HOW TO REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS ? THAT IS THE QUESTION
So much of climate change and global warming and consequent pollution
and destruction of habitat and food supplies is tied up with the use
of
fossil fuels and the unthinking use of hydro power that nearly every
aspect of sustainability involves the derivation and use of fuel and
power,
Fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide when burnt. Continued use of fossil
fuels will only increase the problems of global warming and consequent
climate change. It is absolutely essential to drastically reduce the
use
of fossil fuels if any other efforts to create sustainable development
are to succeed.
The reduction in the burning of fossil fuels is the first priority
of
any sustainable development. Fortunately there are in fact several
alterative sources of heat and power ? all of them free for ever
? which
are waiting to be tapped. The sun, the wind, the waves, the tides,
the
earth and gravity are ambient sources one place or another over the
whole globe. The choice of location for a development need only take
into consideration one or more of these sources to ensure sustainable
heat and power. For existing settlements thought needs to be given
to
how to convey heat and power from sustainable sources.
The need of sustainable power to provide the propulsive force for
transport is also there for the taking in the form of solar, geothermal,
wind and wave produced electricity and hydrogen. These technologies
are
developing apace and are already producing viable results, slowed
only
by the protectionism of old fossil fuel producers and their transport
clients, as demonstrated by the documentary "Who Killed the Electric
Car?".
Nuclear power, once heralded as the power of the future, has still
to
fully develop, with fission having its radiation problems and fusion
still to reach commercial realization, but potentially another source
of
secure energy supply.
19°C - Sunny intervals with variable cloud cover
SCOTLAND is to host a major pan-European conference on how best to protect the environment. More than 100 delegates from across Europe will attend the meeting in Dunblane to discuss a range of topics including climate change and the effects of the financial crisis.
Marine energy test site installed in south-west
The Knutsford Great Race
With entrants on penny farthings, hobby horses, bone shakers, this was British eccentricity at its best? In pictures: Knutsford's penny farthing race Cycling's answer to the Goodwood Festival of Speed was held in a small, quiet town south of Manchester on Sunday.
Letters: Forget ecotowns, we need smarter cities
Use of terms like smart cities to describe technological fixes for urban areas only shows the narrowness of UK thinking on cities and sustainability (Smarter cities, Society, 8 September). The smart growth movement has been well-established in North America and elsewhere for the last 15-20 years and has shown that towns and cities are the future for most of us. But the challenges and sustainability they offer lie in much wider spatial, transport and community planning innovations.
Wind power's growth is blowing Europe toward green goals
Europe is installing more wind power capacity than any other form of energy, and wind is leading the way to making the continent's electricity generation 100% renewable by 2050. Today, only five percent of Europe's electricity comes from wind. But that will not be the case for long.
Minister defends cut in Welsh MPs
A government minister has defended plans to reduce the number of MPs, which the opposition claims will hit Wales harder than England.
Scotland to align green energy laws with England
The Scottish government launched two public consultations on Wednesday aimed at bringing its small-scale green project planning and renewable rewards laws in line with those in the rest of the United Kingdom.
The greenest government ever? Only if the Treasury can be tamed | Michael Jacobs
The silence from Osborne and Cable is ominous. The next few weeks are crucial to keep the low-carbon economy on track. This would be "the greenest government ever", David Cameron declared in May - easy words in the first flush of office. The difficult thing is making them true. In the next few weeks the coalition will confront a series of decisions that will tell us if the heady rhetoric of spring is to be fulfilled ? or regretted.
UK windfarms set generation record
Although there are many who do not think that 'windfarms' are the way forward when it comes to electricity generation, it seems that the increasing numbers of turbines are starting to make a difference in terms of generating capicity. Whereas until recently renewable sources accounted for around 2.5% of UK electricity, according to the National Grid, a record was set during the first week of September.
Smart meters alone may not save much energy: study
LONDON (Reuters) - Smart meters to boost energy efficiency in homes do not automatically achieve a significant reduction in energy demand, research showed on Wednesday.
