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‘More drilling means more heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and suffering’

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/more-drilling-means-more-heatwaves-droughts-wildfires-and-suffering

 Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to staff at the met office in Exeter, to discuss the UK’s ongoing response to extreme heat, wildfires and drought, August 14, 2026

Burnham urged to stand up to the fossil fuel giants and reject plans to drill Britain’s largest untapped oil fields

PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham was urged to stand up to profiteering fossil fuel giants and reject plans to drill Britain’s largest untapped oil field as consultations on them drew to a close today.

Labour faces a key environmental test as the final decision over the future of the Rosebank oil field, which lies about 80 miles west of Shetland, is left with ministers.

Production at both Rosebank and Jackdaw had been approved by the previous Conservative government, but those decisions were quashed after a legal challenge from Greenpeace, leaving the government to decide whether or not drilling should go ahead.

The decision on the two projects comes after a summer that has seen soaring temperatures and devastating wildfires in both Britain and Europe.

Environmentalists warn that allowing the development of the Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Aberdeen, whose consultation ended last week, would produce more than 250 million tonnes of CO2 — equivalent to 70 per cent of Britain’s annual emissions.

Greenpeace campaigner Maja Darlington said: “The PM wants to be pragmatic, but there is nothing pragmatic about watching communities be battered by climate chaos while the Prime Minister flirts with expanding the very industry driving it. 

“More drilling means more heatwaves, more droughts, more wildfires, and more suffering for the communities Burnham represents. The climate crisis is already hitting working people hardest — firefighters on the front line, bus drivers exposed to inhumane heat, nurses collapsing on the job. 

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/more-drilling-means-more-heatwaves-droughts-wildfires-and-suffering

Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Greenpeace activists display a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters on July 27, 2023 in London.
Greenpeace activists display a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters on July 27, 2023 in London. (Photo: Handout/Chris J. Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Continue Reading‘More drilling means more heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and suffering’

PM urged to stick to spirit of Labour manifesto and reject Jackdaw and Rosebank

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/pm-urged-stick-spirit-labour-manifesto-and-reject-jackdaw-and-rosebank

 Climate activists from Greenpeace and Uplift during a demonstration outside the Scottish Court of Session, Edinburgh, on the first day of the Rosebank and Jackdaw judicial review hearing, November 12, 2024

STICK to the spirit of Labour’s manifesto commitments, climate campaigners told the Prime Minister as the public consultation on Rosebank closes on Monday.

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) demanded Andy Burnham block proposed new North Sea oil fields, claiming their lifetime carbon emissions could result in up to 65,495 excess heat deaths by the end of this century.

Made up of more than 70 organisations with a total of about one million supporters, SCCS wrote an open letter to Mr Burnham and his Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh ahead of the consultation closure for Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea which lies some 80 miles north-west of Shetland.

A similar exercise for the planned Jackdaw gas field, which lies in waters about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, finished on August 10.

Production for both fields had been approved by the previous Conservative government, but a legal challenge from Greenpeace has now left the current government to decide whether or not drilling should go ahead.

SCCS reminded the new PM, who recently issued a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires, that 2,700 excess deaths were linked to heatwaves in May and June alone.

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/pm-urged-stick-spirit-labour-manifesto-and-reject-jackdaw-and-rosebank

Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Continue ReadingPM urged to stick to spirit of Labour manifesto and reject Jackdaw and Rosebank

US oil reserves sink to 40-year low

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/us-oil-reserves-sink-40-year-low

 A motorist fills up their car at a petrol station in Colorado, August 12, 2026

UNITED STATES oil reserves have sunk to a 40-year low, it was reported today.

They are so low that there could be damage to the massive caverns holding them.

CNBC is reporting that the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has fallen below 300 million barrels for the first time since it was filled in the early 1980s, after Washington released 172 million barrels in response to supply disruptions caused by the illegal war launched by the US and Israeli war on Iran on February 28.

