Whenever the world took a turn of which he did not approve, my late father used to mutter that it was “spawning a generation of vipers and nitwits.” It’s taken more than a generation, but we’ve reached the point where the perilously poisonous and the deadly dumb prevail.… Read the rest
I’d like nothing better than for the answer to the headline on this blog to turn out to be a resounding “no”. But nothing in the cast of leading characters, attendees and past history gives reason to believe the climate summit known as COP28 will, to mangle a Rolling Stones lyric, get us anything like what we want, let alone come close to what we need.… Read the rest
Arrogance is seductive. It doesn’t require questioning, dealing with self- doubt or changing one’s ways. Along with its cohort irrationality, it is a trait we recognise as dangerous, yet seem increasingly tolerant towards, even when it is demonstrably counter-productive.… Read the rest
Summits, which typically have more to do with words than actions, are habitually known by their acronym, which leaves the field wide open for re-interpretation. I therefore suggest that in the case of the major players in COP27, the “P” — which stands for “Parties” — be replaced with the plural of an archaic English epithet: “poltroon”.… Read the rest
As I slid past a thirty meter-high granite cliff in my kayak this week, I noticed a slash of white just below a small cave-like crack in the rock. It brought to mind the proverb: “It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest”, a typically human way to characterise foolishness by casting unmerited aspersions.… Read the rest