Bush fires
Fears that George Bush would follow in his father's footsteps and stall progress on tackling environmental problems were not expected to be fulfilled so early. In the first 60 days, he has declared that his most specific campaign pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants was a mistake, delayed implementation of a plan to protect the remaining 30% of US national forests and proposed massive cuts in renewable energy and energy-efficiency programmes. Just for good measure, he has cast doubt on whether man-made climate change is really sound science. Even Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), felt obliged to issue a rebuttal, pointing to the three giant tomes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued in the last three months, which say exactly the opposite. Next on the agenda is the resumed climate talks in July. Those who remember George's father at the Earth Summit in 1992, when the US president refused to sign the Biodiversity Agreement, are already dismayed at the havoc Junior might cause at the 10-year follow-up conference in South Africa next year.
Goodbye beech
While George may not believe in climate change, the Woodland Trust certainly does, predicting it is the greatest threat to our trees. A new trust report out today says beech woods in south-east England could be dying out in 30 years due to drought and water shortages. It also predicts that oak trees will be wiped out by disease from North America.
Unwanted gifts
Talking of unwanted gifts from North America, the Campaign for the Accountability of US Bases is enraged by US navy flares having to be detonated on Skegness beach. With the countryside closed and beaches the only place to go for a walk, Yarmouth coastguards are warning that more flares "may appear" on beaches. They are 18- inches long and extremely dangerous. Surplus to requirement, they were thrown out of fighter planes during an exercise over the North Sea last month. Charming.
Stinging nettlers
Friends of the Earth have become experts at chipping away at European directives to embarrass the UK government, which is so often guilty of non-compliance. The pattern is that the reluctant European Commission is finally chivvied into bullying the UK, which is then forced into action - for example, to clean up beaches or waterways. The lengths that FoE are prepared to go to sting the commission into action deserve admiration. Peter Roderick, FoE's legal adviser, has just heard from the European ombudsman that he has found the commission "guilty of maladministration in refusing to provide FoE with information the EC holds on the UK government's failure to comply with the habitats directive and various waste directives". That sentence represents months of hard graft banging away at brick walls. The central point was that various pages of evidence had been blanked out to spare the UK's blushes about why it had not obeyed the law - but the ombudsman judged this was not sufficient reason for secrecy. The FoE is now waiting for the commission to cough up so we can see what everyone was trying to hide. The next instalment will probably take another six months.
That dam again
The government has been trying hard to forget its involvement in the Ilisu dam scheme in Turkey, hoping the whole issue of its £200m backing would go away until after the election. The Kurdish people - whose homes will be swamped - and an international campaign are determined to keep up the pressure and get the scheme cancelled. Balfour Beatty, leading the construction consortium, claimed over the telephone they would be delighted to receive and study a report from the Corner House and the Ilisu Dam campaign saying why it should not be built . Repeated efforts to hand the document in to the company's London headquarters were, however, rebuffed by security guards.
Rare plaudit
Vauxhall, which has been running into trouble in Luton with the closure of car production, has never the less been supporting car sharing clubs, which are still struggling to be popular enough to stand on their own four wheels. Vauxhall provides most of the cars, and has delivered the first liquid petroleum gas car to Bristol Club, which makes for cheaper motoring. Cars cost as little as £2 an hour, plus 15p a mile. Details at www.carshareclubs.org.uk
