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I’ve just finished reading a little tract by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway called “The Collapse of Western Civilisation: a View from the Future”. Not a very cheery title! And a deeply depressing take on where we are today in terms of both politics and the science of climate change. And that’s…

There’s this crazy American billionaire called Tim Draper, who’s currently spending tens of billions of dollars on raising signatures amongst the voters of California to hold a referendum on splitting their state in 6 – in effect, to add another five states to the existing 50 states. So far he…

It would be untrue to say that I’m a keen gardener – I just never have been. And I’m not particularly green-fingered either, even with indoor plants. Hardy herbs are about as good as it gets for me! But I recognise the critical importance of gardens, and count myself as a big supporter of the…

Good news on the maggot front! One of the most fascinating contributions to our Innovation Showcase was a little company called AgriProtein. Its business model is splendidly simple: get your hands on a steady supply of organic waste (municipal garbage, rotting food waste or whatever); bring in…

It’s impossible for me to get involved in each and every planning dispute that people ask me about – there are so many! But the one I am inviting you to delve into right now is so egregiously fantastical as to warrant your attention! (See blog from Paula Owen) As to the characters involved: James…

It was World Population Day on Friday. I don’t know why 11th July was been chosen as World Population Day, but given that we can’t really have World Population Day every day for 365 days of the year, I guess one day out of 365 is marginally better than no days at all out of 365. Minor diversion…