LONDON - HEATWAVE HOUSE FIRES 19 JULY 2022

 

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Map of the heatwave in Europe 17 July 2022

 

     

ARMAGEDDON - The consequences of failing to act when you have the opportunity, is that it is too late when the roasting escalates. What you can hope for is that the politicians who allowed the situation to go unchecked, are the ones the public roast first when the crops fail - and we are forced to consider other sources of protein.

 

The Hammersmith Bridge in London can now be seen with silver foil around it because of the country's heat wave. You might wonder why foil, and if that would attract more heat - it's actually part of a cooling system designed to reflect sunlight and keep the bridge at a moderate temperature so its materials don't expand and crack.

 

"Engineers are working round the clock to keep 135-year-old Hammersmith Bridge open during the extreme hot spell," a news release from the Hammersmith and Fulham Council read. The council hired world-class engineers to cover the bridge with a "£420,000 ($503,000) temperature control system to keep the bridge at a safe temperature and alleviate any stresses on the pedestals."

 

"It effectively acts as a giant air conditioning unit on each of the four pedestal chains," the council's release said. The bridge actually had to close in August 2020 when a heat wave caused "micro-fractures in its cast-iron pedestals."

 

 



In what many of the public will see as a sign from above, Armageddon, 'the beginning of the end,' 41 houses went up in smoke in London on the 19th of July 2022 with another 19 elsewhere in the UK. It's not as if politicians did not know about the consequences of failing to act from at least 30 years ago. They did. Their negligence in this matter of more than corporate manslaughter. Their sloth is leading us to extinction, with the 1.5 degrees Celsius target now impossible to achieve.

 

Canada had a similar experience in July 2021, in Lytton, British Columbia. Portugal at Oporto, and France at Bordeaux.

 

So brace yourselves. This is just the beginning. Unless, policies change tomorrow - and that is not going to happen with the so-called United Nations unable to agree on anything - the epitome of a dysfunctional do-good organization, bereft of teeth. All they can do is give the G20s conscience a gentle suck. They used get more of a kicking from dear old Greta Thunberg, when she was young enough to make a difference.

 

The problem is those in power have too much invested in coal, gas and oil, for rapid change. That's like asking you to hand over your wallet and the codes to your bank accounts. It's not going to happen. Politicians are greedy for money and power.

 

Council's like Wealden are the same, leading us down the path to damnation, as they refuse to build sustainable housing, in favour of expensive palaces, allowing to charge more Tax. Yup, and what is that for? Their retirement fund of course - it's all about the money. Will these climate geriatrics have anything to retire to! They still don't get it. It is not about growth, it is about reductions to 1990 levels. They really are a bunch of fossil fools. You cannot have growth, if you have already exceeded the natural limits of the planet.

 

We should be thinking about re-wilding and planting trees. Wealden want exactly the opposite. Staggering stupidity comes from fat wallets, that appear to make you blind, deaf & dumb.

 

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

 

 

 

 

     

Jeremy Clarkson has been promoting petrol and diesel vehicles for years. Unapologetically. He still does not seem to get it. But then he has raked in the cash from helping to sell fast fossil fueled vehicles over many years. With such incentives, it is no wonder his moral compass is bewildering to many on twitter, etc. Tweet, tweet! He even had a go at Greta Thunberg. That is how far climate deniers will go for their jollies.

 

The former BBC Top Gear presenter faced backlash this week (July 2022) as he appeared to downplay the dangers and severity of the heatwave, which saw England roast in the highest temperatures ever recorded.

Before England reached melting heights of 40.3 degrees and the London Fire Brigade had their busiest day since World War II, Jeremy sarcastically described experts’ predictions as a ‘DefCon 8 level three killer death heatwave warning.’

Taking to Twitter, the Grand Tour host said: ‘It’s very hot in the south of France but so far as I know, there’s no DefCon 8 level 3 killer death heatwave warning in place.’

Now the star has revealed the heatwave ‘took the life’ of one of his pigs – though the announcement again appeared to be steeped in sarcasm.

Again taking to social media, Jeremy wrote that the ‘global warming is now over,’ adding: ‘Tragically, its brief visit took the life of my big pig. RIP pig.’

Commenters under Jeremy’s post were split, with some exasperatedly telling the presenter ‘global warming is still here,’ and others joking about the dead animal being turned into bacon.

One person gave actual advice for pig owners, saying they were ‘sorry to hear’ about the loss.

They added: ‘You need to keep them watered down and from what I’ve seen on Clarksons Farm there’s plenty of spring water available on your site.’

