tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73750980795705451142024-03-06T08:40:01.942+00:00EcoWarriorMeOur shared world, our shared legacyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-31353605248137788382022-12-16T17:00:00.020+00:002022-12-16T17:00:00.181+00:00Getting Back in the Saddle, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfjEWq2x7GojJOCj-ZlYLxBEUpXWZLBDa9OLT6VW0xOyzUgCBZ3uaEhPT3wrWJMTsQF4PQgc1cB1VXmjDmz-oGOg8fkBC1FIZBuYwM38hBiFXEfye3O2ETLCs1mlQyhA9K-U1HjLIDLnWqE7U5543MOKqD0p9HrVx8J5Rkn2qA6i3UuvwFwVv1Tm-/s2560/Saddle-cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="2560" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfjEWq2x7GojJOCj-ZlYLxBEUpXWZLBDa9OLT6VW0xOyzUgCBZ3uaEhPT3wrWJMTsQF4PQgc1cB1VXmjDmz-oGOg8fkBC1FIZBuYwM38hBiFXEfye3O2ETLCs1mlQyhA9K-U1HjLIDLnWqE7U5543MOKqD0p9HrVx8J5Rkn2qA6i3UuvwFwVv1Tm-/s320/Saddle-cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>After <a href="https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/2022/12/how-i-fell-off-my-bike.html">last week's post</a>, I would like to say how easy it was for me to get back in the saddle but it wasn’t. It was hard. I don't want to be misleading. Like breaking most habits it required effort, a bloody minded determination to gain traction. That and a plan.</p><p>This wasn't my first attempt at cycle commuting. In last week’s post, I mentioned the time I did cycle to work but was put off repeating it by a combination of my physical condition, the riding conditions and doom-laden predictions from my colleagues. On a few other occasions I have tried with slightly better success, but still not enough to fully make the transition to cycling as my main mode of transport.</p><p>Previous plans involved breaking myself in gently, cycling once a week for a few weeks then steadily increasing the frequency as I got fitter and more used to the traffic. Three weeks in a row was my record, cycling to work on two days in the last week. It wasn't frequently enough to build fitness or, more importantly, gain confidence and become comfortable with cycling in busy traffic. I found the traffic particularly stressful, sometimes not giving much space when overtaking or sitting behind me waiting for an opportunity to overtake with me not knowing if or when they would make a move.</p><p>One of the mistakes that I now realise I made was to take the same familiar route my bus followed. That is where the plan came in. After some careful planning and a bit of experimenting, I came up with a route on which only a cumulative one mile from a total commute of almost five miles was on busy main roads. The remainder of the route was a mixture of quiet back streets, lanes (including one with a flight of steps), parks and dedicated cycle lanes separated from traffic (a whole 500m). The overall distance was longer than more direct routes and the steps are far from ideal but on the whole it felt safer and was less stressful.</p><p>I mentioned a determination to make the change in the introduction. This was a big factor in getting started. Rather than breaking myself in gently, I bit the bullet and cycled every day for a week. Then, despite the aches and pains and groaning muscles and regardless of the weather, the same the following week. It was August so it wasn’t too cold, even if it could be wet. I found it tough but I wanted to succeed. Some days I really enjoyed it and I wondered if I was allowed this much fun going to work. Other days, when it was wet and my shoes made horrible squelching sounds it was less appealing. At these times I thought instead about how much fossil fuels I wasn't using (and how little of a difference it would make with so many others driving). I wondered whether it was really worth it or just a crazy futile gesture. I also tried to think about how much fitter and healthier I would become and how I would sleep better(I did) although I didn't feel fitter and the aches and pains were unnatural. But persevere I did and after a few weeks it became second nature.</p><p>I would like to say that the rest is history but it wasn't that easy. It lasted through August, September and into October. The seasons change and with them the cycling experience. I found myself cycling in darkness morning and evening, alleviated in the morning when the clocks changed, and the first touch of frost. Some of the routes through parks were not really suitable, in my mind, forcing me to use fast busy roads. I then stopped cycling altogether over the winter. </p><p>As the Spring returned, bringing with it daylight, better weather and available off-road routes, it should have been back to cycling commutes. But it wasn't. It was difficult to take that first step again. I did get back to cycling one or two days a week over the summer but nothing consistent and habit forming. The sought after fitness didn't come. Perhaps if e-bikes were as readily available then as they are now I would have went down that route and I’d have a different tale to tell.</p><p>This set the pattern for the next few years - commuting by bike half a dozen times over the school holiday (July and August). Time moves on and with its passage I've learned some things about myself, about cycling, and about bikes. In the final post in this series, I talk about the things that finally motivated me to make a change, the importance of getting the right equipment and emerging from adversity with a positive attitude. It is a journey from what appeared to me to be an extreme challenge, through recreational cycling and back to utility cycling. A journey that would not have reached its current destination of not for the great reset and a new normal. </p><p>Until next time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm6qEpK0SxT85hRbsMLGoUy0NvFeLs64kWl7-Q1m1SV-xboZ0W_KUXWNgfGod4E-RStPPZ011f04G1HZQQXMq-9c2gOW44gPif7iQj5laKmuH_NCBYqazSp6StyAaCg8YMQAvVGNankHttcrQle71yUqjstDmYVBGznAOKekWsxUJUHPCVO7gdchu/s2048/2012-08-09%2008.06.55.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm6qEpK0SxT85hRbsMLGoUy0NvFeLs64kWl7-Q1m1SV-xboZ0W_KUXWNgfGod4E-RStPPZ011f04G1HZQQXMq-9c2gOW44gPif7iQj5laKmuH_NCBYqazSp6StyAaCg8YMQAvVGNankHttcrQle71yUqjstDmYVBGznAOKekWsxUJUHPCVO7gdchu/w400-h300/2012-08-09%2008.06.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The River Clyde from National Cycle Route N75 at Glasgow Green, part of my off-road commute.</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Glasgow, UK55.864237 -4.25180627.554003163821157 -39.408056 84.174470836178841 30.904443999999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-14186162875669485662022-12-09T17:00:00.001+00:002022-12-09T17:00:00.179+00:00How I fell off my bike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1K5RaSa5GFJLIfQSDj4ijRaRoqUpMF3M6jXnBvq8ZfPveJd-sGFgfcJPMigqWCJ9etHM2M9ImkQ5R8pOQQXdFErz3KNCIL-0FcAfuidGzL87d0GWHS2I6SbgNb9v8X3EdfiH_ZgdXVzugjhNSheV1333nk2WWDtRG4M_pYMZ6EAkPtKIraI_Ai_4H/s1747/Forth%20Bridge.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1747" data-original-width="1186" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1K5RaSa5GFJLIfQSDj4ijRaRoqUpMF3M6jXnBvq8ZfPveJd-sGFgfcJPMigqWCJ9etHM2M9ImkQ5R8pOQQXdFErz3KNCIL-0FcAfuidGzL87d0GWHS2I6SbgNb9v8X3EdfiH_ZgdXVzugjhNSheV1333nk2WWDtRG4M_pYMZ6EAkPtKIraI_Ai_4H/w271-h400/Forth%20Bridge.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><p>Not literally, but how I got out of the habit of cycling. This is the first of a series of three posts on my personal journey away from regular cycling then back into it over many years. This post talks of how I used my bike to get around and some of the barriers to me getting back into it. In the next post I will talk about how I got back into it, in a manner, and the final post brings us up to date. This is only my perspective but I'm sure it is not unique and you may have similar experiences.</p><p>It happens to so many of us, that we regularly cycle as children and adolescents then “grow” out of it as adults. Until I left school I cycled everywhere: to school, to the shops, to my Saturday job, to the swimming baths and any other activities that were farther than a five minute walk. During the holidays I would make 30 mile (50km) round trips to visit my grandparents or 70 mile (110km) round trips to the beach and, a couple of times, longer trips over several days, such as the trip over the Forth Road Bridge in the photo. Time and distance were no barrier.</p><p>Then I learned to drive. I could get places quicker. An hour's cycle instead would take 20 minutes. Except that never really happened because I didn't have a car; I kept cycling for nearly a year after passing my driving test.</p><p>My downfall wasn't the convenience of the motor car but moving away from home to study and staying close to college. For too many years I lived within five minutes walk of my college, the pub and the supermarket and ten minutes walk from the town centre and the railway station if I wanted to go further afield. Everything was close enough that cycling didn't bring any benefits.</p><p>Fast forward a few more years and I got a real job in the big city, but still living 10 minutes walk from the railway station. There was a good frequent train service in the morning and evening. This was a win for public transport so it never even crossed my mind to cycle, even though it was only 8 miles. I had cycled into the city once but the traffic was scarily fast and busy and certainly not very inviting, especially coming into it after a lengthy break. There was no cycling infrastructure, even now there is no decent infrastructure in that route. There is a dedicated cycle route now but it adds around 50% on to the distance and is quite disjointed. Perhaps more on that in another post. </p><p>More recently (but still in the 90s), I moved to the big city, around five miles from work. There were fewer amenities close at hand but we did have a bus service. The bus could be unreliable especially in the evenings (not as bad as now) so I considered cycling and went as far as giving it a go. Not very successfully. </p><p>The traffic was frightening, unaccustomed as I was to sharing the road so intimately with cars, buses and trucks. I arrived at work drenched in sweat - the years without cycling had taken their toll on my fitness. It wasn't the most comfortable way to start the day in the office. Add to this my colleagues' dire predictions of near certain death were hardly the encouragement I needed. Everyone seemed to know someone that had been knocked off their bike with horrific injuries or worse. </p><p>Eventually, after too many winter's evenings waiting for bus after bus that didn't turn up, I acquired a second (or more) hand car for the commute. </p><p>To summarise, I initially stopped cycling due to a lack of need, walking was more convenient or public transport was mostly quick and reliable. I didn't get back into it due to a fear of heavy traffic, lack of fitness, discomfort and doom-mongering of my peers, and I finally conformed to expectations and started driving. As life moved on the nursery run was added into the commute so alternatives seemed even more unmanageable. </p><p>Some of this may be familiar to you, perhaps you started driving earlier instead of walking, cycling or using public transport. Perhaps there were fewer alternatives to driving in your circumstances. Or have you been able to maintain active travel as part of your routine?</p><p>In the next post, I'll describe how I managed to overcome some of these obstacles and get back in the saddle. It was a start, definitely an improvement but it wasn't quite job done. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Glasgow, UK55.864237 -4.25180627.554003163821157 -39.408056 84.174470836178841 30.904443999999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-80682352119560607262022-12-07T07:12:00.003+00:002022-12-07T07:12:00.180+00:00The Blue Marble<h2 style="text-align: left;">Please join me in celebrating fifty years of this iconic image. </h2><p>Taken from the Apollo 17 mission on December 7th 1972, this famous image changed the way we view the world. All of humanity is captured in the field of view (except for the crew of Schmitt, Evans and Cernan). It shows ourselves as others would see us, from the outside looking inwards. </p><p>It is the only world we will ever know, our home. We must look after it. Respect it.</p><p>There is no doubt that this image acted as a catalyst to the environmental movement. It lays bare how fragile and vulnerable we are in the vast emptiness. . We have filled all the hospitable corners of the planet and it is clear that there is nowhere else to go. </p><p>The image was captured while travelling between Earth orbit and the moon, where Scmitt and Cernan walked a few days later. They were the last humans to stand on an extraterrestrial body. </p><p>In the time since it was taken, there have been huge advances in satellite and imaging technology giving us the tools to observe, interpret and analyse our planet and inform decisions on how we manage it. We can monitor desertification, deforestation, floods, glacier melt and urban sprawl, to name but a fraction of our capabilities. This makes it easier to identify positive outcomes from interventions and to hold those enabling destruction to be held accountable. There is a much greater awareness of the pressures on our environment and ecosystems, at an individual level and in political and commercial circles. There is hope that we are beginning to make progress in some small ways.</p><p>In the time since it was taken, the world’s population has more than doubled. Atmospheric CO2 has increased by over 25%, with almost ⅔ of the CO2 increase since pre-industrial times having occurred (pre-industrial=280ppm, 1972=330ppm, 2022=420ppm). In the same time, around 1/6th of the Amazon forest has been lost (<a href="https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/deforestation_calculations.html">https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/deforestation_calculations.html</a>) and ⅔ of wildlife populations have gone (<span id="docs-internal-guid-6ae8d587-7fff-486f-e452-ac22d48e7a86"><a href="https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-GB/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living Planet Report</span></a></span>). </p><p>So while reflecting on the fragile Blue Marble and the progress that has been made, think also about how much more is to be done. Think how you can help. Simple things like chatting about the issues with friends, family and colleagues can help us all move along to making better choices or we can give feedback to businesses we use.</p><p>We do not have another fifty years.</p><p>Original image caption:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the northeastern edge of Africa. The large island off the east coast of Africa is the Republic of Madagascar. The Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the northeast.</i></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 653px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 602px;"><img height="653" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/id9yhsFi5aZ_uFzZexc_pD-93F_qzru4kIWSUuQGQHge3NRW03afVBMrbWCaTTmli0bDhdF9Rv2f3wFuaqYpHkPgVA3Zqn9UzHc7IHlXmFpFOjY8Et_427Qn6mje9rRL-uY4J5UChQxuAWVoWTf6ivf8oxwDlCEZAKk2VUNmYPXgYzam2y_u2PFQNCJVtw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" title="AS17-148-22727" width="602" /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fcc01e89-7fff-c913-63c8-fbabc384c820"></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="602"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 38.5pt;"><td style="overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Astronaut photograph </span><a href="http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=AS17&roll=148&frame=22727" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">AS17-148-22727</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">, courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-25745360321185606562022-12-02T18:00:00.003+00:002022-12-02T18:00:00.209+00:00EWM Returns<p>Hello!</p><p>After an extended break, EcoWarriorMe returns with big plans for the year ahead. Previous posts focused on actions we as individuals could take as well as emphasising that climate change is real, and a threat that needed urgent attention. The world has moved on a little in the past few years. There is a greater acceptance of the science behind climate change and the need for urgent action. Many organisations, from local and national government to NGOs and business have declared a Climate Emergency. The real power to change comes from government and business so this is comforting. To a certain degree.</p><p>Individual choices still matter but not as much as larger energy users and service providers. I used to advocate for us all to play our part. This is still important. But not to the point where it harms our physical or mental wellbeing. We cannot blame the powerless victims and ask them to make all the sacrifices. You will have benefited from the advances brought about by the carbon intensive economy but cannot be blamed for taking what is offered.</p><p>Our situation is critical, exacerbated by previous generations’ failure to act despite the warning signs and pleas. This doesn't entitle us to deprive future generations of opportunities afforded ourselves, or expect them to make sacrifices now.