Spread the Word Heathrow Demonstration Planned (May 31st)

Demonstration at Heathrow.
Saturday May 31st

Called by Campaign against Climate Change, HACAN, NOTRAG , and others…

Put the date in your diary now, tell everyone you know about it !

On Monday 25th February there was an indoor Rally against Heathrow expansion in the Central Hall, Westminster, with around 3,000 attending (a second Hall had to be used). This was after many local meetings around West London up to a thousand strong. The movement against the Third Runway at Heathrow is snowballing exponentially.

The huge expansion in aviation, of which the Heathrow expansion is the flagship component, is totally incompatible with winning the battle against climate catastrophe, totally incompatible in fact, with the Government’s own Climate Bill.

This is a battle we need to win – and a battle we can win ! We want to see people coming from all over the country to join the tens of thousands who will be protesting in West London. We want a massive show of force to make sure we win our first big victory in the war to redirect Britain towards a low carbon future. Come and be part of it – join a Spring Carnival of Resistance to the Third Runway, Airport Expansion and the insanity of government decisions that would lock us into climate catastrophe.

We can stop the third runway, we will stop the third runway!

Related:

• All Climate Change Action posts on Aviation.
• Recent protests and banner drops at Parliament and Heathrow.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Making The Iraq War More Eco-Friendly

Now some of you are going to be thinking that you can't green a war. Wrong! BP greened black gold so why can't the US military green their quest to secure this valuable resourc? The video bellow by ONN presents a pannel discussion on some of the options.



I personally like the balsa wood jet fighters, although car pooling of troop transports is also pretty good!

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Inequality: seeing is believing.

My latest interest is economic inequality. A natural next step after reading Herman Daly and his take 
on ecological economics and the need for a steady state economy; in a steady state economy great wealth for a few actually represents impovrishment of the poor. Even without a steady state economy the image bellow forces us to ask some significant questions...

This image is a visual metaphor displayed graphically, the metaphor is here.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Campaign to get the PM to address the nation on climate change.

I just recieved the following email:

A grassroots campaign to get the PM to address the nation on the big issue...

To find out more, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-Talk-Gordon/8027274329 - you don't have to be a Facebook member to view the page.
To sign up, visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/letstalk - just give your details, you'll get an email back straight away, click the link in the email and you're done.

We're aiming to get 100,000 signatories to the petition so please forward details of the campaign on to anyone who you think might be interested. Once we've reached our target, we'll launch a media campaign to ensure that our message doesn't go unheard.

In my response to the email list i explained my reasons for supporting the effort:

Hi All,

Just to say that i have signed my name on to this, i think that it is a really good idea. I`m hopefull that others will feel the same and that this will take off.

Recently several people have made the case for an emergency agenda on climate change. Moving this whole issue back from 2050 to 2008. The govornment keep wondering why people wont change their behaviour--isnt the rehtoric strong enought!? But that is preciesly the point, thegovornment has done nothing to suggest that the war on climate change is infact even real. Where are the troops, where are the resources for us to take this on together. In short,. where is the leadership that would encourage solidarity?

I would like to see Gordon Brown give this address to start just such a campaign. Please pass on the email bellow and mention it on any websites/blogs/myspace pages that you may have.
Calvin

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Re:Why Heathrow is a terminal case

Reading some coverage of the Plane Stupid action at parliament i came accross this. Some may say that the article is misleading, what do you think?

I sent the email bellow as a response...updates here if and when recieved.

-->

Dear Anatole,

I have just been reading your article in the Times and one section in perticular stuck out:

"The arguments for running down Heathrow have nothing to do with the contribution of aircraft to global warming, which is so small as to be completely irrelevant."

That is an interesting statement. The Tyndall Centre for Global Climate Change have a different take:

"If the aviation industry is allowed to grow at rates even lower than those being experienced today, the EU could see aviation accounting for between 39% and 79% of its total carbon budget by 2050, depending on the stabilisation level chosen. For the UK, the respective figures are between 50% and 100%."

This is the pre-eminent climate change research centre in the UK and possibly the world, giving a briefing suitable for journalists and the general public (Briefing Paper 84. PDF). I wonder if you would be so good as to clarify these facts in writing?

Regards,
Calvin Jones

Climate Change Action

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Biofuel of the Future: Cellulosic Ethanol

I have recently highligted a great number of studies showing problems with biofuels. From competition with food crops for land and water to encouraged deforestation, fertiliser usage and ecological impacts from pesticides. However, there are reasons for optimism that biofuels have potential, this is perticularly true when we talk about vehicles with 100mpg rather than 20-30. Perticulalry cellulosic ethanol seems to be the way to go, this is a process development challenge.

Chris Somerville [Director of the EBI, UC Berkeley]
Abstract:

The earth receives approximately 4000 times as much energy from the sun each year as the total projected human energy use in 2050. Because plants can be deployed on a large scale to capture and store solar energy, I am interested in exploring the degree to which it may become possible to use photosynthesis for sustainable production of renewable carbon-neutral energy. In considering this possibility, the Secretary of Energy of the US has called for the replacement of 30% of the liquid fuels used in the US with biofuels by 2030. I will outline some of the technical issues that must be addressed in order to understand if it is possible to reach this and related goals. I will also discuss some of the areas in which I envision significant technical advances may enable evolution of the biofuels industry.

The video bellow is from CITRIS at UC Berkeley.



Related:

• All Climate Change Action posts on Biofuels.
• Christian Aid talk covering biofuels in Brazil including labour standards and land ownership.
  

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Heathrow Airport Protest: On Runway + On Parliament Roof

The recent govornment consultation on Heathrows' expansion has been broadly condemed as a fix. The govornment are getting used to this sort of behaviour, a high court ruling overturned the PR stunt that was their first consultation on nuclear power.

In recent days Greenpeace has done what it does best, visually powerful protests that make the point.

The photo bellow shows one of the photos that made news headlines in over 200 publications.

Today a groups called Plane Stupid upped the anti by lowering banners off the roof of Parliament.

One of the demonstrators, Richard George, 27, from London, said: "I am stood on
the roof of parliament because the democratic process had been corrupted. "The aviation industry had taken full advantage of a weak prime minister to get the Heathrow consultation fixed. "It does not even consider global warming despite everything (Prime Minister Gordon) Brown has said about the environment and despite the massive impact aviation has on the climate."

Video from the roof of the houses of parlaiment.

These visual stunts are an effective way of making headlines, but the voracity of the opposition to expansion can be better judged from the protest organised by two local opposition groups who mobilised 2'500 people to protest at Central Hall in Westminster.

