Bishop Hill #Greensgobyair
Jun 1, 2013 Greens I was amused to see that Tom Nelson picking up on a Twitter hashtag I had used a few days ago when I noticed enviro-lawyer Anthony Hobley heading off to Barcelona. Tom had seen Jonathan Overpeck on his way to China and Time magazine's Bryan Walsh on his way to Las Vegas.
I wonder if the #greensgobyair hashtag might take off. If so, expect to see a great deal of Futerra's Solitaire Townsend, whose addiction to air travel seems hard to kick. In February she visited Vienna and San Francisco. In March it was Brazil. She was back in Brazil at the start of May, noting that customs officers were remarking about her regular visits:
Boarder [sic] guard flicks through stamps in my passport "you must like Brazil". Well, duh.
In the last few weeks she has visited Amsterdam, Cumbria and today has jetted off to San Diego.
Solitaire's twitter name is GreenSolitaire. But if she is green, who isn't?
Reader Comments (71)
Yes, her twitter bio info states: "Thoroughly enjoying saving the world."
Others are calling her out...
She comes across as a sex-obsessed #trustafarian
Solitaire, and Futerra co-founder Ed ("Slow Traveler") Gillespie, are the epitome of the grubby, Guardianista greenwashing, state-corporate PR, parasitic class.
Their Twitter feed gives you a glimpse into their real interests - self-promotion, socialising and smug metropolitan propagandising - all for profit natch!
https://twitter.com/futerra
I would be rude but I am only jealous. What a complete cock I was to have a real job all my working life.
Q:
What utter, utter, utter arrogance!!!! How can anyone be more smug and self-righteous?!
I think Solitaire's masterpiece was her Guardian article - demanding "sustainable Gucci handbags" -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/letters-to-leaders-gucci-green-lifestyle
Who needs satire?
Rob Hopkins, "Transition Towns" founder, has Tweeted at #greensgobyair - to explain why, after much anguished heart searching, he's decided it's OK for important greenies like him to fly around the globe for the cause.
http://transitionculture.org/2013/05/16/why-im-marking-passing-400-ppm-by-getting-back-on-an-aeroplane/
Here's a flavour -
What haunts me every day, and no doubt will for the rest of my days, is what I will reply to my grandchildren when they ask me what I did during the time when climate change could have been brought under some sort of control, when the necessary changes could have been put in place to create a low-carbon, resilient and thriving culture that nurtured healthy human cultures. Was I as effective as I could have been? Did I do everything I could have? Having reflected on this for some time, it feels churlish to decline an opportunity that could potentially have a far greater positive impact than the negative impact of the flight.
So sometime in late September, it looks very much as though I will make that journey. Quite what I’ll do when I’m there has yet to be agreed ...
She comes across as a sex-obsessed #trustafarian
Jun 1, 2013 at 10:27 AM | Jack Hughes
Well, sex sells. Anyone interested in the subject of sex and sustainability might find the article by Solitaire Townsend, linked to below, of interest.
The Naked Environmentalist
http://www.futerra.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/The-Naked-Environmentalist.pdf
It starts with the line, Sex will save us. Sounds better than cutting CO2 levels to me!
Roy: Indeed. It reminds me of the story of Billy Graham trying to address a 60s radical student crowd, getting nowhere because of the noise. Eventually he asks "What do you believe in then?" "Sex!" is the predictable shout. "Me too! Without it none of us would be here."
A great initiative from our host. For those interested in Hashtag History that tweet stream of the last few days should help. It was nice to get four letters back from Chris Messina, the man who started it all, now at Google, almost inevitably. For those completely new to Twitter, just click on any hashtag anywhere to see who has recently used it. Results for #greensgobyair is shorter than some but for me has great potential.
Re Foxgoose
I just posted this comment at Rob 'I'm so special my rules don't apply to me' Hopkins's webiste
'Why should the general public take any notice at all of your green advice, when you can't even take it yourself?
I see no difference between you and Al Gore...lots of sanctimonious guff about how you want us to live....but when it comes to your own behaviour you can always find a reason why your circumstances are 'special' or 'different'.
How do you spell 'hypocrite' in your language?'
I doubt it'll appear.
But goodie - I'm off to a barbie this afternoon and my favourite local greenist and TT advocate will be there. I'll be sure to draw his attention to the article as he eats his tofuburger and digs the eco-friendly non-judgemental unisex latrine at the bottom of number 54's garden...........
They must think that we are green.
- Ah That Futerra that said : "To help address the chaotic nature of the climate change discourse in the UK today, interested agencies now need to treat the argument as having been won, at least for popular communications. This means simply behaving as if climate change exists and is real, and that individual actions are effective. The ‘facts’ need to be treated as being so taken-for-granted that they need not be spoken ."
..from the famous : Rules of the Game document 2005
- and had some stuff come out in the Climategate emails
- and which produces info against "Greenwashing" which seems to promote Greenwashing
Ever wondered why the Climate Change "debate" seems more like a brainwashing exercise ?
Jack Savage
Since I am emphatically not jealous (I hate flying and do it only when I have to) I can afford to be rude and the only thing that stops me is a little voice saying "what's the point?"
Trying to reason with an enviro-mentalist is a totally futile pastime as several other postings so far on this thread prove — in spades!.
For example: Foxgoose's chosen quote "Was I as effective as I could have been?. Answer: "No, you failed miserably every time you stepped on an aircraft — as you well know."
stewgreen's selection "This means simply behaving as if climate change exists and is real, and that individual actions are effective." Well, guess what, Futerra, your very phraseology gives you away. You don't believe a word of it but you're happy to take money to lie about it.
I'll tell you how they spell 'hypocrite' in their language, Latimer. "F*** you, peasant!"
Latimer Alder-
"I'm off to a barbie this afternoon and my favourite local greenist and TT advocate will be there."
You should bring some eco-goodies to share:
-One baggie of UN-sanctioned insects for delicious bugburgers;
-One baggie of clean dirt for salad and bugburger topping.
Remind your greenist pal that a soil-soaked meal in a trendy Japanese restaurant runs to more than $100 a plate.
Note- it may be possible to harvest these ingredients right there at the barbie. Your greenist pal can then claim locavorism in the truest sense of the word.
Its for the children.
You can read about the flying activities of Dr Pachauri here, written pre-Copenhagen:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26095251/Dr-Pachauri-Reaching-Out
One has to stand agog when looking at some of the sites being “recommended” here:
“…the recent passing, for the first time, of 400 ppm of C02 in the atmosphere… since… when?
“I know anecdotally that my giving up flying has inspired quite a few people to do the same…” Oh dear, yet another sanctimonious pr**k, who continues by “refusing to accept” what so those with far more knowledge, insight and intellect say; “refusing to accept” is NOT a scientific argument.
With minds like these on the AGWist side, why are we even bothering?
Mind you, Ruth King must try harder: “MELANIE PHILLIPS: THE BBC IS RECOMMENDING THAT JOURNALISTS DITCH BLANACE FOR PROPAGANDA!”
The Futerra wordage was repeated verbatim by the Labour Party's favourite think tank, IPPR, in 2006, in a document called "Warm Words: How are we telling the climate story and can we tell it better?"
"This report was commissioned by the ippr as part of our project on how to stimulate climate-friendly behaviour in the UK. It analyses current UK constructions and conceptions of climate change in the public domain, using some of the tools and principles of discourse analysis and semiotics."
http://www.ippr.org.uk/publication/55/1529/warm-wordshow-are-we-telling-the-climate-story-and-can-we-tell-it-better
"Sex will save us" - Should the hashtag be shortened to #greensgo ?
I think we should applaud all the Greenies flying around the world: they prove by their own actions the useless and futility of their philosophy. Fossil fuels are so essential to modern life, even those who claim to loathe and despise them nevertheless use them all the time. There are apparently no Greenies capable of living a life that sets an example to the rest of us of how society could operate without fossil fuels.
Latimer Alder - would mind telling your mate at the barby, after he's finished digging the crapper of course, that you would appreciate it if he didn't wash his clothes for 50 days.
It's the right thing to do for a planet saving sustainable future.
lol. The "greater good".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY
6r33n53475h17?
