Economist: ‘More pronounced global warming is probably a net negative’

By Roger Harrabin16 November 2015 (BBC News) – Human societies will soon start to experience adverse effects from manmade climate change, a prominent economist has warned. Prof Richard Tol predicts the downsides of warming will outweigh the advantages with a global warming of 1.1C – which has nearly been reached already. Prof Tol is regarded […]

Global climate in context as the world approaches 1°C above pre-industrial for the first time

11 November 2015 (Met Office) – Global annual average surface temperature in 2015 is looking set to reach 1°C above the pre-industrial average (as represented by the 1850-1900 reference period) for the first time, according to the HadCRUT4 dataset produced by the Met Office and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia. […]

Banksy Dismaland exhibition houses migrants in Calais ‘Jungle’ – ‘Before we were on the ground. Now the floor is dry.’

By Alastair Jamieson and Richard O’Kelly 24 October 2015 CALAIS, France (NBC News) – Renowned street artist Banksy is pricking the world’s conscience by taking the remnants of a sell-out exhibition to a vast, squalid camp for refugees and migrants in northern France. His Disneyland spoof dubbed “Dismaland” — and associated merchandise — are not […]

Many fear the worst for humanity, so how do we avoid surrendering to an apocalyptic fate?

By Melanie Randle 11 October 2015 (The Conversation) – A new, four-nation study has found people rate the risks of global threats to humanity surprisingly high. These perceptions are likely to be important, socially and politically, in shaping how humanity responds to the threats. The study, of more than 2000 people in the US, UK, […]

Marine wildlife populations have declined by nearly half since 1970 – ‘If you are wondering whether it matters that life in the sea has gone down, the answer is yes. In the long term, it is a matter of life and death to all of us.’

By Callum Roberts19 September 2015 (The Observer) – Sardines were once extraordinarily abundant in the south-west of England, leading one 19th-century guidebook to say: “Pursued by predaceous hordes of dogfish, hake and cod, and greedy flocks of seabirds, they advance towards the land in such amazing numbers as actually to impede the passage of vessels […]

Video: Indonesia forest fires on track to emit more CO2 than UK

By Damian Carrington  7 October 2015 (The Guardian) – Fires raging across the forests and peatlands of Indonesia are on track to pump out more carbon emissions than the UK’s entire annual output, Greenpeace has warned. As well as fuelling global warming, the thick smoke choking cities in the region is likely to cause the […]

Cameron gives top environment policy job to oil man ahead of major climate talks – ‘Like asking Count Dracula for advice before a conference on veganism’

By Harry Davies17 September 2015 (The Guardian) – Environmentalists have criticised a decision to appoint a former consultant to major oil and gas companies as David Cameron’s key adviser on energy and environment policy. Stephen Heidari-Robinson, a little-known consultant from oilfield services company Schlumberger, arrives in Downing Street just months before the prime minister is […]

Photo gallery: Banksy’s new grotesque art theme park

By Allyssia Alleyne20 August 2015 Weston-Super-Mare, England (CNN) — The seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare in south-west England is chilled and gloomy when we arrive. Surrounding it: an upside down slide fashioned from a battered old truck, an old-school carousel, a ferris wheel. Inside, Cinderella’s coach has crashed, surrounded by clicking paparazzi. Here it is: the […]

English wine’s record year: Production soars to 6.3 million bottles as global warming allows Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes to grow

By Richard Marsden11 May 2015 (Daily Mail) – English wine production soared to a record 6.3 million bottles last year – buoyed by climate change. Vintners say similar conditions now exist in England to those in parts of France ten to 20 years ago, allowing types of grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir – […]

Graph of the Day: Change in debt-to-GDP ratio in advanced and developing nations, 2007-2014

February 2015 (McKinsey Global Institute) – A new McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report, Debt and (not much) deleveraging [pdf], examines the evolution of debt across 47 countries—22 advanced and 25 developing—and assesses the implications of higher leverage in the global economy and in specific sectors and countries. The analysis, which follows our July 2011 report […]

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