Jo Abbess – Page 53 – Energy Change for Climate Control

Gordon Brown’s Goodie Bag

Post author By Jo
Post date July 14, 2009
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Gordon Brown has announced possibly the single most important proposal on Climate Change Adaptation to date.

He went to London Zoo towards the end of June to announce a bold proposal for global funding. [ Why the Zoo ? Something to do with political overtones or biodiversity ? ]

What was heralded with praise and aplomb on that day has now been unpacked as containing some “fake” accounting, in terms of the British publicly funded contribution : funds being merely swapped from budget line to budget line.

Plus, part of the proposed funding is expected from the global Carbon Trade markets, and as we’ve seen so far from the European Trading Scheme, it is by no means certain that this will work as expected.

It might turn out to be not quite the goodie bag that Gordon Brown made out. If so, that’s a real shame, because this was meritable move.

Tags Climate Change, Fund, Mitigation & Adaptation

Big Picture Climate Change Emissions Impossible Technological Sideshow

Royal Dutch Technological Shell

Post author By Jo
Post date July 14, 2009
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If you’re not doing very much else on 15th July 2009, why not take a look at the Shell Dialogue, asking the question : “can technology reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions ?”.

https://www.shelldialogues.com

https://www.shelldialogues.com/technologiesforco2

You can submit your questions in person to Jan van der Eijk, the Chief Technology Officer at Shell.

Tags Climate Change, Energy, Shell

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British Energy Business Throws Paddy

Post author By Jo
Post date July 13, 2009
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There are times in conversation when you know, you just know, that it’s going nowhere, and that you’ll have to fold. Cue lame excuses, mumbling into beard/beer/brassiere, lower eyes, get up and walk away. “It’s not you, it’s me”, you’ll claim, or something similarly limp, obvious and contrite.

So many times in the last six and a half years since I read the British Government’s Energy White Paper of February 2003, I’ve had to bow out of conversations with employees and fans of the Big Energy companies and the World Nuclear Association and some people from the Government as well.

Tags Climate Change, Energy, Mining

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Throwing Caution To The Wind

Post author By Jo
Post date July 13, 2009
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This is possibly going to be Renewable Energy’s biggest week ever in UK history.

And we’re going to need all the Wind Power we can get to meet Ed Miliband’s lofty ambition.

Tags Climate Change, Energy, National Security, Renewable Energy

Bait & Switch Carbon Army Carbon Capture Carbon Commodities Climate Change Cost Effective Emissions Impossible Nuclear Nuisance Social Change Technological Sideshow

I’d Like To Thank

At the Oscars and the BAFTAS and so on, the winners, always bleary, always blubbing, always drunk, always start with an “I’d like to thank” speech, offering genuine (or coerced) gratitude very publicly to those who collaborated (or financed) their venture : “you made it all possible”.

In true TV award ceremony style, the British Government, plus “Special Adjunct” Tony Blair, in amongst their good work pursuing Energy Efficiency and True Renewables, appear to be virtually obliged to mention the Energy and Climate “solutions” of their closest lobbyists and corporate allies, or even relatives, in the case of Gordon Brown’s brother Andrew’s company Electricité de France :-

Tags Business, Climate Change, Energy

Bait & Switch Big Picture Burning Money Carbon Capture Growth Paradigm Nuclear Nuisance Peak Energy Technological Sideshow

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Innovate

Post author By Jo
Post date July 12, 2009
1 Comment on What We Have Here Is A Failure To Innovate

Remember the American Space Program ?

Very large sums of public tax money have been ploughed into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration over the years, peaking in 1966 :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Budget

OK, it gave us the Moon landings and Teflon (TM), but just recently, I don’t see much in terms of really, really new things.

What’s happened to the innovation ?

Tags Business, Competition, Energy, Innovation, Technology

Bait & Switch Climate Change

What’s Wrong With This Picture ?

Post author By Jo
Post date July 11, 2009
No Comments on What’s Wrong With This Picture ?

News just in of some sloppy UK Government photoshopping leading to a serious lack of public confidence and some mild humour :-

Yes, Big Ben’s Clock Tower appears to be leaning to the right (or from Ed Miliband’s point of view, to the left).

