Basics

Trying to discipline myself to blog more.

This seems as good a hop back on the horse as any.

http://www.bishop-hill.net/blog/2011/3/10/rolls-royce-minds.html

It's not the first, and won't be the last, of a bunch of reactions to a less than stellar interviewee from the EU high command rather showing up some key gaps in her knowledge, and one presumes the overall scheme of things she represents.

Readers of this blog will know I have rather studiously steered clear of matters (A)GW. Too many unknowns; too much contention. Vast amounts of heat and little light.

I tend to restrict myself to areas I have more confidence with, such as reducing waste or improving efficiencies.

However, with some science and engineering in the educational background, and communications experience throughout my ad career, I still crank an eyebrow when things don't add up, and especially when such poor arithmetic is either poorly sold or, worse, wilfully misrepresented.

Hence I was transfixed by this exchange. It can be heard verbatim via the link above (though actually the whole segment is worth a listen), and even transcribed here.

Often all you need is the words, unadorned, and especially not 'interpreted' as too often happens with some 'reporting' media, to get a pretty good idea of what calibre of thinking can be deployed in the name of our kids' futures.

I was moved to comment recently on an uncritical puff piece about the future of electric hybrid cars, citing a Rolls Royce variant.

Perhaps the future does lie in such technologies, but with luck also gets its head around more immediate aspects of physics such as the energy required to propel a 4 person car that weighs twice as much as necessary.

Those in charge really seem to have no clue on the basics.

TWEET 'N LOWDOWN - I see you one, and raise you one

I guess the 'big' story yesterday was the generosity and statesmanship of our PM.

Time will tell where this money comes from, where it goes to, whether it is used wisely and well, and what % gets redirected in the name of green if not for it.

I start with a post I made to Newsnight:

Headline: Why micro wind turbines don't work (with relative directions of vanes on weather cock and turbine in telling complement)

Text: In most urban locations in Britain wind turbines simply do not work

And folk wonder why the public are cranking eyebrows. There is what we know, there is what we don't, and there is what we are told. Seldom is this done without a narrative being enhanced or an event being interpreted.

Which becomes pertinent, and key, when it comes to what we are told*, especially about vast amounts of money to be dedicated to 'solving' things, which seem a bit shy on detail as to what, specifically, and how measured to assess enviROI, etc. Numbers do matter, even as science gets settled (if often in creative ways), and passed on by those we pay, and trust to be our guides.

It makes a nonsense of the claim made by the Energy Saving Trust,

But I am glad I persevered, as there was much to ponder of value, and I appreciated the maths lesson. Makes me wonder why such calculations are often beyond those who claim (all dutifully passed on by those copy-typing press releases as 'reporting') that 'such and such 'could' power 1/2 of 'so and so' for 'free' (exc: construction, operation, maintenance, repair and disposal).

And there is also the power of editorial, often, possibly, via omission:

3. At 9:01pm on 11 Dec 2009, simon noble wrote:
You forgot to mention that those big wind turbines are also erratic, so you need a big back-up source of power to manage the lows.

One just has to hope that, when given the massive importance of the basic intent to reduce GHGs, and the vast monies involved in securing that laudable aim, those with the power to take and dispense the funds in securing this, plus those tasked to hold them to account, know what the heck they are doing.

And are guided by honest, unselfish influences and not the lures of personal advancement, ratings, career influence, lobby-influence, bonuses, targets and box ticks.

*Clarified, often, only after the the hyperlink and/or in the small print.

As you'll gather, I appreciate a done deal when I see one; I just express the hope that it will be upfront and accurate.

And.. reported with competence and objectivity. I have this slight concern the media are every bit as much a part of the problem of public understanding and engagement.

guardianeco - Gordon Brown bangs heads and crunches climate figures in Brussels http://bit.ly/4PkeQ1 - as he is so good with numbers here

climatebiz - What's Keeping Climate Investment Out of Africa? http://bit.ly/6EjAcV - maybe that money in Africa often doesn't end up where intended?

UN - UN online tool allows people to track nations’ pledges on climate change http://bit.ly/6xLQpu - as to delivery...?

JaymiHeimbuch - RT @planetenvy Rainforest Nations: We'll Drop Deforestation Targets if Rich Don't Put Money on the Table: http://digg.com/d31Ca8A - Blazing Saddles anyone?

kate_sheppard - Stern: "We have to combine science and pragmatism." That.. would be nice

timesonline - Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy: banks should pay for climate change http://bit.ly/5YiQS2 - No reward for failure! Thank heavens I have very little in the bank. Mainly due to Mr. Brown p*ssing money away on things that don't work.

