Frack The Public: UK Shale Gets US Style PR Makeover
BY BRENDAN MONTAGUE AND RICHARD HEASMAN Fracking is an incendiary issue: fractious campaigners are terrified drilling for shale gas will cause earthquakes and contaminate our water supplies. But the chancellor George Osborne and the industry both tell us fracking could fuel an economic recovery and protect the environment. Lord Chris Smith (pictured) has now stepped into […]
How Ned Flanders Stoked Climate Denial
DeSmog UK will endeavour to publish profiles of the back-room influencers who have promoted climate denial in Britain and around the world each Tuesday. Today we begin with Ned Flanders. Sorry, Ross McKitrick. And his Celtic carol band. Seriously. “Dude is a shoo-in for Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.” Well, at least according to one student’s […]
Lord Ridley: Make Mine A Large One!
Lord Ridley, the landed aristocrat and prominent climate denier, will start work this year on two new profitable opencast coal mines close to his Grade I listed stately home and acres of beautiful national park that make up his 8,500-acre estate. The White-Ridley family has owned the stunning Blagdon Estate in Northumbria since 1700, where they have […]
Matt Ridley Fires Off About Coal Fortune
“I have declared my interest in the coal mining on my family’s land whenever and wherever relevant both in my writing and in Parliament. “However, I generally argue in favour of gas, which is coal’s main competitor, and do not argue directly in favour of the coal industry. There is a long and proud tradition of […]
2015 Might Be a Big Peak Year for Climate Change
While every year is crucial when it comes to reducing the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases polluting our atmosphere, 2015 is looking to be a super year and a possible turning point in which a few big decisions could make all the difference. Here are five big things to watch in 2015: 1. Paris UN Climate Conference Let’s […]
Dangerous Oil Trains To Return to Lac-Megantic While Town Still Recovers
“We’re seeing strong growth. We’re seeing some large accounts come back. The future is bright.” According to the Portland Press Herald, that was the assessment of the future by Ryan Ratledge, the current chief operating officer for Central Maine and Quebec Railway, the railroad that runs through Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Central Maine and Quebec Railway is the new […]
Fracking in the UK: What to Expect in 2015
The current UK coalition government has overseen the greatest fossil fuel boom since the discovery of North Sea oil, but the controversy that surrounds shale has made it an interesting factor in the run-up to this year’s general election. Here’s what to expect. More Fracking The government has shown absolutely no evidence that it is willing to […]