'A big boy did it and ran away' syndrome @Uff Apparently they're also not accepting that some wumman didn't get in, that was expected to do so. They really don't do themselves any favours, do they?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The Just Stop Oil protest apparently stopped a man from getting to one of his parent's funerals. That seems to be a big thing - and the protesters who stopped ambulances and other emergency traffic before were also vilified. But what is the solution? I'm not for fossil fuels - but, as I've said in the past, I'm for planned actions. There's always a transition when moving from a to b. How is that managed? An energy crisis was caused by the Ukraine war - so is it quicker to fill in the short fall in gas/oil in this country by opening new or reopening old fossil fuel operations or setting up new green sources? Nuclear isn't a short term option. So where does it leave us? If fossil isn't used, and green isn't immediately available - what happens this winter (with fuel costs being insanely high anyway), if the winter is bad, and how many deaths are caused by lack of fuel? So even though a man couldn't get to a funeral, is that relevant, when there may be more funerals caused by NOT using immediately available fossil?
Similarly, to focus on people not being able to work or emergency services not being able to do their job, seems a bit insane to me when we've all seen this year heat waves to floods (so far - no cold issues) across the globe - and even in this country those weather anomalies have caused disruption (and will continue to do so). Do those disruptions get reported at the level of '...and the floods in blah stopped Mr X from getting to....'? But that must have occurred - and what will happen this autumn/winter if floods/snow cause issues? Don't those anomalies also disrupt and cause individuals problems?
Surely the answer for all is in the detail of the plan? Has that been published? Is there a plan somewhere predicting energy usage in the UK over the next 50 years, with what the energy gap then is/will be and how that energy will be sourced - and how that change over will be managed year-on-year? I've seen this https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/where-will-britains-future-energy-supply-come-from/.
I don't quite see how we wean the UK off fossil without a climate independent energy source. Wind/solar are grand for when it's windy and sunny. But what happens on still cold nights? Without some other form of energy generation you can't stop fossil usage can you? I don't see any difference between having a policy to import LPG or use Russian gas over reopening North Sea sites - until reliable, replacement greener sources have been put in place.
I don't quite see how we wean the UK off fossil without a climate independent energy source. Wind/solar are grand for when it's windy and sunny. But what happens on still cold nights? Without some other form of energy generation you can't stop fossil usage can you? I don't see any difference between having a policy to import LPG or use Russian gas over reopening North Sea sites - until reliable, replacement greener sources have been put in place.
Battery storgae looks like it may be a long term solution to lack of wind and or sunshine.
I don't quite see how we wean the UK off fossil without a climate independent energy source. Wind/solar are grand for when it's windy and sunny. But what happens on still cold nights? Without some other form of energy generation you can't stop fossil usage can you? I don't see any difference between having a policy to import LPG or use Russian gas over reopening North Sea sites - until reliable, replacement greener sources have been put in place.
Battery storgae looks like it may be a long term solution to lack of wind and or sunshine.
Battery storage may be part of the solution to how we keep electricity available, but how are the components of the batteries mined? I've never heard any politician or those opposed to the use of fossil fuel actually answer the question @steveTu raises.
I've just seen the report that an oil executive has told COP that individual people need to take the blame for climate change. Her company were found responsible for dumping 9 billion barrels of toxic oil byproducts into the environment. But sure, sorry my second hand phone needs to be made from plastic The injustice here is that she managed to go back to her expensive hotel without being lynched on the way out. If oil companies have admitted to suppressing sustainable alternatives for decades and not investing their massive profits in green tech as they promised then why should she be given a platform to shame people for living in the unsustainable world she helped create?
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
According to press reports, over 400 private jets arrived in Egypt for the COP meeting.
I wonder how long it will be before the oil companies have a majority shareholding in the 'renewables' market. Once that happens there will be no financial benefit to anybody to convert as the companies will just look to the new resource to keep up their massive profits.
Apparently pledges made in COP meetings are legally binding, @philippasmith2. Not that this will prevent countries from breaking them, of course...
I have a solar charger for my mobile phone. Just a small contribution, given the amount of energy used to make the phone in the first place, but better than nothing, perhaps.
That's what I find so frustrating @Liriodendron - we can all make promises but we can also break them at our whim. These COP jaunts haven't yet produced anything solid - idealism, justification, commercial and political bias and ambition abound but nowt useful. No sensible person would claim that the solution is simple but when those attending such conferences can't even agree on the basics, one loses hope.
Re mobile phones - I don't have one but I'm certainly not against them. Technology moves on and they can be extremely useful - particularly in emergencies. I think it is just the seemingly careless/I'm entitled attitude towards the often uneccessary use of them by the activists that galls me.
I think someone also mentioned the acres of Servers in use which use huge amounts of power just so that we can store info, photos, etc. on The Cloud. Handy ? Maybe but either we change our attitudes pretty smartly or we accept that we are on a very dangerous slope.
I have put this on the covid thread as well but realised is a moan more relevant here.
We had our covid booster over a month ago at a local pharmacy, they were supposed to be doing flu as well but they ran out before our appt. So we finally go to arranging this at the GP surgery for this afternoon at 16:20. We got there in good time and filled in our forms and waited, there was one other woman who went into the nurse and out again, and we waited, there were no other patients. Eventually my wife enquired to be told the doctor was held up in traffic and they couldn't do the jabs without one present. Eventually someone presumably the doctor, bustled in and disappeared into a consulting room. We were eventually given our jabs nearly an hour after arrival. Two questions: 1. Why can pharmacists do this if there has to be a doctor present? ( My guess is the person doing this at the GP is NOT a registered nurse. 2. Why is it so hard to get a GP appointment when (and this is the second time i've noted this) there are practically no patients around waiting? What are GPs actually doing? Ours are certainly not seeing many patients face to face.
Our surgery works over 3 sites and there are regular messages on their website that one of the surgeries isn't open because of staff shortages. There are probably no patients waiting because there are no doctors to see them.
Posts
Apparently they're also not accepting that some wumman didn't get in, that was expected to do so. They really don't do themselves any favours, do they?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
But what is the solution? I'm not for fossil fuels - but, as I've said in the past, I'm for planned actions. There's always a transition when moving from a to b. How is that managed? An energy crisis was caused by the Ukraine war - so is it quicker to fill in the short fall in gas/oil in this country by opening new or reopening old fossil fuel operations or setting up new green sources? Nuclear isn't a short term option. So where does it leave us? If fossil isn't used, and green isn't immediately available - what happens this winter (with fuel costs being insanely high anyway), if the winter is bad, and how many deaths are caused by lack of fuel? So even though a man couldn't get to a funeral, is that relevant, when there may be more funerals caused by NOT using immediately available fossil?
Battery storgae looks like it may be a long term solution to lack of wind and or sunshine.
https://www.energy-storage.news/the-numbers-behind-the-record-breaking-rise-of-the-uk-battery-storage-market/#:~:text=The%20average%20UK%20grid%2Dscale,more%20than%2045MW%20in%202021.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
Battery storage may be part of the solution to how we keep electricity available, but how are the components of the batteries mined? I've never heard any politician or those opposed to the use of fossil fuel actually answer the question @steveTu raises.
Re mobile phones - I don't have one but I'm certainly not against them. Technology moves on and they can be extremely useful - particularly in emergencies. I think it is just the seemingly careless/I'm entitled attitude towards the often uneccessary use of them by the activists that galls me.
I think someone also mentioned the acres of Servers in use which use huge amounts of power just so that we can store info, photos, etc. on The Cloud. Handy ? Maybe but either we change our attitudes pretty smartly or we accept that we are on a very dangerous slope.
We had our covid booster over a month ago at a local pharmacy, they were supposed to be doing flu as well but they ran out before our appt. So we finally go to arranging this at the GP surgery for this afternoon at 16:20. We got there in good time and filled in our forms and waited, there was one other woman who went into the nurse and out again, and we waited, there were no other patients. Eventually my wife enquired to be told the doctor was held up in traffic and they couldn't do the jabs without one present. Eventually someone presumably the doctor, bustled in and disappeared into a consulting room. We were eventually given our jabs nearly an hour after arrival. Two questions:
1. Why can pharmacists do this if there has to be a doctor present? ( My guess is the person doing this at the GP is NOT a registered nurse.
2. Why is it so hard to get a GP appointment when (and this is the second time i've noted this) there are practically no patients around waiting? What are GPs actually doing? Ours are certainly not seeing many patients face to face.