Businesses are being slow to put any plans into action to reduce co2 emissions.
See BBC link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7120324.stm
Have you got a plan in place to reduce emissions?
Simple steps can reduce co2 and collectively we can help limit global warming and climate change
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
TORNADOES and thunderstorms are set to batter Britain at Christmas.
The worst weather is forecast to hit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, leading to appalling road conditions for those travelling to be with family and friends.
Two inches of rain in a single day could see floods across Britain, and stormy seas could breach defences along the west coast, a forecaster said.
An earlier storm, on December 5 or 6, could also see flooding in coastal areas.
Express.co.uk
The IPCC report has spelt out the reality. The "flat-worlders" in denial of this phenomenon should be ridiculed by all concerned. We must fully appreciate that what we are going to experience in the next couple of months in UK, is just the beginning of the climate chaos that our will kids face to a far greater degree.
We must act now as individuals - start seeking to influence those around you, especially businesses you employ.Let your wallet to the talking!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Global Warming Is 'Not Science Fiction' - UN
Updated:17:22, Saturday November 17, 2007
The climate change threat is "not science fiction" and reversing it is the "defining challenge of our age", the UN chief has warned.
Climate change has already begun Ban Ki-moon said the potential impact of global warming is "so severe and so sweeping that only urgent, global action will do".
He was speaking in Valencia, Spain, to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has issued its latest report after six years of research.
It says the Earth is heading towards a warmer age at a faster pace and warned of inevitable human suffering and the threat of species extinction.
Sky News
The IPCC report released today dispels any doubt that mankind is behind global warming, climate change and the real threat to survival it poses.
The climate change threat is "not science fiction" and reversing it is the "defining challenge of our age", the UN chief has warned.
Climate change has already begun Ban Ki-moon said the potential impact of global warming is "so severe and so sweeping that only urgent, global action will do".
He was speaking in Valencia, Spain, to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has issued its latest report after six years of research.
It says the Earth is heading towards a warmer age at a faster pace and warned of inevitable human suffering and the threat of species extinction.
Sky News
The IPCC report released today dispels any doubt that mankind is behind global warming, climate change and the real threat to survival it poses.
Thousands thought killed by Bangladesh Cyclone
Update on Bangladesh Cyclone
Bangladesh says that 1,595 people have been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further. Bangladesh said Saturday that 1,595 people had been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further.
"We have so far confirmed 1,595 deaths and still more are coming in," said Salina Shahid of the relief and disaster management ministry control room.
Officials have said they expect "thousands" of bodies to be recovered over the coming days as relief workers reach badly hit areas.
Citizen.co.za
See the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report - Draft copy released 16th November 2007.
It really does make the evidence look beyond sensible doubt. There will always be the ostrich brigade with their heads in the sand and sadly, they will contribute to climate change through their gasps of disbelief at facts.
More than ever, we need to make people aware that global warming must be addressed in our daily lives and we must reduce co2 emissions.
Bangladesh says that 1,595 people have been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further. Bangladesh said Saturday that 1,595 people had been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further.
"We have so far confirmed 1,595 deaths and still more are coming in," said Salina Shahid of the relief and disaster management ministry control room.
Officials have said they expect "thousands" of bodies to be recovered over the coming days as relief workers reach badly hit areas.
Citizen.co.za
See the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report - Draft copy released 16th November 2007.
It really does make the evidence look beyond sensible doubt. There will always be the ostrich brigade with their heads in the sand and sadly, they will contribute to climate change through their gasps of disbelief at facts.
More than ever, we need to make people aware that global warming must be addressed in our daily lives and we must reduce co2 emissions.
John Humphrys is also fed up with our throw away culture.
Plastic bags take 500 years to decay in lanfills. In UK we use 150 million each week!
Modbury in in the South Hams in Devon and is the first town to ban plastic bags for packaging. www.southhams.gov.uk and www.recycledevon.org are sites well worth visiting and Devon (where I am proud to live) leads the UK, if not the World, in its efforts to reduceco2 and limit global warming & climate change.
Well done Devon!
Modbury in in the South Hams in Devon and is the first town to ban plastic bags for packaging. www.southhams.gov.uk and www.recycledevon.org are sites well worth visiting and Devon (where I am proud to live) leads the UK, if not the World, in its efforts to reduceco2 and limit global warming & climate change.
Well done Devon!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us
This story in the Guardian from 2004 is really frightening!·
Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
· Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
· Threat to the world is greater than terrorism
Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters..
A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.
The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.
Article continues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,' concludes the Pentagon analysis. 'Once again, warfare would define human life.'
The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority.
The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defence adviser Andrew Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Climate change 'should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern', say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network.
An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is 'plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately', they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions.
Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of respected scientists who claimed that it cherry-picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like. Jeremy Symons, a former whistleblower at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that suppression of the report for four months was a further example of the White House trying to bury the threat of climate change.
Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic change.
A group of eminent UK scientists recently visited the White House to voice their fears over global warming, part of an intensifying drive to get the US to treat the issue seriously. Sources have told The Observer that American officials appeared extremely sensitive about the issue when faced with complaints that America's public stance appeared increasingly out of touch.
One even alleged that the White House had written to complain about some of the comments attributed to Professor Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, after he branded the President's position on the issue as indefensible.
Among those scientists present at the White House talks were Professor John Schellnhuber, former chief environmental adviser to the German government and head of the UK's leading group of climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. He said that the Pentagon's internal fears should prove the 'tipping point' in persuading Bush to accept climatic change.
Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the Meteorological Office - and the first senior figure to liken the threat of climate change to that of terrorism - said: 'If the Pentagon is sending out that sort of message, then this is an important document indeed.'
Bob Watson, chief scientist for the World Bank and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, added that the Pentagon's dire warnings could no longer be ignored.
'Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It's going be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush's single highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative. If climate change is a threat to national security and the economy, then he has to act. There are two groups the Bush Administration tend to listen to, the oil lobby and the Pentagon,' added Watson.
'You've got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you've got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It's pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on this issue,' said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace.
Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 'catastrophic' shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated.
Randall told The Observer that the potential ramifications of rapid climate change would create global chaos. 'This is depressing stuff,' he said. 'It is a national security threat that is unique because there is no enemy to point your guns at and we have no control over the threat.'
Randall added that it was already possibly too late to prevent a disaster happening. 'We don't know exactly where we are in the process. It could start tomorrow and we would not know for another five years,' he said.
'The consequences for some nations of the climate change are unbelievable. It seems obvious that cutting the use of fossil fuels would be worthwhile.'
So dramatic are the report's scenarios, Watson said, that they may prove vital in the US elections. Democratic frontrunner John Kerry is known to accept climate change as a real problem. Scientists disillusioned with Bush's stance are threatening to make sure Kerry uses the Pentagon report in his campaign.
The fact that Marshall is behind its scathing findings will aid Kerry's cause. Marshall, 82, is a Pentagon legend who heads a secretive think-tank dedicated to weighing risks to national security called the Office of Net Assessment. Dubbed 'Yoda' by Pentagon insiders who respect his vast experience, he is credited with being behind the Department of Defence's push on ballistic-missile defence.
Symons, who left the EPA in protest at political interference, said that the suppression of the report was a further instance of the White House trying to bury evidence of climate change. 'It is yet another example of why this government should stop burying its head in the sand on this issue.'
Symons said the Bush administration's close links to high-powered energy and oil companies was vital in understanding why climate change was received sceptically in the Oval Office. 'This administration is ignoring the evidence in order to placate a handful of large energy and oil companies,' he added.
Any follow ups to this story?
Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
· Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
· Threat to the world is greater than terrorism
Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters..
A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.
The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.
Article continues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,' concludes the Pentagon analysis. 'Once again, warfare would define human life.'
The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority.
The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defence adviser Andrew Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Climate change 'should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern', say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network.
An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is 'plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately', they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions.
Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of respected scientists who claimed that it cherry-picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like. Jeremy Symons, a former whistleblower at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that suppression of the report for four months was a further example of the White House trying to bury the threat of climate change.
Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic change.
A group of eminent UK scientists recently visited the White House to voice their fears over global warming, part of an intensifying drive to get the US to treat the issue seriously. Sources have told The Observer that American officials appeared extremely sensitive about the issue when faced with complaints that America's public stance appeared increasingly out of touch.
One even alleged that the White House had written to complain about some of the comments attributed to Professor Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, after he branded the President's position on the issue as indefensible.
Among those scientists present at the White House talks were Professor John Schellnhuber, former chief environmental adviser to the German government and head of the UK's leading group of climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. He said that the Pentagon's internal fears should prove the 'tipping point' in persuading Bush to accept climatic change.
Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the Meteorological Office - and the first senior figure to liken the threat of climate change to that of terrorism - said: 'If the Pentagon is sending out that sort of message, then this is an important document indeed.'
Bob Watson, chief scientist for the World Bank and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, added that the Pentagon's dire warnings could no longer be ignored.
'Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It's going be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush's single highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative. If climate change is a threat to national security and the economy, then he has to act. There are two groups the Bush Administration tend to listen to, the oil lobby and the Pentagon,' added Watson.
'You've got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you've got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It's pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on this issue,' said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace.
Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 'catastrophic' shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated.
Randall told The Observer that the potential ramifications of rapid climate change would create global chaos. 'This is depressing stuff,' he said. 'It is a national security threat that is unique because there is no enemy to point your guns at and we have no control over the threat.'
Randall added that it was already possibly too late to prevent a disaster happening. 'We don't know exactly where we are in the process. It could start tomorrow and we would not know for another five years,' he said.
