Posted by Greenbang on May 15th, 2008
Prince Charles has made an impassioned plea for an end to deforestation as the most effective means of halting climate change.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, the Prince said it was crazy that the rainforests should be worth more dead than alive. He said he understood that may poor countries derived an income from logging and timber products, and more recently in the production of bio-fuels. But he said the developed world need to stump up the money to compensate those countries for their loss of income.
This could amount to some $30 billion a year, he said, which still makes it one of the cheapest and immediate ways of cutting down CO2 production, and preserving weather patterns. He said it was the equivalent of just 1 percent of all the insurance premiums paid around the world, which made it a very good bargain for ensuring the weather patterns stay stable.
“When you think they [rainforests] release 20 billion tonnes of water vapour into the air every day, and also absorb carbon on a gigantic scale, they are incredibly valuable, and they provide the rainfall we all depend on,” he said.
The Prince said that in his recent meetings with world leaders, he had used the opportunity to raise the issue and had met with a favourable reaction. He said a “huge effort” would be needed.
To listen to the interview, get the podcast from Auntie Beeb:
Posted by jumperhead on May 9th, 2008
The last time that Greenbang wrote a letter to an authority figure, she was eight, and the figure was Jim of Jim’ll Fix It. She never got a response and to this day, she’s never had lunch with a unicorn and the members of Bros.
Still, she hopes that the joint open letter CBI and WWF to PM Gordon Brown has a better success rate. There’s no requests for flying unicorns in there, so that gives it a better chance of success, in Greenbang’s esteemed opinion.
The letter in question is asking Gordon Brown (texture like sun) to consider spending all that delicious cash he’s about to raise from emissions trading scheme - £1.6 billion - on stopping climate change with the likes of “green sectors and industries - including the full range of energy efficient, renewable energy, energy storage, carbon capture and storage, and low carbon transport technologies - without picking specific winners.”
Not an unreasonable request, you might say. Greenbang wouldn’t disagree.
Here’s a snippet from the letter:
we note that the UK government will accrue significant revenues from
he auctioning of allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. All of us support the case for auctioning of carbon allowances to sectors where this does not threaten their international competiveness.
But this is still a substantial, additional transfer of funds from business and consumers to government (perhaps £300-£400m per year from 2008-12, and several times that in subsequent years). This represents a tremendous opportunity for the government to demonstrate its real commitment by announcing an equivalent scale investment in securing the transition to a low-carbon economy and in adaptation.
While we accept there may be some technical difficulties in ring-fencing the revenue, it should be perfectly possible to announce a similar investment in low carbon technologies and adaptation equivalent to the revenue raised by auctioning.
Greenbang hopes that Gordon is reading his correspondence.
Posted by jumperhead on April 11th, 2008
Dear god people, it’s worse than we thought - it looks like not only is global warming going to plunge us into food riots and mass extinctions and all manner of unpleasantness but it looks we’ll have to survive this grim future in a state of sobriety.
Yes, it’s that bad.
According to an AAP report global warming will send beer prices racing upwards in a way that will make the oil price rise look like a mere blip.
The report quotes Jim Salinger, a climate scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, as saying that global warming will weaken the yield of malting barley - needed for beer production - in parts of New Zealand and Australia.
The article also quotes this apocalyptic prediction from the scientist:
“It will mean either there will be pubs without beer or the cost of beer will go up,” Mr. Salinger told the Institute of Brewing and Distilling convention [..] He said climate change could cause a drop in beer production within 30 years, especially in parts of Australia, as dry areas become drier and water shortages worsen.
Greenbang seems to remember that climate change is also set to turn southern England into a winemaker’s paradise. Add that to the possibility of Fosters being killed off, and suddenly it doesn’t seem so bad.
Posted by Greenbang on March 27th, 2008
Meet Dr Kate Rawles, a lecturer at the faculty of science and natural resources University of Cumbria.
In 2006, supported by a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and leave from the University of Cumbria, she cycled 4500 miles from El Paso to Anchorage, following the spine of the Rockies and exploring North American attitudes to and beliefs about climate change along the way. The trip took three months and is now the basis of the Carbon Cycle, a slide show that uses the story of the bike ride to deliver a hard-hitting message about climate change and the urgent need to respond to it, in an engaging and ultimately up-beat way.
Greenbang caught up with her to find out why she thinks the climate change debate is going the wrong way.
Greenbang: What do you think is wrong with the debate on climate change?
Dr Kate: It hasn’t really got to grips with the fundamental problem, which is that Western, industrialised lifestyles are literally unsustainable. Climate change is just one symptom of this. WWF famously calculated that if everyone on earth were to enjoy the lifestyle of an average Western European, we would need three planet earths.
