Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer...

Pollination must see - birds, bees, bats, bugs, and cactus flowers

2012-02-02T00:15:00.001Z

Superb TED film about the various ways plants get pollinated. Watch out for the hummingbird versus the bee bit. Aerobatics to die for.

Moonlit pollination too.

Ponder on the delicate interactions and interdependencies of nature shown then watch 131 years of global temperature changes in 26 seconds. Consider how natural systems are very sensitive to small changes in the environment.

NASA | Temperature Data: 1880-2011

And the same sort of information in graphical form from the World Meteorological Society. Next time you hear someone claiming that global warming has stopped because “there hasn’t been any warming for 15 years”, show them this. They won’t believe you because they are terminally thick or bad but at least you will have tried!

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

2012-01-18T18:15:00.001Z

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall…

2012-01-14T01:32:00.001Z

Yikes! I’m starting to feel a bit psychic. Yesterday, I was chatting with some people knowledgeable about the real status of the world economy, and that of the EU in particular, who seem to recognise that things are not as bright as our glorious Jersey leaders make out. Amongst other things, and this is the Twilight zone moment, I said I couldn’t see any way that the slow-motion dominoes of the EU zone wouldn’t start to topple within the next few days. An expectation just based on my own personal model of the universe which, so far, seems more accurate than those of professional forecasters (at least those who are paid to tell those with their mitts on the levers of power that the glass is still half full!).

On tonight’s late news we have France and Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Cyprus downgraded by S&P – Portugal is now at junk status. Greece now looks certain to default, probably in March. S&P put 14 euro zone states on negative outlook for a possible further downgrade, including France, Austria, and still triple-A rated Finland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (source: REUTERS).

I think we will be relatively OK in Jersey for a while because we are sufficiently “outside” the EU but I don’t see any way that a wounded and staggering Europe will not be forced to crack down on the insufficiently governed nature of international finance (I don’t mean political government here, more the engineering government - click for Wiki article - of negative feedback that stops events getting out of hand in machines). At the very least, some variant on the Tobin tax (Robin Hood tax) looks likely. This would eventually impact on the City of London and thenceforth Jersey. Hedge funds and investment banking generally would shrink (understatement like this is so cool, no?). The dollar premium might even come back – this was a system, abandoned by Britain around 1979, which prevented the easy and fast movement of capital from country to country.

The focus of attention is now off the USA, and there have been a few misleadingly promising statistics published recently there on jobs etc, but the underlying reality is still catastrophic. Like Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff, gravity seems suspended until the unfortunate coyote looks down. The world has gone further and further over the edge with each successive bailout and quantitative easing etc. You cannae change the laws of physics, Jim! Try to ignore what some vandal has done to the original looney tunes soundtrack in this clip.

Peter Rhodes - the sequel

2012-01-08T16:40:00.001Z

I got a prompt response from my email to Peter Rhodes – see the previous post – Peter Rhodes column in the JEP.

Here it is in its entirety:

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention

PR”

If one was naive, one might imagine that this was a thank-you-I-now-realise-I-was-wrong message. Others might see a brush off.

Peter Rhodes, according to one of his email addresses (p.rhodes@expressandstar.co.uk) appears to actually have a connection with the Express and Star newspapers which is not too surprising as they have a bit of a history of publishing wildly misleading “sceptical” climate science articles, frequently using massively debunked denialist rhetoric in those articles to push the newspaper’s political line. I used to like the Express when I was growing up – it was our family newspaper – now I don’t.

Peter Rhodes column in the JEP

2012-01-04T00:45:00.001Z

Peter Rhodes writes a column published in the JEP. The persona we see is that of a grizzled old cynical hack who has seen everything, got the T- shirt and is sceptical of it. He is a borderline climate change denialist as he sometimes writes scoffing about the dangers. He eventually got on my nerves so I just fired off this response to his latest assault on the clever men of science - who actually know what they are talking about.

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Dear Mr. Rhodes,

My attention has been drawn to one of your JEP columns, published on Thursday 29th December.

You wrote:

"Over the yule period, some parts of the United Kingdom were 30° C warmer than they were this time last year. Tell me again. Why exactly will an average rise of 2° C be a global catastrophe?"

Well, with a nod to Ronald Searle, as any fule kno, averages can be deceptive. Indeed, they are often used to deceive. Perhaps a reductio ad absurdum would illustrate this?

For example, the average annual temperature in the South of England is around 11 degees C. Imagine though if one day there was an extreme solar flare which pushed the temperature up for one day only to 100 C - boiling point. Hot enough to cook eggs on the pavement, and everything else, everywhere in Britain, including us.

The change in average temperature for the year? 0.24 degrees C. 11 deg C -> 11.24 deg C. By your "logic" nothing bad could have happened and there would be nothing to worry about.

The average rise of 2 degrees C by 2050 is a globally averaged figure. It does not mean that winters will be 2 deg warmer than normal, similarly summers won't just be a bit warmer either. It will not be smooth gentle and consistent. The 2 degrees C figure actually relates to the increase in temperature that satellites would see for the whole Earth, if it was measured from sufficient distance to iron out all the variations over the surface.

The true danger of global warming is in the increased variation and severity of temperature swings outside normally expected levels. Take a look at this recent article

http://www.skepticalscience.com/Summary-of-Hansen-Nov-2011.html to see the horrendous probabilities, then remember also that the 2 degrees figure you quote does not stop in 2050 but will continue to increase for centuries, although not at the same rate - unless the methane clathrate "gun" is "fired", in which case it's sayonara civilisation and also to most species on Earth. Worth gambling with? Is there a dangerous bullet in the climate gun or a blank? Do you feel lucky, punk?

The IPCC indicate that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 2.9 °C (2 to 5.2 °F) for their lowest emissions scenario and 2.4 to 6.4 °C (4.3 to 11.5 °F) for their highest, so the figure of 2 degrees you quote, and that, for the sake of the argument, I have used, is a gross simplification of the full risks we face.

Before you print any more "sceptical" climate related stuff, please reflect that we only have one Earth, that we are experimenting with the gaseous composition of its atmosphere in an unprecedented way and that we are unable to do "test tube" science to establish beyond all doubt what the outcome will be. The only test tube big enough is the Earth, unfortunately we are stuck in that test tube so we can't escape any consequences and we can't go back in time to try another path. Real life is not like a video game. We can only try to predict what might happen based on the best available knowledge and risk assessment and take action to avoid it. Predicting risks and avoiding them is actually one of the better uses of intelligence. Cheap scoffing is probably the opposite.

Nick Palmer

Media spokesman for J-CAN - Jersey Climate Action Network

Member of Planning and Environment's J.E.F. - Jersey Environment Forum

On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it

Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com

I’ve looked at Aurorae from both sides now – stunning video

2011-11-26T14:34:00.001Z

Similar to my previous post – Home - but very much more spectacular, is this video which is a time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011. The video is HD, refurbished, smoothed, retimed, denoised, deflickered, cut, etc. The editor, Mike Konig tried to keep the looks of the material as original as possible, avoided adjusting the colors and the like, since, in his opinion, the original footage itself already has an almost surreal and aesthetic visual nature. Most notable is the auroral activity - both Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis. Lots of lightning storms feature too.

Snippets from the Interwebs 9

2011-11-20T18:18:00.001Z

Insulate insulate insulate! It cuts down energy use but most types (foam, fibreglass wool, Rockwool etc) take a fair amount of (usually) fossil fuelled energy to create. Why not grow your own? Of course, in days gone by, people used such as bracken to keep their hovels warmer but bio-insulation is relatively rare these days. Sheep’s wool is excellent and is increasingly used and produced for this purpose – click on this link for “The Woolly Shepherd” - but is not particularly cheap.

Step forward Greensulate from Ecovative design. This wonder stuff is an insulation/packaging material that is made from a fungus mycelium grown on agricultural crop waste, such as rice husks. Its “R-Value” is comparable with fibreglass.

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Why you should look pityingly at anyone who recommends economic growth as the solution to our problems…

There is an old story about the inventor of chess. As the story goes, when chess was presented to a great king, the king offered the inventor any reward that he wanted. The inventor asked that a single grain of rice be placed on the first square of the chessboard. Then two grains on the second square, four grains on the third, and so on. Doubling each time.

The king, baffled by such a small price for a wonderful game, immediately agreed, and ordered the treasurer to pay the agreed upon sum. A week later, the inventor went before the king and asked why he had not received his reward. The king, outraged that the treasurer had disobeyed him, immediately summoned him and demanded to know why the inventor had not been paid. The treasurer explained that the sum could not be paid – by the time you got even halfway through the chessboard, the amount of grain required was more than the entire kingdom possessed.

The king took in this information and thought for a while. Then he did the only rational thing a king could do in those circumstances. He had the inventor killed, as an object lesson in the perils of trying to outwit the king.

For the most part, this fable is used as a lesson in the power of exponential growth. From the one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, the amount increases to the point that by the time you get to square 64, there are over 18 quintillion grains of rice on the board. In mathematics, it’s a demonstration of extreme growth.

Eventually, you run out of rice. Or land. Or water. Or any resource.

Retold story adapted from The Seduction of the Exponential Curve from Forbes.com

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An exciting idea to fend off mosquitoes. It also works on flies and wasps too. It uses a “wall” of infrared light to keep the little bloodsuckers out. Szabolcs Marka, an associate professor of physics at Columbia University, is developing a novel way to protect people from the vectors: a virtual mosquito net with infrared light vibrating at wavelengths that irritate the insects’ nervous systems.

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A panel of expert judges has chosen Pure Power’s Mobile Solar Power System as one of its Top 10 Green Building Products of 2011. Building sites often have mobile power supplies which are usually noisy diesel generators. Here’s a solar photovoltaic power supply on a trailer to stop all that nonsense. The S48T can supply 72 kilowatts (or about 20 domestic houses worth) because it has battery storage on board too. Amongst other uses, they are being used on location for movie filming e.g. Inception

They also supply a bio-diesel hybrid version for continuity of supply on less sunny days

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So much for “trickle down” economics

A recent UN Report - Human Development Report - says developing countries will see reverse economic growth by 2050 - it delineates the global challenges of sustainability and equity. It points out that although (conventionally measured) living standards in most countries have been rising, from now on if environmental deterioration and social inequalities continue to intensify, the least developed nations will show a downward growth by 2050.

adapted from triplepundit.com

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Floods account for more than half of global disasters, affecting more people than any other type of disaster. The menace of flooding is well known to the estimated 65,000 people living in Budalangi, an area in western Kenya near the Uganda border that is inundated by floods every few years. Mudimbia, a village in Budalangi, will be the site of a disaster relief demonstration conducted by Oregon-based Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI) in collaboration with the Kenyan Water for Health Organization

The project will focus on using the HydroPack™, a paper-thin 4-inch by 6-inch pouch filled with electrolytes and nutrients that on contact with water, any old dirty water, swells up over an 8-to-12 hour period to create a flavoured, healthy drink.

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Taken from Triplepundit.com

Honey is supposed to be one of the purest natural foods there is. However, a recent report by Food Safety News blacklisted several US brands of honey for being “ultra-filtered.” Ultra-filtration is a process that removes pollen and therefore, traceability from honey. This technique is also a tacit way for Chinese manufacturers to sell their honey in the US, as there have been strict import tariffs on Chinese honey since 2001 for contamination with antibiotics and heavy metals.

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Conventional farmers can sometimes sneer at organic agriculture. The facts are against them though.

Taken from The StarPhoenix

“The results are in from a 30-year side-by-side trial of conventional and organic farming methods at Pennsylvania's Rodale Institute. Contrary to conventional wisdom, organic farming outperformed conventional farming in every measure.

There are about 1,500 organic farmers in Saskatchewan, at last count. They eschew the synthetic fertilizers and toxic sprays that are the mainstay of conventional farms. Study after study indicates the conventional thinking on farming - that we have to tolerate toxic chemicals because organic farming can't feed the world - is wrong.

In fact, studies like the Rodale trials (www.rodaleinstitute.org/fst30years) show that after a three-year transition period, organic yields equalled conventional yields. What is more, the study showed organic crops were more resilient. Organic corn yields were 31 per cent higher than conventional in years of drought”

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On Monday the 14th November United Airlines Flight 1403 made history when it flew because it was the first biofuel powered flight either in the US or the world depending on which news source one reads.The Boeing 737-800 burned a “green jet fuel” derived partially from genetically modified algae that feed on plant waste and produce oil created by Solazyme corporation.

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Photovoltaic cells have been steadily falling in price due to to innovation and economies of scale in manufacturing. Here’s yet another innovation that promise not only cheaper manufacturing using less energy but also more efficient cells that make more electricity. A game-changing Optical Cavity Furnace developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory uses optics to heat and purify solar cells at unmatched precision while sharply boosting the cells' efficiency.

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Bill Gates backs a Tobin Tax! This tax is designed to slow down the insane pace of international financial speculation and such weapons of economic destruction as CDOs, deravatives etc http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15565479 . The EU are considering introducing it too

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Taken from Inhabitat.com

If just one percent of the Saharan Desert were covered in concentrating solar panels, like those in the picture, it would create enough energy to power the entire world. The Desertec Initiative announced, two years ago, its intentions to harness the power of the sun in the Sahara Desert. Now, the project is moving forward, with plans for the first construction to break ground in 2012. The 500-megawatt concentrated solar power plant (CSP) will cost a cool $2.8 billion and harness the power of the sun from the desert of Morocco. Desertec is a projected half-trillion dollar solar project that will occupy parts of the Sahara, the Middle East, and Europe. The potential for the project is great — if completed, it could produce enough electricity to meet 15-20 percent of Europe’s energy demand by 2050 while providing power to the Middle East and Northern Africa as well.

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Brooklyn Grange Farm is though to be the largest rooftop farm in the world. Their one-acre (40,000 square foot) commercial organic farm on a rooftop in Queens, New York is made up of roughly 1.2 million lbs of soil and over 20,000 linear feet of green roofing material. They grow vegetables in the city and sell them to local people and businesses. The goal is to improve access to very good food, to connect city people more closely to farms and food production, and to make urban farming a viable enterprise and livelihood.

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Starbucks concerned world coffee supply is threatened by climate change

From triplepundit.com and the Guardian

Coffee supplies are being reduced by higher temperatures, long droughts and intense rainfall, plus more resilient pests and plant diseases, according to the UCS, “all of which are associated with climate change.” Coffee varieties are adapted to certain climate zones so a temperature increase of just a half of a degree can have a big affect and cause lower crop yields.

Coffee is not the only food product affected by climate change. A recent International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (known by the Spanish acronym, CIAT) study predicted a one-degree Celsius temperature increase by 2030 and 2.3 degrees Celsius by 2050 in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which would make it too hot to grow chocolate. Both countries supply more than half of the world’s cocoa.

Tea is also being affected by climate change, according to a CIAT report released in May. Climate change will cause increases in average temperatures and rainfall which will cause many Kenyan farmers at lower elevations to abandon growing tea.

Ministerial tango!

2011-11-12T11:22:00.001Z

I just sent the new States House members the following email (subject line: Responsibility) ahead of the elections for Chief Minister and the subsequent selection of new Ministers for the various Departments. I am expecting that too many narrow viewpoints will lead to a less than ideal outcome. Those who get elected here too often have, or rapidly develop, a kind of defensive armour that prevents them from seeing much outside their preconceptions.

Dear States Member,

I am writing to you ahead of the vote for Ministers. If you need to know why you should give any attention to my words, I have included some of my credentials at the end of this email.

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Soon the house elects a new Chief Minister and, subsequently, Ministers for the various Departments. It is surely crucial that the House selects knowledgeable Ministers who are fully aware of the situation that Jersey and the world faces - only then can plans and policies have a hope of being appropriate.

Ahead of us we have environmental and economic challenges the likes of which the world has never seen before and Jersey cannot isolate itself from its responsibilities for planning to meet these. Our finance industry is dependent upon the international economy continuing to grow, which current events suggest is highly unlikely in the near to mid term, possibly ever again. Counter-intuitively, attempting to restore conventional growth, particularly in the developed nations, should be seen by the new Ministers as a very high risk strategy, if they are fully aware of the consequences. Jersey also has a much higher environmental responsibility per capita to get things right, owing to our very high global impact (because of our wealthy consumer society).

Ominously, neither of the two current candidates for Chief Minister appeared to clearly understand the question that I asked at the St Lawrence senatorial Hustings about the urgent need to adopt new ways of measuring economic success. If we continue to rely on the two dimensional conventional remedies of classical economics, which have been partially successful in the past, then we will inevitably fail to deal with the big, unprecedented challenges we face. We have now reached the point where any further conventional global “growth” is arguably uneconomic growth because the marginal long term costs of conventional growth are now outweighing the marginal benefits.

Apart from the Chief Minister, the three Ministers it is most critical for the House to get right are those of Treasury, Economic Development and Planning and Environment. It is so crucial that it might be better to elect no-one to these posts rather than the wrong ones.

When you vote, make sure to elect Ministers who explicitly acknowledge the full scope of the challenges we are up against and who express at least a willingness to investigate the new non-classical disciplines in economics that offer hope of engineering a sustainable civilisation. To do anything else is fundamentally irresponsible, both to the electorate that put you in your place and to the other seven billion inhabitants of this increasingly crowded world.

If you still think that merely tinkering with the constitution, how the States operates and restoring growth-as-we-knew-it is in any way a valid responsible strategy, then you will be of no use for solving the real, serious problems - indeed, you will be part of the problem.

The time ahead is crucial to everybody’s futures. Naïve, ill advised glass-half-full thinking, that looks to the policy successes of the past and imagines that all we need is more of the same, should not sway your votes.

Sincerely

Nick Palmer

• I sit on Planning and Environment's J.E.F. - Jersey Environment Forum - one of the two environmental think tanks set up by Freddy Cohen

• I am a committee member for, and media spokesman of, J-CAN - Jersey Climate Action Network

• I write an internationally respected sustainability blog - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer - http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com that takes a light hearted but serious view of the dilemmas we face

• I helped with research for, and contributed ideas and text to, the significant climate change book "What's the Worst That Could Happen"

• I am expert at puncturing the tidal waves of politically motivated climate change denial propaganda. Some of my arguments are regularly used in the top scientific climate science blogs, to which I also contribute

• I have a grounding in the newer, deeper forms of economic thought, such as Daly's ecological economics, to which I allude in the text above, which show how the free market can be tuned to deliver both sustainability, economic development (not growth), prosperity at the same time living within our environmental means and renewing that which has been deteriorated. All this with little regulation necessary. This form of economics is as close to "the answer" as is available

Denialism Tango and something else and SOMETHING ELSE

2011-11-10T15:03:00.001Z

Not "Men at Work" these are another Australian band called "Men with Day Jobs", socking it to the pathological sceptics.

Having had a chuckle, set your computer to full screen view, crank up the volume and prepare to get emotional.

NO COMMENT

by Gioacchino Petronicce

And finally, from a time when video wasn’t flashy, comes Carl Sagan’s famous “Pale Blue Dot”. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the solar system (9 years after passing Saturn), was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space – 3.7 billion miles - at the request of Carl Sagan

BEST Climate Crock of the week

2011-11-05T22:49:00.003Z

One of the biggest sources of climate change misinformation on the web, deceptively disguised as “scepticism”, is Wattsupwiththat, run by retired meteorologist Anthony Watts. Watts is the person on the Internet most responsible for viciously smearing scientists and spreading disinformation on global warming, particularly disinformation on the surface temperature record. He gets huge numbers of people reading it. For some years he has been promoting the idea that the apparent rise in global temperature has a lot to do with poor siting of the thermometers used to measure temperature changes and he organised a lot of volunteers to photograph and criticise the placement of thermometers because they were located near to tarmac, concrete, air conditioners etc. His theory is that the recorded rise in global temperatures is more down to urban thermometers getting hotter due to hot air from the tarmac etc. boosting the measurements rather than the planet heating up. Like many, indeed most, of the denialist arguments one sees, it sounds quite plausible – some of the stupid, ignorant or mendacious types who come up with the propaganda know how easy it is to lie to the public – others do the lying accidentally, because their poor judgement leads them to deceive themselves.

