United Kingdom - September 8
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Brown vows freedom from oil dictatorship
AFP, Sydney Morning Herald
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has vowed to "free Britain from the dictatorship of oil" and promised his government would protect voters feeling the pinch as he stepped up his political fightback.
In a speech to business leaders in his native Scotland, Brown sought to reassure voters that the beleaguered Labour government would shield them from the effects of the global credit crunch and rising oil and food prices.
He unveiled a strategy to wean Britain off oil, and despite finance minister Alistair Darling's bleak assessment that current economic conditions were the worst for 60 years, insisted he was "cautiously optimistic" about the British economy.
(5 September 2008)
Suggested by Big Gav, who adds:
Mind you - aiming at a "20 per cent reduction in the amount of oil used per unit of output by 2020" is a pretty feeble target - especially given that Britain will likely see a significant drop in oil consumption by 2020, regardless of government policy.
How food waste can power your home
BBC Online
The government is considering building a host of new "biowaste" plants in towns and cities across England which turn food waste into energy.
It follows a number of successful schemes - one of which is in Ludlow, Shropshire.
But where should they be built, what about smells and does the idea really work?...
(5 September 2008)
When the wind doesn't blow
Simon Cox, BBC Online
By 2020, more than a third of Britain's electricity will be generated by wind power, according to government plans. One problem - six out of 10 days aren't windy enough to make sufficient power. So what happens then?
On a clear summer's day the Horns Rev wind farm off the coast of Denmark could almost double as a tourist attraction. Watching the rows of 200 foot white steel turbines turning gently in the wind, occasionally catching the afternoon sun is beautiful, almost hypnotic.
To see it properly you need a helicopter, as it's in the middle of the North Sea. I had hitched a ride with Bent Johansen, who manages the operations of Danish turbines for the energy company, Vattenfall. For him the future of wind is off-shore.
(4 September 2008)
Environment Minister Sammy Wilson: climate change views are "hysterical psuedo-religion"
BBC
Wilson row over green 'alarmists'
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The Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has angered green campaigners by describing their view on climate change as a "hysterical psuedo-religion".
In an article in the News Letter, Mr Wilson said he believed it occurred naturally and was not man-made.
"Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it," said the minister.
Peter Doran of the Green Party said it was a "deeply irresponsible message."
Mr Wilson said he refused to "blindly accept" the need to make significant changes to the economy to stop climate change.
"The tactic used by the "green gang" is to label anyone who dares disagree with their view of climate change as some kind of nutcase who denies scientific fact," he said.
The minister said he accepted climate change can occur, but does not believe the cause has been identified.
(5 September 2008)
Sammy Wilson on Wiki.
This is the Environment Minister of the Northern Irish Assembley-SO
Wilson's op-ed piece in the Belfast News Leader: Debate must replace scaremongering of green climate alarmists.
