Seasons Greetings!

Thanks for your good wishes everyone, and your on-line cards. Here's mine!

So has this been a fruitful year? First let’s celebrate the good news. Wrt my posts,

1. UK Government’s plan to privatise 650,000 acres of our forests was scrapped
2. planning permission for Nocton Dairies was refused.
3. the EU did not cut the so called ‘Pillar 2’ funding – this is the money available within the CAP to reward farmers who farm in ways that benefit wildlife and the environment.
4. European Union climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard was instrumental in delivering something from the Climate Talks in Durban.

Now the bad. After Cancun and Copenhagen last year, at Durban the world’s negotiators just kicked the can down the road once again, leaving them further than ever from achieving their stated goal of keeping average global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a commonly accepted threshold beyond which the planet’s climate patterns could be seriously destabilized.

Here are some observations

It is unacceptable that world leaders are still stalling on a global plan to cut emissions of carbon to curb the increase of temperatures. We witnessed in Durban wrangling and hair splitting over legal terminology, as well as bald-faced delaying tactics that threaten to derail the negotiations. The decision-makers must wake up to the fact that the lives of billions of people today and in the future depend on them to act in unison to respond to the global challenge that climate change poses (Mikhail Gorbachev, founding president of Green Cross International)

This deal is a lot better than no deal, not least because it scuppers George Osborne's push to gut domestic environmental action on the altar of international inertia. That said, we can't keep coming back to these annual talks to agree deals that fall so far short of what the science, rather than the politics, requires (Ruth Davis, Greenpeace UK chief policy advisor)

The brutal truth is that our leaders lack the political will to do what is necessary. The delay in Durban means politicians have deepened our titanic environmental overdraft  (Damian Carrington, the Guardian's head of environment)

 

 

One crumb of comfort in Durban has been the emergence of a large coalition of high ambition countries, led by the most vulnerable nations and small island states, including many in Africa. It's good that the UK and EU have aligned themselves with this coalition (Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK)

There may be a period in which we begin to believe that something real was accomplished here but let me be clear: this was not enough. Not even close. This was meeting expectations lowered beyond all expectations. Rescuing defeat from the jaws of worse defeat. In the long-run, Durban will be nothing but a footnote in a narrative of missed opportunities and willful ignorance.

The youth of the world cannot and should not accept what Durban delivered. We're sleepwalking towards calamity, and the world's governments just agreed to wake up at some point down the line. (Oliver Hughes, student activist at COP17 for SustainUS)

After 20 years of negotiations, my question is when are these people going to implement effective action to justify the carbon footprint they make, flying off to exotic destinations merely to talk? (Sir Percefal )

major revolt over planned cuts to solar subsidies?

We’re waiting but it seems to be all talk and no action since it was announced.

I hope this is not a false promise by the Liberal Democrats that will further undermine the chance to stop the latest volteface by the ‘greenest government in history’.

'Hope I die before I get old'

Being familiar with my story, you’ll know Sir Percefal can’t die till he has asked the Right Question. Well despite being over 1500 years old, at least I don’t age as generations pass and vanish with their dreams.

Nor do I have ‘My Generation’ to champion and compare the last one to (‘things they do look awful c-c-cold’) with the risk my songs come back to haunt me. The question I am asking today is whether Pete Townsend wishes his hope for an early death had come true.

The sad fact is you become querulous bored and grumpy the longer you live with all your best work behind you. While you can’t dispute that people should be paid fairly for the work they do, instead of grousing about iTunes profiteering from the Who’s catalogue, Pete should count his blessings.  Thanks to this change in the law, he will benefit from copyright on the Who’s recordings till he dies.  

If his pocket has been feeling the pinch, he should now be able to entertain us on tour again smashing up his guitars, knowing his royalties will cover him well into his dotage. For ordinary folk struggling to get by,  life is enriched and eased by the inspiration of artists like Pete but the egotism of his reference here to flower sellers and Zeppelin grate.

I prefer Sir Paul’s attitude. When Michael Jackson bought up the Beatles catalogue from under his nose, Macca was gracious. He said we don’t own the songs we write. They already exist - songwriters just capture them out of the ether.

Does the CAP fit (the environment)?

The EU is considering scrapping payments farmers receive to protect vulnerable wildlife on their land. Cutting this funding would mean that some of the UK’s most-loved farmland birds and wildlife will face an uncertain future, or even extinction. It is imperative that we step up for nature and call on the European Commission to safeguard this vital lifeline!

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) determines how our farmland is managed and, as over 70% of the UK's land area is farmland, also has a huge influence on our wildlife. This is not a choice between food production and wildlife - we can have both. The time is ripe to make the policy fit for wildlife, the wider countryside and for the future of farming.

Despite some positive changes in recent years, the CAP is still largely failing to support and encourage more environmentally-friendly farming. The vast majority of the CAP's taxpayer-funded €1 billion a week budget fails to deliver benefits for the environment and neglects farming systems which are inherently better for wildlife.

The EU's Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Cioloş, is currently writing his proposals for how to reform CAP, but is being put under pressure by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, who is considering cutting the so called ‘Pillar 2’ funding – this is the money available within the CAP to reward farmers who farm in ways that benefit wildlife and the environment.

It is vital that this doesn’t happen. The European Commission must take this opportunity to ensure these reforms to the CAP reflect the needs of the environment. A more sustainable, wildlife-friendly CAP which rewards greater numbers of farmers for the environmental services they provide will not only help the EU make its contribution to the global target to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2020, but will also help protect the raw materials - our soil and water - and ensure the long-term sustainability of farming itself.

As CAP covers the whole EU, the RSPB  has joined forces with seven European BirdLife partners to ensure its campaign reflects the depth and breadth of support for a CAP with wildlife and the natural environment at its heart. By joining with others across Europe and speaking out together we are a much stronger voice for nature.

Please step up for nature and support the RSPB campaign by e-mailing the President of the European Commission today.

Is EU ban on natural remedies reasonable?

After doubts about this campaign, I’ve decided to support it. While there are some unscrupulous purveyors of alternative medicines, I’m convinced the EU is being too restrictive if it bans remedies that have not been on sale for 15 years in EU already.

Key points:

1. The current EU Directive, aiming to introduce a simplified registration procedure for herbal medicines is seriously flawed, rendering many products completely ineligible for registration and erecting insurmountable hurdles for others.

2. Rules dictate that traditional herbal medicines cannot be licensed unless they have been in use for 30 years, 15 of which in the EU. The suspicion must be that multinational drug companies are applying some serious arm-twisting, as with Poppy for Medicine.

3. In several countries fewer than 5 herbal products have been registered during the 7 year period allowed by the EC. So far not a single non-European traditional medicine products has been approved. This means that ayurvedic, Chinese, and other Asian medicine with hundreds of years of use, now cannot be sold as medicines. This was recognised by the European Commission itself in a 2008 report, which urged extending the Directive to cover them. Nothing has been done about that.

4. Consumers will be forced to buy them from the internet, if they can’t find them in pharmacies. That will be less safe, as they won’t be able to get advice on dosage and possible side effects when mixed with other medicines. These regulations reduce consumer choice, while failing to bring in a comprehensive and effective safety regime.

Click here for a useful FAQ link and video

Click Avaaz to add  your support

Why hasn't Japan invested in a national energy grid?

While the nuclear industry has sucked in massive investment, renewable  energy sources have been starved of it. Nothing new there but the outcome of Japan's earthquake shows how frightful the consequences are of putting all your eggs in one basket.

One problem is that electricity demand is concentrated in the centre of Japan, while most potential wind power sites are located in remote areas where grid capacity is relatively small.

Limited grid access and the monopolistic hold over the power grids by regional electricity companies, who use variability issues as an excuse for not investing in more capacity, have hampered the development of wind generation. To harness its power the government needs to invest in a grid that will make wind power available to the wider population.

Nor have they built off-shore wind farms to the extent they should considering what a long coastline the country has.


My answer to the question, in deference to Japanese economy of form (haiku):-
 
nuclear past, unclear
future - Japan needs power
- why not wind of change?

Fun Theory

This gets us using a bottlebank because it's more fun than a dumb one

but is it really a green option if it's consuming energy?

Can we have guarantees ancient woodland planted with conifers will be restored to native broadleaved woodland?

Over 100,000 people have signed this Woodland Trust petition calling on the Government to Save England's Ancient Forests.

Existing rules allow the government to sell off up to 15% of the Forestry Commission's woodlands in England in each four year period.

Yesterday the government announced that it is putting the 2011/12 sales on hold so that it can review them in the light of the response to its consultation about the future of the entire Forestry Commission estate.

Says Sue Holden, Chief Executive Woodland Trust:-

"We welcome this decision as a positive sign that the government is listening to our "Save England Ancient Forests" campaign. We have been particularly concerned that the sales have included ancient woodland planted with conifers with no guarantees that they will be restored to native broadleafed woodland. Last year we persuaded DEFRA minister Jim Paice to halt sales of these sites in 2010/11. Restoration of planted ancient woodland is the biggest opportunity for woodland conservation in a generation. We are pleased that the 2011/12 plans will now be considered as part of the consultation over the future of the Forestry Commission estate.

Thanks to your help 128,000 people have signed our petition in 2 weeks, calling for protection of ancient woodland and safeguarding of access. We are optimistic that today's announcement is a signal that government will address these issues in its overall plans."

I have signed the petition, so if you haven't already done so, please encourage family and friends to sign the petition and add their voice to yours.



Thanks

Saving our forests

After promising to be the greenest in history, the UK Government’s plan to privatise 650,000 acres of our forests has drawn massive condemnation as you can find out here, if you haven’t already seen the coverage and signed this petition.

It is important now to reinforce this by using this form to email your MP.

In personalising the template letter, it is worth adding the following from the Woodland Trust. They point out that if revenue from these sales goes to shareholders and “does not find its way back into Forestry Commission income streams, it could seriously threaten the Commission's ability to support the future planting of new native woodland, which is a major priority for us and for government response to the climate change agenda, as well as into restoration of planted ancient woods”.

Belo Monte be damned

What, may we ask, is in it for President Dilma of Brazil that persuades her to press ahead with this mad dam (Madam?) proposal when her environmental regulator and other top officials have all resigned over its disastrous environmental impact?

The Belo Monte mega-dam would flood huge tracts of rainforest and displace thousands of indigenous people. The dam's backers argue that it will supply Brazil's growing energy needs. But a far greater, greener, and cheaper supply of energy is available: energy efficiency. A WWF study found that efficiency alone could save the equivalent of 14 Belo Monte dams by 2020. The benefits of a truly green approach would go to everyone, rather than a handful of powerful corporations.

The case is best put by someone you will recognise if you’ve seen the film Avatar. Here in Brazil with its director James Cameron, protesting against the dam,
Sigourney Weaver brings the theme out of fiction to confront the same forces she was up against in the film.

When you’ve watched 'Defending the Rivers of the Amazon', sign the petition opposing the dam and calling for energy efficiency instead to protect the Amazon, its people, and its species.

better to bee safe than sorry

“If we were ever to see the extinction of the honey
bee”, said Einstein, “humankind would follow four years thereafter.”

Vanishing of the Bees is a film proposing that a family of pesticides, the neonicotinoids, is the real cause of the disappearance of honey bees.

And so it's time to be adding our voice to another petition (click here). If we lose such major pollinators we could lose one-third of the world's agriculture, and say goodbye to fruit and vegetables. At the very least, Vanishing of the Bees makes a convincing case for more research to prove beyond doubt the pesticide industry's assertions that there's nothing to worry about.

For a balanced scientific view, check buzzaboutbees which concludes there is sufficiently compelling independent research to indicate that neonicotinoids cause harm to bees. That’s enough to persuade me to vote for a ban till the evidence establishes otherwise. And that's unlikely as this wiki-leak (courtesy of Buglife) shows.

the biggest mega-dairy in Europe

Tomorrow is the last day for objections to be raised against planning permission for Nocton Dairies, featured in the recent BBC Panorama programme (see my 'Methane again' post below).


Please click here to raise your objection .

Here’s mine on grounds of animal welfare and emissions.

• The proposed dairy is over 30 times the size of any existing dairy in the UK – this scale raises the question of whether the application is industrial or agricultural.
• Although the application is currently to house 3,700 cows, Nocton Dairies have said they plan to double the number of cows (8,100 in total). It is essential that the proposal before planning officers takes into account this planned expansion.
• The Lisbon Treaty requires EU Member States to “pay full regard” to animal welfare in agriculture. Likewise the Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires that an animal’s needs must be met, including the need to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.
• Intensive dairies rely on particular breeds of cow that have been genetically selected to produce vast amounts of milk. This predisposes the animal to many health problems including lameness, mastitis and metabolic diseases. Cows’ ability to express their normal behaviour is limited by this environment. Keeping cows with little or no access to grazing also increases the risk of these health problems. If they never move, not even to defecate as their waste drops directly into a slurry ditch, they will lose the use of their legs.
• Air Pollution - Emissions to atmosphere from the proposed dairy will include dust, methane and ammonia, as well as odour from manure spreading and storage, and livestock buildings. Let them graze naturally in the open: traditional ley pasture reduces the amount of methane the cattle produce.
Land Pollution - Digested slurry from the facility would be spread on the surrounding farmland, which is designated as lying within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).
• Water Pollution - The current application does not provide a complete assessment of the potential water pollution risks. The local water aquifer runs directly beneath Nocton Dairies’ proposed site, and it is at risk of leaching and ‘run off’ from the slurry application. There are additional risks of water pollution from day to day operations. Instead it should be composted so it could become a useful soil additive, instead of a threat to the supply of our drinking water, and mutations of fish generated by high hormone infusion.

Minoan Haiku

Horned sun on view in
Crete ~ see why (before Coke) they
worshipped the bull there?

Seeing the eclipse this morning, I starting wondering if those Minoans didn’t start worshipping the bull because its horns so resembled the partial sun.

They had it tough after all. Earthquakes and fallout from Thera’s volcanic eruptions every 400 years made them keen to appease the gods with well-documented rituals including sacrifice. A partial solar eclipse would have been taken as a heavenly sign of where their devotion should be directed if they were to avoid catastrophe. They didn’t of course when Thera (Santorini) finally blew its stack, unleashing a gigantic tsunami and megatons of ash to bring their civilisation to its knees. The moral if there is one relating to my quest is that humanity shouldn't be taking risks with the environment when the Earth shows she's so capable of creating a wasteland herself.

What I like about this picture is the juxtaposition of the 'divine' eclipse and that symbol of Mammon, Coca-cola, paling by comparison. Not just the ancients who were overawed when the sun changed shape and put mankind's monuments in the shade, eh?

Pete Postlethwaite RIP

Knowing Pete Postlethwaite was so passionate about climate change, in memoriam, I have petitioned that Age of Stupid be broadcast


I would imagine Pete's response to the Daily Mail stating that global warming has halted would be these are just naysayer rantings.

Can someone give me the facts that refute such assertions, in particular that cyclical changes in water vapour - a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide - may account for much of the 20th Century warming?

Happy New Year

My New Year resolution is prompted by watching Terry Pratchett's Hogfather, from the Devil's grand-daughter Susan reading "Jack and the Beanstalk" to the children.

"And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy any more.

But he got away with it and lived happily ever after without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done. Which proves that you can be excused just about anything if you're a hero, because no-one asks inconvenient questions".

In my naive way, I shall endeavour to keep asking such questions, especially if the hero is an ecological terrorist.