Top story: ‘Immense risks, potential loss of life’ Hello, I’m Warren Murray presenting this morning’s essential stories. Many economic assessments of the climate crisis “grossly undervalue the lives of young people and future generations”, Prof Nicholas Stern has warned ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. Research shows people born today will suffer many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents. Stern said forthcoming generations were made victims of “discrimination by date of birth” through flawed economic modelling. Economists had failed to consider the “immense risks and potential loss of life” from the climate crisis. They badly underestimated the speed at which the costs of clean technologies such as solar and wind have fallen, and that net zero can drive growth that is “more resource-efficient, more productive, and healthier, and will offer greater protection to our biodiversity”. Meanwhile the Net Zero Diaries, a project run by the consultancy Britain Thinks, has found that ministers face expectations to tackle the climate crisis with the same urgency seen at the start of the Covid pandemic. It found support for strong tactics from the government even among those who said they had low engagement with environmental issues. “When the government wanted to be proactive with getting Covid deaths down … they took a proactive and committed [approach]. Who paid for it? The government,” one participant in the research observed. * * * Pay freeze to thaw – Rishi Sunak will end the public sector pay freeze for 2.6 million teachers, police and civil servants, and increase the national minimum wage from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over from next April. The announcements expected in Wednesday’s budget mean about 7.5 million people could see their pay rise – about 5.7 million working in the public sector and 2 million on minimum wage. Treasury has said the minimum wage increase represents a hike of about £1,000 a year for a full-time worker. But calculations by Labour found that those affected by the £1,000-a-year cut in universal credit, the rise in national insurance and the freeze in the income tax personal allowance will still be £807 worse off from April. * * * ‘Widespread’ abuse in military – Women are enduring physical and mental health problems from “widespread” bullying, sexual harassment and physical assault in the UK military, research reveals. According to findings published in BMJ Military Health, of 750 female veterans surveyed, 22.5% said they had been sexually harassed, while 5.1% said they had been sexually assaulted, 22.7% emotionally bullied, and 3.3% physically assaulted. Such treatment left them at higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and other adverse effects. About 16,500 women comprise 11% of UK military personnel. The Ministry of Defence has said it is taking steps to “improve the experiences of women in our armed forces”, including a 24/7 confidential and independent whole-force bullying, harassment and discrimination helpline, with “unlawful behaviour investigated by the relevant police service as necessary”. * * * ‘Scared and intimidated’ – Headteachers have described “sinister” intimidation tactics being used against the vaccination of teenagers in schools. “It started with a few emails from a group calling itself Lawyers for Freedom,” the Guardian was told by a Liverpool headteacher. The protests escalated with “aggressive” leafleting as pupils left school. “We know there was at least one student who came back into school and was quite upset by what was going on.” A small group of protesters also got into the school and demanded to meet the head. Elsewhere, pupils at St Thomas More Catholic School in Blaydon, Gateshead, were distraught after being shown pictures by anti-vaxxers of what appeared to be dead children. Paul Whiteman from the National Association of Head Teachers said: “Whatever your views on vaccination, it is never OK to make children feel scared and intimidated as they arrive at school.” * * * Facebook revelations – Facebook’s profit topped $9bn during its most recent financial quarter, even as it faces negative publicity over a major release of whistleblower documents. Addressing British MPs, the whistleblower Frances Haugen has called for urgent external regulation to reduce the harm being done by Facebook and Instagram to society: “Until we bring in a counterweight, these things will be operated for the shareholders’ interest and not the public interest.” Dan Sabbagh explains the effects on young people’s mental health, sowing of division and detrimental impact on democracy that Haugen has described. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook have said the company is being misrepresented. * * * Double shot latte on spud – It is tipped as a challenger to big-selling alt-milks made from oats, almonds and soy, with the supermarket Waitrose predicting consumers will soon be adding potato milk to their trolleys. In recent years the buzz has been around oat milk, but in its annual food and drink report Waitrose predicts that “now it is the turn of the potato”. In February, Waitrose will start stocking the Swedish potato milk brand Dug, which claims to be the most sustainable alt-milk on the market. It says the potato milk tastes delicious and creamy, and it has also created a foaming barista version that “won’t ever separate in your coffee or tea”. The obvious question of course is who milks the potatoes and how is it done … Today in Focus podcast: Spy cops target BLM When anti-racism activist Lowri Davies got a call from a covert officer in Swansea, she played along. But she was recording the conversation – and what she learned sheds new light on how progressive movements are monitored by the state. |