Showing posts with label renewables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renewables. Show all posts

Tuesday 30 November 2021

Some Nations are Prepared for Climate Emergency


Some nations have been preparing sustainable, circular and resilient economies for decades now! A good example is Norway, who gained their independence in 1905, from Sweden. (Norway celebrates its Constitution Day May 22 each year, after its 400 year union with Denmark which ended in 1814). Not only did they manage their oil and gas efficiently (taking out 100% rather than 50% as in the UK) they built up a pension oil fund for Norwegians of one trillion. Norway has also built their towns beside waterfalls for green Hydro energy, so they only rely on Gas for a mere 5% of their energy supply. They also run their own Norwegian energy company, rather then being exploited by giant global oil companies.

Denmark focused on funding renewable innovations 20 years ago and now leads the way with the manufacture of wind turbines and wave power, worth 70 billion to their economy. While Germany has focused on well insulated homes and solar energy. Scotland is hosting the world’s largest wind farm Aberdeen and testing the world’s largest tidal farm Moray Firth, and offers ideal locations, but because of the UKs lack of investment Scotland is sadly missing out on the future of the Renewables industry.

Meanwhile Scotland also has poorly insulated homes, so there’s no clear solution here in the UK at all. All the talk of heat pumps will not work for most homes, without an electric backup system. There’s been no long term planning, for a greener, sustainable future by the UK government - but rather an ignorant recklessness, which results from the confrontational and divisive nature of UK politics.

And the richest 1% waste money on needless luxuries such as space rockets and avoid paying tax – have they no shame? While our world burns and floods….. have they no shame? Instead of selling weapons of war, the UK should focus on the future of our planet! The richest must be answerable for their careless, unthinking attitudes. This includes the uncaring Tories.

The richest nations, must give back and pay for the cost for the exploitation of the poorest nations. And what of China and India? The future will be renewables, not dirty, polluting fossil fuels. Where is any moral compass? I’d hope to see more women leaders who will promote a more rounded well being society – instead of nations at war. The UK is the biggest seller of arms.

While the world is better connected, globalization and the internet has led to a dark side, with dark money and dark forces lobbying, and corruption is undermining our democracy. Its essential we fight back. Dark money has led to extreme right wing, controlling populism (such as Brexit).

The arts and culture were excluded from COP26. Even while it’s the arts that change hearts and minds, and not number crunchers! (SNP take note!). Change often does not happen because of number crunching or even “facts”, but because we imagine better! There are two songs that speak volumes about humanity's reckless exploitations – one by the Bob Dylan who grew up who grew up under the threat of the bomb, and he wrote his haunting 'Masters of War' and the other by Robert Burns who grew up with the threat of war with France when he wrote 'Westlin Winds'.

Thursday 21 October 2021

COP 26, Glasgow



COP 26 takes place in Glasgow, Scotland 31st Oct to 12 November 2021, at the SEC Glasgow. Many road closures start on 23sd October. 

We are expecting great disruption to traffic, as well as demonstrations and all the extra security. 

 

I remember a drive in the natural forests of Fall in Massachusetts when I was blown away by the beauty and range of colours. Sadly the contrast in Scotland couldn’t be more stark, after depleting the natural forests to build trenches in the First World war, the UK Forestry Commission has built these squares of dark green conifers where there is dead undergrowth and no biodiversity can survive underneath. Some have burnt and nothing survives here.

 

Scotland has seen its resources depleted and destroyed over centuries. Like Ireland we suffered enforced emigration, particularly in the islands with the Highland and the Lowland clearances.  

In recent centuries humans have been disturbing the world’s natural habitats and wildlife – destroying forests, depleting fish stocks, burning fossil fuels, polluting our air. There are much fewer butterflies or insects and under many tress there is a dead undergrowth. 

Wonderful fall colours New England

Empty Glencoe

We’ve disturbed the habitat of bats, which has led to several recent world pandemics – SARS, Mers, Ebola, Swine flu and now Covid-19. This will continue, unless we all change our attitudes to selfishness and growth. 

In recent centuries humans have been disturbing the world’s natural habitats and wildlife – destroying forests, depleting fish stocks, burning fossil fuels, polluting our air. There are much fewer butterflies or insects and under many tress there is a dead undergrowth.

