Martin Empson

Oil has been in the news recently, not least because the first few months of 2012 saw some of the highest ever prices for crude. The threat of war on Iran, instability in oil-rich Nigeria and the ongoing economic crisis combined to push prices above $125 a barrel. This is below the record of $147 set in July 2008, but the weakness of the pound and euro means that, in reality, the price is much worse for European consumers.

A further casualty of this natural disaster may well be the plans to expand the use of nuclear power. Japan is the third largest user of nuclear power, with over 50 nuclear plants which provide over a third of its electricity. The magnitude 9 earthquake was greater than the plants were designed to withstand - yet such earthquakes could certainly have been foreseen.

Howard Zinn's death earlier this year robbed us of one of the most important post-war historians - someone who wasn't afraid to criticise or condemn governments and leaders.

In his lifetime Zinn wrote many passionate works designed to inspire and arm those who wanted to stand up against injustice. This final, posthumous work is a short polemic against modern military might as a way of bringing justice.

Cuts in the budget for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have been announced that could fundamentally change our natural areas.

Among plans being considered are the privatisation of nature reserves and the Forestry Commission, a reduction of grants to the body that manages Britain's canals, and cuts so severe that Natural England, the country's main conservation organisation, could lose a third of its staff.

The failure of the Copenhagen climate talks to reach agreement on limiting emissions has angered millions of people. But this masks a far greater systemic problem with strategies to deal with climate change. Following intensive lobbying by a US delegation to the Kyoto conference in 1992, led by Al Gore, market mechanisms, particularly carbon trading, became the favoured method for reducing pollution. These schemes are now worth billions of dollars but have had very little impact.

This drive to make money means that anything that increases costs, such as reducing pollution, will be resisted by those in charge. Investment in energy reduction or improved processes may have a long term logic, but in the short term they risk reducing a company's ability to compete for profit.

Imagine a United Nations conference on the environment. It brings together representatives of every major economy, with NGOs and scientists. In the run up to the conference the participants have been locked in negotiations for over three months. There has been deadlock on almost every key point of the agreement. The president of the world's most powerful economy prevaricates about even attending. Afterwards proclamations from government leaders everywhere are issued claiming that the event marks a new beginning for the planet.

Of these, 450 were to go at its plant on the Isle of Wight.

Such a news item would perhaps not excite much comment in these difficult economic times - except that Vestas is the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines. Given the urgent need to deal with climate change the announcement caused disbelief and anger throughout the environmental movement.

There is a very real threat to human civilisation if climate change is allowed to get out of control. Our planet is already experiencing significant changes that give an indication of the problems to come. Billions of people face the possibility of premature death from disease, starvation, flooding or the wars that result as nations struggle for access to limited natural resources.

The extent to which we have already changed the world's climate and how much more we will change it is a matter hotly debated by the media and politicians.

Few would deny that humans have an impact on their environment - it is easy to see the connection between a dead fish and a toxic chemical leak into a river.