-
Naomi Oreskes & Erik Conway
Posted on August 2nd, 2010 No commentsNaomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway recommend that grassroots Internet writers focus on Climate Change Policy, in this Climate Science Watch interview shot at Netroots Nation 2010.
The subject of government policies to deal with Climate Change borders on the excessively dull – which is why most Internet web loggers (or “bloggers”) don’t want to touch Policy even with a full HazMat suit on.
It’s the kiss-of-interest-death to try to open up discussions on Carbon Taxation, Cap-and-Trade, Cap-and-Share, Cap-and-Dividend, Cap-and-Giveaway, Contraction & Convergence, Kyoto2, Border Tax Adjustments, Clean Development credits, Carbon Intensity and the like.
Only really seriously geeky, mildly obsessive people really want to think about the Big Picture. And many of us get stuck in a corner of unworkable aspiration, where we know something has to change, we fix on just a snippet of the giant problem, and then we find we cannot communicate it well enough for others to understand.
For example – very public insistence that the Coal-burning power generation industry has got to cease trading doesn’t make it happen, despite excellent reasoning and even entire Climate Camps of resistance and protest amongst the activist community.
This is probably because (a) most people don’t understand how banning Coal fits into the bigger Carbon picture, (b) most people don’t know how to go about asking the right people to ban Coal and (c) most of the Coal-burning industry don’t want people to look into their business too deeply so they have invested lots of money in public attitude smokescreens. No, it’s not a “conspiracy”. It’s a documented public relations exercise. Just ask Naomi and Erik.
Behaviour Changeling, Big Picture, Carbon Commodities, Carbon Rationing, Climate Change, Contraction & Convergence, Corporate Pressure, Cost Effective, Delay and Deny, Divide & Rule, Emissions Impossible, Energy Revival, Global Warming, Growth Paradigm, Low Carbon Life, Peak Energy, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Protest & Survive, Public Relations, Regulatory Ultimatum, Renewable Resource, Science Rules, Social Change, Solar Sunrise, Vain Hope, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Wind of Fortune Aubrey Meyer, C & C, C&C, Cap, Cap and Dividend, Cap and Giveaway, Cap and Share, Cap and Trade, Carbon Cap, Carbon Dividend, Carbon Fee, Carbon Tax, Carbon Taxation, Climate Change, Climate Change Policy, Contraction and Convergence, Erik Conway, Erik M. Conway, GCI, Global Commons Institute, James Hansen, Jim Hansen, Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes, Pew Center, policy, The Merchantess of Doubt, The Merchants of Doubt, The Merchants of Merchants of Doubt -
David Mitchell Curbs Enthusiasm
Posted on July 8th, 2010 No commentsPLEASE IGNORE THE ADVERTISEMENT AT THE START OF THIS VIDEO. Video Credit : The Guardian
It’s great to see David Mitchell tucking into a big bite of the “Voluntary Behaviour Change” posse’s pie.
Let’s be honest : nobody wants to stop consuming and burning, but we’re going to have to if the Big Energy companies don’t change the way they provide us with power and fuel.
Yes, guilt is so old-fashioned. You can’t tell the public to change their consumption behaviour, trying to make them feel personally responsible for Climate Change, whilst still providing them with environmentally damaging products.
All electricity should be Renewable, all heating systems Carbon-neutral, all manufactured products Low Carbon.
Until that day, governments will continue to hire Public Relations consultants to convince the public to make different choices, and continue to fail to make any converts.
Bait & Switch, Behaviour Changeling, Big Picture, Burning Money, Climate Change, Divide & Rule, Eating & Drinking, Emissions Impossible, Global Warming, Growth Paradigm, Low Carbon Life, Marvellous Wonderful, Pet Peeves, Public Relations, Regulatory Ultimatum, Social Change, Unsolicited Advice & Guidance, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Vote Loser Climate Change, Global Warming, guilt tripping, hard choices, Public Relations, Voluntary Behaviour Change -
Voluntary Behaviour Change Failure
Posted on July 4th, 2010 No comments
Image Credit : The Climate Change Committee
The Economic Recession has had a clear impact on the rate of British Carbon Dioxide Emissions.
