... and so it begins

[lancashire lass]

Not everyone agrees with climate change (some will argue the current global warming is all part of a natural process despite the correlation of rising CO2 emissions over the past couple of 100 years and rising temperatures) But all those big green ideas are also now starting to crumble in the wake of funding and costs.

I understand the need for the UK to have energy security by looking at the North Sea oil and gas reserves - the Ukraine-Russian conflict was surely a wake up call as to where the UK actually got its gas and oil from (and look greener than it actually was) - and the need to ensure the UK are not put in a position of considering blackouts in future due to shortage. What I don't understand is why the renewable options are not getting more attention.

And then there's the car industry - the 2030 deadline to stop sale of new cars with combustion engines is looking like it may get extended. And apparently cars don't cause air pollution in cities and children are not getting more respiratory illness living or going to school near busy roads anymore. Diesel is one of the worst pollutants I can think of, but let's keep on selling vehicles that use it.

[Mo]

Politics is all about the short term. Especially with our First Past the Post system.
We need long term thinking but won't get it.

[lancashire lass]

Politics is all about the short term. Especially with our First Past the Post system.
We need long term thinking but won't get it.

you are so right. On the one hand it needs governments (globally) to put things into place but the moment it (as in, anything about climate change and changes needed) becomes a political issue, then those political parties change their minds.

It did not go unnoticed that as well as announcing the new oil and gas licences, the carbon capture project was also announced (suggesting that will off-set the carbon dioxide released by the new fossil fuels) My argument is why can't all power stations have a carbon capture scheme in place - what is so special with that one in Scotland?

[Trev62]

Unfortunately I have not the time tonight to add too much but for all the dire warnings concerning global warming/climate change or whatever they call it now it should be set against what countries are doing with Geoengineering. Geoengineering projects have expanded from some 300 in 2012, to more than 1,700 in 2023, interfering with the natural weather as many of these projects do are bound to have a detrimental and long term effect on our planet.

[Meanqueen]

All the talk about offsetting is ridiculous. Transferring carbon emissions from one industry to another is just an excuse to get round the rules. Another money making scheme. It's all about money. The little people pay more taxes so the rich people can live in luxury. They will still swan around in their private jets and limo's while we are locked into our 15 minute cities. The fear machine trundles on.

[Mo]

Sorry. I have accidentally lost the first half of MQ's post.

[Meanqueen]

Sorry. I have accidentally lost the first half of MQ's post.

That's ok. I am having conversations about the current situation in other places. All it does is to provoke nasty and insulting comments from those who gain pleasure in pulling my words to pieces. Within a few minutes of me posting that here, I got a sarcastic comment on my blog. Someone is following me around the different platforms. The more they do it, the more I will speak out.

ilona

[Mo]

I was trying to quote and agree that the rich do what they like and expect us to follow their rules while they get richer.

Though I do think we (or our children) have plenty to fear from climate change.

[Mo]

You might think that that the rich act in their own interests so we should distrust everything they say. My view is that one of the things they say is denying climate change so that they can keep on making money.

[lancashire lass]

Another environmental disaster waiting to happen is deep sea mining.

Most mining has been on land (and we all know how destructive that has been to the landscape / toxic by-products of refining) With promoting electric vehicles to replace carbon emitting fuels, many of the precious metals needed for electric cars can be found on deep sea beds. The problem is the method of retrieving the nodules that have formed over millions of years - using dredging (raking the top surface of the sediment which contains small animals that feed on detritus in the oceans) to collect as much as possible. Life in the deep seas is much slower so any damage to the environment will take many years to recover.

[lancashire lass]

BBC news

Summary

- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pushed back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035
- Sunak says he still expects that by 2030 "the vast majority" of cars will be electric, because of improving technology
- He also says there will be "far more time" to transition from gas boilers to heat pumps
- A boiler upgrade scheme, which gives people cash grants, will be increased by 50% to £7,500
- And there is a new exemption for people in the poorest households, "so they never have to switch at all"
- He says he remains committed to net zero by 2050 but wants to "bring people with us"
- The aim of net zero is for the UK to take out of the atmosphere as many greenhouse gas emissions as it puts in

Somehow I'm not surprised by the announcement yesterday. Before the announcement, you could still drive your old car or use your old boiler past the original 2030 deadline (and replace with second hand) so only affected the new purchases. So how is extending the deadline to 2035 helping households - if you are already financially restrained, you are less likely to replace with a new model anyway? On the plus side, the boiler upgrade scheme has increased the cash grant ... but as always, it is not guaranteed for everyone (I had a quick peek on the gov.uk site - before even thinking of replacing to a heat pump, you need to have your house insulated and this alone can cost several £1000s to do)

The real problem is the infrastructure and that is not something householders can do anything about - there is a serious lack of recharging points for electric cars (apart from the odd one here and there, I haven't seen anything around where I live to give me confidence of buying an electric car) And the renewable energy units have yet to be connected to the national grid.

Thankfully the Lords blocked the government's plans to relax the restrictions on water pollution to encourage housebuilding. I understand the need for more housebuilding (because there is a dire shortage and that's why property prices and rental charges are going off the scale) but again, the lack of investment and infrastructure is to blame. And that was announced AFTER current sewage pollution of rivers and beaches ... yet another quick fix idea to one problem and not taking the long term impact into account.