The Sustainable Futures Report: Recent Episodes
Anthony Day
This is the Sustainable Futures Report for Thursday, the 30th of November, and finally, it's time to move on. This is the 477th episode and the final episode after 15 years of publication. After careful consideration I’ve decided that the Sustainable Futures Report will not return. Before I go I’ll take the opportunity to comment on COP28, which starts this week, to suggest some books which you should put on your Christmas list and there's a couple of videos which you really must watch, one from Dave Borlace and another one from Oblivia Coalmine. Find all the details on the website.
I need to take stock and make the Sustainable Futures Report as relevant and interesting to you the listener as I can. I'm going to develop ideas for the theme and the content. To do that I'm taking a break and aiming to be back in January.
This is an unexpected bonus edition of the Sustainable Futures Report for Thursday 17th August. Last Saturday, I was asked if I would appear on TalkTV to talk about the Greenpeace action when they sat on the roof of the prime minister's country house in North Yorkshire. You can hear what I said, what the other panellist said and what the public said as well.
Sharon Lashley, managing Director of Climate Action North, explains how to make a difference. Choose things you can achieve. Attempting the impossible will only make you want to give up.
"Sunak is worse than a war criminal," says Just Stop Oil. "He knows new oil and gas will impose unimaginable suffering and destroy the lives and livelihoods of billions of people. He knows that it will push the world past irreversible tipping points, meaning that the consequences and suffering will echo for centuries. He is risking nothing less than the collapse of human civilisation."
I talk to Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of Futerra, author, sustainability expert and optimist. She explains how the professionals in PR, Marketing, Accountancy, Lobbying and the Legal profession can smooth the way for the fossil industries and major polluters, or use their power to oppose them. Some are doing both, as she explains. Other businesses have got the message and are doing all they can - but they're "green hushing". You'll find out what that is.
Thoughts on managing the message, political indifference, the UK's skills and infrastructure problems and a plea to the UN to act on inequality. Also the problems with charging your EV and startling insights from my barber.
Everyone knows about lithium, and about how it’s used in batteries for almost every electronic device, but lithium is only part of the story.
I talk to John DeMaio, CEO Graphex Technologies and President of Graphene Division of the Graphex Group Ltd.
Just Stop Oil. Are they getting it right or are they getting it wrong? I have a view from inside the oil industry. Can protest and free speech survive in the face of new laws, and legal procedures which can bankrupt protesters without even taking them to court? And a minister resigns just before the PM sacks him, but he claims it’s for a completely different reason
This week I'm talking about transitions with a webinar from Business Green and a warning from energy company, Ithaca. There's a report and a letter to the prime minister from the Climate Change Committee, and what did happen at that Paris Finance Summit? More worrying news about climate tipping points and a new film to cheer you up. Or not.
There are still many people who are determined to deny the dangers of the climate emergency with refusal to face facts or even by supporting censorship. There are lots of stories at the moment about the climate, principally about soaring sea temperatures, but also about the legacy of wildfires in Canada and the effect of temperature on solar panels. Are we counting the cost of the climate crisis correctly? A paper in Nature Sustainability suggests that we are counting the money cost and ignoring the human cost. How will we achieve a transition to net zero? Is Just Stop Oil the answer, or will it make things worse? And finally how good are you at thinking on your feet, when faced with tricky climate questions? There’s a new online club to help you with that.
First, though, we'll look at some political policy issues.
Today we have a follow-up on last week’s methane story, a reminder of World Refill Day and I reveal why we’re burning more coal this week. In other news I ask who’s in the driving seat, or is the seat driving? There's a podcast about the end of the world, but first, let's talk about the warming oceans, the biggest heat sink on the planet.
Today, I'll bring you items about electric cars, about Western Australia's personality of the year, and about the controversy over the President of COP 28. First, though, I'm going to talk about methane.
If you work hard on making your organisation sustainable, isn't it nice to be recognised? Karen Sutton founded the Global Good Awards. Here's how it happened.
A wide-ranging interview with James Murray, Editor in Chief of Business Green. Our conversation included the role of China, carbon capture and storage, the resignation of the CEO of Verra (the offset certification body) and even the sponsorship by Drax Power of the upcoming Net Zero Festival.
The WMO warns that we will hit 1.5℃ within the next two or three years. How is the legal profession approaching climate issues and climate-damaging clients, and why are cyclists bad for the economy?
Yes, the King’s coronation has taken place and we’ll hear more about that a bit later. Well, not so much about the coronation itself as about what went on on the sidelines. If you can't stand the heat take it out of the kitchen with new technology which may not be quite as new as some reporters suggest. We hear from Naomi Klein on the hallucinations of artificial intelligence, and from Zoe Cohen, friend of the Sustainable Futures Report, addressing the annual general meeting of Barclays Bank. Nuclear fusion is the immense reaction which powers the sun. Now some Israeli scientists want to replicate it in a shipping container. And there’s advance notice of the Net Zero Festival which takes place in London next October.
This week I talk to Tim Clover, CEO and founder of Glow, a consumer research technology company, about how ESG influences consumer choices.
Comments also on that book - How to Blow Up a Pipeline - and a warning about the potential dangers of AI.
Extinction Rebellion held a four-day demonstration in Whitehall last weekend. Will it make any difference? Or should we blow up a pipeline?
An interview with Leo Taylor, CEO of YumBug. A man who is bringing insect-based cuisine to a pub or restaurant near you.
The Threat from Artificial Intelligence
... and a long promised review of micro-mobility
Much of our environment is at risk from more than Climate Change. It is at risk from human activity damaging biodiversity, and in some cases driving parts of it to extinction. Who cares and who is responsible? Well increasingly governments care and shareholders care and those who lead major corporations may be at risk if they don't recognise their actions or the actions of their organisations are damaging biodiversity. That brings us to this week’s interview.
The AR6 report from the IPCCwill be the main story today so I'm going to hold over micro mobility and 15 minute communities until I can spend enough time on them to do them justice. But we’ll also have time to take a trip to a swimming pool, a cathedral and a secret vault in the Arctic.
I recently had the opportunity to talk to Christophe Bourguignat about insurance in the context of natural disasters and the climate crisis.
This week I'm talking about the power of the press, about how the rich view the climate crisis and what are they doing about it, how NASA is saving the world and a different perspective on one of the oil majors. First, we are back to carbon offsets and Verra's U-turn.
I promised you more detail on the carbon offset controversy which was started by a report in the press last month. Here's an interview with someone with firsthand knowledge of the market, Chief Impact Officer and co-founder of Compensate, Niklas Kaskeala.
This week’s headline is Regenesis, the title of a book by George Monbiot. I'll tell you what I think and indeed what others think about his latest ideas.
I'm also bringing you a few stories that you might have missed; some about food, some about geo-engineering, the threat of a new pandemic and another book I’m just reading.
Each week I write between 2,000 and 4,000 words to bring you an episode of the Sustainable Futures Report. I also write to the paper from time time and sometimes I get published...
Sustainability news doesn’t stop, nor does the weather, nor do GHG emissions. I’ve a bit of catching up to do, including XR, more extreme weather, wood burning stoves, the government’s environmental plan, FOMO and FOFO, the controversy over Verra and carbon offsets, the future for podcasts, the financial climate, the unlawful arrest of journalists, biodiversity and the cost of Twitter, a comment from Greta and a whole lot more that I’m going to have to hold over until next week.
If we are to preserve a habitable environment and successfully meet the challenge of the climate crisis our organisations need competent, sustainable leadership. I spoke to Clarke Murphy, who knows about these things.
My guest this week, Leonardo Zangrando, wants to save the oceans and wants to inspire 100 million people to help him do that. Sounds a lot, although given that world population passed 8 billion last year is it really a lot?
The oceans, he tells us, are the lungs of the planet. Forget the tropical rainforests - the oceans are far more significant. Everything, everything we do, affects the oceans. And the oceans affect us.
Trees are good for the planet. Hank Dearden explains how trees do so much more for us than just sequester carbon. We can all help too!
Today I'm talking to Paul Hughes about new applications for batteries. How they can store energy, save energy, save money and cut carbon emissions.
There are now 8,000 million people (8 billion) across the world. Every one of those has to be fed. The RIPE project has been ongoing for decades at sites in different parts of the world. Its aim is to adapt plants to the harsher future that climate change is creating, to safeguard food supplies. I spoke to Steve Long, Project Director
In the final part of our series on the management of waste I bring you an interview with Peter Wang Hjemdahl of rePurpose Global. As I mentioned last week, his organisation aims to help you get your plastic footprint under control. The headline on the website is “Together, rePurpose Global’s coalition is recovering 14,228,074 pounds of plastic each year - will you join us?”
This week I’m looking back on 2022. I’ve published 62 episodes over the year - about 150,000 words. Thank you for listening and thank you for your feedback.
In this episode I’m going to look at what concerned us this time last year and what progress we’ve made since then.
In December last year we were talking about COP26, which had just ended in Glasgow. There were complaints about fossil fuel subsidies, an Insulate Britain protester on hunger strike, profound wisdom on climate mitigation from Allegra Stratton (Yes, I can see you remember her) and Certified Greenwash. And there's always something about energy.
Waste has a cost. It's a cost to the environment in terms of pollution. It's a cost to the world as lost resources. Increasingly it's a cost to the producer, through the cost of disposal or even through fines. Stacy Savage is Founder & CEO of Zero Waste Strategies. Here's how she helps her clients address the problem.
In April 2021 seven women took hammers and chisels to the office of Barclays Bank in Canary Wharf, London and cracked the glass panels of the facade. They put up posters saying, “In case of climate emergency break glass.” They then waited to be arrested.
All seven appeared in court this week.
All seven were found guilty of criminal damage.
One of those arrested was Zoe Cohen, who spoke to the Sustainable Futures Report only last month.
She told me why she did it, and what sentence she can expect.
The idea of the circular economy is to use, reuse and recycle materials to minimise the amount that we have to take from virgin resources. In an ideal world there is no such thing as a waste. When something is finished with it becomes an input to a new process. We are very far from achieving that, but there are people working hard to make it a reality. People like those at the Material Library of India. And it’s about a lot more than just collecting things up after they have been thrown away.
Recently I spoke to Shubhi Sachan, founder of the Material Library of India.
To give you some pointers on how to control your carbon footprint I'm talking this time to John Cossham. And not just about being green and cutting carbon, but our wide-ranging discussions included population, changing the system, being vegan or vegetarian, the steady-state economy, doughnut economics, gross domestic happiness, tipping points and positive feedback, climate anxiety, near-term human extinction and why we should be doing good now – it's the right thing to do.
And never, ever give up hope.
It's over. Cop 27 has finished even though it ran on for several days after its scheduled closing. An agreement was reached at the last minute! But where have we heard all this before?
I've been promising you a review of what's been going on from an environmental point of view since Anthony Albanese's Labor government took office in May. I spoke to Dr Simon Wright. He’s Director at Simply Sustainable Consulting and Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the Orange campus of the University of Technology, Sydney.
This week the United Nations climate conference, cop 27, opened and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres set the tone with the warning that, "We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a U-turn and decided to attend COP27 after all, maybe because he heard that Boris Johnson was going. Sunak turned up for the opening day but didn't stay long.
The main part of today's episode is a wide-ranging interview with Zoe Cohen who has capaigned with XR, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil. "I'm a 52 year old mum who takes nonviolent direct action, because I believe it's the right thing to do given the situation we're in."
We spoke about growth, about soup, sunflowers and mashed potato, about the unreality of net zero 2050 (it’s a joke) and why you, too, should get arrested.
Measuring your personal carbon footprint is a first step towards taking action to combat the climate crisis. It's a first step and a small step and there is much more to be done. Recent reports make that abundantly clear.
So what's your carbon footprint? (I'll show you mine if you show me yours.)
This week we also look at preparations for COP27, and whether PM Rishi Sunak will U-turn and decide to attend after all. Maybe he'll let the King go too!
Can we produce meat without farming and without slaughtering livestock?
I spoke to Daan Luining, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Meatable.
In the news this week:
.. a couple of protests and plans for a further crackdown on protesters. Could there be yet another government U-turn, this time in favour of sustainability? There is a video you should see and I'll tell you about upcoming interviews planned for the next few months. Finally, what is sustainability anyway?
An interview with Daniela Fernandez, founder of the Sustainable Oceans Alliance.
Image by rawpixel.com
I've called this one Good News for two reasons, one is that I want to attract your attention and secondly because I don't want the Sustainable Futures Report to be seen as a litany of bad news.
We're on the brink of massive changes. This week I'm going to talk about the UK government, though not about its financial management. There is a report from the world meteorological organisation as more extreme weather events are reported. A new academic study warns that palm trees face extinction while in Finland more and bigger buildings are being built from timber. On the energy front the UAE is stepping up oil production, and is hydrogen the ideal clean solution for home heating, or will it be just too expensive?
As I write this on the day after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II there's little I can bring you in the way of sustainability news from the United Kingdom.
The world didn’t stop, of course, and we are in the middle of a series of extreme weather events.
It was only a few weeks ago, on 10th June, that I published an episode entitled “God Save the Queen”. It was clearly premature to entitle last week’s episode “The Way Ahead”.
God Save the King!
And as far as the PM is concerned, the jury’s still out.
Since my last episode quite a lot has happened. We have a new prime minister in the UK, there’s a new green bill in the United States, Russia turns off its gas supplies to Europe and Pakistan turns from drought to catastrophic floods. The new prime minister has promised to sort out the energy crisis within a week and as he leaves office, Boris Johnson appears to have committed the incoming administration to building a new nuclear power station at Sizewell. That won't be in time to solve the current crisis and in any case the Greens believe that the solution is simply to nationalise the energy companies. Meanwhile incoming Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng raises doubts about the truth of the green credentials of Drax power station, which has received multi billions of pounds for burning wood. There’s feedback from patrons and listeners, Tommy Wiedmann and Carol Dance, and finally will the United States’ Artemis mission ever get off the ground, and if it does, is it a good thing?
In this episode, drought, wildfires and keeping cool. The Environment Agency damns the water companies, the candidates for UK PM display their knowledge of the climate crisis (not much) there’s a book review and a new brew from Singapore. You can make your own jokes about that when you’ve heard the story. And it’s goodbye from me until September.
Are we leaving the Goldilocks zone - that part of the universe where life can exist? It's not too hot and it's not too cold; in fact it's just right. How much longer will the Earth be in the Goldilocks zone?
And if it’s not hot enough already, some politicians seem to be making a bonfire of their principles, while others, notably the so-called Common Sense Group of MPs, are urging people to take this heatwave in their stride...
Today we look again at how the concerned consumer can be sure that a particular product has come from ethical sources. David Coleman of IOV42 explains how Timberchain uses blockchain to verify sustainable timber.
How corruption promotes the climate crisis, energy problems on their way, how green will the UK's new prime minister be? And my interview on GBNews about the West Cumbria Coal Mine.
Let’s have a sensible discussion!
The climate crisis is just too important to argue about. We need a mature approach to this crucial issue. Today’s guest, Marc Cortez, calls it Climaturity.
Think carbon! I know I've said it before, but everything you choose to eat, use or wear has a direct impact on the size of your carbon footprint. Carbon footprints and carbon emissions determine the future of this planet, our home. Unsurprisingly, this week’s episode is concerned directly or indirectly with carbon emissions and carbon footprints.
Food is probably the most important issue of our time. It's the effect on food which will be the most crucial consequence of the climate emergency.
Meet a man with a vision.
Meet Eddy Badrina of Eden Green Technology
It’s possible to make a milk substitute from oats and from many other plants. Today we learn about one plant you may not have thought of, and find out what else it can do for the planet.
Plastic pollution is a perennial problem. The Plasticology Project aims to be part of the solution.
Sunshine? Let's not waste it. Let's install more solar panels and increase the nation’s energy security. But wait, amid warnings of a possible food crisis should we be covering agricultural land with solar panels?
How do we manage the message? How do we influence public opinion? This seems to be a recurring theme for the Sustainable Futures Report , which is hardly surprising, because it's important.
I spoke to Guy Doza, a man whose business is communication. He's a prize-winning speaker and he's recently written a book on rhetoric.
...but I haven't made up my mind about the Prince of Wales yet. Is the Monarchy Sustainable?
This week: monarchy versus republicanism, ownership of land, agriculture and food production, a UN climate conference, warnings that we should use no excuse to justify expanding fossil fuel production, warnings of stranded assets, rapidly rising fuel costs, and is that electric car as clean as you thought?
The Wednesday Interview
I talk to Tinia Pina, CEO of Re-Nuble, about how her organisation uses commercial vegetable waste to produce a nutrient feed for hydroponic farmers. They use sea-food waste from fish processors too. It makes a biodegradable substrate to support the hydroponic plants.
The Wednesday Interview
I talk to Shameek Ghosh from Trustrace about building ethical supply chains for the fashion industry.
In Australia there is a new government. Will it reverse the climate scepticism which seems to have been a hallmark of the previous administration? Here in the UK a responsible investment manager at a major financial institution takes an interesting slant on his job and gets suspended as a result. Questions are asked whether a charity with a view on climate science is in fact a charity or could it be a lobbying group? UK ministers have decided that now is not quite the time to require corporate environmental disclosure, inviting the question if not now, when? There's more bad news from Hinkley C, (I keep having to remind my spellchecker that there’s no ‘C’ in Hinkley - is that an omen?) but there’s a ray of sunshine from Oberlin, Ohio in the United States.
Today I’m talking to Jake and Amee, creators of the S’wheat reusable plant-based water bottle. (Very special thanks to them for going through it all twice, because first time I forgot to turn the recorder on.) We’re talking about protecting the environment, in particular protecting it from plastic waste.
Incidentally, there’s a detailed analysis of the impact of plastic pollution, including the number of decades or centuries it takes for common plastic products to degrade, on the Happiness Without website.
Today is World Bee Day
This week, should the Guardian’s Carbon Bombs be defused? There’s a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation on the State of the Global Climate 2021, I learn about a country where supermarkets accept Bitcoin while IEMA warns about the energy cost of Bitcoin mining, and there’s a prospect of new pandemics.
Blockchain. What is it? Is it important? Is it sustainable? How does it relate to crypto-currency like Bitcoin, and is that just for money-laundering or for wild speculation? I’m hearing more and more about blockchain, so I thought it was time for the Sustainable Futures Report to talk to an expert.
I found one.
He’s called Anthony Day.
A new report from The Guardian warns that multi-billion expansion plans from the fossil fuel majors will make Net Zero an impossibility with catastrophic consequences. Also greenwash, elections in Australia, retrofitting in Italy, mining the e-waste dumps and looking at the moon.
I suggested to Patron Ian Jarvis that the Sustainable Futures Report risked becoming repetitive and that it was time to take stock.
"Taking Stock" for him would be about a genuine review of the science and politics with nothing being 'off-the-table'. He asks, “Are we on a route of someone else's choosing? What if we're wrong? What then? Would we, all of us, be big enough to accept that and adjust accordingly?
“It's too important to be wrong.”
In the spirit of working out how to communicate the climate crisis message I’m talking today to Manda Scott. She explains more about what Thrutopia is - and discusses a wide range of other existential issues as well.
If things go wrong and we fail to overcome the climate crisis there will be profound consequences for society and humanity. My guest is Fernando Garcia Ferreiro from The Deep Adaptation Forum, which exists to help people prepare for this worst case scenario.
The Sustainable Futures Report aims to bring you news and insights into the ongoing climate crisis, but other such podcasts are available. On this occasion I bring you an interview with the founder and presenter of the Sweaty Penguin, Ethan Brown.
The British Energy Security Strategy was published at the end of last week and although it runs to only 15 pages it has caused a lot of controversy...
This is edition No. 400. Thank you for listening and supporting the Sustainable Futures Report since I started podcasting back in 2007.
AR6
The big news this week, overshadowed by Ukraine like everything else, is the publication of the latest part of AR6, the climate report from the IPCC. I also mention shortages of water and shortages of sand - and fewer downloads than I'd hoped for.
If we want to build a truly circular economy there's a lot more to do, like refurbish or even re-manufacture or re-purpose. I’ve been talking to a man with a solution to the problem.
(And other stories)
This week I'm going to talk about a range of issues including how older people are damaging the climate, why we’re growing food in the wrong place, global action on biodiversity, news from the Antarctic, a call to more action following COP26, action on emissions and the rumoured reasons for the delay on the UK's energy strategy.
Today we’re looking at the step beyond Net Zero: climate intervention or geo-engineering. Our interview guest says, “Geo-engineering in any form sounds like a terrible concept, until you peer carefully into the future and realise that not geo-engineering would likely prove worse.”
António Guterres said that the world must do more to Keep 1.5 alive. The UK has decided to make it cheaper to run a car on fossil fuels, some in the government want to restrict renewables while others would restart fracking. Now we see water being used as a weapon of war. Next week we can look forward to the government’s energy security strategy and the final part of the AR6 report from the IPCC. And finally, what really is Net Zero?
Every product has an environmental impact, but how can we choose the one with the smallest impact? Lizzie Horvitz introduces us to FINCH.
Energy is always in the news. It’s inextricably linked with emissions and the level or absence of emissions determines the outcome of the climate crisis. Nevertheless, it’s time to talk about something else as well. OK, I did promise to tell you about space energy, so we’ll look at that. I’m also going to look again at Deep Adaptation from Jem Bendell, at the pressures in the UK to reject Net Zero, news of the continuing weather crisis in Australia, Finland’s new nuclear station (sorry - that’s another energy story) and hydropower by truck (that’s energy, too). And there’s a fabulous city of the future planned for the desert.