However, peoples’ individual behaviour change has not been an additional factor :-
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13675
Hat tip goes to Paul Mobbs for his note :-
“Have a look at Chapter 11/Chapter 12 for some eco-gems — e.g. “Domestic energy consumption for lighting and electrical appliances in the UK between 1970 and 2007 increased by 155 per cent…”Between 1989–91 and 2008, the proportion of children in Great Britain of
primary school age travelling to school by car rose steadily, from 27 per cent to 43 per cent…”Asking people to curb their energy enthusiasm simply isn’t working.
Behaviour Changeling, Climate Change, Disturbing Trends, Emissions Impossible, Energy Revival, Low Carbon Life, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Social Change, The Data, Unutterably Useless, Utter Futility, Voluntary Behaviour Change CCC, Climate Change Committee, Emissions, emissions control, Paul Mobbs, push and pull, statistics, Voluntary Behaviour Change, voluntary measures -
Climate Union : Sharing Principles
Posted on June 28th, 2010 No comments
Image Credit : Gilbert & George, “Nettle Dance”, White Cube
I’m in the Climate Union. Are You ?
Soon we could all be, if the expansionist plans of a group of social campaigners come to fruition.
Taking in the unions, faith communities and the usual rag-tag bunch of issues activists, the Climate Union aims to establish itself as a political force for Low Carbon.
First of all, however, it has to tackle the uneasy and prickly problem of the exact name of the movement, and the principles under which it will operate.
The flag has been flown : a set of principles has been circulated for discussion amongst the “Climate Forum”. I cannot show you the finalised document yet, but I can offer you my comments (see below).
If you want to comment on the development of this emerging entity, please contact : Peter Robinson, Campaign against Climate Change, mobile/cell telephone in the UK : 07876595993.
Comments on the Climate Forum Principles
Jo Abbess
28 June 2010I am aware that my comments are going to be a little challenging. I made similar comments during the review of the ClimateSafety briefing, which were highly criticised.
I expect you to be negative in response to what I say, but I think it is necessary to make sure the Climate Forum does not become watered-down, sectorally imprisoned and politically neutered, like so many other campaigns.
Behaviour Changeling, British Sea Power, Carbon Army, Carbon Capture, Carbon Commodities, China Syndrome, Climate Change, Energy Revival, Geogingerneering, Global Warming, Growth Paradigm, Health Impacts, Low Carbon Life, Media, Nuclear Nuisance, Nuclear Shambles, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Public Relations, Regulatory Ultimatum, Renewable Resource, Science Rules, Social Change, Solar Sunrise, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Vote Loser, Wind of Fortune Act on CO2, ActOnCO2, Anglican, Atomic Energy, Atomic Power, BP, business lobby, C of E, Campaign against Climate Change, Capitalism, Carbon Capture and Storage, Carbon Energy, CCS, CEO, Christopher Booker, Church Commissioners, Church of England, cigarette, Climate Change Act, Climate Forum, Climate Safety, Climate Union, ClimateSafety, coal, CofE, Commissioners, Concentrated Solar Power, Corporate Europe Observatory, denial, denier, Domestic Energy Consumption, economic recovery, economics, Economy, electricity, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Europe, European Union, Fair Pensions, FairPensions, Fossil Fuel Energy, Fossil Fuels, Gas, Gasoline, government, green employment, Green Energy, green jobs, green stimulus, Hydropower, James Delingpole, lobbying, Low Carbon, Low Carbon Transition, Make Poverty History, MakePovertyHistory, Marine Energy, Natural Gas, Neoliberalism, Nigel Lawson, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Oil, opinion poll, pensions, Petrol, Petroleum, Photovoltaic, policy, political will, public mandate, public opinion, Regulation, Renewable, Renewable Energy, sceptic, Shareholders, Shares, skeptic, Society, Solar power, Steve McIntyre, Stocks and Shares, Sustainable, Sustainable Energy, Tidal Power, tobacco, transport, UK, UK Government, United Kingdom, vote, voting, Wave Power, Wind Energy, Wind Power -
