Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day 2009, a perfect excuse to reawaken my blog. This year, Blog Action Day is focusing on climate change, a topic I'm particularly passionate about, believing it to be the single most important issue facing us today.

When at university, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work for a local MP, organising a climate change event in the constituency. I used the opportunity to learn everything I could about climate change, reading books, watching documentaries, watching Commons debates and observing committee proceedings.

I immersed myself in everything relating to climate change, learning everything I could about the subject. So much so that my dissertation tutor was baffled as to why I didn't choose it as my dissertation topic (I wish I'd listened to him). The most important thing I realised was that there is no longer a credible debate about human induced climate change. In face, the debate has now shifted to how soon we will suffer the consequences.

One experience I will never forget, was watching Lord Lawson appearing before the Joint Climate Change Committee (a committee responsible for scrutinising the draft Climate Change Bill). The bewildered faces addressing Lawson as he confidently asserted climate change wasn't happening, sea levels weren't rising and that temperatures were in fact falling, seemed to represent the whole climate change debate. A single voice of denial opposed to the many who accept we need to act to combat climate change

I am glad to see we currently have a Government prepared to act on Climate Change. The Climate Change Bill should see a significant reduction in carbon emissions. However the words of Douglas Carswell, calling climate change a 'lunatic consensus', demonstrate we must remain vigilant. We must drown out the voice of denial and pressure any future Government to do what is necessary to stop climate change, before it's too late.

Visit http://www.blogactionday.org and participate in Blog Action Day 2009

Plain Stupid

Many people are well aware of my feelings on climate change. Having studied climate change at university, as well as helping to organise a screening of 'An Inconvenient Truth' for a local MP, I have become passionate in my belief that it is the greatest threat facing us. The vast majority of scientists accept that the planet is warming and that this is down to the levels of carbon dioxide we are all pumping into the atmosphere. It is an incredibly serious problem, made even harder to solve due to the scepticism which still exists over the issue.

It is crucial to win over the general public if we are to have any hope of cutting carbon emissions and solving this crisis. This is precisely why I strongly oppose the actions of "Plane Stupid", who are doing more damage than good.

Let me be clear, I don't oppose direct action entirely. If used correctly, direct action can bring about real change. However any action should only be taken if it will benefit the cause. Clearly throwing green custard over a cabinet minister does nothing to win the argument and only makes all environmentalists appear irrational and moronic. It does not take very much to throw a cup of green slime over someone. Clearly this was the selfish act of someone who wanted to get her face in the media, without any thought to the negative consequences for the cause she claims to support.

I strongly oppose a third runway being built at Heathrow! However we must face facts. The runway is being built because there is still a high demand for air travel. If this is to change, we must convince the general public. Juvenile pranks can only make this harder.