Related:

• Guardian--Plane Stupid lower banners from the roof of parliament.
• Grist--Greenpeace protest at heathrow.
• This is London--2'500 people protest at westminster against heathrow expansion.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Problems with GDP: Joseph Stiglitz at the Asia Society

Joseph Stiglitz, author of 'Globalisation and It's Discontents' spoke recently (full talk)at the Asia Society in New York City.

In the short excerpt bellow some of the problems with GDP are discussed, along with a facinating anicdote about how special interests have worked to protect this measure...because it is defective.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz ("Globalization and Its Discontents") talks about his new concept of economics, "The Economics of Information," and his latest book, "Making Globalization Work" - Asia Society

Joseph Stiglitz was chief economist at the World Bank until January 2000. Before that he was the chairman of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001. He is currently a finance and economics professor at Columbia University. He is the author of Globalization and Its Discontents and The Roaring Nineties.

Related:

• All Climate Change Action posts on Economics.
• Herman Daly on Ecological Economics.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Heathrow Airport: Aviation Expansion in UK a National Strategic Issue

I recieved an email an hour ago asking me to respond to Virgin airlines questionaire on Heathrow expansion. This post has details on that survey. I also wrote a short contribution to the heathrow expansion that the govornment are carrying out. You can complete as much or as little of the consultation as you like, i placed this comment in the 'aditional comments' section at the end.

--->

It is all very well framing a consultation in a local manner if that consultation is for local needs and has local impacts. Heathrow is broadly opposed by residents and is often talked about in terms of Britain's economic competitiveness. Heathrow's expansion rests on national strategic issues and this is an area that i would like to comment on. Since the Aviation White Paper was released a series of reports by the environmental audit commission, SDC, AEF, IPPR and others have broadly condemned the strategy. Not, it must be noted, based on their collective views on what government policy should be but rather based on what the government state to be its policy. Government climate change policy is in direct opposition to it's plans for airport expansion.

Predict and provide is a widely used description for the governments aviation policy; this is not a balance it is a decision to prioritise putative economic gains over environmental outcomes, such equations seem antiquated, to put it mildly, in a post-Stern Review political climate. I believe that this discordance is widely recognised in government. The key point i wish to highlight is that we can't magic away this problem by invoking the EU ETS. People will make various arguments for this, from local concerns such as traffic and loss of whole communities to considerations of Britain's future carbon budget and how this will be allocated between sectors. As this consultation is tilted towards local consideration I will focus on the latter.

Tyndall Centre Working Paper 84 states the situation well in summary.

"If the aviation industry is allowed to grow at rates even lower than those being experienced today, the EU could see aviation accounting for between 39% and 79% of its total carbon budget by 2050, depending on the stabilisation level chosen. For the UK, the respective figures are between 50% and 100%."

The only way we can get around this is by limiting aviation expansion. The government cannot be serious about climate change and serious about building runways. Tough emissions reductions targets are not achievable in the UK if aviation continues to be subsidised, facilitated and given preferential treatment when all other sectors are expected to contribute significant carbon emissions reductions.

Related:
All aviation posts.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Heathrow expansion: what do you think?

Should this be even bigger...?



Virgin airlines has asked its customers what they think about airport expansion. It's a nice question to ask customers as they gain any advantage whilst the community pay the price. However, more and more people are worried about not only the local environment but the global impact of massive aviation expansion.

Have your say also consider taking part in the govornments questionaire.

Related:
How can govornment aviation and climate policies be reconciled?
All aviation posts.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Inneqaulity in the US.

Economics is flawed, at least as currently practiced. Currently markets are used quite effectively to carry out the key function of resource distribution. States cannot do this, as the Soviets so convincingly illustrated. However, distribution of economic resources is not the only problem that we need to solve.

If you are a traditional economist then the two areas of concern are:

• Distribution of resources efficiently. (this gets all the atention at present)
• Allocation of wealth. (Ineqaulity in excess leads to low economic productivity)

If you are an ecological economist then these two issues are joined by a third

• Scale. (if the physical limits of the planet are to be considered there is an optimum scale for the economy; with a given distribution and allocation pattern a variety of standards of life are possible depending on scale)

This is best explained by means of an analogy:

Boat's have a plimsol line. You can add goods to the vessel untill the water reaches this level. If you are careful and distribute the goods evenly over the vessel you may carry more than if the weight is to one side. The weight is analagous to the economic activity, the boat our planets carrying capacity and the distribution is the perfect distribution of resources in the economy.

We can stretch this analogy further to cover inneqaulity. It is well known that a unit of wealth for very poor is more productive than for the wealthy. If you give a poor farmer $500 dollars he may be able to transform his livelihood, the same can not be said for a millionaire. So if we imagine not a deck with goods to be sifted around but a series of decks where goods on the higher decks represent the wealthy we can see that this to destabilises our boat. The higher the centre of gravity the more the boat rocks, even if the load is even and not great the plimsol line will be diping into the water and tising far above.

When dealing with envieronmental issues we must embrace economics. We must say, what a facinating system, let us set it a new challange. Having largely solved distribution let us then look at scale and allocation. We must fight inneqaulity and population growth as we promote innovation and eco-efficiency.

All of this is important not only in terms of comming to grips with communal challanges but also in terms of getting such a movement off the ground. Ineqaulity has many associated malodies, it does not emerge out of thin air and the related social issues of insecurity and lack of trust are certain to promote reactionary, defencive politics not a generous progressive agenda.

The video bellow covers the current economic state of play in the US.

Panel discussants:

Alan Krueger, the Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Policy and Director of the Survey Research Center at the Woodrow Wilson School;

Douglas Massey, the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at the School;

Viviana Zelizer, the Lloyd Cotsen '50 Professor of Sociology at Princeton.

Moderator:

Stan Katz, Lecturer with rank of Professor of Public and International Affairs
Faculty Chair, Undergraduate Program

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Climate Code Red: The case for a sustainability emergency.

Climate change is a tricky issue to deal with as we all know. Scaring people to change behaviour doesn't work, big changes require large commitments but how can these be driven if not with the urgency of fear? Marketing companies are desperately trying to find a way to make climate change mitigation sexy...well, good luck with that! The general confusion tends to lead to conservatism in a time when we need radical change.

Targets are bandied around and rallied behind, 80 by 50 has become popular recently. A surprising number of US NGO's have rallied behind this despite the fact that this will leave the US having higher per capita emissions than the earth can absorb and on a timeline that many say is beyond the relevant range for dealing with this problem.

