Suitably Despairing

Try Not To Breathe

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Scottish Government has launched a new service that tells you when not to breathe.

The service lets you know what the air quality is like in your area, on a daily or hourly basis. It's a pity it's not an app, but an email service, as I'm sure more people would rather use an app than go through the rigmarole of signing up to a website.

Still, at least the government is acknowledging that some parts of Scotland have air pollution issues. Now, what are they going to do about them?

Incidentally, on the same day as the pollution monitoring service was announced telling Scots that sometimes it's best to stay indoors, I listened to Scientific American's latest '60 Second Earth' podcast, telling Americans that their homes and offices are polluted and they should get outdoors.

Perhaps standing in the doorway, half-in and half-out, is the safest place?

Green In The Media 30th January - 5th February

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Monday 30th January

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0430, 1830)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

Tuesday 31st January

Costing the Earth
On: BBC Radio 4
Time: 15:30 to 16:00 (Also Wed 2100)
Bottle Bank Wars.
In San Francisco recycling is so profitable that gangs are fighting over the bottle banks. Tom Heap meets the green warriors of the trash for cash movement.

Saturday 4th February

Our World
On: BBC News
Time: 05:30 to 06:00 (Also 1430, 2130, Sun 0330, 1030, 2330)
Has the Amazon Been Saved?
Featuring news on issues around the world. Justin Rowlatt investigates how the Brazilian authorities are beginning to turn around the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest.

Countryfile
On: BBC 1
Time: 19:00 to 20:00
John Craven investigates the dramatic fall in the sale of organic food in the UK

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Week In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +0000

1,900

- plastic microfibres released from a synthetic garment every time it is washed #

£12 billion

- estimated cost to property from flooding in the UK caused by climate change by 2080 #

87.5g

- CO² per megajoule of energy from crude oil #

105g

- CO² per megajoule of energy from palm oil #

$950

- value of an elephant's penis in Thailand #

Crystal Balls

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:44:00 +0000

Picture by geebee2007

It's a dangerous game, trying to predict the future. But the UK government have attempted it with a Climate Change Risk Assessment.

So what did they conclude? I have to admit, I haven't read the 2000 pages of the report. And I don't intend to. Unfortunately, it doesn't really seem to tell us anything about the effects on the UK of climate change that we didn't already know.

And, this being the UK government, they're championing "positives", like the ice-free Arctic opening up a quicker trade route to Asia, so that we can get our mass-manufactured plastic crap from China much faster.

They've also missed out the "global" part of global warming. Growing more sugar will be nice, but will we have the room to grow it once the UK has filled up with climate refugees from southern Europe?

If you want a more scientific, and planet-wide, approach to what will happen as the climate changes, may I recommend Six Degrees by Mark Lynas. It's also considerably shorter than 2000 pages!

Up From The Depths...Thirty Stories High....

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:13:00 +0000

In one of the strangest news stories of the weekend, it would appear that nuclear power stations in Scotland are turning the sea green!

A local resident to the Hunterston B nuclear power plant on the west coast noticed that when looked at on Google Earth, the nearby sea has a mysterious green glow. You can see it for yourself in the photo above, or look on Google Earth.

Could it be radiation leaking into the water? What about a deep sea monster mutated by the atoms? Or how about a UFO lurking underwater, spying on our nuclear facilities.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the answer is more straightforward. It's the bubbles from the water discharge pipe.

Still, I'm not being complacent. I've seen some of those old Japanese Godzilla movies.

Green In The Media 23rd - 29th January

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

Monday 23rd January

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0430, 1830, Sun 0630)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

Panorama
On: BBC 1
Time: 20:30 to 21:00
Train Fares: Taken for a Ride?
Current affairs. With rail ticket prices upsetting many travellers after having just risen to record levels, Panorama investigates the cost of riding on the railway and asks: why are train fares so expensive?

Thursday 26th January

Live Energy and Climate Change Questions
On: BBC Parliament
Time: 10:30 to 11:30 (Also 0130, 0400)
Live coverage of questions in the House of Commons to Energy and Climate Change secretary Chris Huhne and his ministerial team.

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Week In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

- rhinos killed by poachers in South Africa so far in 2012 #

- new wells drilled in the North Sea last year, a drop of a third #

$130 - $175

- food waste of the average American per month #

4.8%

- increase in passenger numbers on Russian railways in 2011 #

$45 - $75 billion

- subsidies to fossil fuel companies in OECD member states #

Trump Hump Could Bump Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Donald doesn't like not getting his way, does he? Now, Trump is attempting once again to economically blackmail an entire country.

