EcoWarriorMe

A book and a wind-up torch. During Earth Hour, I learned the following: The origin of apples; A little about the last few months of Leon Trotsky’s life before being exiled; 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); And, thanks to @glasgow_kat, that petrochemical candles have much higher emissions than an electric light. 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...

I received the following e-mail from Greenpeace 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:

It’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. 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. I thought long and hard about how to travel. Whether to go for the speed of flying versus the slower but greener train, eve...

I am fortunate to live in an area blessed with a plentiful supply of water.  Our maritime climate is driven by moist air coming in from the Atlantic Ocean, heated by the Gulf Stream.  The air cools as it rises over the mountains and loses its excess moisture as rain. Loch Katrine in the Trossachs has supplied the city of Glasgow with clean fresh drinking water for over a century and a half thanks to the work of the Victorian engineer John Frederick Bateman . When we have such an abundance of water there is little pressure to save water and you may be thought daft for even suggesting it but are there wider environmental benefits of reducing water consumption here?

Why is it so hard to get people motivated on climate change? When it came to the hole in the ozone layer, people stopped buying deodorant with CFCs, manufacturers changed to less harmful propellants, international agreements were signed and now the chemicals most detrimental to atmospheric ozone have been effectively consigned to the history books.  By stopping CFCs entering the atmosphere, further increases in the size of the ozone hole are prevented, the atmospheric CFCs are relatively short lived and the results can be measured. When out became apparent that the trade in ivory posed a very real threat to the survival of elephants and rhinoceros, campaigns to end the trade led to formation of CITES and a significant international effort to prevent poaching. It is still not a perfect system but out has made a significant difference and there is a much greater awareness of the consequence of buying produce derived from endangered species. By reducing demand through education a...

After a relaxing weekend by the seaside, away from television and internet, I have returned to find a busy News weekend and here is a round up of the stories catching my attention: BBC News - Global carbon emissions reach record, says IEA  - disappointing, but if the global economy is to grow using the established economic models, it is inevitable. This highlights the enormity of the changes that are required to decouple our economy and prosperity from carbon. BBC News - Germany: Nuclear power plants to close by 2022  - bold decision, but how will the industrial bedrock of Germany's economy cope with increasing reliance on renewable energy? The country has limited coastline for marine renewables so will be limited to wind energy, or solar in the south.  Will fossil fuel use increase as nuclear is phased out, or will the German grid simply import nuclear base load from France? BBC News - France expands nuclear power plans despite Fukushima  -...

I read a paper recently which examined the possible UK electricity generation  mix by 2030 and whether it could achieve the required carbon reduction targets.  The aim of the paper was to consider the extreme conditions faced by the electricity grid with different energy mixes. The target for carbon reduction for the UK is 80% of 1990 levels by 2050.  In order to meet this it is necessary to reduce carbon emissions arising from electricity generation from the current value of 560 gCO2/kWh (CCC, 2008) to 70 gCO2/kWh by 2030.   Two scenarios were modeled to assess whether this could be achieved: one with a high penetration of renewable energy, predominantly wind power, and the other with a high proportion of renewable energy, tidal energy from a Severn Barrage, Carbon Capture and Storage schemes on 80% of coal and gas power stations and an increase of approximately 20% in nuclear generation. The authors found that only the latter option cou...

Last week saw a stunning landslide victory for the Scottish National Party in elections to the Scottish Parliament, achieving an overall majority; the first party to do so since inception of the Parliament in 1999.  This removes a key barrier to implementing policies leaving no excuse for failure. The SNP election manifesto is big on environmental pledges, including promoting green heat, reducing fuel poverty, reducing waste and increasing renewable energy.  In fact, its ambition for renewable energy is one of the boldest I've seen: 100% of renewable electricity by 2020. An extract from the Manifesto is shown below: So, 100% of electricity from renewable sources within 9 years.  This requires a factor of 4 increase in generation from the current 25-30%, or perhaps more achievable a doubling of electricity generation combined  with a halving of consumption.  Even then it is ambitious, so how can it be achieved? The extra generation is anticipated to come fro...

There have been no fatalities yet as a result of the explosions and resulting radiation leaks at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant, although some of the heroic workers have been injured. Compare this with he death toll from the 11th March 2011 earthquake and tsunami which is sitting at over 14,000, with a further 13,000 still listed as missing; it is likely that the final death toll will exceed 25,000. Even so, this is only a tenth of the number killed in the earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck in the Indian Ocean on the 26th of December 2004. Why then are we so obsessed by the fate of the nuclear plant rather than about all those others who perished from a nasty trick of nature, or all those displaced and struggling to scratch an existence? On the 25th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, in which 56 people died as a direct result of radiation exposure, the anti-nuclear lobby has hit fever pitch. Official estimates by the Chernobyl Forum, a group which includes ...

By switching off electrical appliances rather than putting them on standby could save the average British  household £37 per year, that is around 3-4% of the average annual domestic electricity consumption. But what is this in terms of overall energy consumption? The   average   electricity consumption is   4,800 kWh per household The  average  UK annual gas consumption is 16,000 kWh per household Carbon emissions for electricity are typically 0.55kg CO2/kWh giving 2640kg/year. Carbon emissions for gas are typically 0.185kg CO2/kWh giving 2960kg/year. Giving a total of 5600kg So a generous 4% saving on electricity (105kg) results in a total saving of 1.9%.  Domestic energy consumption accounts for around 30% of overall UK energy consumption therefore if EVERYONE makes this saving that will result in a total reduction in carbon emissions of around 0.5%.  In reality, many people will not take implement this change, more appliances will ...