Problems with biofuels

The main biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel, which are becoming used more frequently in an effort to slow down global warming. Germany, for example, aims to provide 17% of its liquid fuel need from biodiesel and ethanol within ten years.

Not a completely clean bill of health for the Climatic Research Unit

It is good to learn from the Independent Climate Change Email Review that an examination reveals that the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit did not suppress or manipulate data, but acted honestly and rigorously in the pursuit of scientific truth. What is worrying is that the Review found that the Unit seemed to [...]

The lifetime of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

How long does carbon dioxide last in the atmosphere? The common answer given is a hundred years but things are more complicated than that. Carbon dioxide in the air exchanges with carbon dioxide in the surface of the earth which supports life (the biosphere) and with the carbon dioxide in the oceans. The average atom [...]

Problems with wind

Many countries, including the United Kingdom, take a simplistic attitude to wind generated electricity. They rather regard it as an unconditionally good thing and use vast amounts of taxpayers’ money in incentivising it. But things are not so simple; wind has plenty of advantages but also plenty of disadvantages.

Water vapour and the greenhouse effect

There has been plenty of debate on these posts about the importance of water vapour as a greenhouse gas. I have been looking at this argument, beloved of climate sceptics and have reached the conclusion that water vapour is not responsible for significant climate change, only responsible for maintaining an equilibrium in the climate. Water [...]

“if you’ve got nothing to hide you’ve got nothing to fear”

The common argument for all the information that the authorities can lawfully collect about each of us is that “if you’ve got nothing to hide you’ve got nothing to fear”. That argument has so far prevailed in the United Kingdom. I cannot send an email without the right of someone in authority being able to [...]

Two new renewable energy projects for America

Governments have always liked big visible projects rather than smaller less conspicuous ones. Many large projects have been awe inspiring, such as the building of ancient tombs temples and cathedrals. Others have been a simple waste of money, like the Millennium Dome, best forgotten. This prejudice in favour of big being beautiful seems to have [...]

Carbon sequestration may be pointless

Governments, particularly those Governments of nations which have significant coal power stations, have taken refuge in the concept of “clean coal” imagining fondly that someone will invent a technology which can sequestrate carbon dioxide from coal burning power stations.

Our nuclear legacy

Every new invention brings advantages and disadvantages. Humans are usually optimistic of the advantages, and perhaps that is how they should be. However when the disadvantages and problems start to become apparent there is a tendency for humans to ignore or under state the problems and a problem ignored can easily become a dangerous crisis.

How the United Kingdom could suffer in another freezing winter

I write this when it is very hot in London. We are sweltering and I am enjoying the heat wave, which I personally hope will continue. However, it was not that long ago when we were suffering such cold weather that my blog entry about how your condensing boiler can stop working in very cold weather got [...]