</p><p>It is my view that we should be looking to maintain the same "service levels" for society in the most developed nations but removing the environmental harms, whether habitat degradation, pollution or climate change. In parallel, we need to raise service levels in developing nations in a manner which bypasses the intermediate heavily polluting and damaging stages we went through. How do we achieve this objective, with finite resources and a growing population?</p><p>People, in general, will not tolerate a significant decline in living standards. This is why businesses need to be able to offer the equivalent goods and services in a more sustainable way. This requires creative thinking. How do we genuinely get more for less? Less resources, less carbon intensive energy, less damage to the natural world. It is not easy. It will involve changing the way we do things, sometimes in subtle imperceptible ways, other times in more obvious and disruptive ways. </p><p>Change can be slow. People dislike change. It can be uncomfortable. The climate demands that we change quickly, starting now. How do we do this? We need to persuade people of the benefits of change. Benefits to them specifically. For this to have the necessary impact, it needs to be easy for people to make better choices. Nudging alone won't work if there are no better choices.</p><p>We need to have conversations with friends, family, colleagues and anyone else who will listen. They need to be good conversations. Not berating someone for their decision to drive or fly to Dubai for the weekend. It is more about opening people’s eyes to hidden opportunities, drawing attention to an interesting article or sharing positive experiences of trying something new and more sustainable. Being better informed ourselves will help.</p><p>These are some of the things EWM will blog about. Posts about individual choices we have: good vs bad, or better vs poorer. Posts about changes being driven by industry and government which can make our good choices better yet remaining aware of unintended consequences and green-washing. And posts about connecting with nature. Having a strong connection with nature and the outdoors gives a greater appreciation of what we stand to lose, and how our environment is already changing.</p><p>Posts in the coming weeks hope to cover the following areas:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Transport: initially focusing on active travel - a positive choice we can make;</li><li>Energy: updates on the renewable energy transition;</li><li>Resources: recycling, upcycling, resource optimisation;</li><li>Stories: about connecting with nature; and</li><li>Conservation: looking at rewilding.</li></ul><p></p><p>EWM plans publishing weekly on a Friday afternoon with occasional additional posts. In the meantime, the blog’s About page has been updated along with pages on Renewable Energy, Transport and Resources. </p><p><br /></p><p>EWM, December 2022</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-7704096975900622472019-11-02T17:51:00.001+00:002022-11-20T13:14:18.204+00:00December Weather Patterns<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you remember the weather last December? Some of it wasn't pretty, such as Storm Deirdre. In case you have forgotten, the Met Office's <a href="https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/IO_2eeb133f-4adc-45fd-a593-a157cf92f8d0/" target="_blank">report </a>states the following impact:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Freezing rain caused treacherous conditions and multiple traffic accidents, particularly on the M74 and across southern Scotland, and the A66 across the North Pennines was closed. There were further traffic incidents across parts of England and Wales, reports of fallen trees and several hundred homes without power across parts of Wales and Scotland. Planes had to abort landings at Manchester Airport due to strong crosswinds.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And here are some contemporary reports:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/null" name="more"></a><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/15/storm-deirdre-batters-britain-snow-freezing-rain">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/15/storm-deirdre-batters-britain-snow-freezing-rain</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-46574942">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-46574942</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/16/storm-deirdre-set-to-ease-after-snow-and-gales-wreak-havoc">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/16/storm-deirdre-set-to-ease-after-snow-and-gales-wreak-havoc</a></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In short, not a great few days to be out and about. Was this a one off or more typical of December weather? To answer this, Wunderground records have been examined for the week containing the 12th of each December for the 10 years from 2009-2018 and a range of data has been extracted. All the data is from Glasgow Airport weather station. The data extracted includes the maximum (usually day-time) temperature, the minimum (usually night-time) temperature for the period, which are not necessarily on the same day; the maximum mean and gust wind speeds; and the number of days where the temperature did not rise above zero degrees Celsius. Unfortunately precipitation data is no longer recorded at this station. The table and graphs below summarises this data.</span><br />
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<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 2048; mso-width-source: userset; width: 44pt;" width="59"></col>
<col span="2" style="mso-width-alt: 3444; mso-width-source: userset; width: 74pt;" width="99"></col>
<col span="3" style="mso-width-alt: 3840; mso-width-source: userset; width: 83pt;" width="110"></col>
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<tr height="48" style="height: 36.0pt; mso-height-source: userset;">
<td class="xl63" height="48" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; height: 36pt; width: 44pt;" width="59">Year</td>
<td class="xl65" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; width: 74pt;" width="99">Max Temp (<span class="font5"><sup>0</sup></span><span class="font0">C)</span></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; width: 74pt;" width="99">Min Temp (<span class="font5"><sup>0</sup></span><span class="font0">C)</span></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; width: 83pt;" width="110">Max Mean Wind (km/h)</td>
<td class="xl65" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; width: 83pt;" width="110">Max Wind Gust (km/h)</td>
<td class="xl65" style="background: rgb(179, 212, 85); border-bottom: 1.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: none; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; width: 83pt;" width="110">Days<=zero</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2018</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 8</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 3</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">35</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">46</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2017</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 6</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 8</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">41</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">56</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">1</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2016</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">13</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 0</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">30</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">30</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2015</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">13</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 3</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">57</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">91</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2014</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">11</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 3</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">52</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">78</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2013</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">14</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 3</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">59</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">85</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2012</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 9</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 8</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">41</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">56</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">2</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2011</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 7</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 5</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">70</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">100</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2010</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"> 9</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">-10</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">31</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">46</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(225, 238, 187); border-bottom: 0.5pt solid white; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">3</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 11.5pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; height: 11.5pt;">2009</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">11</td>
<td class="xl66" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 74pt;" width="99">- 1</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">43</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: 0.5pt solid white; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">59</td>
<td class="xl67" style="background: rgb(240, 247, 221); border-bottom: none; border-left: 0.5pt solid white; border-right: none; border-top: 0.5pt solid white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; width: 83pt;" width="110">0</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-tDC1v2mFTDu-1UtXRZsyzmJh5Qy_XwH78L4mjfj8185M6-qCG8T-e_SvR4khlW2EQ7ewmxhvRkgXXc_7wa-eWnsNQXA-EDsjAxOLbQNyb08kIh-vLUQFhb-z16eJPa5fpaQ9lNudhI/s1600/Dec+Weather+2009-2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="846" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-tDC1v2mFTDu-1UtXRZsyzmJh5Qy_XwH78L4mjfj8185M6-qCG8T-e_SvR4khlW2EQ7ewmxhvRkgXXc_7wa-eWnsNQXA-EDsjAxOLbQNyb08kIh-vLUQFhb-z16eJPa5fpaQ9lNudhI/s320/Dec+Weather+2009-2018.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As expected, there is quite a wide variation from year to year, with some years being relatively mild with temperatures generally above freezing while others had days when the temperature never exceeded zero degrees Celsius. One suspects the milder temperatures were accompanied by wetter weather but unfortunately the data has not been found. Three of the ten years had periods of extreme cold with temperatures below freezing all day on one or more days, and four years had severe gales (9 on the Beaufort Scale).</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Further records of historical weather events from the Met Office include several December events. </span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2015 - Storm Desmond caused severe flooding in Cumbria and elsewhere, with major disruption to transport and power networks;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2013 - severe storms at the beginning of December leading to widespread damage, 100,000 homes without power and two fatalities, followed by a sequence of storms over the middle of the month and into January;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2011 - a period of turbulent weather with a particularly virulent storm on the 8th leaving 150,000 homes without power and an estimated £100m cost to Scotland's economy;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2010 - a full month of bitterly cold weather from the end of November to the end of December with thousands of schools closed due to snow and disruption to road, rail, power and water networks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2009 - heavy snow and prolonged cold spell from mid December to mid January. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That is six of the past ten Decembers with documented severe weather events causing significant disruption. The inference from this is that their may be as high as a 50% chance of disruption to polling in at least some regions of the UK due to adverse weather on the days leading up to the election or the election day itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only a fool would gamble on the weather but this information paints a picture of what could be expected on the 12th of December 2019, </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">date of the 2019 General Election. The short hours of daylight have already been cited as a potentially causing lower voter turnout but this analysis of December weather patterns suggests this may also have a significant effect. According to the Electoral Commission, quoted in this extract from the Guardian's Politics live feed on 1/11/19, there can be no extension to voting to deal with such scenarios.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh89ZKL9c-N8j5aTqlqWPODVWaH1pJj1iVwPMnJc3RY2z__GMSyhPu417txNuAT8bXJpJmwA3xuZz7kYrv61SyNP2clKXcZlQwv13EeSHKfFenBZLkWO_96kXwScOcGm7CWYxgNOB_inA/s1600/elect+com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="558" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh89ZKL9c-N8j5aTqlqWPODVWaH1pJj1iVwPMnJc3RY2z__GMSyhPu417txNuAT8bXJpJmwA3xuZz7kYrv61SyNP2clKXcZlQwv13EeSHKfFenBZLkWO_96kXwScOcGm7CWYxgNOB_inA/s400/elect+com.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the first December General Election since 1923 with good reason. Let's see what then next six weeks bring, but, in the meantime, please consider a postal vote in advance (allowing for slower post times during the approach to Christmas).</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-20190295233507668102019-10-29T19:38:00.002+00:002019-10-29T19:38:44.516+00:00Is There a Place for Genetics in Agriculture?<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many people oppose genetically modified crops. There is fear that s</span></b><span id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">plicing genes from one species in to another will, for example, turn ordinarily benign rice in to a ravaging carnivorous organism akin to Wyndham's triffids. While that may be an exaggeration, there are good reasons to, if not fear, at least be wary of creations made by artificially changing or combining genes.</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Concerns mainly fall in to one of the following categories: </span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">unforeseen or unintended impacts on stable ecosystems;</span></b></li>
<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">control of seeds by powerful agri-corporations limiting farmers' ability to grow the crops; or</span></b></li>
<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adverse health effects from unnatural Franken-foods.</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Let us consider the first category, which has the biggest potential impact on the environment. Crops have been genetically modified for a number of reasons, all with the aim of increasing yield. Increased yield is not a bad thing but at what cost. One method is to improve resistance of plants to pesticides, meaning that more pesticides can be used reducing the portion of crop lost to pests. This means more pesticides in the environment (which is a whole other topic) and the consequential decline in biodiversity. Other goals, such as improve drought resistance, may have less negative impacts.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-69def2bc-af36-a84c-8bc3-6c92fb649b2e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm not a Luddite. I see benefits to technology. The same scientific and engineering advances in fields such as sanitation, hygiene and medicine that have led to exponential human population growth in a few generations now needs to ensure we can be sustained without wiping out the rest of life on planet earth. Cross breeding plants (non-GM) has already made great leaps in terms of improving yield of staple crops such as rice and wheat, improving resistance to drought and disease by creating hybrid plants by crossing domesticated and wild varieties. By understanding the function of certain genetic markers this can be more targeted. This </span></b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way genetics can be used to improve productivity but without creating wholly unnatural organisms.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding the study of genetics to the tool box can provide new direction for the continued evolution of food crops which has been going on since humans became farmers while leaving ultimate control in the hands of the farmers. This should not be feared.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">More caution is still required when the process involves splicing DNA from unrelated species. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To Follow - is Organic or Conventional farming better for the environment? </span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-19192707881885900682015-12-01T19:58:00.001+00:002015-12-01T20:00:55.981+00:00Can't see the Wood from the Trees (because the forest is burning)Whether royalist or republican, we must applaud Prince Charles for using his power and influence to highlight the great problem of deforestation and its link to climate change as well as loss of biodiversity.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/01/no-plan-b-for-climate-change-without-forests-prince-charles-tells-paris-summit">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/01/no-plan-b-for-climate-change-without-forests-prince-charles-tells-paris-summit</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34971307">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34973166</a><br />
