Now this is fairly standard

In Denial or In Cahoots?

There's been a bit of a bust up in the wonderful world of climate change denial this week. First George Monbiot alleges in his new book that most of the 'institutes' generating reports saying that climate change may not be happening, or that it is part of a natural cycle, are actually PR front organisations set up and funded by big business. Initially they were funded to cast doubt on the link between passive smoking and cancer, but now, showing remarkable versatility, have become experts on climate science. The funding is alleged to be in the order of £1.5billion and the results are often quoted by Melanie Phillips in the Daily Mail, David Bellamy and others in their campaigns against "political correctness gone mad".

Now this is fairly standard stuff from George M, but the Royal Society then weighed in, writing to Exxon-Mobil asking them to stop funding these groups. The big oil company got sniffy and retorted they now believe that climate change is man-made and that they've stopped funding such companies this year.

Progress of a sort, I suppose...

Scrub that - this must be Green Monday

Scrub that - this must be Green Monday!

The green-talking yesterday has paled into insignificance compared to the release of the Stern report on the economics of climate change. Its headline conclusion was that unless we invest 1% of the world's annual wealth now, we could knock 20% of the economy in 2050 - worse than the Wall Street Crash which caused the Depression in the 1920s.

It certainly got Blair & Brown's interest, neither of whom have been willing before to walk the walk on environmental issues. The two of them were even nice to each other at the press conference. There seems to have been a realisation that the economy operates within the natural world and not in a bubble on its own - a welcome development.

The Chancellor in particular announced a raft of measures which could make a real difference if they aren't watered down before they hit the statute book. Even green taxation raised its ugly head, but The Sun got its retaliation in first with a headline "I'm Saving the Planet - YOU Lot are Paying!", a far cry from its recent green conversion.

Much to my annoyance, the press are once again wheeling out the usual ragbag of discredited climate change deniers like Bjorn "Humbug" Lomborg to try and stir up some controversy. Sky News' coverage made it sound like the whole thing was predicated on a guess. I'll say it one more time. There has never been a peer-reviewed scientific journal paper casting serious doubt on man-made climate change. Let's move on...