As the worst drought in 100 years makes its effects felt in the southern hemisphere, Dan Box asks whether the Australian interior is becoming a terra nullius – a genuine no-man’s-land
You’ve heard of carbon footprints, right? You may even have calculated your own? But what about your water footprint? Have you ever considered how much ‘hidden’ water it takes to make your cup of coffee in the morning or indeed the tomato in your sandwich?
The world at last seems to be waking up to climate change. But are government initiatives being driven by an awareness of environmental priorities or by other means? Phil Moore reports
Soaring fuel prices and stratospheric carbon emissions bode ill for the aviation industry. Is flying beyond redemption? Mark Anslow tries some blue-sky thinking
Rich industrialised countries have a responsibility to help others stick to their green responsibilities, argues Helena Norberg-Hodge, not collude in helping shirk them
An iceberg sank the Titanic, now it seems international shipping is getting its own back. Jacqueline Savitz reports on an industry given the green light to carry on polluting
We all want our green wings, and the notion of purchasing them via carbon offsetting is powerfully seductive. as Jules Peck reveals, however, buying your way into eco heaven can be fraught with problems
One of the most memorable parts of Al Gore’s film 'An Inconvenient Truth' was the cartoon polar bear trying to climb on the last piece of sea-ice in the Arctic, failing, and despondently swimming off into the sunset. With scientists this week reporting that autumn Arctic sea-ice coverage reached a record low this year, Al Gore’s cartoon may not be as far-fetched as it seems.
Carbon trading, its backers claim, brings emissions reductions and supports sustainable development in the global south. But, argues Kevin Smith, it may do neither, and is harming efforts to create a low-carbon economy.
International aviation is the UK’s fastest-growing source of carbon emissions, and yet the government isn't even accounting for them. Peter Lockley explains why we urgently need to call a halt to airport expansion
Even the most conservative estimates of sea level rise caused by climate change will cause a redrawing of the physical map of the planet. Here Cleo Paskal, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, looks at the potential consequences.
With floods in the north of England and no summer in sight what has happened to the weather? Merlin Sheldrake tries to make sense of a record-breaking year for the setting of weather records
Late last week, the UK signed up to an historic contract between the EU and the US. Known as the EU Open Skies deal, it lifts restrictions on the number of airlines which can operate transatlantic flights from Europe to the US. John Stewart, the Chair of the charity AirportWatch, explains why this is a deal from a bygone age with an horrific cost for the planet...
'A common price for carbon' has become the soundbite of the forward-looking 'green' politician. It pleases everyone, not least business, which can plan ahead by looking at the carbon 'market'. But is it the best way to proceed?
Last week, Channel 4 aired a documentary by controversial film-maker Martin Durkin. Entitled 'The Great Global Warming Swindle', the film suggested that a combination of factors has led us to mistakenly believe that our emissions of carbon dioxide are causing the planet to warm, and that in fact, natural cycles, solar activity and disaffected radicals were to blame.
The publication of the government's draft Climate Change Bill this week signalled the latest round of the escalating competition between David Cameron and Tony Blair to take the title of climate change champion of the world. Following hard on the EU measures, the government's bill set out more radical targets than before and promises to deliver them – a promise that will be reinforced by a new committee of independent auditors.
Another of the reasons included in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’, to explain the current interest in climate change was that disaffected radicals and political activists had latched on to the concept of a warming climate to foreground their anti-capitalists and anti-progress views. Paul Kingsnorth dissects these claims…
In his documentary, ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’, Martin Durkin presented the argument that the troposphere – Earth’s upper atmosphere – appeared to be cooler than climate models suggest. Durkin also argued that the global temperature fell in the post-war economic boom, despite rising levels of carbon dioxide.
The key argument mounted by Martin Durkin in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’, was that the sun’s activity had more to do with global warming than levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Christian Aid this week released a report showing that, if account is taken of the UK's overseas investments, the country is responsible for as much as 15 per cent of global emissions of CO2. We asked Andrew Pendleton, the lead author of the research, where we go now.
