Man bites dog – and planet!
The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Study (BEST), a study funded by a notorious US climate sceptic, and conducted by a scientist who had previously questioned climate studies, found that all the rise in temperatures since the industrial revolution had been caused by man and that the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had underestimated global warming. Here’s the study…   And here’s some analysis of it…

Shale Gas Bubble
The Energy Policy Forum & Post Carbon Institute have released two groundbreaking reports that belie energy industry claims of U.S. energy independence as a result of newly accessible shale gas and shale (tight) oil. The report findings are based on an unprecedented analysis of over 60,000 U.S. shale oil and gas wells and an investigation of the role of Wall Street investment banks in the explosive growth of fracking for natural gas. Here…  And here’s some analysis of that analysis…   And here’s a piece looking at whether the natural gas bubble in the US was orchestrated by Wall St.

Feminism’s Long March
This is a good review of where feminism has got to after decades of struggle. Not far enough is the conclusion.

Dark Mountain
The Dark Mountain team are always interesting even if I fundamentally disagree with their analysis that collapse is both inevitable and what we need. Here…  Here’s another of them on the value of getting a scythe!

Land Value Taxation
This is a piece by George Monbiot on a personal bugbear of mine –  land value taxation. Why oh why is this not on the political table rather than Trident renewal, Afghanistan or High Speed Two?

Fantasy or optimism or both?
And finally – a family-oriented nation of fairness, social justice and mutual ownership? It exists – just not all in one place!

Alexis Rowell
News Editor, Transition Free Press