Carbon
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The energy market is not working to benefit consumers in the UK or Europe – here is why
This crisis is occurring because of the way the government structures the markets. Consumers cannot access cheap green power, we all have to buy expensive power. We pay more as residential consumers in London than in any other capital city except Rome. The data is here and it is clear. In the UK more than half our electricity is generated from non-fossil fuel sources, and yet renewable energy has not protected us from expensive power. The price of gas sets the price of electricity! The most expensive form of generation sets the price. Moreover, of course, we consumers can’t switch out of electricity – cheap electricity has not benefited consumers.…
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Ian Care: Thinking Outside the Box
Ian will make you think – I found these interviews really stimulating. Do not be put off by his listing on LinkedIn. Ian Care is an award-winning innovator who has provided technical, project and innovation leadership, acclaimed by and delivering £multi-million benefits for Rolls-Royce plc. where he worked for close to 30 years. He has delivered continuous improvement across many projects, applying strategic thinking, specialist design skills and acquired engineering breadth resulting in reduced cost, scrap / duplication, improved productivity, quality and enhanced skills, knowledge and confidence. Engages with external partners to leverage the best intellectual property and cost results. Strong skills in creative problem solving and product development. Patented…
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Carbon offsetting a get out of jail card?
The issues of carbon pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are moving up the political agenda. The children’s strikes, protests by Extinction Rebellion and increasing government action will make the burning of fossil fuels more expensive. There are challenges in all sectors of travel and tourism but the elephant in the room is aviation. Airlines emit 80% of our industry’s greenhouse gasses and air travel is growing at 5% per year. As other industries reduce their carbon emissions aviation will account for ever-larger shares of global emissions. More Aviation is the Achilles’ heel of the sector. Brian Summers writing is Skift has commented on the KLM initiative: “Take KLM, the…
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No real progress at ICAO on reducing carbon emissions
At the close of the 38th session of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Friday the ICAO States committed the organisation to develop a global market-based measure (MBM) to limit the growth of international aviation emissions. The key paragraph is 5 on page 13: “Resolves that States and relevant organizations will work through ICAO to achieve a global annual average fuel efficiency improvement of 2 per cent until 2020 and an aspirational global fuel efficiency improvement rate of 2 per cent per annum from 2021 to 2050, calculated on the basis of volume of fuel used per revenue tonne kilometre performed”. This commitment is purely aspirational and voluntary Paragraph 5…
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IPCC, Clmate Change Update
There is overwhelming evidence that the average temperature of the earth is rising and we have understood the contribution of greenhouse gases to that process for 150 years. Given the potentially, and increasingly likely, disastrous consequences the precautionary principle requires that we take action now to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. The Summary for Policymaker, Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report is now available. In each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850. “Human influence has been detected in warming of the atmosphere and the ocean, in changes in the global water…
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Climate change is causing human conflict already – the problem is now in Syria.
We rarely hear progressive opinion from the USA. That is not to say that it does not exist there. William R Polk served on the State Department’s Policy Planning staff during the Kennedy years. In a thought provoking piece about the Syrian chemical attack issue Polk explains why Syria has entered a crisis – and it is to do with water. Climate change produced drought, hunger and displacement – and civil war. “Syria has been convulsed by civil war since climate change came to Syria with a vengeance. Drought devastated the country from 2006 to 2011. Rainfall in most of the country fell below eight inches (20 cm) a year, the…
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Emissions Trading isn’t working and may be dangerous
While we wait to hear in October whether the EU will be extending emissions trading to international aviation it is worth reflecting that the cost of carbon pollution is very low. Not much of an incentive. On the carbon offsetting website Terrapass you can buy a metric tonne for $13.12 EU Allowances (EUAs are trading at around €5.5 as I write this For the background on the EU ETS As they argue “By putting a price on carbon and thereby giving a financial value to each tonne of emissions saved, the EU ETS has placed climate change on the agenda of company boards and their financial departments across Europe. A…
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Danger: climate change deniers at large in the House of Commons
It is interesting how politicians demand much higher standards of proof when the facts are inconvenient; more than the criminal justice system standard of beyond reasonable doubt. For the facts on how spurious their case is see George Monbiot’s piece in today’s Guardian read more They are not very numerate either …..
