Political posts really aren’t my thing, but I feel furious about what is going on in the Conservative party

I recently read a post on Medium by Umair Haique about Climate Change. It’s extremely worrying. (I tried to post a link, but it’s a member only story and the link didn’t work.)

The gist of it is that we are rapidly coming to the point where humans cannot survive. It’s not only about the air temperature, but also what is known as ‘wet bulb temperature’ that takes humidity into account. At much lower temperatures than have previously been thought, humans can no longer cool themselves by evaporation of sweat because the air has too much water in it, so we quickly die. Temperatures below the 40+ we’ve seen in recent months.

Yes. I know you are going to say that people have survived those temperatures, but those temperatures we’ve been reading about are not wet bulb temperatures.

As we all know, Climate Change is caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels. (Can we really afford to burn these, anyway? But that’s another post in the future.) Yet the British Government is set to allow many more (hundreds, according to the Independent) licences for North Sea oil and gas. Cumbria council approved of the development of a new coalfield recently, although the government is to hold an inquiry beginning on September 7th.

Rishi Sunak has also promised to look into the Low Emission Zones put in place in many British cities. In these areas, people with high polluting vehicles have to pay to enter the zones. It’s a daily charge in London.

Sunak has said that it’s a declaration of war on the motorist. In 2013 a nine year old girl living in London had a massive asthma attack that cost her her life. The coroner declared that it was caused by pollution. She was the first person to have this on her death certificate. Does the Prime Minister want more children to die from pollution caused by cars?

There is a suggestion that a new coal field may be opened in Cumbria. The council has given the go ahead, but the government is launching an enquiry in September.

The government has also granted hundreds (according to The Independent) of licences to search for more oil under the North Sea.

Have they not considered that as the planet warms, more areas will become uninhabitable. What happens to the people there? They will move north (or south in the southern hemisphere) causing serious overcrowding, and probable wars. We all know the dangers of wars.

I don’t think that the government is taking any of this seriously. In my opinion, politicians are only interested in winning the next election, and business people in how much money they can make. Forget the fact that our survival is at stake here. And the survival of most other life forms on the planet.

Overview.

It’s good to read a book not full of errors! I enjoyed this story. It kept me reading, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it when I had to stop reading.

Blurb.

Mari and her husband opted for a simple life as farmers. It’s been decades since the world tore itself apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor and family against each other. They were happy in this re-emerging world, until disaster struck.

Mari sets out on a solo quest to avenge the deaths of her family and loss of everything she holds dear. She’s ill equipped for the task, but seems to have time on her hands. Time alone in the wilderness to deal with her personal demons along the way.

She is helped by a few sympathetic elders and a couple of animal companions with lessons Mari can use if she pays attention. Can Mari find justice for her family?

Set in a post apocalyptic, Gulf Coast world, this is a story for fans of the old Spaghetti Westerns.

Story.

Mari White comes back from hunting to find her husband and son have been murdered. The sheriff is no help and so she takes it upon herself to track down the killers and exact revenge.The world in which she lives is brutal. It is in the aftermath of a terrible war where everyone seems to have been fighting everyone else. Society has broken down.The story is a cross between a western and a post-apocalypse tale.

Characters.

The main character is Mari. She is tortured by the death of her husband and son, and consumed by her desire for vengeance. She is basically a good person, but her experiences have pushed her kindness to the back of her mind. Nevertheless, she still has enough to rescue a dog when its owner wants to kill it.At the end, Mari has come to terms with her loss and starts a new life.

One of the characters I liked was not even human, but a longhorn ox called Dirt. Dirt is awkward and can be trouble. He has a temper, and Mari has to work hard to get him to do as she wishes. Nevertheless, he proves essential on many occasions.

The pup Mari rescues is another character. Mari called her Worthless, because her original owner was going to shoot her because she was ‘worthless’. The pup is full of life and fun, and gives Mari comfort in her low moments.

Mari meets other people on her travels, most of whom help her. One interesting ‘character’ is a skeleton of a woman. Mari stays in her house and gives the skeleton a personality and talks to it.

Writing.

Mr Boyack does an excellent job of building the world in which Mari lives. He describes the surroundings so we can really get an idea of where we are. As a Brit, I don’t know this area at all, and have no experience of the swamps, but I got a good idea of the wetness and the dangers, including the animals that live there.

The story is told in the first person. Mari is relating the tale. It sounds, to my British ears, as authentic Southern USA. I can hear the drawl. I am glad that I was reading on my tablet, though, as I needed to look up a few words and the animals mentioned.

A good read. I gave it 5*.