Solar power in crisis: 'My panels generate enough power for two loads of washing'
Endless energy from the sun looked like a long-term solution for running our homes. But now the state has pulled the plug on the subsidies that made panels affordable for many. What happens now? Sit back, relax, and read this story with an untroubled conscience: it has been created on a laptop and mobile phone […]
Coastal construction: how Britain's shoreline changed in 50 years
Built-up areas around the UK coast have increased by more than 40%, but conservationists have saved the ‘most pristine’ areas, Patrick Barkham reports Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
Here comes Elaine again – why the naming of storms is a washout | Natalie Haynes
We’ve managed perfectly well for centuries calling it ‘that bloody rain’. But now weather forecasters want to start personifying the weather The naming of storms is a difficult matter, as TS Eliot might have said, if he hadn’t been so distracted by cats. Only last year scientists discovered that Americans failed to take storms seriously […]
Energy minister 'open-minded' about UK solar subsidy cuts
Andrea Leadsom tells a committee of MPs that she remains open to the findings of a consultation into proposed cuts to renewable energy subsidies Energy minister Andrea Leadsom has told MPs she remains “open-minded” about plans to slash subsidies for solar power in order to protect consumer bills, but told MPs on Tuesday that “very […]
Fukushima nuclear disaster: first worker diagnosed with cancer linked to cleanup
Diagnosis of man who worked on reactor buildings damaged in 2011 tsunami could hamper efforts to encourage people to return to the area A 41-year old man has become the first worker at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to be diagnosed with cancer that officials recognise as being linked to his work there after […]
Europe's greenhouse gas emissions fall to record low
Member states report a 23% drop since 1990, but the pace is slowing and several countries have missed renewable and energy efficiency targets Greenhouse gas emissions in Europe have plunged to the lowest level ever recorded after the EU’s member states reported an estimated 23% drop in emissions between 1990 and 2014. The bloc has […]
Activist stunts make good headlines, but no long-term difference
If we want to avoid an endless cycle of protest and corporate resistance, then campaigners need to aim for long-term collaboration with their foes The protest movement is failing: it’s fighting the same old battles Imagine the scene: the chairman of Shell UK, Erik Bonino, sitting alongside Lee-Anne Barraclough, Shell’s VP of communications, over a […]
Two-thirds of Germans still trust Volkswagen after emissions scandal
Polls shows 65% of respondents think the scandal has been exaggerated, and 63% expect it to be forgotten in a year Two-thirds of Germans say they still trust Volkswagen despite the emissions rigging scandal that has engulfed the carmaker, according to a survey. Sixty-five percent of respondents in a poll conducted earlier this month thought […]
Walking Stories review – a treasure hunt danced through the trees
Greenwich Park, London Charlotte Spencer’s journey is more than a choreographed nature trail, as its mobile audience is gently lured into self-discovery In so far as Walking Stories features choreographed activity to music and pays attention to the language of bodies, it’s reasonable to categorise it as dance. But Charlotte Spencer’s work is equally a […]
The White House climate commitments are another set of incoherent goals
Johnson & Johnson, Intel and Hershey’s are among 81 big firms pledging to curb emissions. But are they prepared to shift the national debate on climate change? Another day, another set of climate promises from big business. At the White House on Monday, the chief executives of five companies – Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Hershey’s, […]