How things are changing in Australia. Former Midnight Oil front man Peter Garrett has been appointed environment minister by Australian Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd.
Rudd, who has not yet taken office, has targeted the environment one of his top three priorities, along with the Australian economy and its education system. Garrett, who had an international hit [...]

The most hard hitting UN report on climate change has concluded it is a reality for many of the world’s poorest people.
A catalogue of the “climate shocks” that have already hit the world is set out in the Human Development Report 2007/08. Fewer than two per cent of these have affected rich countries.

Internet search company Google yesterday committed hundreds of millions of dollars to renewable energy projects.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google co-founders, announced its initiative to produce electricity from renewable energy sources rather than coal. Mr Page said: “Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity [enough to power San Francisco] that is [...]

Interesting article in today’s New York Times about the differing Democratic and Republican long-term approaches to energy policy.
“Over the next decade or two, the differences could have a major effect on billions of dollars in government spending, on the relative prices of gasoline versus renewable fuels and on the efficiency of American cars and trucks”, [...]

Although one dinosaur Commonwealth leader, John Howard of Australia has thankfully been confined to history, there are others out there still grazing happily.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been called “a saboteur” and “environmental criminal” for refusing to sign up to a climate deal at the Commonwealth meeting in Africa.
Harper, was also condemned as [...]