The Belgian government have just agreed to encourage citizens’ co-operatives to have a stake in major offshore windfarm projects. In Scotland, communities are already losing out. Having lots of sea and lots of wind, Scotland has massive plans for the development of offshore …
Oily influence vs fossil-free politics
As a hundred thousand people on the streets of London for Extinction Rebellion’s Big One have been reminding us of the existential threat of climate change and 1,300 oil workers have gone on strike because oil companies aren’t sharing their record profits, …
Climate challenge for new SNP leader
The new SNP Leader will have big shoes to fill when it comes to making progress on climate change. Alex Salmond was a great promoter of renewables and made the commitment to a climate bill with a guaranteed reduction in …
Climate in court. Again
Legal action on climate change is stepping up a gear, with those in charge of oil companies now in the firing line. Three years ago, in one of my more feisty columns, I said top oil industry people should be …
Climate and collective insanity
If aliens are watching our antics on climate change from afar they can surely only conclude that our species is collectively insane… Report to the Galactic Accession Committee, from the Chief Anthropologist Background – we have been observing the planet …
Global nature protection takes a big step forward
After working through the night and dramatic last minute hitches the UN talks on biodiversity have a new deal for nature, with the aim of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Early on Monday morning the gavel came down …
Nature-based solutions not as nice as they sound
As the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh gets back to catering for tourists, it’s time to reflect that the outcomes of the UN COP27 climate talks were predictable, surprising and dangerous, all at the same time. The first success was …
Diplomacy and duplicity at the seaside
The baffling, frustrating and occasionally inspiring circus that is the UN climate talks is in full swing in the Red Sea tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Impenetrable as they are these talks are the only place countries can negotiate to act …
Too busy for climate change
We are only a few days away from the start of COP27 in Egypt – the most important high-level discussions happening on (and about) planet Earth this year. Things are going so badly that the UN says there is now no …
Funding climate action
We are facing four crisis – climate and nature emergencies, the cost of living crisis and a global poverty crisis. A new report looks at how we can raise the money and drive the behaviour change needed to reduce emissions at …
The global energy crisis and the climate
When the deadline for revised climate pledges passed last month only 23 countries out of nearly 200 had submitted something new. This deadline was agreed at the Glasgow climate talks last November and counties where supposed to propose stronger action between …
Financing climate justice
A new report I researched and wrote for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland on fiscal measure for climate action is covered in today’s Sunday Post. It looks at how we fund climate action at home and how we make our fair …