'The consequences for some nations of the climate change are unbelievable. It seems obvious that cutting the use of fossil fuels would be worthwhile.'
So dramatic are the report's scenarios, Watson said, that they may prove vital in the US elections. Democratic frontrunner John Kerry is known to accept climate change as a real problem. Scientists disillusioned with Bush's stance are threatening to make sure Kerry uses the Pentagon report in his campaign.
The fact that Marshall is behind its scathing findings will aid Kerry's cause. Marshall, 82, is a Pentagon legend who heads a secretive think-tank dedicated to weighing risks to national security called the Office of Net Assessment. Dubbed 'Yoda' by Pentagon insiders who respect his vast experience, he is credited with being behind the Department of Defence's push on ballistic-missile defence.
Symons, who left the EPA in protest at political interference, said that the suppression of the report was a further instance of the White House trying to bury evidence of climate change. 'It is yet another example of why this government should stop burying its head in the sand on this issue.'
Symons said the Bush administration's close links to high-powered energy and oil companies was vital in understanding why climate change was received sceptically in the Oval Office. 'This administration is ignoring the evidence in order to placate a handful of large energy and oil companies,' he added.
Any follow ups to this story?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
One million people displaced by 140 mph cyclone
More than a million people were evacuated from the coasts of Bangladesh and eastern India today with a cyclone with wind-speeds of up to 140mph due to make land-fall, destroying houses, crops and trees.
In an echo of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, meteorologists warned tidal surges of up 20ft could cause devastating flooding across low-lying areas of Bangladesh and the Sunderbans mangrove forest of India’s West Bengal state.
The mass evacuation is intended to prevent the huge loss of life seen during the Bengal cyclones of 1970 and 1991 which killed 500,000 and 143,000 people respectively.
More than 10 million people were estimated to be in the path of Cyclone Sidr which came spiralling in from the Bay Bengal, gathering force as night fell across the region.
Tens of thousands of people were reported to be fleeing inland in search of shelter, taking only their cattle, food supplies and a few portable possessions along with them.
In the most rural areas, where television and radio was not available, police and local volunteers drove from village to village in cars and auto-rickshaws using megaphones to alert the people to the approaching storm.
Telegraph.co.uk
Another major disaster in the making.
Clearly, increasing world population makes flood plains that were once uninhabited, now highly vulnerable settlements. However, the extreme strength of winds, combined with the tremendous height of tidal surges makes these very dangerous meteorological events.
Once again, global warming and climate change are having direct effects on many, many people's lives. We must learn from this and make sure that the OPEC summit delegates pay attention to the disastrous consequences from increasing use of fossil fuels. Only from renewable energy sources ultimately replacing oil can we reduce co2 emissions sufficiently to stop climate change intensifying.
In an echo of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, meteorologists warned tidal surges of up 20ft could cause devastating flooding across low-lying areas of Bangladesh and the Sunderbans mangrove forest of India’s West Bengal state.
The mass evacuation is intended to prevent the huge loss of life seen during the Bengal cyclones of 1970 and 1991 which killed 500,000 and 143,000 people respectively.
More than 10 million people were estimated to be in the path of Cyclone Sidr which came spiralling in from the Bay Bengal, gathering force as night fell across the region.
Tens of thousands of people were reported to be fleeing inland in search of shelter, taking only their cattle, food supplies and a few portable possessions along with them.
In the most rural areas, where television and radio was not available, police and local volunteers drove from village to village in cars and auto-rickshaws using megaphones to alert the people to the approaching storm.
Telegraph.co.uk
Another major disaster in the making.
Clearly, increasing world population makes flood plains that were once uninhabited, now highly vulnerable settlements. However, the extreme strength of winds, combined with the tremendous height of tidal surges makes these very dangerous meteorological events.
Once again, global warming and climate change are having direct effects on many, many people's lives. We must learn from this and make sure that the OPEC summit delegates pay attention to the disastrous consequences from increasing use of fossil fuels. Only from renewable energy sources ultimately replacing oil can we reduce co2 emissions sufficiently to stop climate change intensifying.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
CO 2 emissions can be reduced through simple acts
The collective result of simple measures is vast.
See below for some very basic ideas
Re-use and recycle
Re-use plastic bags (preferably take cloth ones with you when you go shopping), old envelopes and glass bottles.
Recycle newspaper, cardboard, plastic and tins. It is not that difficult as most schools have recycling facilities.
Have a compost heap or vermicomposting (earthworm farm) system to recycle organic waste.
Try to buy products that don't have too much packaging.
Save water
Put a brick in a plastic bag in your toilet cistern so that the toilet will use less water each time you flush.
Shower (preferably with a low-flow showerhead) instead of bathing.
Water your garden with used (dishwashing, bathing) water.
Save electricity
Turn off lights if there is no one in the room.
