Well, having let the dust settle after the conclusion of COP28, it is clear that the final result can only be considered another dismal failure in the efforts to create meaningful action in the fight against climate change. This opinion was best summed up by the Samoa delegate’s statement, read out at the end of the Cop28 process, after the gavel had been brought down on the final text. The Samoa delegate politely pointed out the fact that the text…
Regular followers of our Instagram channel will know that as a part of our journey of learning about solar panels and how they can be used to generate ‘free’ renewable electricity, we have slowly progressed from a 21W Anker Solar Panel (as above) and Anker Power Bank (26800mAh portable charger), to purchasing two, larger 50W and 100W solar panels.. The manufacturer of choice for our larger solar panels was eventually Renogy, as we had seen these beiing utilised in marine…
Linking back to British green industrialist Dale Vince, we recently purchased and read his book entitled “Manifesto”, which in his own words, is part memoir, part mission statement. Dale’s story of originally joining travellers, going off-grid, and becoming truly self-reliant is quite inspiring and shows that following the well-beaten path isn’t for everyone and shouldn’t have to be. It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. The episode about the Battle of the Beanfield is quite shocking and revelatory! His obvious good…
Someone who we have only really got to know and understand more about recently is British industrialist Dale Vince. Think Britain’s equivalent to Elon Musk but with morals, Dale has predicted successfully which way industries should be heading before others, and capitalised on these insights by setting up related businesses that have arguably kickstarted whole new industrial sectors. After building his first wind turbine in 1996, he then went on to expand on this and found Ecotricity, the first company…
The planetary boundaries concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. These nine planetary boundaries were first proposed by former Stockholm Resilience Centre director Johan Rockström and a group of 28 internationally renowned scientists in 2009. Since then, their framework has been revised several times. The latest update in Sept’ 2023 not only quantified all boundaries, but it also concludes that six of the nine boundaries have…
One of the best books we read in 2022 relating to the climate crisis facing us all was ‘The Future We Choose’ by Christina Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. To get an idea of the contrasting futures we face depending on how much action or inaction we take towards the climate crisis, just read Chapters 2 and 3!! ?? Please find the Amazon Link here.
One particularly worrying anomaly that has been detected this year is the recorded surface temperature of the world’s oceans. So far in 2023, this has been above anything seen in the 40 years that satellites have been measuring it. Records have been “headed off the charts” and, as a result, the Earth has marched into “uncharted territory”, according to scientists. The ocean is much less reflective than the land and soaks up more of the direct energy from sunlight. But…
We have taken the plunge and purchased a number of books to introduce the issue of climate change to our young children. We were a bit torn on this as ultimately there is not much they can do about it, that is up to us now and our generation to make the best of a bad situation. But, climate change and the climate crisis will only become more and more the focus of all our lives going forward, and it…
Various parts of the world have been experiencing heatwaves this and in the previous weeks of July and on Thursday 6th July, 2023 the EU’s climate monitoring service said that the world had experienced its hottest June on record ever.? The southern US has been sweltering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks, including on the national 4 July holiday. In parts of China, an enduring heatwave has continued, with temperatures reaching above 35C and one part of China hitting a prlimary reading…
? The world’s wealthiest people make a huge contribution to climate change through their carbon-hungry activities. Wealthy people set the tone on consumption to which everyone tends to aspire. Fast cars, exotic holidays, designer fashion and large homes are typical status symbols but all result in excessive individual carbon footprints. ?? The world’s wealthiest 10% were responsible for around half of global emissions in 2015, according to a 2020 report from Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute. The top 1% were responsible…