It was a quiet news morning in London on Monday, April 8, 2013. Just the sort of time for the newspapers and the broadcast media to pick up the publication of a very important report, concerning the whole of Britain’s land and natural resources. And then, boom. Mrs Thatcher’s death was announced at noon, and… Continue reading
Browsing Category Environment
LEDs light the Rijksmuseum, and let us see Rembrandt in his true colours
You’ve heard of LEDs, the new lighting phenomenon, and, own up, you’re interested. But aren’t they terribly expensive? (They must be, as you keep seeing them on top of the range BMWs and Audis.) And isn’t their light too cold and white? But then again, don’t they use far less energy? It’s all so confusing…. Continue reading →
Tidal lagoon in Swansea could power 100,000 homes
Swansea has its second chance to lead the world. Now it’s up to the government? 208 years ago the city launched the world’s first passenger railway. In 2013 a consortium announced a £10m “investment offering” to fund its proposal to build a “tidal lagoon” in Swansea Bay, to produce enough energy to satisfy the domestic requirements of… Continue reading →
Sustainable fish – not what it says on the label
The BBC’s Stephen Evans was right to go after untrue labels of packets of fish – “Mislabelled fish slip into Europe’s menus”, April 2nd, 2013. The issue is fresh in the listener’s mind after the horsemeat scandal. (The Daily Mail ran a similar investigative story on fish in 2011.) There is a separate conservation point… Continue reading →
Air quality a health hazard in UK towns and cities: govt slow to act on traffic causes
This week the Guardian newspaper published a disturbing story about air-quality in London and other urban areas. There have been a lot of still, quiet weather days in London this month (March 2013) and that contributes to a buildup of airborne pollution. Much of that comes from diesel engines, in cars, taxis and commercial vehicles…. Continue reading →
Time for the solar revolution to end Africa’s kerosene nightmare
If the mobile phone had developed at the same rate as the principal means of lighting used across underdeveloped Africa and the Far East, we would still be using the brick size version that came out in the early 1990s. Smaller, lighter and more efficient phones would still be an awfully long way away. In… Continue reading →