England's Green and Pleasant Land

Britain's Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband (the former Nation intern who said that we need a mass movement to push for action on the environment), has just published a hugely ambitious plan to cut Britain's carbon emissions by 34% in the next decade, working towards 80% by 2050. The target is non-negotiable; it was voted into law last year. But until now, nobody had a clear idea of how we were going to get there.

Miliband's plan is based, as he puts it, on "green hope, not green despair." Its first step is to return control of the power grid to the government, which will allocate connections to producers of renewable energy. Forty percent of Britain's electricity will come from wind, tidal and nuclear sources--and the nuclear share will fall from 13% to 8%, in spite of lobbying by the Confederation of British Industry. The government itself will be put on a tight carbon budget; energy companies will have to invest in home insulation; there will be subsidies for low carbon vehicles. Energy prices will increase, but with Britain's North Sea oil and gas running down that would happen anyway. Miliband predicts the creation of 400,000 new green jobs; Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed his plan as the engine that will drive economic recovery. Two hundred years ago Britain gave birth to the industrial revolution's dark satanic mills; the hope is that our boffins can now lead the world to a clean green Jerusalem.

Of course there are fudges, caveats and plenty of stumbling blocks. The government plans to go ahead with new coal-fired plants on the gamble that carbon capture technology will be viable in the next few years; it also intends to press on with the controversial third runway at London's Heathrow Airport. Miliband is right to say that going green shouldn't mean wearing sackcloth and ashes, but there is political expedience as well as class solidarity in his support for cheap air travel for working people. The projected increase in wind-generated power will mean more giant turbines towering over rural landscapes and bitter arguments over where they should go. The Severn Barrage, which would harness the tides between England and Wales, is opposed by many of the big conservation groups. And the whole plan's sheer ambition and expense is daunting--though climate scientists say it doesn't go nearly far enough.

But this is the first detailed plan by any government to move away from fossil fuels and make deep cuts in emissions--and it's broadly supported by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats as well as the Labour Party. Whether or not it works in every detail, it represents the kind of creative, connected thinking we need on climate change. It makes one almost hopeful for the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen.

Comments (35)

1. '...What can one say but, "Salieri"!...' -- Mozart -- 'Amadeus'

   Posted by HonestLiberal at 07/16/2009 @ 11:02am

2. It was noted that, as of yesterday, China's stock market valuation passed that of Japan and is now #2 in the world after the US.

   Some parts of China's phenomenal 70%+ gain in stock valuation THIS year, is surely due to ourselves going in the opposite direction of building a competitive economy under Magic.......

   I see that Britain is going even more in the opposite direction!

   I guess that will just mean more of my investment capital need to go where growth is planned for and not planned AWAY.

   Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 11:03am

3. In the meantime, China and India are laughing their collective asses off!

   Posted by fram at 07/16/2009 @ 11:13am

4. All the wacko global warming Al Gores are tuning out to be just that! No one really knows how much carbon affects warming, but the best predictions are turning out to be WRONG!!!

   The study, which appears in Nature Geoscience, found that climate models explain only about half of the heating that occurred during a well-documented period of rapid global warming in Earth's ancient past. The study, which was published online today, contains an analysis of published records from a period of rapid climatic warming about 55 million years ago known as the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum, or PETM.

   "In a nutshell, theoretical models cannot explain what we observe in the geological record," said oceanographer Gerald Dickens, a co-author of the study and professor of Earth science at Rice University. "There appears to be something fundamentally wrong with the way temperature and carbon are linked in climate models."

   During the PETM, for reasons that are still unknown, the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere rose rapidly. For this reason, the PETM, which has been identified in hundreds of sediment core samples worldwide, is probably the best ancient climate analogue for present-day Earth.

   In addition to rapidly rising levels of atmospheric carbon, global surface temperatures rose dramatically during the PETM. Average temperatures worldwide rose by about 7 degrees Celsius -- about 13 degrees Fahrenheit -- in the relatively short geological span of about 10,000 years.

