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Greenhouse Weekly Round-Up

Sally Hill | 20.08.10

One hundred days into the coalition leadership, Richard Black has analysed the UK government's claim to be the greenest-ever government and asks: if the government says it's green, how has it been measured?

How does this 'greenest-ever' claim weight indicators of success or failure such as a reduction in carbon emissions, or a rise in the extinction rate of farmland birds? With the decision not to back a third runway at Heathrow, but also to close the Sustainable Development Commission.

There was also an interesting discussion on the Guardian blog about the Government's willingness to demote the importance of the environment in favour of spending cuts and political expediency. Leo Hickman argued that the current cuts are in a long line of policies that are seeing short-termism failing the environment.

Here are the links we loved this week:

'Scotland Bids to Host World's First Floating Wind Farm'
Scotland, Norway and US in the running for cutting-edge demonstration project
(businessGreen)

'Time To Get Geeky To Solve Our Eco Dilemmas'
A look at a book and other tools which help you to figure out the carbon footprint of practically everything.
(Greenhouse)

'Renewable Energy is the Cash Crop of the Future for British Farmers'
There's a new beast on the loose in the countryside.
(The Telegraph)

'Rising Temperatures Reduce Ability of Plants to Absorb Carbon'
Research shows warming over past decade caused droughts that reduced number of plants available to soak up carbon dioxide
(Guardian)

'What is it with Wind Farms?'
Wind farms are seeing local opposition around the UK, when the coal power stations alternatives are much worse for their health.
(Financial Times)

'UN Environment Programme: 200 Species Extinct Every Day'
Extinction rate unlike anything since dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago
(Huffington Post)

'Communities Take Action to Save Plants'
Communities are swapping local vegetable and plant varieties to save foods from extinction and fight the effects of climate change
(Guardian)

'UK Transportation Emissions Could be Cut by 76%'
New study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute reports on 'a significant breakthrough in climate change policy by showing how to make drastic cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport.'
(CleanTechnica)

'Reforms Could Backfire, Warns UK Industry'
Planning permission reforms could further slow system to approve renewable energy projects.
(Financial Times)

'Protect Nature for World Economic Security, Warns UN Biodiversity Chief'
Ahmed Djoghlaf says nations risk economic collapse and loss of culture if it does not protect the natural world
(Guardian)
 

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