A German member in the European parliament (MEP) is proposing a straightforward way to prevent (or outlaw) exploration and drilling for unconventional gas in the European Union (EU). His plan, bypass national strife and instead build consensus for a European-wide ban.

Jo Leinen, chair of the committee on the environment, public health and food safety, is considered one of the most influential MEP’s. He recently told The Guardian that he wants to work on a new energy quality directive that is expected to focus on penalizing and/or banning the extraction, import and use of fuels which are environmentally destructive – namely unconventional gas and even tar sands oil.

Half the respondents to an 11-country climate change survey want government action - especially direct investment in alternative energy - but only one quarter of the people believe governments a making the efforts they should.

The Climate Confidence Monitor is a project of the HSBC Climate Project, and this year it surveyed 12,000 people in developing world countries like Brazil, China, India and Mexico, and in wealth leaders like the Canada, France, The U.K. and the U.S. Perhaps embarrassingly, the survey found that residents in the developing world are very ready to make lifestyle changes to defend against climate change, while the majority of people in the richer countries are just not interested.

An international poll of 17 countries found widespread accord that climate change is a problem, but division as to whether it is sufficiently urgent to require immediate, costly measures.