A radical shake-up of Britain’s planning laws is going to be announced today which will make it easier for the government to fast-track or steam-roll large energy projects such as nuclear, gas or power stations or even wind turbines. In all the government will publish six “National Policy Statements” on energy this afternoon, including – … Read More
Coal
The $120 Billion Hidden Cost of Our Addiction
For a long time now people have argued that if you internalised the external costs of our fossil fuel addiction, we would soon realise that our habit was too expensive and we would be left with no alternative but to kick our dirty ways. So a new report from the US National Research Council has … Read More
Dying for a Drink?
In these days of climate change it is all too easy to forget about the other pollution that belches from the chimney stacks of our power stations or pours from its pipes into our rivers. So good on the New York Times for running a series called “Toxic Waters” that looks at the worsening pollution … Read More
King Coal Crumbles ..
Environmental activists across the globe are celebrating this morning after the energy giant E.On shelved its controversial plans for a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent in the UK. Blaming the recession and not the sustained three-year campaign to stop it, E.ON, said the fall for electricity had caused it to re-think.
“We are seeing fraud-mongering on clean energy”
It’s turning into Astroturf August. Hot on the heels of the revelations about the fake oil industry PR campaign, comes the fake coal PR campaign. We knew that the fossil fuel industry would not give up without a fight, but we did not realise that had turned into such fossil fools, by have all their … Read More
Coal’s Judgement Day
A jury in the north of England will decide today whether 22 climate change activists who boarded a coal train heading to the notorious Drax power station are innocent or guilty. The accused had stopped a train carrying 42,000 tonnes of coal in June last year on its way to Drax in North Yorkshire, the … Read More
New King Coal
Much to the utter dismay of climate scientists, the British Government is to announce a new generation of coal-fired power plants to stave off a potential energy crisis. The plants will also use unproven carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to try and pump CO2 emissions under the sea. Each CCS could cost more than … Read More
“We don’t want the world to boil, no coal, no oil!”
Despite the biting cold weather they came in their thousands, prepared to undertake the largest-ever act of civil disobedience on climate change in the US. They were wrapped up warm, but wore hard hats, boiler suits and face masks, they dressed as dirty chimneys, or were in their “Sunday Best”. There was a real festival … Read More
As the politicians talk, its a day of Direct Action against Coal
There is no doubt that the main focus of talks this week between UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Obama will be the economic meltdown. They will be talking about a “global new deal”. But let’s not forget climate change needs to be totally and utterly integral in any agreement or action. Brown’s visit … Read More
Its Gore Versus Obama Over Coal
This one promises to be quite a fight. In the one corner stands the former US Vice President Al Gore and his Alliance for Climate Protection. In the other is current President Obama, riding high on a wave of popularity and public expectation. In the middle stands the concept of clean coal and the future … Read More