Cherchez le cash

A recent New York Times report suggests court action might be the fastest way to get energy companies to face up to the link between their activities and climate change, drawing a parallel with the US Justice Department moves against "Big Tobacco".
 
Meantime, the Securities & Exchange Commission has ruled that businesses need to consider both the effects of climate change laws and regulations, but also the potential physical risks caused by climate change, when deciding what information they need to disclose to investors and regulators.

As even strong advocates for the cause of man-made climate change admit increased resistance to their message, and diplomatic and political forums are found wanting, perhaps business will prove an unlikely source of salvation.

Being Green has never been easy - and now, it seems that doing the right thing by the environment might even be hazardous to your relationship.

However, debates about the virtues or otherwise of driving a Prius, or even committing to a vegetarian diet (something we raised earlier) pale into insignificance when one considers the domestic and neighbourhood disputes that could be sparked by some of the more radical proposals being tossed around.

Mankind’s ongoing fascination with apocalyptic myths of one sort or another is often cited as a reason to question the dangers of human-induced global warming, a sentiment captured in this amusing look back at Y2K penned by University of Canterbury professor Denis Dutton.

And with the evidence of their senses, and even some of the data seeming somewhat ambiguous to say the least, don’t expect the doubters to go quiet any time soon – especially now that the British judiciary seems to have joined the ranks of those who think belief in climate change is more a matter of faith than of facts.