The Wednesday Interview with Wayne Visser talking about the ideas in his new book. How complex organisations don't need to wait for leaders to achieve fundamental change. How change is happening already.
This week there’s sustainability news about food, fuel, forests and floods in China. I look again at the IEA report that Sarah Cullen mentioned in Wednesday’s interview. There’s a dark side to solar farms, a pressure group intent on depressurisation and more dangers for bees. Can we summon a wartime spirit to save our economy and save the planet, and is mega finance group Blackrock walking the green walk or just talking the green talk?
The Wednesday Interview
Sarah Cullen, energy expert, joined me to talk about clean energy. We covered a number of controversial issues. For example, will Germany slow down the pace of decommissioning its nuclear plants in the face of a possible shortage of gas from Russia? We talked about citizens’ assemblies, and how they might empower politicians to adopt policies that they wouldn’t dare consider on their own. We spoke about the need to consider all energy options and to recognise that all have risks and about the IEA’s Roadmap to Net Zero 2050.
Listen now to the full conversation, and all the other things we talked about.
This week’s episode is about the latest IPCC report. You're probably already aware that it's pretty pessimistic. Will the warning be heeded this time? I'll talk also about the effect of the conflict in Ukraine on global energy prices and I’ve followed up the question from Sophie Jarvis about infrared heating.
Today I’m talking to Nick Spencer in Cambodia who is helping local people to survive and thrive while protecting wildlife and avoiding deforestation.
I wrote a lot about Ukraine and energy and sanctions to start this week’s episode, but I’ve deleted it all. This is not the place.
This week I look at a battle for coal in Australia, the need for long duration electricity storage, a UK government reminder about political impartiality in schools, green bonds and ghost flights. And what will the IPCC’s latest report say when it’s launched next week?
Russia is in the news and Russia is also a major player in the global commitment to achieve net zero. Can Russia truly be sustainable? How do we make sense of all this?
I spoke to an expert. I spoke to Louis Cox-Brusseau of Sibylline.
This week I’m talking about energy - again. About fusion and fracking and batteries and banks. I'm talking about carbon. About capture, offsetting, inequalities and scrutinising net zero. Pollution is still an issue, increasingly so, it appears in the United Kingdom. And I look at the wider environment and the changes in the oceans, in the permafrost and in the record books.
Most of us are on some sort of sustainability journey and today I'm going to talk to someone who's been asking a lot of people, important people from across the world, about their sustainability journeys. Samuele Tini is Italian but he’s based in Kenya where he works as a sustainability and development expert.
Don't miss that film, if you haven't already seen it. This week there's more about domestic energy, including free socks and star jumps. The government publishes its Climate Change Risk Assessment and the Climate Change Committee says, "Could do better!" The Net Zero Scrutiny Group of MPs flexes its muscles. Greenwash is still alive and well. Find out what major corporations say they're doing and how it compares with what they're actually doing. "Could do better", says the New Climate Institute. The Port of Newcastle in Australia is going green. I reveal why that's my Irony of the Week. And Greta warns, "This is not a drill!"
Plastic pollution. Those nappies we use to keep our babies clean seem to be part of a problem which starts at birth. Today's interview guest explains the stats. He shows how we can reduce the impact of disposable nappies by replacing them with a product which can be reused and recycled. Plastic pollution is not the only thing that can start from birth. The circular economy can start there too.
Causes, effects and what the chancellor proposes to do about it. And what he ought to do about it. This episode is dedicated to energy in a week when the British government announced its revised energy price cap. First indications are that energy prices in the UK will rise by 54%. I’m going to look in detail at what the energy price cap actually is, explore the reasons for the dramatic increase in energy costs and look at what governments can do to soften the blow for consumers.
Sustainability is about protecting our world against the challenges of the climate crisis, but it’s also about making our world a sustainable and better place. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address all aspects of a sustainable future with a target for completion by 2030. UN-Habitat, a United Nations agency, focuses on sustainable cities and communities. Today’s interview examines how this works.
Cryptocurrency, blockchain, NFTs. Two founders of Crypto Coral Tribe explain their plans to use these cutting edge technologies to support wildlife conservation.
Welcome to the first Wednesday interview of 2022. Today we have a discussion with two patrons about the future of electric vehicles.
Let me start by telling you that the Wednesday Interview next week is a discussion on the future role of electric vehicles. Don’t miss it and do let me know what you think.
That’s about all for this week - yes, really - because in January I am going to concentrate on developing the website, raising the social media profile and developing the deal for patrons...
Yes it's the Sustainable Futures Report for Friday, 24 December 2021, Christmas Eve. Nothing new here. I thought you'd like to take the time to catch up on some of this year's episodes. 55 episodes went out this year, all still available on line as both text and audio at sustainablefutures.report. I’m Anthony Day. I wish you a Merry Christmas and I’ll see you next year.
In this week's Wednesday Interview from the Sustainable Futures Report I talk to Alex McCallion, Director of Works and Precinct at York Minster. The present building has been on this site for over 800 years. Its continued existence is due to the care of generations of artisans and craftsmen across the centuries and the work continues today. Alex explains some of the challenges and opportunities in securing the Minster for another 1,000 years.
Is carbon neutral the same as net zero?
Also this week, How to spend $1 trillion, behaviour change against climate change, and converting Nature to a financial instrument.
It sounds too good to be true. Just pay to plant a few trees and you can travel as far and as frequently as you like. I admit, I was very sceptical when I first met Christian Møller-Holst whose business is based on making business trips not just carbon neutral, but net zero.
Here's how Christian explained it to me.
It's not just about greenwash this week; I'll also talk about the Climate Change Committee’s reaction to COP 26, the future of the Cambo oilfield, why it might be a good thing for the environment that Allegra Stratton has resigned and rubbish in Romania.
Can Covid help us solve the climate crisis? This week I'm talking to authors Graeme Maxton and Bernice Maxton–Lee about their new book. It's a very wide-ranging discussion and I think you'll find it interesting.
This week I look at some of the consequences of global warming which have hit North America and China this year. It's getting colder, as winter takes over the northern hemisphere. Is Russian gas the best way of keeping Western Europe warm? And here in the UK, are there political changes afoot? And if there are, how will that affect our progress towards net zero?
This week I’m talking to Michelle Marks about how one part of the world is starving while another part is wasting food. Michelle is a sustainability consultant. She’s owner of Coral Mountain and founder of Speak Carbon, an organisation dedicated to raising carbon literacy through training.
If you want to know what Greta Thunberg or David Attenborough or Alok Sharma thinks you only have to open a newspaper or go on line. What about the rest of us? After all, we’re all in the front line. I’ve collected a few comments. And what about the Insulate Britain protestors? Nine of them are in jail. A motorist responds.
The Wednesday Interview with Jenny Bailey, guiding children to become environmentally aware and responsible.
And Green Jumper Day - something you can get involved in on Friday.
Well it's over. Where are we now, now that all the delegates have gone home from Glasgow and COP26 is finished? I’ll start with a review of comments in the press and close with a conversation with a colleague who actually went to Glasgow.
In this week's Wednesday Interview Mattias Axelson of the Stockholm School of Economics describes a variant on the Circular Economy.
Greenwash, Offsetting and James Lovelock’s warning of Gaia’s Revenge. Should we reconsider Personal Carbon Allowances, and is there really an Anti-Solar Panel that works in the dark?
And for something completely and utterly different check out SteelHaven.info
The Wednesday Interview
Sunshine is everywhere and it's free! Let's not waste a drop. Veeral Hardev of Ubiquitous Energy explains one way of making the most of it.
So we’re in the last chance saloon! Who would have thought it? Maybe anybody who has been listening to the Sustainable Futures Report for the last 14 years. But let’s accentuate the positive.
COP26 – the Big Issue
Seeing as COP26 has made the front cover of The Big Issue magazine the message must really be getting through!
Ori Ben Ner, CEO of SupPlant, explains how software can help farmers get the best out of every last drop of water.
Before looking at prospects for COP26 and other sustainability news, let's remember Sir David Amess MP, who lost his life last week while serving the public.
Empty shelves, queues for petrol, rocketing gas prices. Will these short term crises take the eyes of world leaders off the COP26 ball?
David Hanney, CEO of Alpkit, describes how his company builds sustainability into all aspects of the business.
COP26 and Insulate Britain. These are the two key issues I’ll discuss today. I’ll also tell you about plans for extra editions of the Sustainable Futures Report, coming soon.
The role of social impact bonds and impact accounting in meeting the challenges of the climate crisis. If we can make organisations accountable not merely for their handling of risk and profit but also for their impact on the environment, investors and consumers can support those having a net beneficial effect and reject those which do more harm than good.
While the hydrogen debate continues, the Extinction Rebellion protest continues as well - but it's not getting many headlines. If you exercise your democratic right to protest could it prevent you from getting a job, from getting motor insurance, from getting a visa to visit Europe? In this episode there's also news about a new form of mass electricity storage and details of the events that the Sustainable Futures Report is presenting next month as part of York Environment Week and the Great Big Green Week
Denialists and those in denial - hydrogen - should it be grey, green or blue, or is it a red herring? - Should Alok Sharma be driving a diesel car? Why are both Biden and Boris encouraging the extraction of more oil and coal? And an interview with the team at Bucha Bio: young entrepreneurs replacing a traditional material with a sustainable alternative.
Yes, that report's out. No surprises for most of us. What do we do now? What do governments do now? Well, they take action, and we make sure they do. Never give up!
In episode No. 350 we have an interview with Ross O’Ceallaigh of the Green Urbanist podcast. In other news there's the Siberian heatwave and methane emissions, foreign control of North Sea oil threatens UK’s net zero goal, the mortality cost of carbon, HS2 may never reach the end of the line and new insights from Allegra Stratton, the Prime Minister’s climate crisis spokesperson.
This is an extra edition of the Sustainable Futures Report. There's so much comment, reporting and news that this is an attempt to keep you up to date. There will be another edition on Friday as normal!
Rewilding to address the climate crisis: I talk to Ria Rocha of Mossy Earth. And there's news from Ireland of creative climate action.
Floods in Edinburgh and London, floods and fatalities in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, India and China; wildfires across North America, heatwaves in Europe. Is this our final wake-up call?
I'm talking to Jason Szeftel about China's role in solving the climate crisis, and how the West has exported much of its manufacturing, its carbon footprint and its rubbish to China. We look at economic stress and strains within the country, its desire for secrecy and the ever-increasing surveillance of its population.
Sustainable business plus extreme weather, continued warnings, Belgians have their day in court and so does the Transport Action Network, (more) climate-warming plans from the UK government, what is Amazon throwing away? And the BBC has a change of heart.
All this and more in your latest Sustainable Futures Report.
This week Climate Action staged the Climate Innovation Forum 2021, a three-day event. I got a press pass and I’ll share my review of some of the sessions. Also on this week’s agenda: more on the nuclear plant at Taishan, extreme weather in North America, shortfalls in the UK, and the future of the Sustainable Futures Report.
Last week the leaders of seven powerful nations met in the UK. Let’s look at what they said and indeed what they didn't say. I also have the usual miscellanea to share with you, and some thoughts on the future of the Sustainable Futures Report.
No clear theme this week. G-7 is still going on so I can only report on speculation rather than outcomes. We look at a potential pitfall of trade deals, analyse rain in Newcastle, I'll draw your attention to some events which look interesting and there is more, yes more, about bitcoin. In the Amazon region they have been living in harmony with nature for some 5,000 years. Then civilisation happened.
Last week Business Green staged an important conference - Net Zero Nature. I share some of the insights I gained. In other news, some thoughts about G7 - the upcoming intergovernmental conference, a missed opportunity for green recovery, more reaction to the news about Shell, blowing hot and cold on energy storage, is public transport the way forward? And a bit of mining in the West Midlands.
Should the Nord Stream 2 pipeline face sanctions following this week’s air piracy by Russian ally Belarus? Oil company Shell faces continued protests and car manufacturers - and other industries - find the chips are down. In the hunt for rare metals, mining may come back to the UK. Will it cause as much pollution as mining for bitcoin - now opening new markets for coal-generated electricity? Restaurant chain Nando's announces plans to go carbon neutral by November while McDonald's is under siege from Animal Extinction protesters.
This week Fatih Birol, a leading energy economist and currently executive director of the International Energy Agency, said that exploitation and development of new oil and gas fields must stop this year and no new coal-fired power stations could be built if the world were to stay within safe limits of global heating and meet the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Meeting net zero is one target, but meeting increasing energy demand is another. How do we do this without fossil fuels? Is there a role for nuclear power to make up the shortfall?
Recently I met with three experts to discuss this point...
A lot more stories, actually. I'm trying to get to grips with the stories that I haven't covered over the last four or five weeks. Links to all the sources, as usual, below. There’s a whole range of issues which I’ve loosely grouped into Energy, Science and Warning Signs, Managing the Message, and Inconsistencies, Greenwash and Counter-Intuitive ideas. With that last category in mind, we'll look at the East Yorkshire Oilfields.
First I'm pleased to announce that the Sustainable Futures Report has been recognised as one of the 20 Best Podcasts About Climate Change of 2021 by https://prettyprogressive.com/20-best-podcasts-about-climate-change-of-2021/
One year on I'm talking again to James Dyke of Exeter University. This time our discussions ranged from Chelsea tractors to carbon sinks in the Arctic and the Amazon, the mystery of the missing methane (missing from the stats, that is, there’s too much of it in the atmosphere), why injecting sulphuric acid into the stratosphere might be a good idea and why it might not be. We reflected that peat takes centuries to form and only days to destroy, and asked why fossil fuel companies like selling fossil fuels. (Spoiler alert: it makes them rich.) I asked, "When the science is disregarded, denied, disputed, even distorted, why don’t scientists speak up?" And are the politicians right in saying that we’re on track to meet the Paris Agreement and meet Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050? "Yes!", they say, (but they are probably crossing their fingers behind their backs.)
What do we do now? This is what James Dyke told me.
Joe Biden hosted a climate summit last week. Greta Thunberg accused leaders of still talking and not doing, and nine women were arrested for breaking windows at the HQ of HSBC, a major investor in fossil fuel industries. Talk Radio wanted to know what I thought about it all. You’ll hear what I told them.
We are living in dangerous times, but the good news is that people - powerful people - are talking about the climate crisis. They are talking about actions they’ll take to deal with the climate crisis. But at the same time, climate protestors are being criminalised across the world. Newspapers reporting on these prosecutions have withdrawn articles in the face of threats of legal action. Yes, here in the UK.
This week, a follow-up to Fukushima, COP26 - why Greta won’t be going, why she certainly won’t be going in an SUV, Seaspiracy- that Netflix film, Ade Adepitan on the front line, lab-grown meat and growing your own pan scourer. And an interview with Bertrand Piccard, the man who flew round the world on solar power and now has assembled 1000 solutions to climate problems.
It's Earth Hour on Saturday and stories this week include riots in Bristol, time running short to get a grip on the climate crisis and calls to speed up renewable energy growth. Health risks from oil, British government cuts electric car grants, puts climate change at the heart of its integrated strategy and announces more nukes. There's greenwash, and Ecotricity is drilling.
The good news is that there's no bad news, just challenges and new opportunities. Here's a selection of the sustainability stories that have crossed my desk recently.
Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. The beaches, the boundary between the oceans and the other 30% of the surface where we live, is constantly battered by waves. This week I had a conversation with Kim McCoy, author of the third edition of Waves and Beaches. Kim has recently completed an Ironman and will continue to swim, dive, surf, sail, rock-climb and paraglide until motion stops, viscous drag ceases, buoyancy is lost, and gravity ultimately wins.
Geothermal energy, or ground source heat pumps. Kathy Hannun of Dandelion Energy explains how they do it in New York. Welcome to two new Silver Supporters!
Brexit releases the UK from the obligation to follow EU Directives on climate - or anything else for that matter. There's a new Office for Environmental Protection, but how far can it hold the British government to account?
Unless we get action from our government and all governments, nothing will solve the climate crisis. Also hydrogen and heat pumps and wise words from Mark Carney. Bill Gates has a new book and in snowy Texas they think the problem is wind turbines.
Do you know where your savings or your pension are invested? I mean in detail. Can you be sure you're not supporting coal mining, deforestation or conflict minerals? It's not easy to find out, but I've been talking to Peter Krull of Earth Equity Advisors who's been addressing this problem since 2004.
This week the Sustainable Futures Report looks at coal, the wonder fuel that drove the Industrial Revolution and now is shown to be threatening our very survival. Despite our race to achieve net zero by 2050 - 30 years or so off - new mines with lives of 60 years or more are being planned all over the world. Including in the UK!
There are growing demands for the protection of biodiversity and for recognition of the true worth of Nature. I look again at CO2 and the imperative to mitigate climate change. While much is being said by major corporations about being environmentally responsible, how far are they really committed? Why are governments continuing to punish those who point out that governments are still not doing enough to meet their own targets? And why do some scientists believe that the future will be ghastly? All this and more in the latest Sustainable Futures Report.
Do you like fish?
I’ve just been reading a book which made me think very hard about whether I wanted to eat any fish ever again. And then I found out about all the terrible things we're doing to our oceans...
This flagship government scheme is off to a shaky start. So far it seems to be destroying jobs and leaving consumers in the cold!
We’re planning to reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. How do we get there from here?
I put this question to a panel of experts: Chris Goodall, Deirdre Lane, Nicola Steen and Alessandro Vitelli. Here's what they told me.
If we are to develop a sustainable world we need to know that the products we buy and the services we use are based on sustainable sources. We need to be able to track things back along the supply chain and gather information at every stage. How do we do that? Well I recently spoke to Tyler Chaffo, at Avery Dennison.
In this last episode of the Sustainable Futures Report before Christmas I'm going to concentrate on actions.
Actions promised by governments and others to meet the climate challenge. Recommended actions. Actions criticised either because they are not seen as sufficiently far-reaching or simply because they're not being implemented. And actions that some are still taking to deny that there really is a climate crisis. And as always, there’s other news.
This week I'm talking to Harald Overholm, CEO of Alight Energy of Stockholm, about coupling renewable energy with power purchase agreements. The UK government has published its NDC, the CCC has set out a detailed plan, there's more news of extreme weather from the Met Office and sad and worrying news about dangerous air pollution.
Is the planet hurtling towards disaster, as reported by the BBC this week, or are the UN climate goals now within reach, as reported by the BBC this week? No wonder the general public generally finds the climate crisis far too complex to engage with. Stories this week about the State of the Planet, the climate clock, Energy, Protests and finally a story of recycling what was once seen as scrap to be part of a prestige product.
Only governments really have the power to make significant change. The question in the media is whether Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan, published last week, will make that needed difference.
There’s a lot of other news as well. There’s US politics, Chinese politics and Australian politics. There’s more on Hurricane Iota and other extreme weather. And we round off with EVs, CCS and whether sustainability is sexy - well, fashionable.
Is Boris's 10-point plan a best laid plan? I explain, eventually. And there’s also news from the National Audit Office, from the Treasury and from the Committee for Climate Change. The Climate and Ecology Emergency Bill makes its way through Parliament and the Dalai Llama assures us that Buddha would be green. There’s energy news and as Hurricane Iota hits Nicaragua there’s more evidence of extreme weather. Finally, could your dog be killing birds?
It's Friday, the 13th. Unlucky for some, but not for you because you've got a new edition of the Sustainable Futures Report to listen to.
This week
There’s a new US president-elect. We’ll look at what he can do on the climate front and what he might find rather more difficult to do. We’ll look, too, at what Prime Minister Johnson might do on the climate in the UK. The IPPR has a 10-point plan. What’s the attitude of business and the opposition party?
There is energy news as well, about UK windfarms, Russian gas, UK nuclear, a new green fuel - and could this be a tipping point for green technology?
In the US, stormy weather continues, and I’m not talking about Trump’s refusal to concede the election.
Despite lockdown, international climate protests continue. Some at quite high levels. And we look at sustainable futures for food and public transport, and what will be the impact of AI on the climate crisis?
Apart from the US election, there is environmental news this week ranging from the Arctic to Australia and pollution problems from plastic waste to artificial light and used cars. There is another carbon offset scheme. This one’s for investors. How does blockchain relate to the climate and how can you make money for charity by making an internet search? Finally, I’ll share a concerning article I found on human attitudes, and follow it up with wise words from James Dyke.
Once again, I'm covering a whole range of issues in this week’s episode. There’s no silver bullet for Boris, and although we reported last time that he’s supporting offshore wind, the IEA tells us that while electricity from offshore wind is cheap, onshore wind is cheaper, and solar is cheapest of all. I’ll be talking about food standards and fishing standards; about air pollution costs and risks and should we increase car taxes? Then there’s troubled waters around Fukushima, a complaint that bankers are doing nothing and a protest in a pear tree. Meanwhile there’s news about white houses and how the White House has been getting on in the courts. And I'll tell you how I got put on the spot by the Women's Institute.
Apparently it may take 700 years to improve the nation’s housing stock (shame that the grant scheme I mentioned last time ends next March), CCS is in the news again and so are Greta Thunberg and Erin Brockovich - remember her? COVID is a disaster like we’ve never seen, but amid reports of collapsing ecosystems are we missing the big picture? There’s more extreme weather. Are you in the (hyper)loop? And watch your language. A recent article suggests our choice of words is crucial when describing the climate crisis.
