Brief Response to the UK Government’s “Net-Zero” Proposal
Whilst in many respects I welcome the headline framing of the Government’s “net-zero” proposal, sift amongst the detail and all is far from rosy
Energy featured
Reinventing the Small Wind Turbine
Small wooden wind turbines offer additional benefits that are inherent to all decentralised power sources. The fact that they’re paid for by the same people that enjoy their benefits, increases their public acceptance.
Climate Politics/Capitol Light (8)
Reliance on natural gas as the bridge to a zero-carbon economy carries the problem of building out an infrastructure that serves only to maintain reliance on a fossil fuel. Once companies sink their money into the buildout, they are not going to go gently into that good night.
The “Transformation Points” towards Decarbonisation
For the past two years, the Climate Action Tracker has been producing a series of memos that look at the decarbonisation required in high-emitting sectors to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C warming limit.
We must Mobilise for the Climate Emergency like we Do in Wartime. Where is the Climate Minister?
Littleproud arguably has the most crucial and important role in cabinet. How to convince his colleagues of the real climate disasters which now confront this country, and particularly the agricultural sector, unless we rapidly move away from our fossil fuel past.
Climate Politics/Capitol Light (7)
Political lobbying in the US that helped block the progress of proposed climate regulation a decade ago led to a social cost of $60 billion, according to a new study.
Trump Admin Argues No Constitutional Right to a Safe Climate Two Years After Ditching Paris Accord
The 21 youth plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States allege that the government’s role in perpetuating a fossil fuel energy system despite knowledge of the climate consequences amounts to violations of their constitutional rights.
Who, or What, Will Stop the Battle against Biodiversity?
You can’t read the UN’s recent biodiversity report on the imminent destruction of one million creatures by human economies and not conclude that the environmental movement has failed, and spectacularly so.
It’s Time to Stop Calling Natural Gas a ‘Bridge Fuel’ to a Safe Climate, Says New Report
Natural gas, marketed for years as a “bridge fuel” to cleaner energy sources, cannot be part of any climate solution, according to a new report from Oil Change International.
Is there a way to counter the Chinese stranglehold on rare earth metals?
Rare earth metals which are crucial to modern electronics are in the news because the Chinese, the dominate world supplier, are threatening to cut off exports in retaliation for tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration. Is there any way to counter Chinese control of these crucial metals?
Climate Politics/Capitol Light Newsletter Issue 4
The fault for this lies on both sides of the aisle and is the consequence of decades of hyper-partisanship. The loss of faith in our democracy comes with the blurring of the lines separating the three separate but equal branches of government.
Is a National Clean Energy Standard the Answer?
This time around, there is little reason to believe that climate will flash and burn in the minds of voters as it has in the past. A new generation of environmental defender has joined with earlier generations to add its voice to the cries for environmental action—a collective voice raised louder than any that has gone before.
