C&C, IFEES, Tony Blair and Climate Group, Carbon Negative, Green Collar Jobs, Green MBA's, Forest Saved, Climate Care

From the inbox (excluding viagra adverts):

1. Contraction and Convergence campaign launched in The Actuary.
2. Muslim environmental group IFEES are fundraising; donate to the cause. IFEES presentation.
3. Tony Blair is set to head up group working on global climate change deal. Blair announced "Breaking the Climate Deadlock" at a Cliate Group meeting (video).
4. The Aspen Institute are getting serious about educating MBA students for the future in a world where externalities will be increasingly internal.
5. Froget carbon neutral--carbon negative anyone? UC Berkeley (who else?) are looking at the process of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere using growth of biomass, energy production from the resulting crop and storage of the carbon emissions.
6. The term 'green-collar jobs' as featured as the banner of this website is taking off. The international herald tribune is the latest to take note.
7. A small part of Guyana's rainforest looks likely to be secured.
8. If you buy offsets then beware of Climate Care. This hitherto qaulity offset provider has just been purchased by JP Morgan so the qaulity of those credits may not stay as high as we would like.

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FA CUP or FU CUP ?

The likely text of a flyer to be distributed around FA headqauters on Fossil Fools Day (April 1st):

Football is our national sport. Standing for passion, excitement and fair play, the beautiful game rightly has a place at the heart of our nation.

Unfortunately, the beautiful game currently has an ugly sponsor, German based E-ON. Soon E-ON are to start building the UK's first new coal powered power station in over 20 years; using distinctly unexciting technology that has existed for a hundred years. Electricity production from coal it is currently cheap and dirty. One of the main reasons that coal is cheap is that the costs of local health impacts and global environmental damage are paid by the tax payer and the poor, not but buy the operating company.

Coal produces twice the climate changing emissions that natural gas does, but with the added extra of sulphur, mercury and other polluting chemicals. In fact there are new technologies that solve many of these problems but E-ON has lobbied successfully against cleaning up its act. In many ways E-ON represents fair play in the same way that Maradona does!

We oppose E-ON using it's sponsorship of our national sport to clean up its dirty image. Perhaps you agree that making shareholders rich, at the expense of local communities who suffer an increased risk of Asthma near coal plants is hardly a healthy choice of sponsor! In fact, we think that it is a FU CUP.

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Conservatives: Standard Bearers of the Radical Left?

I`ve decided that the Tories are the future. Labour has failed so miserably in representing ordinary working people, and sensibly dealing with climate change, that i feel the Tories are the new party for the down trodden proletariat.

N.B I may be exaggerating but "Labour" are so corporate friendly and people hostile that it is making me think crazy!

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PARK(ing) Day: More parks for people, fewer for cars!

ITDP's latest newsletter highlights the growing call for a rebalancing of urban space, away from the car dominated model to a people friendly design. PARK(ing) Day was held on September 27th 2007 in 47 cities around the world. Over a 180 small parks where temporarily created from parking spaces in an attempt to show the potential of the space for a use other than parking cars. Once you can see the future you are more likely to fight for it!

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Campaign against heathrow expansion continues; flash mob photos + next event.

I took part in a flash mob at Heathow's new terminal 5 on its oppening day. I`m short of a wire for my camera so the photos bellow are from Flickr with the relavent links.

This photo shows the scene at the international arrivals lounge shortly after 11'oclock. If the photo where taken a couple of minutes earlier it would have been similar but without the red. It was amazing to see that virtually everyone in the room was a protestor! (photo link)

Throughout the time we where there photo opportunities came and went spontaneously, from groups of local residents to young children, creatively designed signs and photogenic girls. (photo link)

A very happy baby who lived his 15 minutes of fame at an early age and seemed to love the cameras! (photo link)

Towards the end of the non-protest (protest is illegal in heathrow) a group decided to spell out their highly complex message about airport expansion. (photo link)

I saw people from Plane Stupid, Climate Camp, World Development Movement, Greenpeace, Stop Stansted Expansion (sic) and HACAN, along with local residents.

The next event that i know of to oppose the 3rd runway is on May 31st. Campaign against Climate Change, NOTRAG and Greenpeace are all involved.

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Earth hour. Put that light out!

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Norman Foster: Building on the green agenda

A superb talk by Sir Norman Foster at TED in January 2007.

