Best environmental blogs

Looking around for good environmental blogs I came across this article from Josh Catone with a 'top 35'. Looks really good if a little overwhelming.

Lomborg on polar bears - refocus or distraction?

So Lomborg's once again slipped his scepticism into something of a void. This time in his book 'Cool it - is global warming a myth?', reviewed here, claiming that polar bears are more at risk from hunting than climate change. Once again he focuses on flaws in supporting data regarding climate change. In some ways any time data are presented uncritically as facts I think this kind of reaction is inevitable and Lomborg's contributions should help others to sharpen the arguments he opposes. I don't think environmental values should be beyond reproach. I get the impression Lomborg's more trying to refocus the debate about carbon emissions ...than deny that our activities contribute to global warming. But I don't yet see how his refocusing will improve the challenges we're facing. As with his 2001 book 'The Sceptical Environmentalist' I think many environmental writers and presenters leave themselves open to this kind of challenge. I think questioning and checking whether we're focused on the 'right' actions regarding climate change is important so value Lomborg's contribution in that way. But I share Porritt's concern that there's already widespread scientific consensus about the effects of people's activities on climate change in spite of many people in the UK believing otherwise according to this year's Ipsos MORI opionion poll which could do a lot of harm in terms of people sitting on the fence rather than taking environmental action. There's an unhelpful element of distraction from action, in arguing about the detail in Lomborg's approach. Not perhaps denying that the iconic polar bear will die out because of people's activities but just how and when.

Gore's response to court ruling

I was interested to find on a Greenpeace blog a report of Al Gore's response to the court ruling re use of 'Inconvenient Truth' in schools (extract below). It goes some way to address my question already raised on this blog about whose purpose the court case served.

"From the start, this court case has reminded me of the "intelligent design" lawsuits in the US. The whole point of the climate change denying camp is to create a false sense of debate, when (in fact) the science on global warming is painfully clear. They've done a pretty good job of this - delaying real action for years - but we can't afford to let them keep doing it."

Porritt on capitalism as if the world matters

Jonathon Porritt's book 'Capitalism as if the world matters' launches in paperback today. Here's an extract from what he says about it on his blog. I like his directness and think he's right in the links he's making.

"2007: the atmosphere warms up; the forests crash down; the poor of the world go on getting poorer; water resources in more than 30 countries are running dry; fish stocks decline; an additional 73 million people join the human race; 800 million go hungry while a billion get fat. Just an average year in the life of planet Earth. And still we wait for today’s political “leaders” to begin to get their act together.

This is not a question of disputed science. Even on climate change, the consensus is now overwhelming. Neither it is a question of money. The rich world squanders countless billions of dollars of tax payers money on subsidising life-destroying industries year in, year out. Instead, it is a question of fear and lack of political vision.

Politicians are fearful because they don’t believe the answers can be found within a capitalist framework. And they know they won’t get elected unless they go on offering voters the same kind of “get rich quick, party on politics” that has dominated our lives for the last 50 years."

Autumn mists

Wonderful light and effects coming through Rutland this morning as the sun started to burn off the mist.

Taking responsibility - green spaces and obesity

Walking out from the house this morning I was struck by how many people were out and about across the fields and round the woods enjoying the early sunshine and a bit of exercise. If the area was housed over and it meant getting in a car to get to the start of a walk, I doubt most of us would have bothered. With concerns about rising rates of obesity and the unhealthy lifestyles of our society in the news today I think keeping local walking areas that are away from traffic is pretty important. I was interested to hear about Natural England's current focus on 'greener green belts'. I think we really need our green spaces. I'm not sure I go along entirely with these 'findings' that this obesity trend is not the fault of individuals though. Externalising responsibility seems a current trend. I think it's easy to feel disempowered in the UK with the pressures of development and local opinion appearing to count for so little - as in the case of Centre Parcs and Warren Wood mentioned previously in this blog. But as individuals we can and do make choices about what we eat and how we live so to suggest that responsibility doesn't lie with individuals at all seems odd to me.

Autumn colours

Taken at Westonbirt Arboretum yesterday. Hard to believe that these colours can be found all together! The woods were splendid.