I have been critical of various government policies that have been done in the name of net zero yet on analysis may well increase the output of world CO 2. I have been generally critical of policies designed to shut down carbon intensive activities in the UK, only to import from abroad.
Knowing how keen the Opposition parties and government are on cutting our CO 2, I thought today I would set out some obvious ways of doing this that the government should consider. In many cases they would also cut public spending and generate more tax revenue, helping tackle excessive debts and deficits as well.
- Reduce the numbers of legal migrants to the UK. One of the biggest causes of extra CO 2 is the need to build homes, surgeries, schools, other public facilities and utility provision for an extra 600,000 people a year on last year’s figures. Once the construction is done then they all turn on their gas central heating and get in their petrol cars. That is a big rise in CO 2.
- Extract more gas and oil from the North Sea, recording a substantial CO 2 saving on imports.
- Remove the Old Oak Common to Euston leg of HS 2, saving a large amount of CO 2 intensive concrete, steel and construction activity.
- Install better insulation and solar roof panels in a wide range of public sector buildings to cut energy use and cost.
- Cut back heavily on government trips abroad in person using jet travel, by using on line conference calls much more. Encourage the COP meetings to be on line as it looks so bad to see so much jet travel and air conditioned hotel use for an anti CO 2 conference.
- Encourage the development of synthetic fuels so we can continue to use existing vehicle/plane/plant engines for longer. This will save all the CO 2 involved in scrapping existing technology and making all new electric versions. Extending useful lives and recycling is crucial to cutting CO 2. Synthetic fuels can be introduced as soon as they are available by increasing the proportions put into the current fossil fuels. (E 10 petrol. sustainable aviation fuel)
- Do not subsidise more electric cars, heating systems and the rest until a) all our electrical power is low or no carbon and b) there is enough grid and cable capacity to do this
- Â Please get better at carbon accounting
September 29, 2023
Good morning.
Sir John
It has nothing to do with cutting CO2 or even saving the planet / environment. It is about de-industrialization and control. It is also about moving jobs and business to China and the Far East and weakening of the West and its democracies.
Globalism = Communism.
When one looks on at the sheer and utter nonsense of what is happening, one can only ask; “Cui bono ?”
To which the only answer – “It isn’t us, the little people !”
September 29, 2023
Check out Ivor Cummings CO2 factual round up on YouTube. Even MP’s will be able to understand his presentation!!
September 29, 2023
Wow!
September 29, 2023
Well said Mark. It is scam created by Miliband, called out as Marxism by Cameron and now gold plated by treacherous May without public mandate and furthered by Carrie Johnson, sorry Boris Johnson.
JR forgets the elephant in the room, Sunak is aligning to EU environment rules, regs and laws. Sunak refuses to scrap EU laws as demanded by the public who gave his party the mandate to do so! Sunak paying âŹ34 million to comply with EU fuel rules across our country when we voted leave!! What utter contempt Sunak and Starmer has for the nation and public. Hunt rules out tax cuts!! Hunt overseas 132,000 more civil servants this year, but no tax cuts can be contemplated!
EU buys an additional 35% LNG from Russia while Sunak builds further EU energy inter-connectors and wastes billions of our taxes supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine to fightâŠ..Russia!! Oh, and we have 180,000 of their citizens here to provide for! JRâs party is full of Nutters.
Trump called out all these global nonsense scams like Paris agreement, China directing UN directives for benefit of China detriment of west and was hounded out of office and persecuted from the time he was elected until now!!
Meanwhile Unelected Sunak aligning UK to EU, taking direction from EU against public mandate and giving away N.Ireland. Sunakâs EU Windsor sell out being implemented without Stormont or consent of local or people across the UK. Sunak and Starmer quarrelling over who will implement EU rules, regs and deliberately not diverge against the public mandate to so.
September 29, 2023
Mark, to supporty your point:
– CO2 represents 0.04% of atmospheric gas
– Humans are responsible for 3/100ths of the total CO2 emissions each year
– The UK population is responsible for 1/100th of the total human emissions
This means we in the UK are causing 1 millionth of an increase in world CO2 levels each year. Find me the scientist who can prove that level of change affects climate.
September 29, 2023
Spot-on and I’ve told this blog/Sir JR a dozen times but he has never made the point in Parliament (to my knowledge)
UK CO2 contribution = 0.00045% In other words virtually nothing ……………………………..
Reply Not in Parliament. I am trying to influence them to do sensible things, not wind them up. I have before set out percentages of CO 2 in air. I have set out in Parliament UK’s contribution of under 1 % compared to China’s 30%
September 29, 2023
Sir John, if you have no impact on these morons what hope have we? Refer them to Tony Hellers website, Real Climate Science. Enough there and other websites to show the rank stupidity of our Westminster fools. UK’s 1% of the 3% of man made CO2 of which CO2 makes up 0.04% of our atmosphere. (Our contribution is 0.000012). How on earth is our bankrupting our Country by our politicos think is helping to save the planet with those figures? Madness exporting our industries to reimport the same goods at higher CO2 levels produced by coal powered stations. Not fracking our own gas but importing it from America and Qatar. Highest power prices in the G20 and no immediate plans to build nuclear power. Governed by idiots.
September 29, 2023
Sir JR, with the greatest respect, perhaps it is time to mention it in Parliament.
September 29, 2023
Mark B
Agreed. ACC and NZ are a complete fraud and cutting CO2 is meaningless, a means to an end as you describe.
September 29, 2023
So the extension on the banning of ICE cars and heat pumps is no such thing.
The sales targets have not been scrapped so you just won’t be able to buy one after 2030.
We’ll become like Cuba unless of course the next move is to ban all non Euro6 compliant vehicles.
No one believes a word fishy says.
September 29, 2023
Why do you want do reduce CO2 when it’s beneficial to the planet.
September 29, 2023
I sense that Sir John is aware that CO2 is not a problem, but the meme is so entrenched that to challenge it directly produces the “denier” label, with the usual pile on by the media and the “socials”, leaving him hors de combat. The meme of “CO2 heating the planet” will take some time to de-programme and will have to come eventually via the media, who currently reinforce it several times a day, seven days a week. The truth behind the headlines doesn’t matter, it’s the headline that counts.
