Saturday, February 28, 2009

Glass half empty



As 9 out of 10 firms ignore their supply chain emissions in calculating their climate impact, and the daily hate gets alarmed at something other than immigration, we hurtle towards Copenhagen without effective brakes

With thanks as ever to Dr Glenn Barry and Climate Ark for sterling work in digging up the links

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Friday, February 27, 2009

Wipe-Out



Toilet humour. I know. It's not big. It's not clever. Some sophisticated souls pull their faces over material like this and end up looking like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle. They think it devalues the currency. I pooh pooh such notions.
Anyway...American's dedication to a luxury defecatory experience leaves virgin forests depleted, with a nagging feeling that they could have done so much more with their lives. Maybe they could have been the mainstay of continental water equilibrium. Rather water than water closets. Maybe in another life.

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Amelia Blogs the Climate Rush

Amelia has outdone herself with her latest coverage of the Climate Rush. Really great work.

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Clean Coal Air Freshener

Now with a new and improved label! New Reality ad directed by the Academy-award winning Coen Brothers.

In reality, there's no such thing as clean coal. Learn more. Join the campaign.

Labels: , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Evening Standard on Climate Rush

The evening standard on the climate rush.

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

LANDMARK DECISION (coal +climate rush)


A top class London hotel has vowed companies and organisations which contribute to climate chaos will no longer be welcome to use their facilities for corporate promotion and entertainment The move follows a Climate Rush action on the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, where hundreds of protestors converged on Thursday to halt a coal industry awards ceremony.

Coal is acknowledged among scientists and climate change activists as the world’s worst contributor to climate change in the form of CO2 emissions.

The coal industry under the banner of UK Coal were booked into the Landmark to host an awards ceremony with five star food and drink where they planned to hand out ongs for UK coal personality of the year and the best open cast minors among other categories.

Protesters dropped banners and staged a peaceful sit-in to speak out at the hotel’s support and the coal industry’s insistance of “business as usual” in the face of evident escalating climate chaos.

The Landmark’s landmark decision has been applauded by activists. “At Last! For too long profiteering from climate change has been sold to the public as a necessity of ‘business as usual’. But with global temperatures rising and climate chaos running riot in the form of drought (Africa and Australia) and flooding (low lying lands all over), we all need to work together.

“ We applaud the Landmark for their good sense and the vision to say ‘enough is enough’. They rightly don’t want to be associated with the corrupt system that needs overturning. We welcome the Landmark to play their role in the new way of doing things so needed.”


The Landmark now plans to deny companies such as the Royal Bank of Scotland (the biggest single investor in coal and oil industries) and oil companies, such as ESSO, BP and Shell, as well as the coal industry from using their ballrooms and banquet halls to promote their cause. The hotel has also pledge to communicate with the 24 other five star hotels in its’ group to suggest they do the same. Climate Rush has pledged to work with the Landmark Hotel to ensure the right companies are blocked, to send a clear message to polluters: they’re not welcome.

Labels: , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

UK faces criminal charges of 'conspiracy to build coal power plants'

Campaigners from around the world have condemned the UK govornments plan for new coal power plants. Reaching a global deal on climate change, they say, is nearly impossible if developed nations cant move away from the most polluting form of energy know to man.

Campaigners in 40 countries say UK's proposed new coal power plants will undercut emission deals.

A report in The Guardian argues that a global protest against UK plans to build new coal power plants has been launched by campaigners from more than 40 developing countries accusing the government of being a 'climate criminal'. They have written an open letter to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband that follows repeated warnings from UK groups that the decisions to approve new coal power plants and the expansion of Heathrow airport would damage the nation's position in international negotiations when it tries to persuade other countries to cut global-warming emissions, says the report. The groups oppose the current plans to build coal plants with no equipment for carbon capture and storage, and existing proposals for a 'demonstration' of the technology are inadequate, said the World Development Movement, the UK-based poverty campaigning charity which coordinated the letter.
After giving Heathrow the go ahead (and no i for one have no plans to accept that!) this govornment is desperately low on credibility on climate change. Will they blow it all by allowing eon to build kingsnorth?

