“It was not what we had hoped for or wanted,” sums up the outcome of Cop15.
If you are a supporter of the environment you will be sadly disappointed at what our world leaders were able, or not able, to do after two years of planning, two weeks of face to face talks, and a cost of £130 Million - if not more - to bring together 193 nations under the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and Summit.
On the other hand, if you think the rich nations can live without the environment and compensate for a changing climate then these talks won’t mean much at all, but could have threatened your lifestyle and income – especially if you happen to be the owner of a Texan oil or Russian gas well.
There has probably been no other meeting of world leaders in history with so much at stake – namely the very survival of our biosphere or life support system – and yet the whole event was vandalised by denials, self interests, political game play and arguments to render the negotiation process virtually null and void. A “weak agreement” led to no agreement at all but a “note to ....” say countries outside that agreement wouldn’t block it. No country was satisfied with what had been achieved.
One wonders if we have reached a point in human history when no united international decision or consensus can ever be made or achieved by such a diverse and combatant group of nations. Talk in the US is that world government was being imposed through the UN, and even that the communists’ are behind the green movement and trying to topple capitalist nations. It makes me think the “Age of Stupid” is alive and doing very well, thank you, but among the intelligent thinkers what has the United Nations really achieved with Copenhagen, and what are the chances of any better legally binding deal being done in Bonn or Mexico next year?
What was achieved?
Firstly, I was impressed at how all the nation delegations agreed that man is responsible for rising CO2 levels and the incontrovertible science that greenhouse gases trap heat around the Earth causing the climate systems to change and the cost of adaptation must be met. A “new level of ‘geopolitics’ has arrived,” said the commentators.
a) A general agreement that we must limit the rise in temperature to 2 degrees C on 1990 levels or the future for most significant life forms will be under threat. This limit does not, however, avoid some drastic changes to the world map and where people will be able to live in future. The less developed countries or small island states, who are suffering most from sea level rise and drought, wanted that level to be fixed at 1.5C. This could, after the next scientific assessment, become the real target.
b) Agreement was reached about the need for saving the rain forests and to do this tropical countries would be given billions of dollars not to cut down trees.
c) $100 billion to be given annually by rich nations to those suffering most by climate change by 2020 was supported, but not fixed. The poor countries wanted $200 billion with signatures.
d) A Climate Accord was drafted and agreed to by a group of leading nations, but nothing binding.
e) Politicians said “Real progress” had been made.
The world’s communities were watching and reading the news to find out what was decided and finally feeling the urgency and seriousness of the position we have now arrived at. My only reservation was that this news was confined, on British television at least, to News bulletins and not on the BBC or ITV main programme schedule, as for example with coverage of election night. Those who are late night telly watchers would have seen an interesting range of documentary climate focussed programmes across the channels. Sky News had the most consistent TV news coverage, in my view.
What wasn’t agreed?
a) Finally, it was only agreed to “take note of the Climate Accord,” rather than endorse it.
b) No legally binding deal, or treaty; something everyone was disappointed at not reaching. China and India have problems in accepting any deal that limits their growth. There is also dispute about how the world can verify what each nation state is achieving in reduced emissions.
c) Decisions over Targets for mitigating or reducing the rise in C02 levels – 20% or 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 – on 1990 /2005 levels, could not be agreed by all nations so a treaty was not agreed.
d) The NGOs and least or less developed countries said it was a “failure, with no deal agreed.”
Although the conference venue looked more like a Swedish Ikea store on TV, with open plan gourmet cafes, plastic chairs and bright colours, rather than a place were serious deals must be done, I think it had the look of somewhere influenced by creative people, which should have produced positive results. However, if I were a resident of the Danish capital, I would be fairly worried now that my city will be dubbed the place that failed the world!
Even more worrying is whether Mexico City will now become Copenhagen’s failed twin in December 2010?
Can we stand yet another year of indecisive action by the world, while poor countries most affected by climates suffer and while animals and plants, humans and communities die, because nations are reluctant to make the change before the climate makes it for everyone?
It seems to me that our ‘relationship’ with the Earth is seriously in danger now of breaking down. Political processes and world leaders have been found wanting on what are the most important decisions which affect mankind and all life.
Many people seem to distrust the science and will argue against taking action without any real evidential knowledge. We are not married or sufficiently wedded to the principles of “for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part we will love, cherish and protect our environment and home planet and do whatever it takes to live in harmony with nature.” Maybe making these vows, and signing a pledge or ‘Earth Marriage’ certificate of commitment for the rest of their lives, is something people might like to do together and symbolically perform in their communities?
Oh, and for anyone who still thinks people can live in cities and avoid the excesses of climate change without ever needing to change their lifestyle – then think carefully about why we need a stable natural environment to support our food and water supplies, provide foundations for economies, or simply to live happily and not in fear of frequent climate disasters causing damage and destruction to the places we live in.
Divorce from the environment – our environment – is not an option since we cannot live on Earth and survive without functioning ecosystems and planet based climate control.
Paul Lund
23.12.09
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Avalon Marshes wildlife on-air
Birdlife on the Avalon Marshes, west of Glastonbury, is diverse at this time of year as winter avian visitors come from Europe and as far away as Russia to mix with British residents, and since the trees are bare more of our own woodland species can be seen foraging and gathering among the branches.
Notably, “flocks of finches and tits can be seen moving through the tree line, whilst among the unusual winter migrants coming from Europe we can see Redwings, Fieldfares and Brambling,” says Simon Clarke, Natural England’s manager for Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve.
The Brambling, Simon tells us, “Can also sometimes be seen at garden bird tables and traditionally this bird is a harbinger of cold weather to come,” some of which we may be feeling this week.
Wildfowl such as Wigeon and Teal can be seen on the open water of the Avalon Marshes at this time of year and across the Somerset Levels. The areas of reed bed with open water habitats were created after the end of peat extraction, and have now been turned into protected wildlife areas.
Most spectacular are the murmurations or gatherings of millions of Starlings during the winter months which attract large numbers of human visitors to watch the black masses of birds which twist and turn in flight at dusk before dropping down into the reed beds for the night. “They, along with many of the ducks at this time of year, are attracting the attention of birds of prey such as Marsh Harrier, Sparrow Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, and Buzzard who are finding ‘ready meals’ in plentiful supply,” Simon tells us.
“One other highlight to mention is that late December into early January is the peak of the fox mating season, and if you live in a rural area or an area of town with lots of waste ground you will be able to hear the calls of male dog foxes or the female vixens for most of the night,” Simon adds.
Simon Clarke’s infectious enthusiasm for the wildlife of the Marshes and his talent for verbally communicating to audiences have been discovered by Glastonbury FM, community radio for Glastonbury, Street and Wells.
The radio station have started broadcasting an hour long show each month called Green Watch, an environment and eco programme – which I am pleased to be presenting – and Simon has agreed to become a regular contributor of news and reports from the local nature reserves.
The pilot show which includes Simon talking about the starlings at Shapwick Heath NNR, has now been repeated more than once on GFM, prompting people to say how great it is to hear about the local wildlife on the air waves and that Simon is a lively contrast to Chris Packham or Simon King at the BBC.
Having a dedicated programme to showcase this areas’ wild nature and ‘all things eco and sustainable’ is probably unique among the community radio stations and local BBC. As the show builds and becomes more popular its content could be shared with other radio stations as there is so much interest across the county in our spectacular wildlife sights and wonderful range of wild places to visit.
For more details of when Green Watch is broadcast on Glastonbury 107.1FM the station’s telephone number is 01458 835 299 or go to www.glastonburyfm.co.uk
Notably, “flocks of finches and tits can be seen moving through the tree line, whilst among the unusual winter migrants coming from Europe we can see Redwings, Fieldfares and Brambling,” says Simon Clarke, Natural England’s manager for Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve.
The Brambling, Simon tells us, “Can also sometimes be seen at garden bird tables and traditionally this bird is a harbinger of cold weather to come,” some of which we may be feeling this week.
Wildfowl such as Wigeon and Teal can be seen on the open water of the Avalon Marshes at this time of year and across the Somerset Levels. The areas of reed bed with open water habitats were created after the end of peat extraction, and have now been turned into protected wildlife areas.
Most spectacular are the murmurations or gatherings of millions of Starlings during the winter months which attract large numbers of human visitors to watch the black masses of birds which twist and turn in flight at dusk before dropping down into the reed beds for the night. “They, along with many of the ducks at this time of year, are attracting the attention of birds of prey such as Marsh Harrier, Sparrow Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, and Buzzard who are finding ‘ready meals’ in plentiful supply,” Simon tells us.
“One other highlight to mention is that late December into early January is the peak of the fox mating season, and if you live in a rural area or an area of town with lots of waste ground you will be able to hear the calls of male dog foxes or the female vixens for most of the night,” Simon adds.
Simon Clarke’s infectious enthusiasm for the wildlife of the Marshes and his talent for verbally communicating to audiences have been discovered by Glastonbury FM, community radio for Glastonbury, Street and Wells.
The radio station have started broadcasting an hour long show each month called Green Watch, an environment and eco programme – which I am pleased to be presenting – and Simon has agreed to become a regular contributor of news and reports from the local nature reserves.
