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Dealing with Climate Change & Justice
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Posted 1 week ago #
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Nationalising steel while closing Grangemouth looks a bit odd from 'up here' too?
Bound to have political repercussions in Wales and Scotland. Going to cost a small fortune to do.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/14/the-guardian-view-on-taking-back-control-of-steel-back-in-state-hands-but-far-from-sortedPosted 1 week ago # -
Oh no, that's just those silly Jocks "manufacturing grievance" as usual, not the same situation at all, and even if it was it's really the SNP and Tories fault isn't it. So says Labour at any rate.
Posted 1 week ago # -
@Yodhrin - Labour are way beyond mere politics. They are focused (grouped) on policies that meet the needs of the average person. ;-) Other political parties have faults too of course!
Anyway... from Edi.bike
@chdot can maybe retrieve thread but looks like decreasing driving time to Morningside Station beats modal change. Depressing.
The shock of this vote was not the typical concern trolling from Conservative Councillors, nor the Lib Dem councillors cynically siding with whoever seemed to be shouting loudest — but rather the Labour Administration voting against their own policies, officers' recommendations and stated goals.
Posted 1 week ago # -
@Laidback - the decision to remove the Braid filters is simply baffling. In transport policy terms it is almost unique in being cheap, quickly installed, successful, and popular.
Removing it appears to benefit no-one, not even the roasters who are in favour of doing so. It's not like they really care anyway. It has been in place for four years - they will simply move on to the next gripe and the Councillors will reap no political reward.
Posted 1 week ago # -
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The number of UK homes overheating in summer quadrupled to 80% over the past decade, according to a study, with experts calling the situation a crisis. Heat already kills thousands of people each year in the UK and the toll will rise as the climate crisis intensifies.
Urgent action is needed both to inform people on how to cope with high temperatures and to adapt homes, which are largely designed to keep heat in during the winter, the researchers said.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/16/uk-homes-overheating-soars-study
Posted 1 week ago # -
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As the first climate summit in the Amazon approaches, a gulf is opening between what the area’s farming lobby wants, and what the world needs“
Posted 1 week ago # -
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A series of exceptionally dry summers that caused famine and social breakdown were behind one of the most severe threats to Roman rule of Britain, according to new academic research.
The rebellion, known as the “barbarian conspiracy”, was a pivotal moment in Roman Britain. Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of Britain’s descent into anarchy to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of AD367.
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Posted 1 week ago # -
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Combining the home energy data with data on deprivation reveals that wood burning is overwhelmingly a pastime of those in the wealthiest areas. Most people had other forms of heating available, too. The certificates also revealed a steady increase in homes with a wood burner since 2009, with a sharp rise since 2022.
Horsfall said: “We’re in a situation similar to what happened with diesel cars where we were encouraged to use an apparently environmentally friendly option, only to later discover its unanticipated impact on air quality.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/18/map-residential-wood-burning-england-wales
Posted 1 week ago # -
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Our research finds that in every UK constituency voters say they are more worried about climate change than not, and most see renewable energy as the path to energy security, jobs and cheaper energy.“
Posted 1 week ago # -
wood burning is overwhelmingly a pastime of those in the wealthiest areas. Most people had other forms of heating available, too.
Probably very true in Highland Perthshire. Many council and housing association buildings are without chimneys. They rely on electric* or bottle gas heaters. Even relatively better off residents can't afford to heat more than a couple of rooms in older granite built property with secondary glazing. Getting firewood is pricey now and takes weeks. Stacks of blown over trees of course to DIY but had landowner warn me in past!
*wind farms above Alyth often paid to be switched off while locals can't afford to switch on.
Posted 1 week ago # -
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Weaker economic growth typically leads to lower demand for the petrochemicals used in heavy industry, which has a knock-on effect on the demand for crude. Oil prices tumbled to four-year lows of under $60 a barrel after Trump’s tariff announcement, and the International Energy Agency has slashed its forecasts for global oil demand growth by a third for the year ahead.
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Posted 6 days ago # -
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If you want to grow a domestic job market for clean energy, importing cheaper solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries from other countries (mostly China) seems like a bad idea. A manufacturing job that could be done by an American or a European is being offshored to a Chinese worker instead.
This is one of several arguments that countries make for protectionist trade policies such as tariffs, local production mandates, and import quotas.
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https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/clean-energy-imports-jobs?triedRedirect=true
Posted 5 days ago # -
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“I take their shilling, they dictate the rules. They have to try and keep their presenters out of areas of public controversy, and they have decided heat pumps can be controversial, so they’ve asked me not to be involved.”
