a brief question, Aubrey..I hear it on the GLA but.... in that case, why the
sodding Olympics...how is that going to bring London's C02 concentrations
down?
No need to reply: I'm being rhetorical (and friendly)!
cheers,
mark
on 28/2/07 8:59 pm, Aubrey Meyer at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Steve
>
>
> Apologies. That wasn't intended to sound
> judgemental of anybody - not Paul K or George M
> or anybody else. The fact I think that the
> Government and its civil service have earned a
> criminal record on climate change [avoidance -
> DISHONEST CAMPAIGNING FOR PALTRY SOLUTIONS] can wait till later.*
> .
>
> Cheers
>
> Aubrey
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> *Our children are the most abused generation in history.
> I do bite the hand that doesn't feed me [which is why I am verry-tin].
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> I read Paul K's comments as taking the green
> movement to task for ducking the issues [which I
> agree with]. I read his Queen's speech as his
> bench-mark against which he makes that judgement.
>
> How one then assess the performance of any actor
> is moot. But my rule-of-thumb has been: - "if
> want to learn the violin, don't take a trombone
> to the violin-lesson." i.e. if the UNFCCC
> Secretariat says "C&C is inevitably required to
> secure the UNFCCC objective," C&C represents the
> violin and the rest represents the trombone.
>
> The All-Party C&C Advocacy DVD is nearly ready
> for general release. It has many eminent voices
> from all sectors in the advocacy now. Before the
> end of the month, with state of the art C&C and
> rising-risk animation, it will go - in the APGCC
> name - to every MP/Peer/journalist and member of
> the public [less and more informed] that we can organise to reach.
>
> The government is in disarray. The have no rationale behind 550 ppmv.
> EG five-day rule Question to DEFRA Minister
>
>> Carbon Dioxide: Air Pollution
>>
>> Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for
>> Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what method
>> of calculation his Department uses to relate its
>> 60 per cent. cut in UK carbon emissions target
>> by 2050 to its aim to contain a temperature rise
>> to two degrees celsius. [120000]
>>
>> 20 Feb 2007 : Column 597W
>>
>> Ian Pearson [holding answer 8 February 2007]:
>> There is no simple relationship between the EU’s
>> long-term stabilisation goal and the pathways
>> required to get there. The EU has noted that to
>> avoid temperatures rising higher than 2 degrees
>> Celsius above pre-industrial levels, global
>> greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by between
>> 15 and 50 per cent. with reductions in developed
>> countries of between 60 and 80 per cent. The
>> UK’s target of a 60 per cent. reduction in
>> carbon dioxide emissions is consistent with this
>> approach. However, we recognise that we will
>> need to keep this goal under review in the light
>> of emerging scientific evidence and other developments
>
> And the GLA have just said 450 tops.
>
> Greater London Authority
> “Action Today to Protect Tomorrow”
>
> http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/docs/ccap_fullreport
> .pdf
>
>
> "Climate change clearly requires global action. The Mayor supports the
> broad view that this should be achieved through a process of
> ‘contraction and convergence’ - with the largest industrialised nations
> that have caused climate change required to significantly reduce their
> emissions, while newly developing nations are permitted to increase
> emissions up to a point where emissions converge and stabilise at a
> level which avoids catastrophic climate change.
>
> Once carbon emission levels have stabilised at a safe level, the world
> needs to operate on the basis of ‘carbon democracy’; that is, that the
> world agrees a maximum level of global emissions and every individual is
> entitled to emit an equal proportion of carbon emissions within that.
> The science of global warming is still developing, but the growing
> scientific consensus is that stabilising atmospheric CO2 concentrations
> at 450 parts per million (ppm) is required to avoid catastrophic climate
> change. Current levels are around 380 ppm - up from levels of 280 ppm
> maintained for most of human history prior to the industrial revolution.
>
> Stabilising global carbon emissions at 450ppm on a contraction and
> convergence basis means that London has to limit the total amount of
> carbon dioxide we produce between now and 2025 to about 600 million
> tonnes2. Meeting this CO2 budget will require ongoing reductions of 4
> per cent per annum. This implies a target of stabilising London and the
> UK’s emissions at 60 per cent below 1990 levels by 2025. This compares
> to the existing UK government aspiration of a 60 per cent reduction from
> 2000 levels by 2050. This plan adopts these targets and prioritises
> actions across all sectors to achieve them."
