Picturing where microplastics come from
Here's an image I came across on social media recently that I found useful. Yes really, something useful on social media. That doesn't happen often anymore, though I should point out that it was LinkedIn, which used to be the most boring and staid of all…
Osmosis, the other other renewable energy
I've been writing about renewable energy for twenty years, and just this week discovered that there's a whole other kind that I didn't know about. This is the climate nerd equivalent of my daughter finding a new Pokemon. Usually when we're talking about…
A nice little tool from Hannah Ritchie, showing comparisons in energy use. Have a play, use it in classrooms, and give a little energy literacy boost to those around you.
This is what China is doing in its deserts. Reduce evaporation and heat, and plants can get a foothold, putting down roots and starting to create soil. Solar can be regenerative.
It’s not solar that competes with farmland
One of the big hesitations around solar farms is that they take up land that could be used for food production. It's an argument that's made by climate sceptics who oppose renewable energy, but those on the green side of the equation worry about it too.…
Catch up with Luton’s green schools
I don't post many local stories, but here's a little video featuring some of my work in the last couple of years in Luton's schools. The Climate Action Teacher Champions (CATCH) programme was set up by Luton Council and local partners. I was involved in the…
What we learned this week
The Guardian have run a whole series of articles this week on the theme Beyond Growth (a name I once used for a sister website to this one). Good to see that kind of sustained attention on postgrowth futures in a mainstream newspaper. As the Trump administration revoked…
Three board games for the climate
We were playing a board game the other everning as a family, and my daughter chose Carbon City Zero. It's an educational game about climate change, but it totally stands up as a form of entertainment. This isn't always true of educational games, and climate change…
Book review: Code Dependent, by Madhumita Murgia
New technologies always come with trade-offs and unanticipated consequences. The more powerful the technology, the greater the potential for disruption. We're still in the early stages of accessible AI tools, but we're already seeing profound…
Would you like to visit a heat pump?
Considering a heat pump, when the time comes to replace your gas boiler? You are not alone. All over the country people are debating the pros and cons of making the switch. Last week I had a conversation with a colleague who is thinking about having a heat pump…
What we learned this week
Quilicura is a community in Chile that is facing water scarcity, in large part because so many water-cooled AI data centres are located there. To raise awareness of the problem, they brought together a group of local experts to answer people's AI queries for a day. It's…
Book review: Attensity, by The Friends of Attention
The great promise of social media was to make it easier than ever to make connections. It initially looked like it would help us make friends and build communities. And yet somehow social media has left us fragmented and isolated, more divided…
The hardest parts of the climate transition
Climate disaster can be averted with current technologies and solutions. That's an important message. We don't need to hang our hopes on nuclear fusion, solar panels in space, or geoengineering. Preventing runaway climate change is within our power,…
What we learned this week
A useful example of a successful climate justice court case: the government of the Netherlands has been ordered to develop a climate protection plan for the Carribean island of Bonaire. Electric cars outsold petrol cars in the EU last year, though hybrids remain the most…
Are your views on renewable energy up to date?
"The way we are doing renewable energy in this country at the moment is an economic act of self harm," Reform Party leader Nigel Farage told an audience in Scotland recently. "The more we rely on renewables, the higher our domestic and our industrial…
Bako Motors and the future of electric vehicles
Bako Motors is an automotive start-up making electric vehicles in Tunisia, specialising in vans and micro-cars designed for urban use and last mile deliveries. On the roof is the most obvious and most bizarrely neglected feature in the car industry:…
Book review: Snö, by Sverker Sörlin
We had a brief flurry of snow a couple of weeks ago, just enough to get the kids' hopes up for a snow day and not enough to deliver. I did however take the opportunity to read a book that I'd be saving specially, Sverker Sörlin's Snö: A History. It's a book…
What we learned this week
The New Scientist has published a special issue featuring the 21 best ideas of the 21st century. They include net zero, climate attribution studies and the 1.5 degree target. (Carbon offsets make an accompanying list of the most disappointing ideas, as well as effective…
The climate actions that make a difference
When people become aware of the importance of climate change and want to do something about it, they often want to know what they can do about it. What simple actions can we do that will make a difference? There are a few things to say about this question…
Levi’s tackles the repair skills gap
Buying quality items and repairing them when they break is one of the best antidotes to a throwaway society. Whether it's electronics or appliances or clothing, maintaining and fixing them can keep our possessions in service for longer, reducing waste and using…
Book review: The Care Economy, by Tim Jackson
The last book I read by Tim Jackson, Post Growth, saw him stepping back from what you might expect from an economist and taking a more narrative driven, philosophical approach. This latest goes even further along that road, presenting a case for care…
What we learned this week
The High Seas Treaty came into force this week, the first global treaty to cover marine biodiversity, deep sea mining and a number of other issues. 148 countries have signed it, so it covers two thirds of the world's oceans. The UK has missed its deadline to sign up by…
Sustainable transport with Kochi’s water metro
The winner of the ITDP's annual Sustainable Transport Award was announced this week. Each year the award is presented to a city doing pioneering things in sustainable transport, and this year the winner is Salvador in Brazil. They have expanded and…
Book review: Here Comes the Sun, by Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben is not a man known for his cheerful disposition. His books include The End of Nature, one that suggested we should rename the Earth now that we've ruined it, and Falter: Has the human game begun to play out? This new book bucks the…
What we learned this week
Featuring China's climate targets, a marine treaty, a bonus book review, and solar panels from Aldi.
What is a carbon handprint?
Carbon footprints are a familiar term for the climate emissions of something, whether that's a person's lifestyle or a business, or a product or event. It's a term that is well understood in green circles and is recognised among the general public. Its popularity is due…
On still blogging in 2026
I realised recently that I've been writing a blog for over 20 years now. Those two decades have not softened my reflexive dislike of the word blog, by the way. I mentally hesitate before ever using it. I will suck it up and use it here, because at the beginning of a new…
Some favourite posts from 2025
It's time to wrap things up for the season, and I will do so with a selection of highlights. Having looked back over this year's articles, here are some that I'm pleased with. The landscaper of the climate age - The Chinese architect and landscaper Kongjian Yu died…
What we learned this week
Featuring China's climate targets, a marine treaty, a bonus book review, and solar panels from Aldi.
Wattswatt: A fairer energy comparison website
When I was a child, there was one national supplier for electricity and gas in the UK. Since privatisation in the late 80s and early 90s, households get to choose who their energy provider will be. It doesn't change the electrons coming into the house,…
