Broadcaster and safe cycling advocate Jeremy Vine has revealed that he is “grateful” that an investigation by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) – which ruled that the presenter breached the corporation’s impartiality guidelines by publicly expressing his support for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – has “exposed” what he describes as years of “one-way” abuse and “personal vilification” towards him and other local cyclists by groups committed to opposing active travel measures.

The BBC has warned staff against expressing support for low-traffic neighbourhoods, after ruling that Jeremy Vine breached impartiality rules by backing safe cycling measures near his London home.
The Radio 2 presenter, a well-known cyclist, has posted repeatedly on Twitter about his support for LTNs – and publicly criticised individuals who objected to the introduction of the traffic-calming scheme near his house in Chiswick.

France has come up with an innovative idea to reduce polluting vehicles from the roads. Citizens can now exchange their vehicles in return for an amount as high as €4,000 (approx. $4,073) which they can use to buy an electric bike, The Times reported. The generous subsidy is aimed at not only reducing pollution but also to push people to embrace active mobility. The scheme can be used for every family member.

While riding around London, the BBC presenter talks about the dangers and benefits of getting about on two wheels

Peter Walker
Jeremy Vine discusses dangers of cycling on bike ride with the Guardian’s Peter Walker – video
Cycling along a busy one-way street in central London, followed by a black Mercedes and a line of other cars, Jeremy Vine ponders how best to stay safe: move a bit closer to the side, allowing room for a potentially close overtake, or stick to the centre of the lane?
“It’s a bit of a conundrum,” he admits. “Let’s take the primary position and see if we get any argy-bargy. Think of it as an experiment.”
As we pedal along, the Mercedes driver stays yards behind, making no effort to squeeze past or even edge closer. “This guy behind us is being lovely,” Vine grins. “We shouldn’t always paint cycling as dangerous. The most dangerous thing you can do is to always be on your sofa, eating Pringles.”

Sea levels are expected to rise as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) by 2050, according to a report led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While the amounts vary according to region, the inundation will lead to more coastal flooding and make tidal and storm surge more severe, the multi-agency report said.
“Sea levels are continuing to rise at a very alarming rate,” Bill Nelson, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. “And it’s endangering communities around the world.”
Rising waters are threatening coastal cities including New York, Boston and Miami, which already commonly experience flooding during high tides that occur with full and new moons. Homes, businesses, highways and other infrastructure along coastlines are vulnerable to damage from flooding and rising sea levels. Nearly 8 million homes, with a reconstruction cost of $1.9 trillion, are at risk of storm surges, according to a 2021 CoreLogic report.

By Howard Lee July 21, 2020

Faint Young Sun
Magnitude: No net temperature effect
Time frame: Constant
Though the sun’s brightness fluctuates on shorter timescales, it brightens overall by 0.009% per million years, and it has brightened by 48% since the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Scientists reason that the faintness of the young sun should have meant that Earth remained frozen solid for the first half of its existence. But, paradoxically, geologists have found 3.4-billion-year-old rocks that formed in wave-agitated water. Earth’s unexpectedly warm early climate is probably explained by some combination of less land erosion, clearer skies, a shorter day and a peculiar atmospheric composition before Earth had an oxygen-rich atmosphere.
Clement conditions in the second half of Earth’s existence, despite a brightening sun, do not create a paradox: Earth’s weathering thermostat counteracts the effects of the extra sunlight, stabilizing Earth’s temperature (see next section).

The Green Party says that the government is promoting an “anti-cycling narrative that is making things far more dangerous for cyclists” in response to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ call earlier this week for people on bikes to be required to display number plates, carry third party insurance cover and be subject to the same speed limits as motorists.
The cabinet minister’s comments, initially made to the Mail in an article published on Tuesday evening, made for prominent headlines in both print and broadcast media yesterday, and are in direct conflict with repeated assurances from his own ministers and from civil servants at the DfT.