ALAN SIMPSON
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If there are seminal moments in politics, Jeremy Corbyn’s speech at the 2018 Labour Conference will go down as one of then. This was when the planet took centre stage.
It wasn’t the 130 forest fires raging across the USA that got to me, nor the UK’s moorland fires, the torrential storms hitting Belfast with 2 months rain in 2 hours, the lightning strikes that took out …
When I was a child there was a low wall not far from my nan’s house. It was lined with the nobbled ‘knuckles’ of what had once been an iron-railing fence.
It was one of the biggest infrastructure projects in human history. For much of the 1930’s, and at a cost of 3.3bn francs, France built itself a 900-mile network of tunnels, underground bunkers…
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.” (Greek proverb) Britain has 5.5 million men, and 6.5 million women, who are of pensionable age.
It is 4 years since the death of my friend and mentor, Tony Benn. I could argue that he turns up in every article I write, but that’s a poor substitute for the daily conversations into which he poured tea and optimism in equally copious quantities.
Transformation Moment
My pamphlet 'Transformation Moment' is intended to support the case for a radical shift in energy thinking; as much about democracy as technology, and about 'systems' rather than just supply.
It applies in our own country too. 50% of our CO2 emissions come from the richest 10%. Unless you are talking about a cull, this is a lifestyle issue, not a population one.
This is why I see some people's obsessive focus on #population as a form of reactive denial: an excuse to ignore their own impacts. https://t.co/IJoubV1CxF
Today during DEFRA questions @MichaelGove told MPs that #fracking ‘Fits in perfectly’ with his vision for a green Brexit.
Riding roughshod over local communities to damage our environment is not a vision @UKLabour shares. #BanFracking
It's REALLY important to insist on the 'democracy' element of onshore wind. Elsewhere, community/locality ownership has socialised grid connection (and a right of 'local supply'). Without this it will all end in corporate cartels...and tears.
Momentum building for restart to UK (esp Scottish) onshore wind.
Because it makes no sense to have price caps on energy bills but stop cheapest form of power generation
https://t.co/9o598smbx9
What fraudulent claims surrounding the government's 'Green GB week'. For the record
- most post-1990 cuts in UK emissions came from the 2008 crash and from exporting jobs
- if you include aviation, shipping and imports, Britain's post-1990 CO2 cuts are ZERO.
NO COMFORT ZONE
Govt asks Climate Change Cttee for advice on how to cut UK CO2 emissions to 'net zero'. IPCC says 50% of these cuts must be by 2030. But Govt insists 'no recommendations pre-2032'!
It's like offering Titanic survivors advice on how ships can avoid icebergs.
This has to be Labour's moment. Defeating the Tories would force an election or the 'Peoples' Vote'. Labour MPs failing to do so surely can't expect to retain the PLP whip.
Brexit: David Davis calls for cabinet rebellion
Davis calls for cabinet Brexit rebellion
The former Brexit secretary says Theresa May's plans will prevent the UK striking new trade deals.
www.bbc.co.uk
To be fair, Grayling is only trying to do to the planet what he's already done to the railways.
Start of week - Climate scientists: 'You've got to cut emissions faster than ever before to stave off disaster'
Middle of week - CCC: 'Your road decarbonisation plans are not on track'
End of week - Grayling: 'Let's cut support for electric vehicles'
https://t.co/XnlqY6Tsh9
A Buddhist friend tells me this is our 'holding the pain' moment. Facing the reality of how negligent our society has become is tough. Tinkering is no longer an option. Only transformational change will work. This is our moment. Hug, smile and stay with it.
A hard week for those who've been battling climate change all their working lives. Don't despair! You are making a big difference @crisortunity @James_BG @KeithAllott @jossgarman @benstewart999 and many others. Faster bigger sooner cheaper better smarter! On we go 🙂