The pilot show which includes Simon talking about the starlings at Shapwick Heath NNR, has now been repeated more than once on GFM, prompting people to say how great it is to hear about the local wildlife on the air waves and that Simon is a lively contrast to Chris Packham or Simon King at the BBC.
Having a dedicated programme to showcase this areas’ wild nature and ‘all things eco and sustainable’ is probably unique among the community radio stations and local BBC. As the show builds and becomes more popular its content could be shared with other radio stations as there is so much interest across the county in our spectacular wildlife sights and wonderful range of wild places to visit.
For more details of when Green Watch is broadcast on Glastonbury 107.1FM the station’s telephone number is 01458 835 299 or go to www.glastonburyfm.co.uk
Friday, December 4, 2009
Copenhagen or bust!
Anthropogenic climate change, or the disruption being caused through human activities releasing the three most potent greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) is still, according to surveys, not accepted by some non-scientific people. It seems the more evidence that exists then the more some people will deny a proven event had or is happening. Coping with something that threatens to overwhelm maybe one explanation, or belief in conspiracies to fool ordinary people is another.
Local newspapers have recently carried letters from readers clearly frightened by the prospect of what climate change is predicted to bestow on our living world. They describe how difficult it is for them to believe man is responsible. I have sympathy with them and anyone who simply cannot come to terms with the fact we have a serious problem, one which has a magnitude greater than anything faced by mankind in the past.
It is understandable to feel comfort or belief in a few reports which attempt to dismiss human activity being the main driver or cause for making the planet’s temperature rise rapidly. The last 50 years have shown the greatest rise in greenhouse gases and
Charles Darwin had the same problem when he saw the evidence for animal and man’s evolution. Some people today still think humans are not part of the animal kingdom and haven’t evolved from a branch of primates. They are not conspiracy theorists, but believe exactly what the Bible says. Comprehension and believability are stretched in many ways in our daily lives, although we are wiser than we have ever been to what might be fiction rather than scientific fact.
Some people believe the government stands to benefit by ‘inventing climate change disasters’ in order to raise money through green taxes. I can think of better ways they could achieve the same without inventing such an elaborate ploy. Without water pouring into our homes, crops dying of drought, or hurricane winds becoming a frequent occurrence, there will be some who say the news and ‘global warmers’ are scaremongering or that they read the planet is going through a cycle of natural change that will all get better in years to come.
One correspondent wrote that where ‘global warming’ was once used ‘they’ now call it ‘climate change’ to scare us more! In case you haven’t understood how excess green house gasses give rise to global warming which in turn leads to climate change – which is not the same as the weekly change in weather patterns forecast by the Met Office – then it is your knowledge of the science rather than those science writers that’s at fault.
Like everyone else, I would rejoice and sleep easy if we could solve the problem or find a solution that would let the human race get back to normal and stop mitigating or having to adapt to an ever more unstable environment. Of course that doesn’t let us off the hook of the other disasters we will face if world population cannot be controlled, food shortages overcome, or loss of habitats and pollution stopped that threaten almost every wild animal species, let alone the search for alternative forms of reliable clean energy to replace the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, with their rise in price to levels that will be out of reach of ordinary working citizens.
The summit of world leaders in Copenhagen has already been talked about as doomed before the politicians have even sat down together. Attempts to negotiate the deals and agreements to cut carbon dioxide emissions in advance have stalled and the prospects look bleak unless some breakthrough is found. Drama is also part of the picture when the stakes are high, so whether it will be singing in the streets – “wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen” – or “Copenhagen, we are bust” only time will tell.
We are also told this is a last chance opportunity to broker the kind of deals that will give us the best chance of avoiding disastrous climate change chaos or going past the Tipping Point into non-retrievable climate stability. Maybe some of those world leaders don’t believe the science or they are prepared to chance it rather than lose their country’s industrial wealth and income. Only the intelligent ones will listen to the mass of scientific evidence or see how not agreeing to the cuts will be political suicide, even genocide, if millions of the poorest people around the world, in the most vulnerable situations, lose their lives through anthropogenic climatic change.
Whilst financial institutions and politicians have been found not to be the most trustworthy in society, I cannot think of anything that the scientific community, world-wide, have tried to make us believe and has been found to be a deception. On the contrary, science takes the sceptical approach and needs irrefutable evidence before eminent scientists place their faith in something. For now I would rather believe the scientific community and go all out to curb our carbon emissions rather than wait for ‘unprecedented’ climate disruption and risk passing the tipping point of C02 concentrations that could be unstoppable.
What can any individual do about all this? What can the world’s scientists and the vast number of world-wide non-governmental organisations, charities, agencies, businesses and industries who understand what is happening do about this? What will prime ministers and presidents, governments and the United Nations do to make the Copenhagen climate summit resolve to do everything that’s humanly possible to avert this danger?
The answer will come soon enough.
The UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen takes place from 7-18 December 2009
Paul Lund
Local newspapers have recently carried letters from readers clearly frightened by the prospect of what climate change is predicted to bestow on our living world. They describe how difficult it is for them to believe man is responsible. I have sympathy with them and anyone who simply cannot come to terms with the fact we have a serious problem, one which has a magnitude greater than anything faced by mankind in the past.
It is understandable to feel comfort or belief in a few reports which attempt to dismiss human activity being the main driver or cause for making the planet’s temperature rise rapidly. The last 50 years have shown the greatest rise in greenhouse gases and
Charles Darwin had the same problem when he saw the evidence for animal and man’s evolution. Some people today still think humans are not part of the animal kingdom and haven’t evolved from a branch of primates. They are not conspiracy theorists, but believe exactly what the Bible says. Comprehension and believability are stretched in many ways in our daily lives, although we are wiser than we have ever been to what might be fiction rather than scientific fact.
Some people believe the government stands to benefit by ‘inventing climate change disasters’ in order to raise money through green taxes. I can think of better ways they could achieve the same without inventing such an elaborate ploy. Without water pouring into our homes, crops dying of drought, or hurricane winds becoming a frequent occurrence, there will be some who say the news and ‘global warmers’ are scaremongering or that they read the planet is going through a cycle of natural change that will all get better in years to come.
One correspondent wrote that where ‘global warming’ was once used ‘they’ now call it ‘climate change’ to scare us more! In case you haven’t understood how excess green house gasses give rise to global warming which in turn leads to climate change – which is not the same as the weekly change in weather patterns forecast by the Met Office – then it is your knowledge of the science rather than those science writers that’s at fault.
Like everyone else, I would rejoice and sleep easy if we could solve the problem or find a solution that would let the human race get back to normal and stop mitigating or having to adapt to an ever more unstable environment. Of course that doesn’t let us off the hook of the other disasters we will face if world population cannot be controlled, food shortages overcome, or loss of habitats and pollution stopped that threaten almost every wild animal species, let alone the search for alternative forms of reliable clean energy to replace the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, with their rise in price to levels that will be out of reach of ordinary working citizens.
The summit of world leaders in Copenhagen has already been talked about as doomed before the politicians have even sat down together. Attempts to negotiate the deals and agreements to cut carbon dioxide emissions in advance have stalled and the prospects look bleak unless some breakthrough is found. Drama is also part of the picture when the stakes are high, so whether it will be singing in the streets – “wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen” – or “Copenhagen, we are bust” only time will tell.
We are also told this is a last chance opportunity to broker the kind of deals that will give us the best chance of avoiding disastrous climate change chaos or going past the Tipping Point into non-retrievable climate stability. Maybe some of those world leaders don’t believe the science or they are prepared to chance it rather than lose their country’s industrial wealth and income. Only the intelligent ones will listen to the mass of scientific evidence or see how not agreeing to the cuts will be political suicide, even genocide, if millions of the poorest people around the world, in the most vulnerable situations, lose their lives through anthropogenic climatic change.
Whilst financial institutions and politicians have been found not to be the most trustworthy in society, I cannot think of anything that the scientific community, world-wide, have tried to make us believe and has been found to be a deception. On the contrary, science takes the sceptical approach and needs irrefutable evidence before eminent scientists place their faith in something. For now I would rather believe the scientific community and go all out to curb our carbon emissions rather than wait for ‘unprecedented’ climate disruption and risk passing the tipping point of C02 concentrations that could be unstoppable.
What can any individual do about all this? What can the world’s scientists and the vast number of world-wide non-governmental organisations, charities, agencies, businesses and industries who understand what is happening do about this? What will prime ministers and presidents, governments and the United Nations do to make the Copenhagen climate summit resolve to do everything that’s humanly possible to avert this danger?
The answer will come soon enough.
The UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen takes place from 7-18 December 2009
Paul Lund
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Go green, go quick
The new e-bikes are transport solutions to carbon reduction with added fun!
Have you tried cycling uphill with only the lightest of effort to turn the bicycle’s pedals, and found yourself effortlessly passing all other cyclists strenuously exerting their legs to move forward? If you have then you were probably riding an electric power assisted bicycle, or simply being towed behind a four wheeler!
Improvements in the design and efficiency of electric bikes, often called e-bikes, have come a long way. They are worth a close look if you haven’t experienced them before. If you have then you probably either own or use one already or hope to have one in the future.