Finding our way through this is going to be tough, one point that i think we need to take is that different types of communication are needed in different contexts. If trying to sell 'green' products or services, it is a moot point as to if the green attributes should even take a high place in the marketing. When dealing with government programs, i looks increasingly like a rallying call is required, a well resourced, broad and serious attempt to cut carbon emissions on a short time frame. If we stop talking about 50 years and start talking about 5 years with regular targets for society then perhaps we can get there. Camaraderie is a way to make people feel that they can have an impact, moving a whole society, as if on a serious mission. The oft asked question 'why don't people get it, they just don't see how serious this is' has a surprisingly simple answer. No one is treating this as an emergency, if we have a war on climate change then where are the troops? It's well known that human behaviour is contextual so why should people take the extreme measure of not flying or not buying a car or spending a significant fraction of income on green home improvements. If government starts taking serious actions, funding programmes in a proportionate manner and allowing large numbers of people to access them then we just might kindle a 'climate change war spirit'.

This kind of argument has been made by the Breakthrough Institute who are promoting a government led 'global warming preparedness act'. More recently EcoEquity has produced a report calling for a climate change emergency agenda to be created.

Related:

• Climate Code Red (EcoEquiry)
• Global Warming Preparedness Act (Breakthrough Institute)

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Gas bubble

Power companies make combined UK profits of 9 billion and of course everybody is up in arms, but in an urgent push to a low carbon economy we must also urgently push for a low carbon culture - which means paying the true cost. Of course that all stands or falls on the re-investment going where it needs to go - and not into the back pockets of private investors.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

London Congestion Charge: FOE vs Porche

Friends of the Earth vs Porche on the London congestion charge.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

On Day One: Ideas for the next US president.

The Better World Fund works to improve the relationship between the US and the UN. An interesting new project that they are working on--On Day One--aims to set the agenda for the next US president on climate change. Go along and make your own suggestions for addressing the issue that matter to you.

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.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

[UPDATE] Interview on Canadian Carbon Tax

Thanks to Alex from Radio Ecoshock for the link he left as a comment to my post on an innovative carbon tax that British Columbia is introducing.

Interview on the carbon tax and scientific sensorship.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Rights for all; including agency workers?!

In their book Break Through, Nordhaus and Schellenburger make the case for what they term "the politics of possibility" an alternative conceptual box to replace environmentalism. One of the primary outcomes of accepting this proposal is the need to take a more active interest in social issues, on the understanding that environmentalism is post-material, people will find it hard to support change and perticulalry environmental protection if they their basic needs are not met. For this reason I will be posting from time to time about significant developments that impact on peoples rights and sense of security.

Rights for All

According to the BBC a seemingly simple proposal by a Labour backbench MP to give agency workers the same benefits as other employees is being resisted by the Labour government and the Conservatives. It looks likely to be the biggest rebellion that Gordon Brown has faced as Prime Minister. It is difficult for many to accept that the Labour party has moved so far from it's roots with concerns for workers to a position of accepting free market dogma. The relative positions of the Confederation of British Industries and the union Unite gives and indication of where Labour's loyalty lies.

"The CBI warned that new rights for agency staff discussed by the EU
employment ministers would cost up to 250,000 jobs. The union Unite is
campaigning for equal rights for agency workers, saying there should be a "level
playing field" with permanently employed people."

The phrase 'flexible labour marker' is particularly Orwellian, it's real meaning is insecurity. It seems quite unlikely that a anything other than environmental damage can result from a nation with a million extra people without the rights--the security--in employment that the rest of the nation enjoys.

"More than one million people are employed via agencies, which means they do not get benefits such as sick pay."

This Bill has only been introduced due to a failure to reach an agreement at the European level, due in large part to the UK.

"The UK opposed the proposals, saying it would damage the country's flexible
labour market and hit jobs, but the legislation will be discussed again this
year."

Labour MP Bill Miller who introduced the bill said:

"In economic terms, we are not going to succeed if we try and undercut the lowest terms and conditions of employment in the world, we are going to succeed if we have a highly skilled, highly trained workforce...The way in which a lot of employers are using agencies to drive down pay and conditions is not a long-term, constructive solution; it's good old British short-termism which is
good for just that but not good for Britain in the world as portrayed by the
prime minister in his speech at Davos."

Related:

• Independent.
• Guardian.
• FT.
• Times.
• E-politics

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Cap and Trade systems explained in detail: Collaboration by WRI, Pew

The EU has had an emissions trading scheme for some time, the first revision was absurdly overallocated so the price of credits fell through the floor. We will have and wait to see how this develops, one of the major changes going forward is the movement towards a auction based system. The system is also becoming broader. With the US likely to adopt a similar system soon it's important to take a look at what works and what dosent. The New America Foundation, the Pew Centre for Global Climate Change and the World Resources Institute have produced a series of 10 (6 currently available) detailed videos looking at every aspect of effective emissions regulation.



Video:

Webinar 1: Introduction to Cap-and-Trade Programs

Moderator: Sonia Hamel, New America Foundation
Speakers: Judi Greenwald (Pew Center), Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)

Webinar 2: Program Scope and Point of Regulation

Moderator: Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)
Speaker: Judi Greenwald (Pew Center)

Webinar 3: Electricity Sector Options

Moderator: Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)
Speakers: Richard Cowart (Regulatory Assistance Project),
Dallas Burtraw (Resources for the Future)

Webinar 4: Cap-and-Trade Design Issues in Depth, Part I: Lessons from the US/Canadian Acid Rain SO2 and NOx Trading Programs

Moderator: Judi Greenwald (Pew Center)
Speakers: Brian McLean (U.S. EPA),
Denny Ellerman (MIT),
John Hutchison (Ontario)

Webinar 5: Cap-and-Trade Design Issues In-Depth, Part II: Lessons from the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

Moderator: Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)
Speakers: Peter Zapfel (The European Commission), Chris Sherry (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection & RGGI*)

Webinar 6: Design Elements in current Federal Cap-and-Trade Proposals

Moderator: Judi Greenwald (Pew Center)
Speakers: David McIntosh (Senator Lieberman’s Office), Lorie Schmidt, Counsel, Energy and Commerce Committee, US House of Representatives

>Still to come

Webinar 7: Distributing Allowances

Moderator: Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)
Speakers: Christopher Nelson (Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection*), Jill Duggan (United Kingdom, DEFRA), Kelley Kizzier (Ireland, EPA)


Webinar 8: Offsets

Moderator: Judi Greenwald (Pew Center)
Speakers: Mike Burnett (The Climate Trust), Chris Sherry (New Jersey DEP)


Webinar 9: Linking Cap-and-Trade Programs

Moderator: Sonia Hamel (New America Foundation)
Speakers: Jonathan Pershing (World Resources Institute), Damien Meadows (European Commission*)


Webinar 10: Emissions Trading Market Fundamentals

Moderator: Franz Litz (World Resources Institute)
Speakers: Olivia Hartridge (Morgan Stanley*), Gia Schneider (Credit Suisse*)

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Race, colour and greed

Soya production continues to expand; grain prices continue to rise;

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Herritage Foundation has a problem with the EU

My web browsing includes some pretty embarising sites. I read quite a few right wing think tanks, such as the American Enterprise Institute, Cato and the Herritage Foundation. I thought i`d share this quote with you from the Herritage Foundation. I`m a pro-european British citizen and we are few and far between! So i enjoy it when my favourite nutty thinktank is troubled by the EU.