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Climate Rush: Anti-Coal Protest at Landmark Hotel

A great story from Indymedia...

The latest Climate Rush event has just taken place at the Landmark Hotel in central london--location of the national coal awards (yes they exist!).

Coal UK planed to presented celebratory awards to the most damaging companies in the coal industry. Climate Rush offed an alternative awards based on the ecological damage that the coal industry is inflicting on the environment. However after several tries at rushing the hotel people discovered that the award dinner had been canceled.



Related Links:

Labels: , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Operation Noah launches Ark Campaign, calls for progress at Copenhagen.

For several years now various christian groups have been doing a lot of work on climate change. The latest campaign to come to my attention is by Opperation Noah who are launching there Ark campaign to pressure the government towards ambitious targets at the Copenhagen climate conference coming up later this year. Copenhagen will be the culmination of much international work on a climate treaty and strong legally binding targets for all the developed world, and significant commitments on mitigation from the rapidly developing south will be required, along with large scale adaptation funding. This would never be easy but in an economic crisis it is more difficult still.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

The Age of Enlightentertainment



Apparently this blog no longer materialises on some browsers. I suspect Ern has wedged a sabot somewhere in the gears.
For those few who remain....

The media don't take this stuff seriously. It's not good for business and its simply not sexy -so no matter that we're pumping it out faster than ever or that we're going to be left holding frazzled stalks of nowt come harvest time - we'll wait untill we're staring down the barrel before we think about dodging the bullet. We'll sell more ads that way.

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Kevin Smith on Climate Camp and carbon trading.

The police are maintaining there war of words against the Climate Camp. A recent police stopry was covored widely in the press--across ideological lines--from the Guardian to the Daily Mail. This story told of a fiorthcoming 'summer of rage' and went on to conflate general economic tensions relating to the financial crisis with the motives of climate change activists who dont believe in carbon trading. It is an interesting conflation, and one that we wish the public where generally more willing to make; if the neoliberal economic model has hit crisis point then do we really want to apply that same model of trading--this time in carbon certificates--to the problem of climate change? Wouldnt we be better with an approach that we know will work such as simply replacing fossil fuel plants with renewable generation, or increasing the energy eficiency of transport?

On cap and trade Kevin says:

This is a policy option that has been aggressively promoted not because of its
track record in reducing pollution (because it hasn't got one) but because of
its compatibility with the market-obsessed economic agenda of recent decades.
The concept of the omnipotence of markets has had an enormous crisis of
legitimacy in the wake of the financial crisis but the UK government is still
making futile attempts to apply the same failed market logic to the problem of
climate change.

But while the climate camp strives to think the unthinkable; environmental protection not based on markets...the police are trying to persuade the public to accept the unacceptable. Protest is not just protest it is highly disruptive 'social unrest' which requires far more strident policing.

The climate camp's plans to target the carbon markets on 1 April is one of the
protests that were described in the Guardian by Superintendent David Hartshorn
as kick-starting a "summer of rage". Using the threat of social unrest provoked
by the recession could be interpreted as an attempt to justify increasingly
draconian policing of protest. However there's a great deal of evidence to
suggest that this policing trend had started long before the recession began.

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Coal Update

The department for [the simultaneous creation of] energy and climate change took me by suprise when it released a statement which included the following:

The consented power stations are:

* a 2,000 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station at Pembroke, South West Wales to RWE npower

* a 900 MW integrated coal gasification gas-fired power station at Hatfield, Yorkshire to Powerfuel Power Ltd

* a 1,020 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station at King's Lynn, Norfolk to Centrica Leasing (KL) Ltd

Each power station agreed during the planning process that they will have the necessary land available to retrofit a carbon capture and storage plant for future use.