The real science of course went Duhhh!! The effects that Watts and his minions have been ruthlessly claiming are a big flaw in global warming science have, of course, always been known about and the science has always adjusted the raw data to take account of this. If Watts acknowledged this at all, he would then lead his readers to think that these legitimate, necessary adjustments were data fudging! How can science win against someone using paranoid arguments like that? The tragedy is that too many of the gullible public lap up this crap, as one can clearly see if one reads the comment sections of online TV or newspaper websites.

Over the last few months there has been a tremendous excitement in the Wattsup end of the climate science denialism blogosphere because one of the few scientists they listen(ed) to - Dr Richard Muller - announced that he was going to run a huge investigation into the temperature records. On his team was Professor Judith Curry – another darling of the deniers who writes a sort-of (her stated positions are very often rather muddled) sceptical blog, Climate etc. The research was even backed by, amongst others, the infamous Koch Foundation which bankrolls a fair bit of the denialist infrastructure. They were expecting this “unbiased” study to overturn the current scientific view on how much we are warming. Back in March, Anthony Watts even wrote (very unwisely, as it turned out…)

“And, I’m prepared to accept whatever result they produce, even if it proves my premise wrong. I’m taking this bold step because the method has promise”

Well the results are in. The climate scientists were right all along and the denialists were full of ****. Is Anthony Watts accepting his Nemesis with good grace and acknowledging that his "big idea" was disastrously wrong? Sadly, no. Those who use paranoid thinking can always wriggle out somehow and Watts and his ilk are wriggling like champion eels in a world title wriggling competition.

Here’s a couple of media excerpts:

Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post: “For the clueless or cynical diehards who deny global warming, it’s getting awfully cold out there. The latest icy blast of reality comes from an eminent scientist whom the climate-change skeptics once lauded as one of their own. Richard Muller, a respected physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, used to dismiss alarmist climate research as being “polluted by political and activist frenzy.” Frustrated at what he considered shoddy science, Muller launched his own comprehensive study to set the record straight. Instead, the record set him straight”.

“Global warming is real,” Muller wrote recently in The Wall Street Journal.

“When we began our study, we felt that skeptics had raised legitimate issues, and we didn’t know what we’d find,” Muller wrote. “Our results turned out to be close to those published by prior groups. We think that means that those groups had truly been careful in their work, despite their inability to convince some skeptics of that.”

Here’s Pete Sinclair’s climate crock – Bad, Badder, BEST – that sticks the knife in to finally show up Watts as the weasel that he is.

Parish pump planetary politics

2011-10-13T19:00:00.001+01:00

For both my local and international readers, I offer up this slice of our local elections for Senators – the senior position in our government. I can’t pretend I have much respect for most politicians in bigger countries either – few are that much better at understanding the true reality of the situation we face – but let’s have a despairing laugh at the sheer irresponsibly ignorant ineptitude of most who seek to be our leaders locally.

The Jersey Evening Post did not report on all the questions asked at the St Lawrence Senatorial hustings in last night's paper. I asked what I consider to be one of the most comprehensive questions by far, yet reporter Ben Queree's piece reduced it to two words in one sentence.

"with a full parish hall hearing the 13 candidates' views on economic growth, fishing rights and the Island's international image"

He chose to solely highlight candidates' views on the relatively trivial subject of Jersey's image. Quite staggeringly inept reporting – or sub-editing by his “superiors”.

To be fair, Ben might not have understood the question. The Connetable, when passing it over to the candidates wondered if they would understand it. This was partially down to the Connetable herself who, at the start, had warned that questions should be brief, which is fair enough if people are trying to find candidates' views on speeding or drains but sometimes questions about the really big issues, that have the longest lasting most dramatic consequences, cannot be squeezed into a soundbite. I will give the full scene-setting here (plus a bit more) that I was unable to last night.

I initially pointed out that Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, last week suggested that the current financial crisis could be the worst ever (which obviously includes the great depression of the '30s).

Although Jersey's economy is in better shape than most it is very vulnerable to external events - the finance industry depends on a healthy international economy and the continued tolerance of offshore activities. The current external threat to the fulfilment industry is an example of Jersey's serious vulnerability.

Conventional economic thought, such as Ozouf and co rely on to formulate their policies, can only offer ideas to try and grow the economy to get us out of this hole but, as I pointed out last night, wanting further growth in the economy is neither desirable, possible or even rational.

The United Nations Environment programme has identified that we are living beyond our environmental means - globally we are using up planetary resources and energy 1.4 times faster than the planet can supply them sustainably. Anyone who spends more than their income should know what the eventual result of that foolishness is - unending misery.

In the developed world (USA/Western Europe) the demands that our economies make pro rata would need between 3-10 planets to satisfy sustainably.
So, obviously, we are damned if we try to grow our economy further and damned to stay stuck in this recession/depression if we don't - or at least that is what conventional economists would think.

I then asked if the candidates were fully aware of the different economic schools of thought that not only expected the giant crunch but also offer a way out to achieve a long term sustainable steady state economy that not only stabilises employment, social welfare, investment and industry but simultaneously protects our local and global environment. I further asked if they would seek out these alternative economic methods and apply them, if elected.

Well! You would have thought I had asked them how they would run a space exploration programme back in the days when the great and the good thought that the Sun revolved around the Earth and a few more enlightened people were pointing out that they were flat out wrong! Their familiar ideas, based upon a massive misconception, are simply doomed to fail and take the rest of us down with them. With two or three obvious exceptions, four at the most, they simply blustered and rabbited on with their pet ideas. The former Bailiff and highest of the high in Jersey society, Sir Philip Bailhache, was not even aware of the reality of what Mervyn King said which was, according to that hotbed of revolutionary thought The Telegraph:

“The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night”

Sir Philip believed that Mervyn King had said the crisis was the most serious since the second World War.The majority of the candidates seemed to have no comprehension whatsoever of the situation we are in, not only economically but also, and more fundamentally and dangerously, environmentally too nor the vital strategy we need to urgently embark on to have a hope of rescuing our futures from the pit, and yet they are offering themselves up to lead a new States into the future. However, unfortunately the audience did not howl down their foolishness, which is explicable because probably they too did not understand the ramifications of the question either, so may not have appreciated its full significance but since when has the blind leading the blind ever been a sensible strategy? Now, more than ever, we need the democratic majority to vote for those who know what is really happening and at least have an inkling of what to do about it.

They’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take it any more

2011-10-03T00:35:00.002+01:00

There is an interesting “peoples’ protest” growing in the US called “Occupy Wallstreet”. It was started in July on the Adbusters website (click here for the origin of the idea), and seems to be exponentially growing. New groups are forming rapidly across the States and, having spread across America, it is starting to crossover to Europe, Australia, Central America and Asia.

Taking their cue from the “Arab Spring” movement, which started in Tunisia then exploded when Egyptians occupied Tahrir Square in the 2011 “Egyptian Revolution”, the idea is just to occupy an area associated with bankers and sing, chant etc. The new bit is that it is not just for one day but just carries on, possibly indefinitely.

The basis of Occupy Wallstreet is that “the 99%” of ordinary people in the USA who are losing their jobs, healthcare and getting their homes foreclosed by the “1%” of bankers and financiers, have had enough - they’re mad as hell and their not going to take it any more – the previous words borrowed from the classic 1976 film Network (excerpt of the famous bit follows). It’s interesting to contrast what was worrying people back then in 1976 with today…

The Wallstreet occupiers are mad as hell that the “1%” are getting bailed out while the “99%” are getting screwed. Here is a link to the facebook page organising the Occupy the London Stock Exchange action. Click this link for the worldwide actions page.

Here is the introduction from the “We are the 99%” site

“Who are we? Well, who are you? If you’re reading this, there’s a 99 percent chance that you’re one of us.

You’re someone who doesn’t know whether there’s going to be enough money to make this month’s rent. You’re someone who gets sick and toughs it out because you’ll never afford the hospital bills. You’re someone who’s trying to move a mountain of debt that never seems to get any smaller no matter how hard you try. You do all the things you’re supposed to do. You buy store brands. You get a second job. You take classes to improve your skills. But it’s not enough. It’s never enough. The anxiety, the frustration, the powerlessness is still there, hovering like a storm crow. Every month you make it is a victory, but a Pyrrhic one — once you’re over the hump, all you can do is think about the next one and how much harder it’s all going to be.

They say it’s because you’re lazy. They say it’s because you make poor choices. They say it’s because you’re spoiled. If you’d only apply yourself a little more, worked a little harder, planned a little better, things would go well for you. Why do you need more help? Haven’t they helped you enough? They say you have no one to blame but yourself. They say it’s all your fault.

They are the 1 percent. They are the banks, the mortgage industry, the insurance industry. They are the important ones. They need help and get bailed out and are praised as job creators. We need help and get nothing and are called entitled. We live in a society made for them, not for us. It’s their world, not ours. If we’re lucky, they’ll let us work in it so long as we don’t question the extent of their charity.

We are the 99 percent. We are everyone else. And we will no longer be silent. It’s time the 1 percent got to know us a little better. On Sept. 17, 2011, the 99 percent will converge on Wall Street to let the 1 percent know just how frustrated they are with living in a world made for someone else. Let us know why you’ll be there. Let us know how you are the 99 percent.”

Bankers and international financiers are set to get a whole lot more unpopular shortly as the run on French banks that are exposed to Greek debt continues, which is likely to take down Morgan Stanley in due course which might then set off an avalanche of finance institution failures like the one that started in 2008 with Lehman Brothers. This time, governments have got little or no ammunition left to do bailouts by expanding debt yet further and putting the burden on to taxpayer’s shoulders.

As I’ve said before, the normal response of conventional economists, which is to attempt to restart business-as-usual “growth”, is like the problem with trying to kill the Alien, who’s blood is so acid that it is a danger to anyone trying to kill it.

“It's got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it.”

Similarly, this recession/depression has a great defence mechanism that should cause governments in general and, as far as we are concerned, Philip Ozouf’s Treasury Ministry in particular, to ponder the wisdom of trying conventional remedies.

Trying to solve the current global economic problems with more of the economic expansionism that caused the problems in the first place is just barking. Included within this are the problems of attempting to restore the type of economic growth that has led to us using planetary resources up almost 50% faster than the planet can supply them, and destabilising the climate faster than has ever been done before by Nature. This is not a rational option because it was the previous economic expansion that caused the mountains of debt that is likely to take down the whole system when the cracks proliferate.

Risky strategies

2011-10-02T00:26:00.001+01:00

Part of the economic growth strategy mooted for Jersey, which is designed to save our sorry skins – finance down 12%!!! – involves e-gaming i.e. gambling for money online. It has been regretted by some that places like Alderney have stolen a lead over us. Not reported very well at all by the mainstream media locally (how do those so called journalists look at themselves in the mirror?) was the following which was from the New York Times (click for original article).

“LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gambling regulators on Thursday revoked the license of Full Tilt Poker, a popular Web site that once offered gambling to thousands of players around the world, saying the site had misled officials about its financial operations.

The revocation was made by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission on the British Channel Islands. The move, according to Full Tilt, put in jeopardy a plan outlined by a lawyer for Full Tilt to repay millions of dollars in player funds that had been in limbo since the site was first shut down to Americans in April, when its executives were indicted in the United States”

While our local politicians still cling to highly dubiously ethical get rich quick fantasies like this without regard to their “firework” nature, we are doomed. Politicians need to wake up to the unsustainable nature of their current policies and the even worse solutions put forward by their flat earth economist advisers.

Home

2011-09-25T11:51:00.001+01:00

This rather spectacular video shows the view from the International space station. Click this link to a site which will let you know when it passes over your bit of the sky). First you have to specify your location (Configuration – select from map) by putting a marker on a Google map, then “submit” and finally click “ISS”.

The “video” is actually a time lapse, so it’s a little jerky. The direction of travel is North to South’ish. Starting up on West Coast Canada one passes Vancouver Island and down through San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico and then down the West coast of South America before finally hitting sun rise as it nears Antarctica. Watch for the lightning storms over Mexico. Watch in full screen HD!

Don’t try this at home!

2011-09-12T23:03:00.002+01:00

Jeb Corliss "Grinding The Crack". Well, what on earth does that mean? What starts out as a fairly normal (!) base jumping video suddenly makes one's jaw drop, from about 1 minute 19 seconds in. There are a LOT of comments about his testicular fortitude and you will see why... As usual with videos of this nature, it's best to click through to the Youtube page and watch it in full screen high definition. It’s anyone’s guess how long Jeb has for this world.

Snippets from the Interwebs 8

2011-08-28T22:01:00.000+01:00

Windpower marches on

Coal, if you discount the negative externalities it produces, generates the cheapest power around. Natural gas is probably second (and a helluva lot cleaner, pollution-wise and greenhouse gas-wise).

The Brazilian authorities have this week (August 24th) confirmed that wind power in the country currently costs less than natural gas, after a series of energy auctions saw wind farm operators undercut other forms of energy generation.

By the end of last year, wind power in the U.S. was cost-competitive with natural gas, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported in January.

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Ocean Acidification, global warming’s probably more evil twin, may be one of the root causes of the devastation of oyster farms in the Pacific NorthWest

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The seas off Canada’s Newfoundland coast have been one of the world’s richest fisheries for nearly 500 years. Click here for a CBC archive about the rise and fall of the Atlantic cod fishery. In the 1950s modern trawlers arrived in the area and by 1992 the fishery was closed for lack of fish. Cod stocks in the area remained at less than 5% of their former levels for decades in spite of the closure. Since then the Grand Banks have been a case study for fisheries mismanagement and total ecosystem collapse brought on by over-fishing, a problem that is a severe threat to fish-stocks in the rest of the world.

This new study therefore brings some hope to the area. Canadian researchers from Queen’s University have found that cod are now at 34% of their pre-collapse peak, and biomass of all predatory fish is at more than 50% of pre-collapse levels. The collapse of cod has led to subsequent increase of haddock and pollock as well as herring which is what the cod used to eat. This imbalance of the food chain will take a longer time to recover.

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For 1 in 6 people, access to water requires hard work: hours of walking, waiting in line and heavy lifting.

The time spent fulfilling this basic need keeps many children out of school and prevents women from carrying out all the domestic and income generating work for which they are responsible. In much of the developing world, it is often necessary to walk five miles (8km) or more every day to fetch water. In the dry season, it is not uncommon to walk twice this distance. Collecting water can be dangerous too. The traditional method of carrying water – carrying a 5 gallon (20 litre) water bucket on the head – can severely damage the spine, causing severe pain. Step forward the Wello – click this link for their website - a cheap plastic roller tank that takes a lot of the effort out of fetching water

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Taken from Greenpeace’s website:

The world's #1 sportswear brand, Nike, has accepted our Detox challenge: today (August 17th - NP) it has officially committed to eliminating all hazardous chemicals across its entire supply chain, and the entire life-cycle of its products by 2020. This is a major win for our campaign to protect the planet’s precious water, and create a toxic-free future.

Nike's announcement comes just five weeks into our Detox campaign, which began when we launched the "Dirty Laundry" report, revealing commercial links between major clothing brands - including Nike, Puma and Adidas - and suppliers responsible for releasing hazardous chemicals into Chinese rivers.

Puma was first to break away from the pack, opening up an impressive lead by announcing that it would go toxic-free. Puma's commitment to remove all hazardous chemicals from its entire product-portfolio must have left their competition wondering how they were going to raise their game. Now, Nike and Puma are the front-runners, and Adidas is far behind.

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Here’s an interesting piece of research from “Environmental Health Perspectives” headlined:

“Lower Prevalence of Antibiotic-resistant Enterococci On U.S. Conventional Poultry Farms That Transitioned to Organic Practices”

It basically says that farms that transition to organic methods of rearing poultry quickly find a much lower prevalence of antibiotic resistant enterococcus (nasty) bacteria in their flocks. Not so much from the well known organic practises but more from the removal of the routine use of antibiotics that are in conventional food stuff, put there to “promote” growth etc. In cattle production, the routine use of antibiotics, described as ionophores because of their growth enhancing characteristics, rather than their bug killing abilities, can cause confusion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a letter to Tyson Foods in 2007 to remove labels from chickens that said "raised without antibiotics" because of the use of ionophores in their feed.

The conclusion of the paper?:

“Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the voluntary removal of antibiotics from large-scale U.S. poultry farms that transition to organic practices is associated with a lower prevalence of antibiotic-resistant and MDR Enterococcus.”

(NP) MDR= multi drug resistant

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Plastic2oil recently announced that they would be “mining” the waste plastic landfill sites of a large paper processor using their own technology that converts waste plastic (usually mixed polymers that have limited reusability) into a diesel oil substitute.

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Renewable energy continues to make large strides, which is a conclusion you probably won’t have reached if you follow the mainstream media. Renewables 2011 goes into detail about the fast progress that has been made. Click for full report – Renewables 2011

“Renewable resources wound up supplying 16% of global final energy consumption and showed strong growth in all three sectors tracked – power, heat and transport. When it comes to electricity, renewable resources supplied an estimated 20% of global annual demand. Renewable power accounted for approximately 50% of new electric capacity globally and delivered nearly 20% of the global electricity supply. By early 2011, fully 25% of global power capacity from all sources came from renewables”

“Renewables accounted for about 26% of China’s total installed electric capacity, 18% of generation, and more than 9% of final energy consumption in 2010.”

“Germany met 11% of its total final energy consumption with renewable sources, which accounted for 16.8% of electricity consumption, 9.8% of heat production (mostly from biomass), and 5.8% of transport fuel consumption. Wind power accounted for nearly 36% of renewable generation, followed by biomass, hydropower, and solar photovoltaics ”

source of quotes: triplepundit.com

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This article explains how India could utilise portions of the “desert” state of Rajasthan for large concentrated solar power plants that could supply much of the energy they need in just a few years. CSP is where the sun is concentrated by mirrors onto a central point to generate steam.

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According to Shelton Group (a PR investor relations company), “a tipping point in American consumer interest in green products has occurred with 70% of consumers in our surveys saying they are searching for green products where green is defined as more energy efficient, natural, sustainable, etc.” Specifically, a few of Shelton Group’s market research findings in support of this green tipping point are:

Recycling: Growing in popularity with 64% of Americans saying they regularly recycle aluminum cans, plastic bottles and newspapers

Energy Efficient Lighting: 55% said they’ve replaced most of their incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs

Energy Efficient Appliances:54% said they’ve purchased an Energy Star qualified appliance

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Biofuels deservedly have a dodgy reputation due to the Americans’ efforts at turning corn (maize) into ethanol which led to a jacking up of world food prices and wasn’t even of any real benefit because the process took more or less the same amount of energy to create the biofuel as was available when using it. See EROEI… (or even the Elmer Fudd version of the article - someone obviously has too much time on their hands…).

Corn-into-ethanol is not the end of the biofuel story because the principle is still sound even though the previous practice was dumb.