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Heathrow Flash Mob

I`m off to a flash mob at heathrow tomorrow at 11am. Should be fun :-)

The orgaisers depleted their 600 t-shirts so i`m going along with a sign on my rucksack and a climate change book to read.

Links:

• http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20150
  
• http://t5flashmob.wordpress.com/
• http://www.planestupid.com/?q=blogs/2008/03/24/flash-mob-ahh-saviour-universeo

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The Way to Go: Resolving or Addressing Externalities.

The typical view of politicians and economists in the UK, backed by many who influence policy, is that climate change is the greatest market failure ever and that we need to internalise the price of carbon. For those of you unfamiliar with the economics jargon the we say a cost is interalised when the negative environmental damage suffered by broader society is borne by a company not the broader public, and the price of the product reflects this. Throughout most of the world carbon emissions place a cost on the public but not on the company doing the polluting, or the consumer of the relevant product; the cost is external to the transaction.

Internalisation of the cost of carbon is an obvious minimum requirement to be placed on business, broader society should not bare the burden of polluting practices. However, there is a more serious critique of externalities, namely that externalities are numerous and that they are placed on the public by private enterprise. We can address many of these issues as they become politically prominent but should we not aim to resolve the problem of externalities rather than addressing them as they arise? There clearly seems to be a problem in broader economic functioning when externalities can arise. If we compare the situation to that of insurance we can consider externalities to represent damage to communal property and businesses the vandals. If the vandals are caught then they will tagged and forced to pay for any future damage. But we aren't very observant and every day that these externalities build up society is subsidising those who own business. There is a risk involved in having a society where externalities can exist, and this risk favors the wealthy.

I am concerned with questioning the narrow conversation about externalities, not with arguing for an overthrow of capitalism whatever that may be. In fact, my conviction that externalities are more than a problem to be addressed one by one stems from the failure of state socialism.

Stalin may have asked for a quantity of carpet. A million square meters at first. He would in all likelihood have then been informed that a million square meters of carpet as thin as a cloth had been produced. Perhaps a request for carpet by the tone wold have then been given, of course now the exact opposite would be likely, a carpet so thick that the best palaces would envy its luxuriance . Perhaps a thickness would have then been defined, only to result in a perfect thickness with the poorest thread, did anyone ask for good thread? This kind of story is often told as an explanation for why markets are preferable for allocating economic resources. If the weaver had to sell the product people would simply pick the carpet that best met there needs.

I see parallels between a command economy, and the creation of markets that are prescribed as a means of internalizing costs. Commodifying soil , water and air to reduce pollution is a deconstructionist and arbitrary process on a planet with intimately interwoven systems.

It seems to me that we have a political problem. Consideration of who is making the important decisions is the means by witch we will solve our problems. Emphasis on involving local communities in projects and good science in policy discussions are two small moves towards resolving the issue of --not addressing the consequences arriving from--externalities

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London and UK Climate Change Events

I`ve just been taking a look at whats going on in London as far as climate change goes, and also at a couple of national events. Heres what i`ve got in my diary for the next few weeks.

1. Plane Stupid meeting in London 24th March 19:00.
2. Heathrow Flash Mob London 27th March 11:00.
3. Rising Tide bi-weekly meeting 27th March 19:30.
4. Resurgence conference on business and climate change 2nd April 18:30.
5. Climate Camp meeting in Glasgow 5th-6th April.

I cant believe that i`ve been down in London a week and the next climate camp meetning is in Glasgow!

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Low frequency blogging.

I thought that it was worth posting a quick update. I`ve just moved to London to get a new Job. Currently i`m looking for a flat, commuting half way across London and working 9-6 five days a week. Also, my parents just visited on my day off, this being the case, i`ve had limited spare time. This has resulted in less reading--several reviews are coming soon--and fewer posts. Once I have got myself settled I will spend less time commuting and no time looking for flats. I will therefore have more time for reading and posting to this blog, and also some time to get involved in climate change activities in London. All of this will be far better for me, and hopefully more interesting to those of you who read my blog.

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Ken Caldeira:Why we need zero net emmissions of ghg's

Alex over at Radio Ecoshock passed this over to me, a facinating program by Ken Caledira of the Carnegie Institute speaking over at the amazing 3CR community radio out of Melbourne, Australia.

News climate science interview.

