Category Archives: Uncategorized

How Much Land Does A Man Need

Photo: Sosia, Easter 2013, Joe Smith It isn’t possible to mark a birth date for the modern conservation movement and its conjoined twin environmentalism, but the hat feather boycotts of more than a century ago offer as good a date … Continue reading

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Where is the Spirit of 45 in climate politics?

  I’ve still not managed to get to see Ken Loach’s film based on documentary footage of the birth of the welfare state, but heard the producer Rebecca O’Brien talking about it at The Story 2013. Not sure where it’s … Continue reading

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Less climate change: more flag quizzes?

I’m digging around in the proposed changes to the UK curriculum, including geography, which to date has been the main home of school learning about environmental issues. Climate change and sustainability are entirely absent from a 221 page document. Drafting … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, geography, Uncategorized

More HST less speed?

  Photo: The Hovertrain track at Sutton Gault, Joe Smith, January 2013 Embarrassing really: I’m assuming that plenty of headline writers have ground out this one before me. In truth I’m not sure what to think about UK government proposals … Continue reading

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Communicating climate change: A Republican spin doctor has it right?

[Edit 18.42 13th Nov: It has been pointed out to me that I exclusively mentioned climate researchers but didn't mention climate bloggers/tweetters that I've benefited from engaging with. Apologies. I'm learning a great deal from to-and-fro on social media with … Continue reading

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For the next 50 months: climate change isn’t special

Today the Guardian publishes a joint letter I signed that states: ‘On current trends, there are around just 50 months left before we cross a critical climate threshold. After that, it will no longer be ‘likely’ that we will stay … Continue reading

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Bananas idea for Leveson: Fairtrade journalism

What is the best we can hope for from journalism? Leveson has lifted the lid on a tawdry story of decline over a decade and more. It has offered plenty of confirmation of key points in Nick Davies’ book Flat … Continue reading

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Global Sweden – no thanks

This post is the script of my contribution to a podcast album that a team of Open University academics have recorded in the run up to Rio+20. There will be contributions from across humanities, social and natural sciences and technology. … Continue reading

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Good news if you are a rock

The superstar scientist James Lovelock has given a couple of interviews recently where he suggested he may have overcooked his prose a little in sketching out the pace and impact of climate change across the coming century. The BBC’s Roger … Continue reading

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Call time on climate name-calling: start talking risk politics

My post about ‘climate dyspeptics’ has won a bit of attention here and there from the ‘sceptic’ blogosphere. That’s what I hoped for. But it seems that for some readers I may not have laid out clearly enough that my … Continue reading

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