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Bean Beanland, a director at the Heat Pump Federation and Davis’s co-presenter on the podcast, described the decision as “quite extraordinary”. Douglas Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director, said: “As an impartial broadcaster, the BBC should not be pandering to attempts from the right to turn the world’s most efficient home heating system into a culture war issue. What’s next – cancelling Gardeners’ World because of Monty Don’s support for peat-free compost?”
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Posted 4 days ago # -
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UK scientists to launch outdoor geoengineering experiments
Blocking sunlight could temporarily slow the climate crisis but the technologies remain highly controversial
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/uk-scientists-outdoor-geoengineering-experiments
Posted 4 days ago # -
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‘Spiral of silence’: climate action is very popular, so why don’t people realise it?
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Posted 4 days ago # -
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MP calls for oil and gas plan, warning of many Grangemouths
A North East MP has called for the UK Government to create a "coherent" plan for a just transition to prevent devastating job losses in the oil and gas industry both in the North East and across the UK.
Kirsty Blackman, SNP Aberdeen North MP, asked the UK Government to "actually listen to people" and warned that otherwise Scotland could suffer dramatic job losses the equivalent of multiple Grangemouths
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Posted 3 days ago # -
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Under the proposals, different areas of the country would pay differing rates for their electricity based on supply and demand levels in the local area.
This could mean that energy users in the north of Scotland would pay some of the lowest market prices in the country, while market prices in the south of the country would climb.
After a “write-around” to other government departments across Whitehall, ministers are expected to give their view on the plans that have already proven highly divisive in the energy industry.
Industry sources expect that this process will widen the argument over “postcode electricity pricing” that will have an impact on major businesses, investment and jobs.
The models analysing the impact of zonal pricing will be carefully scrutinised by the business and Treasury departments as well as the offices for Wales and Scotland, the sources added.
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Posted 3 days ago # -
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Despite the acknowledgement that car use must be reduced, a report by Transform Scotland in March last year estimated £900m of the £1.3bn designated for transport infrastructure in the City Region Deals across Scotland has been directed towards high-carbon projects, including new roads. “We are continuing to build new road capacity and that is incentivising people to double down on car usage, rather than using sustainable modes of transport,” Howden says. He adds the government needs to “show leadership” and switch funds away from road building and into specific areas of public transport or active travel.
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Posted 2 days ago # -
Electricity prices in Scotland have to be higher. No-one in England would accept the reverse situation. The majority must pay less and the others should just stay quiet or they'll get evicted from the UK!
We already have zonal pricing in Highlands anyway. Most newcomers to this zone supplement with fossil fuel.Meanwhile the lie of sustainable aviation is back!
Deputy First Minister of Scotland Kate Forbes said: “This significant investment in Scotland by AGS will bring incredible benefits through improved infrastructure at both Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, and to our wider economy.
“Good international connectivity is key to economic growth in Scotland. It enables flow of trade, investment, labour and tourism, which will contribute to our prosperity. Additionally, the commitment to sustainability is welcome as we progress towards a net zero future.”
UK Aviation Minister, Mike Kane MP, said: “It’s fantastic to see AGS Airports investing hundreds of millions of pounds into regional airports, turbocharging economic growth and supporting local jobs and skills right across the country, in line with our Plan for Change.
“This investment will drive forward decarbonisation at airports across the country and support the deployment of new fuels and technologies to contribute to the sustainable growth of the sector.”
Aberdeen airport of course very busy with all the GB Energy employees going home at weekend! (How many jobs at GB so far? 10?)
Railway takes a whole day to get to London. A90 road full of tractors and Ember e-buses.Posted 2 days ago # -
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Another dismal failure by @scotgov on sustainable transport.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jxk9949e5o
We don't need another plan. We need to see @transcotland prioritise taking action to reduce traffic levels.
Here's some things they could do now:
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https://transform.scot/2024/09/23/five-steps-to-deliver-20-traffic-reduction-now/
Posted 2 days ago # -
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Britain will go “all out” for a low-carbon future and accelerate the push to net zero instead of slowing down as some have demanded, the prime minister said on Thursday. In his strongest declaration yet of support for the net zero agenda, Sir Keir Starmer told a conference in London of more than 60 countries that tackling the climate crisis and bolstering energy security were “in the DNA of my government”.
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Posted 2 days ago # -
@chdot I like Transform Scotland and agree with their aims. However public bus transport is free for a large part of the younger and older population. In rural Perthshire people drive (or are driven) as buses are not fast or frequent enough. For non car owners taking hours to get anywhere is the norm and takes planning. No service on a Sunday to village - not unusual.
Posted 2 days ago #
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