The latest report into the impact of climate change predicts that half-a-million people a year are going to die from forced changes to diet by 2050.  This will come in the obvious form of food shortages as floods and droughts affect crops in the world’s grain regions.  Less obviously, we …

A report from the parliamentary energy and climate change committee claims that the dramatic shift in UK energy policy since the Tories were elected last year has cost UK energy consumers an additional £3.14bn in interest payments on investment. According to committee chair Angus MacNeil MP: “Billions of pounds of …

When they were elected with a small majority in May 2015, Tory ministers salivated at the prospect of generating a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) boom similar to the one in the USA.  It was meant to be a win-win.  The Bullingdon Boys and their chums in The City could get rich …

Following the National Grid announcement that Britain faces an energy deficit next winter, the government have brought forward the capacity auction scheduled for January 2017.  The capacity auction process had been under review, with a public consultation not due to end until April 2016. The announcement comes on the back …

We know that electric cars are good for the environment.  And with improvements in efficiency, the latest generation of electric cars can provide a range of 200-300 miles… more than enough for almost all of our journeys.  With battery technology improving, electric car sales are starting to take off. Since …

Beyond the obvious – that these are all proposed low carbon alternatives to fossil fuel – they are evidence of the failure of privatisation.  This is particularly obvious in the UK, where decades of over-zealous privatisation have led to a short-term focus on customer prices at the expense of future energy …

Fear about the impact of climate change may be adding to anxiety levels in the current age of uncertainties.  But that is nothing to what we are likely to experience as the consequences become ever more obvious according to Canadian experts. “Signs of mental distress related to climate change have …

With no end to the global oil glut and the consequent price slump, US fracking companies are turning to research and development to provide a way out (at least one that doesn’t include mass bankruptcies) according to Reuters. When oil prices rose above $100 a barrel following the 2008 crash, …

With the world already oversupplied, and with oil prices well below most countries’ break-even price, Iran has added to the misery by promising to add another million barrels per day to the glut. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia explained that: “We do not …

While much of the public concern about hydraulic fracturing has been with the toxic chemicals deployed and the potential for increased seismic activity, less attention has been given to the impact of increased transport. Transport problems associated with fracking are likely to be a particular problem in the UK, where …