Climate change

Global warming: nothing to do with human action, an illusion, a minor irritant, a technical problem that can be managed by normal development, or the most serious threat to the world after nuclear war?

Friday 3rd February

China’s big bet on green industry – and how it might green the world

John Mathews, 3 February 2012
After the failure of Durban, a promising plan B to reducing carbon emissions rests upon green development industrial strategies being pursued by individual countries. And here China is in the vanguard.
Tuesday 20th December

Water in the Arab Spring

Andrew Wigley, 20 December 2011
Water scarcity in the Middle East & North Africa is at the root of the region’s uprisings. In the coming years, it will also be the source of further social unrest across the region.
Wednesday 14th December

Threat to opportunity: the new logic of climate policy

Andrew Bowman, 14 December 2011
In the clutches of recession, the Ryanair chief executive may now breathe a sigh of relief as binding emission reductions seem further off than ever before. Now, the only thinkable solutions to climate change are those which also provide an immediate, tangible boost to economic growth. But can market logic provide the solution to this ever-escalating crisis?
Friday 18th November

Giant strides or fairy footsteps

Simon Maxwell, 18 November 2011
How much progress can be made in tackling climate change without a global deal?
Thursday 31st March

A low carbon future needs an industrial policy

David Nash, 31 March 2011
The UK Chancellor (Finance Minister), George Osborne, presented plans for taxation and spending that pay homage to environmental concerns. But his measures rely on the mistaken belief that market mechanisms and other interventions are substitutes, not complements. (This article is part of an IPPR series more of which can be read here)
Monday 6th December

After Cancún: shifting climate gears

Andrew Pendleton, 6 December 2010
The loss of momentum in climate diplomacy reflects deep flaws in the way campaigners understand and frame climate change in relation to people’s lives and interests. There is both challenge and opportunity here, says Andrew Pendleton.
Friday 20th August

Laid low by the heat

Elena Strelnikova, 20 August 2010
The Russian heat wave has been going on for weeks. From her dacha Elena Strelnikova gives a wry account of officials on freebies, water shortages and the catastrophic effects of the lasting heat on fruit, crops, milk yields and life in the Orenburg Region in general.
Friday 4th June

The felling of bungalows, the building of Dhaka

Delwar Hussain, 4 June 2010
The frenetic urban growth of Bangladesh's capital forces its inhabitants into new ways of living
Monday 1st March

Trust the people on climate change

Stephen Plowden, 1 March 2010
While inconsistency with respect to climate change runs so deep in government policy, how can we expect people to behave differently?
Tuesday 12th January

Copenhagen: a successful failure

Joe Smith, 12 January 2010
The Copenhagen climate-change summit has been widely portrayed as a failure. But in a deeper and longer perspective COP15 is an important milestone, says Joe Smith.
Thursday 7th January

Does environmentalism destroy the world?

Tony Curzon Price, 7 January 2010
openDemocracy and Resurgence launch the Dictionary of Ethical Politics to explore how our political concepts can cope with the end of the limitless
Tuesday 5th January

Can consumers save our climate?

John Elkington, 5 January 2010
After Copenhagen, can market forces – and consumers in particular – help address global warming? In an article originally published on chinadialogue.net, John Elkington looks at the promises and pitfalls of “green” consumption
Monday 4th January

Beyond Copenhagen: what kind of bottom-up climate activism do we need?

Rupert Read, 4 January 2010

The Copenhagen accord

Tan Copsey, 4 January 2010
What happened at the COP15 climate talks? Tan Copsey from Chinadialogue explains the new (dis-)agreement.
Monday 21st December

After Copenhagen

Brian Davey, 21 December 2009
Copenhagen was supposed to be the last chance for humanity on an assumption that emissions in the future would continue to grow as they have in the past. But what if the future is one of contraction and disorganisation anyway?
Saturday 19th December

Learn from Copenhagen's failure

Simon Zadek, 19 December 2009
The way the global commons is run must be turned upside-down. (From zadek.wordpress.com)
Friday 18th December

Green jobs for British workers?

Thomas Ash, 18 December 2009
Thursday 17th December

Rains fail again in east Africa

Josephine Whitaker, 17 December 2009
Repeated failure of rains in eastern Africa demonstrate the link between climate change and security. Yemeni security forces foil an al-Qaeda plot. Two Colombian rebel groups announce possibility of alliance against government. The end of much-criticised UN-backed Kimenia II operated in eastern Congo is announced. The Philippines prepares for evacuation ahead of predicted volcanic eruption. All this and more in today's update.

The money's there

Simon Zadek, 17 December 2009
There is a climate deal to be done after the Copenhagen debacle: issue sovereign debt for green investment. From www.zadek.com

Copenhagen: climate countdown

Sue Branford, Ian Christie, Andrew Dobson, John Elkington, Øyvind Paasche, and Oliver Tickell, 17 December 2009
The United Nations climate-change summit is a vital moment in the world’s effort to avert catastrophe. openDemocracy authors reflect on what needs to happen and how much Copenhagen can achieve.
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