Reasons to be Cheerful, Parts one, Two and Three....
The first reason to be cheerful this week is that the Republican Party did not oppose President Obama's climate change strategy in the U.S. At least not on scientific grounds. They still opposed it (surprise surprise!) on economic ones but they could not find it within themselves to question the science. Although this seems a far remove from the everyday world most of us inhabit it marks a seismic shift in thinking from one of the most entrenched climate denier blocs on the Planet. For many years large corporations have spent vast sums buying up US politicians into the denial industry with dire consequences for the rest of us. That manifested itself primarily in the Republican Party especially during the presidency of George W. Bush when effectively big oil ran the administration. If that long and dishonourable tradition is coming to a halt then it's good news for all of us.
Secondly the Thames Array, the world's largest windfarm has been opened by David Cameron in the Thames Estuary. Recently Cameron has been far too obsessed with fracking and trying to promote GM foods, so it's a welcome change to see him associated with something green for once. Britain now boasts the world's largest offshore windfarm able to generate vast amounts of clean electricity and reducing Co2 emissions by 925,000 tonnes a year.
Thirdly and by no means least is the welcome news that Councillors here in South Wales have deferred consent to drill an exploration borehole to test for gas in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taff, keeping at bay the dangers of fracking and showing that not all politicians are hypnotised by this latest fossil fuel fools gold. Now none of these three things are going to turn around the assault on the planet on their own, but they are points of light which show we can move in the right direction(s) if those in power choose to. Our job in Greenpeace and other organisations is to make sure they keep on that right path...
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