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June 30, 2005
SUCCESS! CO2/Tree Planting Pledge fulfilled
My CO2 offset / Tree Planting campaign at the Pledge Bank has been successful.
We now have 100 signatories. We are asking everybody to go ahead and arrange tree planting to offset their 2005 carbon emissions.
The pledge is still open for more people to sign up.
www.pledgebank.com/treeplanting
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:57 PM | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
Eclectech on Clarke and ID cards
Eclectech have a new Gilbert & Sullivan style animation - ‘the very model of a modern labour minister : a tribute to Charles Clarke and his ID cards’.
eclectech.co.uk/clarkeidcards.php
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:17 AM | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
ID card bill narrowly passes second reading
The ID card bill passed its second reading in the Commons this evening by just 31 votes, and the critical mass of opposition to the bill is growing all the time.
The chances are of defeating the bill outright may not be high, but the government are risking their credibility by failing to respond to technical, financial and civil liberties questions about the scheme. They face opposition from every side, and on every possible aspect of their plan.
If they sincerely wanted to bring in more accurate means of personal identification, they could hardly have drafted a more inept plan. They should have started by simply introducing biometrics on passports, before evaluating the results, and considering other applications of the technology.
See ID card news
MPs narrowly back ID cards plan: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4632299.stm#
Passport applicants face grilling: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4629545.stm
ID Database ‘not for sale’: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4624735.stm
Ministers plan to sell your ID card details to raise cash: news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=649780
ID cards ‘will not make us safer’: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4623539.stm
ID cards losing support as rising costs deter public: www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,1505880,00.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:30 PM | TrackBack
Nuclear Fusion plant to be built in France
As expected, France is to build the first experimental nuclear fusion reactor (ITER) at a cost of 10 bilion euros, at Cadarache near Aix-en-Provence. The project is supported by the EU, Japan, the Russian Federation and the USA.
Offering potentially the holy grail of limitless clean energy, it will nevertheless be ten years before the reactor at Cadarache becomes operational and several decades after that before there is any possibility of the commercial development of nuclear fusion energy, assuming that technical problems have been overcome en route.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4629239.stm#
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:52 PM | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
Interview: The Woodland Trust and Glen Finglas
Bluebells in Little Drum Wood, Glen Finglas, June 2005 Photo © SCH
Glen Finglas is a 4,038 hectare estate, centred around the Glen Finglas Reservoir, in the heart of the Trossachs. It was bought in 1996 by the Woodland Trust Scotland, with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Woodland Trust Members and Supporters. It is the largest of all Woodland Trust properties in Britain.
It takes only 15 minutes to get there from where we live in Callander, and we often go there to walk and jog. The trust are gradually improving public access to the area with a number of walks and trails, up to 15 miles in length.
Glen Finglas reservoir, June 2005 Photo © SCH
I asked Jacqui Morris, Communications Officer of the Woodland Trust Scotland, about Glen Finglas and the work of the Trust there.
The Skakagrall: What initially attracted you to Glen Finglas?
Jacqui MORRIS: There were many things about Glen Finglas which attracted the Trust to the site, these included: its location, the scale of the site, the landscape which is a mixture of mountains, glens and lochs, the ancient and native woodland remnants which are spread out across a wide altitudinal range, the wood pasture, and the history of the site. The potential to extend the existing native woodland across the site was most important.
Skakagrall: How many trees have you planted? Do you intend to restore the environment to what it was in the past?
MORRIS: The Trust has planted about half a million trees at Glen Finglas. The trees are mainly birch, alder and willow, however we have also planted oak, rowan, Scots pine of local provenance, juniper, hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn and ash.
It is difficult to restore the environment to what it was in the past, partly because it is difficult to determine, exactly what the landscape looked like. What the Trust is hoping to achieve is to expand the existing woodland. We want to create a new native wood for the future.
Skakagrall: Glen Finglas incorporates a working farm. Does this support the forestry?
MORRIS: Our idea is to promote the native woodland at Glen Finglas within a working farm. The number of sheep and cattle has been reduced to allow better regeneration of native trees. But removal of all grazing is not an option, as the impact on some of the area’s finest old trees could be terminal. Without animals browsing low shoots at the base of the ancient pollard trees, the new growth can put a big strain on the old structure. To maintain Scotland’s finest surviving wood pasture, the farm work and farm animals are essential. We receive a single farm payment through the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) which assists in running the farm business and we’ve entered into a Land Management Contract with the Scottish Executive.