Consent was also given to build a second phase at Hatfield consisting of an integrated coal gasification combined cycle power station, which will use coal to produce hydrogen to fuel the station.

As part of the phase two process of producing the gas, the company has applied to capture and remove the carbon. This might involve piping it off-shore for long-term storage and possibly using a small volume for commercial purposes.


According to an informal rumour from somewhere, the coal plant has had construction consent but not opperating consent, operating concent may be conditional on ccs. This is a bit muddled at present but basically this coal plant is probably a lot further off being built than the govornment would like to imply and is some way behind Kinsnorth in terms of its expected construction date. So kingsnorth is still looking like the key target in terms of new uk coal.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Photos from heathrow demo.

I noticed that the story by AP covering the demo at downing street this week was associated by a photo which suggested it was a green party event, it wasnt.

Here is a set of photos giving and idea of who was there and what there message was.

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Biochar; part of the solution to climate change?

According to a growing, vocal and very well-connected group of scientists, entrepreneurs and lobbyists, the best if not the only way of humanity surviving climate change and solving the food and energy crisis is to plough billions of tonnes of charcoal into the soil every year. They call charcoal used in this way “biochar” and claim that it will lock up carbon for thousands of years, provide energy through the same process which produces the charcoal, greatly increase plant yields and stop deforestation (caused, according to many of them, mainly by small farmers who slash and burn forests because they cannot keep their soil fertile). However bizarre and unfounded these claims may be, they are being taken very seriously in high-level policy circles.

A keynote speaker at the 2008 conference of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI), which is the main biochar lobbying forum, was the Australian Tim Flannery. He chairs the Copenhagen Climate Council which is organising the World Business Summit on Climate Change in May, ’09, which will put forward business and pro-business leaders’ ‘recommendations’ to UNFCCC. Many IBI members and supporters are similarly well-connected and able to influence high-level policy decisions.

The IBI achieved major successes at the Poznan UNFCCC Conference: Following a UNCCD submission in Poznan, biochar has been included into the “dialogue for the post 2012 climate regime”. 1 Furthermore, the government of Micronesia proposed that biochar should play a vital role in mitigating climate change. Post-2012 CDM credits for biochar could be formally approved at Copenhagen.

If it is endorsed then a statement made by Flannery about “biochar” might well prove correct: “With the appropriate …promotion and adoption, it will change our world forever”, though, there is every reason to reach the opposite conclusion regarding the second part of his sentence: “and very much for the better”.2

Fine-grained charcoal is a by-product from biomass pyrolysis, a form of bioenergy production which yields two types of fuel; bio-oil and syngas as well as the charcoal. Both can be used for heat and power and they can also be further refined into second-generation agrofuels, i.e. into fuel for cars and potentially planes. It thus fits in perfectly with the push for biorefineries and tree plantations to fuel cars, but it does not depend on those. Pyrolysis for heat and power could be rapidly scaled up, provided that ‘market hurdles’ can be overcome. If pyrolysis companies could earn money from turning the biochar into patented fertilisers (with plantation expansion guaranteeing high profits from fertilisers), and if, on top of that they could attract carbon credits, the industry could take off very quickly. For companies such as Best Energies, Eprida, Dynamotive and Biomass Energy and Carbon, getting biochar included into carbon trading could make the difference between possible bankruptcy or, as Best Energies put it “win[ning] the current land grab in next-generation fuels”3.

IBI lobbyists promote an image of a future industry which primarily benefit small farmers and other villagers, through small pyrolysis units and charcoal-making cooking stoves, yet many of their spokespeople call for “biochar” ‘carbon sequestration’ targets which would make half a billion hectares of biochar plantations sound conservative.

