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Zero Carbon World is what we need. Zero Carbon Europe would be a step on the way (CAT may be producing a report on that as a follow up to ZCB) Chris jo abbess wrote: >Let's face it, CRISIS FORUM, there is something of a whiff of general panic in the corridors of grey authority. We can't windfall tax Big Energy, so what the coalhole are we going to do ? Auction the maximum EU ETS Allocations we are allowed, 10% ? And what will we do with the revenue raised ? Plough that into Fuel Poverty alleviation ? And where's the Energy Efficiency programme ? And where's the Carbon Cuts ? Where's the extra support for Renewables ? Can't threaten the profits of Big Energy or all the Pension Funds will collapse (or something) ? It's time we had a leader here. Who will lead ? We need an Energy Controller. They seem to want to do enforced home insulation in Climate Neutral New Zealand. Seems like a good old eco-fascist idea is raising its head again. Zero Carbon Britain is what we need here... > >=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x= > >http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/calls-for-energy-windfall-tax-continue/ > >Calls for energy windfall tax continue >Tuesday 26th August 2008 at 11:29 > >Gordon Brown is facing continued calls to impose a windfall tax on energy companies to help families cope with their rising fuel bills. > >More than 70 MPs have signed a petition urging the prime minister to introduce a one-off levy on record profits in the industry. > >Organised by left-wing Labour group Compass, it has been signed by several junior ministers including Stephen Pound, parliamentary private secretary to welfare minister Stephen Timms. > >The prime minister's spokesman refused to be drawn on Gordon Brown's opinions on the issue, dismissing those who signed the letter as "not ministers". > >"Tax is a matter for the chancellor and the Treasury. The Treasury receives a whole range of representations about proposals relating to tax and, of course, the chancellor and the Treasury will consider such proposals in the normal way," he told journalists. > >Pressed further about the prime minister's view he continued: "What matters is the view taken by Treasury ministers because it's Treasury ministers who speak on behalf of the government on this." > >Labour backbencher Clive Betts told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday there was "overwhelming" support for the move among his parliamentary colleagues. > >"I think it's reasonable for people to say: 'Why should the wages and salaries and bonuses of the executives of these companies, which will be linked to their profits and their share prices, go up astronomically while the ordinary person in the street is seeing their wages go up by two per cent... and their energy bills going up by 30 per cent?'" he said. > >David Porter, chief executive of the Association of Electricity producers, told the programme: "A legalised raid on the company's bank accounts - that would be very unhelpful because it would scare off investors and could also make the cost of investment much higher and, in the end, that would end up on the customers' bills." > >"Every £1m you take out of each company through this legalised raid is £1m they have to raise elsewhere." > >Business secretary John Hutton indicated the government was "looking at" the move earlier this month, after Shell, BP and British Gas all announced multi-billion pound profits. > >But in recent weeks ministers appeared to have moved away from the idea, and were instead reported to be considering raising revenue by increasing the proportion of emission permission permits to be auctioned to the energy companies under the EU carbon trading scheme from seven per cent to ten per cent - the maximum allowed under EU rules. > > >=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x= > >http://www.stuff.co.nz/4669923a7693.html > > >$1b govt fund to insulate every NZ home >By DAN EATON - The Press | Wednesday, 27 August 2008 > >The Government will establish a $1 billion fund to insulate every house in New Zealand as part of its flagship climate-change policy. > >Details of the fund were announced yesterday by the Green Party, which hailed it as a major concession gained in return for its support for Labour's controversial emissions trading scheme (ETS). > >The Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill has been on hold for months as the Government worked to secure the support of the Greens and New Zealand First. > >With National opposed to rushing the bill through before this year's general election, the votes of the two smaller parties are essential for its passage. > >With the Greens having thrown their weight behind it, the fate of the scheme now lies with NZ First. > >Leader Winston Peters said yesterday he expected to announce the party's position in the next few days. > >He claimed much of the credit for the insulation fund. > >Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said her party decided at yesterday's weekly caucus to support the scheme. > >She said that in addition to the insulation fund, set up using money generated by the scheme, the legislation would provide a cash payout to households to help offset a rise in electricity costs. > >Although the bill was flawed, it was better than nothing and the party's six MPs would be voting for it, Fitzsimons said. > >"The truth is that if the whole world did what New Zealand is doing in this emissions trading scheme, then the world would fail because the action needed is a lot stronger than that," she said. > >"However, on balance and given the very significant changes we have achieved, we have decided that it is better to make a start than to do nothing." > >Prime Minister Helen Clark welcomed the decision. She said the legislation was now "poised for passage", and talks with NZ First were progressing well. > >Fitzsimons said the insulation fund would be administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Board through a mixture of "straight-out grants" for low-income families and "heavily subsidised loans" for those with higher incomes. > >She said there would be "a cash payment that is universal but differentiated" to help offset higher electricity prices from 2010. > >She declined to give further details, indicating that it was a concession largely won by NZ First. > >Peters refused to elaborate, saying details had yet to be finalised, but he described it as "a cost-of-living fund". > >National opposes the bill, saying it is a rushed response to climate change that carries high economic risks. > >Leader John Key said that if his party won the election it would develop its own scheme and introduce it within nine months of taking office. > >"If the ETS passes before the election and National becomes the government, we will be changing the ETS to reflect our principles," he said. > >=x=x=x=x=x=x=x= > >jo. >+44 77 17 22 13 96 >http://www.changecollege.org.uk > >_________________________________________________________________ >Win New York holidays with Kellogg’s & Live Search >http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/107571440/direct/01/ > >