Old Time Religion?

 There is an interesting article by John Gray on the 'fears' of 'evangelical atheists' who cannot see a decline (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/03/what-scares-the-new-atheists). One of its major thrusts is that atheists are wrong when they think that the default position of most of 'humanity' would include a dropping of religions if they were'freed' from coercion. He suggests that it does no good to talk about the wars driven by religious considerations (in deed, he points out a number of horrors attributed to 'muscular' atheism). I must admit to having some sympathies with many of the views expressed. There is a danger that atheism becomes a kind of religion, especially if its proponents think that people would obviously benefit if they were weaned away from their more traditional beliefs. This, of course, means that science educators have to tread a very narrow line.

World Wide Web and Environmental Crime

It has been reported (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/03/chinas-illegal-ivory-traders-exploiting-online-market) that the world wide web plays an increasingly important part in the sale of illegal products (e.g. ivory, tiger bone, rhinoceros horn and turtle shells) taken from endangered species. Apparently, more than half these 'advertisements' relate to ivory.

Every Breath You Take

The EEA has apparently warned that air pollution will become responsible for many premature deaths on that continent (that is without even mentioning an even more obvious problem in China) in the near future (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/03/air-pollution-will-kill-thousands-in-europe-eea-warns). The UK is said to be one of the worst offenders, a rather sad state of affairs given our industrial past and The Clean Air Act. There is certainly a perception that our air is clean but being adjacent to a motorway is a risk factor.

GM Cows to Rescue the Badger?

Scientists in China have reportedly inserted a mouse gene into cows, making them more resistant to TB (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/02/mouse-gene-could-help-produce-tb-resistant-cattle-study-shows). This technology would, if widely adopted (a big 'if', given a wide-spread European objection to all things GM, except for medical developments) would greatly reduce the need to vaccinate cows against TB or to cull herds in which the disease is identified. It would also, as a by-product, negate any rational reason for attacking badger populations. Somehow, I don't think that this is going to happen.

Housing and the Election?

The Conservative Party, in the run-up to the General Election, has now 'offered',if re-elected, to legislate for up to 200,000 cheap starter homes for people under 40 on brownfield sites without requiring the builders to consider providing additional local services (such as roads, schools etc) or affordable housing. This has led to a boom in the building industry's shares (http://www.cityam.com/210591/housebuilder-shares-rise-conservatives-promise-200000-cheap-starter-homes-first-time-buyers). There are a few points to note although I do favour brownfield rather than green sites. Making brownfield sites appropriate for house building can be quite demanding and an expensive process. The difficulty is that someone would have to pay for this (and perhaps the missing amenities in the chosen areas). The locations might also turn out to be pretty unattractive in the longer term.

When They Begin the Lagoon?

I must admit that, in spite of all the hype, I continue to have reservations about Swansea Bay being earmarked for the construction of the 'world's first tidal lagoon' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31682529). I appreciate that a) there is a need to generate electricity in a more environmentally responsible fashion, b) promises of jobs and investment always go down well in some quarters but I'm not convinced that the project will be without problems. The effects on sediments in the bay, the visual impact on what is a very attractive location and the consequences on the animals (fish, birds and cetaceans) that frequent the associated SSSI don't really appear to have been answered. The actual enduring cost of the generated electricity also seems a tad vague. The impetuous for the project seems, however, to unstoppable although I am pretty certain it's by no means a world first. Already, they are talking about 5 of these structures in Wales (that's an awful lot of concrete!).

Mr Anti-Green?

There is news of the arrest of a Ezequel Antonio Castanha in Brazil on charges of facilitating illegal logging of an area about the same size as Hong Kong in Brazil (http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/king-of-deforestation-cut-down-can-loggers-arrest-stem-tide-of-destruction-in-amazon/story-fnjww010-1227240651052). This man is owner of a local supermarket and a major employer in his area. In addition to the forest destruction, the claimed activities of the loggers produced local water shortages in the area. This may be a start of meaningful activity against the loggers but opposing them is said to be a dangerous move.