Today’s latest models are refined and visually very appealing, so much so they are positively desirable machines to own. You can travel up to 30 miles at a top motor driven speed of 15.5mph (18.5mph off road) on the popular 250 watt, 37 volt, with the 8 amp hour advanced lithium polymer manganese battery, or a range of up to 56 miles using the 14 amp hour battery.
Jim Duncan runs Reaction Electric (RE), a Somerset based firm dedicated to supplying quality built electric personal transport, especially electric cycles and motor scooters. He told me their mission is simple: “We supply a range of vehicle options for anybody who would like to travel emissions free.”
Reaction Electric focus their dealership on the latest Wisper, Urban Mover, Ultra Motor and other best brands of electric bicycles. They also supply the Vectrix VX1 motorcycle, which RE believe are the most advanced electric motorcycles on the market. This is a very sleek and stylish motorbike that looks fast and appears no different to any other bike in its class, the only difference being it is totally silent and vibration free, whether travelling from one to 62 mph.
Jim invited me to try out the Wisper 905Eco e-bicycle. This is the basic model, in a jet black metallic anodised mountain bike frame, and the first of four in the 905 range. There is also the 806fe folding version that will fit into a car boot or for easy stowage on the train.
The 905 Eco looks and works like a normal bicycle, but with the added elongated box (the battery) fitted behind the saddle and a few handlebar switches you won’t find on a normal pedal bike. I tried very hard to locate the motor and came to the conclusion it must be inside the tubular frame between both pedals. Let me worn you now, they are addictive and once you’ve tried one you won’t be able to walk away and stop thinking about how great it would be to ride one to work or for pleasure.
As its name suggests, a Wisper makes hardly any noise when engaging the motor with an automated switch on the handle bar. The best part, I think, is that you can pedal like a normal bike, using its six speed Shimano gears, but then simply switch on and let the motor take the strain or add pedal power to go a little faster. The weight of the whole bike, without the removable battery, is not far off that of my own mountain bike, though the battery (2.3 to 3.8Kg), when fitted, makes a total bike weight of 48lbs or 21.6kg.
The battery takes from two to six hours to charge, and costs about six pence, on regular tariff. Using a solar photo-voltaic system to charge the battery would mean you are completely eco-friendly, zero carbon, and could take advantage of free sunshine or daylight power for life.
Battery charging is very simple at home or in the work place, via an ordinary three pin socket and the small transformer, which comes with each bike. The battery can either be charged in situ or easily removed from the bike for charging in your living room or elsewhere. A partial recharge of a battery might also be done whilst out shopping or at a cafe. Some premises will be happy to oblige, much like allowing a customer’s laptop to be plugged in whilst having a coffee or lunch.
The urban street based Elektrobay charging posts for EVs, which are starting to appear in towns and cities all over the UK, are designed to charge the electric motorcycles and four wheel EVs, but Jim tells me because the bicycle battery charge needs its transformer, in between the battery and the power source, they don’t advise unsupervised use of the street side charging in this instance.
As with all bicycles, it is recommended the user wears a protective cycle helmet and reflective, hi-vis clothing for added safety. Beyond that there is nothing else required – other than optional accident and theft insurance. They come complete with LED front and tail lights, bell, pannier racks, with bags optional.
The drawback I see in all this is the purchase cost of the bicycle. They can range from £500 to over £1000 depending on the model and make, so this makes them more of a luxury buy for adults. If they are considered as a replacement form of transport, however, then the investment set against the low running cost (the motor is maintenance free) plus the advantages over the cost and hassle of using the car in congested towns and cities, with limited parking and possible penalty costs, makes them a realistic option and solution to most urban travel problems. Going on the open country road, bridle or bike paths with an electric bike and you will experience the effortless pleasure of longer distance travel than pedalling alone would achieve.
“China is now setting an amazing example: having produced over 21 million electric vehicles – many of which are electric scooters – their factory gates are fast becoming vehicle noiseless as thousands of their workers come and go.” Jim Duncan
Reaction Electric is taking advantage of the growing interest and increasing availability of electric vehicle travel. “We believe there’s going to be a growth, across the South West, in the demand for electric vehicles across the whole range, with electric bicycles, scooters, mopeds, motorcycles coming first – it’s very much the technology of the future and its here now,” Jim says. He also told me about his research into the use of electric vehicles – EVs for short – in Germany and Canada, and that China has calculated they have over 21 million EVs owned by their factory workers.
It maybe some time yet before the electric car and van market takes off and replaces the internal combustion engine vehicles, Jim says, but they are already being used for some vehicle fleets and business users in the UK. As a way to reduce carbon emissions they score on two points – reducing ‘fossil car’ use and opportunity for currently using electric power from renewable sources or future carbon capture technologies at the power stations. Efficient use of electricity elsewhere would also allow more EV use without having to add more capacity to the grid.
“If we could cut electricity use for outdoor lighting (using LED) globally by one third, we would free up enough electrons to charge about 25 million electric vehicles – all without adding any new power plants to the grid.” The Climate Group organisation.
Reaction Electric have decided to trial a hire service for people wanting a short term EV use, especially prior to purchase or simply to extend a holiday experience in the South West.
In the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, we will all become aware of the seriousness of our greenhouse gas emissions are having on global warming, and the fact that time is running out to take action around the world to stop the worst excesses of climate change.
Deciding to cut back on our personal carbon pollution can now go a step further with the use of EVs, and with the added advantage of lower running costs and an added enjoyment factor.
As a footnote to this article... Jim Duncan spoke to the Glastonbury Town Council last month (November) and the Council has agreed to form a working party to look in more detail at how they might install one or two trial Elektrobay recharging posts at St Dunstan’s Car Park. If this is done then Glastonbury can link itself into a growing network of places where the new wave of electric cars and vans can travel through or operate from. The electric re-charging posts become “filling stations” between home or work, providing a quick partial “top-up” or maybe in some cases, with the new battery technology, virtually a full charge within the time allocated.
A gathering of EVs (all shapes and sizes!) is being planned for Glastonbury on Saturday 10th April 2010. Anyone who owns any type of EV is welcome to contact Jim Duncan and express their interest in being part of this and even a parade around the town.
Paul Lund
References used
www.theclimategroup.org
www.reactionelectric.co.uk Telephone 01823 279622
www.electricbikesales.co.uk
Have you tried cycling uphill with only the lightest of effort to turn the bicycle’s pedals, and found yourself effortlessly passing all other cyclists strenuously exerting their legs to move forward? If you have then you were probably riding an electric power assisted bicycle, or simply being towed behind a four wheeler!
Improvements in the design and efficiency of electric bikes, often called e-bikes, have come a long way. They are worth a close look if you haven’t experienced them before. If you have then you probably either own or use one already or hope to have one in the future.
Today’s latest models are refined and visually very appealing, so much so they are positively desirable machines to own. You can travel up to 30 miles at a top motor driven speed of 15.5mph (18.5mph off road) on the popular 250 watt, 37 volt, with the 8 amp hour advanced lithium polymer manganese battery, or a range of up to 56 miles using the 14 amp hour battery.
Jim Duncan runs Reaction Electric (RE), a Somerset based firm dedicated to supplying quality built electric personal transport, especially electric cycles and motor scooters. He told me their mission is simple: “We supply a range of vehicle options for anybody who would like to travel emissions free.”
Reaction Electric focus their dealership on the latest Wisper, Urban Mover, Ultra Motor and other best brands of electric bicycles. They also supply the Vectrix VX1 motorcycle, which RE believe are the most advanced electric motorcycles on the market. This is a very sleek and stylish motorbike that looks fast and appears no different to any other bike in its class, the only difference being it is totally silent and vibration free, whether travelling from one to 62 mph.
Jim invited me to try out the Wisper 905Eco e-bicycle. This is the basic model, in a jet black metallic anodised mountain bike frame, and the first of four in the 905 range. There is also the 806fe folding version that will fit into a car boot or for easy stowage on the train.
The 905 Eco looks and works like a normal bicycle, but with the added elongated box (the battery) fitted behind the saddle and a few handlebar switches you won’t find on a normal pedal bike. I tried very hard to locate the motor and came to the conclusion it must be inside the tubular frame between both pedals. Let me worn you now, they are addictive and once you’ve tried one you won’t be able to walk away and stop thinking about how great it would be to ride one to work or for pleasure.
As its name suggests, a Wisper makes hardly any noise when engaging the motor with an automated switch on the handle bar. The best part, I think, is that you can pedal like a normal bike, using its six speed Shimano gears, but then simply switch on and let the motor take the strain or add pedal power to go a little faster. The weight of the whole bike, without the removable battery, is not far off that of my own mountain bike, though the battery (2.3 to 3.8Kg), when fitted, makes a total bike weight of 48lbs or 21.6kg.
The battery takes from two to six hours to charge, and costs about six pence, on regular tariff. Using a solar photo-voltaic system to charge the battery would mean you are completely eco-friendly, zero carbon, and could take advantage of free sunshine or daylight power for life.
Battery charging is very simple at home or in the work place, via an ordinary three pin socket and the small transformer, which comes with each bike. The battery can either be charged in situ or easily removed from the bike for charging in your living room or elsewhere. A partial recharge of a battery might also be done whilst out shopping or at a cafe. Some premises will be happy to oblige, much like allowing a customer’s laptop to be plugged in whilst having a coffee or lunch.
