More prove in any more was needed, that GM crops and foods produced from then are not needed. When Genetically Modified crops came on the market, they were nicknamed ‘Frankenstein’ foods. It looks like GM food is living up to this name.
I am not a supporter of animal testing.
Monsanto weedkiller and GM maize in ‘shocking’ cancer study | News | The Grocer.
This article shows what can be achieved with a strong political leadership. While in the UK, we have a Government that keeps changing FITs (feed-in tariffs) for renewable technologies and is promoting large utilities companies with their Green Deal. The UK will not be able to survive what is ultimately going to come, in not that a distance future. Manchester City Council is the same, they keep claiming to be ‘Green’, whilst actually doing anything different than before. They constantly says they cannot do anything without others doing something as well. I think this article promotes the vision, that it can be done where there is the will.
pby Andrew, via CleanTechnica Government investment and support for clean, renewable energy development is paying off handsomely in Massachusetts, where the clean energy economy grew 11.2% between July 2011 and July 2012. The state’s fast-growing clean energy sector now employs 71,523 people at 4,995 clean energy businesses across the state, according to a Massachusetts Clean […]/p
via Massachusetts’ Clean Economy Sees Massive Growth, Now Hosts 71,000 Jobs In Cleantech.
We have seen the Scottish Government investing in wave and tidal technologies. The UK has some of the best wave and tidal resources available in the world and has not been exploited by the UK Government.
A very interesting animation showing populations, births, deaths and CO2 emissions. If you hover your mouse over a country, you can see what the countries CO2 emission are at the time of viewing, the total CO2 emissions per person and whether this country has reduced it’s CO2 emission from 4 years earlier. It gives a very visual indication of those countries that need to do the most to reduce CO2 emissions. And of course, the UK is one of the villains, compare us to Norway. The US is of course the really big bady. Basically politicians in the Global North have just talked about it then supported the fossil fuel industries in continuing polluting.
There may be question marks over the accuracy but I feel this is a good visual tool.
Breathingearth – CO2, birth & death rates by country, simulated real-time.
This is a report I have just come across from the IMechE about Energy-from-Waste. One serious flaw with this report, is the assertion than we have a strict regulatory framework. In the UK we do not, just like the banks and Health & Safety, is is a self-reporting, self regulation regime which the banks have shown to be totally inadequate. I worked on an EfW plant and know what happens. Until we have a proper regulatory regime, with firms having to use BAT (Best Available Technology), then we should not be building waste combustion (incinerators) plants.
The one thing, I did like about this report, is the section on Denmark, near the end. Where it mentions, they had their first District Heating system in 1930 and that since the 70s they have moved away from large centralised power plants, to smaller local CHP plants. Plenty of lessons here for the UK.
I thought I would reblog this blog about academics receiving funding from ‘fracking’ companies who then post reports stating ‘fracking’ is safe. They have not only denied ground-water contamination but even reported it geologically safe after a number of earthquakes after ‘fracking’ has taken place. I believe this is more evidence why ‘fracking’ should be banned in this country.
Is the natural gas industry buying academics?
One of the reports mentioned in the blog above, mentions past coal mining activity in the past in an area of concern. Read-heading it reminded me of the fact Lancashire was heavily mined. Even under Manchester, there are numerous abandoned coal seams, with the ex-Commonwealth Games stadium on the former pit of Bradford Colliery, closed in about 1968:
A couple of articles which have cropped up recently. Firstly one from the Rolling Stone magazine about the seriousness of Global Warming and the failure of our inept politicians. The other article is an article in response to a very flawed report arguing against regulations and product energy efficiency standards.
Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math | Politics News | Rolling Stone.
Overriding Common Sense: An Attack on Energy Efficiency Standards.
A film about The story of Seed. One that is being changed by Agra-chemical companies and their Genetically Modified Crops (GM Crops).
Even here in the UK, Central Government and Local Government are not taking climate change seriously. In particularly here in Manchester, the Council is still allowing developers to build properties which are not energy efficient, do not harvest rainwater or recycle grey-water and make no use of renewable power. Nor do they incorporate district heating into any of their developments. They only need to look across the channel to see what can be done. This article from Truthout makes the point that not enough is being done.
Climate Scientists Lament a Nation Stuck on the Wrong Debate.
As part of my objection to MMU’s plans for Birley Fields campus. I raised the matter of air pollution and how the development, especially the stopping up of certain roads, would increase to poor quality in Hulme. I especially emphasised that it would have a detrimental affect of the pupils of St. Philips Primary School. I also criticised their traffic, air and noise assessment as not being adequate or of being representative of the actual conditions.
The local councillors, including the councillor for the Environment, the Planning Officer and Planning Committee, ignored such concerns. If fact, the Planning Committee never conducted a site visit, even though this is a major development. Hulme already suffers from a high rate of ill-health, mental and physical.
No one in Government, National and Local are taking this situation seriously. In fact at a recent council meeting, it was stated that the emissions from Manchester Airport, do not fall on Manchester but the North Atlantic? And the National Government does not want to comply with any EU regulations, because they say they are bad for big business?
I thought I would share this very informative article about Shell.
Finding the truth behind Shell’s public relations campaign for Arctic drilling | Climate Connections.
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