Taken from The Green Economy Post:

12 Synthetic Biology Biofuel & Biochemical Companies to Watch

A detailed review of 12 U.S. based synthetic biology, biofuel & biochemical companies that are developing third and fourth generation biofuels, bioindustrial & household chemical, and food additive products

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Spin merchants continue to ply their morality free trade.

click for original article

“Over the last six months, some of the largest virgin fine-paper manufacturers in North America have launched major marketing initiatives holding themselves up as environmental leaders. They support these claims by postulating that virgin paper manufacturing generates the same or less greenhouse gas emissions than recycled fine paper”

The Paper Task Force Final Report differs:

“making fine paper from waste paper is a more efficient process than making paper from trees, it uses less energy, less water, creating less effluent, and generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions. These facts are supported by the most comprehensive, independent, scientific lifecycle analysis of the impacts of paper manufacturing”

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Taken from Triplepundit.com:

Bank of America announced an agreement in June, with ProLogis, and NRG Energy and the US DOE’s Loan Program Office, to finance the deployment of up to $2.6 billion of commercial and industrial rooftop solar installations, all across the USA.

This will be the largest distributed solar deal in history, which will create the equivalent of over 10,000 job-years, while providing 733MW of distributed solar energy, which is enough to power 100,000 homes across 28 states.

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Taken from Triplepundit.com

In York, the Nestlé plant, that churns out over a billion Kit Kats and 183 million Aero bars annually has achieved a zero waste milestone four years early. For a company and brand that received sharp criticism last year for procuring controversial sources of palm oil last year, Nestlé and Kit Kat’s waste diversion efforts are more steps in the right direction.

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Conventional agricultural practices have a large impact on greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, also soil erosion etc.

Organic produce and pasture based meat and dairy have less of an environmental impact than their conventionally produced counterparts, a recently released report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found. Titled A Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health, the report includes lifecycle assessments of 20 popular types of meat, dairy and vegetable proteins.

A couple of quotes:

“Meat, eggs and dairy products that are certified organic, humane and/or grass-fed are generally the least environmentally damaging (although a few studies of the impact on climate show mixed results for grass-fed versus confined-feedlot meat,” according to the report. “Overall, these products are the least harmful, most ethical choices.”

“Well-managed grazing and grass-fed operations are better for the environment…Organic feed production and grazing practices are also better for the environment.”

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A lot of recycling is of the type that collects a raw material and recycles it into something else. This is described as “repurposing”. The type of recycling whereby a plastic bottle is used to make another plastic bottle is somewhat rarer.

Pepsico have announced the 7up recycled PET bottle click here for press release

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A ubiquitous component of the global supply chain is the pallet. Annually, 500 million new pallets are manufactured. They become part of the roughly 2 billion pallets that are in circulation in the U.S. at any given time. 93% of all goods move on a pallet.

Observation from one of my day jobs means I can vouch for the fact that the waste involved in the use of pallets is large.

Step forward the Ecoaluminum pallet made from recycled aluminium. It’s lighter than wood, doesn’t absorb chemicals mould etc

Jonathan Livingston Festo

2011-08-24T00:29:00.001+01:00

I think this “flying seagull” creation is fascinating. Talked about here, in one of the always amazing TED talks, by one of its creators.

Also featured in the longer video is the Manta ray and the Airjelly – a flying jellyfish like device. Not featured is their Air penguin (click for link)

interview with the creators

Article about Festo Smartbird

Some like it hot – not! Climate Crock of the Week

2011-08-21T21:32:00.003+01:00

Another masterpiece from Pete Sinclair. In it he contrasts the views and rhetoric of the usual suspects such as Rush Limbaugh, Lord Monckton, Alex Jones and Joe Bastardi, who misrepresent the truth, with actual events in the real world. He also shows just how long science has been warning the public about the dangers of altering the atmosphere - at least 55 years. Now that the pigeons are coming home to roost climatically, and eventually climactically, it’s about time for the “we told you so”s to start. As an illustration of just how insane and incorrigible some people are, the propaganda blitz from the denialist pundits is still in top gear.

How much would you pay to save your bacon?

2011-08-20T00:11:00.003+01:00

Unfortunately there is is a lot of propaganda around that alternative or renewable energy sources are not economic or efficient, compared with conventional sources. Such distorted thinking seeks to persuade people that conventional energy sources, such as coal, are a lot cheaper than wind, tidal, solar energy etc.
We heard a local voice, Mr Derek Bernard, express such propaganda during the question session that followed Sir David King’s recent (July) address at Durrell about the effects that climate change can have in store for small islands. Mr Bernard had the nerve to claim that the figures on the performance of wind energy etc just did not add up. Professor Sir David King mildly commented that he can’t have been looking at the same figures that he had seen…

This article (click link) from triplepundit.com sketches out the fundamentally misleading nature of such propaganda, which rarely compares apples with apples because, in the evaluation of economic and environmental costs, an awful lot is left out of the accounting procedures used.

An extract follows:

“Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal unearths some rather alarming truths about the “externalities” associated with the extraction, transportation, processing and combustion of coal for the production of electricity in this country. When these externalized costs, which include health, environmental and economic impacts, are factored in, this doubles or even triples the cost of coal-powered electricity, making it more expensive than solar, wind, and other alternative sources”

Another aspect of the “conventional” view weighing heavily on our prospects for getting a more sustainable civilisation any time soon is the amount of money invested in it compared with general items of expenditure.

Here's a link to an article about the continuing campaign by the Daily Mail to muddy the waters and steer people away from all things alternative energy related.

Diverging slightly, here’s a great graphic.

This reminds me of a frequent cry during the late 60s and early 70’s about the American space programme. Some pointed to the amount spent on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programmes and said we shouldn’t carry on with them because all that money could go to relieving world poverty instead. Others pointed out that the expenditure on the space programme was dwarfed by the amount that the Yanks spent on cosmetics and toothpaste which defused the argument a bit.

Can’t see the wood for the dead trees

2011-08-14T16:45:00.001+01:00

A comment to a letter I had published in the JEP on behalf of J-CAN (which was in answer to a previously published climate denialist eccentric’s letter) although otherwise spot on illustrated an error that some make in their appreciation of the threats from climate change. This particular online comment (from "Pip Clement") included this phrase:

“Fortunately for most of the people on here they will be dead by the time the effects really become apparent”

This is what I replied:

“The effects are likely to become apparent way earlier than you suggest. Worse than that, if we do nothing, we will discover in our lifetimes (even the older ones’) that we have gone beyond the point of no return, when we will not be able to reverse the situation.

The dice will have been cast long before our grandchildren will need to the ones to “be lucky”. Who needs to be lucky? It’s us.”

The comments following my replies are worth reading too if seeing breath-taking stupidity and arrogance expressed floats your boat…

The dangers from global warming do not simply come just from effects directly attributable to the rise in average planetary temperature. Often overlooked, or not publicised, are the consequences of the effects on the ecosphere – all the animals, birds, trees, plants, insects, fungi, bacteria, plankton etc. that forms the vast interlocking web of life. These systems are far more sensitive to changes in planetary temperatures than climatologists’ thermometers and satellites and large effects are already obvious such as the acidification (reduction in alkalinity for the ultra-picky) of the oceans, the reduction in plankton numbers - in the past 60 years, algal biomass has decreased by about 40% - click for Nature article - and now here is evidence, from satellite photographs, of the huge impacts on pine forests in the US of the epidemic of pinebeetle infestation

Left: September 22, 2003. Right: September 25, 2010. Mountain Pine Beetles killed about 60 percent of the medium-to-large lodgepole pines on the western slopes of the park between the years depicted here. In the 2003 image, dense vegetation (dark green) is seen near the centre. In the 2010 image, the dark green has been replaced by shades of brown over large areas, indicating tree loss. Warmer winters are allowing more pine beetles to survive. In addition, summer drought stresses the trees and renders them more vulnerable to pine beetle attack Read more here click this link or this one about a researcher investigating the die off. It’s not just a simple matter of more winter warmth = more pine beetles = more die off of trees, the full story is a bit more complex than that, but this is exactly the sort of large scale effects that will start happening to the natural world way before the climate changes are obvious in temperature trend lines to casual observers such as those who get their world view from the newspapers, and opinionated television motor-mouths.

Fish wars

2011-07-31T12:42:00.001+01:00

A while ago I contributed this line “It’s the fish John West reject that makes John West the worst” to the Greenpeace campaign to get John West to sharpen up their sustainability act.

Now here’s some good news on the CSR front. Most people know the bluefin tuna has been over-fished. As a result, this has become a key matter of CSR (corporate social responsibility) for companies dealing with seafood. Greenpeace has been a long-term critic of John West for its suppliers' use of purse seines, a particularly destructive fishing method. They were just about the last major company to resist committing to a more sustainable method of harvesting tuna, but they were also responsible for this cute ad where a bloke fights a bear for a salmon - "ooh look, an eagle!". All square?

The two former adversaries have now tentatively joined hands to kick off a new sustainability program. A few days ago (July 29th), the company announced a staged programme to source 100% of tuna sold in the UK by 2016 using properly audited pole and line techniques, as well as to source from fleets that pledge not to use fish aggregating devices (FADs). FADS usually mean that a whole of other fish get caught at the same time and discarded, the prevention of which (discards) is the main thrust of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's magnificent Fish Fight. John West was one of the last of the major brands to come round to see sense. Princes did the decent thing back in March.

The "see food diet" - I see food and I eat it - was on track to mean nothing to future generations (what was seafood, Granpa?) but there is hope out there if people continue to pressure corporations and governments

Something more to worry about…

2011-07-24T15:43:00.001+01:00

This is supposedly the video manifesto that Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist/freedom fighter/Judiciar Knight posted to Youtube shortly before his attacks. It might not stay as a live link on Youtube but will doubtless be uploaded elsewhere.

Snippets from the Interwebs 7

2011-07-15T11:34:00.001+01:00

The US EPA conditionally approved a new herbicide – Imprelis - for sale last October.The chemical name of the product is aminocyclopyrachlor, one of a new class of herbicides that has been viewed as more“environmentally friendly” than earlier weed killers. Imprelis is used for “improving” lawns by killing broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover and is sold to lawn care professionals only. Unfortunately reports are coming in of widespread severe effects to conifer trees such as Norway spruces and Eastern white pines. Investigations into the cause are continuing but the application of Imprelis to nearby turf looks to be a significant factor.

Picture taken from New York Times article (click for source).

Dr. Cregg, an associate professor of horticulture and forestry and an extension specialist with Michigan State University who has fielded many calls from landscapers and inspected affected trees, said the problem existed across the country. He said

“This is going to be a large-scale problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of trees, if not more”

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The Ford motor company are now using old car tyres and soy to make gaskets and seals for their vehicles

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Back in 2009, Volvo Trucks in North America joined 31 other companies in a ten-year energy efficiency challenge issued by the U.S. Department of Energy, and it looks like Volvo has beaten everyone else to the punch. The company has announced that it is the first to meet the energy efficiency goal of a 25 percent reduction for its New River Valley plant in Virginia, and then beating it with 30 percent.

Paragraph taken from triplepundit.com

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Ever wondered about those small bars of soap they give you in hotels? If you just stay one night or so it seems pretty wasteful if they just throw them away barely used, when they clean your room after you’ve gone. People around the world die every day from acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease because, amongst other causes, they have no soap. Each year more than five million lives are lost to these diseases with the majority of deaths being among children less than five years old. Studies have shown that simple hand washing substantially reduces the spread of these diseases.

Clean the World gets soap to people who really need it. They organise soap collection schemes with hotels etc then sanitise it, ship it overseas, and distribute it

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There may not be as much US shale gas as the hype suggested. This link to a June 25th New York Times article Insiders sound an alarm amid a natural gas rush shows that concerns have been raised internally that economically recoverable reserves have been inflated to attract investment, and faster than expected field deterioration rates are suggesting that fields will not last as long, or be as productive as expected. Shale gas was thought, in America, to be a bit of a get out of jail free card for their future energy “needs”, insulating them against many of the consequences of the peaking and decline of conventional oil reserves. Here’s another link Is shale gas a huge Ponzi scheme?

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New research shows that adverts can "implant false memories" in order to manipulate consumers.

Taken from the New Economics Foundation blog

For anybody who worries that the advertising and marketing industry is artificially creating insatiable wants in people, the latest edition of Wired magazine makes disturbing reading.

It describes a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, and it is all about how advertising can trick the part of the brain that deals with long-term memory (the hippocampus).

The experiment used 100 students and introduced them to a non-existent new product, Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Fresh Microwave Popcorn. Some of them watched adverts based on slogans and text about how delicious it was; some of them watched what are called ‘high-imagery’ commercials, of happy people enjoying the popcorn at home.

Then they were divided again. Half went to a room and given a sample of the popcorn; half were just given a survey. A week later, they were asked what they remembered.

Here’s the scary bit. Those who watched the high-imagery ad were just as likely to say they tried the popcorn as those which actually did.

Even more scary, they rated the product just as highly as those who had actually tasted it. Also they were extremely confident about their memories. They knew why they liked it – not because of the advert, but because it tasted so good.

This whole story is disturbing on a whole range of levels. But one of them is just how subversive the system is. It desperately tries to keep economic growth higher by selling us things we don’t actually want, and our poor befuddled brains say ‘more!’

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After San Francisco banned styrofoam in 2007, over 50 other municipalities in the state of California followed suit, and now, the entire state is poised to make it official–35M+ people will now get their take-out food in containers made from reusable or renewable materials as opposed to the lightweight plastic known as expanded polystyrene. The shift this law (beginning January 1, 2014) will have on the take-out industry as a whole is hard to fathom…it’s realistically the beginning of the end for styrofoam.

Taken from Triplepundit.com

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Starting in October, the 7,000 McDonald’s across 39 countries that serve 13 million customers daily will have the option to eat a locally named fish sandwich that is MSC-certified (Marine Stewardship Council). The MSC has, however, received some criticism from NGO Food and Water Watch http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/about-msc/

Like that of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), this eco label should not be regarded as giving carte blanche to consumers to use/eat as much as they want!

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Food price inflation is going to reach severe highs by 2030 and many of the world’s poorest people will not be able to afford to feed themselves. A recent FAO report stated that approximately 1.3 billion tons of food gets lost or wasted every year. It goes on to elaborate that consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes). Here’s a 2010 map of global hunger to think about (red areas are regarded as “extremely alarming”). Click on the image for a much larger, higher definition, version.

The report is probably the first of its kind to distinguish between food loss and food waste. Food waste is an entirely preventable phenomenon mostly occurring richer countries involving throwing perfectly edible food away by consumers and retailers alike. Food loss on the other hand occurs mostly in developing economies where poor infrastructure does not ensure optimal preservation of food during processing, transporting and other intermediate steps.

The report states that per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kg a year in Europe and North America, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia each throw away only 6-11 kg a year. Considering that agricultural land accounts for roughly 36% of the Earth’s land surface, wasting food is tantamount to wasting nature. Agricultural land is often land that was previously a habitat like grasslands, forests, and even deserts which were previously supporting complex ecosystems. Apart from land usage, agriculture is extremely energy intensive using vast amounts of fuel, fertilizer etc. Food wastage therefore is one of the worse kinds of preventable abominations.

source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/food-waste-be-reduce/

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Unilever has been recognized as a sustainability leader in a 2011 survey by SustainAbility, and the Ethical Corporation awarded the company its Responsible Business Award in the High Performance category. CEO Paul Polman talks about how the company has lowered its carbon emissions by 40 percent in the last ten years, how, as a large palm oil producer it is looking to move toward sustainable palm oil, and how it is working to change consumer habits to aid in conservation.

Polman urges other businesses to move toward sustainability. “It is a very simple message: you can wait for governments and use it as an excuse, you can wait for technology and use it as an excuse, but there are many things we can simply do now, and that business can do now. And it does make good business sense. There may be a slight cost in acting in some cases, but I think they are the exception. The cost of not acting and the cost of failure is going to be far higher.”

source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/unilever-2011-sustainability-survey/

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Many products that one can purchase have “planned obsolescence” built in. They are designed to last a certain length of time and then fail – usually they are also designed to be too expensive to repair economically, forcing most to have to buy another one or the “next generation” model over and over again. Good for GDP but bad for pollution, energy use and depletion of resources not to mention bad for one’s wallet. In short, not very sustainable on several levels.

Marcin Jakubowski has started a project (click link for his Ted talk) to give away blueprints of the 50 most vital machines that are needed to run civilisation. Like Firefox or Linux in the computer world, these are open source so anyone can modify them or improve them. These machines are designed to be built with basic tools and to be robust, long lived and economically repairable. Once people have them, they have them for a long time and a lot of time and effort does not need to be wasted buying them over and over again

Using wikis and digital fabrication tools, TED Fellow Marcin Jakubowski is open-sourcing the blueprints for 50 farm machines, allowing anyone to build their own tractor or harvester from scratch. And that's only the first step in a project to write an instruction set for an entire self-sustaining village (starting cost: $10,000).

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Plastic bag makers break out lawyers to continue wrecking the planet!

2011-07-13T14:31:00.001+01:00

Plastic bags are starting to look really naff nowadays when you see people carrying them. However, those wacky American plastic bag manufacturers are fighting back. Three of the largest plastic bag manufacturers are actually suing Chicobags - a maker of stylish reusable bags - for "irreparably harming" their business. The same unholy Trinity also sued the city of Oakland, California over their single-use plastic bag reduction ordinance.

Are these people out of their minds? - answers on a postcard to your grandchildren, please. Here’s a couple of links

http://www.suedbyplastic.com/
http://www.bagmonster.com/

Here is a video of Chicobag’s bag monster attacking San Fransciscan citizens

On the other hand, look what can be done with A FEW bags as street artist Joshua Allen Harris creates street art that inflates trash bags using air blasts from subway ventilation shafts

Historic uses of subway ventilation blasts included this

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Relying on the Chinese economic miracle? You’ll have to have another one shortly afterwards to keep you going

2011-07-07T13:07:00.001+01:00

Our local economic geniuses, such as Senators Terry le Sueur, Philip Ozouf Alan Maclean and Geoff Cook, seem to rate the joys of attracting finance industry business from China/Asia. Here’s an account from the BBC of their recent (June) £20,000 trip to China, which they seemed to think was a jolly good wheeze!

They were, as the road to hell is well known to be paved with, full of good intentions because the purpose of the trip was to proactively address local unemployment, declining tax receipts and economic slowdown. What’s not to love? Fat tail risk chance!! - that’s a clever economic joke, BTW. What Le Sueur and co have just done, all bright eyed, bushy tailed and full of yuppie over-confidence, was the equivalent of going to Wall Street looking to drum up new finance business. In 1929. Before October 24th…

If anyone promoting the joys of unending exponential growth (which anyone with their heads screwed on should realise is a sure recipe for disaster) directs you to look at the Chinese economic “miracle” to back up their ideology, consider that it is always brightest before the storm.

Perhaps the following might be the proverbial “cloud no bigger than a man’s hand” that foreshadows that storm.

A US hedge fund manager has just (November 2010) launched a fund (Corriente advisors) that bets on the imminent implosion of the Chinese economy - click for link to Telegraph article.

Most of the Chinese GDP is in fact spending on building infrastructure such as new cities, airports etc. This article from the New York Times (July 6th) lays the true nature of the “miracle” bare. With all the apparent success of someone with access to a huge credit line that enabled buying fast cars and foreign holidays, jewellery and mansions just before the bills came in and their house of cards collapsed, Chinese municipalities have taken out gigantic debt obligations, kept discretely off their balance sheets using arcane financial instruments.

