For a while this meeting looked like it might be that rarest of things, a UN climate conference that actually finished on time rather than running into Saturday or even Sunday. But, true to UN form, talks broke down last night.
Marrakech blog – Paris Agreement gets going but much to resolve
Ministers and heads of state came to the COP today. Finance has been a big issue with rich nations shirking responsibilities and scepticism that more money or action will emerge.
Marrakech blog – urgent action needed and still possible despite Trump
Yesterday at the UN Climate Conference in Marrakech a broad coalition of development, union, faith and environment groups laid out their analysis of where the world is heading and the urgent action that is needed to meet the targets agreed …
Fight Fracking for a Fossil Free Future
As I write this I’m about to head for the UN climate conference in Marrakech, where countries are supposed to be agreeing on the actions that will deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement, signed last December. A key …
EU departure means a tough fight to protect our environment
In 1993 the Norwegian Environment Minister called John Gummer, the UK Environment Secretary, a drittsekk – a shitbag– because of the massive impact on Scandinavian lakes and forest of acid rain caused by emissions from British power stations. In the …
Closure of Longannet signals the end of fossil fuels
When the steam turbines at Longannet power station cease to turn some time tomorrow there will be no coal being burnt for electricity production anywhere in Scotland for the first time in at least 115 years. For a country which virtually invented …
Nuclear – if only they would listen …
EDF today announced that they would extend the life of the nuclear reactors at Torness until 2030. This announcement is hardly a surprise, everyone who knows anything about energy has been expecting this announcement for a decade. The only surprise …
People Power at Paris Climate Summit
The French chair of the process at the climate conference is aiming to get a final agreement signed by 6pm tomorrow. Past experience suggests this is unlikely. I’ve already several times experienced that familiar feeling of turning up at the …
Is COP21.5 a realistic possibility?
AFTER only three days of negotiations there is already talk of whether the disagreements can be resolved, the necessary compromises made, and the political will secured to actually get a deal signed here in Paris at the end of next …
The SNP conference – what REALLY happened on fracking ?
Oh dear. When the fracking voting at the SNP conference was over I knew the media would have trouble explaining it. But their early online stories have outdone themselves this time, producing headlines which are the opposite of what actually …
The Budget and the Environment
On the face of it George Osborne’s Budget doesn’t say much about the environment. But if you dig into the details there is plenty to show that David Cameron’s claim that the last government would be the ‘greenest ever’ has …
North Sea – transition from oil jobs to clean energy jobs essential
Last week the Pope produced his much-trailed encyclical on the environment. The core of this policy pronouncement was a strong message on the moral case to act on climate change. A life-long champion of the poor, Pope Francis also criticised the …