Earlier this week, Jeremy suggested the UK was overreacting to the blistering heatwave, telling followers who were concerned to ‘go and sit under a tree.’

The Clarksons Farm star was also blasted for his suggestion that the south of France was not making ‘killer death heatwave’ warning. We wonder why anyone would want this chap presenting for them, when clearly, he is so politically incorrect?

 

 

 

PETROL HEAD JEREMY CLARKSON IS PARTLY TO BLAME - AS ARE THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD

 

Vehicle makers could have adopted EVs far sooner. They could have worked to cobble a formula to bring in hydrogen (and it's compounds ammonia and methanol) alongside batteries, for cars and trucks - working with utilities to promote the rapid adoption of renewable electricity. But instead, opted to guzzle the diesel and petroleum, with their hands in the pockets of the climate denier's pockets. All the while pumping up the CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

 

 

 

 

Wennington, London is burning thanks to Conservative arsonists

 

 

 

 

ITV NEWS 19 JULY 2022 - WENNINGTON FIRE: LONDON MAJOR INCIDENT DECLARED AS HEATWAVE TRIGGERS BLAZES RIPPING THROUGH HOMES

The heatwave blaze which has destroyed homes in the east London village has been described as a “worst nightmare” event.

Dramatic footage captured the huge fire ripping through homes in Wennington, a settlement on the capital's outskirts, as the city was scorched by record-breaking 40C temperatures.

The capital's heat has triggered a series of blazes, putting firefighters under extreme pressure and prompting authorities to declare a major incident in the city.

Aerial footage showed thick black smoke billowing into the air, with buildings and fields on fire on Tuesday afternoon in Wennington, in the borough of Havering, near London's border with Essex.

Wennington residents who fled the inferno were forced to watch their village burn on TV, as they desperately asked firefighters if they knew whether their homes had survived.

One elderly woman was seen crying hysterically saying: “Oh my God – the house is gone”, while her family tried to comfort her.

Wennington resident Lynn Sabberton told ITV News she had no idea whether her house in the village had been damaged after she was forced to evacuate.

"It's a very good neighbourhood, a very good community. I feel sorry if [people] have got any young children or babies... it was such a panic," she added.

London's mayor Sadiq Khan said firefighters were under "immense pressure" and he was in direct contact with the Commissioner following a day of fires across the scorching capital.

Wennington villagers forced to evacuate their homes were left to ask council and fire officials about whether their pets had been rescued and if their homes were still standing.

Riminta Maceikaite, 38 and her son Nikas Janulevicius, 13, said their neighbours‘ homes were burned down but as far as they can see from TV aerial shots, their house is still standing.

Ms Maceikaite said they were “very anxious“ about their home, adding: “When you look on a camera when it shows you from the sky it just freaks you out.”

Nikas said: “Our house is on the news and it’s the only house that hasn’t been burned so far.

Asked if they had seen or spoken to other residents, he said: “I saw my neighbour, he was OK, he was helping to put out the fires.”

The pair were trying to find their pet dog and cat with Ms Maceikaite saying: “The firefighters said if they heard a bark they would potentially break a door and if they’ve been rescued they supposed to have been brought here but in the main hotel they say they don’t know nothing about that.”

Resident Janet Hickey, 70, who has terminal pancreatic cancer, said she was forced to leave all her cancer drugs behind as they were evacuated.

She said: “I’ve got all my cancer drugs in the fridge.”

Her husband Patrick Hickey, 71, added: “We had to leave everything.”

“We’re hoping against hope that our house is still there,” he added.

Mrs Hickey said they are feeling “devastated”, adding: “We’ve been living there 50 years.

“I’m terminally ill so it’s not great to lose all that. I’m also an artist and all my paintings are there.”

Growing tearful she later added that she had spent 50 years building her garden and buying flowers from fairs to plant in it.

London Fire Brigade said 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters were called to the scene at just after 1pm.

As temperatures passed the 40C high, the brigade dealt with an influx of 999 calls to its control room as smoke filled the air from a string of fires.

Dozens of homes appeared to be completely destroyed in the Wennington blaze and nearby fields were seen to be scorched.

A rescue centre for residents was set up at the Premier Inn on New Road.

Lizzie Pittman, from Aveley in Essex, who works at some stables by the roundabout, said she was looking after the five horses who had been removed from their stables in Wennington, which had burnt down.

Ms Pittman said: “This is your worst nightmare.

“You can see it getting closer and closer.

“People are losing their houses but that’s bricks and mortar.

“People are losing their livestock.”