Oil stocks are projected to fall to around 243 million barrels, prompting experts to warn that the rapid reduction could damage the underground salt caverns used to store the oil, reduce the reserve’s ability to respond to future energy emergencies, and leave critical infrastructure at increased operational risk, according to reports.

Energy experts told CNBC that while the US Department of Energy says the reserve can safely operate with as little as 70 million barrels, the practical operational floor is closer to 250–300 million barrels, warning that repeated large-scale releases over decades have weakened the ageing storage system. 

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/us-oil-reserves-sink-40-year-low

Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Continue ReadingUS oil reserves sink to 40-year low

Kushner signals US support for Israeli operations in Gaza if Hamas refuses to disarm

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026. [Shalev Shalom (GPO)/Handout – Anadolu Agency]

US special envoy Jared Kushner said “very significant progress could happen very soon” in the Gaza Strip if Israel and Hamas cooperate, warning that the United States would support further Israeli military operations in the territory if Hamas does not disarm.

In an interview with Fox News after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Kushner said: “if Hamas actually gives over the weapons and the tunnels willingly over the next 60 to 90 days, that obviously would be the elimination of a huge security threat for Israel, almost an unthinkable achievement.” 

He added: “If they don’t follow through now on their commitment, everyone will see that they’re not genuine about peace, and then Israel will have a lot more support from the US and others to go and finish the job in the appropriate way.” 

Regarding his meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday, Kushner said the United States would give the group a chance to prove its seriousness, but this “must be based on actions and steps, and I hope it will be true.”

READ: Report: Hamas leaders meet Kushner in Egypt for talks on Gaza roadmap

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingKushner signals US support for Israeli operations in Gaza if Hamas refuses to disarm

Extremist Israeli minister says “30 to 40” Gazans should be killed every day

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a speech on January 24, 2023 [Saeed Qaq/Anadolu Agency]

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for stepped-up airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and for Israel to kill “30 to 40” Palestinians a day, while also renewing calls to resettle Israelis in the Palestinian enclave at the expense of the indigenous population.

Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, made the remarks on the “October 8” podcast hosted by Rom Braslavski, a former Israeli prisoner of Hamas.

On Monday, the Jerusalem Post published excerpts from the interview, in which Ben-Gvir said Israel should not limit its attacks to those who “pose an immediate threat,” calling instead for far-ranging airstrikes across the entire Gaza Strip.

He said some people “aren’t worthy of life … they aren’t people at all.”

He also said Palestinians uninvolved in the fighting should not be exempt from Israeli attacks.

Referring to a woman who had provided food to Braslavski while he was being held captive in Gaza, Ben-Gvir referred to her as a “terrorist” who “needs a bullet in the head.”

Braslavski, an Israeli soldier who was captured on Oct. 7, 2023, was later released as part of a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel on Oct. 13, 2025.

READ: Israeli defence minister tells army to draft plan shifting enforcement over West Bank occupiers to police

Calls for Gaza resettlement

Ben-Gvir also renewed his call for Israeli settlements to be reestablished in Gaza, saying: “I see all of Gaza as ours.”

He added that settlements should not be limited to the former Gush Katif settlement bloc, which Israel evacuated in 2005, but should extend across the entire enclave.

He also encouraged Gaza’s Palestinian residents to voluntarily leave their ancestral homes, calling for “as much emigration as possible.”

The Jerusalem Post quoted Ben-Gvir as saying that Israel should kill “30 to 40 Gazans in strikes every night,” adding that those he described as “terrorists” should be “killed one by one.”

Regarding Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, Ben-Gvir crowed that they “suffer greatly,” adding that he was “glad” about the inhumane conditions they faced.

He also called for outlawing Israeli rights groups that promote coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, such as Peace Now and Standing Together, accusing such groups of “supporting terrorism.”

According to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, roughly 9,500 Palestinians – including women and children – are currently languishing in Israeli prisons.

OPINION: Has Hamas ended?

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingExtremist Israeli minister says “30 to 40” Gazans should be killed every day