Author Archives: Ben Wood

Opinion: 3 reasons why the Earth Summit matters for Liberal Democrats

By Ben Wood | Thu 21st June 2012 - 12:26 pm

In mid-June 1992, over one hundred heads of state came together in Rio de Janeiro to establish groundbreaking and legally binding agreements which put sustainable development on the global agenda and urged the world to start living within its means.

Twenty years on, sustainable development appears to have lost its way. The global financial crisis and ongoing problems in the Eurozone have led some (including many in the Conservative Party) to turn a blind eye to environmental issues.

Such has been the lack of media coverage, in fact, that you could be forgiven for failing to realise that this week’s Earth Summit, …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged liberal sustainability network and Rio+20 summit | 2 Comments

Opinion: Re-stating our environmental credentials in a language that makes economic sense

By Ben Wood | Fri 23rd March 2012 - 6:37 pm

Last weekend wasn’t a good one for the environmental agenda.

First came a DECC press release containing proposals that will give rise to a new ‘dash for gas’ in the UK. The announcement means that new gas power stations will not need to be more efficient or less polluting. It is part of the Treasury’s anti-green agenda which holds the misguided view that green policies are anti-growth and increase costs for businesses and households. This is despite the fact that recent hikes in power bills have been largely due to large increases in wholesale gas prices.

(Incidentally, the release was embargoed until …