Hi I have 3 responses to that: Flippant: in association with the Daily Express' surely tells you all you need to know.
General: we've debated the whole issue of meat vs veggie a few times on here. The scientists have been saying for a long time that the impact of livestock on climate change is a problem, both because forests are cleared and also because their digestive processes (what the Americans coyly refer to as cows 'burping' - yeah right. Possibly it's the other end of the cow we worry about more but never mind) produce methane. So proposing to scale up ruminant digestion in a vast industrial process seems a bit counter to that argument, surely?
Technical: natural gas is mostly methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas many times more 'powerful' than Carbon dioxide. Estimates vary, but in the short term (20years) the global warming potential of a tonne of methane is maybe 80 times higher than a tonne of carbon dioxide. It diminishes to x20 or so over 100 years, because it breaks down - oxidises - into carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere so is less stable than carbon dioxide. Burning methane also releases carbon dioxide and water (same process speeded up). The issues with methane as a fossil fuel are to some extent to do with process - the extraction or mining of it releases a lot of it directly to the atmosphere and they also 'flare' a lot of methane when mining oil. Assuming Ecotricity's plan would capture far more of the methane produced, this wasteful process would be avoided, so there would be some improvement. But the flip side is we're still making and burning methane - it's still a problem whether its made from new mown grass or ancient trees, it's still a climate change driver, will still release carbon dioxide. And you still have the indoor air pollutants that come from burning methane in stoves and gas fires. Grassland is a good carbon store if you leave it alone. Cutting it once a year might make it prettier but it worsens its carbon storage potential. Cutting it regularly would probably substantially negate it. So there's a double hit of making more methane and reducing carbon storage on the land. With any biofuel - wood chips, miscanthus, rape seed - you displace food production, reduce biodiversity and still emit carbon dioxide when you burn it.
It's a reasonable transition option, perhaps, but the more we dance around this, the longer it will take to actually get done what has to happen; we need to refurbish our cold, damp houses and change to electric heating everywhere we can. Stop mucking about with strategies to maintain the status quo for the vested interests who want us hooked to their fuel supply, and just pay people to change their heating over pdq
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Had my vaccine booster shot yesterday. Feel a bit rough today , but more of an irritant than ill. Had the Pfizer for the booster whereas I had the AZ for the two shots earlier.
Nice to get it just at the six month point as well.
They were going to offer the Flu vaccine at the same time, but supplies haven't come in yet. Given I'm felling a bit rough round the edges today I think I'm happy to wait for the flu jab a bit later.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
What Bojo the Clown keeps forgetting when he bangs on about " high wage , high skilled economy" is , once we all get our wages increased to " high ", prices will have to go up to cover the extra costs of employers ( how much are fruit and veg pickers going to be paid to attract people to do it? ) so he should be saying " High wage, high skills , high inflation economy "
There was a farmer and farming spokesperson on TV a few days ago who explained that farming isn't quite the minimum wage job people think. Iirc some of her employees were significantly above the minimum wage. Apparently wages have been going up for some time in that sector.
I think it's important to actually define and identify what low wage jobs are. Undoubtedly they're across all sectors but I think people might be surprised at some jobs that are and aren't low paid.
Then there's the inequality in pay around the country. For example in Lancaster the pay for equivalent jobs was less than in Preston 40 minutes south. Cities pay even more. Which feeds into higher paid roles can recruit from further afield. If you're on minimum wage claiming UC top up it's highly unlikely you'll choose to afford a £30+ weeklyn season ticket.
Sound bites are the stuff of politics. If you listen to them expecting a policy or anything more than a first thought them you're naive I reckon.
The care home where Hubby is charges £7,000 a month yet the staff there are on very low wages. A hairdresser friend quit her Min Wage job and on the day she left her boss told her " I'm sorry you're going: you made me £50,000 last year" Farmers have to pay decent wages to get folk to turn up at 5am to pick veg, but there are still not enough "British Workers" who want to get out and do it, ditto look after folk in care homes.
It's frustrating as even if there were enough Brits who wanted to do the jobs, you get to the point where better productivity (even if that can be achieved) tends to mean fewer jobs. So if the fruit farmers automate and get in picking machines, then the jobs vanish. What does then happen to the few people who did pick? Once one company automates and eliminates the human cost in an area, other companies tend to have to go the same way to compete. What then happens to the unskilled, low paid people now, who find themselves unemployed? What option but zero hour contract work? The simplistic example is autonomous taxis - who would pay to be driven by a human, when it's cheaper by a machine? And once one company proves it works, how many taxi companies will have drivers? We've all seen these effects, but it's accelerating. The speed of change is alarming. But there has always been change - it always comes down to how we react to it.
Boris talks too much about 'levelling up'. It's a stupid slogan as it implies the pivot point is at the top end and he wants everyone to be a tax dodging billionaire. The truth is that if he wants to level things then there is a significant amount of 'down' involved from the top end. Paying taxes and living wages would have no effect at all on a billionaire's standard of living but would improve the country for everyone. Boris's 'high wage economy' doesn't level anything it just moves everything up.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
If they automate everything then they will have to pay people to do nothing- now where have I heard about that before 🤔 My curmudgeon, the post retirement plumbing career continues, the shower room sink tap was leaking this time. This whole tap was replaced only a few years ago and it wasn't cheap. The good news is the local plumbing shop had the correct valves in stock, and they were much easier to change than the last lot in the main bathroom.
It's frustrating as even if there were enough Brits who wanted to do the jobs, you get to the point where better productivity (even if that can be achieved) tends to mean fewer jobs. So if the fruit farmers automate and get in picking machines, then the jobs vanish. What does then happen to the few people who did pick? Once one company automates and eliminates the human cost in an area, other companies tend to have to go the same way to compete. What then happens to the unskilled, low paid people now, who find themselves unemployed? What option but zero hour contract work? The simplistic example is autonomous taxis - who would pay to be driven by a human, when it's cheaper by a machine? And once one company proves it works, how many taxi companies will have drivers? We've all seen these effects, but it's accelerating. The speed of change is alarming. But there has always been change - it always comes down to how we react to it.
Apologies for the links - the cut and past of the links included the final bracket that I added. The links work without those two brackets.
What about those , who, with the best will in the world, no matter how hard they try, are not able to undertake a " high skilled " job? What happens to them?
Posts
Flippant: in association with the Daily Express' surely tells you all you need to know.
General: we've debated the whole issue of meat vs veggie a few times on here. The scientists have been saying for a long time that the impact of livestock on climate change is a problem, both because forests are cleared and also because their digestive processes (what the Americans coyly refer to as cows 'burping' - yeah right. Possibly it's the other end of the cow we worry about more but never mind) produce methane. So proposing to scale up ruminant digestion in a vast industrial process seems a bit counter to that argument, surely?
Technical: natural gas is mostly methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas many times more 'powerful' than Carbon dioxide. Estimates vary, but in the short term (20years) the global warming potential of a tonne of methane is maybe 80 times higher than a tonne of carbon dioxide. It diminishes to x20 or so over 100 years, because it breaks down - oxidises - into carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere so is less stable than carbon dioxide. Burning methane also releases carbon dioxide and water (same process speeded up).
The issues with methane as a fossil fuel are to some extent to do with process - the extraction or mining of it releases a lot of it directly to the atmosphere and they also 'flare' a lot of methane when mining oil. Assuming Ecotricity's plan would capture far more of the methane produced, this wasteful process would be avoided, so there would be some improvement.
But the flip side is we're still making and burning methane - it's still a problem whether its made from new mown grass or ancient trees, it's still a climate change driver, will still release carbon dioxide. And you still have the indoor air pollutants that come from burning methane in stoves and gas fires.
Grassland is a good carbon store if you leave it alone. Cutting it once a year might make it prettier but it worsens its carbon storage potential. Cutting it regularly would probably substantially negate it. So there's a double hit of making more methane and reducing carbon storage on the land.
With any biofuel - wood chips, miscanthus, rape seed - you displace food production, reduce biodiversity and still emit carbon dioxide when you burn it.
It's a reasonable transition option, perhaps, but the more we dance around this, the longer it will take to actually get done what has to happen; we need to refurbish our cold, damp houses and change to electric heating everywhere we can. Stop mucking about with strategies to maintain the status quo for the vested interests who want us hooked to their fuel supply, and just pay people to change their heating over pdq
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Nice to get it just at the six month point as well.
They were going to offer the Flu vaccine at the same time, but supplies haven't come in yet. Given I'm felling a bit rough round the edges today I think I'm happy to wait for the flu jab a bit later.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
I think it's important to actually define and identify what low wage jobs are. Undoubtedly they're across all sectors but I think people might be surprised at some jobs that are and aren't low paid.
Then there's the inequality in pay around the country. For example in Lancaster the pay for equivalent jobs was less than in Preston 40 minutes south. Cities pay even more. Which feeds into higher paid roles can recruit from further afield. If you're on minimum wage claiming UC top up it's highly unlikely you'll choose to afford a £30+ weeklyn season ticket.
Sound bites are the stuff of politics. If you listen to them expecting a policy or anything more than a first thought them you're naive I reckon.
A hairdresser friend quit her Min Wage job and on the day she left her boss told her " I'm sorry you're going: you made me £50,000 last year"
Farmers have to pay decent wages to get folk to turn up at 5am to pick veg, but there are still not enough "British Workers" who want to get out and do it, ditto look after folk in care homes.
My curmudgeon, the post retirement plumbing career continues, the shower room sink tap was leaking this time. This whole tap was replaced only a few years ago and it wasn't cheap. The good news is the local plumbing shop had the correct valves in stock, and they were much easier to change than the last lot in the main bathroom.