Category Archives: weather and climate

weather and climate

Hello Ms Truss

Posted on July 15, 2014 by argylesock

Our new UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is Elizabeth Truss. Er… who? She’s been working for improvements to education, very important, yes, but I haven’t seen much to suggest that she knows anything about the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, fish, food, horticulture, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, politics, Truss_Elizabeth | 4 Comments

Goodbye Mr Paterson

Posted on July 15, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Britain, our Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has been Owen Paterson. Not any more! Today, in a Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Paterson’s been sacked. I wonder who’ll take his place. Whoever that person is, I … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, fish, food, horticulture, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Paterson_Owen, politics | Leave a comment

Hillary Clinton loves biotech and she doesn’t love climate change denial

Posted on June 28, 2014 by argylesock

Here’s a report about Hillary Clinton’s opinions on biotechnology and climate change. Mrs Clinton may, or may not, aim to become President of the United States. She makes clear in this report that she loves crop biotech. ‘[A]s U.S. Secretary … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, weather and climate | Tagged Africa, America, biotechnology, climate, genetic modification, politics | 2 Comments

Mapping the evolution of climate change ‘scepticism’ in British newspapers since 1990

Posted on June 1, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… I wish you every success with your PhD, Martin. Your quote from James Hoggan is brilliant. ‘In promoting climate change denial… industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.’

Posted in knowledge transfer, weather and climate | Tagged academia, climate, Europe, knowledge, politics, trade | 2 Comments

Scuba rice: biotech crop on a fast track towards release

Posted on May 25, 2014 by argylesock

A new biotech rice variety called Scuba or Swarna-Sub1 is going through field trials in India. It’s a long-grained rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) designed to be ‘climate-ready’ or ‘climate-smart’. That is, it’s designed to grow well as climates … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer, weather and climate | Tagged Africa, Asia, backcrossing, biotechnology, breeding, climate, climate-ready crop, crop diversity, crop variety, Department for International Development, development, farmer, field trial, flood, gene, grain, International Rice Research Institute, marker assisted backcrossing, marker assisted selection, paddy field, plant_monocot, research, rice, rice Swarna, Scuba rice, seed, selective breeding, staple food, trade, weather | 6 Comments

Rising levels of CO2 could exacerbate malnutrition

Posted on May 16, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… Climate change is happening. We humans caused it. Here’s yet another way that climate change threatens people, especially poor people. [Edit] I looked up the original paper (behind a paywall, but my University library has a subscription) and … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, weather and climate | Tagged America, Asia, biofortification, carbon dioxide, child, climate, corn, crop variety, field pea, food quality, grain, iron, legume, maize, nutrition, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, research, rice, selective breeding, sorghum, soya, staple food, vegetable, wheat, zinc | 2 Comments

Food security and biofuels

Posted on April 15, 2014 by argylesock

Biofuels are renewable because they’re made from plants or animals, which grow. But sometimes biofuels are produced in ways that are not sustainable. Hungry people sometimes pay the cost. Can food security and biofuels go hand in hand? Today Léna … Continue reading →

Posted in food, knowledge transfer, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged access to land, algae, biodiversity, biofuel, climate, development, export, farmer, fire, food security, knowledge, land grab, land use, law, livestock, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, politics, poverty, prosperity, tillage, trade, tradition, waste, water | 7 Comments

What’s happening as the world gets warmer

Posted on March 31, 2014 by argylesock

If you don’t believe in climate change, you might as well not bother reading what I’m about to say. You might live long enough to find out the hard way. In fact, the evidence is sure already. We know climates … Continue reading →

Posted in weather and climate | Tagged climate, data, Met Office | Leave a comment

A Global Perspective on the Recent Storms and Floods in the UK

Posted on February 9, 2014 by argylesock

Our United Kingdom Met Office shows us a Global Perspective on the Recent Storms and Floods that have been battering parts of our islands. ‘As yet, there is no definitive answer on the possible contribution of climate change to the … Continue reading →

Posted in knowledge transfer, weather and climate | Tagged climate, farmer, flood, gardener, Met Office, rain, storm, weather, wind | Leave a comment

Wild weather and a rubbish response

Posted on January 31, 2014 by argylesock

Yesterday our British Met Office announced an incredibly wet January in parts of Southern England. Before the month was over, ‘the southeast and central southern England region has already had its wettest January in records going back to 1910.’ The … Continue reading →

Posted in weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, drainage, Environment Agency, farmer, flood, Paterson_Owen, politics, rain, water, waterway, weather | 10 Comments