Climate Change and Environment

The Environment and Global Warming
Industrial and urban development has always changed the physical environment as part of a general trend towards mechanisation and concentration of human populations. Environmental campaigning in the United Kingdom has its roots in the public sanitation campaigns of the 19th Century. Historically the impetus towards cleaner environmental standards has had to come through organised campaign groups, then through legislation in parliament before big companies would change their practices. The current environmental movement is perhaps slightly different with its roots in the individualism of the 1960s, the focus is as much on individuals improving their personal behaviour as it is on the various companies and nation states that cause pollution. The simple fact of the matter is that with global warming the key environmental issue of the day (if not the biggest issue facing us globally as a species), individuals simply cannot do enough on their own. Changing the behaviour of ordinary people is important, but as we know from history, the critical thing is getting companies, governments and institutions to stop polluting. The COP15 Copenhagen summit on climate change in 2009 was a huge meeting of world leaders to discuss how the world would address this issue. It is widely considered a failure, what do we do now?

Areas and Campaign Groups
·        General -         http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ http://www.foe.org.uk/ Friends of the Earth

·        Recycling -      http://www.wasteonline.org.uk

·        Wildlife -         http://www.wwf.org.uk/ World Wildlife Fund – heavily involved in climate campaigning

·        Aviation -         http://www.planestupid.com/ Direct action group targeting airport expansion

·        Direct action-  http://www.climaterush.co.uk/ Suffragette inspired media orientated campaigns

·        Camping? -     http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/

·        Transport -      http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/ Campaign for better transport

·        Students-         http://peopleandplanet.org/ Network for students on human rights, poverty and the environment

·        Country-          http://www.countryside-alliance.org.uk/

Resources
·        George Monbiot – highly influential writer and activist on climate change www.monbiot.com

·        Liberal Conspiracy - http://liberalconspiracy.org/ multi-author political blog with good environmental coverage

·        Left Foot Forward – “evidence based politics” media watch blog with significant section on environment http://www.leftfootforward.org – politically left-wing

·        Climate Science Watch – website dedicated to monitoring the use of science and the environment http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/

·        Department for International Development – Government website http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Global-Issues/How-we-fight-Poverty/Climate-and-Environment/Climate-Change/Key-facts/