"And our simulations only went out about five hundred years, but at the end of five hundred years, you more or less have about as much warming as you had at the maximum warming after the CO2 emissions. And so this idea, that "Oh, this CO2 emission warms the Earth, and then in a century, or two centuries, it's mostly away" is really the wrong picture. More accurate is to say that each emission of CO2 produces a step, you know, increase in temperature that remains pretty much level for many centuries, and then decays away over many thousands of years."

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Tabloid Fabricated Heathrow Plot

The 2007 Camp for Clmate Action was a huge success with widespread media coverage. One blemmish in this overwhelmingly positive coverage was a fabricated story by the Evening Standard. The press complaints comission has just issued its verdict on this hackery.

===

Evening Standard condemned by press watchdog for coverage of the Camp for
Climate Action's Heathrow protest. Claim of fabrication upheld.

details and documents at: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/esfabrication.php

In a much awaited ruling the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) issued a
stinging rebuke against the Evening Standard today. The usually mild-
mannered PCC slammed the Standard's coverage of last summer's Camp for
Climate Action at Heathrow as 'materially misleading' and 'alarmist'. The
Evening Standard will be forced to carry the ruling with due-prominence
today.

On 13 August last year, the Standard ran a front page story headlined
'Militants will hit Heathrow' the day before a climate change protest camp
near Heathrow airport opened.Chief reporter Robert Mendick said he had
uncovered a plot to paralyse the airport via invading runways and placing
suspect packages. The story was subsequently echoed in several media
outlets, all of which ran the false claims believing them to be true. The
Camp for Climate Action immediately wrote to the PCC declaring that the
article was "fabricated". The PCC adjudicated the complaint as "upheld".

The PCC gave the strongest possible reprimand in its powers, finding that
the article was a 'serious breach' of the PCC code of journalistic
standards. They found that "adequate care had not been taken" by the
Standard, despite the Standard's claim that their reporting was the result
of an 'extensive operation organised by an extremely experienced team of
executives and senior reporters'[Doug Wills, Letter to PCC, February 12,
2007].

The rare PCC ruling comes after seven months' worth of submissions, in
which the story's authorship, sources and credibility are all called into
question. Alexandra Harvey, one of the team responsible for pulling apart
the Standard's story, said today:

"This was a political hit job of the worst kind. There was no plot, and
the Standard's ever changing claims throughout this process show that this
was a fiction created for political ends - to stop the growth of a mass
movement taking action on climate change".

Chief reporter Robert Mendick has previously denied writing the very
article he authored and the PCC condemned. The Standard subsequently
claimed the story was the work of a different junior journalist, Rashid
Razaq, working undercover.

Mr Razaq has a history of being accused of fabrications which the Standard
has ignored. Last year Mr Razaq wrote a story falsely alleging the showing
of films sympathetic to terrorists at the Freud Museum. The alleged
interviewee said the interview Mr Razaq reported in the article never took
place. A complaint by the museum's director and curator was never
answered. An undercover story by Mr Razaq about his work at Barnet
Hospital as a cleaner was called into question when the Hospital stated
that he was in fact employed as a porter, and had misreported significant
facts.

"This is a disturbing pattern, and the Standard ought to examine
why Mr Razaq was allowed to continue writing these stories for so long,"

said Ms Harvey.

Natasha Edlemann said,


"This summer will see increased direct action aimed  at stopping climate change.  This growing movement expects and deserves scrutiny from the media, but we need to draw a line under dangerous propaganda by those who claim to care about climate change while seeking
to destroy the reputations of the people who are actually doing something about it."

This year's Camp for Climate Action will take place 4 to 11 August at
Kingsnorth power station in Kent. Everyone is invited to join in.

For all the documents and more details, visit Anatomy of a fabrication
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/anatomyofafabrication.php

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Gordon Brown, texture like sun...

The National Audit Office makes distinctions between Kyoto accounting and Treasury accounting of carbon figures - forgetting to take into account the Horesh*t accounting written into the equation from the start.
Meanwhile.... some analysts predict a 1930's style depression, and the rich of many lands cut and run to stash their booty in gold and oil - which both hit all time highs - and the tax payers are pledged through National banking guarantees to bail out the failing free-markets for as long as it takes.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3559767.ece

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BrownGreen

Nobody really expected any different, did they?

