date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 13:08:38 +0000 from: Professor Nigel Arnell subject: Re: Tyndall publicity to: Mike Hulme Mike, I happen to know that Tony Blair chaired a meeting on Monday with business leaders to discuss the climate change levy. I don't know the details, but it was essentially about encouraging "clean" technology - what counts as clean, and what levy rebates might be available. My source (!) tells me that Tony Blair is taking climate change increasingly seriously (Prescott, Meacher and Bob May were at the meeting), and wants Britain to lead the world - first bringing the Europeans, then the Americans. I haven't seen anything in the press about it, but it may crop up over the next few days. The Tyndall "clean energy" initiatives are increasingly important. Regards Nigel At 12:20 01/03/00 +0000, you wrote: >Dear Tyndall Colleague, > >In the run-up to the Panel meeting on the 22nd March, we think it would be >good to keep members of our Consortium in the public eye through print or >other media (we suspect Imperial have already 'planted' a couple of stories >and other independent evidence suggests that Imperial are being 'aggresive' >about their bid). Of course the benefits of this will be intangible, but >there may be some subliminal effect on the Panel members or their friends >of having UEA, UMIST, Southampton, et al., mentioned in relation to climate >stories. > >We have a couple of press releases planned from UEA in the next 3 weeks and >we have also asked our press Office to scan the broadsheets daily for >climate-related stories to which letters can be written (for example, The >Times today had a piece by Nigel Hawkes about global warming skeptics that >we intend to send a letter on). > >If any such stories that relate to expertise not found at UEA, or better >represented elsewhere, I will alert the relevant people to see whether a >short, well-worded letter could be drafted. > >Also, if you know of any 'pre-emptive strikes' that could be made about >up-coming topical news items (e.g. is the Chancellor going to say anything >about the Climate Change Levy, or the DTI about renewables, etc.), then >again we should be prepared to draft a response to the papers, or prepare a >press release for the radio/TV media to pick up on. Maybe any forthcoming >scientific papers that have a media-friendly climate angle? > >Thanks, > >Mike > > > > > Nigel Arnell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- N.W.Arnell Department of Geography Professor of Geography University of Southampton Highfield Southampton SO17 1BJ UK Tel: 01703 594648/592215 Fax: 01703 593295 Email: nwa1@soton.ac.uk