As municipal projects play out across China, spending on so-called fixed-asset investment — a crucial measure of building that is heavily weighted toward government and real estate projects — is now equal to nearly 70% of the nation’s GDP. It is a ratio that no other large nation has approached in modern times. In absolute terms, it’s an Armageddon amount that, as far as I am aware, the world has never seen before.

How might things start to collapse? The collateral for many loans is local land valued at lofty prices that would collapse if China’s real estate bubble burst. As an example, in Wuhan - China’s ninth-largest city - land prices have tripled in the last decade. But the land is only highly valued because there is an expectation that there will always be new building projects to initiate. It is widely documented that there are shopping malls and even whole cities that are virtually empty, with no-one to live in them or use them. Click here for the ghost cities of China. Clearly one of the biggest bubbles ever blown. Probably the loudest bang is due.

According to businessinsider.com the following rather mixed messages will blow your minds…

China’s dominoes of destruction

15 factoids about China that will blow your mind

15 more factoids about China that will blow your mind

When China falls, probably Australia will be the first domino (scroll down the page about half way) in the rest of the world to directly collapse. Après moi le deluge, cobber.

But no, Nick, I hear you cry with all the yuppie uber-confidence shared by our glorious leaders, surely the glass must be half full – we’ve lived our lives – we’ve built our lives - quoting this – all our friends know this is the attitude to have because we live in Jersey – we have a charmed and cushy life – nothing can puncture our happy optimistic bubble? Can it?

Sorry to burst your bubbles. Reality is starting to intrude.

Prince Charles tells it like it is

2011-07-06T20:57:00.001+01:00

Here is the whole of Prince Charles’ recent address to the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM). He mainly focuses on water, but brings in ecological economics and the necessity of putting a real value on the “services” which the ecosystem provides for us for free so that the market would work in favour of sustainable approaches in future as opposed to today where the market mostly discriminates against sensible ways because ecosystem services do not appear on the accountant’s “bottom line”. _____________________________________________________

ROYAL REFLECTIONS

Marking the 25^th anniversary of becoming an Honorary Fellow of CIWEM, HRH the Prince of Wales considers the changes that have taken place in the environment sector and the challenges ahead

It hardly seems possible that I have been an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM) for 25 years. I remember accepting the invitation because I wanted to encourage the wider world to see the crucial importance of environmental management as a profession. Believe it or not, environmental management was then still seen by many as something to be added to the job description of health and safety managers. At about the same time I found myself in distinctly hot water for venturing to suggest that we should no longer use the North Sea as 'a bottomless pit for our waste,' so an alternative view is that I was looking for safety in numbers. Either way, those days are long gone. The Institution has played a remarkable leadership role in establishing and guiding the profession, and long may that continue.

The problem, of course, is that over the same period the range and severity of the environmental problems we face has grown exponentially. The challenges are no longer just about 'cleaning up after ourselves;' they are about taking action to ensure the survival of our own species, against the clock of climate change and natural resource depletion.

Water is at the heart of many environmental challenges, as it is of life itself. The availability of water has shaped both human existence and geography, defining where and how we live, and constraining our ambitions. It remains the essential natural resource, on which all else depends. Yet, perhaps because wherever there is life there is water, we take it for granted. As Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, put it: 'In an age when Man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference.'

That indifference, coupled with a view that we can engineer our way out of any conceivable difficulty, may yet be our undoing. Sometimes achieving sustainability may require what appear to be backward steps. I remember seeing a vivid example of this in Rajasthan. Traditional, village-based systems of harvesting the monsoon rains, developed over thousands of years, fell into disrepair in the 1950s when powerful pumps allowed groundwater to be extracted instead. But this turned out to be an unsustainable, short-term solution because the groundwater was not being replenished. Levels eventually dropped below the reach of the pumps, irrigation became impossible and the villages began to decline as people drifted away to look for work in the cities. The breakthrough came from a remarkable man called Rajendra Singh. He encouraged a local self-help approach to rebuilding the ancient system of dams and ponds and started harvesting the monsoon once again. Groundwater levels crept back up, previously dried-up rivers started flowing again and, 20 years later, more than half a million people in Rajasthan are feeling the benefit.

Closer to home, water harvesting is just as important. Yet we still need to identify the best strategies and it is clear that there are no easy answers, especially when energy use and ensuring public health are added to the equation. With the wisdom of hindsight it would, of course, have been better if our domestic water supply systems had been developed with separate potable and non-potable networks. That may be one way ahead but, in the meantime, we need to identify the best strategies for the systems we have. Building large scale reservoirs and filling them at times of peak river flow is one approach to rainwater harvesting. At the other end of the scale it is clear that much more can be done to harvest rainwater and grey water for non-potable uses, though I note some important caveats in the Institution's position paper on that subject. Equally, it seems there may be a role for greater reuse of sewage effluent, at least for non-potable uses.

Similarly, there have been problems ever since urban man first began to requisition rivers and streams to take away his wastes. As early as 1388, it became illegal to dump animal waste, dung or litter into England's rivers. Environment Agency employees might like to note that the penalties for offenders then included hanging! As with clean water, managing wastewater brings network issues. In particular, the legacy of combined sewers taking both human waste and surface water run-off causes capacity problems, leading to damaging overflows to rivers, which have in all other respects been cleaned up. Once again there are no easy answers, especially in large conurbations where space is at a premium.

I know that these are the issues with which many members of the Institution will be grappling on a daily basis, so the last thing I am going to do is offer any advice. What I would like to encourage is closer involvement by water and environmental management professionals in what, to me, seems to be the most important development in a wider field of interest.

As the economist Herman Daly pointed out, the environment is, 'the envelope that contains, sustains and provisions the economy,' - not the other way round. Yet in a world where economics has, rightly or wrongly, the greatest possible influence on decision-making, the environment is always in danger of being discounted. The answer, surely, is to find ways of measuring the economic benefits provided to mankind by the environment - in the form of biodiversity and ecosystems.

The concept of 'ecosystem services' has been discussed for a number of years, but the debate has moved on considerably with an initiative known as The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, or TEEB for short. There is now a series of TEEB reports setting out not only the benefits of taking into account the value of ecosystem services and biodiversity in making decisions and choices, but also explaining how this can be done, with some excellent case studies. There are reports addressed to policy-makers, to business, to regional and local government and to citizens.

TEEB's reports also reiterate something I have long tried to encourage businesses to recognise - that we should not regard this type of valuation and pricing as a tax. We should see it as an incentive for powerful investment for the future; something to be achieved not through imposition and dictum, but through reassessment and realignment of thinking and exchange and discussion.

In this regard, it is perhaps worth noting that looking forward to 2030, research by McKinsey & Co. for the Water Resources Group indicates that global water requirements will be 40 per cent greater than the current sustainable supply, assuming current rates of economic growth. This is because agricultural demand is expected to grow substantially, while urban and industrial use will also grow strongly. At the same time the need to maintain environmental flow requirements to prevent the collapse of important riparian ecosystems will place additional limits on water availability.

Most of our natural capital has not been properly valued and charged for, because assets like fish in the oceans, water in rivers, rainfall, a clean and temperate atmosphere and communities, have always been thought of as limitless and freely available. It is also, of course, because valuing these things and charging for natural capital can be difficult when the assets do not necessarily belong to a particular individual, organisation or country. In short, providing quantitative figures for qualitative values has proved a somewhat elusive science.

Measuring the contribution to the economy made by ecosystems and biodiversity could be an important step towards maintaining the productivity of the natural resource base on which we all depend. It could also help to quantify the risks of both action and inaction, thereby helping to drive good decision-making.

This is not just a job for economists, or for policy-makers, or even for scientists and practitioners. It is a role for the whole of society and I do hope that the Institution will build on its commendably concise and readable position papers by identifying the distinctive contribution it could make to the discussion on valuing ecosystem services. There is no time to lose.

The profession of environmental management has come a long way in 25 years, but the decisions you take, encourage and inform in the next few years will have a cumulative effect upon humanity's ability to survive in the long-term. So I will continue to watch your progress with the greatest of interest.

Saturn im Morgenlicht – being there

2011-06-16T13:45:00.001+01:00

The title to this post is a reference to an Arthur C Clarke story from the March 1961 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, which I used to devour. Saturn im Morgenlicht (Saturn in the morning light) always seemed more romantic than the English version - Saturn Rising. Now we can actually see it.

Along the same lines as a previous astronomical video post I did (Feb 2011) – If Jupiter was the same distance as the moon – comes this one following. It’s rather majestic.

Explanation: What would it look like to approach Saturn in a spaceship? One doesn't have to just imagine -- the Cassini spacecraft did just this in 2004, recording thousands of images along the way, and thousands more since entering orbit. Recently, some of these images have been digitally tweaked, cropped, and compiled into the following inspiring video which is part of a larger developing IMAX movie project named Outside In. In the last sequence, Saturn looms increasingly large on approach as cloudy Titan swoops below. With Saturn whirling around in the background, Cassini is next depicted flying over Mimas, with large Herschel Crater clearly visible. Saturn's majestic rings then take over the show as Cassini crosses Saturn's thin ring plane. Dark shadows of the ring appear on Saturn itself. Finally, the enigmatic ice-geyser moon Enceladus appears in the distance and then is approached just as the video clip ends.

5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.

Joined up thinking! – watch the dots being joined up - must see video

2011-06-10T13:41:00.001+01:00

Divide and conquer is a time honoured strategy. Manmade climate change deniers often cherry pick isolated facts or pieces of evidence to create or bolster their deceptions. They rely upon the short attention span/sound-bite media world we live in to make their case. They shamelessly re-use demolished arguments and misrepresented research because they know that the general public has a short memory and if they just repackage the same ideas in different wording, to put a different spin it, they will get away with it with a large number of casual observers.

Illustrative of this is the “weather versus climate” meme whereby for example the delusionists will shout out that Smalltown, Pennsylvania has the coldest/deepest temperatures/snow since the oldest resident can remember and therefore how can the Earth be warming up? Clearly all those thousands of scientists must be wrong! This meme relies upon the short memories or insular focus of too many who are just not that aware of, or care, what is happening elsewhere apart from in their own backyards.

We had an unusual pretty cold snowy patch before Christmas in Jersey but that didn’t mean that the Earth was cooling, did it? It meant only that the UK was having a cold snap. Now, we in Jersey are having a prolonged period of high temperatures and virtually non-existent rainfall. That does not mean that the Earth is warming up. No one event, no matter how dramatic, can prove a statistical trend. However, if one adds up all the unusual events like this across the whole world and starts to see a trend of unusual events happening – like two once-in-a-hundred-years floods/droughts/tornadoes etc. happening within five years - then the truly intelligent should start to question whether there is something globally unusual going on.

The video below -

“A link between climate change and Joplin tornadoes? Never.”

- is a stunning narration-with-pictures of a recent Washington Post op-ed by Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org. Bill’s organisation campaigns that the most sensible thing to do is to reduce current atmospheric CO2 levels (390'ish ppm) to 350 or below in order to give us the best chance of avoiding the worst that could happen. The video below is narrated and illustrated by Stephen Thomson of Plomomedia.com

Caution: for those who have irony/intelligence bypasses (far too many people in Jersey...) the style of narration is IRONIC. He is PARODYING the deniers and showing just how blisteringly stupid, ignorant and destructive they are. He constantly tells you not to make connections between the frequency of extreme weather events happening now and climate change predictions. He tells you not to notice any patterns and not to connect each separate event. In short he suggests that burying your ostrich heads in the sand is the most comforting way to react.

In addition to the events mentioned by Bill, here’s a few more from a comment on “Climate Crock of the Week” Peter Sinclair’s blog. Peter was generally praising the video and started out by saying “damn, I wish I’d done this”.

Comment by otter17: “Also, there is no need to worry about the Larsen B ice shelf collapse, the Manhattan-sized iceberg falling off of Greenland, the near-unanimous melting of glaciers worldwide, the coastal flooding in Brazil in 2010, the increased frequency of European heatwaves this past decade, the changing growing seasons, the coral bleaching events, the Yangtze River basin drought in China, the prolonged low water levels in Hoover Dam’s reservoir Lake Mead, the Missouri River flooding this year, the recent decade’s spike in Atlantic tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes, the increase in El Niño events over the past several decades, the sinkholes and ponds developing from melting permafrost in the Arctic and Subarctic, the methane bubbling up above the vast methane clathrate reservoirs north of Siberia, etc.

Yeah, don’t bother with those events either. And certainly don’t connect the dots with the rapid rise in greenhouse gas emissions or the hockey stick temperature graph”

Climate Crock versus Gerard B.

2011-06-07T19:18:00.001+01:00

Sorry to keep harping on about local matters but it looks like Gerard Baudains will be standing for Deputy of St Clement again. Notwithstanding that he has got some good ideas in other areas, he unfortunately cannot see past his misguided views on climate change. Casting an eye over three of his recent letters to the JEP, he warmly promotes the hackneyed old denialist argument that, in the ice core records of past atmospheric concentrations, CO2 is clearly seen to increase only (I’m simplifying reality a bit here) after the temperature goes up which he, and legions of others who think too simplistically, claim is evidence that CO2 cannot therefore cause warming.

Over to the latest Climate Crock of the Week from Peter Sinclair. I like the fact that Peter is using the analogy of magic tricks to illustrate how the deniers use simple trickery and fallacious logic to fool people.

My favourite lines are in the bit where Peter ruthlessly and sardonically destroys the “Temperature leads CO2” meme which featured in “The Great Global Warming Swindle”. That execrable piece of deceit used a graph showing the 800 year lag of CO2 behind historical temperature rises:

“those who’ve watched this series for a while know that I always like to go to the source of any claim that climate deniers make – in this case a study by Nicolas Caillon, published in Science… which, of course, we’ll actually read.”

The "Temp Leads Carbon" Crock: Updated

Snippets from the Interwebs 6

2011-05-29T16:19:00.002+01:00

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Australia has some prominent AGW deniers such as Bob Carter and Ian Plimer. They also have genuine working climate scientists (a few of the younger ones were featured in the rap video I blogged about recently) and the Australian Climate Commission who have just published a report entitled The Critical Decade. This is how they introduce it:

“Over many decades thousands of scientists have painted an unambiguous picture: the global climate is changing and humanity is almost surely the primary cause. The risks have never been clearer and the case for action has never been more urgent.

Our Earth’s surface is warming rapidly and we can already see social, economic and environmental impacts in Australia.

Failing to take sufficient action today entails potentially huge risks to our economy, society and way of life into the future.

This is the critical decade for action”

Take that, deniers (particularly Baudains and Fergusson)!

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In 2008 Ecuador recognized the legal rights of Mother Earth in its new constitution. Article 1 of the new “Rights for Nature” chapter of the Ecuador constitution reads: “Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution. Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognitions of rights for nature before the public bodies.”

Also group of countries led by Bolivia have recently brought the issue to the agenda of the UN General Assembly as they ask for a UN treaty that would grant the same rights found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Mother Nature so there will be legal systems to maintain balance between human rights and what they say are the rights of other members of the Earth, such as plants, animals and terrain.

Taken from businessethicsnetwork.org

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The Thoughtful Bread Company claims to be England's first fully sustainable bakery.

click link for article The old school bread of the future

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One-third of the world's food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year, according to a study (pdf) released on Wednesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

source: Guardian – news - global development

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Bankers aren’t always evil… On May 18th the global finance giant Bank of America announced that it has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15 per cent by 2015 based on the company’s 2010 baseline. It’s not enough but it’s not bad for a start

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In a speech in early May Levi Strauss & Co. CEO and President John Anderson urged the clothing industry to adopt a new level of social, economic and environmental sustainability, moving beyond compliance with site-specific regulations to encompass improvements in the daily lives of workers in the global supply chain.

Puma is the first company in the world to put a value on the ecosystem services it uses to produce its sports shoes and clothes. In a huge leap for CSR, the company has published an economic valuation of the environmental impacts caused by greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and water consumption along its entire supply chain. It plans to become even more ambitious by integrating both its social and economic impacts.

Taken from triplepundit.com

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Taken from the New York Times May 3rd 2011 (click for original article).

The population of the world, long expected to stabilize just above 9 billion in the middle of the century, will instead keep growing and may hit 10.1 billion by the year 2100, the United Nations projected in a report released Tuesday.

“Growth in Africa remains so high that the population there could more than triple in this century, rising from today’s one billion to 3.6 billion, the report said”

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We’re already using up Earth’s resources 1.5 times as fast as Earth can regenerate them. Dickens’ Mr Micawber summed up the inevitable result:

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery”

source:Global Footprint network. http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/

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Even Kentucky Fried Chicken is getting in on sustainability and CSR as far as one of their latest restaurants is concerned. KFC’s newest restaurant in Indianapolis is designed to use 25 percent less energy and water. The Indianapolis restaurant is part of KFC’s E3 initiative “which looks at Economically responsible ways of saving energy and being environmentally aware. Many corporations are now far in front of where government is in pro-active action. However, KFC still have the same rather less responsible menu.

P P P Peak oil!!

2011-05-23T23:58:00.002+01:00

Mark Forskitt, Daniel Wimberley, Chris Perkins and myself all raised the forthcoming spectre of peak oil when we stood for election in 2008. We warned about the consequences for the way we currently do things. Guess what? Just about nobody listened. Well, here's an Australian documentary that shows very authoritative figures saying that we are at (probably past!) peak oil now - the only way is down (sorry Yazz). In this film, Dr Jonica Newby goes to the International Energy Authority to find out how much and how fast they have changed their views recently. Guess what? We were right, they were wrong.

Ooh Missus! Rap science - more swearing on Nick’s blog!

2011-05-17T20:36:00.002+01:00

Before you all get shocked by the robust rap language in the video that this post is about (the second one below), you ought to first watch the LHC rap to get broken in gently to the sight of real scientists speaking out. In 2008, Kate McAlpine (A.K.A Alpinekat) released the Large Hadron Rap about the LHC at Cern, Switzerland. She is a science communicator (click for her website). Her rap music inspired video went viral and has had at least 6 million views so far.

Large Hadron Rap

Real climate scientists are a bit sick of the numbers of people in the media who talk disparagingly about climate science as if their views were worth anything (mostly, they’re not…). This video is a fun but serious rap by real working climate scientists from Australia. Here’s a link to an article about the making of the rap video

Be warned, the following video contains the “M-F bomb” - words that are often found in rap music - but get past that (or, if you’re too delicate, I’ve included the “clean” version afterwards – which seems a bit silly by comparison) and this is a shrewd comment on the huge numbers of people expressing opinions about subjects they don’t know enough about – such as those who pick up a few deceptive ideas from climate change denialist propaganda and think their “new understanding” gives their fond beliefs the edge over peer reviewed science. This is the Dunning-Kruger effect writ large. This particular manifestation of human stupidity just might be the death of many of us and untold future generations before the climate settles down again. Alarmism (I hear the deniers cry)? Why not? The potential of climate change is actually terrifying and it should scare people. Remember those multiple AGU (American Geophysical Union) delegates who have already made survival retreat plans? If you read that and don’t get alarmed, you’ve got more than one screw loose… Click for link to post.

The problem is the Dunning-Krugers then go on with such confidence in their own judgement that they pontificate about their ridiculously (and dangerously) warped understanding as if they had discovered some smoking gun holes in the science that the whole of science had somehow missed and this implausible idea seems to be unfortunately received rather well by too many people. No doubt some would like the smartest scientists to fall flat on their faces but, realistically, that’s not going to happen.

