Category: Environment

Posted on

INTELLECTUAL MIGHT OF A CHOCOLATE KETTLE.

Name one good thing the toroes have done in 13 years? Asked an Express/Telegraph reader this morning and was met by mumbling and no answer. Sunak’s latest plan is to divide and rule. He sys he will support the “car owners” – by definition this means he is anti-clean air. Personally i believe that the ULEZ zones are correct for health and quality of life, BUT need to be created with greater public consultation and exceptions, together with a generous scrappage scheme. Petrol heads still. get worked up about seat belts ad drink driving laws. They hate traffic calming and schemes that block rat runs and child friendly neighbourhoods.

Shapps is, after failing to find anything good to extol about the 13 years of tory misrule is now attacking with the intellect – of a tory actually (every animal species seems to have greater powers than people like Shapps). There will be blackouts under Labour is his latest infantile chant as he dribbles down his chest. Labour will have many problems die to the massive misrule by the Tories.

back to ULEZ – it is not if, but when.

Posted on

GLOBAL BOILING

We know what the problem is, we know how to fix it, and still the worlds leaders prevaricate and procrastinate. COP28 will be headed by the Head of the UAEs national oil company for fuck sake! Tony Blair preaches caution about the speed of change, whilst lunchinbg with Murdoch with Starmer. What is needed is for the UK to set a world example by explaining the need, bringing strict green planning, abolishing tax relief on aviation fuel, offering subsidies to firms growing food and making stuff in this country and Europe rather than in the Pacific Region. Radical change and a vision – tax pollution to subsidise environmentally friendly schemes.

Posted on

CALLOUS BASTARDS

Rhodes and Corfu continue to burn, USA and China have record temperatures, India has floods and high temperatures – and the right wing looneys supported by the RW trash press move to cut back on net zero. All because of ULEZ (which they introduced themselves into London) giving them a vague chance of retaining seats in the suburbs of London. ULEZ is about health rather than climate, although the two are inexcurably linked. We know the right wing extremists like JR-M & Co hate scientists and the facts – they prefer to believe the ones they conjure up themselves.

But FACT – global average temperature has been brokem this year.FACT – sea tea[peratures are te highest recorded, Heat waves in Europe are 2.5C hotter than normal, in USA 2C and China 1.5C hotter. These heatwaves will occir much more frequently as the temperature warms up.

The Greek navy has helped evacuate people from the beaches with 19000 displaced – where are the Brish Navy? Large numbers of British nationals are involved. The government has not even issued a don’t travel warning, leaving it to the travel companies and airlines who were flying people in last weekend despite the situation.

The arguments made by the loonies on the right are that a. Global warming is a natural phenomenon and we need to adapt to it (also the belief of the proponent if the GAIA philosophy); b. The climate crisis is a scam by governments and industries to rip people off (which they know ALL ABOUT!). c. Why should we act if China and the ISA do not? (a reasonably good point to a degree, but inaction makes us all complicit – we could become world leaders in the new technologies and then do a Tim Berniers-Smith and give it to the world for free?).

OK so I am an optimist and and naive and idealistic. Please Keir do not let me down!

Posted on

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!

So the government is to cut bck on green policies. Maximise profits before losing power? Create an even bigger problem for the next government. Maybe is should be ‘NASTY IS AS NASTY DOES’?

Why does the government not issue a travel warning for Rhodes and Corfu – Oh becausde that could hit the profits of the travel companies – no concern for holiday makers? Why has the government not chartered planes to get people out? Flood warnings acrosss the north of the UK. Sewage warnings across the south west. Of course people would rather nit have extra costs during this economic crisis – but properly explained they would understand the need, especially if subsidised by the government – and NO Starmer I do not buy the shortage of money aspect. The government found a 25% pay rise for the King (on top of the hundreds of millions he is making from offshore wind farms. Selling off Buckingham Palace could bring in a couple of billion!

Posted on

REWILDING

So. Momty Don and Titmarsh have criticised rewilding according to the trash RWMedia. But firstly Monty Don just said that to let your garden go wil was not gardening – correct: Then Titmarsh said that a garden planted with a variety of plants could be better than on with just wild flowers – again correct. What neither said, or was ‘redacted’ was that a lawn that was never used or sat on could be so much more beneficial if left to grow wild. I regularly add plants to my ‘jungle’ – herbs, lavender, roses, hot lips, poppies and I keep patches of stinging nettles and buddhlia too – all where my neighbours mow their sterile lawns every 14 days. Just when the vetch appears they zap it like cruel gods.

