Fishburn Hedges

James Gilheany

After 17 years, GMTV has gone the way of TV-am and bitten the dust. In its place, ITV hopes to establish a new format to attract viewers to its dwindling morning ratings. Stiff competition from BBC Breakfast and over the past three years, Sky News, has seen GTMV relegated to third in the ratings war. In its place will come the tried and tested combination of Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley, b...

Clare Moore-Bridger

Bjorn Lomborg, once the poster boy of climate scepticism, has got a book to sell.  In a master stroke of publicity, that book will argue that climate change is real, and that we need to act now.  Such is the perceived magnitude of this volte face that The Guardian dedicates a lengthy profile piece to this today.  Lomborg estimates that around £100bn per year is necessary to fund low carbon cha...

Clare Moore-Bridger

The chancellor's tie may have been green, but otherwise, the Budget left environmentalists feeling rather blue. Nothing substantial bar some vagueness on the Green Investment Bank news, and other individualised commitments, such as the promise to review airline passenger tax and an increase in landfill costs.  Interesting though to ponder, is the VAT increase.  You could argue that a tax on co...

Clare Hinkley

The Economist's 'After Copenhagen' could have easily not mentioned it at all - it wasn't mentioned for the three hours I was there apart from by me when I asked WWF's Mark Wright if they felt the forest agreement would make any difference.  It might, said Mark Wright, but it's one of many initiatives in play.  Sore point perhaps. Another sore point for WWF was the motion we debated 'to let the ...

Clare Hinkley

You may have heard about triple bottom line reporting and if you thought it all sounded a bit wishy-washy, well there's people trying to tackle that.  In particular, a Dr McElroy from Deloitte, who is looking at how to contextualise 'green' claims. So for instance, if you are saying, you are green and only use your share of local natural resources, McElroy's approach would advise estimating the ...

Clare Hinkley

Despite the lack of a binding agreement in Copenhagen, domestically, most developed countries will be looking to corporates to step up their environmental commitments in 2010.  In the UK, the Carbon Disclosure Project will come into force for all large companies in April, bringing new reporting and reduction requirements. If people agreed on one thing at Copenhagen it's that everyone - all busin...

Clare Hinkley

My highlight of conference yesterday?  Definitely Thom York, musical genius of Radiohead fame, on The Stupid Show.  And if as Ben said you're wondering "is he just talking or playing" - there's a beautiful performance clip at 1m 29 secs.  But without doubt the summit's biggest star of all will be President Obama, arriving today - and it's crunch time for discussions about funding for poorer cou...

Clare Hinkley

Just when I was getting rather pessimistic, thank goodness, the Governator arrives in Copenhagen to add some much-needed weight to discussions around saving the world.  After all, he knows all about it from his acting days...and if that wasn't enough, John Prescott has made an appearance in his new incarnation as international eco-activist.  Urrrr....Two Jags??  View his Cop vlog here "Here i a...

Clare Hinkley

According to the FT, the US envoy for climate change Todd Stern has arrived in Copenhagen with one explicit aim: to break some Chinese balls (diplomatically-speaking).  The new tougher line has apparently come about in response to China's behind-the-scenes manoeuvering with the G77 group of developing countries, who are seen to be pushing Beijing's agenda.  Yet Beijing are clear that although th...