Are we prepared for the unprecedented extreme weather happening now? – Al Jazeera

These extreme weather events could become a lot more volatile and deadly. We are now experiencing the effects of a rise in global average temperatures of about 1.2 Degrees. If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels, then by the middle of the century, we will be living in a world […]

The Double Jeopardy of the Environment & Democracy – Byline Times

Environmentalist Tom Burke considers why undermining the democratic rule of law would be destructive for the environment and all who want to protect it. Joni Mitchell wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ in 1970, the year the first Earth Day launched the modern environment movement. The song’s refrain – Don’t it always […]

DEMOCRACY, LAW AND THE ENVIRONMENT – UKELA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2021

This is a speech I gave at the UKELA annual conference 2021. In summary, I argue that the rule of law will not long survive a failure to maintain the ecological foundations of the economy. The climate is the foundation in the most imminent danger. The ecological foundations of the […]

DUBLIN CLIMATE DIALOGUES

Session 3: The implications of an accelerated transition to #netzero: This session will explore the implications of carbon pricing, the creation of a Carbon Club of Nations to accelerate transition, and the impact on global trade and investment in a #netzero era. Is a Carbon Club of Nations – a […]

Hydrogen kaleidoscope comes into focus

It has now become commonplace for commentators to argue that climate change is an even greater threat to our future wellbeing than the pandemic. This has added to its potency as a factor shaping any forward look at the energy sector. There are now animated discussions in every major capital […]

Have BP got it right about the future of oil? – LBC

I think that BP are right about the future of oil. Amongst the international oil companies, they have put themselves out in front of realising that change is coming. Big change is coming, and they have positioned themselves very well. I noticed that, the other week, BP got praise from […]

Trump has been branded a “Climate Arsonist” – Al Jazeera

Climate change is increasingly making the fires worse. Because in a warmer atmosphere you have more water evaporating from the ocean, and that water gets cycled back, which means the velocity with which the water cycles through the earth’s system increases, and that means that exactly as we are seeing, […]

Saving Energy to Save the Economy – PRASEG (The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Renewable and Sustainable Energy)

One of the hardest truths about the pandemic which so abruptly cancelled everyone’s future plans is that, even now, we do not fully understand what this means. Despite a colossal global effort we are still some way from being confident of being able to ensure public health as we release […]

The impact of coronavirus on the environment – France 24

One of the things that has become very clear, in the last five years or so, is that we have a serious problem, not just with bees, but with insect life in general. We are seeing massive declines in insect populations, and they are extraordinarily important because they play a […]

Can we have a rapid economic recovery and green investment? – Sky News

If what you want to do is to get your economy to recover really fast, what you have got do to is restore purchasing power. That is your top priory. That means putting people back into jobs right away. The quickest and best way to do that, is to improve […]