The urban street based Elektrobay charging posts for EVs, which are starting to appear in towns and cities all over the UK, are designed to charge the electric motorcycles and four wheel EVs, but Jim tells me because the bicycle battery charge needs its transformer, in between the battery and the power source, they don’t advise unsupervised use of the street side charging in this instance.
As with all bicycles, it is recommended the user wears a protective cycle helmet and reflective, hi-vis clothing for added safety. Beyond that there is nothing else required – other than optional accident and theft insurance. They come complete with LED front and tail lights, bell, pannier racks, with bags optional.
The drawback I see in all this is the purchase cost of the bicycle. They can range from £500 to over £1000 depending on the model and make, so this makes them more of a luxury buy for adults. If they are considered as a replacement form of transport, however, then the investment set against the low running cost (the motor is maintenance free) plus the advantages over the cost and hassle of using the car in congested towns and cities, with limited parking and possible penalty costs, makes them a realistic option and solution to most urban travel problems. Going on the open country road, bridle or bike paths with an electric bike and you will experience the effortless pleasure of longer distance travel than pedalling alone would achieve.
“China is now setting an amazing example: having produced over 21 million electric vehicles – many of which are electric scooters – their factory gates are fast becoming vehicle noiseless as thousands of their workers come and go.” Jim Duncan
Reaction Electric is taking advantage of the growing interest and increasing availability of electric vehicle travel. “We believe there’s going to be a growth, across the South West, in the demand for electric vehicles across the whole range, with electric bicycles, scooters, mopeds, motorcycles coming first – it’s very much the technology of the future and its here now,” Jim says. He also told me about his research into the use of electric vehicles – EVs for short – in Germany and Canada, and that China has calculated they have over 21 million EVs owned by their factory workers.
It maybe some time yet before the electric car and van market takes off and replaces the internal combustion engine vehicles, Jim says, but they are already being used for some vehicle fleets and business users in the UK. As a way to reduce carbon emissions they score on two points – reducing ‘fossil car’ use and opportunity for currently using electric power from renewable sources or future carbon capture technologies at the power stations. Efficient use of electricity elsewhere would also allow more EV use without having to add more capacity to the grid.
“If we could cut electricity use for outdoor lighting (using LED) globally by one third, we would free up enough electrons to charge about 25 million electric vehicles – all without adding any new power plants to the grid.” The Climate Group organisation.
Reaction Electric have decided to trial a hire service for people wanting a short term EV use, especially prior to purchase or simply to extend a holiday experience in the South West.
In the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, we will all become aware of the seriousness of our greenhouse gas emissions are having on global warming, and the fact that time is running out to take action around the world to stop the worst excesses of climate change.
Deciding to cut back on our personal carbon pollution can now go a step further with the use of EVs, and with the added advantage of lower running costs and an added enjoyment factor.
As a footnote to this article... Jim Duncan spoke to the Glastonbury Town Council last month (November) and the Council has agreed to form a working party to look in more detail at how they might install one or two trial Elektrobay recharging posts at St Dunstan’s Car Park. If this is done then Glastonbury can link itself into a growing network of places where the new wave of electric cars and vans can travel through or operate from. The electric re-charging posts become “filling stations” between home or work, providing a quick partial “top-up” or maybe in some cases, with the new battery technology, virtually a full charge within the time allocated.
A gathering of EVs (all shapes and sizes!) is being planned for Glastonbury on Saturday 10th April 2010. Anyone who owns any type of EV is welcome to contact Jim Duncan and express their interest in being part of this and even a parade around the town.
Paul Lund
References used
www.theclimategroup.org
www.reactionelectric.co.uk Telephone 01823 279622
www.electricbikesales.co.uk
Friday, September 18, 2009
Saving Earth's life support
Blog 5 by Paul Lund (23 July 2009)
This week’s look back to 40 years ago when Apollo 11 landed on the moon has given us a reminder of what it was like in 1969 to watch the first pictures of planet Earth coming from the moon.
Astronauts in 1968, on the Apollo 8 mission, were the first to orbit the moon and emerge from the dark side to take pictures of Earth. They, like many of their successors, described how they were awe inspired at seeing the Earth – their home – floating in a dark pitch of nothingness. These views of our blue planet, swathed in white clouds, with its incredibly thin layer of atmosphere, dramatically illustrated our vulnerability and how essential that thin veil is to maintaining life on Earth.
This view of the Earth’s fragility in space caused the astronauts to wonder about our home’s unique magic to support life in our solar system – like no other known planet. They were so moved they made impassioned arguments for doing all we can to protect our world. Many others, then and since, have shared that concern for how extremely vulnerable this small globe really is, hung like a jewel in space.
Human feelings of love and protection for the greatest planet we know then surfaced and one significant result was the formation of Friends of the Earth – now the ‘most extensive environmental network in the world, with one million supporters linked to more than 70 national organisations across five contents.’
How amazing it would be if we could all fly around Earth, in outer space, and share that sense of wonder and compassion for our dear planet. Sadly, even Richard Branson’s future space jet tours will be out of reach to most of us. The epic films – which started for me with the 2001: Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick’s film of 1968) – and those pictures of Earth from space, even live TV images from space, nowadays don’t’ do the same for us. Perhaps we now expect more excitement than our technology can ordinarily deliver.
Google Earth in 3D is one thing, but to feel stunned and awe struck we need to have something very exciting and close to the real experience. Possibly a simulated ride aboard a space shuttle on 3-D IMAX screens might get close, or a recreated shuttle cargo bay opening out to viewing the expanse of space, with all on-board hearing and seeing what it would be like aboard a spacecraft orbiting Earth.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre does have tours which include simulated sound and vision experiences of a space shuttle launch, and a real live astronaut taking part in talking to audiences. Hopefully some of astronaut John Blaha’s incredible journeys and experiences will instil a sense of amazement among his audiences and they will go away with a better insight of how beautiful and wonderful our world truly is. There’s a moment in one episode of Star Trek’s ‘Voyager’ when a crew member was told: “There’s nothing like an ‘away mission’ to remind us of why we are here.”
Those chosen few who have experienced the reality of leaving Earth’s orbit have, in a way, become Earth ambassadors for all humans. However, in many ways we are losing respect and consciousness for how delicately we depend upon our evolved life support system.
If, like me, you remember the Jacques Cousteau programmes on TV then you will be of that generation who were amazed and enthralled by the strange and mysterious life of our seas and oceans. Those programmes were just as fascinating as space travel, perhaps because we were seeing real living creatures so strange and unimaginable they were as good if not better than the alien dramas or moon landings.
Cousteau was famous, before his TV films, for jointly developing (1943) the self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) or the Cousteau-Gagnan diving lung. This led to the popular recreational sport that became scuba diving around the world. The design of a simple mouthpiece and links to a pressurised air tank, with regulator and outlet, gave divers the freedom to explore and enjoy the exotic wildlife of coastal waters.
Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team of divers brought amazing pictures of marine life to our screens from the 1970s through to the early 1990s. He filmed and made television in a unique way which enthralled us all and he became a hero and champion for planet Earth with his impassioned pleas to us all to save this amazing world of wildlife, just like his astronaut counterparts.
Earth is a “limited and fragile spaceship that needs to be preserved,” according to the films Cousteau made. He implored us to do more to protect sea life and all nature, and his legacy lives on in the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Oceanic Life, which has over 300,000 members. Interestingly, he approved of population control and thought 100,000 people on earth would be the ideal number. Just compare that to today’s 60 million in the UK alone!
Now the ‘Calypso’ – his famous voyager – is to further continue this legacy. The salvaged and refurbished vessel is intended to sail again as an ambassador for the seas and oceans – “Carrying the legacy of Captain Cousteau and the Cousteau flag all around the world.”
We are amazed by exploration of the seas and oceans, which cover 70% of our world’s surface. Incredibly, there is still so much more of this marine environment still to explore, especially in the vast underwater mountains, valleys and deepest sea floors. Hundreds of thousands of marine species still wait to be found and named, according to the Census of Marine Life which has been an international research venture between 8o countries. This census will end in 2010, but the work is far from finished.
It seems to me we need space exploration, deep ocean exploration and in fact any kind of exploration of uncharted, unseen, parts of our world and beyond. We need this simply in order not to lose touch with the bigger picture of our own life support systems here on Earth, but we need to be doing much more as the population grows and more people are distanced from nature and their basic sustainable needs.
If you think of Earth as a vessel, an ark or space ship, carrying this fantastic biodiversity through time, then we are the captains of our future. We carry the responsibility of safely transporting life in all its diverse forms into the future.
I think it would be wonderful if one day a space craft was named Calypso – in acknowledgement of man’s exploration to new depths... on Earth and in space.
“One protects what one likes and one likes what enchanted us.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Even with all the media coverage we have today, and with our beloved Sir David Attenborough’s epic series – among them Planet Earth and Blue Planet, we are strangely complacent as a culture about nature’s decline and unmoved by the greatest rate of species decline and extinction ever.
