The Encyclical published today by Pope Francis represents a profound religious and philosophical challenge to the mainstream narratives of our times, writes Steffen Böhm, and a major confrontation with the great corporate, economic and political powers, as it spells out the potential of a new world order rooted in love, compassion, and care for the natural world.
… with the great corporate, economic and political powers, as it spells out the … confront the world's economic and political elites in the way he has. However … environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. …
Important developments are unfolding at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty negotiations in New York this week, writes David Lowry. These include the surprisingly large scale of the US's warhead scrapping, and a grassroots rebellion against the nuclear states led by South Africa. But the UK and its media remain aloof from it all - intent on renewing Trident no matter what.
… give attention to this conference - and the political nuclear fallout that will arise from … diplomatic gesture by Britain's closest political ally - which also provides the UK … print or broadcast media, as a range of key political issues has been deliberated and …
Just when the UK's government might want to be boosting its green credentials it has chosen to do the precise opposite, writes Steffen Böhm: giving tax breaks and subsidies to oil and gas, while attacking renewables and energy efficiency. We must unite to oppose these destructive and short-sighted policies
… Comment UK Energy Fossil Fuels Oil Renewables Politics Transport north-sea-oil-rig-cut.jpg … when climate change should be on top of the political agenda these policy U-turns are, at … measures accordingly). What's missing is political leadership. While - back in 2010 - …
Jeremy Corbyn came under attack yesterday for his refusal to countenance the use of nuclear weapons, writes Commander Robert Green. But his stance is honourable and both legally and strategically correct - especially with his opposition to renewing the Trident nuclear missile system.
… | 9th November 2015 Comment Nuclear WMD War Politics UK USA corbyn-trident-cut.jpg Jeremy … This trumps any purile 'Little Englander' political posturing about the French. US … this macho ritual 'nuclear test' of British political leadership, the reality is that no …
The Labour Party has launched a new manifesto for wildlife protection, writes Angus Nurse - and a good thing too! But turning the tide for nature will take more than stricter laws and penalties. Ultimately it's about enforcement. And that means prioritising wildlife crime, committing expert officers, and providing resources.
… 2015 Comment Natural World Law Wildlife Crime Politics UK foxhunt-cut.jpg The Labour Party … an emotive issue, and one on which the main political parties differ significantly. … enforcement approach. There is general political agreement that wildlife crime is …
A growing protest movement is demanding strong controls on international investors and logging companies buying up Romania's forests, writes Raluca Besliu. In its sights is Austria-based Schweighofer, which stands accused of criminal malpractice and accepting illegal timber shipments. The popular outrage stirred up by corporate misdeeds is now stimulating a wider democratic revival.
… Romania Forests Regulation Law Corporations Politics agent-green-attack.jpg A growing … to its forests is being undermined by corrupt political and economic interests. This … the ancient bond has been tampered with by political and economic interests, as …
The Lobbying Act has left corporations and lobbyists free to argue their case in the election 'debate', writes Adam Ramsay. But the justified fear of legal sanctions has gagged charities and NGOs from speaking out, silencing the very people voters need to hear from most.
… critics Adam Ramsay | 1st May 2015 Activism Politics Society 38d-press-gag-cut.jpg Gagging … the generations, is key to understanding how political communication works. You don't win … of the power of money on our broader political infrastructure. But it can also, to …
With COP21 out of the way there is absolutely no time to lose, Greenpeace director Kumi Naidoo told Pavlos Georgiadis: 'Because by tomorrow, there might be no tomorrow.' We need substantial, structural, systemic change - and this change can only be led by the youth, who are not infected by the political pollution of the past. And whose future is it anyway?
… led by the youth, who are not infected by the political pollution of the past. And whose … the need to address climate change. But our political leaders have been in denial about … from now on that really matters." "Our political and business leaders must realise …
Forests are the traditional refuge of rebels, dissidents and all who seek freedom from the strictures of civilization, writes Ken Worpole. But for all the idea lives on in our hearts and minds, that role has now been usurped by our cities. Now, just as our forests have been enclosed and subdued, so our cities face a similar fate - one we must resist to preserve our liberty.
… 19th April 2015 News Society Forests History Politics skateboarder-girl-cut.jpg Forests are … Commission woodlands which prompted the first political turnaround of the present Coalition … Since 1215 such rights have been subject to political reversal. "Claim and counter-claim …
Corporate interests have skewed the entire development agenda for agriculture in Africa, writes Ian Fitzpatrick. Instead of investing in sustainable, small scale farming along agroecological principles that raise production and support rural communities, governments - including the UK's - are backing destructive industrial farming and land grabs.
… is that there is a significant economic and political bias in favour of large-scale … and monopolistic corporations, leading to political support for these vested interests. … small-scale agriculture will require the political establishment and development …
Thanks to pro-GMO politicans and lobbying by powerful agribusiness interests the UK and other EU countries may soon find supermarket shelves flooded with GM foods, both imported and home grown, writes Linda Kaucher. We must press parliamentary candidates now to defend us from this serious and long-term debasement of our food and farming.
… EU us-supermarket-cut.jpg Thanks to pro-GMO politicans and lobbying by powerful … and Investment Agreement (TTIP) and the UK political climate combine to make us very … in relation to all GM food continues to be a political battlefield in the US, with …
Political groups in the European Parliament have sent a clear message to the Commission on its GMO proposals, writes Molly Scott Cato - we are not willing to have piecemeal and vaguely-defined 'opt-out' legislation forced down our throats.
… Cato MEP | 3rd November 2015 Comment GMOs EU Politics Farming europarl-cut.jpg Political groups in the European Parliament … occurred in the European Parliament. All the political groups joined together to roundly …
Earth's temperature is heading towards its highest for three million years, writes Ed Miliband. The world must move as fast as possible to 'net zero' carbon emissions - and the UK should take a lead in this global effort, enshrining the target in law, and driving a technological renewal that will assure our future prosperity.
