Guest Article by Jessica Kleczka The UK could approve the biggest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea in the next few weeks. The Rosebank oil field is located off the coast of Shetland, and three times the size of the nearby Cambo oil field, which was paused after a successful campaign last year. Rosebank is owned by Norwegian state-owned oil company…
What’s going on here? In recent weeks three developed nations, the UK, the US and Australia, have all made announcements which majorly affect their approach to climate change. What does this mean? Last week, in her first few days as the new Prime Minister of the UK, Liz Truss announced a raft of measures ostensibly aimed at protecting consumers from rising energy…
What’s going on here? Escalating energy bills have boosted solar panel sales in the UK, reports the BBC. The trade association Solar Energy UK says “more solar panels are being put on British roofs than ever before.” What does this mean? Solar panel providers are carrying out more than 3,000 installations a week, according to Solar Energy UK. Those 3,000 setups are…
Climate change and extreme weather are leading to an unpredictable water supply. The climate emergency is one of the biggest causes of water shortages and it’s only expected to put more pressure on water supplies in future. This summer, this has been only too obvious, with droughts being experienced around the world. Here in the UK, hosepipe bans have been enforced in…
What’s going on here? The UK’s National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) is reportedly considering schemes that reward consumers for reducing their electricity demand at peak times. What does this mean? National Grid ESO is the transmission system operator responsible for balancing the supply and demand of electricity in the UK. In an effort to reduce the risk of blackouts this winter…
What’s going on here? Five young people aged between 17-31, who have experienced devastating extreme weather events are launching legal action at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). What does this mean? You’re probably wondering, like I did, what is the ECT and what does it have to do with human rights? So here’s a…
‘Carbon bomb’? That doesn’t sound good… The term carbon bomb has been in use for years, describing large sources of carbon, most commonly fossil fuel projects. Now, new research led by the University of Leeds, has defined the term as applying to projects that have the potential to emit at least 1 billion tonnes (1Gt) of carbon over their lifetime. To give you an idea of exactly how scary that is – 1 billion tonnes is about 3 times the total annual emissions of the UK. Global carbon emissions are currently around 35 billion tonnes a year.
Here at Curious Earth, we talk a lot about the role privilege plays in the climate crisis. We try to raise awareness of the disproportionate impacts of environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events on the global south and many other marginalised groups. (Check out our Stories from the Frontline series to hear directly from those worst affected.) Yet, we also want…
What’s going on here? The war in Ukraine has the UK government looking for ways to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas. But what does this mean for meeting net zero in the UK? What does this mean? It’s been hard to keep up with the government’s position on energy over the past few days. Labour’s shadow energy secretary Ed…
