Matt Ridley
Author, newspaper columnist, rational optimist, peer, Northumbrian. Keen on science, scepticism, genes, evolution, innovation, "ideas having sex".
Thought Leader
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What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
Five years ago, the flight vanished into the Indian Ocean. Officials on land know more about why than they dare to say.
A pledge to abolish sin
If the British government declared the abolition of sin by 2050, commentators would be rightly cynical. The announcement last week that Britain will enact a net-zero carbon target for 2050 was instead welcomed, especially by “faith leaders”. Yet...
Matt Ridley
Without specifying the means, setting a 2050 net-zero target is about as wishful as pledging to eliminate sin. Too many Tories merely want to get into bed with the wind and solar industries, putting profit-seeking lipstick on a subsidy-dependent pig.
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Forget utopian schemes for net-zero: here’s a solution that can actually work
If the British government declared the abolition of sin by 2050, commentators would be rightly cynical.
1
Matt Ridley
Without a plan to unleash innovation in carbon capture and storage, so we can continue to use fossil fuels, a net-zero target is about as realistic and sensible as a pledge to abolish sin by 2050. Renewables and austerity cannot get us there. My article
45h
Matt Ridley
If the British government declared the abolition of sin by 2050, commentators would be rightly cynical. The announcement last week that Britain will enact a net-zero carbon target for 2050 was instead welcomed
20h
1
Matt Ridley
Forget utopian schemes for net-zero: here’s a solution that can actually work — telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/1… pic.twitter.com/JMHwSMmZeC
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Dominic Lawson: Your Legacy Isn’t Worth A Trillion Quid, Mrs May - The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF)
The prime minister is going down in a blaze of vanity and arrogance An apology. In a previous column, I gave readers the impression that Theresa May, whatever her faults, was at least not guilty of vanity. How wrong I was: in her last weeks as prime...
Rainforest Trees Cut Down For Windfarm Transmission Corridor - The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF)
Rainforest trees 200 years old have been cleared to make way for a wind farm transmission line in Tasmania’s Tarkine, prompting claims of green “hypocrisy”. Myrtle and sassafras trees were among those felled along a 10.5km corridor widened for...
Ministers accused of reintroducing consumer subsidies for onshore wind turbines 'by the back door'
Ministers are being accused of covertly reintroducing consumer subsidies for onshore wind turbines, despite the Conservatives' pledge to ditch the lucrative incentives for energy firms.
Douglas Carswell
Fed up with ‘gotcha’ journalism? Sick and tired of listening to smug broadcasters only ever trying to catch out those that don’t share their group think? A g...
Hong Kongers know the values behind the Union flag - but do the British?
It is, in its way, the highest of compliments.
Matt Ridley
Matt Ridley. 7,958 likes · 199 talking about this. Matt Ridley is the award-winning, bestselling author of The Rational Optimist, Genome, The Red Queen, and The Evolution of Everything.
'Gravy train?' A first taste of life as an MEP
Recently elected Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox recounts her first experiences of travelling to and being at the European Parliament.
The post-Brexit opportunities and challenges for UK agriculture
After Brexit, the UK has great potential to have a vibrant agricultural market that is beneficial for consumers. The Institute of Economic Affairs’ new report, Fertile Ground: Opportunities and challenges for UK agriculture, sets out how this can be...
Matt Ridley
.@ShankerASingham nails a myth:
"[UK] rates for Salmonella and Campylobacter were 20.4 and 66.3 per 100,000 population respectively. Comparable US data shows rates of only 15.45 and 13.45 per 100,000 population respectively.
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Who Is Karl Marx?
When writing The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx thought he was providing a road to utopia, but everywhere his ideas were tried, they resulted in catastrophe ...
Boris was right about the niqab – it’s oppressive and ridiculous
The real extremists are those who want to protect Islam and its beliefs from public debate and ridicule.
Douglas Carswell interviews Matt Ridley. Room for Thought ep. 3
Matt Ridley, author, journalist and peer talks about battling for Brexit in the House of Lords, climate change and why the world is getting better. Best know...
The poll which should give those backing a 2050 zero emissions pledge pause for thought
Sky Data's numbers suggest that there is no public agreement on how to bear the large costs of the proposal.
Brussels draw plan for Irish border tech — but trashed Brexiteers' same idea
BRUSSELS is drawing up plans to use technology on the Irish border — despite rubbishing the idea when put forward by Brexiteers. Eurocrats will deploy “IT systems” to keep trade flowing between Ire…
A farmer satyagraha for permission-less innovation
State control over every input market hinders farmers from innovating and improving their lives
My terrifying journey into the dark heart of far right comedy
Yohann and I sat in the audience of the far right comedy night, two lone beacons of virtue amid a sea of depravity. Would we be lynched?