Green tech to save the world?
As many parts of the UK continue to suffer from near drought conditions it was with some interest that the we stumbled upon a wired.com article entitled What Green Technology Could Save the World?
In it the author notes that mid-20th Century the world had, on average 4,000 cubic meters of water per person per year. This has now dropped down to 1,000 cubic meters and below the point officially designated as "water scarcity". The article goes on to say that the technology of providing clean drinking water where there is none, desalination, is really the technology of cheap and green electricity because 2/3'rds of the cost is in energy.
Sadly, wired pin their hopes on a new experiment to generate energy from nuclear fusion at Lawrence Berkley labs. While this may show a lot of promise, industrial nuclear fusion still seems to be 30 years away.
What does it say if this is the best idea a technology editor can come up with?
Climate secretary says landscape must change
Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne has urged countryside conservationists to accept that landscape change is inevitable in the battle against climate change
Addressing the Campaign to Protect Rural England last week, Huhne said that trade-offs will be needed between the long-term survival of landscapes and the security and affordability of electricity supplies. "Sometimes, national need will mean we have to sit down and take a tough decision about local impacts," he said.
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How do you like your global food collapse?
If ever you needed proof that the current system is broken take a look at these recent comments from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reporting on the spread of the global collapse of honey bee populations....Read more
2010 Sets new temperature records
BBC News Online has today reported research from climate scientists that shows 2010 to be one of the hottest on record. It goes on to say:
The two leading US analyses of global temperature show that up until the end of October, 2010 was the warmest year in the instrumental record going back to 1850.
Further, the top 10 years for warmest temperatures have all been since 2000. So while it may be freezing in the UK at this moment - we must not confuse "weather" with "climate".