To ask if this scoffing at the concern over the heatwave have changed their minds yet?

[DeadbeatYoda]

Just that really. I've just watched the news. The houses burning, the grass fires, the rail infrastructure buckling. Record temperatures in 29 locations today. Several areas exceeding 40 degrees. Do you still think it's 'hysteria' to take it seriously?

I agree with you about the heat. However, these smug, told you so posts are irritating.

People haven’t been dropping dead in the street though as the media wanted us to believe.

This. I take climate change seriously but being told that "THOUSANDS WILL DIE" made me roll my eyes.

i remember fires most years though?

are we forgetting those?

Someone I know was posting on fa ebook yesterday how silly all this was, it's just going to be another hot day etc etc. Today he is posting worrying updates as his house and those of his friends and family are unnervingly close to some of the house fires.

Its not smug, it's Just highlighting that sometimes, for some people, things have to literally be happening to them for it to be real, or taken seriously.

next up will be heavy rain, followed by floods.

We'll have to wait for the excess death stats for that. I'd imagine there have been some accidents, some strokes, heart failures asthma attacks etc.

The numbers don't claim people will spontaneously combust in a spectacular fashion, just that more people will die.

There was still a lot of hysteria, I don’t get your point?

It's been hot and uncomfortable, but that's it. I haven't seen many people passed out with heat exhaustion as many wanted to believe.

Last couple of years days long fires have raged on the moors where i live. Just not picked up by the national media, because it isn't London.

When have we had fires spreading to urban areas before?

Yeah I think there's a balance between pretending nothing is happening and full on hysteria

Most threads have been verging on the later.

Its not really necessary and its not happening everywhere

They won't be dropping dead in the street, they'll be dying behind closed doors and in nursing homes, plus an uptick in deaths related to respiratory problems in hospitals

Surely this is new worthy because multiple people have lost their homes this time. Does that often happen in moorland fires?

Nothing smug intended, it's a genuine question.

Yes, I think over exaggerating tends to unhelpful my undermine the argument which is a really important one about the impact of humans on global warming.

The fire brigade officers I have listened to seem to think today was significantly bad.

I always thought it should have been taken seriously, but I don’t understand why anyone is shocked, it’s been apparent to me that this was obviously on the cards for many years. I think some of the media coverage has been a unique blend of patronising and hysterical, it’s a shame they couldn’t have been more hysterical when it was early enough to do something about carbon emissions.

There's a difference between concern and hysteria, though, and most of the social media posts definitely fell into the latter category.

I'm not making a point, I'm asking if people are changing their minds.

@50mg. they are spreading to buildings from scrubland and fields

i remember the moors fires few years ago...and they then spread

also, barbecues! humans are stupid

I don’t think anyone was saying ‘don’t be hysterical, it will all be fine.’ More ‘no point in hysterics, we’ll just have to deal with it.’ And for most people that’s what happened. Yes, it has been very hot. But whether you cry and panic or whether you get on with it the weather will be exactly the same.

@DeadbeatYoda they are mentioning barbecues a lot!

How do you know?

Are you in A&Es at 10pm when the rush begins after a hot day?

Yes, I know but I don't think people usually lose their home in wildfires in UK? That's why these are notable.

The current theory results Wennington is that it started in a compost heap in one of the gardens though.

Yes, this.