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Over the past ten years, car manufacturers have shifted away from advertising family cars. They are now promoting ever bigger, more polluting – but much more profitable – Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). As a result, more and more people are buying these dirtier vehicles. It’s time to stop advertising SUVs.

This trend is pushing overall vehicle emissions in the wrong direction. These larger, heavier vehicles worsen congestion, andmake the roads less safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

Normally a petition like this would use advertising on Facebook. However, paid Facebook ads would be completely at odds with the aims of this campaign. Facebook has been pivotal in creating an alt-truth media landscape where fascism and denialism can flourish. So the petition is being promoted through organic resources.

The New Weather Institute and Possible are calling for an immediate end to advertising of these vehicles. We need to stop adverts fuelling the climate emergency. Their petition calls on the Department for Media, Culture and Sport to end advertising for climate-wrecking SUVs. Please add your name:

Petition to ban polluting SUV advertising

We banned tobacco advertising because smoking is bad for our health. So, why do we let advertisers glamourise polluting, gas-guzzling SUVs through adverts in our streets, in our cinemas, in newspapers and on television?

There was a lot of fuss in the media in early November when fracking was banned in the UK. Coincidentally, this widely unpopular activity was “banned” about the time the General Election was announced. But after the initial excitement, the ban turned out to be a moratorium, possibly in only specific regions. A moratorium which could be overturned e.g if fracking turned out to be a great idea after the election.

Apart from the Oil and Gas Authority highlighting the public nuisance caused by seismic events of any size, the cost-effectiveness of UK Government spending on fracking has been criticised by the National Audit Office (NAO). There is increasing evidence that the size of extractable shale gas reserves was oversold in the UK and Poland. Local differences in geology and population density as compared with mid-Western US states also seem to have been overlooked when discussing the potential of reserves of gas accessible by fracking.

Demand for whatever gas might emerge one day also seems to have been overestimated. And there’s possibly some correlation with the earthquakes, which are surely a good incentive to go all-electric?

UK government’s fracking ‘ban’ has a convenient loophole

In Labour target constituencies in the North of England, the moratorium applies. But sites in safe Conservative areas in the South East will remain open for business.

Are carbon offsetting schemes “fundamentally flawed” or a growing trend in responsible travel?

To get a balanced picture from this article, our reader needs to be patient and determined – none of this “limited attention span” stuff we hear so much about, please. After the positive title and 500 or so upbeat words, a few doubts finally emerge… Some of the carbon offsetting schemes are apparently “incredibly murky” and Responsible Holidays abandoned offsetting a decade ago. The idea that offsetting might be a “quick fix” is suggested.

It’s all very complicated to follow how offsetting works but it’s not a fig leaf at all, apparently. That’s a metaphorical fig leaf, although there are probably still some real fig leaves left, depending on when you are reading this.

At the very end of the article there is a clear statement about affiliate links and journalistic independence.

More travel companies offsetting carbon emissions

A growing number of operators are offsetting each holiday they sell by funding reforestation and renewable energy schemes

Offsetting carbon emissions is complicated and difficult, which apparently surprised the author of this piece. Some of us are awre that there was never a time when it was easy or straightforward, as the article explains once we get past the “surprise” that it’s tricky and requires a lot of soul searching.

There is some high level explanantion of the sort of schemes on offer but “how to navigate them” is overstating what’s actually presented. Eight specific options are offered with a range of complicated and difficult trade-offs and the results are, as it says here “highly variable”. The main takeaway is that offsetting carbon emissions is complicated and difficult, and you’ll need a lot of good judgement and wisdom to sort out an option you are comfortable with. Assuming you really need to fly somewhere.

Offsetting carbon emissions: ‘It has proved a minefield’

More and more people are trying to offset their travel emissions – so why isn’t it straightforward? We explain the options and how to navigate them

If you feel guilty about climate change, it’s a good idea to understand what really contributes to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.

And it’s also good to choose the best action you can take as an individual to be part of the solution.

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about what makes most impact on both the problem and the solutions. It’s useful to have some evidence based ideas about priorities – facts may be unfashionable but that’s where we need to start from.

What you think you know about the climate is probably wrong – new UK poll

We know less than we should, but we’re worried anyway. By the author of The Perils of Perception: Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything.