Cautious steps at climate talks, but hard decisions needed

Inescapable and all-pervasive, the COP26 international conference on climate change in Glasgow dominates the headlines day-by-day, indeed hour-by-hour, offering hope and fear in equal measure for the future of our fragile world. 

That the perils are real and potentially catastrophic seems now to be widely accepted. The crucial question is whether governments will have the courage to take the necessary hard decisions to avert the dangers. Will they have the guts to become unpopular now so that future generations can stay alive? 

In the conference’s first major success, world leaders agreed to end deforestation by the year 2030. Tree felling is a major contributor to climate change because forests absorb vast amounts of CO2, the warming gas that is melting ice caps, raising sea levels and starting forest fires. 

Another positive move saw India promise to cut carbon emissions to zero by 2070. That is 20 years later than targeted, but it is the first time that India has pledged a cut of any sort. 

The United States and the European Union are aiming at carbon neutrality by 2050 and China by 2060. 

Britain has brought its big guns out to support the conference. The Queen did not attend in person due to a recent indisposition, but she broadcast a message of encouragement. Her son and heir, Prince Charles, who has campaigned on environmental issues for 50 years, made a personal appearance, as did Sir David Attenborough, known worldwide a leader for change. 

Amidst all the protestations of goodwill came an acerbic note from the young Swedish campaigner, Greta Thunberg. Outside the conference precincts, she warned that the politicians were merely “pretending to take our futures seriously”. 

Let’s hope that was realism rather than cynicism. No doubt we will soon learn. 

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Glasgow notwithstanding, the pandemic has not gone away, as Johns Hopkins University reminded us with its latest tally of the global death toll from the coronavirus: 4,998,668. 

Nearly half of these deaths were in the United States, the European Union, the UK and Brazil. 

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As most housewives do from time to time, an elderly lady in Northumberland decided to have a clear-out. Among the rubbish was a box of much-worn costume jewellery, but rather than bin it, she left the collection at Fenby’s Auctioneers in North Shields for a just-in-case valuation. 

Auctioneer Mark Lane said one of the pieces was “quite a large stone” and he and his staff joked about what it would be worth if it were a real diamond. “It sat on my desk for two or three days until I used a diamond tester machine,” he said. When he did, the facets turned blue, indicating it was indeed a diamond! 

Further tests in London and Antwerp confirmed the stone as a 34-carat diamond worth an estimated £2 million. 

The anonymous lady owner could not remember where she bought the diamond, but said she often picked up items from car boot sales, where people offer household goods for cheap sale. 

The gem is under lock and key in London. It will come up for auction on November 30. 

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When comedian Josh Widdicombe discovered that he was related to King Edward I, who died 700 years ago, he was astounded. Historians were not. They say a whole lot of British people living today are likely to have royal antecedents without knowing it. 

The TV genealogy show, Who Do You Think You Are?, made the connection for Widdicombe. Other researchers found that Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent is also related to Edward I, soap actor Danny Dyer is a descendant of warrior king Edward III, and TV presenter Alexander Armstrong traces his family way back to William the Conqueror. 

“It’s not that uncommon,” said genealogist Graham Holton of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. In fact, he, too, is a descendant of Edward I, which did not make him too happy. He is a Scot and Edward I is known as “The Hammer of the Scots,” having invaded that country in 1296 and brought it under English rule. 

Maybe best to let sleeping kings lie. 

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Criticism of the Premier League football club, Newcastle United, has rumbled on since it was bought by Saudi Arabian interests last month, with that nation’s human rights record the primary target. 

Traditional, inter-club rivalry is never far away, however, inevitably involving Newcastle’s great enemy, Sunderland FC, just 12 miles away. Thus, on the lighter side: 

A teacher asks his class, “How many of you are Newcastle supporters? Every hand goes up except for one girl. To widespread horror, she says she is a Sunderland supporter. Asked why, she says both her mother and father are Sunderland supporters. 

“That’s not a good reason,” says the teacher. “What if your mother and father were morons, what would you be then?” 

The girl does not hesitate: “A Newcastle United supporter.” 

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