“Biochar” thus fits in with other false climate solutions based on large-scale plantations and land-grabbing, from agrofuels to ‘carbon sink’ tree plantations and GE trees. The scientific rationale for “biochar” is even shakier than for many other false solutions: Agrofuels, however harmful, can at least power cars. Applying charcoal to soils, on the other hand has not been shown to reliably sequester carbon or make soil more fertile on its own. The ‘evidence’ for the claims is based primarily on terra preta, ancient soils in Central Amazonia, formed hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Terra preta was created by small farmers who, over many generations, mixed charcoal as well as compost, animal and fish bones, river sediments, manure and diverse biomass residues into the soil. There is no evidence that carbon-rich, fertile soils can be recreated simply – or quickly – by applying large quantities of charcoal to fields.

So far only one “biochar” field study has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Researchers found that, charcoal additions to soil made synthetic nitrogen fertilisers work better. Yields for plants grown with char and fertilisers were still considerably lower than for plants grown solely with chicken manure. Using nothing but charcoal, however, resulted in zero plant growth after two harvests. This is why a lot of the ‘biochar research’ actually involves an ammonium bicarbonate fertiliser, of which char is only one component. At least during this short-term study, most of the carbon remained in the soil, but other studies indicate that even this is not guaranteed.

A study in Kenya showed that over the first 20-30 years after biomass burning, soils lost 72% of the carbon contained in charcoal.(4) Initial results of a Colombian field study show that plots with charcoal had higher yields but lost 60% more soil carbon than control plots over two years.5 This makes claims about biochar having the potential to sequester carbon on a geo-engineeering scale little more than hot air.

The push for “”biochar today can be compared with that for agrofuels around 2002: Unfounded promises to solve the climate crisis and poverty with one stroke, while, behind the scenes, a massive lobbying effort is paving the way for artificial markets through state support. By the end of this year, the biochar lobby could well succeed in getting “biochar” into the CDM and other carbon trading schemes from 2012, possibly with ‘double credits’, as well as gaining other state support. Once this is in place, major industry investment and plantation expansion will follow. Several Indonesian pulp and paper companies, the executive director of the Indonesian palm oil association, Embrapa in Brazil, the Bolivian agribusiness firm DESA in Santa Cruz and Shell are amongst those already promoting the idea. The question is whether civil society groups and movements will be able to organise quickly enough and succeed in stopping the push for industrial biochar and, above all, carbon trading in charcoal as a soil amendment(“biochar”). If we fail this year then we could soon find ourselves fighting against another wave of land-grabbing and forest and other ecosystem destruction.

By Almuth Ernsting, Biofuelwatch, http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk, e-mail: info at biofuelwatch dot org dot uk

References:

For fuller information see in particular Section 4 of “Climate Geo-engineering with ‘Carbon Negative’ Bioenergy”, www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/docs/cnbe/cnbe.html

  1. http://www.biochar-international.org/timflannery.html
  2. http://www.bestenergies.com/aboutus.html
  3. http://www.springerlink.com/content/0h15324rrg7k5061/
  4. http://www.biochar-international.org/images/J_Major_biogeochem.pdf

Source: WRM Bulletin, Nr. 138 (Januar 2009)
www.wrm.org.uy

For a briefing paper on biochar, please see 'Biochar for Climate Change Mitigation: Fact or Fiction?' by Almuth Ernsting and Rachel Smolker, www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/docs/biocharbriefing.pdf . For a detailed report about the different proposals for climate geo-engineering with biomass, including biochar, see 'Climate Geo-engineering with 'carbno negative' bioenergy: Climate saviour or climate endgame' by Almuth Ernsting and Deepak Rughani, www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/docs/cnbe/cnbe.html

Labels: , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Char wallahs



BioChar seems set to be a nice little earner for those unable to fill their boots with biodiesel. But before everybody runs away with the idea that this is some sort of tried and tested technology, lets have a little look at the downside, shall we. (with thanks to Almuth Ernsting and Rachel Smolker)
Especially in light of the unsettling ups and downs of the palnet's forests, the state of the larder and the urgency of the task

This is something of first for Throbgoblins International:
Of all the links we have included over the past year we have never had occasion to link to that great British arse wiper, the Sun. But there's always a first time, and their splash coverage of "The Age of Stupid" can be seen here.