September 29, 2023
I did note that a meeting of EU countries refused to endorse EU plans to toughen vehicle emission standards still further. Not widely reported, especially by the climaterati like the BBC.
September 29, 2023
There is a punitive fine on failure to meet EV or Heat pumps, meaning that to cover the fines, manufacturers are putting up the cost of replacement existing boilers. Sleight of hand.
September 29, 2023
Mark B +100
Net Zero Watch and others note that the net zero excuse is slowly and is quietly being dropped… but what will take its place? AI – Digital currency and digital ID?
September 29, 2023
Seems so. A bit more CO2 plant, crop and tree food is, on balance, a net good.
So I would not do anything at all to reduce UK CO2 but if you really wanted to do so this is how to do so.
Stop heating houses other than perhaps one room and wear more thermals and jumpers.
Stop all private jets, helicopters all flight to be economy 3,000 miles per person PA on full aircraft only. Including everyone from our King of Hypocrisy Prince William down. Ban EVs as keeping your old saves more CO2 than causing a new EV to be constructed. Stop gyms, hobby cycling or walking as this wastes carbon intensive human food energy. Stop building things, live many to a room live of potatoes, turnips and cabbages. In short kill the economy and depress living standards hugely.
JR says make synthetic fuels yes but you need lots of low carbon energy to make these. Probably from nuclear or wind but we have none spare. Making synthetic fuels from fossil fuel is far worse than just using them directly.
Not that CO2 is a problem.
Drill, mine and frack for now use the money saved on lots of R&D on fusion, better nuclear, better batteries, better heat pumpsâŠwhen they work and are cost effective people will buy them without subsidies.
September 29, 2023
1. CO2 plant tree and crop food is just the ruse not a real problem in fact a bit more is a net benefit.
2. China, India, Americas, South Africa⊠are not going to cooperate anyway so what the UK does is immaterial anyway.
3. The things the government push wind, solar, heat pumps, EV cars, public transport, walking cycling⊠save little or no CO2 anyway.
4. Even if CO2 were causing a climate emergency (it is not) then adaptation using the trillions wasted on net zero for sensible things now would be far better for saving lives and far more immediate.
5. If we did even need to cool the planet reducing CO2 is far from the best way to do it.
5. CO2 is not even the main green house gas (water vapour/clouds are) and manmade CO2 is only a small fraction of total CO2. The more CO2 there is the more is absorbed by plants, oceans, seaweed and trees.
6. CO2 is just one of many thousands of factors that affect the climate not even a large one.
7. 40% of the recent rather trivial warming over the past 150 years is heat island effects and location of thermometers so nothing to do with CO2.
Is that enough reasons to ditch net zero. All are true and most are sufficient in themselves to ditch it.
September 29, 2023
Do you seriously believe that that is what our political establishment is doing? If it was true, they must surely realise that, as in the past, people will not put up with it. There is no state that can stand against the people – when enough people have had enough.
Whilst what is happening is as you describe, I put it down to incompetence and stupidity. I donât believe it is actually deliberate.
September 29, 2023
I believe China is more than capable of bombarding social media with bogus virtue-signalling eco-liberals. Why else would a minority get so much visibility in our media, central Govt, schools & unis, establishment institutions etc. Why else would they believe itâs in our interests to commit economic suicide?
September 29, 2023
We are talking about people who cannot define a woman and think promoting people based on their ethnicity or gender is neither racist or sexist.
Given that, one can easily believe these people will believe and do anything.
September 30, 2023
Exactly.
September 29, 2023
@Mark B +1
September 29, 2023
Mark B ;
Agreed.
September 29, 2023
The tories have saved the planet, our grandchildren are safe âŠ.this tory government have banned those little tiny plastic forks from fish nâ chip takeaways
Not sure if the ban is to reduce co2 in china or clear up their polluted rivers âŠmaybe its to please the UN IPCC, but anyway the green party are happy
September 29, 2023
A high speed train line of less than 250 miles is pointless. Most Londoners probably have to allow some 45 minutes to catch a train at Euston, then say 15 minutes at the other end. There is no way of speeding up these connection times totalling 1 hour , so saving 20 to 30 minutes on the train time is pretty irrelevant.
September 29, 2023
Spot on Robert. The speed benefit of HS2 mostly comes from rarely stopping in the trip from Birmingham to London. Trains could already do this today if allowed.
September 29, 2023
Exactly, but fewer stops means longer end connections of course – so usually longer door to door journeys.
September 29, 2023
Indeed and they are only high speed if they do not stop much. So the often double trip (taxi or lift) end connections to/from stations become longer and door to door the journey times end up longer anyway. Even if a bit of it in the middle is at 200mph.
September 29, 2023
Excellent Sir John, as always sensible arguments but with so many vested interests involved you are p***ing in the wind?
September 29, 2023
Seems so only a tiny handful of MPs are sound on this issue perhaps 10 at most.
September 29, 2023
Like so many Government ‘initiatives’ who stands to gain the money or control?
September 29, 2023
Politicians cannot control the earth’s temperature or climate but they take an evil delight in controlling people by using fear – the tactic of tyrants through the ages. This is a scam designed to control and impoverish the minority for the benefit of a wealthy globalist cabal.
September 29, 2023
Brian +1
September 29, 2023
Sure is.
September 29, 2023
Should have written “impoverish the majority”.
September 29, 2023
Good Morning,
Can government send the latest EU fine, for activities Post Brexit, to Bunter Johnson to pay? He seems to be the only one making any money following his premiership.
September 29, 2023
No one cares about cutting CO2 nor indeed understands what or why it matters except the now despotic State which in itself should tell you all you need to know.
Maybe our esteemed host should instead condemn the politicisation and weaponisation of the CO2 cult to drive through total control of our economic and social existence.