In the few areas where the EU does speak with one voice--e.g., the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)--the United States has lost traction in dealing with its European allies on anything resembling a bilateral basis. Frequently, it has found itself pitted against an institution that has predetermined its position and is intent on morally opposing American policy.

In practice, the next US administration (Led by Obama?) is likely to be far more in line with european thinking.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Report of the Week (IPPR: The New Front Line--Security in a changing world)

Have you ever noticed that after learning a new word it seems to pop up in all sorts of conversations and contexts? It can be quite hard to believe that you managed for so long without the word in question.

Something similar has happened with the idea of 'climate security' the connection between climate change and conflict seems to be quite a lively topic of discussion that i have largely missed.

Recently IPS and CFR have both released reports on this connection the latest report on the topic that i have found is by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

This paper analyses the key changes taking place in the national and international security landscape and assesses their implications for policy, examining the context within which a national security strategy must now be forged. As a result, it becomes clear that the contemporary security landscape is about much more than terrorism alone.

Related:
Climate Change Action posts on Conflict

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Revenue Neutral Carbon Tax (a.k.a Green Tax Switch)

An interesting policy innovation is taking place in British Columbia (Canada). A carbon tax has been introduced; the level of the tax is modest although increasing to 2012. The interesting part is how the tax works. A charge based on emmissions will be charge on the sale of all fossil fuels. The revenues raised will then be given back to the people in a manner that is both progressive and revenue neutral overall.

The tax incentives aimed at keeping the carbon tax “revenue neutral” will be dispersed as follows: the bottom two personal income tax rates will be cut by 2 per cent in 2008 and 5 per cent in 2009 on the first $70,000 in earnings; effective July 1, the corporate tax rate will drop to 11 per cent from 12 per cent; effective July 1, the small-business tax rate will be cut from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

This is one of many kinds of green tax switch that bennefit both the poor and the environment.

Related:
UK Liberal Democratic Party: Green Tax Switch
Globe and Mail Article
Carbon Tax Background and Issues
Reuters

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Food prices on the rise.

This is inconvenient for us in the developed world but a serious source of concern for those who spend a large fraction of their income on food. Increasing food prices are to be expected with the acension of China, the role of huge corn subsides is also signifiant.  The real question is are these the only sources to this trend or is food production being stressed by physical limits
such as water availability, soil qaulity etc.,

Limits to Growth and Plan B 2.0 are two books that i would reccomend as a backgrond to this issue.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

An electric car is now cheepest car in the world!

When the TaTa was released in India recently the world shared mixed feelings. A modern day Model T ford, a mass produced peoples car. The TaTa represents progress and opportunity for many Indians and a dangerously unsustainable development for some in the developed world. 
Clearly both of these sentiments carry some truth. Private car ownership is a damaging ideal, 
adoption of western levels of personal transport at current efficiencies cannot possibly occur on this planet for the billions of poor. There will be debate over the details but planning, mass transit, and improvement of car efficiencies will all have a role in facing this challenge.

The TaTa facinated me because, although the worlds cheepest car, it is also one of the most efficient at around 70 miles per gallon. This sort of low energy usage means that to electrify the veichle and move towards a cleaner transport future is a lot easier than with high performance cars typical in the UK or US. Now a very similar car to the TaTa has been released,
the Tara Tiny, and it is electric, and it is cheeper. The thing the frustrates me is that
 these cars aren't available in Europe or the US. Why not?

To be clear, these cars do not perform well by conventional standards. In the UK, and i`m sure
around the world, the car industry sells power as the charachteristic to covert. We are bombarded with adverts of sporty cars sticking to the road around winding hills. At the same time, many people experiance the exact opposite--logjam. For many people in cities small monouverable cars that dont destroy air qaulity, that are fuel efficient, that are exempt from local congestion charges, these are the cars that people want. It's about options, we are being given numerous options all of which try to ballance one factor or another against performance. It's choice of a kind--like 30 types of Darwin's finches of the Galapagos islands--what i want to see is real choice. I want to see whole groups of cars that ballance family suitability, style, etc., against efficiency and low impact driving. I want to see a jungle of automotive diversity!

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Scientific American: A Solar Grand Plan

Ken Zweibel, James Mason and Vasilis Fthenakis sketch out a grand plan for US energy policy up to 2050 in this weeks Scientific American.

The cost is aptly summed up by Grist:

"A third of our military budget could cure our carbon addiction."

Sounds good to me, a safer world from military agression and climate change. The 'Key Concepts' of this plan include:

• A massive switch from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to solar power plants could supply 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050.
  


• A vast area of photovoltaic cells would have to be erected in the Southwest. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns to be tapped during nighttime hours.
  


• Large solar concentrator power plants would be built as well.
  

A new direct-current power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity across the country.

But $420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2050 would be required to fund the infrastructure and make it cost-competitive.

The fact that this plan is out their is, i think, a very good thing. The more people putting forward a bold energy vision the better! We need people who think about energy to be thinking big. This sector has R&D bellow .5% of revenue and has amongst the lowest competition of any sector, every day it is becoming more and more obvious that things are about to change.

Related:

A Grand Solar Plan (PDF)
Climate Change Action energy and efficiency posts.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Consumer demand

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

You dont know what you think you do. But thinking it's that way makes it like that!

The Uncertainty Principal in Physics

I`m reading 'The Fabric of The Cosmos' at the moment, it's one of the first popular science books i've read for a few years and it's facinating reading. One idea that it covers early on is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal. This is concept provokes perhaps the most fundemental rethink in our world view when we accept qauntum mechanichs, no longer do we believe that we could predict the future of the universe, even given the best possible information on every particle in the universe and infinte processing power. The reason being that on the microscopic scale we are banned by nature from measuring simultaneously and exactly the position and velocity of a particle. This can be explained by thinking of shining a beam of light at a microscopic object, the stronger the beam the more reflected photons, the greater the accuracy, but, more photons also corrispond with more force. Light has a push, which although small, produces a noticable effect on microscopic objects.

