Rupert's Read

Service Personnel abuse allegations: Oppose the war, but don't abuse the troops   Green Party Lead candidate for the 2009 European Elections makes clear there is no excuse for verbally abusing service men and women   Allegations have been made that RAF men and women in Eastern Region (specifically, service men and women from RAF Wittering, near Peterborough) have been verbally abused by some local residents unhappy about the fact that British forces are occupying Afghanistan and Iraq.   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/7282943.stm   The Green Party has been very active in the peace movement and in opposing the wars. Cllr. Rupert Read, Lead candidate for the 2009 European Elections in Eastern Region, made clear this morning that opposing war and opposing aggression against British service personnel are two sides of the same coin:   "The Green Party is anti-war, pro-peace, but also believes that people should be treat...

My colleague on Norwich City Council, Steve Morphew of Labour, had a letter in the INDY a couple of days ago (you can see it here: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-israel-and-gaza-790495.html ), in which he suggests massive reductions in the amount of CO2 pollution generated by airplanes in order to make flying ‘sustainable’. Sounds great! Only one problem: It simply can't be done, except by flying less . The most optimistic predictions of improvement in the efficiency of air transport in this century is a reduction in CO2 emissions of about 30%. We would need 90-95% efficiencies - within the next few years! - for the rapidly-expanding air transport sector to become sustainable. Research from Norwich ’s Tyndall Centre has shown that air transport is the one sector of our entire economy where, in order to prevent ourselves from permanently destabilising the climate, we are going to HAVE to simply tighten our belts. There is no biofuels-bas...

I was intrigued to see that the Guardian ’s front page story yesterday (see also http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/mar/05/oil.mining ) reveals that Drax, British Gas et al are arguing against a windfall tax on their obscene profits, on the grounds that such a tax would allegedly prevent them investing in measures to 'green' their activities. They quote a spokesman for British Gas as saying that such 'green' technologies are very expensive, far more so than burning fossil fuels. When and how are these corporations going to get the message that not investing in greener technologies will not only literally cost the earth, but will also cost them dear? It seems that the answer to that question is: Only if they are made to pay. In other words: the government must make it expensive to rely on burning fossil fuels. By, for example, levying every year -- and not just this year -- a swingeing tax on any profits made from burning these fast-depleting resources that are p...

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[Further to my earlier posts on this matter:] It is obvious that introducing 20mph limits for residential streets in Norwich would reduce traffic casualties. And what could be more important than that? But not only that; if we reduced the speed limit, we would reduce CO2 emissions, at the same time. Here's why: 'Modal shift' is the key to red ucing carbon emissions. Cars driving too fast (and resultantly dangerous streets) is the key reason why people do not shift to getting about by bike and foot. Ergo: reducing speed limits is the key to reducing emissions. [Here are some good links on the emerging cameras technology that will enable 20mph zones to be policed properly: http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/contractors/photo_enforcement/speed-check/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7046200.stm http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jenny_jones/2007/10/staying_alive.html ]

What does one feel, as one hears of the death toll in Gaza topping 100? Many things, probably; but, if one is a decent person, then one thing one feels is shame at Britain's complicity with Israel's savage attack on Gaza. For we could stop the attack, by revoking Israel's favoured nation status vis a vis trade. But we do not. Essentially, we do nothing, while people die.

http://globalpublicmedia.com/richard_heinbergs_museletter_peak_everything Dear Rupert's readers; have you read Richard Heinberg's 'Peak Everything' yet? Highly-recommended, if you want to be equipped for the true challenge of the 21st century. As you will probably gather from Heinberg's title (!), one thing he is onto is the point that the long crisis that we have entered into isn't just about carbon, or oil -- it is across the piste. So: we are going to need solutions (involving presumably some kind of rationing, in order to be fair to all while sustaining all) across the piste... I am working on this problem, in my philosophical research at present, and will offer highlights of my proposed solutions, in posts later this year.