Update: March 21st 2018. Cardiff University announced yesterday that it is to stop investing in fossil fuels by 2021. Its statement: “The move to full divestment aligns the University’s investment decisions with our values and aims, and reaffirms our commitment to environmental sustainability, responsible investment and social responsibility. I wrote the piece below the line three years… Continue reading
Browsing Category Environment Blog
Conkers in crisis – can horse chestnut survive annual onslaught by pests?
The damage caused by the larvae of the leaf miner moth in horse chestnuts seems particularly severe in parts of Southern Britain this year. While not fatal in itself, the moth may fatally weaken the trees. Autumn comes prematurely in sad little pockets of England and Wales. As early as July the leaves of the… Continue reading →
Corals reefs worth an annual $36 billion to tourism in peril worldwide
Climate change is causing significant damage to a multi billion dollar sector of the tourism industry, the coral reefs of 100 countries and territories, and scientists say there is only a narrowing window of opportunity in which to preserve what’s left of it. A report published in April 2017 put the value of “on-reef and… Continue reading →
Could the Fleet flow again in Central London? New life for a lost river
A group of young workmen take their leisure by the River Seine, in an industrial suburb west of Paris. It’s the best-know depiction of riverine ease anywhere in art. You can see it, Georges Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres, in the National Gallery in London. Is it possible we might see a real, 21st Century, recreation… Continue reading →
German postal service’s electric delivery van goes mainstream
Update, April 13th, 2017. Deutsche Post announced (Apr 11, 2017) that it is to expand production of its electric delivery van, the StreetScooter, aiming to double production capacity by the end of 2017 from 10,000 to as many as 20,000. Deutsche Post developed the StreetScooter electric van itself, for its own deliveries. Such is its… Continue reading →
Five years on – how solar panels cover our electricity bill
Five years ago this week, we installed 13 solar panels on our roof. The array, with a capacity of 2.47 kilowatt hours (kWh), cost us £7,862. Today I would have to pay less than half that. Take the real example of the Guardian’s Patrick Barkham, writing in 2015. His 4kWh system of 16 panels cost £4,630 to… Continue reading →