A key issue in the assessment of national climate policy is the accuracy of data and figures. Much of the analysis provided by the policy community is based upon the information available on what is happening on the ground in each country. However, as with all national comparisons, there is a problem: working out what [...]

The UNFCCC conference in Poland begins tomorrow (Monday 1st December 2008). The size and complexity of the event means that almost all topics in international climate politics will be covered, with extensive discussions on the road to Copenhagen in 2009. However, as well as building momentum and tackling the timetabling for 2009, the Poznan conference [...]

One of the difficulties with governing on the scale of the E.U. is how to accurately assess public opinion. In light of these concerns, the E.U. has been remarkably proactive with pan-Europe opinion polls. In the next few posts I’ll try to give a digest of the recent results to see how public opinion in [...]

The UNFCCC Climate Change Conference is drawing ever closer (9 days at time of writing). But what are we expecting from this mass meeting? What is Poznan actually aiming at? The answers to these questions initially seem obvious: to prepare the ground for the near-legendary ‘Copenhagen Protocol’. However, dig any deeper than this and it [...]

It’s not often that business executives are the focus of opinion polls, but a survey this year by Yougov highlights some truly surprising results. Yes, the sample size is small but the respondents are powerful. 200 business executives from FTSE 300 companies were polled on their attitudes to climate change in a business context, and [...]

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appeals panel overturned a permit for a proposed coal-fired power station in Utah.  The panel ruled that the EPA’s Denver office had inadequately supported its decision to issue a permit to the plant without considering its carbon dioxide emissions. In October 2007, the Sierra Club and others filed [...]

Talk about reversing the global economic slowdown is dominating diplomacy at the moment, which may not bode well for progress at COP-14 in Poznan in early December. However, the upcoming UN Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) conference in Doha, intriguingly scheduled as a ‘starter’ days before Poznan, can provide a constructive bridge between the [...]

Growing automobile usage in Chongqing, China. Photo by kindsir @ flickr In the long media shadow cast by UNFCCC COPs many other international negotiations and summits are over-looked. This week a 900-participant meeting in Asia is attempting to make specific contributions to climate change policy, with another announced for 2009. In Bangkok, Thailand, the Better [...]

Voters think that Climate Change is a top priority, but it won’t affect who they vote for. Part one of this post showed how, while voters were heavily concerned about climate change, it was not a voting issue in national elections. This post will attempt to analyse some possible reasons for this paradox. Important but [...]

Voters think that Climate Change is a top priority, but it won’t affect who they vote for. Issue Percentage Agree Poll Concerned or Very Concerned 77 % Ipsos MORI 2008(a) Should be top Priority of Government 28 % ICM research 2006 Top voting issue* ave. 7.8 % Ipsos MORI Aug 2007- Aug 2008 * Spontaneous [...]