Carbon traders do not easily secure sympathy. Yet their role is vital.
Shed a tear for the carbon traders. At a Point Carbon trading conference in Amsterdam earlier this month, the air of despondency was more than palpable, it was physical. At the session I chaired, delegates sat slumped in their seats. There were few questions. Everyone I spoke to felt the same way. Copenhagen was a disaster. No one knew where things were headed now. Some were considering new careers.
Carbon traders ... read more
There is a danger of a permanent gap opening up between climate scientists and the general public.
Those who believe in climate change are losing the battle for public opinion. According to an Ipsos poll carried out in February on behalf of the advertising agency Euro RSCG, just 31 per cent of people believe that climate change is "definitely a reality", down from 44 per cent a year ago. Corrosive cynicism is increasing: 50 per cent of adults in the UK believe that "politicians make a fuss ... read more
The scientists at the centre of "Climategate" scandal are the targets of an orchestrated smear campaign.
Who would be a climate scientist? You spend your life locked in a lab doing obscure statistical analyses of tree rings, and then suddenly a hidden curtain is raised and your ivory tower transforms into a hostile courtroom. Every private thought you have been foolish enough to commit to email over the past decade is put on display before a baying public. And intimidating tribunals are set up to pronounce ... read more
Tackling climate change is the lowest priority for Tory candidates
David Cameron may have used the slogan "Vote blue, go green" in the past but, judging by the views of his party's candidates, it's one he'd be wise not to repeat at the election.
A new survey of 141 Tory candidates in the party's most winnable seats by ConservativeHome and ConservativeIntelligence has found that reducing Britain's carbon footprint is their lowest political priority (see chart). Just eight of the party's ... read more
It does not mean giving carte blanche to developing countries
The concepts of climate justice and climate debt originated in developing countries. They are based on demanding equality and compensation for climate change, for which rich countries are historically responsible. Climate justice does not mean giving carte blanche to developing countries to increase their carbon emissions. Mark Lynas is wrong to suggest otherwise.
In Copenhagen, thousands of campaigners and activists from around the world, under the banners of read more
Here's what really happened to scupper the climate summit
The truth about what happened at Copenhagen will not be easy for many people to hear, because it challenges everything they think they know about the world.
Yes, the "deal" was atrocious -- no long-term targets, no peaking year for emissions, no legally binding framework. What no one seems to properly understand is why such high hopes were dashed with such devastating failure.
The truth is this: a better deal was blocked ... read more
Republican resentment bodes ill for yet-to-be-passed bills
So the picture on Capitol Hill may now be one of grinning Democrat faces -- but for how much longer? Early today, health-care reforms backed by President Barack Obama finally scraped past the crucial Senate hurdle, with the Democrats getting the required 60 votes to move the bill to a final vote by Christmas Eve.
Yet this Democratic victory has bred deep resentment in the Republican caucus. Reports from Washington ... read more
The early hope and empowerment in Copenhagen is dying as it transforms into a gathering of elite men
The past week in Copenhagen has seen temperatures and tensions rise, building up to the arrival of Barack Obama today. But it's the thousands of ordinary people who travelled to the city with the full intention of being a part of this agreement who are feeling the worst of the burn. Protests, clashes with police and arrests have escalated since Saturday's predominantly peaceful march. The mood among NGOs and campaigners ... read more
Whatever the outcome in Copenhagen, the battle will move to the Senate
Everything we're hearing from Copenhagen suggests that in the past 24 hours hope has begun to win out over gloom. I was never one of those who feared the summit would end in ignominious failure. No country (not least sensitive China) wants to be branded the one that sabotaged an agreement.
But there now appears every chance it will end in a profoundly inadequate deal. A leaked UN report suggesting ... read more
Hoax press release puts spotlight on Canada
This morning a group of protesters rolled out the welcome mat -- literally -- for Canada's prime minister, Stephen Harper, who arrived in Copenhagen today. They mingled with Christmas shoppers outside the Canadian embassy by the main shopping drag in Copenhagen. There was a quirky element to the protest, with a gift basket of treaties for the prime minister to sign presented at the embassy door, but the atmosphere was ... read more
Today's highs and lows at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen
Talks have stalled in Copenhagen today, after the G77 nations pulled out of the debate to "avoid a train wreck at the end of the week". Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International, who works with the G77 nations, said: "Australia and Japan are crying foul while blocking movement on legally binding emissions reductions for rich countries. This tit-for-tat approach is no way to deal with the climate crisis."
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Most of those arrested in Copenhagen were entirely innocent
Reporting on Saturday's march here in Denmark is overwhelmingly focused on police action, with 938 people arrests made. All but 13 have already been released. An eyewitness I spoke to watched the entire scene from her apartment overlooking Amagerbrogade street. Some young people who had infiltrated the crowd were throwing stones and smashing windows as they passed the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Police descended on an entire section of the crowd ... read more
For shame! Labour should be wholeheartedly and unequivocally supporting both strikes, or else removing "labour" from the party name. Or should I say "brand"?
From DK, 21 March 08:58
I'm sick and tired of the way Unite are portrayed in the media. British Airways made over 900 million pound profit in the 2 or 3 years preceding the current crisis. Yes British Airways is in need...
From Bobby_1, 21 March 00:21
@Dave123. I like how you blame Scottish people for the troubles of England. I am Scottish and for over 300 years we have patronised and treated like second class citizens in our country, largely by...
From jeremiah, 20 March 23:09
Should public spending be cut this year?
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