The Uncertainty Principal in Life

Obscure physics, perhaps, but the idea of analysis leading to change is important. The imposibility of having a truly independent observer monitoring but not influencing a system seems relavent with regards the news media. In the case of the media, the US elections are a case in point, some of the candidates who late on in the primaries looked marginal where marginal in large part becuase the media judged them to be marginal and throughout the campaign gave them a marginal amount of airtime, wrote about them stating their marginal nature, mentioned them only in passing...the real question is where they marginal or where they marginalised? A similar dynamic plays out in all sorts of issues, how often are advocates interviewed on important developments that they are trying to change only to be asked 'do you really think that this will have an effect, aren't politicians more concerned about [parochial interest]'. Well, the effect of this is vastly different to if the interviewer had asked 'so do you expect a speedy resolution to this, you do seem to have a good case'. Questions have a great deal of incluence, perhaps more so than answers?

Being forced to think something by a question.

The influence of such 'frames' is vast, Herman Daly suggests that many of the flaws he points to in Limits to Growth (i.e deforestation is classed as income, infinte capital can flow from near zero resources, exponential growth can be sustained) have not been examined closely due to a pre-analytic vision (frame) that excludes the flaws from the realm of critical thought. Noam Chomsky explains this by means of an example. Q: Why is it that the US so rarely criticised for it's foreing politics and role in conflicts? A: By carrying out a literature search it was found that the US media have adopted 'peace process' for 'current US policy with regards to a given group of nations' over many years the US was never reported as being 'against the peace process' as the words 'peace process' by defenition exclude this possibility!

These two ideas, of questions being influence, and false pre-suppositions being built into these questions, in part explain the way propaganda works. These issues face green campaigners as a barage, the climate change conversation is filled with so many questions based on false propositions that straightening out the mess is quite a minefield. This minefield can be avoided
in one easy way: don't take on the argument!

Opportunity is the new black. Creating an opportunity is better than winning an argument and removes the need for doing so...the argument is smaller when the cost of conceeding is smaller so make that opportunity attractive and you can't loose.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Climate Change and National Security (An Agenda for Action)

Joshua Busby of the Council on Foreign Relations authors a November 2007 report about Climate Change and National Security. I`m uncertain at best about how he frames the issues, but if you are interested in how Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize then this is part of your explanation.

Report (PDF), Interview (MP3)


Relavent Links:

• Climate Change Action posts on Conflict.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Climate change could kill thousands in UK by 2012, says report.

Via The Guardian (article)

Climate change could lead to a heatwave in the south-east of England killing 3,000 people by 2012, a Department of Health report says.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

NGO's : Don't Try to 'Green' That Company!

Why do people protest when businesses take on polluting practices?

• There is one winning reason, bad PR can be expensive and theirfore can concievably drive a business towards less damaging practices. However it is extremely difficult to push a whole sector in the desired direction; it's a true race to the bottom.
  
• 
  
• But, you might say, green business is profitable, greed can be green. I`d agree with this, it can be, however it often isn't in the real world. The real world is defined by the distorting subsidies and political environment.
  

Which leads to my conclusion. We do ourselves a dis-service by campaigning for corporations with a fiduciary duty to maximise proffits to internalise costs, they are externalising machines! This sort of behaviour by greens is a result of neo-liberal indoctrination. Companies do not rightfully hold the power, govornments representing us do, go to those who hold the power to make the change.

So given the option I would rather protest at the Department of Transport when aviation expansion is proposed, not the company (BAA) that runs the airport; and i would rather protest at the department for the environment when coal expansion threatens, not at the company headquaters. We don't have the resources to go after every polluting company, busineses are going to teach themselves about running thier busineses more efficiently, what no other group of society is going to do is bring corporate interests in line with community interest through relavent regulation.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Subprime Carbon

On Febuary 14th the third gathering of institutional investors took place at UN Headquaters in New York City. The "Investor Summit on Climate Risk" was a joint venture between climate risk investment group CERES , the UN Foundation and the UN Fund for International Partnership.

According to UNFIP:

The Summit will focus on how investors can advance solutions to climate change, with a particular emphasis on the benefits of energy efficiency. The Summit aims to help investors
Examine recent scientific findings on climate risk and technological solution

>>Assess potential capital flows into energy efficiency and clean technologies

>>Learn how treasurers, institutional investors and financial services firms worldwide are factoring climate risk into their policies and strategies

>>Consider prudent steps investors can take to address climate risk and opportunities.

At the confernece around $20 trillion worth of assets where represented. A subsection of the group, with assets valued at 1.75$ Trillion signed up to a Climate Action Plan produced by CERES. There was also growth in the companies who, although dodging the solid commitments of the climate action plan have the Investor Network in Climate Risk now involves companies with $5 trillion of investment.

McKinsey Global also announced a significant report at the conference, highlighting the good
returns possible on investment in the vast qauntity of energy infrastructure expected to be
required over the next 50 years.

Al gore was one of the speakers at the conference and he warned of a Subprime like risk due to carbon--indicating that the financial esposure is currentl underestimated.

"You need to really scrub your investment portfolios, because I guarantee you — as my longtime good redneck friends in Tennessee say, I guarandamntee you — that if you really take a fine-tooth comb and go through your portfolios, many of you are going to find them chock-full of subprime carbon assets,"

Related:

Climate Change Action Business Posts.
Video of the morning session.
Video of the afternoon session.
Conference homepage with agenda and overview.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

London continues sustainable transport plans.

Since London announced it's climate change strategy, a strange thing has happened, actions to implement that strategy have been taken! That is perhaps only strage if you are used to national politics and broken promises. In London Ken Livingston is putting on a good display of what can be done.

London recently joined Paris in winning the Institute for Development and Transportation Policy (ITDP) sustainable transport award for it's congestion charge, bus service development and cycling improvements. Now London is replicating the scheme that jointly won Paris that same award. The Velib system is a automatic bike hire service with regular docking stations. The exact details of the London system have not been released but 6000 bikes will initially be available. Bike can be picked up by using a credit card which charges a deposit, this is then repaid at the end of the ride. In Paris the first half hour is free and then there is a constant rate per half hour untill three hours at which point the hourly rate increases. The bike is intended for short trips and works as a compliment to underground and bus services.

But the Velib scheme is only part of the overall cycling stragegy, which accoring to the Mayors office has five main elements:

1. A Central London bike hire scheme, similar to the recently launched Paris scheme, with up to 6,000 bikes located across docking stations every 300m so Londoners and visitors have quick and easy access to a bike. This will be supported by a series of easily navigable routes so that people can enjoy London’s sights by bike.
   