This week I learn how to keep warm at home and I interview Simon Ayers, CEO of TrustMark, the organisation that assures the quality of home improvements and insulation.
Project Drawdown aims to bring us to the point beyond Net Zero where greenhouse gases in the atmosphere start to decline. Prince William's Earthshot Prize aims to find solutions to environmental issues and the climate crisis. Boris Johnson aims to build back greener. I aim to bring you reports and insights about a sustainable future. This week's Sustainable Futures Report has the latest!
The climate crisis hasn’t gone away and the COVID crisis hasn’t gone away, but don't give up now. There's positive news from BP, Scania, Mercedes, Tesla and Airbus. We're moving in the right direction. Let's keep moving.
Are we at a tipping point? On the point of runaway climate disaster? A tipping point as mass extinction accelerates out of control? Or a tipping point as politicians and public realise it’s time to act?
Nations suing governments, deforestation and population, and CO2 as a fuel. XR protests continue and the government claims activists shouldn't break the law - while preparing to do just that. But first, let’s talk about diet. If we’re environmentalists should we be vegan? Your feedback always welcome!
It’s a podcast! Listen here:
Welcome back to the Sustainable Futures Report.
It's Friday, the 4th of September and my first full length episode since the 31st of July.
Hello I’m Anthony Day.
News You can imagine that the news hasn't stopped during August and in fact, I've got five pages of hyperlinks, each of which could lead to many minutes of podcast. As I said in last week’s trailer to this episode, the Greenland ice sheet is still melting at up to a million tons per minute, and millions of tonnes of GHGs are still being released into the atmosphere. Yes, that slowed down a bit during the lockdown, but not enough to stop the total quantity in the atmosphere from continuing to grow. And now we’re back to close to normal and the British government is urging people who work in offices to go back to them so the sandwich bars don’t go out of business and eventually they hope we’ll be back to business as over-consuming and polluting as usual. This week
This week I’m going to look first in detail at the latest news from the Arctic and then I’m going to talk about rebellion because rebellion is seen by many as the only way to get governments to react and take the action that’s essential in the face of the climate crisis.
Extinction Rebellion is staging mass protests in London, Manchester and Cardiff this week, as I’m sure you already know. Their central demand is for the government to pass their Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. You may not have had time to read it. I have. I’ll tell you what it says. Arctic First, though, there’s news from the Arctic in the journal Nature. “We have been clearly underestimating the rate of temperature increases in the atmosphere nearest to the sea level, which has ultimately caused sea ice to disappear faster than we had anticipated," said Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, a University of Copenhagen professor, "Changes are occurring so rapidly during the summer months that sea ice is likely to disappear faster than most climate models have ever predicted," he said.
We have been clearly underestimating the rate of temperature increases in the atmosphere nearest to the sea level, which has ultimately caused sea ice to disappear faster than we had anticipated
Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen
A recent study from Britain's University of Lincoln concluded that Greenland's ice melt alone is expected to contribute 10-12 centimetres to the world's rising sea levels by 2100. Another group of researchers recently concluded that the melting of Greenland's ice cap has gone so far that it is now irreversible, with snowfall no longer able to compensate for the loss of ice even if global warming were to end today.
Meanwhile, the last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic lost more than 40% of its area in two days at the end of July. The Milne Ice Shelf is at the fringe of Ellesmere Island, in the sparsely populated northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. “Entire cities are that size. These are big pieces of ice,” said Luke Copland, a glaciologist at the University of Ottawa who was part of the research team studying the Milne Ice Shelf. The shelf’s area shrank by about 80 sq km.
By comparison, the island of Manhattan in New York covers roughly 60 sq km. “This was the largest remaining intact ice shelf, and it’s disintegrated, basically,” Copland said. The difference between these two ice masses is that the Greenland ice cap is on land and therefore the meltwater pouring into the sea will raise sea levels, while the Milne Ice Shelf is already floating, and therefore will not affect sea levels as it melts.
Any reduction in sea ice affects the earth’s albedo or reflectivity, however. Ice reflects sunlight and heat back into space, but the darker ocean absorbs heat. Wild fluctuations in temperature have been observed in the Arctic this year with temperatures peaking at a record 38C in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk on 20 June 2020. Wildfires By the end of August wildfires in the Arctic had already emitted 35% more CO2 than in the whole of 2019. They are continuing to burn in Siberia, Alaska, Greenland and Canada. They are now at "unprecedented levels", says Mark Parrington, a wildfires expert at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams). Soot falling on the snow reduces albedo and makes the situation worse.
Many of the blazing forests stand on peat deposits which are likely to burn throughout the winter and break out again next Spring. Scientists complain that these earth-changing fires have had minute media attention by comparison to the fire in the cathedral of Notre Dame last year. We have a problem. Scientist James Hanson warned the US Congress of a problem back in the 1980s. British PM Margaret Thatcher - herself a qualified scientist - warned of the threat to the climate about the same time. Rio In 1992 the UN Earth Summit in Rio decided something should be done and the developed nations set targets to rein in their carbon emissions. In 2006 economist Nicholas Stern advised the British government to take immediate action as delays of only a few years would make the costs of mitigating climate change many times greater. That was the year when Al Gore published An Inconvenient Truth. Paris In 2015 the world’s nations came together and signed the Paris Agreement, committing them to take action to keep the increase in global temperatures below 1.5℃.
At the time it was estimated that the published commitments would only be enough to keep the rise below 3.6℃: COP26, scheduled for this November, would receive the 5-year report, but of course the conference was postponed for a year because of the pandemic. COP26 Glasgow Britain will host the event next year and even before it was postponed there was criticism that the UK was not making the essential diplomatic preparations for the conference. Making business secretary Alok Sharma the president of COP26, a politician who has voted in favour of expanding Heathrow Airport, is not a good sign. And the United States, the second largest global emitter, has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement. We have a problem. As every year passes it becomes more urgent. That’s why XR is demonstrating in London, Manchester and Cardiff this week. Protesters are demonstrating against the banks and pension funds that invest in fossil fuel producers, against HS2 the high-speed rail line that will cost £100 billion, tear up the countryside and eventually reduce the London to Birmingham journey time by 20 minutes, and against the inertia and inactivity of politicians. The key demand is that Parliament should accept, debate and pass into law the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. Governments are actually doing a great deal to reduce carbon emissions.
The problem is that they are not doing enough to meet their own targets of net zero by 2050, and 2050 is generally agreed to be far too late in any case. The Bill From the start of the week XR was concentrated in Parliament Square attempting to urge each MP as they arrived to support the Bill. Behind the scenes hundreds of activists were phoning their MPs with the same message. You’ll find a link to the text of the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill on the blog. It’s described as, “A BILL to Require the Prime Minister to ensure that the United Kingdom achieves specified objectives in tackling the climate and ecological emergency; to give the Secretary of State a duty to create and implement a strategy to achieve those objectives; to establish a Citizens’ Assembly to work with the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change regarding the objectives and the strategy; and for connected purposes. In more detail, and I’m paraphrasing, the Prime Minister’s objectives include: To reduce GHG emissions to a rate that is consistent with limiting warming 1.5℃ in line with the Paris Agreement To restore and regenerate the nation’s soils, biodiverse habitats and ecosystems and, wherever possible, expand them To reduce human impact on wildlife and the land To do this the PM must work with the Committee on Climate Change and environmental protection bodies throughout the UK. The Secretary of State, presumably the secretary of state for DEFRA, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is required by the legislation within six months of the passing of this Act, to publish a Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy (‘the strategy’) specifying the measures that will achieve the objectives. The draft bill then goes into specific detail of how this strategy should be drawn up and the scientific factors and technical issues that should be taken into account. In addition the bill calls for the establishment of a Citizens Assembly to work in cooperation with the Secretary of State and to recommend measures to be included in the strategy. The functions of the Assembly are to—(a) consider information provided by experts, and by any other persons who have submitted evidence to the Assembly;(b) deliberate how the objectives can be achieved;(c) vote on measures proposed for inclusion in the strategy;(d) seek agreement with the Secretary of State on the content of the strategy;(e) propose revisions to the strategy The Bill was introduced to Parliament on Wednesday afternoon as a Private Member’s Bill by Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP, supported by just 20 of the nation’s 650 MPs. Historically, unless they are adopted by the government of the day, Private Member’s Bills sink without trace. In this case the bill has been given a second reading date: 12th March 2021, which is the equivalent of kicking it into the very long grass. Understandably XR are more than angry at this deliberate delay. Protests were planned for a full 10 days from last Friday. How they will develop from here is not clear. Citizens’ Assembly The bill itself seems pretty reasonable to me. The most controversial item is probably the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly, but such assemblies are increasingly common across the world. The principle is that a random group of people is brought together, selected on the same basis as people are chosen for jury service.
The intention is to create a representative cross-section of the population to consider the issues and advise the government. It is an advisory body. It is not subverting democracy, it is strengthening it. A citizen’s assembly was used in Ireland to inform the debate over abortion. In France the Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat was established in response to the gilets jaunes protests and is already taking evidence to understand how France can meet its Paris targets. In the UK Bristol City Council is set to carry out a Citizens Assembly to advise on the city’s coronavirus recovery while the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland will shortly report to the Scottish Parliament on how best the nation can overcome the challenges Scotland and the world face in the 21st century. Demonstrations Why the demonstrations? People say, “I agree with what they stand for, but they’re going about it the wrong way by disrupting ordinary people’s lives.” After arresting multiple protesters Commander Jane Connors of the Metropolitan Police said: “The reason we have implemented these conditions is that we know these protests may result in serious disruption to local businesses, commuters and our communities and residents, which I will not tolerate.” You couldn’t expect her to say anything else. Without disruption no-one will take any notice. That is why thousands of people are involved in these protests. Apart from the thousands on the streets there are those who are phoning MPs, who are providing back-up and legal advice for those arrested and who are organising accommodation and transport for those on the streets. As with the protests last year, those on the streets come from many different backgrounds, different ages, different sectors of society. Many are ready to be arrested, which takes immense courage. Courage, not because they fear the ill-treatment like protestors in Belarus have suffered. Our police have some problems but they are generally pretty respectful and civilised. I remember at last year’s protests seeing them warn activists that if they didn’t move they would be arrested and giving them ample opportunity to move before they did in fact arrest them. Initially the worst that protesters will suffer is the inconvenience of being held overnight and eventually a fine of several hundred pounds when found guilty. What is far more serious is that once you have a criminal record you may face difficulties in getting a job, getting a loan, getting a mortgage, getting insurance, renting a property, travelling to certain foreign countries and in many other situations. It is truly life-changing. That’s why I have immense respect for such people who take these risks for the sake of their principles and for the sake of the rest of us. Why aren’t I on the streets? Well, I haven’t got that sort of courage and I’m conceited enough to believe that passing on my views through this podcast will do as much good as being one extra person on the streets. No Violence The protests go on. Anything that happens after Thursday afternoon will not make it into this week’s Sustainable Futures Report. To be honest, not a lot has appeared in the UK’s national press so far. XR will have to raise the pressure to make an impact and maybe that’s what we will see in the coming days. One thing that’s certain is that XR is committed to non-violent direct action. There may be some minor criminal damage, like spray-painting or people supergluing themselves to doors, buildings or street furniture, but the group is absolutely against any form of violence. It runs training on non-violent direct action. Is the government listening? As I close, another 90 people have been arrested and there are suggestions that the new legislation designed to prevent illegal raves could be used against protestors. Anyone organising a gathering of more than 30 people is liable to a fine of £10,000. More next week. And Finally… Zoe Cohen shared a link to a story about the melting permafrost in the Arctic. It means that structures that previously relied on the frozen ground as a rock-solid foundation are suddenly suffering from subsidence. There is a solution however. Engineers plan to instal massive chillers to refreeze the tundra beneath their infrastructure. The infrastructure in question is oil production equipment owned by ConocoPhillips. Hang on - isn’t oil production part of that fossil fuel problem which is causing the warming that leads the tundra to melt? You couldn’t make it up… And that’s it! Thanks for listening to this week’s Sustainable Futures Report. You’ll appreciate that I’ve had to hold over most of my five pages of leads to climate stories until next time. Many thanks for all my patrons for staying with me and thanks to those of you who wrote to me during August. I’ll share your ideas next time. By the way, if you’d like to become a patron, and your support would be most gratefully received, just hop across to patreon.com/sfr. A word to the wise. For the moment you can sign up from $1 per month. From October the minimum will increase to £1 per month, although existing subscribers will not be affected. A final reminder that you can find the full text and links to the stories in this episode on the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report.
I’m Anthony Day. And that’s all for now.
Sources Environment Lockdown will have 'negligible' impact on climate crisis – study
Greenland ice sheet lost a record 1m tonnes of ice per minute in 2019
Carbon emissions from Artic wildfires up more than a third https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49125391
NEW WEATHER INSTITUTE https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/25/suvs-second-biggest-cause-of-emissions-rise-figures-reveal
Politics
https://europeanclimate.org/a-tale-of-two-citizens-assemblies/
https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/05/sustainable-recovery-french-citizens-assembly https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4019582/mps-table-fresh-legislation-close-gaps-uk-climate-change-act
https://greenworld.org.uk/article/bristol-hold-citizens-assembly-coronavirus-recovery
https://www.citizensassembly.scot
And Finally Thanks Zoe Cohen - https://www.businessinsider.com/conocophillips-chillers-refreeze-thawing-tundra-climate-change-2020-8?r=US&IR=T
As the Arctic melts, Extinction Rebellion urges the British government to speed up its response to the climate emergency.
And finally…no, this isn’t the last episode, just the last episode in July before I close down for August. Hold tight - there’s a lot to get in.
I’ll be talking about transport, climate, too much water, too little water, energy, campaigns and opinions and I chat briefly about pollution with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk Radio. There are pages of links to all these stories on the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report. This is probably the longest episode I’ve done at 6,700 words, but then, you’ve got a whole month to enjoy it.
How much time do you spend on line? Can we surf the net indefinitely, or are we reaching the point where browsing time must be capped?. Is that a fridge over there? No, it’s a 60kWh storage unit - but not a battery. Before you knock that building down think of all the embedded carbon! But first, some thoughts about population.
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It’s another week of odds and ends. It’s Bees’ Needs Week - there’s an apology from a campaigner for the climate hoax (buy his book and learn more) - it’s the sun, stupid, not CO2 - alternatives to plastic, to food and to economic growth - green recovery or environmental endgame? - and finally, why the horrible, hated fossil fuel industry could be crucial to a clean energy transition. But first, this is what I think.
This week I'm talking about the energy industry with James Spencer, Managing Director of Portland Fuel. Is this the oil industry’s endgame? When and why can we expect an oil price spike? Is an electric transport fleet an impossible dream, and does the future lie with hydrogen? Insights from inside the industry.
And in other news…McKinsey on carbon capture, usage and storage, California legislates on electric trucks and public doubts about the UK government's recovery strategy.
Last week I told you about a paper in the journal nature communications entitled “Scientists’ Warning on Affluence”, which explained how affluence leads to overconsumption which in turn leads to environmental damage. I’ve been fortunate to set up an interview with Professor Julia Steinberger, one of the authors, and you’ll hear from her in a moment.
In other news, last week’s report from the U.K.'s committee on climate change says “COVID-19 can be an historic turning point in tackling the global climate crisis”. While businesses met to discuss building back better the British prime minister set out his plans for restarting the economy after Covid and a mass lobby descended virtually on Westminster. And finally, Greta Thunberg has a thing about selfies.
Remembering last week’s warning from the IEA that we have but 6 months to head off the worst of the climate crisis, there’s worrying news of unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic and there’s serious river pollution in the UK. Whatever the need for urgent action we need continuous research and innovation, steadily building an infrastructure for a low-carbon future. I bring you news of solar farms and energy storage, stories of the future of fossil fuels, news of ways of processing waste. And the advice and ideas for establishing a green recovery still keep pouring in, though not to universal approval.
I've read so many articles recently saying that there is no going back to business as usual and more are pouring in every day. “Green Recovery” and “Build Back Better” are rapidly becoming clichés as people want to use the exit from lockdown as an opportunity for change. There are calls to do things differently from charities, pension funds, scientists, political parties, the Ecologist, XR and The Climate Coalition, among many others. Will you be lobbying your MP about it on 30th June, and will climate campaigns survive the pandemic or is this a dress rehearsal for the climate crisis? In some places traffic levels are already climbing beyond what they were before the virus, so are we already too late? The IEA gives us 6 months to get things under control and in other news BP takes a hit, sustainable coffee takes a new tack and Unilever takes aim to reduce its impact.
There's a lot of news coming out of Australia - coal, coral and controversy. There’s news as well from Brazil, and news from the energy industry. More ideas for building back better as we get the COVID-19 pandemic under control. And given that governments are crucial to successfully challenging the climate emergency, I ask whether we can trust a government which rejects its own manifesto commitments.
A bit more text
Thanks for listening to this week’s Sustainable Futures Report. You’ll appreciate that I’ve had to hold over most of my five pages of leads to climate stories until next time. Many thanks for all my patrons for staying with me and thanks to those of you who wrote to me during August. I’ll share your ideas next time. By the way, if you’d like to become a patron, and your support would be most gratefully received, just hop across to patreon.com/sfr. A word to the wise. For the moment you can sign up from $1 per month. From October the minimum will increase to £1 per month, although existing subscribers will not be affected.
A final reminder that you can find the full text and links to the stories in this episode on the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report.
It’s Friday 5th June - World Environment Day. I’m Anthony Day and in this episode of the Sustainable Futures Report I look at new transport initiatives and ask if they are just flights of fancy, I investigate whether a proposed recycling initiative is merely greenwash and I look again at possible directions for post-COVID recovery. I’m British, so I’ll be talking about the weather and finally, keeping the lights on has never been more challenging. I listened to a panel of experts this week talking about Grid Flexibility.
How do we talk to the other side about the climate emergency? How do we find common ground? How do we get everyone working together? I spoke to Kevin Wilhelm CEO of Sustainable Business Consulting in Seattle.
Making the headlines, some politicians, activists and commentators are calling for a green recovery. A changed world as we come out of COVID lockdown. There are endless arguments over what that actually means, how we do it, when we do it and whether we can do it. Meanwhile, some fossil fuel companies are accused of failing to meet targets, some are agitating for targets to be dropped and some politicians are quietly dropping them anyway. The word in the markets is that green investment is a success story and elsewhere the sun is shining on renewables, even if some of them are all at sea. (Oh, all right, it’s a lake.) And then there’s net zero. What does it actually mean, and could BECCS help? And we have a new patron.
(Nothing to do with cats although I do mention CAT)
A designer solution providing an environmentally responsible outlet for your industry's waste. Peter Ettinger of Bioenergy DevCo explains how an anaerobic digester plant tailored to specific waste streams can produce biogas and soil improvers - and pay for itself.
Recently a group of academics wrote to The Guardian and said, "It is game over for preventing dangerous climate change..."
One of the signatories to the letter was Dr James Dyke of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. I tracked him down, and this is what he told me.
What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know.
This week I interview Michl Binderbauer, CEO of TAE Technologies (TAE.com) about his research into nuclear fusion - the great hope for clean and (relatively) cheap energy. It's been predicted for 20 years hence for the last 50 years or so, but Michl believes that the breakthrough could now be reached within 10. And beyond that we could see direct transformation of heat into electricity, meaning we could finally abandon the 19th century technology of boiler-turbine-generator that every conventional power station, even nuclear stations, still uses.
I look at the outlook for oil from the International Energy Agency and report on how Canada is betting its green future on oil. Fine words from the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. Now let's see some actions. During lockout down no-one's travelling, but CO2 emissions are still increasing. Why? And what has made environmental scientists so angry about Michael Moore's latest film? Finally, would you trust a politician? Listen to this one and ideally watch the video (link on the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report) and see what you think.
Yes, the threat, challenge and tragedy that is COVID19 remains everyone’s first concern. Coronavirus affects us all, but in this episode my aim is to talk briefly of other things.
This week I bring you a miscellany of stories that you may have missed.
Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Professor, Author and Authority on Reimagining Capitalism talks to the Sustainable Futures Report.
There are no good jokes about climate change, so instead I'm going to talk about COP26, the way out of this pandemic and its effect on actions against climate change; coal mining, geo-engineering and global dimming.
Right then. This week I’m going to talk about denial and whether climate change could lead to more pandemics in future. How will COVID19 affect developing nations and what are the implications of that for the rest of us? How is climate change affecting Africa and developing nations? And in other news, fantasies in Venice, cars in the sky, carbon reporting, fiddling investors, and why the British government thinks we should give up cars.
Ready?
I'm setting up a webinar for patrons to discuss where the Sustainable Futures Report should go from here. There's also an overview of my approach to looking at the consequences of climate change outside the wealthy west.
This time the topics I'm covering include good news and positive climate messages from the mining industry, from the EU, from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority - maybe even from Boris Johnson! There’s good news, too, about geothermal energy, cutting pollution and a possible end to the throwaway culture. But the list of bad news is ever longer: Commuters committed to their cars, why trees are not the answer, threats to sue the government over continued use of fossil fuels, accelerating polar ice-melt and why wearing clothes can be bad for the environment. I'll start with the bad news, so you’ve got something to look forward to.
