XPost: alt.global-warming   
      
   Bread price may rise after dire UK wheat harvest   
   Justin Rowlatt, BBC News   
   BBC News reports that the National Farmers' Union is warning that the   
   price of flour and bread is set to rise after what could be the worst   
   UK wheat harvest in 40 years. BBC News adds: "Farmers say that the   
   extreme weather over the last year is likely to mean wheat yields are   
   down by up to 40%. As a result, some millers have already increased   
   the price of flour by 10% and they warn a no-deal Brexit could push up   
   prices even further. And we're likely to see more of the same weather   
   in future, experts say. The UK Met Office told BBC News that the   
   extremes of wet and hot conditions that have marked this year are   
   likely to become more common as our climate continues to change."   
   Meanwhile, in other UK news, the Office for National Statistics (ONS)   
   says that deaths in the UK have risen above average for the first time   
   since mid-June, reports the Press Association. However, coronavirus is   
   not thought to be behind the rise. Instead, the ONS says the heatwave   
   experienced during the week ending August 14 is likely to explain the   
   weekly increase. PA quotes Prof Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology   
   at the University of Reading, who describes the data as "truly   
   extraordinary". She adds: "While more research needs to be done to   
   confirm this, it is very likely that the week-long heatwave that saw   
   tropical nights and regular daytime temperatures above 35C killed   
   hundreds of people."   
   Separately, BusinessGreen notes how Storm Ellen, which battered much   
   of the UK over the weekend, meant that "wind power provided almost 60%   
   [13.5GW] of the UK's electricity in the early hours of Sat   
   morning, providing a fresh milestone".   
   Finally, the Guardian joins others newspapers in reporting the   
   reaction to the news that controversial former Australian prime   
   minister Tony Abbott is set to be appointed to a senior trade role by   
   the UK govt. The Guardian quotes the UK's shadow trade   
   secretary, Emily Thornberry: "I just find this appointment absolutely   
   staggering," Thornberry said. "On a personal level, I am disgusted   
   that Boris Johnson thinks this offensive, leering, cantankerous,   
   climate change-denying, Trump-worshipping misogynist is the right   
   person to represent our country overseas." The Daily Telegraph says   
   that "regardless of whether Abbott can help to push the deals over the   
   line, the govt stirring rumours about his appointment is more   
   likely for the benefit of onlookers at home".   
      
   --   
   Upcoming events:   
   07 Oct 2020	2020Q3 Billion Dollar Disasters NOAA   
      
   Tens of 1000s of chickens and emus to be killed as ...   
   ABC News, 27 Aug 2020 06:11Z   
   Six Victorian farms are dealing with bird flu outbreaks, which could result   
   in a $23m loss for an ASX-listed company; One of the impacted farms is ...   
   [On strain has hit a large chicken producer and a separate strain has   
   infected farmed emus].   
      
   Wind and solar are 30-50% cheaper than thought, admits UK govt   
   Simon Evans, Carbon Brief   
   Electricity generated from wind and solar is 30-50% cheaper than   
   previously thought, according to newly published UK govt figures   
   published without fanfare earlier this week. The new report is the   
   govt's first public admission of the dramatic reductions in   
   renewable costs in recent years and comes ahead of the upcoming energy   
   white paper, due this autumn.   
      
   Sticking to UK diet advice cuts premature death and CO2 - study   
   Kevin Rawlinson, The Guardian   
   Several UK news outlets cover the findings of a new study, jointly   
   conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the   
   University of Oxford, looking into whether adhering official dietary   
   advice helps to reduce the chance of premature deaths as well as help   
   to lower environmental impacts. The Guardian says: "The first analysis   
   of 9 govt-backed Eatwell dietary guidelines found that those   
   who adhered to 5 or more of them had an estimated 7% reduction in   
   their mortality risk. [It also] suggested a similar diet was   
   associated with a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, compared   
   with those that adhered to 2 or fewer." The Guardian also quotes   
   Prof Alan Dangour, the study's senior author: "Our new analysis   
   demonstrates that following the Eatwell Guide would substantially   
   improve human health in the UK and reduce our nation's footprint on   
   the planet." The Eatwell guidelines, which were published in 2016,   
   recommend that people eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit   
   and vegetables per day, as well as base meals of potatoes, bread,   
   rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates and drink 6 to eight   
   glasses of fluids per day. However, the Daily Telegraph says that the   
   research also found that "very few totally adhere to all nine   
   recommendations within the guide".   
   Meanwhile, BBC News has a feature on how the "UK contributes to global   
   deforestation". It says: "Cocoa, palm oil, pulp and paper, rubber,   
   soy, timber, beef and leather. It's estimated that an area the size of   
   the UK was used abroad every year between 2016 and 2018, to meet   
   British demand for these natural materials." And the Guardian reports   
   that "multinational financial services giant HSBC and Pollination, a   
   boutique climate advisory and investment firm, [has] announced a joint   
   venture that they predicted would meet a multi-bn dollar demand   
   for environmentally friendly investment beyond renewable energy". The   
   newspaper adds: "In a statement on Wed, they said the new body   
   would back projects in areas including sustainable forestry,   
   regenerative agriculture, water supply improvement, biofuels and `blue   
   carbon' capture in oceans and coastal ecosystems."   
      
   Arctic amplification: A rapid response to radiative forcing   
   Geophysical Research Letters   
   A new study explores the underlying causes of Arctic amplification   
   (AA) - the phenomenon where temperatures in the Arctic rise more   
   rapidly than the global average. Running climate model simulations in   
   an idealised scenario where atmospheric CO2 is instantaneously   
   quadrupled, the researchers show that "AA develops rapidly (within the   
   first few months)". This rapid AA "occurs before any significant loss   
   of Arctic sea ice", the authors say, suggesting that ice loss is   
   "therefore not needed to produce polar-amplified warming". The results   
   "provide new and compelling evidence that AA owes its existence,   
   fundamentally, to fast atmospheric processes".   
      
   Europe's EV sales surpass China's, BNEF research shows   
   Albert Cheung, Bloomberg   
      
   Global fires are up 13% from 2019's record-breaking numbers   
   Louise Boyle, The Independent   
      
   Omission of climate crisis at RNC risks losing voters, some conservatives warn   
   Oliver Milman, The Guardian   
      
   Senate Democrats want a climate change coalition that can take on the Kochs   
   David Roberts, Vox   
      
   'Enormous opportunity': how Australia could become the Saudi Arabia of   
   renewable energy   
   Royce Kurmelovs, The Guardian   
      
   The Times view on the newly legal e-scooter: Tomorrow's world today   
   Editorial, The Times   
      
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)