Freya Gutteridge, 23, from nearby Hornchurch, said : “I noticed the fire in Wennington when I went to lunch at two and since then our whole office has just been watching – everywhere we look there’s a new one.

“We’re all really worried, the wind is strong and we’re seeing on the news that loads of houses are on fire and there isn’t enough fire engines.

“It’s crazy. Most of us in the office live really locally so we’re all worried about families’ houses at the moment.

“We know that if we were in any danger that we would be evacuated but there are petrol stations around and things like that so we’re more scared for everyone in the area.”

London Fire Brigade's Patrick Goulbourne, said: “The brigade remains ready to respond to incidents.

“However, we want to ensure our resources are available for people who really need our help.

“If you see a fire smouldering, please don’t hesitate to call us.

“The sooner we know about a fire, the sooner we can bring it under control and prevent it from spreading further, reducing the need for us to mobilise additional resources.

The Wennington blaze is separate from a grass fire raging south of the location across the River Thames, off the A2 near Durrell Dene, in Joyce Green, Dartford, Kent.

Footage has captured both blazes from the air, showing the fires sending plumes of smoke billowing across London and Kent.

Firefighters battled to control the blazes as temperatures in the areas hit around 40C amid the heatwave blasting the nation.

By Tuesday evening, Firefighters were unaware of the full extent of the damage caused by blazes which affected houses, schools and churches across London, with crews describing scenes as “absolute hell”.

Elsewhere, grass fires breaking out led to a string of callouts for London Fire Brigade.

Residents were being evacuated from their homes and people were taken to hospital amid fires in the capital as temperatures soared to more than 40C on Tuesday afternoon.

Two “large-scale” incidents took place in Wennington and Upminster, while flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields.

Several other significant incidents also occurred, with people urged not to have barbecues or bonfires due to the “unprecedented” challenges crews face.

Jonathan Smith, assistant commissioner at LFB, told the PA news agency: “We’ve had a range of incidents today, obviously a number of which have been the result of the tinderbox dry woodland and grassland both in central London and in the suburbs.

“This has caused rapid fire spread which has impacted on properties, people’s homes, schools, churches and other types of buildings.

“At the moment, because of the sheer number of incidents we’ve been attending today, we will be pulling all of that information together and making sure every incident is thoroughly investigated.

“Once we’ve done that we’ll be able to give an accurate picture of exactly the incidents we’ve attended, how many homes have been affected and if there have been any casualties.”

He said that Tuesday evening would be “critical” in ensuring the fires are kept under control, adding: “It would be premature to say we are out the other end of this incident”.

The London Ambulance Service said the total number of people taken to hospital may not be known until Wednesday morning.

Mr Khan said LFB had received more than 1,600 calls for assistance by late Tuesday afternoon.

He also said people should not be having barbecues anywhere in London, including in parks and private gardens – as well as on patios and balconies.

The fires being tackled in London on Tuesday afternoon include:

Thirty fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.

Fifteen fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington.

Twelve fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.

Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.

Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.

Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.

Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.

Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.

Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.

Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIAL TIMES 17 JULY 2022 - CLIMATE CHANGE SHOVED IN OUR FACE - EUROPE WRESTLES WITH HEATWAVE AND FOREST FIRES

Five countries declare states of emergency or issue red alerts as temperatures break records across northern Europe

A deadly heatwave spreading across Europe is breaking temperature records, fuelling wildfires, and disrupting transportation, as the continent faces the impact of climate change.

In France, Brest — on the normally cool Atlantic coast — saw the temperature reach a record 39.3C in the afternoon, 18C above normal and breaking the 1949 record of 35.2C, while Nantes, also in Brittany, recorded 42C. Elsewhere in the west of the country the heat exceeded or approached the record levels of the 2019 heatwave. Meanwhile London sizzled at 37.4C.

Temperatures in the UK are forecast to climb even higher on Tuesday, as an unusual atmospheric pattern carries hot air from southern Europe further north.

At least five European countries have declared states of emergency or issued red alerts, and governments are racing to care for tens of thousands of people who have been displaced by the fires.


“Climate change kills people, our ecosystem and what is most precious to us,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said on Monday during a visit to an area hit by fires. Wildfires are also raging in France, Portugal and Greece, fuelled by long spells of hot weather.

Just a year after flooding killed more than 200 people in Germany and Belgium, this week’s record-breaking heatwave is bringing home the urgency of climate change, including in some countries that have been relatively sheltered from it until now.

“It is so extreme, so incredible,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, referring to the heatwave. “There are recording-breaking events throughout Europe at this stage,” he added, pointing to the high temperatures in northern Europe in particular.

