Thom Yorke, Amory Lovins and Ken Livingstone on Climate Change
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03.23.08
Image credit: National Geographic/Getty Images
"We will soon discover whether this bold evolutionary experiment of combining a large forebrain with opposable thumbs was really a good idea. Over the next decade, our species takes its university finals. Get revising."
So says Amory Lovins in the Guardian-affiliated Observer Magazine’s regular “This Much I Know” column. But this isn’t the only juicy eco-info this week, as the entire magazine is dedicated to a special issue on climate change, guest edited by Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Other highlights include Yorke interviewing Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, about the congestion charge, and his plans to bring a city bike scheme, similar to those seen in Paris, Lyon and Copenhagen, to the capital. Ken also reveals his position on plans for a new runway at Heathrow, in no uncertain terms:
"I think you've got two problems: one is a lot of politicians have no idea of the scale of catastrophe we face. I had a debate with a member of the cabinet, who I won't shame by naming; he was saying there's no problem with a third runway [at Heathrow], because as more people fly in to Britain we'll do carbon offsetting somewhere else. Complete bollocks. And then there's others terrified of offending anybody. There's also a real inertia and hostility in the civil service."
Other highlights include a look at eco-initiatives in the German city of Freiburg, and a profile of environmental campaigner Richard Hawkins.
::The Observer Magazine::via site visit::
