MP’s warning over climate change

The UK government has announced that it will be reviewing its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025 in 2014! This is not promising news, it does not mean tougher targets are going to be set.  Targets are more than likely to go down in the short to medium term. The current government is concerned that current targets could result in UK industry losing out by cutting much faster than the rest of Europe thus making our economy less competitive. This view is terribly short sighted to say the least! Tackling human induced climate change requires long-term decisions and strong leadership. Not effecting long-term change now risks further damaging the environment  and scuppering the economic advantage we will gain from a moving to a lower carbon and less greenhouse intensive economy.

If you want to know more, then read the associated BBC news article

The greatest invention of all – The washing machine!

Intrigued? Click on the picture to know more!

Fostering Green Growth

With economic turmoil all around us, how can we chart our way out of this chaos to a calmer more sustainable future? Well, the OECD’s Green Growth Strategy might just hold a few of the answers. As defined by the OECD, green growth is about trying to ‘foster economic growth and development while at the same time ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies’. If you want to know more, then why not check out the OECD work on green growth.  

Has the Green Movement Failed?

Green birthdays are upon us! Does an ageing and increasingly institutionalised movement have much to celebrate? If you want to know more then why not listen to the  ‘One Planet’ radio programme on the green movement. There is also an associated article on the BBC news website.

One can certainly argue that they have much to celebrate and be proud of.

Nothing to Fear!

The above image, taken at the British Library, says it all with regard to why we should seek to know more about the world around us.

The Dying Swan

A song that has been around for a while but one I only heard recently following a night out at this years first ever comedy proms. The song is set to the music of Saint-Saëns’s ‘The Swan’ from Carnival of the Animals and looks at how pollution caused by our consumerist lifestyles is damaging our environment. The video below is from a while back, but that doesn’t affect the meaning / power of the song. So, what is your excuse?!

‘You never know the value of water until the well is dry’

‘You never know the value of water until the well is dry’

This was the thought provoking proverb that was used as part of one of the show gardens at this years RHS Chelsea Flower show. So true and so applicable to so many of our natural resources. We won’t miss the diverse range of natural non-renewable resources upon which we are so dependent until they are gone (or what is more likely when usage is curtailed by rocketing costs as they begin to diminish). We need to start ramping up the use of alternative renewable resources pretty soon, or the transition to a greener leaner economy is going to be pretty painful. We all need to get our acts together otherwise the current economic crisis might just feel like a walk in the park in comparison to a global economy crippled by resources shortages.

Bike Lanes!

Crazy situation but handled with great humour – ouch!  If we are going to become that little bit more sustainable in our everyday lives, the bike is going to play a central role. Ridiculous management of bike lanes is not going to help the cause!

Uni bans bottled water

In a world first, the University of Canberra has banned the sale of bottled water across their entire campus. Staff and students will be able to drink free water from water bubblers installed around the campus. Should we not do the same, but accross the entire UK University sector? If the answer is ‘no’, because university retailers fear a drop income from the sale of bottle water, then think again! What singles out the response of Canberra University is that the approach it has adopted offers a commercial alternative. The university is using the ‘Street Furniture Australia’ bubblers to provide water. This technology allows consumers  to refill a reusable bottle with chilled water for $1, or $1.50 for sparkling water. Chilled flavoured water is also available! Alternatively, consumers can refill their bottle for free. It is argued that this approach will not only save consumers money but also provide an alternative revenue stream for retailers. Plus, retailers can be encouraged to sell a cheap locally made ‘BPA-free’ plastic refillable bottle, or  SIGG aluminium bottles. If you want to know more, then read the original ‘G Online’ magazine article.  For more information on the Australian going bottle free campaign, see the Go Tap! campaign.

Apocalypse Soon? Dire Messages Reduce Belief in Global Warming

Matthew Feinberg and Robb Willer of the University of California, Berkeley have recently had published an extremely interesting research paper that sought to explore why in the United States and other countries the belief in global warming has stagnated or even decreased in recent years, despite the scientific evidence for the existence of global warming continuing to mount.

The authors of the paper ‘Apocalypse Soon? Dire Messages Reduce Belief in Global Warming by Contradicting Just-World Beliefs’ suggest that one possible explanation for this pattern is that information about the potentially dire consequences of global warming threatens deeply held beliefs that the world is just, orderly, and stable. Individuals overcome this threat by denying or discounting the existence of global warming, and this process ultimately results in decreased willingness to counteract climate change. Through the discussion of two experiments, that supported this explanation of the dynamics of belief in global warming, the authors suggest that less dire messaging could be more effective for promoting public understanding of climate-change research. If you want to know more, then why not read the actual paper.