 

There are signs of hope – more people are cycling, more are reducing meat intake, more work at home, more people want to buy local. Its great to see families cycling on our quiet roads – is this the way forward? Any drugs or vaccines are only short term fixes, we must cure the source of these serious threats. More people die from air pollution, asthma and allergies than ever before.    If this virus has taught us anything, its that we depend on each other. We must urgently save our planet to save our own lives. 



 

**The Earth Shot award to Costa Rica – rewards landowners to restore forests and plant fruit trees. Celebrates its bicentennial of independence , a country of 5m able to build a sustainable future with healthy eco-systems.

*Food waste. A third of food is wasted. We need to go back to local shops for fresh foods. 91% live in areas of air pollution, at lest 7m are killed each year by air pollution. 

 

 **When is COP and when do travel restrictions begin?

 

COP26 will be held over two weeks from 31 October - 12 November 2021 at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow. Road closures start a full week before on Saturday 23 October, and last until Monday 15 November.

 

Some roads within the SEC campus site are already closed.

Some days are expected to be busier than others, with the biggest disruption expected on Saturday 6 November which has been designated as the 

Global Day For Climate Justice.

About 100,000 protesters are expected in Glasgow, with a march which begins at Kelvingrove Park at noon before making its way to Glasgow Green for about 15:00.

 

 The hope is for Carbon Neutral by 2040.

**We all benefit from being in nature. 

Scotland can join other world leading nations, with its vast natural resources, as a leader in renewables. We also need to urgently change our attitudes to the crisis – we all must change how we behave and take the climate crisis seriously.”

 

Every sovereign issuer in the world could agree to create up to 5% increase annual GDP in new  money and ring fence it for a revolutionary investment in referable energy generation, in carbon capture, climate science and protection of the worlds vulnerable ecosystems. This wouldn’t devalue the value of any single currency because if all nations act multilaterally the risk of an inflation crisis would be negligible. “

 

“Cop 26 means Glasgow can host the moment that the world changes direction and avert na environmental disaster and Scotland can be a leading light in helping realise the new global environmental zeitgeist.”  Gordon Macintyre Kemp

  

We must dare to dream we can build a better world – or we’ll have no planet left to save. 

 

Wildlife Photographer Peter Cairns


Thursday 21 February 2019

We are killing our Eco System


I heard we’d have birdless skies. On my walks in the marshlands and moors near the Campsies in the summer sunshine, I noticed I cannot see any white butterflies. When I drove over on the M8 to Edinburgh my windscreen used to be covered in dead insects, but not anymore. What is going on? I read of sea lice in Scottish farmed salmon; disposable clothes; of the coral reef disappearing; of children dying of air pollution; and of the plastic choking our beaches and killing life in our oceans. 

What are we doing? What are we thinking? Why aren’t the manufacturers going sustainable, the way we used to be? Why are governments not enforcing Green laws? My instinct always told me that organic and free range was best: these pesticides get into breast milk. 

My mother used to grow her own vegetables. When I was growing up we had strawberries in cardboard punnets; potatoes in dirt sacks (they lasted longer and were fresher this way); fish and meat in greaseproof paper; milk in glass bottles; fruit in brown paper bags. Yes there was life before plastic!  

Now I am astonished at the amount of plastic myself and my husband generate each day. We are in an area that recycles, and I have cut down on my use of plastic bin bags – but it’s really not enough. We’ve been a reckless, thoughtless society. I live in the suburbs of Glasgow and instead of having natural garden habitat or trees, some are concreting over their gardens. We are building houses here on marshland (with the threat of rising sea levels) with no sustainable infrastructure. Who is agreeing to all this? We’ve become a throw away, wasteful world.

I was so pleased to see our young people finally take to the streets in large numbers in Friday, to protest at our selfish carelessness. Scotland has been leading the way in renewables energy – while the UK government has been cutting the funding. We must all work together to save our planet, protect our wildlife and children in poverty. 

Yet the news today is full of a foolhardy Brexit – which is about saving our out-dated, not fit for purpose UK political system. In the big scheme of things, what is really important for the future for our children and grandchildren - sustaining health and life as we know it – or saving the British Tory party? Let's go natural!