As a free-market, small State advocate one does wonder why John doesn’t do this? Something doesn’t add up and it would help the board if John makes some attempt to square the circle. One suspects he’s as captured by woke, progressive environmentalism as is his now repugnant party
We so desperately need a brutal Thatcherite who takes an axe to the whole shitty, slimy woke infrastructure whose only purpose is the politicisation of humanity
ps SCUM BBC cannot be allowed to destroy GB News. It’s time Tory MPs stand up for what is decent and moral
September 29, 2023
Free speech?
September 29, 2023
Boulton called for GB News to be banned. This is because his beloved Sky News rubbish has lost so many viewers to GBN. Typical of the ‘in crowd’ who see their interests being downgraded. Where is the balance on Sky or the BBC? Seems the regulator has gone missing in action when it comes to these two establishment favourites. More censorship on the way in addition to recent parliament acts, and under a so-called Tory government at that. We desperately need a new system, the current one is being abused by the globalists.
September 29, 2023
Indeed, I never liked Adam Boulton! What Fox said was indeed rather juvenile but far less bad than Jo Brand and her Farage battery acid comment. Not remotely a sacking offence.
September 29, 2023
+1 the BBC with it endless net zero, climate emergency, lefty, woke⊠propaganda is a pure force for evil.
September 29, 2023
Why are they not even looking at the 200+ a day excess post vaccine programme deaths? More deaths in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated form ONS figures.
September 29, 2023
Sir John you are just pointing out in a round about way that over population is a cause of climate change if we accept that human activity generation of CO2 is the only cause for the climate to change.
Is there a document circulating in parliment giving the detailed basis/ proof that the generation of CO2 from burning fosil fuel is the only cause , if not the main cause ?
Happy to accept that there are harmful products also produced in the process. However these can be filtered out and not released to the atmosphere.
Are there any studies on the possibility that we are generating more heat energy and just warming up the planet. This warming will release more CO2 from natural storage.
Cutting down trees and covering the ground in concrete reduces nature’s ability to capture CO2.
If you cover your garden in nice looking stone you add to global warming. Grass, a few small trees, and flowers in the ground ,not in pots, helps net-zero along đ
September 29, 2023
Exactly. Best way to capture CO2 is to plant and grow trees. Idea: for every tree planted by a taxpayer, he/she gets a ÂŁ10.00 reduction in income tax. Government merely needs to identify the wild areas (perhaps look at some maps from the medieval cartographers for locations) to be re-forested.
September 29, 2023
Overpopulation is the main cause of world problems. However, even if population growth stops for 20 years, world consumption of energy increases.
Many of the 2.8 billion people living in China and India who previously lived frugally are rapidly developing modern lifestyles. Consequently, their purchasing power and desire for products and services are building faster, creating ever-greater demands.
It is right that people are free to live comfortably, yet too many presently live to needless excess and waste, adding to discomfort and harm for all.
September 29, 2023
Why bother? CO2 is not only good for the environment but absolutely essential for plant growth.
September 29, 2023
I think so too. However, John’s list are things that would also cut pollution, which I believe is the bigger problem. How much better it would be to manufacture things here rather than the far east, with the pollution that runs freely down their rivers?
I particularly like point 6. Even without the CO2 agenda, fossil fuels will some day run out and liquid fuels are concentrated forms of energy, storing far more than batteries.
September 29, 2023
Synthetic fuels just store energy they are not a source of it. So you need a cheap source of energy to make them. This probably has to be nuclear, wind, solar. Otherwise you might as well just use the existing fossil fuels directly as this would produce less CO2 and waste less energy. Currently synthetic fuels and H2 will cost about 3-15 times more than petrol, diesel, methane, coalâŠ
If you do this from Solar best put the solar panels some where sunny, cloud free & not in the UK – but it is not remotely cost effective yet. Not even in the Sahara desert.
September 29, 2023
Plants cant survive without CO2 and that means all of animal life as well.
September 29, 2023
And trees, crops, seaweed and animals that feed off these and breath the O2 they create. Plus these trees, crops, seaweed, plants grow even better with a bit more CO2!
September 29, 2023
What a pointless aim. Cut UK emmissions (which is a miniscule fraction of global emmissions) of a gas that is essential to all life and that has had far higher levels in the atmosphere for most of the last 100 million years.
A political agenda designed to control and impoverish the people for the benefit of the ruling class.
September 29, 2023
I hope you know that the homo genus only appeared 2 million years ago. So the previous 98 my might not be that relevant to the discussion. And modern humans around 300,000 years ago, which restricts ever further your point. And the present CO2 concentration is higher than it has been anytime in these last 300,000 years.
But I agree that the UK CO2 emissions are tiny related to the RotW emissions.
climate.nasa.gov âGraphic: The relentless rise of carbon dioxideâ.
September 29, 2023
I think you would persuade many people that these are logical, sensible policies, Sir John, if it were only a matter of policy-making. But I’m afraid what you’re dealing with goes way beyond that. The Net Zero/Save the Planet agenda is a religious cult that’s taken the place of organised religion in many Westerners’ psyche. I see proof of that in the way established churches have quickly spotted the challenge to their existence and have taken up the global warming cause themselves.
The outrage in Green circles over Rosebank confirms the point. If we don’t have fossil fuels for the foreseeable future, we will have an absolutely massive energy deficit in the years to come. There is no way alternative energy sources on current performance and prospects can replace the 70% or more contribution fossil fuel sources make to our energy demands, in the medium term. Yet there’s no recognition of that by Green MP Caroline Lucas, joined by your fellow Tories Chris Skidmore and John Gummer, who blame the government for approving Rosebank.
The Net Zero agenda is faith-based, not fact-based, and it’s still going to be in control of the long-term future of this country unless it’s stopped. Tinkering round the edges of climate policy may be the best you think you can do in Parliament, SJR, but I’m afraid it’s going to take a lot more that.
September 29, 2023
‘The Net Zero/Save the Planet agenda is a religious cult…’ (I’d rather say a great delusion, whilst acknowledging that the climate has always changed, since the Creation.) Who says Politics and religion don’t mix – what a people believes is foundational to that nation’s existence! If you don’t believe me, just look at the headlines on the news each day. And note the great statues and paintings in the vicinity of Parliament.
