the Carbon Challenge

Invasion of the present tense

Attended a really interesting dinner the other evening at which I heard William S Becker, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, talking about President Obama’s plans on Climate Change.  I won’t summarise such a comprehensive response so please go to the link for the full report www.climateactionproject.com, but it did raise some interesting thoughts and perspectives.

Like most people I don’t want to be negative about Obama's climate change plans, but I fear there may be something of a gap between expectation and reality. The aims of the current administration to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020 or to the level of 1990 emissions is by current European standards still an exceptionally modest target despite the sea change that’s taken place since the new President’s election less than 70 days ago. Could it be that the previous administration has held the American people in denial for so long that even this modest set of proposals, albeit large in cash terms, is represented as such a major step forward?

Arguments in The Guardian last week, pointed out that America is contributing 12% of its GDP compared to UK’s measly 1.5% but considering America represents 20% of the world’s economic activity relating to the environment, then, proportionally they should be contributing twice the current levels.

For further evidence of this the report sites that in terms of electricity generation, the United States wastes more energy than Japan uses to power its entire economy! 

The good news however is that the US could cost effectively reduce energy consumption by up to 30% over the next 20-25 years. As the strap line of the above report says, the President can.  I say the President must.

Electric Dreams (from a garage near you)

It’s the moment every eco friendly petrol head has been waiting for: the invention of an electric car that does 0 to 60mph in four seconds (that’s quicker than a Ferrari) and reaches speeds of up to 140mph. And after addressing the speed criticisms normally directed at the electric car this car also addresses the issues of recharging (fully charged in an hour) and that of using fossil fuels for the electricity - this car is powered entirely by wind. And the cherry on the cake?  This car has been developed in Britain, quickly and relatively cheaply.
This is fantastic news! Its shows that the love of speed, design and a love for the environment do not have to be mutually exclusive things…Jeremy! If we are clever we can have our cake and eat it. Furthermore these green innovations can help boost our struggling economy and create new jobs. This is what can be achieved by addressing the issues we face head on instead of finding all the flaws whilst offering no other solutions.
The full Guardian’s article is available here to read:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/15/windpower-motoring

Winds of change blow mainly on the plain (in Spain)

When it comes to renewable energy the Spanish tendency to do things “manana” seems not to apply. In recent years Spain has been investing huge sums in renewable energy projects with impressive results. In 2008 they generated 16,740MW of wind energy compared to only 3,241MW in the UK. That is despite us having 40 percent of Europe’s wind resource. Spain is also making rapid progress in solar power and all new homes are required to generate 30 to 70 percent of their hot water using solar power. This shows what’s possible when concerted action to address energy issues is taken and the Spanish have reaped the benefits of job creation and CO2 emission reductions that go with it. It’s about time we awoke from our siesta and did the same! However the UK is now making some progress on this front and the introduction of Feed In Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentives will go a long way to promoting additional renewable energy capacity, particularly at the smaller scale. We now need to ensure these mechanisms are effective whilst continuing to invest heavily in large scale renewables and energy efficiency. Ole!

   

Throwing money away

Both the Telegraph and Yahoo online report that rubbish is up 500% from the 1960’s with the clean up costing about £500 million! Along with the fact that litter looks horrid and encourages rats (you’re never more than 10m away!), the rubbish is often made up of items that could have been recycled – so it’s not just a waste of money clearing it up, but a waste of resources. It goes to show that the rubbish issue goes beyond concerns about landfill space running out and even that of litter. We are simply producing too much stuff. So we need to find cleverer ways to use things (and re-use them) and we need to produce less in the first place. One of the organisations helping us get smart about waste is WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). They are tackling climate change by helping us all to reduce waste and they go right to the source – packaging. Find out more about WRAP here: http://www.wrap.org.uk/index.html
They do report some good news too - the reduction in plastic bags has exceeded voluntary targets of 25% cuts and confectionary retailers say Easter egg packaging will also be reduced this year, by up to 50%....which I am delighted about because the important bit is surely the chocolate! 

For further tips on reducing waste and recycling click here: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/What-can-I-do-today/Reduce-waste/Tips-to-reduce-waste

 

Roll up, roll up for an amazing offer!

B&Q have an amazing deal on at the moment that I must tell you about it even if it makes me sound a bit like a market trader. The offer is 3 rolls of loft insulation for only £3. At £1 a roll there are huge savings to be made and not just in the shop.

Insulating your loft will save you money off your fuel bills, year after year. In fact loft insulation is effective for 40 years! And the savings are not to be sniffed at – installing loft insulation can achieve savings of around £200 per year. For those with some existing loft insulation – topping up from 50mm to 270mm saves around £60 per year. So your investment in the rolls of insulation (if you install them yourself) is instantaneous.

But hurry up as (again sounding like a cheesy salesman) this cannot last forever! British Gas is funding the offer as part of the government scheme to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but there are only one million rolls!

Learn how to insulate your loft here: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements/Home-insulation-glazing/Loft-insulation

Battle Car Electrica?

According to The Sunday Times yesterday, a government report has put Britain top of the league for toxic traffic fumes. This hit a personal note with me as I read that 5 roads in my home town of Lewes were above the targets set by the EU – perhaps time to take alternative transport to the shops (or avoid them altogether)? The EU limit for the dangerous Nitrogen dioxide emissions (linked to various things from asthma to premature death) is 40, Greater London levels are 97! Breaching these targets means huge fines for the UK. Maybe this is why the London Mayor (who last month dropped a pledge to forces vans to comply to the Low Emission Zone targets) is reportedly looking into the feasibility of an electric car hire scheme in London, similar to that adopted by Paris. Electric cars (whilst still requiring fossil fuels for the electricity) produce no exhaust emissions, so this would be a fantastic way to reach air pollution targets and reduce C02 emissions at the same time. Anyway you don’t need to wait for an electric car hire program before you reduce emissions, by driving smarter or taking alternative transport you can cut them today go to http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Travel to find out how.