Attracta Mooney
@attractamooney.bsky.social
Climate correspondent at the Financial Times. Used to write about the investment industry. Irish.
Nothing to see here: Last month was the driest July and the sunniest month on record in England and Wales. As for Southern England, the @metoffice.gov.uk says the "statistics are remarkable", with just 1.9mm of rainfall, equivalent to only 3% of average rainfall, and 333.7 hours of sunshine
2,877 excess deaths linked to the heatwaves in England in May and June. It looks likely that this year will exceed the record 2,985 excess heat deaths of 2022 (because of the long heatwave in July)
Half of England now in drought - and parts of Devon have gone 50 days with no rain days as.ft.com/r/336c0680-c...
Half of England declared in drought after heatwaves
Second summer drought in two years is ‘exceptionally serious’, says Environment Agency
as.ft.com
One of the reasons why wildfires are such a big deal in Europe is because people often live close to vegetation. Europe has the most widespread wildland-urban interface, where population centres meet with vegetation, with the WUI covering 15% of its land area (global average is just 4.7%)
Xi Jinping’s flagship overseas infrastructure programme the Belt and Road Initiative boosted its green energy financing to a record $20.1bn in the first half of 2026 as the US war in Iran fuels demand for cheaper renewable power as.ft.com/r/083618e1-7...
China pours funding into green energy deals as Iran war hits oil demand
Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative takes advantage of rise in appetite for renewables as Middle East conflict drags on
as.ft.com
200,000 people ordered to evacuate now because of the fires in Spain and France. 200,000 as.ft.com/r/da6f737f-8...
France and Spain evacuate 200,000 people as ‘unprecedented’ wildfires spread
Extreme heat and high winds fuel fast-moving blazes as authorities in both countries battle to contain them
as.ft.com
One of the weird thing about writing about wildfires and spending time with fire scientists and firefighters is you start to see fuel everywhere. That tall yellow grass by the wooden shed (which backs on to trees and a dried-out park) looks quite beautiful as its wafts in the breeze, but FIRE!
My Lunch with the FT with @metoffice.gov.uk boss Penny Endersby: “This feels like a very unusual summer. But there is not going to be a usual summer because we’re in such a rapidly changing climate.” as.ft.com/r/7d794a7b-8...
Met Office chief Penny Endersby: ‘There is not going to be a usual summer’
The head of the UK’s national weather service on this year’s multiple heatwaves, the net zero backlash and why geoengineering is not a panacea
as.ft.com
So grim: Water companies have breached official guidance on discharging sewage at 65 popular swimming sites in England since the start of the bathing season as.ft.com/r/5a5737bf-f...
Sewage discharges flout guidance near 65 beaches in England since May
Overflows at bathing sites come as tourists flock to coastal areas for summer holidays
as.ft.com
FT exclusive: Europe’s June heatwave wiped more than €2bn from the value of its grain crop, according to new analysis, with France and Hungary bearing the brunt of the damage ft.trib.al/N5gzUFY
What new EU carbon rules mean for the #aviation industry - A clever compromise avoids reigniting Brussels-Washington trade tensions By @kenzabryan.ft.com HT @carbonbrief.org www.ft.com/content/4bd6...
What new EU rules mean for the aviation industry
A clever compromise avoids reigniting Brussels-Washington trade tensions
ft.com
Meanwhile the Fire Brigades Union warns the incoming PM that fire services are not prepared for the increased fires and flooding climate change will bring - and calls for him to reject Rosebank
Akshat Rathi@akshatrathi.bsky.social · 3w ago"Andy Burnham will announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea when he becomes prime minister on Monday, the BBC has been told." He intends to make a "dynamic" start, apparently. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Wait, so Trump wants to price environmental externalities? as.ft.com/r/094ac58f-7...
Donald Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over ‘invasion’ of wildfire smoke
President to call PM Mark Carney over ‘filthy, polluted’ air wafting over US cities
as.ft.com
Provisional Met Office data up to and including 15 July shows that England's average mean temperature so far this summer is 2.4C above the long-term meteorological seasonal average. 2.4C!