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Flying Matters 2009 Game Plane Leaked (PDF download)


A copy of Pro-Aviation lobby group flying matters has been leaked to Greenpeace.


The Greenpeace summary is here.


The document as a pdf is here.

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

March on E.ON: Thursday 19th of March

WDM, Christian Aid and others from Stop Climate Chaos are going to EON's Headquaters.

On Thursday 19 March, WDM will be joining forces with other organisations, Christian Aid, Cafod and Stop Climate Chaos, for a Day of Action on E.ON in Coventry where their headquarters are based. This will send the message to the government, the EU and E.ON that we don’t want new coal.

The day will consist of three parts: a service in Coventry Cathedral; a parade around Coventry city centre; and a campaign moment at E.ON Headquarters. E.ON is targeted because it plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, Kent. Coal is the single biggest source of Climate Change.

For more details contact Katherine: katharine AT wdm DOT org DOT uk
I dont expect it will be as much fun as the climate camp action, but i`m sure it will get some press attention, and Eon will hate it!

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Edinburgh: Climate change +direct action 2nd March 2009 7pm.

Film and discussion about climate change and direct action.
Edinburgh, Forest cafe, 2nd March, 7pm

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Heathrow Expansion: Only if Labour Are Re-Elected

From John Stewart at HACAN:

BAA has confirmed that it will take them at least 18 months/2 years to work up detailed plans for a 3rd runway, a 6th terminal, any new approach roads, and the new flight paths which will be required. That means they will have nothing ready this side of the next General Election (due, at the latest, June 2010). And, as we know, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have said they would scrap plans for a 3rd runway, if elected. This was confirmed in the debate initiated by the Conservatives on 28th January.

So it looks like labour are going to risk there re-election simply for this runway, thats remarkably stupid...if i was being generous i`d say that the purely economic evidence is contested. Its a climate disaster and the local hate is so why are Labour soooo commited?

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

City Airport Demo--York Hall: Thurs 5th March

Fight the Flights, who oppose more flights at City Airport, will be holding a demo outside York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green E2 9PJ where the Mayor, who supported a 50% increase in flight numbers at City Airport, will be holding a People’s Question Time.

The time of the event: 7.00pm – 9.00pm (doors open at 6.00pm). The time of the demo is to be confirmed but is likely to around 5.30/6.00pm. Check our website. If you want to go in, book your tickets:


http://www.london.gov..uk/gla/pqt/20090305/

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Heathrow Demo: 5:30pm Thursday 19th Feb opposite Downing Street


3rd runway - no way !

Thursday 19th February 2009 5.30 to 7.00 pm

Opposite Downing Street (Westminster tube)

Speakers include John Mcdonnell MP, Susan Kramer MP, Jean Lambert MEP

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

James Hansen: Coal and the Urgency of Climate Change

In a recent OpEd in the Observer James Hansen had harsh words for unabated coal, and also strong warning about the dangers of runaway climate change.

On the latest climate science (post IPCC 4AR):

Only in the past few years did the science crystallize, revealing the urgency – our planet really is in peril. If we do not change course soon, we will hand our children a situation that is out of their control, as amplifying feedbacks drive the dynamics of the global system.
On coal:

The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death.
And, agreeing with the climate camp stickers which state 'the future is not what is used to be':

The greatest threats, hanging like the sword of Damocles over our children and
grandchildren, are those that are irreversible on any time scale that humans can imagine. If coastal ice shelves buttressing the West Antarctic ice sheet continue to disintegrate, the ice sheet could disgorge into the ocean, raising sea level by several meters in a century. Such rates of sea level change have occurred many times in Earth’s history in response to global warming rates no higher than that of the past thirty years. Almost half of the world’s great cities, and many historical sites, are located on coast lines.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Join the Zero Carbon Caravan to Coppenhagen!