[ UPDATE : See the end of this post for proof positive of image modification ]

Tags Carbon Market, Climate Change, Copenhagen

Bait & Switch Big Picture Climate Change Emissions Impossible Media

Damage Limitation

Despite the fact that there are only about five (and dropping) Climate Change “sceptics” in the British Parliament; and despite the fact that all major scientific and academic bodies, institutions and societies all declare their support for cuts in Global Warming pollution; the Media are still galumphing about in the murky mud of the 1980s in terms of public psychology.

It is essential that there is meaningful debate in the public realm about what Climate Change is doing to our world, and how we can control emissions and work to protect against damaging outcomes.

The evidence is all around us. And gradually, increasing numbers of people are adjusting their mental aerials to tune into the greater ideas and the bigger picture. What we don’t need just now are obfuscation and turbulence and gleeful mischievous wreckers.

Tags Climate Change, Climate Change deniers, Climate Change sceptics, Climate Change skeptics, Global Warming

Bait & Switch Big Picture Climate Change Emissions Impossible Peak Energy

Peak Everything (2)

The “Standard Fossil Fuel” Peak, that of Coal, Petroleum Oil and Natural Gas, is probably within 10 years.

We really have to avoid “Alternatives”, like Tar Sands, Oil Shale…or we could create Climate Crisis in another 10 years.

When BP branded themselves “Beyond Petroleum”, when Shell expanded its Renewables division briefly, we thought it was Greenwash, we thought it was about a bit of token Renewable Energy…but I think they might be serious – about “Alternative” Energy resources that would be way, way more Carbon-intensive than Coal.

It’s not something David Rutledge at CalTech has factored in, I think. He used to be talking about keeping Coal in the ground, but now he’s more optimistic that standard Fossil Fuels will not bring us to Climate catastrophe…

Tags Climate Change, Energy, Peak

Big Picture Climate Change Contraction & Convergence Emissions Impossible Growth Paradigm Peak Energy Peak Oil

No Country for Old Men

Heaven knows what Aubrey Meyer must feel like some days.

For every ounce of frustration I feel about the sloth-like pace of the international Climate negotiations, he must feel a pound of nerve-wrecking agitational sweating stress.

The United States of America has been trumpeting its progressive politics again this week, asserting itself as the world’s Climate Change leader at the G8 talks in L’Aquila in Italy.

Tags Climate Change, Limits to Growth, Peak Energy, Peak Oil

Carbon Army Climate Change Cost Effective Low Carbon Life Marvellous Wonderful

Save Vestas

Post author By Jo
Post date July 9, 2009
1 Comment on Save Vestas

Received by e-mail

Dear Friend,

Again, could you circulate this as widely as possible, especially to people in London and on the South Coast. Apologies for cross posting.

If you possibly can, please join a rally to save the Vestas wind turbine plant, this Saturday 11 July 2009, 12 noon, St James Square, Newport, Isle of Wight (outside Millets)

PDFs OF LEAFLETS, POSTERS AND PETITION SHEETS AVAILABLE BY EMAILING INFO@CAMPAIGNCC.ORG

Tags Climate Change, Wind Power

Big Picture Peak Energy Peak Oil Technological Sideshow

Stern Remarks #3 : The Law of Diminishing Energy Returns

Post author By Jo
Post date July 8, 2009
1 Comment on Stern Remarks #3 : The Law of Diminishing Energy Returns

Nicholas Stern, and other more bog standard Economists, all seem to believe in the magical power of Innovation. He writes about it in a reverential way in his book “A Blueprint for a Safer Planet”.

Innovation : gleaming, sparkling, wondrous dexterity : if there’s a buck to be made from shaving a saving, or fishing for an efficiency, it is assumed the holy Market Economy will be in there, innovating away.

Or that’s what Economists believe anyway, wholeheartedly, generally, generously, neo-liberally.

Tags Alternative Energy, Climate Change, eMergy, Energy, Energy Change, Energy Return, EROEI, EROI

Carbon Capture Climate Change Nuclear Nuisance

Ambitious, Fair & Binding : Values-Based Copenhagen Propaganda

Post author By Jo
Post date July 8, 2009
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A number of organisations have been gathering round some key concepts to promote for the upcoming Copenhagen Treaty make-or-break Climate Change talks in December.

