# Half of England plunges into ‘flash drought’ after low rain and hot weather

By Robert Palmer — 2026-07-29

Robert Palmer, deputy director of Uplift, said: “For weeks we’ve watched wildfires destroy homes, crops and wildlife. Half the country is now suffering from drought. Climate breakdown is no longer a threat in the future – it’s here now.

“Yet politicians are still considering new oil and gas drilling – the very thing driving the climate crisis. Rather than listening to the fossil fuel lobby and Donald Trump, our leaders must follow the science, which shows that the world already has far more oil and gas than can ever be safely burned.

“Every new oil and gas field approved, particularly on the scale of the Rosebank oil field, will lead to more harm – more severe drought, worsening wildfires, more floods.

“Governments need to act now, not just on how we adapt to these frightening changes, but to stop them from getting worse. That means standing up to the oil and gas firms and saying no to new drilling and Rosebank.”

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