Skakagrall: You have opened up access to the public with new paths and routes designed to appeal to different groups of visitors. Do you see Glen Finglas as a tourist attraction?
MORRIS: One of the Trust’s aims is to increase people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Union the Trust is creating opportunities for all types of people to enjoy Glen Finglas. We have developed a range of walking opportunities which range from 15 minutes to 15 miles. We have also found that Glen Finglas is popular with mountain bikers. Our aim is to demonstrate sustainable land management including forestry, farming, access and recreation.
Skakagrall: Will you establish a visitors’ centre in the future?
MORRIS: At the moment Lendrick Steading, on the A821 by the Little Drum car park, serves as a visitor reception, which is where we have seen the most demand. Most people coming to the site tend to just want to come for a walk rather than use the site as a visitors centre. However, organized groups can arrange in advance to visit the steading and learn more about the site.
Skakagrall: What is the time frame for tree planting? Will it be complete in a few years time? Will the project be complete when the trees are mature in 50 years or so?
MORRIS: It is hoped that all planting will be complete by the end of 2006. It is also in our plans that many of the trees will come about through natural regeneration. The vision for the site extends 200 years when the young trees become veteran trees and the flora and fauna has the opportunity to establish.
Burnt section of Lendrick Hill, June 2005 Photo © SCH
Skakagrall: How much of a disaster was the Easter 2003 fire? How many trees were lost?
MORRIS: Unfortunately the fire in 2003 was a major setback. The Trust lost most of the trees which had been planted on Lendrick hill - which was about 350,000 trees and four years growth. However, it has not all been doom and gloom, with much of the ground vegetation burnt off including the heather it has made replanting easier. Cotton grass is also re-establishing in the area which provides an ideal habitat for black grouse.
Skakagrall: Is the experience of planting new woodland in Glen Finglas applicable elsewhere?
MORRIS: Creating new woodland is not unique to Glen Finglas, currently the Woodland Trust Scotland is creating new woodland in the Ochils.
As well as protecting ancient woodland, the Trust aims to create new woodland. On a smaller scale we are working with other land owners this year to create 33 new woodlands UK-wide to commemorate the battle of Trafalgar and demonstrate the link between forestry and our naval history.
Skakagrall: Do you see the Woodland Trust offering the general public, and indeed companies, the opportunity of achieving ‘carbon neutrality’ by co-operating with the Trust in establishing new woodlands?
MORRIS: The Trust has a scheme in operation called carbonplus+, whereby companies can support tree planting to further their commitment to addressing carbon emissions (for instance through efficient use of energy). Tree planting alone is not the answer to combat climate change. It is only one activity which combined with others can help combat CO2 emissions - a strategic approach to energy reduction, renewables and changes in lifestyle are paramount. It is not the Trust’s intention to offer carbon neutrality by only or simply establishing new woodland as unfortunately it is not this simple (for example, trees planted can take perhaps 60 to 100 years to reach their carbon potential). The Trust is working with the Scottish Forest Alliance researching carbon sequestration.
Skakagrall: Thank you.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 05:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 26, 2005
First Group USA labour practices 'pernicious'
First Group, who run trains and buses throughout Britain, are criticized in the Observer for their ‘pernicious’ employment practices in North America.
They are said to deny their American drivers sick leave, paid holidays and adequate medical insurance, while refusing to recognize labour unions.
Do they have any answer to these charges? There is no response to the Observer article on their website press release page.
observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1514814,00.html?gusrc=rss
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
Delete! in Vienna
Neubaugasse in Vienna
Photo: Rainer Dempf
Imagine the city with all the advertizing and signs removed! That’s what they are doing right now in one street in Vienna. The project is called Delete!
Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf are covering every sign and advert in Vienna’s Neubaugasse with yellow plastic/paper. It started on 6 June and will last until 20 June.
Maybe someone should invite them to the Edinburgh Festival? I rather like the idea of Princes Street with all the signs covered up in dark blue.