Don't leave appliances such as the TV, DVD player, radio or computer on standby. Unplug your cellphone charger when you are not using it.
Turn off your geyser when you aren't using it.
Only boil the kettle with the amount of water you will need in it.
Cover your pots while cooking.
Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs instead of ordinary ones.
Wash your clothes in cold or warm (not hot) water.
Make sure that your home is properly insulated so that you don't use the heater unnecessarily in winter.
Air dry your clothes (don't use the tumble dryer).
Cut carbon emissions
If possible walk, cycle or use public transport. Otherwise start a lift club.
Check your tyres and air filter regularly. Keeping your tyres pumped up and your air filter clean makes your car more efficient thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Unless you are in traffic, don't let your car idle for more than 30 seconds.
Buy food which has been produced locally as it involves less transportation.
If possible, opt for organic produce as this cuts out the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides made from fossil fuels.
Go the extra mile
Install a solar water heating system to help provide you with hot water.
Plant some trees.
Offset your carbon emissions or travels by buying carbon offsets.
If you are buying a new car or kitchen appliance, try to opt for more energy-efficient models.
When you think about it, these are not that difficult to implement in your life. It just needs a little getting used to, but the end result will be oh so refreshing.
Reducing co2 and greenhouse gas emissions will limit global warming and climate change.
See below for some very basic ideas
Re-use and recycle
Re-use plastic bags (preferably take cloth ones with you when you go shopping), old envelopes and glass bottles.
Recycle newspaper, cardboard, plastic and tins. It is not that difficult as most schools have recycling facilities.
Have a compost heap or vermicomposting (earthworm farm) system to recycle organic waste.
Try to buy products that don't have too much packaging.
Save water
Put a brick in a plastic bag in your toilet cistern so that the toilet will use less water each time you flush.
Shower (preferably with a low-flow showerhead) instead of bathing.
Water your garden with used (dishwashing, bathing) water.
Save electricity
Turn off lights if there is no one in the room.
Don't leave appliances such as the TV, DVD player, radio or computer on standby. Unplug your cellphone charger when you are not using it.
Turn off your geyser when you aren't using it.
Only boil the kettle with the amount of water you will need in it.
Cover your pots while cooking.
Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs instead of ordinary ones.
Wash your clothes in cold or warm (not hot) water.
Make sure that your home is properly insulated so that you don't use the heater unnecessarily in winter.
Air dry your clothes (don't use the tumble dryer).
Cut carbon emissions
If possible walk, cycle or use public transport. Otherwise start a lift club.
Check your tyres and air filter regularly. Keeping your tyres pumped up and your air filter clean makes your car more efficient thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Unless you are in traffic, don't let your car idle for more than 30 seconds.
Buy food which has been produced locally as it involves less transportation.
If possible, opt for organic produce as this cuts out the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides made from fossil fuels.
Go the extra mile
Install a solar water heating system to help provide you with hot water.
Plant some trees.
Offset your carbon emissions or travels by buying carbon offsets.
If you are buying a new car or kitchen appliance, try to opt for more energy-efficient models.
When you think about it, these are not that difficult to implement in your life. It just needs a little getting used to, but the end result will be oh so refreshing.
Reducing co2 and greenhouse gas emissions will limit global warming and climate change.
Will OPEC address reducing co2 emissions at summit?
Green fuel 'no threat to growing oil demand'
Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, told the world that its dependence on crude will increase and that the race to develop alternative energies will not dim demand for fossil fuels.
Speaking ahead of today's official start of the Opec oil producers' summit, Mr Al-Naimi mounted a strong defence of oil, criticising experts who say crude is in decline or that green energy is a viable alternative.
The minister, whose country is by far the most powerful nation in Opec's 12-strong group, said: "Let's be realistic about this. Take developing countries. They are growing at a very fast pace – 7pc to 10pc or more a year. These countries are going to need energy, and fossil fuels will be the source.
telegraph.co.uk
By Russell Hotten in Riyadh
Last Updated: 8:10am GMT 14/11/2007
The fate of the world is in the hands of a bunch of people who look no further ahead than the end of year balance sheet. If global warming and climate change mess up life for future generations, they will not be around to worry. Renewable energy sources are not seen as a threat to OPEC as they have experience of bribing their way to riches. How much time at this summit will be spent discussing carbon emissions from fossil fuels? This summit will be important for the future and let's reflect upon the major statements as it progresses.
Remember to reduce co2 emissions in your every day activities.
Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, told the world that its dependence on crude will increase and that the race to develop alternative energies will not dim demand for fossil fuels.
Speaking ahead of today's official start of the Opec oil producers' summit, Mr Al-Naimi mounted a strong defence of oil, criticising experts who say crude is in decline or that green energy is a viable alternative.