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But we should we be taking advice from him? If we all took our lead from Charles, we would be sure to hit a four degree temperature rise by the early 2030s[1]. <br />
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Alternatively if we mirrored land use in his personal estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, we would lose 90% of our forests, since the Duchy is only 3% forested compared to 31% of the world's land surface.<br />
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And if we were each granted an estate similar to Charles, all of the usable land surface would be gone after the first 120,000[2] people and the rest would have nowhere to go! No matter how extravagant the lifestyle, a global population this size couldn't do much damage.<br />
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So thanks for the advice Charles but as long as we have a small number of people at the top with lavish lifestyles there will be others below trying to climb the social ladder and the environment will always be the victim.<br />
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Notes:<br />
1] I have no scientific basis whatsoever for this but the amount of flying he has done over his lifetime, heating multiple poorly insulated ancestral homes, driving range rovers, etc multiplied by 7bn people...<br />
2] Based on the size of his personal estate compared to usable land surface on Earth (by usable I mean not desert or mountain),<br />
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And a link to the Duchy's woodlands:<br />
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<a href="http://duchyofcornwall.org/water-and-woodlands.html">http://duchyofcornwall.org/water-and-woodlands.html</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-84743817174186998072015-10-05T06:57:00.000+01:002015-10-05T06:57:37.090+01:00Plastic Bag ChargeTomorrow, England catches up with the rest of the UK in imposing a levy on single use carrier bags. Figures for Scotland, which introduced the charge last year, indicate an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/17/scotland-plastic-bag-usage-falls-after-5p-charge-introduced" target="_blank">80% reduction</a> in their use due to the levy and large drops have also been seen in Wales and Northern Ireland which introduced charges in 2011 and 2013 respectively.<br />
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The charge being introduced in England is not universal - it is limited to larger shops and smaller convenience stores can, conveniently, still hand out single use bags free of charge. And it only covers plastic bags, not other single use bags. Bur still, its a start. The Scottish charge applies to all retailers and includes not only plastic bags but also bags made from paper and other materials. While paper is biodegradable and renewable (in that more trees can grow) it is still not a perfect <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/bag-it-bin-it-or-dont.html" target="_blank">solution</a>.<br />
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Also, the money charged goes directly to the retailer unlike the Scottish charging scheme in which the money is given to charities. It is not, therefore, a "stealth" tax and nor do the retailers profit from it, which is much more palatable to consumers.<br />
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Plastic bags are, of course, only part of the problem. Profligate use of "disposable" plastics in all forms needs to be tackled, whether through closed loop recycling or using alternative packaging. This article on plastic in fish highlights need for improving our systems for dealing with plastics - <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34408414">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34408414</a><br />
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For the latest on <span style="font-family: sans-serif;">#plasticbags</span> on Twitter, click <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plasticbags?s=09" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Related Blog Posts:<br />
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<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/plastic-bags-its-not-all-about-carbon.html">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/plastic-bags-its-not-all-about-carbon.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/age-of-plastic.html%C2%A0" target=""><span style="color: #666666;">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/age-of-plastic.html</span> </a></div>
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<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/bag-it-bin-it-or-dont.htm" target="">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/bag-it-bin-it-or-dont.html </a></div>
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<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/banish-plastic-bags.html"><span style="color: #666666;">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/banish-plastic-bags.html</span> </a></div>
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Bus firms ditch 'too slow' £40m fast lanes in Glasgow</h1>
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<li class="mini-info-list__item" style="border-right-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 0px 0px; color: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 2px 0.2em 2px 0px; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="date date--v2 relative-time" data-datetime="2 October 2015" data-seconds="1443799587" data-timestamp-inserted="true" style="background-image: url(http://static.bbci.co.uk/news/1.89.0419/img/news--icons-sprite.png); background-position: 0% -4011px; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #5a5a5a; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; margin: 0px 0px 0px -10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
4 hours ago</div>
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<li class="mini-info-list__item" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; color: inherit; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 2px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mini-info-list__section-desc off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">From the section</span><a class="mini-info-list__section" data-entityid="section-label" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/glasgow_and_west" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border: 0px; color: #a61b1b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Glasgow & West Scotland</a></li>
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<figure class="media-landscape has-caption full-width lead" style="background-color: #111111; border: 0px; clear: both; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 32px -54.2188px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="image-and-copyright-container" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="McGill's bus on Fastlink route" class="js-image-replace" height="549" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/4369/production/_85875271_85875264.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: #bdbdbd; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 645.781px;" width="976" /><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image copyright</span><span class="story-image-copyright" style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: #ececec; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.5625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 8px 1px; position: absolute; right: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Google</span></span><figcaption class="media-caption" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible;"><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image caption</span><span class="media-caption__text" style="border: 0px; color: #ececec; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">McGill's is one of two operators to withdraw from using the Fastlink lanes</span></figcaption></figure><div class="story-body__introduction" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Two major bus firms have stopped using the newly-built <a class="story-body__link" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15182594" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(17, 103, 168, 0.298039); border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">£40m Fastlink lanes in Glasgow</a> because they are too slow.</div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">On the positive side, bus shelters have been added to the route in the last few weeks so you can stand out of the rain waiting for the bus that will never come (surely such facilities should be an integral part of a quality bus route and not an add on after the fact).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Those familiar with the route would be right to point out that the Broomielaw is only a small part of the scheme. The route from Finnieston through Govan can only be described as bizarre - with buses and cars swapping lanes and even the side of the road on which they drive. All of this takes up limited road space and adds to car congestion, </span></span><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">especially when the buses are sharing the space</span></span><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">. If the extra congestion encouraged people out of their cars and into more sustainable transport modes that would be a benefit but the bus routes are not sufficiently joined up and are not quicker.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There must have been more effective ways to invest this £40m to improve transport across the city, to deliver real improvements for the people who live and work here. Perhaps the council could re-invest some of the bus lane fines in public transport, as the cameras do not appear to have done much to reduce journey times by bus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's hoping.</span></div>
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(More info on the scheme and its history on the original EWM Post <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/clyde-fastlink-revolution-in-public.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div>
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Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-22648401628409042592013-11-04T07:06:00.001+00:002013-11-04T07:06:47.192+00:00Connecting with Nature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With fresh reports on how disconnected we are becoming from nature, we took the opportunity this fine weekend to reconnect, see what's out there and get muddy.</div>
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The changing seasons show Glasgow's parks at their best. Here is Pollok.</div>
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A riot of colour. </div>
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Down by the river.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNwXy5-Uk_xVfxizfGvGxG-IF-MZ2u6pKEodm1yXNcmjenC7KAmZ7GFZrKepnygqOY6OYLvFNBF7bhy9G7GeZWBFIs4htljGoE27Pcq-gppdfNN-MnAkQCEp7GsRoZGiYg0wooGYNDew/s1600/20131103_121148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNwXy5-Uk_xVfxizfGvGxG-IF-MZ2u6pKEodm1yXNcmjenC7KAmZ7GFZrKepnygqOY6OYLvFNBF7bhy9G7GeZWBFIs4htljGoE27Pcq-gppdfNN-MnAkQCEp7GsRoZGiYg0wooGYNDew/s400/20131103_121148.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the bright sunlit woods</div>
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By the old stable block.</div>
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In the walled garden.</div>
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Leaves on fire.</div>
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Mushrooms.</div>
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Trees.</div>
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Ornamental Gardens.</div>
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Leaves.</div>
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Berries.</div>
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Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-90469580221321785672013-06-23T12:09:00.001+01:002013-06-30T07:51:05.037+01:00The Time is Right for GM CropsThat's a fact?<br>
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According to environment secretary Owen Patterson, the time is right for GM crops and it is the duty of the British Government to convince the public that this is the case. He then said that GM crops are <i>probably</i> safer than conventional crops and seven million children have gone blind or died over the past decade because attempts to grow a strain of GM rice (<a href="http://www.goldenrice.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Golden Rice</a>) commercially have been thwarted (implying, perhaps, by anti-GM campaigners and that there are no other solutions to malnutrition).<br>
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The minister went on to back a scientific approach:<br>
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"We need evidence-based regulation and decision-making in the EU. Consumers need accurate information in order to make informed choices. The market should then decide if a GM product is viable," </blockquote>
A rigorous and transparent scientific evidence-based approach is to be welcomed, although this goes a bit further than Mr Patterson's statement. Assuming that the evidence based regulation allows only GM crops with a very low risk to health and the environment to be developed commercially, leaving it to the consumer to decide on viability may be an acceptable approach. If, however, the regulated risk level is not low enough, this may lead to unacceptable damage which the politicians will blame on the "consumers demand" for these GM crops. While many consumers would make the right choice, inevitably many more would choose cost or marketing hype over other considerations such as nutritional values, health risks or environmental degradation.<br>
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The first hurdle in convincing the public that GM crops are acceptable, if indeed they are, is to collate the necessary evidence of their safety, scrutinise it, assess benefits and risks and present the conclusions in a fashion that can be understood by the lay person but with sufficient supporting documentation that independent experts and others with some scientific understanding can drill down to the details. </div>
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Unfortunately the Government and its environment secretary do not have a good track record of accepting the findings of scientists and applying them to policy. </div>
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<b>Climate Change</b></div>
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The environment secretary revealed his ignorance of the science of climate change in a recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b021438w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">radio discussion</a>. This is what he said:<br>
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"The climate's always been changing, er, Peter [Hain] mentioned the Arctic and I think in the Holocene the Arctic melted completely and you can see there were beaches there - when Greenland was occupied, you know, people growing crops. We then had a little ice age, we had a middle age warming. The climate's been going up and down, but the real question which I think everyone's trying to address is, is this influenced by man-made activity in recent years and James [Delingpole] is actually correct. The climate has not changed - the temperature has not changed in the last 17 years …"</div>