2. Around a dozen radial Cycling Corridors for commuters to provide high-profile, easy to follow cycling streams into central London.
   


3. The creation of a series of Bike Zones for shoppers and the school run in Inner and Outer London, with cycle priority streets, 20mph speed limits and quick, clear and simple routes that link key local destinations and open parks and waterways for cyclists.
   


4. The expansion of the Legible London signage system to help people make short trips around the capital on foot, rather than driving, or taking the bus and tube.
   


5. Working with the London Boroughs on the establishment of 200 Streets of Gold – urban makeovers which link key local destinations like stations, schools and shops in inner and outer London with high quality walking facilities, delivering improved pavements, seating and crossings alongside regeneration measures.
   

This strategy is getting most of it's funding from the newly announced congestion charge increase for large cars. The idea of increasing charges on cars that emmit large qauntities of co2 is harldy likely to be unpopular amongst environmentalists. However, it is problamatic in the sense that a congestion charge is being used for two policy goals: reducing the number of cars and supporting certain types of cars. Local charges, perticularly in a city like London can have an influence on demand for types of cars but things would be done most effectively by having national policies to discriminate between cars based on pollution, and local charges to deal with demand.

Related:

• CNU 2007 Transportation Summit(includes video).
• Climate Change Action posts on Transport.
• What is the best way to tax cars?

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Thrashing it all out.

Pennsylvania State University researchers predict massive increases in insect numbers and consequent plant damage due to rises in temperature and CO2 levels.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

TheWatt podcast is back!

One of the first podcasts that I ever subscribed to was TheWatt, a cleantech and climate change podcast. I went on a couple of shows, and will be doing so again soon. The host Ben Kenney is planning to have pannel sessions of around 4 cleantech/climate bloggers for shows every couple of weeks. If you are interested then you can let me know, or contact ben on ben[at]thewatt.com

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

The 5 stages of climate change denial

I appear to have inadvertently lifted this from several other, cleverer cartoonists. But in the spirit of recycling, here it is...

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

China steps it up on environmental protection.

In this statement, highlighted by the Worldwatch Institute (and translated by Google)  it looks like that the Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency sees the challenge ahead.

===


Pan Yue, deputy director of State Administration of Environmental Protection

"The introduction of economic policy environment can not wait! We should release several policies within one year, set up major pilot projects within two years, and create a fundamental framework for an environmental economic system in China within four years.."

The State Environmental Protection Administration Pan Yue, deputy director in the 9th Twelfth "Green China Forum" that outlined China's economic policy environment timetable. Forum on Pan proposed for the first time a new environment of economic policy framework and the road map, and called on the macroeconomic sector and professional sectors together environmental and economic policy research pilot.

Pan said that the economic policy environment system is the most effective solutions to environmental problems, the best way of a long-term mechanism is an important component of macroeconomic measures part is implementing the scientific concept of development and system support.

Economic policy environment is in accordance with the laws of market economy, adopt a price, taxation, financial, credit, fees, insurance and other economic means to influence the market behavior of the main policy instruments.

Pan's economic policy environment will be divided into seven areas:

• First, the green tax. To the development, conservation, the use of environmental resources of taxpayers units and individuals, according to the environmental resource development and use, pollution, destruction and the extent of protection levy or relief, the implementation of environment-friendly behavior tax preferential policies on the environment unfriendly act , and establish a basis for the amount of pollution emitted by the direct pollution taxes, indirect pollution based on the products of environmental taxes.
  
• 
  
• Second, environmental charges. Raising the level of charges, in the resource price reform to take full account of environmental factors, pricing and fees to promote energy-saving reduction.
  
• 
  
• Third, it is green capital markets. In the indirect financing channels, the implementation of "green loan" of the environment-friendly enterprises or institutions providing loans to support and implement preferential interest rates on the new projects of the enterprises in investment and liquidity lending limits and the implementation of punitive high interest rates in the direct financing channels on a set of "two high" enterprises, including the initial capital market access restrictions, limitations and the follow-up funds from the stock market and other punitive content of audit monitoring system. (a good idea which i haven't heard much about here in the UK or in the US)
  
• 
  
• Fourth, it is ecological compensation. This policy is not just an environmental and economic needs, but also political and strategic needs. It is necessary to improve the developed areas of less developed regions, urban to rural, affluent crowd on the poor, on the lower reaches of the upper reaches, beneficiaries of the injured party, the "two high" industries of environmental protection industries to the financial transfer payment methods ecological compensation policy . (translation not good enough for me...perhaps reperation in rural areas for resources required in cities? An attempt at stabilising social tensions using the logic  of environmental rights?)
  
• 
  
• Fifth, it is trading. The use of market forces to achieve environmental protection objectives and optimize the environmental capacity of the allocation of resources, reduce the total cost of pollution control, and mobilize the enthusiasm of polluters to prevent water pollution. (water qaility credits in a market system, i believe the US currently uses this kind
• of mechanism for water qaulity)
  
• 
  
• Sixth, green trade. For the developed countries more and more green trade barriers, China must change the simple pursuit of volume growth to the neglect of environmental capacity and resource constraints of the development model, the import and export trade and balance the interests of environmental protection at home and abroad.
  
• 
  
• Seventh, Green insurance. Environmental liability insurance which most representative, on the one hand, by insurance companies and unforeseen pollution compensation to the victims of the government and enterprises to reduce the pressure on the one hand and enhance the market mechanism to force the supervision of enterprises sewage. (I believe that this is a requirement for environmental insurance, insurance on a large scale is often only obtanable on the conditions of an insurance company such as monitoring and independent assesment of pollution risks, this gives central govornment a way to introduce monitoring of business on business)
• 
  

Pan said that any one sector and macroeconomic environment with the professional competence to lead the departments are willing to implement economic policy environment, Environmental Protection Agency will meet to be willing to do supporting roles.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Scientists Review 'An Inconvenient Truth'

Penn State scientists give thier views on, and then carry out a q&a, about Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth.

• Download discussion as mp3.

Related:

• Video of Al Gore giving a slideshow which was later made into the film.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Rock Ethics Institute: Climate Change and Ethics Talks

Arguements on climate change, seem to have receeded from the mainstream. However, some of the premises used have not been publically discredited. For example the case for action was hindered by arguments based on certainty of the science, we have largely stopped having these arguments as the science is solid: we have a problem. However, there are still error bars around various climate impacts, a good example being sea level rise. So this sort of argument will raise it's ugly head again. What is needed is a more clear eyed look at the decison being made. Who has the right to decide weather a certain level of climate change is dangerous? What is the moral case for developed nations cutting emissions slowly, while the risk is placed on the inhabitants of low island developing states? Climate change arguments are widely distorted in the media, a whole range of arguments need to be grounded in a moral framework. So many of the cliched arguments are based on premises which if applied to every day situations would bee seen as farsical. The Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State University is looking at these issues in detail.