The climate talks at Copenhagen are hugely important. However skeptical we are about the likelihood of success there really is no option but to push for a serious deal. If/when that fails we can have our critique ready. But in the mean time I for one will be supporting efforts such as the Zero Carbon Caravan.

This educational and fossil fuel free mobilisation to Copenhagen is in its early stages but to sign up for the newsletter and to see how you can help check out the website.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Economic innequality and financial instability.

Economic innequality and financial instability.

Labels: , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

The Age of Stupid (new climate change documentary)

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Age of stupd, EON Academy, New coal in the UK, dodgy carbon accounting.

Trying to get my inbox back under control. About halfway there at the moment.

A few highlights:

1. The Age of Stupid: A film set in the future looking back and asking us why we made the decisions we made. Its a powerful concept, released soon, and creating lots of chatter.


The Age of Stupid: final trailer Feb 2009 from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

The Age of Stupid is a 90-minute film about climate change, set in the future, which will have its world premiere in London on March 15th 2009 and then be released in UK cinemas on March 20th 2009, followed by other countries.



Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off) stars as a man living alone in the devasted world of 2055, looking back at “archive” footage from 2007 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

2. EON opens training academy. As this academy is based at a coal fired power plant, you have to ask if EON are really planning for the future or for a repeat of the past.

3. The Times has an interesting article on a proposed now IGCC coal plant next to Hatfield collary. This project recently got the go ahead, the inclusion of ccs in the project is not a procondition of construction.

4. The Guardian has a piece on the govornments carbon accounting, which apparently isnt squeeky clean.

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Monday, February 16, 2009

EON F-OFF: Arsenal vs Cardiff (emirates stadium FA CUP)

About 18 of us went along to the Emirates stadium to hand our EON FOFF red cards. We handed out several thousand, to a very good reception. Very satisfying :-)


Labels: , , , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Much ado about nothing



Things get worse and get worse quicker, and the media fudge and the businessmen run for cover.

Lots
of
bad
news
today

...so I'm posting a curate's egg of a cartoon, putting my feet up and watching some crap TV

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Ed Miliband and A Govornment of Hypocrites

The Plane Stupid activists dressed in t-shirts reading:
'Ed's Popular Mobilization Team'
referring to Miliband's call late last year for 'Popular Mobilization' on the issue of Climate Chang. Flyers listing the 34 airports planned for expansion within the UK were handed out to the audience, demonstrating the apparent lack of government resolve for tackling the environmental issues that are crucial for safe-guarding our future. Demonstrating their disapproval of the governments un-democratic pandering to corporate interests, the audience made paper aeroplanes, which took flight in the direction of Ed Miliband.

Labels:

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Feeding The Hand That BItes you



There's been a lot of debate lately about whether this or that extreme weather event - from China to Australia - is a symptom of Global Warming or merely a surprisingly large cluster of normal freak events. Are these disasters the last of the rare disasters or the first of the common disasters? This seems to me to be like asking - whilst under violent assault - whether one's assailant is the familiar local nutter or a scout for the rampaging army of zombie psychopaths that are on their way to ravage your neighbourhood but at present are still some miles away enjoying a breakfast of griddled brains in a nearby town. The fact of imminent zombie invasion should surely be focusing our minds rather better than it is. But the general consensus seems to be that, untill our shopping malls are actually being over run with slavering mutants, there is no need for any action that might interfere with the day's business.

Changing the lightbulbs in the mall isn't going to stop an army of zombies. We may need to choose a different battlefield

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, February 12, 2009

NEW! Documentary on Climate Camp.

In a liberal democracy freedom of the press is sacrisanct...




Part 2...




God i love citizen journalists! Independent media is the only way to go, we need to improve it, but it is the only game in town if we want to change our society for the better.

