BBC Countryfile’s Adverts For National Grid

By Paul Homewood

h/t Patsy Lacey

 

 

From extreme weather to altered migration patterns for native birds, climate change is impacting nature around the UK in a myriad of ways. And with fossil fuel emissions billed as the main cause of the climate crisis, the solution for protecting the environment is clear: we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels as a primary energy source.

Until humans cut carbon emissions, the adverse effects on nature may continue and worsen.

How is climate change affecting nature across the UK?

An obvious impact of climate change is warming temperatures. On average, temperatures have increased over the last century — resulting in hotter summers and warmer winters. While most of us love a hot, sunny day, these changes in temperatures can tweak the timing of seasonal events and wreak havoc on ecosystems.

Many animals set their inner body clock according to the seasons. So, if it becomes warmer than usual earlier in the year, wildlife wrongly assumes spring has arrived and begins acting accordingly. Flowers may bloom earlier than expected and have a detrimental knock-on effect for pollinators, like insects and birds, who rely on nectar, fruit and seeds.

Increased temperatures are also leading to a change in bird migration patterns, with many birds needing to move further north to escape hot weather. There have even been a few unexpected visitors, like the colourful bee-eater from Africa, appearing on British shores — which may delight birdwatchers but signifies unprecedented changes to animal behaviour.

These effects of climate change are happening too quickly for nature to react and adapt. Humans need to do all we can to lessen the impact. One way to start is with a switch to renewable energy.

Paving the way to a greener energy future

Even when under attack, nature is waiting in the wings with a solution. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar can help us power the nation in a greener way. To harness these natural resources requires an electricity grid capable of transporting renewable energy across the nation.

“The existing electricity transmission network was established over 70 years ago, at a time when most of our electricity came from coal-power stations, built in Britain’s coalfields. Many of them were in the middle of the country,” says environmentalist Chris Baines, who is chair of National Grid’s Independent Stakeholder Advisory Group.

“As we rely increasingly on renewable energy, the pattern of the electricity grid needs to change. This means building new infrastructure to take the energy from where it’s generated — much of it offshore —and carry it to wherever it’s needed. That’s a huge challenge.”

National Grid is working to provide everyone with cleaner, more affordable power. At the heart of this plan is The Great Grid Upgrade — the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. The upgrade will involve building new electricity infrastructure (and updating old networks) to scale up the grid and make it fit for a clean energy future.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!!

https://www.countryfile.com/news/how-could-switching-to-cleaner-energy-help-environment

The whole piece is clearly no more than advertising blurb on behalf of the National Grid. Quite apart from anything else, Britain can build as many wind farms as it wants, but it will have zero effect on the climate. But what it will have is a devastating environmental impact on the countryside, something you might have thought the BBC’s Countryfile might be concerned about.

I was going complain about such outright bias by the BBC, when I noticed the headline to the article:

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE!!!

 

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Since when was the BBC allowed to carry advertising?

I’ve no doubt they will claim that the Countryfile magazine is a commercial operation, but given its links to the Countryfile programme, the whole thing stinks.