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It would appear that the environment secretary is ignoring the scientific evidence despite a study that found that of 13,950 peer reviewed scientific articles on global warming published between 1991 and 2012, only <a href="http://desmogblog.com/2012/11/15/why-climate-deniers-have-no-credibility-science-one-pie-chart" target="_blank">24 rejected global warming</a> and a further study found that less than 1% of almost 12,000 scientific papers published between 1991 and 2011 disagreed that <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024024/article" target="_blank">human activities are the main cause</a>. </div>
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The Skeptical Science website discusses this statement more fully <a href="http://www.skepticalscience.com/paterson-on-climate.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br>
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<b>Badger Cull</b><br>
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Then there is the decision to ignore any scientific evidence supporting alternative approaches to reducing bovine tuberculosis other than a badger cull. They even cherry pick parts of the government's own research - playing down the risks it identified that a cull could increase the spread of TB and even if it is done effectively (ca. 90% kill rate every year for 5 years), the best that can be achieved is a modest reduction. </div><div>
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<b>Neonicotinoids</b><br>
<br>Despite a growing body of scientific research linking use of neonicitinoid pesticides to declines in bee populations and other non-target species, the British government lobbied hard to prevent a Europe-wide ban. The justification for continued use was primarily that its ban may effect crop yields and that further assessment of the damage caused should be made before deciding on a ban. The </div><div>opposite of the precautionary principle whereby you don't use a new product until it has been proven safe. </div><div><br></div><div>Fortunately, Britain was in the minority and there will be a two year ban, which gives a window for further research. Pesticides are not the only threat to bee populations: changing weather patterns, the verola mite, alternative crops and land use changes affecting habitat all play a part and, if we want to avoid losing these key pollinators, all threats need to be identified, quantified and controlled and not blindly ignored until it is too late as appears to be proposed by the environment secretary. </div><div>
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<b>Big Business and the Corporate Agenda</b></div>
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This government has consistently shown blinkered support for big business, whether the giant agribusiness or fossil fuel companies, without due consideration of the consequences or the effect on individuals or the environment. Regardless of whether there is a genuinely a place for using genetic engineering in crop research and development, support by a government that can not be trusted when it comes to interpreting the scientific consensus will be viewed with the same suspicion as the large self-interested corporate GM developers such as Monsanto.</div><div><br></div><div>If the debate is to move forward then someone without a commercial interest needs to act as an independent arbiter:at this time, when government can not be trusted, then who? </div>
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Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-21867489624389347832013-05-14T22:41:00.000+01:002013-05-14T22:41:26.950+01:00400We humans like round numbers. We don't celebrate the 23rd annual summer fete or the 49th anniversary of an organisation but the 25th or 50th respectively. This is why the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has hit the headlines this week. The daily measurement at Mauna Loa on Hawaii has passed 400 ppm (parts per million) for the first time. Not so much a cause for celebration; more a cause for commiseration The actual measurement was 400.03 but was subsequently revised down to 399.89 (but what is fourteen hundredths of a part per million between friends). Breaching this threshold was not particularly unexpected but it is symbolic in human terms; it is a memorable number.<br />
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But what are the implications of exceeding a CO2 concentration of 400 ppm?<br />
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Some climate change skeptics will be quick to highlight the scientific evidence that shows the atmospheric CO2 has been at this level and higher on the past. They are absolutely correct. Somewhere in the region of three to five million years ago similar levels were present and the world was, on average, three or four degrees Celsius warmer with some areas up to ten degrees warmer. Life survived and flourished and it is likely to have influenced the evolutionary path that led to Homo Sapiens but humanity in its current form has never experienced the like, and as far as we can tell, the changes in CO2 levels were never as rapid as over the last 150 years.<br />
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We will not wake to a radically different world tomorrow. Climate change does not work like that. If we maintain CO2 levels at 400 ppm, without any further increase, it will take decades or even centuries for a new "normal" climate to become established. Some areas will dry out, others will become wetter, some will cool and others warm, all of which will change natural vegetation and agricultural practices which will feed back into local and global weather systems. The biggest threat for the human population will be the increased frequency of crop failures. In order to cope with the still growing human population combined with climatic changes will require more wilderness to be tamed for agriculture. Perhaps the tundra will be drained for fields once the permafrost melts.<br />
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Longer term effects will be the thawing of glaciers and ice caps which will raise sea levels and affect ocean currents and hence the climate. Some estimates indicate that when the world last saw 400 ppm CO2 sea levels were 40 metres higher than now. While a rise in sea level of that magnitude may not happen for a century or more, it would be catastrophic for the world as we know it. It wouldn't just be island states such as the Maldives that would disappear but large parts of low lying countries, such as Bangladesh and the Netherlands. Our ever more crowded cities will be badly affected too. The first few floors of the newly topped out One World Trade Center in New York will be submerged as will many parts of the Eternal City, which has been inhabited for two and a half millenia. Some of the world's most densely populated cities, such as Tokyo, Cairo and London, will be much depleted.<br />
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This will lead to hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of people being displaced by rising sea levels again putting pressure on the wilderness. The new homes and infrastructure that will be required on a scale never before experienced will demand vast quantities of energy and natural resources. It won't be the end of the human race but it may suspend our humanity as wars, famine and pestilence of biblical proportions are likely as greater numbers compete for limited resources.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQ8-Nhsb1yeGkIe1qwoTHW9ERwQjAQgSlMHU9WtGiqc-oxBXXzXzn9ABbB-ufB94TpSou1FMkcTk7GHuU5DurOXP0ELEaK0TxEv49TN0MNatTqCayYsfCQcTM0kutpQvj6HlBJBLqWWs/s1600/mlo_full_record.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQ8-Nhsb1yeGkIe1qwoTHW9ERwQjAQgSlMHU9WtGiqc-oxBXXzXzn9ABbB-ufB94TpSou1FMkcTk7GHuU5DurOXP0ELEaK0TxEv49TN0MNatTqCayYsfCQcTM0kutpQvj6HlBJBLqWWs/s640/mlo_full_record.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Such a dark future is by no means certain. We still have a little time to act, but not long. The more we procrastinate the harder it will be to head off the worst extremes coming our way. If we continue with "business as usual" we are on target for 450ppm by the middle of the century, accompanied by six degrees Celsius temperature rises. That doesn't bear thinking about.<br />
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<br />
Related Links:<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2013/may/10/climate-warming-gas-carbon-dioxide-levels-interactive">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2013/may/10/climate-warming-gas-carbon-dioxide-levels-interactive</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-19742466680517949432013-03-30T12:30:00.000+00:002013-03-30T12:30:03.056+00:00Testing TimesWhat is the point of exams?<br />
<br />
Is it to test the candidate's knowledge of the subject or is it to test the candidate's skill in passing exams? In theory at least, it should be the former but when there is a lot riding on the result there is a tendency towards the latter with students placing more emphasis on training to pass the exam rather than gaining a deep understanding of the subject. The student may gain some knowledge of the subject, but only those parts that will gain most marks in the exam as part of a strategy to maximise the result for minimum effort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZgHvVpYWFqA8WUvpxAbPe4XQgKmzfqkFMAJrHaabUAaIVjReDi7Wpq4MOUCN_IgVQh_gp65NGoS0lHMDK196trMwRrZXZGhz2OFjxLMUnYRkXKZtHIoI9LyLdjT9m7D81ksSKScxfKQ/s1600/2013-03-20+21.22.00-night+fuel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZgHvVpYWFqA8WUvpxAbPe4XQgKmzfqkFMAJrHaabUAaIVjReDi7Wpq4MOUCN_IgVQh_gp65NGoS0lHMDK196trMwRrZXZGhz2OFjxLMUnYRkXKZtHIoI9LyLdjT9m7D81ksSKScxfKQ/s1600/2013-03-20+21.22.00-night+fuel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
This doesn't only apply to academic exams. Similar strategies can also be adopted for all sorts of tests. For example, if a car maker wants their car to get a good fuel efficiency rating they can work on scoring better in the test, rather than improving the car's performance. They can use non-standard high performance lubricants, disconnect the alternator, over inflate the tyres, remove door mirrors and even tape up joints in body panels to improve the test results. Car manufacturers have got so good at performing well in tests that the average gap between quoted fuel efficiency and actual real world fuel efficiency has grown from 7% in 2001 to 23% in 2011 according to figures from Germany. In fact the real world fuel consumption has been shown to be as much as 50% higher than the official test figures for some vehicles.(<a href="http://www.transportenvironment.org/publications/mind-gap-why-official-car-fuel-economy-figures-don%E2%80%99t-match-reality">"Mind the Gap:Why official car fuel economy figures don't match reality"</a>) <br />
<br />
While no rules or regulations are broken by manipulating the test results, there is certainly an intent to deceive or mislead the consumers and governments (some of which set taxation levels depending on the results of the tests). This approach to testing taken by car makers could account for as much as half of the fuel efficiency improvements between 2002 and 2010 according to a study undertaken for the European Commission. This makes it difficult for car buyers to make an informed judgement about which models are more efficient. There is, apparently, further scope to improve test results without improving the performance of the production car.<br />
<br />
Once you've bought a shiny new supposedly fuel efficient car it is fairly easy to compare your real world fuel consumption with that advertised. To calculate your fuel consumption:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1) Fill the tank completely and note down the odometer (mileage) reading;</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2) Fill the tank again after a few hundred miles, note the odometer reading and the amount of fuel used to fill the tank;</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
3) Calculate fuel consumption in milers per gallon (mpg):</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[(2nd Odometer reading) - (1st Odometer reading)]/(fuel used in litres/4.55) = mpg</blockquote>
Once you have calculated your fuel consumption and found it to be significantly greater than advertised, what recourse do you have? Under trading standards regulations, you would expect recourse if the product differed from that advertised and advertising standards, manufacturer's must be able to justify their advertised claims. Unfortunately the consumer loses out in both cases as the manufacturer has testing data to justify their claims and they do not advertise the real world performance or the performance that you should expect, only the performance under a set of loosely defined test criteria.<br />
<br />
<b>The Future of Fuel Savings</b><br />
<br />
The European Union is considering future emissions from new cars including setting a target to <a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:140:0001:01:EN:HTML">95 g CO2/km</a> on average for new cars by 2020. According to some <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21803635">reports</a> motorists will save £350 per year on fuel thanks to the new emission levels, which will pay for the additional cost of the new car in three years. Presumably this is based on average mileage and real world fuel efficiency improving at the same rate as the quoted tested efficiency. If real efficiency savings are half of the test values then the pay back time would double and, for those who drive less, there may never be enough savings of fuel to cover the additional capital cost of the car. This is not the incentive we need to reduce fuel consumption.<br />
<br />
<b>Media Perception</b><br />
<br />
The New York Times recently reported on a road test of a Tesla electric car, in which it highlighted major shortcomings in its energy use performance, specifically its range. This clearly of much greater significance than the fuel efficiency of a petrol or diesel car as they can be quickly and easily be topped up with more fuel at one of many filling stations unlike the electric car which takes time to top up the battery at much less common charging points. Nevertheless, the emphasis on fuel consumption seems disproportionate with the media generally accepting manufacturer's performance claims, perhaps accepting that real world fuel consumption may be a bit higher than test conditions but certainly not emphasising the growing disparity between quoted performance and actual performance. One may suspect that they do not want to challenge the car makers to much in case the supply of shiny new toys to test drive is curtailed...<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
In conclusion, we need:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. A more accurate test that better simulates real driving conditions and is based on sample cars off the production line or from the forecourt without any modifications.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2. More robust challenging of fuel efficiency claims across all car types by the motoring press.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
3. Genuine increases in fuel efficiency.</blockquote>
In addition, we must also focus on alternatives to the car, such as active travel, public transport, private group travel and reducing demand for travel, some of which will be covered in further posts.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-57823933823611852532013-03-24T13:49:00.000+00:002013-03-24T13:49:14.989+00:00What I Learned During Earth Hour<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1indGwRnJbaqsbXEDrrE513XOrEsAQ7iZb5F4L3M_QbkBq92FIG2KWQb4WyH4DUtd_hyAtXtVnHSzBTL-idecfGtPo5fzOzrfQdBQfxpB68xnwrUcv2h2o3bSmw3Ped8W4ZFDST2g80/s1600/2013-03-23+19.11.02+-+book+torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1indGwRnJbaqsbXEDrrE513XOrEsAQ7iZb5F4L3M_QbkBq92FIG2KWQb4WyH4DUtd_hyAtXtVnHSzBTL-idecfGtPo5fzOzrfQdBQfxpB68xnwrUcv2h2o3bSmw3Ped8W4ZFDST2g80/s1600/2013-03-23+19.11.02+-+book+torch.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A book and a wind-up torch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
During Earth Hour, I learned the following:<br />
<ol>
<li>The origin of apples;</li>
<li>A little about the last few months of Leon Trotsky’s life before being exiled;</li>
<li>That I can still read a book in the dark with a torch (like I did as a child, under the blanket after bed time);</li>
<li>And, thanks to @glasgow_kat, that petrochemical candles have much higher emissions than an electric light.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Earth Hour is a fantastic way to highlight the problem of climate change in solidarity with people across the globe but it is not enough on its own. Switching the lights off on landmarks from Sidney Opera House to the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State Building for one hour is purely symbolic. Even switching them off permanently would be insignificant.
The kind of reduction in fossil fuel use that we need to achieve would be more like everyone everywhere turning off the lights, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, computers, televisions - everything for an hour. Not just once a year, a week or even a day but for four or five hours a day with all if the saved energy being from fossil fuels. And without increasing consumption in the periods in between. </div>
<br />
It is a huge challenge but it is the one we face if we are to have a hope of avoiding the worst consequences of climate change and we can't afford to wait until next year to face it.<br />
<br />
And the apples? They originated in the area around present day Almaty in Kazakhstan.
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-20880377229277713492013-03-12T22:52:00.000+00:002013-03-12T22:53:40.114+00:00The 100th Post - A RetrospectiveOn noticing that this would be EcoWarriorMe's 100th post, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review what we set out to do and how the blog has developed over the past two years and to highlight some of the most popular posts and personal favourites.<br />
<br />
The blog was born of a frustration at the general apathy and lack of progress towards a more sustainable society including climate change, pollution, wasteful squandering of precious resources and the relentless despoiling of our natural environment. I aimed to highlight things that we can do to reduce our negative impact and demystify some of the competing arguments for and against particular courses of action. I knew that I didn't have all of the answers and I still don't. I don't even know all the questions although I'm working on that. I enjoy learning and am interested in the science and engineering on which our modern society is based but I expected to probe a bit deeper rather then taking things at face value: it says its greener so it must be, or is it? I hoped to use this desire for knowledge, and sharing the knowledge, to stimulate debate and encourage others to also ask the awkward questions.<br />
<br />
The first few posts were little more than re-posts of other article with some additional commentary, such at the first post on the use of <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/biofuels-could-provide-27-of-transport.html" target="_blank">biofuels</a> in transport at the expense of deforestation and rising food prices.<br />
<br />
One of the first full posts was on the <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/dont-let-incident-at-fukushima-put-you.html" target="_blank">Fukushima</a> disaster, where I suggested that this incident shouldn't be used as an excuse to reject nuclear power. There are sufficient other reasons to avoid nuclear power.<br />
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Not long after starting this blog, the Scottish National Party were returned to power at Holyrood with a commitment to achieve <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/scotlands-bold-renewable-targets.html" target="_blank">100% of Scotland's electricity from renewable sources by 2020</a> - a bold target by any standard, one of the toughest targets in the world. In reality, Scotland is an integral part of the UK's National Grid and it will continue to rely on non renewable sources of energy as part of balancing mechanisms beyond 2020. The mix of generation in the UK as a whole is therefore relevant, hence the review of a paper in the journal <i>Engineering Sustainability</i> on possible scenarios to meet targets for low carbon electricity and to assess the possible <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/2030-electricity-generation-mix.html" target="_blank">energy mix in 2030</a> in what has been one of the blog's most popular posts.<br />
<br />
While it is important that we tackle the causes of climate change - and our energy mix is a big part of that - it is also important that we do not lose sight of the many other environmental issues competing for our attention. These include <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/population-time-bomb.html" target="_blank">population growth</a>, <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/age-of-plastic.html" target="_blank">pollution</a>, <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/more-recycling-please.html" target="_blank">recycling</a>, <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/milk.html" target="_blank">habitat loss</a>, loss of <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/natures-connections.html" target="_blank">biodiversity</a> and access to safe <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/can-organic-agriculture-feed-world.html" target="_blank">food</a>, <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/water-water-everywhere.html" target="_blank">water</a> and <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/time-to-pull-plug-on-dirty-water.html" target="_blank">sanitation</a>. This list is, of course, not exhaustive.<br />
<br />
One of the blog's aim is to investigate whether green claims really stack up. This is often difficult because a product may be designed to improve its environmental performance in one regard but within unintended consequences in another. Examples include using less <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/where-less-packaging-is-more.html" target="_blank">packaging</a> which could result in a higher carbon footprint and more waste to landfill, zero emission <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/electric-cars.html" target="_blank">electric vehicles</a> that still have emissions.<br />
<br />
Certain posts have proven more popular than others and the five most popular posts of all time have been:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/plastic-bags-its-not-all-about-carbon.html" target="_blank">Plastic bags: it's not all about carbon</a> - there is more to the eternal plastic bag than simply its carbon footprint;<br />
2. <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/clyde-fastlink-revolution-in-public.html" target="_blank">Clyde Fastlink - A Revolution in Public Transport</a> - Glasgow's big investment in a marginal public transport scheme while the city chokes on polluted air;<br />
3. <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/2030-electricity-generation-mix.html" target="_blank">2030 Electricity Generation Mix</a> - a review of possible scenarios for the UK's future low carbon energy supply;<br />
4. <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/tell-shell.html" target="_blank">Tell Shell</a> - promoting the Greenpeace campaign to stop Shell drilling in the arctic;<br />
5. <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/big-energy-switch-swindle.html" target="_blank">The Big Energy Switch Swindle?</a> - on a futile attempt to take on the energy oligopoly.</blockquote>
In addition to the Tell Shell campaign at number four above, the blog has also supported the Tigertime campaign to stop <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/time-to-end-tiger-farming.html" target="_blank">tiger farming</a> and end the legal <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/tell-chinese-to-stop-trading-tigers.html" target="_blank">trade in tiger parts</a> in China, Water Aid's campaigns for universal access to drinking water and <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/time-to-pull-plug-on-dirty-water.html" target="_blank">sanitation</a>, a local campaign opposing a <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/energy-from-waste.html" target="_blank">waste incinerator</a> and a campaign to encourage MSPs to stick to their targets for reducing carbon emissions. While this is not the main purpose of the blog, it is a useful platform to promote these causes and make connections between different areas of concern.<br />
<br />
Although not the most popular, some personal favourite posts are:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/aralkum-desert.html" target="_blank">The Aralkum Desert</a> - one of the starkest examples of how careless exploitation of natural resources has led to ecological catastrophe and creation of the world's newest desert;<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/summer-holidays.html" target="_blank">Summer Holidays</a> - about tracking of British cuckoos on their long migration to central Africa;<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/here-comes-rain-part-1.html" target="_blank">Here Comes the Rain - Part 1</a> - a basic analysis of rainfall records of Paisley (Glasgow Airport) over the past 50 years;<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/rest-and-be-thankful-but-not-about.html" target="_blank">Rest and be Thankful, but not about Climate Change</a> - some anecdotal evidence of the direct influence of climate change;<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/sea-levels-are-rising.html" target="_blank">Sea Levels are Rising</a> - presenting some evidence of rising sea levels;<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/milk.html" target="_blank">Milk</a> - os the true cost of your daily pinta.</blockquote>
Quite a mixed bag that represent the range of EcoWarriorMe's interests, all topics which may be revisited.<br />
<br />
It is all well and good to reflect on the past and possibly learn from it but what about the future? It's where we are all going and it is when we must make the big changes. Many things about our modern lifestyles must become more sustainable, making more efficient use of scarce resources and protecting the natural world. Future EcoWarriorMe posts will attempt to cover some of these topics such as how we can use <b>energy </b>more efficiently and increase use of <b>renewables</b>, how we <b>transport </b>people and other stuff about, including active travel, commuting, aviation and eco-tourism and <b>conservation</b> of wildlife and natural resources.<br />
<br />
We must understand the problems before we can evaluate the solutions, then as the solutions are developed we must convince society to adopt the solutions. This transition from pure science: the maths, physical, chemical and biological processes of climate through to engineering solutions follows well established principles but sociological and psychological obstacles lie in the path widespread adoption of sustainable societies and lifestyles. This is another area for further investigation by EcoWarriorMe.<br />
<br />
EcoWarriorMe invites you along on the journey to discover what we can do and what we can ask others to do on our behalf. We only have one world, let's make it last.<br />
<br />
To the Future!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-1801491527320982232013-02-26T23:18:00.003+00:002013-03-14T22:08:42.370+00:00Nature's ConnectionsOn the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.<br />
<br />
Simple cause and effect is not enough to explain a chaotic world. A single action seldom result in a single reaction. More often, it triggers a chain of reactions, a wave of perturbations through the fabric of reality, like ripples on a pond. Some are obscure, like dropping a small pebble in a big ocean while others stand out like a large rock dropped in a mill pond with long lasting ripples reflecting back from the edge generating complex interference patterns. <br />
<br />
It may sound philosophically abstract but here are two examples of such complex interactions in nature. The first involves the smallest primate, Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur and the second involves the largest land mammal, the African Elephant.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Malagasy Miniature</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
At only 10cm long and weighing 30g, Madagascar's Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur(<i>microcebus berthae</i>) is the smallest primate. Despite its diminutive stature, it travels up to five miles a night searching for food.<br />
Although it is an omnivore, it's major food source is the sweet honeydew excretion from a particular plant hopper bug (<i>flatida coccinea</i>) that feeds exclusively on the sap of a particular type of Liana that grows in the island's dry forest[1]. If any part in this network is broken, all subsequent parts will fail too in a linear domino effect.<br />
<br />
Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur, which is categorised as endangered, was first described as a distinct species in the year 2000. In the fifteen years from 1985 and 2000 approximately half of the forest in which it lives had been cleared for timber or agriculture. In some locations as much 80% of the first has gone and only a few Baobab trees remain. Another fifteen years and this species of mouse lemur could well become extinct.<br />
<br />
<b>African Giant</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This second example is more intriguing. Conservationists in Scotland know that a large population of deer can have a devastating effect on forests by overgrazing on shrubs and saplings but a study in Kenya has shown that the opposite can also be true. The investigators compared the health of the whistling thorn acacia tree (<i>acacia </i><i>drepanolobium</i>) with and without large grazing animals such as elephants and giraffes present over a ten year period[2]. Their surprising conclusion was that those with the animals excluded became less healthy and grew slower. Could the animals breaking off parts of the tree stimulate new growth? Or could they be eating diseased parts?<br />
<br />
Further investigation found that ants were responsible. The tree grows hollow thorns and secretes nectar when attacked. This nectar provides an attractive food to a particular species of ant which lives in the hollow thorns and protects the tree from other parasites. When the large mammals were excluded, the trees produced less nectar and the ant colonies declined. This in turn allowed long-horned beetles to colonise the trees, creating cavities and weakening the wood thus the poor health and slower growth.<br />
<br />
So as elephants are being slaughtered at a horrendous rate by ivory poachers we should be concerned not only about the elephants but the health of the habitat as a whole and all other plants and creatures that are interrelated. Large mammals such as elephants are often thought of as an <i>indicator</i> species, a species that flourishes when the habitat is healthy but this shows that they are more than that, they are a fundamental part of that habitat and their success is required for the health of the habitat.<br />
<br />
Both of these cases warn us of the consequences of meddling with finely balanced ecosystems where small, seemingly innocuous, actions can have large unintended consequences. There are many other such relationships and gaining an understanding of them is crucial for us to take a holistic approach to conservation and to prevent further degradation and collapse of ecosystems.<br />
<br />
[1] From "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Madame_Berthe's_Mouse_Lemur#p00f818b" target="_blank">Attenborough and The Giant Egg</a>"<br />
[2] <span style="color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-align: inherit;"><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/319/5860/192.short" target="_blank">Breakdown of an Ant-Plant Mutualism Follows the Loss of Large Herbivores from an African Savanna</a>,</span><br />
<div class="cit-metadata" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
<ul class="cit-auth-list" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.5em; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="first-item" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">Todd M. Palmer</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">Maureen L. Stanton</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">Truman P. Young</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">Jacob R. Goheen</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, R</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">obert M. Pringle</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span></li>
<li class="last-item" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-last-separator" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">and </span><span class="cit-auth cit-auth-type-author" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">Richard Karban, </span></li>
</ul>
<abbr class="site-title" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Science">Science,</abbr><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-align: inherit;"> </span><span class="cit-print-date" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">11 January 2008<span class="cit-sep cit-sep-after-article-print-date" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span></span><span class="cit-vol" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">319 </span><span class="cit-issue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-before-article-issue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span>5860<span class="cit-sep cit-sep-after-article-issue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">),</span> </span><span class="cit-pages" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-first-page" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">192</span><span class="cit-sep" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">-</span><span class="cit-last-page" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">195</span><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-after-article-pages" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span><span class="cit-doi" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cit-sep cit-sep-before-article-doi" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> [DOI:</span>10.1126/science.1151579<span class="cit-sep cit-sep-after-article-doi" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">]</span></span></div>
