COP27 – the nice big thing where worldly types gather to chatter about things with nice representatives of global fossil fuel firms, and which this year is being held in Egypt, a nice big place where annoying journalists disappear – has thrown Britain’s esteemed political class into a sea of indecisiveness.

UK Prime Minister for September/October 2022, Liz Truss, said she wouldn’t be attending the event as she was way too busy. Fresh monarch, Charles 3, said he’d like to go. Truss said he couldn’t.

Truss was replaced by Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister for October-Present. He said King III could go if he wished, but he himself couldn’t possibly attend as he was wayyy too busy. Then Boris Johnson, Prime Minister for 2019-2022, said he’d be going. Sunak then discovered he wasn’t quite as busy as he thought he was and had identified a few spare hours after all, claiming there’ll be “no long-term prosperity without action on climate change”. So, quite a turnaround/sudden realisation/epiphany.

Charles 3.0 then said he’d be holding his own mini COP27 round his house in London.

Climate change action figurehead Greta Thunberg, meanwhile, had declared she won’t be going to Egypt, because she doesn’t think it’s a very nice place and, anyway, the event is merely an opportunity for “greenwashing” on a vast scale.

Still, actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s going, so that’ll be nice.

***

If you’ve ever wanted to go and see Kilimanjaro’s glaciers you might want to hurry: they’ll all be gone by 2050, thanks to climate change. Actually, travelling there will probably contribute to their demise so it’s probably best to look at pictures instead. More here.

***

Temperatures in Europe have risen by more than twice the global average in the last 30 years, beating all other continents in the it’s-getting-too-hot stakes.

According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, average temperatures across Europe have soared by 0.5C every 10 years, which is a cue for no-nonsense optimists everywhere to rejoice and declare how lucky we are to have better summers, perhaps. Story here.

***

The world must change its agricultural practices or face “destroying the planet”, a new report warns.

According to the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a climate change-focused group of CEOs set up by King III, global farming is changing its ways, but the pace is “far too slow”.

Interestingly, amongst many other outfits, the report is signed by the likes of McDonald’s and PepsiCo – finer guardians of the planet there never were. Read more here.

***

And here’s revered/despised climate journalist George Monibot on some “terrifying” cliffs in Budleigh Salterton, Devon. Apparently, frozen in their rocky innards is a record of a time when “life on Earth almost came to an end”. Very interesting and very bleak. Read it here.