I don’t want to hear about goals out 50 years for climate change and our other environmental issues, decreasing fresh water and farmable land availability, less than a 30 year stock in oil, depletion of fish worldwide, destruction of forests worldwide, global warming approaching tipping point now, etc. Fine to have those goals, but they have to be translated to very near term targets with accountability and transparency. I want to know what commitments are for 2011, 2012, 2013, and up to maybe 2019. There is no accountability with a 50 year planning timeframe. Year over year specific actions, tracking results and focusing on your own country’s contribution, action, and measurable results is what is required. If I hear one more time, I am not going to commit or take action because another country is not committing or taking action yet, it will continue to confirm that we are led by a bunch of kids. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Climate Change’
G8—G20, UN 50 year planning will deliver nothing
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
There are 6 Americas when it comes to climate change!
Friday, June 5th, 2009I often wonder why more Americans aren’t clambering for radical climate change action. The research study, Global Warming’s 6 Americas 2009: An Audience Segmentation Analysis, gave me a lot of insight. I am not in favor of many of the studies that the government spends our money on, but this one provides a foundation for reaching more Americans on the climate change crisis. From their Executive Summary: (more…)
Beware, emergency?
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009On the road to the University of East Anglia, home to much of the UK’s original climate science, there is a sign – “Beware Oncoming Emergency Vehicles”. I am puzzled by this exhortation to carefree drivers, who might apparently otherwise not spot a flashing fire-engine hurtling towards them down a narrow country lane. Note it does not say, as a “translated from the German” version might, “Attention, oncoming traffic” – achtung, achtung! No, in more polarized and urgent alarmist tones it screams “Beware”, as if the lions had escaped from the zoo or in this case the ambulances had got loose. (more…)
Green Cities Florida conference uses open space technology
Thursday, May 28th, 2009I attended the Green Cities Florida Conference here in Orlando this week. There were some very good sessions and a turning of the switch of a 1 Megawatt solar array atop the Orange County Convention Center. This solar array is now the largest solar array in the Southeast. We also christened the Orange County, FL Climate Education Center. I was impressed with the people attending for their commitment and passion, especially those leading the conference. I was more than disappointed with our state government leaders who had nothing to say and clearly weren’t thinking about how they could leverage our complex systems to bring about change. More to follow on that. (more…)
Climate Change: symptom or cause?
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009As the so-called fourth industrial revolution arrives, and our latest comic book hero, the “Green New Deal” strides forth to save not just our capitalist way of living but also the whole of planet earth, we may feel that we can start to breathe a sigh of relief again. The sun is shining, there are rumours that the housing market has bottomed out and, bar the imminent relegation of Newcastle United, things are on the whole looking a bit more positive. As a species, we are generally good at adjusting to changing circumstances, and as we get more accustomed to the new economy, so our confidence in the future will continue to build and the good times will roll again. (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…)