Labels: , , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

NEW: Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Select Committee

There are several committees in parliament which look at climate change in various ways. In general the select committees are very good and debunking govornment spin and providing a voice of support for stringent cuts in emissions. There have been some changes recently, so to summerise.

There are several select committees:
  1. The Environmental Audit Committee (which has hitherto done most of the work on climate change and is focused on a theme rather than a department).
  2. The Envronment Food and Rural Afairs (EFRA) Committee (which has looked at DEFRAs work, including climate change to a significant degree)
  3. The Energy and Climate Change Committee (which has taken onthe climate change part of EFRAs brief in the same way that the department for energy and climate change has taken on the climate change part of DEFRAs work)
Other than these committees some significant players in the general milieu of gvornment climate policy are:
  1. The Committee on Climate Change (setup to oversee the climate change bill).
  2. The Sustainable Development Comission.

The new energy and climate change committee has web pages here.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Coal Update

In the last few days my news filters have picked up the following about coal in the UK...

  1. An old article (why?) with an interesting statement from Paul Golby about the fact that basically the govornment have to look after his customers because that isnt his responsibility.
  2. Julian Cope on a discussion that covored clean coal at Leeds civic hall.
  3. A new website for your attention--publicservice.co.uk have a piece about climate change and energy.
  4. EON came second in Greenpeace's 'emerald paintbrush' award for greenwashing.
  5. EON staff are protesting about foreign workers being brought in to take 'british jobs'.
  6. The coal gasification plat being built in Hatfield may get 250M euros of funding from the EU to convert to CCS.
  7. EON sacks 19 of its 100 PR staff.

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Anti- Heathrow campaigners to meet airport residents from Clydebank, Paisley, Cramond, Aberdeen.

Communities from all across Scotland are co-ordinating and mobilising to halt airport expansion, with a little help from the 'Heathrow Ladies.'

Key figures from the attention grabbling campaign against Heathrow expansion will be touring Scotland to meet with communities fighting expansion plans at Scotland's main airports.

Next week two of the 'Heathrow Ladies' – Maggie Thorburn and Geraldine Nicholson – will speak at public meetings in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

  • Monday 16th February-Glasgow University Union Reading Room 1.00pm Clydebank Town Hall Lecture room 7.00pm
  • Tuesday 17th February- Cramond Davidsons Mains Parish Church 7.00pm
  • Wednesday 18th February-Edinburgh Chaplaincy Centre Bristo Square 6.30pm
  • Thursday 19th February-Aberdeen Arts Centre 7.00pm

The tour has been organised by PlaneSpeaking .

The tour has been timed to coincide with scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament of the National lanning Framework which may give the green light to expansion at Glasgow, Edinburgh, berdeen and Prestwick airports.

PlaneSpeaking spokeswoman Tilly Gifford said,

"We are delighted that the 'Heathrow Ladies' are coming to Scotland. They will meet both local communities and activists, telling their stories and sharing their experiences."
Tilly added,

"Communities, environmental groups and individuals across the country have become frustrated with the refusal of those in power to acknowledge the impact of aviation expansion on climate change and the extra noise it will mean for so many local people. What will really interest people is the way that the Heathrow campaigners have developed a radical, high-profile campaign which many believe we see off the plans to build a third runway."


Geraldine Nicholson is a mother of three young children who will find herself living 100 yards from the third runway if it is built at Heathrow. Together with other local people, the majority of them women, she formed the No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG). Geraldine now chairs
the organisation. She will tell the story of how a group of localpeople have taken on the might of BAA.

Maggie Thorburn has lived under the flight path to Heathrow for nearly 30 years. During that time she has seen BAA and successive governments break a series of promises about expanding the airport. She will explain how the experience has radicalised her to the extent that, despite having a walking disability, she is prepared to take direct action to stop further expansion at Heathrow.

John Stewart, who chairs the coalition opposing expansion at Heathrow, will also be part of the tour for three days (Monday –Wednesday). Last year he was voted 'the UK's most effective environmentalist'.

