The UK is increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change – which in turn could increase inequalities and disadvantage. A new website launched today – Climate Just – is designed to help local authorities and other organisations working on climate change, or working with vulnerable communities, to respond to this challenge. The site […]
Precautionary or proportionate? NB: This image is a conceptual illustration of the relationship between ‘precaution’ and ‘proportion’ – it does not represent any numerical analysis of the relationship between the two. Explanation: Much of the discussion around ‘better’ or ‘smarter regulation’ is entrenched in a perceived conflict between those calling for a ‘proportionate’ or […]
In NEFs working paper on bass we recommend seven key steps to recovery: http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/seven-key-steps-to-bass-stock-recovery Chris Williams NEF ‘Before Christmas I wrote about the need for urgent action to protect dwindling numbers of bass in European seas. Some good news came last week – the European Commission has agreed Emergency Measures to prevent a total collapse […]
Bob Earll This article starts with the joke of Japan’s ‘scientific whaling’ and then picks up on the very current issue of electric pulse fisheries and UK’s rush to join the Dutch fleet. We are increasingly familiar with the debate about policy based evidence or evidence based policy. This takes it to the next level […]
Richard Pagett ‘The Davos World economic Forum has been and gone and produced its traditional set of findings on global risks (http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2015). During the last ten years this annual report has been highlighting the most significant long-term risks worldwide, drawing on the perspectives of experts and global decision-makers. In previous years the reports tended to do the easier, less […]
EFRA 10 February 2015 ‘The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee queries Government plans to attract £600 million from external funders to bolster flood defences. In its report on Defra Performance in 2013-14, the cross-party Committee cites low levels of private funding attracted to date as a cause for concern about ambitious future plans. Report: Defra […]
Sustainability and resilience are not the same thing but both require a clear assessment of the long term direction of travel. With water companies now having legal duties to deliver both sustainability and resilience this is a helpful set of ideas. Athough it’s American these ideas based on five years of research highlight key areas […]
Corporate Knights ‘In 2012, the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook report legitimized the notion of unburnable carbon in one sentence: “No more than one-third of proven reserves of fossil fuels can be consumed prior to 2050 if the world is to achieve the 2°C goal, unless carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is widely […]