   Many of the findings come from studies of core samples drilled from the deep seafloor over the past two decades. When oceanographers study these samples, they can see changes in the carbon cycle during the PETM.

   Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:28pm

5. "You go along a core and everything's the same, the same, the same, and then suddenly you pass this time line and the carbon chemistry is completely different," Dickens said. "This has been documented time and again at sites all over the world."

   Based on findings related to oceanic acidity levels during the PETM and on calculations about the cycling of carbon among the oceans, air, plants and soil, Dickens and co-authors Richard Zeebe of the University of Hawaii and James Zachos of the University of California-Santa Cruz determined that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by about 70 percent during the PETM."

   Amazing how so called intelligent scientists are just as willing as leftwingnuts to be so gullible on wacko pop theories and now finding how wrong they were still try to embrace them!

   Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:32pm

6. Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:32pm |

   It's a wonderful thing that your G-d loves even the dumbest of his creations, Rio, or else you'd be part of the (planted?) fossil record too (like the dinosaur that you are) and end up burning like the peat moss that caused the warming you're attempting to use as a foil for your idiotic combustion of thos same fossil fuels today!

   Posted by snowball777 at 07/16/2009 @ 1:45pm

7. Some parts of China's phenomenal 70%+ gain in stock valuation THIS year, is surely due to ourselves going in the opposite direction of building a competitive economy under Magic.......

   Posted by NiggerHater at 07/16/2009 @ 11:03am

   happy,

   perhaps it's time to do away with the "magic" moniker.

   put it in the garage next to your lawn jockey.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:02pm

8. Some parts of China's phenomenal 70%+ gain in stock valuation THIS year, is surely due to ourselves going in the opposite direction of building a competitive economy under Magic.......

   Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 11:03am

   happy,

   the chinese stock market is way up because the government released some of those billions in reserves you are paying for,

   FORCED banks to make loans,

   and was invested in the stock market.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:03pm

9. In the meantime, China and India are laughing their collective asses off!

   Posted by fram at 07/16/2009 @ 11:13am

   and the inuit are drowning.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:04pm

10. Many of the findings come from studies of core samples drilled from the deep seafloor over the past two decades. When oceanographers study these samples, they can see changes in the carbon cycle during the PETM.

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:28pm

    so you prefer being slaves to the saudis?

    and the canadians?

    heheh

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:05pm

11. the funniest line anyone can state week after week.

    "manmade global warming is real"

    Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 2:07pm

12. During the PETM, for reasons that are still unknown, the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere rose rapidly.

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:28pm

    i'll tell you why.

    the earth can only take so much biomass.

    it reaches a certain point and then the climate goes all wacky.

    how are those saudi masters treating you?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:08pm

13. the funniest line anyone can state week after week.

    "manmade global warming is real"

    Posted by SlaveToCanadians at 07/16/2009 @ 2:07pm

    what caused the ozone layer holes?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:31pm

14. what caused the ozone layer holes?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:31pm

    It appears we don't know.

    <This neat story of the scientific identification of a man-made cause for stratospheric ozone depletion followed by a successful international response to the threat is now being challenged by some very recent research. News@nature.com (sub required) is reporting a new analysis by Markus Rex, an atmosphere scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam, Germany, which finds that the data for the break-down rate of a crucial molecule, dichlorine peroxide (Cl2O2) is almost an order of magnitude lower than the currently accepted rate.

    "This must have far-reaching consequences," Rex says. "If the measurements are correct we can basically no longer say we understand how ozone holes come into being." What effect the results have on projections of the speed or extent of ozone depletion remains unclear.

    The rapid photolysis of Cl2O2 is a key reaction in the chemical model of ozone destruction developed 20 years ago2 (see graphic). If the rate is substantially lower than previously thought, then it would not be possible to create enough aggressive chlorine radicals to explain the observed ozone losses at high latitudes, says Rex. The extent of the discrepancy became apparent only when he incorporated the new photolysis rate into a chemical model of ozone depletion. The result was a shock: at least 60% of ozone destruction at the poles seems to be due to an unknown mechanism, Rex told a meeting of stratosphere researchers in Bremen, Germany, last week.>

    http://www.reason.com/blog/show/122712.html

    Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 5:20pm

15. Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 5:20pm |

    And you COULD include the relevant info at the end of the article as well, MiniTrue:

    "One of the problems with checking the data is that the absorption spectra of chloride compounds are technically challenging to determine."

    "Rex thinks that a chemical pathway involving a Cl2O2 isomer - a molecule with the same atoms but a different structure - might be at play."

    "Nothing currently suggests that the role of CFCs must be called into question, Rex stresses. 'Overwhelming evidence still suggests that anthropogenic emissions of CFCs and halons are the reason for the ozone loss. But we would be on much firmer ground if we could write down the correct chemical reactions.'"

    Nice edit point though; very `fair and balanced'.

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/16/2009 @ 5:36pm

16. "Nothing currently suggests that the role of CFCs must be called into question, Rex stresses. 'Overwhelming evidence still suggests that anthropogenic emissions of CFCs and halons are the reason for the ozone loss. But we would be on much firmer ground if we could write down the correct chemical reactions.'"

    Nice edit point though; very `fair and balanced'.

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/16/2009 @ 5:36pm

    it doesn't change the fact that doubt has been inserted into the debate. I can translate that last paragraph as well as you.

    "We still believe it's due to manmade causes, but we wish we could find firm evidence to back up our belief"

    Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 5:57pm

17. New tax threatens U.S. recovery

    July 16, 2009 8:45 AM

    Proposed tax hike on international operations could delay economic rebound

    By John Chen, chairman and CEO, Sybase

    ...Obama has proposed to raise taxes on the international operations of U.S. businesses. There is one thing the proposal can effectively achieve: make the United States an even less friendly place to do business, and thus delay the economic recovery.

    ...The U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate among developed nations...We are one of the very few developed countries that still double-tax overseas income of our own businesses...

    The proposal also would limit the tax credit an international company could claim, whereas now we allow a tax credit equal to the amount of foreign tax paid.

    Although intended to keep investments and jobs from leaving our country, in the long run the measures in the proposal will drive investments away, and kill jobs in the U.S.

    ...the reality is that companies will find a more pro-business, pro-growth region in which to establish themselves..

    ...Today, we have numerous American companies with a foreign arm. Tomorrow, these companies can choose to headquarter in a foreign country and create an American arm.

    When we lose the confidence of our global companies, our economy will suffer. How severe will this be? The parent companies of our multinational corporations...account for a quarter of U.S. private sector output; and employ almost one fifth of the total private-sector workers. Three-quarters of the R&D investments of all U.S. companies combined come from these parent companies.

    ...When we attempt to limit the flow of investments, we hurt the confidence and prosperity of our businesses. And when that happens, we lose big time as a nation.

    Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 6:25pm

18. I'm so impressed by how all these people can ignore science just because they pretend that this earth is going to be destroyed after Christ's final battle. No wonder you think human destruction is a myth - you don't care about the consequences of your actions. That's all poor and bad, since you probably think you'll all be raptured away anyway. But for the rest of us down here, we have to deal with reality, including corporate-based climate destruction and Gaia's eventual revenge against us for our hubris, thank you. We have to stick to reality.

    Posted by Kristev at 07/16/2009 @ 6:33pm

19. I'm so impressed by how all these people can ignore science just because they pretend that this earth is going to be destroyed after Christ's final battle. No wonder you think human destruction is a myth - you don't care about the consequences of your actions. That's all poor and bad, since you probably think you'll all be raptured away anyway. But for the rest of us down here, we have to deal with reality, including corporate-based climate destruction and Gaia's eventual revenge against us for our hubris, thank you. We have to stick to reality.

    Posted by Kristev at 07/16/2009 @ 6:33pm

    Whenever I see this kind of inane commentary, I just have to ask whether you actually believe that Christians don't care about their children and grandchildren? Do you really believe we hate clean air and water? Do you really believe that none of us spends time in the outdoors, camping, biking, enjoying the wonders of this creation?