Dear Sir John, as usual, you make some good points, as the best of a bad job, for which we thank you. But if you will forbear, our time is characterized by Romans 1: ‘Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools’….(1:22). And Psalm 2: ‘He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision’ (2:4).
Our beloved country, and the West in general, has known such Divine blessing through faith in Christ and application of the truth of God’s word, which is why it is now such a target for this mindless deconstruction. It is a fitting warning judgment, tempered only by the good that still goes out from us to the world at large. Jeremiah would understand, for they (the clerics) wouldn’t listen to him, either: ‘And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape’ (Jer 23:35). ..but the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10b). And as history will ultimately show, our Creator God is still in control. Christ is the only way of escape, as many hidden souls still quietly and joyfully know, even in the corridors of Parliament. That’s the GOOD NEWS (GOSPEL) we all so sorely need! ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’, as the Apostle Paul described it. As Wesley once preached at St Aldates, Oxford, repentance towards God is the only answer.
‘He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he’ (Deuteronomy 32:4).
September 29, 2023
Its worse than that ….they’re just selling snake oil
September 29, 2023
+1 and even confirmed atheists like the usually very sensible Richard Dawkins seem to have fallen for it.
September 29, 2023
All good stuff and much common sense. Unfortunately it needs ministers to have same plus ability and guts.
Regrettably none on offer.
Highest levels of civil service numbers for decades, 50% ish working from home as the private sector insists more come into the office. Appalling service levels with a pathetic government looking on helplessly, highest tax take ever. Chancellor apparently canât do anything.
DOT, HS2 shows not fit for purpose, equally MOD, Home Office, HMRC.
Writing to my MP, Leo Docherty, always informative, polite, prompt but hubristically totally in denial.
Utterly shambolic.
September 29, 2023
A friend of mine who lives in Wokingham has just had solar panels fitted. He tells me that over the last few weeks the electricity they produce doesn’t amount to much until 10am and drops off mid-afternoon. His surplus power is “sold to the grid” at only 4p/kilowatt hr. The panels are Chinese made and have a lifespan, according to the company selling them, of 25 years. Optimistic? Perhaps. I read that recycling panels is thwart with difficulties and carries a high carbon footprint. These are the years of madness.
September 29, 2023
A friend has been quoting we will be remembered as ‘the Age of Incompetence’ for some years.
I wholeheartedly have to agree.
September 29, 2023
Good suggestions for a situation where the politicians insist on appearing to cut CO2, except for the COP conferences and ministerial travel. They should stay as now, so more and more people can see the hypocrisy of it all and we eventually stop this madness.
September 29, 2023
I am surprised that a person of your intelligence still talks about reducing that trace element! Or is it you have to to maintain your salery.
No body buys that rubbish anymore, its just bullying , by the mob!
September 29, 2023
How can anyone disagree with these excellent points – Only those with a different agenda to that stated by the establishment would not take up every one of the items mentioned.
It really is about time that the decent MPs in the HoC got together to force through this program of rationality — If the government is not ready to comply then we know for sure that they have something different in mind.
JR – Please keep publicising your points and keep pushing HMG – they know they are wrong and need all the persuasion possible to do battle against the econuts.
September 29, 2023
Your list is evident and obvious Sir John which begs the question why these solutions are not part of the debate.
Is it because they are not eye-catching or it is as is more likely that they don’t fit the agenda or impact on the wrong people.
If simple solutions can be ignored that suggests that there is no crisis in the first place.
September 29, 2023
Itâs so sad to see politicians fall into the NetZero group think.
You should be asking why the modern raw temperature data has revised upwards, why old high temperature records have been revised out, why heat island effects have not revised temperature downwards.
Net Zero, just like lockdowns, is a pseudo-scientific political fraud.
Politicians are members of a cult waiting for the end of the world that has no date and will never come.
September 29, 2023
All of those 8 measures would leave quality of life for us ordinary plebs unaffected. They are all feasible to implement at first sight, and would all serve the professed purpose of the statutory targets. Why, then, do we have the current attacks on ICE cars and gas boilers, and anticipated attacks on general freedom of movement, foreign travel and choice of food? Who wrote the tune to which so many governments are dancing?
September 29, 2023
David Cooper
The tune is written by, WEF, UN, mega rich billionaires and certain giant financial institutions. No doubt China, as a main beneficiary, had also written a chapter or two
Reply A couple of billionaires and one quango do not rule the world. If only it were that easy. The problem is the whole globalist establishment of big quangos, treaties, international bodies and leading governments buy into the same script on new zero and economic policy and turn it into a legally binding framework. .
September 30, 2023
Yes, agreed, so policy is not made by our lawmakers for our benefit. Our lawmakers are therefor controlled.
September 29, 2023
The 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development signed by the Tory Party in 2015.
Goal 13: Climate Action. “Climate change is caused by human activities and threatens life on earth as we know it. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated. Its impacts can be devastating and include extreme and changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.”
Dr John Clauser, Nobel Laureate in Physics has asserted that anthropomorphic CO2 release is not the main driver of climate change. He was recently cancelled by the IMF.
September 29, 2023
Most sensible and independent physicists, whose jobs do not depend on following the group think religion, think CO2 climate alarmism is (at best) a huge exaggeration and at worst a blatant fraud.
September 29, 2023
The eight proposals are sensible and well-reasoned with good prospects of achieving effective results. However the current PM is a slow learner who experiments with bad ideas first, only to realise the folly of his ways when he notices the damage he has caused. Voters are not folly followers. They need a Right First Time person for the shortest path to better.
September 29, 2023
Did the Trojans earnestly discuss which breed of horse was represented, or which wood had the Horse been constructed from?
As if it mattered !!!
Neil Oliver says it so well, âWeâre talking loudly and honestly about less and less.
