrictions and continuing to profit.

Oh well, what do we say about this kind of twaddle?

We could point out that claims which are too nutty to analyse do highlight a nefarious approach to skirting reality and unfortunately, not an uncommon approach. But as ever, we already knew that.

Twaddle - or the voice of a generation

Passed on by Dave R

Sailing to school and the daily issues of climate change

It is dawn on the rugged shores of Loch Craignish and two little boats are setting off into the sunrise.

This is the school run with a difference.

For six weeks, a handful of students have been unable to take the bus to Lochgilphead High School after a landslide cut off the community of Ardfern during the wettest two-day period ever recorded in Scotland.

A trip by sea is, for now, their commute.

We have become used to seeing the fight against climate change fought by the young. Greta Thunberg has become the voice of a generation demanding action, and action now.


The 'voice of a generation' seems to be twaddle learned from adults. Maybe the kids would be better off taking a break from school.


"This has really punched us straight in the face," says Graeme Dailly, director of infrastructure and environment at Angus Council, surveying the damage to the flood defence scheme in Brechin.

"We are facing a climate change emergency," he adds.

More Twaddle

Humza Yousaf signals change in independence strategy

Humza Yousaf has said he would welcome an independence referendum "tomorrow" as he signalled a change in his preferred strategy...

Winning a majority of seats rather than "most", the SNP would argue, gives a stronger mandate for an independence referendum.


Winning fewer seats would give a stronger mandate says Humza. 

Hmm - may as well tag that as "twaddle" and that's generous.

Sub-cycles of the Financial Entropy

"your insightful delineation of the temporal attractiveness of cash captures the broader oscillations inherent in the financial cycles and sub-cycles of the Financial Entropy."

dearieme's twaddle example for today

Commenter dearieme has suggested regular posts on twaddle encountered while browsing the internet. Good idea, submissions welcome - if I receive them I'll post them. It probably won't be particularly regular as nobody wishes to spend too much time in twaddle swamps.