Tuesday:
Oh dear, Mr James has thonked me with a PYRAMID SELLING SCHEME!
I had better wake up Daddy Richard and make him start typing in my diary. WE have a LOT to get through – I wonder if we will finish before Mr Frown starts his budget…
So, after the Liberal Democrats lead the way on Green Policies, tailed by the me-too Conservatories, at last the Labour have brought up some proposals of their own to try and help the environment.
Mr Millipede has announced that the government will cut Carbon Dioxide by setting TARGETS using LEGISLATION.
Is it just me, or does this not sound a TOTALLY NuLabour way of approaching the issue? Almost ANY problem, and their answer is "set some targets and pass more laws".
I bet it will not be long before people are finding CUNNING WAYS to get around the targets that Mr Millipede sets – probably by reclassifying Carbon Dioxide as "Oxygen+" or claiming to be REDUCING emissions by BREATHING IN!
Setting a FIVE YEAR TARGET is all very well – very NuSoviet – but how are you going to go about meeting it? You have not been very good at meeting your own targets so far!
What we need is some SOLID PROPOSALS for things that we can do.
And to be fair the government does plan to investment in low-carbon fuels and technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, wind, wave and solar power. We want to hear MORE about that, though. How much? And how soon?
Mr Frown, too, has some proposals. Taking the opportunity to have a pop at Mr Balloon's not-very-well-thought-out, not-very-well-received "Let's Tax Air" plan, he says he thinks that homes should be greener pointing out that they account for 25% of our Carbon Dioxide emissions, as opposed to aeroplanes that only account for 5%.
(At least 5% SO FAR – that is why we want to arrest the growth in air travel before we burn up the entire sky!)
Of course what Mr Frown really means is that a lot of our Greenhouse Gasses come from the generation of ELECTRICAL POWER – mainly from the burning of GAS.
There are TWO ways to reduce that: number one – everyone get better insulation, long-life bulbs and switch the telly OFF rather than to stand-by; number two – stop burning so much gas and switch to cleaner generating methods like wind or wave or hydroelectric. (Nuclear power also cuts emissions but ONLY if you think highly dangerous radioactive waste that lasts for millions of years does not count as POLLUTION.)
Method number one involves everyone in the country being forced into changing their behaviour, probably with targets to check up our progress and CCTV cameras cross-checked with I.D.iot cards to make sure we are not secretly using the stand-by button.
Method number two requires investment either directly or by applying tax incentives.
Guess which one is Mr Frown's preferred option!
That is NOT TO SAY that we shouldn't be ENCOURAGING people to do their own bit, however small. Simple methods to save power – and save some cash too – can all help the nation cut back on emissions.
This calls for a revival of the GOOD OLD British spirit: EVERYONE pulling together like we did to get through World War Part Two, or the Eurovision Song Contest. Yes, even in time of ADVERSITY we can draw courage from our fellow Brits!
And most people WANT to do good. Young people – who especially connect with the Liberal Democrats – young people are the most in favour of Environmental Action. Not JUST because they want there still to BE a world, but because it is the RIGHT THING TO DO.
So, a bit less of the TARGETS and COMPULSION, Mr Frown. A bit more of the leading by example and setting up projects and not laying down the law.
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