Weâre not talking about . . . . . . â
September 29, 2023
Also, plant more trees to offset CO2 rather than waste energy, expense and effort constructing carbon capture technology.
September 29, 2023
Start in your garden sir, cover the whole area, after all it produces nothing.
September 29, 2023
David Frank Paine
Have you seen the deranged plan from Bill Gates? He wants to cut down 70 million acres of trees and bury them!!
Reply Try re reading what he said. This is reported as a false account.
September 29, 2023
Well if you follow the logic and (wrongly) wish to reduce CO2 the. chopping down mature trees and burying them or building with them and then planting new growing trees in their place is the best way to do this. Mature trees do not capture net CO2 only growing trees do. But as CO2 is not really a problem and I like old trees!
September 29, 2023
Could not agree more… plus this would be leading by example which is what all Government at every level should do!
September 29, 2023
First we need an open scientific debate on whether CO2 is the great satan that the vociferous unwashed claim it is. I know it is plant food and I know that industry and vehicles are capable of producing far more noxious gases than CO2. I also know that historically the World coped with higher and lower concentrations of CO2 to no ill effect. Finally I would suggest that man is doing things far more dangerous to human flora and fauna life than producing an excess of CO2. Sewage in our rivers and seas, plastic in our seas, destruction of rainforests, over fishing, and diets for self destruction.
If CO2 really is the great satan then your list of proposals make sense.
September 29, 2023
Man is doing far more dangerous things for mankind too like Covid 19 lab leaks, gain of function experiments and it seems the huge net harm Covid vaccines.
September 29, 2023
Sir Redwood,
You will not buy the green cult with sensible CO2 reductions, what they want is a society similar to pre industrial Britain.
They want us to be poor because then we canât afford flying, eating meat, cars, or buying stuff, all of which are a âcarbon sinâ.
September 29, 2023
I am a little surpried not see some of the following on the list:
a) Expansion of nuclear electricity generation for the UK Grid and for shipping.
b) Since the USSR already had nuclear power packs small enough to power spacecraft in the late 1960s, perhaps measure a) should be extended also to assess the feasibility of powering aircraft and trains with the far more advanced, compact and safer nuclear technology available today. I uinderstand this would scare the public but it is a question of balancing risks. If it is the only way to avoid the earth boiling us all alive, or whatever the IPCC promised, why not? At the least it might help the more frenzied catastrophists to get a grip.
c) Fracking
d) Proper evaluation of the so called science to assess the urgency and uncertainty of the supposed mal-effects of climate change. the science is far from settled and public funding grossly biassed in finding causes to panic.
e) Research and evaluation of measures to adapt to rather than prevent the more likely mal-effects of climate change.
f) Public investment in and evaluation of alternatives to wind and solar such as carbon capture, hydrogen, right through to feasibility and prototypes
g) Research, perhaps led by a competition, to develop measures to reduce heat loss in buildings. We seem never to have advanced beyond traditional loft and wall cavity insulation and double glazing. This measure applies to new and existing buildings but retrofitting is usually more difficult and expensive. Most of UK’s housing stock is old so better retrofitting should be a priority.
September 29, 2023
We certainly should fund some climate realist scientists to point out the drivel being pushed. Just as we should have had some to counter the lockdown lies and Covid vaccination dangers!
September 29, 2023
If the only reason to reduce co2 is to comply with the UN IPCC sea rise prediction & its target of restricting global temperature to +1.5 degree âŠ.then your reasons are fraud
September 29, 2023
The sea has always risen between the many ice ages. Milanovic cycles through our orbit and tilt drive the temperature changes/tectonic plates as do the impact of the Sun’s intensity. Certainly not the 3% 0f the 0.04% of man made CO2.
September 29, 2023
Sir John â the real and only way to achieve this objectives, is first to think! Then make sure there is no banning, no cancelling and no political inspired indoctrination.
Get those basics in place(its called living in a Democracy), then set about creating to engage UK Business(I mean UK, owned, and run) and create the framework for âthemâ to help move the Country forward. Instead of control and punish help the best of the best evolve. If things are better at a similar cost, the consumer makes the choice, not the Authorities. That can only happen when this Conservative Government stops stealing from the Taxpayer to fund multiply foreign regimes before engaging with those in the UK. This Conservative Government as with all Governments they have to remember they are rubbish at managing, but great at destroying.
EVâs could be good, the UK has the ability and capability to manufacture outstanding products to suit the UKâs need. Stealing from the taxpayer to support manufacture elsewhere just doesnât cut it. Importing from regimes that have weaponised trade, whilst using UK taxpayer money to fund the transfer of UK wealth, is just plain malicious destruction.
September 29, 2023
@ian B – An illustration of the point I am making, a good few years back the Government inspired to get people out of their cars and onto public transport. All very WEF Socialism in its early days but Parliament bought into it. That of course was backwards, if a good public transport system was available people would use it. The transport never happened so the people never used it.
September 29, 2023
All of these actions will be in vain, won’t they? The UK emits less than 1% of the Global total of “dangerous” Carbon yet we are doing more to approach Net-Zero emmissions than any other country. On the contrary, Nations as China and India are doing quite the opposite by opening NEW carbon-emitting Coal-Fired Power Stations on a weekly basis.
For example, China from 1990 to 2017 had increased its CO2 output by 353.8%, India by 305.1% whereas the EU, incl little Britain, had REDUCED it by 19.5%.
Given these figures, why is our Government even persuing a zero tolerance policy when these two Nations will easily absorb any savings we would make?
Add in the USA and the cumulative output of just these three is more than the Rest of the World put together.
So why would our government think we can make a blind bit of difference?
If they really wish to save Britain, they MUST immediately stop this lunacy, this nonsensical crusade for ‘world glory’ if that is their driving force. LOL.
September 29, 2023
While CO2 is a debatable subject, the two big questions your chatterama in Manchester must decide are energy costs to users, and all forms of immigration.
Give or take, energy comes out of the ground in common circumstances at roughly the same price worldwide. Its extraction is capital intensive and conducted by highly trained highly paid engineers. I equate the situation with vegetables, if you wish to keep the cost down you grow your own. If not you are subject to the predation of the supermarkets. With energy we could grow our own, it is there waiting extraction. UK government in its idiocy allows the extractor ownership and then in its greed allows the product and its extractor to be taxed in every which way imaginable. Further to government idiocy the extractor can then sell it back to the government at world market prices. This ensures the maximisation of the tax take and the impoverishment of the end user, and if same is a business it is no longer competetive in the world market place. The sickening bit is that government then try to extract virtue buy subsidising the domestic user for its own greed and original mismanagement. Meanwhile the distribution companies play a lottery of price reduction at government behest but standing charge inflation for their own benefit. It is in dire need of remedial surgery.
It is easier for them on immigration. Recruit those you need on time defined contracts, get out of the ECHR and ship in volume all the illegals we are housing to Rwanda or to where they originated. We might then be able to afford to offer asylum to those who really need it, as we have done to mutual benefit for many hundreds of years.
Sorting both would solve your election ambitions.
September 29, 2023
Very sensible observations in the post today . I wish No.10 would take notice of them and act accordingly . We are an insignificant contributor to the world’s climate problem . Maybe ” multiculteralism” can provide another approach !.
September 29, 2023
… yes Sir John, but you may ask why your parliamentary colleagues don’t insist on all you describe?
September 29, 2023
Even now the Political way of cancel and control impedes instead of improving. Take the surge in 20mph limits to punish the motorist. 20mph increases pollution exponentially â they donât care, its I am your Overlord bow down approach. However, the real failure is the political failure of those authorising these draconian laws. It is not the speed that is the problem, it is these people themselves they have kept on approving building to earn more and more in local taxes to pay to stroke personal self esteem and look at me projects, but have neglected to spend the money on an adequate infrastructure to cope with the growth. That has lead to self inflicted congestion, that they now want to solve it by dishing out punishment.
Whether local or national the political notion of punish and cancel always and every time slows progress and situation solving. But the understanding by these PEP Graduates that they are the single and only problem, will always pass them by in their protected isolated ivory towers.
The UK could as was said lead the way, but not while we have a cancel, ban, control authoritarian Political Class â unfortunately for us all they donât get it, it is ego before expediency.
September 29, 2023
As for HS2 we see and hear about the total cost estimates and the rows around them. We never, at broadcast view level, get any comment about the design and construction. My guess is it is grossly over designed, over specified and grossly over employed, because of H&S too.
No-one of course dare question any of this. A lot of money could be saved, including on details. I know I will be ridiculed over this following observation, but on TV the other day we saw 5 men carrying a steel bar. They would have carried more to the where they were being installed but in my view having some experience in days gone by, it and each of the others could have been carried by 3. This kind of waste is no doubt visible everywhere and by being more efficient savings could be in the millions. Completely unacceptable of course to contemplete and challenge what is going on.
September 29, 2023
Derek, “Also, plant more trees to offset CO2 rather than waste energy, expense and effort constructing carbon capture technology.”
And yet…. recently, a controversial claim has gone viral across various social media platforms, alleging that Bill Gates has announced plans to cut down 75 million acres of trees and bury them as part of an effort to combat climate change. If true… I rest my case, this cult is bonkers!
Reply Not true. I think the issue is over reducing fire risks in forests.
September 29, 2023
When you see – the felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrianâs Wall. You cant help be reminded of the mindless malicious destruction of the UK by this Conservative Government with full support of the Conservative Party.
I guess that is why they use a similar tree as their metaphor for destruction as their emblem
September 29, 2023
Not many trees around up their it seems. Perhaps he just had a new chain saw toy and that was the only tree he could find to practice on!
September 29, 2023
John, the whole business is based on a lie. Carbon dioxide does NOT control the climate. Climate changes are entirely natural and beyond the ability of mankind to influence. All we can do is adapt to changes if we have to.
September 29, 2023
Exactly, be it hot or colder, wetter or dryer.
September 29, 2023
IF this government was serious about ânet zeroâ, it would immediately imports from China and India. Letâs face it – if you buy anything made in China or India, you must be an evil person who buys things made using coal fired power stations and you clearly donât care about the world. That is logically how the government should act given their beliefs.
September 29, 2023
Duh! That should said âimmediately BAN imports from China and Indiaâ
September 29, 2023
A booster jab?
The UK’s economy has grown faster since the start of the Covid pandemic than initially thought, new figures show. Revised data indicates that the UK has seen faster growth than France or Germany since the end of 2019.
The growth figures had been expected to be upgraded, after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published new estimates earlier this month of how the economy had performed since Covid.
However, analysts said the UK was still suffering from lacklustre growth.
The latest figures from the ONS indicated that the UK’s economy has grown by 1.8% since the pandemic started, whereas the previous estimate was a 0.2% contraction.
They also showed that the economy grew by 0.3% in the first three months of this year, up from the 0.1% previously estimated. The estimate for the April-to-June quarter was unchanged at 0.2%.
September 29, 2023
I totally agree with all the suggestions for reducing CO2
September 29, 2023
The 2030 sales targets have not changed, so this announcement by Sunak remains a mere announcement until some concrete change is made.
How will such targets be enforced? If consumers continue the current buying patterns then we will either see heavily discounted EVs or waiting lists for ICEs.
If a manufaturer makes the “right” number of each and has thousands of people waiting for an ICE car, which they are unable to sell to them because they will be fined for breaching the artificial targets… that seems a recipe for companies going out of business.
Worse, people could buy ICE cars in other countries and import them here – one could even see a line of business starting up where cars are technically “bought by the consumer” (in a much cheaper country) and imported to the UK with the assistance of the selling company. All that does is lengthen the supply lines.
Or will they ban imports of cars as well? If they ban imports of new cars, what about one-month old cars? Two months? 6 months? Where do they stop sticking legislative fingers in the dyke of a terrible policy?
But right now, nothing has changed re 2030, an announcement means nothing and you should remind the world of that next time you stand up in the HoC.
