By David Rose
A year ago tomorrow, just before the opening of the UN Copenhagen world climate summit, the British Meteorological Office issued a confident prediction. The mean world temperature for 2010, it announced, 'is expected to be 14.58C, the warmest on record' - a deeply worrying 0.58C above the 19611990 average.
World temperatures, it went on, were locked inexorably into an everrising trend: 'Our experimental decadal forecast confirms previous indications that about half the years 2010-2019 will be warmer than the warmest year observed so far - 1998.'
Met Office officials openly boasted that they hoped by their statements to persuade the Copenhagen gathering to impose new and stringent carbon emission limits - an ambition that was not to be met.
More...
Britain Is Freezing To Death
By Tracey Boles and Lucy Johnston
About half of the people forced to spend over 10 per cent of their income on energy bills – the official definition of fuel poverty – are aged over 60.
Read more: [url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/215510/Britain-is-freezing-to-deathBritain-is-freezing-to-death#ixzz17LDnY62a]http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/215510/Britain-is-freezing-to-deathBritain-is-freezing-to-death#ixzz17LDnY62a[/url]
Middle class families are among millions of Britons who cannot afford to heat their homes this winter, as elderly ride on buses all day to stay in the warm.
After a week of snow and freezing temperatures a shocking picture has emerged of the bleak months ahead for 5.5 million households.
Pensioners, who are among those most vulnerable to the cold, are resorting to extraordinary measures to keep warm.
More...
Green Britain's Shame: Millions Face Cold Christmas As Fuel Poverty Soars
Rosemary Bennett and Robin Pagnamenta, The Times
Ron Campbell, director of policy at NEA, said that 5.5 million would represent the highest number of people in fuel poverty since 1996.
At least 400,000 extra British families will find themselves in “fuel poverty” this Christmas, as the big freeze adds to the impact of imminent price rises from Big Six energy companies.
Research produced for The Times shows that by early next year, 5.5 million households, or 21 per cent of the 26 million total, will be in fuel poverty — spending more than 10 per cent of their monthly income on energy bills — the highest level in 15 years. The estimate from National Energy Action (NEA), which comes as fresh snow is expected to hit Wales, Scotland and northern England this weekend, represents an increase of 400,000, or 8 per cent, since October.
Last night, Greg Barker, the Energy Minister, told The Times that the existing system to deal with the problem was “completely broken” and admitted that he was “very worried” by the figures. “What is clear is that the rate of progress has not been nearly ambitious enough,” Mr Barker said. “We need a complete step change in energy efficiency in the UK.”
More...
