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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment

A rhyme to recall rising temperatures

A flock of dark birds gather on dry, yellow grass on Wimbledon Common near people by a pond.
A sweltering day on a scorched Wimbledon Common, London. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock

Your article (‘Unprecedented’ changes in UK climate are normalizing extremes, report says, 15 July) reminded me of the rhyme to help people convert from fahrenheit to centigrade when I was a schoolgirl in the late 60s. This was “five, 10 and 21 – winter, spring and summer sun”, denoting the then average temperatures. Maybe this could be updated for the 2020s. I was thinking of “10, 15, 28 – reduce emissions before too late”.
Liz Haggart
Bearsted, Kent

• Of all the inequalities in education, access to tree shade would not be high on my list (Private schools offer 41% more tree shade than state schools in England, 16 July). It’s a poor metric, as if a state school is forced to sell an open playing field, the proportion of its site covered by trees could increase. I would look at the extent of air-conditioned classrooms first.
Peter West
London

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