I was quoted by The Independent in a piece about how influential young people are in the fight against climate change. “Young girls have enormous influence on their fathers. In the work I have done I would say that the most influential group of people of all are 12-year-old […]
Q&A session on the politics of cutting carbon before Cancun
Q&A session, which appeared in The Independent, published in September 2010. Can we cut carbon in time? Yes. If we really want to. If all our current carbon intensive vehicles, power stations, factories and other sources of carbon dioxide were replaced by zero carbon technologies at the end of their […]
A climate for European action
by Tom Burke. Published in The Independent, on 3rd September 2010. The global effort to reach a legally binding agreement on tackling climate change has stalled. There is little prospect of a quick breakthrough when the negotiators reconvene at Cancun in Mexico in December. Nor is it likely that there […]
The debate must focus on the human cost
Tom Burke: War passes: the climate is for ever
We humans are better at dealing with crises than long-term problems. The future could judge us harshly by Tom Burke. Standing in for John Rentoul’s usual commentary in The Independent, published on 4th January 2009. This is arguably the first week of the most important year in human history. The grandiose invites […]
Massive surge in disappearance of Arctic sea ice sparks global warning
I’m quoted in the article Massive surge in disappearance of Arctic sea ice sparks global warning, by Michael McCarthy and David Usborne, published in The Independent on 15th September 2006. The article reflects on the recent studies observing the accelerated retreat of perennial ice in the Arctic. These findings alarm […]
With enemies like this, who needs friends?
Can the oil crisis pave the way for low-carbon alternatives?
Published in The Independent, in September 2000. The current oil crisis has caught Mr. Blair and his government embarrassingly by surprise and has already done permanent damage to his reputation as a control freak. It may also have been equally damaging to two other, but in the longer term rather […]
South-east Asia’s smog: the environmental crisis that points to political liberation
Published in The Independent, on 28th September 1997. The smog affecting south-east Asia may be the most politically significant environmental event yet. In the past few weeks confidence in the region’s economies has begun to crumble. This collapse is only related to the smog by an accident of timing, but […]