Are we telling the right story about climate change? Are we getting the message across? In this interview Captain Sandy Anderson explains how we're getting things wrong and how the Earth Ship fleet could put it right. "If the people will lead, the leaders will follow."
COVID-19, the coronavirus, has got to be at the top of any agenda, but there’s also news about COP26, JP Morgan, Barclays Bank, wind power, climate denial and the coming of the Anti-Greta, a bar of soap and how’s your business coping with risk?
Should we be vegetarian? Should we be vegan? Is it wrong, or even unsustainable to eat meat? Students at the London School of Economics seem to think so. Will we see, as some say, the end of farming? Will we return to mixed, organic agriculture or will the whole industry be revolutionised by technology? Are we condemning parts of the world to poverty and hunger while the rest of us over-eat our way to obesity and ill-health? The whole topic of food is full of questions and I don't pretend to have all or any of the answers, but at least I can provide some ideas, issues and opinions.
This week Extinction Rebellion has been digging up a lawn and calling up a storm. In other news Microsoft is committing to going carbon negative, carbon labelling seems to be back and Drax claims that the UK is getting cleaner because they are burning wood, while the government is making plans to shut down your stove -you know, the one that burns wood.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon is throwing money - $10 billion - at the climate crisis, but is it enough? Political economist Ann Pettifor says that a shortage of money will never be a problem with dealing with climate change; the main obstacle is mobilising the skills and resources to do what’s needed. And the financial institutions don’t help either.
There’s a special report from the the you-couldn’t-make-it-up dept, but first what has Extinction Rebellion been up to in Cambridge?
It’s time to accentuate the positive - to explain to people what’s good about tackling climate change rather than frightening and depressing them with speculation about what could go wrong. This week I’m also talking about COP26, about HS2 and about nuclear options suggested by Bill Gates and Rolls-Royce.
But first, last time I introduced Victoria, our latest patron, whose objective this year is to reduce her carbon footprint by 45%...
OK, OK, I don’t deny it. I said there wouldn’t be another Sustainable Futures Report until Friday 14th February. That’s still true, although you’ve got this extra one for Friday 24th January. There’s just so much piling into my inbox that I have to do something about it. This episode is about denial.
This episode is about ideas. I asked you suggest in 100 words your ideas of what we should do in 2020. Ideas came from Australia and America as well as from the UK. I had some ideas from Ian Jarvis following up on previous topics.
What are you going do differently in 2020? Let me have your ideas too!
It’s the final Sustainable Futures Report of 2019 - episode No. 45.
I’ll be commenting on the British General Election, although it won’t take long. More important is the outcome of COP25, the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, where hard-fought negotiations struggled into extra time over the weekend. And Sarah Tuneberg of Geospiza explains how we can take back control of the "natural" disasters already being caused by climate change.
Aside from election news, on the sustainability front Australia is still ablaze, COP25, the UN Climate Conference, draws to a close this week with criticism and complaints, Greta Thunberg says the school strikes have achieved nothing and some in Scotland are having a grouse - about grouse moors. But apart from all this, whatever we do to our world we are going to have to live in it and it’s important to make the very best of it. There are lessons we can learn from Nature. I spoke to Richard James MacCowan who is the founder and managing director of Biomimicry UK.
COP25, the UN Climate Change Conference, started this week in Madrid under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and with logistical support from the Government of Spain. Big beasts on the financial scene, like Christine LaGarde and Mark Carney are entering the climate debate. As coal becomes uninsurable fossil fuel lobbyists redouble their greenwash and VW has its day in court to answer the emissions scandal. There’s a lack of clarity in a recently-released report on fracking, Simon Tilley tells us a story - not for the faint-hearted - and Greenpeace has served up a turkey - but hopes that you won’t.
The week before last I was talking about carbon offsets - and all of a sudden everybody else is talking about carbon offsets, even Julia Hartley Brewer. You’ll hear her later.
easyJet tells us that Tuesday 19th November was a historic date - was it though? And listener Ian Jarvis asked some pertinent questions which I’m going to try and answer.
In the news this week, some capitalists seem to be having doubts about capitalism, the European investment bank is having doubts about fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency has doubts about coalmines, the Lancet gets to the heart of the matter and the BBC does Climategate. And what about plastic?
Carbon offsetting has been in the news this week and I've been working on an analysis of the pros and cons for a client. What's the answer? Well, it's certainly not simple as I shall attempt to explain. And then, in other news, I look at the Shell Prélude, the Aramco share offer, a new oilfield in Iran, tree planting in Turkey, and what looks like a U-turn on fracking in the UK less than a week after a moratorium was announced. And in Australia the extent and intensity of the wildfires almost defies description. Is climate change to blame?
I call this episode “It’s later than you think”, but really it’s later than you want to think. We’ve had warnings for years about the climate crisis but as a global population we’ve been postponing serious action. Now, at the 11th hour plus 59 minutes there’s the World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency. This one is serious. (As if the others weren’t.)
In other news I’ll be talking about the moratorium on fracking, a citizens’ assembly, a new coal mine, smog in Delhi, why Trump may pull federal aid funds from California fire zones, why it could be the end of the runway for some private planes and why you may need more than wellies in Dublin. Finally Dr Matt Winning tells us about his work as a climate researcher and his other life as a stand-up comedian.
This time I’ll be talking about the growth in renewable power including signs that France may prioritise renewables over nuclear, climate rules for corporations, forces behind climate denial, plumbing the depths of abandoned coal mines and some news and comment on climate science. But first, news from California.
This week Zoe Cohen, who spoke to us recently about being arrested at the XR protest in April, came to trial. We'll hear from her later. We also hear from Laura Cox who was in London for the latest XR rebellion and she too was arrested.
First, we'll look at what happened over those two weeks of rebellion.
This week marks the start of the International Rebellion led by Extinction Rebellion and I bring you my impressions of the first day in London, including an explanation of a Citizens’ Assembly, and interviews with a lady dressed as a rubbish heap, protestors on Millbank and at Lambeth Bridge. What does Section 14 mean to demonstrators? Why is XR disrupting cities around the world? Greta Thunberg - love her or hate her? Who are the uncooperative crusties in hemp-smelling bivouacs? It’s worth staying on to the end of the episode as I’ll be playing out with a selection of the Yorkshire Remain Voice Choir’s greatest hits. Oh, and I didn’t speak to Julia Hartley-Brewer this week.
Today I'm tying up more loose ends and bringing you stories which I haven't had time to cover over the last few weeks.
You'll hear about system change, about protests, prosecutions and protests to come, about energy: oil, gas and hot water. Can we over-engineer our climate solutions? I'll talk about stormy weather, a fishy tale about plastic, a green new deal and the circular route to climate salvation. And in other news there's a flying car, rare metals and does eating red meat really affect our health?
Following on from last week’s episode there’s news from Hinkley C, and unsurprisingly it’s bad news.
I spoke to Julia Hartley Brewer on Talk Radio this week about Labour's 30-year zero carbon target. You can judge for yourself how well I did. This is the week of another United Nations climate conference and I’ll talk briefly about that. Do stay on to the end. I’ll play out with a new track by John Dassieu called “Try the Greens”.
First of all though, let's hear from archaeologist Dr Chris Fisher on how new techniques can help us deal with the climate crisis.
Today is Friday, 20th September, the day of the global climate strike..
Also this week I'm talking about why scientists need to speak up and about those that do. The weather forecast is extreme. I bring you news of nuclear from Normandy, of VW from Australia, of living in a cardboard box and explain why I’m going nuts about packaging.
This week’s episode is devoted to a matter of principle. Would you be arrested for your principles? Would you go to prison for your principles?
I recently met Zoe Cohen who believes that she should go that far to protect herself, her family and indeed the rest of us from the risks of catastrophic climate change.
She told me why.
In the climate crisis news this week: the Amazon fires, why they’re not the only fires, why they may not be as bad as you think and why they may be much more serious in ways you don’t expect. The future for the consumer society. Prof Sir Ian Boyd, retiring chief scientific advisor at Defra, has set out his thoughts, which look very much like system change to me. And the flying prince. Are carbon offsets making his travel carbon neutral?
I mentioned last time that Julia Hartley Brewer of Talk Radio wanted to know what I thought about the decision of Goldsmith College to ban beef. And then Talk Radio rang me again and asked if I’d talk to Mike Graham about Elton John, flying Royals and carbon offsets. You've got two for the price of one!
I didn't buy a car this week - not even an electric. The Commonwealth research organisation suggests the age of the car is coming to an end. How will that work? I didn't eat red meat this week which is just as well because both George Monbiot and Mark Lynas say I shouldn't. But what does the IPCC tell us? Can the four-day week or the four-hour-day become a reality? And I don’t know about straws in the wind, but there are still far too many straws in landfill at the moment.
A report revealed that the birth-rate in England and Wales reached an all-time low last year. Talk Radio asked me to talk to them about it.
A few weeks ago, back when Theresa May was still Prime Minister, I had a roundtable discussion with three patrons of the Sustainable Futures Report and we made a recording. This turns out to be one of the longest episodes to date but I hope you find interesting. We’ll probably hold another discussion in September and if you'd like to take part please contact me via patreon.com/sfr
No, this one is not the one about electric vehicles that I promised . I'm holding that over for a future episode because I wanted to catch up with Extinction Rebellion and last week's protest. Not everyone agrees with XR's message. Powerful forces are gathering to stop it being heard.
This week saw renewed protests from Extinction Rebellion. I went down to the bridge in Leeds and spoke to some of the people taking part.
It looks like we should be preparing for more extreme weather like the extremes we’ve seen across the world in the last few days. Does the future lie in trees or in peat bogs, or in the US, where President Donald Trump claims his country leads the world on environmental issues? Greta Thunberg has had her biggest compliment yet while legal action over the climate crisis takes place in some 28 countries and the wind seems to be changing for the British Conservative Party. Despite all this there’s reason to hope. Go to climateoptimist.org and find out why. If you want to follow up on any of the stories you can find where I’ve got them from by going to the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report.
Just one topic this week. Rare earth metals and elements are crucial to our electronic devices, which these days are in everything from phones and computers to cookers and cars. I recently attended a lecture on this and then tracked down the speaker, Dr Alice Courvoisier, in a coffee shop. She explained how the process of extraction and use of these materials has wide-ranging consequences for us all.
In the week when Network Rail told its staff that if they needed to travel on business they should not take the train if it was cheaper to fly, I bring you yet more on plastic pollution– It just won't go away. Can we cut carbon dioxide by using direct air capture? Patron Tom de Simone provides some clues. We look at global heating, heatwaves and melting ice caps. Are the fashion industry and the rise of artificial intelligence working against us? Client Earth had a musical windfall this week, a peaceful protester was manhandled from London’s Mansion House, they do things differently in Scotland and it could be OK to eat meat again - as long as it’s not made from animals.
We're on our way to zero in 2050. This is the week when Extinction Rebellion promised to blockade Heathrow airport but didn't, the week when Heathrow airport opened consultation on its plans for a new third runway, and the week when outgoing prime minister Theresa May pledged to reduce the U.K.'s carbon emissions by not 80%, but by a full 100% by 2050. Net zero emissions!
Is there more to life than GDP and growth? There is in New Zealand. And how should we talk about all these sustainability issues? All this and more in your weekly helping of sustainability news.
This week we're cutting the carbs. No, not carbohydrates, not carburettors, no we’re cutting carbon footprints. Yes, we will talk about food, in the context of food waste as I promised last time, and about food distribution and packaging. The supermarkets are stirring. (Although not much.) Also free speech and free thinking, what going green will cost the government (although the government’s denied it) and an update on an update about rare earth metals.
This week’s episode is about even more rubbish. Patron Shane suggested we look at electronic rubbish and there’s certainly a story to tell there. We’ll also look at plastic waste, and I warn you none of it is good news. Talking of rubbish, I started writing this on one of Northern Rail’s Pacer trains stranded for over an hour in deepest Yorkshire by cows on the line. Not seen in the south of England for many years, these were built very cheaply in the 80s out of bus parts. They are now 20 years beyond their design life and due to be withdrawn later in 2019. Of course there’s no wifi and no socket to plug the charger into; not even a table to balance the laptop on. I’m a staunch believer in reduce, reuse, recycle, but surely there are limits. Having said that, I hear that once the trains have been withdrawn the government plans to offer them to local communities for use as village halls or community centres. I’m surprised they didn’t suggest food banks or shelters for the homeless. And yes this giveaway idea is absolutely true - there’s a link on the blog.
Preparation and delivery of this week’s corporate presentations took a lot of time, so that and a 2.5 hour train delay have made this week’s episode late, so apologies for that. If you need a speaker for your event have at look at me in action. (I don’t always wear that tie.) https://youtu.be/uMBMiVgl3ec
The Metropolitan Police takes a hard line on Extinction Rebellion while CO2 reaches record levels in the atmosphere. Opinions on climate change diverge in the US, the new Australian government takes climate-related decisions, the Greens advance in Europe and we hear a perspective from Rotterdam. Sea levels are rising, but oil companies deny any liability while some suggest we could ease the climate crisis by working shorter hours. And what about carbon offsets? It seems my scepticism may have been justified.
In positive news Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam was cleared by a jury over his King's College protest, the Committee on Climate Change believes that the UK 'can cut emissions to nearly zero' by 2050, Greta Thunberg addressed MPs and the UK Parliament subsequently declared a climate change emergency. On a more challenging note, Cressida Dick, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, called for stronger penalties for demonstrators, the Committee on Climate change warned that it might be necessary to curb the growth in UK flying while the Environment Agency predicted that flooding caused by the climate crisis could force some UK towns to be abandoned. And then there's that flying taxi...
Have a Swedish schoolgirl, a naturalist in his 90s and a civil disobedience campaign in the streets of London finally led people to realise that the climate is in crisis and that it affects us all?
Who knows what will happen next week? By the time you hear this you'll know far more than me. For the moment I'm just going to talk about re-wilding the countryside, global warming in Canada, what engineer I K Brunel thought about pollution, the downside of banning throwaway coffee cups, the future for gas home heating, the Lancet’s Countdown, naming and shaming some plastic polluters, coal-fired power plants and cleaning up the National Grid, air quality in London and regenerative farming.
But not necessarily in that order.
It’s like buses. You wait for climate change activists and then several thousand suddenly turn up at once. Apart from that, I'm going to tell you about the future of insects, views on climate change denial, more about glyphosate, some thoughts on population, and a new entry to Europe's top10 polluters.
There's too much water - or maybe not enough.
In this episode I'm also talking about energy: coal, Hinkley C and hydrogen; about transport, specifically the future of HS2; about cleaning up Canada and about pollution: plastic pollution and air pollution. And how we can avoid the jaws of death.
Youth of the World on the march. I've been reading There is no Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee and I'll tell you how it compares with The Uninhabitable Earth which I reviewed earlier. I’ve been in touch with Jem Bendell. He's totally overwhelmed by responses to his paper but I hope to be able to interview one of his colleagues later in May. This week I've discovered a lot of information about denial. Why do people deny things and what can we do about it? And there's other news: about air pollution, Coca-Cola bottles, gas heating and a few gripes about my abandoned PhD. Full text and links at www.sustainablefutures.report.
This week, today in fact, there's another march. Also in this episode Jeremy Leggett puts China's climate mitigation lead in the context of geopolitics. Jem Bendell has published a paper which he thinks puts him at odds with the academic establishment. I look at what he has to say and I hope there will be opportunity to ask him some questions for a future episode. I told you about the Carrington Event just before Christmas. It seems that something very like it happened some 2,600 years ago. Could it happened again? Norway is revising its investment plans and with a month’s experience of being an electric car owner we can tell you that buying an electric vehicle could be the best decision you ever make, or possibly the very worst.
This week: a review of The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, the attention that climate change is getting in Parliament and reactions to the American Green Deal. There’s more on extreme weather, on air pollution and a follow-up from The Lancet on the Planetary Diet.
This week it’s mainly about carbon. Carbon emissions, carbon capture, US government carbon policy, cutting carbon by getting rid of gas, a carbon-cutting stealth tax with the very best of intentions and a new carbon-reducing diet which is not designed to make you slim. There’s also news about fracking, palm oil, insects and cheese.
We need to do something about climate change. David Attenborough says so. Extinction Rebellion says so. Kids are coming out of school on Friday to say so. We need to do more. Business needs to do more. The government needs to do much more.
I'm trying not to shout, but it's important.
Sailing through the Antarctic - Learning to live with an electric car - UK carbon emissions fall -Fast food companies under pressure to reduce emissions - Fashion retailers ignoring environmental impact - BP and global climate goals - The warmest century - Factfulness, a book you should read - and is your doggy vegan?
How much energy does it take to make a Google search? Is there enough electricity to go round? How close are we to 100% renewables? Can we extract electricity from the air? (Well, not the air exactly...) Should I upgrade my smartphone? And who went and rubbed shoulders with some of the richest people in the world in Davos and stayed in a tent?
Time to stop a war, to stop air pollution and stop the ice from melting. Time to go electric, or maybe go hydrogen and to go underground to hide that nasty carbon.
Stories this week from Yemen, DEFRA and the Department of Transport, from Alaska and Greenland and from the American courts. Nothing at all about Brexit. Guaranteed.
What do we think of human influence on the Earth? "Relaxed, but not complacent," says Chris Thomas. He's an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of York and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In a wide-ranging discussion he tells me why he's optimistic, although we need to take urgent action to cut carbon emissions, and why he'd like to introduce elephants and hippopotamuses to the university lake.
Have we reached Peak Stuff? Are we wasting our time recycling? Who is Trash Girl? All this and a conversation with Mike Graham of Talk Radio about dealing with our rubbish.
In this last episode for 2018 I report how COP24 finally concluded an agreement, but loose ends remain to be tied at COP25 next year. I investigate the story of a scientific phenomenon from 1859, and discover what it could do to us if it happened again.
This week I look back at the 22 episodes published this year and pick out some themes, stories and updates.
Sustainability is an immensely broad issue and climate change must come at the very top. Waste, energy and low carbon solutions for transport are all linked as well. And what are VW shooting at in Mexico?
COP24 opens in Katowice, Poland with a keynote from Sir David Attenborough. What will these two weeks bring? And a look at water. Warm water, cold water and salty water. Could another Little Ice Age be on its way?
This week I'm looking at population, and like many other sustainability issues it is broad, deep and complicated. What do you think we could, or should, do about growing world population? Other sustainability news from the US, Canada, France and North Somerset. Links to my sources on the blog (which will be published in the course of the morning) at www.sustainablefutures.report.
This week’s episode is about climate change - by far the most important issue facing us now, although it's far from the forefront of politics and it doesn’t seem to excite the media very much. I talk about what we should do. What the Climate Change Commission suggests we should do. What Extinction Rebellion (who they?) demands we should do. What the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change wants us to do. And there’s a reminder from the IPCC of what will happen if we don’t do anything, or don’t do it quickly enough. There are some notes on coal, oil and wind, and bad news from the Amazon. There’s news from France that people may not think that what’s good for the climate is good for them.
Listen up to hear about electric insights, geothermal engineering, dams, fracking, the plug-in hybrids that aren’t, new rules on waste, threats to environmental legislation, how nuclear power may be the future but Toshiba wants no part of it and a strange Icelandic saga - but that's by no means all!
Recently we’ve spoken at length about plastic. We’ve spoken about climate change. But there’s something in the air; in fact there's a lot more in the air than there should be. This week’s episode is about air quality, the third big area that needs cleaning up.
In this episode I talk about more plastic rubbish, about energy, about politicians and about Brexit. I also mention industrial-scale fly-tipping, what to do with your empty Pringles can and a new Circular Economy initiative.
Special thanks to Eleanor Rogers for extensive information on plastic.
This week it's all about policy, about energy policy, about policies to combat climate change. There's an interview, too, with Hal Harvey, author ofDesigning Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy. And some electrifying news about transport.
The big story this week is the IPCC report. Yes, I know it came out two weeks ago but there was an awful lot to read. One of the recommendations is the use of carbon capture and storage and this week we have an interview with Prof Jon Gluyas of Durham University who is an expert in this field.
In this episode I also comment on a number of the government's green policies, I talk about energy, I look into a smart sewer and I can tell you where to park your car for the price of a few plastic bottles
I've had more feedback than ever this week as you'll hear. Also in this week’s episode: climate failures and climate lies, a big price for small reactors, don't paint the town red – paint it green, and how should we keep it warm? News from Smart Cities World, from the IPCC and a follow-up on some of the issues covered last time.
This week I'll tell you about my PhD research into smart meters and why I’m not doing it any more. I did learn quite a lot as I shall explain later. OPEC tells us that they expect oil production to rise dramatically in the next five years, so if that's true I presume we can kiss goodbye to the Paris agreement. Why not avoid oil and buy an electric car? We ordered one last week. Unlike other electric car owners we won't be taking it to the Middle East. Why would we? Listen on and you’ll find out. The answer to heating British homes and indeed homes in other countries could lie in the coal mines. But it has nothing to do with coal. First of all though, let's talk about sustainability and survival. Specifically about the survival of food plants on earth...
This week I review an important book on the circular economy, there is energy news on nuclear, gas and coal, the BBC fesses up, Saturn may have rings but Carlsberg is getting rid of them, extreme weather is still battering many parts of the world and can Walmart afford sustainability?
In this episode I'll be talking about energy, including fracking and transport, about waste food and waste plastic, about climate change, about investment strategies, about floods and fires and climate change denial, and we have a book review as well. There are some informed insights from Jeremy Leggett and there might be a bit of politics too.
