Latest news with #DavidCross
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘We need new numbers': Comedian David Cross cracks jokes to spread climate crisis awareness
David Cross is many things: a famed comic, an Emmy award winner, and a New York Times bestseller. But he is not a climate scientist. That fact might make him the perfect person to communicate the urgency of global heating to mass audiences. 'You've got to speak to people in a way they can understand,' he said. That's the purpose of a new video in which Cross co-stars with renowned environmental scientist Michael Oppenheimer. 'Humor, as I think has been shown over centuries, is a very effective way to get people to absorb the information,' said Cross. The new video puts that theory to the test. In it, Oppenheimer plays the straight man, issuing a dire warning: 'Heat records are being broken all over the world. In fact, last year was the hottest year since the industrial era began,' he says. Cross then interprets that message for laypeople. 'Translation: the shit is hitting the fan,' he says. 'And the fan is on maximum.' The video was released by the group Climate Science Breakthrough, which has over the past two years has made videos with leading UK comedians such as Nish Kumar and Jo Brand in an attempt to 'help climate science break through to many more people - and unlock action'. 'We're aiming to reach beyond the converted and depolarize the debate,' said Ben Carey, one of the video's producers. If the new video is well-received, they'll enlist more scientists and experts to produce more of them, he said. The video series comes as part of a wave of climate-focused comedy launched in recent years. In 2023, Oscar-winning director Adam launched the non-profit Yellow Dot Studios to make content about the dangers of fossil fuels, and the following year, climate advocacy organization Gas Leaks Project launched a mini series about the dangers of gas stoves. These projects could help reach people who experts aren't often reaching, said Oppenheimer, since 'most of the training for young scientist is aimed at being able to communicate enough so you get your next job, not necessarily aimed at communicating to the public'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion If it seems odd to use humor to build awareness about a grim subject, Cross says it's a tactic with a long history. Indeed, George Carlin railed against censorship in the 1970s, while Bill Hicks famously used his platform to speak out against George W Bush's foreign policy. 'Even before standup existed, there was Moliere and Voltaire and [Jonathan] Swift and Mark Twain – there is a huge precedent for artists using humor and satire to drive home a point,' said Cross. The use of humor may help drive the urgency of the climate crisis home for certain audiences, said Oppenheimer, particularly 'when the news is so chockablock full of news that competes for people's attention'. But comedy is not the only tool that can be used to better communicate the urgency of the climate crisis, he said. 'Some scientists are excellent at communicating with religious audiences and can frame the issues in a way that resonates with them [while] other scientists are great at connecting with parents,' he said. 'The point is, more scientists are recognizing that it's not always enough to lay out the facts or the data, that we have to find ways to encourage people to listen and take notice.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Evolving Norfolk farm weighs up its options to get cattle decisions right
A west Norfolk farmer has shared his data-driven decision-making process to weigh up all the options before starting a new beef cattle enterprise. David Cross runs Glovers Farm in Sedgeford, which is moving from mixed arable to an all-livestock operation, focusing on improving soil health and business resilience within a changing climate. As part of this evolution he has modelled three cattle enterprise scenarios to determine which approach was best suited to the farm's objectives - contract cattle, a conventional suckler herd, or organic store cattle. And he has explained the process to other farmers as part of the knowledge-sharing Monitor Farm programme run by the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board). David Cross at Glovers Farm in Sedgeford, which is part of the AHDB Monitor Farm network (Image: AHDB) Mr Cross said: 'Six years ago we realised that we needed to change what we were doing to ensure the long-term sustainability of the farm. "The decision was made to move from a mixed arable system to all livestock, primarily to improve soil health but it has multiple benefits in terms of removing input costs, balancing cashflow, risk reduction and making more use of environmental scheme options. "This shift in focus meant we needed to investigate the options available to us when considering a beef enterprise. "We originally had cattle on a liveweight gain (LWG) contract but the reliance on high-quality forage to meet the targets, with the challenge of changing weather patterns and soil quality issues, meant I wanted to review our options." The three systems were assessed for their impact on land use, feed resources, livestock productivity and financial outcomes, accounting for key factors such as seasonal pasture growth, forage availability and financial sustainability. The study showed organic store cattle offer the highest gross margin but with increased risk and reliance on stewardship income and organic market premium. Meanwhile, contract cattle provide a lower-risk, low-labour option with a balanced cost structure but requires high-quality pasture, and a conventional suckler herd offers long-term security but has higher labour and variable costs, resulting in lower financial returns. Specialist farm modelling software was used to evaluate trade-offs between financial returns, capital investments, labour and operational requirements, environmental impacts and risks from weather, animal disease and subsidy dependence. Mr Cross said his chosen option of contract-reared cattle was an expansion and restructuring of a current operation on the farm. Contract-reared cattle at Glovers Farm in Sedgeford (Image: David Cross) It means 720 calves will arrive this spring to graze on herbal leys, with some leaving in autumn, and some staying through the winter on fodder beet, giving the farm the flexibility to balance demand with optimum grass growth. Mr Cross said: "This is option is the lowest dependency on government subsidies, the least amount of equity to run, and we already have a good relationship with the guys we get the cattle from." He added: 'Modelling the three scenarios and how they would work for our situation was really useful to understand the pros and cons of different systems and how they could fit into the overall aims for the business and its future." Katie Evans, a senior AHDB knowledge exchange manager, said: 'When making decisions its important farmers choose an enterprise model that supports their overall business strategy, taking into account risk tolerance and long-term goals."
