I have learned that we've been failing to Keep Britain Tidy since 1954. This Wikipedia page shows the timeline of mergers and identity change since that time. The strategy keeps changing, but remains ineffectual. Are we just a very dirty people and is there no hope?
I hear there are plans for pupils to be regularly weighed in primary schools in England in order to determine how much they have learned. This is informed by the widely-accepted accumulating brain mass theory. The measurements, designed to alert parents that their children are at risk of developing a learning problem, were cancelled in March 2020 as the country entered the first coronavirus lockdown. Experts fear that since then a combination of homeschooling, less regular mental exercise and easier access to brain deadening snacks and ready meals has had a detrimental effect on the nation’s children. But they say that since the National Child Learning Measurement Programme (NCLMP) was halted they cannot know the full extent of the problem. Get those scales out!
My local council issued a questionnaire about the desirability (and route) of a proposed new cycleway. It was 30 questions long but you had to answer 28 about personal circumstances before coming to the two questions (Qs 29 & 30) about the cycleway itself. I was asked how many cars I had, how much I earned, how old I was and what my gender identity was. There was nothing about whether I'd use the new facility (which I shall).
There are puzzling proposals that we should pay for heating in the same way many now pay for music. This "heat as a service" model is explored here. The report (from The Conversation) says that a recent report by the International Energy Agency forecasted that fewer than 5% of the total emissions reductions needed to reach net zero by 2050 can be expected to come from behaviour changes among the general public. Rather than expecting households to buy heat pumps, states and energy utilities should offer them low-carbon heating as a service.
I've long given up on supposing that global temperature rise can be kept at 1.5 degrees C about the pre-industrial norm and cannot understand why we persist with this wishful thinking. I noted with interest, therefore, a report from the University of Hamburg (in the Conversation again) which says that keeping the rise below 1.7 degrees is now "not plausible".
The DfE has announced that the school bubble system is to be abolished which will mean that a whole class load of students will not be sent home if one of their number tests positive for the virus. Ironically (I think) this will take place on the first day of the summer holiday period. The smack of firm administration at last.
I'm not sure what this has to do with sustainability, but here goes: Instagram influencer, Oli London, has transitioned to be Korean and changed their name to Jimin. And why not you might think, if you have the cash for the zillions of plastic surgery ops that are needed. Their reasoning was logical: if you can change your sex you must be able to change your race/ethnicity. Also see this commentary on the issues by Jordan Tyldesley. If only stopping being a Cumbrian was so easy.
A nice cartoon to end with; picture three contestants in a quiz show. The host says: "Sorry Arthur, your answer was actually correct, but Paul shouted his opinion louder so he gets the point. And an extra bonus point goes to Sue as she was offended by your answer." Just so. Britain today.
Responses
Too funny... 🙂