The Big Ask Climate Debate comments_228 April 2008
The government has increased pollution by creating these stupid chicanes all over the place. every day i see long lines of traffic waiting "their turn" to go through. Multiply that by millions & your talking a lot of CO2
Peter Dite
Good debate. Good on Blair for including the Bill - but he is still spinning the Government's performance. Annual targets would stop future PMs doing this.
Sarah Williams
I agree more needs to be done regarding climate change, in this country and over seas. The UK must do it's bit even when others aren't, perhaps we will show them the way as the Prime Minister stated.
However at what cost to the average man on the street, we are already being taxed more than ever before in one form or another. We work hard and treat ourselves to a nice car to be told that we could now face massive rises in tax, parking schemes and fuel duty. We buy a nice house to be told that the improvements we have saved or borroed money for will now be subject to massive taxes, spy satalites checking on what we have done and inspectors with the power to enter your home to check what you have that can be taxed.These two reasons along with many others leave me having little faith in anything the Prime Minister says, and whatever he does about the climate I'm sure it will end up costing me money and reducing the quality of my life now. Selfish, maybe but will the Prime Minister ever have to worry about money to the extend he may lose his home, car or be able to afford a holiday next year, I don't think so.
Tony Blair has no credability in this country anymore and is not the person we need to see supporting and implementing any policy regarding climate change. Leave it to someone who doesn't see the British public as a bank account to support his place in history.
James Braid
How can the Govt. balance current carbon emmission objectives with their plans for massive & unstainable growth in the aviation sector? Surely the two things can never be achieved together?
Secondly, why should huge numbers of people living near airports suffer greatly so that people can fly to Spain (c.500 miles) for £10? It costs me £33 to get a return train from Basingstoke to London (c.40 miles).
Ashley Watson
Have the government considered giving [office] workers greater rights to home-working? This would vastly cut down on commuting, and therefore carbon emissions. Incentives could be given to employers for the carbon they're saving through allowing their employees to work from home, or the current flexible working for parents legislation could be updated to include those for whom it is feasible to work from home.
Catherine Watson
The amount of carbon emmissions that this country is only 2% of the worlds emissions. The western goverments should be assisting the likes of China and India in helping them to change their technologies.
We should also remember that the world has developed over millenia by rising temperatures and lower temperatures.
There are volcanoies all around the world that should they erupt will cause greater devestation to the human race that global warming, and their is more chance of these erupting than global warming.
Stop preaching, I do not need nannying from either yoursevles or any government.
Ian Pawson
I think the whole thing is an fantastic excuse for the government to extort more money out of the british tax payer.
The minute amount of emissions from a country the size of the UK has little to no effect globally. Without the buy in from the Usa, Austalia, China and the middle east there will be no effect. And this simply is not going to happen.What a great excuse though to increase car tax, introduce emmissions based parking taxes (which not only effect gas guzzlers but family saloons) etc...
Cars are a necessary evil due to very poor public transport, unless you live in the city of course.
Mr Bllair does not live in the real world and is intent on bringing this country to it's knees.
John Bigger
Please could those with funding behind them to take a close look at the current issue of New Scientist. There is an article about a new breed of solar cells, and ones closely relating to organic ones in nature.
These new cells capture a far greater percentage than normal solar panels that are normally not the economicaly viable option (I think 15% efficiency). Other methods are more efficient eg nuclear, however, imaging 60-80%.
These scientists have found ways, yet they are only being given $1 million, im sure we can be the pioneers by offering £10 million or so more and bringining this to finalisation of research and complete viability in mass production. Imaging every rooftop in London with these cells. Each day the sun emits enough solar energy upon this planet to power the entire energy usage of the world for a year!
I hope someone in government reads this and takes action.
Sebastian Swainsbury
I sometimes feel that I have little effecct on the climate , even the amount of changes I make to my own family life will not make a big difference if industry can still do what it likes!
I feel taxes should be made to industries which do little to recycle, reuse ect. If people are going to be penalised for putting out too much rubbish at home there will be a huge problem with fly tipping, We all need to know that the big people are trying to do their bit as well as little people like me.
Rebecca Griffiths
Civilisation will be destroyed completely if we don't solve this one. Problems like Iraq are trivial and yet we spend so much on them.Plankton absortbs CO2 but does not grow in warm seawater.Genetically modified plankton which would live in warm water would absorb an immense amount of CO2 although it would also change the pH of the sea which could cause other problems but something on this scale is needed. We must stop trying to tie our shoelaces as the ceiling falls in!