The Price of Carbon
Posted on April 30th, 2010 2 commentsThe Price of Carbon
by Jo Abbess
20 April 20101. Introduction
Policy strategy for controlling risky excess atmospheric greenhouse gas (Gowdy, 2008, Sect. 4; McKibben, 2007, Ch. 1, pp. 19-20; Solomon et al., 2009; Tickell, 2008, Ch. 6, pp. 205-208) mostly derives from the notion that carbon dioxide emissions should be charged for, in order to prevent future emissions; similar to treatment for environmental pollutants (Giddens, 2009, Ch. 6, pp. 149-155; Gore, 2009, Ch. 15 “The True Cost of Carbon”; Pigou, 1932; Tickell, 2008, Ch.4, Box 4.1, pp. 112-116). Underscoring this idea is the evidence that fines, taxes and fees modify behaviour, reigning in the marginal social cost of “externalities” through financial disincentive (Baumol, 1972; Sandmo, 2009; Tol, 2008). However this approach may not enable the high-value, long-term investment required for decarbonisation, which needs adjustments to the economy at scale (CAT, 2010; Hepburn and Stern, 2008, pp. 39-40, Sect. (ii) “The Consequences of Non-marginality”; MacKay, 2008, Ch. 19; Tickell, 2008, Ch. 2, pp. 40-41). Read the rest of this entry »
Big Picture, Carbon Capture, Carbon Commodities, Carbon Rationing, China Syndrome, Climate Change, Contraction & Convergence, Cost Effective, Emissions Impossible, Energy Revival, Growth Paradigm, Low Carbon Life, Nuclear Nuisance, Nuclear Shambles, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Regulatory Ultimatum, Renewable Resource, Social Change, Technological Sideshow, Unutterably Useless, Utter Futility, Vain Hope, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Wind of Fortune, Zero Net C&C, Cap & Trade, Cap and Dividend, Cap and Share, Cap and Trade, Carbon Price, Carbon Pricing, Carbon Taxation, Classical Economic Theory, Classical Economics, Climate Change, coal, Contraction & Convergence, Contraction and Convergence, economics, economists, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Gas, Global Warming, Natural Gas, Neoliberal Economics, Oil, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy, The Price of Carbon -
Polar Bear : Poster Child
Posted on April 14th, 2010 1 commentSo, I’m standing in the G2 theatre at the School of Oriental and African Studies, after the “Sceptic Backlash” event, talking with two Climate Change activists, one Irish, one American.
The question arises : since our lifestyles are causing deadly Climate Change for people in other parts of the world, maybe we should have communications based around pictures of suffering children ?
I disagree. I point out that when the environmentalists put out posters about Polar Bears, that the audience pretty quickly realised that the Polar Bears were being used as a “poster child” for Climate Change, and they started to mock the campaigning.
Bait & Switch, Behaviour Changeling, Climate Change, Divide & Rule, Extreme Weather, Low Carbon Life, Media, Meltdown, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Protest & Survive, Public Relations, Regulatory Ultimatum, Screaming Panic, Social Change, Voluntary Behaviour Change advertising, campaigning, Climate Change, Climate Change Communications, Climate Change Media, Climate Change Science, Climate Science, Global Warming, Media -
Nightmare on Easy Street
Posted on April 8th, 2010 No commentsEvery now and again, some well-meaning, or even lightheartedly jokey relative or friend lets me know I should calm down with the story of the risk of Climate catastrophe as it’s (a) not effective; (b) not necessary or (c) way off the end of the scale. Apparently I’m crying wolf, but there’s not even a messy puppy in the neighbourhood.
