Here's How Many Meetings George Osborne's Treasury Had with Oil and Gas vs Renewables
Chancellor George Osborne’s Treasury saw more than 10 percent of its some 640 external meetings dominated by fossil fuels in the nine months leading up to March 2015, newly released documents reveal. Renewables meanwhile got just two meetings. Treasury transparency records, published by the state, show that meetings between Treasury ministers and energy companies or energy […]
What Your New Liberal Majority Government Means for Climate, Environment, Science and Transparency
Holy smokes. Polls are in and Canadians across the country are expressing surprise at the strong win for the federal Liberal party. While there’s much ink to be spilled over former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s reign, he’s likely locked in a bathroom now, so we’ll save that for another, less change-y time. Canada, you have a new Prime […]
Climate Science Denialist Matt Ridley Criticised By Same Scientist He Sourced On Greening Planet Claims
A scientist whose research has been used by prominent climate science denialists Lord Matt Ridley and Rupert Murdoch to claim carbon dioxide is good for the planet has hit back at the “selective presentation” of his work. Professor Ranga Myneni, of Boston University, has been researching satellite data showing how the extra carbon dioxide in the […]
EPA Coal Ash Regulations Take Effect Today, But Battle Continues
By Rhiannon Fionn Until the Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal ash disaster shoved homes from their foundations in the middle of the night in Dec. 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, bending to pressure from industry, allowed coal plants to self monitor coal ash waste. But once the glare of the national spotlight called that conflict into […]
Republican Presidential Candidates Already Talking About Dismantling Environmental Protections
There are currently no candidates seeking the Republican nomination for President in the United States that hit the following three points: Climate change is real, human activity is making it worse, and we need to act. To make matters worse, these reality-denying politicians are already laying out their plans on how they will scale back […]
Investigation: What's Going on With UK Energy and Climate Policy?
After Energy and Climate Secretary Amber Rudd failed to mention the Paris climate conference in her speech at the Conservative Party Conference and more solar farms announcing closures due to government policies, the question on everyone’s mind is “what’s going on?” That is why DeSmog UK is excited to announce that it will be launching a […]
A Local Watchdog's Checklist for Tackling Environmental Issues In Your Own Backyard
This is a guest post by Aaron Viles from Care2. The environment is large, complex and cross-jurisdictional. As activists, it’s easy to jump on board with the large national and international issues—like protecting the Clean Air Act or fighting climate change—that are pursued by myriad organizations. Those causes are worthy of support, but it’s easy to […]
10 Reasons Coal Will Always Be Dirty
This is a guest post by Emily Logan from Care2. Coal produces 44 percent of our electricity, and it’s the biggest single cause of air pollution worldwide. Now that this is becoming common knowledge, the industry has tried to salvage their reputation with complex marketing tactics and the touting of new technologies. But the environmental impacts […]
Six Commitments Missing From the Oil and Gas Major’s Climate Declaration
Major fossil fuel companies have today released a Joint Collaborative Declaration under the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) recognising the need to limit global average temperature rise to 2⁰C. Launched in Paris this morning, they are calling for an “effective climate change agreement at COP21”. In the declaration, ten oil and gas giants call […]
Climate Denying GWPF Wants ‘Objective Media Reporting’, Rejects UK Journalist From Annual Conference
This is a guest post by freelance journalist Victoria Seabrook, MA City Journalism graduate with work published in the Guardian and Evening Standard. Climate change deniers assembled at a highly secretive meeting in London on Wednesday October 14 to discuss the celebration of carbon dioxide. The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), a think tank and charity set […]