Neubaugasse
Photo: Rainer Dempf
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:26 AM | Comments (2)
June 19, 2005
John Bercow on Burma
John Bercow initiated a parliamentary debate on ‘Human Rights (Burma)’ on 15 June (in connection with the 60th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi on 19 June). At the close of an excellent speech detailing the background to human rights violations in Burma, he said:
… it is a great indictment of the House that, so far back as records can be traced, not one ministerial oral statement has been made in Parliament about the abuse of human rights in Burma. That situation should change. If we declared our intention as a Parliament to oppose the regime, we could make a difference in time. If we were to adopt, through the European Union and the United Nations, the sanctions that are needed in respect of the oil, gas, timber and gems sectors on the one hand and follow up with a comprehensive UN arms embargo on the other, what a difference that could make. The Government of Burma have a responsibility to stop subjugating their citizens and to start liberating them. If they will not act voluntarily, they must be squeezed, squeezed and squeezed again. Like many other despotic regimes throughout the world, the Government of Burma are contemptuous of weakness. They respect only strength. They will respond only — if at all — to pressure, pressure and more pressure.
www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2005-06-15.107.1&s=Burma#g124.0
Posted by Simon Holledge at 01:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Aung San Suu Kyi is 60 today
Aung San Suu Kyi is 60 today. She is still imprisoned in Rangoon by one of the most unpleasant of all regimes. Imagine a country run by five or six of the worst generals in Indonesia and you have Burma.
Burma has not received the attention it deserves. While its people have been oppressed, its rain forests cut down, its mineral wealth exploited by foreign companies, and even its historic heritage (at Pagan) despoiled, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and Europe have vacillated, and time, 15 years now, has past. Only the Americans have stood relatively firm.
I was in Burma in the 1970s and late 1980s. The situation there is not, in my view, like Iraq or Iran, or Zimbabwe for that matter, but more like fascist Greece or Spain - it could be a pushover for democracy. Even within the civil service and the military, the generals enjoy little popular support. The people know that life is better and safer in other southeast Asian countries. The collapse of the regime could be rapid and complete when it finally comes - but we need to apply pressure, not feeble Jack Straw-style gestures!
Does Burma matter? I think so. It’s extraordinarily beautiful with a sizable population (42 million), forming the geographical link between southeast Asia and the sub-continent. Because of its colonial past, many Burmese speak English and maintain an interest in Britain, even if that, tragically, is not reciprocated.
news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=647706
unspun.mithuro.com/content/view/229/53
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=647664
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AungSanSuu_Kyi
Posted by Simon Holledge at 08:05 AM | TrackBack
June 17, 2005
Carbon sequestration
The government is giving GBP 25 million to develop carbon sequestration technology - pumping CO2 from fossil fuel fired power stations underground, instead of allowing it to rise into the atmosphere.
The Norwegian company Statoil has been working on this technology since 1996, and according to the Guardian have stored more than 6 million tonnes of CO2.
politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,9061,1506620,00.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:04 AM | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Joseph Black, discoverer of CO2
In the course of my CO2 offset tree planting reading, I stumbled on the information that carbon dioxide was first identified by the Scottish chemist Joseph Black.
Born in Bordeaux in 1728, where his father was in the wine trade, he eventually became a professor in both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities. His work on ‘fixed air’ (carbon dioxide) dated from 1754. He was buried in Greyfriars in Edinburgh in 1799.
There is a good biography on the Edinburgh University website. The wikipedia entry is just a stub, perhaps indicating how few of us know about Joseph Black.
www.chem.ed.ac.uk/welcome/history_black.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Black
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:38 PM | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Polly Toynbee on Religious Hatred Bill
Polly Toynbee explains why the Religious Hatred bill would be a bad law:
Laws change cultural climates: it’s what they are for. Religion will become out of bounds in many spheres. Schools, universities, the arts, broadcasting, will feel social pressures that induce self-censorship. A small example: if you wonder why there have been no penetrating exposes of cults like Scientology in recent years, it is because they have sued so often that the media caved in - fear of litigation outweighs the story. That is how the law cast its shadow.
She points out:
Lib Dem MP Evan Harris, proposes a neat solution. His amendment would ban “reference to a religion as a pretext for stirring up racial hatred”. Why was that solution rejected by Labour, since it stops the BNP using “Muslim” as a proxy for race, without trespassing on free speech?
www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1503473,00.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:16 PM | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
Climate Care website
Thanks to Jason Reich, I have found another excellent website with CO2 emission calculators.
