Vladimir Putin could attack Britain by 'blocking out the sun' as warning issued
Defence experts have stressed that Vladimir Putin could use geoengineering disrupt the UK by transforming weather systems.
A warning has been issued suggesting that Russia could launch a nightmare attack against Britain by using high-tech doomsday equipment to block the sun.
Defence experts have stressed that Vladimir Putin could use geoengineering disrupt the UK by transforming weather systems.
It has been reported that officials have been warned about the risks of strike from an 'independent or third-party actor'.
The health of humans and wildlife would be severely impacted if such an attack was to happen.
As reported by the Mirror, the economic impact to industries such as farming would be huge as crops would also die and solar power plants would be useless.
What is solar geoengineering?
Solar geoengineering is the study of how to manipulate of the amount of radiation reaching the Earth from the sun. One method of enacting a dimming of the rays coming from the sun can be to fire aerosols into the atmosphere. The aerosols would react in the atmosphere and block energy from the sun, reflecting it back into space.
The Telegraph reports that Kerry McCarthy, the climate minister, wrote in a letter: 'The UK is a longstanding leader on climate action and an active international collaborator in scientific research. The Government recognises the need to understand the risks and impacts of [solar radiation modification] approaches that could be deployed by an independent or third-party actor. Robust scientific evidence is essential for informing responsible and inclusive governance.'
Sun dimming is being studied widely across the world at present as scientists look at the idea as a way to tackle climate change, global temperature rises and diminishing ice levels in the poles. The Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA) in Britain is a government backed body with more than £60m of funding to look into the technology.
What have experts said?
Aside from the environmental study of sun dimming, or Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) as it is known, defence expert Matt Ince, from Dragonfly Intelligence, told the Telegraph hostile powers around the world may also be seeking to exploit SRM to use against the UK.
Mr Ince said: 'In a context where we've had, for example, Russia increasingly expanding its use of hybrid warfare activities, it's possible – not immediately, but down the line – that they may look to broaden and diversify the types of activities that they're conducting, to include more novel types of activity of which solar geoengineering may be one.
'Not least because of its relative affordability and the feasibility of conducting it, but also because it would allow a relative degree of plausible deniability. We've seen migration patterns being intentionally influenced by the Russian state as a way of trying to push more pressure on to European countries.'
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Mr Ince added that 'some sort of intentionally orchestrated environmental disaster' is an 'avenue that Russia may pursue'. More than 550 concerned academics recently penned an open letter to the calling for SRM use to be globally controlled. The letter added: "Without effective global and democratic controls, the geopolitics of possible unilateral deployment of solar geoengineering would be frightening and inequitable."
And Dan Marks, a research fellow in energy security at the Royal United Services Institute, told the Telegraph there were questions about what could be done if a country did deploy SRM in a hostile way. He added: "If a country decided to deploy that kind of technology, then there is a real question of how do you treat that legally? How do you treat it diplomatically?"
Lt Gen Richard Nugee, the former Ministry of Defence non-executive director for climate change and sustainability, said SRM had not been " weaponised" yet and there could be "too may variables" for it to have "guaranteed output".
An Aria spokesman said: 'In line with the Government's position on SRM deployment, Aria is not funding deployment, and does not support, the deployment of any climate cooling approaches.'
A Government spokesman said: 'The government is not in favour of using solar radiation modification, but we support cautious, controlled research aimed at improving our understanding of its risks and impacts. The Government supports Aria's mission to fund high-risk, high-reward transformational research programmes with long-term benefits.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
What is the New World screwworm? The flesh-eating fly making a comeback
A flesh-eating parasitic fly is invading North and Central America. The consequences could be severe for the cattle industry, but this parasite is not picky – it will infest a wide range of hosts, including humans and their pets. The 'New World screwworm' (Cochliomyia hominivorax) was previously eradicated from these regions. Why is it returning and what can be done about it? Flies fulfil important ecological functions, like pollination and the decomposition of non-living organic matter. Some, however, have evolved to feed on the living. The female New World screwworm fly is attracted to the odour of any wound to lay her eggs. The larvae (maggots) then feed aggressively on living tissue causing immeasurable suffering to their unlucky host, including death if left untreated. Cattle farmers in Texas estimated in the 1960s that they were treating around 1 million cases per year. Between the 1960s and 1990s, scientists and governments worked together to use the fly's biology against it, eradicating the New World screwworm from the US and Mexico using the sterile insect technique (SIT). A female screwworm mates only once before laying her eggs, whereas the males are promiscuous. During the eradication process, billions of sterile males were released from planes, preventing any female that mated with them from producing viable eggs. In combination with chemical treatment of cattle and cool weather, populations of the screwworm were extinct in the US by 1982. The eradication campaign reportedly came at cost of US$750 million (£555 million), allowing cattle production to increase significantly. For decades, a facility in Panama