Environment
Writing of walking
At 3pm this afternoon Radio 4’s Ramblings with Clare Balding will broadcast a programme about The Walking Book Club, to which Emily Rhodes belongs. ‘I love walking in London,’ said… Continue reading
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The truth about dead bats and wind farms
Are wind turbines really good for the environment? The economics, as we know, is often deeply dubious. But in this week’s Spectator, Oxford biological lecturer Clive Hambler reveals another drawback: the… Continue reading
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In Doha, a big green rent-seeking machine
A couple of weeks ago the great global warming bandwagon coughed and spluttered to a halt in Doha, the latest stop on its never-ending world tour. The annual UN climate… Continue reading
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The great British wind scam: the government responds
Even the most ardent supporters of renewable energy would agree that wind turbines should be erected only when the output is worthwhile. If a huge rotating beast is to blot a corner… Continue reading
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What is the most humane way to trap mice?
Anyone know a good method of trapping mice humanely? I’ve got lots of them scurrying around. I bought two humane traps and have so far caught ten of the creatures.… Continue reading
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Government to postpone badger cull
Conservative backbenchers will be wondering this morning whether they should bother replying to any letters from their constituents about any unpopular government policy. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is to announce… Continue reading
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The myth of the paperless citizen
Another day and another unasked for letter asking me to live online. This time it is from my bank, NatWest – and yes, yes, thank you I know that by… Continue reading
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Revealed: the victims of Osborne’s latest green belt assault
David Cameron’s choice of Nick Boles as the new planning minister sends a clear signal that he is serious about planning reform. The founder of Policy Exchange is a close… Continue reading
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Hydropower: the winner of the 2012 Matt Ridley award
When Matt Ridley offered £8,500 for the best prize essay for environmental heresy, we at The Spectator expected lots of entries. But what took us by surprise was the quality… Continue reading
10 Comments The View from 22 — something fishy, Romney’s Tea Party, tall building syndrome and Clegg’s nonsense theories
Why does hydroelectric power have such a friendlier image compared to other forms of renewable energy? In this week’s magazine cover, our first ever Matt Ridley Prize winner Pippa Cuckson… Continue reading
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Katie Kitamura interview
Gone to the Forest is Katie Kitamura’s second novel, about a family and the cost of European colonization in an unknown time and place. Tom and his father live on… Continue reading
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Osborne’s latest ‘defining moment’
It is always sensible to pay attention to Ben Brogan’s Telegraph column, if only because it so frequently seems to have been dictated by friendly chaps at the Treasury. Today’s… Continue reading
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End the #endfossilfuelsubsidies subsidy
The European Union has been handing out grants to environmentalist groups since 1997. New research by the Taxpayers’ Alliance today shows just how much the different groups have received. The… Continue reading
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What fossil fuel subsidies?
The environmental movement hasn’t responded well to the setbacks it has suffered seen since the failure of the Copenhagen climate conference. The #endfossilfuelsubsidies campaign — trending worldwide on Twitter this… Continue reading
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Osborne versus wind farms
Here’s a U-turn that we can all welcome: felling the wind farms. Matt Ridley described, in a Spectator cover story some while ago, how George Osborne has turned against them. Today, the… Continue reading
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The deeper problem behind Europe’s rising carbon emissions
The Government takes a lot of stick for blaming the weather when there are queues at airports or lacklustre growth figures. Now the European Union is blaming a ‘colder winter’,… Continue reading
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Science or starvation
Here, for CoffeeHousers, is an extended version of the leader column in this week’s magazine. It takes on the green fundamentalism which stupidly aims to put a stop to genetically… Continue reading
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Downfall
It did not take long. Last month, Matt Ridley argued in a Spectator cover story that the wind farm agenda is in effect dead, having collapsed under the weight of its… Continue reading
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Shapps has ‘deep reservations’ about the ‘conservatory tax’
There is deep unease among Tory ministers about the proposals for a so-called ‘conservatory tax’. The idea, which was pushed hard by Chris Huhne when he was Energy Secretary, is… Continue reading
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JET — three letters that spell trouble for the coalition
JEET. That, according to Andrew Grice in the Independent, is the new ‘buzzword’ circling around Libdemville (population: 57 MPs, and a few others). And it stands for the issues that… Continue reading
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