He has taken the hump and said that if a proposed wind farm is given approval off the Aberdeenshire coast, then he won't build the hotel, villas, timeshare apartments and second golf course that has seen so much anguish in the North East.

He seems dumbfounded that no one is immediately doing what he asks right away. As far as he was concerned, he had the Scottish Government in his pocket. He seems to think that his promises should give him the final say on anything else that happens in the region, going as far as arbitrarily renaming parts of the country.

Of course, he couldn't possibly be hiding behind the windfarm as an excuse for not spending money he doesn't have now thanks to the economic downturn, could he?

I joked last year that after all the fighting, gnashing of teeth, lies, obfuscation and environmental destruction, what we've been left with is a golf course and a portacabin. It seems that's all we're going to get, too. It was worth it, wasn't it?

New Radar Removes Turbine Objections

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:50:00 +0000

Photo by Irargerich

It has been a while since the Ministry of Defence routinely objected to every proposed wind farm in the UK, on the grounds that it would affect their radar capabilities. For the last couple of years they have only objected to those which are near military installations, or are offshore.

Now it looks like the problem has been solved. A contractor has developed a radar system that can ignore wind turbines, and as a result the MoD is withdrawing objections to five offshore windfarms, with more to follow.

Of course, now I'm waiting for the first objection from them that their submarines may bump into offshore wind turbines!

Green In The Media 16th - 22nd January

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Monday 16th January

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0430, 1830, Sun 0630)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

Thursday 19th January

Live Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
On: BBC Parliament
Time: 10:30 to 11:30 (Also 0100, 0330)
Live coverage of questions in the House of Commons to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Caroline Spelman and her ministerial team.

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Week In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

50,000

- people in London growing their own food in "Capital Growth" sites #

20 years

- length of ban on new mining claims in the Grand Canyon #

25%

- US teachers who report disputes with pupils, parents and school boards about climate change #

93%

- projected fall in homes being insulated after the government replaces existing schemes with the "Green Deal" #

7mm

- size of a newly-discovered frog, the smallest vertebrate in the world #

Who Are Scotland's Green Champions?

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Scottish Green List is looking for their Green champions for 2012.

If you know an individual who is actively working to make the country greener then the Scottish Green List wants you to tell them about them.

From their website, the aims of the award are:

To recognise and reward the work of people in Scotland that are working to drive forward sustainable development.
Increase understanding of sustainable development through 'real-people' examples and demonstrate to the country that people care about sustainable development issues.
Inspire other people to take action on sustainable development through highlighting examples of how the winners have gone about their work.

Nomination forms can be found on the Scottish Green List website, and nominations close at the end of January. So if you feel someone deserves some recognition for their hard work, nominate them!

Get On Yer Bike In Edinburgh Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Photo by EdinburghGreens

The Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition is organising a bike protest in Edinburgh tomorrow.

They want as many cyclists as possible to congregate outside St Andrews House (Regent Road) at 1pm to urge Scottish ministers to invest more in cycling and walking instead of funding more road building.

There's already around 250 people signed up to the event on the Facebook page, and you can get more details on their website.

HS2 Approved

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:27:00 +0000

Photo by Dave Morrow's Custom Creations

I've made no secret over the years of the fact that I'm a fan of high-speed rail and I'm a fan of the HS2 proposals. So I'm delighted to see that the government have now approved the building of the line from London to Birmingham.

The line isn't really about cutting journey times between those two cities, though. It's about cutting journey times into London from, well, everywhere. It will benefit people from Edinburgh, Newcastle or Manchester just as much as those travelling from Birmingham.

Of course, I'd much rather see a dedicated High Speed line running the length of the UK. And I'd love to see Scotland with it's own High Speed network. Taking 2 hours and 20 minutes to go the 125 miles from Edinburgh to Aberdeen really is ridiculous in this day and age. But that appears to be a pipe dream at the moment.

Of course, being Britain, HS2 will now get caught up in legal actions, go over budget and take longer to complete than originally thought. We need a modern-day Brunel who can throw these things together in a jiffy!

