How UK Carbon Emissions Tumbled
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on I News.
This is the first paragraph.
Amid the doom and gloom, there is thankfully one piece of good news today. The amount of carbon dioxide the UK pumps into the atmosphere through its power generators, car exhausts, wood burners and industry has dived by 38 per cent since 1990. A statistic that’s even more impressive when you consider the population has grown by nearly 10 million during that period.
So how has this happened?
- The reduction in the number of coal-fired power stations.
- We are using less energy, because of more efficient electrical equipment and devices.
- There is less heavy engineering.
Let’s hope this downward trend continues.
A Telling Statement From Andrew Marr
On his program this morning, Abdrew Marr has just said that they try every week to get Donald Tusk and Michel Barnier on the program.
Every week, they get a negative answer.
Edinburgh Tourist Tax Could Be £2 Per Room, Per Night
The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC.
Will it actually make any difference?
- I looked up the price of two nights in a Premier Inn in the City Centre for next week and they want to charge me £263.
- Glasgow was £137 and Stirling £105 for Premier Inns close to the stations.
- Will the tax apply to Airbnb?
I do think, we’re going to see some innovative tourist taxes and rewards.
For instance, all hotels in Geneva must give you a voucher for a day’s free travel on public transport. This applies for everything from a camp-site to a five-star hotel.
Some hotels in Hamburg, do something similar.
UK Objects To Description Of Gibraltar As ‘British Colony’ In EU Law
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first three paragraphs.
The UK has objected to Gibraltar being described as a “colony” in European Union legislation allowing UK nationals to travel to the EU after Brexit.
The EU proposed allowing visa-free travel for Britons in November.
The Spanish government has since insisted a footnote be added describing Gibraltar as a “colony” and referring to “controversy” over its status.
The UK’s Ambassador to the EU objected.
Spark Energy Supply Switch To Ovo Energy Going ‘Smoothly’
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
If the article is true, which as it is on the BBC, I feel there is a high chance that it is, I think that this means, that OFGEM has now got a backstop for those customers, who choose an energy company that fails.
It probably means that there is less risk in changing to an energy company, that you don’t know, but was recommended by a trusted friend or a reputable consumer affairs program or magazine.
As to OVO, I have used them for several years now, as have several of my friends.
Germany Agrees To End Reliance On Coal Stations By 2038
The title of this post, is the same as this article on the Guardian.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Germany has agreed to end its reliance on polluting coal power stations by 2038, in a long-awaited decision that will have major ramifications for Europe’s attempts to meet its Paris climate change targets.
The country is the last major bastion of coal-burning in north-western Europe and the dirtiest of fossil fuels still provides nearly 40% of Germany’s power, compared with 5% in the UK, which plans to phase the fuel out entirely by 2025.
Travel across Germany on a train and you see the high chimneys of coal-fired power stations everywhere.
When we can get rid of coal by 2025 and France by 2022, you do wonder why Germany is taking so long.
The Guardian article provides a partial answer in that both the power company; RWE and the trade unions are very much for the continued use of coal.
The Germans are phasing out nuclear power, in response to the Green Party. Surely, unregulated coal-burning is far worse than well-regulated nuclear power?
But then the prevailing winds mean that most of the carbon-dioxide and pollution goes to Poland, who are big coal-burners themselves.
I wonder what would have happened to coal-fired power stations in the UK, if Margaret Thatcher hadn’t taken on the miners and started the run down of the use of coal!
The can would probably have been kicked down the road and we’d probably have coal power stations at German levels.
Seabed Rocks Could Act As Green Energy Stores
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the University of Strathclyde.
This is the first four paragraphs.
Rocks in the seabed off the UK coast could provide long-term storage locations for renewable energy production, new research suggests.
An advanced technique could be used to trap compressed air in porous rock formations found in the North Sea using electricity from renewable technologies.
The pressurised air could later be released to drive a turbine to generate large amounts of electricity.
Using the technique on a large scale could store enough compressed air to meet the UK’s electricity needs during winter, when demand is highest, the study found.
I read about this in today’s copy of The Times, which also says the following.
- There are suitable areas in the North and Irish Seas that can be used.
- The rocks could store fifty percent more energy than we used January and February.
As similar technology is being used in salt caverns in Germany and the United States, I feel that the idea has possibilities.
When Are We Going To Get Some Rain?
It’s now over a month since I experienced any rain and I feel totally crap, with a very dry month and I suspect dry lungs as well.
I drinking lots of 0.5% alcohol beer, tea and lemonade, but it all seems to make no difference!
I need a right royal downpour, so I can walk around in it.
Brexit Was An Easy Sell
How many times, have you heard a smooth salesman give you a line of patter to try to sell you something?
In some cases, they have presented you with say a car, bicycle or washing machine, which is all you need with a feasible story.
So you have bought it, because you couldn’t see any risk and it did what you need.
In most cases you haven’t regretted the purchase as it was a well-made good product.
If you asked a good salesman to sell Brexit, he could come up with all sorts of positive reasons, why you should vote for it.
On the other hand, a good salesman selling Remain, would have only given you negatives and doom and gloom.
When did anybody sell you anything, based on its negative qualities?
In my view, David Cameron’s referendum was skewed in favour of Brexit, as selling a negative to millions of people is not a feasible proposition.
The Anonymous Widower 