It’s all rather like those early stage X-Factor contestants who tell Simon Cowell that he’s a fool not to recognise their fantastic talent. This widespread misplaced confidence (A.K.A. unjustified arrogance) seems to be a bit of an epidemic these days. Unfortunately, most of these people can vote which is why the deceitful forces of denialism are trying so hard to spread their disinformation.

Favourite lines?

“Droppin’ facts all over this wax, while bitches are crying ‘bout a carbon tax”

“Denialists deny this in your dreams, coz climate change means greater extremes”

I'm a Climate Scientist (HUNGRY BEAST)

I'm A Climate Scientist - Extended Version - (CLEAN)

Climate Denial Crock of the Week

2011-04-30T00:34:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I posted a climate crock video. This one is about the way the denialists deliberately misquoted the so called Climategate emails and misrepresented the meaning of the words to suggest corrupt practices by the scientists involved. The denialists lied, misrepresented and distorted. Repeatedly. The video goes on to investigate Dr Richard Muller, who was the subject of the following quote taken from my reply on behalf of J-CAN to Gerard Baudains’ last JEP letter, which was a piece of ludicrous fantasy, mixed up thinking and deceptive assertions. I simply don’t understand how someone can be so wrong, so confidently.

(click for link to post in which the letters – Baudains’ and mine - were quoted)

“Perhaps the timing of his letter (Friday 1^st April) is explicable because of the high hopes of the “sceptics” for the preliminary findings, announced the previous day, of a large new study (B.E.S.T) from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the integrity of global temperature measurements which was led by a scientist who has been critical of aspects of the mainstream position in the past.”

Dr Muller, up until very recently, was a "darling of the denialists" because he was preparing a report into the temperature records that such luminaries of the denialosphere as Anthony Watts, who runs the execrable Wattsupwiththat anti-science site, were expecting to confirm their ridiculous and paranoid anti-science B.S. Muller's report in fact confirmed that the temperature records used by global warming scientists were valid and that Anthony Watts "big thing" that he based his whole website on - which is that the temperature records must be unreliable because some of the readings were taken near heat sources such as hot tarmac and air conditioner outlets - was wrong. Watts' belief, that poorly sited readings were significant evidence against the demonstrated warming that mainstream science accepts, was completely wrong. Muller is also caught on camera (more than once), when he was playing to receptive audiences, repeating the same very inaccurate propagandised distortion and lies, as to what was actually in the Climategate emails, as was promulgated by the denialosphere. Dr Muller (PhD) is far from being stupid so what should we think of his integrity for spreading deceit?

Forest Gump said “stupid is as stupid does”. Not all denialists are thick or evil but it’s very hard to understand how those who are apparently intelligent people can be so confused about reality. Perhaps there is something in the idea that some people can be negatively intelligent whereby they use their intellectual abilities to fool themselves and only look at information that confirms their prejudices.

Evil works behind the scenes

2011-04-20T14:05:00.004+01:00

In the previous post, which was about a classic piece of denialist propaganda, sent to the JEP by Gerard Baudains, Gerard’s letter insinuated that J-CAN (Jersey Climate Action Network) are dupes for

GB: “push(ing) a theory scientifically proven to be untrue” … and “surely they must fall into the category I call 'useful idiots'—ie, used by others to promote an agenda without realising they are being used.”

This was a bit Alice through the looking glass as the actual dupes being misled by powerful, deceptive forces are Mr Baudains and the rest of the legions of climate science denialists. Unfortunately they are über-confident that the whole thing is just a gigantic hoax invented so that scientists can get more research money, or it’s a Trojan horse to bring in a world government or, at the very least, a means of scaring people so that taxes can be raised.

The certainty of denialist dupes is often unshakeable – their arguments can be, and frequently have been, shot to pieces until there is virtually nothing left and yet they carry on regardless as if nothing had happened. Seemingly unscathed in their own minds, like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Tis but a scratch

Frequently they will use the same destroyed arguments again at a later date proving one of several things: 1) they are incorrigible 2) they do not understand that when their argument was destroyed, it STAYS destroyed or 3) (and this does not apply to the sincere but gullible majority) they know they are spreading untrue propaganda and don’t care because all they want to achieve is the swaying of voters’ minds to promote their own special self interests, whether those are financial, political or ideological.

The following couple of videos show the more sinister aspect of the corporate propaganda being created which masquerades as being the natural views of “grassroots” citizens groups. The videos contain extracts from, and commentary on, a documentary called Astroturf wars – how corporate America is faking a grassroots revolution. The first one shows someone from Americans for Prosperity (click link for their website). Click here for the Wiki article on AFP. The “teacher” is basically showing Tea Party activists how to spread propaganda. AFP was founded/funded by the infamous Koch brothers.

Training Tea Party Activists In Guerilla Internet Tactics - BUSTED!

In the past, when I have touched on these subjects, I have attracted denialist trolls - some articulate and literate, others much less so – who have demanded that I back myself up with documentary proof of well established facts. This is one of the main tactics of denialists, and modern propagandists generally – to spread doubt and uncertainty in the minds of those reading the exchanges. It all wastes a colossal amount of time because it is rather like being told to produce proof if one had made a claim such as “don’t run around on the crumbly cliff edge or you might fall over and die” – a statement which is so blindingly obvious that video proof, or accident statistics, are not necessary to shine a light on the basic truth.

Try mentioning that the Koch brothers fund denialist/sceptic organisations and fundamentalist wing nut think tanks and you will get some troll turn up demanding proof. Here is some proof. Koch himself confirming, in his own words, what he has been accused of doing, and his company has denied he ever did. To be fair, they worded their denial in very slippery deceptive language so that they conveyed a certain meaning to the reader (to fool them) while actually stating something else.

Tea Party Astroturf Funders Caught On Tape

Response to Gerard Baudains’ Letter in the JEP 1/04/11

2011-04-04T13:06:00.002+01:00

Ex-politician Gerard Baudains wrote a letter to the Jersey Evening Post which was published on 1st April - it was not a joke but it was so far from the truth that it could quite easily have been one! It was basically an attempted hatchet job on Jersey Climate Action Network (J.C.A.N.) and global warming/climate change science generally. In a response I wrote to the JEP, I promised a detailed answer to his most misleading arguments because in order to show the falsity of his conclusions adequately, I needed more space than the paper would allow in a letter.
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Firstly, here is the text of his letter
Those who urge action on climate change should get their facts right
1st April 2011

From Gerard Baudains.

I NOTICE (JEP, 24 March) a letter from a group calling themselves Jersey Climate Action Network.
While it is right that people are allowed to hold and express their own views (and the opportunity to express them), I do believe that when it comes to pressurising government to take a particular course of action (as this group does), those people have a duty to ensure that their message is both accurate and genuine.
Sadly the message proffered by this group is anything but accurate.
They appear, as far as I understand, to be asking the States to take action on climate change/global warming (one is never sure which, as groups such as these appear to think the two are interchangeable). If that is so, I am left wondering how our States – who can’t even sort out a workable machinery of government - can possibly reduce the effect of the sun on the earth.
Because that is what this group are effectively asking them to do.
I’m aware they will say that it is man’s actions - chiefly the burning of fossil fuels - that is the culprit, but that is not true and therefore falls foul of the accuracy requirement above.
There is no scientific evidence linking global warming to anthropogenic action.
In fact, quite the contrary - it has been scientifically proven that rises in carbon dioxide follow global warming by thousands of years. Rises in carbon dioxide cannot therefore be the cause.
Also, mans' contribution is two per cent or less - so what about the other 98 per cent? Are this group saying mans' two per cent causes warming while the other 98 per cent is inactive?
These are just a couple of many facts that disprove the theory.
Whichever way you look at it, the theory of anthropogenic global warming has long been proven to be a hoax. That the inter-governmental panel on climate change pushed the idea (although it has since retreated considerably) should come as no surprise - the title says it all. That some 'scientists' supported them is no surprise either - many relied on government grants and consequently told governments what they wanted to hear.
Conversely, there are thousands of genuine scientists who have signed their opposition to the theory.
So why does this modern-day equivalent of the Flat Earth Society continue to push a theory scientifically proven to be untrue? This is what worries me the most. If the people involved are ignorant of the fact that science has at last caught up with the mischief of the global warming theory, surely they must fall into the category I call 'useful idiots' - ie, used by others to promote an agenda without realising they are being used.
If, however, they are fully aware of the sinister agenda behind the whole global warming/climate change nonsense, they should come clean and tell us what their aims really are.
Climate change and global warming have occurred on earth for millions of years. What we are experiencing now is quite normal in that cycle, and it is caused by the sun.
That does not mean we should continue to squander the earth's resources. The rate we are using fossil fuel is almost beyond imagination, and we must find alternatives. Unfortunately, by amalgamating this message into a long-disproved theory, these groups only succeed in undermining an important argument.

Gerard Baudains
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Here is the response I wrote to the JEP
Dear Sir,
Your correspondent Mr Gerard Baudains makes many wild assertions in his letter (JEP 1^st April) which was headlined “Those who urge action on climate change should get their facts right”. He implies he has superior knowledge and that Jersey Climate Action Network’s “message is anything but accurate”. J.C.A.N. totally refutes this. We stand by what we say because we work with, and disseminate, up to date, accurate and widely accepted scientific wisdom.
He states "there is no scientific evidence linking global warming to anthropogenic action” yet every major scientific organisation in the world actually accepts that humans are altering the climate. Even those few legitimate “sceptical” scientists, such as Lindzen, Christy, Spencer, and Singer, who are regularly quoted by those who would deny the science, accept it - they only differ from the consensus inasmuch as they believe the warming will be a lot less than the mainstream position. And yet Mr Baudains claims to know better. He insinuates scientific corruption –“many scientists relied on government grants and consequently told governments what they wanted to hear” - and claims that “science has at last caught up with the mischief of the global warming theory” and then states that the IPCC who “pushed the idea” have “since retreated considerably”. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact the science is getting ever stronger and, worryingly, since the last IPCC reports, the predicted dangers (as reported from the scientific front lines) are now worse than before. Mr Baudains should realise it is vital to check the credibility of one’s sources,
Perhaps the timing of his letter (Friday 1^st April) is explicable because of the high hopes of the “sceptics” for the preliminary findings, announced the previous day, of a large new study (B.E.S.T) from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the integrity of global temperature measurements which was led by a scientist who has been critical of aspects of the mainstream position in the past. They were anticipating it confirming their belief of systematic bias and unreliability in the temperature records. In fact, it did exactly the opposite and confirmed the accuracy of mainstream science. Perhaps Mr Baudains was expecting to ride the coat tails of a “smoking gun” hole having being blown in the science.
Mr Baudains presents several highly selected "facts" – rises in CO2 follow warming in the historical record - man's CO2 contribution is a fraction of natural emissions - thousands of genuine scientists have signed their opposition to the theory. He asserts that these "disprove the theory". Like a magician creating a convincing illusion by only allowing the audience to see what he wants them to, these cherry-picked isolated ideas will lead the unwary to jump to false conclusions. An adequate refutation of these points in this letter would be too long for publication so I invite people to look at our website www.j-can.org.je where they will find a full reply to these misleading ideas. Simply, his conclusions are diametrically opposed to the truth.
There are at least 150 disinformation arguments such as those he used. No doubt he is sincere in his beliefs but they have all been fully debunked many times. An easy source for people to check the truth about all these misleading ideas is to look at www.skepticalscience.com which covers all of the major errors and misdirections used by those who attempt to deny the science. There are basic, intermediate and advanced levels that debunk each falsity.
Readers need to be aware that there are very powerful political and economic forces abroad that seek to deny the science of anthropogenic climate change, the basic physics of which has been established for around 150 years. Like King Canute on the beach, these propagandists seek to persuade us, if we just believe in their politically driven fictions enough, that the seas will not rise and the globe will not warm up if we just believe strongly enough. Who should people trust? Those who promote politically biased pseudo-science or the overwhelming majority of global scientific organisations?
Sincerely,
Nick Palmer
Media spokesman for Jersey Climate Action Network
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Below are our responses to the false arguments, used in Mr Baudains’ letter, which we put on the JCAN website on Tuesday 5th April.
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The arguments used in Mr Baudains’ letter sound very plausible to a non specialist and that is why they are repeatedly used by those who wish to spread doubt and confusion about the science and the necessary actions we need to take to protect ourselves.
Here are the main fallacious arguments used by Mr Baudains followed by our responses:
1) Rises in carbon dioxide follow global warming by thousands of years so rises in carbon dioxide cannot therefore be the cause
This is highly illogical. The pre-historic records of CO2 and temperatures show they are closely correlated, which means they rise and fall together. However, changes in CO2 mostly follow changes in temperatures by about 600 to 1000 years. This does not mean that Mr Baudains’ conclusion is correct. If levels of CO2 rise, such as we are making them do now (we are thereby creating a force acting on the climate), then the planet will warm.
In prehistory, when the planet was made to warm for another reason, such as the changes in Earth’s orbit that are associated with ice ages (the Milankovitch cycles), the oceans warmed up and CO2 was emitted from them (as a feedback) over the next 600-1000 years - which is the delay seen in the paleo-climatological record . It is this delay that Mr Baudains purports to be evidence that CO2 cannot cause warming. What he appears not to know is that once the CO2 is emitted from the oceans, it then goes on to accelerate the warming from the orbital changes. If increased CO2 did not cause global warming, the planet would never escape from the ice ages. Apart from in the very distant past when massive volcanic activity over 10's of thousands of years increased CO2 levels, there would be no record of CO2 initiating warming, only records of the increased CO2 emitted from the oceans after natural events initiated warming. This particular "argument" of Mr Baudains is one of the all time classic pieces of deceit used to fool the public by the global warming science denialists.
2) Man’s contribution is two per cent or less - are J-CAN saying man’s two per cent causes warming while the other 98 per cent is inactive?
No. This is a strawman argument. All the CO2 is an active greenhouse gas but our emissions are increasing the total amount of CO2 faster than the natural processes can absorb them, so the greenhouse effect is increasing. Whilst true that mankind's emissions of fossil carbon derived CO2 (think of them like a deposit account) are dwarfed by natural emissions (think of them like a current account), the vital information that the denialist propaganda "accidentally" does not mention is that natural CO2 sinks (processes which absorb CO2) are slightly larger than the natural emissions.
Analogously, if you had a bath tub without a plug and the tap was putting in 20 litres a minute (natural emissions) and the plug hole was draining 20.1 litres a minute (natural sinks), the bath would never fill up. If you stuck a hose in with only 0.15 litres a minute flow (mankind's fossil fuel emissions) the bath would fill up. Although the hose flow is a small fraction of the tap's flow it is additional input to a virtually balanced system, so it accumulates. In the same way, CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere because of our actions. We know that the extra CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere is down to us because of the measured ratio of C12 to C13 which shows that our fossil fuel derived CO2 is building up.
3) The IPCC pushed the theory of anthropogenic global warming - it has since retreated considerably
This is simply wrong. The IPCC has not “retreated” at all. No scientific body of national or international standing is currently disputing that mankind is affecting, and will continue to affect, the climate because of our fossil fuel emissions; the last was (surprise!) the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, which, however, in 2007 updated its 1999 statement rejecting the likelihood of human influence on recent climate with its current non-committal position. Here is a link to the Wikipedia article which shows how badly Mr Baudains is in error.
4) Climate change and global warming have occurred on Earth for millions of years. What we are experiencing now is quite normal and is caused by the Sun
More illogic. A common sceptic argument is that climate has changed naturally in the past, long before 4x4s and coal-fired power plants, so how therefore can humans be causing global warming now? First you have to know that climate doesn’t just change at random. Climate changes when it’s forced to change. When our planet suffers an energy imbalance and gains or loses heat, global temperature changes.
There are a number of different forces which can influence the Earth’s climate. When the sun gets brighter, the planet receives more energy and warms. When volcanoes erupt, they emit particles into the atmosphere which reflect sunlight, and the planet cools. When there are more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the planet warms. These effects are referred to as external “forcings” because by changing the planet's energy balance, they force climate to change.
It is obvious that past climate change was caused by natural forcings. However, arguing that it shows we can’t be causing the current warming is like arguing that because people can get struck by lightning that there can’t be any danger from working on your house wiring without turning the power off! Unfortunately the “forcing” that we are applying to the climate with our emissions is stronger than past natural forcings – analogously, the voltage of the house wiring in our example would be many times that of the lightning!
Mr Baudains claims that global warming (that no credible source disputes is happening) is all down to the Sun. Until about 1960, measurements by scientists showed that the brightness and warmth of the sun, as seen from the Earth, was increasing. Over the same period temperature measurements of the air and sea showed that the Earth was gradually warming. However, between the 1960s and the present day the same solar measurements have shown that the energy from the sun is now decreasing. At the same time temperature measurements of the air and sea have shown that the Earth has continued to become warmer and warmer. This proves that it cannot be the sun; something else must be causing the Earth's temperature to rise. So, while there is no credible science indicating that the sun is causing the observed increase in global temperature, it's the known physical properties of greenhouse gases that provide us with the only real and measurable explanation of global warming.

Snippets from the Interwebs 5

2011-03-24T23:42:00.001Z

Everything you need to know about the Real Bread campaign

http://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/

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Monsanto’s Roundup Ready crops may be encouraging the proliferation of a new pathogen – a viral sized microfungus. If so, then they should be outlawed. Click for a letter from the (emeritus) professor who discovered the pathogen to the US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack warning about the new problem.

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An article from “The Green Economy Post” - Wind Solar Water Alone Could Power the World by 2030 New Study Claims

Here’s a link to the paper that the article was based on

And here’s another similar claim

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-path-to-sustainable-energy-by-2030

and a brand new article on Skepticalscience.com (which is mostly the best source on the Internet for skewering denialist disinformation) – A plan for 100% renewable energy by 2050

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I remember the cost of the US space programme being compared to how much the US consumer spent on cosmetics or toothpaste or some such a long time ago. This was because there were people then claiming that spending on NASA was starving funds from those who would do good works for the poor and hungry etc.

Here is an interesting graphic (source : Wellhome) which truly puts into perspective how much US government spending is being invested in renewable energy compared with how much the US consumer spends on such vital expenditure as that on the weight loss, plastic surgery and tanning industries.

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Oil from algae is a technology that has been mentioned for years. A lot of work was done in the Jimmy Carter years but was almost abandoned when the Reagan/Bush years happened. There are plenty of “algoil” start ups around nowadays and one of the most promising is Origin oil who are near commercialisation.

Link to Businesswire article about Origin Oil

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Pepsi recently announced (March 15 - click for link to story) it has developed the world's first PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources, enabling the company to manufacture a beverage container with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. This steals a march on Coca Cola’s Plantbottle which so has 30% plant based material in it.

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Agave, the cactus that Tequila and Mezcal is made from, looks like it could have real potential as a biofuel. Link to paper. It is being investigated for use in Australia where its low rainfall requirement would be ideal.Reported dry biomass yields of various Agave species, when annualized, range from <1 to 34 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ without irrigation, depending on species and location. A. salmiana and A. mapisaga can have high nocturnal net CO₂ uptake rates and high productivities averaging 40 tonnes dry weight ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹.

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Build your own biogas system using 3 IDB tote tanks. These are widely used and available second hand Click for detailed instructions

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Join the Cloud Appreciation Society! Have another look at my two recent posts featuring clouds - “Both sides now” and “Flytec 2010” - then head over to cloudappreciationsociety.org and celebrate finding that there are others who are a little deeper than those who only indulge in blue sky thinking.