Remember, the full text of this episode is on the blog at www.sustainablefutures.report where you will find links to the sources of all my stories.
I know, I know. I said the Sustainable Futures Report would be monthly from now on but there's just so much going on. Energy, climate change, reverse vending and what's a Hyperloop? And I've been on Talk Radio again- this time with Mike Graham.
Goals. This special episode is mainly about goals. But not football. About the SDGs, the sustainable development goals from the United Nations and about how they relate to business. And as an extra extra, at the very end of this edition I've included the interview I did recently with Julia Hartley Brewer on Talk Radio. She wanted to talk about the carbon dioxide shortage. Shortage? When there's too much in the atmosphere?
This time I interview Martin Baxter, Chief Policy Advisor at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment about the Institute's response to the government's proposals for environmental regulation after Brexit. There's news from Canada where the government has just bought up a pipeline which some see as an expensive white elephant. It will cost taxpayers at least $3 billion.
Text and links at www.sustainablefutures.report, including a link to a pilot's eye view of the challenging seaway from Vancouver out to the North Pacific.
This month’s episode is all about change. (OK, not that sort of change) The government is making it easier for fracking and plans to make it more difficult to own a wood burning stove. It's cleaning up cars, eventually, (although it's told us that once already) and it's promising world-beating environmental standards post Brexit, but a lot of people don’t believe it. Carbon capture and storage is back. Is neoliberalism the enemy of social change? Oh, and don’t buy an electric car. But first, the weather…
First of all there's news of a net improvement in the volume of plastics in the oceans. Barclays are still banking on fossil fuels and I can tell you about the enchanted forest which made some environmentalists very disenchanted indeed. Spurs, the football team plans to kick single-use plastic into touch. In Scotland there is a new tidal project, in Sweden there’s an electric road and in California there’s an electric Apple. BP says it's going greener, the Filipinos are going to law, EDF is going slower–at least at its nuclear plant in northern France, while Scott Pruitt and colleagues are going first-class. Finally, was the beast from the east more than just a cliché?
In this episode I'm looking at pension funds, plastics and population. There's good news and bad news on fracking, there is controversy in Canada about clean water, and ISDS, which I mentioned last time, has had a day in court. It seems that no one can stop Juliana, not even Donald Trump. Since the last episode we've had World Water Day, Earth Hour and Easter, that festival of packaging. WWF warns that climate change may be about to change our diets. And on the energy front there’s progress on the lithium air battery and progress, in a negative sort of way, on the U.K.'s latest coal mine. Thinking of a new house? Why not print one?
Introducing this episode with Goodbye Beautiful World by Michael Anzilotti. This time I'm going to talk about rubbish, about free solar panels and batteries and cars in space. About growing food in the desert, about Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, and agricultural standards after Brexit. About who’s getting pressure from Greenpeace and who’s giving pressure to Avaaz, another campaigning group. There are straws in the wind - plastic ones - more in some places than others. Can we have a good life for all? The British government has lost a legal action for its lack of action on air quality - for the third time - and finally non-native species are not always what they seem.
Text at sustainablefutures.report.
A few of the Sustainability stories which have come up since the last episode and my plans for 2018. That includes preparing for SSCC19 and researching for a PhD. More at sscc19.com and the text of this episode is at www.sustainablefutures.report
Campaigner, environmentalist, author and journalist George Monbiot talks to Manda Scott about his latest book.
Challenges and opportunities for the copper industry and its role at the centre of the low carbon economy. Balancing environmental constraints with the growing demand for the world's best conductor of electricity and heat. Text at sustainablefutures.report
It's lighter than air, it burns without a flame, it can pass through metals. Is hydrogen the fuel of the future?
Coal, CO2, Disruptive Innovation, Worried Scientists and Pacific Warriors. Find the full text and links at www.sustainablefutures.report
COP 23, the annual climate conference, is running in Bonn, Germany. We have a report from a man on the ground. The US is not participating, at least not in a positive way; the UN is warning of an emissions gap while levels of CO2 and methane are racing ahead. Should we be driving electric cars? They’re clean, aren’t they? Some claim that they are just as dirty as combustion engined vehicles. Client Earth is still trying to get the UK government to clean up the air, water fountains are fizzing in Paris, Juliana seems to have new friends and how precious is plastic?
The history and purpose of the Sustainable Futures Report as it nears its 200th edition.
In London it could be time for tea, or you could be better off on a bike. Yvonne Teo tells us about her sustainable adventures on a bike. Have you checked your carbon footprint? Best foot forward!
This week the British government published its Clean Growth strategy. Australia updated its energy policy as well. Both will be controversial. One of the major oil companies has seen the light and finds it’s electric. Talking of seeing the light, a famous journalist seems to have had a Damascene conversion. Will the Daily Mail allow him to write for them ever again? Would you like a nuclear power station at the bottom of your street or would you prefer to rely on the tides? But there are more question marks over tidal power from Swansea Bay. Are the developers getting themselves in a hole? Electric cars seem to be coming to a bump in the road in Norway and in Canada there may be problems in the pipeline. How big is your carbon footprint? If you show me yours I’ll show you mine.
So what's new and sustainable?
This week it’s about Our Ocean and the Prince and the plastic bottles, billions of them. More about plastic straws, too. Could the wind be changing? Had you heard that the war is over? That’s the American war on coal. It seems the EPA is fighting a rearguard action. In Siberia they’re using wood - too much of it by all accounts. And they’d rather you went away. Probably a good idea in case you fall down a sinkhole. On the way down you’ll pass the methane - that highly potent greenhouse gas - coming up.
What can we do about all this? Not a lot, but not nothing either. I’ll share some ideas. And talking of sharing, where’s your nearest community fridge? Community what? Community fridge. Listen up and learn more.
Text and links at sustainablefutures.report
This week:
- Plan B.Earth and why another group is out to sue the government
- No fracking in Scotland
- Why London’s mayor is putting out fires
- Energy from evaporation
- Electric planes
- More on drinking straws
- Why the diesel market is all at sea
- Let’s bring back heavy metal
- And Drawdown. Is this the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming?
The Met Office says the slowdown in global warming is over, but does everyone believe it? Is climate change a really urgent issue? Carbonbrief takes issue with the Daily Mail over this. Are we doing enough recycling? The Marine Conservation Society sees straws in the wind, but sadly they’re plastic. The British government announces a Green Finance Taskforce. Haven’t I heard of something like that before? And then there’s the Green Supply Chain. Listen up before you eat that chocolate! Sustainability, or at least renewable energy, seems to be becoming a political football down under, and they’re growing salads down underground. Hot news from the Sahara on the energy front. Energy from there might help us replace all those diesel cars which got another bad press this week. Or maybe we’ll get it from a new solar plant, plus batteries, just commissioned nearer to home.
And would you rather trust Boris or Matilda?
In this wide-ranging discussion with Anthony Day, Karl Coplan talks about measuring your carbon footprint and sharing it with friends, whether hurricanes are caused by climate change, whether the US administration will change its position on the climate and how he lives the good life with a carbon footprint of only four tons.
Shooting the breeze or shooting the hurricane. Is that a good idea? We’ll find out. Whatever you do, don’t mention climate change. At least not at the EPA, although perhaps you should mention it in the confessional and it may be brought up in court.
Careful how you cross the road! Carbon Tracker believes that those electric cars could be arriving more quickly than you thought, although Shell is not so sure. More on Hinkley C. Free solar panels for social houses. It’s all in this week’s Sustainable Futures Report. And crunchy insects, too!
Time to mine the asteroids for scarce resources or should we be developing a circular economy closer to home? Or is space travel for holidays? Virgin Galactica passengers have paid their $250,000 fares but have been waiting in the departure lounge now for some years. Meanwhile, back on earth the future’s electric (should I buy a new car?) inner-city vertical farms are starting to deliver locally-grown food, at least in New York, and a succession of tropical storms and hurricanes is surely making climate denial ever harder. Pack up your troubles - but not in a plastic bag. At least not in the country that could fine you £30,000. All this and more in the latest Sustainable Futures Report.
The Sustainable Futures Report is back with a review of Al Gore’s latest film, wildfires in unexpected places, earth overshoot day, hydrogen in a Belgian supermarket and a bright idea from Nottingham Trent University. Well done, Dylan, but will it wash? Don’t forget to sign up for the Going Green Working Group Conference 2017. Links to all this and more at www.sustainablefutures.report.
Quite a lot to catch up on before I close down for a month. Apparently co-housing makes you happy but some people are quite cross and railing at the British Government’s transport policies. They’ve also announced a new energy policy, which does seem to have confused the BBC somewhat. Is wind power all at sea, and if you’re recycling - you certainly should be - are you doing it right? Michelle Marks can advise. Across the pond President Trump has made another appointment, there’s controversy about chlorine-washed chicken and Juliana has a new friend in James Hansen. If you’re going away this summer, NOW is the time to travel responsibly and NOW is also a website to tell you how to do it. I close with my holiday booklist and an introduction to sustainable Shakespeare.
As always, the text version of the Sustainable Futures Report complete with links is at www.sustainablefutures.report.
What can I do about climate change? Does it make any difference if I recycle? How can I affect global challenges when there are multinational corporations which seem to be set in the opposite direction? Can we really do anything about population, pollution and climate change? How can I help?
Burning questions and suggested answers.
Here’s what I’ll be talking about today:
Donald Trump at the G20 and his relationships with Ivanka, Theresa, Angela - and Juliana. The wildfires in Canada, Arizona, California and Utah. The new Tesla battery, the new Tesla battery plant and the new Tesla battery-powered Model 3. What the lady on the train told me. Why there’s a new threat to the internet and why it’s important to know that I’m not a robot. And there's news from Swansea Bay as well. Links to sources at www.sustainablefutures.report
Hear what Tony O'Donnell of Cambium LLP has to say about the future of sustainability in this world of challenges, opportunities and innovation.
This week we return once again to energy; sustainable energy, clean energy and renewable energy. We also look at incredibly expensive energy and very unlikely energy. Community Energy Fortnight, running from 24th June to 9th July has kept me quite busy this last week. There’s news from the Amazon, news from Hinkley and news from the Mexican border.
First of all let me thank once again all my patrons, and if you've not already signed up at Patreon.com/SFR then I'd be more than grateful for your support. Join patrons and listeners from all over the world from Canada to Australia, from Scandinavia to Spain and from China to the United States.
We live in challenging times. There is much to be said about the UK political landscape, but for the Sustainable Futures Report I limit myself to sustainability and futures.
That doesn't rule out of politics altogether of course, because I am going to talk in more detail about the appointment of Michael Gove as Secretary of State for the environment and about the Juliana case against the US government. There will probably be something about Brexit in there too. Well it’s hard to ignore the most significant political event since the Second World War ended 72 years ago.
Combustible ice is a hot topic this week. And self-drive cars? How about self-drive ships? And when is a hybrid not a hybrid?
I'll start with a couple of organisations taking steps to reduce their impact on our planet.
You can read the full text at www.sustainablefutures.report.
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Professor Andy Heyes talk on sustainable energy. He's agreed to share his thoughts with listeners to the Sustainable Futures Report. We spoke about renewables, wind, tidal and solar. We looked at innovative ways of managing demand. We discussed whether Drax is really green. Listen now or read the transcript.
If you’ve been to the patreon site at patreon.com/sfr you’ll know that I’ve set a number of targets. The first was to get all interviews transcribed for the blog. I haven’t reached that target yet but I thought that this interview was too important to miss, so there is a transcript at www.anthonyday.blogspot.com.
Donald Trump has finally decided to break with Paris and repercussions were felt as far away as Pittsburg. He's still being pursued by Juliana and really didn’t appreciate Emmanuel Macron giving him a hand. Al Gore is making last-minute changes to his latest film, Ellen MacArthur is offering a prize, Robert Llewellyn is leading the Great Village Green Crusade and beavers are beavering away, maybe soon in a swamp near you. Cities are getting hotter; let’s store that energy. What’s the carbon footprint like in your part of Europe, and Beans or Beef? Your choice could save the planet.
Links and references on the blog as usual, at anthonyday.blogspot.com
Yes, it's the report you’ve all been waiting for: my analysis of the different promises on sustainability in the UK election manifestoes from the main parties. I’ll tell you who I’m going to vote for and why. I also include a guide to the UK electoral system for those of my many listeners who are based outside the UK.
Text and links at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week we're talking about clean energy, about rubbish and about pollution, both in the sea and in the air. If you think politicians are rubbish you’ll hear of a politician who really is rubbish and proud of it. Should you have your coffee in a china cup or a paper cup or a styrofoam cup? We find the answer in Switzerland. We follow up on tellurium, look at a novel use for hydrogen, gaze through wooden windows and pass on an important message from France.
Maybe it’s because our election is dominating the news, but there’s not a lot to talk about, so I won’t detain you long.
In this report we see that Trump is procrastinating, the US judiciary is standing firm, and the Morteratsch Glacier is snowed up. Germany is using less coal, DEFRA is trembling at the prospect of Brexit and there’s a new circular economy standard. More about cricket, but the insect this time, not the game, and is the UK facing a drought?
Nothing about the UK election. Guaranteed.
In this week's report: can you get a discount if you take your own cup to a coffeeshop? Are batteries the investment of the future? I'll tell you about my smart meter, about electric cars in India and about the implications of tellurium supplies for solar panels. The RHS comments on the effect of climate change on gardens. Will we soon been drinking GM tea? The court has ruled against the government once more on air pollution, the Marine Conservation Society issues a plastic challenge and plastic waste could be coming to a road near you. President Trump will shortly set out his climate policy and Professor Stephen Hawking urges us to colonise distant planets.
All this and not a word about the British parliamentary election!
We've all heard of the Big Apple but Brighton has a Big Lemon. You can ride in it. You’ll soon be able to ride in driverless cars. They’re expected to arrive in 2019.
After last week’s edition on rubbish I can tell you about Reverse Vending and about grubs that eat plastic. Meanwhile the government is in court yet again over its failure to improve air quality. It’s also using the election to delay the UK’s emissions reduction strategy, as predicted by The Environmentalist. In South Wales there are fears that the General Election could push the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon start date back a year to 2019. We’re still waiting for the government’s 25-year environmental strategy and we’ve been waiting for that since last summer.
In brief,
- they want more drinking fountains in London so we don't have to throw away so many plastic bottles.
- Someone's come up with a plastic container that you can eat. I wonder what you wrap it in.
- Should you be entitled to a doggy bag in Scotland?
- Your clothes are probably polluting the oceans, but some people have the balls to solve this problem.
- Plastic Planet is a pressure group seeking to banish plastic from the planet, or a lot of it anyway. They are targeting supermarkets.
- The Local Government Association is targeting chewing gum manufacturers.
- Let’s aim for Zero Waste to Landfill. The Carbon Trust has a document that tells us how.
On the energy front,
- there’s trouble at Drax and
- there’s a new renewables project in the wind on the Outer Hebrides.
Scientists have discovered a material which absorbs CO2. Good news, maybe, for Al Gore who launches An Inconvenient Sequel in July. Finally, a word from a concerned citizen, writing to my local paper.
The European Electricity Industry commits to phasing out coal. Meanwhile there are doubts about exactly how much gas can be recovered by fracking in the north of England.
The Colombia mudslide - was this global warming in action? Air pollution is in the news again. Are our children safe and how realistic are the proposed measures against vehicle emissions?
A nice piece of salmon for Easter? How much longer will we all be able to eat salmon? We look at the state of fish-farming.
Bees are under threat, but there are things you can do to help. Wild life and open spaces are under threat. Taking back control after Brexit means we can abolish European Environmental Regulations and build on protected land. There are certainly some people who want to do that.
My recent interview - Meat and Climate Change - with Kristie Middleton and Helen Harwatt from the Humane Society of the US sparked a lot of reactions. Hear the feedback.
As always, links are on the blog at anthonyday.blogspot.com.
Business ethics. Last month I was asked to address a group of business students at a local University. I thought it would be a useful recap of the main sustainability issues if I shared my presentation with you today. The slides are up on slide share, http://www.slideshare.net/AnthonyDay10/business-ethics-and-sustainability - and other links are on the blog at anthonyday.blogspot.com. The slides have very few words so you'll need to listen to what I'm saying to get the sense. You are welcome to use this material yourself if you have an appropriate audience. Of course, for a fee I’d always be delighted to come and talk to them for you!
Please visit my Patreon page at http://www.patreon.com/sfr
This week we're talking about meat and climate change. How is meat linked to climate change? Can what you eat have an effect on global warming? Yes, is the answer from the Humane Society of the United States and we meet Kristie Middleton and Dr Helen Harwatt from that organisation who explain how and why it's true.
Find the full text along with extensive links and resources at anthonyday.blogspot.com.
In my conversation with Dr Jan Maskell she explained her progress from architecture and the civl service to qualifications in psychology, which is now the basis of her business. She told me why sustainability is important to her, and how it is embedded in her lifestyle at Lancaster Co-Housing. I also called in at the "No Surprises" Department to find out about a warm 2016, EPA budget cuts and a worrying silence from the G20.
Text and links available at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week there’s more about energy and about islands - in the middle of the North Sea and floating out there in space. How do you get your groceries? Ocado has a new idea and Ocado is not alone. Drones, robots, autonomous lorries? Are these the future? There’s more on the effects of air quality and the WHO has produced a new report on a sustainable world for children, linked to the SDGs. Surfers are protesting against plastic bottles - a story which made the front page this week. Do you remember American Judge Ann Aiken? She’s now under attack from the Trump administration, as well as from the fossil fuel industry. I’ll tell you more.
Roses are red, violets are blue, but LILAC is a housing co-operative. More about this later. The future, and the past, seems to be electric with electric taxis in Beijing and a very special battery-powered classic. In the I-told-you-so department climate scientists reveal that their 1980s forecasts were not that far out, while others report a massive permafrost thaw. (Try saying that with your teeth in!) Literati - you thought they were people who wrote for the newspapers, didn’t you? Well Litterati (that’s with two Ts) is about litter and there’s an app and a TED talk that you mustn't miss. Chevron seems to be realising that the end of oil is in sight - and not because it’s running out. And finally my good deed for the week, and why you should do one too.
Find the links to my sources on the blog at anthonyday.blogspot.com.
This week: is biomass energy really green energy? A new report throws doubts. The Lords Economic Affairs Committee has issued a report casting doubt on the government’s energy policy, but other organisations have cast severe doubt on the Lords’ report. Energy, shouldn’t we be saving it? Maybe by insulating one home a minute, every minute until 2050? That’s the message from the Green Buildings Council.
Meanwhile, they say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions - or could it be paved with solar panels? Different experiences from France and from the USA. And then there’s Jeremy Leggett, author of The Winning of the Carbon War, who’s opened up a whole range of new fronts in the conflict.
As always, you can find the text of this episode and links to my sources at anthonyday.blogspot.com .
This week: more on the Greenpeace/HSBC palm oil story - and a different perspective. High speed rail and solar trains, a journey to the North Pole and we’re still waiting for a decision on Swansea Bay. Someone’s invented a robot that eats pollution, and what is a single-event upset?
As always, you'll find links to most of these stories on my blog at anthonyday.blogspot.com
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a bee? Is it a robot bee? Or could it be a flying car?
Yes, it’s Friday 17th February and here's this week’s edition of the Sustainable Futures Report with me, Anthony Day, with bees and robot bees, with flying cars and robots to help you park. Was Einstein right? There’s more about diesel and emissions tests and the implications of self driving cars for manufacturers. On the energy front Flamanville is in flames and Toshiba is in the news. The BBC is to measure the carbon footprint of every programme. Who said they were denialists?
(Apologies to Derek Mitchell, mentioned in the item about bees. I've called him David by mistake.)
Cricket, (no the game, not the insect), could be at threat from climate change according to the MCC and the Climate Coalition. The government's White Paper on Brexit is published and Martin Baxter comments on the implications for the environment. News from Scotland about a lamp post which generates its own electricity and statistics from the SMMT about diesel cars. I also ask why marine anthropogenic litter is an issue for us all, whether Greenpeace has overstepped itself this time, I introduce another candidate for the Department of Missed Opportunities, and Sir David King warns that time is no longer on our side.
In the sustainable news this week: a virtual power station, Ireland divests and how your business can achieve zero to landfill. Can you save fuel by just turning left? Al Gore’s back. How green is your wood-burner? As green as your 4x4? Reduce, re-use, but there's more you can do before you recycle. And when he comes to visit, what should you give the Trump who has everything? A ladybird?
This week I'm talking about floods. About flood prevention, specifically the Foss Barrier in York.
There’s something in the air in London and other large British cities. There's something in the air in France and there's certainly something in the air in Colombia.
President Trump has reversed President Obama's ban on the Keystone XL and Dakota pipelines but have we come to the end of the pipeline for carbon capture and storage?
President Trump is tweeting regularly as ever, but he’s told some parts of the US government to button it. Who, and why?
Listen now to the week's top sustainability stories.
This week I've been able to talk to Martin Baxter, Chief Policy Advisor at IEMA.
We have come a long way from “Brexit means Brexit, a red white and blue Brexit”.
This week Mrs May set out 12 points which would be the foundation of her negotiating strategy. It's clear that her intention is for the United Kingdom to leave the customs union and no longer to be a member of the European single market although she expects us to continue to enjoy full access to it.