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which was brought to my attention by the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1408703807/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1408703807&linkCode=as2&tag=ecow-21">The Naked Scientist</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=ecow-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1408703807" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-32624344345333929012013-02-20T23:53:00.000+00:002013-03-14T22:10:30.528+00:00A Commitment to Low Carbon ElectricityI received the following e-mail from <i>Greenpeace</i> on a very important topic: the UK's commitment to reducing greenhouse has emissions in electricity generation. The draft Energy Bill does not yet have such a commitment so read on to find how you can help ensure it makes it into the final bill and please spread the word:<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hi EcoWarriorMe</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This doesn’t happen every day. We have a chance to move away from dirty fossil fuels and set our country firmly on the path to a renewable, booming, low-carbon economy. In writing, by law.</blockquote>
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Want in?Good. Tell your MP to support clean electricity in the Energy Bill.</blockquote>
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A crucial ingredient of the government’s new Energy Bill was supposed to be a legally-binding target for the UK to produce almost zero carbon electricity by 2030.</blockquote>
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This would be a huge win for household bills, our planet and common sense. But George Osborne is blocking it in favour of gas; the kind you get from fracking - a process which involves pumping chemicals into the ground to fracture gas-containing rocks.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At this critical point in our history, there’s no way we want the British countryside ‘fracked’ for dirty and expensive gas instead of a clean, renewable energy boom. Write to your MP today and ask them to show support for clean electricity.</blockquote>
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This is our country’s chance to finally end our dependence on fossil fuels for electricity. The UK already has a leading edge on renewables: wind power has been growing by 50% year-on-year. [1]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Britain is now in prime position to become a world leader in the offshore wind industry. But instead Osborne and his allies are plotting to blast two-thirds of the English countryside to see their gas-fuelled nightmare come true.[2]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is not something that might yet happen in the future. This is real, it's happening now and you can do something about it. Tell your MP to support clean jobs and clean electricity now, and cut our dependence on gas and other polluting fossil fuels.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is winnable. Industry is with us: major clean energy companies like Siemens, Alstrom and Areva are lined up to invest in the UK if we get this commitment which would create thousands of jobs and get the economy going again.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is bigger than party politics. Influential members of Osborne's own party agree with us. Tim Yeo, the Conservative MP leading the rebellion against Osborne said ‘[I] will not stand by and watch the wrong decisions being made on energy policy’. Now it’s our turn to show our support.</blockquote>
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Let’s make this law do what it’s supposed to do, and change the future for our country.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thanks,</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pete & the energy team Greenpeace</blockquote>
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PS The Energy Bill will define where our electricity comes from for the next 30 years or more. Let's make sure it prioritises clean electricity over dirty, expensive gas. Tell your MP to support green jobs and clean energy now.</blockquote>
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Notes</blockquote>
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[1]“Britain's supply of green energy soars,” The Independent, 1 July 2012, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/britains-supply-of-green-energy-soars-7901917.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/britains-supply-of-green-energy-soars-7901917.html</a></blockquote>
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[2]"Fracking in the UK" Greenpeace Energydesk 30th November 2012 <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/data/infographic-fracking-backyard">http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/data/infographic-fracking-backyard</a></blockquote>
This action is also supported by the campaign group 38 Degrees who had this to say:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear EcoWarriorMe,</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Important news: we’ve got a fresh chance to scupper George Osborne’s climate-wrecking plot to boost the fossil fuel lobby. [1]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Last year, 38 Degrees members worked hard to stand up to George Osborne. We made a huge difference. [2] But in one key respect Osborne got his way: he managed to strike out a carbon-free electricity target from new draft energy laws.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But now, Tim Yeo MP, a high profile former Conservative environment minister, has tabled a vital "green jobs" amendment which would put the target back in. If we can get enough MPs to vote for this amendment, George Osborne has lost. But, most importantly, we’ll secure a huge win for our household bills, jobs and our planet.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So we need to move fast to push enough MPs to support it. Can you e-mail your MP urgently now? https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/green-amendment</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To win, we need to get around 325 MPs to vote for the amendment – it'll be close, but with enough effort we've got a real shot. The amendment already has support from key MPs from each of the major parties signed up.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
38 Degrees members, working together with green groups like Greenpeace, can make this happen. We need to work fast to make sure enough MPs support the amendment this week. Then we can work together to put extra pressure on the MPs who could swing the vote. [3]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If we get enough MPs to support Tim Yeo’s green jobs amendment now, we could be part of making sure we have a clean, thriving, low-carbon economy. But we won’t if George Osborne gets his way. And we’ll have lost our chance to end our dependence on fossil fuels for electricity. Let's not let that happen.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Are you in? Please email your MP now: <a href="https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/green-amendment">https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/green-amendment</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thanks for being involved,</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hannah, Becky, David and the 38 Degrees team</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
PS: Tim Yeo MP is calling this his "Green Jobs" amendment for a reason. Big companies like Siemens are lined up to invest in the UK - but they say need the certainty that having this target would provide. [4] Help make this happen, click here to email your MP: <a href="https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/green-amendment">https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/green-amendment</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
NOTES [1] The Guardian - Tory MP tables decarbonisation amendment to coalition’s energy bill: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/08/tory-mp-amendment-energy-bill" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/08/tory-mp-amendment-energy-bill </a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[2] Read more about what we did together here: <a href="http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/11/16/breaking-news-climate-change-decisions-being-made-now/http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/09/25/lib-dems-vote-for-tougher-climate-action/">http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/11/16/breaking-news-climate-change-decisions-being-made-now/http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2012/09/25/lib-dems-vote-for-tougher-climate-action/</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[3] Greenpeace - The battle for Britain has begun: <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/battle-britain-has-begun-20130212" target="_blank">http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/battle-britain-has-begun-20130212 </a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[4] Business Green - Green energy giants join calls for Osborne to drive green growth:<a href="http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2215243/green-energy-giants-join-calls-for-osborne-to-drive-green-growth">http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2215243/green-energy-giants-join-calls-for-osborne-to-drive-green-growth</a></blockquote>
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<b>Please support this amendment and request your MP to vote in support of it.</b><br />
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<b><br /></b><b>Related Post: <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/2030-electricity-generation-mix.html">2030 Electricity Generation Mix</a></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-85386001853595068142013-02-19T18:40:00.000+00:002013-03-14T22:30:16.080+00:00Vulpine Vulpine, Villain or Wrongly Vilified?Two headlines caught my attention this week, both about animals attacking children. One article went into the details of the attack, how an infant was <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21406854">attacked in his home</a>, had a finger bitten off which was then re-attached by surgeons and there are still doubts over whether he will regain use of his hand. The other was a much shorter article about a toddler being <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-21401475">attacked in the street</a> and suffered severe facial injuries.<br />
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The former made national headlines with follow up articles and politicians demanding action to prevent a similar incident happening again while the latter is confined to history, no one is interested in reporting on how she is recovering. What is the difference? The former attack was by a wild fox (<i>vulpine vulpine</i>) and the latter by a domestic dog.<br />
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Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has called on action to curb the number of foxes living in the city: a cull by any other name. But why not the same outcry and demands for culling pet dogs? The answer may well be related to the fact that the estimated 8 million pet dogs make their home in almost one in four UK households. That is a lot of people to speak up for them, stopping politicians taking knee-jerk action. The foxes only have a few of us tree huggers and Brian May (@DrBrianMay: <a href="http://%20http//brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssbfeb13.html#09">On Bri's Soapbox</a>) to speak up for them.<br />
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According to NHS data, 6,450 people were <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/09/dog-bite-hospital-admissions-rise">treated in hospital</a> in the year to the end of April 2012 for dog bites or strikes. In contrast, prior to this most recent case, five people have been hurt in <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rare-but-not-unprecedented-britains-worst-fox-attacks-8488712.html">four fox attacks</a> since 2002. There are about thirty times more dogs than foxes but this does not account for the far higher attack rate, especially when dog owners have a responsibility for their behaviour. Further, unlike dogs, there have been no reports of foxes killing people. Dogs are therefore a much more dangerous than foxes. I am absolutely not suggesting a cull of pet dogs but this would do more to protect people than a fox cull.<br />
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Before concluding whether foxes are the villains or are unfairly vilified, it is worth considering why more than 1 in 8 foxes live on our towns and cities. On the one hand, pressures on their habitat has driven then out of the countryside and on the other hand, our urban spaces provide an attractive habitat. Urban sprawl has paved over the countryside over the past fifty or sixty years and changes in agricultural practices led to less attractive habitats over a similar period.<br />
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The same urban sprawl provides an attractive new habitat in many respects: there is plenty of cover in gardens - under bushes and hedges, behind sheds and so on - and thanks to our wasteful and untidy habits, plenty of opportunities to scavenge food. The only down side is the presence of noisy people.<br />
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In summary, we took over their homes, invited them back in and on the rare occasion when there is conflict they are depicted as the villain. The evidence shows that they are much less of a danger to infants than domestic pets, no danger at all to older children and adults. They try to avoid contact with humans and would run away unless cornered or protecting their young.<br />
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<i>Vulpine Vulpine</i> is not the villain but unfairly and wrongly vilified to sell a few papers and score political points.<br />
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Related Post: <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-hunt.html">The Hunt</a>, On illegal fox hunting<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-60252685298046183692013-02-11T08:10:00.001+00:002013-02-19T18:40:59.059+00:00Horse TradingWe are told not to buy counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbags or DVDs from down the Barras or from e-bay because they fund <a href="http://www.fakesfundcrime.org.uk/home">criminal gangs</a> that are often involved in other unsavoury activities such as human trafficking and drug smuggling. What we aren't told is that is we keep on the straight and narrow using legitimate brands and widely respected retailers we could still unwittingly fund the same criminal gangs. As the story of the horse meat sold as beef <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/09/horsemeat-scandal-international-fraud">scandal</a> develops it is becoming clearer that that is what is happenning: Polish and Italian criminal gangs using intimidation to get the horse meat signed off as beef before exporting to traders in Cyprus and the Netherlands before reaching producers in France which then process it before finally sending it to the UK. <br />
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On reflection, it is not a surprising outcome of the way the food system works: a combination of globalisation, long supply chains and a constant pressure to reduce costs. The big four supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys) command over three quarters of the groceries market and can make or break their suppliers. If they want the price to drop, suppliers have to reduce the cost or risk going out of business, which in the horse meat case led to sourcing ingredients from further afield with less cross border accountability and traceability. <br />
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Over the coming weeks and months, as investigations continue and conclusions are drawn, new regulations may be recommended to avoid repetition but those responsible will most likely move on to a new scam.<br />
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EcoWarriorMe is of the opinion that this is only the tip of the iceberg. It is something that can be tested for and for the many people who have eaten affected products it can be a distressing time. That makes for a great story - there is a clearly defined people and it could directly affect you. The other stories that we don't hear so often are of more tangential relevance. The orangutans illegally slaughtered and their homes cleared to expand palm oil plantations for example. Not all palm oil comes from such plantations and it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern one from the other if it has been corruptly certified. Corruption and criminality can be in the supply chain of many products, whether it is illegal logging, mining, land grabs or bonded labour and we can be sure that standards of employee welfare and environmental protection are not a priority. <br />
As a consumer it is very difficult to identify what we should avoid and what is acceptable. If retailers such as the <a href="http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/ethics/">co-operative</a> which has a strong ethical and environmental policy can get caught out, how can we as individuals going to make the right choices?<br />
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We can avoid processed foods - it is harder to pass off whole foods as something else. Keeping it local can also help. When we source produce from a local farmers market, green grocers or butcher we have more confidence in its providence compared with food that has passed through numerous middle men to the big supermarkets. <br />
