On this morning’s news plans for a new high-speed rail network will be announced by the government. If their strategy is to entice car drivers onto the railway that would be good news, but the Conservatives, who turned down an invitation to see the plans ahead of today’s announcement, are keen for the route to go directly to Heathrow airport in west London. It seems that the witless wanderings of rampant consumerism – in this case tourism – are still close to the Tory heart. The connection between air transport and global environmental damage, burning capital (irreplaceable fossil fuels) as though it is income, seems to have still failed to penetrate the minds of the rich. Maybe they have shares in BP and aviation companies?

Quote:
Plans for a high-speed rail (HSR) network featuring 250mph trains will be announced today by the Government.

But it is likely to be 2025 at the earliest before the first section of new track – from London to Birmingham – is completed.

Nearer to home>>

Morrisons profits continue to grow

In a year where Morrisons supermarkets have invested in many new stores. They opened 45 new stores this year (2 were replacements) taking their total to 425.

Pre-tax profits climbed to £858m from £655m from the same period the previous year, including an exceptional credit of £91m arising from steps taken to strengthen pension schemes, as turnover climbed to £15.4bn from £14.5bn. Like-for-like sales excluding fuel and VAT were up by 6%, lower than the 8.2% growth seen the previous year.

The full-year dividend was lifted by 41% to 8.2p a share.

Photovoltaic cells, that generate electricity from electromagnetic waves (typically sunlight), were initially so expensive to produce that they only appeared in tiny devices such as pocket calculators or high-tech applications like satellites and space exploration. With improved design, technology and sales volume it is now feasible to use them in your own home or business, and government grants are available to help encourage the pioneers!

Selling solar electricity to the national grid

It is now possible to sell the electricity you don’t use to the national grid, and a premium is payable to encourage the pioneers.

The energy saving trust guide

energy saving trust guide to calculating what works for you:

the guide

Clean Energy Cashback

About the Feed-in Tariff (Clean Energy Cashback) scheme

The scheme covers the following electricity-generating technologies, up to 5 Mega Watts:

- Solar electricity (PV) (roof mounted or stand alone)

- Wind turbine (building mounted or free standing)

- Hydroelectricity

- Anaerobic digestion

- Micro combined heat and power (mCHP) (limited to a pilot at this stage)

The tariffs available and the process for receiving them vary, depending on when the technology was installed, and whether the system and the installer were certificated under the MCS* scheme. See below for further details

qualifying for the full FIT payments

You will qualify for the full FIT payments if:

- The technology was installed between 15th July 2009 and 31st March 2010; OR

- It is installed on or after 1st April 2010 using an MCS certificated product and by an MCS* certificated installer;

- The system installed on or after 1st April 2010 is MCS* certificated

Microgeneration Certification Scheme

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme website has lists of certified suppliers and installers, and guidance on deciding what is best for your home or business.

With the development of rechargeable batteries in recent years, as evidenced by their almost universal replacement of mains leads in hand operated power tools (drill, jigsaws, etc.) and small vehicles, it is now feasible for determined individuals to convert a truck to electricity; either using solar electric as described above, or having similar panels on the roof of the truck.

An example of local government determination to encourage cleaner transport is shown for London:

London’s electric vehicles

Many claim that the current limit of approx 160km range, then a 20 minute charge-up time will deter most buyers. But public demand for cleaner lifestyles and environmental awareness are improving faster than expected.

But Mr Ghosn says that “80% of the people on earth, driving a car, drive less than 100km a day”.

Plans were recently announced in the UK to generate 20% of all electricity from wind turbines placed in the shallows of the North Sea and west of Lundy. It may be electioneering, but it gives interested voters a stick with which to beat backsliding MPs in the future

popular posts:
satire with King Arthur

Environmental Rage poem lyrics

St Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall: photos

poems and songs ,

satirical songs ,

On today’s news, the OfGem Chief executive, Alistair Buchanan, warns that Britain’s privatised energy suppliers will struggle to deliver supplies of electricity and gas in the coming decade. Also he warns that many people will struggle to afford the rising energy bills.

Given that it is several decades since the alarm bells were ringing, and even longer since the environmental damage caused by chronic Consumerism was well publicised, one wonders what to do?

A search on Google suggests that a tourist 747 uses 300 gallons (about 1.5 tonnes) just to take-off. A carrier bag weighs about 1 gram, hence it takes about 2 gram of hydrocarbons to make it. Some bags are much heavier, but re-usable in many ways.

http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:4rOFzdUkEMwJ:www.carrierbagtax.com/downloads/Carrier_bags_Norwegian_report_summary.doc+oil+needed+to+make+1+carrier+bag

The government could either quit supporting and promoting Consumerism (yes, it is a religion; the dominant religion of the western world), and make serious inroads into solving the problem. Or they could make a big fuss about re-using carrier bags and engender a false sense of ‘doing our bit’.