Eric Glynn
I work in the Facilities industry, and think that all new-build developments (housing, commercial, industrial, education, hospitals etc) should be required to have at least one form of renewable energy generation designed into the building.
This could be roof mounted solar generators for hot water, as even British winters can provide enough heat energy to heat domestic hot water.
Another suggestion could be chimney mounted wind turbines that could generate low voltage electricity for adapted lighting.
Andy Townend
I fully support and congratulate the Prime Minister for standing up for his (alas, increasingly rarely held) conviction that Nuclear power is the only way forward. However, has he considered a compromise measure which would (I suggest) be acceptable both to FOE and proponents of Nuclear power such as myself - that of Nuclear Fusion? With no radioactive waste produced, an unlimited supply of fuel (water), and an energy output far in excess of any current methods, this technology seems the obvious way forward. While, as yet, scientists have been unable to perfect the technique, could a bill such as the climate change bill not provide the long term scope for investment necessary to develop this vital tool in our arsenal against global warming?
William Haig
Individuals can contribute by recycling at home but the really big gains will come by forcing companies to do more to recycle their waste - office lights and PCs on all day and night, printers only doing single sided printing when printers are capable of double sided printing - I work for one of the banks in Canary Wharf [unfortunately I can't name it as I'd find a P45 on my desk for bringing the company into disrepute]. They have these schemes for doing work in the community etc but there is a complete absence of recycle bins for paper, aluminium cans, cardboard ... waste on an industrial scale.
Edward Nigma
Has consideration been given to stopping the production of the traditional light bulb?
A simple step to remove the older more energy-demanding lamps and replace them with the more modern lower energy equivalent would reduce the country's electricity consumption on ligting alone.
This could be phased in so manufacturers have time to develop alternatives and improve research and development to increase the efficiency of the lamps, rather than forcing an over-night ban.
Nobody likes increased taxes, so this could be considered as an option to help "force" out the older lamps. Increase the tax on non "A" rated lamps, or possibly reduce the tax on "A" rated lamps.
Andy Townend
We have already passed the tipping point where climate change is unstoppable. Our measures to curb Co2 emissions may be well intentioned but are not going to make any global impact. we should be putting our efforts into becoming self sufficient in energy rather than becoming increasingly dependant on energy superpowers. We are on a sinking ship - we now need to be building lifeboats not trying to drain the water from the oceans - don't you agree?
James Phillips
Tony Juniper is absolutely right - to introduce nuclear power production as a means of cutting carbon emisions is unecconomical and unsustainable - in the true meaning of the word. We do not yet know how to deal with the waste - for all the great decommisioning works going on at the moment we still only know how to control and store it safely. There are more sustainable technologies that are now mature and with less than the injection of investment now earmarked for nuclear could make a real difference. Thank you Tony Blair for raising the issues - but now is the time to act. It would take less time and money to make a swift change in energy production than it would to argue about it for years and have to sort it all out later...and thats just savings within the same budget!
Jane Belton
Of course, those of us who have studied the history of climate change over the last few thousands of years, and know that global warming is a myth, will be excluded from the debate. If we had a run of years as hot as 1778-1781, or 1335, or the early 1420s, or 1911, or 1921, I might start being impressed.
Alan Fisk
I am a trainee primary school teacher in my last year at university but first and foremost I am a mother.
I urge you to bring this topic into the primary curriculum to let children voice their fears and learn how to make positive changes. They are more aware of what is happening to our planet (their future) than you think and we need to empower them to make a difference now and in the future. If all they hear about these issues are 'doom and gloom' how can we expect them to connect with the environment? They need to understand the issues and see that they can make a difference. I wonder if these issues are some of the reasons todays dissafected youth seem to be just giving up on being good citizens - maybe they can't see any point!
I also would like to see one central point for information on how and what to recycle - in particular plastic recycling which everything seems to come in nowerdays! People also need to be aware that producing this packaging is contributing to global warming. Maybe we need to take our own pots/containers to shops to get refills! I understand that we are now able to take off any extra packaging and leave it at supermarkets but I only found this out from word of mouth - why hasn't there been anything in the news? I am sure that supermarkets would put pressure on suppliers to be more 'green' if they were inundated with unwanted packaging!
Josie Brown
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