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In a bizarre twist to this story, it would appear that the glut in cheep horse (and donkey) meat has resulted from new laws to force horse drawn carts of Romania's roads to make way for <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/horse-meat-found-in-british-supermarkets-may-be-donkey-8489030.html" target="_blank">cars</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-82857739980472582222013-01-31T21:16:00.000+00:002013-02-19T18:41:32.208+00:00Energy from WasteWe must find alternatives to fossil fuels for our energy.<br />
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We must also tackle the huge amount of waste we send to landfill. Waste that is packed with energy.<br />
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An obvious solution would be to extract energy from the waste but it is never that simple. Energy can be extracted using different technologies such as anaerobic digestion used in some material recovery facilities or direct combustion (incineration) of the waste.<br />
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EcoWarriorMe has previously <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/food-waste.html" target="_blank">commented</a> on anaerobic digestion which produces methane gas that can be burned to produce heat, generate electricity or, in the case of CHP, both. The main criticism of this technology is that it generates demand for waste, particularly organic waste such as food.<br />
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Incineration is probably the most controversial of the technologies due to the toxins which can be emitted from the plant. In the 1980s, controversy surrounded the waste incineration plant at Bonnybridge near Falkirk which was blamed for illness in livestock which grazed locally. This was blamed on dioxins and furans emitted by the plant however the long running court case concluded that emissions were too low to cause ill health in animals or humans. Our understanding of the harm these chemicals can cause has progressed in the twenty years since this case and the conclusions may differ if the studies were repeated.<br />
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Nevertheless, the risk to health of very small concentrations of highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds emitted from incineration of municipal waste is very real. According to SEPA, there are no safe exposure limits. <br />
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Regulations limit the emissions to fairly stringent levels, for example dioxins must form less than one tenth of a thousandth of a millionth of a gramme or 0.1 nano grammes per cubic metre (0.1 ng/m 3). The waste management industry claims that technology has improved sufficiently to achieve these requirements but evidence of the plant in Dumfries does not support such a stance.<br />
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The Dargavel plant near Dumfries began commissioning in 2009 and after repeated problems, was closed in early 2011 for a year to allow design and installation of a new boiler system. This did not solve all the problems and the plant had breached limits on dioxin and furan emissions on several occasions and had omitted to inform regulators on at least one occasion. An explosion at the plant is also being investigated by the Health & Safety Executive. The technology is not proven.<br />
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In addition to the dioxins, there have been 200 emission exceedances and dozens of complaints about noise and the plant has accepted waste out with permitted working hours. The amount of electricity generated is also way below expectations.<br />
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Yesterday, Glasgow City Council <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-21246843" target="_blank">approved</a> plans by Viridor for a new waste to energy incinerator at Polmadie within the city of boundary. Despite many objections to the plant located in a densely populated area the approval seemed a formality with, apparently, the local councilor being prevented from addressing the planning committee. This is not surprising considering it is a key part of the councils strategy to reduce the quantity of waste going to landfill. The council currently has the lowest recycling rate in Scotland and probably the worst of any comparable city in Europe so it plans to burn the waste instead.<br />
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The scheme locks Glasgow into generating waste for the next twenty five years to feed the plant with, we understand, financial penalties if sufficient waste is not provided thus thwarting efforts t use resources more sustainably. It also threatens the city's already poor air quality and the health of people in one of the most sickly cities in Europe.<br />
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Glasgow - the Dear Green Place, Canditate city for European Green Capital. Just don't ask about the Zero Waste policy.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-25560722320801791102013-01-16T00:09:00.002+00:002013-02-19T18:40:43.176+00:00The HuntYou know how it ends. The bloody and torn carcass, ripped apart by dogs and barely recognisable as the fox it so recently was, fresh blood on the snout of the most successful hounds and riders pleased with a successful hunt.<br />
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It is illegal of course, and has been since 2005 when The Hunting Act, 2004 came into effect. But that hasn't stopped it and the reaction of many associated with the hunt do not appear to accept that the law applies to them. Between 2005 and 2010 there have been only eight convictions of employees of registered hunts. Why is the number so low? Is it because the Act is effective and hunts are no longer killing foxes or is it because the authorities are turning a blind eye?<br />
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Even when hunts do obey the law and follow an artificially laid scent trail rather than live quarry, the dogs can not be controlled if they catch a live scent. It is not unknown for the dogs to maul <a href="http://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/local/hunt-dogs-savage-family-pet-1-4056563" target="_blank">family pets</a> when they stray into gardens. These cases appear to be treated as "accidents" caused by careless pet owners allowing their animals to go outside when a hunt is on and are rarely prosecuted as animal cruelty.<br />
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In the recent case of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20761226" target="_blank">Heythrop Hunt</a>, where the local worthies are known to rub shoulders with Prime Minister David Cameron, one has to question why the police and Crown Prosecution Service failed to investigate and prosecute the hunt. It was left to the RSPCA, a charity, to successfully prosecute the Hunt and two individuals for hunting illegally on four separate occasions in 2011 and 2012 at a reported cost to the charity of £326,000. Those prosecuted were find £6,800 and ordered to pay less than £20,000 in expenses.<br />
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Rather than accepting their fate, the guilty parties attacked the RSPCA, accusing it of waging an unjustified vendetta against hunting. This judge also made comment on the cost of the case, questioning whether the use of funds for this purpose was what donors had intended and implying that it would have been better to leave the hunt to carry on breaking the law. A group of MPs and peers, no doubt the same ones trying to repeal the Hunting Act, have also written to the Charity Commission suggesting that an animal welfare charity may have broken charity rules for taking action against people guilty of animal cruelty. It beggars belief.<br />
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The reasons given for repealing the Hunting Act include that it is part of the traditional way of life in the countryside, something townies won't understand and that it is necessary to control the population of foxes and protect livestock. These claims can not really be justified as only 20,000 people in England and Wales participate in hunts, according to research carried out for Lord Burn's inquiry into hunting with dogs, which preceded The Hunting Act, and the same research found that hunting with dogs accounted for around 5% of fox deaths. <br />
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Is it not strange that the same party of MPs are so concerned about rural traditions that they have tried to privatise our national forests and are even now trying to reform planning laws to make it easier for rural landowners to rip up their fields and build housing on a grand scale? No, not really its true to form for politicians that want to enjoy their blood sports and cash in on a depressed housing market (=cheap builders) rather than trying to deal with the problems that led to 128,000 people relying on emergency food banks in the past year..<br />
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In the short term we should support the <a href="http://www.rspca.org.uk/urgent" target="_blank">RSPCA</a>'s decision to prosecute the Heythrop Hunt but we should also make clear to our own MPs our opposition repealing the Hunting Act. A free vote is expected in the Commons sometime before the next general election in 2015.</div>
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The first was from Tuesdays Glasgow Evening Times:<br />
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<a href="http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/save-water-plea-after-wet-summer-103189n.19030149" target="_blank">Save water plea ... after wet summer</a><br />
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It was about Scottish Water's recently launched campaign to encourage people to save water. The reason for this campaign is not a shortage of water but a drive to save energy in treatment and pumping of the water. While I do support any measures that we can take to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, I feel that this is Scottish Water trying to pass the responsibility on to the public rather than dealing with their own wasteful inefficiencies. They lose more water through leakage than the total domestic consumption, as noted <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/water-saving-in-maritime-climate.html" target="_blank">here</a>, so whatever individuals do to save a little bit of water is nothing compared with the amount leaking from pipes. The volume of water lost through leakage will not reduce even if the volume used by consumers is reduced significantly, in fact it may increase as the pressure in the system would increase (leakage is higher at night when water demand reduces for this very reason). <br />
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This brings me on to the second headline, from Dundee's Courier:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Dundee/article/25157/void-the-size-of-a-double-decker-bus-under-main-dundee-street.html" target="_blank">'Void the size of a double decker bus' under main Dundee street</a><br />
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A large void was discovered below Albert Street, a major road in to Dundee, after a pothole opened up last weekend. The void has been caused by an undetected leaking water main, the water from which has scoured the soil from beneath the road surfacing resulting in a dangerous situation. It is fortunate that nobody was injured when the road began to collapse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t3SG-uSN88jxqfmZqLWz1HH6mlBt8ngdfNFYwZhlMh1mhGQiqilFOMDgUOFujkroRq5d-Nmc0wCF1JthUy1EK06wpREhMKrk64D_TNQ6mMOQONfYrT70G7wsnw9VlpOr6SqmrEyZdKQ/s1600/photo_22178_wide_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t3SG-uSN88jxqfmZqLWz1HH6mlBt8ngdfNFYwZhlMh1mhGQiqilFOMDgUOFujkroRq5d-Nmc0wCF1JthUy1EK06wpREhMKrk64D_TNQ6mMOQONfYrT70G7wsnw9VlpOr6SqmrEyZdKQ/s320/photo_22178_wide_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Void below Albert Street, from The Courier</td></tr>
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We do not know how long the pipe here has been leaking and how much treated water has leaked out but that isn't the biggest issue. The bigger issue in this case is the consequential impact. The collapse happened on a main road with high traffic flows which will be temporarily diverted on to secondary streets that are less well suited to buses and HGVs. The additional carbon emissions caused by the ensuing congestion are likely to be much higher than the carbon emissions wasted by the leaking water, however, these emission will not be considered as part Scottish Water's total emissions from providing potable water. If the leakage had been detected earlier, the extent of road repairs would be less and repair of the main could be planned to take place during a quiet period, with only part of the road closed and with a suitable series of diversionary routes which would mitigate the effects of the leak.<br />
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If Scottish Water seriously wants to reduce their carbon footprint they need to get their own house in order by improving leakage detection with a follow up repair programme. In the meantime, you can help them out by turning the tap off when you brush your teeth - shaving perhaps a whole kilogramme of your annual carbon footprint, less than 1/10 000th of the typical UK carbon footprint!<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-17259989116821084262012-09-27T08:55:00.000+01:002012-11-10T17:15:26.555+00:00Martyr or MugIt’s early. 5:45 AM to be precise. I have a large paper cup of coffee in front of me with one of those dastardly plastic lids. The ones that jettison steaming hot coffee up your sleeve when you walk. Looking to my left, out of the window, I see the lights of the still sleeping city rumble by. Full of people snuggled up in bed, still in their own personal dreamland: dreaming of past glories and future ambitions, subconsciously sifting through the meaning of life. I should be there too.<br />
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Now I look forward. I see a long and wearisome day ahead. Two days ago, my presence was requested, nay, demanded, at a meeting in London later this morning. Other commitments yesterday and tomorrow mean that I must travel there and back again in a day so I’m on the day’s first Virgin train service out of Glasgow. I hope to arrive 400 miles away in London in four and a half hours.<br />
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I thought long and hard about how to travel. Whether to go for the speed of flying versus the slower but greener train, eventually opting for the train despite the ungodly hour of departure. And while almost everyone else sleeps on I ponder whether I’m being a martyr to the environmental cause or just a mug making a meaningless gesture; a misplaced idealist or true eco warrior. <br />
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I have read articles in the press and on blogs by journalists and individuals writing about how much they have managed to reduce their carbon footprint, pointing out that they have ignored the thousands of airmiles they have collected on business trips: that is work therefore not in my personal control therefore I can ignore it. To me this is a cop out - if we need to be in a certan place for a certain time we can choose how to travel. The expectation may be that we fly but we can challenge that for domestic trips. There may be no other travel options for longer trips but are there other options that avoid traveling, such as video conferencing? <br />
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Planes are not all that inefficient at carrying people about, the problem is the ease with which we can travel long distances. If every passenger on a plane made the same journey by a relatively inefficient car, the total fossil fuel consumption would be similar, but if the planes didn’t fly, not everyone would drive (some are travelling in groups and would share, others would take the train or coach and some wouldn’t make the journey at all) and burning fuel at a high altitude causes two to three times the global warming effect. All the figures suggest that the train is a much greener option but this morning I’m beginning to wonder. By choosing the train rather than the plane will not stop the plane flying and the amount of fuel used does not vary greatly between flying empty and flying full. If I had flown the carbon emissions per passenger would have dropped.<br />
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The train would also run regardless of whether I used it and, similar to the plane, most of the energy is used to move the train rather than the passengers. Although trains are, on average, an efficient way to move people about, I don’t think this morning’s train is very efficient. For the first hundred miles (Glasgow to Carlisle) I shared a 60 seat carriage with three other people, two or three first class carriages were completely empty when I passed minutes before departure and other carriages had only a handful of people. I guess that the train was running at 5-10% of seating capacity. With the train this empty I really do wonder if flying would be the more environmentally friendly option at this time of day. <br />
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I suspect it is not as simple as this: the train will get busier as the journey progresses and this train set may have been busy last night when it came north. I also expect the return journey this afternoon to be busier. I think the 5:40 departure is just too much for Glaswegians – there are very few options for getting in to the station for that time. There is no car parking at the station, unlike the airport, most public transport hasn’t started so that leaves taxis which are expensive forr anything but short journeys.<br />