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Constitutional Rights for Nature

So as usuall i start reading a book on some sub-topic of climate change and the whole blog veres in that direction. This time i`m reading "Environmental Justice and the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples" by Laura Westra and therefore law has become my area of interest.

In this video lawyer Cormac Cullinan is interviewed by Jacqui Brown at Seattle University School of Law's Center on Corporations, Law, and Society. The discussion is not entirely free of controversy...anyone feel strongly about property rights?

"Cullinan, a former anti-apartheid activist, is author of Wild Law, in which he asserts the necessity of creating a new structure of law that recognizes the inherent and legally enforceable rights of natural communities and ecosystems."

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UK Budget 2008: Green or just taxing?

The 2008 Budget is out tomorrow and the prospects of green tax hikes are about as popular with the right as they are with me. The problem seems to be that the government cant stand raising the main taxes so they go after alternative revenue streams from a variety of sources. This is quite a contrast to the idea of keeping the budget under control and then reshaping it to reflect priorities. If the government cynically exploit the label green then they will damage the true idea in the process.

Some good green taxes would include:

• A tax on aviation fuel, putting it in line with petrol, the hypothication of this towards our rail services would make it a real green tax.
• An across the board carbon tax at the level of fuel purchase. Reductions in council tax or the rate for the lowest income tax band would make this a popular scheme.
• A differentiation of vehicle excise duty (VED) so that those with highest mileage are free and those with the lowest mileage are really expensive range £0-3000 per year.
• A vehicle sales charge on polluting vehicles, the revenue from which is used to subsidies less polluting vehicles.

Some measures deal with green issues without tax:

• A free energy audit and installation of draft stripping, insulation and other air tightness measures. Offered as an alternative to winter fuel payments which require funding every year due to poor building stock.
• No new roads. Funding for roads diverted to cycling, walking and public transport schemes.

What do the papers have to say?

The Telegraph states that the widely anticipated rise if fuel tax may not materialise due to high oil prices.

"Alistair Darling does want to send out a signal that fuel use needs to be cut
and people have to pay for the environmental damage. However, previous fuel duty
rises have been delayed."

The Guardian points out that a forecourt fee is likely to be introduced for the most polluting vehicles.

"The chancellor will present a report on "decarbonising road transport" prepared
for the Treasury by Professor Julia King which recommends measures such as a
"showroom tax" on the most gas-guzzling cars to discourage consumers from buying
them. The £2,000 figure being speculated on at the weekend is thought to be on
the high side, however."

The Daily Mail points out in a surprisingly sane and analytical article that the charge for gas-guzzlers will apply to band G vehicles. I would be interested in the average cost of a band G vehicle and how a relatively small charge will effect purchases. It is also noted that a tax break for clean cars is expected. A tax on aviation based on flights not people is expected; this tweak acts as a motivator to full planes.

"Buyers of new 'gas-guzzlers' in car tax band G - including Range Rovers and
other 4x4s - will be hit with a first-year charge of more than £1,000 in vehicle
excise tax, before it reverts to the current level of £400. Drivers with green
cars will see their tax bill fall."

New aviation taxes will encourage fuller flights and we could well see green
rules covering the sale of commercial property.

The Daily Record points out that Darling is likely to get publicity by announcing significant increases in winter fuel allowances: an awful move people need warmth not fuel.

The Tories say he will unveil a headline-grabbing rise in the winter fuel
allowance for pensioners.

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Guilt-edged

The Vatican declares a whole new bunch of sins - updating the statutes as the threat of actual rather than metaphorical catastrophe gets rather too close for earthly comfort. Meanwhile the UK government corruptly colludes with E.ON to put the fairy-dust, clean-coal omni-tech on hold until after the next election. The much-spun "Green Budget" is now being talked down as the spiralling costs of oil wars and pipeline policing prey on the chancellor's mind.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/back-to-black-return-to-coal-power-793703.html

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The woman who stops traffic.

The woman who stops traffic, is a program about a woman who campaigns to free our streets of unnessicary traffic and replace it with healthier low impact methods of getting around. I like the title, it suggests a femme fatale, but the woman in question, Kris Murrin, is actually reducing pollution, increasing excercise and in doing so saving lives.

The Woman Who Stops Traffic is on Tuesday night 9pm on C4, and follows Kris Murrin to make the town of Marlow car free for one day.

The scheme was remarkably successful and even ended up with funding commitments for cycleways and related facilities from the local council. Check out a video clip of the program here.

Related:

• Could you reduce pollution, and if so by how much, an application to let you find out.
• Who is Kris Murrin?
• Start your own car free campaign!

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tWP75: The Carbon Taxman

The latest episode of TheWatt Podcast is out now. (30MB, MP3)

Panel discussion podcast with Mark Seall, Rod Adams, Robb Worthington and Ben. Topics include carbon taxes vs cap-and-trade policies, OECD Environmental Outlook, nuclear power in the UK, carbon limits on cars in the EU, $106/bbl oil.

Panelists:

Mark Seall - Talk Climate Change and Green Options

Rod Adams - The Atomic Show Podcast and Atomic Insights

Robb Worthington - Sustainable Living

Ben Kenney - theWatt

Topics/Show Notes:

A good carbon tax/cap-and-trade discussion

2008 OECD Environmental
Outlook - How much will it cost to address today's key environmental problems?

Showdown between France and Germany: Carbon emission limits on cars in
the EU

UK 'to seek more nuclear power',

Nobel winner: Nuke power
must be part of the equation

Oil prices/OPEC giving Bush some tough love

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Post 1001: Job with Eco-St

Some people think numbers are magical. I think some people are weird! Having said that i have posted exactly 1000 posts on this blog. I have also just got a job with eco-st. I`m helping to open and run their 3rd outlet, which will be in Syon park, which as you can see from this page isn't currently open.

So this brings me to the end of 1001 green things to do, the 1001st thing is getting a green job!

Eco-St concept and ambitions explained:






Related:

• Eco Street Website
  

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Carbon Atlas: If your country where a circle it would be this big...

This map from The Guardian, via Treehugger is great...

The detailed map as a pdf is here.

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Paul Krugman: The Conscience of A Liberal

Princeton University Professor and NYT columnist Paul Krugman speaks about the end of the New Deal post-war consensus and the rise of a new Gilded Age.

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Bad Science.

UK government colludes with Airline industry to help them stave off the threat to profits posed by oil price rises! Shock! Horror! etc etc. Meanwhile we veer towards the surreal in the ongoing tale of incompetence and woe that is Nuclear Reprocessing. Perhaps this habit of rigging the science and dismissing criticism may need looking at?
Cut and paste links below

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/dirty-bomb-threat-as-uk-ships-plutonium-to-france-793488.html

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3512218.ece

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What's in the Inbox? UK grass roots action.

Here are a few recent notifications i have recieved:

1. Sunrise Celebration 2008 "The Sunrise Celebration seems to me to be something like it was here about 35 years ago " - Michael Eavis, Worthy Farm, 17th April 2007.
2. What Better Time ...Voices from the scottish climate action network.
3. Carbon Neutral Biggar; Biggar becomes Scotland's 3rd transition town.

Also, tickets are avilable for a facinating climate change talk:

7.30 11th March, Aye Write Festival

"I wondered if you knew about an event on Tuesday 11th March - Sir david
King, Sarah Hall and Mark Lynas on climate change?

Sales for this event aren't going too well surprisingly, so I wondered if you know of anyone who wants a free ticket?

Please let me know by Sunday 9th March so can get tickets reserved.

Thanks.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=14593249
Blogger: Climate Change Action - Create Post
Martha Wardrop
Email: martha_glasgow(at)yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 07854 817 665

From Aberdeen:

Hi everyone,
The next planning meeting of Aberdeen Campaign against Climate Change will be on Wednesday 12th March, 7:30, Belmont Bar, Belmont Cinema, Belmont Street.

Fossil Fools Day:

April the 1st has been declared Fossil Fools day and has been picking up pace.

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Invitation to the Camp for Climate Action

Invitation to the Camp for Climate Action at Kingsnorth Power Station
August 3-11 2008

www.climatecamp.org.uk
Low-impact living // education // high-impact direct action

This summer the Camp for Climate Action will pitch its tents outside
Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent for a week of education,
sustainable living and direct action. Everyone is invited to the camp,
which is now part of an international movement, with eight climate camps
on four continents planned for this summer. Together, we will show that
the blind pursuit of economic growth at any cost is simply insane, and
is to blame for the CO2 emissions and ecosystem destruction that are
causing catastrophic climate change.

Get out the diary, here's the plan:

In late July this year's camp will begin with a one-day event at
Heathrow, which will continue the fight against airport expansion and
support the people who welcomed us into their communities last year.

Next, everyone is invited to travel together over a number of days
across London to Kingsnorth in Kent (around 50 miles in total).
Marching through London highlights the political links between aviation,
coal and agrofuels: Central London's investors, industry lobbyists and
PR companies all determine what gets built and what gets passed off as
'solutions'.

The camp will converge on Kingsnorth power station where owners E.ON
plan to build the UK's first coal-fired plant in 30 years. The science
shows that expanding the fossil fuel economy must stop. Yet, without a
forceful campaign against this madness, government and business are set to
build a power station that will burn the dirtiest of all fossil fuels.

The camp will bring together thousands of people for a week of
workshops, discussion and direct action. Run without leaders by everyone
who comes along, the camp will be a working ecological village using
renewable energy, composting waste and sourcing food locally.

Climate campers will not only highlight positive solutions, but will
also take direct action against two drivers of climate change:

Wednesday August 6th: Day of Action against Agrofuels. Agrofuels are
fast replacing rainforests and agriculture for food production, meaning
more hunger, CO2 emissions, and biodiversity loss. They must be stopped.
Join us on this day of action, details to follow.

Saturday August 9th: Day of Mass Action against Kingsnorth coal-fired
power station. The power station must not and will not be built! This
promises to be an epic moment in the battle against climate change. If
you can only make it for the day, not to worry: trains run from Central
London to Kingsnorth, every few minutes and take less than an hour.

Too much to manage? They said that last year, and look what we pulled
off. We say - we must be audacious; the Camp for Climate Action is just
warming up! We are the last generation that can avert catastrophic
climate change, so come and play your part!

For more information, visit www.climatecamp.org.uk and join our email
list at http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/climatecamp

Important Dates

• Late July: Heathrow event and travel to Kingsnorth. Details soon...
• Sunday August 3th: Camp set up. We'll all make the camp happen together.
• Monday August 4th-10th: Workshops, networking and action training.
• Wednesday August 6th: Day of Action against Agrofuels
• Saturday August 9th: Day of Mass Action against Kingsnorth coal-fired power station
• Monday August 11th: Help return the camping field back to nature.

Related:

1. Previous posts on the climate camp.
   

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stupid profundity

New UK Gov't chief scientific advisor Professor John Beddington calls our current rainforest-to-biofuel reduction programme "profoundly stupid!", whilst observing that the pressing hunger of billions might require some of our collective attention. Meanwhile Hillary Benn (how far the apple falls from the tree) notes the 'Tremendous good news" of alleviated cash poverty worldwide - although money is actually worthless if it can't buy basic foodstuffs. To everyone's dumb-stuck surprise it seems that THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH TO GO AROUND! Who'd have thought it? Never mind. A few global catastrophes and we'll be back under carrying capacity in no time.

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When the cows come home....

We should we used to being betrayed by our elected representatives by now, but maybe we get the elected representatives we deserve. After all, we insist on flying, driving and consuming like hormonally imbalanced teenagers, without ever inconveniencing ourselves by participating in the day to day of our democratic institutions. What with being too busy ladder-scrambling and splashing our ever more conspicuous wealth, we simply don't have time for the tedious constraints of planet husbandry.
So maybe stealing the corn from the poor and pouring half of it into our cars and the other half into our cows is the best way forward.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3492378.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/magnus_linklater/article3492123.ece

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/the-green-betrayal-791323.html

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Cap and Trade, Green Tax Switch, Ineqaulity and International Climate Funds.

A short time back i was asked to contribute one simple policy to a website called 'day one' that is seeking to concentrate suggestions for day one of the next US presidency.

My suggestion was:

"I suggested taxing pollution more and income less. Income tax would be
reduced most at the lower levels of income to overcome the regressive nature of a carbon tax. This 'green tax switch'is one no brainer that every country
should adopt in combination with other measures."

After all my recent reading and video watching on ineqaulity recently I think it's fair to say that i would go beyond simply balancing the regressive nature of a carbon tax with the progressive nature of income tax cuts for the poor. I would create a dramatically progresive system to counterbalance both structural economic feature disadvantaging the poor and the current tax system that steals from the poor to give to the rich.

I would like to thank Christopher Mitchel for passing on this link to me. The New Rules Project sketches out a cap and trade scheme based on an auction of permits with the revenues being recycled into the economy as suggested be me for a carbon tax.




It really dosent matter to me if this scheme is followed or a carbon tax approach is used for funding tax cuts for the poor. What i would say is that both a carbon tax and a cap and trade scheme are needed, and one of them will need to fund projects agreed on internationally. Adaptation and clean development in the global south require significant revenues. Politicians have proven appauling at looking through their domestic budgets and finding a little slack so they can fullfil their international responsibilities. However the EU ETS and some US cap and trade schemes are considering a hypothication of auction revenues for international commitments. I think that this is sensible and that as cap and trade systems are likely to all function under a post-kyoto framework it seems logical if not absolutely nessicary that they provide the funds and that a revenues neutral but progresive carbon tax recycling schemes can be a purely national matter.

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Economic Inequality in the USA

Continuing my investingation of economic ineqaulity I found this video investingating the Bush tax cuts. Ineqaulity of some degree is nessicary but currently things are getting out of hand in the UK and US.

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UK treasury pressured to take its own advice.

The UK Budget is on it's way and a group of MPs from both parties have called for the govornment to take its own advice. In perticular the Stern Review that has gone on to become internationally significant had a series of recomendations very few of whitch have been implemented.

"The committee of 16 MPs said green taxes, as a proportion of all taxes, has
declined from its peak of 9.7% in 1999 to 7.6% in 2006."

Punches have not been pulled by this group--the Environmental Audit Committee.

"We've had enough of half measures and green spin. The chancellor must put
climate change at the heart of next week's Budget and make it cheaper and easier
for people to go green."

The 40 page report (The 2007 Pre–Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review: An
environmental analysis) can be downloaded here (PDF). One of the starkest contrasts between congressional committees in the US and there counterparts in the UK is that somehow we manage to produce some great reports and often with cross party consensus. I`m not overly anamoured with the UK political system but our committees do some exceptional work.

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Climate Camp 2008: Heathrow Airport and Kingsnorth Coal Power Plan

Thanks to Jo Abbess for notification of the following, i really hope i can make this, in reality ther's not much that could stop me :-)

"The Climate Camp is back, and it's bigger and bolder than ever !

The news from the decision meeting in Nottingham this weekend is that
there will be a camp with twin targets this summer : aviation
expansion and new coal power.

There will be a residential stop in Sipson, where the proposed Third
Runway for Heathrow will erase the entire village if it gets the
go-ahead, followed by a trek to Kingsnorth Coal Power Station in Kent.

This is going to be a massive logisical enterprise, and people will
probably need to come to London ahead of the camp, which runs from 4th
to 11th August 2008. People will need to stay somewhere secure before
taking part in workshops and demonstrations.

Any of you who live within reach of London Transport stations and
stops and who have a yard of spare grass, please offer to host tents
and a little water for people coming to the camp from around the world
:-

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk

Make London one massive garden hotel !"

Related:

• Press Release.
• Video about last years event.

• 
  

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Getting serious about people to protect the planet.

John Schmitt gives a facinating talk on changes in income and wealth ineqaulity in the US since the second world war.

I seem to be following US economic policy more closely that that in the UK as materials are better available. The US may now be in a recssion but even before this period Americans didn't feel as wealthy as national economic growth suggests that they should. Why arent Americans feeling welathier?




The answer comes down to distribution of income. In perticular the establishment
of govornment policies that actively shift power to the wealthiest 5% and even more
so to the wealthiest 1% of the population. It is a great irony that in the early 80's when the post-war boom had subsided the presumed saviour of the economy Ronald Ragan was voted into office. Ragan presided over an economy growing steadily, whilst at the same time singularly failing to pass on this growth to the vast majority of the population. So whilst the economy has grown from 100 units to 167 units per capita the feeling is very different:

"We are a very much richer country now than we where 25-30 years ago. And i think one of the great ideological victories of the rights is to persuade us somehow that we dont have the resources or the abillity to be able to afford the things that we used to do...that we cant afford the education, or the social security sysem...and i think that is an incredible misrepresnetation of the economic situation on the united states."

US GDP was 100 uits in 1979 and 167 in 2004. The image bellow shows the wage growth at 10th, 50th and 95th percentile. Wages have decreased slightly for the poorest, risen about 10% for the median and about 30% for the top 10%: despite 60% growth in wealth!

All of these figuers are however poor when compared to growth in GDP...the full increase in wealth reaches the top eschelons not through wages but through invesments. Govornment policies are effectively robbing from the poor and giving to the rich (but subtly). The graph bellow shows how the wealth gains from 1983 to 2001 have been distributed. And it is this economic policy that the Republicans are falling over each other to associate themselves with! The democrats also had a role in this and they have done very little to show that they have seen the light and are prepared to do something about this appaling state of affairs and move the US away from its position as most ineqaul developed nation.

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Convictions For Activists - Climate Criminals Walk Free

Via Indymedia.

"On the 10th April 2007, 11 people walked into the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station and locked on to the coal conveyor and assorted plant there. Their objective was to take direct action to halt operations and thus to diminish the CO2 emissions of the E-on plant, the greenhouse gas thought to be largely responsible for climate change. They were all charged with aggravated trespass and throughout the court case (which lasted for 3 days), the defendants argued that yes, they did take these actions, but employed the defence of "duress of circumstances" or necessity, and pleaded not guilty.

On Monday 25th Feb, 10 defendants (one having had the charges dismissed due to lack of evidence) returned to court to receive the judgement. Judge Cooper had earlier said that he wished to compliment all the defendants on the way they had handled themselves and on the presentation of their case. However all were found guilty."

This  event was covored by RiseUp Radio: The March Show. 

This trial was interesting due to the defence being used. The accused stated that they where  forced to take this course of action bearing in mind the threat posed by climate change if inaction where to be the chosen course of action.

Throughout the court case [described in the links below], the defendants argued that yes, they did take these actions, but employed the defence of "duress of circumstances" or necessity, and pleaded not guilty.

At the beginning of the case, there was legal argument on if the court would hear this defence. It did and the case was proceeded with in making such argument. It is thought to be the first case dealing with environmental matters, that this defence had been employed.

Clearly the judge decided that this was not an acceptable defence. Working in new legal territory caution is the order of the day and the judge ruled that a narrow view of this type of defence was required to avoid abuse and a breakdown of social order. I understand this logic, however, caution cuts both ways. The threats on either side of the argument are social disorder and danger from inaction respectively; whilst a broad interpretation opens up the possibility of abuse, so does a narrow definition. Choosing a narrow definition errs on the side of the status quo--assuming current conditions are more likely to be acceptable--whereas choosing an expansive definition errs on the side of change.

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Think Globally Radio

Sometimes it strikes me that society is in an extrodinarily good state. Now, you may be thinking that i have finally lost my mind. In fact, no, i`ve been reading some history. I`ve been reading about the Black history in the US. One of the striking aspects about this strugle for eqaulity is the period of time involved in overcomming this gross injustice. Even after the American revolution and the 'emancipation of the slaves' Blacks where far from free. The Jim Crow laws implemented a new injustice on former slaves. It was nearly 100 years from the 13th Ammendment ending slavery untill the overthrow of the Jim Crow laws!

Today we seek to utterly transform society, from fossil powered to renewable energy future, from exponential economic growth to qaulitative evolution. Ideas spread across the world at the speed of light, and the range of people who can contribute to this quest is vast. Two recent developments exemplify the remarkable connectedness of global knoledge. Mearly two years ago the thirst for biofuels seemed unquenchable. The down sides didn't seem to exist, the world was on a dangerously naive path. How rapid has the change been since then? Report after report warning of the dangers, biofuels have a future but a closely monitored one. Not least by nacent NGO Biofuelwatch. On the more positive side, Bus Rapid Transit. BRT first reached my attention 6 months ago. It's orogins are admitedly some two decades past in Curitiba, Brazil, but international attention on this system has grown to such a point that there can scarecely be a major city that dosent understand the concept. The world is full of smart people and great ideas, this knoledge is now accessible readily by everyone with a computer, such a state of affairs is unprecidented and hugely encouraging.

I just came across another great source of radio programmes, an english language radio show from Stockholm. Think Global Radio has a superb collection of shows, enjoy!

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Jaime Lerner

With maverick flair and a strategist's disdain for accepted wisdom, Jaime Lerner re-invented urban space in his native Curitiba, Brazil. Along the way he managed to revolutionize bus transit, awaken green consciousness in a populace accustomed to litter and blight, and change the way city planners and bureaucrats world-wide conceive what's possible within the tangled structure of the metropolitan landscape.

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