There are two narratives at work here. One is that people don’t like being preached too (neither do I), and they feel that the sum total of Climate Change communications amounts to somebody high up the authority chain telling them to change their behaviour, somehow making the common man (and woman) responsible for a problem that should actually be fixed by the governments, who have the power (or large companies and international corporations, who have the financial resources).
The moral of nearly every cultural telling of the Climate Change story is “ten things you can do to make a difference”, and a lot of people feel it will mean shivering in the dark with no car and more tax. People are so not into self-sacrifice and abstention from consumerism, and they react badly, even to the extent of skin rashes, to the fear of micromanaged austerity being thrust upon them.
But that’s not why I talk about Climate Change.
Behaviour Changeling, Big Picture, Climate Change, Eating & Drinking, Energy Revival, Extreme Weather, Low Carbon Life, Meltdown, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Regulatory Ultimatum, Renewable Resource, Screaming Panic, Social Change, Voluntary Behaviour Change Apocalypse, Catastrophe, Climate Change, Global Warming -
Renewable Synergy
Posted on March 30th, 2010 1 commentThe news is that there is continuing progress towards a fully Renewable Europe. It is, after all, the only means to ensure a sustainable Economy into the future, given the twin blended threats of Climate Change Carbon Mitigation and Peak Fossil Fuels.
Dr Gregor Czisch’s meisterwerk is being translated into English for publication this Summer :-
You would never know from the plainspeaking title just how exciting this is : seriously cheap Energy and peacemaking collaboration all in one shot !
The management consultants PriceWaterhouseCooper (couldn’t they think of a more speakable name ?), have just published their own view on Europe and North Africa combining to provide a one hundred percent renewable Energy solution :-
http://www.pwc.co.uk/sustainability/
http://www.pwc.co.uk/eng/publications/100_percent_renewable_electricity.html
Advancing Africa, Big Picture, British Sea Power, Carbon Rationing, Energy Revival, Growth Paradigm, Low Carbon Life, Marvellous Wonderful, Nuclear Nuisance, Nuclear Shambles, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Renewable Resource, Social Change, Solar Sunrise, Wind of Fortune, Zero Net Energy, Green Collar Jobs, Green Development, Green Economy, Green Energy, Green Growth, Peak Coal, Peak Economy, Peak Energy, Peak Fossil Fuels, Peak Metals, Peak Money, Peak Natural Gas, Peak Nuclear, Peak Oil, Renewable, Renewable Energy, Renewable Future, Sustainable Energy -
Sustainable Future for Education
Posted on March 29th, 2010 No commentsToday, I’m going to talk to you about education, and no, it’s not about the ongoing “Texas textbook massacre”, where they want to teach children about “alternatives” to the Theory of Global Warming :-
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-schoolbook-massacre-rewrites-american-history-1929320.html
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2010/03/26/why-you-shouldn-t-worry-about-texas-textbook-changes.aspxBig Picture, Climate Change, Energy Revival, Low Carbon Life, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Renewable Resource, Social Change, Solar Sunrise, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Wind of Fortune, Zero Net CAT, Centre for Alternative Technology, Climate Change, education, Global Warming, Wales Institute for Sustainable Eduction, WISE -
Hot Start
Posted on March 16th, 2010 1 commentHot Start
by Jo Abbess
04 February 2010
An assessment of the technology and policy for de-Carbonising the Energy systems of developed societies1. The Aligned and Related Risks from Climate Change and Peak Fossil Fuels
1a. Key Conclusions
The Low Carbon Transition in Energy in developed countries is inevitable (Climate Change Act, 2008; EU Package, 2008; UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol, 1997); yet policy thinking and decision-making seems to still focus on the debateable “how to do it” rather than the more essential “how long do we have ?” If the window of opportunity for industrialised society to de-Carbonise proves to foreshorten rapidly, then the next few decades could be a story of economic collapse, unless there is concentrated, concerted endeavour (Sustainable Business, 2010).Big Picture, Carbon Army, Carbon Capture, Climate Change, Energy Revival, Nuclear Nuisance, Nuclear Shambles, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Renewable Resource, Social Change, Technological Sideshow, Voluntary Behaviour Change, Wind of Fortune Climate Change, Global Warming, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, resource limits -
BP : After the Gas and Oil are Gone
Posted on March 16th, 2010 No commentsTogether with a couple of my peers, I’ve been taking a look at BP’s “sustainability”, both from a business point of view and from a Climate Change point of view.