Not even the most optimistic believers in technology think that we can technofix this problem so that 6 billion people (let alone the projected 9 billion) can enjoy a western lifestyle without ecological meltdown. It follows that we urgently need to rethink what we currently mean by a ‘high standard of living’ and move away from materialistic versions of this to an understanding of quality of life that could be enjoyed by everyone, without causing environmental mayhem. This is about values, not just about technology.
Do you believe in climate change? If so - why?
Yes, most definitely. I believe in it because there is a truly astonishing - not to mention alarming - level of consensus across the international scientific community that climate change is happening, that it has a human cause and that it is very bad news, both for people and for millions of other species.
While climate change is on some people’s minds, others consider self-sufficiency and alternative energies to oil to be as important - do you agree?
I think they are related. According to the ‘peak oil’ analysis, as the main oil reserves are used up, oil becomes harder to extract and increasingly expensive. It therefore makes a lot of sense to preempt the impact of this by developing ways of meeting our needs and organising communities that are much, much less oil dependent. This is the starting point for many of the ‘transition towns’ or ‘transition initiatives’. At the same time, as we use the remaining oil, we contribute to climate change which, if unchecked, could threaten human societies across the world, and millions of other species as well. In both cases we are talking about greatly reducing our use of fossil fuels.
How do you think the problem of climate change needs to be tackled?
At all levels, individual, government, schools, businesses, universities, community groups……. consistently, thoroughly and urgently. Most analysts are saying that we need to see in the region of an 80% reduction in climate change related emissions across the industrialised world, in the next ten or at most fifteen years.
Where do you think businesses can do most good? And do you expect people to forget about improving their quality of life?
Businesses can often move faster than governments to make changes. They can take a leadership role in this area, cutting their own emissions and taking advantage of a rapidly growing market for low carbon products, ranging from light-bulbs to loft insulation, from cars to locally grown food. In terms of quality of life, I certainly don’t expect people to forget about it. On the contrary, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that, after a point, quality of life levels out even if people and societies get richer, and that we could actually have a higher quality of life with a much lower environmental impact if our understanding of quality of life was less materialistic. So it’s about rethinking what we really mean by quality of life - and having more of it, not less.
Are your thoughts opposed to current levels of consumption? What about economics?
Current levels of consumption in industrialised societies are too high - as the three planet earth analysis clearly shows. This presents a major problem for current economic thinking, which is premised on growth, and which requires us all to keep consuming more, not less. Clearly we can’t grow infinitely, and consume infinitely, on a finite planet. So developing sustainable economic systems is a key part of the challenge that faces us. At the end of the day, the economy is absolutely dependent on the environment, not the other way around. Without a healthy environment, including a functioning climate, in the end there will be no economy….
Anything else you’d like to add?
Climate change and other major enviornmental issues need to be tackled urgently. But this is not all doom and gloom and nor is it about hair shirts and going back to the caves. Climate change presents us with a much needed opportunity to question what is really important to us and what we really mean by quality of life. Moving away from excessive consumerism means we can celebrate a low carbon lifestyle, enjoying higher quality of life for a much lower environmental impact.
Posted by Greenbang on March 20th, 2008
Greenbang has just been introduced to Forumforthefuture.org.uk
This is a very tidy little resource on its own, but the talks that stem from the site look even more interesting.
We’ve just had a bit of a chin wag with an attendee, who says these guys look at a lot of ‘futurology’. (That’s a new word to make things sound cool.)
But the content does sound good, such as what demand and supply will the be for products through the process of climate change - and how will we adapt to that.
Definitely worth a visit to the site - and we’re going to attend one of the events. Certainly looks worth a punt.
Posted by Greenbang on March 19th, 2008
Greenbang today went along to a panel discussion with Al Gore - the man - and John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Networks.
Here’s the podcast.
The cool thing was that it was all done over Telepresence (posh video conferencing for you and me) between a few different locations.
We (the UK journos) were in London (Tower 42), Gore was in Nashville and Chambers was in San Jose.
In it, Gore talks about his proposals for a new tax scheme to reward people for greener actions.
Chambers goes on quite a lot about collaboration and communication as the way forward. While Telepresence is very cool, we think such a big IT vendor should be putting more of its thoughts into direct alternative-energy use for its products. And manufacturing.
Anyway - it’s about 48 minutes, if you can stomach it.
Greenbang has deliberately avoided talking about the problems of climate change, oil depletion and so on. Instead we opted for looking at the suggested answers.
But listening to Gore, you do have to wonder if we shouldn’t shove the odd climate change scare story in the mix, if only it would shunt a few more people to action.
It’s pretty scary when you look at how fast ice caps are melting…
Posted by jumperhead on March 17th, 2008
If there’s one man who’s not afraid to tackle a seemingly intractable problem, it’s Tony Blair. He’s the man, after all, who got Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley to kiss and make up, and he’s also the fella who managed to find gainful employment for John Prescott. A feat indeed. Greenbang was therefore rather excited to read in The
Guardian that our Tony is now leading an international team committed to brokering an international deal on climate change that would go down a treat with the US and China.
