Category: Thinking green

Growth – salvation or curse?

Photo by Micheile Henderson Life was bad enough, even before the Government chose to put our economy into a tailspin. A cost of living crisis fuelled by war in Ukraine, inflation at its highest for 40 years, public debt at a level not seen since the Second World War, and warnings of recession. Their solution? … Continue reading Growth – salvation or curse? →

Is the problem overpopulation?

Over the last hundred years, as the global population has rocketed, so has the rate of environmental devastation. Growth is slowing, but it's still growth: the UN's most likely projection is that today's near 8 billion will be 9.7bn by 2050, and 10.9bn by 2100. It just seems intuitive, then - if we've caused the … Continue reading Is the problem overpopulation? →

The story of our climate crisis

Marley's Ghost Appearing to Scrooge - excerpt from an Arthur Rackham Illustration to A Christmas Carol In 1843, Charles Dickens was planning to write a political pamphlet documenting the poverty of children as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. But knowing that a well-told tale would spread his message 'with twenty thousand times the force', … Continue reading The story of our climate crisis →

It’s legal and it’s affordable – so why shouldn’t I?

Photo by Jon Tyson Morality is premised in part on an ability to recognise the impact of our actions. And where transgressors are more distanced from their victims - in large cities, for example, where anonymity is more likely - we have laws to reinforce the link between action and consequence and so steer us towards … Continue reading It’s legal and it’s affordable – so why shouldn’t I? →

Talking green energy in the home, with Times Radio

Hugo Rifkind, Times Radio, Saturdays 10am - 1pm Imagine my wife's delight when someone else actually volunteered to listen to me talking about green issues. She got half an hour off on a Saturday morning, and I got an interesting discussion with others far more qualified than me, ranging from the value of solar panels … Continue reading Talking green energy in the home, with Times Radio →

What can I do to have the greatest impact?

Photo by Markus Spiske Let's not pretend we can save the planet by rejecting plastic straws or switching our detergent, or even off-setting a 'business as usual' approach. The truth is we've left it too late for any response but the most urgent and far-reaching, involving each and every one of us. 'We are now … Continue reading What can I do to have the greatest impact? →

The greatest opportunity ever wasted

Photo by Anne Nygard Everyone agrees that the misery of COVID-19 presents an opportunity. Never has it been more necessary to reset our broken world, and never has there been more willingness amongst the public. Policies that only recently were inconceivable, from mothballing airports to shutting us in our homes, have become reality. Consumers and … Continue reading The greatest opportunity ever wasted →

Where have all the leaders gone?

Photo by Annie Spratt There are terrifying parallels between our Government’s response to the Coronavirus and their response to the climate emergency. On Monday 12th March, 2020, our Prime Minister stood before the country and acknowledged that ‘many more families would lose loved ones’. Four days later, he told us all to ‘avoid pubs, clubs, … Continue reading Where have all the leaders gone? →