Now I have a lot of respect for James Lovelock, maverick or not; he has always made a lot of sense to me. (OK, so I'm a nutter then!). This from Saturday's Guardian contains a few gems of gloomy prediction which seem to even surpass what he's said before.
"Lovelock believes global warming is now irreversible, and that nothing can prevent large parts of the planet becoming too hot to inhabit, or sinking underwater, resulting in mass migration, famine and epidemics. Britain is going to become a lifeboat for refugees from mainland Europe, so instead of wasting our time on wind turbines we need to start planning how to survive."
And I wholeheartedly agree with him on Carbon Offsetting and plastic bag bans too!
Me? I'm finishing work before 7pm for once and I'm off to the pub whilst decent beer is still an available (albeit less and less affordable) commodity! [Work has always been the curse of the drinking class!]
Addendum:
Some interesting letters in response in Tuesday's Guardian.
Addendum 2 (from Junkk Male): Lighten up, Lovelock
Monday, March 03, 2008
A Global Warming Denier's Conference
I had a sneaking suspicion that something like this might eventually happen, and it has, and is, as reported by The Raw Story.
Now I have no problem with opposing sides of any argument being put, but the acid test comes in the figures provided, and in the large majority acceptance of the underlying science. Fox and friends argue that "We just did a report looking at how the network news shows have covered climate change. ... 13 to one, the people they put on are on one side saying it's not a debate. ... On CBS it's 38 to one."
Sorry guys, but those sort of numbers simply reflect the numbers of scientists who genuinely believe in (Probably and/or Likely) Man Worsened Climate Change, versus those who don't.
And, interestingly, how would you like to take a guess at just who some of the friends of Fox News are funded by? Seems that Big Oil has some very long tendrils of influence.
Addendum:
More on this conference from Daily Kos.
Now I have no problem with opposing sides of any argument being put, but the acid test comes in the figures provided, and in the large majority acceptance of the underlying science. Fox and friends argue that "We just did a report looking at how the network news shows have covered climate change. ... 13 to one, the people they put on are on one side saying it's not a debate. ... On CBS it's 38 to one."
Sorry guys, but those sort of numbers simply reflect the numbers of scientists who genuinely believe in (Probably and/or Likely) Man Worsened Climate Change, versus those who don't.
And, interestingly, how would you like to take a guess at just who some of the friends of Fox News are funded by? Seems that Big Oil has some very long tendrils of influence.
Addendum:
More on this conference from Daily Kos.
I don't get it...
Roll up! Roll up! for London's used newspaper house
The other title I toyed with was... 'But is it art?'.
At £15,000 for 5 days, it certainly makes some kind of statement.
I'm just not sure that we need any more awareness on waste, but maybe a tad more spent on dealing with it.
The other title I toyed with was... 'But is it art?'.
At £15,000 for 5 days, it certainly makes some kind of statement.
I'm just not sure that we need any more awareness on waste, but maybe a tad more spent on dealing with it.
Doesn't Add Up
Taxpayer hit again
Re; Please tell me there was a misprint
Sadly, I'm guessing not.
And what is amazing to me is how little noticed or commented upon this has been.
It's almost as though certain folk have been compensated for buying certain other folk more time to further waste more of our money... with our money.
When I ran my ad agency there was once a notion of 'pitching fees' to prevent flippant clients getting all and sundry to contribute, but it never happened.
This was... what... two or three bidders? Bidding to make bazillions. And they take even less risk just having a go and getting rafts of PR and paid work... on our money.
The world has gone mad.
Impudently, if prudently, yours...
Re; Please tell me there was a misprint
Sadly, I'm guessing not.
And what is amazing to me is how little noticed or commented upon this has been.
It's almost as though certain folk have been compensated for buying certain other folk more time to further waste more of our money... with our money.
When I ran my ad agency there was once a notion of 'pitching fees' to prevent flippant clients getting all and sundry to contribute, but it never happened.
This was... what... two or three bidders? Bidding to make bazillions. And they take even less risk just having a go and getting rafts of PR and paid work... on our money.
The world has gone mad.
Impudently, if prudently, yours...
N.B
The Prime Minister's green credentials are not in the bag
As interesting for the comments. But still all pretty depressing.
Guardian - Tesco versus Daily Mail: which will Gordon choose? - Well, he made 'a' decision, at least.
Daily Mail - Now eco-friendly Prince Charles teams up with supermarket chain to wage war on the bags
Great. First M&S. Then Gordon. Now Charles. And, er, Booths. The Daily Mail really is rallying a crack team here. All glowing examples to follow. And boy have they inspired everyone, if the comments here are anything to go on.
As interesting for the comments. But still all pretty depressing.
Guardian - Tesco versus Daily Mail: which will Gordon choose? - Well, he made 'a' decision, at least.
Daily Mail - Now eco-friendly Prince Charles teams up with supermarket chain to wage war on the bags
Great. First M&S. Then Gordon. Now Charles. And, er, Booths. The Daily Mail really is rallying a crack team here. All glowing examples to follow. And boy have they inspired everyone, if the comments here are anything to go on.
CATEGORY - ECO-HOMES & TOWNS
Indy - Buying an eco-home: Finally something's clicked
Indy - Better than new: Give you home an eco facelift
As I have created the category already, but now need to add a complement (though creating a more eco house is very different to an entire new custom town, there are obvious similarities):
ECO-TOWNS
Guardian - Eco-towns are the greatest try-on in the history of property speculation
Indy - Protesters' fury as ecotown shortlist targets 'unsustainable' locations
Guardian - Now that's my kinda town - good point on the tokenism of the ten.
Times - Just the spot for a new Milton Keynes - I still take some persuading a town is better than no town in purely enviro terms.