Climate Care have some interesting overseas projects. In South Africa, where emissions are particularly heavy due to coal-fired power stations, they are distributing low energy light bulbs, and they are restoring rain forest in Uganda.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:05 PM | TrackBack
June 13, 2005
CO2/ tree planting FAQ
Here is a ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQ) for the CO2 emissions offset tree planting campaign at the Pledge Bank. I will be updating it as necessary.
1. What is your pledge?
‘I will have 10 trees planted to offset my total carbon dioxide emissions for 2005 but only if 99 other people will too.’
2. What will you do if less than 99 people sign up?
I am confident we will get 100 signatures!
3. Do I have to calculate my CO2 emissions?
It’s up to you. You can calculate your emissions and arrange for an appropriate number of trees to be planted, or you can simply donate ten trees.
4. Is it easy to calculate CO2 emissions?
Yes, you can use the online calculators at Climate Care www.climatecare.org, or Future Forests www.futureforests.com , or the National Energy Foundation (a charity) www.natenergy.org.uk/convert.htm , or you can go direct to the official government figures.
5. Do Climate Care, Future Forests and the National Energy Foundation use official government figures?
Yes, I think so.
6. Where can I find the official British government (DEFRA) figures for calculating CO2 emissions?
They are at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/envrp/gas/05.htm
7. How do I calculate home energy emissions from the DEFRA figures?
You calculate gas and electricity by adding up the KHh. (KWh appear on your utility bills.) Emissions from gas are 0.19 kg of CO2 per KWh. Emissions from electricity are 0.43 kg of CO2 per KWh.
Emissions from oil (central heating) are 2.68 kg of CO2 per litre, and emissions from coal are 2.419 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fuel.
8. How do I calculate car emissions from the DEFRA figures?
You will need to find our your annual mileage and fuel efficiency in miles per gallon (mpg). If you travel 10,000 miles a year and your car does 30 to the gallon, you will be using 333 gallons, which is 1,514 litres. Emissions are 2.31 kg per litre, which would give a total of 3.5 tonnes of CO2. (Diesel is 2.68 kg per litre.). If this seems complicated, I recommend the calculator at Climate Care www.climatecare.org.
9. How do I calculate air flight emissions?
This is a hard one, as the National Energy Foundation admit, there are all kinds of variables involved. I used 0.18 kg per mile for a long distance flight, for shorter distances a figure of up to 0.3 kg per mile may apply. Climate Care www.climatecare.org, Future Forests www.futureforests.com , and the National Energy Foundation www.natenergy.org.uk/convert.htm all have excellent calculators!
10. How do I calculate commercial and industrial emissions for the products I buy?
We are not attempting that.
11. What is your conversion rate from CO2 to trees?
I have been working on 650 kg of CO2 being offset by one tree.
12. When you say that a tree will absorb 650kg of CO2, is that annually (when mature) or over the entire life time of the tree?
I believe the process is a long one. One of the websites talks about a 99 year time period. The CO2 you put up into the atmosphere in 2005 will be up there contributing to global warming, while the trees you plant will be down here absorbing the gas - over many years.
The scientists have different models for this. However it’s worth noting that carbon absorption for most species is particularly high during the first 15 years, when it can be as much as 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare of woodland per year.
13. Some people claim that once a tree dies all the carbon goes straight back in the air. Is this true?
A properly managed woodland will regenerate and go on living. New trees will naturally replace the old ones. When a tree dies and is left to rot, some of the carbon will be released into the air, but some will also remain in the soil.
14. Some commenters have claimed that tree planting does not offset emissions, is unsustainable etc. What do you say?
There is an ongoing debate about climate change and what to do about it. There is a great deal of material about this on the net. Tree planting is recognized by the British government (and a wide range of organizations) as a key part of the effort to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere. There are other benefits as well, for wildlife, landslide prevention and flood control etc. In Britain we have lost much of our ancient tree cover. We now have the opportunity of putting some of it back, and at the same time absorbing some of the CO2 which is still being put out by our all too active coal-fired power stations.