We’ve just given a presentation, of which I offer you a couple of the slides and the script to accompany them.
The central point of issue is : what will BP do after the Gas and Oil are gone ? There may be decades of reasonable hydrocarbons left to exploit, but how will Pension Funds get their return on investment after that ? Where is the future thinking ?
And what about Climate Change ? Retreating from Alternative Energy back into its core business of Oil and Gas means that BP plc will not be able to make substantial cuts in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the products that they sell – which means that sooner or later, when Carbon Energy is rationed, their business will start to implode.
Big Picture, Carbon Capture, Carbon Commodities, Carbon Rationing, Climate Change, Emissions Impossible, Energy Revival, Growth Paradigm, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Social Change BP, Carbon Energy, Climate Change, Energy, future, Investment, investors, Oil & Gas, Pension Fund, Renewable Energy, Renewables, return on investment, Sustainability, Sustainable Energy -
James Delingpole : Recycling Silliness
Posted on March 6th, 2010 1 commentI think somebody should take James Delingpole quietly to one side and have a little word in his ear about the ineptitude of recycling silly stories :-
“What Dave and his chum Barack don’t want you to know about green jobs and green energy : By James Delingpole Politics : March 6th, 2010 : Green jobs are a waste of space, a waste of money, a lie, a chimera. You know that. I know that. We’re familiar with the report by Dr Gabriel Calzada Alvarez of the Rey Juan Carlos University in Spain which shows that for every “green job” that is created another 2.2 jobs are LOST in the real economy…”
Here Mr Delingpole, you are on the shakiest of grounds from my point of view. Your writing suggests that in the field of Energy Engineering you have even less knowledge about the technological and economic data than you do about Climate Change Science, and what you have acquired is apparently deeply misinformed. With only the briefest of Google searches, you could have discovered what the Huffington Post uncovered on 2nd May 2009 :-
-
Green Energy : Stuck in the Sidings
Posted on March 5th, 2010 1 commentIf you can imagine the engine for new, renewable and sustainable Energy systems as a train which should by now be thundering down the tracks, get this : it left the depot only to get stuck in the sidings.
Enough of the locomotive metaphors, already. On to the analysis. Here’s an excerpt from Catherine Mitchell’s fine book “The Political Economy of Sustainable Energy” (2008, 2010) :-
Big Picture, British Sea Power, Carbon Capture, Climate Change, Cost Effective, Energy Revival, Nuclear Nuisance, Nuclear Shambles, Pet Peeves, Political Nightmare, Regulatory Ultimatum, Social Change, Technological Sideshow, Vote Loser, Wind of Fortune Atomic Energy, Atomic Power, Climate Change, Energy infrastructure, Energy Investment, Energy systems, Global Warming, New Nuclear, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy -
Nuclear Consultation
Posted on February 22nd, 2010 No commentsThe UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has already made up its mind about a new fleet of Nuclear Power plants. However, they had the good grace to publish an open online consultation on the overall National Policy Statements, to which I have just contributed. It’s not a real democratic, deliberative process, but I still contributed, because I believe we do need to make use of the channels opened for us to express ourselves, even if few people with decision-making authority pay attention to our points of view and analysis.
Please note : if you want to add your halfpennyworth you have until the close of business today to do so, 22 February 2010.