DowningStreet - PM: Excellent result in Brussels - got EU up to £6.6 billion for developing countries over next 3 years. Big boost for Copenhagen - like a drunk at an auction trying to impress the girls in the onlooking crowd

wwwfoecouk - Press release: EU barely budges an inch on climate: Commenting on the conclusion of the EU Council today, Friends o... http://bit.ly/8Nc1GF - sometimes twitter can throw up reasons to look around for more...

ThinkPolitics - EU agrees climate pledge that may boost Copenhagen http://tiny.cc/b0EE2 - and end up scratching your head

iaindale - Blogpost: Cost of Insuring British Govt Debt Rises by 1000% in 2 Years http://tinyurl.com/y9fg26h

guardianeco - EU set to double climate aid for developing countries to €2bn http://bit.ly/8L8ULR - Game, set and fudge?

TheIndyNews - UK giving £1.5bn to climate fund http://bit.ly/67eznH - we are a giving sort, apparently

the_ecologist - A toothless cap-and-trade scheme is a planetary wrecking ball http://bit.ly/6bCEW4 - let's see what we get

Meanwhile, in other tweets:

GuyKawasaki - The Six Twitter Types http://om.ly/cxBQ - Modesty prevents me assessing my self

fivenineteen - RT @twitwalk "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." ~ Thomas Edison #quote #creativity #green #recycle (via @quotme) - like, I need to explain:)

ChristianaCooke - A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. Albert Einstein - like, some in science might need that explained to them, before they get too 'settled'

Ecosaveology - Google opens satellite images, tools, to study deforestation: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/seeing-forest-through-cloud.html

mickwill - I can't believe it! Just got up at 5.30 to get taxi to BBC Centre & they just phoned to say I'm not on at 7.20 now. GRR! - The joys of dealing with our media

jimpenny - http://twitpic.com/t5fnq - I save and reuse my false eyelashes, I care about the planet! (via @theboygeorge) - every little bit helps? I am presuming irony at play.

guardianeco - A £480 train ticket to Copenhagen makes it hard to care about the climate | George Monbiot http://bit.ly/71rfgg - No, it makes it harder to trust and/or believe in hypocrites who say one thing and do another. It's different. And rubbish pricing on more eco transport options is not mutually exclusive with caring that the bozos making decisions seem to be 'selective at best'.

mickwill - If you want to know if your boiler is g-rated for the Boiler Scrappage scheme, you can check here http://tinyurl.com/y8d7mvg - talk is cheap, knowledge is power, action is golden

wwwfoecouk - Safe #climate news: Helen Baxendale heading for Copenhagen: Actor, mother, campaigner calls for justice http://bit.ly/4rOMGZ - Bless, in so many ways

thegoodhuman - Wondering this morning if all of us writing about environmental issues does anything in big picture. What should we be doing instead? - My shed beckons

LilGreenFingers - New blog post where I get a bit cross with Kirstie Allsopp and her gilded pears... http://tinyurl.com/yctok2a - There's making and mending, and there's buying in posh shops, making and suckering daft luvvies, or not

timesonline - RT @Times_Live Is Man largely responsible for global warming? Join our live debate at 1.30pm today http://bit.ly/5MAzNo - I did. It was a zoo

richardbranson - Have a read of my views on @Virgin_Galactic ethics on @virgindotcom http://bit.ly/7hDqT7 -props for stating his case. Not asked or tasked once by the MSM

futerra - Ed Milliband on C4 using #sizzle message "we need a positive vision, let's sell dreams not nightmares". futerra.co.uk/blog/611 - Now, where did he end up at that notion? Guess we won't be seeing the ASA-referred, inaccurate, scaremongering ActOnCo2 bedtime story ad again, then?

journalismnews - PDA: ‘Algorithms will replace journalists’ http://is.gd/5jqNo - speaking of our mighty 4th estate... Well, it can often seem that much reporting these days is mainly cut and pasting of press releases with little checking or critical oversight.

MoreEco - Eco News - Budget to include electric car tax break: Company drivers who choose electric cars are to.. http://bit.ly/92TLqV - now, about the green 'leccy generation and distribution

Greengamma - 'Dirty' battery cars 'make more CO2 than they save' http://bit.ly/5R7T4P - see the issues, gov...media?

myzerowaste - My Zero Waste is up against Guardian ethical living and You Gen 4 best green site. Please vote 4 us! http://bit.ly/5uYTKH - sadly, Junkk.com nor Junkk Male RE:view were not deemed worthy*. But MZW was, and as she is also a contributor of ideas (and winner) to the site, she gets my vote:)

adamvaughan_uk - Voting is open for the @greenwebawards - go vote before 31 Dec http://bit.ly/5lccMM [disclaimer: I was one of judges who shaped shortlist) - *all comes clearer. he's not a fan of greens who crank eyebrows:)

GlobeGuard - RT @packagingdiva: A perspective about why #Packaging reduction goes out of the window at Christmas @ http://is.gd/5hSey - I find this site great for scoops on ppackaging to help RE:tie

..and finally, as we are a reuse advocate and it's Xmas...