Whatever happens, there will be implications for all aspects of daily life and commercial activity in the UK. Red tape is one thing, but protecting consumers and businesses is something else. So how will regulations change? In particular, how will environmental regulations and standards survive the U.K.'s departure from the EU?
You've heard of carbon capture and storage and you've probably heard that no one has yet made it work on a commercial scale, but have you heard of carbon capture and utilisation? Maybe that's the future. If you want to get away from it all, how about a VW camper? Yes I know they stopped making them in 2013, but they’ve just brought a new one out. Looks the same, but very different. Could be just what you’ve been waiting for, Clive. There’s good news from Swansea Bay, and I'll talk about the Green Investment Bank, which may not be green or a bank for much longer. I'll admit that I've given in to temptation and written to the local paper. I’ll tell you why and what I said, and if you want to save energy and be warmer at home you should have listened to me on Talk Radio on New Year's Eve. Missed it? Don't worry–here’s your second chance.
I'm starting this year with an interview with Clive Wilson talking about the Sustainable Development Goals. Who is Clive Wilson? What are the Sustainable Development Goals? Links to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher are at susbiz.biz
Check out Clive’s Sustainable Development Goals page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDG2030/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Yes, here it is! Episode 38 of the Sustainable Futures Report for 2016. I know it’s not quite Christmas but you can open it now. Go on - you know you want to. This year I’ve written 37 episodes of the Sustainable Futures Report averaging 3,000 words each. That’s well over 100,000 words. Here’s an overview of the topics covered. You can go back to the ones you missed or the ones you’d like to hear again.
Start at susbiz.biz where you’ll find links to each recording and a brief summary of the topics covered. For the full text go to anthonyday.blogspot.com where I’ve included links to my sources.
This week I bring you information about smart cities and cybercrime, (How safe is your data?) about Britain in a spat with the EU - no, nothing to do with Brexit - grass mills from Ecotricity, the sale of the National Grid to foreign stakeholders (well, part of it, anyway), new terrorists on the block, how the contribution of wind to reducing carbon emissions has been underestimated in England and how the growth of methane emissions is worrying climate scientists.
Text version with links is at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week, a detailed look at the future of transport and sustainable transport in particular. News from OPEC and will they really drive the price of oil up? And while they are all pumping out the black stuff - less of it than before - the Chinese are digging out more of their black stuff - coal. The winter outlook for electricity supplies, is it as rosy as we thought? Some commentators predict that the UK and France could be in for a shock if it gets really cold in January.
You can find the text of this episode at anthonyday.blogspot.com, with links to my sources.
In a wide-ranging conversation with me, Anthony Day, Tim Balcon makes the point that CSR is not Sustainability. While more and more people "get it", as a result of unconscious incompetence there are still many organisations that are no nearer to adopting a sustainable approach than they were 10 years ago - even though they may claim to be sustainable.
Businesses must recognise their role in society and their dependence on the security and sustainability of their supply chains.
Since his last interview some two years ago Tim remains optimistic but, he says, "The challenge has got harder."
Only four more pods until Christmas and the episode for 23rd December will have to keep you going until 6th January. In the last report for the year I’ll be looking back at the topics covered in 2016’s 37 episodes.
In the meantime, though, the message from Marrakech; Trump, the climate and the moon; is this wet week the time to look at natural flood defences, even bringing in beavers to dam the flow, or should we get a new roof from Elon Musk? Here in the UK the chancellor has just delivered his autumn financial statement - was there anything in it for sustainability? The question on everyone’s lips this week has been “Can you trust the news?” When it comes from the Sustainable Futures Report of course you can! And some bright spark has the answer to storing electricity.
This interview was recorded on 4th November, before the result of the American presidential election was known. Manda Scott studied to be a vet, has become a successful historical novelist and is now taking time out to study economics for the transition. In a wide-ranging interview we spoke about compulsory voting, where the money comes from, better selection of lawmakers, reframing ideas, the end of TINA and GDP growth, political tribalism, regenerative farming, subsidising fossil fuels, the sixth mass extinction, climate change denial and supply chains.
After the main interview Manda gave me a sneak preview of what her next book will be about.
This week, are we on the threshold of the greatest shake-up of environmental regulation we’ve ever seen? Last December COP21 resulted in the Paris Agreement. The United Nations now say that enough nations have ratified the agreement to make it legally binding. Legally binding on whom? Maybe we’ll learn more at COP22, which is now running in Marrakech. How are we actually going to achieve the emissions reductions that the Paris Treaty requires? Lord Stern says we’ll need net zero emissions. Does that imply geo-engineering? We’ll have a look at that.
On the energy front, Lord Turner says that ultra-low-cost renewables are at hand and Iceland is digging deeper into its geothermal reserves.
Meanwhile the British government has responded to the court’s demand that it should do something about air quality (not quite so bad as in India) and DIF16, the latest Disruptive Innovation Festival is in progress. Finally, hear about the amazing expanding moped.
Text and references as usual at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week we follow up on a number of stories and introduce some new ones. You’ll hear Donald Trump on Climate Change and his environmental awards. This time next week we’ll know exactly what he’s going to be doing with those awards. But first, Client Earth had another day in court, and Spain is set to get hotter - much hotter. On the energy front, Big Energy Saving Week had little impact, Ceres Power offers another route to a hydrogen future, we look at how Canadians are holding on to heat and what’s that out there in Swansea Bay? Finally, how well is the world doing on renewables in 2016? And sorry, Prime Minister Theresa May, the UK isn’t doing nearly as well as you’d like us to think.
Find the text of this episode complete with links at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week there's been a lot in the news about climate change, about transport and, as always, about energy. We’ll look at the decision to build a third runway at Heathrow, talk about decarbonising the transport fleet with connected cars, self-driving cars, BEVs, PHEVs and ULEVs. And if you’re prepared to let someone else drive, how far can Clare Gilmartin take you? What’s the future for tidal power in Swansea Bay and is there any point in protesting at Drax?
The text of this episode, with links, is at anthonyday.blogspot.com
This week: burping cows, HFCs, and Client Earth suing the government for failing to provide clean air. We’ll look at what cityam.com said that the advertising standards agency (ASA) said about Friends of the Earth, and what the ASA says that it said. National Grid’s Winter Outlook Report is out and Client Earth pops up again to urge the government to revive the climate change act. The Lords are studying the environmental impact of Brexit. We’ll also have a brief look at the future with ABB and their wireless trolley bus.
You can find the text of this episode at anthonyday.blogspot.com. I’ve put links to my sources at the end of the document.
This time we have blackouts in Australia, protests about fracking and other fossil fuels in Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and North Dakota, a report from the World Energy Council meeting in Istanbul, problems with incinerators in Cardiff and Derby and fog harvesting in Morocco.
As always, the text of this episode is at anthonyday.blogspot.co.uk where you can find hyperlinks to these stories.
The Sustainable Futures Report is part of the Better World Podcast Collective. Find it here.
Fracking approved in Lancashire - no surprise there.
What does Brexit mean for sustainability?
The oil price is on the move again, but where’s it going? Why are children taking the US government to court?
Large problems with nuclear power, and not just at Hinkley C.
News from Canada on carbon taxes, and Suncor, a major producer of oil from tar sands wants to strand some of its assets.
I took July and August off and here's why I'm deferring the next episode until October. If there are things you'd like me to include please get in touch - mail@anthony-day.com
Well we’re not quite out and I sincerely hope it's not all over.
This is Anthony Day's Sustainable Futures Report for Friday 1st July and in a change to the advertised programme this is the final episode before September.
Yes I'm going to talk about Brexit. I'll try and avoid all the things which have already been said. This week IEMA presented an important webinar on the legal consequences of Brexit for environmental regulation and I’ll tell you what I learnt. I’ll tell you about the Sustainable Best Practice Mastermind group and the new LinkedIn group which will take it forward.
Energy Minister Amber Rudd remains committed to carbon reduction. There’s more helium than we thought - why is this good news? But first, electric lorries are on trial.
The big news in the UK this week is the EU referendum and by the time you hear this you will probably know the outcome. As I write this episode all I can say is that it is very finely balanced. The referendum has displaced most other news, some of which is arguably far more important. You'll remember that I have commented that each month this year has been the hottest month since records began. In fact there has been a sequence of 13 months, each one the hottest for the time of year since records began. This week I’m looking at what the scientists say is causing this, and what the consequences could be.
This is Anthony Day with your Sustainable Futures Report for 17th June brought to you without sponsorship, subsidy or advertising. And because there’s no proprietor to upset I can say exactly what I like. I’m going to talk about more undersea cables like the ones from Norway that we heard about last week, there’s news about those children suing the US government and yes, we have just had the hottest May since records began. It’s hot in Dubai, too, where they’ve announced a major CSP project - concentrated solar power. And It’s my last chance before the vote to give you my views on Brexit and the coming chaos - whatever the result.
But first, I’m going to tell you in more detail about the Sustainable Best Practice Mastermind group.
Anthony Day with your Sustainable Futures Report for Friday 10th June, and I’m delighted to say that it could almost be summer. Gone is last week’s cold spell, plants are bursting out all over, especially weeds in our allotment garden, and my bees gave me 20kg of honey last week. Amazing when you think that I got less than that for the whole of last season and didn’t get any at all until September.
In the news this week - words about wind power, news from Norway and a White Elephant galloping north.
Yes, it’s June, but in the UK you might not think so as it’s been bitterly cold in the last few days, at least in the eastern half of the country. There’s no word yet, but I do expect to hear shortly that globally, May 2016 will have been the warmest May on record. Following the warmest January, February, March and April. Excuse me while I throw another log on the fire.
There’s a new report out this week from the IEA, the international Energy Agency on the role of cities in cutting GHG emissions. There’s a report from REN21 about how renewable energy is thriving, even in the UK, while Christian Aid tells us more about the threats from climate change. Is your city in the top 20 at risk from flooding? You may be at risk even if it’s not. The US Geological Survey reports on how wildfires in Alaska are affecting global CO2 levels and The Royal Society B has been looking at cow dung.
On another note - there must be a link there somewhere - if you’re a UK voter don’t forget to vote in the EU referendum. This is a life-changing decision and you only have until next Tuesday, 7th June, to make sure you are on the electoral register.
Yes, this week it’s all about fracking as North Yorkshire County Council gives the go-ahead. A giant cruise liner leaves Southampton and leaves under a cloud. And who’s flying a kite? Under water?
Do you have a buy-to-let or investment property? Will it meet the new energy efficiency requirements? All this and more.
This week I’m concentrating on skills - the skills we need to build sustainable futures. The skills James Dyson’s been talking about; skills mentioned at this week’s Buy Yorkshire conference and skills covered at the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange. Also in this episode some comments on Ende gelände, the Queen’s speech, Hinckley C (I couldn't leave that out, could I?), the future of bees and global temperatures in April.
Find the text version at anthonyday.blogspot.com
I'm a gardener. I've often been told that there is no such thing as weed. It's just a plant in the wrong place.
I'm a consumer. We’re increasingly told that there is no such thing as rubbish. It's just materials in the wrong place.
This week we ask whether electronic waste is the new gold-rush and comment on a new report from the Environmental Services Association. What was the carbon footprint of COP21? Who might be making cars as well as vacuum cleaners? Where will the 5th Carbon Budget take us?
The oil price is up - and down; the £ is down. Temperatures are up in Canada to record levels for May and wildfires have broken out in Alberta, leading to the evacuation of some 80,000 residents from the town of Fort MacMurray.
In Nevada the train goes up, the train goes down. It’s called advanced rail energy storage.
Solar Impulse 2, the electric aeroplane, flew up from Mountain View, California, at dawn last Monday and came down 16 hours later to land in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, exactly as planned.
Smart meters for all by 2020, but not if Stop Smart Meters can help it. They think they know what the energy companies are up to. And they won’t bring bills down.
Also in this episode,
Would Brexit damage the environment? Britain Stronger in Europe, the body leading the Remain campaign presents 10 green reasons for staying in.
Sir David Mackay, author of SEWTHA, died last month aged only 48. The energy debate continues.
But first, Hinkley C, the planned nuclear power station which is the cornerstone of the UK government’s energy policy, is in the news again. And it’s not good news.
Lords are all over the sustainability news this week. They’ve been signing letters to The Times, signing international agreements and commenting on decarbonisation. Other people have been flying electric planes, talking about air pollution and counting green leaves. The weather is breaking more records - Michael Flanders and Donald Swann had something to say about that - and is the oil price on the up? The prospectus for the Sustainable Best Practice Mastermind group, SBPMg, will be out shortly. Get in touch if you want a copy.
All this and more in this week’s Sustainable Futures Report.
And who is Lord Bourne?
The sustainable futures report for the 22nd April. Yes, this is Anthony Day. Here I am again with another episode and a lot to catch up on. The Sustainable Best Practice Exchange took place last week. There's a lot to report on that and I'll include it in future episodes. To keep exchanging best practice I'm setting up the Sustainable Best Practice Mastermind group and a number of conference delegates have already expressed interest. There’s a couple of places left, so if you want to join a select group of business leaders and public officials, call me today on 07803 616877 for an invitation to the Orientation and Selection Day. It’s provisionally on 7th July.
The oil price is up - and down. What of the future? Bernie Sanders wants to phase out most fossil fuels by 2050 but his opposition to nuclear power is causing debate. Elsewhere in the US children are taking the Federal Government to court over climate change. A meeting of the European Geosciences Union counted the cost of natural disasters and the Pakistan government was criticised for not doing more.
Did green taxes drive Tata Steel out of the UK? Surprisingly, the opposite seems to be true.
In Washington, scientists are conjuring electricity out of the air, but here in the UK you may soon be able generate electricity by spending a £1 and then spending a penny.
And why is Lord Nelson wearing a face mask?
This is Anthony Day with the Sustainable Futures Report for the 15th April and another opportunity to hear my interview with David Emslie of Novalux LED Ltd. This week the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange takes place - in fact it will all be over by the time you hear this. I’ll tell you about it next week, about the launch of the Sustainable Best Practice Mastermind Group and how you can get on the waiting list, and about a whole load more sustainability issues.
Less than a week to go to the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange! Hope to see you there. sbpe.co.uk
A while ago we were talking about Peak Stuff. Now people are talking about Peak Car. What are we going to drive, or are we all going to stop driving? And how will that change where we live? This week I'm talking about the new Tesla - 300,000 people want one - about self driving cars, and about where we get the power from to run them. That could be a problem in the UK where we are closing power stations, but an opportunity in Saudi Arabia where Jeremy Leggett reports a major project to exploit solar energy. Must be good news for air quality. I'll talk about that as well. While some see the UK as a basket case in terms of energy and carbon reductions policies, the committee on climate change soldiers on with a new report out this week. And I expect we’ll slip in something about Hinkley C.
Hello this is Anthony Day. Have you booked for the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange yet? Still some places left and bookings must close on Friday 8th April. Go to sbpe.co.uk for more information and contact me for a deal you can’t refuse.
In this latest episode of the Sustainable Futures Report; notes on fuel duty and VAT after the Chancellor’s budget. Good news from Queen Street Mill. I ask “Is sustainability killing our steel industry?” And most of our electricity still comes from coal. Do you care where the coal comes from? I can’t avoid the fact that Hinkley C is in the news again. No, it hasn’t been cancelled.
This is the Sustainable Futures Report in another week when terrorists have attacked civilians in another European capital. We feel for those injured and bereaved in these latest attacks, and indeed for those still coming to terms with Paris and other attacks elsewhere.
In the sustainable world this week: solar-powered street lights, the hottest February, sitting in the dark for an hour, di Caprio on China, more on the idea of a basic income and more, I’m afraid, about that planned nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Oh, and if you’re decorating this weekend, what are you going to do with the paint left over?
This week, of course, is dominated by the budget, and coming on a Wednesday it telescopes my deadlines. Not helped by the fact that I’m on jury service this week and the judge won’t let me take my laptop into court. Who needs a jury anyway, when we now have the thinking power of Google’s Deep Mind? Deep thinking has been going on at the National Infrastructure Commission, thinking about tunnels under the Pennines and more tunnels under London, among other things. I bring you sounds of the past, and a very little about Hinckley C and EDF because I think we’ve all had enough of that. And do you remember COP21? Americans are claiming that President Obama had no constitutional right to enter into the agreement.
Hello, yes, this is Anthony Day and here is the latest edition of the Sustainable Futures Report for Friday 18th March. Let me take a moment to remind you about the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange coming up on the 14th April. Go to sbpe.co.uk and book now before you go away on your Easter Holidays and before the tickets run out. If you can’t make it, or even if you can, you might be interested in the report of the Sustainable Best Practice Survey published at a very reasonable £25. But just for you, if you go to the front page of sbpe.co.uk today you can download a copy absolutely free.
Kittens? Kittens?
Could this be an unscrupulous attempt to boost internet hits for the Sustainable Futures Report - even to start it trending by talking about kittens? Perish the thought. Although the photo for this episode on susbiz.biz is really cute. Mind you, the news about the Hinkley C nuclear power station just gets worse and worse so somebody’s having kittens. I’ll examine who that’s likely to be. It’s all part of the global energy infrastructure. We spoke about that this week at the local branch of the United Nations Association. There’s been a lot about energy in the news. I hear David Cameron has fallen out of love with Swansea Bay and apparently npower has fallen out of love with about 2,500 employees who will shortly be out of a job.
Who gives a stuff? What? Well it’s funny you should mention that. Steve Howard of furniture retailer IKEA recently suggested that we’re close to peak stuff. We’ve got more stuff than we know what to do with. This trend is borne out by a report from the Office of National Statistics. In this episode I look at the Restart Project and do you know where all the civil servants are who manage the Northern Powerhouse? Where do you think they are based? Guess again.
Don't miss the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange! More here: sbpe.co.uk
There’s a lot of different stories in the news at the moment. Al Gore’s back and he’s optimistic. Oil is making the news again in several different ways. Thames Water is floating a new idea for installing solar panels, Google has had a crash, Client Earth is suing the government, we’ve had the warmest winter since 1659 and plastic microbeads are a bigger problem than you might think.
Is Brexit sustainable? Not everyone in the Johnson family seems to think so. Now winter is over SSE is closing power stations. Fortunately Scottish Power Renewables is going to build a new and enormous wind farm, although it won’t be doing much to bridge the electricity gap before 2020. The US oil and gas industry is emitting more methane than anyone thought and the UK oil and gas industry is emitting vast quantities of hot air as it lobbies for tax breaks. And vast clouds of steam and smoke were emitted from King’s Cross as a green icon started its journey North. And 13 stayed out of jail.
In this edition for Friday 19th February 2016 I’m talking about why the new nuclear power staton at Hinkley may never be built and how China is closing coal mines, but the UK is planning to open a new one. PwC is taking the circular route to sustainability - Bridget Jackson tells us how - and Maggie Smallwood is leading Biovale on a similar journey. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The French are planning to pave a road with solar panels. Why is Queen Street Mill closing, and should we be concerned? But first, Platts London Oil Forum...
Unpacking the Paris Agreement - Is it enough to limit dangerous climate change? That’s the question that was posed at an event at Leeds University last week. At a meeting of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society this week Professor Paul Rogers of Bradford University broadened the debate to talk about Climate Change and the risk of conflict. President Obama’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement has been prejudiced by the US Supreme Court, and after you’ve listened to this, search out The Bottom Line on BBC Radio iPlayer. It covered the UK energy debate in some detail, although a lot of it will be familiar to regular listeners to this podcast.
My guest on today’s Sustainable Futures Report is David Emslie of Novalux LED. He explains how much money you can save by changing your lighting. Before that, we consider a world in transition. Are we truly transitioning away from fossil fuels? Jeremy Leggett thinks so. Moody’s, the ratings agency, seems to think so. There’s still no clear picture on the oil price, there’s confusion on environmental policy in Australia, and the Hinkley C - EDF - Areva nuclear power station saga goes on. On the other hand investors are beginning to see opportunities coming out of COP21 for developing the world’s energy infrastructure - maybe as much as $13 trillion. I’ll throw some light on that.
Energy’s in the headlines again, both the oil price and the UK energy policy. It’s not been the best week for Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy. The World Economic Forum met in Davos last week. Apparently 62 people now own as much of the world’s wealth as is owned by the poorer 50% of the world’s population. I wonder if all 62 were there. I know I wasn’t. Stop laughing at the back. Among many other things, they discussed the circular economy, which is my main theme for today. But first, the website for the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange is now live at sbpe.co.uk…
This week’s episode of the Sustainable Futures Report is mainly about Employee Engagement. I’m very pleased to have Simone Hindmarch-Bye, Director of Commercial Ltd, as my interview guest. She introduces her company where they not only motivate their staff to be focussed on sustainability, they get their clients and their suppliers on board as well. They’ve been running their CSR days for nearly 10 years and you’ll find more about them on YouTube. And here.
I also comment on a few items in the news; the oil price, air quality and the Winning of the Carbon War.
This week I’m looking at a new book by Seth M. Siegel about how Israel has made the best of very limited water resources and is now sharing expertise - and water - with countries all over the world. More unexpected consequences of the York floods and why controlling carbon emissions may not be the answer to climate change but geo-engineering perhaps is. Apologies from Jeremy Leggett. And HS2. Is it really sustainable transport?
