A report released on Tuesday reveals the extent to which Oxford University has received funding and donations from the some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies, including BP, Shell and Eni. The report, entitled ‘Money, People, Reputation: Oxford’s Ties with the Fossil Fuel Industry’, was researched and written by the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign, Read More…
Photo by Michelle Mendieta Mean So far in this Column we’ve looked at two issues – climate anxiety, and destructive fishing – both of which provide perfect examples of what Michael E. Mann discusses in his most recent book, ‘The New Climate War’. Mann is a renowned American climate scientist, most famous for his hockey-stick Read More…
“Nothing is perhaps as existential and as daunting to comprehend as the climate and ecological crises. There are no greater problems facing me, you, or any of us than the fact that we are living in suicidal societies.”
In the first instalment of his Climate Column, Max Spokes introduces his column and examines why we should all be concerned about the climate crisis. Photo by Michelle Mendieta Mean.
A report by Oxford University’s Economic Recovery Project (OUERP) has found that less than one fifth of Covid recovery spending by the world’s governments can be considered ‘green’. The report, ‘Are We Building Back Better? Evidence from 2020 and Pathways for Inclusive Green Recovery Spending’, was led by Brian O’Callaghan of Oxford’s Smith School of Read More…
Oxford City Council (OCC) has announced that it will spend £50m retrofitting and improving the energy efficiency of council housing in Oxford. The investment aims to ensure all council tenants are living in a property which meets at least the UK Government’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C rating by 2030, which is the third Read More…
Oxford City Council (OCC) has been awarded £10.9m in funding to reduce carbon emissions in key sites across the city owned by the Council, including the Hinksey Outdoor Swimming Pool. The funding, awarded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund, will enable the Council to explore the usage Read More…
One year on from the pitching of tents on the front quad of St John’s College, the group behind the occupation, which called on the College to remove its investments from fossil fuel companies, have argued that “St John’s have failed to keep the promises they made.” In recognition of the one-year milestone, Direct Action Read More…
Concerns have been raised over the £100m donation from the petrochemicals company INEOS to create a new Oxford University institute to fight antimicrobial resistance, with the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign (OCJC) claiming the donation “is a clear example of greenwashing.”
A number of Oxford professors have been recognised for their work in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, including in social and natural sciences. It was announced that Professor Dieter Helm CBE will be appointed Knight Bachelor, with the knighthood being awarded for services to the environment, energy and to utilities policy. Professor Helm is Read More…
Emily Broughton describes the different meanings that nature assumes in literature: from idyllic escapism to dystopian reality, nature appears to be an ambivalent symbolic element used by many writers.