Category: Environment

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SMUGGLING

So a family of 4 crosses the border into the USA, each has an iPhone – they sell 3, legal? As the price could have more than doubled they could make at least $1500 dollars per trip. And that is without illegal smuggling – the gangs must be loving it.

Meanwhile Trump continues to act like a baby – changing his mind and threatening other nations with higher tariffs if they deal with China without tariffs. I do hope that Starmer has the balls to stand up to the madness!

Meanwhile …. Tesco reports £2.2 billion profit but says it needs to cut costs, i.e. staff. Its a fucking mad world. Will British Steel be re-nationalised, the Chinese owned firm wants to shut its Scunthorpe furnaces. It is highly likely that it will continue to make a loss, but is strategically important?

A nice quote from Napoleon – it bugs me that one of the most important people in history and totally relevant to us is not taught about in UK schools. The quote “Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake”. He may have had a famous horse called Marngo but he also uttered some clever words, and commissioned a great dish called ‘chicken marengo’. Basically we should just let America sort out the orange man baby.

On a personal note – I have just washed the sheets and quilt covers before it possibly rains tomorrow – first rain for ages should be Sunday – I have not seen a swallow, swift or house martin yet. And have I ever heard a cuckoo? I think once in Banwell – or down riverside?

The i paper had a list today that i found troubling, but was told off by Aaron. The list was insects that most primary school children could not identify. I find this shocking, but he put it down to parents and choice. I tried to argue that a kingfisher was more beautiful than the Mona Lisa, etc., but he countered that it was a choice. I accept his argument BUT still find it sad that generations of children cannot name common trees, plants, birds, insects. Surely this should be a primary school essential. I taught in a rural comprehensive and most kids could not name types of species – just trees, butterflies, etc.

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POLITICS

With Trump trashing the worlds economic order the people of Britain will have to make decisions. Maintain public services and pay more tax, or lose them for ever! Yes it is that simple!

What Starmer must not do is stop investing for the future, Net Zero will pay dividends in the future with energy costs, environmental subsidies for farms is a no brainer, but then the welfare bill! I personally would raise the minimum wage to make it worth working. My local shop pays the minimum wage but the owners could pay more without harming the business. They also find it hard to recruit – so higher wages would benefit all. Companies like the supermarkets might lose some profits or could pay lower dividends or directors wages and bonus’s.

The papers bang on about the unfeasibility of a wealth tax. Maybe a tax on those earning millions would just result in tax evasion and avoidance. However increasing the tax on those earning over £200000 would be hardr to avoid and would raise much more.- however with higher taxes there should be a tax break for environmental innovations. And now seems to be a good time to take back control of Water Companies. Stock market valuations are low whilst customers payments are at record highs. and an innovative nationalisation – all customers will become shareholders in a way like John Lewis? Incentives to become water friendly and become a more social society. Energy could be the same.

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GLOBAL WARMING

When hearing about arguments regarding the above I have to ask the question “why are you ignoring the evidence?”

So the evidence is not just theoretical – there is the FACT that CO2 and methane are greenhouse gases. There is the FACT that the proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen 25% in last 65 years. Sun spot activity can cause fluctuations but the trend is forever upwards. Just because there are variations from place to place and year to year cannot deny the warming trend.

So the FACTS are clear we have a warming world, and CO2 pollution is probably the cause – I say probably because it is possible, but unlikely, that Earth is in a warming phase (evidence points to the opposite.

So the IMPACTS. FACT. Sea level rising with greater coastal erosion. Long-term measurements of tide gauges and recent satellite data show that global sea level is rising, with the best estimate of the rate of global-average rise over the last decade being 3.6 mm per year (0.14 inches per year). Tuvalu is a maximum of 2m asl.

FACT. Glaciers which regulate the flow of water to some of the most fertile and densely populated parts of the world are melting and retreating at an alarming rate. This could cause food insecurity and an increase in environmental migration.

