January 2014

I trembled as I walked through the grounds of Murmansk prison on the 26th September.

Inmates watched me and the arrival of the other notorious 29 new prisoners through their cell windows. It was pitch black outside, but the prison was alive. Alive with the sound of barking dogs, prison alarms and prisoners shouting through their barred windows.

If you’re concerned about the impact runaway climate change is likely to have on our planet, then you might want to keep an eye on what’s happening in Brussels today. At around midday, the European Commission will unveil a major package of measures on climate and energy. They are likely to cover a range of vital issues from cutting polluting carbon emissions to promoting clean energy, from regulating fracking to banning the most polluting transport fuels.

When I look at these shockingly colourful pictures of clothes manufacturing in China, it is a stark reminder that you don’t always know the full story behind the production of your kid's garments.

Pressure is mounting on April, the notorious forest destroyer that is determinedly trying to pulp what’s left of Indonesia's rainforests. This afternoon, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development gave April an ultimatum: put down the chainsaws or get out of the clubhouse.

Have you heard the one about Greenpeace controlling the French Navy? No, me neither. But you might be forgiven for being confused by some recent reports about the Russian trawler seized in West Africa.

Pirate fishing is a big problem. Sometimes it’s fishing over quota (catching more than you should, or species that you shouldn’t), sometimes it’s fishing in ways or places you shouldn’t. Overfishing may seem like a victimless crime – but it isn’t, and the ultimate effect is bad news for our oceans, the creatures that live in them, and the humans whose livelihoods or future food source depends on them.