NeilT, you say you support the cause, but do you do it every day, constantly, like the daily grind of a job?
Define support? I've been there, repeating the information that you can't keep on pushing CO2 into the atmosphere, since the early 1990's as my interest was triggered in the mid 1980's. I have taken the abuse, the laughter, the isolation and the derision for decades. Yet I have never wavered in making sure that I won't be in a room where disinformation is being disseminated without having a say with the truth.
I will still be doing this a decade from today. But, at least, there will be more people who listen.
ER? A few demonstrations and a government minister, from a failing and desperate government, agrees to have a few "talks". Macron agreed to "talk" to the Giles Jeaune's too. Didn't get very far did it?
Here are a few interesting points for you when you think about the UK and ER.
Germany has a strong Green movement and the most motivated move towards "renewable" technology. Yet Germany is significantly failing in its compliance with the Paris accord and CO2 emissions are on the rise.
The UK is already virtually in line with the Paris accord because of the changes to the power generating grid and moves for CO2 neutral power. All without a strong Green movement. When the UK leaves the EU, the EU will have a black hole in its Paris accord compliance because the UK reductions in CO2 will be lost to the EU and Germany is unable to reduce its own emissions to help out.
I don't see Berlin grinding to a halt!
Nor Washington DC.
But, please do, beat the UK for actually complying with Paris, Scotland will have a ban on all FF vehicle sales in 2030, UK cities are starting to ban FF vehicles (not just London) and this is just going to increase. The UK will ban all FF vehicle Sales from 2040.
If ER Really wants to stop AGW and the CO2 emissions problem, then it needs to be in Beijing, Washington DC and Delhi, shutting the cities down and making the rulers come to the table to talk.
What are you going to demand that the UK is not already doing? Huge investment in wind power? Done. Investment in bringing EV into the UK? Done. Removal of coal fired power to reduce FF in the grid? Done. Moves to remove carbon from the Grid whenever possible? Done. Pricing vehicle fuel to reduce usage? Done.
Have you ever lived or worked in a country where fossil fuels were not massively taxed? I spent a week in Caracas where 50p would fill your tank and fuel in the UK was over £4 a gallon. Taxis did not have meters, they had journey costs. Because the same journey could be 15 minutes or 2.5 hours depending on the time of day.
I haven't yet seen what ER is asking for. What exactly do they want? The end to all fossil fuel use? Great, they can lead by example and walk home.
If we want greater awareness I'm all for that. But awareness without constructive goals is not going to help.
Do we want to?
Accelerate UK solar adoption?
Accelerate UK wind adoption?
Accelerate UK Tidal adoption?
Because if we want the solar, the best thing we can do is get rid of the 50% tariffs the EU has slapped on Cheap Chinese solar products, in favour of German products at near twice the price. Excellent move, if you want to stop the widescale adoption of Solar. Perhaps we want to ask for Tesla to produce a Solar Roof and PowerWall factory in the UK so that we can all spend £20,000 to go totally "off grid" for a net saving of about £1,000 per year. Really great, we can also buy a Tesla car and charge it with our new clean power. At a cost of around £30,000. After all the savings will be a wonderful thing.
Just one little problem. Nobody is going to produce 30 million EV's next week, or next year or next decade (well, maybe that). As for 26 million solar roof's and powerwalls? Right, not going to happen is it.
So that's solar. Wind? We're already doing that. Just like Germany our power cost is climbing and everyone is up in arms. But it's worth the cost. Well if we can actually get rid of all those CCGT power stations that ensure you have power on a still winters night.
And what about tidal? Well you see most of those people who support ER don't want a Severn barrier. Why? Well, it might, just might, disturb some local species which live there. The fact that those local species are going to face their own extinction in the next half century, through CO2 based AGW doesn't seem to have filtered through.
So all those people in London and what do they want?
Because, honestly, I have no clue and I doubt that they do either.
Long after they have left Uni and gone onto their jobs I'll still be here. I will have my own Solar with prices continuing to fall, eventually, plus I will, in the long run, get an electric vehicle. When they are generally available. I will still support the overall cause, educate my family and continue to talk down disinformation and vote for those who progress the cause of AGW reduction. I will continue to use my communication skills to try and influence those in power to lean towards CO2 neutral infrastructure.
Tell me, honestly, what most of those students, in London today, will be doing 5 years from now?
Just how many will be wage slaves, married and raising a family. Who's last worry in the world will be what CO2 they are emitting in their daily lives. Well, perhaps not last, but certainly not in the top 10. They will remain aware, they just won't be as direct in addressing it.
You see that's the problem with being older. We've already seen this kind of demonstrations. Over and over and over again.
Maybe, just maybe, it will do some good and move things a little faster. We can all hope.
Just don't hold your breath.