Don’t be the only one…

2011-03-21T00:03:00.001Z

Earth Hour 2011: 8.30pm, Saturday 26 March. Turn your lights off for just one hour. In addition to showing “solidarity” with actions to reduce energy use you just might prevent an attack by…?

Enjoy this Australian advert for Earth hour where some ordinary blokes can’t be bothered to turn off the light because “it’s only one light” and “every other light in Australia is off” .

Text below taken from earthhour.org:

ABOUT EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries/territories officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (local time). This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.

Visit our Beyond the Hour platform to share your stories and to get inspiration from the actions our supporters have shared with us already.

Flytec 2010

2011-03-18T22:37:00.003Z

Another masterpiece from Bobby Bailey. Taken at the Flytec race and rally last autumn this again shows off the sheer joie de vivre when flyers get together. At around 2.27 there is one of the best videoed loops I have ever seen and it then smoothly goes into a textbook spin. As if that wasn’t enough, the glider does it in a perfect “amphitheatre” between the clouds that shows off the perspective superbly. Now, unless you have been there yourself, I cannot adequately describe how playing amongst the clouds like this can be a peak ecstatic experience. It can have the most pragmatic (on the ground) individuals going all spiritual on you when they attempt to recall what it is like to feel like this:

“Oh I Have Slipped
The Surly Bonds of Earth...
Put Out My Hand
And Touched the Face of God ”

The full poem is called “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee who was a pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War. He came to Britain, flew in a Spitfire squadron, and was killed at the age of nineteen on 11 December 1941 during a training flight from the airfield near Scopwick.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless falls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor eer eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

This is how it was. What’s next? Feeling lucky, punks?

2011-03-10T23:04:00.001Z

Calculated from NASA’s (click for more info) “Five-Year Average Global Temperature Anomalies from 1880 to 2010” and animated. Even a trainee climate scientist has been surprised at how fast things speed up right near the last couple of decades.You need to be at least a little bit scientifically literate to realise why anomalies are way more important to show the trend rather than absolute temperatures – a distinction which many cherry picking denialists, with their “it’s really cold here, so we must be in a cooling trend” garbage thinking cannot get clear in their heads but still, even they must get it, surely?

Note how the warming anomalies are by far the greatest in the Arctic zone where all the permafrost and Northern sea ice is. This is happening far faster than the last full IPCC digest of the science delineated in 2007. Those models did not take this faster heating and consequently faster rate of shrinkage of the ice into account in their models. Neither did they consider the release of methane from the permafrost nor the entrained carbon.

To those complacent enough to comfort themselves with the belief that the models’ predictions are wrong I say – you were right! Sort of. The predictions of the models were wrong – they did not take enough into account – but they were wrong in a bad way. Things are worse than previously suspected. Read again my post of the 19th February entitled We’re ***’ed (We’re hosed…) which is about melting permafrost. I quoted Greg Craven who spoke recently at the AGU (American Geophysical Union):

“AGU rattled me to the core because my worst-case fears were not just confirmed, but exceeded (I found four paleoclimatologists who admitted to making plans for survival retreats), and my last hope–for the scientific community to enter the public debate–was completely dashed.”

I’ve since found out directly from Greg that the full story is that, of those he spoke to, he found four who would admit to this but they also confirmed that “many” more that they knew were doing the same.

Corporations gain human rights. People pushed to one side

2011-03-09T15:46:00.001Z

New from the "Story of Stuff" project. Last year the US supreme court ruled that US corporations should have the same rights as people, using a bizarre twisting of the meaning of their Constitution. Is that a problem? You betcha!

Annie “Story of stuff” Leonard also came up with another pocket gem a while back (November 2010) which I forgot to publicise at the time.So here it is now (click this link for further info).

Cooler Running

2011-03-09T15:17:00.001Z

Troy Hartman has sort of done a low level Yves Rossy by strapping a jet engine on his back to go skiing. In this video he can be seen terrifying any wildlife or spectators by zooming around and ascending hills at speeds up to 47 mph, whilst still only at half-throttle. Like the “giraffeski” I mentioned a couple of days ago, this is hardly sustainable unless the jet fuel comes from a sustainable source; however, this is not as outlandish as it may at first appear because jet fuel is pretty similar to diesel and could, in theory, be created from vegetable oils and/or syngas (obtained from pyrolysis of biomass).

Original text taken from grindtv.com

“Hartman, who lives in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., is a professional stuntman who enjoys sky diving and, bungee jumping and other extreme pursuits. The jet pack he uses was built for a rigid sky-diving wing he recently developed for flying after jumping out of airplanes. "I cannot lift off and fly with it by itself," he says of the jet pack. "But I am developing another wing, different from the sky-diving jet wing, to do just that." “

Testing New Jetpack on Skis - Troy Hartman from Troy Hartman on Vimeo.

Looks like he might be snapping at Yves’ heels – he probably won’t be as cool as Yves though. I can testify to how cool Yves is as I met him after the last Jersey International Air Display where he did his first public display.

Rossi Cold Fusion device news

2011-03-08T18:36:00.001Z

Jed Rothwell's "cold fusion library" site http://www.lenr-canr.org/ is one of the best resources on the web for keeping up to date with Low Energy or Chemically Asssisted Nuclear Reactions (LENR-CANR). It contains just about every scientific paper published on the subject (thousands). Steve Krivit's New Energy Times site is also useful but comes at the topic from a more journalistic investigative angle. Direct coverage of the Rossi device is here

Here’s a reprint (from LENR-CANR.org) of some of the latest news

Rossi 18-hour demonstration February 2011

On February 10 and 11, 2011, Levi et al. (U. Bologna) performed another test of the Rossi device. Compared to the January 14 test, they used a much higher flow rate, to keep the cooling water from vaporizing. This is partly to recover more heat, and partly because Celani and others criticized phase-change calorimetry as too complicated. There were concerns about the enthalpy of wet steam versus dry steam, and the use of a relative humidity meter to determine how dry the steam was. A source close to the test gave Jed Rothwell the following figures. These are approximations: Duration of test: 18 hours Flow rate: 3,000 L/h = ~833 ml/s. Cooling water input temperature: 15°C Cooling water output temperature: ~20°C Input power from control electronics: variable, average 80 W, closer to 20 W for 6 hours The temperature difference of 5°C * 833 ml = 4,165 calories/second = 17,493 W. Observers estimated average power as 16 kW. A 5°C temperature difference can easily be measured with confidence. 3,000 L/h is 793 gallons/h, which is the output of a medium-sized $120 ornamental pond pump. The control electronics input of ~80 W is in line with what was reported for tests before Jan. 14. Input power was high on that day because there was a problem with cracked welding, according to the Levi report. 18 hours * 16 kWh = 288 kWh = 1,037 MJ. That is the amount of energy in 26 kg of gasoline (7.9 gallons). Given the size and weight of the device, this rules out a chemical source of energy. Levi et al. are expected to write another paper about this test. We will upload it when it becomes available. NyTeknik published a fascinating description of the latest experiment (in English). This includes new details, such as the fact that the power briefly peaked at 130 kW. NyTeknik also published an interview with two outside experts about the demonstration: Prof. Emeritus at Uppsala University Sven Kullander, chairman of the National Academy of Sciences Energy Committee, and Hanno Essén, associate professor of theoretical physics, Swedish Royal Institute of Technology. Two versions are available, in English and Swedish.

Two other articles linked to from the New Energy Times blog.

http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/energi_miljo/energi/article3111124.ece

and

http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/energi_miljo/energi/article3108242.ece

Jetski crossed with a giraffe

2011-03-08T16:40:00.001Z

Why? Because it's fun I suppose. No doubt it's a completely unsustainable use of fossil fuel.
EMBED-Amazing New Water-Powered Jet Pack - Watch more free videos

Guernsey FUTU

2011-03-07T00:49:00.001Z

Just had to post a link to our sister Island’s online satire sheet Guernsey FUTU and this witty article about climate change scepticism.

Disclosure: they paid me nothing for this free plug.

Deep Green revisited

2011-03-03T14:25:00.001Z

Back in February 2010 I did a blog post (click for link) about new developments in wind and underwater power generation technologies. They both used the tethered hang glider/paraglider concept to generate more wind power than conventional wind or tidal turbine systems by “flying” in a figure of eight pattern that increases the effect speed of the water or wind plus greatly increases the area (and thus the available harvestable energy) that can be covered by each generating unit.

Here’s an article in the Guardian online that revisits the Minesto technology. Briefly, their first sea trial will be held in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland this summer (where engineers are already testing other other conventional tidal technology.

Water, water everywhere but not enough to drink?

2011-02-28T13:32:00.001Z

Here’s a blog post on water/future droughts from Joe Romm of Climate Progress

New study puts the ‘hell’ in Hell and High Water Must-read NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) analysis warns we risk multiple, devastating global droughts even on moderate emissions path.

And next an article from Reuters which draws attention to the risks investors face -

“Investors Warned of Hidden Financial Risks of Water Shortages”

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SANDRA POSTEL & ELIZABETH ROYTE discuss why water footprints are so important and what people can do to reduce the amount of fresh water they use.
Sandra Postel is Water Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and National Geographic's first Fresh Water Fellow. She directs the independent Global Water Policy Project and is the author of numerous books and reports about international fresh water issues.
Elizabeth Royte is a journalist and science/nature author. She is best known for her books Garbage Land, The Tapir's Morning Bath: Solving the Mysteries of the Tropical Rain Forest and Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.
*note: Due to Sandra's location on a mesa in New Mexico, her video feed is intermittent and choppy.

Impressive figures next but beware of the super-cheesy grin at the end of this info-advertisement!

They got the figures in the ad from here – click for source

Grist article about cities and future water supplies titled “Redesigning our cities for the dawning age of global freshwater scarcity”

Although I've already featured it almost a year ago, here's another chance to see Annie Leonard's Story of Bottled Water

Snippets from the Interwebs 4

2011-02-24T23:25:00.001Z

The film: THE 6TH EXTINCTION

Teaser for Sixth Extinction Documentary from 6thExtinctionDoc on Vimeo.

The 6th Extinction is a grassroots documentary project. Few people realize that we are in the midst of a mass extinction crisis that rivals that of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The extinction rate has risen to more than 1000 times the pre-human rate and far outpaces the rate of evolution. Of the 45,000 species evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2008, 17,000 faced at least a high risk of extinction in the wild. Orang-utans, rhinos, tigers, bees, polar bears, chimpanzees, blue-finned tuna…the list of species in trouble is extensive with some scientists predicting that half of all species will go extinct in this century.

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Heinz Ketchup is Going “Green” with Coca-Cola

At a press conference on 23rd February 2011, the Coca-Cola Company and H.J. Heinz Company announced a strategic partnership that enables Heinz to produce its ketchup bottles using Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle packaging.

This shift in packaging will be the biggest change to Heinz’s iconic ketchup bottles since the company first introduced plastic in 1983. Heinz plans to convert to PlantBottle globally, beginning with the 20-ounce variety of Heinz Ketchup, which will be rolled out to US consumers this summer. The plastic bottles which are PET, and thus full recyclable have received awards. They are, so far made from a 30% plant based material but the intention is to move towards a 100% plant based plastic

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Biofuels have had a bit of a bad press. Dubya Bush’s government went gung ho for corn (maize really – they’re Americans you know…) to ethanol production which had elements of pork barrel politics about it

http://www.jouleunlimited.com/

Joule's Helioculture™ platform has a production cycle with up to 50 times the efficiencies of biofuel production to convert sunlight and waste CO₂directly into clean diesel fuel that can substitute directly for the fossil fuelled product. Based on empirical measurements, Joule can directly produce 15,000 gallons of diesel per acre annually, as compared to 3,000 gallons of biodiesel produced indirectly from algae.

Requiring only sunlight and waste CO₂, this system can produce renewable diesel fuel in virtually unlimited quantities at costs as low as $30/barrel equivalent

Here’s a link to an accessible Press release about the process from a couple of days ago (Feb 17th). Here’s a link to a scientific paper

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Not widely reported in the Sun, Mail or Express newspapers was the Global Compact LEAD. Whassat? I hear you cry.

Taken from Triple pundit.com:

“U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced the creation of the Global Compact LEAD on January 28, 2011 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A total of 54 companies are members, including Intel, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Siemens, Royal Dutch Shell, Tata Steel, Total and Unilever. Participating companies are also part of the UN Global Compact, which requires members to commit their company’s to align their strategies and operations with ten “universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.”

The companies have committed to the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability leadership

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WindMade is a new “eco label” so people can tell if a product has been manufactured using wind power. Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas wants to make it easier to do. Announced just prior to the 2011 Zayed Future Energy prize, which Vestas won, the new consumer label is shown below.

It’s early days yet but I’ll be watching out for it. I remember campaigning for the Forest Stewardship Council standard (widely recognised logo below) to be applied to wood in the early 90’s – now it’s mainstream on an awful lot of timber and timber products such as paper.

Click for further info about Windmade

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“Invasivore” Diet Making Headway as Next Locavore Movement

Locavores try to eat only food that is grown or made locally. Slightly “out there” is this new idea. Invasive species were introduced to areas by the process of international trade. They often have few native predators so their numbers increase wildly without check. This idea encourages people to eat the invaders…

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Reinsurer Munich Re assesses extreme climate events. Reinsurers are amongst the most hard nosed calculators of probabilities that there are – it’s their business. If they didn’t know what was really going on they would go out of business so when they say (click for link) that the last 12 months have shown exceptional destructive climatic events, maybe the denialist propagandists might just think again.

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A compostable toothbrush from Australia. Aus $36 for a pack of 12. Invented by a Brisbane dentist, “The Environmental Toothbrush” is a simple solution. Made from bamboo, a natural cellulose fibre, they are 100% biodegradable, environmentally sustainable, and do not pollute the environment.

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Electric vehicles tend to cost more than the fossil fuelled vehicles they are based on. Step forward Tata of India. From an article by Gizmag:

“The Tata Indica Vista EV hits the market early in 2011, carries four people, has excellent performance and can run 150 miles on a charge. Most importantly, the EV is based on a best-selling, mass-market car from the Indian market where it sells for less than US$9000 and its performance in the recent Future Car Challenge verifies its extreme energy efficiency.”

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San Jose, California, bans plastic bags

In December, the San Jose City Council banned single use plastic shopping bags and prohibited retailers from giving away paper bags in a 10 to one vote. The ban will take effect on January 1, 2012. In 2012, retailers will have to charge 10 cents for a paper bag, and 25 cents in 2013. San Jose is the third largest U.S. city to ban plastic shopping bags.

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U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been talking about a “happiness index” for the U.K. He has directed the Office of National Statistics to develop metrics to measure the UK’s “general well-being”. Using different ways to measure success than the brutally simplistic and out-dated GDP figures is a powerful way to make things better.

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M&S early on delivering their sustainability goals – four years early! Companies are outpacing governments in being (somewhat) environmentally friendlier

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Pedal powered lawn mower.. Get fit, save money!

The answer!

2011-02-23T19:46:00.001Z

Ever since I saw the original information passed on in my recent post – we’re ***’ed – I’ve been a bit subdued in an “it’s too late already” sort of way. Just to attempt to show willing by spreading some worthwhile ideas further, I am posting a copy of an essay by Rob Dietz about the potential a “steady state” economy has to fix just about all the current problems we have. Its basic thesis is that unending growth is no longer desirable, probably disastrous, despite virtually all mainstream economists taking it as a article of faith that growth must continue to grow…

As a consequence of the century old obsession with unending growth by the top level advisers to governments, we now have a situation where virtually all the people with power over our lives accept, and are being fooled by, a system that is long past its use by date. The 7 billion innocent bystanders, who hope that governments will get things right, have an unjustified faith that, because the system appears to have worked so well for more than their lifetimes, that it will continue to work indefinitely. Familiarity bred confidence. Pride goeth before a fall.

Newton’s laws of motion etc needed to be added to by the theories of Einstein to explain why the motion of objects at extreme speeds (nearing light speed) differed from that predicted by basic Newtonian mechanics. In an interesting parallel, the standard theories of “growth economics” work OK in what can be described as an empty world – one in which there is a relatively slow economy with apparently endless space to expand into and pollute and endless resources to exploit, such as when there were far fewer than 2 billion people around (who also had a modest environmental footprint).

Nowadays our economy, our demands and the numbers of us have expanded exponentially and we are bumping up against the environmental and resource availability limits of the planet. We are metaphorically approaching the speed of light economically where the well worn ordinary laws of economics clearly start to break down. Using Newton’s laws to plot a high speed course amongst the planets would lead to failure to get where one wanted. So too if standard economic theory and advisers are used to cope with economic meltdowns, climate change etc. We need the equivalent of a theory of relativity to light the way. Ecological economics is it. Developed by Herman Daly almost 40 years ago, it is “the answer”.

The following article was posted on the Post Growth blog which reposted it from the original source on the ”The Daly News”, which is part of the CASSE (Center for the advancement of the Steady State Economy.

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Economics of the Story of Stuff

by Rob Dietz on May 15, 2010

We’re pleased to introduce our first guest contributor, Rob Dietz, Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. This is a cross-posting of his most recent work on The Daly News, CASSE’s blog.

Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff, the explosive online video (now also expanded into a book), provides an entertaining explanation of a glaring economic flaw. The Story of Stuff takes a look at the economy’s linear system that runs from extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. As Annie says, “… you cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely.” You especially can’t grow the size of that linear system indefinitely. But that’s the misguided aim of current economic goals and policies. Misguided as it is, however, we know why politicians and economists push economic growth and consumer spending. As soon as we slow down our shopping and buy less stuff, the economy spirals into a recession. That’s when we start hearing about and experiencing real problems – problems like people losing their jobs, their homes, and even their ability to take care of basic needs.

What a dilemma! The planet can’t sustain our pattern of consumption, but people get steamrolled in the economy when consumption slows down. The solution is to figure out how to structure the economy so that people can meet their needs without trashing the planet. But restructuring the economy is no simple task. Even gathering the will to take a shot at it is difficult.

The main reason is that economics is a subject most of us avoid. The majority of people understand that it’s good to have money in their pockets, but they don’t necessarily want to get involved in the policies of the Federal Reserve, the inner workings of the Treasury Department, or banking regulations. That’s the job of economists, right? But 99% of economists are entrenched in the old way of thinking. Their training and their methods are aimed at growing the unsustainable linear system. Economists are always talking about growth. Growth, growth, growth. They seem to believe that getting bigger is the only recipe for getting better. It’s worked for them in the past and it’s what they know. And they mostly haven’t studied ecology or physics or other fields that would help inform them about the effects of their policies on the planet.

As a result, economists are doing what they can to prop up the old system, and politicians and the public are inclined to listen to them. Politicians are especially susceptible to the spin. They don’t usually know much at all about economics, but they do know they’ll be thrown out of office if people are losing their jobs and their sense of security.

Why do we grant so much latitude to economists, especially when they have proven time and time again that they can’t predict momentous economic events? With few exceptions, they didn’t know the financial and economic crisis of 2008 was coming. We’ve pursued and achieved economic growth for several centuries, and through official policy for over 50 years. If their prescription of continuous economic growth is the answer, why are we facing so many profound environmental and economic problems? Why should we be worried about global warming and losing our jobs at the same time?

