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“We need to build things that will last 50-100 years that will be resilient to these climate changes.”

"Met Éireann has also presented its latest data in relation to driving rain. Wind-driven rain against a wall may be partially absorbed or penetrate through cracks in the wall, therefore increasing the risk of damage to the building fabric. It is particularly prevalent in homes built in the west of Ireland.

“The current building standards use driving rain in their calculations of what blocks to use and in what construction methods to use in different parts of the country, but that data is 20 years old give or take,” he said."

Excerpt: "Under Donald Trump’s renewed push to expand fossil fuel production — including plans to ramp up oil and gas drilling and roll back climate regulations — climate politics in the United States is entering a new phase. Although Trump’s climate agenda is very much aligned with outright denial, it has become less central in mainstream climate action debate. Instead, opposition to policies such as carbon pricing, emissions standards, and fossil fuel phaseouts remains strong. At the same time, the impacts of climate change are becoming harder to ignore. When the devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles in January 2025, causing over $60 billion in destruction, millions of Americans glimpsed what climate change looks like up close. Across the country — as in many parts of the world — the signs are multiplying: insurers abandoning coastal areas, deadly heatwaves breaking records, and entire communities facing floods or drought. Understandably, the proportion of Americans who believe global warming is happening has increased over time, rising from about 57 percent in 2010 to over 70 percent in recent years, according to the Yale Climate Opinion Map of 2024. Yet, despite this growing awareness, the politics of climate action remain stuck.

The old strategy of obstructionists — denying climate change outright — has largely lost credibility among scientists and the public at large. The scientific consensus on human-caused climate change is overwhelming, and its impacts are increasingly visible. But the departure of denial has not meant the arrival of decisive action. 

Instead, something more subtle has taken its place: climate delay.

Excerpt: "In short:

London has recorded a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, breaking the record for the hottest day in May on record.

Europe is sweltering through an unusually early heatwave that scientists say are becoming more frequent and occurring at abnormal times due to climate change.

"The hopeful side: climate action can strengthen wellbeing

Feeling worried about climate change does not only create problems. It can also motivate people to take meaningful action. People who worry more about climate change generally do more for the environment – provided they have access to actionable solutions.

In other words, when people can see real, practical ways to make a difference, their worry can turn into positive action. But when no solutions are available, that same worry can start to feel overwhelming or hopeless.

Read more: How to build mental resilience to climate change

Excerpt "How can Australia tackle the scourge of online bots and trolls, and orchestrated disinformation campaigns, that are trying to prevent action on climate change and keep our economy reliant on fossil fuels?

The Senate's select committee on information integrity on climate change and energy released its final report last week.

It sounded an alarm about the health of Australia's digital town square and the erosion of trust in society, and said we have to clean up our online debates.l

The scourge of AI-slopaganda viral disinformation campaigns, and online attacks against individuals and institutions is going to get far worse before it gets better.

"A robust information ecosystem is critical to the health of Australia's democracy and to its ability to meet the challenges arising from climate change — including the need to transition to renewable energy sources," the report argued.

"However, the committee heard that the integrity of Australia's information ecosystem is threatened by a proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, which is polarising public discourse and eroding trust in science and knowledge institutions.

"Worryingly, the committee heard that Australia has some of the highest levels of concern about information integrity globally."

The majority report, backed by Labor, Liberal, and Greens senators, made 21 recommendations for the federal government.

The recommendations have tried to strike a balance between the principles of free speech and expression, and the vital need for liberal democracies to have information ecosystems that are trustworthy, while acknowledging that "misinformation" and "disinformation" can be hard to define.

How to clean up Australia's information ecosystem

Excerpt "Four of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies have spent the last four years systematically shifting away from climate-friendly advertising to push a new message: fossil fuels are here to stay, a report has found. 

Campaign group Clean Creatives analysed 1,859 communications from BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron published between 2020 and 2024, spanning paid advertisements on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and television, alongside press releases, investor communications and executive speeches. 

The report found a “consistent and coordinated narrative shift” from attempts to portray the companies as climate leaders to embracing what Clean Creatives calls “fossil fuel permanence” — the idea that the world can’t function without oil and gas, which account for at least half of the carbon dioxide emissions fuelling the climate crisis.

“Despite differences in tone, BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron followed strikingly similar narrative shifts, moving from ‘part of the solution’ to ‘you can’t live without us’ messaging,” Clean Creatives said.