Le Monde: France issues red heatwave alert on Sunday for third of country

Le Monde: France issues red heatwave alert on Sunday for third of country.

The red alert impacts 26 million people in 35 departments, more than a third of the country. Another 45 departments are on orange alert. From the report:

France issued a red heatwave alert across more than a third of the country for Sunday, June 21, as a ferocious heatwave dug in and the government banned the consumption of alcohol in public spaces in departments under this alert during the annual Fête de la Musique festivities.

The prolonged heatwave, which began earlier this week, has disrupted the country, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.

Link.

Video: Chimp Tracking in Uganda’s Kalinzu Forest

The rain didn’t start until just after we took our first steps into the Kalinzu Forest. As if on cue, it wouldn’t cease until we climbed back out nearly five hours later. In between it was a steady rain, sometimes a loud pelting on large green leaves the size of doormats, other times soft, sensual drops that drizzled the forest floor with a stream of sloppy kisses. Mostly though, it leaned towards the former.

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David Attenborough’s life’s work, searchable.

David Attenborough’s life’s work, searchable.

This will be a fun rabbit hole.

Sir David Attenborough just turned 100. In recognition of his brilliant career and life, here’s everything he’s ever worked on, in one place.

Nearly 5,000 episodes across 90 series — from Zoo Quest in 1954 to Secret Garden in 2026. Search by animal, habitat, location, natural phenomenon, or theme to find exactly the episode you’re looking for.

Link.

Via Kottke.org, still on the shortlist of my favorite old skool blogs.

The Conversation: Climate change – how fires and floods are creating uninsurable areas across Europe

The Conversation: Climate change – how fires and floods are creating uninsurable areas across Europe.

There’s been lots of talk about the impacts of climate change on the insurance industry in the US, but I haven’t seen too much –besides some anecdotal evidence in the agriculture sector mostly — here in Europe. That is changing.

In Europe, concern over the protection gap – meaning the share of disaster losses that insurance does not cover – is rising. According to EIOPA, the EU’s insurance regulator, 75% of economic losses from natural catastrophes in Europe have historically gone uninsured.

In Germany, the national insurance association has warned that premiums could double within a decade due to climate-driven claims. In France, the national natural disaster scheme, known as CatNat, has been running at a deficit since 2016, prompting the government to raise the compulsory surcharge on all property insurance policies from 12% to 20% in January 2025.

In short, traditional insurance is ill-equipped to confront the reality of climate change. There are, however, alternative models that could provide coverage to people most at risk.

And concludes:

As these innovative solutions emerge, one thing is clear: uninsurable areas are no longer some distant future prospect. Weather-related damage has always happened, but the mechanisms we built to absorb climate risk were designed for a more stable climate. As that stability erodes, the question is no longer whether or not the public sector will need to play a larger role, but how quickly it can be redesigned to do so.

Link.

Solar panels were blamed for wiping out fields, but birds and insects are now rewriting the story beneath them

OKDiario: Solar panels were blamed for wiping out fields, but birds and insects are now rewriting the story beneath them

Done right, fields where solar panels are now being installed are coming back, healthier, and supporting numerous kinds of wildlife, birds included.

For years, the fear around solar farms has been easy to picture. Rows of dark panels, wide open fields, hot metal under the sun, and barely a bird in sight.

New data from Spain is now pushing back against that image. In several solar plants studied in 2025, researchers found more bird species inside the facilities than in nearby agricultural control areas, suggesting that well-managed solar farms can sometimes become unexpected refuges for wildlife rather than empty industrial spaces.

Link.

Guardian: ‘A point of resistance’: the Normandy village that said ‘non’ to Pete Hegseth

Guardian: ‘A point of resistance’: the Normandy village that said ‘non’ to Pete Hegseth

Bravo. This story is about a small community organisation in a small town trying to keep a racist, sexist, war-mongering white Christian nationalist from speaking at what has always been a solemn ceremony, and succeeding, thanks in large part to him just opening his mouth. Comparing the battle against Fascist forces in Europe in WWII to the forces that drive migration today just shows how loathsome and stupid Hegseth is.

“We found it unbelievable that they could send someone who held views and values contrary to democracy, human rights, peace and Europe,” said resident Chantal Richard. To her, the incongruence felt deeply personal. “We grew up going to D-day ceremonies, some of us had grandparents or parents whose lives were affected by this war.”

Link.

Guardian: Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown

Guardian: Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown

These record high temperatures are part of an alarming long-term trend. From the story:

Temperatures in the Antarctic climbed above 15C this month, shattering the previous winter heat record for the usually frozen region and raising concerns about the speed of climate breakdown.

The new winter peak temperature was logged by the Argentinian Esperanza base on the Trinity peninsula on 6 June amid a protracted heatwave, when the maximum daily temperature exceeded zero degrees for three consecutive weeks.

Scientists said the high of 15.4C broke the previous record set at the same station in 1998 by 2C. “This is absolutely crazy,” said Raúl Cordero, an Ecuadorian climate professor at the University of Groningen. “It is also about 20C above normal for this time of the year. That is a huge anomaly.”

Link.