May 2010 printable subscriber newsletter

Ecologist

April 30th, 2010

This month's newsletter includes articles on using ocean temperatures to cool our cities, hiring (rather than buying) products, whether lab-grown meat is a 'green' solution, the health impact of air pollution and what the impact of a huge expansion of wind power will be on the electricity grid. To download, log in and scroll to the bottom of the page...

So, we’ve had the last debate, we’ve had ‘Cleggmania’, we’ve had 'Bigotgate’. In one of the most closely fought elections for decades, it looks as though there’s still all to play to for.

Except that really, there isn’t. Whichever hue of prime minister ends up in Number 10 this May, he will be placing his limbs into exactly the same resource manacles as the two other contenders.

No, I’m not talking about the budget deficit, although as our columnist Dan Box recently pointed out, the national debt has now made us slaves to one of the fiercest, most unforgiving markets of all – the international bond market.

I’m referring instead to the fundamental resources of society, which, unfathomably, have been given scarcely any airtime at all during the election campaign.

Take energy. The closest the subject came to discussion during the leaders’ debates was for an exchange of fire over support for nuclear power. Nick Clegg pointed out, quite rightly, that nuclear...

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