What is it about global warming that turns sane men into ranting alarmists?

Neil Collins

The science of climate change is far from settled, but one thing’s for sure: energy bills are set to rise. So why don’t Labour’s gurus offer practical policy ideas instead of doom-laden prophecies?

There is plenty that we could do, if the government would stop grandstanding and help prepare us for much higher home heating bills. An intelligent letter to the Financial Times from one Abby Taubin of London SE22 last month pointed out that with a little financial encouragement she could put in geo-thermal heating and rainwater loos tomorrow to add to her ten photovoltaic roof panels. ‘Within a year my house would be a net exporter of electricity and carbon neutral. I live in a very, very ordinary house.’ Instead, she receives peanuts for any electricity exported to the grid, ‘and I get a kick up the proverbial as thanks’.

Most of us would be pleasantly surprised to get anything else from this useless administration, but if the problem is a quarter as bad as the doomsday duo of Stern and Giddens say, they might help fashion policies that make sense, rather than generating yet more hot air.

Neil Collins is a columnist for the London Evening Standard

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Kit

July 4th, 2008 12:41pm Report this comment

I assume Abby Taubin's "little financial encouragement" will mean higher taxes and energy bills for the rest of us. No thanks.
If micro-generation was financially viable or an efficient method of generating energy we would all be doing it.

Amelie

August 7th, 2008 2:47pm Report this comment

Over the last few years I have read/watched with interest all the coverage on Global Warming and would like some straight answers.
Who are the main greenhouse polluters, I've read that 20% come from cows, and that 20% actually comes from the leaf degredation in the forests around the world, so my question is what percentage of the harmful gases are actually created by man, industry and driving cars ?
My impression is that we can actually have little affect overall, since we account for very little of the greenhouse gas creation.
Therefore is this just over hyped ? Is the Global warming industry too big for us to have a good look at the real facts and get back to reality ?

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