A UK Socialist's blog

For the First Time, Scientists Observe One of Earth’s Largest Glacial Floods in Greenland

https://www.ecowatch.com/glacial-flooding-greenland-2024.html

Catalina Lake in East Greenland, where scientists recently observed glacial flooding in real time, photographed in 2013. NASA

Scientists have, for the first time, observed the unleashing of an enormous glacial lake flooding event in East Greenland. The rare outburst involved 3,000-plus billion liters of meltwater bursting forth in a matter of weeks.

Witnessed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the natural phenomenon provides insight into the powerful and potentially dangerous forces that can be released by meltwater, a press release from University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute said.

“Imagine an enormous bathtub atop a mountain filled with water equivalent to three times Denmark’s annual water consumption, and then suddenly bursting. This is essentially what happened when the massive Catalina Lake in East Greenland released 3.4 cubic kilometers of meltwater — 3,000 billion liters — into the Scoresby Sound fjord,” the press release said.

The enormous volume of water released by the lake made it one of the three largest events of its kind ever to be documented.

…

Article continues at https://www.ecowatch.com/glacial-flooding-greenland-2024.html

Continue ReadingFor the First Time, Scientists Observe One of Earth’s Largest Glacial Floods in Greenland

Government unveils plans for a low-carbon electricity grid by 2030

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/government-unveils-plans-for-a-low-carbon-electricity-grid-by-2030

A child rides a bike at Whitelee Windfarm in East Renfrewshire, July 2015

But Unite warns that Labour has ‘missed a golden opportunity to bring the national grid under public ownership’

THE government announced plans for a new era of “clean energy” today.

Labour has pledged to create a 95 per cent low-carbon electricity grid by the end of the decade.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described the transition as the “social justice fight of our time” and that it aimed to shield working people from the “ravages of global energy markets.”

New measures will deregulate to speed up planning decisions on critical infrastructure and give ministers, rather than local councils, the final say on approving large projects such as onshore wind farms.

…

Just Stop Oil, which has 16 members serving a combined 41 years of jail time over protests demanding an end to oil and gas, said: “Whatever the Labour Party does, the world is going to pass through 2°C of heating in the 2030s.

“To pretend that ‘clean electricity’ will protect us from the consequences of this is to lie to, and to betray the British people.

“The predicament we find ourselves in needs the Labour Party to change everything to defend our values and hard won rights.

“It requires us to mobilise the country as if going to war, and the starting point is planning to end oil and gas extraction and use by 2030, while adapting our villages, towns and cities to the weather extremes coming our way.”

See original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/government-unveils-plans-for-a-low-carbon-electricity-grid-by-2030

Carbon Brief: Analysis: How the UK plans to reach clean power by 2030

Continue ReadingGovernment unveils plans for a low-carbon electricity grid by 2030

Jamaica tables bill to remove King Charles as head of state

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24795208.jamaica-tables-bill-remove-king-charles-head-state

King Charles III during an audience with Alexander Williams, the High Commissioner of Jamaica (Image: Yui Mok)

JAMAICA has introduced a bill to remove King Charles at its head of state and become a republic.

Charles is currently King of Jamaica, but the country’s prime minister Andrew Holness is pushing ahead with plans to make the realm a republic.

The Jamaican government announced in February that it had begun the first step in the legislative process of constitutional reform, with the preparation of the Constitution of Jamaica (Amendment of Section 61) Bill.

It said establishing Jamaica as a republic would be a priority over the coming year.

Now, the bill has been tabled and will be reviewed by joint committees, a parliament vote and a national referendum.

…

Continue ReadingJamaica tables bill to remove King Charles as head of state

UK retailers accused of recruiting young shop workers without rights over Christmas

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/15/uk-stores-gig-economy-workers-retailers-christmas-unions

Uniqlo is among the retailers using gig economy apps such as Temper and YoungOnes to draft in shop assistants for the busy Christmas run-up. Photograph: Iain Masterton/Alamy

Lush and Gymshark among chains using apps promoted by TikTok influencers to take on gig economy assistants lacking basic protections, say unions

Unions have accused high-street retailers of drafting in young gig economy store assistants without basic employment rights in the run-up to Christmas.

The Observer has found large brands, including Urban Outfitters, Lush, Gymshark and Uniqlo, are recruiting “freelance” shop assistants through gig apps to staff their stores during the busy festive period.

The apps are being promoted by youth influencers with hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers.

“This is a worrying new development,” said Tim Sharp, senior policy officer for employment rights at the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

“It would seem absurd to most people that someone can do a job like working in a shop and not be entitled to basic legal protections. There is a big question mark over the employment status of these supposed freelancers.”

…

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/15/uk-stores-gig-economy-workers-retailers-christmas-unions

Continue ReadingUK retailers accused of recruiting young shop workers without rights over Christmas