In recent days, scientists have reported that temperatures in parts of eastern Antarctica have risen by 40C above normal, John Gibbons sees this as a warning of the catastrophic consequences that await us unless we immediately address our climate crisis.
Last modified on Mon 10 May 2021 12.13 EDT
Environmental lawyer Tim Crosland has been fined £5,000 for criminal contempt of court after deliberately making public a supreme court ruling related to Heathrow airport before the result was officially announced. The judges could have jailed him for two years.
The supreme court had ruled that a planned third runway at Heathrow was legal. The runway is highly controversial, with opponents arguing that the increased carbon dioxide emissions it would cause are incompatible with the UKâs obligations to fight the climate crisis.
In Mondayâs contempt hearing, Crosland argued his deliberate breach was a reasonable measure to prevent harm from climate change, but the judges said there was âno such thing as a justifiable contempt of courtâ. Before the hearing, Crosland had said: âIf fighting for my childrenâs lives makes me a criminal, then so be it.â
Cumbria Coal Mine ONE of the UK’s most prominent climate scientists has described the government’s decision not to stop the Cumbrian coal mine as ‘absolutely ridiculous.” Professor Sir Robert Watson has voiced his objections to the mine near Whitehaven at time of growing pressure from campaigners against its approval. Prof Sir Watson’s remarks come after Prof James Hansen, a respected climate scientist, formerly at NASA, wrote to PM Boris Johnson urging him to stop the project. PRESSURE: Climate activists have tried to prevent the mine s approval through months of protests He argued that allowing it to go ahead would lead to “ignominy and humiliation” for the government and the UK, and would be “in contemptuous disregard of the future.
The debate over the planned Cumbrian coalmine creates a false dichotomy between prosperity and climate protection, writes
Tim Crosland, while
Whitehaven, Cumbria, near the site of the proposed Woodhouse Colliery. Photograph: incamerastock/Alamy
Whitehaven, Cumbria, near the site of the proposed Woodhouse Colliery. Photograph: incamerastock/Alamy
Letters
Sun 7 Feb 2021 12.56 EST
Last modified on Mon 8 Feb 2021 00.22 EST
Gaby Hinsliff’s piece (Plans for a Cumbrian coalmine illustrate the Tory dilemma: green policies or jobs?, 4 February), propagates an illusion advanced principally by vested fossil fuel interests: that we have to choose between green policies or jobs. In reality, no such dilemma exists.