dan burgess 💙

The Extreme Weather Report, October 17, 2024: This is your weather on fossil fuels.

Why I decided to question the landowner trying to ban wild camping in England… On Tuesday I was in the Supreme Court watching the case where Alexander Darwall was seeking to ban wild camping on Dartmoor- the only place in England it’s currently legal. Whilst the legal arguments concerning the statutory interpretation of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 were interesting, I felt that the legal process was missing many of the more interesting & pertinent questions. I was keenly aware that Darwall had never given an interview (except to a ‘friendly’ publication like Country Life) or public explanation of his actions, despite the fact that he was trying to strip the public of important rights they had enjoyed for decades (& likely centuries). I therefore waited outside court to politely ask him as many questions as I could, regarding his motivations, actions & (some might say) his hypocrisies in relation to his land. I believe his responses, or lack thereof, in the video below speak for themselves. Darwall is an almost perfect pantomime villain: the smug hedgefund manager smirking at the idea of stopping ordinary people from enjoying a night under the stars. Perhaps more importantly though, I think this video highlights the absurdity of the current system. That our precious rights to spend time in nature could be so legally flimsy that they could be imperilled by a landowner with an excess of money & a yawning gap where his soul should be. This is why, whether the case is won or lost, we need to follow the example of Scotland & bring in a new Right to Roam Act to clearly state our right to access & enjoy Nature in England & put it beyond the reach of people like Darwall.

In France, the streets of Cannes turned into rivers this morning following torrential rain 🌊👀