Category Archives: Environment

Please do whatever you can to defend the human rights of Palestinians (letter to my MP)

Posted on May 14, 2021 by biowrite

Dear Ms Cherry I struggle to express how upset I am at the horrific ongoing events in Israel-Palestine. I was born in Scotland but grew up in erstwhile white-majority-rule Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and apartheid South Africa, and am aware of … Continue reading →

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Highly recommended reading: COVID-19 and Circuits of Capital

Posted on April 3, 2020 by biowrite

I direct readers of my blog to an excellent (and thoroughly referenced) article on Monthly Review: ‘COVID-19 and Circuits of Capital‘. It offers a comprehensive analysis of how the COVID-19 outbreak (and the inept handling thereof) is linked to the … Continue reading →

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My response to devastating Batoka Gorge Dam scheme on Zambezi

Posted on March 14, 2020 by biowrite

UPDATE – 26 APRIL 2020: Deadline Extended Good news! The deadline for commentary, which was to have been 30 April, has been extended (due to COVID-19): COVID-19 Update In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Zambezi River Authority (the … Continue reading →

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There’s no such thing as sustainable palm oil. Cut it out of your diet, yes, but there’s more to be done.

Posted on July 31, 2019 by biowrite

Update 3 (afternoon, 24 April 2021): I still don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘sustainable’ palm oil If you search ‘palm oil you’ll find a plethora of articles arguing that boycotting palm oil is bad and that we should … Continue reading →

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Two simple ideas for combating climate change

Posted on July 27, 2019 by biowrite

These ideas won’t save the biosphere, but they might make some difference… Several times a day I am distressed to see drivers sitting in their stationary, fossil fuel-powered vehicles, with the engines idling. It’s one thing to do this while … Continue reading →

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Ratner’s legacy business (Signet Group: H. Samuel/Ernest Jones): crap at recycling!

Posted on March 7, 2019 by biowrite

‘Total crap’ Gerald Ratner became notorious when he described one of his jewellery chain’s products as ‘total crap’, and unfavourably compared another to a prawn sandwich, after which the Ratner Group went into meltdown, slipped from his control, and was rebranded … Continue reading →

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Some energy(carbon)-saving ideas…

Posted on August 15, 2018 by biowrite

Here is an idea I came up with recently, inspired by the recently launched Croft Carbon College project, operated by Leith Community Crops in Pots and supported by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund, which got me thinking about such things. … Continue reading →

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Kill the ‘natural capital’ approach before it kills us.

Posted on May 24, 2018 by biowrite

[Update, September 2022: The September/October 2022 issue of Resurgence and Ecologist featured an article by Adrienne Buller criticising ‘ecosystems services and natural capital accounting’. I post a short extract at the bottom of the page. [Update, April 2021: This Russell … Continue reading →

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GM: a red herring, a straw doll and the elephant in the room

Posted on May 16, 2017 by biowrite

UPDATE, November 2017. Here’s an article on how Monsanto operates, published in :  ‘How Monsanto Captured the EPA (And Twisted Science) To Keep Glyphosate on the Market’ I just sent the letter below to the BBC’s DG. It’s self-explanatory. Lord … Continue reading →

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Trump antidote? Benoît Hamon, new leader of French Socialist Party, has great environmental proposals!

Posted on January 30, 2017 by biowrite

Benoît Hamon, the new leader of the French Socialist Party, has some interesting ideas! I have translated them into English. There may be some errors, so I link the original text to make it easier for you to judge the … Continue reading →

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