The minister, whose country is by far the most powerful nation in Opec's 12-strong group, said: "Let's be realistic about this. Take developing countries. They are growing at a very fast pace – 7pc to 10pc or more a year. These countries are going to need energy, and fossil fuels will be the source.
telegraph.co.uk
By Russell Hotten in Riyadh
Last Updated: 8:10am GMT 14/11/2007
The fate of the world is in the hands of a bunch of people who look no further ahead than the end of year balance sheet. If global warming and climate change mess up life for future generations, they will not be around to worry. Renewable energy sources are not seen as a threat to OPEC as they have experience of bribing their way to riches. How much time at this summit will be spent discussing carbon emissions from fossil fuels? This summit will be important for the future and let's reflect upon the major statements as it progresses.
Remember to reduce co2 emissions in your every day activities.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Reduce co2, global warming and climate change - an aside
This story, although away from the issue of global warming, climate change and reducing co2, is evidence of mankind's selfish, brutal habitation of this planet. Frankly, it disgusts me.
Japan might kill world's only white whale
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 3:01pm GMT 12/11/2007
Australians fear that the world's only known white humpback whale could be slaughtered as Japan's whaling fleet prepares to embark on its annual hunt in the Southern Ocean.
Scientists make monkey cloning breakthrough
Tigers given emergency dental treatment
Burgers from cloned animals 'by 2010'
The unique male whale, named Migaloo - an Aboriginal word for "white fella" - has become a celebrity in Australia since being spotted for the first time in 1991.
Migaloo the white humpback swims with another whale (top) and diving after breaching
Each year Migaloo - along with thousands of other humpbacks - migrates from the icy seas of Antarctica to the warm shallows of the South Pacific and the Great Barrier Reef.
A few months later the whales, the females leading their newly-born calves, return to Antarctica.
The arrival of 45ft-long Migaloo - believed to be the only completely white humpback in the world - is keenly anticipated by whale watchers along Australia's east coast.
He has been hailed as modern day Moby Dick, even though the creature in Herman Melville's 1851 classic was a sperm whale.
Conservationists fear that Migaloo is so accustomed to whale watching and fishing boats, that he will be easy pickings for Japanese hunters.
With the southern hemisphere summer approaching, the Japanese whaling fleet is preparing to leave port within days. It refuses to say exactly when.
It has declared that for the first time it will kill 50 humpbacks, as well as 50 fin whales and hundreds of minke whales.
The Japanese argue that after decades of hunting fin and humpback whales have recovered to sufficient levels that they can now withstand being harpooned again.
Telegraph.co.uk
If the leaders of the free world sit back and do nothing to stop this unique whale being slaughtered by the Japanese, then we are not worthy of our place on mother Earth.
Write to the Japanese cabinet via this link and express your views - and point out the financial consequences, as that is all the Japanese seem to care about.
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Protest threat over fuel prices possible
Prices have risen for ten consecutive weeks
Fuel protests could take place in the coming weeks as unrest grows over rising prices, it has been claimed.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the recent price increases were causing growing anger amongst its members.
Prices have gone up every week for the past ten weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, it said.
Jack Semple, RHA Director of Policy said: "Our members are angry over the latest increases in fuel prices and the restarting of the fuel duty escalator."
The impact of the price increases was "quite severe" for many hauliers, he said.
Mr Semple said that hauliers were "frustrated" by the high prices and added that duty rates were "much higher" in Britain than in other European countries.
'Frustration and anger'
He said: "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability."
Mr Semple added: "For hauliers, fuel is the biggest variable cost, and it has gone up every week for ten weeks."
He said meetings had been held to discuss protests, but there was not yet the groundswell of support needed to go ahead.
"But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices."
A spokesman for the pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said they believed action would be taken imminently.
He said: "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it."
The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he said.
Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.
"But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly."
BBC
Question
Does this type of action achieve anything except to cause inconvenience to the other road users. Is it likely to result in the government lowering duties on fuel?
Fuel protests could take place in the coming weeks as unrest grows over rising prices, it has been claimed.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the recent price increases were causing growing anger amongst its members.
Prices have gone up every week for the past ten weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, it said.
Jack Semple, RHA Director of Policy said: "Our members are angry over the latest increases in fuel prices and the restarting of the fuel duty escalator."
The impact of the price increases was "quite severe" for many hauliers, he said.
Mr Semple said that hauliers were "frustrated" by the high prices and added that duty rates were "much higher" in Britain than in other European countries.
'Frustration and anger'
He said: "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability."
Mr Semple added: "For hauliers, fuel is the biggest variable cost, and it has gone up every week for ten weeks."
He said meetings had been held to discuss protests, but there was not yet the groundswell of support needed to go ahead.
"But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices."
A spokesman for the pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said they believed action would be taken imminently.
He said: "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it."
The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he said.
Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.
"But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly."
