Awakening the Sleeping Giant of Climate Skepticism

by Joanna Benn 

This Friday, the widely anticipated and long-awaited state of the Earth and its climate will be released by the UN’s climate assessment body, the IPCC. 

In a pre-emptive strike, the right wing media last week launched a full front attack to discredit the climate science using leaked drafts. In the past week, we've seen a host of vitriolic ‘they got it all wrong’ stories ranging from the Mail on Sunday to Rupert Murdoch's The Australian and the Wall Street Journal.

For most of us, being non-climate scientists, it is confusing to make sense of the facts and counter- arguments. If one takes out opinion and ideology and leaves it to the scientists, which seems a good strategy to me– the next stage for climate skeptics is to discredit them.

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Hollywood Joins Politicians, Artists and Environmentalists in Hard-hitting UN Campaign to Combat Climate Change

by Joanna Benn

Climate change is here and threatens us all. That's the message from Hollywood actors, film directors, environmentalists and politicians in a new UN public service announcement series:

With less than 80 days to go until the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen, there is no time to lose in getting the message out.

The series is aimed a promoting public awareness and catalyzing action at the highest and humblest level to boost the prospects for a wide-ranging and transformative agreement in December's meeting. Continued...

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If not now, then when? Less talk, more action on climate change, say today's youth

by Joanna Benn

It was a blaze of colour, energy and passion, but more importantly, it was a statement.

The youth came together with a clear goal: to urge leaders to take heed and not ignore global warming, nor the needs of the next generation.

The young people came from around the globe to Daejeon (Republic of Korea) as part of the global UN-wide 'Seal the Deal!' campaign spearheaded by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to galvanize political will and public support for a comprehensive global climate agreement.

In a statement, the young delegates – representing three billion of the world’s population – expressed their “concern and frustration that their governments are not doing enough to combat climate change”, adding that “we now need more actions and less talking”.

“It is very important to include the voice of children and youth in every environmental decision. It is our request to all politicians that they please take this statement into consideration in Copenhagen,” said 13-year-old Yugratna Srivastava from India. Continued...

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The Real Catch with Fishing

by Joanna Benn

There's been quite a buzz lately about depleting fish stocks, mostly generated by the hard hitting documentary film, the End of the Line, which offers a persuasive case that major species of edible fish are headed for extinction in the next 40 years.

The film's ensuing publicity and campaign provoked a number of celebrity comments.

The Telegraph reported that Sienna Miller, Charlize Theron, Jemima Khan, Woody Harrelson, Laura Bailey, Alicia Silverstone, Zac Goldsmith, Sting and his wife Trudie Styler jointly wrote to exclusive fish restaurant Nobu asking them to remove endangered bluefin tuna from the restaurant’s menus, so they can “dine with a clear conscience”.

The Sun also carried the story saying: Sienna Miller blasted a top London restaurant for putting endangered bluefin tuna on its menu.”

If all of this passed you by, then on a more personal note, perhaps you’ve noticed different types of fish in the supermarket or on restaurant menus recently?

Have you heard rumblings that fish stocks are in crisis, but not sure if it’s scaremongering or what you can do about it?

The reality is that more and more people are competing for fewer fish. It’s obvious to those that study the oceans and earn their living from them, that we’re taking far more than nature can replenish. Continued...

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