Category: Environmental problems and sustainable development
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Japan to Release Fukushima Nuclear Waste into the Sea
Japan announced today that it’s going to release one million tonnes of contaminated water from the old Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea – which will no doubt have negative consequences for fishing around Japan and maybe in neighbouring countries. It was 10 years ago when an earth quake ruined the nuclear plant, putting…
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How Pollution and Toxic Waste harm development
Western models of development are built around high levels of production and consumption to increase economic growth, and all other things being equal, the more we produce and consume, the more pollution and waste we produce. According to the World Health Organisation, Air Pollution kills 7 million people a year, most of whom live in…
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The UK – a world leader in renewable energy generation…
The UK is generating more energy from zero carbon sources than from fossil fuels for the first time since the industrial revolution, the National Grid announced recently. Gas and coal generated 46.7% of Britain’s power in the year to the end of May, while zero carbon sources generated 47.9%. The rest came from biomass. A…
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The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion
Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil, at least according to Stacey Dooley’s Google investigation during her latest BBC documentary: Fashion’s Dirty Secrets. The program is only available on iPlayer for another couple of weeks, but what I’m going to do here is link into the people and issues covered…
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The Delhi Smog – A Consequence of Neoliberal Development?
A test match between India and Sri Lanka had to be repeatedly halted on Sunday because of the smog enveloping Delhi. The Sri-Lankan team took the field after the lunch break wearing face masks, and play was halted for consultation with doctors. It then resumed, but was stopped twice more when two Sri Lankan bowlers…
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The Island of Nauru – Development as Environmental Decline
The case study of Nauru illustrates the potential catastrophic consequences of pursuing economic growth without considering the ecological consequences. It may only be one island but Klein argues that the logic which hollowed out Nauru is the same logic which has driven the global economy for the last 400 years. The extract below is taken from…