A few interesting talks from the Rock Ethics Institute.

• Ethical dimensions of geoengineering. (mp3)
• Science of Climate Change. Richard Alley (mp3)
• C02 sequestration. Klaus Lackner. (mp3)
• Economic Discounting in the Stern Review. (mp3)
• Climate Change and Pensalvanias' clean energy future. Katie McGuinty. (mp3)

Related:

• Past posts on Climate Justice.
• Past posts containing audio.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

On a wing and a prayer

The lovely Michael O'Leary wants a recession to kill off some competitors and put concerns about our children's welfare on the back burner. Meanwhile, two studies in the journal "Science" confirm once again that putting the entire biosphere in our petrol tanks is a tad foolish.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Sex, Lies, and Reformist Economic Concepts

Their is not much multi-media content online about Herman Daly. That's a shame as he has a lot of important ideas. However i have just found a talk that covers
some of Daly's ideas.

Thomas Prugh, State of the World 2008 co-director, Worldwatch Institute, introduces (MP3) the fundamental principles of sustainable economies and outlines a roadmap for achieving them.

Related:
Blog posts on economics (including sustainability).
Post on Herman Daly.
Me talking on sustainability (1, 2) (before reading Beyond Growth and Limits of Growth).

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

A Trust Fund Approach to Accelerating Deployment of CCS: Options and Considerations

The Pew Centre for Global Climate Change has just released it's latest report into the deployment of carbon caputure and storage technology. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a method for burning coal whilst prevnting the carbon from entering the atmosphere. That atleast is it's technical ability. It does have broader political implications; the coal industry which in the USA provides around half of all electricity, and in China provides around 80%, is a powerful constituency. In a democracy, so the theory goes, people have the power, but i reality concentrations of capital are a rival centre of power often in oposition to the people. CCS has the potential to placate this group, and turn coal production into part of the political solution not a source of fearce opposition. To those who believe that we should take on this fight, i respectuflly disagree and hope that we can do the most important thing in the power sector. Namely, preventing coal plants without carbon capture being built so that we can then focus on the many other problems. I explain the basics of the technology in earlier posts (link bellow) the take home message from the IPCC special report on CCS is that capacity isn't the issue. Saline aquifers, coal beds and depleted oil reserves have ample capacity to use this technology for more than 5o years. The key problems are efficiency loss (some of the coal energy is used to store the fumes), cost (at current levels of development this may be twice that of standard coal) and the related issue of rolling out the technology with sufficient rapidity to make an impact. The use of water for this technolgy may well also be a limiting factor locally.

"This paper discusses one possible avenue to accelerate deployment of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies: use of a special-purpose CCS Trust Fund. Trust funds can be an attractive policy option because, if properly designed, they can raise significant amounts of funds from non-governmental sources and can ensure that those paying into the fund benefit from the program. A CCS Trust Fund financed, for example, through fees on coal-based or fossil fuel-based electricity generation may have a role in reducing CO2 emissions from power plants because it could:

• Raise funds at the scale needed to support a significant number—e.g., 10 to 30—of commercial-scale


• CCS projects Ensure that the funds raised would be used to demonstrate CCS at commercial scale for a full range of systems applicable to U.S. power plants


• Establish the true costs, reliability, and operability of power plants with CCS


• Utilize private-sector business standards for project selection and management to ensure program cost- effectiveness.


• Significantly reduce CCS costs within 10 to 15 years by supporting approximately 30 demonstrations, yielding substantial national economic benefits as CCS becomes widely deployed. "
  

Related:
Previous posts and reports from this blog on CCS.

Previous reports in the series.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

It's finally going to happen: US cap and trade.

So, the madmen over at the Herritage Foundation (Orwelian language warning) are getting worried. Mitt Romney, the republican presidential candidate in second place for the nominations, has just stepped down leaving John McCain as a clear front runner.

"Possibly the scariest outcome from Super Tuesday is that the top three candidates to become president all support a cap-and-trade approach to global warming. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are all smart and capable leaders, but they also have been completely engrossed in White House politics for more than a year. Hopefully when they have the time to examine recent evidence they will reject their current proposals, which include costly carbon limits that will harm our economy without positively affecting the climate at all."

I am personally supporting Barack Obama as Kucinich and Gravel who would have been prefereable have dropped out. That said, of the two highly monied Democratic candidates currently in the running, policies are very close indeed, perhaps the real judgement is which of them will be best able to deal with republicans and make a real difference. Both singed up
to StepItUp and the 80% reduction in carbon emissions from 1990 levels by 2050.
This infact a focus on a long term time horizon that is largely irrelavent. However, both
have clear goals for increased investment in renewable energy technologies.

The Energy Policies of Leading Candidates for US President:

• (R) John McCain
• (D) Hillary Clinton
• (D) Barack Obama

It is facinating to me that McCain is the leading republican candidate. This happened in part due to two major endorcements, those of Gov. Arnold Scwazenegger in California and Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida. Both of these men have been leaders on climate change, and infact Scwaxenegger's endorcement was given at a solar power factory!

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Ray Anderson of Interface Speaks on Sustainability in Practice

Ray Anderson is one man who dosent believe in greenwash, speaking of his companies move towards sustainability by revolutionising manufacturing of carpets he says:

"And to complete the business case, the goodwill of the market place has been astonishing. No amount of advertising, no amount of marketing expenditure
could have done as much."

In this recent talk via the Worldwatch Institute, Ray gives an inspiring speech on Natural Capitalism. Ray speakes elloquently on the work of Amory Lovins, Lester Brown, William McDonough and Paul Hawken. It's quite a tour de force by the founder of flooring giant Interface!

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Percentage (Tipping) Points

Only nine tipping points on the NAS list - I'm sure there were thirteen not long ago. Some people will steal anything!

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

It's getting hot in here...the eco-concious cover.

It's getting hot in here...the eco-concious vesion :-)



So i guess this the official theme song of the youth climate blog of the same name.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Former Shell Boss: EU should ban cars that get less than 35mpg

It's a strange day when former captains of industry start looking like hippies. Well, it's a strange day today. The former boss of Shell Oil has just launched an outspoken attack on the EU for it's laxity in dealing with car companies. He has called for a complete ban on cars that do less than 35mpg and a firm framework 'to guide the market'.

