November 2009

This article by Greenpeace climate campaigner Joss Garman (above) first appeared in yesterday's Guardian.

In his inaugural address, President Obama promised to "work tirelessly to … roll back the spectre of a warming planet", and to "restore science to its rightful place", adding: "Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed."

You wouldn't know it from reading the Guardian this morning. Instead of sensing the spirit of "yes we can", you feel the familiar muscle of America's Big Carbon special interests. For months, US officials have been dampening expectations and lowering the bar on which climate measures could be expected from the new administration. This culminated yesterday in Obama signalling that he wants to delay a formal global climate agreement until next year at the earliest, rejecting the advice of his own science adviser, John Holdren.

One of third runway architects Grimshaw's earlier works (photo by Mat Strange)

Even though it hasn't been officially announced, it's been widely reported that architectural firm Grimshaw has won the bid to design the third runway at Heathrow. How much design a strip of tarmac needs I don't know, but presumably there's more to it than my ignorant assumptions suggest.

Grimshaw are, of course, the firm behind such eco-hits as the Eden Project and the firm's chairman Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has something of a reputation for sustainable and environmentally considerate approaches to architecture.

The Rainbow Warrior anchored near Kingsnorth power station during last year's UK visit

Shiver me timbers and other nautical cliches. Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior is currently on her way to the UK. She and her crew are en route to Copenhagen for the UN climate conference next month, but she'll be harbouring in London and Edinburgh over the next couple of weeks and her gangplanks will be lowered for anyone who wants to visit.

In this third Voices for Change video, fire chief Thom Porter talks about how weather is changing in his native California, because of climate change. And how this is directly affecting him and his team, because more dry wood and more dry lightning means more fires.

"After several years in the anti-poverty movement I came to see how the struggles against poverty and climate change are two sides of the same coin. All our different struggles are linked together."
Kumi Naidoo

Today Kumi Naidoo takes over as the new executive director for Greenpeace International. Kumi is a well-known activist, involved with the anti-apartheid struggle from the age of 15. His strong involvement in South African politics led to his arrest there in 1986. He was forced into exile in the UK in 1989.

In this video he outlines why we must have the courage to push for an energy revolution and create a green economy while there is still time.