BBC
Question
Does this type of action achieve anything except to cause inconvenience to the other road users. Is it likely to result in the government lowering duties on fuel?
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wool and straw house gets award !
A sustainable home built in wool, wood and straw
A Devon builder has beaten his contemporaries to become Best Energy Efficient Builder in Britain.
Robert Gulley was given the title at this year's Master Builder awards for the sustainable home he built in Totnes made from straw, wool and timber.
Customer Jim Carfrae said he wanted a sustainable property made for the same budget as a conventional one.
Mr Gulley was initially sceptical but used his traditional house-building skills to make a beautiful green home.
Sheep's wool
When Mr Carfrae suggested his ideas to the south Devon-based builders RJ Gulley, Mr Gulley laughed and said he must be mad.
"Rob is from a farming family, so is used to feeding straw to animals, not building houses with it," Mr Carfrae said.
"But as with everything on this project, Rob found a practical solution by creating a timber frame and wrapping the straw bales around it."
The main structure of the house is a traditionally jointed timber frame in locally grown Douglas Fir, which is more sustainable than oak.
The house is insulated with sheep's wool and has solar panels and a wood-fired cooker.
In its eighth year the Master Builder of the Year Awards is organised by the Federation of Master Builders.
BBC Devon
Nearby Dartmoor has one of the highest concentration of Bronze Age dwellings in Europe - sounds like this is rediscovering the skills from those times and using them in a fantastic eco-friendly way.
reducing co2 - limiting global warming and climate change - maybe we could all think along these lines, especially architects.
Great Stuff!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Storm Surge threatens more floods in UK
Tidal surge puts east coast in 'extreme danger'
By Laura Clout and Richard Alleyne
Last Updated: 9:51pm GMT 08/11/2007
(Chart courtesy of the Met.Office)
Thousands of people have been told to be ready to leave their homes as a tidal surge threatens to batter the east coast, bringing "extreme danger to life and property".
The freak, 10ft rise in sea level is expected to breach coastal defences and could bring the worst flooding in 50 years.
Gordon Brown has chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency response committee as the Environment Agency warned that more than 10,000 homes could be hit.
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Conditions have been likened to those preceding the floods of 1953, which surged two miles inland between the Tees and the Thames and claimed the lives of 300 people.
The entire east coast stretching from Humberside to Kent has been put on alert.
Police and local authorities are preparing to evacuate low-lying coastal areas of East Anglia and nine severe weather warnings have been issued.
The Environment Agency announced: "Severe flooding is expected. There is extreme danger to life and property."
Residents have been issued with sandbags and advised to fasten doors, and prepare to move upstairs with food, clothes, blankets and torches.
They were also told to fill baths and buckets with water for washing, and store drinking water in clean bottles.
In London, the Thames Barrier and Dartford Creek have been closed and householders along the Kent coast were also told to expect flooding.
Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said in most areas the biggest waves would come at high tide.
She added: "We are better prepared than 1953 and have better served by early warning system. But saying that Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft are not well served by good flood defence systems. We are asking people to act now."
The agency issued six severe flood warnings, five flood warnings and 22 flood watches nationally, covering North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the north Kent coast.
The severe warnings are in place from Great Yarmouth, where 8,000 homes are at threat, down to the village of Shingle Street, and on parts of the River Bure and River Yare.
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, told MPs: "A tidal surge of up to three metres is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.
"There is a risk of flood defences being overtopped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the south coast of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the Coast of Kent."
The high seas and flooding are caused by a combination of a "storm surge" and a spring, or naturally high, tide.
In this case 100mph north westerly winds at the tale end of a huge low pressure near Iceland are blowing down the relatively narrow channel of the North Sea between Norway and Scotland.
These have a funnelling effect, pushing water down the North Sea into the bottleneck that is the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English channel.
The water in the southern part of the North Sea has not got enough space to move and so the sea level rises substantially.
John Hammond, spokesman for the Met Office, said: "An event like this probably doesn't happen even once in twenty years."
Norfolk police say they have contingency plans in place to deal with a potential breach of sea defences in Great Yarmouth.
Local authorities are on standby to provide rest centres for residents who are unable to return home because of flood damage.
In Suffolk tides are expected to reach their peak at approximately 7.30am tomorrow.
The local authority advised residents in areas most likely to be vulnerable to flooding to leave their properties and seek shelter outside the affected area.
A number of schools are also expected to be closed tomorrow.
Across Europe, forecasters warned of high winds, extreme snowfall and avalanches.
Dutch port authorities are preparing to close Europe's largest harbour in Rotterdam to defend against predicted storm surges as high as 13ft (4m) and winds of up to 60mph (100 kph).
Gusts of up to 125 kph (78 mph) are expected in Germany and Denmark.
Meanwhile, the first storm of winter has caused major problems in northern parts of Britain as schools were closed and ferry crossings cancelled.