St Tony will team up with a host of international climate change experts to formulate a blueprint for prevention, says the paper, with the man himself believing he can create a framework for cutting global carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 which would be agreeable to all, even to those stubborn sticks-in-the-mud of the Whitehouse and
Beijing.
Blair will present his initiative to the G20 before busying himself with convincing world leaders that it’s now or never if climate change is to be prevented. He evidently believes his political clout will help overcome America’s and China’s resistance to committing to cutting carbon emissions. Says Tony in the Grauniad:
“Essentially what everyone has agreed is that climate change is a serious problem, it is man-made, we require a global deal, that there should be a substantial cut in emissions at the heart of it,
and this global deal should involve everyone, including in particular America on the one hand and China on the other, so it is the developed and developing world.”
Greenbang wishes Tony all the best on his quest and hopes he will turn his hand to dealing with other intractable problems, such as creating a Krispy Kreme donut with all the calories of a stick of celery.
Posted by Greenbang on March 13th, 2008
Business & Environment Summit: Climate Change Opportunities
2pm – 7pm + drinks, Monday 14th April 2008 – Saïd Business School, Park End Street, Oxford
Sir David King opens Saïd Business School’s new annual summit
We are delighted to announce the inaugural Business & Environment Summit at The Saïd Business School in Oxford. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Climate Change Opportunities’. There are many obligations for business, but its most relevant role with this issue is as an agent of change. It is business that will accelerate the development and distribution of new, climate-friendly ways of living. It will also facilitate the reduction and removal of CO2 in our various infrastructural processes. All the speakers will focus on the inherent opportunities and challenges.
Excellent line-up focusing on the opportunities of Climate Change
We have secured an excellent line up that includes M&S, Arup, Good Energy, Abel & Cole, IKEA, BT and Forum for the Future. The purpose is to help you spot new opportunities and realise their creation and success.
Early Booking Discount for all registrations received on or before Friday 22nd March 2008
If you would like to come then please book before the end of Friday 22nd March – there is a £100 discount for all bookings received before then. We have 150 places for business positions.
Networking with 300 others, business leaders, MBA students and Oxford’s academic leaders
Our aim is to help transfer ideas and accelerate learning in this space. We will make sure we put together a rounded and large audience. Drinks and some proper food will be put on after the event.
We will also be announcing a high profile entrepreneur to talk after Sir David.
You can book your place now at www.greenbizevents.co.uk/events/besummit
If you have any questions then please call me on 020 7733 8826.
Best wishes,
Ben Patten Managing Director – Green Business Events
Posted by jumperhead on March 12th, 2008
It must be difficult when ccientists at the University of British Columbia get together in the staff canteen. “What have you discovered today?” “Oh, you know, making some progress on curing some nasty diseases. You?” “Yeah, just discovered that the US government’s rush to produce corn-based ethanol as a fuel alternative will worsen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, increasing a “Dead Zone” that kills fish and aquatic life.” “Bummer.”
For that is exactly what the scientists have discovered. Two of their number turned their respective microscopes on the estiated land and fertiliser required to meet the US’s biofuels need and found that nitrogen loading from fertilisers by the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico would increase by 10 to 19 per cent.
The upshot of that would be an expansion of the Dead Zone in the Mexican Gulf, where nothing can live. It’s already around 20,000 square kms according to the scientists.
The two researchers, Simon Donner and Chris Kucharik, sum up the grim findings like this:
To arrive at this figure, Donner and Kucharik combined the agricultural land use scenarios with models of terrestrial and aquatic nitrogen cycling.
“The nitrogen levels in the Mississippi will be more than twice the recommendation for the Gulf,” says Donner. “It will overwhelm all the suggested mitigation options.”
Posted by jumperhead on March 11th, 2008
Greenbang’s knowledge of Christian theology may be a little sketchy, but she’s pretty sure that when Moses clambered up Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, God neglected to mention to him the sin of being a bad earthly tenant.
To Greenbang’s relief though, God’s current broadcast channel, the Vatican, has swung to the planet’s rescue by upgrading environmental vandalism to the status of ‘mortal sin’ - namely a sin heinous enough to see you cast into Hell’s furnaces, according to The Daily Mail. The Southern Baptist Convention too has found it in its heart to overturn its once firmly held scepticism about global warming and has backed a declaration urging greater action to combat climate change.
The Catholic Church’s latest hit list of what you ought not to do, published in its official organ, L’Osservatore Romano, has ranked the pollution of the environment as being as offensive to God as coveting thy neighbour’s wife and nicking their TV, the Daily Mail reports. The Southern Baptist Convention has also recognised the moral imperative not to despoil the world, for theologically speaking, doing so is to despoil his most holy creation.
