With all the beetles in the pond eating the frog spawn, I thought this was a sight I would never see but we have one surviver. Here he is sitting happily posing for the camera on a warm summer’s evening. Perhaps someone can tell me what sort of frog he is?

Jane

A field of linseed seen quickly from a distance looks like the sea! Of course, once you look properly it is obviously a beautiful crop of linseed. In the early morning sun it is a picture to behold! The dogs also like it as, presumably, it is a handy feeding place for mice etc., so they would spend hours in there trying to catch something but, unfortunately for them, I have to call them back to get to work!

Jane

Research published by the UK government this week demonstrates the realities of climate change. Various scenarios for different parts of the country were simulated, based on CO2 emissions increasing with time, staying constant, and decreasing with time. In the ‘worse-case’ scenario, by 2080 the south of England would see a Mediterranean climate: namely hot, dry summers and mild winters. Rainfall could decrease by 20% by 2050, and heatwaves of 41C could sweep across the South.

Now I know a few people who may relish this idea, my mother being one. But what sounds like a bit of glorious weather would have disastrous consequences. Firstly, migration waves would overpopulate the (already bulging) South. Think about it: if the UK saw a Mediterranean climate, southern Europe would see an African climate, north Africa would then see an equatorial climate, and mid-Africa would be uninhabitable. Agricultural production in all these countries would drastically reduce. Drought and starvation would push people North. Southern UK already has less rainfall per head than the Sudan; this would be exacerbated by less water and more people.

Thousands would die in the UK from the mid-summer heat (think about the French heatwaves a few years back). Low-lying parts of the South would be non-existent due to rising sea-levels. Old, stuffy buildings would have to be ripped down at rapid rates as people swelter within. Native plants in our garden would disappear, replaced by little else. Unpredictable weather conditions such as thunder storms and flash floods would be seen more often. And Great White Sharks could patrol our coastlines.

The reality of a Mediterranean climate is a harsh one. It has been just three years since the Stern Report examined the damning effects of climate change based on a 4C rise, and since then predictions have worsened. Predictions in 2015 may suggest an African climate for the UK by 2080, 2025 predictions an equatorial climate by this time, and…. well, where do we go after that?

Anthony.

The Guardian published an article online yesterday by Bjorn Lomborg. Entitled ‘Scared silly over climate change’, Lomborg suggests that we are doing more harm than good by frightening our children when talking about climate change, that it causes ‘unneccesary alarm and anxiety’. Each new report states that the future is getting bleaker, and for this children are scared.

I take a different view. An 11 year old child that is worried that the world is going to end can be a persuasive animal, now and in the future. It is these kids that will lead by example. Nag enough and they will persuade their parents to use their car less, shower instead of bath, put a jumper on, eat less meat and recycle. Multiply this by a million, and we may see a very real strategy for averting climate change.

Our children will not lose the habits instilled within them, and come adulthood, they will have a more powerful voice. They can lobby for political and institutional change. They will insist on working for the most ethical companies, leading to change in business structure. They will refuse to drive, buy local produce and live in sustainable houses.

And then, in middle age, they will be running the country. A country with reduced carbon emissions, renewable energy, less congestion, cleaner air, improved health and a better quality of life. And this because they were told at ten that polar bears were dying. Sometimes the ends justify the means.

Anthony.

These beautiful orchids are all over the part of the South Downs where I take my dogs walking each morning. They start appearing, one by one, at the end of April and by June there are masses of them along the edge of the woodland.

Jane