See Animals Wild

In some countries one personal investigation would make a minister resign, Scott Pruitt had 14 and expected to survive them all, however he has finally resigned.

Given Trump, and some of the clearly incorrect things he has said about the environment, particularly about how climate change was invented by the Chinese to give them an advantage, I think any sensible movement in American public policy on climate change and reducing carbon emissions will not happen while Trump is in the White House. Continue reading “EPA director resigns – what next?”

The UK emissions have fallen 43% since 1990! That is hugely impressive, but there is a problem. Housing and car companies have not made similar progress, and without these large carbon emitters pulling their weight progress will slow dramatically, and make future reductions difficult if not impossible. This analysis is from governmental climate advisors.  Indeed these reports say the housing and car industries should be embarrassed by their lack of progress in this regard.

It is of significant note that the government seems to have significantly taken their eye off the target on reducing carbon emissions since the last election, in terms of largely killing off the solar industry and more recently the Swansea bay tidal lagoon, as well as the expansion of Heathrow.

The area of car pollution and home pollution are currently addressable, and at times the government had supported it.

The government is likely to be able to fix much of this with three changes.

1. Commit to ceasing production of petrol and diesel cars sooner – they have said 2040, but this is many car cycles. Bring it back to 2030 and it will supercharge this transfer. 22 years away is perhaps after 3 car replacement cycles,  12 is one and a half cycles so would focus car companies in making desirable affordable cars in the next decade
2. Bring back subsidies for solar. Work with the government to set this up in a more competitive way. Perhaps work with Insolight to help bring affordable solar panels with twice the efficiency to market quicker, and stop electricity companies control of the electricity grid being used to halt viable home solar being affordable (require closer to market rate for electricity sold on, or allow home to home electricity sale).
3. Bring more funding to help insulate houses with loft and wall insulation.

These three policies would not be expensive compared to some of the other government projects. Furthermore all being people driven, given the right government campaigns, it would likely accelerate these changes,  which is what we need.

In 2008 the UK committed,  as part of a climate agreement,  to cutting climate emissions by 90% compared to 1990 emissions by 2050.

Partly due to the decline in coal powered power stations, UK emissions averaged a defile of 6% the last 3 years and our emissions are now at 1890 levels – pretty impressive. Continue reading “UK government considering aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2050”

McDonald’s to stop using plastic straws – in UK

After a large campaign, McDonald’s has agreed to stop using plastic straws in the UK and instead use ones made of paper.

1.8 million straws are used every day in UK McDonald’s restaurants and as these can’t be properly broken down or reused the plastic hangs around in the environment for centuries or even millennia. While the plastics will get broken down into microplastics in time, and the tiny plastics won’t choke wildlife,  they can build up in wildlife, and it had already been shown that fish for human consumption containing these microplastics is being eaten around the world including in the UK. Continue reading “News in brief – McDonald’s to stop using plastic straws in UK, Biodegradable water bottles, and plants which won’t need pesticides”

The company Monsanto have created soybeans that can stand high doses of pesticides so that the crops can be protected from pests. However they have highly restrictive sales that prohibit farmers keeping some seed to replant for the next year. Continue reading “Monsanto and the problem with gene patents”

In many countries around the world, on the creation of protected reserves, the local indigenous population were given reserves of their own (bordering the new national parks). The intention of this was to allow these people to continue living as they have for millennia.

In countries where many tourists go to see animals in the wild, these human reserves often have high amounts of game, but falling outside the reserve, the restrictions on what can be done in them is far looser. Continue reading “Local people driven off their land on the edge of protected reserves by their own government”

The oil company BP is buying Chargemaster, a fast charging network designed to recharge cars.

Chargemaster has 6500 charging points, but having bought it, it will make it very easy for BP to add electric car charging points at its petrol stations. Continue reading “Bp buying a fast charging network”

Despite a number of European countries setting a date to end the sale of combustion engine cars (I have written about the UK date for this), there are many people who do not believe that this fight is over.

The argument goes, electric cars use more resources to manufacture them. Coupled with the fact that most electricity is made by burning fossil fuels you are creating less carbon emissions to just drive a gas guzzler (the arguers suggest the most carbon intensive means of creating electricity). Continue reading “Attacks on electric cars”

Canada nationalising kinder Morgan pipeline

Justin Trudeau has successfully made Canada look like an environmentally forward looking government,  but if this pipe gets nationalised all that is likely to go out the window. Continue reading “News in brief – Canada nationalising Kinder Morgan pipeline and Waitrose singled out for failing to reduce waste”