Green In The Media 9th - 15th January

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Monday 9th January

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0630, 1830, Sun 0630)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

Sunday 15th January

Countryfile
On: BBC 1
Time: 19:00 to 20:00
John Craven continues his interview with prime minister David Cameron, tackling the issues of animal welfare, farming subsidies and the badger cull.

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Week In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

3,900,000,000

- gallons of fuel wasted in traffic jams in the US last year #

443

- rhinos killed in South Africa in 2011 #

40,000

- packs of strawberries that M&S reckon they can "save" with new technology to cut food waste #

80%

- Canadian seal pups that have died due to lack of sea ice #

£473,000

- price of one bluefin tuna at an auction in Tokyo #

We Need A Carmageddon

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Photo by personagrata.me

It's a filler story at best in The Scotsman - just 14% of the ministerial fleet of cars are hybrid or electric.

But what caught my eye was the sheer number of cars available to the government - 208 in total. 208! What in the hell do they need 208 cars for?

When the SNP first came to government back in 2007, they made a great show of reducing the number of people in cabinet. Some may say that it was because there wasn't enough figureheads in the party who were minister-material, but that's beside the point. With the reduction in ministers, there should have been a reduction in ministerial trappings.

Which brings me back to the point - what in the hell do the Scottish Government need with 208 cars?

Green In The Media 2nd - 8th January

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Monday 2nd January

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0430, 1830, 0030, Sun 0630)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

Tuesday 3rd January

Home Planet
On: BBC Radio 4
Time: 15:00 to 15:30
Presented by Richard Daniel. Winters used to be enlivened by huge flocks of lapwings wheeling above the snowy fields, but no more. What has happened to these birds, have they moved or disappeared for good?

Saturday 7th January

Our World
On: BBC News
Time: 05:30 to 06:00 (Also 1930, Sun 1430, 2330)
Ocean Powerhouse.
David Shukman explores the extraordinary engineering behind Britain's giant wind turbines, and asks if offshore wind really is the answer to our energy needs.

Sunday 8th January

Countryfile
On: BBC 1
Time: 18:30 to 19:30
John Craven talks to the prime minister, David Cameron, about some of the biggest issues facing the countryside and the environment in the year ahead.

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Year In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:52:00 +0000

With the end of the holiday period, normal blogging will resume shortly. Meanwhile, here's a pick of some 'green numbers' from 2011:

5,000

- blackbirds that dropped dead from the sky in Arkansas #

84%

- people who oppose government plans to sell off England's forests and woodlands to the highest bidder #

40%

- overstatement of Saudi oil reserves as revealed in a Wikileaks cable #

$8 billion

- fine imposed on Chevron for polluting the Amazaon #

- effective population of Siberian tigers in the wild #

600

- deaths in Scotland each year from air pollution #

216 tonnes

- oil that leaked from a pipe in the North Sea

60 square miles

- size of the surface slick from that oil leak

294

- oil spills per year in the North Sea 2004-2009

4.24 million km²

- minimum of Arctic sea ice this year, the lowest ever #

45%

- increase in global CO² emissions 1990 - 2010 #

590 million

- plastic bags used in Scotland each year #

£470 billion

- subsidies to fossil fuel producers worldwide #

- earthquakes in Blackpool caused by fracking #

£750 million

- investment in Scottish renewable energy in 2011 #

60 seconds

- time "saved" by car drivers after the government scrapped a bus lane on the M4, claiming it was a drain on the economy #

A$23 per tonne

- Australia's new carbon tax #

11th

- where 2011 ranks globally in the warmest years since records began #

2nd

- where 2011 ranks in the UK in the warmest years since records began #

40 years

- time it will take to dismantle the Fukushima nuclear plant

Enjoy The Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:36:00 +0000

It's that time of year again. I swear it comes around quicker every year, although that's probably because the shops start selling Christmas stuff in September!

Enjoy the holidays, and Suitably Despairing will be back some time around New Year.

Get Your Ethical Groove On

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:08:00 +0000

If I hadn't been on the bus, I would have been rolling around on the floor, tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks.

This week, Radio Ecoshock has a "music special". The track which brought on my fit of snot-inducing giggles was by a German Bob Dylan-soundalike (complete with harmonica), trying to get the words 'Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant' to fit in with a one-note strumming guitar.

You can hear it and other "activist" tunes at Radio Ecoshock. Make sure you're not in public!

Make Fares Fairer

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Photo by Tony Austin

And once again, the rail industry is getting a good kicking from all and sundry.