In this 200th anniversary year of the birth of Charles Darwin, I wonder what he would have said if he saw how we are threatening the loss of many thousands of species – not through natural survival of the fittest, but through how we are treating the environment.
It is a sobering and quite frightening realisation that along with climate change, habitat loss and pernicious pollution on Earth, we are causing untold damage to our fellow inhabitants, so much so that an estimated half of all life forms (species) are expected to become extinct before the turn of the next century. That amounts to the biggest loss of biodiversity for 65 million years, since the dinosaurs disappeared, and probably greater than at any time in Earth’s history.
Now add to this the evidence about the speed of this change. It is greater than at any time in the past, with about one fifth of all living species predicted to have gone in just 30 years. Among the figures issued by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), under their Red List assessment, are that one quarter of the world’s mammals face extinction, and these include such lovely species as lions, tigers and orangutans – all of whom are under threat.
On scientific grounds alone, we just have to think about the medical advances which have been made through the use of, for instance, plant substances to cure all kinds of human illness, and then what might be discovered in the future from the one in eight plants now listed as endangered. There are endless numbers of other reasons – economic, scientific, ethical, and aesthetic – for why we need to protect and conserve biodiversity.
We are such an intelligent species, aren’t we, but I wonder where it’s all gone wrong. We have risen to become the supreme dominant form of life on the planet and we are now affecting or influencing all forms of Earth life, so we must assume, without any question, the responsibility of protector of all nature and natural resources. Unless you believe an alien life form is monitoring what we are doing and will intervene before it’s too late – admittedly a stretch of the imagination – then we must be absolutely resolute to not allow our species to cause the destruction of the natural world.
‘In 2002, almost all governments committed to the 2010 biodiversity target “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth”. The way the 2010 target was phrased highlights the reasons why we should care about nature: its utilitarian value and the fact that it is essential to human wellbeing, but also its intrinsic value (aesthetical, spiritual and recreational).’ This is taken from an IUCN briefing which you can read at www.iucn.org
“The IUCN Red List provides a window on many of the major global issues of our day, including climate change, loss of freshwater ecosystems and over-fishing,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and co-editor. “Unless we address the fundamental causes of unsustainability on our planet, the lofty of goals of governments to reduce extinction rates will count for nothing.”
According to the United Nations Environment Programme “Human existence would not be possible without such things as water and air purification, nutrient cycling and the maintenance of biodiversity.” This statement is emphatic, it says exactly what will happen unless we save Earth’s life support systems and reverse what we are doing globally, or the consequence will eventually be our own species extinction.
Anthropogenic climate change – or the amount that man has and is causing – accounts for a rise of 30% in the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide. There is a natural level of CO2 in the atmosphere which our climatic cycles and biosphere can cope with over a period of time without causing damage. The excess build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Man’s increasing contribution through burning fossil fuels [20%], deforestation and agriculture [10%] over the past 250 years) is now universally believed to be driving excess global warming and the danger is that natural processes could start to break down. This is already causing weather patterns across the world to change and will result in immense disruption to all life dependent upon those natural cycles or processes unless we find ways to take out our industrial proportion of CO2 or stop CO2 emissions by stopping the use of fossil fuels.
If this situation cannot be stopped, science predicts there will come a point of no return – the Tipping Point – when the breakdown of some natural processes will become wildly out of control and even add to the problem, such as the melting ice releasing trapped ancient methane gas which is a far more dangerous gas and will increase global warming still further. This ‘run-away scenario,’ as it has also been called, is a prediction that climate change will become unstoppable, no matter what we then do. Beyond this only guess work and computer modelling can forecast the future which could result in severe human population loss along with much of our natural world disappearing too... sadly, but inevitably, the end of human life as well, though some life forms will survive and evolve under different conditions.
We could even now be at the forefront of Man’s extinction, perhaps more rapidly than the loss of the dinosaurs, as a result of climate change. The irony, however, is that we will have caused our own destruction, something that no other species has done to itself.
Those in positions of controlling global corporate business or international conglomerates – the industries who mine the Earth’s resources, unsustainably exploit the growth of trees, animals and oceanic life – though having become divorced from the reality of what they are destroying, must fundamentally change, or we are not going to be able to manage and survive in a world that has its life support system broken. The world’s governments must also cooperate and the major industrialised nations must act now in ways never before achieved in any other conflict or disaster.
Everyone carries responsibility, but some like the heads of national and international polluting industries carry higher responsibility. They should be accountable to world justice and humanity’s survival as well as our collective responsibility to protecting Earth’s biodiversity.
The Zoological Society of London’s Ben Collen says: “Within our lifetime, hundreds of species of birds, mammals and amphibians could be lost as a result of human actions.”
He continues: “Initial studies on the world’s smaller species such as dragonflies, corals and freshwater crabs indicate that threat levels may be similar or even greater. We must set clear goals to reverse these trends and ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out the small things that provide us with great benefits such as pollination, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation.”
Making money has become more important than anything else and whilst billions of people on Earth suffer through insufficient food, water, shelter and ability to create adequate livelihoods for themselves and their families, the corporate bodies and institutions make more wealth for an exclusive few. For many others there is the lure of affluent consumption and the need to raise more and more finance to afford an increasingly expensive lifestyle. With this comes overwork, stress and what we now call Western diseases, or ills, which are at the opposite end of the scale to those which poorer societies suffer.
A momentum for change is growing – under the threat of irreversible climate damage, mass extinction of species worldwide and severe threats to the survival of people all over the planet. Though scientific recognition has been unequivocal, governments have so far been slow to react.
Somehow several changes must come together quite soon. We need to regain that incredible awe, respect and love for how remarkable this spec of blue in space – perhaps the whole of our galaxy – really is in supporting life. Deals must be struck worldwide on financing a low carbon future and targets must be set – and achieved – from now until the problems of how humans live as part of nature are overcome. If we can all do this, then I think we would (to use that well known phrase) make ‘an enormous leap forward for man and a giant leap for mankind’ – on Earth.
Those who remember the Live Earth global music concerts – just over two years ago – might have been mesmerized by the television pictures and excitement that was building between the capital cities around the world as they linked into that fantastic awareness raising event. Who remembers Madonna’s performance? All those musicians gave us messages to help inspire the world-wide television audience? It seems like a distant memory now and unless Live Earth could be held every year, then it will slip from our memories and just pass into the annals of TV history?
The United Nations – with all that it has spent on its Environment Programme – has yet to achieve the impact on humanity which is necessary; maybe a United Mankind and more space exploration is needed to help convince us that there is simply no other planet like Earth within our grasp.
In the end it all comes down to every individual. Each one of us can decide to do something towards saving Earth’s life support – and if we all do this, as a society or culture, then things will change.
“...I’m starting with the man in the mirror; I’m asking him to change his ways; And no message could have been any clearer; If you wanna make the world a better place; Take a look at yourself and then make a change; You gotta get it right; while you got the time...”
‘Man in The Mirror’ by Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
Author: Paul Lund, for the Mid Somerset News & Media blog
References
2009 Red List of endangered species, International Union for the Conservation of Nature - www.iucn.org
Wildlife in danger of extinction - www.massextinction.net
Climate Change the big picture – 6 facts from the Met Office UK.
Anthropogenic climate change – www.global-greenhouse-warming.com
Cousteau Society for the Protection of Oceanic Life www.cousteau.org
This week’s look back to 40 years ago when Apollo 11 landed on the moon has given us a reminder of what it was like in 1969 to watch the first pictures of planet Earth coming from the moon.
Astronauts in 1968, on the Apollo 8 mission, were the first to orbit the moon and emerge from the dark side to take pictures of Earth. They, like many of their successors, described how they were awe inspired at seeing the Earth – their home – floating in a dark pitch of nothingness. These views of our blue planet, swathed in white clouds, with its incredibly thin layer of atmosphere, dramatically illustrated our vulnerability and how essential that thin veil is to maintaining life on Earth.
This view of the Earth’s fragility in space caused the astronauts to wonder about our home’s unique magic to support life in our solar system – like no other known planet. They were so moved they made impassioned arguments for doing all we can to protect our world. Many others, then and since, have shared that concern for how extremely vulnerable this small globe really is, hung like a jewel in space.
Human feelings of love and protection for the greatest planet we know then surfaced and one significant result was the formation of Friends of the Earth – now the ‘most extensive environmental network in the world, with one million supporters linked to more than 70 national organisations across five contents.’
How amazing it would be if we could all fly around Earth, in outer space, and share that sense of wonder and compassion for our dear planet. Sadly, even Richard Branson’s future space jet tours will be out of reach to most of us. The epic films – which started for me with the 2001: Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick’s film of 1968) – and those pictures of Earth from space, even live TV images from space, nowadays don’t’ do the same for us. Perhaps we now expect more excitement than our technology can ordinarily deliver.