I should also like to quote Future Forest: “There are ‘purists’ who believe that the only way to address climate change is to reduce emissions. Future Forests agrees that reductions are critical to dealing with the issue. However, our view is that reductions AND offset are all part of the approach we should be taking. The fact is that until new technologies are commercialised, people will continue to drive cars, take flights and use energy from fossil fuel sources.” www.futureforests.com/explainmore/anyotherquestions.asp#Q21
15. Where do we buy our trees?
I recommend Trees for Life, a charity in Scotland associated with the Findhorn Association (formerly the Findhorn Foundation).
For GBP 5 per tree, Trees for Life will arrange for volunteers to plant seedlings, aged between one to two years, of Scots pine, silver birch, downy birch, aspen, alder, willow, holly, juniper, rowan and oak in Glen Moriston and Glen Affric as part of a project to restore the ancient Caledonian Forest and its wildlife, on the west side of Loch Ness. All the seedlings will be of indigenous trees propagated from cones, seeds or berries collected locally, and grown by either Trees for Life or the Forestry Commission.
The trees will be planted on land owned by the Forestry Commission Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, the RSPB and private landowners on the basis of long-term agreements to maintain and manage the forest, in some cases under joint responsibility. More information is available on the ‘Solution to Global Warming’ page:
www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.global_warming.html
Donations to ‘Trees for Life’ can be made at:
www.treesforlife.org.uk/cgi-bin/multi_form.pl#carbon
The Woodland Trust also offer ten trees for GBP 50. They are a reliable organization providing long-term management for their woods. See: www.woodland-trust.org.uk
However it’s up to you to decide where the trees go. Alternatives include the schemes of Climate Care and Future Forests - and I am sure there must be many others.
16. Do you see this leading to something bigger? Can I help?
I am open to suggestions. If you think we should expand the campaign and you have skills to offer, I will be pleased to hear from you!
17. Should we start a discussion forum?
A Yahoo Group or PHP forum? I’d be happy to support a forum if there is a genuine interest.
18. Are you an expert?
No I am not. I welcome corrections.
19. Who are you anyway?
See: skakagrall.com/http://www.skakagrall.com/archives/000085aboutsimonholledge.html
Useful websites and pages:
www.forestresearch.gov.uk/website/forestresearch.nsf/ByUnique/INFD-62VF8C
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalwarmingcontroversy
Posted by Simon Holledge at 08:39 PM | Comments (10)
The Skakagrall CO2/Tree Planting Pledge
The Pledge Bank was launched this morning. I have registered this pledge:
I will have 10 trees planted to offset my total carbon dioxide emissions for 2005 but only if 99 other people will too.
I am delighted to say there has been a terrific response. In a matter of a few hours 33 people have already signed. (The deadline is officially 31 December 2005.)
www.pledgebank.com/treeplanting
UPDATE 29 June 2005
The pledge has been successful. This evening the last of the required 99 people signed up.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:36 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
June 12, 2005
Calculating personal CO2 emissions
I have just estimated our annual CO2 emissions for the first time. I used the calculators on the Future Forests site (see 11 June) which are based on official figures published by DEFRA.
Here are the figures:
Air flight: 2.2 tonnes (one ticket Edinburgh/Tokyo return)
Car: 2 tonnes (1.1 litre engine/8,550 miles a year)
Home gas: 2.3 tonnes (11,900 KWh a year, at 0.19 kg CO2 per KWh)
Home electricity: 0 tonnes (green tariff, see 8 June. Non-green electricity works out at 0.43 kg CO2 per KWh)
Total: 6.5 tonnes
I was surprised to find that one long-distance flight produced more CO2 than a year’s use of the car. The good news is that planting nine or ten trees a year would neutralize the effect we are having on global warming.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 11, 2005
Spray-on mud
A Shropshire company is selling spray-on mud that enhances the rugged appeal of 4x4 SUVs, and obscures number plates from speed cameras. (Of course they tell you not to do the latter.)
www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,67794,00.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 06:09 PM | TrackBack
Future Forests
Future Forests is a company dedicated to climate protection. They have made it their business to provide information about the carbon dioxide emissions we cause, as individuals and as companies, and suggest ways in which we can reduce and ‘neutralize’ those emissions through technology and (more usually) tree planting.
