-
Climate change is causing human conflict already – the problem is now in Syria.
We rarely hear progressive opinion from the USA. That is not to say that it does not exist there. William R Polk served on the State Department’s Policy Planning staff during the Kennedy years. In a thought provoking piece about the Syrian chemical attack issue Polk explains why Syria has entered a crisis – and it is to do with water. Climate change produced drought, hunger and displacement – and civil war. “Syria has been convulsed by civil war since climate change came to Syria with a vengeance. Drought devastated the country from 2006 to 2011. Rainfall in most of the country fell below eight inches (20 cm) a year, the…
-
Emissions Trading isn’t working and may be dangerous
While we wait to hear in October whether the EU will be extending emissions trading to international aviation it is worth reflecting that the cost of carbon pollution is very low. Not much of an incentive. On the carbon offsetting website Terrapass you can buy a metric tonne for $13.12 EU Allowances (EUAs are trading at around €5.5 as I write this For the background on the EU ETS As they argue “By putting a price on carbon and thereby giving a financial value to each tonne of emissions saved, the EU ETS has placed climate change on the agenda of company boards and their financial departments across Europe. A…
-
Danger: climate change deniers at large in the House of Commons
It is interesting how politicians demand much higher standards of proof when the facts are inconvenient; more than the criminal justice system standard of beyond reasonable doubt. For the facts on how spurious their case is see George Monbiot’s piece in today’s Guardian read more They are not very numerate either …..