Google Earth in 3D is one thing, but to feel stunned and awe struck we need to have something very exciting and close to the real experience. Possibly a simulated ride aboard a space shuttle on 3-D IMAX screens might get close, or a recreated shuttle cargo bay opening out to viewing the expanse of space, with all on-board hearing and seeing what it would be like aboard a spacecraft orbiting Earth.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre does have tours which include simulated sound and vision experiences of a space shuttle launch, and a real live astronaut taking part in talking to audiences. Hopefully some of astronaut John Blaha’s incredible journeys and experiences will instil a sense of amazement among his audiences and they will go away with a better insight of how beautiful and wonderful our world truly is. There’s a moment in one episode of Star Trek’s ‘Voyager’ when a crew member was told: “There’s nothing like an ‘away mission’ to remind us of why we are here.”
Those chosen few who have experienced the reality of leaving Earth’s orbit have, in a way, become Earth ambassadors for all humans. However, in many ways we are losing respect and consciousness for how delicately we depend upon our evolved life support system.
If, like me, you remember the Jacques Cousteau programmes on TV then you will be of that generation who were amazed and enthralled by the strange and mysterious life of our seas and oceans. Those programmes were just as fascinating as space travel, perhaps because we were seeing real living creatures so strange and unimaginable they were as good if not better than the alien dramas or moon landings.
Cousteau was famous, before his TV films, for jointly developing (1943) the self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) or the Cousteau-Gagnan diving lung. This led to the popular recreational sport that became scuba diving around the world. The design of a simple mouthpiece and links to a pressurised air tank, with regulator and outlet, gave divers the freedom to explore and enjoy the exotic wildlife of coastal waters.
Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team of divers brought amazing pictures of marine life to our screens from the 1970s through to the early 1990s. He filmed and made television in a unique way which enthralled us all and he became a hero and champion for planet Earth with his impassioned pleas to us all to save this amazing world of wildlife, just like his astronaut counterparts.
Earth is a “limited and fragile spaceship that needs to be preserved,” according to the films Cousteau made. He implored us to do more to protect sea life and all nature, and his legacy lives on in the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Oceanic Life, which has over 300,000 members. Interestingly, he approved of population control and thought 100,000 people on earth would be the ideal number. Just compare that to today’s 60 million in the UK alone!
Now the ‘Calypso’ – his famous voyager – is to further continue this legacy. The salvaged and refurbished vessel is intended to sail again as an ambassador for the seas and oceans – “Carrying the legacy of Captain Cousteau and the Cousteau flag all around the world.”
We are amazed by exploration of the seas and oceans, which cover 70% of our world’s surface. Incredibly, there is still so much more of this marine environment still to explore, especially in the vast underwater mountains, valleys and deepest sea floors. Hundreds of thousands of marine species still wait to be found and named, according to the Census of Marine Life which has been an international research venture between 8o countries. This census will end in 2010, but the work is far from finished.
It seems to me we need space exploration, deep ocean exploration and in fact any kind of exploration of uncharted, unseen, parts of our world and beyond. We need this simply in order not to lose touch with the bigger picture of our own life support systems here on Earth, but we need to be doing much more as the population grows and more people are distanced from nature and their basic sustainable needs.
If you think of Earth as a vessel, an ark or space ship, carrying this fantastic biodiversity through time, then we are the captains of our future. We carry the responsibility of safely transporting life in all its diverse forms into the future.
I think it would be wonderful if one day a space craft was named Calypso – in acknowledgement of man’s exploration to new depths... on Earth and in space.
“One protects what one likes and one likes what enchanted us.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Even with all the media coverage we have today, and with our beloved Sir David Attenborough’s epic series – among them Planet Earth and Blue Planet, we are strangely complacent as a culture about nature’s decline and unmoved by the greatest rate of species decline and extinction ever.
In this 200th anniversary year of the birth of Charles Darwin, I wonder what he would have said if he saw how we are threatening the loss of many thousands of species – not through natural survival of the fittest, but through how we are treating the environment.
It is a sobering and quite frightening realisation that along with climate change, habitat loss and pernicious pollution on Earth, we are causing untold damage to our fellow inhabitants, so much so that an estimated half of all life forms (species) are expected to become extinct before the turn of the next century. That amounts to the biggest loss of biodiversity for 65 million years, since the dinosaurs disappeared, and probably greater than at any time in Earth’s history.
Now add to this the evidence about the speed of this change. It is greater than at any time in the past, with about one fifth of all living species predicted to have gone in just 30 years. Among the figures issued by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), under their Red List assessment, are that one quarter of the world’s mammals face extinction, and these include such lovely species as lions, tigers and orangutans – all of whom are under threat.
On scientific grounds alone, we just have to think about the medical advances which have been made through the use of, for instance, plant substances to cure all kinds of human illness, and then what might be discovered in the future from the one in eight plants now listed as endangered. There are endless numbers of other reasons – economic, scientific, ethical, and aesthetic – for why we need to protect and conserve biodiversity.
We are such an intelligent species, aren’t we, but I wonder where it’s all gone wrong. We have risen to become the supreme dominant form of life on the planet and we are now affecting or influencing all forms of Earth life, so we must assume, without any question, the responsibility of protector of all nature and natural resources. Unless you believe an alien life form is monitoring what we are doing and will intervene before it’s too late – admittedly a stretch of the imagination – then we must be absolutely resolute to not allow our species to cause the destruction of the natural world.
‘In 2002, almost all governments committed to the 2010 biodiversity target “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth”. The way the 2010 target was phrased highlights the reasons why we should care about nature: its utilitarian value and the fact that it is essential to human wellbeing, but also its intrinsic value (aesthetical, spiritual and recreational).’ This is taken from an IUCN briefing which you can read at www.iucn.org
“The IUCN Red List provides a window on many of the major global issues of our day, including climate change, loss of freshwater ecosystems and over-fishing,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and co-editor. “Unless we address the fundamental causes of unsustainability on our planet, the lofty of goals of governments to reduce extinction rates will count for nothing.”
According to the United Nations Environment Programme “Human existence would not be possible without such things as water and air purification, nutrient cycling and the maintenance of biodiversity.” This statement is emphatic, it says exactly what will happen unless we save Earth’s life support systems and reverse what we are doing globally, or the consequence will eventually be our own species extinction.
Anthropogenic climate change – or the amount that man has and is causing – accounts for a rise of 30% in the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide. There is a natural level of CO2 in the atmosphere which our climatic cycles and biosphere can cope with over a period of time without causing damage. The excess build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Man’s increasing contribution through burning fossil fuels [20%], deforestation and agriculture [10%] over the past 250 years) is now universally believed to be driving excess global warming and the danger is that natural processes could start to break down. This is already causing weather patterns across the world to change and will result in immense disruption to all life dependent upon those natural cycles or processes unless we find ways to take out our industrial proportion of CO2 or stop CO2 emissions by stopping the use of fossil fuels.
If this situation cannot be stopped, science predicts there will come a point of no return – the Tipping Point – when the breakdown of some natural processes will become wildly out of control and even add to the problem, such as the melting ice releasing trapped ancient methane gas which is a far more dangerous gas and will increase global warming still further. This ‘run-away scenario,’ as it has also been called, is a prediction that climate change will become unstoppable, no matter what we then do. Beyond this only guess work and computer modelling can forecast the future which could result in severe human population loss along with much of our natural world disappearing too... sadly, but inevitably, the end of human life as well, though some life forms will survive and evolve under different conditions.
We could even now be at the forefront of Man’s extinction, perhaps more rapidly than the loss of the dinosaurs, as a result of climate change. The irony, however, is that we will have caused our own destruction, something that no other species has done to itself.
Those in positions of controlling global corporate business or international conglomerates – the industries who mine the Earth’s resources, unsustainably exploit the growth of trees, animals and oceanic life – though having become divorced from the reality of what they are destroying, must fundamentally change, or we are not going to be able to manage and survive in a world that has its life support system broken. The world’s governments must also cooperate and the major industrialised nations must act now in ways never before achieved in any other conflict or disaster.
Everyone carries responsibility, but some like the heads of national and international polluting industries carry higher responsibility. They should be accountable to world justice and humanity’s survival as well as our collective responsibility to protecting Earth’s biodiversity.
The Zoological Society of London’s Ben Collen says: “Within our lifetime, hundreds of species of birds, mammals and amphibians could be lost as a result of human actions.”
He continues: “Initial studies on the world’s smaller species such as dragonflies, corals and freshwater crabs indicate that threat levels may be similar or even greater. We must set clear goals to reverse these trends and ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out the small things that provide us with great benefits such as pollination, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation.”
Making money has become more important than anything else and whilst billions of people on Earth suffer through insufficient food, water, shelter and ability to create adequate livelihoods for themselves and their families, the corporate bodies and institutions make more wealth for an exclusive few. For many others there is the lure of affluent consumption and the need to raise more and more finance to afford an increasingly expensive lifestyle. With this comes overwork, stress and what we now call Western diseases, or ills, which are at the opposite end of the scale to those which poorer societies suffer.
A momentum for change is growing – under the threat of irreversible climate damage, mass extinction of species worldwide and severe threats to the survival of people all over the planet. Though scientific recognition has been unequivocal, governments have so far been slow to react.
Somehow several changes must come together quite soon. We need to regain that incredible awe, respect and love for how remarkable this spec of blue in space – perhaps the whole of our galaxy – really is in supporting life. Deals must be struck worldwide on financing a low carbon future and targets must be set – and achieved – from now until the problems of how humans live as part of nature are overcome. If we can all do this, then I think we would (to use that well known phrase) make ‘an enormous leap forward for man and a giant leap for mankind’ – on Earth.