You can also hear me later today on Voice America in an interview with Chris Cooper. The link is at http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1959/ and it will be live at 4pm
This week I take stock of the recent floods and look at them as a case study in sustainability.York made all the headlines over Christmas, but people in Cumbria had already been flooded three times in December, buildings had been washed away in Manchester and there were floods in Scotland and Wales. Elsewhere floods have devastated parts of South America, tornadoes have destroyed houses in the US and Texas has been coping with snow.
I look at how people have been affected, at the unforeseen consequences and where plans failed or where plans didn’t even exist. We are all affected by the consequences of political decisions. We must take them into account when we plan, and if we think it’s appropriate we should campaign to change them. That’s just one part of the supply chain. There’s a link to my Green Supply Chain Workshop video here.
It’s like herding black swans!
On 15th January - next Friday - I’m appearing on the Voice America Business Elevation Show. Here’s a link for more details.
The big sustainability story is the floods in the North, but that’s still going on so I’ll leave it until next week. This time I look backwards at the 50 or so episodes which I’ve published this year and I remind you of the topics covered and the experts that I interviewed. I’ll share their views of the future as well. This time last year I invited your prediction of the oil price. My guess was $65/barrel. On 30th December it’s trading around $37. Nobody else got close. Any offers for the oil price on 1/1/17? I’m not committing myself.
Thank you all for listening to the Sustainable Futures Report. I got the second highest level of hits this year on Christmas Day. More exciting than Christmas TV? More important, certainly!
This episode includes contributions from Jaclyn Kitson, Andy Whyle, Harold Vandenburg, Gareth Kane, Maggie Smallwood,
Tim Balcon, Fiona Pelham, Harriet Ennis, Kat Luckcock, Daniel White, James McKemey, President Obama, James Spencer and Callum Roberts.
Merry Christmas! I hope you’re not going to listen to this on Christmas Day. Much better on Boxing Day with a few mince pies and a brimming glass!
This week, more reports from COP 21 but certainly not the last word on that. An analysis of whether hamster power could be the answer to our energy needs and what’s ET short for?
COP21 is over, so where do we go from here? Is this the beginning of the end of fossil fuels? And this week let’s reduce, re-use and recycle. In fact let’s go a lot further than that. I’ll introduce you to Mark Shayler (thisisape.co.uk) who blows the whistle on child soldiers and Tracey Rawling Church (greenlight.kyocera.co.uk) who explains why you might not need a new printer. Matt Dredger asks the question why buy it when you can borrow it? (borroclub.co.uk)
This week the energy minister and the prime minister have been under fire as COP21 moves forward. While the main negotiating sessions continue, many other meetings take place as well. Mark Carney of the Bank of England has a view. The group of 77 nations (G77) plus China has a view as well, and so do the 48 Least-Developed Countries. Caroline Lucas of the Green Party is concerned. Can we standardise climate change? Is emissions trading the answer? George Monbiot believes that that's attacking the problem from the wrong end. Jeremy Leggett is not at all happy with Minister Amber Rudd as you will learn from the latest chapter of his book, and the week will end with a massive march through the streets of Paris. I’m a member of iema (iema.net) and that entitles me to a daily update on the conference from the environmentalist magazine. Non-members can subscribe at environmentalistonline.com. But we have our own man on the spot in Paris. You’ll hear from Richard Lane later on.
Yes, COP21, the Paris climate change conference, is finally here. No results expected before the end of next week so I'm going to take the opportunity to review what this conference means for us, for our businesses, for families and for our future. Also in this episode, the minister takes control of fracking, business views of the climate conference and plans for a ministry of the future. Should we take action on climate change? Have a look at this video: https://youtu.be/zORv8wwiadQ
Although recent episodes of the sustainable futures show might lead you to think that it's all about energy, that's certainly not the case. This week I do talk about energy, potential energy under our feet, and also about water: groundwater. Desalination, solar energy, failing monsoons, Moroccan salt and Californian almonds are also on the agenda. And the UK has abandoned plans for carbon capture and storage.
This week I want to remember the people of Paris. Those who died, those who were injured, their friends, their families, their loved ones.
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Solidarité.
We are all in this together.
Also in this episode, some thoughts on the Paris Climate Conference and a new direction for UK energy policy. The minister speaks.
This week, the heat is on for Exxon but may be off for the Swiss. When is a keystone not a Keystone? I look in detail at why climate change is important and what countries are likely to do about it at the Paris conference. And what citizens at large will do about it if they don’t. Why has a minister got a ruddy complexion? What’s a trilemma? And what’s Jeremy Leggett doing in that locked room?
The University of Birmingham says we should make more things colder, but warns that making things colder makes other things hotter. David Cameron’s been in Iceland. No, not to hug a husky this time, but to embrace technology. It involves a very long lead. Techies at the University of Cambridge are talking about going farther than ever for less. The UN says that the Paris protocol probably won’t go far enough, even though the Buddhists have joined the clamour for a strong climate agreement, but they expect to go a lot further than Copenhagen. The National Grid issued an NISM, which means major consumers had to switch things off. And if you fancy a parsnip, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is giving them away. Meanwhile the fog and smog is gathering.
The Royal Academy of Engineering reports that time is rapidly running out for the UK to develop its energy policy and expresses serious doubts about fracking. One of the junior ministers at the Department Of Energy and Climate Change says she understands it all now. We have the draft agreement text for COP21 - the international climate change conference coming up in Paris in December. The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative will be there to secure the best outcome. Problems for VW and vacuum cleaners: and why it’s time to stop Indonesia smoking. Breaking news on carbon. CO2 makes you dumb!
The sustainable futures show website has just had a makeover. You'll find it at www.susbiz.biz and there's now a facility for a keyword search as well as access to all the archives, which go back to 2007.
In this week’s episode we look at steel and the Chinese; electricity, and the Chinese and the circular economy comes round again. There are more doubts about the department for Energy and Climate Change, doubts about whether the UK is really serious about reducing carbon emissions and doubts about whether this is a good time to stop supporting solar.
I'm working on a White Paper: “How will climate change your business in 2016?”
Here’s a preview. Some thoughts, news and ideas which will feature in the final version.
Is the car industry a good investment after VW? Or should we be investing in coal, oil or other commodities? Did Goldman Sachs really say we can look forward to oil at $20? Should we sell our investments in fossil fuels and put pressure on the producers? Bill Gates doesn’t think so. And who was it who said that prediction is difficult, especially about the future?
We're on the road to Paris. About 6 weeks from the start of COP21, the international climate change conference. Climate Action Tracker is monitoring progress. So is Jeremy Leggett. The latest instalment of "The Winning of the Carbon War" is out. jeremyleggett.net George Osborne has been sharing plans for the UK's infrastructure at the Conservative Party Conference and Amber Rudd is clearly going to play her part. And there’s a TED talk you really must see. Alice Bows-Larkin
This week’s keynote interview is with Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York. He’s concerned about the health of the world’s oceans and he tells us why we should be concerned too.
First, Drax is coming out of Carbon Capture and Storage, Shell is coming out of the Arctic, Lisa Nandy comes out fighting, Al Gore is puzzled and Mark Carney is concerned. Find out why.
Is CSR dead? Maybe not, but the VW emissions scandal has seriously damaged it. We read a postcard from George Osborne in China. And we round off with a conversation about the practicalities of renewables with James Spencer, MD of Portland Analytics. www.portland-analytics.co.uk
Also see enertrag.com - a wind farm generating hydrogen.
One in - one out. Jeremy Corbyn is the new leader of the Opposition at Westminster and Tony Abbott is no longer Prime Minister of Australia. What does all that mean for climate change? It's an ill wind in Scotland. We’re coming to the end of Community Energy Fortnight, with events across the country. I’ll be reporting on two of them. Will the Supreme Court finally clear the air and are we going to have a white winter in Britain this year? Find out more later, and then we’ll round it all off with a slice of Baked Alaska.
The world is getting hotter, the ice is melting and sea levels are rising, and we still have a problem with energy.
This week we learn more about the UK’s nuclear programme, community energy, a giant polar bear, another refugee crisis, wasted food and the price of oil.
As we prepare for the bank holiday weekend, the last one before Christmas, here is another episode of the Sustainable Futures Show. It's not all bad. We've got Halloween and half term to look forward to. And then there’s the Comprehensive Spending Review scheduled for 25th November. This time we’re talking about renewables, both here and in the US. Hear what President Obama said this week. Will the Department of Energy and Climate Change be abolished? What will the proposed changes to the feed-in tariff do to the solar PV and wind industries? And what can you do with your old tablets and phones?
Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy, has been writing in the Sunday Times. Jeremy Corbyn, front-runner in the Labour leadership race, has been thinking about re-opening British coal mines and nearly 1,000 members of the medical profession have written an open letter to the Wellcome Trust about fossil fuel investments. We’ve heard the latest on the powerhouse in the North, Shell in the Arctic and a Climate Declaration in Istanbul.
Visit a CAT, an Electric Mountain and a hotspot in Ukraine.
This week's episode is an interview with James McKemey, Head of Customer Operations at POD Point Ltd (pod-point.com) How does an electric car drive? What does it cost? How far can I drive it before the battery runs out? Answers to these and many other questions. (Did you know that some electric cars will see off a Maclaren F1? And they don't make all that noise about it either!)
We'll cover the US with solar panels says Hillary Clinton! Rubbish, say the Republicans. Not good enough, say the climate experts. It seems that President Jimmy Carter was years ahead of them all.
Top story this week was going to be the announcement from DECC about changing subsidies for solar power, but that has been pushed off the front page by a major speech from Minister Amber Rudd. Are you ready for ESOS - the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme? Get advice from the Carbon Trust, and advice from The Energyst magazine on Financing Energy Efficiency. Meanwhile, Sustainable Brands offer 46 Tips for Better Sustainability Storytelling! You remember that last time we talked about the carbon-positive house just opened in Wales? This week we have the building industry urging the Chancellor not to scrap the zero carbon buildings standard. Cuadrilla have confirmed that they will appeal against the rejection by Lancashire Council of their application for test fracking. No surprise there, and the case should be interesting! In Australia, if you can believe it, there are fears that renewable energy might run out.
Business energy tax reform - I bet you didn’t see that in the budget! The National Grid have published their winter outlook report - already. There’s a Task Force on Shale Gas - hear what they have to say. Is DECC running out of money? Is climate change making long-haul flights longer? There’s a company that will power your car on coffee and would you like to live in a carbon positive house? And meet the economist who can’t add up! Oh, and don’t forget the Sustainable Best Practice Exchange on 5th November.
This week, two reports. One from the Royal Institute for International Affairs, one from the Carbon Trust. Also, the latest update of Jeremy Leggett's the winning of the carbon war is out. You can download that free of charge from his website which is jeremyleggett.net.
Making the headlines this week has been the Greek economic situation. We won't say anything at all about that. And the UK chancellor’s budget. We’ll start with that!
Fracking is once more in the news, there’s a report that soil erosion in East Anglia could seriously affect our food production, electricity could be cheaper but dirtier, Formula E in Battersea Park, it’s getting hot in the Tube and I talk to Daniel White from Global Energy Systems on why you need a heat pump. Well, perhaps not today, but the word is that this weather won’t last, in spite of global warming.
I’m talking about fracking - of course, about wind - again, about suing the government and about waiting for trains. You can also listen to the whole of my recent presentation to the Professional Speaking Association. But first of all - it’s official. Medical opinion states that climate change is bad for you!
This week I’m talking about the great and the good and what they have to say about climate change. I joined the mass lobby of Parliament on Wednesday to find out what my MP had to say about it. There’s a changing environmental policy in the wind, although we didn’t know that for sure until Thursday. On Thursday I was at the Energy Exchange in London talking about community energy. Last Saturday I spoke to the Professional Speaking Association in London about sustainable futures and how to be here when you’re really somewhere else. And then there was that hippo coming down the High Street...
G7 to eliminate fossil fuels - you can stop wund farms but you can't stop fracking - BP publishes latest statistical review - visit energyex.co.uk - lobbying parliament - they do it differently in Scotland - thinkdif.co in England (in November) - is it a bird? is it a plane? is it electric?
Australia criticised for not taking Climate Change seriously - HSBC warns investors of fossil fuel risk - how to manage energy risk after electricity market reform - come to Energy Exchange http://www.energyex.co.uk
The Queen's Speech and the new government's programme of legislation - low carbon air travel - decarbonising the Middle East - decarbonising your pension - the multi-trillion subsidy to fossil fuels.
Time for action on CO2 and Climate Change. This week's Business and Climate Summit in Paris starts to set the scene for COP21 in December. Unsurprisingly there are sharp differences between businesses already suffering the effects of climate change and businesses which exist to supply fossil fuels. Apple is protecting forests - find out why. In Asia they agree that communicating the sustainability message is key. Have you read "Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air" yet? Don't worry, there's a summary at the end of this episode. Or you could download the ebook free of charge from withouthotair.com
More next week! Comments to mail@anthony-day.com
Harriet Ennis from Bootham School in York introduces the BEAST - Bootham Environmental and Sustainability Team. She explains how the school joined the Eco-schools project and is now a Green Flag holder with Ambassador status.
More information from eco-schools.org.uk or ennish@boothamschool.com
Solutions for the Planet helps school students find solutions to ecological, environmental or sustainable problems. Teams create a business plan and present their ideas to a panel of judges. Business mentors help them develop their ideas.
Visit solutionsfortheplanet.co.uk
Are you in business? Can you help? Get in touch!
I was sent a review copy of this film and here's my verdict. You can see the trailer here: http://ykr.be/hn62dkp6v
A good film, but not a great film. Yes, there's an awful lot wrong with our planet and plenty to protest about, but what should we be doing about it?
A brief view of the main parties' manifestos. What do the Conservatives, Labour, LibDems, UKIP, the Greens and the SNP have to say? A summary of their ideas on energy, climate change, sustainability and the F-word. (No, not that F-word.)
At Sustainability Live last week I met a number of exhibitors who explained how they could help me be more sustainable here and now. An end to sodium lighting! An end to steamy kitchens! It was all there. Also a panel of experts who told us what the next government should do to ensure a sustainable future.
Questions or comments to me, Anthony Day, at mail@anthony-day.com
When British prime minister Harold Macmillan was asked by a journalist what was most likely to blow governments off course, he responded "Events, dear boy, events."
He wasn't talking exactly about the shows, exhibitions and conferences that we class as events, but there's still no doubt that a bad event - an event which is not as sustainable as it should be, for example - can blow its sponsoring organisation seriously off course.
This week I went to a sustainable event and I also learnt from sustainable expert Fiona Pelham, author of Making Events More Sustainable: A Guide To BS8901- available from your favourite bookshop.
In some parts of the US and in some parts of the UK government, "Sustainability" is a dirty word. But not at Sustainability Live at the NEC next week, and not at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.
Tim Balcon, CEO of iema, spoke to me about how the institute is developing and how it's facing up to the challenges of the future and the expectations of individual and corporate members.
Maggie Smallwood of Biovale tells us about this world-class cluster of scientists, researchers and producers, and how they are replacing petrochemicals with natural products as the source of feedstocks for the future. Based in Yorkshire and open for business to the world. Go to www.biovale.org to learn more and find links to the partnering organisations.
Also this week: 100 billion barrels of oil beneath the Weald in southeast England. How did the British Geological Survey miss that? And go to jeremyleggett.net to download the latest instalment of his "Winning the Carbon War" (All that oil they've found won't help!
As always, get in touch with comments, suggestions, ideas. mail@anthony-day.com
At the Merchant Taylors' Scientific Lecture Dr Roddy Vann explained how nuclear fusion could provide safe, clean and cheap energy. Lord Redesdale spoke at the North West Sustainable Business Quarterly meeting last month and told us why an energy crisis is just round the corner. Read "Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air" by David Mackay. You can download it from the internet free of charge.
The School as a Sustainable Business - Sustainability and the Student - Sustainable Careers. Find links to resources at anthony-day.com/edshow
False information about GM foods - water source heat pumps for heating our homes - National Trust warns of risks from climate change - homes and businesses at risk from flooding, and not doing much about it - what I told my local beekeepers' association.
A few words on EXPO North West, on the North West Sustainable Business Quarterly and then I introduce Gareth Kane, author and sustainability expert. He tells us why he started in sustainability and goes on to explain Green Jujitsu and the importance of the 80/20 rule. Find out more at terrainfirma.co.uk
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation continues to promote understanding of the circular economy - Can we win the Carbon War? - Words you shouldn't us in Florida - Around the world in 5 months.
Many substances which used to be regarded as waste can be saved from landfill. Harold Vandenburg explains how his company can recover feedstocks from materials which would otherwise be discarded. Alternatively they have processes which can remove contaminants so that materials can be re-used. Everything from lab scale to pilot plants and the technology for industrial scale operations.
I meet Jaclyn Kitson and Andy Whyle from BESST and learn how the organisation was set up and how it helps local businesses. It's a network where organisations share best sustainable business practice. They also work with NISP (nispnetwork.com) to find out if one organisation's waste could be another's raw material. Memorable quotes: "Don't try and do sustainability on your own." "Sustainability is not competitive." "It's about making sure everyone understands the language."
Have you got an organisation like this in your area? Maybe you should set one up.
This episode gives a detailed insight into my executive workshop - the Green Supply Chain. Where are you on the supply chain? - What's driving your customers? - How should your organisation react? - How can you be the srongest link in the supply chain?
Financial models analyse your organisation's sensitivity to change. For copies of these models contact mail@anthony-day.com
Yes, it's Friday 13th - lucky for some and the end of a busy week finding out more and more about sustainability. This time: The Insider Media Bioreneewables Breakfast - McCain Foods; it's all good, and sustainable - a geologist's explanantion of fracking - sustainability in schools and business schools - sutainable cities - Global Divestment Day. Oh, and we need more engineers.
Last month the EU partially relaxed its ban on GM foods. With world population rising towards 9 billion in 2050 it's time to accept that there's no scientific justification for a ban. We need GM to feed the world. We need to make decisions on the basis of reason, not headlines.
England's natural capital is in long-term decline. This is what the media thought of the NCC's report, and what we can do about it.
This week Al Gore presented Climate Change to the World Economic Forum in Davos. A breakthrough, given the level of vested interests and denialism in the business community. Gore showed the devastating consequences of climate change and the positive actions of the business community. Meanwhile a report from PwC showed that the majority of global business leaders had no interest in climate change at all.
Suddenly stranded assets are in the news. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is looking at the financial consequences of unburnable carbon. A new report from University College London shows how fossil fuel producing nations will have to leave massive reserves in the ground if we are to control climate change. What about the oil price? From over $100/barrel to under $50 in less than six months. Why is it happening? Is there a political agenda behind it? What are the consequences? And what's your prediction for the oil price in 12 months' time? Send your estimate to me at mail@anthony-day.com before the end of the month and next year we'll see who's right. There will be a valuable prize!
Welcome to the first episode of 2015! Time to make plans - for this year, next year, maybe 10 years hence. Will your business stil be around then? Probably depends on what you do today and tomorrow. My Green Supply Chain Workshop can help. In this episode I explain the main points of my Action Planning Module.
After the festivities a few thoughts about Big Data. Should we keep it all in one place to make it easy to use, or would that make it far too easy to misuse? They don't seem to keep it all together in Australian as an "Irate Citizen" complains.
ESOS, the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme, comes into effect in 2015. Most organisations, from the largest SMEs upwards, will have to report. Not as onerous as CRC and more likely to save you money. For the detailed regulations and to check if it applies to you go to www.gov.uk and search for ESOS.
This episode explains the purpose and obligations of ESOS and what you have to do.
If we burn all the receoverable fossil fuels we'll trigger catastrophic global warming. In fact there's a serious risk if we burn more than 20%.
And in this episode I also talk about GreenBIM and my PechaKucha.
The Rockefeller Foundation has decided to sell its investments in oil, gas and coal and buy renewables instead. Meanwhile Drax power station, the largest and dirtiest in the UK, is converting to biomass.
My review of of Donnie Maclurcan's presentation for CASSE - the Centre for the Advancement of the Steady-State Economy - at Leeds University. Should all organisations be not-for-profit? Donnie believes they will be by the middle of the century.
Sustainability aspects of the York Business Conference. Not in the dark any more! Lord Rose tells us that sustainable business is good business and The Apprentice is bad business. Should we build HS2, HS3, a new runway at Heathrow and dual the York outer ring road?
This week China and the US reach a climate accord; George Osborne plans a sovereign wealth fund based on the riches from fracking and Rohit Talwar opens a window on the future at the NextGen14 conference.
The IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued the fourth part of AR5 last week. Professor Piers Forster, one of the lead authors, came to the University of York last week to explain how the final text was agreed.
With the publication of National Grid's annual Winter Outlook Report it's clear that safety margins between electricity supply and demand are much tighter than they were. However, standby generators and agreements with major power users are likely to be able to keep the lights on. The UK still needs a firm commitment to a long-term energy policy. With the latest report from the IPCC urging the phasing out of fossil fuels, is the government, with its scepticism about green issues and firm commitment to fracking, on the right track?
In a new report iema warns of the risk to British industry from a shortage of sustainability skills. At the same time many organisations are unaware that there's a problem.
Welcome to the Sustainable Futures podcast. In this episode you can hear the presentation I made to the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management in Newcastle. My theme was "Sustainability Sells". I started with an overview. Why sustainability is a lot more than climate change and recycling. Why it's directly affecting the supermarkets, and indirectly affecting the consumer. Why global businesses and international investors have sustainability firmly on the agenda, and they are pushing it down the supply chain to your customers and to you.
