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As the eye of Storm Ciarán hovered over south-west England on Thursday, barometer gauges plummeted to their lowest level in more than 100 years. Meteorologists compare this sudden drop in atmospheric pressure to an explosion, and the resulting ‘bomb cyclone’ has caused widespread flooding and power outages across southern UK, France and the Netherlands.
Ciarán is the latest in an unusually turbulent start to the winter storm season for the North Atlantic, which doesn’t often produce storms combining high winds and heavy rain over such large areas. As the climate crisis accelerates due to record-high greenhouse gas emissions, Newcastle University meteorologists Colin Manning and Hayley Fowler say that more violent weather is in store for the region.
British voters are no longer turning to the Conservative party as they age, recent polls show. But a study of voting habits of the last 60 years reveals simply being older was never a determining factor of Tory support. And many of today’s ageing voters are far more influenced by New Labour’s dominance of their formative years.
Plus, a psychologist argues that having more self-control may not always be a good thing for your mental health.
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Jack Marley
Environment + Energy Editor
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Storm Ciarán is causing damage in southern England.
EPA-EFE/Stuart Brock
Colin Manning, Newcastle University; Hayley J. Fowler, Newcastle University
Storm Ciarán is the UK’s third named winter storm since September.
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Shutterstock/Olga_Lots
Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
Fewer people are being ‘socialised’ into Conservative voting since the dominance of New Labour in the 1990s.
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Characteristics of ‘overcontrolled’ personalities may make a person more likely to experience social isolation and loneliness.
silverkblackstock/ Shutterstock
Alex Lambert, Nottingham Trent University
‘Overcontrol’ is a personality style that can make it difficult for some people to adapt to change or enjoy social situations.
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Politics + Society
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Alexander Baratta, University of Manchester
Accents are not inherently easy or difficult to comprehend. Rather, the lack of exposure people have to a variety of accents causes communication difficulties.
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Tarek Abou Jaoude, University of Portsmouth
Lebanon has problems enough of its own without a major conflict on its border.
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Bonnie Pang, University of Bath
China’s national security law has already disrupted these co-hosted games.
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Marina Miron, King's College London
Harsh winter conditions will affect equipment and morale in Ukraine.
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Michael Vicente Perez, University of Memphis
A scholar who has studied Palestinian refugees for 20 years explains the history of their displacement and the stakes involved for those living in an indefinite exile.
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Arts + Culture
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Maxine Berg, University of Warwick
Davis practised microhistory – analysing an incident, life or location as a way into writing about wider society
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Business + Economy
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Emma Hitchings, University of Bristol; Gillian Douglas, King's College London
The Fair Shares Project reveals the financial realities of everyday divorce in England and Wales.
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Education
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Jan McArthur, Lancaster University
There is no evidence that the pandemic approach to assessment was less robust. It simply produced a different profile of results.
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Environment
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Kevin Collins, The Open University
New research finds fresh water losses are concentrated in South America, most of Africa and much of Australia.
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Science + Technology
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Joe Burton, Lancaster University
Governments have the ability to challenge misuse of the technology, but don’t have a great track record.
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Podcasts
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
A changing climate, humans and fire were a deadly combination for the big animals that used to roam southern California. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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