Those who remember the Live Earth global music concerts – just over two years ago – might have been mesmerized by the television pictures and excitement that was building between the capital cities around the world as they linked into that fantastic awareness raising event. Who remembers Madonna’s performance? All those musicians gave us messages to help inspire the world-wide television audience? It seems like a distant memory now and unless Live Earth could be held every year, then it will slip from our memories and just pass into the annals of TV history?
The United Nations – with all that it has spent on its Environment Programme – has yet to achieve the impact on humanity which is necessary; maybe a United Mankind and more space exploration is needed to help convince us that there is simply no other planet like Earth within our grasp.
In the end it all comes down to every individual. Each one of us can decide to do something towards saving Earth’s life support – and if we all do this, as a society or culture, then things will change.
“...I’m starting with the man in the mirror; I’m asking him to change his ways; And no message could have been any clearer; If you wanna make the world a better place; Take a look at yourself and then make a change; You gotta get it right; while you got the time...”
‘Man in The Mirror’ by Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
Author: Paul Lund, for the Mid Somerset News & Media blog
References
2009 Red List of endangered species, International Union for the Conservation of Nature - www.iucn.org
Wildlife in danger of extinction - www.massextinction.net
Climate Change the big picture – 6 facts from the Met Office UK.
Anthropogenic climate change – www.global-greenhouse-warming.com
Cousteau Society for the Protection of Oceanic Life www.cousteau.org
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Going Off-Grid was a learning experience
The first OFF-GRID eco festival combined with ‘an intimate, family focussed camp’ took place from 20th-23rd August, and was a big success, according to co-organiser Dan Hurring.
It was a small camp size of up to 500 people, on a hill-top field between Shepton Mallet and Dinder.
Organised by Natural Communities CIC, who run the popular Sunrise festivals, Off-Grid potentially could have increased its demand, when organisers offered stranded ticket holders of the cancelled Big Green Gathering the option to spend their tickets at this event. However, the effect was less than organisers expected.
Attractions included great music, circus, walk about acts, games, dance, workshops, talks, tented stalls and organic cafes, but also the focus was about learning. “This is ultimately an educational experience, it’s a community networking event, it’s a place for skills and knowledge sharing,” said Dan Hurring.
Entertainments were powered by all sorts of micro generators, but mainly wind turbines and solar photovoltaic sources, which managed to keep most of the show going over its four days.
“It’s been DIY, more so than most of our events in the past, we even ran out of power for our production office computers and phones, but there’s been a lot of working together among the solar power providers here, with lots of borrowing and fixing bits together, and we’ve had some amazing technical geniuses working on-site,” explained Dan.
In a small but significant way, Off-Grid proves it is possible to run an outdoor event of this kind without noisy generators or mains electricity, both of which add to carbon dioxide emissions.
Dan Hurring thinks they are pointing the way forward to a future for festivals that can do more in this direction.
“There’s a lot of challenges ahead for festivals and we’re entering a time when fossil fuels are likely to become a lot more expensive, when climate change means we need to take a lot more care in what we are consuming, and so I think festivals are facing a transition from the very oil-based set up to something new, which events like this can point the way to...
“Saying that, there’s a long way to go – even here there’s a lot of learning for us – such as in sustainable transport, which we didn’t really achieve, and also there’s not enough solar provision available in the UK at this time to power a bigger festival even a one quarter of the size of Glastonbury Festival,” he said.
There are many eco challenges still facing festivals, admits Dan, but he believes there are people with the minds and skills to do what’s needed, since it’s inevitable that all festivals will need to be greener in the future.
Ticket holders of the cancelled Big Green Gathering, who made use of the offer to exchange their tickets for entry to Off-Grid also voiced their anger and disappointment about the loss of an important ‘green cultural event,’ but others had optimism that it might result in more smaller events – like Off-Grid – taking place in future.
Paul Lund (25.8.09)
It was a small camp size of up to 500 people, on a hill-top field between Shepton Mallet and Dinder.
Organised by Natural Communities CIC, who run the popular Sunrise festivals, Off-Grid potentially could have increased its demand, when organisers offered stranded ticket holders of the cancelled Big Green Gathering the option to spend their tickets at this event. However, the effect was less than organisers expected.
Attractions included great music, circus, walk about acts, games, dance, workshops, talks, tented stalls and organic cafes, but also the focus was about learning. “This is ultimately an educational experience, it’s a community networking event, it’s a place for skills and knowledge sharing,” said Dan Hurring.
Entertainments were powered by all sorts of micro generators, but mainly wind turbines and solar photovoltaic sources, which managed to keep most of the show going over its four days.
“It’s been DIY, more so than most of our events in the past, we even ran out of power for our production office computers and phones, but there’s been a lot of working together among the solar power providers here, with lots of borrowing and fixing bits together, and we’ve had some amazing technical geniuses working on-site,” explained Dan.
In a small but significant way, Off-Grid proves it is possible to run an outdoor event of this kind without noisy generators or mains electricity, both of which add to carbon dioxide emissions.
Dan Hurring thinks they are pointing the way forward to a future for festivals that can do more in this direction.
“There’s a lot of challenges ahead for festivals and we’re entering a time when fossil fuels are likely to become a lot more expensive, when climate change means we need to take a lot more care in what we are consuming, and so I think festivals are facing a transition from the very oil-based set up to something new, which events like this can point the way to...
“Saying that, there’s a long way to go – even here there’s a lot of learning for us – such as in sustainable transport, which we didn’t really achieve, and also there’s not enough solar provision available in the UK at this time to power a bigger festival even a one quarter of the size of Glastonbury Festival,” he said.
There are many eco challenges still facing festivals, admits Dan, but he believes there are people with the minds and skills to do what’s needed, since it’s inevitable that all festivals will need to be greener in the future.
Ticket holders of the cancelled Big Green Gathering, who made use of the offer to exchange their tickets for entry to Off-Grid also voiced their anger and disappointment about the loss of an important ‘green cultural event,’ but others had optimism that it might result in more smaller events – like Off-Grid – taking place in future.
Paul Lund (25.8.09)
Monday, August 24, 2009
It is not easy being green these days
These days “the greens,” as the media likes to call us, have a lot to contend with. Living a green life is now more popular than ever, but with it comes an awareness of the enormous problems facing our living world.
In the past being green was a more simple affair, as much about encouraging wildlife, enlisting children in junior branches of conservation charities, as it was about a range of practical measures like save, sew and make-do at home. That was how I remember my own childhood, along with my mission of helping save giant pandas, tigers and other threatened species – carried out by saving up the pennies and converting them into postal orders to send to the World Wildlife Fund, the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, and other such organisations.
Now, being green encompasses so much more than it did. The amount of greenness has expanded and now includes alternative green choices for every aspect of daily life, including expanding our knowledge about renewable energy and the science of climate change.
Every decade has its environmental challenges, but not every problem has been solved. From the 1960s we had to worry about pesticides, pollution and rapidly increasing loss of habitats. The early alerts about global warming came in the 1970’s and I certainly remember how the Shell and BP 16mm environmental films – making the rounds among natural history societies – illustrated how bad water and air pollution had become. In the 1980s we saw recycling issues rise as the mountains of waste sent to landfill would out-fill the holes available. The 1990s were the dawn of sustainability, the rise of renewable energy, holes in the ozone layer and dramatic news about biodiversity loss world-wide.
‘Green’ had become not just conservation of wildlife and self-sufficiency, but representative of a whole new spectrum of eco lifestyle choices. As this first decade of the 21st Century has progressed, society has been confronted by the scientific reality about climate change. It was now serious and a threat to life around the planet.
‘The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1995’ * Met Office
In case we doubted the scientists, newspaper and TV reporters began bringing the evidence to us from around the world. Views of melting ancient glaciers, sea level rise starting to affect some Pacific islands, species threatened with extinction, freak weather patterns becoming common, plus our gardens showing signs of plant stress. Though the economy and Afghanistan have been leading stories in the media this year, the climate change drama hasn’t stopped but has revealed more issues from around the world.
We have all learnt much more about our climate, power savings and polluting gases than we knew before. Many energy and climate phrases have entered into common usage, such as the ubiquitous Peak Oil or the Climate Tipping Point – a time of climate change that would tip us past a point of no return. This point is predicted to arrive sometime over the next few decades, unless we can make huge and drastic changes to stop spoiling or polluting the Earth’s atmosphere with greenhouse gasses. Carbon dioxide being the main culpable gas, released from burning fossil fuels. If optimum volume oil extraction has passed its peak, energy companies will still find enough oil to drain down through the next few decades, even assuming the rising demand is met with faster supply.
‘Sea levels have risen 10cm around the UK since 1900’ * Met Office
By no means is it certain mankind can make amends – either because we humans simply can’t comprehend the world is really changing that much, or because we are too far wedded to consumerism and dependency on carbon fuel and oil based lifestyles.
However, the urgency to do something has spread among nations around the world. As individuals, or small groups here in the South West, we are doing as much as we can to lessen our personal impacts on the environment, but at the same time looking for positive leadership and direction from the ‘authorities’ including government. Our popular iconic figures, from Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Sir Richard Branson, Dame Vivienne Westwood to Sir David Attenborough, all agree and applaud us to make the necessary changes now.
As the issues become more complex – we, as concerned citizens, need to understand something of the science and reasons for the environmental damage we are causing. As eco activists we must also keep pace with climate news and technological developments, or we will not be able to encourage fellow citizens of the necessity to join the greener cause – and do more than the simplest eco actions.
‘Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk 20% in the last 30 years’ * Met Office
Knowing the importance of the melting ice caps, or the reason for preserving the Greenland ice shelf is part of today’s new Green Crusade to save not the pandas but the planet. In fact Polar bears have replaced pandas in the nation’s hearts, as have the penguin chicks freezing to death because it was raining not snowing.
The effect of losing tropical rain forest on climate change is another example of a process we should understand, if only to ask for FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) approved garden furniture without adding to the trade in logging of prime forest habitats and its further impact on the climate. By knowing about warming of the world’s oceans, leading to death of marine animals like corals, we can see how another indirect cause of man’s carbon dioxide emissions is leading to further problems. As reefs disappear coastal habitation is affected. These are just two more examples out of the many, but without passing on this understanding I don’t see how people can feel involved and asked to help.
Like me, maybe you have wondered about such odd things as cigarette packets that warn smokers of the damage their contents will cause, but we don’t see any warnings from the aviation companies or coal-fired power stations compelling their users and consumers of the damage caused to the environment through flying or using electricity from non-renewable (clean) sources.
Maybe death on a huge scale, caused by climate change disasters, is not seen as attributable to a purchase in the same way, but industries have been held to account in the past and slowly the moral ethic is taking precedence. The Aviation Global Deal Group is the industry’s own response to taking action on emissions and will be part of the Global Climate Change Deal to be agreed at the Copenhagen summit in December.
‘Powered by barely eight watts of electricity... [new LED light bulbs] emit more light and less heat than a 60 watt incandescent bulb’ Energy for Tomorrow by National Geographic, 2009
Taxes on rubbish disposal are set to rise in the future and perhaps we will see more and higher green taxes applied to damaging industries, if that is what it takes to change people’s minds.
We can speculate about such outcomes in the next decade or two, but it is clear mankind must act decisively. Public understanding of the issues is a key factor, as is determined and trusted leadership that enables real progress and willingness for nations and society to change.
‘In any given hour, more energy from the sun reaches the Earth than is used by the whole human population in any given year’ National Geographic, June 2009
US President Barack Obama is credited with the ability to drive America into a new green age, but politics and industrial interests have already reduced his effectiveness to go further in protecting the environment than any federal leader has done so far. Will the UK fare any better when it comes to making hard decisions and seeing them through to legislation?
The Copenhagen Summit this December will be significant and prove how committed the nations of the world really are in making cuts in carbon emissions. The consequences of continuing down our carbon fuelled road are clear, but the magnitude of commercial interests and investments seeking the maximum return seem impossible to stop.
Meanwhile, we will continue to play our part as conscientious “greenies” and eco practitioners and campaigners in our communities across the South West.
Paul Lund
24 August 2009
References:
Helpful information about climate change is available at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ *
In the past being green was a more simple affair, as much about encouraging wildlife, enlisting children in junior branches of conservation charities, as it was about a range of practical measures like save, sew and make-do at home. That was how I remember my own childhood, along with my mission of helping save giant pandas, tigers and other threatened species – carried out by saving up the pennies and converting them into postal orders to send to the World Wildlife Fund, the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, and other such organisations.
Now, being green encompasses so much more than it did. The amount of greenness has expanded and now includes alternative green choices for every aspect of daily life, including expanding our knowledge about renewable energy and the science of climate change.
Every decade has its environmental challenges, but not every problem has been solved. From the 1960s we had to worry about pesticides, pollution and rapidly increasing loss of habitats. The early alerts about global warming came in the 1970’s and I certainly remember how the Shell and BP 16mm environmental films – making the rounds among natural history societies – illustrated how bad water and air pollution had become. In the 1980s we saw recycling issues rise as the mountains of waste sent to landfill would out-fill the holes available. The 1990s were the dawn of sustainability, the rise of renewable energy, holes in the ozone layer and dramatic news about biodiversity loss world-wide.
‘Green’ had become not just conservation of wildlife and self-sufficiency, but representative of a whole new spectrum of eco lifestyle choices. As this first decade of the 21st Century has progressed, society has been confronted by the scientific reality about climate change. It was now serious and a threat to life around the planet.
‘The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1995’ * Met Office
In case we doubted the scientists, newspaper and TV reporters began bringing the evidence to us from around the world. Views of melting ancient glaciers, sea level rise starting to affect some Pacific islands, species threatened with extinction, freak weather patterns becoming common, plus our gardens showing signs of plant stress. Though the economy and Afghanistan have been leading stories in the media this year, the climate change drama hasn’t stopped but has revealed more issues from around the world.
We have all learnt much more about our climate, power savings and polluting gases than we knew before. Many energy and climate phrases have entered into common usage, such as the ubiquitous Peak Oil or the Climate Tipping Point – a time of climate change that would tip us past a point of no return. This point is predicted to arrive sometime over the next few decades, unless we can make huge and drastic changes to stop spoiling or polluting the Earth’s atmosphere with greenhouse gasses. Carbon dioxide being the main culpable gas, released from burning fossil fuels. If optimum volume oil extraction has passed its peak, energy companies will still find enough oil to drain down through the next few decades, even assuming the rising demand is met with faster supply.
‘Sea levels have risen 10cm around the UK since 1900’ * Met Office
By no means is it certain mankind can make amends – either because we humans simply can’t comprehend the world is really changing that much, or because we are too far wedded to consumerism and dependency on carbon fuel and oil based lifestyles.
However, the urgency to do something has spread among nations around the world. As individuals, or small groups here in the South West, we are doing as much as we can to lessen our personal impacts on the environment, but at the same time looking for positive leadership and direction from the ‘authorities’ including government. Our popular iconic figures, from Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Sir Richard Branson, Dame Vivienne Westwood to Sir David Attenborough, all agree and applaud us to make the necessary changes now.
As the issues become more complex – we, as concerned citizens, need to understand something of the science and reasons for the environmental damage we are causing. As eco activists we must also keep pace with climate news and technological developments, or we will not be able to encourage fellow citizens of the necessity to join the greener cause – and do more than the simplest eco actions.
‘Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk 20% in the last 30 years’ * Met Office
Knowing the importance of the melting ice caps, or the reason for preserving the Greenland ice shelf is part of today’s new Green Crusade to save not the pandas but the planet. In fact Polar bears have replaced pandas in the nation’s hearts, as have the penguin chicks freezing to death because it was raining not snowing.
The effect of losing tropical rain forest on climate change is another example of a process we should understand, if only to ask for FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) approved garden furniture without adding to the trade in logging of prime forest habitats and its further impact on the climate. By knowing about warming of the world’s oceans, leading to death of marine animals like corals, we can see how another indirect cause of man’s carbon dioxide emissions is leading to further problems. As reefs disappear coastal habitation is affected. These are just two more examples out of the many, but without passing on this understanding I don’t see how people can feel involved and asked to help.
Like me, maybe you have wondered about such odd things as cigarette packets that warn smokers of the damage their contents will cause, but we don’t see any warnings from the aviation companies or coal-fired power stations compelling their users and consumers of the damage caused to the environment through flying or using electricity from non-renewable (clean) sources.
Maybe death on a huge scale, caused by climate change disasters, is not seen as attributable to a purchase in the same way, but industries have been held to account in the past and slowly the moral ethic is taking precedence. The Aviation Global Deal Group is the industry’s own response to taking action on emissions and will be part of the Global Climate Change Deal to be agreed at the Copenhagen summit in December.
‘Powered by barely eight watts of electricity... [new LED light bulbs] emit more light and less heat than a 60 watt incandescent bulb’ Energy for Tomorrow by National Geographic, 2009
Taxes on rubbish disposal are set to rise in the future and perhaps we will see more and higher green taxes applied to damaging industries, if that is what it takes to change people’s minds.
We can speculate about such outcomes in the next decade or two, but it is clear mankind must act decisively. Public understanding of the issues is a key factor, as is determined and trusted leadership that enables real progress and willingness for nations and society to change.
‘In any given hour, more energy from the sun reaches the Earth than is used by the whole human population in any given year’ National Geographic, June 2009
US President Barack Obama is credited with the ability to drive America into a new green age, but politics and industrial interests have already reduced his effectiveness to go further in protecting the environment than any federal leader has done so far. Will the UK fare any better when it comes to making hard decisions and seeing them through to legislation?
The Copenhagen Summit this December will be significant and prove how committed the nations of the world really are in making cuts in carbon emissions. The consequences of continuing down our carbon fuelled road are clear, but the magnitude of commercial interests and investments seeking the maximum return seem impossible to stop.
Meanwhile, we will continue to play our part as conscientious “greenies” and eco practitioners and campaigners in our communities across the South West.
Paul Lund
24 August 2009
References:
Helpful information about climate change is available at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ *
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