From their website, you can estimate your emissions and take appropriate action. For example, I am told that if I drive 12,000 miles a year in a 1.4 litre car this will produce 3.36 tonnes of CO2 a year, which can be offset by planting five trees. (If I wish I can buy the trees online and choose where they will be planted. Two of the locations are in Scotland.)
You can also check flight emissions. If I fly from Edinburgh, via Amsterdam, to Tokyo return, my emissions will be 2.2 tonnes of CO2, which can be offset by either three trees (or by buying three energy-saving light bulbs for a third world community). (These calculations are offered in association with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM), now part of the larger ESD group, and based on official DEFRA figures.)
Although simply switching your electricity to a green supplier is probably a simpler and more effective first step in taking responsibility for your impact on the environment, the ideas put forward by Future Forests are well worth considering.
www.futureforests.com/calculators/flightcalculatorshop.asp
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/envrp/gas/05.htm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:01 AM | TrackBack
June 10, 2005
Pay as you drive scheme
New Labour all over again. Darling’s ‘Pay as you drive’ scheme is the companion policy to ID cards.
The public is asked to pay for new (GPS) technology, which may or may not be administered properly, which provides information to the government which is not accessible to the public. Another form of surveillance.
Transport problems in Britain are economic and environmental. Solutions have to be found that increase efficiency and use cleaner energy, in other words we need to improve public transport and change over to using vehicles that run on different fuels.
Darling’s proposal is on the face of it a step backwards. The present reliance on fuel tax does at least mean that people with fuel inefficient vehicles pay more than those who have ‘greener’ cars. At present the disparity between the best and worst performers is about five to one. Any transport policy that fails to recognize this must surely be wrong.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4075490.stm
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=636152005
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4077760.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 09, 2005
Trade with Africa
The Scottish Executive are to encourage the sale of fair trade products from Africa such as coffee, tea and sugar. This may be worthwhile although it looks very much like the usual New Labour gesture politics, where talk is substituted for action.
Africa produces many things that are never (or very seldom) seen in this country, especially agricultural products. For example I have occasionally found excellent fruit from Madagascar and the Ivory Coast at our local vegetable and fruit market, apparently transhipped from Marseilles, but the supermarkets only seem to buy from South Africa and to a lesser extent from the countries of east Africa.
If the government is sincere about helping Africa they should identify obstacles to trade and remove them so that supermarkets and shops can then start selling a much wider range of produce.
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=616872005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:04 PM | TrackBack
June 08, 2005
Switching to green energy
Earlier this year we switched both our gas and electricity supply from Scottish Gas (a.k.a. British Gas) to a green provider, the RSPB (Scottish Hydro Electric). We will be paying a little more for our electricity but much less for our gas. (British Gas have raised their prices and achieved an 83 per cent increase in profits recently, so it’s just common sense to move to a cheaper supplier.)
Switching enables us to eliminate emissions resulting from our use of electricity, which is worthwhile considering that the Scottish coal-fired power stations of Longannet and Cockenzie are by far the largest producers of CO2 in the country.
(There are a number of websites that help you change supplier. I think I used uSwitch but the others are similar.)
money.guardian.co.uk/utilities/story/0,11992,1424595,00.html?gusrc=rss
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:12 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
June 06, 2005
EU referendum put on hold
Jack Straw’s actual statement in the House of Commons seemed to be more neutral and non-committal than news reports suggest. Britain was always going to be at the end of the ratification queue, so postponement isn’t necessarily all that significant.
Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland and Portugal are scheduled to make decisions this year and it will be interesting to see if these votes proceed as part of a new momentum towards some kind of resolution of the crisis.
Liam Fox’s comments for the opposition were entirely rhetorical and lacking in substance. The Tories have yet to grasp the fact that the majority of ‘No’ voters in France and the Netherlands want to see a Europe that emphasizes human rather than economic values. They have nothing in common with ‘Little Englander’ Tory Eurosceptics.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4612021.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:59 PM | TrackBack
June 05, 2005
Assynt Foundation buy estates
The Assynt Foundation have finally bought the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates in Sutherland and Wester Ross.
The area, amounting to 44,000-acre, includes spectacular wilderness and mountain scenery as well as some agricultural land.
