A world united?

To get 195 nations to agree anything is pretty good. To get them to agree something pretty good is exceptionally good. Six years ago I was one of many people, was it 40,000 or so (?), who marched on The Wave through the streets of London ahead for the Copenhagen climate talks. I was lucky…

A good week

I ended the week feeling optimistic. I’m usually optimistic but I had a few down moments in the middle of the week. I’m not sure what the climate deal adds up to yet  There are some quite optimistic views about it, but these things are a bit like George Osborne speeches – it’s best to…

Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill

Ralph writes: This is the first cartoon I have submitted that I hope is not used. I sit here on Friday night depressed at what tomorrow morning will hold. I desperately want action on climate change and will be glad if any binding agreement is made. However,I have strong doubts of what will come out…

Defra drowning not waving

George Monbiot pretty much nailed it on Monday – the approach to flooding in this country is woeful and relies on treating symptoms not the underlying illness. There was a great rush of political comment about the floods in the north of England, not just in Cumbria, which seemed to focus on how much money…

Trust

My December Birdwatch column nudges the National Trust towards doing a bit more for nature – after all it is a massive land owner with a massive membership. My case is not that the National Trust does nothing, nor that it does nothing of any value, but that it could, and should , be doing…