Tag: climate-change

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Andy Burnham fails to put out Manchester wildfire after two weeks but luckily, unlike the one the Cairngorms, it’s neither ‘apocalyptic’, the fault of any government nor is it due to the absence of helicopters

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For a reader in Scotland there are quite a few things missing in the above BBC Manchester report two days ago: Wildfires across Greater Manchester are still burning a fortnight after they first started, the fire service has said. More than 100 firefighters and volunteers have been tackling the blaze on two fronts at Dove Stone, after the fire in Saddleworth merged with a fire at Tintwistle, and at Swineshaw. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said specialists from across the UK had been drafted in to control any remaining hotspots. The fires in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire have burned … Continue reading Andy Burnham fails to put out Manchester wildfire after two weeks but luckily, unlike the one the Cairngorms, it’s neither ‘apocalyptic’, the fault of any government nor is it due to the absence of helicopters

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Scottish Government’s more ambitious policies and tighter targets seem to have slashed hospital admissions for respiratory problems to a fraction of those in England

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In the Guardian today: Children living in the poorest areas across England are 40% more likely to be admitted to hospital for respiratory infections, an analysis of NHS England data shows, with experts raising the alarm on the impact of air pollution on young people’s health. The analysis, based on data obtained via freedom of information requests by the charity Impact on Urban Health, revealed 1,941 out of every 100,000 children living in the most deprived fifth of England were admitted to hospital for respiratory illnesses in 2024/25. Does this apply equally in Scotland? No. Respiratory infections from NHS England data: In … Continue reading Scottish Government’s more ambitious policies and tighter targets seem to have slashed hospital admissions for respiratory problems to a fraction of those in England

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Climate change is real but there is no need for hysteria about the wildfire risk to Scotland

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From BBC Scotland two days ago, the above and: A devastating wildfire burning in the Cairngorms has entered its seventh day, as helicopters battle to stop the spread of the flames. Two specialist helicopters have been “invaluable” for waterbombing hard-to-reach areas, the Cairngorms National Park Authority says. But the flames were allowed to torch the landscape for nearly two days before they arrived on the scene around Glenmore Forest Park. There’s been vocal frustration from some local people, who believe the wildfire might have been brought under control if specialist air support had been called in sooner. Why the delay? … Continue reading Climate change is real but there is no need for hysteria about the wildfire risk to Scotland

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UK Government’s own levelised ‘full lifetime’ cost analysis – new nuclear is nearly three times more expensive than onshore wind and more than double offshore wind

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From Nuclear and offshore wind energy comparison information: EIR release – Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004, published today: Information requested All internal briefings, analysis and minutes/notes from meetings, comparing nuclear energy and offshore wind energy, from the last three months. Response Some of the information you requested is available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Publication. The publication provides estimates of the size of the UK’s low carbon and renewable energy economy, including turnover and employment. Data is available for nuclear, and offshore energy. The latest publication … Continue reading UK Government’s own levelised ‘full lifetime’ cost analysis – new nuclear is nearly three times more expensive than onshore wind and more than double offshore wind

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Amended ‘Irresponsible BBQ users’ are not always to blame for wildfires

johnrobertson834

A reader has correctly pointed out a basic error in the first draft of this. Media coverage of wildfires tends almost uniformly to blame supposedly irresponsible BBQ-users. The current Cairngorm wildfire is similarly explained despite taking place on fairly uninteresting moorland: In this case, as the fire started on RSPB territory popular with walkers, the above explanations are more likely. However many wildfires cannot be so easily attributed. A significant percentage, often those which start on grouse-shooting estates are caused by the estate practice of muirburn. Muirburn? What is muirburn? Also called heather burning or controlled burning, muirburn is a … Continue reading Amended ‘Irresponsible BBQ users’ are not always to blame for wildfires

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Will former Modern Studies teacher and Labour Junior Minister for Energy now accept this final demolition of the case for nuclear energy from the London-based top medical journal in the world and accept that SNP policy has been factually correct all along?

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I’m going to have to have a serious word with some of the 11 0000 plus folk following us on xtwitter. I posted the basic details of this earlier with a request to ‘share, share and share again.’ Only 25 have. I got 472 shares on a post about Prestwick Airport profits! Junior Energy Secretary under Ed Milliband, Michael Shanks (above) used to teach Modern Studies, so he’ll know all about referencing and basing your conclusions on reliable facts. So, made more tasty, with Michael above, here are the facts, irrefutable, again. Pay attention Michael! The Lancet is one of … Continue reading Will former Modern Studies teacher and Labour Junior Minister for Energy now accept this final demolition of the case for nuclear energy from the London-based top medical journal in the world and accept that SNP policy has been factually correct all along?

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‘The false promise of nuclear power’ – a devastating and final demolition of the case for nuclear energy from the Lancet, the top medical journal in the world

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The Lancet is one of the world’s most highly respected and influential general medical journals. Latest Journal Impact Factor (JIF): 109.0 (2025 JCR, released June 2026, based on 2025 citation data). This is a significant increase from 88.5 the previous year. It ranks #1 in the “Medicine, General & Internal” category (Q1), ahead of competitors like the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). In the Lancet today: By focusing narrowly on reactor operations, portraying reactor hazards as “extremely small”, and ignoring nuclear energy’s other dangers, Talha Burki’s World Report1 supports the mendacious narrative that nuclear power is a “safe, clean, and … Continue reading ‘The false promise of nuclear power’ – a devastating and final demolition of the case for nuclear energy from the Lancet, the top medical journal in the world

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All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

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From the Guardian today: Great Britain’s first new major hydropower projects in more than 40 years are expected to move ahead after the energy regulator gave a provisional green light to three proposals as part of a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports. All three of the new pumped storage hydroelectric power station projects are due to be built in northern Scotland, where the region’s lochs will act as natural reservoirs to serve the hydropower stations. The Loch Kemp project, developed by Statera Energy, plans to draw water from Loch Ness, and SSE’s Coire Glas project expects to draw from Loch Lochy … Continue reading All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

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UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

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The Scotsman today has a report on the Poverty Alliance apparently warning the SNP on the costs of energy in rural parts, unconnected to the gas grid and where home heating oil has to be bought in bulk in the absence of any price protection. The absence of price protection for heating oil, the regulatory framework for energy markets, and the overall approach to supporting off-grid households are reserved matters.1 Scotland has a higher proportion of homes off the mains gas grid than most of the UK. These households (roughly 142,000 using oil) rely on heating oil (kerosene), LPG, or … Continue reading UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

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Why Swinney is correct to reject call for AI data centre pause in Scotland

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I knows this one is divisive. More than a few Talking-up Scotland readers disagree with us on it but here is the case, again, that Scotland is one of the few places with the resources – water and energy – to make a lot of money out of data centres, once independent of course. From the Sunday Mail 28 December 2025, the above back-to-front headline and: Massive new data centres planned in Scotland to power the AI revolution would use up to three quarters of the country’s total electricity demand [sic], a new study has claimed. Research firm Foxglove, which campaigns for fair tech, … Continue reading Why Swinney is correct to reject call for AI data centre pause in Scotland