Labels: , , , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Dye letters in the snow: spend the night in jail!

On Sunday 8th Feburary 2009 a radical attempt was made to spread a message. I say radical, based on the police response. Being arrested for trying to get a message across--how, i hear you say, where these delinquents communicating? Ehh, well, they had some food dye and they diluted it and they wrote thier message in the snow. And it wasnt the deadly yellow snow that Frank Zappa warned us all about, it was blue snow.

They had the teremity to write 'plane stupid' and 'you fly, they die' half a mile from the airport. We arent talking about runway invasion here, we are talking about a farce. In England that would be wrongful arrest, i`m not sure about north of the border.

Related:
  1. Anti-aviation campaigns in scotland.

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Climate Camp Article in Guardian (Carbon Trading)

When it comes to reducing emissions via carbon trading I guess the question we want people to ask is:
Do we want to place our faith in the same set of principles that lead to the financial crisis?
The economy is important but our natural environment is foundational to life. Lets not gamble on this one. Stopping the construction of new coal plants is a lot more concrete than trading in abstract units of 'avoided emissions' and the more abstract you get the more profiteering and confusion is possible.
The organisers of Climate Camp, a protest group that has previously demonstrated at coal power stations and Heathrow airport, have chosen London's financial centre as the target of their main summer protest this year.

The decision to target the City is aimed at throwing a spotlight on the carbon trading system, one of the central planks of the EU's attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from businesses. Carbon trading in the US is also being pushed by the Obama administration, but the activists say they want to highlight the failure of the mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The precise form of the protest and where it will take place are yet to be decided, although a spontaneous snowball fight that broke out between environmental activists and bankers after the heavy snowfall on 2 February may have inspired the group to target the City. The action may also strike a chord with public anger at huge public bail-outs of the banks.

(article in the Guardian)

Labels: , , ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Go ahead for 900MW coal gasification plant !

According to New Energy Focus:

Energy minister Mike O'Brien granted consent yesterday for a 900MW coal
gasification plant in Hatfield, Yorkshire, which developers are hoping to turn
into a carbon capture and storage plant at a later date.

Coal gasification via IGCC may be the most practical way to create a power plant that utilises carbon capture and storage technology. However, you do have to decide before the plant is built weather you are specifying for subsequent seperation and liquification of the carbon dioxide.

I`m somewhat skeptical about weather the specifications for this plant will be suitable for ccs, but its worth a look. I just wish the govornmnet where insistent on this technology, that way we would all know that it wasnt being used as a fig leaf for dirty development.

Related:

Labels: ,

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Monday, February 02, 2009

Cartoon Capture and Storage



I could have gone for a serious exploration of the food crisis, or a sober appraisal of the possibilities of solar technology...... but I went with a fart gag with a poop punchline. Come the revolution humour will be resilient and sustainable.

There is no such thing as clean coal.

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Fox Trot(?)



And lo - Darkness is upon the face of the waters pretty much everywhere you look, whilst Australia maintains its historically low tolerance of humans. Is it any surprise that Uncle David Attenborough should feel moved to take a small swipe at biblical half-wittery in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species.

Jonathan Porrit also speaks out about the elephant in the room.

A price is put on life.

Elsewhere, disappointingly, - Jim Hansen declines to support those struggling against airport expansion - declaring it an irrelevance in the face of the real problems - which centre around coal. Of course Jim Hansen is not a man whose opinions one dismisses lightly - and he no doubt has well considered reasons - but we at Throbgoblins International consider that the cultural significance of the conspicuous carbon consumption of habitual frivolous air travel makes it a crucial target in the struggle for a resilient and sustainable post-carbon society.
Mr Hansen will no doubt be on Michael O'Leary's Chritmas card list this year

Climate Change Action

Home furl google deliciousdel.icio.usnetvouz newsvine diggDigg This!reddit spurl Technorati

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz