Ten things that will make no difference to climate change

Ten things that will make no difference to climate change
 1. Carbon offsetting
Keep your money in your pocket.
2. Carbon Trading
You cannot use the principles of the casino to help the climate unless the house wins every time
3. The Clean Development Mechanism
No more than a good opportunity for free money for large corporations
4. Biomass burning
Keep the trees in [...]

How much fuel is left in the world?

In London when I was much younger there were two fellows who walked around with sandwich boards, not because of their occupations, but as a result of their preoccupations. One chap’s board had a message that warned against the eating of beans and pulses, which according to this chap were at the root of all [...]

Biofuels – their water footprint

Biofuels – throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Jatropha – a possible source of bio diesel?

Air New Zealand has been trialling for Boeing and Rolls Royce a mix of traditional kerosene fuel with oil from the Jatropha plant seed (Jatropha Curas) in one of its airplanes. Jatropha oil mixed with kerosene improved fuel consumption by slightly more than one percent, which could lead to savings of four and a half [...]

Classifying energy fuels and clean and dirty renewables

Many people use the words “renewable” and “sustainable” in relation to energy fuel and the environment without being specific about what they mean by these words. I could write a long piece about definitions, but in the case of energy I think that it is better to classify the various types of energy fuel so that [...]

Biofuels and their environmental effects

Minnesota was the first state in the USA to pass a law requiring ethanol to be mixed with vehicle fuel. It has a large agricultural industry, so it was logical to tie its own industries with a fuel source that was thought to be environmentally positive. It environmental record on other matters is good – [...]

It is too early to think about subsidising electric cars

Electric cars – there are more importnat things to spend public money on.

The European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive

After some years in negotiation and in development, the European Union has finally got its act together in making a renewable energy law by which all member states must abide. The law will come into effect when it is published in the European Union Journal.

Changing the land is changing the climate

Many of the decisions we make are taken in order to prevent emissions which adversely affect our climate; how many of these changes are actually preventing emissions and how many of them are actually contributing to emissions?

Wales: burning biomass will not achieve the results that the Welsh Assembly expects

The Welsh Assembly is almost a government. It has some powers and it is, like most administrations, gradually expanding its powers and in the process is putting a Welsh imprint on the Government of Wales for the first time since King Edward the First invaded Wales in 1277 and conquered Wales in a few years [...]