Articles by Oliver Milman

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European colonization of Americas killed so many it cooled Earth’s climate

Oliver Milman February 4, 2019 Oliver Milman

Source: The Guardian

Research finds killing of native people indirectly contributed to a colder period by causing deaths of around 56 million by 1600

European colonization of the Americas resulted in the killing of so many native people that it transformed the environment and caused the Earth’s climate to cool down, new research has found.

Settlers killed off huge numbers of people in conflicts and also by spreading disease, which reduced the indigenous population by 90% in the century following Christopher Columbus’s initial journey to the Americas and Caribbean in 1492. read more

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James Hansen, father of climate change awareness, calls Paris talks ‘a fraud’

Oliver Milman December 16, 2015 Oliver Milman

Source: The Guardian Unlimited

The former Nasa scientist criticizes the talks, intended to reach a new global deal on cutting carbon emissions beyond 2020, as ‘no action, just promises’

Mere mention of the Paris climate talks is enough to make James Hansen grumpy. The former Nasa scientist, considered the father of global awareness of climate change, is a soft-spoken, almost diffident Iowan. But when he talks about the gathering of nearly 200 nations, his demeanour changes.

“It’s a fraud really, a fake,” he says, rubbing his head. “It’s just bullshit for them to say: ‘We’ll have a 2C warming target and then try to do a little better every five years.’ It’s just worthless words. There is no action, just promises. As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to be burned.” read more