United Kingdom

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – We will probably overshoot the UN goal of limiting extra global heating from the climate emergency to 2.7 degrees F. (1.5C), but Mother Nature is telling us that even just our current 1.8 to 2.16 (1C – 1.2C) degrees F. increase since 1850 is already enough to do major damage […]

Donald Trump

UK Conservative Party dumps Johnson, but the US GOP Refused to dump Trump

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – By Trumpian standards Boris Johnson is a boy scout, The British prime minister, who on Wednesday said he would resign, was trailed by the sort of scandals that wouldn’t even be noticed in corrupt US politics. Johnson went to a party in 2020 after he forbade the British to hold […]

Ireland

Sympathy for Colonized Ireland in the US Gov’t Doesn’t Extent to Colonized Palestine

Mohammed Samaana

Belfast (Special to Informed Comment) – A recent Congressional cross-party delegation visit to the UK and Ireland in order to save the Good Friday Agreement (which had paved the way for peace on the island of Ireland) was marked by controversy. Delegation leader Richard Neal (D-MA) used the word “planter” which was used in the […]

Germany

Could the G7 Wealthy Countries Really Boycott Russian Petroleum?

The Conversation

By Amy Myers Jaffe | – One option the U.S. and other nations have for ratcheting up pressure on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine is reducing their Russian energy purchases. U.K. Foreign Minister Liz Truss has proposed that the G7 nations – the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – […]

Climate Crisis

The Climate Emergency is Already Here: Deaths in Heat Waves are Increasing even in the Cool North

The Conversation

By Chloe Brimicombe | – When you take age out of the equation, temperature-related deaths are on the decline in England and Wales. That’s according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But more people are going to hospital, compared with 20 years ago. It turns out, that’s not the only […]

Featured

Scotland alone to nearly Double all the Offshore Wind in the World with new ScotWind Facilities

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – James Murray at BusinessGreen reports that 17 new massive offshore wind projects have been authorized off Scotland that collectively would generate 25 gigawatts of power. Note that the total offshore wind capacity as of 2020 in the whole world was only 35 gigawatts, so this one set of “ScotWind” projects […]

Climate Crisis

As last Coal Chimney Falls, Will Green Energy Issue in Scotland Break up the United Kingdom?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party, pushed the button last week that brought down the country’s tallest structure, the chimney of the massive coal plant at Fife. The plant was decommissioned in 2016, as Scotland replaced coal with renewables for electricity generation, but the demolition was […]

Displaced and Refugees

Channel deaths of Middle Easterners: the UK has clear legal responsibilities towards people crossing in small boats

The Conversation

By Mariagiulia Giuffré | – At least 27 people have drowned in the English Channel attempting to cross in a small boat. There were three children, seven women, one of whom was pregnant, and 17 men. Although a joint search and rescue operation was seemingly launched in the narrow maritime area between the UK and […]

Australia

Taking the World to the Brink: The Australia-UK-US Nuclear Sub Alliance against China

Tomdispatch

By David Vine | – ( Tomdispatch.com) – Before it’s too late, we need to ask ourselves a crucial question: Do we really — I mean truly — want a new Cold War with China? Because that’s just where the Biden administration is clearly taking us. If you need proof, check out last month’s announcement […]