has regularly released millions of sterile flies to act as a barrier to the New World screwworm spreading north from further south. However, since 2022 – and after decades of eradication – the New World screwworm has once again spread northwards through several countries in Central America. Cases exploded in Panama in 2023 and the fly had reached Mexico by November 2024. Scientists have suggested several hypotheses for this spread, including flies hitchhiking with cattle movements, higher temperatures enhancing fly development and survival, and the possibility that females are adapting their sexual behaviour to avoid sterile males. Around 17 million cattle are now at risk in Central America, but worse may be to come. Mexico has twice as many cattle, and the spread towards the US continues, where around 14 million cattle would be at risk in Texas and Florida alone. Humans are not spared, with at least eight cases of the flies infesting people in Mexico since April. Live animal ban The US has responded by temporarily restricting live animal imports from Mexico. The governments of the US, Central American countries and Mexico are also working together to heighten surveillance and work towards the eradication of the New World screwworm by stepping up sterile insect releases. Sterile male screwworm pupae (juveniles) are currently produced and safely sterilised by irradiation at a rate of over 100 million per week at a facility in Panama. This is jointly funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Panama's Ministry of Agriculture Development. However, a successful eradication campaign may need several times this number of sterile flies. For example, sterile fly production for releases in Mexico in the 1980s were reportedly in excess of 500 million flies per week. To combat this shortfall, the USDA is focusing releases in critical areas of Mexico and is already investing US$21 million to equip a fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to also produce 60 million to 100 million sterile screwworm per week. Fly production, sterilisation and release is a long process, and a reduction in wild screwworm populations would not be immediate. History has shown us that integrated control with anti-parasitic veterinary medicines are essential to repel flies and treat infestations as they arise. Surveillance with trained personnel is also essential but is a great challenge due to an entire generation of veterinarians, technicians and farmers who have no living memory of screwworm infestations. Finally, climate warming means that we may not be blessed with the cool weather that facilitated previous eradication, and further work is needed to determine how this will impact current eradication plans.
Spectator
4 hours ago
- Spectator
The remarkable quest to identify Captain Cook's Endeavour
The announcement that a shipwreck in Newport Harbor, 200 miles up the coast from New York City, has been proven to be James Cook's HMS Endeavour, will not surprise those who have followed the search for years. In 1768, when Cook set out to record the transit of Venus in Tahiti, the first of his voyages of discovery, he was a mere lieutenant. The Endeavour was not the best of his ships, and the solo journey – two ships sailed on each of his second and third Pacific voyages – was not the most productive. Every detail of what has survived of the timbers of ship 'RI 2394', matches the Endeavour's. Keel lengths are identical but for 20 centimetres. Garboard strakes are exactly the same thickness Yet the Endeavour's extraordinary history, of which Cook's command was but an adventurous prelude, gives it an iconic status around the world, in different ways for different communities. The emotive power of the stories that swirl around its decaying timbers makes this a great find, and one that will further stimulate debate about the meaning and significance of its major expedition. First, the history. The Earl of Pembroke, as the ship was originally known, was not designed to leave British waters; with a large, deep hold, it was a slow and steady conveyor of coal. The Royal Navy renamed it and gave it a complete refit, including adding guns and lining the hull with layers of tar-coated rags, wooden planks and White Stuff, a mix of whale oil, turpentine and other strong-smelling liquids. It was refitted for the transit of Venus, a rare chance to make observations that would inform our understanding of the solar system. But it was also a pretext for a secret mission – Cook opened his sealed instructions in the Pacific – to go in search of a southern continent, then commonly believed to be necessary to balance out the land north of the Equator. After stopping at other Polynesian islands and finding no polar continent, the Endeavour headed west and reached Aotearoa New Zealand, over a century after the only previous European visit. Having rounded both islands and claimed bits for George III (and shot a number of Māori people), Cook and his crew became the first outsiders to see the east coast of Australia. An industry is devoted to identifying the exact point where this occurred, an event that has divided peoples of Aboriginal and European descent ever since. Cook took the ship north, until it hit the Great Barrier Reef. With a lesser commander and crew it would have been wrecked, but luck and determination – all the guns were thrown overboard in the attempt to float it – the Endeavour reached land with a chunk of coral embedded in its hull. Back in Woolwich, it was refitted for more naval service, making three voyages to the Falkland Islands before being sold. Repairs had been considered too costly, but in 1776 it was taken back by the government as the Lord Sandwich to carry soldiers to the American War of Independence. Arriving at a British garrison at Newport, it was converted into a prison. In 1778 it became one of 22 ships scuttled to create a barricade against an attacking French fleet. The following year Newport was in French hands. The long journey of the Earl of Pembroke/Endeavour/Lord Sandwich was over. The scuttled ships' private owners wanted compensation. Some hulks were refloated, some were salvaged. Many remained partly above water, damaged by French shot and storms. Archaeological study of the seabed began when the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) was launched in 