A new economics is emerging – but not from the traditional left
I had to take an astonished breath when Boris Johnson explained how committed he was to business – so committed, he said, that he was the only senior politician who supported the banks during the 2008 crash. What, I exclaimed to myself? That is like saying you...
The curious arrival of climate change in politics
There had been no climate debate in Parliament for two years then one that was barely attended. Now House of Commons has declared a 'climate emergency'. Bill McGuire asks what is going on, if MPs understand the implications and whether logical actions will follow...
Shorts and sun-shades in February then drowning in March
Weather and climate are not the same, but Bill McGuire is reeling at the numbers rolling-up from recent extreme weather events and how climate change is loading the dice. Here he writes about why... The UK weather at the end of February was was the first time that...
Can we transform the world in 12 years? New short film for the BBC
Here's some evidence-based hope in a warming world... Working in collaboration with Tamarack Media, and the Rapid Transition Alliance, we've made this short film for the BBC. Now that climate change is undeniable, some switch to saying that the action necessary to...
Fridays for future – sing a song of climate change
Instead of the usual wrangling over policy, as it is a Friday and in honour of the global schools' climate strike happening today and the Fridays for Future movement, here is a song about climate breakdown written especially for us by our long-time collaborator,...
Towards the idea of a local Green New Deal
It is a strange thing, given the sound and fury emanating from the USA over the phrase, but the idea of a Green New Deal was actually homegrown in the UK. Especially homegrown in fact, for us, because of the involvement of New Weather's Andrew Simms. It was launched...
Academics attack fracking & call on transformation for climate
Key decisions are being taken now about whether or not the UK locks-in continuing dependence on fossil fuels. The fracas over fracking led some scientists with relationships to the oil and gas industry in a letter to The Times newspaper to support claims for a...
Interserve – the return of too big to fail?
Lindsay Mackie looks at the costs and consequences when extractive capitalism is put in charge of providing essential public services, and asks why lessons are not being learned or companies held to account? It’s like irregular buses – along they come in unwanted...
This is what climate breakdown looks like
As different parts of the planet freeze and fry simultaneously, Prof Bill McGuire says global warming is no longer a future problem, the reality is here and now... The term climate change never quite hit the spot as a description of what is happening to our climate as...
Patisserie Valerie – how finance had its cake and ate it…
I have a stake, or at least a pastry, in the story of the failed café chain Patisserie Valerie. In the early 1980's I was a wide-eyed student in Central London, having wandered in from the provinces (Essex). Soho was a short walk from the college and at its heart,...