Hundreds of people suffered power cuts and fallen trees blocked roads as gusts up to 90mph battered the far north.
All schools on Orkney were closed, along with 13 in Caithness and Sutherland and a smaller number in Aberdeenshire.
Shoppers in Cheltenham were sent flying as a mini-tornado hit the High Street.
A sudden gale force wind hit the Spa town at around 3pm, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Telegraph
Many folk are going to say this has nothing to do with global warming and is not climate change, but it is yet another "freak" weather event. There seems to be a very great regularity of freak "once in 20 year" events these days!
Another entry into the database...but memorable to the people whose homes and businesses may be flooded, for all the wrong reasons.
Let's hope there is no loss of life.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Is this the week oil hits $100 a Barrel?
They all say oil should not have reached $96 a Barrel - the Saudi oil Minister, the CEO of Shell...
Then at Buckingham Palace last week they sat down to..
"The halal meal started with fillets of sole with salmon mousse to start, followed by venison with stuffed tomatoes and braised lettuce, and a raspberry shortbread tartlet.
Menu
Fillets of sole with salmon mousse and butter sauce
Noisettes of venison with stuffed tomatoes and braised lettuce
Chateau potatoes
Broccoli Hollandaise
Panache of root vegetables
Pear, walnut and celery salad
Raspberry shortbread tartlet
Wines list
Puligny-Montrachet, Les Champs Gain 2000
Bouchard Pere et Fils Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande 1986
Bollinger Grande Annee 1996
Taylor 1977"
Telegraph.co.uk
Looking good.....
"Gordon Brown, accompanied by his wife, Sarah, wore — for the first time — a white tie and tails, adhering to a dress code set by the Queen. He spent £3,000 of public money on the bespoke suit of plain, dark wool from Gieves & Hawkes."
Telegraph.co.uk
And not a word was mentioned about renewable energy - except maybe quietly amongst guests amid polite "titters".
If only Ann Robinson and Jeremy Paxman had been guests...
"Your starter for 10 King Abdullah.... How do uncontrolled use of fossil fuels intensify global warming leading irreversible climate change?
"Um"?
"King Abdullah, You are the weakest link, Goodbye"
Whilst the personal accumulation of sickening amounts of wealth occupy the thoughts of these people,(the very people who make the decisions that affect us all), what real chance is there for implementing any genuine program to reduce the use of fossil fuels?
Then at Buckingham Palace last week they sat down to..
"The halal meal started with fillets of sole with salmon mousse to start, followed by venison with stuffed tomatoes and braised lettuce, and a raspberry shortbread tartlet.
Menu
Fillets of sole with salmon mousse and butter sauce
Noisettes of venison with stuffed tomatoes and braised lettuce
Chateau potatoes
Broccoli Hollandaise
Panache of root vegetables
Pear, walnut and celery salad
Raspberry shortbread tartlet
Wines list
Puligny-Montrachet, Les Champs Gain 2000
Bouchard Pere et Fils Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande 1986
Bollinger Grande Annee 1996
Taylor 1977"
Telegraph.co.uk
Looking good.....
"Gordon Brown, accompanied by his wife, Sarah, wore — for the first time — a white tie and tails, adhering to a dress code set by the Queen. He spent £3,000 of public money on the bespoke suit of plain, dark wool from Gieves & Hawkes."
Telegraph.co.uk
And not a word was mentioned about renewable energy - except maybe quietly amongst guests amid polite "titters".
If only Ann Robinson and Jeremy Paxman had been guests...
"Your starter for 10 King Abdullah.... How do uncontrolled use of fossil fuels intensify global warming leading irreversible climate change?
"Um"?
"King Abdullah, You are the weakest link, Goodbye"
Whilst the personal accumulation of sickening amounts of wealth occupy the thoughts of these people,(the very people who make the decisions that affect us all), what real chance is there for implementing any genuine program to reduce the use of fossil fuels?
Saturday, November 3, 2007
"This makes New Orleans look small"
MEXICO
Million Mexicans affected by floods
Sat, 03 Nov 2007
Rescuers on Friday battled to reach people stranded on rooftops as more than one million struggled in the worst floods on record in Mexico's southern Tabasco state and President Felipe Calderon canceled a foreign visit to help.
Television pictures showed people struggling to get to higher ground as rising water levels reached up to their necks. Others awaited rescue on rooftops, surrounded by floodwater.
iafrica.com
Yet another record weather phenomenon - it seems hardly a month goes by now without some sort of record being broken somewhere in the world.
Global warming and climate change are in the news daily and yet the efforts of the people to reduce co2 emissions remain unmeasured and unrecognised.
It is time that we as individuals visibly publicised our committment and activities to reduce our carbon footprints.
The www.reduceco2.co.uk website and bumper sticker can demonstrate your personal involvement in the battle against global warming and climate change.
Enlist today !
