A week in the environment

For environmental watchers it has been a busy week.

Last weekend was the combined action of Greenpeace groups across Europe against VW. We launched a massive campaign both on-line and in the real world with protests outside over 60 VW dealerships, many more being the targets of a leaflet campaign (including one here in Gillingham).  Plus there were actions at VW headquarters, a huge projection at Battersea Power Station, a publicity event at the eco car show and a take over of many of VW's social networking sites by Greenpeace supporters.

On Monday a row broke out over the new edition of the Times Atlas showing a 15% decrease in the cover of the permanent ice cap since the last version of the atlas was published in 1999.

Scientists from the SPRI (Scott Polar Research Institute) claim that the loss is much less. Annoyingly their press release seems to only talk about volume, which they say has decreased by only 0.1% in the same period. Comparing volume with coverage doesn't seem to be comparing like with like to me.
Although the SPRI aren't denying that the ice sheet is melting one assumes that their concern is that an overly large headline grabbing number like 15% which is not backed up by real world data is only playing into the climate sceptics hands.

By Thursday ice was back in the papers - this time Arctic ice. On the 9^th of September the Arctic ice reached it's summer minimum and this year that figure was the 2^nd lowest ever recorded. The lowest figure was recorded in 2007, a year which was described as favourable for ice loss (with clearer skies and higher annual temperatures). The conditions this year weren't as favourable so this is a worrying trend. While the Greenland ice sheet still seems to be reasonably resistant to the warming planet the same clearly cannot be said about the Arctic.

On the carbon front Thursday also saw the publication of a report by the Cambridge Econometrics. ( If you don't know what econometrics means don't feel left out, I had to look it up too). In it they say that “the UK decisively missed the previous government’s long-standing domestic goal of a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2010 on 1990 levels”. They also predict that of the next 4 targets set by this government that they will miss them all, each by increasing amounts. Overall the report seriously brings into question the coalition's claim of desiring to be the ‘greenest government ever’.

And finally some better news. A report out from the Carbon Disclosure Project written by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, had findings which strongly suggest a link between higher financial performance and a good climate change policy. It also showed that 68% of companies had integrated climate change initiatives into their overall business strategy and 93% had board or senior executive oversight for their company’s climate change program .

So the conclusion. Well it is clear that climate change is happening and that the Arctic is one of the places where global warming is most prevalent. It is also clear that current government policy isn't going far enough despite all the rhetoric. But above all it shows that big business is beginning to take sustainable and clean energy strategy seriously and those that do so reap financial benefits as a result (take note VW). For my mind the societal importance of Greenpeace and organisations like them is as clear as ever; Governments need to be pushed and businesses needs to be encouraged to look at their wider impacts. Both, in the end, not just for the good of the planet and all of us who live here, but also for their own sakes. 40 years on and Greenpeace seems more relevant than ever before.