Questioning my Carbon Footprint

I live in Scotland.  A lot of people are often surprised at that.  They’re also often surprised to hear that DFID has a large office in Scotland, just on the outskirts of Glasgow.  From my desk on the top floor I can see rolling hills and woods.  On a sunny day, it’s pretty beautiful, and…

Dangerous generalisations: China and climate change

I’ve just finished reading “When a Billion Chinese Jump” by Jonathan Watts. It took me a while – it’s a pretty huge book, with copious notes to flick back and forth to. But I am glad I got there. Yes, the book is rather depressing. But it is also an engaging tour of the country,…

Match-making in a changing climate

It’s a big week of change for DFID this week. Despite apparently being in the “sexiest” department in Whitehall (according to the London Evening Standard at least!) we’re all actually reeling from the news that our fantastic Permanent Secretary Minouche Shafik is about to leave us to become a Managing Director at the IMF, and getting…