Times - Government must clarify its eco town policy - As do these guys
Indy - We're ready to rise up against eco-towns - I'm guessing 'not keen'
Times - Whitehall to force through eco-towns - May the force be..?
Times - Ecotowns: for and against
Indy - What are eco-towns, and how green are they in reality? - Looking at the 'Yes' and 'No' summary above, and comparing them with the main body text, it seems more that 'where there is a 'will there's a 'may'', and even that downward spiral of confidence in the enviROI can be soon extrapolated downwards as those with boxes to tick adjust their targets.
The Register - Tories pledge to flush away eco slums - Safe to say they are not keen.
Telegraph - Time to talk about eco-towns
BBC - Eco-towns plan 'may be unlawful' - From driving to knives, and now this, it rather worries me, as a law-abiding citizen, when those who might be expected to know better about what consitutes breaking 'em use words like 'may'.
BBC - Newsnight - tip off from poster. Missed it and may not get time to catch up, but the blog might point places.
COI - Eco-towns set to face toughest ever green standards
Gaurdian - Put away your prejudices - ecohomes are not ugly - Must be today (5 Aug 08) but all the Guardian Greens are knocking spots off each other for being not green enough or too rich to care about what it costs... odd).
Telegraph - Government paid charity to produce eco-town 'fact' leaflets - Now I have pretty much put anything on a leaflet on the high-irony side of eco-awareness already, but such as this does rather expand the list of those I wouldn't trust even further.
Indy - Eco-town's green benefit exaggerated, ASA rules - The ASA weekly list is a good, if depressing source of Grenwash. I almost passed on this, but as the Indy did not...
No mention of how 'eco' it might really be, mind.
Gaurdian - Green and unpleasant - Still not feeling the love
Gaurdian - We are not nosy parkers - we simply need to measure success - '...we simply need to measure success' . I merely ask, but is that how the way studies work is phrased?
I know bonuses depend on meeting targets, and meeting targets mean pointing at 'success', but wouldn't it be better to set out to discover what the overall enviROI of these things is, good... or.... not so much?
FT - Only one eco-town site classed as suitable - Bearing in mind what has already been consumed to get to this point, is this ratio... acceptable as a measure of the ongoing competencies of those who would claim to lead in these areas?
Gaurdian - Red faces over green towns
Guardian - Eco-towns' death throes - The headline invites a Twainian response, but.... oops! I wonder how many well-meaning folk and how much money was suckered into this one?
Telegraph - Eco-towns bill soars to more than £3m before a house is built - but think of the boxes that got ticked!
Telegraph - NEW - Country diary: the folly of eco towns
Indy - Better than new: Give you home an eco facelift
As I have created the category already, but now need to add a complement (though creating a more eco house is very different to an entire new custom town, there are obvious similarities):
ECO-TOWNS
Guardian - Eco-towns are the greatest try-on in the history of property speculation
Indy - Protesters' fury as ecotown shortlist targets 'unsustainable' locations
Guardian - Now that's my kinda town - good point on the tokenism of the ten.
Times - Just the spot for a new Milton Keynes - I still take some persuading a town is better than no town in purely enviro terms.
Times - Government must clarify its eco town policy - As do these guys
Indy - We're ready to rise up against eco-towns - I'm guessing 'not keen'
Times - Whitehall to force through eco-towns - May the force be..?
Times - Ecotowns: for and against
Indy - What are eco-towns, and how green are they in reality? - Looking at the 'Yes' and 'No' summary above, and comparing them with the main body text, it seems more that 'where there is a 'will there's a 'may'', and even that downward spiral of confidence in the enviROI can be soon extrapolated downwards as those with boxes to tick adjust their targets.
The Register - Tories pledge to flush away eco slums - Safe to say they are not keen.
Telegraph - Time to talk about eco-towns
BBC - Eco-towns plan 'may be unlawful' - From driving to knives, and now this, it rather worries me, as a law-abiding citizen, when those who might be expected to know better about what consitutes breaking 'em use words like 'may'.
BBC - Newsnight - tip off from poster. Missed it and may not get time to catch up, but the blog might point places.
COI - Eco-towns set to face toughest ever green standards
Gaurdian - Put away your prejudices - ecohomes are not ugly - Must be today (5 Aug 08) but all the Guardian Greens are knocking spots off each other for being not green enough or too rich to care about what it costs... odd).
Telegraph - Government paid charity to produce eco-town 'fact' leaflets - Now I have pretty much put anything on a leaflet on the high-irony side of eco-awareness already, but such as this does rather expand the list of those I wouldn't trust even further.
Indy - Eco-town's green benefit exaggerated, ASA rules - The ASA weekly list is a good, if depressing source of Grenwash. I almost passed on this, but as the Indy did not...
No mention of how 'eco' it might really be, mind.
Gaurdian - Green and unpleasant - Still not feeling the love
Gaurdian - We are not nosy parkers - we simply need to measure success - '...we simply need to measure success' . I merely ask, but is that how the way studies work is phrased?
I know bonuses depend on meeting targets, and meeting targets mean pointing at 'success', but wouldn't it be better to set out to discover what the overall enviROI of these things is, good... or.... not so much?
FT - Only one eco-town site classed as suitable - Bearing in mind what has already been consumed to get to this point, is this ratio... acceptable as a measure of the ongoing competencies of those who would claim to lead in these areas?
Gaurdian - Red faces over green towns
Guardian - Eco-towns' death throes - The headline invites a Twainian response, but.... oops! I wonder how many well-meaning folk and how much money was suckered into this one?
Telegraph - Eco-towns bill soars to more than £3m before a house is built - but think of the boxes that got ticked!
Telegraph - NEW - Country diary: the folly of eco towns
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