solutions

One of the world's premier economic forums, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has openly identified environmental degradation as the greatest threat we face. While this is hardly news to those of us who've long been aware of the grave damage we've been inflicting on the planet in recent decades, for a mainstream economic organisation such as OECD it represents a fairly seismic change in thinking.

The key theme of its new report, 'Environmental Outlook to 2030', is that tackling climate change, pollution and other environmental hazards is urgently necessary to avoid irreversible damage.

2007 is being hailed as the year in which the environmental movement turned a corner and climate change leapt to the top of the agenda. Al Gore and the IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize; Climate Camp became a household name; and an unsuspecting humpback whale named Mister Splashy Pants became a global phenomenon.

So what were you most interested in? This list of our ten most-read blogs on our website last year (well, since we launched the blog in April) shows, unsurprisingly, that for most of our readers, it was climate change, climate change, climate change. Oh, and Mister Splashy Pants...

1. The Convenient Solution

The energy debate ruled a lot of 2007, and our film on nuclear power vs decentralised energy was far and away our most popular blog of the year, with around three times more traffic than any other story. With the government about to make its announcement on nuclear (again), the debate's as relevant now as it was then - so it's worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet.

We recently launched a new film about the real solution to climate change (clue: it's not nuclear power - and the film explains exactly why not). The film's been sent to every MP in the country and is making its way around the interweb nicely. But we think its message - that the UK needs a new, and sane, energy system now - is crucial and we want to push it out further. So we've produced this new trailer.

There are plenty of ways you can help us get the word out: write to your MP asking them to watch the film; embed the film or the trailer on your website, blog or MySpace page; send it to a friend; Hugg it, Digg it or add it to your StumbleUpon favourites.

Climate change is happening. We know exactly what needs to be done to stop it. The technologies already exist. Let's do it.

Sometimes world-changing pronouncements aren’t delivered on stone tablets accompanied by thunder bolts, but in densely written reports, packed with charts, footnotes and appendices.

Update - July 2007: We've launched a new film about why nuclear power can't stop climate change and how a combination of renewables, efficiency and combined heat and power can: watch The Convenient Solution.

Decentralised energy. It can double the efficiency of our power stations. It's helped Woking Council cut its carbon emissions by 77 per cent. It already provides over 50 per cent of Denmark's electricity supplies.

SolarChill is a new ozone friendly refrigeration technology using solar power, enabling delivery of vaccines and food to regions of the world without electricity. Developed by us along with six other organisations it has won the Environmental Pioneer in Refrigeration award in the 2006 Cooling Industry Awards.