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Given that both would run regardless of my choice, does my decision make any difference? That is the big question on my mind. I don't think a single decision by an individual makes a difference. We need lots of small decisions from lots of people for it to be meaningful. If you are reading this, I hope you will make the right decision.<br />
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The coffee is finished now and I’m left with a plastic lid that will hang around a landfill site for a hundred years or more, all for a few minutes convenience.<br />
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It’s not easy being green.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit https://ecowarriorme.blogspot.com/
Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-16684217654205637832012-09-20T20:17:00.002+01:002012-09-29T09:16:18.061+01:00The Changing SeasonsThere was a nip in the air this weekend as the season begins to change and, if we needed it, a timely <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/dont-get-angry-get-more-energy-smart-8142222.html" target="_blank">article</a> in this Sunday's Independent serves as a reminder of some of the things we can do to save energy over the autumn and winter. The ten suggestions from the Independent are summarised below with some comments and a few other suggestions of my own:<br />
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1. Small changes - with emphasis on energy saving lightbulbs: Incandescent light bulbs are no longer available for domestic use so we should all be using low energy bulbs now or in the near future.<br />
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2. Efficient heating - ensure your radiators are working effectively and aren't blocked by furniture. Upgrading your boiler is also suggested but this can be a significant financial investment. The savings from upgrading your boiler depend on how inefficient the old one was and there may be other more cost effective energy saving investments.<br />
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3. Keep the heat in - draught proofing, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing all help to keep in heat but are progressively more expensive and take longer to pay back the savings. If you live in Glasgow you may qualify for free insulation through the <a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Business/Housing/HousingStrategy/FuelPoverty/Homeinsulationscheme.htm" target="_blank">Home Insulation Scheme</a>, which is funded through the Scottish Government's <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/warmhomes/uhis" target="_blank">Universal Home Insulation Scheme</a>. Other schemes may operate where you live. STOP PRESS: Some links here to free insulation schemes for all, subject to conditions: <a href="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation#freeforall">http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation#freeforall</a>, via <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEcoExperts" target="_blank">@TheEcoExperts</a>. Also see item 11 below for more.<br />
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4. Stay in control - use room thermostats on radiators and avoid cranking up the temperature. Also plan when you need warmth and hot water and set the controls to come on when you need them.<br />
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5. Monitor your behaviour - energy monitors are suggested but you can take regular readings manually or identify the hungriest appliances and keep an eye on how much you use them.<br />
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6. A greener kitchen - when replacing appliances go for more efficient models but without a big outlay there are numerous savings that can be made: only use the dishwasher/washing machine/tumble dryer when you have full loads, put lids on pots when cooking and keep the fridge door closed. For more on the kitchen, see item 12 below.<br />
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7. A greener roof - install solar panels: this is a big investment requiring careful consideration of the actual energy savings you may achieve and should only really be considered after other energy saving options have been implemented. Solar thermal panels may give a better return in carbon terms than photo-voltaic panels but they don't benefit from preferential Feed In Tarrifs.<br />
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8. Air source heat pumps - works a bit like a fridge in reverse taking heat from outside and concentrating it inside. the run on electricity but give out more energy as heat than they consume from electricity. The downside is that the heat is relatively low temperature and is best suited to underfloor heating or room radiators with a large surface area. Significant disruptive work would therefore be required for this option. The Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme may offer a grant towards installation.<br />
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9. Water efficiency - using a water butt or installing a grey water recycling system are both suggested, neither if which saves much energy, certainly none from your domestic energy bills, as explained <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/water-saving-in-maritime-climate.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but more efficient use of hot water will make a difference.<br />
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10. Furnish the green way - again this does nothing to reduce your domestic energy bills; it can reduce your overall carbon footprint and reduce waste, but by a relatively small amount compared to what can be achieved through more routine activities.<br />
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The full Independent article, <i><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/dont-get-angry-get-more-energy-smart-8142222.html" target="_blank">Don't get angry, get more energy smart</a></i>, also includes some approximate figures for cost savings but these are general may be way out for your situation.<br />
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Another few ideas for things that you can easily do at no great expense to make your house greener and more energy efficient:<br />
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11. Curtains - Even draught free windows lose heat - between 4 and 5 times as much as the same area of wall on a modern well insulated house - but a set of heavy curtains or blackout blinds (or both) will trap a volume of air between the room and the glass, significantly reducing heat loss. However, if your radiator is below the window you need to ensure that the heat isn't going up behind the curtains and out of the window. Closing them as darkness falls and the external temperature drops will save you energy. If the outside temperature is very low, 15-20 degrees Celsius less than inside, you would save more energy by closing the curtains during the day and using a low energy bulb for lighting, although it could become depressing and is not recommended. On sunny days, make sure the curtains are open on any windows that face the sun to get some free heating!<br />
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12. Set up camp in the kitchen - a room for cooking, eating and catching up with family on the day's events. In the evenings we make the most of "waste" heat from cooking and the tumble dryer if its on and use the kitchen as the main room for doing homework and socialising.<br />
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13. Invest in some warm clothes - woolly jumpers or fleeces (made from recycled plastic bottles?) and thick socks will let us turn the thermostat down a couple of degrees without significant discomfort.<br />
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There are plenty of things that can be done to reduce our energy consumption - some are free, some need a little investment of time, planning or money and some are major undertakings - and there is always room for improvement.<br />
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It would be fantastic to hear what you are doing to prepare your home for a greener less energy intense and more sustainable winter.<br />
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Follow @EcoWarriorMe on Twitter</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375098079570545114.post-53438547792785850382012-09-11T20:57:00.002+01:002012-09-20T20:18:29.306+01:00Clyde Fastlink - A Revolution in Public TransportThe problems with delivery of Edinburgh's new tram system has been well reported in the media, mostly because of the disruption caused by the works, its immense price tag and lengthy delays but Glasgow's bold new transport initiative has grabbed a lot less headlines, probably because of its more modest price tag and, more likely, due to its spectacular lack of impact on the city.<br />
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This is the Clyde Fastlink. It is a Bus Rapid Transit scheme which will run mostly on existing roads. It doesn't need rails like a tram system and is therefore flexible and can be diverted to allow for roadworks or dangerous buildings. On the downside, it will not be much better than any other bus: there may be a few locations where it will have a dedicated carriageway and it will have priority signalling at junctions but the same can be done with normal buses.<br />
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According to the City Council:<br />
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<i>The Clyde waterfront has undergone a massive transformation in recent years with £80 million of investment underway or completed in the past twelve months. This has dramatically changed the skyline and has placed greater pressure on our roads and transport services. To help influence the travel patterns of these new developments before they become established a good public transport system is required on the north bank of the Clyde. Glasgow City Council has drawn up proposals for a new public transport system for the Clyde Corridor, which will not only provide better access to the new employment, leisure and retail facilities but will also help tackle increased traffic congestion and pollution in the city centre.</i></blockquote>
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<i>Clyde Fastlink will be a “state of the art” public transport system running a six minute interval service from the city centre along the northern bank of the River Clyde, via the International Financial Services District, SECC, and the new Transport Museum, terminating at the west end of Glasgow Harbour. The public transport vehicle will provide an experience offering many of the benefits of a tram without the rails embedded in the ground.</i></blockquote>
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<i>From Glasgow Harbour to the eastern end of Broomielaw, the system will be almost fully segregated from the existing road network, running on its own private section. Two-way sections will be provided for this length of the route, with the exception of a short section on Broomielaw at Lancefield flats where it will be on-street due to land constraint. In the city centre section it runs in a clockwise one-way loop passing below Glasgow Central at the “Heilanmans Umbrella” and sharing the network with all other traffic, but running on bus lanes where possible to minimise delay.</i></blockquote>
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For those unfamiliar with the area, this will effectively be parallel to an existing rail service which runs every 10 minutes from Glasgow Central Station to the SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) with a journey time of 4 minutes to cover approximately 1 mile. No amount of bus lanes and priority signalling is going to beat that time. There is also another interim station, Anderston, which serves the far end of the International Financial Services District and the next stop, Partick, serves the new Transport Museum and is an interchange with the subway, train lines going to Queen Street Station and local bus services. <br />
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There does not seem a very good case for the Fastlink.<br />
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Consultation on the scheme began in 2005 with the aim of having an operational scheme by late 2007. Five years on there is very little to see on the ground. There is a rather impressive tree lined strip of asphalt that extends for a whopping 400m (1/4 mile) along the Broomielaw, which was completed in 2009 at a cost of £17 million and was used for a time as an unofficial car park before double yellow lines were painted. It has never seen a bus. It has no bus stops. But it is a nice smooth ride on a bike.<br />
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One could be forgiven for thinking that the scheme has been dropped, but no it is still alive although the ambitions for the scheme have changed. Perhaps the council has realised that there are limited benefits to running parallel with existing public transport infrastructure. Now the scheme will be a dedicated route to the SECC then crossing the river to Govan and the Southern General Hospital, where it will serve "huge numbers of patients, visitors and 10,000 staff." The five mile journey from the city centre to the hospital currently takes 30-40 minutes with buses every 10 minutes. This is no worse than many buses elsewhere in the city, which presumably the same patients, visitors and staff would use to connect with the Fastlink service. Wouldn't it be better to create radial routes around the city, reducing the numbers of people and buses needlessly going through the city centre.<br />
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A £40 million budget has been allocated to develop the route which should be operational by 2015. This budget does not cover the cost of the buses which will be provided, timetabled and operated by a private transport operator, most likely First Bus which already has such a poor record of operating the majority of the city's bus routes.<br />
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The scheme strikes me as a lot of cost for very little impact on traffic, congestion and air quality in the city but it would appear to be the only significant project in the Council's plans, with the exception of works related to the Commonwealth Games. In fact, in this year's <a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/glasgow-council-elections-2012-public.html">council elections</a>, Fastlink was the only policy supported by all the main parties and the only policy from any of them that had any substance. Air quality is a particular <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/environment/revealed-traffic-fumes-safety-limits-set-to-be-breached.1330830213?_=2b240188151d9510d2cadbc9e037e53d41f2dd10">problem </a>which urgently needs tackled now, not by a marginal scheme coming in to operation in three years time. The council do not appear to have any plan to improve air quality. If we could reduce air pollution, we could reduce the number of people that need to go to the Southern General with respiratory problems.<br />
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Meanwhile, as we patiently wait for the next bus, we can watch the cars go by the set of <i>The Fast and the Furious 6</i>, which is being filmed across from the dedicated Fastlink lane on the Broomielaw this week. The Fastlink lane, in the foreground, is being used by lighting and camera rigs at night and the building opposite is a plywood mock-up that was built in little over a week.<br />
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At least Hollywood is benefiting from the council's investment, but unfortunately not for a movie that encourages responsible car use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeTcnqUTIFxk5TW5wUyXoeWOl_hHV0Ulc6-MzIk_okdFFEZ1iwM-tZMLTZKIHc8yM9k2Z49L_4PSSBt2hKoRWlrIm6RhNoDgjb8PARJ6jX1g2HnjmHW067PyEtqJ3HWs9mkQzKTy9aRo/s1600/2012-09-07+13.01.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeTcnqUTIFxk5TW5wUyXoeWOl_hHV0Ulc6-MzIk_okdFFEZ1iwM-tZMLTZKIHc8yM9k2Z49L_4PSSBt2hKoRWlrIm6RhNoDgjb8PARJ6jX1g2HnjmHW067PyEtqJ3HWs9mkQzKTy9aRo/s400/2012-09-07+13.01.09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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PS The glass facade has now been smashed and there is an upturned car inside.<br />
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Related Links:<br />
The original scheme from Glasgow City Council<br />
<a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/354DF8D9-AE18-4952-9BB3-F5500FD89D0E/0/clydemapfull.pdf">http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/354DF8D9-AE18-4952-9BB3-F5500FD89D0E/0/clydemapfull.pdf</a>
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The Current Scheme:<br />
<a href="http://www.clydewaterfront.com/projects/clyde-wide/clyde_fastlink">http://www.clydewaterfront.com/projects/clyde-wide/clyde_fastlink</a>
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<a href="http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/projects/fastlink/">http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/projects/fastlink/</a>
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Related Posts:<br />
<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/glasgow-council-elections-2012-public.html">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/glasgow-council-elections-2012-public.html</a>
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<a href="http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/broomielaw.html">http://ecowarriorme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/broomielaw.html</a>
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