The McCluskey Blog

Sod them - let's fly

This is genius.

See also http://www.enoughsenough.org/sod_them.html.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the biggest issue of 2007 is proving to be the environment - this is a thought-provoking and provocative addition to the debate.

It's the environment, stupid

What will be the biggest issue for the travel industry in 2007? To coin (part of) a phrase, it's the environment, stupid.

Air travel will come under increasing scrutiny. They will need to convince the authorities and the public of two things - firstly, that they are a relatively minor factor compared to other pollutants (see graph and this rebuttal by Michael O'Leary).

Secondly, airlines will need to prove that they are doing all they can to reduce whatever emissions they are responsible for. Richard Branson has made a good start in this respect, and should be commended.

Carbon offsetting will also be a major topic of debate. Should we do it? How should we do it? With whom should we do it? The value of the whole concept needs to be clarified. At the moment it is unproven, complicated and confusing.

The major question to ask ourselves throughout 2007: are we really making a difference, or are we just doing what makes us feel better about ourselves?

Climate change: for & against

Some of the many who are in no doubt:

Gaia Scientist James Lovelock
"The earth has a fever that could boost temperatures by 8 degrees Celsius making large parts of the surface uninhabitable and threatening billions of peoples' lives."

Sir David Attenborough
"I have seen the ice melting. I have been to parts of Patagonia and heard people say: "That's where the glacier was 10 years ago - and that's where it is today." The most dramatic evidence I have seen was New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. Was that climate-change induced, out of the ordinary? Certainly so."

The British Government
"It is true that natural changes in the world's climate have happened in the past – but it is sometimes overlooked that in extreme cases this resulted in mass extinctions. What we are dealing with now is potentially a big change in our climate that we ourselves have caused."

George Monbiot
"climate change denial now looks as stupid and as unacceptable as Holocaust denial."

China (!)
"There is a sense of urgency in China. It's important to recognise that China is moving, and moving quite quickly." (Quote from Nicholas Stern, of Stern Review fame)

However we should always look at both sides of the argument, so here are some of those against:

Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
"Gordon Brown and his chief economist both said global warming was the worst "market failure" ever. That loaded soundbite suggests that the "climate-change" scare is less about saving the planet than, in Jacques Chirac's chilling phrase, "creating world government". (George Monbiot disagrees with Viscount Monckton here)

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary
"It's the usual horseshit that we hear. There is a fundamental misunderstanding about aviation and environmental taxes at the moment. No one knows what they are talking about."

The Carbon Comparator

The Stern Report earlier this week highlighted the need for a radical change in the way we consume energy. One of the major contributors to carbon emissions is flying, and there are multiple services available that will allow you to offset these emissions - just enter the number of miles you're travelling, and pay a fee for some trees to be planted.

The trouble with offsets is that they lull us into a false sense of security. In reality, reversing climate change will take a lot more effort than that.

Bello Mundo magazine has created the 'Carbon Comparator', which you can see below, or use on the Bello Mundo website. It illustrates the impact of flying in real terms, enabling people to actively reduce their carbon footprint themselves. The comparator lets you know how to make carbon reductions in your day to day life equivalent to the emissions of your flight.

Unlike most other carbon calculators, this does not ask for a monetary donation to offset your guilt; it simply challenges you to remove the equivalent emissions produced by your flight from other areas of your lifestyle. Give it a try.

The colossal cost of climate change

Monday sees the publication of the Stern Report - a major study commissioned by Gordon Brown into the economic impact of global warming. The report predicts that the cost of climate change will stretch into trillions of pounds unless the international community takes urgent action. Watch a Sky News video of the story here.

Environment Secretary David Miliband says that governments have just 10 to 15 years to make radical changes. He is suggesting a raft of green taxes to curb carbon emissions - encouraging people to use public transport, buy smaller cars and fly less. The package includes a ‘substantial increase’ in road tax for higher-emission vehicles, raising air passenger duty by £5 and making flights subject to VAT. Conservative leader David Cameron said he was prepared to tax air travel and the most polluting cars.

We certainly have to do something. This weekend saw another worrying story - revealing the effect that climate change is already having in Africa. All efforts to wipe out poverty will be cancelled out unless urgent action is taken, says ‘Up In Smoke 2’, a report issued by Oxfam, the New Economics Foundation and the Working Group on Climate Change and Development.

Download the report here: Download up_in_smoke_2.pdf .

Droughts are getting worse and climate uncertainty is growing, the research says. Arid or semi-arid areas in northern, western, eastern and parts of southern Africa are becoming drier, while equatorial Africa and other parts of southern Africa are getting wetter. The continent is, on average, 0.5C warmer than it was 100 years ago, but temperatures have risen much higher in some areas - such as a part of Kenya which has become 3.5C hotter in the past 20 years. The agencies say that greenhouse emissions cuts of 60% - 90% will ultimately be needed - way beyond the targets set in the Kyoto agreement.

If you want to make a difference, this is a good start.