Posted on

NET ZERO

Even a cursory look around the media for world events will make it staggeringly obvious that the time for action on climate change is NOW! Cynical politicans seeking to get into or stay in power can state the cost of changing to a cleaner more healthy way of living, they can also claim that it is unfair for us to make the changes necessary when the big polluters are doing little i.e. China and USA.

Gove and Sleaze-Dogg are happy to talk up the costs, but fail to talk about the costs of inaction. We are already very dependant on gas imports so diversification into alterntive energies would be strategically beneficial and also mitigate against world surges in fossil fuel cost. Developing a work force to develop the necessary technologies would put us in an excellent position in this market which is already developing at a pace. The savings too the NHS woukd also nbe massive. If the cost is too high – then subsidise it with money saved from elsewhere and taxes on the polluting companies. Energy prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon.

So politicians are willing to sacrifice a cleaner, healthier more ethical life for their retention in the sordid cesspit of Westminster?

Posted on

CLIMATE

Full article from Guardian here but the stats are astounding. Phoenix has 43.4C or more for 19th day running; Morocco anounces red temperature alert as temperatures exceed 44C; Spain hits 45.4C with fears fot the olive crop for second year running; Italy 47C; Greece wildfires; Canary Islands wildfires; China 52.2C; Gaza38C; India floods; South Korea floods; Japan 37.3C. Since the mid 1980’s the planet has warmed by another 0.5C, with present policies the world will warm by 2.7C. Avian flu has killed millions of not hundreds of millions of sea birds so far this year Whilst this mynot be related to climate change the warming temperatures will not have helped. And then we have sea temperatures at record levels and Antarctic ice at record low levels.

The responce of our Cabinet (according to the Mail) is to press Sunak to drop eco legislation and policies! Is this to incite “Just Stop Oil” into ever more outrgeous acts and then blame Labour for them? The summer heat killed over 60000 in Europe last summer.

Posted on

JAM

I have just made some nectarine jam – at foirst it did not set properly but hopefully another blast on the heat will do the trick. It tastes rather wonderful! I. might make some lemon thin biscuits, or scones to have it on later. I will also make some more baguettes – I will just spray a little water as the last ones were tasting a bit waterery. I have just ordered olive oil from CrowdFarming – I love the fact they pront a label with JamJam on ot for the tins and whilst just over £10 ltr is expensive it seems ok for organic and kniwing all the dosh goes straight to the farmer – in this case Finca Bardomus, Fernando Agramunt. I guess I need to make some more strawberry jam – the last lot was rubbish, did not set and I used it to flavour home made yoghurt and oat cookies. I have noticed the abscence of insects whilst making jam – which is good but a little concerning.

I have also just received a box of lemons from Carmen Valasco at El Carrascal with a winter varieties called fino and primofiori. Organic which means the zest can be used. More baking stimulated, and also aioli on salads.

Neighbour cutting grass I am hemmed in but across the road 3 neighbours have let trhe vetch flower and two have let ragwort and chicory flower, it would be so nice to see wildlife return to the sterile lawns – although I accept that some birds such as green woodpeckers and corvids like the lawns! Like everything a mix and diversity is good.

Tomatoes are coming on 670g so far but this should escalate next week as the plum tomatoes and striped ones and normal ones ripen. I think/hope 10kg should be possible this year. Most mints are doing great – basil seems to be bolting a bit (hopefully as I use more with the tomatoes, it will bush out a bit). Mints are blooming and I will dry some more to make herbal teas. Flame lily continues to astound. Lime and lemon by front door looking good. New apricot tree seems to be getting established ok and the grape vine that I thought I had killed by lack of care seems to have new leaves and forgiven me after Martin moved it to make it easier to water.

Posted on

CLIMATE CRISIS

Kerry needsd to tell the Chinese to act now to cut emissions. The arguement put forward by China about historic emmissions is just not valid in the present crisis. They are correct that the west gained an early advantage by burning coal, oil and gas, but the crisis is here, and now, and every country needs to face it.

Right wing politicians across Europe with nationalist agendas also need to look closely at their use of the climate crisis in culture wars and anti-woke measures. History will not be kind to them.

Posted on

WHAT IS THE POINT

of politicians? The seas are at record high temperatures, Greece and Spaon have huge fires, temperatures in China exceed 50C and in southern Europe and the USA heat warnings are issued. And our government is passing laws to make it illegql to walk slowly with prison sentences. It is like Westminster and certainly Downing Street have become lunatic asylums! There is no hope of a vaccine or a quick fix to solve the problem, and the jabbering idiots do nothing, except allow water companies to fill rivers and the seas with shit in case we thought we could get a quick cooling dip. It is CRIMINAL INEPTITUDE.