ATOC, the Association of Train Operating Companies, announced today the fare rises that will be implemented in January. My twitter timeline immediately filled up with people screaming in horror at Scotrail and other companies.

The thing is, we do this to ourselves. We announce the same fare increase multiple times a year, so that people are under the impression that fares are continually rising. The fares go up every January, usually by RPI+1%. Then last budget the government announced that for the next few years, fares would increase by RPI+3% (except Scotrail, who would stick to the +1% arrangement). So everyone had a good moan about fare rises.

Then in July every year, ATOC announces any fare rises being implemented in August. These are usually few and far between, but they give the newspapers another chance to kick the industry. Come November, the chancellor announced that actually he's going back to the +1%. And then just before Christmas, every year, the industry announces what those fare increases will be. In January, the newspapers have another easy story about "commuter misery" on the day of the fare rise.

So that's 5 headlines a year about the same fare increase, giving the impression that train fares are continually rising. They're not.

But there's an easy way out of this: petrol equivalent. The idea is simple: you charge the equivalent of what the journey would cost you if you were driving in a car. Obviously the oil price is volatile so you'd have to peg it somehow (maybe a maximum fare, or the average miles per gallon of a family car). The public would know why they're being charged that amount for their journey, and the newspapers would lay off the industry. They can hardly moan about the cost of a train ticket when the cost of filling the car with petrol is the same, can they?

Alternatively, charge by the mile. All journeys would be charged the same amount per mile, so everyone knows what they should be paying depending on how far they're going. 25p per mile would see a Glasgow to Edinburgh fare at £10, while Edinburgh to London would be £82.50.

The fare structure needs a good shake-up, to make it fairer for all.

Time To Move The Conversation On

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Photo by UggBoy<3UggGirl

It was with some trepidation that I listened to Friday's A Point Of View, with Lisa Jardine talking about climate change and scepticism. After all, one of my favourite writers and raconteurs, Clive James, has used the same platform to tell the world's scientists that they're all talking bollocks when it comes to global warming.

So I was pleasantly surprised at what she had to say, offering some advice on how to combat scepticism. Her feeling that the conversation should move on struck a chord too. How many times do we have to hear the same message about what climate change is, and that we should change our lightbulbs and recycle more?

As much as it's time for the scientists to move on in their conversation with the public, it's also time for the politicians, government and NGOs to move on as well. The phrase "we're all in this together" was coined by David Cameron in a bid to sell his cuts to the public service. But it's actually true when it comes to fighting climate change.

We're all in this together, and it's time we graduated from baby steps to big strides.

You can hear A Point Of View on the BBC iPlayer here until Friday.

Green In The Media 19th - 25th December

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Monday 19th December

One Planet
On: BBC World Service Radio
Time: 12:32 to 12:50 (Also Fri 1930, Sat 0430, 1830, 0030, Sun 0630)
One Planet looks at how we use our planet.

The Year the Earth Went Wild
On: Channel 4
Time: 20:00 to 21:00
The Year the Earth Went Wild looks back at a year where almost every month was affected by a natural disaster. With a record-breaking cold winter, the tsunami in Japan, the extraordinary killer American tornado season, the floods in Australia and a hurricane in New York, 2011 has seen an onslaught of epic-scale climate and geological events across the world, all caught on camera in the most spectacular fashion. Using eye-witness footage, interviews with survivors and rescuers, and analysis from geological and weather specialists, this documentary charts the incredible natural events of 2011.

Tuesday 20th December

Home Planet
On: BBC Radio 4
Time: 15:00 to 15:30
Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the world and our impact upon it.

Sunday 25th December

Our World
On: BBC News
Time: 12:30 to 13:00
China's Green Revolution.
News on current issues around the world. China pollutes more than any other country on earth, but now the Chinese government says it wants the country to go green. Can China really clean up its act? Justin Rowlatt goes to see the impact of three unbroken decades of economic growth.

Excerpts taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=20818
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

The Week In Green Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (John Nichol) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:06:00 +0000

80%

-proportion of the Danube's wetlands that have been lost to agriculture #

2.3%

- increase in UK acid rain, the first increase in 40 years #

40 years

- time it will take to dismantle the Fukushima nuclear plant #

200%

- increase in haddock quota on the West Coast #

60%

- people who think it is right to subsidise wind farms #