RSS Feed
Author Archive
Climate change ‘exaggerated’, says former Australian PM
Posted by Guardian: Karl Mathiesen on November 6th, 2013
Guardian: John Howard has told an audience of climate sceptics in London that Tony Abbott's defiance on global warming in the face of left-wing zealotry was the foundation of his electoral victory in September.
In a lecture at the Global Warming Policy Foundation, established by former Thatcher minister and climate sceptic Nigel Lawson, the former Australian prime minister insisted that the high tide of public support for "overzealous action" on global warming has passed.
"I am very sceptical about the...
Posted in 
European biofuels vote delivers ‘desperately weak compromise’
Posted by Guardian: Karl Mathiesen on September 11th, 2013
Guardian: The European parliament has delivered a "desperately weak compromise" on the future of biofuels in Europe that industry says will "curtail jobs and investment".
In a tight vote on the use of biofuels in transport fuel, the parliament approved a 6% cap on the contribution of biofuels to Europe's renewable transport energy target of 10% by 2020.
The policy of replacing petrol and diesel for cars and other vehicles stems from efforts to reduce carbon emissions from Europe's transport sector. But...
Slug poison found in one in eight of England’s drinking water sources
Posted by Guardian: Karl Mathiesen on July 10th, 2013
Guardian: Slug poison was found in one in eight rivers and reservoirs used for drinking water in England and Wales according to the Environment Agency's (EA) most recent survey, prompting environmentalists to call for greater use of natural predators instead of chemicals.
The EA told the Guardian that between 2009 and 2011 concentrations of metaldehyde, used by farmers to protect their crops from slugs, were found in 81 of 647 reservoirs, rivers and groundwater from which drinking water is sourced. The...
China’s largest algal bloom turns the Yellow Sea green
Posted by Guardian: Karl Mathiesen on July 4th, 2013
Guardian: The largest algal bloom ever recorded in China has turned the Yellow Sea green and may be related to pollution from agriculture and industry.
Officials in the city of Qingdao had used bulldozers to remove 7,335 tonnes of the growth from beaches according to the Xinhua news agency.
The phenomenon has become an annual occurrence in the region over the past six summers. This year's incident has swathed 28 900 sq km (11 158 sq miles), twice as much as the previous biggest bloom in 2008.
The...