Climate change - do you believe it? some academicacts

According to the BBC, President Donald Trump 'does not believe' a recent major report on climate change in the USA.

the report in question is The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4), completed in November 2018, a comprehensive and authoritative report on climate change and its impacts in the United States. 
the Global Change website has a range of data and reports on global warming and climate change in the USA
For the UK

The UKClimate Projections 2018 has just reported.

the Met Office has a series of climate summaries that alow longer term comparisons

the Committee on Climate Change has reports on chnages and policy moves towards a low carbon economy in the Uk.

For wider discussion see 

UN Environment pages
Climate Change UNFCCC

Assessment reports from the IPCC

World Meterological Association statements

IIED Climate change research group considers environment and development

Knife crime what are the facts?

Recently the papers have published lots of papers on rising levels of knife crime
but what are the facts

A House of Commons Briefing from the 9th November gives recent statistics comparing with recent years and considering the methods of recording the data. It records in In 2017/18 there were 268 murders using a sharp instrument, including knives and broken bottles, accounting for 33% of all homicides – an increase from the 216 recorded in 2016/17.

The NHS records hospital admissons for particular types of causes including injuries.

Knife crime is a major concern in London the GLA Mayor website have some resources. Including a recently published knife strategy

the Centre for Crime and Justice studies has some reports on policing, crime and young people
they include reviews of policing. the latest report was published in November

Austerity has inflicted misery on UK citizens- get the facts

Last week comments from Sir Philip Alston UN Envoy on Poverty about inequality in the UK were widely reported. The Guardian summarised the main points


But what are the facts?

Read the actual press release from United Nations Office for Human Rights

Office for National Statistics reports on families below average income.

General information on personal income, debt and household finances.
Information and data on fuel poverty in the UK

In a blog posting. Dr Koldo Casla Just Fair comments on whether inequality is rising or falling.

Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK: 2018- IFS report

this considers in work poverty, pensioner incomes examining changes in the last

Child Poverty Action Group has facts on recent changes in child poverty in the UK. It also has information on the negative impact of universal credit

Shelter has information on homelessness and acces to housing

Trussell Trust has information on Food bank usage

A quarter of FTSE 350 companies have only one woman on their board

A quarter of FTSE 350 companies have only one woman on their board according to the 2018 report of the Hampton-Alexander review into increasing the number of women in senior positions in FTSE 350 companies. Progress has been made but still a lot remains to be done to achieve the target


Also released this week Inclusive Tech report

which revealed Women make up just 12.6% of board members and 16.6% of senior executives BAME individuals both men and women are significantly under represented.

View the background to this in the Davies reports on women in Boards which aimed to achieve the  25% of women on all FTSE100 board by 2015.
the  Equality and Human Rights Commission review progress on women on FTSE boards noted of these Between 2010-2015 FTSE 350 boards with women rose from 9.5 – 21.5% however men still held 78% of FTSE director roles in 2015.


Other useful sources 
Cranfield University publish Female FTSE annual reports giving data and analysis on female members of FTSE boards. All issues from 2005 onwards can be downloaded  free of charge from their website Other good sources for data on women and management include:

the 30% Club which is seeking 30% representation on boards worldwide. It has a useful colection of links to reports
The Fawcett Society has published reports on women in the workplace and regularly comments on current news stories. It has recently launched an Equal Pay advice service

 The ILO also produces regular gender audits. Look at their website for statistics and reports.