Coalition committee tries to balance climate science briefings by inviting denialists from thinktank
Climate scientists have been briefing Australian politicians this week. But one session did not go to plan Australian MPs and senators have been attending briefings in Canberra this week by some of our country’s world-leading climate scientists. The timing to bring our elected representatives up to speed is apt, given the UN climate change talks […]
There is no 'moral case for coal' in Australia, just an imported PR line | Jason Wilson
The new strategy to save coal is to talk about the moral qualities of the ‘little black rock’ itself. Debunking this kind of overgrown student politics is fruitless Australia’s coal industry is on borrowed time. In general, renewables are becoming more efficient and major coal projects are being cancelled and scaled back. This is perhaps […]
Women 'less likely than men to support fracking, due to instinct'
Chair of UK Onshore Oil and Gas said woman are less likely to be persuaded as they rely more on gut reaction Women are far less likely than men to support fracking because they rely more on feel and gut reaction than facts, according to the woman representing the UK shale gas industry. Averil Macdonald, […]
National Trust acquires Isle of Wight farmland that inspired Tennyson
The 165-hectare coastal area is already home to rare butterflies and the trust hopes to encourage the return of birds that were once common there A beautiful farm set in a landscape associated with rare butterflies and the poet Alfred Tennyson has become the National Trust’s largest coastal acquisition in over two decades. Continue reading… […]
Marine conservationists claim Japanese fishermen are dumping dolphin corpses at sea
Fishermen dumping small dolphins so they can fill quota with more profitable specimens as annual Taiji dolphin hunt begins, says Sea Shepherd Marine conservationists have claimed that fishermen in the Japanese town of Taiji are dumping the corpses of small dolphins out at sea so that they can fill their annual quota with larger, more […]
There’s outrage over steel, but we should be furious over solar power | Ian Birrell
Once David Cameron stood firm on environmental issues. So why is he now savaging such a booming sector? The former Tory party chairman Grant Shapps is promoting renewable energy in his new role as minister for Africa. Launching a bid to exploit British prowess in the booming solar sector and aid the poor, he insisted […]
Eaten sweet potato? Then you’ve had a GM meal | Letters
The sweet potato (commonly called a yam) is a familiar vegetable on our supermarket shelves and it is indeed an achievement to grow the sweet potato in the UK (British farmers crack the sweet potato, 18 October). The sweet potato is eaten by some billion people worldwide and is high in vitamins A and C and […]
It'll take more than a tickle to push bank customers into switching
The Competition and Markets Authority’s suggested measures for reform of the banking sector will have little effect The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had three options. The first was the radical one of breaking up the big banks on the grounds that nothing less would address the “striking” stability in market shares over time. The […]
Has corporate social responsibility become the modern gold rush?
Patagonia, Dove and Chipotle are backing social and environmental issues in a bid to get ahead of competitors, but is it working? Dove, Chipotle and Patagonia are among some of the companies trying to get out ahead of their competitors by aggressively backing social and environmental issues. Companies have traditionally competed to release the best […]
Solar power to light the way for Africa as low-carbon campaign launches
Former UN chief Kofi Annan hails Energy Africa scheme as chance for continent to steer away from carbon-intensive practices of rich countries Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof, Richard Branson and international business leaders have joined politicians from 14 African countries to launch a global campaign to bring solar power to the 620 million people on the […]