Climate change and birds revisited

Last week I was thinking a bit about climate change and birds and thought I’d had a good idea. And I had had a good idea – it’s just that others had had it too and published a paper on it two years ago! The good idea was to look at the ‘envisaged potential’ bird…

Climate and UK birds

The focus on climate change in the SUKB report published today is a very useful stock-check. It has prompted me to go back and look at one of my ‘favourite’ books, published 10 years ago, A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds by Rhys Green of the RSPB and Brian Huntley, Yvonne Collingham and Stephen…

Wind power and nuclear

I read today’s Guardian piece by Adam Vaughan about the cost of offshore wind energy dipping below that of nuclear energy.  That sounds like good news, and news that I don’t think we all expected say 10-15 years ago when these issues were very live.  Those who argued for renewable energy were right to say…

How ‘eco’ are Ecotricity’s plans for Green Gas Mills?

    Last week Ecotricity, who supply my household electricity and gas, announced ambitious plans for Green Gas Mills which would produce gas from grass. The pitch is that green gas could replace or displace fracking (the environmentalist’s bete noir) and produce virtually carbon-free gas without affecting food production and by the way, help produce…

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…