… beyond doubt. We have the technology. But the political will? The science is even more … Industry and many others. And what about political will? Climate change seems less politically fashionable as an issue. But China …
The mass spraying of glyphosate in Colombia, both on farmland and in the 'war on drugs', is a direct an attack on small scale farmers, rural communities and FARC rebels, writes W.T. Whitney Jr. But since the chemical was declared a 'probable carcinogen' Colombia has restricted aerial applications. The first step in a wider backlash against the toxic herbicide?
… | 8th June 2015 News Toxics War Colombia USA Politics Farming Society Land Grabs … FARC, at least according to the government's political opposition. The trigger: WHO … , Germany , and Argentina . In Colombia, politically left opposition groups, FARC peace …
Rising anger by China's dispossessed - those displaced from their homes, villages and farms to make way for ever-expanding cities and infrastructure - is posing an existential threat to the ruling regime, write Samantha Hoffman & Jonathan Sullivan. At the root of the problem is the state's inability to tackle endemic official corruption and deliver justice to its citizens.
… | 11th April 2015 News Land Grabs China Politics Development tianjin-cut.jpg Rising … and clientalism are woven into the social and political fabric. Incidents in places such as … is perhaps the best tactic in the current political climate. The legal culpability of …
There's only one principle behind TTIP, CETA and other 'free trade' agreements, writes Conor J. Lynch. And no, it's not 'free trade' but 'corporate profit' - at the expense of consumers, taxpayers, environment, workers and democracy itself.
… 2015 Comment Trade Economics Corporations Politics ttip-democracy-cut.jpg There's only … was to protect foreign investors from any political volatility that could hurt … freedom is a necessary precondition for political freedom in his book Capitalism And …
There are two rules about the end costs of nuclear power, writes Ian Fairlie. It's far more than you ever knew. And whatever sum of money was ever set aside, it's nowhere near enough. Germany understands this. That's why it refused to let E.ON spin off its nuclear liabilities into a hands-off company. But the UK, it seems, has lost the ability to learn from its nuclear mistakes.
… power's endgame is both financially and politically very serious - a matter on which … depends on how long it takes to devise a politically acceptable, realistic, robust, … lack of viable method constitutes a serious political and technological problem in all …
As the Paris climate summit falls under the brutal double cosh of terrorism and a heavy-handed security response targeted at climate campaigners, creative non-violent responses are taking shape to express the collective will of the billions who cannot be there, writes Nadine Bloch: the need for equitable solutions to the climate crisis, as a first step towards a healthy, peaceful, sustainable planet.
… the mass demonstration ban, which forbids political gatherings of more than two people … corporations, industry lobbyists and shill politicians - as it intersects with their own … immersive small scale theater pieces and political education - from legal briefings to …
The government appears as determined as ever to push ahead with fracking as a central plank of its energy policy, writes Richard Heasman - ignoring growing evidence of health and environmental harm. But with the economics of fracking undermined by heavy energy price falls, the UK industry may never get off the ground.
… January 2015 News Fracking UK Energy Oil Gas Politics balcombe_anti_frack_protest-cut.jpg … boom on America's recent 'shale revolution'. Political instability in Eastern Europe has … disclosures that police have been monitoring political activities at campuses around the …
The geoengineering genie should remain firmly stopped up in its bottle until a robust case is made for letting it out, writes Clive Hamilton - and that's something the NRC's new report signally fails to achieve, providing no rationale for deploying the technology, or even experimenting with it.
… of cost. This approach is riddled with political dangers. The hole at the heart of … then the research is intensely and inevitably political. So we should not let the genie out … can radically change the social and political environment. To maintain the …
The Green Gathering is a festival with a rich history that's not afraid to encompass hedonism, writes Emma Fordham - but also goes way beyond it. A showcase of real life alternatives with a mission to have fun and change the world, it's coming back this summer - so prepare for an unforgettable experience (and £10 off the ticket price).
… | 15th April 2015 Ethical Living Society Politics Arts gg-performance-cut.jpg The Green … thousand people can live sustainably ... the politics of expansion must end, industrial … to 'drop in' to community activism and green politics than 'drop out' of society. …
Another week, another renewable energy cut. This time George Osborne is swinging the axe at tax breaks for community renewable energy schemes, writes Aisha Gani - even though previous cuts have already made 90% of projects unviable.
… October 2015 News Energy Renewables Finance Politics UK osborne-cameron-cut.jpg Another … at least £750,000 in investment. A purely political choice Barbara Stoll, a Greenpeace … free. She accused the government of making a "political choice, not an economic necessity" . …
President Obama believes he can keep the promises he made on behalf of the USA at COP21, writes Robert Percival. And he's right - with or without the approval of Congress. But ultimately, it's up to US electors to maintain the political momentum for climate action. A future administration could put all his policies into reverse - no matter how foolish that would be.
… 17th December 2015 Comment Climate Change USA Politics Law COP21 obama-cop21-cut.jpg … it's up to US electors to maintain the political momentum for climate action. A … in Paris for the climate summit, Obama's political foes were questioning his authority …
Campaigners against nuclear weapons on a 'Wrap up Trident' demo at the Ministry of Defence in London today have a new spring in their step, writes Paul Ingram. Thanks to the new electoral geometry of the 2015 general election, they could finally get to close down Britain's £100 billion nuclear weapons programme - and not a moment too soon!
… | 24th January 2015 Comment Nuclear WMD Politics UK hms-victorious-cut.jpg Finally, … weeks become one of the most potent symbolic political markers for the forthcoming … been uncompromising, so that it will be a big political challenge to row back from them …