CAGW - Make a Gift Bow Out of Scrap Paper: http://is.gd/5iZqO

And that's just the retweets in a day. I really can't be bothered to go through all the others I favourited, as they are usually the contentious ones, and really, life is too short.

Twenty Twenty Twenty (Deal or No Deal?)

With all the targets under discussion over in Poland, the number twenty does seem to appear with amazing regularity, as noted in this piece from the FT.

Talking about how to get the message across about global warming, especially now we are officially in a bad recession, the author makes a lot of good points, and there is little that one can disagree with.

Just love the concluding statement .... "The way to mobilise the masses is to recast the argument. Opportunity sells a lot better than do hair shirts."

And from the same publication, an interesting comment on the future of electric cars, or, perhaps the lack of one!

Update:
The deal in Poznan is finally agreed - see the Indy.

Looking through just what has been agreed, I can't really see anything much different to what was 'agreed' before. But it is interesting to note that Ireland has been offered 'concessions' in order to swing a second referendum vote on the Lisbon Treaty in its favour. Hmmm, the Irish get a second chance to vote on it and we still can't have even one?

And the EU deal is not enough, and too watered down, says OxFam.

Update - 15/12/08:
Hmmm. The Poznan 'deal' seems to have rather wound up Caroline Lucas! From today's Guardian letters.

And it looks like the 'deal' isn't going to do much to save the planet's remaining rain forests - reported in eGovMonitor.

Targets, box-ticking and enviROIs

Kyoto is worthless (and you don't have to be a sceptic to believe that now)

I'm not a 'sceptic' (optimist). But I am not a total pessimist either.

Perhaps that's the problem. I still lack the conviction to get to the level of extremes that may be necessary.

However, those who would try to persuade the likes of me are a sorry bunch, as this piece suggests.

At least the activists are mostly sincere, if often frightening and, crucially, off putting in their self-belief.

But it is the highly paid pols and hangers on that really take the biscuit, and undermine any serious efforts to address the issue.

Kyoto was a rallying call, yet I read this: The EU has managed to claim success while increasing emissions by 13 per cent

Doesn't help, really.

Then we had Bali, when half the world flew to the other side of the world. That seemed to achieve little more than many of us noting how many went and how little they achieved.

Now we have Poznan.

And, as always these days, we seem to have a total belief in process over and above result.

Surprised?

At what?

That the EU has backed down on the CO2 emission targets for new vehicles.

Well, I, for one, am not at all. It just shows what power big automotive industries still have over our Pols, elected or otherwise.

• CO2 goals relaxed
• Car makers now have until 2015 to hit 130g/km
• Niche car makers such as Jaguar Land Rover exempt

Full story from What Car.

Sticks and stones

I'm sure I'll stumble across more detailed pieces later today, but the BBC just had a piece on renewables.

Seems an MEP is accusing the government of 'watering down the wording of an EU directive' to move from 'compulsory' to 'optional'.

To which a spokesperson has replied that they are 'committed to meeting targets'.

It just seems so sad to me that in this, or at least the reporting of it, there seems no mention of the actual value, and hence wisdom of such measures, at least on an enviROI basis, as if this no longer matters.

Wording and targets are all that do, apparently.

Addenda (there will be more, I'm sure):

Gaurdian - Britain tries to block green energy laws - The culprit, at least from this piece, looks like a belief in nuclear. Hmn.

On a related issue...

Gaurdian - Don't be fooled by the climate change bill. Carbon trading torpedoes it - the posts are worth it.

UK facing stringent renewables targets

This from the Financial Times (you need to register [free] to read the entire article) suggests that the EU targets that the UK will receive next week are going to be pretty tough to meet.

"officials in Brussels and Whitehall have told the Financial Times that Britain will have to increase its use of renewables as a share of all energy use from about 2 per cent to 13-14 per cent by the end of the next decade."

"Britain has the lowest renewables share of any major EU country: only Malta and Luxembourg have less."

Given that Tony Blair was warned that his agreement to the overall 20% target by 2020 was unachievable, this could get very interesting. "Mr Blair was warned by the former Department of Trade and Industry that the scheme was unachievable and costly, but he overruled ministers."

I wonder what the level of fines the UK is going to have to pay for failing to meet the targets will be?