-
Little Chicken
Posted on February 7th, 2010 No comments
Now’s the right time to talk about gardening. Not just any old gardening, no. I mean food gardening, urban farming, home cropping, edible landscape-type gardening.
Now is the time to be thinking about enriching your soil for your next bumper harvest.
Get your resilience genes working !
http://www.londonwaste.co.uk/media/Compost%20Bag%20Leaflet_May09.pdf
OR
Get into Transition mode !
In Transition 1.0 from Transition Towns on Vimeo.
Behaviour Changeling, Big Picture, Carbon Rationing, Climate Change, Eating & Drinking, Low Carbon Life, Marvellous Wonderful, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Social Change, Voluntary Behaviour Change Climate Change, edible backyard, Global Warming, grow your own, home farm, Peak Energy, Peak Oil, urban gardening -
In The Belly Of The BP
Posted on February 5th, 2010 2 commentsI was warned. And it’s true. BP are so protective of their company image that they live in denial. I should know. I’ve been inside the belly of the beast and spoken to one of their head sustainability honchos. Who had a total disconnect about the risks of Fossil Fuel depletion.
“Oil and gas will remain the mainstay of the “Energy mix”. We’ve said that publicly…”
So they’re telling the world what to believe, are they ?
-
Do Hold Your Breath
Posted on January 27th, 2010 No comments
If I had a eurocent for every time a Climate Change denier-sceptic told me that if I really, truly believe that Carbon Dioxide causes Global Warming I should just stop breathing…well, I’d be rich enough now to afford to buy the whole of Belgium, or at least most of economically-depressed Wallonia. Mmm…Waffles.
But seriously, holding your breath in the form of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is one of the big flashing signs for the future of ReSmoothing, smoothing Renewable Energy supply, that is.
Big Picture, Energy Revival, Peak Oil, Pet Peeves, Renewable Resource, Wind of Fortune CAES, Compressed Air Energy Storage, Energy, engineer, engineering, Flow Batteries, Flow Battery, Fuel Cell, Hydroelectricity, Hydropower, PHES, Pumped Hydro Energy Storage, Pumped Storage, Renewable, Renewable Energy, Storage, underground -
British Winter : Power Struggle
Posted on January 7th, 2010 No commentsYesterday’s news : there’s nothing to worry about with Natural Gas supplies :-
“Energy: UK has enough gas for another 65 days : By Sarah Arnott : Thursday, 7 January 2010 : …The National Grid insisted that the unprecedented consumption levels will not leave Britain short. “We are absolutely not going to run out of gas,” said a spokesman. “The UK is well supplied.” The shadow Energy Secretary Greg Clark stoked energy security fears on Tuesday by claiming that Britain had only eight days of gas left in storage. But the National Grid dismissed the calculation as a “meaningless number” because it ignored both the amount of gas imported and that nearly half of UK demand is met by North Sea production.”
Today’s news : factories are getting rationed :-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/07/gas-rationing-national-grid-factories
“1970s-style rationing as National Grid cuts off gas to factories : Exclusive: Severe weather and creaking power infrastructure lead to first tangible sign that fears over energy shortages are translating into supply disruption : Terry Macalister, energy editor, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 January 2010…”
This sorry tale happens every time a real Winter comes around… Who to believe ? What to do ?
Well, if the National Grid was obliged by regulation to produce BioMethane from a tie-up with the Waste Water Treatment companies and the Farms, then we could be producing our own gas from yesterday’s curries, pig slurry, straw, hospital waste, and old hens…
-
Anthony Giddens : Blaming Consumers
Posted on January 6th, 2010 No commentsAnthony Giddens, as a “key architect of New Labour”, disappointingly brings to the table a less than razor-sharp understanding of what is responsible for Global Warming Pollution.
He seems to be content to be cynical about the Consumers in the Free Market Economy, without questioning the role of the Producers of the Energy and goods consumed.
