Homelessness is already bad for health – but climate change is set to make things worse. That’s why the climate crisis is even more reason why homelessness must end
More frequent extreme weather events are likely to hit people living on the streets hard. Whether it be hypothermia in freezing temperatures or overheating, sunstroke or skin cancer in extreme heat
Homeless people are much more likely to have health conditions that make them vulnerable to the effects of heat – heatwaves are big killers in the UK, last year 2,500 excess deaths were linked to hot weather
Homeless people are less likely to have access to a GP, drinking water or shelter/air conditioning. Other countries open up public spaces or set up cooling centres. The UK has “some catching up to do” says @crisis_uk’s @matthew_downie
There are existing measures to help homeless people in the cold – such as the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol – while homeless people are included in Public Health England’s heatwave plan
It’s not just people on the street who will be affected by climate change. We’ll need to rethink housing too to avoid overheating. More than 70 per cent of housing in the UK is older than 30 years old and will need retrofitting
This means installing cooling, changing insulation and how homes are heated but could leave poorer households at risk of fuel poverty, says @TyndallCentre’s Claire Brown
Around 4.2 million people die every year due to ambient air pollution, according to World Health Organisation. Homeless people are at a higher risk of respiratory diseases. “It’s a very reasonable assumption” that more emissions could hit homeless people
With world leaders discussing climate change solutions at #COP26, a “shift in mindset” is needed to ensure homeless people are not left behind said @matthew_downie
A statement on the catering website for #COP26 says: “According to the WWF, we need to get [the carbon footprint of food] down below 0.5 kg CO2e [per meal] to reach the goals defined in the Paris Agreement."
Today, world leaders at #COP26 pledged to end deforestation by 2030, promising £14bn in funding. We asked delegates what they made of the announcement…
@HelenMagata from the @iipfcc says ending deforestation won’t be possible without strengthening the rights of indigenous people, who are still criminalised for protecting forests. @ForestPeoplesP
@kontorbjorn of @RainforestNORW said that he was “pleasantly surprised” at the announcement, adding that what really matters now is not the amount of money pledged, but how it’s spent. 🌲
Depending on the outcome of #COP26, the picture could be very different. @sarahirwilson spoke to experts across fashion, diet, transport & architecture for a snapshot of life in the best and worst-case scenarios bigissue.com/news/environme…
🏡✅ If all goes well, in 2050 you share a complex with neighbours of all ages and reap the benefits of cheap renewable energy, rainwater-powered showers and smart architecture to keep the building cool in summer and toasty in winter. bigissue.com/news/environme…
📷 Abir Abdullah
🏚️❌In the worst-case scenario, the government’s retrofitting scheme never finished, leaving millions of homes draughty, relying on dwindling gas supplies for heat. You feel lucky not to be in an area constantly hit by flooding - both at home and abroad. bigissue.com/news/environme…
Succession's Brian Cox has some strong opinions on Michael Caine, Johnny Depp, David Bowie, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Seagal in his new book bigissue.com/culture/tv/eig…
Steven Seagal?
'As ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen. He radiates a studied serenity, as though he’s on a higher plane to the rest of us, and while he’s certainly on a different plane, no doubt about that, it’s probably not a higher one' bigissue.com/culture/tv/eig…
David Bowie?
'A skinny kid, and not a particularly good actor. He made a better pop star, that much is for certain' bigissue.com/culture/tv/eig…
People are being forced to submit photos of themselves holding a local daily paper in order to claim universal credit. One organisation supporting a claimant compared the demands to “what kidnappers do” bigissue.com/news/social-ju…
The instructions are being posted in online universal credit accounts and also tell claimants to have someone else photograph them stood outside their front door – which must be open – with the whole property visible
Claimants were not told what they should do if they did not have access to a smart phone, could not get another person’s help to take the photos in the time given, could not reach their street sign, if a daily paper was not published in their area or if they could not afford one
It is now 28 years since Stephen Lawrence was killed in a racist attack in London. To mark #StephenLawrenceDay, here is a thread of his brother Stuart’s (@sal2nd) top five books about race and racism, to help you educate yourself and your family. bigissue.com/culture/books/…
#StephenLawrenceDay Book 2: This Book Is Anti-Racist by @tiffanymjewell
“This book is a great way to get young people to understand that it’s okay to talk about these issues. And if you don’t know something, it’s okay to learn about stuff as well.” bigissue.com/culture/books/…