We have pretty much run out of north sea gas, the fuel that enabled Britain to keep its people alive by warming their homes through the winter over the last 40 years. We decide that we need to secure our own supplies of heat - at a time when international markets are causing a 30% increase in prices, which will increase fuel poverty massively this winter - and we get lambasted by these short-sighted fools:
"UK risks climate leadership over dirty coal, say US groups
The British government risks scuppering a global deal to cut emissions if it presses ahead with a new generation of dirty coal power, says a powerful coalition of US scientists and environmentalists"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/22/carbonemissions.fossilfuels
Yes, we need investments in renewables. In fact, we have had quite a lot of investment in them over the last thirty years.
If we do end up in a war with Russia, with no power to heat ourselves and no power to make weapons to defend ourselves, I hope we send every Kingsnorth and environmental protestor, and all of these scientists out to the front line first. Or are they forgetting that UK emissions of CO2 are dropping? And that, at less than 2% of global man-made emissions whether we build them or not will have no impact whatsoever on global carbon emissions?
Vaguely related, I am in a debate at the moment over a new housing development. The locals are complaining that the new houses will "contribute to global warming". Ok, by how much, I ask?
Man-made global emissions of CO2: ~27 billion tonnes (p.a.)
Natrual emissions of CO2: ~420 billion tonnes (p.a.)
UK emissions: 500 million tonnes
UK population: 60 million
UK CO2 emitted per person: 8.3 tonnes per annum.
Housing development: 1,500 people
Housing contribution to global CO2: 1,500 x 8.3 = 12,500 tonnes
(12,500 / 427,000,000,000)*100 = 0.0000029%.
Not to mention the fact that these people will emit this anyway, wherever they are. And anyway as a percentage of the total gas in the atmosphere is so miniscule it's not even worth bothering with.
This thing is totally out of control and is endangering the children I have not had yet.
Oh, as an addition, I found out recently that rice - the staple diet of about half the world - is a massive source of methane. So, the thing that we eat to survive is going to kill us, is it? Get over it! This is not the end of the world, but it might be the end of our civilisation if we don't get a grip.