A thought that has risen in the mire on my mind while trawling through the “green” sites (after a brief diversion into Solitaire’s sad sexual musings) that the links above are linked to (oh, and by the way, super tankers do not take 12 hours to turn round – they only take a few minutes, and do it within a mile). That thought was: “Why the sudden obsession for peer-reviewing of papers?”
My own understanding of the publication of scientific papers was that a scientist (or a group of scientists) had an idea, pursued some research on this idea, then published the findings of that research, so establishing an explanatory theory. An important part of that publication was the inclusion of the data from which the results were obtained, so enabling any other scientists to replicate the results, and verify the theory. To paraphrase a considerably greater mind than my own, they would guess, test, and conclude. I am pretty sure that two of the most historically-prominent scientists, Newton and Einstein, did not bother having their papers peer-reviewed prior to publication – and suspect that, if they had, they would have been no publication!
One important subject for research – why do your spelling, grammatical, syntax, and plain old typographical errors only become obvious once you have pressed “Create Post”!
#Greenstravelfirstclass
#Greensfleecelikewhitecollarcrims
#Greensvacationin5starresorts
#Greensusemasseusesforhappyendings
#Greensconsumemorefossilfuels
#Greensdoallthistosaveus
Would this be the same Solitaire who let the cat out of the bag about the Green movement's real intentions on a BBC documentary a few years back? (Clue: It ain't saving the planet)
TOWNSEND: I was making a speech to nearly 200
really hard core, deep environmentalists and I played
a little thought game on them. I said imagine I am the
carbon fairy and I wave a magic wand. We can get rid
of all the carbon in the atmosphere, take it down to
two hundred fifty parts per million and I will ensure
with my little magic wand that we do not go above
two degrees of global warming. However, by waving
my magic wand I will be interfering with the laws of
physics not with people – they will be as selfish, they
will be as desiring of status. The cars will get bigger,
the houses will get bigger, the planes will fly all over
the place but there will be no climate change. And I
asked them, would you ask the fairy to wave its
magic wand? And about 2 people of the 200 raised
their hands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/analysis/transcripts/25_01_10.txt
Stuck-record.
That's the girl!
I used to think that this had exposed the enviro-mentalists' philosophy and hypocrisy in a nutshell but I'm starting to wonder whether perhaps they were just too thick to understand the question.
Considering their influence on government, either way is a bit worrying.
I've often wondered about the hypocrisy at the Grauniad and Obverser that they allow travel companies to advertise for flights & cruises all over the world. Millions of miles at a guess as I got bored adding it up.
Oh yes of course it's for the revenue, so they can pay journalists to write about the flights and cruises we shouldn't be taking, because we're killing the planet.
I advocate all travel companies should stop advertising in newspapers which demand we should not be using their services.
NeilC - "I advocate all travel companies should stop advertising in newspapers which demand we should not be using their services"
What? And lose access to their key market segment?!?..
#seeyouatthenextconference
Jun 1, 2013 at 10:27 AM | Unregistered CommenterJack Hughes
I don't think it's fair to call Solitaire a trustafarian. She was born on a "nasty" Bedfordshire council estate.
The foundation of her fortunes was a grant of £100,000 from NESTA to make two short films on climate change.
http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/solitaire-townsends-green-route-to-riches-43233
Says it all really.
From the front page of the IPCC website:
WG I: The Physical Science Basis
23-26 September 2013, Stockholm, Sweden
WG II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
25-29 March 2014, Yokohama, Japan
WG III: Mitigation of Climate Change
7-11 April 2014, Berlin, Germany (tbc)
AR5 Synthesis Report (SYR)
27-31 October 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark
Then there is the "task forces" and "task groups" meetings regularly on a global scale.
How many climate scientists? How many government officials, NGO people, activists and journalist will be attending just these few?
Perhaps the 300ppm to 400ppm has caused by the IPPC and hangers on flying all over the world.
Look at the Futerra backdrop. There is no plane there.
The Environmental Change Institute in Oxford (where Myles Allen is based) always sends a group to the annual COP climate change negotiations. Cherry-picked extracts on the 2010 Cancun COP16 meeting from their blog follow:
Sadly, there are no further blog posts after December 2010.
But Ruth, we get to eat fish and chips in the PoW. Which we must do again soon..