The heat disaster comes as Europe is also in the grip of an energy crisis, with several countries planning to burn more coal this winter, which will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are almost reaching a point where Mother Earth is going to shed humanity as an old skin, rid itself of all of us,” Frans Timmermans, the EU’s top climate official, said. Calling for more action to stop the climate crisis he added: “This is not about saving the planet. It is about saving humanity.”


In France, more than 16,000 people — campers, other holidaymakers and residents — have been evacuated to protect them from two big pine forest fires sweeping through the countryside of south-west France near Bordeaux, according to the French government.

“We are not just glimpsing climate change, it’s being shoved in our faces,” said Jean-Luc Gleyze, president of the Gironde département around Bordeaux. He told the French newspaper Le Monde that the big fire at Landiras south of the city was “a monster”.

In the UK, trains were severely disrupted due to the risk of rails buckling in the heat, and some schools closed early due to heating concerns. Wales sent a new temperature record of 37.1C, and temperatures in some parts of England were forecast to reach 41C on Tuesday.

In Spain, where temperatures topped 45C last week, dozens of wildfires, which have forced thousands to evacuate their homes, continued to burn on Monday.

The fires have killed two people and destroyed more than 70,000 hectares of forest across Spain, almost double the annual average for the past decade.

In Portugal, more than 1,000 firefighters continued to battle 30 forest blazes on Monday. Last week the northern town of Pinhão recorded 47C, the highest July temperature ever in mainland Portugal.

Health authorities in both Iberian countries have attributed several hundred deaths above the expected number based on previous years to the heatwave — about 360 in Spain and 240 in Portugal during the first half of July.

Croatia was also affected this past week with a major wildfire erupting near the town of Zaton, close to the holiday centre Zadar. The heatwave is expected to rise in the second half of the week across the Balkans, making further fires likely.

Kai Kornhuber, research scientist at Columbia University, said that Europe is becoming a heatwave “hotspot”, with such abnormally hot weather episodes increasing three to four times faster than at other mid-latitudes.

“Western Europe is seeing its third intense heatwave this summer, and it is still early [in the summer],” he said. The changing behaviour of the jet stream, which governs the weather in Europe, is contributing to the increase in heatwaves.

“Breaking records is the new normal,” Kornhuber added, saying that temperatures will keep rising as long as greenhouse gas emissions continue. “In 10 years or so, this will definitely be superseded by another temperature record.”

 

We are not sure the world will have to wait that long, as temperature rises are almost exponential, from the cumulative effects of population growth and economic expansion. All of which need to burn fuel. Coal being the choice for Australia, China and India. Even Japan is building more coal power stations. And we thought they were intelligent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire services battle while Australia burns

 


 

HEATWAVES A TO Z

 

Australia

Barcelona & Madrid, Spain

Bordeaux & Brest France

Brazil & Amazon rainforest
British Columbia on the 1st of July 2021

China, Beijing

India, Delhi

London had a similar experience in July 2022

Porto, Portugal

Tokyo & Osaka, Japan June 2022

USA

 

 

FOREST FIRE A TO Z

 

Amazonian

Arctic

Asia

Australian

Bolivian

Brazilian

British Columbian

Canadian - Saskatchewan

Chilean

Croatian

Ecuador

Europe heat wave 17 July 2022

France

Greece

Japanese

Malaysian

Mongolian

Portugal

Russian

Spain

Sweden

USA - California, Yosemite

       - Montana

       - Georgia

       - Sacramento

UK   - Saddleworth Moor

       - Moray

       - Dartmoor

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOOD IS GOOD x 10 PLEASE

 

Timber grown for wood is only good if part of a replanting scheme, with at least 2 trees planted for every one felled, though we would suggest up to 10 trees should be planted to offset the loss of carbon absorption during growth.

 

We need to plant more trees - a whole lot more trees, not clear them, and especially not waste timber that is a vital renewable resource for zero carbon house building. Forest fires that cause deforestation are raising the temperature of Planet Earth and there is no Planet B.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LINKS & REFERENCE

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/jeremy-clarkson-says-brutal-uk-heatwave-killed-his-pig-after-initially-playing-down-danger/ar-AAZMZnL

https://www.ft.com/content/6e52be5f-4091-4b38-8156-9e3e7f4e4bf3

 

 

 

 

 

SOIL EROSION - The more land that we lose to grow crops the greater the food security issue. As the ice caps melt, desertification spreads to make Earth more uninhabitable.

 

 

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WILD FIRES IN THE AUSTRALIA CONSUME TREES, HOUSES AND HUMANS AS THEY DESTROY EVERYTHING IN THEIR PATH