September 29, 2023
This government hasn’t repealed any net-zero regulation/climate change target …..they’ve got form, as they haven’t repealed any EU law
September 29, 2023
There is no climate emergency/crisis/breakdown. We have benign warming after the last major ice age which ended just 11,000 years ago and from the Little Ice Age just prior to the Industrial Revolution. Data over the last 500m years when both temperature and CO2 have been much higher shows no correlation. The Antarctic Vostok ice core data over the last 500,000 years, when both temperature and CO2 have been at very low levels, shows CO2 following temperature and in fact temperature falling when CO2 was high and rising when CO2 was low. The Greenland ice core data since the last major ice age also shows CO2 fallowing temperature and rising as temperature is falling. There is plenty of evidence to show we have experienced warmer temperatures than today, despite lower CO2 levels, with the Minoan, Roman and Medieval warm periods with barley grown in Greenland 1000 years ago and wines up by Hadrianâs wall in Roman times. Plus the evidence of tree lines and glaciers advancing and receding. The scientific evidence provided by Happer & Wigngaarden shows that increasing todayâs CO2 levels causes negligible additional warming because of the IR saturation effect, a fact that the IPCC have never refuted, just ignored. There is no worsening weather either, the last refuge for climate alarmists, just go to the IPCC WG1âs latest report (6th) and look at table 12.12 on p1873 for the evidence.
The current level of CO2 (around 400 ppm) is very low and needs to be doubled or even trebled to promote plant growth and prevent famines. Nine times over the last 800,000 years CO2 has dropped to 180 ppm, just 30 ppm above the level below which plants cannot survive.
September 29, 2023
The political evidence that there is no climate emergency/crisis/breakdown caused by anthropogenic emissions of CO2 is :
1) Climate Action is only #13 on the UNâs list of Sustainable Development Goals.
2) Climate alarmists have no issue with China, India and others continuing to emit large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere.
3) The forced transition from cheap, abundant and reliable hydrocarbon energy to expensive, meagre, unreliable, resource profligate, chaotically intermittent and insecure renewables instead of affordable, abundant, reliable and secure nuclear energy.
4) The forced transition to impractical electric replacements controlled by smart meters to enable rationing and control at the individual level to take place.
Offshore wind is two to three times more expensive to build per unit of supplied (not installed) energy than nuclear and uses 1000 times more concrete and steel than nuclear as well requiring 1000 times more surface area per unit of power.
Not only is wind totally unreliable and hence requires an additional, parallel system to provide grid stability and backup, the turbines only last 15 years, with the toxic blades jettisoned into landfills. Nuclear has a lifetime of 60 years.
September 29, 2023
Dear Sir John,
I am surprised that you do not mention the need to prioritise a massive expansion of atomic power. With current technology, this is the only way to provide reliable non-fossil electricity while also doubling our current power capacity, the minimum needed if homes, transport and industry are to be weaned affordably off fossil fuels.
Hinkley Point C and the yet-to-start Sizewell C will only replace capacity that has or will soon be lost. closed. And the financial pressures on EDF make it unlikely that the French government will be able to build more than one further plant (at Bradwell) before 2050 and probably not even that. At a minimum, the Government and taxpayers will need to arrange and finance new stations at Oldbury and Wylfa ( and likely Bradwell) at a huge cost but much less than HS2 with much greater benefits.
Nothing is happening. The Department is even conspicuously dragging its feet over the Rolls-Royce small modular reactors that should form the second phase of inndustry-focused expansion. Nothing will happen there this decade unless someone takes a grip.
Labour will be happy to have a state company. It now pays lip-service to atomic power but Mr Milliband’s heart is obviously not in it. Perhaps Mr Sunak or Ms Coutinho will unveil an ambitious state programme at your party conference. Or
perhaps the subject will not even be mentioned beyond a throwaway sentence.
Reply I have set out how nuclear will decline with all the closures. Hinckley is way over budget and delayed. I am dealing with trying to keep the lights on this decade where new nuclear cannot help
September 29, 2023
Outsider :
You absolutely correct that nuclear is the correct way forward to provide affordable, abundant, reliable and secure low CO2 emitting energy.
Its absence from the Governmentâs plans (only 6% by the decarbonisation date of 2035 and again at 2050 judging by the National Grid ESO FES 2023) is surely proof that there is no climate emergency caused by anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Nuclear is cheaper to build (both large nuclear and the RR SMRs) than offshore wind by two to three times per unit of energy produced.
Hinkley Point C, which was given the go-ahead by Sir Ed Davey (PPE) as the SoS for Energy & Climate Change, according to Sir Dieter Helm, professor of Energy Policy at Oxford University, told the BBC (04/06/2018) that Hinkely Point C would have been half the price if the Government had borrowed itself at 2% rather than paying the Chinese 9%.
Hinkley Pont C has been another of EDFâs EPR disasters â the one built in Finland was 13 years late â and should not be taken as an example of the cost and time to build a large nuclear plant. There are plenty of successful examples around the world at much lower costs and built to time.
Perhaps we should have simply started with building further Sizewell Bâs.
BTW, the way to keep the lights on is to return to hydrocarbon energy, as the Chinese and Indians are doing. There is no proof that increasing CO2, natural or anthropgenic, causes a runaway climate disaster and the claims by the alarmists are simply fraudulent.
September 29, 2023
Your Point (5) would be the kiss of death for COPs. The only reason people travel the globe for these junkets is the opportunity to âbe seen in earnest conversationâ, ahead of each 4-course meal with drinkies. There has to be something given back for their virtue-signalling, if ill-informed, loyalty.
September 29, 2023
Two things. One, a former collogue of mine when the feed in tariffs were first introduced for PV Solar panels, soon worked out that if he fitted these panels to his customers factory roofs, he could received the tariffs and they would they received the electricity. It has made him very rich.