The chairman of the foundation, Alistair MacAskill said:
” … we are determined to manage the land for the benefit of the local community and the wider public. That means we will be changing the way the land is run - it will no longer just be a private sporting estate. Instead, we will be working to achieve not only economic but also environmental sustainability, and creating jobs and new opportunities for local people through good stewardship.”
My own preference would have been for national ownership of the wilderness area, i.e. a national park, but it will be interesting to see how the foundation manages its new responsibilities.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4605233.stm
UPDATE 6 June 2005
News follows today that the local community in the Western Isles will try to buy the 93,000 acre South Uist estate.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4615851.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 04, 2005
Importance of James Hutton
Ian Johnstone writes about a call to give a higher profile to James Hutton (1726-1797), author of the ‘Theory of the Earth’ and father of the study of geology. The Scotsman article seems to have been mauled by an editor, but I’m delighted by the idea of giving more recognition to Hutton.
The book Johnstone refers to, The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth’s Antiquity, is by Jack Repcheck. The book’s blurb explains:
There are three men whose contributions helped free science from the straitjacket of theology. Two of the three - Nicolaus Copernicus and Charles Darwin - are widely known and heralded for their breakthroughs. The third, James Hutton, never received the same recognition, yet he profoundly changed our understanding of the earth and its dynamic forces. Hutton proved that the earth was likely millions of years old rather than the biblically determined six thousand, and that it was continuously being shaped and re-shaped by myriad everyday forces rather than one cataclysmic event.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=611562005
www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=073820692X
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:09 PM | TrackBack
June 03, 2005
After the Dutch 'Nee'
Most politicians have little use for forethought. They prefer to let events unfold, see reactions (particularly those in trashy newspapers) and posture accordingly. (This is especially true of the British variety who are adept at speaking rather than listening, reading or writing.) Followship rather than leadership. So it is with our politicians who now suddenly declare that the European constitution is dead, after the French and Dutch rejection of the treaty.
In fact national governments are obligated to proceed to ratification (whether by legislature or referendum), knowing full well that the process, may be incomplete. It’s implicit that the process can only be abandoned if more than five countries turn it down (article IV-443). This hasn’t happened yet.
British government policy towards Europe has been a series of mistakes and provocations from the decision to hold a referendum on a complicated document that nobody was going to read (thereby turning it into a vote about something else), to Iraq, the failure to adopt the euro, and the numerous red lines and opt outs (from the more enlightened European policies) all the way to the various subterfuges to retain the rebate. With friends like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Europe hardly needs enemies.
There is an interesting comparison here between the EU treaty and the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Some people claimed that the latter was dead, ‘meaningless’ etc. after American rejection, but in the end ratification by other countries did go ahead because, as with the EU treaty, there was no ‘Plan B’ that could be put in its place.
Regretfully, I assume what happens now is that the government arrange for the European Union bill to be waylayed and tripped up somewhere in the corridors of Westminster. Perfidious Albion indeed!
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4601439.stm
UPDATE 4 June 2005
In retrospect I seem to have staked out the Barroso/Schroeder position. I should also acknwledge Bill Cameron’s careful piece, although his conclusions differ from mine.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4602515.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4606879.stm
billcameron.blogspot.com/2005/06/netherlands-delivers-its-no-verdict.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:39 AM | TrackBack
June 01, 2005
Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill
Stuart Dickson on the Independence blog has caught up with the anomalous status of the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill, omitted from Scottish Labour’s manifesto yet within the competence of Holyrood rather than Westminster, which Labour reportedly intend to force through by use of the Parliament Act.
If it is eventually passed it would be a bad piece of law acting against freedom of speech. It is one thing to protect people in terms of their race, age or sex, quite another to put certain kinds of belief beyond criticism.
Punishment for this new offence could be as severe as seven years imprisonment, so it is not a minor issue. I am sure we will be hearing a lot more about it.
scottish-independence.blogspot.com/2005/05/scottish-labour-versus-parliament-act.html
UPDATE 9 June 2005
More information about the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill has been released by the government.
David Davis noted that the legislation would be “massively counter-productive” pointing out that “this new law would technically prevent what many people may regard as reasonable criticism of devil worshippers and religious cults.”
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4075442.stm
www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/011/06011.i-i.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 01:46 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack