As a researcher did in this article, I hung bedsheets over the outside of my windows to keep the heat out and I think it made at least 5 degC difference to what it would have been without.

A lot of people in the UK probably aren't aware that external shading is much more effective than closing blinds or curtains inside.

I wonder whether we should be having public service announcement from the Government about this stuff as every heatwave gets under way.

We're just not geared up for this in our country, and we need to be shading before we resort to air con - and shading to use less air con if we use it (for example in care homes and hospitals), otherwise we're driving more climate change unnecessarily.

From the article:

'One researcher who can confirm the impact of shading is Ben Roberts at Loughborough University. “What I’ve done today is I’ve put some bed sheets outside my window,” he said. Roberts and his colleagues have found that externally shading a window, for example with fabric, can reduce internal temperatures by 6C. This is much more effective than internal shading only.

'Roberts and his colleagues’ experiments included trials funded by the BBSA, which compared temperatures inside two test houses on Loughborough’s campus. The researchers fixed various kinds of shade, including large, dark-grey fabrics, to the bay windows of one home while leaving the other exposed to the sun. For commercial products, the shades could be made much smaller, said Roberts. He pointed out that, when used externally, dark fabrics work well. They can reduce glare when the fabric is relatively loose, like a mesh.'

Anybody else tried shade?

I'm not able to install fixed AC in my flat and am looking for a small portable AC unit for a small room. I'm aware of the issue with single-hose portables but in the UK, they're all that's available.

Wondering how good the Pinguino Compacts are? Anyone got one and would like to say?

The petition begins:

Add your name to call on Andy Burnham to Secure Our Future

The UK is under extreme heat. Soon, Andy Burnham could be under even greater pressure. The question is: will he rise to the challenge? As Britain swelters through only the second red heat warning in its history, one thing is clear: the climate and nature crisis is no longer a warning about the future. It’s here now, and escalating. But is Andy prepared to meet the moment?

Add your name to the call on Andy Burnham to:

• Meet the UK's international climate and nature commitments
• Pass the Nature + National Security Bill in this Parliament
• Reject all new oil and gas licences, including Rosebank, and deliver a just transition

This website announces an invitation-only event, chaired by Lord Sales, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, which is coming up on 22 June 2026. It's fully booked, but important for UK lawyers to know about.

It's based on an event held by a civil society initiative called the National Emergency Briefing, held in London last November. Leading UK experts on food security, national security, health, extreme climate events and the economy briefed an audience of MPs on the serious, near-term risks that the UK now faces due to the climate and nature and crisis - and on the solutions that exist, if we act fast enough.

At this new event, many of the same experts are giving a version of their briefings, now tailored for lawyers. As the website says:

'The climate and nature crisis presents growing threats to society, to business and to the rule of law.

'This affects every sector, from finance and insurance, to health, employment, infrastructure and crime.

'Climate literacy is a core skill for the entire legal profession and the judiciary.

'The briefing will increase the profession’s collective understanding of the risks our clients face.'

We all need to know about this. More details about the National Emergency Briefing initiative can be found on its website at nebriefing[dot]org.

Good to see this film being screened in Reading. It's fronted by Chris Packham and spearheads a major push to tell the British public the truth about the risks to the UK from the climate and nature crisis and about the solutions that exist - if we act fast enough.

Screenings focus on local action and the local MP is always invited and asked to ask the Government to do a prime-time, televised national emergency briefing on the crisis, mount a proper emergency response, and show international leadership.

More screenings coming up locally and all over the country - map here.

Sometimes, I need Claude to write things to a certain length - say, 50 words - and it seems completely incapable of doing so, even when I point out that it's writing text that's two or three times too long.

Is there any way to get it to do this job properly? This seems such a weird thing for an AI to fail at.

I'm looking for a way to cool a small room (about 2m x 4m) that I can escape to in unsually hot weather, but I can't have standard air con because there's no currently practicable way to vent to the outside.

I see that there are 'cooling fans' on the market that blow air over water that's presumbably below room temp. That sounds as though it would be a weak effect and might also make the room humid/damp - am I wrong about that? Would anyone recommend these?

I'm wondering if there are any fans where you put gel-packs in the freezer and then place them for the fan to blow across, and whether that would be effective. (My freezer is in a different room so freezing the packs wouldn't add to the heat in the safe room.)

Or are there any other solutions? I'm even wondering if I can cool the room down just by getting loads of gel packs, freezing them, and putting them in the room.

Good to see this film being screened by local groups in Wiltshire. It's fronted by Chris Packham and spearheads a major push to tell the British public the truth about the risks to the UK from the climate and nature crisis and about the solutions that exist - if we act fast enough.

Screenings focus on local action and the local MP is always invited and asked to ask the Government to do a prime-time, televised national emergency briefing on the crisis, mount a proper emergency response, and show international leadership.