January 2008

Coal giant dictates government climate policy

Posted by bex — 31 January 2008 at 8:50pm - Comments

One email, four words and six minutes: that’s how long it took for the government to reverse its energy policy and trash our chances of meeting our climate change targets.

We’ve got our mitts on some government documents which show how a single angry email from E.on destroyed a central pillar of the government’s energy policy in just a few minutes.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, eon, kingsnorth

Heading for hell and high water in the US

Posted by jamie — 30 January 2008 at 3:21pm - Comments

A projection on the Washington Monument, Washington DC

US climate change policy will deliver hell and high water
© Greenpeace/Bill Auth

Last night, a day after George Bush's final State of the Union speech, Greenpeace volunteers in the US used one of their nation's most iconic monuments to paint a clear picture of what his climate change policies will mean for the planet.

Article tagged as: climate change, george bush, kyoto protocol, politics, USA

A life in carbon: totting up indirect emissions

Posted by jamie — 30 January 2008 at 1:34pm - Comments

A stream of car headlights

Emissions from municipal services such as road maintenance are included as part of indirect emissions © Greenpeace/Steve Morgan

In my last post about carbon calculators, the tricky question of indirect emissions came up. I'm putting my own life through various calculators and seeing how they compare, but in trying to log my daily activities that consume energy and resources there are a number of unknowables.

Article tagged as: carbon calculators, climate change, emissions, energy

Esperanza leaves Southern Ocean but whaling campaign continues

Posted by jamie — 29 January 2008 at 2:41pm - Comments

A Greenpeace inflatable prevents the Nisshin Maru refuelling from the Oriental Bluebird

A Greenpeace inflatable prevents the Nisshin Maru from being refuelled by the Oriental Bluebird © Greenpeace/Jiri Rezac

A few days ago, the Esperanza - which had been pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet for two weeks - was forced to quit the chase and head back to port as the ship is running low on fuel. But this year's Southern Ocean expedition has been a resounding success.

Article tagged as: esperanza, japan, oceans, ships, southern ocean, whales, whaling

Biofuels protests planned across the UK

Posted by jamie — 28 January 2008 at 6:56pm - Comments

The guys at Biofuelwatch have been cooking up a week of protests around (what else?) biofuels. Like us, they're concerned about the rising demand for biodiesel etc and the implications that has for the climate, as well as deforestation, food prices and a host of other related issues.

Article tagged as: activism, biofuels, climate change, deforestation, direct action, forests

Amazon gets smaller as deforestation rates rise

Posted by jamie — 25 January 2008 at 4:21pm - Comments

Last year, we heard the excellent news that the rate of deforestation in the Amazon had dropped for the third consecutive year. However, yesterday came the rather less welcome news that those rates had changed and have moved in an upward direction.

Article tagged as: amazon, brazil, climate change, deforestation, forests, south america

Airfixed: how the government's Heathrow consultation has been rigged

Posted by jamie — 25 January 2008 at 12:07pm - Comments

The government's consultation on Heathrow is fixed.

  • There is evidence of extraordinary collusion between the government and BAA working together to influence the outcome of the consultation. [1]
  • The prime minister and government ministers have made repeated comments that they want the expansion to go ahead, pre-empting the outcome of the consultation. [2]
  • The evidence put forward within the consultation is confusing and incomplete, making it impossible for people to make an informed response to the consultation. [3]
  • The consultation document is heavily biased, presenting leading commentary on the economic benefits of Heathrow expansion, and down-playing the effects of the proposed expansion on the climate and on Londoners. [4]
Article tagged as: aviation, climate change, co2 emissions, heathrow, transport

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