Donald Trump’s election has been viewed with horror by environmentalists. Not only does the next US President believe that climate change is a hoax (something his naval advisors will be setting him straight about in the near future) but he seems determined to expand America’s most polluting energy sources. In …
Read More »Economic woes have an environmental bright side
A faltering global economy may have been at least partially responsible for Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, but it has had environmental benefits. According to an analysis by the Global Carbon Project, world carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industry have remained flat for the third year in …
Read More »French nuclear safety issues highlight energy vulnerability
On 7 November 2015, the average price of a megawatt hour of electricity in the UK was £38.10. On 7 November 2016, that same megawatt hour of electricity rose to more than £1,000 for supply companies not tied into forward contracts and to around £150 for those who were. The …
Read More »Tories to Trump Corbyn
Back in the days when Tony Blair had relegated the Tories to an unelectable rump, the key to determining policy was to steal the opposition’s ideas. Anything sensible that the Tories might propose would be incorporated into the New Labour programme. All else would be dismissed as lunacy. On the …
Read More »The Trump policy that should terrify the left
It was Bill Clinton who observed that elections turn on the economy – “It’s the economy, stupid!” But mass media has left us largely in the dark as to what economic policy a Trump administration might pursue. Will Americans find themselves on the receiving end of round after round of …
Read More »How we pay for fracking three times over
The US fracking bubble that was going to power America for a century is fast receding into the history books. But unlike previous oil booms and busts, this one looks like being the last. And now that it is over, we can begin counting the costs to communities across the …
Read More »UK government energy greenwash
The British public is being deceived by greenwash stories designed to gloss over the government’s failure to deliver a coherent energy policy. For example, Adam Vaughan in the Guardian uncritically repeats the story that: “More power came from solar panels than from Britain’s ageing coal stations from April to September …
Read More »The squeezed middle lose out in the gig economy
People in secure full-time employment tend to be seen as the winners in any economy. However, as more firms look to freelancers to avoid the cost of directly employing people, it is this group that are most at risk. According to Diane Mulcahy at Havard Business Review: “Work is being …
Read More »UK Government climate policy based on lies and science fiction technologies
Tuesday’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow airport is just the latest in a string of decisions since the Tories were elected in May 2015 that should finally demonstrate that Britain has no intention of meeting its climate obligations. Immediately on taking office, the Tories embarked on a …
Read More »Scottish fracking argument reveals UK’s energy problem
The Institute of Directors in Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to lift its ban on fracking or face severe energy disruption in the near future. According to the Institute, which represents 1,800 businesses in Scotland: “We are severely concerned that there will be a power shortage by the …
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