    What most of us do have is a love for genuine science. What we want is to keep govt from taking over every aspect of our lives in the name of the "greater good".

    I have 100 trees on my property that help the planet, grow organic veggies and donate to the National and State Parks systems. How about you?

    Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 7:05pm

20. With such an able Right-hand man, no wonder Magic can go around blowing smoke up his flocks' ass!

    ================================

    Joe Biden: ‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt'

    Thursday, July 16, 2009

    By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer

    (CNSNews.com) – Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money....

    Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 8:00pm

21. I'm so impressed by how all these people can ignore science

    Posted by Kristev at 07/16/2009 @ 6:33pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    I posted the latest findings of science above, what I can't understand is why leftwing fools would rather believe P.C. Al Gore hyped unfounded science over REAL scientific fact?

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 8:32pm

22. (CNSNews.com) – Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money....

    Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 8:00pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    Another economic genius Demoncrat is just what the world was waiting for, sadly he is our V.P.!

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 8:47pm

23. perhaps it's time to do away with the "magic" moniker.

    put it in the garage next to your lawn jockey.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/16/2009 @ 2:02pm

    But that's what neocons do, FZ.

    They just say stuff over, and over, ad nauseam, in the hopes that their platitudes "take" with a certain element.

    This zombie-like practice continues, regardless of the fact that raw demographics is their greatest enemy right now.

    Posted by schnellerheinz at 07/16/2009 @ 9:20pm

24. That, and the self-evident fact that so many of them have WAAAAAAY too much time on their hands.

    LOL

    Posted by schnellerheinz at 07/16/2009 @ 9:22pm

25. As long as BHO remains above 50% approval, he deserve the respect I have always accorded him with the nick, Magic!

    As long as the MSM continues to sugar-coat dire economic figures with "Yes We Can-ness", BHO deserves the nick, Magic!

    As long as the MSM lets BHO get away with staged press conferences & planted questions, BHO deserves the nick, Magic!

    As long as BHO clings to "wouldn't change anything", he remains Magic!

    As long as BHO claims more and more jobs `saved', saving so many that the UE continues to go up, he can be nothing but Magic!

    As long as Joe Biden continues to be the Joker, BHO can be nothing but Magic!

    As long as BHO contiues to `sell' CapandDie as the economy's salvation, he is Magic!

    There are so many reasons.....he can be nothing else but Magic!

    Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 10:06pm

26. one trick happy.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/17/2009 @ 01:19am

27. here's one from the magic man happy voted for.

    TWICE!

    (happy, do you carry a picture of phil gramm in your wallet?)

    "I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system." ~ mr. bush.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/17/2009 @ 01:23am

28. Posted by Happy at 07/16/2009 @ 10:06pm |

    "As long as BHO remains above 50% approval, he deserve the respect I have always accorded him with the nick, Magic!"

    Then as long as he stays above 28%, he's better than the dufus POTUS you foisted on us.

    "As long as the MSM continues to sugar-coat dire economic figures with 'Yes We Can-ness', BHO deserves the nick, Magic!"

    Between bouts of "Socialism's coming right for us!" and "Sotomayor is a racist!"...funny how this label never attached to the GWoT cheerleaders at Fox and CNN for 7 long, stupid years.

    "As long as the MSM lets BHO get away with staged press conferences & planted questions, BHO deserves the nick, Magic!"

    Oh please...at least only the questions are planted, unlike Gannon and the rest of the cowed press corpse during Nero Jrs fiddlin' concerts.

    "As long as BHO clings to 'wouldn't change anything', he remains Magic!"

    WTF is this about, I wonder.

    "As long as BHO claims more and more jobs `saved', saving so many that the UE continues to go up, he can be nothing but Magic!"

    Then all hail Magic Reagan...2 years before his `recovery' saw any `green shoots'.

    "As long as Joe Biden continues to be the Joker, BHO can be nothing but Magic!"

    We all know the `Joker' is you, Happ-less.

    "As long as BHO contiues to `sell' CapandDie as the economy's salvation, he is Magic!"

