Tom Bawden

London

Science and Environment Correspondent at The i Paper

covers science & environment @theipaper and https://t.co/RPTIJXarbM (ex @independent)

Articles

The viruses the UK is now facing due to climate change

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

The UK has beenput at risk of dengue fever, chikungunya and zika virus by climate change, infectious disease experts have warned. Unpleasant viruses, that have previously been confined to much warmer countries, could be entering the country for the first time. Climate change has already fostered the conditions for a new mosquito species – the Asian tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus – to become widespread in London and the south east because they are the warmest parts of the country.
Why running just two minutes a day will help you live longer

3 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get fit and healthy without doing very much exercise at all? adults should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise such as running, swimming, skipping or walking up the stairs a week, spread over four to five days. And that would seem to be in keeping with the unofficial governing rule of life – that you don’t get anything for nothing.
Nearly 7,000 trains delayed last year by floods

4 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

Train journeys were delayed by 130 days last year as a result of flooding, as the UK’s creaking rail infrastructure struggled to cope with the effects of climate change, new figures show. The flooding was also responsible for 6,718 train cancellations in 2024, according to data from Network Rail, obtained through a Freedom of Information request and shared with The i Paper.
The unexpected additional benefit of solar farms

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

Solar farms can help boost bird numbers and bring greater diversity to the area, a new report has found. Research into 124 UK solar farms found that they were collectively home to around 7,500 birds across 94 species – a fifth of which are endangered “Red List” species such as nightingales, skylarks and yellowhammers.
Reform vow to block solar farms - here are the projects they could target

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

Reform UK has vowed to block solar and windfarm developments after winning more than 600 council seats and taking control of ten councils. Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, said the party will use “every lever” available to block renewable projects in areas where it has power – with a particular focus on Lincolnshire. This is where the biggest new solar farms are planned and where Reform gained control of the county council while Dame Andrea Jenkyns was voted mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.
Warmest start to May on record as temperatures hit 28°C after sunniest April

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

Last month was the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, while it was also the third warmest April on record, the Met Office has revealed. The UK has also seen the warmest start to May on record as temperatures continue to soar, prompting warnings of wildfires and the “hidden dangers” of open water swimming. The temperature at Kew Gardens reached 28°C in the early afternoon on Thursday.
Summer of hosepipe bans loom after dry spell and soaring temperatures

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

The UK faces the prospect of hosepipe bans within weeks if the exceptionally dry and warm conditions of the last two months continue for much longer, experts warn. The country as a whole saw only 43 per cent of its average rainfall in March – with England and Wales recording just a quarter and the Thames and Wessex regions just 13 per cent of their long-term averages. These low levels continue a period of well-below average rainfall that began in October and accelerated in February.
All the ways climate change will transform UK by 2050, from heat-deaths to floods

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

One in four homes could be at risk of flooding by 2050, as climate change pushes up sea levels and increases the intensity of storms, according to a government adviser. With temperatures poised to set new records for the time of year this week, a report by the Government’s official climate change adviser lays bare the full extent of the climate threat to the UK.
2025 could be the worst year yet for wild fires in the UK

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

The UK has had more wild fires this year than in any period since records began in 2012, according to new figures. Nearly 30,000 hectares – or 116 square miles – of the country has been burned by 83 fires so far this year. This is a larger area than has been burned in a full year since records began, according to the Global Wild Fire Information System.
The five areas that could run out of water by 2050

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Tom Bawden

The south-east of England faces a 2.5 billion litre-a-day shortfall in its water supply within 25 years as population growth pushes up demand and climate change reduces supply, Government figures show. That is the equivalent of more than 1 million wheelie bins full of water a day. According to the Environment Agency, the south-east is expected to be hit the hardest by looming water shortfalls, which are forecast to total 5 billion litres a day across England by 2050.