FACT. Insects across Europe are in decline along with the subsequent food chain. Insects (bees are the best known) re essential for the production of food. Decline maybe down to pesticides, but due to the fecundity of most insects areas where harmful chemicals have been banned they should be making a comeback.

FACT. Climate has warmed and species that can adapt are moving – northwards in the Hemisphere. Sharks have become more common in UK waters. Plants are flowering earlier whilst animals with a longer lifecycle take longer to change.

Peoples arrogance to other species is affecting the diversity of life on this planet. Arrogant fuckwits like Trump and Musk may believe that money and economics will outwit nature – they are wrong! When Earth flexes its muscles people suffer (Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are becoming stronger and more common.

As the Arctic warms up – and FACT – it is, methane from the permafrost will be released (methane hass 10x the impact of CO2 as a greenhouse effect). And the disappearance of ice will mean the surface is darker and the albedo effect diminished.

So bozos who deny this are probably well below the 100 IQ average – or just greedy fuckers who want the profits of carbon burning rather than safeguard their childrens futue.

FACT. Most people dislike and avoid change and therefore like the status quo. We fucking love our cars and are quite terrified of the proplems of EV’s. Maybe we need to consider less travel?

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EARTHQUAKE

After a quiet period earth seems to be waking up! There is always on going seismic activity but I believe this is the first major activity in a populated region? With an autocratic dictatorship I guess they are Trumps BFF? But due to the rest of the world thinking they are shits there is little news getting out. In Bangkok there was a high rise under construction that collapsed with many deaths – I suspect that there are many more in Myanmar itself. Pictures on the BBC show a major bridge collapsed. I hate heights and used to hate driving over the bridge in Plymouth and the Seven one – fucking nightmares are waiting for me!

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ENERGY

Local generation might not suit the big energy companies BUT ….. it seems to me to be so sensible. In my village we have the potential for wind with a couple of turbines on the hill, there are solar farms around anyway, and more houses could have them. And then there is a small stream which had a mill long ago. I doubt that the village would be self-sufficient 24/7 but with battery storaage I am sure that the summer months could be covered – especially with increased efficiency, and lastly Hinckley is just down the road! And finally small scale tidal islands could be created on the Severn Estuary.

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GARDEN

Hanging baskets planted with mixed begonia – I will not hang them quite yet – it should rain a little later and once hung they have to be watered everyday. Heater is on in the greenhouse for the tomatoes – so they will need waterint every day! Snake plant given to Aaron – below

I will split the remaining plant and the one in the bedroom to grow more!

Temperatures of 5C night to 16C day. So I might risk a bit more planting basil, sweet peppers, and then maybe buy a cucumber plant or 2. We are due a hot summer.

I have rosemary and lavender plants to put out tomorrow – by the path I think. Roses are looking good too – maybe 10 different ones, from almost black to deep red and also yellow and pink. Herbs are looking good, well rosemary and sage and bay are, the rest need a little more time – I need to weed/repot mints and then wait and see what else comes up – I think fennel will reseed (it was growing along the road in the gutter! and I hope the chicory and evening primrose make a welcome appearance.

Saw 2 brimstone butterflies yesterday which was great – I need to put the bee hotel up – by the kitchen side window I think – facing east for early morning warmth and avoiding heat of the day during our long hot summer.. On which, will the water companies whose reputation is trashed already by sewage and rising costs, cope with the negative publicity when they impose hosepipe bans and worse?

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NET ZERO

Climatic events can occasionally be violent and sudden’ish. However the main global events will be gradually but even more devastating. Sea level is creeping up putting nations such as Tuvalu and the Maldives under threat of inundation. The melting of floating ice will not in itself cause a problem but allow glaciers to deliver ice to the sea more quickly. Melting glaciers is a much more dangerous and unpredictable. 2 billion people rely on glaciers indirectly for their water supply. E.Africa has lost 80% of its glaciers; Europe 40%; Andes 40%. Melting and retreating glaciers reduce the albedo effect and lead to greater warming. Permafrost is also melting, releasing methane and destabilising communications and buildings. Highly populated regions such as the valleys of the great rivers sourced in the Himalayas are in danger of fluctuating water supply which would devastate agriculture and thus human survival. These are facts not supposition – the World Meteorological Organisation published its annual State of the Worlds Climate last week.

