Articles

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been promoted by industry as the solution to tackling climate change. Why stop burning fossil fuels when instead you can capture the carbon dioxide and store it in a hole in the ground? Defying objections on the grounds of cost, feasibility,the environment and in the face of public opposition , heavy industry has pushed for EU support for CCS. Shell, BP and others representing the industry persuaded UK Liberal MEP Chris Davies to work on their behalf - effectively securing billions of euros in EU subsidies to support the new technology.

On 23 rd November there was an action to support Gilles-Eric Séralini’s court case, against Marc Fellous of the Association Française des Biotechnologies Végétales (AFBV) for libel. The case is being heard in the ‘Tribunal de Grande Instance’, in the historic Palais de Justice on the Ile de la Cité, Paris. Séralini is a leading researcher into the risks of GMOs.

They are a tiny minority, a network of just a few dozen individuals around the world. Their numbers contrast starkly with the overwhelming majority of scientists who agree on the reality of man-made climate change, and on the urgent need for action. But the voices of climate deniers, are amplified in Europe by a handful of extremist free marketeers and right-wing think tanks, which try to block action to tackle climate change.

Public relations expertise developed by a food-and-drink-industry-funded think tank seems to be being promoted by the European Union’s food safety agency, following the appointment of a food industry insider. The PR strategy on dealing with risks has even been included in official guidelines. Recent cases of former Commissioners going through the revolving doors into lobbying jobs have raised questions about conflicts of interest.

Corporate Europe Observatory has written an open letter to the Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard raising concerns about the suggestions put forward in a report commissioned from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development on the role of business in the UN climate talks. Read the full text of the letter and the Commission's response here:

Pathetic finale to a historical battle on financial regulation.

On Thursday 18 November Barroso’s team of Commissioners will discuss a draft of the new Code of Conduct. Commissioner Sefcovic’s speech to MEPs ealier this month revealed some of the elements that are likely to be in the draft.

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