The judgement last week by the European Court of Human Rights that Switzerland’s lack of action on tackling climate change breached the human rights of a group of older women will open the door for many similar challenges and boost the chances …
Scotland’s climate targets dilemma
The Scottish Government has to produce a new plan on meeting climate targets by November, but their scientific advisers have told them that Scotland’s 2030 target is now almost impossible to meet. Scotland’s 2019 Climate Act set three targets. By 2030 we were supposed …
Agriculture and energy sectors need to reduce methane emissions
Action in agriculture and the oil and gas industry could produce rapid reductions in the powerful greenhouse gas methane. 25% of Scotland’s contribution to climate change in 2021 was due to our emissions of methane. Because methane is around 80 …
Fife hydrogen heating trial now completely pointless
UK ministers have resisted an organised backlash against heat pumps and the hype over hydrogen for home heating and are about to confirm targets for heat pump manufacture. The Scottish Government recently confirmed its ambitions on heat pumps with a target to …
A treaty to end fossil fuels
The UK has just left the Energy Charter Treaty supposedly on the grounds that it would hold back action to meet climate targets. The Treaty, dating from 1991, allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments over policies they don’t like. France, Germany, the Netherlands …
Electric vehicles reaching a tipping point
Despite the UK and Scottish Governments going backwards on their top-level commitments to phasing out the sales of petrol and diesel cars and vans, things are actually going pretty well for electric vehicles. A new analysis shows that someone who bought a …
COP28 aftermath
Things are getting back to normal in Expo City Dubai, now that the 85,000 delegates for COP28 have headed back home after nearly two weeks of difficult negotiations. The talks ran over by about 24 hours and reactions to the …
Tobacco style attacks on heat pumps
Transforming the heating of our homes and other buildings is essential to reduce climate emissions and protect people from the volatile costs of fossil fuels. But anti-climate forces and vested interests are using tactics straight out of the tobacco industry …
Grangemouth closure should have been no surprise
The announcement last week that Grangemouth refinery is to close should not have been a surprise to anyone, it is the inevitable consequence of taking climate change seriously. This makes the apparent lack of preparation for this event doubly surprising. The refinery …
Plastics’ use under pressure
Pressure is growing to reduce our use of plastics, internationally and at home. Our massive use of plastic globally keeps us hooked on fossil fuels and continues to create widespread contamination of the environment by long-lived compounds. WWF estimate that the cost to …
Oil industry wins again
The news that the UK government proposes to accept annual applications for new oil and gas projects rather than on the current multi-year cycle, shows the power of the oil industry. The Labour Party, expecting to be the next government, has said …
Good ideas on climate change needed more than ever
The world is in a climate crisis. Never has there been a greater need for good ideas to reduce emissions here and at home. I was lucky enough to be involved in the creation of a Climate Manifesto for Stop Climate Chaos …