Then number Two the UK has quite a good number of manufacturers of PV Solar panels, who by and large pay UK taxes, and contribute to the wellbeing of the UK. The UK has a lot of Government owned buildings, office warehouses, schools, hospitals and so on all with space for installing these panels. How about instead of ‘giving’ foreign entities that have weaponised their trade against us UK taxpayer money so our indigenous businesses have to fight to survive, how about a Government in the UK if it is to steal from the taxpayer, that money gets spent at home, so it gets re-circulated. The only fall out would be UK Industry would get stronger and the Country would profit from it.
September 29, 2023
The contradictions of the BBC. Today they have reported in the UK September was one of the warmest, with October expected to follow on the same. Global temperatures have spiked, and in places it hasn’t been this warm as this since 1949.
Also today in a separate report they say the Sun has been more active this year with solar flares and solar storms hitting the Earth, more so in recent weeks. These storms can create intense currents in Earthâs magnetosphere and cause the ionosphere and upper thermosphere to heat up.
That’s man made Global warming for you.
October 2, 2023
Intense currents in the magnetosphere and heating of the ionosphere and upper thermosphere (around 200 miles up) have practically no impact on the temperature at the surface. They may cause auroras seen at latitudes lower than polar regions, perturb satellites in âlowâ Earth orbits, and energy grids and radio communications.
http://www.climate.gov âDo solar storms cause heat waves on Earth?â.
September 29, 2023
1. There is no climate emergency.
2. Carbon dioxide is not now, never has been, and never will be the magic lever that controls our climate.
3. Man made climate change is a myth, a hoax and a scam.
4. Net Zero is catastrophic lunacy.
September 30, 2023
Indeed is was 2005/6 when the BBC officially decided to be totally one sided (the wrong side) on this issue. David Bellamy got sidelined for calling it âpoppycockâ.
Most sensible, honest & independent scientists think the climate emergency is a huge exaggeration at best and a complete con-trick at worse. CO2 is just one of millions of factors that affect the climate & not even a very large one. Not even the main so called âgreenhouseâ gas!
September 29, 2023
Comment on reply
Yes. I think we commentators sometimes forget that any politician who doesn’t have leverage over his colleages must play a long, diplomatic game, if he wants to influence them and get them to do/not do something.
I was in local politics (lone Independent in a District Council) and tried to shame councillors into admission that many of the things they were doing were useless, wasteful or even harmful. They denied anything of the sort, ignored me or worse still doubled down on such policies, simply to wind me up!
After a few years during which this simply made things worse for my voters, I came to understand that I needed to be a lot more subtle, and a lot less overtly troublesome if I was to achieve anything for my local area. To an extent I became successful in getting the more madcap schemes less useless, wasteful or harmful.
“just do it” is not an option for most politicians (the honest ones, anyway). I gave up after 2 terms.
September 29, 2023
Poland has asked for the extradition of the SS Naazi volunteer applauded by the Canadian Parliament, Zelenski and Trudeau.
Sir John, I am NOT pro-Russia. Iâm BRITISH, anti-NAZI and a realist. I donât want to see Britain or her Dominions, the English Speaking World, humiliated. I hope we are in agreement.
The NY Times says the Ukrainian offensive is over. During this offensive Russia took more land than did Ukraine. This is a defeat as Russia was merely DEFENDING.
I donât want Britain DEFEATED by going along with etc ed
Reply The bitter Ukraine war has not ended, with the two sides dug in against each other.Campaigns are more intensive in the summer months. The UK is not a combatant. Had Russia seen an opportunity to conquer more territory it doubtless would have taken it.
September 30, 2023
Installing extra insulation always sounds to be an obvious way to try to cut emissions. However, the low hanging fruit has already been largely captured already. Grenfell Tower was a ÂŁ10m insulation project with a payback time of over 200 years. It never made any kind of sense. It really is time that we included financial sense into these grandiose ideas about insulation, especially for retrofit projects which tend to generate hazards rather than benefits. EPC measures are not fit for purpose, and neither is government policy.
September 30, 2023
Agree the lot but you sound like someone off GB News instead of a Conservative as they are not doing anything like what you are suggesting. They are up with the fairies if you ask me as Conservative common sense seems to have disappeared completely. Never mind, keep trying.
September 30, 2023
Braverman refuses talks with Whelby on immigration – good why on earth would anyone want to wast time talking to such a deluded, religion driven dope? We know all his crass views already.
September 30, 2023
Many so called renewable technologies are nothing of the sort and increase nett CO2 emissions compared to using UK produced gas for example.
The case for importing oil and gas instead of domestic production is unarguable in terms of it’s increased CO2 emissions.
May I provide a link to an article which clearly explains the drawbacks of renewables, from an engineering perspective:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/10/wind-solar-renewables-pointless-waste/
September 30, 2023
Please, please stop continuous reference to the CO2 BS and WAKE UP.
October 1, 2023
As all of the commentators before me have written there should be no budgeting, accounting, taxing or restricting the emissions of a gas which promotes plant life and does not control the weather nor climate. If you want to encourage corruption, waste and inefficiency create an artificial problem based around an essential component of life and then restrict it to make everyone poorer, less free and run your country into the ground. There are far too many feeding at the trough of green subsidies, grants and kick-backs and it is time the whole enterprise was shut down.
October 2, 2023
CO2 makes up 0.04% of the atmosphere, man is responsible for 0.01312% of this, about 40% of the extra CO2 entering the atmosphere due to human activity is being absorbed by natural carbon sinks, mostly by the oceans. The rest is all that is supposedly boosting levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. That leaves us with .005248% of our atmosphere supposedly bringing about a global warming apocalypse (Global Boiling!!).
The UK emits about 1% of the .005248%, so the science deniers want to bankrupt this country because we are responsible for the .00005248% of co2 in the atmosphere, and they think this will make a difference!!!!
I am still waiting to see any real evidence that man made co2 is responsible for catastrophic climate change (climate change has been happening as long as the earth has existed).
Why do the nutters always talk about “Climate Deniers” for people who don’t swallow their BS, and “Carbon” !!
Carbon is different than co2 (It is like saying salt is chlorine), and what is a climate denier (I think everybody excepts the climate has always been changing).
This whole anti CO2 religion needs to be shut down before more damage is done.