Monday, April 19, 2010

New England's environmental wars

In Belshaw's position on climate change, a post on my personal blog, I responded to a challenge from a reader of my Armidale Express column by setting out my personal views on climate change.

Following this, I have just completed an Express column on climate change. For those outside Armidale, this will come on line here on Wednesday 28 April.

I have referred a couple of times to the environmental wars now raging across New England. These are very real, for New England is in fact at the front-line of the fights that we are already experiencing over the policy responses to climate change.

I have decided to do several columns on the climate change issue. I am not a conventional climate change sceptic, so the columns will not deal with the debate over the reality of climate change. Rather, my concern lies in the policy issues and what they might mean for New England.

New England is important for it is a microcosm of some of the battles that will occur. The broader issues and challenges are already being fought out there. However, and speaking just from a New England viewpoint, New England also illustrates the way in which generalised policies can have adverse on-ground impacts.

  There are no easy answers in some of this stuff. However, I think it important that we at least recognise the issues so that we have some chance of working through to choices and solutions.

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