If you like this episode, please rate it on iTunes. If you don't like it, please let me know!
mail@anthony-day.com
A three-day conference on the circular economy, with special emphasis on education.
You can read this text at anthonyday.blogspot.co.uk
Here are the links:
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
3-D Printing
http://www.fabfoundation.org/about-us/
http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/engineering/research/calm/
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/3dprg/index.aspx
http://www.stratasys.com
http://www.ethicalfilament.org
http://www.3dhubs.com
So you think you know about the circular economy?
Re-inventing Fire - Amory Lovins
The Second Machine Age -Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee
Designing Products for a Circular Economy
Cradle to Cradle - Braungart and McDonough
http://www.c2ccertified.org
http://www.asknature.org
http://www.projectara.com/#project-ara
https://phonebloks.com/en/goals
Ellen MacArthur - Disruptive Innovation Festiva;
http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/education/featured/disruptive-innovation-festival-2014-20th-october-14-november
Short Talks - these were professionally video-ed and will presumable be available on the EMF website in due course.
Role of the Consumer
Nudge - Richard Thaler
Stark - Ben Elton
Systems Thinking
http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/circular-economy/interactive-system-diagram
The Gardens of Democracy - Hanauer and Liu
Cultural Genocide - Lawrence Davidson
http://www.fairphone.com
Circular Economy - why it makes business sense.
http://www.citycarclub.co.uk
Teaching circular economy in a global context
Jef Staes: Do diplomas kill passion and talent? http://youtu.be/G6JGYRodNeA
https://www.khanacademy.org
https://www.liftshare.com/uk/
http://www.trigema.de/shop/index.jsf
http://www.desso.com
Wuhan Energy Flower : http://www.greenlinked.com/architecture/concepts/82-wuhan-energy-flower-worlds-most-sustainable-officebuilding-wuhan.html
Pop-up Farm
NASA - temperature change http://youtu.be/JRayIgKublg (there are many other videos from NASA on the theme)
Hope in a changing climate http://youtu.be/z_xET5iZSy0
Green gold - http://youtu.be/YBLZmwlPa8A
happycoffeebean.com
hhg2e.com
http://www.pop-up-foundation.org
Circular Economy Bootcamp
Steady State Economics - Herman E Daly (and several other books by him)
http://www.riversimple.com/Default.aspx ultra low emission cars
My summary of this webinar on Greenhous Gas Reporting.
Information from caral Hopkins at Defra, Paul Holland of KPMG and Bekir Andrews of Balfour Beatty.
Time is short! Most companies in the scheme are already halfway through their first reporting year. Are you one of the 1,000 firms involved? Listen and find out, or read the text version via www.anthony-day.com
This is my presentation at Sustainability Live on 18th April 2013. I was joined by Andrew Park (not recorded) director of Swan Energy Ltd. I opened with an overview of the various schemes and taxes that seek to control our carbon emissions - CRC, CCL, EU ETS. This was a special week for EU ETS as the Commission had lost a vote in the European Parliament. Some said this would drive the allowance price even lower; others said it had destroyed the scheme altogether. I also commented on greenhouse gas reporting, carbon capture and storage and the size of environmental taxes in relation to the UK's total tax income.
Contact me at mail@anthony-day.com or 07803 616877 for more.
Andrew Park, Director of Swan Energy Ltd, then went into the detail of Counting the Carbon Correctly. We don't have an audio recording of this session as you need the slides to get the full message. You can contact Andrew at andrew.park@swanenergy.co.uk or 07973 799712
We all heaved a sigh of relief when we completed the Annual and Footprint reports on 29th July. It's not over yet - it's a continuing chore for the foreseeable future. The Environment Agency is about to start auditing, the performance league tableis due out next month and you'd better start now to work out how much actual cash you're going to have to spend on buying carbon allowances next year.
Anthony Day looks at the issues and sets out The Next Steps. You can read this issue as a pdf by downloading it here, or give Anthony a call on 07803 616877
How can you meet your carbon reduction targets if you don't save energy? How can you save energy if you don't know where you're using it? What metering solutions are on the market and how do they compare?
I wanted to know how Supersmart metering from NoWatt, that Cyber Associates promotes, compares with other systems on the market. Bryony Prestidge and Matthew Smith from the York University Intern Team carried out research in July and August 2011. Here's what they found.
The published report will be available shortly, but in the meantime contact me, Anthony Day, for further information.
acd@cyber-associates.com
Counting down to the 29th July reporting deadline - a Special Offer on their CRC Market Research Report from Cambium LLP - why the Performance League Table is still important - DECC's proposals for CRC simplification - and meanwhile, in Australia...
For a 10% discount on the Cambium CRC Market Research Report use this code: 37DA06. Full details here.
To talk about any aspect of CRC and sustainability call Anthony Day on 07803 616877.
This is the audio from a recent webcast that I delivered on behalf of 2degrees. The objective is to bring you up to date on the latest position and it's based on a recent briefing by the Environment Agency and questions that I have asked of the CRCHELPDESK. Phase 1 is looking clearer, but there are issues still to be resolved. We have to deliver an annual report, a footprint report and we should have an evidence pack in place. Don't underestimate the time or the volume of data involved. July 29th is your deadline.
More on www.cyber-associates.com
Last week (27th January) Anthony Day presented on CRC to the Sustainability Directors' Conference and had to tell them that the presentation was already out of date. This podcast covers that event and things that have happened since.
It all started with the report on CRC from the Committee on Climate Change back in September, followed by the Comprehensive Spending Review in October (see point 2.108 on page 62). DECC opened a consultation in November. You can find the document here and it includes a useful diagram of the re-scheduled phases. Cyber Associates invited organisations to respond to a related two-minute survey, and you can download our report with results and comments from here.
I mentioned re-engingeering, and an example at the macro level is DECC's Energy Security model. Fascinating! Have a play with it!
DECC have now issued a further consultation on simplifying CRC. The details are here and they want your response by 11th March.
Anthony Day will be presenting on CRC for the 2degrees network in March. Date to be confirmed.
SUPERSMART METERING can save energy and save you money. See real-time reporting here.
For any more information please call Anthony Day direct: 07803 616877
Anthony Day's presentation at the Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange in Harrogate, November 2010.
What do we do now that the Comprehensive Spending Review seems to have converted a highly complex system into a straightforward tax?
Questions and answers on where we go from here.
DECC has actually opened a consultation on the future of CRC, closing date 17th December 2010. If you want to pass on your thoughts take my 2-minute survey here.
A presentation to the York Business Forum by Anthony Day.
Why reduce your carbon footprint? Government pressure - supplier pressure - consumer pressure - and improved efficiency saves money!
Carbon footprint is closely linked to energy and this podcast reviews UK energy policy in light of the 27th July statement to Parliament by Chris Huhne, Secretary of State. The model balancing energy supply and demand is published on the website of the Department for Energy and Climate Change here. We look at 4 scenarios; you can manipulate the model for yourself and see how changing each factor changes the outcome.
We also look at the Climate Change Action Plan for York published in the same week. Both the national and the York plan are open for consultation until 30th September.
How do we reduce the carbon footprint?
Low-hanging fruit - the second stage - staff engagement
What of the future?
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is an immediate concern for medium energy users (>£0.5m annual electricity) Cyber Associates helps clients comply, avoid penalties and optimise their position. Registration deadline is 30th September. Call us on 01904 654986 for immediate attention.
944 down, 9 weeks to go - Registration: use an agent - how safe is saved? - online guide: private sector http://tinyurl.com/2v9eagx public sector http://tinyurl.com/35r4jg8 - Last call for disaggregation - EAM: Kitemark Energy Reduction Verification scheme; don’t forget gas meters - Help the helpdesk - Is your guidance up to date? - Chris Huhne has seen our energy future, but you can make up your own mind on the DECC website - You too can have an energy monitor like DECC www.decc.gov.uk - Next CRC Webinar www.carbon-innovation.com
Presented by Anthony Day
www.cyber-associates.com
Is CRC just a game? Is Disaggregation the answer? Is the Performance League Table a red herring? Read on...
At last Thursday’s London Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange Anthony Day addressed these issues and more. He spoke in detail about the Early Action Metric, the Performance League Table and Recycling Payments. We discussed Disaggregation, the Safety Valve and the Second Market. We came to the conclusion that by the time we get to the capped phase it will no longer be any sort of game. CRC is not just another tax that you pay and forget. CRC will change your behaviour, your business outlook and your business model.
As the football manager said,"Life or death? It's much more serious than that!"
If you would like a copy of the slides and the notes accompanying this presentation please email acd@cyber-associates.com.
Duration 54 minutes.
Anthony Day discusses the latest developments in CRC now that the central registry is open. Is your organisation liable as a full participant or do you need simply to make an information disclosure? What is "disaggregation" and how can this affect your liability - and workload? What about the league table? Why do some AMRs give benefits under the Early Action Metric and others don't? What happens if you miss the September 30th deadline, or just choose to ignore it?
Listen in for answers to these and many other questions!
Conversation with Shourjo Sarkar on BBC Radio Leeds. Can you buy an electric car? How far will it go on a charge? Can't we just change the batteries? What is a plug-in hybrid? If Boris Johnson wants to install 25,000 charging points in London, what will it cost?
The government has launched the Carbon Reduction Commitment - a carbon trading scheme for medium-sized organisations. In this session Anthony Day explains who will be liable, how they must register and how your company can benefit.
For more information contact Anthony Day - acd@cyber-associates.com
[61 minutes]
Earlier this year North Tyneside Council published its Climate Change Strategy after months of work by council officers and community volunteers. The ISO 14001 process was started in 2007 and the council has just been through a successful audit. In this interview I talked to Tony Turnbull, Ainsley Rea and Laura McTaggart. We discussed a wide range of issues, including waste control, efficient fleet management and community engagement.
Duration 18m 45s
In a recent speech at the University of Brighton, Lord Stern said that climate change would lead to conflicts affecting billions of people.
Anthony Day discusses the issues with Ian Danter, host of The Late Show on talkSPORT Radio.
Duration: 9 minutes
A conversation with Oliver Bettis, Pricing Actuary for Great Lakes UK, part of the Munich Re Group. We discussed the scientific consensus, whether the government is telling the whole truth, whether anyone will do anything before it's too late, and a whole range of other issues. Approximately 30 minutes.
Whatever the consequences of climate change, the bigger the world population, the more people that will suffer. Nick Reeves, Executive Director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, believes we need control population and cut consumption. The world needs a new economic model. I asked him to tell me more.
Anthony Day
Duration 8m40s
The Prince's May Day Summit. Last Friday, 1st May, businesses gathered in 11 centres across the country to support the Prince of Wales's initiative for low carbon business.
Conversation with Doug Stewart about what a sustainable communications company and is and what it does. Services to a blue-chip client list and master-classes and publications available to all. See www.futerra.co.uk
Duration 10m 20s
This is an update to my TeleSeminar - "Staying in Business, Staying in Profit". Includes comments on the Triple Bottom Line and the five levels of Sustainability. How to save money and how to improve revenue. Detailed notes available here.
Duration 33m
In this interview with Anthony Day, Harry Morrison, General Manger of the Carbon Trust Standard Co, talks about a new standard for organisations and compares it with the Carbon Reduction Label for products.
One organisation that has already adopted the Standard is Citrica, a specialist cleaning contractor.
Registration for the Carbon Reduction Commitment is now well under way and there is a user guide available from DEFRA here. The Mayday Climate Change Summit is almost upon us - you can register at www.bitc.org.uk
See www.anthony-day.com for more on sustainable business.
Ben Wielgus, Sustainability Advisor at KPMG. Commentary on a range of issues including costs of compliance; how the CRC League Table may penalise prudent organisations; a suggestion scheme to motivate staff and drive employee engagement.
Recorded at the Newcastle Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange.
Duration 6m 5s
www.anthony-day.com
Lindsey Pearson, Quality Manager at Spark Response Ltd, explains how her company has adopted the sustainability approach and has benefited from it. Should organisations put the environment on the back burner in the present economic climate? Quite the opposite!
Recorded at the Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange, Newcastle.
Duration 5m 54s
www.anthony-day.com
Stephen Weldon, Group Commercial Manager at The Go-Ahead Group plc explains how sustainability is important to a national transport operator. 1p on a litre of diesel makes a £1m hit on the bottom line! Sustainability helps keep these costs under control.
Recorded at the Newcastle Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange
Duration 5m 46s
www.anthony-day.com
Staying in Business, Staying in Profit.
Anthony Day talks about risks and opportunities, sustainability and savings, planning for profit. This is the teleseminar which took place on 31st March. Completed working papers will shortly be available.
The next live teleseminar will take place on 21st April.
Duration 45m 27s
The Low Carbon Best Practice Exchange visits Newcastle on 2nd April - register at www.carbon-innovation.com.
Don't forget the Prince of Wales"s Mayday Summit on Climate Change, and have a look at that survey of consumer attitudes by the Carbon Trust.
I'm Anthony Day. More at www.anthony-day.com
Anthony Day talks to David Boomer, spokesman for the Institute of Directors on Environment, about investing in energy efficiency, government action, the coming energy gap and that third runway at Heathrow. Apologies for the background noise!
Visit my website at www.anthony-day.com for more.
Duration 11m 22s
Where do you go for financial services - London? New York? Zurich? Anthony Day talks to Martin Worner who works in all these centres - from his offices in Richmond, Yorkshire. His team produces highly sophisticated software products for international clients and they do it in one of the most attractive parts of the country. It's not just a nice place to live, it's sustainability in action - it's an environmentally responsible business. Listen to Martin Worner, MD of The City Secret, and learn more.
Anthony Day talks to Julian Walker-Palin, Head of Corporate Policy for Sustainability and Ethics at ASDA. Can businesses afford to be green or should they concentrate on growth? How is ASDA going to save 100,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2009? What do we do about excessive packaging, and why does ASDA run its own recycling centres?
Hear Julian's answers, and his predictions for the next few years.
Riding the recession - the COBRA™ Coefficient of Change - Is Sustainability Still Relevant? - Power Failure - Planning to Survive. The latest update from Anthony Day
In this issue there’s nothing about the credit crunch and the banking crisis – well not much. What I will be talking about is why the rich will be travelling by horse and cart (not), whether windfall taxes could hit your business, are you ready for the Carbon Reduction Commitment and what will the Climate Change Bill mean for you? Where will you be when the lights go out? According to a new report from Professor Ian Fells you’ll be in the dark pretty regularly from 2014 onwards. And I also bring you the PR Failure of the Month, windfalls to windmills and the worst job in the world.
The SPECIAL OFFER at the Harrogate conference is here www.carbon-innovation.com/anthonyday
Find out more about Clive Gott at www.clivegott.com
The music on this episode is Greensleeves by Lee Harris and the Tijuana Trumpets. Find more like this at www.music.podshow.com
Now, more than ever, we need to plan to be sure our organisations stay in business and stay in profit. Scenario planning is not about predicting the future - it's about predicting how your organisation will perform depending on how the world changes. Once you know the possible outcomes you can be ready with a range of strategies to meet them.
Duration: 5.53
A paper presented to ASTIN 2008, the colloquium of the International Association of Actuaries by Anthony Day. If you would like a copy of the paper please email me at mail@anthony-day.com or call me on 01904 654986
Duration: 20.30
Anthony Day talks about energy with Paul Jacobs at City Talk 105.9 - The Voice of Liverpool
Find out more at www.citytalk.fm
Duration: 9.20
Interviews with participants at London’s event of the week. John Neame, who had the original idea, on how it started and how it’s developing; Lyn Roberts from Coherent Research on how to track energy usage; Pascal Bouquet from Metnext explains how tracking the weather helps you predict energy demand; and Rick Wallis from NEC shows how latest developments in thin-client technology can help save energy. Nigel Wilkinson from T-mobile tells me about his case study about installing 6,000 smart meters and then Naomi Kelt and Caroline Whistlecraft describe how co2balance.com can help your organisation become carbon neutral. Finally, Ashley Lodge, Corporate Responsibility Manager of Harper Collins and founder member of the Publishers’ Green Network, talks about his work.
The next Low Carbon Innnovation Exchange will be in Harrogate on 22nd October (www.carbon-innovation.com) but in the meantime call me, Anthony Day, to talk about sustainable business – how your organisation can stay in business and stay in profit.
Presented by Anthony Day
Duration: 27.38
Tanker drivers back at work - oil price stable (more or less) - Dyson to build electric cars and Honda launches a hydrogen car - five new main railway lines - retail sales up in May - Gordon in Saudi - ...and a renewable energy strategy which will cut our use of oil. So is it all over?
Anthony Day
Duration: 5.40
Hauliers and labour MPs threatening to rebel - why it's all the government's fault - how oil prices and energy prices will affect a lot more than just fuel - review your supply chain - join me at London's Low Carbon Innovation Exchange on 26th June.
Anthony Day - www.anthony-day.com
Duration 7:15
The oil price - again. Personal Carbon Trading: the Environmental Audit Committee wants it but the government doesn't. The folly of feed-in tariffs and subsidising micro-generation. Predicting the future - "for entertainment only?" Best Practice for Environmental Champions at the London Low Carbon Exchange, 26th June.
I'm Anthony Day. Call me if you want to know more - 07803 616877 - or see the website www.anthony-day.com
Duration: 14:34
Oil pushing $120/barrel again - a petiton to reduce VAT on fuel duty - Americans to remove fuel tax altogether - commercial vehicle protest - Rockerfellers lobby Exxon - adapting to the high cost of energy.
Presented by Anthony Day
Duration: 4.18
I chair the Scottish Carbon Reduction Summit. Philip Wright from the Scottish Government spoke about Bali and Denmark 2009. Plans to assess the carbon footprint of Scottish government activity. Anthony Johnson from Stephenson Harwood on Legal Foundations of a Low Carbon Economy and Alasdair Harper from DEFRA on the Carbon Reduction Commitment. Find out about similar events at www.carbon-innovation.com
The Prince of Wales's second May Day Climate Change Summit. Expert opinion from around the world, but disappointing press coverage. Green business is good business - case studies showed how it saves money.
Presented by Anthony Day
Duration 6.52
Today I was interviewed by BBC Radio Three Counties. Adnams, a brewery in their area, have just announced a carbon neutral beer. Jonathan Vernon Smith seemed a bit sceptical, but I think it's a step in the right direction. There's a lot more to do, though.
Have we peaked or have we peaked? – Russian oil at the peak of production; Brazilian oil at the bottom of the sea – Matt Simmons on the global peak – the biofuel bubble; Mandelson and the EU – Stern still warning.
Presented by Anthony Day
Duration: 8 minutes
Presented by Anthony Day
I recently delivered this speech to the Association of Manufacturers of Power Generation Systems at their annual conference at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London. Climate change is a problem, but energy security is even more serious. Opportunities for AMPS members, but a serious challenge for the rest of us!
Duration 30 minutes
Watergate whitewash and the greatest news management failure of the 20th century - what is greenwash? - Greenpeace and greenwash - Brent Spar - incinerators - GM foods; both sides of the debate - is the truth enough? - heads above the parapet - why it will affect your business - give me a call - 01904 654986 or www.anthony-day.com
Duration 18.30
A presentation to the Yorkshire and Humberside branch of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. What's it all about? - Elements of sustainability: climate change, resource depletion, pollution, the energy crisis - Objections: the scientists don't agree; anything I do is insignificant; it's all the fault of the Chinese; OK, so what's in it for me? - Opportunities and risks for business: physical risks; regulations, standards and taxes; competition and consumer expectations; your reputation: do people want to work with and for you? - Business as role model.
Presented by Anthony Day
The floods that never happened - and those that did - and their cost to business. Oil price - grin and bear it? Going green at Westminster, and don't forget your Christmas cards!
(More next week)
Presented by Anthony Day www.anthony-day.com
This week’s review of sustainable business comes from the annual convention of the Professional Speakers Association in a week when oil hit $96/barrel. Hear interviews with Will Kintish, (www.kintish.co.uk), on the benefits of running teleclasses, Alan Stevens, incoming president, (www.mediacoach.com), on getting difficult messages across and Graeme Codrington, (www.hannahsrules.com) on how future generations will hold us to account. Is your business ready?
Presented by Anthony Day www.anthony-day.com
What's the key to sustainable business? This week: will your pension be worth having? See Nick Silver's article in The Actuary - -Training to be Green; an interview with Peter Scott from Motivaction -- A conference with a difference - The Low Carbon Innovations Exchange
Presented by Anthony Day - www.anthony-day.com
Thoughts on keeping your business in business - fossil fuels or bio-fuels? - Paul Clarke on why it makes sense to drive a green car (www.green-car-guide.com) - carbon targets, carbon trading and better use of resources from Mike Smith at Yorkshire Forward (www.yorkshire-forward.com) - and has someone got it in for cows?
Presented by Anthony Day - www.anthony-day.com
More airport protests - shipping has a bigger carbon footprint than aviation - Multimap lets you track the carbon cost of your journey - good and bad for Al Gore - creative "recycling"
Presented by Anthony Day - www.anthony-day.com
The environmental impact of IT – Carbon labels too costly for business – Carbon footprints at home - Tom Oxley of Norwich Union on green business – “Sea Tubes? to stop climate change? – How green is my Tesco?
Welcome – Climate Conferences: Ban Ki Moon, Bill Clinton, George Bush – Visit to Saltend Co-generation Plant – the Cost of Clean Coal