What we learned this week

It’s been quite a week for climate activists in Britain, with Extinction Rebellion on the streets in London and the BBC broadcasting Climate Change: The facts on Thursday. Not sure if it’s available internationally, but it’s very good.

On Wednesday I said that The Times editorial, titled ‘Green Growth’, provided a good summary of conservative thinking on the climate. On Thursday the government sent a response to the BBC’s documentary, which is useful for compare and contrast purposes.

I don’t normally link to Twitter threads, but James Murray of Business Green sums up some good thoughts on Extinction Rebellion. Even if you don’t approve of it or like it, it was inevitable that the decades-long ignoring of climate change would result in such a movement.

I have no Labour allegiance myself, but I am nonetheless looking forward the Corbynomics event in Lewes on the 8th of June. Lots of good speakers and also me. If you’re in the South of England, come along.

This week I’ve been nominally on holiday, so I’ve been reading things that have nothing to do with the usual themes of my work. I read Jim Steinmeyer’s history of Victorian stage magicians, Hiding the Elephant, and Ben Aaronovitch’s magical detective novel Rivers of London.