I think it’s outrageous that Shell sponsors part of the environment section on the National Geographic website. What makes the situation even more ironic is that right beneath one of Shell’s adverts on the page is National Geographic’s slogan: Inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888. Now I don’t think there are many […]
Environment
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Is your lifestyle really worth it?
Last week I watched a documentary type film called Oceans. The whole film was spectacular, but for me one piece was particularly striking. Shot underwater, looking up towards the surface, we slowly panned over what looked like a bright red satin sari. It was gliding through the water, soft yellow lines rippling across the red […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle
More tax, please!
If you ask me, the new carbon tax is a sloppy piece of green-wash. It’s a quick way for the government to raise an extra R450 million a year. At best it’s a token gesture that makes us look a little more green-minded when decisions are made about where to hold climate conferences and summits. And […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle
When will Woolies and Pick n Pay see the light?
*Correction: Since posting this blog, it has been brought to my attention that Woolworths does not in fact sell incandescent lightbulbs. As I understand it they decided a while back to remove these from their shelves and now only sell energy savers. I say big up to you Woolies (!), and my apologies for the […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle
Weigh-Less for carbon addicts
If you are fat, most people would say you should probably go on diet. Cut down on what’s causing your love handles and that bloated beer belly. The same thinking, it seems, applies to climate change: having gorged ourselves on the bad stuff — fossils fuels and carbon emissions — while skimping on the greens, […]
Posted inEnvironment, General, Lifestyle, Media
The hypocrisy of ‘greenies’ — a fair charge?
Here’s the question: can we rightfully critique oil companies for their environmental impacts while we continue to fill up on their oil? Does our reliance on their products mean that we have no space to critique the manner in which that production occurs? It’s the type of question I often come up against when writing […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
One more for the denialists
A new study is out, and the denialists of human-generated climate change are going to love it. Basically the authors of the study in question were puzzled by the level of public doubt and scepticism regarding anthropogenic climate change (ACC). As they saw it there was a “striking agreement” among scientists on the causes and […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Lifestyle, Media
Are you a ‘green’ hypocrite?
Recently a lot of my writing has focused on the issue of externalities, and how they contribute to a corporation’s profitability. What I’ve neglected is the flip side: that just as corporations should pay the full costs of their activities, so should you and I. Not sure what I’m on about? Well in essence the […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Media
Brand spanking: Going beyond BP
While BP is spending in the region of $400 million fumbling around in its oil spill, it’s also spending a whopping $50 million trying to convince us that it is in fact cleaning up. Part of that PR budget has gone to Google, where BP strategically bought a number of search terms to ensure that you and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Dear denialists, I must apologise
You see, in my previous post I grievously underestimated how many climate change sceptics there are among Thought Leader readers. Perhaps my calling those sceptics “dim-witted” drew them out from their exhaust fumes. I’m not sure. But the point is, I must apologise: not for the insult, but for unwittingly creating the impression that there […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News/Politics
This one’s for the (dim-witted) denialists
I tell you what, I’ll pander to your pathetic pussyfooting. I’ll play your game: let’s assume that global warming is an elaborate hoax. Let’s pretend that any climate change is entirely unrelated to human actions; that the big, green bogey man is nothing but a stuffed toy to dangle from the review mirror of your […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Climate change scientists have it wrong
When scientists first began to notice changes in the world’s climate, they traced those shifts back to the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. We were told that the problem had been found — and that lowering greenhouse gas emissions would steer us into the clear. But the science is wrong. You see, climate change […]