Monday 17 March 2008

Measuring the UK's greenhouse gas emissions

A new report from the National Audit Office has suggested that greenhouse gas emissions might be 12% higher than reported because DEFRA has used two different accounting systems.

The system the government uses to report to the UN (which shows a cut in greenhouse gases) shows the UK emitted 656m tonnes of CO2 in 2005.

The more accurate and more up to date system (which shows a rise in greenhouse gases) shows the UK emitted 733m tonnes of CO2 in 2005

Down load the report here.

Surely if emissions are rising we need to be honest about it and then amend policy accordingly?

The Secretary of State Hilary Benn responds - you decide if enough is being done.

Friday 14 March 2008

Nature's capital - National Trust report on land management, climate change and flooding


A new National Trust report highlights the importance of land management in addressing climate change and flooding.


A new report published by the National Trust today – Nature's Capital – urges the public and private sector to invest new money in helping to deliver major public benefits from land, including reduced risk of flooding and tackling climate change.


Recommendations in the report are based on the Trust’s own practical experience as the largest non-governmental landowner in the UK, managing over 250,000 hectares.
Investment now will save public money later in tackling the problems of climate change, flooding, water pollution and poor health.


The report contains four key recommendations for action:


The water industry should invest in land management to improve the quality of drinking water at source.Nearly two billion pounds has been spent in the last five years on an energy intensive treatment process to make drinking water quality acceptable for consumers. This needs to change and there is a need to tackle the problem at source. A partnership of public, private and voluntary organisations has been working together in the Peak District to tackle the causes of peat degradation which impacts upon water quality. The project will ultimately reduce the need for expensive water treatment.


More of the Government’s £800m flood risk budget should be spent on managing land in a way that makes space for water rather than just spending the money on hard engineering and flood defence.This change of policy would then help to reduce the risk of floods downstream and take into account the impact of climate change and the affects of extreme weather as seen in Gloucestershire and Yorkshire in the summer of 2007. A joint project between the National Trust, Environment Agency and University of Durham at Upper Wharfedale in Yorkshire is seeking to create space for water and tackle the problem of flash flooding via wetland creation and soft engineering.


Extend the use of carbon markets to provide financial incentives for investment in land based carbon, such as peat bogs, to reduce losses of carbon from soil.Over 10 billion tonnes of carbon is estimated to be stored in UK soil – equivalent to around a year and a half of global greenhouse gas emissions - and the peatlands are the single largest store of carbon in the UK. A carbon audit at the National Trust’s Wallington Estate in Northumberland is assessing the amount of carbon stored in its soil and biomass and how much is emitted through day to day operations. An essential part of this project will be to restore and conserve the carbon banks.


There is a need for more NHS and Primary Care Trust funding to be allocated for green exercise prescriptions in the outdoors.This would help get more people out into their local green spaces to tackle obesity and improve their health and well-being. At the National Trust’s Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire the local council and health authorities have been prescribing healthy walking to help tackle the obesity problems in the East Midlands.


Tony Burton, Director of Policy and Strategy at the National Trust, said:
'With a changing climate and rising demands for new built development, the pressure on land is increasing. We need to harness new sources of investment and new partnerships to realise the potential of our land to help tackle flooding, climate change and the supply of clean water and green spaces for the benefit of us all.'

The Green Budget!

Ho hum - lots of mixed messages but perhaps some indications of future actions?

Darling suggested that the Climate Change Bill would probably have to 'recommend' 80% CO2 cuts by 2050 rather than the published 60% cuts. Good stuff but ...

how to achieve 80% cuts?

  • defer the fuel escalator - well, no that wont help....
  • promote more new roads - well, no that wont help....
  • promote new runways at Heathrow and Stanstead - well, no that wont help....
On the positive side increased tax tax for gas guzzlers
and positive noises about carbon neutral homes

and of course the plastics bags! If supermarkets don't reduce plastic bag then the government will legislate.

In order to cut emissions by 80% its going to need more than a plastic bags ban surely?

Thursday 13 March 2008

Organic milk and carbon emissions

A litre of 'ordinary' milk takes over three times as much energy to produce than a litre of organic milk. Much of this extra energy is used in the production of fertiliser. So next time you're at the shops, opt for organic.