1993. The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANNM), who partnered with RIMAP in 1999, had a particular interest in the Endeavour. While, as Dave Parham, Professor of Maritime Archaeology at Bournemouth University put it to me, RIMAP was more interested in looking than finding, ANNM was convinced that the Endeavour's rich contemporary records would make identification possible. When ANNM announced early success in 2022 – a 'political error', says Parham – RIMAP dismissed the claim. The confirmation that the Endeavour has been found is the result of the extremely thorough examination that followed, of eighteenth-century ships' records, and underwater remains and artefacts, from strakes and futtocks to 'a handful of undecorated buttons'. The ANNM's report is among the best of its kind I have seen. Every detail of what has survived of the timbers of ship 'RI 2394', matches the Endeavour's. Keel lengths are identical but for 20 centimetres. Garboard strakes are exactly the same thickness. The timber types are right. And so on. The Endeavour has lent its name to replica ships, Apollo 15's module, the ill-fated Space Shuttle and a SpaceX capsule. Its six cannon, long recovered from the Great Barrier Reef, now lie in museums around the world. The wreck's final discovery will resonate from Whitby, where the Earl of Pembroke was made, to the marine graveyard in Rhode Island, and all the places visited in between – Britain's ports and boatyards, Russia, the Falklands, Pacific islands, Aotearoa New Zealand, Indonesia, and especially Australia. Identifying the Endeavour was a long, cooperative project involving many people. Making sense of Cook's expedition, and reconciling its consequences, may yet prove more challenging.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
AI boom means regulator cannot predict future water shortages in England
The artificial intelligence boom means the Environment Agency has no idea how much water England will be short of in future decades, as datacentres do not have to report how much they are using to cool their servers. England's public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to future-proof resources, the government environment regulator has warned, with a shortfall of a further 1bn litres a day for farming, energy generation and powering emerging technologies. However, EA sources told the Guardian that this figure of 1bn for industry did not include the amounts of water to be used by datacentres, because that figure was unknown. This means the shortage could be much higher, as datacentres often use vast amounts of water. Every five years, the EA puts out its water deficit projections, but it was difficult to do this year, the sources said, because of the growth in AI, which is one of the most significant changes to projected usage in recent years. The regulator added that the majority of datacentres were using the public water supply rather than alternative sources and that they did not want this to stop or transparency over their figures. At the moment, the EA does not have sufficient data to be able to understand both these centres current use and their needs. Datacentres for AI are a pivotal part of the government's growth strategy, and Keir Starmer announced this year that he would hugely increase AI capacity and reduce planning restrictions on companies that wanted to build datacentres by setting up 'growth zones' with fewer constraints. AI datacentres use a large amount of water to prevent their servers overheating and shutting down. The centres have cooling towers and outside air systems, both of which need clean, fresh water. AI consumes between 1.8 and 12 litres of water for each kilowatt hour of energy usage across Microsoft's global datacentres. One study estimates that global AI could account for up to 6.6bn cubic metres of water use by 2027 – the equivalent of nearly two-thirds of England's annual consumption. The EA chair, Alan Lovell, said: 'The nation's water resources are under huge and steadily increasing pressure. This deficit threatens not only the water from your tap but also economic growth and food production. 'Taking water unsustainably from the environment will have a disastrous impact on our rivers and wildlife. We need to tackle these challenges head-on and strengthen work on coordinated action to preserve this precious resource and our current way of life.' Plans to increase supply, submitted by water companies, include nine desalination schemes, 10 reservoirs and seven water recycling schemes by 2050. Water bills for customers have risen, and will continue to rise, to pay for this infrastructure. The government also plans to monitor individual household water use by rolling out smart meters, which charge based on the amount used and allow water companies and other agencies to track usage. Climate breakdown will further squeeze water supplies, the EA said, as hotter drier summers become more probable. Areas that rely mostly on surface water will therefore be more susceptible to drought, and it may not rain consistently enough for groundwater to recharge. Thames Water on Tuesday opened a statutory public consultation on a controversial drought scheme to pump millions more litres of treated sewage into the River Thames every day. Under the £300m project, Thames would extract 75m litres of water a day from the river in south-west London during drought and replacing it with treated sewage from one of Europe's largest treatment plants at Mogden. The plan has drawn objections from thousands of people, including the Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson, over concerns about the effect on river water quality, the impact of forever chemicals, and the adverse effect on the ecology. The EA has said Thames Water has failed to show that the scheme is 'feasible or environmentally acceptable'. Thames Water loses about 570m litres a day from leaks on its network, the most of all the privatised water companies. Ofwat's chief executive, David Black, said: 'Boosting supply through building critical water infrastructure is essential to safeguard supplies of drinking water. The way is now clear for the water industry to build on the success of the recently opened £5bn Thames Tideway project by stepping forward to deliver an expanded pipeline of 30 major projects we need in England and Wales.'
