Cllr David Pugh, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, says the innovation that localism allows is helping the Green Revolution Today, the Prime Minister will be questioned on his energy credentials and the notion of Green Government – frankly there is no better time than now. 'Going Green' is a complex challenge. We know […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. At the climate talks currently being conducted in Doha, there is a radical proposal that, it seems possible, may be accepted by many of the major developed countries in the world. The UN talks look like they will conclude with an agreement that developed countries will compensate developing countries […]
Measures to promote Britain’s embryonic shale gas industry were a big feature of this week’s Autumn Statement. Shale gas (and natural gas generally) is good news for those worried about energy costs, but is it good news for the environment? In an article for National Geographic, Marianne Lavelle explains why it could be: “Unlike coal, natural gas burns without spewing […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter Judging only from the headlines in today’s papers, you might get the impression that Nick Boles wants to pour ugly, ugly concrete over Britain’s countryside. They’re taking their cue from the minister’s claim, spoken in a Newsnight interview which airs tonight, that: “In the UK and England at the moment […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Householders and business pay £2.35 billion per year towards the costs of green power. Under the deal agreed by George Osborne and Ed Davey, this will rise to £7.6billion a year by 2020. Energy bills have more than doubled since 2004 to more than £1,300 a year per household. […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter Turns out that Chris Heaton-Harris wasn’t the only person to fall foul of Greenpeace’s camera lenses. The video above was published by the group yesterday, but has only just been reported, by the Telegraph and the Independent. It includes Peter Lilley and Lord Howell of Guildford in its cast list. […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter There’s no denying it, this morning’s Guardian story about Chris Heaton-Harris is an embarrassing one for the Conservative Party — and a troublesome one for David Cameron. Mr Heaton-Harris, who is the Tory campaign manager in Corby, was recorded suggesting that he encouraged the writer and anti-wind farm campaigner James […]
Yesterday on the Deep End, we presented a rather pessimistic view of human progress, noting that new bells and whistles in the realm of cyberspace are no substitute for advances that transform the real world. However, in a fascinating post on his Conversable Economist blog, Timothy Taylor argues that there’s just such a technological revolution […]
Haringey Council has virtually given up on park maintenance. According to a report in The Observer they now have only three gardeners for their 46 parks. A visit to Downhills Park reveals: Cardboard and polystyrene takeaway boxes are strewn around, nettles are flourishing and there is no sign of a park attendant or even someone […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter “Death knell for wind farms,” blares the front page of today’s Daily Telegraph. “Minister signals the end of the wind farm,” trumpets the Daily Mail. Both were taking their cue from John Hayes’s declaration that “enough is enough” when it comes to on-shore wind farms. It was a declaration that […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Owen Paterson, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has announced in the House of Commons his department's decision to postpone its planned badger cull until next summer. This morning, the Guardian reported that he would "return from an official trip abroad to oversee the […]
Conservative-run Richmond Council is holding a referendum on the expansion of Heathrow Airport. I am not clear whether it will be a purely postal ballot (which would be cheaper) or would also include the full network of polling stations (which would encourage a higher turnout.) However it will be held before May next year and […]
Yes, it’s true. The news that Britain is practically floating on shale gas has indeed set-off a massive eruption – of irony. The gung-ho, eco-sceptic, pro-development lobby thinks that shale gas will save us all. Perhaps not from climate change, but in a recession who cares? (Actually, they didn’t much care before the recession either, but […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. At the last reshuffle, David Cameron did something quite unusual: he didn't change the name or purpose of any of his government's departments. During the Blair and Brown years, changes like these were rather common. People may remember the poor Department for Constitutional Affairs, or the old Department of Trade and […]
Let’s not name names, but when it comes to energy policy most of what you hear from the Westminster village is load of old toot. That’s because, as a bunch of humanities graduates (for the most part), their grip on scientific matters is shaky to say the least. Elementary errors, that would be cause for […]