16th May 2025
I was particularly struck by the ‘Darn It’ workshop offered by the Totnes Climate Hub. I don’t darn particularly well, but I do darn a lot of things – socks, jumpers, T-shirts etc. By making things last longer, I become less dependent on access to shops for new items.
Repair Cafes are another scheme that can increase local community resilience.
15th May 2025
Some communities have established climate hubs – physical spaces where people can come to share ideas, find information, borrow resources and plan together community projects. One such is in Totnes – https://totnesclimatehub.info/
I had a go at trying to identify the bees in the garden. Unfortunately they don’t keep still long enough to really compare them with the images on identification sheets. I think the ones I was looking at were tree bumblebees with a single yellow and a white tail.
I’m again back up in rural Warwickshire, it’s late afternoon and the air is filled with small flying insects – midges and the like, I guess – but certainly far more airborne wildlife than I see in south west London. This might explain why in Warwickshire I see swallows but not in London.
14th May 2025
Some communities run climate cafés – “A Climate Café® is an open, inclusive space for people to get together to talk and act on climate change. Climate Cafés® are community led, informal spaces where everyone is welcome to join the conversation and get involved. Climate Cafés® create a space to bring people together from across communities, work places and campuses to focus on solutions. Many people find them inspiring and positive spaces to connect with others.”
Here is an example of a climate café in Oxford – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y70qv87w3o
13th May 2025
Insurance Vigils
On Tuesdays, I and one or two others from Christian Climate Action, hold vigils outside one or more insurance companies in the City of London. We do this to both highlight the degree to which the insurance industry supports and enables the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and its carbon emissions, and to bring the presence of prayer into the situation. Today’s vigils were held outside the offices of Marsh McLennan and of Lloyds of London.
How does the insurance industry work? Insurers and their customers identify risks and calculate both the likelihood of the risk materialising and the likelihood cost for the customer of that materialisation. The insurer calculates a fee and in return – once paid – undertakes to pay out to the customer if or when the destructive event happens. The insurer invests the fee to increase its value against the day when it may have to pay up. To spread the risk and the potential cost of the insurance policy, the insurer will approach other insurance companies to share the fee and the risk. Equally the insurer will formulate and sell a wide range of insurance policies, on the basis that each will earn a fee but only a small number will lead to a financial payout by the insurance company.
In the short term (2 years) damages due to extreme climate events is, according to the World Economic Forum, is seen as the second highest risk. Whilst in the long term (10 years) it is seen as the highest risk.
Insurance companies presumably increase premiums to respond to the increasing risks but is there still not a concern that they may underestimate the risk and end up paying out large sums to affected customers? And equally is there a likelihood that in the face of increased premiums customers may cut back on insurance either internalising the risk or cutting back their business plans?
Is there not also something perverse that these same insurance companies may be increasing the climate risks by, 1) investing income from premiums in fossil fuel industries or 2) providing the necessary insurance that enables oil and gas companies to continue to expand production, and thus through the increase
in greenhouse gas emissions, further accelerating the risks of adverse weather events, and the potential liabilities accruing to the insurers.
The best option for customers and the wider public – not to mention biodiversity and the planet – Would be for insurers to stop insuring oil and gas interests.
Yet looking at the be-suited office staff, is this a reality they have even considered? Or do they just place their trust in business as usual?
13th May 2025
In the face of present and future risks arising from the climate crisis, are there things that we can do as local communities?
During the covid pandemic, we were amazed at the way people pulled together sharing resources – lending books and DVDs, sharing home baked goods – picking up medicines and foods for each other, organising socially distanced local activities.
Are there similar things we could do vis a vis adapting to the changing climate?
Running through the Park, I have noticed a thick drift of soft ‘fluff’ which on closer inspection is the remains of the flowers from the beech trees. We tend to forget that trees – other than obvious ones like fruit trees and horse chestnuts – have flowers. How else would they produce seeds for the next generation. Most trees rely on the wind for pollination so don’t need decorative flowers to attract insects – hence the small fluffy nondescript brown flowers on the beech tree.
12th May 2025
To return to where this conversation began – What should I do and where should I start?’ – being well informed is key. From that can stem life practicable life style changes, the means with which to talk with – and listen to – others, and the impetus to sign a petition, join a group and/ or participate in an action. To do this is to witness to others the importance of addressing the climate crisis.
During the late morning I was walking through Sheen Common. Sheen Common is more woodland than open grassland, and is bisected by wide foot trodden paths. Here where the sun slanted down between the trees, I watched a pair of butterflies dancing round and round each other in spiralling waltz. A bit of research on the internet, and I am guessing they were speckled wood butterflies.
The Green Tau 