Brutal: "The annual cost of hiring a full-time nanny in the home counties has reached almost £60,000" as.ft.com/r/98c0691b-d...
Annual pay for nannies in the UK home counties nears £60,000
Salaries outstrip those of inner London, with strong demand in the commuter belt
as.ft.com
The UK has experienced 25 days with temperatures of 30C or more this year, including nine days above 34C, surpassing the 1976 record as.ft.com/r/d197e80f-1...
Unprecedented UK stretch above 30C stokes ‘firewave’ and strains emergency services
Swath of the nation from Kent to Lincolnshire records significantly more rapid warming than the rest of the UK
as.ft.com
NEW: Tropical nights come to Europe One of the most striking features of the Europe's record-breaking summer is the intense night-time heat. Globally, the hottest nights are warming at a faster rate than the hottest days — with increasingly severe consequences. as.ft.com/r/eef6f0c5-6...
Another new record: Temperatures of 35C or higher have now been recorded in May, June and July of the same year for the first time in the UK weather record, says the @metoffice.gov.uk
Eurostar was ordering trains that could cope with 45C heat. The unprecedented June heatwave made them rethink that plan as.ft.com/r/24b905df-a...
Eurostar orders trains to cope with 55C ‘Saudi’ summers
Amended contract follows heatwaves across UK and western Europe
as.ft.com
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, but many countries remain ill-prepared and building resilience will cost €70bn a year until 2050, according to the European Commission. In the meantime, people are taking matters into their own hands... Read the story on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/KSVnADi
Correct your priors: Private money is going after clean energy, governments are using public money to prop up fossil fuels "About 59% of all money spent on the fossil fuel system came from taxpayers in 2015. By 2025, that climbed to 68% and spiked at 78% in 2022." www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
Who’s Really Keeping Fossil Fuels Alive? Taxpayers
To judge by the way many people discuss the energy transition, we’re engaged in a fight between green idealogues in government and academia on the one hand, and a more realistic private sector that re...
bloomberg.com
No. And I absolutely hate the trend of those open bathrooms in hotels as.ft.com/r/3c16e9cb-7...
Should you put a bath in the bedroom?
Inspired by boutique hotels, the hybrid trend is growing. Faff, say some. Fabulous, say others
as.ft.com
Schools closing, tubes at 40C, hospitals forced to cancel operations because theatres are too hot. This is Britain where the world has warmed by about 1.3C-1.4C above the pre-industrial level. But we're on course for above 2.5C of warming. Can you imagine what Britain will be like then?
I'm no longer the FT's transport correspondent. But I remain the son of someone who devoted his career to underground railways. So I was pleased to help @attractamooney.bsky.social explain why London Underground hasn't introduced any new air conditioned trains since 2017: as.ft.com/r/c1d88afd-8...
London’s Tube nears a decade without new air-conditioned trains
The capital is experiencing its third heatwave of the year this week, with temperatures forecast to reach 34C
as.ft.com
From the Met Office today: The warmest mean temperature for June was recorded in the City of London, with 19.8C, 3.0C above the 1991-2020 average. *3C above the recent average*!
🚨 NEW: The World Cup’s heat hazard I got a taste of the dangerous combination of heat and humidity that players and fans in the US could face during the tournament. And our data analysis shows how these conditions are intensifying across North America as.ft.com/r/390709b0-5...
Coastal erosion in £££: In Thorpeness on the Suffolk coast, a house was sold for £1.15mn at the end of 2022. The house was sold again in February this year for £250,000, after 10 neighbouring houses were demolished before they were lost to the sea as.ft.com/r/8023d8fe-0...
England’s coastal homes are falling into the sea — should we save them?
Rapid coastal erosion threatens thousands of houses, leaving politicians and communities with a dilemma: save the houses or let nature take its course?
as.ft.com
Talks at the IMO about a carbon tax on shipping continue this week after the US tried to sink the idea last October. But delegates say that there is a risk it could end up in a "real fight" again: www.ft.com/content/23cc... w/ @attractamooney.bsky.social
Historic climate shipping deal faces ‘real fight’ as talks restart
Negotiators accused US last year of using ‘bully-boy tactics’ to sink a UN-backed net zero framework for the industry
ft.com
