Back

Back from my travels and there has clearly been plenty to occupy everyone in my absence. The mountain of email extends as far as the eye can see, so please excuse me if you don't get a personal response. Thanks though to everyone who has sent interesting stories.

The right to be rude

Tom Chivers  in the Telegraph on freedom of speech:

...there is a difference between taboos on rudeness, held in place by social convention, and legally enforced politeness. Have we outsourced our sense of decency to the state? The law as it stands can be used to make almost any angry or offensive speech criminal. As I hope I’ve shown in this piece, some of the greatest English literature, and much of humanity’s most entertaining language, is angry or offensive. Should the law suppose that we are so volatile that we need to have our every word policed for inflammatory content?

Luckily, Charles Dickens has prepared an insult that does just the job at answering that question: “ 'If the law supposes that,’ said Mr Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, 'the law is an ass – an idiot.’ ”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100185612/how-can-rudeness-be-criminal-the-best-insults-are-pure-poetry/

DECC and sociology

The British Sociological Association.

The [climate change ] study group was formed following the very successful BSA Presidential Debate ‘How to put society into climate change’ held at the British Library in February 2010. As that event demonstrated, sociology has an increasingly important role to play in shaping and contributing to public and policy debate about climate change. The study group provides a forum in which to explore how to effectively bring sociology’s unique perspective to bear on this most pressing of challenges. The study group is open to all sociologists, from whatever specialism and at whatever stage they may be at in their career

26 October 2012

BSA Climate change study group: informal discussion with DECC
No 3. Whitehall Place, Department of Energy and Climate Change, London, UK - 2.30-5.00pm -

This event provides members of the BSA climate change study group with an informal opportunity to meet some of the people involved in social science related research in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Those who attend will get a chance to learn more about how research influences policy, and about what makes social science useful. There will be opportunities to discuss current and future research priorities, to hear about methods of commissioning and using research, and about experiences of working with policy.

FULLY BOOKED

Never mind, you can always go to this one instead.  [TM.]

31 October 2012
Consumption and the Philosophy of Denim
London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Wind of not much change...

From £several billion.

From Today's Moderator: Davey and the DECC are at it again.

Adam Bruce has accepted the position of Chairman of the new Offshore Wind Programme Board. The Offshore Wind Programme Board has been established following the recommendations in the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force report. It will comprise a small number of senior representatives from industry (including developers and supply chain), Government and Statutory Nature Conservation advisors and is based on successful models used in other sectors such as the Oil and Gas PILOT group.

The Programme Board’s objective will be to treat the UK’s offshore wind sector as one business, proactively considering its risks and assigning the appropriate participants to work on solutions to the issues raised.

Secretary of State Edward Davey said:

“We need to get the economy moving again and a massive expansion in home grown, clean, renewable energy capacity is central to this.

“As well as being a clean, green, home-grown energy source offshore wind offers significant employment opportunities for industry across all areas of the UK. However we are clear that costs must come down. I am delighted that Adam Bruce has accepted the role of Chairman to take this challenge forward.

“I look forward to working closely with Adam and the other members of the Programme Board in my role as joint-Chair of the Offshore Wind Developers Forum”....

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_126/pn12_126.aspx

Don't miss the ...Notes for editors

As announced in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap in July 2011, the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction was established to set out a path and action plan to reduce the costs of offshore wind to £100/MWh by 2020. It reported to DECC & Devolved Administration Ministers in June this year, with a number of recommendations for Government and industry to take forward.

Adam Bruce is currently the Global Head of Corporate Affairs at Mainstream Renewable Power. He is the former UK Chief Executive of Airtricity, which was sold in 2008 to SSE plc. Mr Bruce was Chairman of Renewable UK from 2007-2010. He spent 10 years with the law firm McGrigors, where he was a founding director of the firm’s Public Policy practice. He sits on the Boards of the Friends of the Supergrid, the European Wind Energy Association, and the Global Wind Energy Council. He is a Fellow of the RSA.

The OWPB will report initially to the Offshore Wind Developers Forum, which is jointly chaired by Keith Anderson of Scottish Power and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change, Edward Davey. The Offshore Developers Forum is a forum which brings together Government and industry, through the offshore wind developers, to work on solutions to remove barriers that have the potential to impede the viability and deliverability of offshore wind in the UK.

Does this mean they will endeavour to discover how  to part the waves of the North Sea and abate the storms thereof?

Update 20.10.2012, 8.20am [TM]

I see that the Offshore Wind Developers appear to be under the aegis of The Crown Estate.

Offshore Wind Developers Forum

Together with the Government and senior executives from the 17 developers working on offshore wind projects, we have established the Offshore Wind Developers Forum.

UK offshore wind vision

"The UK to be the centre of offshore wind technology and deployment, with a competitive supply chain in the UK, providing over 50 per cent of the content of offshore wind farm projects."

Presumably  the other 50% is from overseas manufacturers.

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy/offshore-wind-energy/working-with-us/offshore-wind-developers-forum/

Click to read more ...

Driving into the future?

From Today's Moderator

An article by Andrew English on the future of hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars appeared in the Telegraph yesterday.

