A read of the Climate Change Bill demonstrates that the state is only concerned with “seeing to be seen to do something”. In reality it is all just greenwash and completely ignores the real issue of the state maintaining a belief system that says we can carry on living in the unsustainable way we do.
Climate change can only be properly addressed by radical social change. The notion that the capitalist system can continue and the challenges of climate change met within a capitalist construct is laughable. It is however one that is embedded in the hyperbole and the nonsense that is Kyoto and now this Climate Change Bill. Both encourage and support the corporations (who lets face it run the show anyway) by the notion of the Emissions Trading Scheme, this simply creates another capitalist market place where corporations and states buy and sell the right to pump out carbon dioxide. The transnational corporations wield the power and they will do anything to ensure that they can carry on expanding and making profits. The aviation industry has managed to keep itself out of being counted in any scheme to manage and reduce greenhouse gases. Only by smashing the corporate power of these corporations (who will do anything to maintain capitalism) and establishing local autonomous groups will we meet and overcome the implications of climate chaos.
The Climate Change Bill is currently out for “consultation”
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/latest.htm
The Bill proposes binding legal commitments to reduce the UK’s contribution to
carbon dioxide emissions, through domestic and international action, by 60%
below 1990 levels by 2050, and by between 26 and 32% by 2020.
Why against 1990 levels of CO2? DEFR has this data up to 2004, could it be that the 1990 figures are much higher that the last recorded data so in “real terms” the proposed percentage reductions are in fact much less than they would be if taken against recently recorded data of CO2 emissions. In 1990 the total CO2 emissions were 161 million tonnes but in 2004 they were 151 million tonnes.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/kf/gakf07.htm
The Kyoto Protocol allows signatories the flexibility to choose either 1990 or 1995 as the base year, but by choosing to use 1990 as the base line for measuring reductions means that these targets will be easier to meet - nice one!!
Of course the Bill does not include aviation. Forecasts have suggested that by 2030 aviation could contribute up to about a quarter of the UK's total contribution to global warming. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/eu/future/aviation/index.htm
Nor does the Bill include methane emissions.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas in the UK after carbon dioxide. In 2005 methane accounted for about 8 per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. In 2005, the main sources of methane were landfill sites (40 per cent of the total) and agriculture (37 per cent).
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/kf/gakf08.htm
Livestock and meat production contribute in a massive way to greenhouse gas emissions, so if you want to make a difference best go vegan. Our mass production of animals is having a huge impact on the environment on many levels, from deforestation (grazing land accounts for 26% percent of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet), to greenhouse gases (not just 18% of CO2 emissions, but 37% of methane emissions which has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2), and even water consumption (accounting for 8% of all global human water usage). Scroogle “Livestock’s Long Shadow” to find out more.
So all in all then the Climate Change Bill is total greenwash and will simply result in a belief that the problems of climate chaos are solved and we can go on shopping in huge supermarkets who fly over packaged food around the world and transport it miles in gas guzzling trucks from distribution centres across the country. The solution is small-scale low impact autonomous communities who manage their own needs in the community. In such communities we will be able to make our own decisions about what food we grow, how much energy we need to produce and how best to produce it. Free from State and corporate control we can just do it – we know what to do and we can do it for ourselves.
The Climate Change Bill is currently out for “consultation”
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/latest.htm The Bill proposes binding legal commitments to reduce the UK’s contribution to
carbon dioxide emissions, through domestic and international action, by 60%
below 1990 levels by 2050, and by between 26 and 32% by 2020.
Why against 1990 levels of CO2? DEFR has this data up to 2004, could it be that the 1990 figures are much higher that the last recorded data so in “real terms” the proposed percentage reductions are in fact much less than they would be if taken against recently recorded data of CO2 emissions. In 1990 the total CO2 emissions were 161 million tonnes but in 2004 they were 151 million tonnes.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/kf/gakf07.htm The Kyoto Protocol allows signatories the flexibility to choose either 1990 or 1995 as the base year, but by choosing to use 1990 as the base line for measuring reductions means that these targets will be easier to meet - nice one!!
Of course the Bill does not include aviation. Forecasts have suggested that by 2030 aviation could contribute up to about a quarter of the UK's total contribution to global warming.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/eu/future/aviation/index.htm Nor does the Bill include methane emissions.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas in the UK after carbon dioxide. In 2005 methane accounted for about 8 per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. In 2005, the main sources of methane were landfill sites (40 per cent of the total) and agriculture (37 per cent).
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/kf/gakf08.htm Livestock and meat production contribute in a massive way to greenhouse gas emissions, so if you want to make a difference best go vegan. Our mass production of animals is having a huge impact on the environment on many levels, from deforestation (grazing land accounts for 26% percent of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet), to greenhouse gases (not just 18% of CO2 emissions, but 37% of methane emissions which has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2), and even water consumption (accounting for 8% of all global human water usage). Scroogle “Livestock’s Long Shadow” to find out more.
So all in all then the Climate Change Bill is total greenwash and will simply result in a belief that the problems of climate chaos are solved and we can go on shopping in huge supermarkets who fly over packaged food around the world and transport it miles in gas guzzling trucks from distribution centres across the country. The solution is small-scale low impact autonomous communities who manage their own needs in the community. In such communities we will be able to make our own decisions about what food we grow, how much energy we need to produce and how best to produce it. Free from State and corporate control we can just do it – we know what to do and we can do it for ourselves.
Further evidence
23.03.2007 09:09
In its defence DEFRA claims that the rise was temporary due to refurbishment works, as if somehow the CO2 from these is less damaging, or that ‘refurbishment’ is some essential holy cow that must never be challenged.
Admittedly we cannot be sure if this is an accurate reflection of DEFRA's performance because it does not include CO2 from ministers’ and civil servants’ air travel in its figures.
Gulliver