    The only thing dying will be dinosaur-like means of generating energy; good riddance to bad rubbish.

    "There are so many reasons.....he can be nothing else but Magic!"

    Oh go rub your `fountainhead' until `Atlas shrugs'.

    Until such time as you can tell us what would have made a difference in repairing the hole your ilk put in our economy, no one cares what you think.

    Here's a catchprase for you: "Permanent Minority of No"

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/17/2009 @ 07:43am

29. RIO, HAPP, fram, Larry....are irrelevant.

    All the Deniers' horses and all the Deniers' men, couldn't put "Ain't No Such Thang" together again.

    There will be NO Presidential candidate in 2012 or beyond denying GW/CC is man-made or even real. None...zip....nada. A Repub might try "market solutions", but not denial and "It's a hoax."

    So?....their ideas on the environment is politically dead. Nobody cares what they or Rush say.

    Posted by Mask at 07/17/2009 @ 08:05am

30. Posted by antisocialist at 07/16/2009 @ 5:57pm |

    "it doesn't change the fact that doubt has been inserted into the debate. I can translate that last paragraph as well as you."

    It is a timeless tactic of the unscientific to use the fact that science doesn't claim to know beyond doubt as a wedge into which they can insert their personal belief system of choice.

    You latch onto any challenge to existing work, regardless of how tenuous, as proof, beyond doubt, that the work is flawed and therefore your personal personal rationale is somehow justified.

    I find the fact that you often edit what you quote to make it seem more damning than it really is, or eliminate sections that show it isn't, to be a testament to your underhanded, unscientific approach.

    There's no need to `translate' the man's words; you can simply read them:

    'Overwhelming evidence still suggests that anthropogenic emissions of CFCs and halons are the reason for the ozone loss.'

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/17/2009 @ 08:17am

31. The U.S. Labor Department says unemployment topped 10 percent in 16 states last month. The rate in Michigan surpassed 15 percent, the first time any state hit that mark since 1984.

    Home to the nation's struggling auto makers, Michigan has been clobbered by lost factory jobs. Its jobless rate of 15.2 percent in June was the highest in the country, but the record-high for the state was 16.9 percent in November 1982.

    Still, the government says it's the first time in 25 years that any state has suffered an unemployment rate of at least 15 percent. In 1984, it was West Virginia.

    The national unemployment rate is 9.5 percent, a 26-year high, and is expected to hit 10 percent by year-end.

    When will all the "hopey and changey" Happy talks about end? This nation can't take anymore of the Demoncrats and the Obamanation that make desolation complacency of doing nothing but rewarding their political allies!

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/17/2009 @ 1:53pm

32. When will all the "hopey and changey" Happy talks about end? Posted by BigPasture at 07/17/2009 @ 1:53pm |

    And will you post on-topic before then?

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/17/2009 @ 2:25pm

33. Now, for a more Obama-friendly type of a `spin'....and laugh all around:

    Friday, July 17, 2009

    Obama's Economy: 84.8% Of Jobs In Michigan "Created Or Saved"

    By Rob on July 17, 2009 at 07:35 am

    12 Comments

    Posted by Happy at 07/17/2009 @ 2:35pm

34. And will you post on-topic before then?

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/17/2009 @ 2:25pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:28pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/16/2009 @ 1:32pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    Posted these two on point, but the leftist would rather talk about wacko Al Gore science fiction rather than science fact, so on to other pertinent topics!

    Posted by BigPasture at 07/17/2009 @ 2:57pm

35. Posted these two on point, but the leftist would rather talk about wacko Al Gore science fiction rather than science fact, so on to other pertinent topics! Posted by BigPasture at 07/17/2009 @ 2:57pm |

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/16/2009 @ 1:45pm |

    You wouldn't know science if it bit you on the ass...otherwise you wouldn't insist on posting every irrelevant study that Jimminy Inhofe links in an attempt to justify your lame understanding of ACC.

    Educate yourself: skepticalSCIENCE.com

    Posted by snowball777 at 07/18/2009 @ 08:26am