But – hey, all this is irrelvant to those wanting to make political and financial gains like our right wing political parties and basically most of Americas! According to Ed Milliband the government is set on meeting its green commitments. This makes absolute sense. Until we large scale storage we will always rely on other energy sources during grey windless periods – but the rest of the time we have cheap green energy. A no brainer!

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FACT CHECKING

We all have access to the internet – a friend mentioned why he did not want to purchase an EV Car. On fact checking – his arguments were not always correct! Cost of servicing, battery life and charging availability were all false. He does have genuine concerns that are relevant, but his argument against is no where near as strong as he made out!

Today we see in the news Badenoch spouting ignorance and hyperbole about net zero by 2050. So a fact check for you https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-scary-sounding-numbers-are-being-used-to-mislead-the-uk-about-net-zero/

Her argument for not meeting it is that other countries will not. That is LAME. The same argument is used against recycling. But every little bit helps!

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Tomatoes

Weather is still freezing at night – frost last night, but looks like warming up by Wednesday 17C day time and 5/6C at night, so I will get planting seeds – I have a heater for the greenhouse if necessary! – so that will be the tomatoes, red pepper, and some herbs like basil. I also have ordered some pots for the snake plant which needs splitting. The size they are at, are going for £125+ online at at the garden centre! I have given a couple away to Holly and Kate, and Aaron has asked if he can have one. They make a great present as they are quite prectacular when over a metre high with a dozen leaves. I am not being tight but it costs me a pot and soil, and the reciepiant things the world of them!. Martin is coming round to cut the top off the wisteria before it takes the roof off – but the smell of that and the honeysuckle it cohabits with is amazing at dawn – worth standing by it for a few deep breaths to strt the day.

So a steak for lunch with roasties, carrots, broccoli and courgettes fried in garlic butter, I have also made baguettes which are hopefully rising so I can cook them when he leaves and gets home with them still warm for Felix (who loves them – more than me!)

I just entered my FIT – solar panels reading which looks quite small for the last 3 months, but hopefully we will have a sunny spring. I still do not understand why the clocks go back at the start of November – approx 45 days before winter solstice, yet go forward in 2 weeks – over a hundred days after the WS!

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TRADE

Trying to understand! If Trump is protecting US steel and aluminium production then Ican see the point. However there are better ways (subsidies?), so this just seems vindictive. I assume that much of the imported steel and aluminium is for processes that add value to the product. The tarriffs will just add to the cost of these products – which if then exported will cost more? Canada is already cutting or adding a tariff to electricity exports. The increased nationalism caused by Trumps actions will also cut trade and therefore wealth between the two nations. Mexico looks more vulnerable, although as a looser and less regulated economy it may find that it can adapt more easily – although the impact of US and other international companies will have a significant impact on tax returns and thus the ability to police migrants and drug traffic?

The EU is responding to sanctions whilst the UK has no plans? Why not? For F sake Labour – stop worrying about the Daily F’ing Mail and do something positive for a change. All we hear from Labour are cuts to benefits, cutting Civil Service jobs and quango’s. Now all these might be necessary – I have no idea, but positive action is needed too. The last govenment earmarked £950 million for EV charging roll out – none of which has been spent! Do it!

And then do some sums! If a householder creates a mini-generator (Solar or wind or water) at their own cost, then they should be guaranteed a fixed price that will repay them in no more than 10 years – yes it is that fucking simple! As a home owner I would then be able to manage my finances accordingly. I am putting up the capital cost which means the govt. does not have to. My village is built largely along a road that is East-West – therefore most houses could have solar panels? The population is reasonably wealthy. This village, with some wind power, could be almost enrgy efficient with little outside cost and energy bills cut massively.