It's amazing how radical this sounds to those of us who are used to govornment incramentalism on Climate Change. We are constantly hearing of moving towards fleet wide efficiency targets that are relatively modest...why not just make this simple and ban inneficient cars. This way there will be far greater incentive for innovating in the sports car market; that performance wont be available with petrol anymore electric and hydrogen will have to be seriously invested in.

N.B the way this argument develops is very dependent on the way the idea is put. The fact that this guy is a succsessful businesman from an oil company rules out a lot of argument people would  usually make. It's interesting how badly this has gone down at the Telegraph, but how much better it has gone down at Autocar...quite amazing actually!

Related:
Coverage by BBC
Coverage by The Telegraph

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Battery Factory for Lithium Car Batteries

Treehugger has an interesting article about advances in manufacturing electric cars...

Johnson Controls and Saft are opening a factory to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries for cars in a sign that electric and nextgeneration hybrid vehicles are reaching an industrial tipping point.

This is interestint for several reasons, notably the exlusive manufacturing of batteries for cars on a large scale, but also the manufacture of Lithium batteries with performance beyond that of traditional metal hydride batteries.

Lithium-ion battery packs, which are about half the size and weight of nickel-metal hydride batteries, will power the next generation of hybrid, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

A look at the future: transit, transit oriented development and new urbanism.

The US has done a lot of great things, started a lot of great trends and often inspired the world. It also created the concept of Suburbia and has created some of the worlds greatest examples of sprawl, some countires are following suit. But the US is finally moving away from this development trend, largely for demographic reasons.

This lecture explains well the nobel reasons for Suburbia, the subsidies that supported the idea and a discription of some new ways to develop. My favourite quote

"This is not ment to be a political statement, but if we had not faught a war in iraq qw could have put 50 of these light rail systems in place for every week that we have been in Iraq for the last five years."

There is also a discussion of a study carried out into the cost of each additional unit of housing in
a certain city, the outcome is that in the downtown areas at higher density the cost is around 1000 dollars per house for the council. For suburban areas the cost is around 22'000 dollars per unit.

Virginia Tech New Metropolist Lectures Series: "Thinking Big: Leasons from The Washington Metro" podcast, presentation.

To me, the best examples of urban development are transit oriented, having either trams, underground or bus rapid transit at the core. Perhaps the best example of Bus Rapid Transit in the world.

Bus Rapid Transit in Bogota. Video.

One of the best reasons for developing around transit stops is the reduced expenditure
on transportation costs and the consequent greater level of access to jobs for all
sectors of society.

University of Oregon, School of Architechture and Allied Arts. Shelly Poticha speaks on "Building the Livable Region: Transit Oriented Development and Development-Oriented Transit" podcast.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Too much to ask?

Government figures show a STAGGERING 0.1% drop in emissions, despite RISES from road transport and energy suppliers (not including the new coal fired non carbon-capture start-up at Kingsnorth) and of course international airline emissions are not even counted. At this rate we'll be where we were yesterday by this time next year.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Institute of Policy Studies Report: Climate vs Military security spending.

The Institute of Policy Studies has just released a report comparing US expenditure on military and climate defence. Needles to say that the US is spending vast sums on arms and military wages while spending virtually nothing on preventing the destabilisation of the global climate, which promises to cause mass migration, resource conflict and a wide range of other malodies.

"We will devote 50 times as much to arming the rest of the world as to helping it prepare for and avoid global climate catastrophe."

The Budget Compated: Military vs Climate Security (PDF)

(via Grist)

Related: 
Climate Change Action on Conflict and Climate Change.
Celsias Blog reports on senior generals on climate change.
De Smog Blog 'climate change is as dangerous as war'.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Eco-renovation Talk Series in Glasgow 2008: 13th Feb, 3rd March, April 7th, May 14th

Eco-renovation Network present a series of four events in Hillhead Library, Glasgow. Find out how to make your home more sustainable, meet the experts, ask your questions, join in the discussion, drink the wine.

• February 13th at 7.30. Nick Heath from Edinburgh's changeworks on their project eco-renovating a tenement building on the High Street. Not only listed and in a Conservation Area, this building is in the middle of a World Heritage Site. If it can be done there, it can be done anywhere.
  
• 
  
• March 3rd at 8.00. The Scottish launch of Will Anderson’s eco-renovation handbook "Green Up" – see our website for a review. Handy tips from the expert followed by questions and answers.
  
• 
  
• April 7th at 8.00. Russell Smith from Parity Projects who have eco-renovated a Victorian semi-detached house in Surrey to an extremely high standard of sustainability. It has already won prizes and featured in the media several times.
  
• 
  
• May 14th at 7.30. Another Scottish book launch. This time Nigel Griffiths who has written the recently-published Haynes Eco-House Manual,
  

All the events will be held at Hillhead Library (map), just yards from Hillhead underground station, and there will be a chance for discussion and questions after the talks. All events are free and refreshments will be provided (donation to cover costs).

We are also looking for people to give 5 minute talks at the events of interesting projects that are happening in an around Glasgow relating to eco-renovation. If you are interested please contact robert[at]eco-renovation.org

Sign up for our e-bulletin at www.eco-renovation.org

Home del.icio.us Digg This!

Radio New Internationalist Covers 2008 WSF

Power to the people. (MP3, 56MB)

'We are the millions of women and men, organisations, networks, movements, trade unions from all parts of the world. We come from rural zones and urban centres. We are of all ages, cultures and beliefs, but are united by the strong conviction that another world is possible. With our diversity - which is our strength - we invite all men and women to undertake throughout this week creative actions, activities, events and convergences focusing on the issues and expressing them in the ways they choose.'

This was the call to action made by the organizers of the World Social Forum (WSF). The first year, 20,000 responded to such a call. The next year - 100,000. Now in its eighth year, an estimated million people took part in a Global Day of Action on 26 January 2008. Nicola Bullard, from Thai-based Focus on the Global South, joined Radio New Internationalist's Chris Richards to whip around the world so that we can hear what people were doing and saying out there on the streets.

• On the beach at Rio de Janeiro, Moema Miranda from the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analysis (IBASE) remembers back to the conversations around the table at which the WSF was born.
  
• 
  
• Outside a seminar room in Lahore, Mahar Safdar Ali - the General Secretary of Anjuman Asiaye Awam - explains the connections between nuclear weapons and visas.
  
• 
  
• Fresh from a rally in Seoul, young organizer Mikyung Ryu explains the Korean issues that are motivating her people to act.
  

Befitting the diverse energy of the WSF Global Day of Action, African and Colombian beats collide in today's CD - Voodoo Love Inna Champeta-land performed by Colombiafrica: guaranteed to get all ages up from their seats and dancing in the streets.

Home del.icio.us Digg This!