Thanks Friends of the Earth Tip of the Day

Six degrees videos

I recommended Mark Lynas' book Six Degrees in an earlier blog.

Mark has now teamed up with National Geographic Magazine in the States to produce a website along with a series of summary videos of the 6 degrees message. Six individual videos have been produced featuring Mark Lynas and NASA scientist James Hansen. Each video is featured below.

One degree
Two degrees
Three degrees
Four degrees
Five degrees
Six degrees

Good stuff Mark - its all about dripping water on the stone.

Friday 7 March 2008

New coal fired power station - surely not?


"Climate change activists are to target the site of the proposed new coal-fired power station with a week-long camp in Kent this summer, organisers announced today.


The Camp for Climate Action will be held from August 4-11 at the site of Kingsnorth in Kent, where German energy company E.On is proposing to build the country's first new coal-fired power station in 30 years." reports the Guardian - surely the Government will block this - otherwise our climate change policy is in tatters?

Where is Swampy - everyone look for swampy - we need him more than ever!

Train, plane and bus tickets should show carbon footprint

Good idea - how else can we know the impact we are causing. The Guardian reported

"Plane and train tickets should reveal the environmental impact of individual journeys by stating the carbon emissions released on each trip, the UK's main professional body for engineers said yesterday.
The Institute of Mechanical Engineers said branding tickets according to their green credentials should be one of a series of measures the government should adopt, so that having a large carbon footprint became "as socially unacceptable as drink-driving".
In a report on sustainable transport, the body highlighted trains as one of the most environmentally benign ways to travel and put forward strategies to wean people away from travelling by car or plane, including extra fuel taxes, congestion charges and more aggressive road pricing.
For a 400-mile trip from London to Glasgow, the carbon dioxide emissions per passenger travelling by road are 80.2kg, compared with 133.7kg by air and 46.8kg by rail, the report said."

For further details see the IME

Very rude but pertinent

A Greenpeace viral about oil, US, UK energy policy.

Not for the easily offended though .....

http://www.feelfilms.co.uk/smiths/index.html

You have been warned

Water voles - oh dear oh dear

Water voles have received increased protection - good for certain, as they are definitely declining - but how is it as a society we can increase protection for water voles whilst ignoring the bigger issues of climate change?

Water voles need a climate too surely?

Food crisis

New government chief scientist Prof John Beddington is suggesting that food shortages will become an issue before the full impacts of climate change bite.

As the world population rises from 6 to 9 billion will the world be able to feed itself? How do biofuels fit into into this?

Watch out for Prof John Beddington - he is on the case! ...... I hope ....

Lets see if the biofuels policy changes ..... - it surely must

A great guy but too depressing

James Lovelock has said we have passed the tipping point so we are all doomed! or as he puts it - enjoy life while you can you can.

I can't accept this - if we act now WE WILL BE OK

Your choice - do nothing or something


SINK OR SWIM
BREATH or SUFFOCATE
SING OR HOWL

Lets see what the carbon weevils are up to


Forkbeard Fantasy - a Devon based Arts Group have recently toured with a production called Invisible Bonfires - the Carbon Weevils are part of the show.


Press here to view their 7 minute cartoon - excellent

Thursday 6 March 2008

Green taxes and government policy - its a ghetto out there

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has published a major new report
The 2007 Pre–Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review: An environmental analysis

The report can be downloaded in full from here.

In summary the report concludes:-

environmental taxes as a proportion of all taxation peaked at 9.7% in 1999 and have declined ever since, falling to 7.3% in 2006

Overall, environmental issues appear to be ‘ghettoised’; the Treasury must do more to mainstream environmental policy by reflecting it more strongly throughout the entire range of PSAs.

Although the Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review were published a year after the Stern Review, there was little sign in them that the Treasury was responding on the scale and with the urgency Stern recommended. Furthermore, since the Stern Review was published the science on climate change has continued to harden, with global emissions rising faster than projected; thus the Treasury’s lack of urgency stands out as even more remiss. Pre-Budget Report 2008 must establish a coherent set of measures to help deliver the UK’s 2020 domestic and EU targets on emissions and renewable energy, and show explicitly what their planned contribution to this delivery will be.