Yesterday was the second hottest day ever in the UK and everything was horrendous.
Trains didn’t work, people were stranded and there’s no escaping the fact that the planet is on fire and we’re all going to die.
For every person who is really excited about the record-breaking hot weather, there are many more (well, online anyway) who are voicing concern.
Yesterday, a person running the BBC Weather Twitter account fell into the former category. The account posted a tweet that seemed to show excitement about the prospect of high temperatures being broken.
Morning, if we're going to do it TODAY'S THE DAY! We will of course keep you posted. Lou L https://t.co/cnb5vNGZxa— BBC Weather (@BBC Weather) 1564030033
People were not impressed – and that’s putting it lightly.
I find this attitude just completely insane. https://t.co/blIJ1q2MZa— Robert Webb (@Robert Webb) 1564047928
@bbcweather Breathless, even celebratory, coverage of climate crisis? This is unconscionable. For absolute shame.— Vandal & Thug 🌍🌹🌱 ClimateAction FightFascism (@Vandal & Thug 🌍🌹🌱 ClimateAction FightFascism) 1564031023
lots of news outlets taking the same excitable "ooh we're going to break the record!" tone today the planet is on… https://t.co/llwfmQxvjn— dan hett (@dan hett) 1564038469
Hey @BBC Some records we really don't want to break. 😟 #hottestdayoftheyear #ClimateEmergency https://t.co/lOqdlunWxP— The Green Party (@The Green Party) 1564053396
@bbcweather Woohoo! The planet is becoming uninhabitable! Break open the champagne!— Heather (@Heather) 1564031518
This is a #ClimateEmergency - not something that should be celebrated. #Hottestdayoftheyear https://t.co/rwXzkiklJz— WWF UK (@WWF UK) 1564045750
@bbcweather I fixed it for ya https://t.co/UFmZj7BSiO— Summer Ray (@Summer Ray) 1564048811
Yay - there's a very good chance death rates will spike, crops will die, and we can say with great scientific certa… https://t.co/ojb1zpAd34— James Murray (@James Murray) 1564045285
we’re killing the fucking planet, lou https://t.co/wvbBFghg7C— G (@G) 1564039026
So, in summary...
indy100 contacted the BBC for comment. A spokesperson responded:
The BBC acknowledges the weight of scientific consensus around climate change and this should always underpin our reporting of the subject. Meteorologists clearly have a professional interest in extreme weather patterns but we are aware of the need to strike the right tone on social media.
Coverage across the day touched on all aspects of the very hot weather, including potential dangers, health issues and transport problems, and our interviews and reports put the potentially record-breaking temperature in the context of climate change issues.