Archive for: December 2012

Cameron Says No to Decriminalising Drugs

Dec. 10 Political World no comments


The campaign to decriminalise a number of illegal drugs, put forward by a group of MP’s and backed by celebrities such as comedian Russell Brand and businessman Richard Branson, has hit a snag as Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected the idea. The campaign has been gathering ground in recent days and has met with considerable publicity, but the PM is set against the idea of using a royal commission to change the law.

The Home Affairs Select Committee had produced a report on the matter, but Mr Cameron appears adamant:

“Drugs use is coming down, the emphasis on treatment is absolutely right, and we need to continue with that to make sure we can really make a difference. Also, we need to do more to keep drugs out of our prisons. These are the government’s priorities and I think we should continue with that rather than have some very, very long-term royal commission.”

The committee had pointed to the situation in such as Portugal in which those found with illegal drugs are not always prosecuted, but this appears to have failed to sway Mr Cameron’s beliefs.

Portuguese Visit

Nevertheless, while Portugal has not legalised drugs its methods of handling the situation clearly impressed MP’s who visited to see how it is done. The report states:

“We were impressed by what we saw of the Portuguese depenalised system. It had clearly reduced public concern about drug use in that country and was supported by all political parties and the police. The current political debate in Portugal is about how treatment is funded… not about depenalisation itself. Although it is not certain that the Portuguese experience could be replicated in the UK, given societal differences, we believe this is a model that merits significantly closer consideration.”

The report also pointed to Colorado and Washington, in the USA, where there are plans to legalise the use of cannabis, and urged MP’s to keep a close eye on what happens in those countries. Uruguay is also looking at doing the same. A royal commission is an inquiry commissioned by the head of state into a certain, specific subject, and is overseen by a commissioner with certain powers. While drug use is seen to be at the lowest level since the middle of the 1990’s many MP’s are still concerned with the use of ‘legal highs’, some of which are in fact illegal and have been involved in the death of users.

Climate Change Controversy Continues

Dec. 03 Environment, Science no comments


The ongoing debate surrounding man-made climate change is one that has two distinct opposing sides: there are those who believe our CO2 emissions are damaging the earth’s atmosphere and adding to the rising temperatures, and those who believe that warming is a natural phenomenon that comes in cycles. A new report from the Global Carbon Project, which looks at emissions from industry across the world, has further inflated the debate by declaring that dangerous climate change – inducing adverse weather conditions and such – is now all but a certainty. The news will have startling effects on the views of many, and are bound to be counteracted by those who do not agree.

3.1% Growth in 2011

The report claims that CO2 emissions from world industry rose by 3.1% in the year 2011, and indicated that unless such growth is stemmed we are on a direct path to disaster. The warming could induce heatwaves, droughts and extreme weather patterns across the world, and cause a major global disaster. Corinne le Quere, a co-author of the report and an expert in climate research, said:

“I am worried that the risks of dangerous climate change are too high on our current emissions trajectory. We need a radical plan.”

The report continues in the same vein, stating:

“Unless large and concerted global mitigation efforts are initiated soon, the goal of remaining below 2C will soon become unachievable.”

China and the USA

It is notable that China, which is continuing with a programme of building new fossil-fuel power stations – saw its emissions rise by a massive 9.9% over 2011, just short of the figure achieved in the previous year, and the country now accounts for more than a quarter of all carbon emissions in the world. India is anointer country that contributes large amounts, with 7.5% increase in 2011. Conversely, emissions in the UK and the USA fell, but by largely inconsiderable amounts. With the aim of keeping warming to below two degrees centigrade being the ultimate mission it is looking as though a major argument may be about to break out between the pros and the cons, but there is no doubt that – whether man is the main contributor or not – the earth is currently seeing rising emissions of carbon dioxide. There are currently 200 countries involved in international climate talks in Doha, Qatar, and much will be made of these latest figures in the remainder of the meeting.