It will take a lot of effort to get the ball rolling on changing our economic structure. On the positive side, ecological economists have already developed the foundation for a new economy. A steady state economy provides a real potential for sustainability that simply cannot derive from continuous pursuit of economic growth. A steady state economy respects limits and strives for stability in population, consumption, and overall use of energy and materials. To get a feel for how this works, think of a healthy mature forest. It does not grow in size, but it is a living system with a complex web of parts. Remarkably diverse groups of species cooperate and compete within the forest, and there are opportunities for new species and ecosystem functions to develop over time.

Just like in the forest, stability in a steady state economy is very different from stagnation. Ecological economists actually call this kind of stability a dynamic equilibrium. This fancy term simply means that a steady state economy is dynamic – it changes and develops over time – but it balances with the natural environment. The idea is to right-size the economy, to find that Goldilocks size that’s not too small and not too big, but just right.

The old economy has one major rule: grow or die. Unfortunately, we’re getting to the point where that rule is changing to grow AND die. In contrast, the new steady state economy lives by four main rules described below. It’s very hard to argue against any of these four rules. In fact, as a test, let’s consider the opposite of each rule as well…

Rule 1

Maintain healthy ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems provide the life-support services for the planet. Ecosystems tend to be resilient, so they can handle quite a bit of disturbance. But if economic activities grow too large, they can disrupt the ability of those ecosystems to do their job.

The opposite of Rule 1 is that we destroy healthy ecosystems or maintain unhealthy ecosystems, clearly not a good idea (assuming we want to maintain life on the planet).

Rule 2

Extract renewable resources at a rate no faster than they can be regenerated. Renewable resources, like forests and stocks of fish, provide goods for the economy. The amazing part about them is that they can go on providing goods year after year, so long as we don’t overdo it. If we take only the number of trees and fish that can be regenerated (economists call this sustainable yield), we can keep consuming timber and fish for generations to come.

The opposite of Rule 2 is that we extract renewable resources at a rate faster than they can be regenerated. Following such a course of action would wipe out the forest and drive the fish population to extinction. It would be like killing the goose that lays golden eggs.

Rule 3

Use non-renewable resources at a rate no faster than we can find renewable substitutes. To use a non-renewable resource, like a fossil fuel or mineral, really means to use it up. There will be less of it available for future generations. This condition doesn’t mean that we have to leave all non-renewable resources untouched. But it does mean that there is a clear limit to their exploitation, and we should be working toward replacing them with renewable substitutes as we use them up.

The opposite of Rule 3 is to use non-renewable resources without finding renewable substitutes.

Following this course of action would deplete the bounty of planetary resources in short order. It would be like winning a million dollar lottery, leaving behind a job, and throwing a million dollars’ worth of lavish parties for one year. It might have been one heck of a year, but at the end of it, the money would be all gone, and future prospects wouldn’t be so bright.

Rule 4

Dump wastes into the environment no faster than they can be safely assimilated. Depositing wastes faster than they can break down means that we have to live in our own piles of refuse. It makes for unpleasant and unhealthy living conditions.

The opposite of Rule 4 is to dump wastes as fast as we please. We don’t have to imagine the consequences of this course of action. We’ve seen them in the past – remember when it wasn’t all that uncommon for a river to catch on fire? And we see them today in the form of climate change and rising cancer rates.

Before we can go about building an economy based on these rules, we need to tell our economists and politicians that enough is enough (signing the CASSE position is a good start). We need to stop avoiding the thorny subject of economics and demand a new economic framework — preferably a steady state economy that provides a happy ending to The Story of Stuff.

Image credit: Flickr.com/Adam Crowe. Creative Commons license.

Hugh Fearnley-Wizard of Oz

2011-02-20T15:26:00.001Z

Landshare was the one of the “big concepts” started by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage in Dorset a couple of years ago. The idea is that River Cottage acts as hub to put people who have surplus or unused land together with people who will tend it and grow things on it for mutual benefit. So far they have 58,396 members (20th Feb) across the UK. But it didn't just stop there. Hugh recenty launched Fish Fight – to prevent or reduce the discarding of fish which are “over quota”. Currently 648,000 people have signed up for that one.

LandShare Australia, which is about as far as you can get from Dorset, is just starting up and will be using Hugh’s principles.

We’re ***’ed

2011-02-19T00:28:00.001Z

It’s the weekend. Got plans? Hope they’re not long term ones… Have a look at this latest post from Climate Progress - one of the best, well referenced antidotes to the insane complacency, breathtaking stupidity and unjustified arrogance of the denialist disinformation websites and blogs.

The post is entitled:

NSIDC bombshell: Thawing permafrost feedback will turn Arctic from carbon sink to source in the 2020s, releasing 100 billion tons of carbon by 2100

Click on the title to read the original post. It’ll stop you worrying about your pension.

The title might sound dramatic but wait until you read the text. It’s also worth reading the comments too for the sense of resignation that previously hopeful people are starting to express. In there (at #82) you will find one from yours truly delineating the latest thoughts from Greg Craven (the author of “What’s the Worst that Could Happen?” – the book I assisted with that is linked to in this blog’s side bar). Greg recently did a speech, to the assembled multitudes of the American Geophysical Union, which was astonishingly powerful. Afterwards he talked to some members about their private thoughts. These are his own words (from the Manpollo.org site):

“Oh, and one last thing. You deserve the full story, but for now here’s the bottom line: we’re ****ed. AGU rattled me to the core because my worst-case fears were not just confirmed, but exceeded (I found four paleoclimatologists who admitted to making plans for survival retreats), and my last hope–for the scientific community to enter the public debate–was completely dashed.”

Paleoclimatologists are the guys who work out what happened to Earth’s climate tens of thousands to hundreds of millions of years ago. They know how the climate could turn (probably will now as this latest information suggests) because it has turned dangerously in the past under less of a kick than we are currently giving it. They know about prehistoric mass extinction events, due to this type of climatic kick, when large proportions of life on Earth died out and things didn’t settle down again for hundreds of thousands of years – millions in some cases. When the Lindzen’s of this world preach to their faithful (I use the word advisedly) followers on Wattsupwiththat that climate sensitivity is lower than the IPCC best estimates and claim that any warming will be small and inconsequential, remember what is probably happening already and the knock on consequences.

Friedrich Schiller said: "Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens," which means "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain."

Errm, I’ll have a rump steak and a handbag please…

2011-02-17T17:08:00.002Z

This video shows “Marlow and Daughters” a Brooklyn, N.Y. butchers which is next door to the linked Marlow and Sons - a restaurant. In addition to using locally sourced animals for the butchery which supplies the restaurant too they actually get the hides of the animals they use made into leatherwear such as handbags which they sell to diners (see picture below video).

Some might see a “yuck” factor here. People could avoid the restaurant completely because animal rights beliefs make them too grossed out or fashionistas may adore the convenient idea of simultaneously eating while shopping for designer items. It’s innovative and, at the very least, they are thinking outside the box and making creative connections between their supply chain, waste material and end product. Those last couple of sentences stolen from Food & Drink Digital contributor Kristin Craik

Cartoon wars

2011-02-15T17:58:00.002Z

There is a denialist video on Youtube called “Global Warming Panic explained” in which two characters from a video game have been “hacked” to have a dialogue about those awful climate scientists and the way they are hoaxing everybody but the brave “sceptics”. As is usual with all but a fraction of the sceptic/denialist material out there, it is chock full of strawmen and dishonest/stupid insinuations with an unhealthy amount of paranoid conspiracy type thinking. Greenfyre has put together, using the same characters and “game engine”, a rather good riposte which covers and discredits a very large number of the sort of rubbish arguments that echo endlessly around the denialosphere .

First look at the dangerous and misleading propaganda version then the one that attempts to correct it.

Global Warming Panic explained

By the way, if anyone wants to make one of these cartoon videos (saying whatever you want), just go to http://www.xtranormal.com and create your own account.

First big Internet people’s revolution

2011-02-11T14:04:00.001Z

The “Dignity” revolution.

Both sides now

2011-02-11T00:50:00.003Z

Bows and flows of angel hair,
And Ice-cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere,
I’ve looked at clouds that way – Joni Mitchell

Silver Lining from Kym Fielke on Vimeo.

Join the cloud appreciation society http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/

If Jupiter was the same distance as the Moon…

2011-02-07T11:52:00.001Z

Brad Goodspeed did the following animation. As always with Vimeo videos, click on the four arrows (bottom right) to get full screen HD. Here's how he introduced it.

"Here's an animation I did to make you feel small, and also convey the deep awe I feel at the feet of the Universe. While watching the video of the lunar eclipse I posted the other day I was looking at the curvature of the earth's shadow on the moon. It made me think about how large the earth might look if an exact copy of it was up there instead of the moon. Soon curiosity got the better of me, and I was animating! So the basic idea is, each planet you see is the size it would appear in the sky if it shared an orbit with the moon, 380,000 kms from earth. I created this video in After Effects, and because of certain technical considerations had to keep the field of view at 62 degrees. That means the foreground element is not precisely to scale. I realized this after the fact and may update the video at some point in the future. All planets are to correct scale with one another in any case. Please watch full screen in HD if possible. Oh! And please consider sharing with your friends on Twitter or Facebook.

Music: Where We're Calling From - Doves"

Scale from Brad Goodspeed on Vimeo.

Walk like an Egyptian

2011-02-01T16:25:00.001Z

Movie Trailer! Why it’s a win win win to get off fossil fuels, even for those who are so blinkered that they refuse to acknowledge the dangers of climate change.

2011-01-17T15:56:00.001Z

If you’re so ignorant, irrational or politically brainwashed that you think climate change is a hoax or won’t be a serious problem then go to see this movie which opens soon in (February). Here’s a climate change movie that doesn’t even care if you believe in climate change. See it and you’ll probably end up thinking it’s a good idea to wean ourselves off fossil fuels rapidly anyway.

click image above for link to movie website

Extraordinarily important announcement or not?

2011-01-15T12:51:00.001Z

Readers may have noticed, in my side bar, that I say I am a ”Cold Fusion Advocate”. This is there because, since the early days of 1989 when the first press conference, by Fleischmann and Pons, was held announcing the topic, I have been following the subject via online (before the Internet!) bulletin boards. I have corresponded with the main archivists and publicists of the field and have seen (and held!) experiments they were doing to confirm various claims. I am pretty sure that the effect is real but it has always suffered from “reproducibility” problems. This means that the experiment can be conducted in exactly the same way and sometimes something happens and sometimes it doesn’t.This is not the way to convince fellow scientists that real science is taking place. Another “problem” was that, in most cases, the energy created was pretty small and hard to measure. To be fair, on occasion, explosions have taken place, metal and concrete has been melted but these events are rare and cannot be easily predicted in advance so most scientists remain unconvinced. The full story of the research is very much more complex than this quick sketch that I have drawn but that might come later. One of my contacts is Jed Rothwell – a major figure in the field – who runs the LENR-CANR. org website where the majority of the scientific papers published on the subject over the last 20 years can be downloaded.

One of the very few countries which carried on with the research was Italy. At 10 am today, Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi are presenting a device which they claim is generating 10 kilowatts by reacting nickel with hydrogen. Much previous cold fusion research used very expensive materials like platinum and palladium (and deuterium – “heavy” hydrogen) which, if developed, could not have provided the new global source of energy that the effect promises – there simply would not be sufficient quantities of the elements around. That is why they are part of the rare metals group! Very few researchers claimed to have had success with ordinary nickel and ordinary hydrogen. Tantalisingly, the experiments of these researcher seem to have produced quite a lot of energy – enough to heat a motel room (as Jed Rothwell once witnessed). Nickel/hydrogen systems seemed to be even harder to replicate than palladium/deuterium systems. It remains to be seen if this latest spectacular claim is valid but preliminary feedback from the preview yesterday are positive. Wait and see. I just might have to republish my article from the 80’s in “Infinite Energy” magazine where I put forward an ”Environmentalist’s perspective on Cold Fusion” in which I speculated that this might be the “answer” to global warming, Peak oil, pollution, exhaustion of resources and developing the third world.

Make no mistake. If this announcement is legitimate, the world just changed. And not in a small way…

Here is a link to the scientists blog which has several videos. This is the first one

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What follows is a report from one of the first eye witnesses to see the demonstration. Bear with it because it has been translated from Italian.

Photo of the device from last month
I had reported that the Focardi and Rossi demo would be on Jan 15th (based on an online notice) that was the online press conference and that will happen tomorrow. Today there was the italian press conference.
Bologna, 14/1/11 - Focardi-Rossi Ni-H cold fusion test reactor - live report from demo now taking place Friday, Jan. 14, 2011; photos and video pending.
Here is a live update transcript

18.07 - Someone else asked if the nickel is the same increase in temperature. Rossi said that the reactor is fed a powder of nickel and that, compared to much lower temperatures placed, can be found granules of nickel zone (which based on the 1500 ° C).
18.05 - Someone asked if nickel can be used in addition to other metals. . Yes - Rossi responds - but clearly advantageous because nickel is inexpensive.
17.55 - Another application for Ferrari, there were variations in the details of the structure of the nickel? Yes, "replied Rossi - occurring isotopic variations were observed by comparing a sample of virgin nickel with another who had" worked "six months into the machinery. Ferrari states that asked if there were changes from a structural standpoint, the crystalline structure. Focardi himself explains that the electron microscope has identified a number of changes. So probably - Ferrari said - not so much energy could be derived from the same material as the energy potential of the crystal structure.
17.50 - Speaker Prof. Ferrari, Department of Physics, University of Bologna. It is clear - he says - that the device uses "something", something that is transformed, transmuted and eventually runs out. The question is, beyond what this "something", as it can be turned on until the car I keep the machine turning on the machine consumes picograms (thousandths of a billionth of a gram) of nickel and hydrogen to produce kilowatts. Therefore in this type of technology the problem of material consumption is not here with an ounce of nickel we can get 1,000 billion KW.
17.45 - He spoke to Prof Christos Stremmenos to expose its assumptions operation of Rossi-Focardi alas, I can not follow him. But concludes by saying that before it was built the steam engine was then developed the theory that explained the thermodynamic functions
17.40 - Levi Professor of the Physics Department has confirmed - in response to a question - he does not know how the reactor is built, it was limited to measuring what it produces.
17.38 - Celani points out that there was a slight increase (50%) of gamma radiation, but not consistently fluctuating. this is good because it excludes the possibility of a scam (artfully hidden sources of energy into the device). He says it interesting that there was a small flash of gamma rays is that the power is switched off.
17.37 - took the floor to Prof. Celani INFN Frascati.
17.36 - Prof. Levi announced that there was no consumption "measure" of hydrogen, also confirmed that there has been no radiation apart from the environmental fund.
17.34 - Rossi's statement that room there are representatives of a European industrial group that will produce large-scale apparatus, on the basis of the patent held by Focardi and Rossi. The reactor can be connected in series to raise the temperature produced, and in parallel to increase the amount of heat at the same temperature (as if they were electric batteries!).
17.32 - Someone asks how we can call this equipment. Catalyst Energy - Rossi answers - rather than reactor, a term is too general. Rossi maintains that at a theoretical level we can only speculate what happens in the machinery, but there is still much to study. Therefore, the performance (when a factor 15) can certainly go up, we are the Ford T, we arrive at Formula 1!
17.27 - Rossi explained that they were produced from the reactor about 10-12KW, the average energy input was 600-700W (was also measured the dryness of the steam). The experiment was performed by the patent holders and professors from the University of Bologna unrelated to the project
17.25 - Rossi now gives you the word journalists. This will be the most popular of the conference.
17.23 - A few minutes ago was closed hydrogen. The outlet water temperatures (C3) are falling apart (we are already about 65 ° C). Rossi has now announced the start of the press conference, I imagine that there will be an interesting debate. Different physicists have certainly found a lot to do!
17.20 - I'm listening to the comments of others have taken, take for granted the good faith of Focardi and Rossi. But the fact remains that we are faced with a "black box" and we do not know what's inside.
17.15 - The projector continues to display the PC screen with measurements updated in real time (every 2 seconds) to room temperature (C1), inlet water temperature (C2), temperature steam output (C3). The temperature curve (C3) shows that in about 30 minutes (from 16.30 to 17.00) has reached 101 ° C. For example, we have to 17:15:00 23.10 ° C = C1, C2 = 13.40 ° C, C3 = 101.30 ° C.
17.00 - The experimental setting is basically what I am going to describe here. A pump passes the water in the reactor where it is warmed by heat generated by the reaction of cold fusion Ni-H. It is measured the temperature of the incoming and outgoing (now as I said is stable over 101 ° C). The trigger is made by heating the reactor, the absorption apparatus 1269W at the moment is not yet provided us with the data of power output. Rossi explained that the equipment can produce depending on 6 or 7KW or otherwise - he added - up to 10KW. Not to mention of course, but thermal electric power.
16.55 - At this time the temperature of the water (steam) output from the reactor has reached 101.3 ° C and remains constant.
16.45 - Rossi and Prof. Levi are explaining the experiment in groups of six people at a time. I made several photos insert tomorrow.
16.40 - I managed to take a look around the room, the door is now open. The equipment is the photo I posted a couple of days ago on the blog. Pending no explanation, take this opportunity to point out a clarification made by Prof. Levi during his first presentation. Researchers at the University came into play to verify that the equipment will work, that actually produce interesting amounts of energy through cold fusion, and nothing else. And of course that this is not a hoax! Still there is a real physical theory able to explain point by point the phenomenon of cold fusion. And above all, the reactor is covered by an industrial patent: it is not reproducible by anyone on the basis of general knowledge of the principle of cold Fuson.
16.30 - - The RAI is carrying cameramen filming of the reactor according to the room. There is a lot of excitement among those present. I imagine that soon will return to speak out Focardi, Rossi and Levi.
16.25 - The reactor is operating and is producing heat! . Now the data of the experiment are shown in real time by a projector (the outlet water temperature begins to rise).
15.55 - Prof. Levi has finished speaking at the reactor and returned. I regret not being able to put hours of the photos now, I'll do once back at home. There are now around fifty people. Vi spiego la situazione. Let me explain the situation. We are inside a large square room (about 400-500 square meters) set inside an industrial warehouse, located in a corner is a room of 30 square meters where is the equipment. What happens in this room and show time in the room directly on a TV screen than thirty inches.
15.50 - Also - read Levi - were brought by the Department of Physics - INFN Bologna two sodium iodide scintillator to measure the radiation output.
15.45 - Rossi took the floor, anticipates that the reactor will be switched soon. Pass the word to Professor Giuseppe Levi, Department of Physics of Bologna. Explain the types of measures that will be made: 1) estimate the energy produced on the basis of the measure of how much water is vaporized in the second, and 2) to understand the source of the process of energy production seek to ensure that hydrogen is not burned (by measuring the mass at the beginning and end of the experiment).
15.35 - - took the floor Focardi, said colleagues in the Physics Department are taking action in the calibration of measuring instruments. In about 10 minutes the experiment is to begin.
15.30 - Focardi is very close to me, chatting with a colleague of INFN. : If anyone still doubted to what is happening here, here it is the text of the disclaimer that I necessarily had to sign at the entrance:
The undersigned . resident of ... Prov. made aware and conscious of seeing an experiment in energy production with a new kind of reactions between hydrogen and nickel and the possible consequent risks to people, property and animals DECLARE
wanted to attend my own risk to the stated scientific experiment to be held in Bologna, Via Electrician 6 / D, on 14/01/2011 from 15:00 to 20:00.
Explicitly exempts from any direct or indirect individual, company, event organizers and / or speakers of that scientific experiment that would like to attend. in faith
15.20 - I credited (there is a security service to keep out the curious) and I have taken a stand on the tables ready for printing. I am in a shed, the guests continue to arrive into account when about thirty people, I recognized Focardi and Rossi. I see that there is also a troupe RAI, so the news may already be on the TG tonight.
11.00 - I'm leaving now to Perugia, to Bologna. Pollute (and spend) less than those who travel to diesel and gasoline. Due to my multiple natural gas, and the original winning formula that Fiat has squeezed like a lemon and taken to a dead end (it's out of production last September) rather than continue to develop and evolve. With dismay of many who, like me, now can not find any cars on the market capable of replacing it.
09.50 - Rimando, who had not already read them, the post I wrote Wednesday and yesterday to prepare for this dramatic development of cold fusion. Certainly in the next few days, the relative Wikipedia entry will be integrated to what will happen today.
09.30 - I'm getting ready to leave for Bologna, where this afternoon to attend the demonstration reactor Ni-H-Focardi Rossi. A working prototype ready for production on an industrial scale. Technology made in Italy, even though - alas - Rumor that the patent has already been sold abroad. Rossi wants to avoid repetition of the collapse of a winning idea what was refluopetrolio (1). Moreover even Rubbia , Nobel Prize for physics, you have to "migrate" in Spain, after his run of ' ENEA and its Archimedes Project (CSP) here at home were blatantly and carelessly boycotted.

