Scientifically-Correct – David Aaronovitch
Sometimes you wait for months for good scientific articles to come along and then you get two in one day in the same newspaper. David Aaronovitch has written this piece in The Times entitled “Climate campaigners reap what GM sowed”.
He ranges through global warming, homeopathy and GM crops, an puts a healthy plea for proper research and not to ban something just because you think it is wrong. Think of all the things in our modern society; scientific as well as moral, that were once subject of a prison sentence or even worse.
The last three paragraphs are ones that we should all heed.
But there is a rich irony here, which it has taken me some time to appreciate and that I want to share. Back in the crop-burning days of the late 1990s, when green activists prevented even trials taking place to discover more about GM produce, they rode shotgun on the denialist wagon. They didn’t care that they didn’t have the evidence, or that much of their support was mystical.
“The war against nature has to end,” Lord Melchett, the executive director of Greenpeace, told Specter, “and we are going to stop it.”
And now the green movement is in the camp of the governments and scientists, bitterly fighting the new denialists who must surely, in the words of John Wayne, remind them of them. Reaping, not sowing.
If you have time, then read his full article. But sadly, if you are in favour of Mr. Aaronovitch you will, but the various flat-earthers and deniers wouldn’t go near his well-reasoned arguments.
Beyond the Pole
After the gloom of the last post, We’re Under Control, this one is about a new film called Beyond the Pole. It’s all about Brits doing what we do best; muddle through with courage, humour and style.
It has been made by Helen Baxendale and her husband and their struggle is described in The Times.
I hope it’s a hit. But if it isn’t it won’t be without the help of their fans and Facebook.
There’s an equally appropriate irony in the reason this low-budget flick with a tiny distributor and zero marketing budget is on the verge of becoming a hit in America — the pecs and abs of Alex Skarsgard. Between filming Pole and its release, the then unknown Swede stormed the screens in Generation Kill, but most particularly as the sensual, dark vampire Eric in True Blood.
I shall try and see it, but whether it gets to this neck of the woods is definitely in the lap of the distributors.
PeopleQuake
I heard about this interesting book as I was driving along at three in the morning. I’ve just ordered it from Amazon.
Pope Condemns Equality
Isn’t he out of step with Jesus on this one? But what would I know as I’m an atheist.
But then what do I care about the Pope. Not a lot. I wish him no harm, but he heads a church that is very much against progress and is all for creating more people in this world. Remember that increasing the population of the world is one of the biggest causes of global warming.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
When we think about green energy with a small carbon footprint, some ideas keep turning up. One is ocean thermal energy conversion.
It is a very simple idea in that it exploits the temperature difference between the surface of the sea and the depths. It needs deep water fairly close to land and the temperature difference is only large enough in the tropics. But as the article shows, there are a large number of places, where this method might well be employed in the future.
Is it feasible?
Perhaps not now! But as with many technologies there will be a reduction in costs and new materials and methods in the next few years.
One proposal for using OTEC is to use it to smelt aluminium from bauxite in places like Surinam. The aluminium would then be transported to places in need of power and burnt in a power station. This would produce aluminium oxide or bauxite, which would then be transported back to the smelter. Obviously, if smelters are powered by green energy such as hydro-electric, then they could be elsewhere.
I am a betting man and I reckon that we’ve not seen the last of OTEC.
Malcolm Turnbull
I had never really heard much about Malcolm Turnbull, who was the leader of the Australian Liberal Party. But he wrote a thoughtful article in The Times on Sunday. The title says it all, It’s reckless to be a sceptic on global warming.
He makes some interesting points. Take these key paragraphs.
I recognise that many people are sceptical about the science. But as Margaret Thatcher pointed out 20 years ago, this is an exercise in risk management. Given that the consequences of unchecked global warming would be catastrophic, responsible leaders should give the planet the benefit of the doubt. Few of us imagine our house is going to burn down tonight, but most of us will have taken out insurance.
So the political or indeed moral issue is not whether you are totally convinced by the climate change thesis, but what you propose to do about it. Being sceptical about climate change is not unreasonable; doing nothing about it is reckless.
He’s right. Those that advocate doing nothing are just plain wrong.
He also makes the point that most climate change deniers have their youth behind them. That is curious or is it that they have saved for and want to enjoy their retirement and then all these restrictions come along and ruin it.
I certainly am no climate change denier and know we must cut emissions. But we should do it in a scientifically correct way, that will deliver large cuts, so that we leave our descendants the maximum benefit.
A Sensible Approach to Climate Change
You can take what I said about Climate Change Deniers and Fascists with a pinch of salt or tongue in cheek, but in some ways they are part of the problem. Politicians poncing around in Copenhagen are another part. Pictures this morning of Obama coming out of Air Force One just don’t go down well with me, when the conference is all about cutting greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
I hope that Copenhagen completely fails.
Only then, we might get some sense, as those that are worried about the future, will be given another kick to do something positive about it.
Politicians should keep well clear of the free market, as their meddling and well-meaning initiatives at best come to nothing and at worst they distort everything and push us down blind alleys.
But what they should do is nudge not corral us in the right direction.
For instance, every country should raise the price of carbon based fuels, in much the way that Kenneth Clarke did before Prudence removed it to court popularity. It must also be done on a world-wide or at least continent-wide basis. At present aviation fuel is untaxed and this should also be changed as soon as possible.
I don’t think there is much hope for this sensible measure, so that is why anything more savage that might be proposed will always be destined to fail.
It will be innovation by engineers and scientists that gets us out of this mess. And this is something for which no world-wide consensus is required. So if an engineer in Britain or Denmark say, has a brilliant idea, it is in their country’s interest to support it. Think of all those exports and licences.
We have a technological race, where the prize will be immense in monetary terms. It will also be very good for the world. Is that a win-win situation? I do hope so.
Climate Change Fascists
I really get sick of selfish Climate Change Fascists. They feel that they have a right to stop everyone enjoying themselves and curb their lifestyle. Some have an awful lot in common with the Taliban and want us to live back in the Stone Age.
I’ve just been listening to the phone in on BBC Breakfast on Radio 5 and you can just see them sitting there, picking at their lentils, drinking carrot or cabbage juice before they walk or cycle their kids to school.
Climate Change Deniers
I really get sick of selfish Climate Change Deniers. They feel that they have a right to continue to pollute the planet, use up all the resources and generally give two fingers to anybody who wants to curb their lifestyle.
I’ve just been listening to the phone in on BBC Breakfast on Radio 5 and you can just see them sitting there, fat or even worse, smoking their heads off and wheezing as they struggle into their 4×4 to take their fat kids 200 metres to school.
The Anonymous Widower 