Sifting through the shelves of the university library I came across the book that I have been meaning to read for a few years. Bjorn Lomborg’s ‘The Skeptical Environmentalist’, first published in Danish in 1998 as Verdens Sande Tilstand and in English in 2001 by Cambridge University Press, sets out a counter argument to practicallyContinueContinue reading “The Skeptical Environmentalist view on Biodiversity Loss”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Why Soils Matter in the Global Food Security Debate
Some of you may know (although I have to confess that I was personally unaware until yesterday) that last week was ‘Global Soil Week’ when more than 450 scientists, policy makers and practitioners from 71 countries gathered together in Berlin to discuss the role of soils in society. The theme of the week was ‘LosingContinueContinue reading “Why Soils Matter in the Global Food Security Debate”
Biodiversity Offsetting – biophilia or biophobia (love nature or loathe it)?
Another look at biodiversity offsetting, this time from John Clarkson, lecturer in Wildlife Conservation at Nottingham Trent University. He effectively mixes scientific and humanist arguments for opposing biodiversity offsetting. Trees are indeed individuals whose lifespans cover many human lifetimes. If you want to tell Mr Paterson what he needs to believe about stepping down suchContinueContinue reading “Biodiversity Offsetting – biophilia or biophobia (love nature or loathe it)?”
Climate Change and the Future of Food
Originally posted on Global Food Politics:
A draft Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report leaked last week concludes that climate change poses dramatic risks for the global food supply. Unlike previous reports, the draft report concludes that while rising mean global temperatures could have some beneficial effects on crops, overall global production will likely decline…
Biodiversity Offsetting – lose a wood, gain a wood
Some positive thoughts here on the increasingly controversial biodiversity offsetting approach to planning. The key aspect to stress from this post is ‘local’. Local systems, local offsetting, local partnerships, local responsibility and local biodiversity. Personally I am not a big fan of biodiversity offsetting as a concept (as you can see in a previous articleContinueContinue reading “Biodiversity Offsetting – lose a wood, gain a wood”
thinkingcountry.com 