Rich nations should be absolved from the need to cut emissions if they pay developing countries to do it on their behalf, a senior UN official has said. The controversial suggestion from Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has angered environmental groups. They say climate change will not … Read More
Climate Change
Six Hurt in Climate Protest
The British police showed their usual degree of heavy-handiness yesterday, when six people were injured and 14 arrested after clashes between police and climate change protesters near Heathrow airport. Skirmishes were still continuing last night and protests over the aviation industry’s growing carbon emissions and attempts to expand Heathrow airport are expected to continue until … Read More
Getting Close to the Climate Tipping Point
More bad news on the climate. Yesterday we blogged on how Arctic ice may be melting faster than previously thought. Now other scientists are warning that the tipping point for climate change could be closer than previously thought. They are predicting that the loss of the massive Greenland ice sheet may now be unstoppable and … Read More
Oz: Farmers and Greens Unite to Fight Climate change
It might be considered an unlikely alliance, but Australian farmers and green groups have united in the fight against global warming. They are launching a group called the Agricultural Alliance, which aims to significantly reduce emissions by up to 60 per cent by 2050.
Wolfowitz “Tried to Censor World Bank on Climate”
We know that the Bush administration has consistently tried to water down policy documents on climate change, both home and abroad. Now there is evidence that the White House’s pointman at the bank, the now disgraced Paul Wolfowitz, personally intervened to remove the words “climate change” from the title of a bank progress report and … Read More
Thousands Expected at Heathrow Climate Camp
Thousands of protesters are expected to arrive today at the “Climate Camp” near London’s busiest airport, Heathrow today, despitethe injunction taken out last week by the airport’s operator, BAA. It is also despite the predictable heavy-handiness of the police. The camp is part of a week-long protest against plans to expand the airport, which organisers … Read More
Gore Attacks Exxon
Former Vice President Al Gore has criticised some of the world’s largest oil companies, including Exxon for continuing to fund climate sceptics as part of a campaign to mislead the public. “There has been an organized campaign, financed to the tune of about $10 million a year from some of the largest carbon polluters, to … Read More
South Asia Floods Strand Millions
So far this Summer we have had floods in Northern Europe, a crippling heath wave in Southern Europe, a drought in some parts of the US and now huge floods in Asia. Almost 150 people have died and almost 20 million people have been displaced or marooned in severe flooding across India, Bangladesh and Nepal. … Read More
“Bullying” BAA Seeks “Mother of all Injunctions”
BAA, the operator of London’s largest airport, Heathrow, will return to the High Court today to seek “the mother of all injunctions” to prevent thousands of people affiliated to environmental organisations from attending the Camp for Climate Action at the airport from 14 to 21 August. The company says it wants to “protect the airport … Read More
US House “Discourages” International Oil Subsidies, But Falls Short of Ending Oil Aid
The US House of Representatives missed an important opportunity to end oil aid in a bill [Acrobat pdf] that will “re-authorize” the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) – one of two agencies in the US government that uses taxpayer dollars to provide financing, insurance and guarantees to US businesses wanting to expand their operations in … Read More