What makes my blood boil is all these "gap year" students flying around the world and saving the planet. I'm not a violent person by any means at all - in fact I abhor violence. But I really would like to slap them all around the face a bit.
Observations -
'a' is the distance traveled by all involved with IPCC meetings all over the world, which creates a significant rise of CO2 over 30 years
'b' is the amount of hot air emanating from all these meetings, raising temperatures over the last 30 years
Conclusion; a+b = AGW (and that's a catastrophe) [A=IPCC induced]
For me - the most significant insight into the mysteries of climatology came from the Climategate emails - in Mike Mann's immortal words to Phil Jones:-
.......looking forward to seeing you in Tahiti, we can
enjoy some nice tropical drinks w/ umbrellas in them.....
Somehow, it all made sense after that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkQ2AMzhYbA
Think Solitaire (stupid name.Mum named her after a bond girl) travel by Easy Jet or Ryan Air.
Here's "Solly" in action - "selling the sizzle".
It'll make you think - well, puzzle you at least -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3xcjdIwEP0&feature=youtu.be
Futerra: smart-alecs on the side of a destructive, irresponsible, divisive, and degrading cause with no sufficient foundation in theory or observation. How were they to know?
Here's one of them at work on a schoolteacher: 'Teaching Climate Change'. How was the teacher to know?
Well, in each case, they were 'to know' by checking things out more thoroughly before diving in at the deep end as if there was little doubt as to the righteousness of 'the cause'. There is every doubt. Their cause is a rotten one.
Jun 1, 2013 at 5:58 PM | Registered Commenter Foxgoose
Gordon Bennet. That was excruciating.
What with "Solitaire" and Fanny wotsername with the exploding school children how can we lose?
@rhoda
I'm up for the F&C again soon
Who needs the hard life of a leading environmentalist - fine enviro-dining , servile waiting staff touchingly grateful to have their planet saved by the Big White Chiefs from Academia, motorcades direct from the VIP Airport Lounge to recptions at the Presidential Palace and , best of all, the opportunity to spend £1200 of somebody else's money on having breakfast with Big Al Gore?
We shun it all for the pleasures of life in the sceptical fast lane...a quick trip on the Number 5 bus from Oxford Station to an evening of wit, intellect and repartee with self-funded excellent fish and chips (*) in a proper pub.
And I will not be writing a blog about the anguishes of my conscience about whether to take the diesel-powered train home from Reading via Guildford or the electric via Virginia Water.........
(*) other choices are available.
Einstein, did not bother having their papers peer-reviewed prior to publication
He did. The process was somewhat different to now and more painful for the reviewee.
But Ruth, we get to eat fish and chips in the PoW. Which we must do again soon..
Jun 1, 2013 at 5:10 PM | Unregistered CommenterRhoda
If you are doing it in Oct - Nov this year I might just make it. I'm over from france in the autumn.
I've been worrying about the ethical dilemmas faced by our green overlords, as they are forced to suppress their finer instincts in the cause of humanity - while jetting around the globe in search of
drinks with umbrellasclimatological truth.I think their status needs some sort of special recognition, to mark their importance and reward them for their sacrifices.
Decades ago, at the height of the Thatcher terror when I was a globetrotting capitalist swine , British Airways gave me an Executive Gold Card. (In those decadent days, you didn't even have to earn it - although the bastards changed the rules later).
I can still remember the guilty frisson of sauntering past the lower orders into the free booze lounge - and getting regular upgrades to first class in the days of half empty planes.
Well, I think it's time we introduced the Emerald Card for globetrotting greenies - so they can go about their vital work without the indignity of being mistaken for planet-murdering tourists & businessmen.
They could have a separate lounge with complementary muesli plus the Guardian and a complementary bound copy of John Cooks greatest works - maybe even their own curtained off section of the plane with sustainably sourced umbrella drinkies.
As a small reciprocal gesture for the privilege - they could be asked to pop out from their curtain and explain to the plebs in economy how their thoughtless selfishness was condemning the world's kiddies to the AGW furnace.
On second thoughts, forget the curtain - armoured plexiglass might be better.
From Ruth Dixon's post above:
UNEP - " people dancing like maniacs over the lagoon"........... isn't that what it is all about?
Solitaire sucks