climate change

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.

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.

Alison Steadman, Carol Ann Duffy and Richard Briers muck in on the Airplot

Down on the parcel of land Greenpeace has bought on the site of the proposed third Heathrow runway, a new element is being added to the Airplot. Typically for this time of year, it's a bit chilly and a bit muddy, but that makes it perfect for what we've got planned today, which is planting an apple orchard.

With the help of people like actress Alison Steadman, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and former Heathrow writer-in-residence Alain de Botton, we're planting yet more roots into the land we own on behalf of tens of thousands of people around the world, a right spanner in the works for advocates of bigger airports at Heathrow and elsewhere.