Nick Butler has penned a short blog post arguing that public misconceptions and heavy lobbying have resulted in detrimental skewing of energy policy decisions. He calls for regulation of lobbying making all lobbying contracts public and having an independent fact checking organisation with fines for incorrect assertions.
What he doesn't mention is the need for policy makers to be educated in critical thinking. Yes, fact checking is essential but those investing public money have a duty to undertake that themselves, or at least initiate such checking. Hiding behind the veil of yet more regulation will help nobody.
Friday, 28 September 2018
Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Halogen Ban - How Times Change
It wasn't so long ago that I was working for an organisation that happily supported switching from incandescent luminaires to halogens. Now the EU has agreed to ban most of the latter in favour of LEDs.
In CO2 emission terms this a good thing. Also, if my experience is anything to go by, it has positive practical implications as well. I have a few "legacy" halogens left in the house but most fittings now sport LEDs. Apart from anything else they last much longer (provided that one purchases "pukka" items - I suffered from some Chinese-made crap in the early years of my change-over). Some people cite up-front cost as a barrier, but LEDs are relatively small ticket items even if they are priced above halogens.
This is a welcome move all round.
In CO2 emission terms this a good thing. Also, if my experience is anything to go by, it has positive practical implications as well. I have a few "legacy" halogens left in the house but most fittings now sport LEDs. Apart from anything else they last much longer (provided that one purchases "pukka" items - I suffered from some Chinese-made crap in the early years of my change-over). Some people cite up-front cost as a barrier, but LEDs are relatively small ticket items even if they are priced above halogens.
This is a welcome move all round.
Friday, 24 August 2018
Here we go again!
Drivers already assume they have precedence over pedestrians on the roads why should that be the case on the pavements as well?
Tuesday, 21 August 2018
Thursday, 2 August 2018
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Earliest Ever Earth Overshoot Day
In this post from Edie we learn that August 1st this year is Earth Overshoot Day, and is the earliest ever recorded. That's a pretty bleak announcement. Shamefully, looking at things on a country by country basis shows the UK to have reached its own overshoot day on May 8th! In other words the UK is consuming over twice the resource level regarded as sustainable. The article also posits that if things carry on as they are the global EOD could fall half-way through the year by 2030.
While pointing to an extensive analysis of potential solutions the article also suggests there are simple actions to be taken now that could make a significant contribution to shifting the date to later in the year:
While pointing to an extensive analysis of potential solutions the article also suggests there are simple actions to be taken now that could make a significant contribution to shifting the date to later in the year:
- Lower emissions through clean energy
- Retrofit the built environment
- Commit to tackling food waste
- Redefine and revalue resources.
It's all pretty obvious stuff but, essentially, we know how to do it; all that is required is political and societal will.
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