A significant difference between carrier bags and 747 take-offs is that all carrier bags are potentially useful in other ways – recycling in fleece manufacture, storing and carrying other things, use as rubbish bags. (Aim to dispose of your non-recyclable household rubbish in ONE carrier bag per week and you will really achieve something!). When aviation fuel is burned, it has gone forever.

( One tourist take-off ) = 1,500,000
( one carrier bag ) 2

750,000 : 1

Which do you suppose our elected leaders will choose? The token or the cultural transformation?

I fear people will still be trekking to the supermarket in the 4×4s, tourist brochures in their hand, and reusing their carrier bags.

US President Barack Obama defended the accord he helped broker with China and other main powers.

The non-binding pact, called the Copenhagen Accord, was not adopted by consensus at the summit in Denmark.

Instead, after two weeks of frantic negotiations, the 193-nation conference ended on Saturday with delegates merely taking note of the deal.

In other words, the ‘developed’ nations would rather ‘compensate’ for global environmental destruction than address the problems of rampant consumerism and a political system that refuses to address real, serious and unpopular issues such as Consumerism and a combination of electorally popular benefits and taxes that has socially-engineered the prevailing degradation of responsibility, understanding and vision.

Demonstrations are to be held across the UK and in the Irish Republic later to demand action on climate change ahead of the Copenhagen summit.

Protesters in London, Belfast, Glasgow and Dublin want world leaders to reach a tough new deal on cutting emissions.

The protests come as the Met Office prepares to publish the raw figures it uses to assess man-made global warming.

It follows a row, dubbed “Climategate”, about the reliability of data from the University of East Anglia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8396696.stm

Have the witless of UEA given the climate changers a peg to hang their greedy illusions on?

a diy project!

and similar:

Electric Car in-wheel motor Siemens eCorner

erdinand Porsche put wheel motors on a battery electric car in 1897. They built about 300 of them and there were 4WD & FWD versions. He also made a hybrid version.

Amazing that 112 years later Wheel motors still aren’t in mass production.

Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies and idling. Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous. With an Electric Car it costs just $1.00 per 100kms with MUCH more performance than with petrol at $20.00 per 100kms.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5AS09220091129

Fifty-five workers at the Kaiga plant needed medical treatment for excessive exposure to radiation after tritium contaminated a water cooler.

Officials said the leak might have been deliberate.

“Mischief is not ruled out. Investigations are on,” plant director J P Gupta told Reuters news agency.

“This incident has in no way affected the public, safety, health and environment.”

The highly protected Kaiga plant is on the west coast of India, 450km (280 miles) from Bangalore.

Tritium, also known as Hydrogen-3, is used in research, fusion reactors and neutron generators.

30 November
update from Hindustantimes.com

Preliminary enquiry does not reveal any violation of operating procedure or radioactive releases or security breach,” said the corporation’s chairman and managing director, SK Jain, adding: “It was an act of mischief.”

“Somebody deliberately put tritiated water vials into a drinking water cooler,” Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar told PTI in Mumbai. “We are investigating who is behind the malevolent act.”

Bangalore:

Bangalore city is now the nerve centre of industrial activity in the state with the presence of several Public Sector Undertakings. The Electronic City in Bommasandra and the Software Technology Park, called the IT Park, which has come up on the outskirts of the city, has earned the reputation of being the “Silicon” Valley of India. Many multinational and Indian companies are represented here. Ranked among the 10 fastest growing cities in the world, Bangalore has many on-going and proposed projects in the industrial and Information Technology sectors. The city has slowly found a place in the country’s history and off recently a place on the world map. Today Bangalore is India’s fifth largest and the fastest growing city in Asia.
http://www.discoverbangalore.com/firstpage.html

Rotterdam – below the sea City

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8362147.stm

Heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II, Europe’s busiest port lacks the rustic charm of Amsterdam.

But city authorities are aiming to turn it into an international showcase for water management, making a virtue out of what was once its biggest threat.

Although the story of Hans Brinker shoving his finger in the dyke to stop it from bursting is a myth, Dutch expertise in this field is not in question.

With much of its land mass below sea-level, the country has been battling the sea for centuries, using dykes and windmills to control the flow of water.

flood dangers in Bangladesh

Risk remains

Daniel Brakman remembers the last time Dutch sea defences were breached – in 1953.

Adapting to change

Rotterdam’s ultimate goal is to make itself climate-proof – able to withstand whatever the weather throws at it – by 2025.

In addition to hi-tech water management systems, the city is also exploiting “soft technology” such as water plazas, green roofs and multi-purpose storage facilities.
Water taxis in Rotterdam
Water taxis may one day ply between floating housing developments

More ambitiously, it plans to develop a 50-hectare (120-acre) floating housing development, with a neighbourhood of environmentally friendly houseboats.

