The Day Thatcher Met Hayek – and How this Led to Privatisation
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher meets free market economist Friedrich von Hayek at IEA. She appoints Lord Lawson and they direct privatisation of British energy interests. Thatcher arrived at the humble offices of the Institute of Economic Affairs in Lord North Street, a short walk from the Houses of Parliament, flushed with victory in the Conservative party […]
David 'Go Green' Cameron's Top Donors Financing Climate Denial
David Cameron faces a major party rebellion over climate change, with Conservative funders giving money to climate denialists and calling for a party rethink on its policy of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. DeSmog UK has identified five generous Tory donors, including two members of the House of Lords, who have together provided the party with £3.6 […]
Climate? What Climate?
Chancellor George Osborne says Conservatives are a party of the future, but will rely on 19th century fuels to power the economy—and presents no plan to deal with climate change George Osborne sent a clear message to the markets and the party faithful that the environment and climate change were no longer part of the Conservative agenda. […]
Global Warming Pollution on the Rise, CO2 Set to Hit 40 Billion Tons in 2014
Atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, the main contributor to global warming, are set to rise again in 2014 – reaching a record high of 40 billion tonnes, according to a new report. The latest annual update of the Global Carbon Budget (GCB) shows that the projected rise of 2.5 per cent in burning fossil fuels and cement […]
Arctic Madness: Shell and ConocoPhillips Plead With US Govt to Avoid Standards For Arctic Spill Preparedness
Two oil companies planning to drill in remote Arctic waters, Shell and ConocoPhillips, are pleading with U.S. regulators not to make them follow new guidelines proposed by the Interior Department that would require the companies to keep emergency spill response equipment close at hand and prohibit the use of chemical dispersants. The precise details of […]
YouTube School: 13 Misconceptions About Global Warming
Sometimes YouTube is educational. Crazy, right? Below is a great video produced by Veritasium that debunks 13 common climate denial myths. It’s clear that somebody has been reading Skeptical Science. If you want to learn more about how to talk to a climate denier, there are several key resources online, including (but not limited to): Skeptical […]
Doctors Remind Politicians of Health Consequences of Failure to Address Climate Change
Vote-hungry politicians reluctant to act on climate change because they are beholden to the powerful fossil fuel sector just received a poor prognosis from the medical profession. Climate change is not only happening but it can exacerbate many environmental health risks familiar to clinicians and public health professionals, according to The Journal of the American Medical […]
How the Neoliberal Dream Became the Reality of Thatcherism
The finest triumph of the Institute of Economic Affairs was winning Thatcher to free market economics. That story is told here. Their second, decades later, was seeding climate denial. An excitable Keith Joseph met with Ralph Harris of the Institute of Economic Affairs and his deputy Arthur Seldon at one of his favourite Westminster restaurants, Lockets, […]
UN Climate Summit: Progress or a Load of Hot Air?
The world leaders pledge tougher climate commitments at UN climate summit but progress remains to be seen. The United Nations climate summit drew to a close on Tuesday with Ban Ki-Moon calling for a “meaningful universal climate agreement” for the 2015 UN Convention on Climate Change in Paris. Yet, as all 125 world leaders were concordant in […]
How Free Market Economics Was Smuggled into Britain – Alongside Factory Farming
The founder of the Institute of Economic Affairs argued free markets needed honesty. But his own financial success was based on smuggling – and the IEA was itself conceived with the help of a white lie. Antony Fisher was determined to support Friedrich von Hayek’s international campaign to transform the ideology of the age. But it […]