Blogposts tagged 'Credit Crunch'

Low carbon summit doesn't add up

Posted by christian - 6 March 2009 at 12:04pm - 0 Comments

Offshore wind

Investing in offshore wind, energy efficiency and renewable electricity links could make us a packet and slash carbon emissions. But the government aren't showing enough ambition

This morning, 'slightly shady' business secretary Peter Mandelson and 'could do better' PM Gordon Brown hosted a low carbon summit to unveil their plans for greening the UK manufacturing sector.

In theory it sounds great. Britain could finally get a bit of the green technology pie, catching up with countries like Germany, where they've created over 250,000 jobs, or the USA, where venture capitalists are flocking to wind and solar start-up companies.

Unfortunately the government's recent attempts at greening the economy have been relatively pathetic. Grand aspirations aren't backed by action. Gordon Brown's recently unveiled financial stimulus package included less investment in a green economy than almost any other G7 country. Oh dear.

Article tagged as: climate change, credit crunch, energy efficiency, gordon brown, peter mandelson, renewable energy

How deep are the shifts in politics?

Posted by John Sauven - 2 March 2009 at 2:47pm - 0 Comments

Our executive director John Sauven is writing today about green investment and starting the office off on a spring blog relay. Over the next couple months we'll be asking different Greenpeace staff and volunteers to write for our blog each day so that you can find out a bit more about the many different people, ideas and roles behind our campaigns.

Since the 'big crunch', world leaders have been forced to think the unthinkable.

Even Peter Mandelson, who once said he was "intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich", now questions New Labour's unbridled, unregulated capitalism.

He recently explained: "Partly through our need to reassure that we were no longer the 1980s Labour party, partly because there was a new economic orthodoxy prevailing in the economy, we emphasised or played up our belief in markets, profits, even privatisation as a model."

Article tagged as: blog relay, credit crunch, economy, green new deal, low-carbon, renewable energy

We need a rescue package for the planet

Posted by John Sauven - 24 February 2009 at 3:56pm - 4 Comments

Tar Sands

Tar sands excavation in northern Canada is a devastating display of the consuming passions of our economy.

Although the global extent, length and depth may be in dispute, everyone agrees the world is suffering a serious financial and economic crisis.

The financial sector in a number of countries, including the US, is close to being technically bankrupt. Beyond the financial sector a number of industries in the UK and elsewhere are teetering on the edge. These include sectors responsible for infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications.

The debts being ratcheted up by some countries will take generations to pay off and in the coming decade will lead to both tax rises and heavy cuts in public expenditure. It's a dramatically changed landscape that will impact hugely on Greenpeace's work along with many other organisations and companies.

Article tagged as: agriculture, climate change, credit crunch, economy, forests, gordon brown, green new deal, oceans

Greatest investment is in the future of the planet

Posted by tracy - 24 November 2008 at 9:11am - 0 Comments

It’s pre-budget announcement day, and there is already a lot of talk about the details and how Labour’s plans to reinvigorate the economy are going to shake out. As I tumbled out of bed Radio 4 was discussing the impact this announcement will have on the next election - it could make or break the Labour party.

But while most are focusing on the short term measures to get us through the toughest months, we also need to look at investment that will ensure a better quality of life in the long run and a healthy planet. We’ve published ads in the Guardian, Times and Independent today focused on the longer term investment needed to refocus the economy, provide jobs and protect the most valuable asset we have – the planet.

Article tagged as: budget, climate change, credit crunch, economy, green economy, green jobs
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