Bait & Switch, Behaviour Changeling, Big Picture, Climate Change, Pet Peeves, Social Change, Voluntary Behaviour Change advertising, Behaviour Change, Climate Change, coal, Consumer, Consumption, Energy, Free Market Economy, Gas, Lifestyle, Material Resources, Natural Gas, Oil, Petroleum, Renewable Energy, Stuff, Trade, Voluntary Behaviour Change -
Anthony Giddens : The Politics of Habit
Posted on January 6th, 2010 No commentsThe habitual trend in politics is to utter without having done sufficient research, just relying on cultural assumptions, watercooler talk, hearsay and what you read in the newspapers, which is dumbed down and always resorts to cultural prejudices.
At least Anthony Giddens in his book “The Politics of Climate Change”, attempts to get beyond that kind of gutter press and move into the heady air of the moral mountain heights. But he takes with him some extraordinarily unhelpful baggage, Classical Economics being part of it. Plus, an inability to see the wood for the trees.
Allow me to quote from his Introduction :-
-
British Sea Power Supergrid
Posted on January 3rd, 2010 No comments“Supergrid”. Sounds a bit 1986-ish, really. But it could save Europe from industrial collapse as Carbon restrictions start to bite.
“Sun, wind and wave-powered: Europe unites to build renewable energy ‘supergrid’ : North Sea countries plan vast clean energy project : €30bn scheme could offer weather-proof supply : Alok Jha : guardian.co.uk : Sunday 3 January 2010″
-
Toilet Power Trumps Nuclear
Posted on December 28th, 2009 4 comments
Image Credit : NowPublic
I still don’t know what all the fuss is about Nuclear Power, when the BioMethane from all the toilets, farm slurry, hospital and food waste in the country could trounce the amount of power available from atoms by 2020.
Without all that nasty radioactive leftover, massive expensive building projects, social tension, election nightmare and increasing security issues.
-
Time to Care
Posted on December 26th, 2009 No commentsIt’s time that we all cared about what is happening to Life on Earth. Nobody in an alien spacecraft is going to come crashing through the clouds to save us with miraculous Energy technologies, or brand new Chemistry that beats the Laws of Physics to capture Carbon Dioxide right out of the air in the amounts we are emitting it.
-
Copenhagen : “Meaningful Agreement”
Posted on December 19th, 2009 No commentsAs the world leaders start to slip away back to the airport, some commentators are hailing a “meaningful agreement” has been reached at the Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change talks. Others say that no deal of any significant kind has been struck.
Reaction from the Developing countries is general dismay. The Non-Governmental Organisations, “civil society”, feel they have been blocked from taking part. It’s been a complete shambles.
The time has come to start spelling out the future in graphic, technical detail – not just about the damages that Climate Change will bring – but about the only real solutions.
Real solutions do not include Carbon Trading, nor Carbon Taxation. They don’t include technofixes and technofudges like Carbon Capture and Storage and New Nuclear Power. They certainly don’t include partial commitment on Avoided Deforestation.
We have to say it and say it again : whether the leaders and corporations agree or not, the future is Carbon Emissions Reductions. The Consumer Economy is being eroded by the minute. Peak Oil, Coal, Natural Gas and Uranium are just around the corner.
-
What Is “Clean Development” ?
Posted on December 15th, 2009 No comments
The idea behind “clean development” is simple : promoting the clean development of developing countries so that they don’t make the same dirty development mistakes that the developed countries did when they were developing.
So, let the developing countries develop, but avoid the dirty part. Instead of burning Coal to make electricity, let them burn Natural Gas, or BioMethane (poo power); or let them make wind turbines, and hydropower dams and efficient biomass stoves.
There was to be a fund to finance Clean Development Mechanism projects, and it was supposed to be aimed at developing countries.
However, the negotiations around the CDM have taken more than one twist. Today, discussions were held about whether to permit Carbon Capture and Storage technologies to be included as “clean development”.
Copyright | Powered by WordPress