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> This renews the call for C&C in the GLA's
>
> "Green Light to Clean Power" 2004
> http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/energy/docs/energy_strategy04.pdf
>
>
> Chapter Four
>
> Contraction and convergence
>
> Contraction and convergence is a simple approach to distributing the
> total greenhouse gas emission reductions required internationally,
> between various countries or groups of countries. The approach is based
> on two principles:
>
> i) that there is an upper limit to acceptable global atmospheric
> greenhouse gas concentration, beyond which the damage from climate
> change would not be acceptable
>
> ii) ii) that the atmosphere is a global commons, so that as individuals
> we all have equal rights to emit greenhouse gases.
>
> These principles are applied to the problem of distributing
> internationally the right to emit greenhouse gases, as follows. First,
> the target atmospheric concentration is agreed, and a date is set at
> which point the atmospheric concentration will be stabilised at the
> agreed level. From these factors, the global annually allowable
> greenhouse gas emissions can be calculated for each year of the
> stabilisation period. This will be a decreasing number over time, as
> global emissions contract to the sustainable level defined by the target
> concentration.
>
> An individual person's emissions entitlement for a given year is the
> global allowance for that year divided by the global population. From
> this, national entitlements are calculated on the basis of national
> population. Therefore, a population cut-off point is required, after
> which additional population growth does not generate emission
> entitlements. To achieve these emission reductions via gradual
> transition, there would be a period during which emission entitlements
> for all nations converge to an equal per capita share globally.
>
> This period is independent from the stabilisation date for atmospheric
> greenhouse gas concentration: rates of both contraction and convergence
> would both be agreed through negotiation. Emission entitlements created
> through contraction and convergence could be internationally tradable,
> so that the resulting system would be compatible with global carbon
> trading.
>
> † The contraction and convergence proposal was developed by the Global
> Commons Institute, London.
>
> Details of its origins, methodology, and support are available online at
> http://www.gci.org.uk.
>
>
> At 17:24 28/02/2007, Wright, Steve wrote:
>> Hey Aubrey,
>>
>> Its fine to be judegemental but this one is akin
>> to Cook's Ethical Arms Control policy - it sets
>> a bench mark for everything else which follows
>> and which everyone can hold subsequent
>> govrnments to account. OK the gap between
>> rhetoric and practice is the political issue but
>> the principle of contraction and convergence has
>> been stamped as gold standard. This means that
>> other political parties will wade in now
>> attempting to steal the Green Party's more long
>> lived credentials....red/green/blue/green/
>> yellowgreen green/green - what's the difference
>> - well in the short term it doesn't matter since
>> the debates will create a critical mass demanding a new understanding...
>>
>> My advice - er well given much public ignorance
>> over contract and convergence is expect to be in
>> increasing demand as an explaner, especially in
>> the future months leading up to the next
>> election and establish a set of media access
>> fees for your time...There's a pivotal education
>> role and with some luck maybe resources will
>> come your way to enable you and us to fulfil it
>> - so let's rock.......set the climate change
>> forum and objective of getting a credible and
>> powerful media friendly analysis of why we need
>> contract and convergence as a six minute video
>> clip.........If there is honest campaigning
>> rather than dishonest campaigning, then the
>> media will need your/our organised knowledge in
>> media friendly digestable formats......
>>
>> Here is how not to do it - or at least get the
>> language right! But throughout Europe this
>> debate will take off - the group contains people
>> like yourself who can make a strong case. Lets
>> feed them with information and analysis....
>>
>>
>> Steve
>> <http://www.rainews24.it/ran24/inchieste/26022007_armainnocua.asp>http://www.
>> rainews24.it/ran24/inchieste/26022007_armainnocua.asp
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Discussion list for the Crisis Forum
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Aubrey Meyer
>> Sent: 28 February 2007 14:39
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: DISHONEST CAMPAIGNING FOR PALTRY SOLUTIONS
>>
>>> Fantasy Queen’s Speech 2006 by Paul Kingsnorth in the Ecologist
>>
>> My government will herald this new age by
>> bringing forward legislation to introduce carbon
>> rationing in the UK within five years, based
>> around the principle of contraction and
>> convergence. Every individual and organisation
>> will be issued with an annual carbon budget, the
>> punishment for exceeding which shall be a
>> custodial sentence. A watertight carbon trading
>> scheme will be introduced to complement this.
>>
>> i.e.
>>
>> C&C - one yes
>> All the rest - many noes.
>>
>> Has Paul met his own criteria - who can say?
>>
>> Aubrey
>>
>>> My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:
>>> My government considers climate change to be
>>> the single biggest challenge facing the United
>>> Kingdom. My government is finally convinced, in
>>> fact, that it dwarfs all other challenges by an order of magnitude.
>>> Date:16/11/2006 Author:Paul Kingsnorth
>>> []
>>>
>>> []
>>>
>>> []
>>>
>>> []
>>>
>>>
>>> My government acknowledges that it has taken
>>> its time about it, but believes that late is better than never.
>>>
>>> Accordingly, my government will dedicate this
>>> parliament to retooling our economy and society for the coming post-carbon
>>> age.
>>>
>>> My government believes that business-as-usual
>>> is no longer an option, and that that only
>>> collective national action can save us now. My
>>> government promises, in short, to get a grip.
>>> It apologises to the nation for not having done so sooner.
>>>
>>> My government will herald this new age by
>>> bringing forward legislation to introduce
>>> carbon rationing in the UK within five years,
>>> based around the principle of contraction and
>>> convergence. Every individual and organisation
>>> will be issued with an annual carbon budget,
>>> the punishment for exceeding which shall be a
>>> custodial sentence. A watertight carbon trading
>>> scheme will be introduced to complement this.
>>>
>>> My government will therefore call an immediate
>>> halt to all major developments, and urgently
>>> reconsider them in the light of their impact on
>>> climate change and the environment as a whole.
>>>
>>> My government will immediately scrap existing
>>> plans to spend £30 billion expanding the road
>>> network over the next decade. Instead, it will
>>> commit itself to radical and binding targets to
>>> reduce car use by 40% within the same timeframe.
>>>
>>> My government will bring forward legislation
>>> within the first year of this parliament to
>>> promote a massive platform of public transport
>>> expansion, including new railway lines,
>>> guaranteed daily bus access for all, a
>>> concerted programme of cycling promotion,
>>> including a free bicycle for every citizen, and
>>> the immediate pedestrianisation of all town and
>>> city centres. My government will fund this by
>>> diverting the money it had previously planned
>>> to spend on renewing Trident and propping up the nuclear industry.
>>>
>>> My government will immediately scrap its plans
>>> to build new runways and terminals at major
>>> airports. Instead it will commit itself to
>>> binding targets to reduce the number of flights
>>> taken by Britons every year. It will also bring
>>> forward legislation introducing a stringent tax
>>> on aviation fuel, the proceeds of which will be
>>> used to fund the promotion of farmers markets across the UK.
>>>
>>> My government will also scrap its current
>>> target of building 200,000 new houses every
>>> year for the next fifteen years. Instead it
>>> will set up a commission to review effective,
>>> affordable and sustainable ways to house my
>>> subjects. The commission will be empowered to
>>> explore not only ways of meeting current needs,
>>> but ways of reducing them in the future.
>>>
>>> My government accepts that such pioneering
>>> national action will be of little use if other
>>> nations do not follow suit. Thus it commits
>>> itself to taking a lead in international negotiations on climate change.
>>>
>>> My government will propose a new secretariat of
>>> the United Nations, dedicated solely to drawing
>>> up radical, binding international targets on
>>> greenhouse gas reductions, to apply to all
>>> nations, based around the principle of
>>> contraction and convergence, and focusing on
>>> solid, science-backed emissions reductions
>>> targets with built-in financial incentives. The
>>> secretariat will be funded by international
>>> taxes on the profits of the world’s 500 biggest corporations.
>>>
>>> My government accepts also that the global
>>> economy as currently formulated is part of the
>>> solution and not part of the problem. My
>>> government thus urgently commits itself to
>>> developing a philosophical basis for our
>>> national story that is not predicated on
>>> endless and unsustainable economic growth. It
>>> promises henceforth to strike the phrase
>>> ‘remain competitive in the global economy’ from
>>> its vocabulary and replace it with ‘grow up a
>>> bit, stop being so greedy and learn how to live within our means.’
>>>
>>> Finally, my government believes that climate
>>> change offers our nation not only threats but
>>> also opportunities. It intends to grasp these with both hands.
>>>
>>> My government will bring forward legislation
>>> designed to make the UK a world leader in
>>> sustainable energy technologies, via a massive
>>> boost in pubic funding for their research and
>>> development, to be funded by a tax on the
>>> profits of our four biggest supermarkets and
>>> the nest egg it had planned to spend on helping George Bush bomb Iran.
>>>
>>> My government will work towards making the
>>> United Kingdom self-sufficient in all major
>>> foodstuffs by 2021. It will bring forward
>>> legislation instituting a major programme of
>>> land reform, guaranteeing every citizen access
>>> to at least half an acre of growing land, and
>>> the right to buy more at affordable prices. My
>>> government will also reform the planning system
>>> to promote small-scale, affordable, low-impact
>>> developments in rural and urban areas, and
>>> introduce a moratorium on new out-of-town d
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