Pope Francis tells oil bosses world must reduce fossil fuel use. The pontiff said climate change was a challenge of epochal proportions, and that the world needed to come up with an energy mix that combatted pollution, eliminated poverty and promoted social justice. The unprecedented conference, held behind closed doors at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, brought together oil executives, investors and Vatican experts. Like the pope, they back scientific opinion that climate change is caused by human activity and that global warming must be curbed.
Guardian 9th June 2018 read more »
The scale of harm from shale gas to health is uncertain, but the danger of exacerbating climate change is not, two professors of public health have warned. In an editorial for this week’s British Medical Journal, David McCoy and Patrick Saunders said: “Although we can’t be certain about the scale of harm that shale gas production will bring to local communities and the immediate environment, it will exacerbate climate change. And on these grounds alone, the risks clearly and considerably outweigh any possible benefits.”
Drill or Drop 9th June 2018 read more »
THE fracking industry has been condemned by an international tribunal for harming humanity, violating human rights and damaging nature. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, set up in Italy in 1979 to defend human rights, has investigated fracking and issued a preliminary statement accusing companies and governments of failing in their duties. The tribunal took key evidence from Scotland, where the Grangemouth petrochemical giant, Ineos, has taken the Scottish Government to court over its “effective ban” on fracking. A verdict is awaited.
Herald 10th June 2018 read more »