Mozambique

Mozambique is widely cited as one of the countries most affected by climate change – and one of the key concerns is rising sea levels.

The country has one of the longest coastlines in Africa, stretching 2,700 km (1,650 miles). About 13 million people live in coastal areas, and even more live in river deltas.

“Mozambican people are already suffering,” said Environment Minister Alcinda Abreu. Climate change will affect “their living conditions and also their dignity”, she added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8376009.stm

Large sums promised to developing countries to help them tackle climate change cannot be accounted for, a BBC investigation has found.

Rich countries pledged $410m (£247m) a year in a 2001 declaration – but it is now unclear whether the money was paid.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has accused industrialised countries of failing to keep their promise.

The EU says the money was paid out in bilateral deals, but admits it cannot provide data to prove it.

Largest cities at risk from rising sea levels

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8369236.stm

When people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of small island states that risk being submerged if global warming continues unchecked.

But it’s not only those on low-lying islands who are in danger. Millions of people live by the sea – and are dependent on it for their livelihoods – and many of the world’s largest cities are on the coast.

By 2050 the number of people living in delta cities is set to increase by as much as 70%, experts suggest, vastly increasing the number of those at risk.

Forestry Commission recommends 4% forestry planting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8377827.stm

Millions of trees should be planted to cover an extra 4% of the UK in forests in order to tackle climate change, the Forestry Commission has recommended.

It said planting 23,000 hectares a year would make a “significant” contribution to meeting lower emissions targets.

Trees suck carbon dioxide from the air and store it in wood, cutting the level of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said the government would work to ensure the planting programme happened.

NIMBY strategy to counter sprawl

BBC radio 7.46a.m. today
The system of registering village greens is being used by ‘not in my backyard’ villagers wanting to register land to avoid it being built on. Environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee reports from the village of Penn, Buckinghamshire.

Hotter and hotter …

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6930523.ece

At least half the years in the next decade will be warmer than the previous record year for global temperatures and next year could be the warmest to date, according to the Met Office.

The weather forecaster said there is a 50 per cent chance that the world average temperature in 2010 will be warmer than in 1998, which is the warmest on record in the Met Office’s 160 years of data.

This year is likely to be the fifth-warmest on record. The official announcement of this year’s global average temperature is being timed for maximum impact, to coincide with the UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen next month.

US President might attend the Planetary Destruction Summit

if he’s nought better to do …

The US plans to announce its own targets for cutting greenhouse gases before the UN Climate Summit in December, but the president hasn’t yet decided if it’s sufficiently important for him to attend.

The target is expected to be in line with figures contained in legislation before the Senate – a reduction of about 17-20% from 2005 levels by 2020.

The absence of a US target has widely been seen as the single biggest obstacle to agreement at the summit.

President Barack Obama has not yet decided whether to attend the talks.

At the weekend, the hosts of the Copenhagen conference announced that more than 60 heads of state and government had pledged to take part in the two-week negotiating session.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8375248.stm

BBC poll

More than 60 state leaders are expected to gather at next month’s climate summit in Copenhagen. Will this increase the chances of a deal being reached?

The annual UN talks are normally conducted by countries’ environment ministers but it is thought that the presence of so many leading government figures will radically increase expectations.

However, the leaders of China, the US and India – some of the world’s biggest polluters – are so far not on the list to attend the Copenhagen meeting.

Representatives will attempt to draw up a new global climate treaty to replace the UN’s 1997 Kyoto Protocol. But there is concern that no legally binding treaty will emerge from the talks.

Will the Copenhagen summit help tackle climate change? Will the presence of so many state leaders increase the chances of success? Can an agreement be negotiated? Will you be in the region?

(you can visit and vote)

Global Warming Science even more alarming

The Royal Society, Met Office, and Natural Environment Research Council say the science underpinning climate change is more alarming than ever.

They say the 2007 UK floods, 2003 heatwave in Europe and recent droughts were consistent with emerging patterns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8375576.stm

The science of the ‘greenhouse effect’ was thoroughly understood decades ago; it’s hardly rocket science, yet still liars with vested interests in greed, monopoly of power and capital continue to vent their preferred illusions.

I wonder which intelligent species will make a bid for consciousness on what’s left of this decimated planet once the Witless Ones have ensured their own extinction?

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes video

She addressed a UN Meeting on issue of environment

The UK government has already fallen foul of the ’stark realities’ of financial cockups – incentives are being proposed (in today’s budget) for people with cars over 10 years old (mine is 16!) to trade them in for new ones.

I’d like to know what the incentives are to trade it in for a bike (which I’ve already bought) ;(