In January, the Government unveiled its latest hydrogen initiative which, according to Mark Prisk, the business minister, will “ensure the UK is well positioned for the commercial roll out of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles.”

The 2007 Department of Energy white paper, Meeting the Energy Challenge, concluded that “fuel cells and hydrogen technologies face significant technical and economic challenges… A huge international effort (both public and private) is being devoted to overcoming them. This will require fundamental and applied research, development and demonstration.”

In 2008, Professor Peter P Edwards wrote in the government-commissioned study, Hydrogen and fuel cells: towards a sustainable energy future: “together, hydrogen and fuel cells have the capability of producing a green revolution in transportation by removing CO² emissions completely.”

Will it really? Three government departments (Business, Innovation and Skills, Transport and Energy and Climate Change) are involved, but have any of them ever read any of their own publications?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/green-motoring/9298273/Hydrogen-Can-the-UK-ever-catch-up.html

Lordly questions

Energy: Self-sufficiency

Question

2.52 pm [15 October 2102]

Asked by Lord Ezra

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK could again become self-sufficient in energy

....will [my noble friend] confirm that there will be adequate electricity supplies and generating capacity, in view of the recent report of Ofgem that stated that there might be a reduction in capacity in the next four years?

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/1210150001.htm#12101518000364

From Today's Moderator

Click to read more ...

Green lobbying

Energy efficiency subsidy could cut UK demand 40 per cent

New Green Alliance and WWF report calls for efficiency feed-in tariff to be part of Energy Bill ahead of crucial ministerial meeting this week

Introducing a financial incentive for energy efficiency could help the UK deliver electricity demand reductions at far lower cost than building new low carbon generation capacity, green campaigners have said.

Click to read more ...

Joke of the week

I did really hear the story that a Minister, when told that the 'renewable energy facility' he was inspecting was limited by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, suggested that an Act of Parliament could be introduced into The House to remedy the situation?

Oct 16, 2012 at 8:44 AM |   Robert Christopher Bishop Hill blog

Today's Moderator

Quote of the week

By Today's Moderator.

I rather liked this comment on WUWT about the spat between David Rose and the Met Office and whether global warming has recently stopped or not .

the duke October 13, 7.14pm.

So, should we all conclude that temperatures are relatively normal, or temporarily normal, or abnormally normal, or apparently normal on a continuing but wholly unpredictable basis? Or are there other possibilities?

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/13/report-global-warming-stopped-16-years-ago/

Click to read more ...

Plasma positives

By Today's Moderator.

 H/ T to Autonomous Mind. This is is a comment  he left a few days ago on a Daily Mail article about rubbish disposal.

There is a simple solution to disposing of rubbish that would go into landfill – PLASMA GASIFICATION. It is a safe form or incineration that doesn’t put dioxins in the air and leaves only a small amount of residue which is inert and can be used as hard core for roads and developments. Plasma gasification units, which have a 35-45 year life and would pay for themselves within 10 years, can also work in the same way as combined heat and power units. Instead of putting waste into landfill, incurring huge costs thanks to the EU, landfill can actually be emptied and sent for gasification thereby generating power and solving the waste problem. Ask your local and county councils and councillors why they are not installing this technology instead of burying rubbish or using incinerators.

http://autonomousmind.wordpress.com/

Click to read more ...

A treat in store- Big Energy Week

By Today's Moderator.

In advance of Big Energy Saving Week (w/c 22 October), Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey is writing to all Members of Parliament with advice for their constituents to help them keep energy bills down and their homes warm this winter.

Dear Colleague,

As winter approaches, I am writing to let you know how the Government is helping your constituents reduce their energy bills and keep their homes warm.

The Government cannot control volatile world energy prices, which account for around half the current domestic energy bill, but there are a number of ways it can help consumers to cut their energy bills, including additional support for those on low incomes and the vulnerable....[read on]

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/beswletter/beswletter.aspx

Green companies

By Today's Moderator.

This is part of the opposition speech made at a recent  Cambridge University debate on  the motion that This House Believes Too Many Companies Are Only Paying Lip-Service to the Green Agenda. What are your opinions?

Click to read more ...

Buying the book

I'm still tied up with other things, but wanted to respond to some of the questions on Hiding The Decline. I'm self-publishing this one, so I'm doing a print run for the initial hard copy orders. The books are due from the printer next week, so I hope to have them on sale soon after that. Kindle and Epub versions are ready to go and will be available direct at the same time.

Once I'm ready to go with the direct sales, I'll put the book up on Amazon via Createspace for those who don't want to purchase direct (there are lots of people who don't want to use Paypal for example). I'm keen to get as many people as possible purchasing direct though.

In the meantime, I hope you are being kept supplied with interesting things to discuss in my absence.

[Book title corrected 15.10.13, 1.57 pm. TM]

Biofuel billions

Biofuels will serve the interests of large industrial groups rather than helping to cut carbon emissions and ward off climate change, according to research to be published in the International Journal of Environment and Health this month.

Click to read more ...

We need to talk about free speech

Where do we go from here?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9605045/What-a-shocking-week-its-been-for-free-speech.html