250,000 jobs and £70bn revenue - this is the forecast for a thriving UK renewables sector according to a study from the Carbon Trust. But it warns that the potential of renewables sector will only be realised if government invests in research and removes regulatory barriers

Professor Michael Sandel delivers the 4th and final Reith Lecture 2009 about the prospects of a new politics of the common good. Sandel makes the case for a moral and civic renewal in democratic politics. He says that we need to think of ourselves as citizens, not just consumers.

Highly recommended - listen on BBC i-player or download the transcript.

Climate change is a complex subject, with genuine areas of uncertainty and scientific controversy. There are also a number of misunderstandings which are recycled, often by non-climate scientists, and portrayed as scientific act. As one of the world's leading centres on climate change the Met Office has resently released an essential guide.

It's disappointing to see someone of Leo Hickman's stature reinforcing old stereotypes. His assertion that the Greens are a "one-issue" party is plainly wrong and his reasoning - that "the clue's in the name" - doesn't entirely stack up.

In an article recently placed in the Independant Caroline Lucas writes that the real success story of the European and local elections belongs to the Greens, who forge the way on environmental issues.

In this years Reith Lectures Michael Sandel, Harvard Professor of Government, delivers four lectures about the prospects of a new politics of the common good. Recommended listening .