There’s no doubt about government green intentions, but what about its ability to follow through? – Green Alliance

Fifty years ago, extending the rule of law over the then wild frontier of the British environment was the main challenge facing environmental campaigners. Post-Brexit, the challenge we now face is protecting the rule of EU environmental law from populist politicians. Environmental law is the tool we use to balance […]

Speaking at the UN Economic Commission for Europe meeting on Sustainable Development Goals

. On 22 March, I spoke at the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe’s meeting on the Sustainable Development Goals in Geneva, Switzerland. ‘ Thank you for the invitation to share our experience on financing disaster risk reduction in relation to climate change. E3G is a European climate change think […]

Financing Decarbonisation of the Global Energy System

Energy and Systemic Risk There will soon be eight billion of us sharing this planet. All of us looking to live prosperous and secure lives in which to enjoy the extraordinary benefits that knowledge and technology are already making possible and could do so even more in the future. We […]

Speech to The Global Engineering Congress at the Institute of Civil Engineers – 24 October 18

REMARKS BY TOM BURKE CBE TO THE GLOBAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, LONDON WEDNESDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2018 Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today at such an important and timely event. I am particularly pleased to be asked to speak about financing decarbonisation. When I […]

Climate Change Activists Should Be Nervous About Brexit

BY EVAN POPP     With voters in the United Kingdom heading to the polls June 23 to decide whether or not to leave the European Union, polls are showing a close vote in the offing between those who want Britain to leave the EU and those who want to […]

If we’re to win the climate struggle, we must remain in Europe

                    Concerted EU diplomacy helped secure a landmark agreement at the Paris climate change summit. We should not leave the field just as the battle is turning. Our security and prosperity depend on a successful response to climate change, the most urgent […]

Can we really fix climate change? – LBC Radio – 07 Dec 15

          LBC: Let’s talk first to Tom Burke, environmentalist and former government advisor on the environment. Tom, good evening to you. Tell is about this summit. There are lots of important people there, it’s a big deal. There is also quite a lot of scepticism. Are […]

CLIMATE: National security concerns could spur Hill action — ex-DOD officials?

        This is a report by Environment & Energy Publishing of the panel I spoke on at the Atlantic Council event Climate Security: The Next ‘Battle Ground’? on June 17, 2015 in Washington DC The reporter misheard what I said about America. What I actually said was: ‘Winston Churchill, who had an American mother, once […]

If there is the will, there is a way – Sky News – 02 November 14

        Here is an interview I did for Sky News discussing the draft IPCC ‘synthesis’ report, why this report is different, and what difference it could make.   “I think there are two things that are different about this report, first of all this report is not just […]

STANDING OUR GROUND

  This piece was first published by Friends Of The Earth here       On a very cold morning forty years ago I got into a bright red Mini outside the FoE offices in Poland Street. Together with John Price, an Australian physics PhD, I was about to set […]