Ambitious. Fair. Binding. Effective. All those meaty, emotionally positive values.

But a Binding treaty – that could turn out to be worse than a nuisance – if that Binding treaty means we lock ourselves into funding expensive mega construction projects like new Nuclear Power and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Tags Climate Change, Copenhagen

Climate Change Media

Spoof Goof

Post author By Jo
Post date July 2, 2009
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This last year has seen a fine crop of fake Climate Change activist newspapers.

First it was the turn of the Yes Men (and others) with their 4th July 2009 New York Times newspaper circulated on 12th November 2008 in New York City.

Tags Climate Change, fake, joke, newspaper, prank, spoof

Big Picture Carbon Capture Climate Change Emissions Impossible Nuclear Nuisance

Electrickery

Post author By Jo
Post date June 29, 2009
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I’ve been considering becoming a student again. “Retrain to gain”, they say, and I need to do something to justify a change in career path.

Here’s the course I’ve been considering : a Masters Degree in Science in Climate Change Management :-

https://www.bbk.ac.uk/geog/prospective/pg/climatechange

Tags Climate Change, Study, University

Carbon Capture Climate Change Emissions Impossible Growth Paradigm Low Carbon Life Nuclear Nuisance Social Change

Big Carbon Cuts Coming

Some simple analysis of the Carbon Dioxide emissions in the UK leads to several pertinent conclusions :-

Tags Carbon Cuts, Carbon Emissions, Domestic, Power Generation, transport

Carbon Commodities Climate Change Emissions Impossible

Make Poverty Permanent

I strongly agree with one central theme from Nicholas Stern’s analysis of how to tackle Climate Change.

In his book “A Blueprint for a Safer Planet”, he argues in depth that Climate Change Adaptation strategies for countries in the Global South must be combined with those strategies to beat Poverty and encourage Development.

Tags Bonn, Carbon Trading, Clean Development Mechanism, Climate Change, UNFCCC

Carbon Capture Climate Change Technological Sideshow

An Essential Holiday Read

Post author By Jo
Post date June 22, 2009
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Ah yes, time to pack up your trusty, dusty suitcase and head for the beach.

I hope you’re not thinking of flying.

And I trust you’ll take with you the Synthesis Report from the Copenhagen Climate Change science conference that took place between 10th to 12th March 2009 :-

https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/press-releases/files/synthesis-report-web.pdf

Tags Carbon Capture and Storage, Climate Change, Copenhagen, Green Energy, insulation, Nuclear, Science, Wind Power

Big Picture Carbon Capture Carbon Commodities Climate Change Emissions Impossible Growth Paradigm Nuclear Nuisance

Astonishing Admissions

At the Climate Change campaign meeting on Saturday, “Six Months to Copenhagen”, hosted by the Fabian Society in London, Ed Miliband said some things I find astonishing admissions.

The Climate Change Committee, after having looked into the matter of Carbon Budgets on Carbon Emissions Reductions for the United Kingdom, made recommendations for our national targets :-

https://hmccc.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/LaunchPressRelease01.12.08.pdf

Tags Carbon Market, Climate Change, Emissions Reductions

Carbon Capture Climate Change Social Change

Triumph Voluntary : Bigger than Coal

Post author By Jo
Post date June 21, 2009
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In the hallway supping on orange juice and ice, I turned off the Sky Eternal Non-News on a fat, loud TV because I saw someone standing in front of it in a hynotic trance. He complained, but didn’t demand the show turned back on. Thankfully that provided the quiet for us all to talk some to each other and read a little.

Tags campaigning, Climate Change, coal, Ed Miliband, Energy, Green Movement

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New Labour Can Win

As usual at these events, I bumped into a couple of political activists of various flavours and persuasions at the Fabian Society conference “Six Months to Copenhagen”, today, held in the faded-yet-still-grand setting of the Foreign Press Association, just off The Mall in London.

[ The Mall is the street that links Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. It’s not a shopping centre ].

Tags Carbon Capture and Storage, Climate Change, Social Provision