Not sure this is a good match for a post on this site, but here goes. Over the past few months, I’ve experienced a different level of consciousness for my own sustainability. I am not sure why except that I am so much more aware and interested in our progress through reading a lot about sustainability and writing about it. Awhile ago, my family made some of the common lifestyle changes to begin living more sustainably: (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Carbon’
A different level of consciousness
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
Urban myth busted
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009I just saw a report out of Nielsen Business Media. ORC guideline, a part of Opinion Research Corporation, a leading global market research firm, survey finds that many Americans are willing to spend more to support eco-friendly initiatives. Some notes from the national survey (over 1000 adults in private households, May 2009): (more…)
2050 - will we get there?
Monday, May 18th, 2009Conferences, don’t you love them. We all go and there are just so many we could spend our entire lives listening to “experts” tell us about ‘climate change’ and ‘energy’. I was recently at the launch of the first 5 years’ Research Report by the UKERC. One-day long, excellent venue (IET, 2 Savoy Place), host of well-known folks on the podium, but I fell asleep. Literally. Must’ve been tired.
The UKERC Energy 2050 report is ‘weighty’ - “Making the Transition to a Secure and Low-Carbon Energy System”. You can tell, each word took several committees to determine. It is a “Synthesis Report”, bringing together the research results of a nationwide team assessing how the UK can “move to a resilient low-carbon ’system’”. If the report is not enough, you can wait for the book in 2010. And then maybe if you’re really keen, the film of the book…. The conference was merely the start of this publicity extravaganza.
But now here’s the thing - the research was a mix of behavioural, technological and mathematical, some of it doubtless excellent and new. But it is reported as a series of 23 “scenarios” with such romantic titles - CFH is the “Carbon Reduction Faint Heart” world where the UK achieves only half the 2050 targets; “LC Renew” is an accelerated technology pathway with all technologies delivered fast; “Dread” is the low-carbon world with any new technology ‘constrained’ and “Nimby” is a world where ‘local impact’ has forced the non-deployment of new technologies e.g. wind! (more…)
