Nature Bats Last – 09.15.15

On this episode of NBL we are joined today by Dr. Christopher Shaw. Chris is visiting fellow in the field of science and policy research at the University of Sussex. He is interested in building a more participatory process for deliberating on climate policy.

Carbon Sequestration Is Not A Solution To The Climate Crisis

Burying the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, has been mooted as one geoengineering approach to ameliorating climate change. To be effective, trapping the gas in geological deposits would be for the very long term, thousands of years. Now, a team in Brazil, writing in the International Journal of Global Warming has reviewed the risk assessments …

The price to be paid for not cutting emissions of greenhouse gases could mean driving the planet across planetary boundaries, or “tipping points”.

An international team of scientists has tried a new approach to addressing the complex argument about the costs of climate change – and, once again, the prediction is that the costs of inaction will be so much greater than paying the bills now. The researchers − from the UK, Switzerland and the US − conclude that policy-makers must apply the …

Sustainable living means making big changes, so why can’t we face up to it?

Despite the significant risks for human and non-human life, greenhouse gas emissions (GhG) are still rising. Something has to give – and that something would appear more significant than those with the power to stimulate change are willing to admit. The UK government’s Global Calculator is a good example. This recently released tool allows us to model the compatibility of our food, travel, housing and work …

Biotech Corporate Propaganda: The Campaign against GMOs “Condemns Billions to Hunger and Poverty”

Speaking last week in Pretoria, former UK Environment Minister Owen Paterson described critics of GMOs as comprising part of a privileged class that increasingly fetishizes food and seeks to turn their personal preferences into policy proscriptions for the rest of us. He called them backward-looking and regressive. He claimed their policies would condemn billions to hunger, poverty and underdevelopment because …