Met Office warns of need for drastic cuts in greenhouse gases from 2010
• 3% a year may keep temperature rise to 2C
• Study says inaction could have dire consequences

Carbon Output Grew in 2007 increase of 2.5% "Average annual growth since 2000 is about four times the mean in the 1990s."

Gore urges civil disobedience to stop coal plants
"it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants"

39.7% – New European Record Efficiency for Solar Cells acheived

Arctic 'methane chimneys' raise fears of runaway climate change

NB - not yet published in peer reviewed journal

Mark Lynas is in many ways right about nuclear. If we manage to avoid RCC in the next10 years and want to maintain an economy and society that is as similar to the one we have now then nuclear power, whether using current, fastbreeder or fusion technology would be useful. However, we should concentrate on actions that can help us avoid getting locked into RCC and then have a debate about what kind of energy system we want and whether centralised, nuclear stations can play a role in it. If we do succeed in getting to this point my own view is that a decentralised system in which power is generated near to where it is used, will be a major contributor to that success and that we should continue down this road. Others who want things to continue more like they are now will support new nuclear, I just hope that we get the chance to have this discussion which is why I don't want to be distracted by nuclear now.

What the people at the top of the wealth and power pyramid will do when when we pass RCC tipping point ?

• make a fortune from geo engineering techno fixes, that we will pay for
• invest heavily in personal protection (gated communities in low risk areas)
• live an equally, or even more comfortable existence with much greater share of wealth and power than before.

Why would any of these people take action to stop climate change? They'd be much more likely to try and give the appearance of action to delay until it was too late.

Bjorn Lomborg's analysis of the cost of climate change correctly exposes a serious fiction in most government's rhetoric - that current plans, which will do very little to address the problem, may well be a waste of money. Politicians need to be honest that, on some measures, the monetary costs and benefits of inaction and effective action may well be very similar. The real issue is what this view of cost misses out, the damage and destruction that can't be quantified or, from a purely economic standpoint is worth very little because it happens to poor people. The truth is that the people at the top of the economic and political systems have no motivation to take any action, they won't lose out and many may even benefit from the crisis. That is why can't leave it up to them.

University of Sunderland proudly announced a breakthrough in hydrogen powered car techology. The problem with hydrogen is that it uses far less energy to use any electricity directly to power a car, rather than turning it into hydrogen first. However, after exchanging few emails with the project manager i'm slightly less cynical. His argument is that a small tank of hydrogen produced from renewable energy can add a 'quick fill' capacity to extend the range of the battery, rather than instead of it. Also the efficiency of hydrogen production can be improved with this kind of research. My conclusion is that we can dismiss solutions ideas too easily as unrealistic techno-fixes. In fact many of these ideas, if sensibly applied, combined and seen in their correct context, can make a contribution.

indicator of the problems of society and how we could do better #1

People are happier in a system of direct democracy

Frey, Bruno S. and Stutzer, Alois,Happiness, Economy and Institutions(January 2000). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 246.


a proposal for direct democracy from the same authors

Frey, Bruno S. and Stutzer, Alois,Direct Democracy: Designing a Living Constitution(September 17, 2003). Zurich IEER Working Paper No. 167.


Voters are better informed when they have more influence