Overpopulation, Overconsumption and Mass Extinction top the agenda at the ongoing environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro, but where are Cameron and Obama? Today is the second day of the Rio+20 Summit, formerly known as the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. It is 20 years since the original Rio Earth Summit in 1992, but unlike 1992 (where no less than … Read More
Sustainable development is ‘meaningless drivel’
James Lovelock, long-time environmental guru and the inventor of the Gaia Hypothesis says environmentalism is taking over from Christianity, and thinks we should ‘go mad on’ shale gas. In an interview in the Guardian, the celebrated environmental scientist also declares that he is not worried about sea-level rises, Germany is crazy for ditching nuclear power, how wind turbines are “ugly … Read More
Bribe residents to accept wind farms – Tim Yeo
Residents objecting to the construction of wind farms in their communities should be ‘bribed’ in order to get them to stop protesting, a Conservative MP has said. Tim Yeo, a senior Conservative MP and chairman of the Commons energy and climate change committee has caused a bit of a stir by using the word “bribe” when discussing how to push … Read More
Video – Draft Energy Bill
Are we setting ourselves up for another ‘dash for gas’ and should we be investing more in renewables? Watch this short video about the future of Britain’s energy security.
Budget 2012: New carbon taxes for businesses?
In the budget today, the Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for a new “alternative environmental tax”, as a result of reforming or scrapping the Carbon Reduction Commitment. The Carbon Reduction Commitment, also known as the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, is designed to reduce the energy consumptions of the largest businesses in the UK, by placing them in a league table … Read More
Which? calls for carbon price to be scrapped
The consumer watchdog has begun a campaign to get the carbon floor price scrapped, saying that it is nothing but a burden on UK energy consumers and businesses. The program is designed to encourage energy suppliers to generate more from low-carbon technologies, but Which? says that it will add to our bills without really changing how the suppliers invest. It’s … Read More
David Cameron: wind farms ”over subsidised”
In his most vociferous criticism of green energy yet, the Prime Minister has declared that wind farms have been “over subsidised and wasteful of public money”. Mr. Cameron plans to cut the subsidies for wind turbine construction, forcing them to be built in an economically viable way. He said during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions “We’re cutting the subsidy to … Read More
PAC publishes report on Smart Meters
The Public Accounts Committee has published their MPs report on the preparations for the rollout of Smart Meters for all homes and businesses. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure that they work in the public interest. The Smart Meter rollout is expected to cost £11.7 billion, and the PAC has published a set … Read More
Which? calls for halt to smart meter rollout
The consumer group Which? has today called for “an immediate halt to the smart meter roll-out” as it believes a full review of the plans are needed before the second phase starts in 2014. As we reported back in March last year, the DECC has already set out its plans for a nationwide smart meter rollout during the years 2014 … Read More
The main problem with wind turbines
32,000 new turbines are planned, but how many understand the major flaw with the UK’s most popular renewable energy source? It seems at first glance to be the perfect solution to an ever-growing problem. Like the sun, the wind never ‘runs out’, and each turbine we build in the UK provides a little bit more energy to meet our needs. … Read More