Barry

Thanks for the link, quite why it should be so noteworthy to find a sensible speech I dont know. As you say the last para is a corker

'This cuddly green bunny of a Bill conceals some of the most unsatisfactory aspects of legislation that we ever had to contend with from the previous Government. There are policies with zero detail and no timetable for the emergence of that detail; there are sweeping powers for the Executive, constrained only by the weak parliamentary safeguard of the affirmative procedure. There are virtually no details of costs or benefits for major parts of the Bill, where there are at best aspirational statements in support of them. I hate to say it to my own party on the Front Bench, but this is no way to govern.'

The (Shale) Gas Renaissance
The impact on Europe, suffering under Russian dominance for natural gas supplies, could come even quicker – if it were not for environmental ‘concerns’ which all too often paralyzes EU energy thinking.
http://tinyurl.com/3x3ubeq

Controversial gas 'fracking' extraction headed to Europe
http://tinyurl.com/29tc7sw

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/17.htm
forgot the link!

Playing with a new netbook xmas pressie, so I hope not to sad to be posting xmas day!!!

Noakes is in agreement with Lord Lawson

describing it as sleepwalking through parliament, without any costings (which would be substantial)

nice quote - the this 'cuddly green bunny of a bill'

The Independent - Desperation results in theory on the run

Scientists have established a link between the cold, snowy winters in Britain and melting sea ice in the Arctic and have warned that long periods of freezing weather are likely to become more frequent in years to come.

An analysis of the ice-free regions of the Arctic Ocean has found that the higher temperatures there caused by global warming, which have melted the sea ice in the summer months, have paradoxically increased the chances of colder winters in Britain and the rest of northern Europe

There is a transcript of Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson's devastating speech in the Lord's during their debate on the second reading of the Energy Bill, posted on GWPF currently. The actual transcript is here

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/14.htm

It really deserves a wider audience than it will likely receive in our MSM.

Cancun Agreements
http://unfccc.int/2860.php

Haven't seen this posted. If I've just missed it: my apologies : )

cheers
brent

Barry Woods

Did you notice the source is Green Futures?

"Green Futures was founded in 1996 by Forum for the Future director Jonathon Porritt, who continues to chair our Advisory Board."

Bish

No matter which browser I use (IE, FF, Safari), the 'recent comments' ticker seems to have stuck. It's a couple of days out of synch with the blog now.

You probably know this, but just in case...

Dominic

Guardian: today
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/trendspotting-sustainability-issues-2011

Climate change scepticism: will science strike back?
2010 was the Year of the Sceptics. By contrast, 2011 could just see the triumph of science, for two reasons.

First, the facts are increasingly stark. 2010 looks set to equal or exceed 1998 as the warmest year on record. And it doesn't stop there. 1998 hit record levels in part because it coincided with the warming impacts of 'El Nino'. By contrast, 2010's highs have happened despite the cooling influence of 'La Nina'.

Second, in the wake of Climategate, scientists are realising that pure research ain't enough: they need to communicate much better, too – and engage openly with their adversaries. The more that happens, the more threadbare the rhetoric of denial will appear. The grudging agreement reached at Cancun will help; all the more so because both China and India have come on board as never before.

Thist doesn't mean scepticism will melt away overnight. With the impacts of global warming, as ever, lagging behind the rise in temperatures, the sceptics will still find a hearing. And they'll be fired up by a new kind of energy. For years, advocates of bold action on carbon cuts have argued that energy insecurity strengthens their case. That'll be harder to maintain now that shale gas has entered the mix. Not only is it relatively cheap, but there is a truly humungous amount of it in the USA.

The science may be settled, but the coming year will show that the debate is far from over.