JERSEY’S CLIMATEGATE EMAILS!

2011-01-12T00:33:00.001Z

Readers may be interested in an email exchange that occurred between me and a couple of our local politicians here in Jersey in the run up to the Cancun conference. I have decided to leak a few…

A local “climate change friendly” politician, along with all other elected States members, had been sent a piece of anti-global warning science propaganda about the so-called Climategate emails originally sourced from a far right wing American website (The American Thinker) and I had it passed along to me for comment. Click for link to original propaganda piece Here’s a bit of the “debate” that ensued.

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Dear (name removed),

Here's a list of links to credible responses as to whether the "Climategate" emails dent the case for AGW (short answer - not in a million years).
http://thingsbreak.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/the-emerging-scientific-consensus-on-the-swifthack-emails-get-real-denialists/

Nick Palmer

On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it

Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com

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Nick, my complaint is that the politicians are wanting to sacrifice the world economy on the basis of fraudulent science. Adaptation not mitigation. And please make a clear distinction between CO2, a useful gas, and pollution.

Regards

name removed

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Hi (name removed),
Oh, don't be so silly. The science isn't fraudulent. You quote from Pielke who you describe as "another genuine scientist". I agree. There are very few credible "contrarian" scientists left who dispute the basic IPCC position. Pielke is one of them. Similar credible darlings-of-the-deniers are Lindzen, Christy, Spencer and Pat Micheals. For the purposes of this argument, I will include S. Fred Singer in this list too - although he is no longer a credible voice.
Here is what Pielke said, in his own words, in the extract you sent in, in which you rather shoot your own position in the foot:

"The role of added carbon dioxide as a major contributor in climate change has been firmly established. However, as you know I have questioned its relative role and our ability to accurately predict its longer-term effects. But that it has an effect is clear...

Policies focused on controlling the emissions of greenhouse gases are justified for many reasons beyond the climatic effect of CO2, so I want to be clear that the science questions are not necessarily directly translatable into policy implications. But one implication of my own work and that of others is clear — however successful we are in reducing emissions, a significant problem of human-caused climate change will remain as the other equally or even more important major contributors to climate change are not addressed by emissions reductions.

So I am urging that we take this broader perspective. It is not an argument against reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, but it is recognition that the human role in the climate system is much more than just the added CO2. I have no problem with well thought out policies focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I do have a problem with equating such policies with a comprehensive approach to climate change."

All the other darlings-of-the-deniers scientists hold similar views. Several of them are on film confirming this in this Climate Crock video

link to Smacking the Hack Attack

but it's also easy to find longer statements confirming their views online. As an obvious consequence, the vast majority of the thick, evil or politically blinded and deafened denialosphere's rhetoric and arguments and claims can be seen to be the complete garbage and lies and breath-taking stupidity that anyone who understands the basic physics of the radiative/absorptive transfer characteristics of gases knew they were all along.

Where the "Ds of the Ds" scientists differ from the overwhelming majority of credible climate scientists is that they believe the climate sensitivity (the figure by which global temperature is expected to rise for each doubling of CO2) is less than the IPCC estimate of about 3 degrees. If so, then the horror stories won't come to pass. If it is 3 degrees, then the predicted shock-horror stories are likely to come to pass. If it is greater than 3 degrees, then we face climate Armageddon and the almost certain extinction of large numbers of species with large areas of the globe becoming uninhabitable not to mention the elimination of most marine life, in a mass extinction event.

The thing about the figure for climate sensitivity is it is not known exactly. It is estimated from how past climate changes played out plus from the basic physics of greenhouse gases. How all the feedbacks work is also subject to a fair amount of uncertainty. We do know that the climate has changed catastrophically in the past under less "forcing" than we are currently applying.
Without the use of a time machine to go back and run different experiments on the planet's atmosphere it is not possible to definitively establish a figure until we have run the experiment through to the conclusion/bitter end, checking observations as we go. If we take no serious action then, if sensitivity is a lot less than 3 deg, happy days. If it is 3 deg, then we're in for increasing trouble that won't stop for thousands of years. If it is more than 3 deg, then our world as we have known it ends, along with civilisation and the death of most the population. It might end with a bang or a whimper but wouldn't it be fun if it ends with someone telling the (local politician’s name removed)s "I told you so"?

The point is (name removed), it comes down to whether you believe we will be lucky or not. The majority of scientists say we won't be - all the computer models (20+) say we won't be - none even hint that the opposite is probable. You have a perfect right to risk your own future neck and I will just about fight to the death to defend that right, however, you haven't got the right to risk everybody else's future that you may drag down to climate hell with you, if your "optimistic" view prevails. As complete certainty of the eventual outcome is not possible to know before it is far too late to reverse the accelerating bad stuff, deciding what to do is a matter of calculated risk assessment.

Do you feel certain enough of your views that you will risk billions of lives? Do you feel lucky, punk?

Oh, BTW. I think the person interviewing the "Ds of the Ds" scientists in the video may be Martin Durkin, the (edited) who put together the appallingly mendacious "Great Global Warming Swindle". As you can see they set him straight. I suppose he is even worse than Anthony Watts.

Nick Palmer

On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it

Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com

p.s Adaptation is not possible to some of what is likely if nothing adequate is done. What hubris to imagine adaptation is a viable strategy!
CO2 in excess can be called a pollutant when its deleterious effects begin to overwhelm its positive effects. Obviously vital in the correct proportions, excess CO2, like excess water or cheeseburgers, can kill. I am surprised to see you stoop to that cheap Competitive Enterprise Institute piece of propaganda - watch their achingly funny but sinister video on Youtube - Global Warming - "Energy" with the fantastically stupid end quote - "they call it pollution - we call it life". You couldn't make it up!

Oh finally, exactly what sort of economy do you think the world could support if the few left have been forced back to the mediaeval times? At least that would be a genuine mediaeval warm period...

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Nick, I am not going to indulge in a point scoring match – I am merely concerned with what is the best answer based on solid evidence. If there had been a proper debate on the science instead of the political approach taken, then there could have been a much more constructive debate. Instead we have ignoramuses like Al Gore prancing round making totally ignorant statements and making a great deal on money to boot.

You know perfectly well that the science is never settled – there are always improvements, better data and evidence and so forth. The important thing is to look at new data objectively and not politically.

Regards

(name removed)

_________________________________________________________________________

The email “debate” fizzled out after that. It shows the sheer incorrigibility and imperviousness to argument of those who call themselves sceptics or contrarians. Whatever evidence or logic one brings to bear is just shrugged off with a political shimmy. Some people really do seem to be convinced that what they believe, or want to believe outranks reality. Should we trust such people with positions of power no matter how much we ourselves may want to believe the things they are saying?

GUERNSEY FUTU

2011-01-09T17:23:00.000Z

I have just found the rather special online satirical website Guernsey FUTU (clue: probably means the same as the French word foutu…). It is very funny. I thought I’d steal one of their recent articles to encourage people to have a look at more – click for link to e-zine.

The E-zine reminds me a little of Wet Wet le Geyt/Sergeant Pipon’s lonely hearts club band (“Back in Omar’s Moustache are Fab” for those with long memories) - the band with the Jersey name that sounds like another band which isn’t from Jersey - as an example of intelligent cutting local humour (that may not all be understood by “outsiders”). This article (beware the odd sweary word lurking within right from the start) however has universal relevance to anyone who participates enthusiastically in the consumer society and doesn’t quite “get” the Story of Stuff video.

Islanders hit by crippling shortage of stuff

It’s official: the people of Guernsey still don’t have enough stuff.

It had been hoped that having each acquired hundreds of pounds’ worth of consumables on Christmas Day, Islanders’ appetite for purchasing things would have been sated – at least until mid-January.

But this week Town has been packed with people desperate to buy ever more stuff.

“I haven’t acquired anything in 36 hours,” said a sweating, twitching Melanie Retch, shortly before racing up the High Street in search of a shop – any shop – that was prepared to take her money in exchange for soon-to-be obsolescent electrical goods or ill-fitting clothes that would be worn once and then discarded.

“I know I’ve got piles of unopened gifts at home, but there is still stuff out there that I haven’t got that I think I sort of need. I like to fill my life with all this crap so I don’t have to think about dying.”

WHERE’S MUMMY?

Jenny Pettifogger, 37, was first in line for the Next sale. “I’ve been camping outside the shop since May 2002,” she said. “Anything for a bargain or a Page 4 photo in the Press!” She held up three carrier bags full of stuff that she’d convinced herself she liked. “It was worth giving up eight years of my life, and missing my children growing up, just to be the first through the door – even though most of this will end up in Oxfam by March.”

“It’s the sales,” said Mary Hurtle, another shopper. “Lots and lots of stuff I don’t need is suddenly 10% cheaper. Whereas before Christmas I thought I could live without it, I now realise that I must absolutely own it – if only to replace it at some point during 2011.”

Mrs Hurtle was happy to share her purchasing strategy: “I tend to go into each and every shop and grab the first thing that I see, regardless of its cost, quality or utility. Sometimes, I’ll just rush up to a display table and sweep armfuls of brightly-coloured stuff into my basket, tears of joy streaming down my cheeks.”

DEAD INSIDE

Chris Hurdle, father of two, was queuing up to buy a new 700-inch flat-screen TV, despite having received six over Christmas. “But this one is in the sales,” he explained. “And besides, buying it will push my credit card debt up to exactly £5,000 – a nice round number.”

Joshua Tree, 8, said that he’d amassed a personal fortune of £40 thanks to the generosity of various aunts and uncles. He had already decided to spend it on Bullet Whore VI, despite getting Bullet Whores I to V from Father Christmas.

Guernsey Futu asked him why he was so desperate to spend his Christmas cash. “What’s it going to do sitting in my bedroom at home?” he asked. “Nothing. It’s dead money.”

Geoff Malt, 32, was queuing up in HMV. He told Guernsey Futu that he was midway through his annual DVD box set upgrade.

“All the box sets I bought this time last year are now incomplete because they’ve brought out sequels or new TV series,” he explained. “This is the sixth time I’ve bought the Peep Show box set.”

Asked why he couldn’t just purchase future series on individual DVDs, Mr Malt shot Guernsey Futu a pitying look. “Because they wouldn’t be in the box, would they? They wouldn’t be in the special box with the other DVDs. You know, with Series 1 through to Series 5, all contained in a little cardboard slipcase. Jesus.”

WANT IT

“I get twitchy unless I obtain a car boot’s worth of useless shit between Christmas and New Year,” said Max Bastion, hauling a dozen carrier bags back to his 4×4. “I’m a consumer, through and through – buying nothing makes my penis shrivel up. I’m not even going to open half this stuff. I’ll just stick it in storage.”

“If Town is closed for more than one day, I begin to feel physically sick,” admitted Maud Comet, who had been parked at North Beach since 7am on Monday 27th December. “What else is there to do in Guernsey except spend money on cheap, mass-produced inessentials?”

“I literally burnt all the presents I got for Christmas,” said Kirk Chagrin. “Unwrapped them, gave ‘em the once over, doused ‘em in petrol and torched the fuckers. I had to clear the way for the influx of entirely new stuff that I intend to throw away in due course.”

NO FUTURE

Paul Glut of the Retailers Consortium gave the post-Christmas buying frenzy a double thumbs-up.

“It’s been a fantastic week,” he said. “Over-the-counter purchases hit £400 billion an hour and levels of personal indebtedness rose to a record high.

“Retailers and consumers alike should give themselves a pat on the back: spending money you don’t have on shit you don’t need to fill an emotional gap you can’t explain is surely what Christmas is all about.”

More polemic

2010-12-08T00:43:00.001Z

This video is very unfair to the vampire squid.

The minute-long animation is inspired by Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi's description of investment bank Goldman Sachs as a giant vampire squid "sucking on the face of humanity".

The animation is backed by a wide range of influential pressure groups including: nef, Compass, PLATFORM, ResPublica, 38 Degrees, WDM, Positive Money, Tax Research and the Post Bank campaign.'

Flying is not enough

2010-12-07T22:20:00.002Z

Filmed in Rio De Janeiro. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all readers. There. Who said positive thinkng never makes an appearance here?

Pedal to the metal

2010-12-01T17:46:00.001Z

Metaphorically putting the pedal to the metal. Speed gliding (flying as fast as possible round a slalom course) was popular a few years ago but seems to be coming back. "Ordinary" hang gliding isn't as dangerous as many believe but competitions like this are...

OweGASN - Kaiserwinkl HammerDown from MatzeSki on Vimeo.

Music: The Ironweed Project / Down to my Grave
OnBoardCamPilots: Weissenberger Tom, Siess Wolfi, Dönhuber Gerd, Kurzthaler Matze
Location: Kaiserwinkl / Kössen / Tirol
www.pdc-kaiserwinkl.at

Aurora Borealis

2010-11-24T15:08:00.002Z

Aurora Borealis time-lapse HD - Tromsø 2010 from Tor Even Mathisen on Vimeo.
Time-lapse aurorae in Norway. As the Sun wakes back up after its recent quiet period, we should see more spectacular ones in the next three years or so.
Definitely click on the image or link to see the original in full screen high definition. Either that or click on the four arrows icon next to the word Vimeo in the bottom right corner of the image.

Snippets from the Interwebs 3

2010-11-24T14:35:00.003Z

China is installing the world's largest system (click link for Technology Review article) for generating electricity by collecting methane gas emitted by fermenting cow manure. Anaerobic digestion systems are very highly favoured in future to digest not only manure, which is what everyone is familiar with but also green and food waste – even special energy crops. It’s true that capturing methane and burning it produces CO2 but the carbon is from the planet’s “currrent account”, not the fossil fuel “deposit account” that contributes to altering the climate. Methane is also 23 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2 so it makes sense to collect and burn it anyway, particularly if by doing so, the obtained energy substitutes for and displaces the use of fossil fuel carbon.
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If all the toilet roll inner tubes produced every year in the United States were placed end to end they would stretch for a million miles, or 4 times further than the Moon
Scott paper have announced a new “tube free” toilet roll – click link to see original story
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Ocean acidification
This article from the geological society (yes, the original British, established in 1807, one) has more on ocean acidification. Scientists, from the University of Plymouth and the University of Santa Catarina, Brazil have studied the effect, on foraminifera (a species of plankton with a calcium carbonate shell) of increased levels of CO2 in the ocean. They state that at a mean pH of 7.8, the pH level predicted for the end of the century, calcified organisms begin to disappear, and non-calcifying ones take over. The current level is about 8.07. The pre-industrial level was about 8.18, thus ocean acidification is actually a reduction in alkalinity. Sea water des not need to actually become acidic before very serious effects happen.
Unless we curb CO2 emissions (forget climate change for the time being) we risk mass extinctions, degrading coastal waters and encouraging outbreaks of toxic jellyfish and algae. Similar lowering of ocean pH levels were closely associated with massive extinctions in the past. Plankton are right at the bottom of the ocean food chain and they also sequester colossal quantities of CO2 in their shells, not to mention replenishing the oxygen supply of the atmoshere. We shouldn’t do anything to change them - but we sure as h*ll are doing.
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Peak Everything
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development reported, back at the end of last year, that an expert group had been set up by the European Commission to screen a list of forty-nine "potentially critical" raw materials whose availability to industry could come under threat as global competition for natural resources intensifies. Of particular worry to Europeans are rare earths, collections of metals and elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods, including batteries used in electric cars. The Chinese are developing a stranglehold on supplies of many of the most important ones. Recycling will never mean as much as it will do when we can’t get enough stuff to make our stuff.
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Blade Runner meets Babylon

Text and picture adapted from from the New York Times 29/10/2010 (click picture for link to original story)
One family are going to live in this 27 story house in Mumbai. All five of them.
The tower, known as Antilia, is the new home of India’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani, whose $27 billion fortune also ranks him among the richest people in the world. And even here in the country’s financial capital, where residents bear daily witness to the stark extremes of Indian wealth and poverty, Mr. Ambani’s building is so spectacularly over the top that the city’s already elastic boundaries of excess and disparity are being stretched to new dimensions.
Here’s the understatement of the year:
“A gawking city has greeted the new tower with a mixture of moralizing and astonishment, envy and condemnation, all sprinkled with Freudian analysis of the most basic question: Why did he do it?
“We are all sort of perplexed,” said Alyque Padamsee, a long-time advertising executive and actor in the city. “I think people see it as a bit show-offy.”
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One way to do “food security”
Land grabbing… or at least buying up land. South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar, Kuwait. are buying up large areas in Africa to supply themselves with food and other agricultural products. Also leading the rush are international agribusinesses, investment banks, hedge funds, commodity traders, sovereign wealth funds as well as UK pension funds, foundations and individuals attracted by some of the world's cheapest land. Here’s a link to an Observer investigation of this trend.
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LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Scotland should produce enough renewable electricity to meet all its power demand by 2025, First Minister Alex Salmond said. "I'm confident that by 2025 we will produce at least 100 percent of our electricity needs from renewables alone, and together with other sources it will enable us to become a net exporter of clean, green energy”

Plastic Fantastic starting to pall

2010-11-21T23:56:00.001Z

Here’s another video with a catchy song, based upon Empire State of Mind by Jay Z/Alicia Keys. I don’t particularly like most rap, but I’ll make an exception for this one.

Newsflash – Excerpt from CNN.com - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a preliminary ordinance that bans plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. In addition to banning plastic bags, the ordinance would require stores that provide recyclable paper bags to charge 10 cents per bag.

AshEl Eldridge - Rapper http://seasunz-and-jbless.bandcamp.com/
Jenni Perez - Singer

Spoof news report about the problems with plastic

Here’s a cute TV ad from Animal planet TV

And, just because I liked it, I’m republishing this Tim Minchin video that I first aired in a post in June 2010 – the existential life and not death of a plastic bag

That was then. What now?

2010-11-21T11:26:00.001Z

A five minute video from the Post Carbon Institute. Just about everything we have become used to over the last 300 years is dependent upon cheap, easily available, energy. What do we do now that “old road is rapidly aging” (Bob Dylan)?

In case people are thinking I’ve become lazy(ier) by just posting other peoples’ vidoes etc, rest assured I have loads of “draft” posts that just need a bit of polishing before they get posted. If other people can say stuff better, or in a different form, than I would, I’ll post them as well. The more the merrier.