Since the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009 and the ‘Climategate’ debacle of early 2010, media interest in climate science has declined, and the public become somewhat more sceptical about its veracity. Yet the evidence base itself has only become more robust in that time. Conveying the certainties and uncertainties of climate science to the public – through a media that has become much …
ScienceRichard Hawkins 10 April
Latest publication… Climate Science Factsheets0
PoliticsGuy Shrubsole 11 October
MPs pile pressure on Ministers to account for UK’s outsourced emissions0
MPs have stepped up the pressure on government Ministers to take responsibility for the UK’s outsourced carbon emissions, in a series of developments today.
This morning, the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published its report on carbon budgets, calling on government to review its current method of reporting emissions, and instead report on the total emissions resulting from our consumption. The EAC state:
“We do not share the …
GeneralGuy Shrubsole 28 July
How Defra’s new emissions stats only tell half the story1
You almost certainly won’t have spotted the publication of Defra’s new set of statistics on agriculture and climate change yesterday. But before you nod off, check out this clever piece of spin by the statisticians.
Between 1990 and 2009, total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from UK agriculture are estimated to have fallen by 21%.
So far, so good: it looks like British farmers have been doing their bit with …
SolutionsRichard Hawkins 27 July
The Common Cause Handbook0
We’ve just completed our latest piece of work, The Common Cause Handbook.
It’s a practical and accessible introduction to the importance of values and frames for organisations working towards a more sustainable and just society.
Why the doubters are wrong about green jobs in Scotland1
This is a guest post from Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Energy Campaigner, Beth Stratford.
The Scotsman printed a two page spread in the lead up to the Scottish election warning that the SNP’s target for 100% renewable electricity by 2020 would ‘wreak significant damage on the Scottish Labour market’, citing as evidence a report called ‘Worth The Candle?’ by Verso Economics, which concluded that for every job created in the renewable sector, 3.7 are destroyed elsewhere in the economy.
But this head-line grabbing statistic, which has been picked up at full tilt by nimbies and climate sceptics, deserves some closer scrutiny.
GeneralGuy Shrubsole 5 May
PIRC turns 400
This year, PIRC turns forty.
We were founded in 1971 by campaigner Charles Medawar and veteran social entrepreneur Michael Young, who also set up, amongst many other organisations, the Open University. PIRC’s creation was inspired by the work of legendary US civic activist Ralph Nader, and it was his brand of activism – using careful research and cogent advocacy to empower citizens and hold governments and companies to account – that Medawar and Young sought to bring to British shores.
PIRC in its 1970s incarnation, replete with cool hair.
Is it time to stop talking about behaviour change?7
Ro Randall is founder and director of Cambridge Carbon Footprint, a Cambridge based charity that uses approaches drawn from psychotherapy and community work to engage diverse audiences in work on climate change. She blogs at rorandall.org.
Behaviour change is the new black – although the idea has been around for a while it is increasingly the mantra of those working on climate change. Funders are interested in it. Government swears by it. Researchers puzzle over it. Voluntary organisations take it as their agenda. What’s not to like?
Lots.
Science SolutionsRichard Hawkins 27 April
Watch this: Big History2
How well do you know your BIG history?
h/t Greenfyre, we’re glad he’s back.
GeneralGuy Shrubsole 26 April
UK’s total emissions set to rise: new data obtained by PIRC7
The UK’s total emissions are set to rise, PIRC can reveal – as shown in yet-to-be-published calculations by the government’s Carbon Trust.
Whilst on paper, Britain’s carbon emissions have declined, in reality they have grown – once emissions from imported goods are factored in. From a consumption perspective, the UK’s emissions have risen by 19% since 1990. New data from the Carbon Trust shows that by 2025 the UK’s …
SolutionsAdam Corner 12 April
Life without carbon: A play with no script1
There is no shortage of authoritative documents advocating for a low carbon future. Nick Stern gave us a price tag for decarbonisation. The Sustainable Development Commission (RIP) gave us ‘scenarios’ and ‘pathways’ to a low carbon future. And dozens of engineering and policy analyst groups have put together compelling estimates of the sorts of energy technologies that might power our low carbon world.
So, we have some pathways to a low carbon future, we know …
