Peter Rhodes on heatwaves, letters and some confusion over spit roasting
Doomed, doomed, we're all doomed. Do the dire warnings of Private Frazer in Dad's Army apply to us today as global warming gets ever warmer?
Well, not exactly, it seems. Some people will certainly die as a result of heatwaves. But others will live longer, thanks to the milder winters that climate change brings. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have studied the future effects of uncontrolled global warming. Their verdict is that across the whole of Europe by 2099 hotter summers could kill more people than milder winters would save. However, in chilly old Britain, although excess heat would kill 360,000 people, warmer winters would prevent 630,000 deaths – a net saving of 270,000 lives. And I bet every single one of those survivors will be bellyaching about the weather.
Royal Mail is set to deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays and to stop Saturday deliveries altogether. The scheme is hoped to save up to £425 million. Quite how it will affect us customers remains to be seen. Most of the stuff that drops through my letterbox goes straight in the bin, having been sent by firms who want to insure me, cruise with me or cremate me. They never get a reply from me so why keep sending it?