Friday, November 2, 2007
www.reduceco2.co.uk bumper sticker now available
You do all the right things. Recycle, compost, use low watt bulbs, eco-diesel etc.
But how do your peers or even more importantly, your customers, know that you are doing all these good things?
Order your www.reduceco2.co.uk bumper sticker today.
The human-induced global warming and climate change crisis is only in its infancy, in the minds of the public. As realisation of the problem grows, so will business and social pressure to reduce co2 emissions in our personal and business lives. In the same way the smoker is now the modern-day leper, so will those not seen to be active in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions be regarded in the future.
Let the www.reduceco2.co.uk bumper sticker be your badge of honour in this war against global warming and climate change!
Met Office sounds warning alarm
Experts warned yesterday that heatwaves that could claim the lives of thousands of people will occur in Britain every other year.
Climate change will mean that within 30 years, scorching summers where temperatures exceed 100F will become routine, increasing the mortality rate, causing crime to rise and the economy to falter.
The warnings came as the Met Office launched a radical new forecasting system utilising the power of the oceans.
In a grim outlook, experts said that businesses would have to adapt swiftly to climate change or go to the wall.
Traders were told that they needed to be aware of the risk that extreme weather could bring to their dealings and change their image.
Consumers were now on the “tipping point” of viewing non-green businesses in the same way as clothing companies accused of using child labour.
Dr Matt Huddlestone, principal climate change consultant at the Met Office, warned that even the worst case scenario – that temperatures would rise by four degees Centigrade by 2100 – might be underestimating the problem.
“We have seen increases in sea levels that are more than we expected and sea ice is diminishing much quicker than our climate models predicted,” he said. “This summer the North-West Passage in the Arctic opened. We had a hot summer in 2003 with the highest temperature ever recorded here of 38.5C (101.3F).
“We thought this was a one in a thousand year event but it happened again in 2006. By now we probably think it is a one in 250 year event and by 2040 it is likely to be a one in two year event.”
Dr Huddlestone warned the heatwaves were likely to have a severe impact on Britons, adding: “It starts to be a little bit uncomfortable at 38.5C.
“In London the mortality rate for elderly people doubled and across Europe that year there were 30,000 deaths. During Hurricane Katrina, 1,300 lives were lost.
“Warmer summers mean diseases could spread to Britain. We have Bluetongue which was not here a year ago and if that can get here then so can others, though malaria is unlikely.”
Dr Huddlestone said levels of crime also soar during hot spells. “People get fractious and if they are fractious they get violent and crime goes up. You can predict crime levels using temperature,” he said.
He warned companies to take into account the effects of climate change now or risk being sued like tobacco firms who ignored cancer risks.
Daily Express - 2nd November 2007
Now when reputedly "stuffy" and cautious organisations like the Met Office start to get this excited about something, you know there is a real problem.
Businesses must adapt or die.
Climate change will mean that within 30 years, scorching summers where temperatures exceed 100F will become routine, increasing the mortality rate, causing crime to rise and the economy to falter.
The warnings came as the Met Office launched a radical new forecasting system utilising the power of the oceans.
In a grim outlook, experts said that businesses would have to adapt swiftly to climate change or go to the wall.
Traders were told that they needed to be aware of the risk that extreme weather could bring to their dealings and change their image.
Consumers were now on the “tipping point” of viewing non-green businesses in the same way as clothing companies accused of using child labour.
Dr Matt Huddlestone, principal climate change consultant at the Met Office, warned that even the worst case scenario – that temperatures would rise by four degees Centigrade by 2100 – might be underestimating the problem.
“We have seen increases in sea levels that are more than we expected and sea ice is diminishing much quicker than our climate models predicted,” he said. “This summer the North-West Passage in the Arctic opened. We had a hot summer in 2003 with the highest temperature ever recorded here of 38.5C (101.3F).
“We thought this was a one in a thousand year event but it happened again in 2006. By now we probably think it is a one in 250 year event and by 2040 it is likely to be a one in two year event.”
Dr Huddlestone warned the heatwaves were likely to have a severe impact on Britons, adding: “It starts to be a little bit uncomfortable at 38.5C.
“In London the mortality rate for elderly people doubled and across Europe that year there were 30,000 deaths. During Hurricane Katrina, 1,300 lives were lost.
“Warmer summers mean diseases could spread to Britain. We have Bluetongue which was not here a year ago and if that can get here then so can others, though malaria is unlikely.”
Dr Huddlestone said levels of crime also soar during hot spells. “People get fractious and if they are fractious they get violent and crime goes up. You can predict crime levels using temperature,” he said.
He warned companies to take into account the effects of climate change now or risk being sued like tobacco firms who ignored cancer risks.
Daily Express - 2nd November 2007
Now when reputedly "stuffy" and cautious organisations like the Met Office start to get this excited about something, you know there is a real problem.
Businesses must adapt or die.
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