Climate change: Help us persuade MPs

Jag Singh Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:35:23 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

We're proudly backing a campaign to get MPs to vote for an 80% cut in emissions. This is an online campaign being run to persuade the Government to set a binding target of an 80% cut in Britain's CO2 emissions by 2050, rather than the 60% that is currently contained in the Climate Change Bill.



Later in the year MPs will be able to vote on whether to replace the 60% target with a tougher 80% target, which is supported by environmental groups and leading scientists.

This group has two aims:

(1) to show the Government the strength of support for an 80% CO2 target; to demonstrate your support please take a few seconds to sign up to this Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Climate-Change-60-cut-is-not-enough/11917166969

(2) to encourage people across Britain to contact their local MP and report back to the group every time an MP signs up to support the 80% target if there is a vote in the House of Commons.

By joining the group you are helping to show the strength of support for the target and encouraging MPs to sign up. Indeed Hilary Benn has asked the Committee on Climate Change to look at this and is persuadable, so there's a real chance to make a difference here!

To contact your MP, email them through http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/. Please encourage all your friends to join this group - together we can make a difference to the future of the planet!


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Climate change: Help us persuade MPs | 8 comments (8 topical)

Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#1)

by bishophill on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 12:25:15 PM GMT

This is government by target. It's failed before, and no doubt it will fail again.


Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#2)

by HOWLERMONKEY on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 03:57:30 PM GMT

Thanks for the info. I will be advising my MP not to sign up to this, and nor will I be joining the facebook group.


Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#3)

by alsoleeds on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:50:27 PM GMT

Although this is wonderfully well intentioned and we should be emmitting 80% less by 2050. It's the total CO2 emmissions between now and 2050 that is important. If on December 31st we immediately drop emmissions by 80% (from 1990 levels) it won't make any difference it's what we do everyday between now and then which is important so we need staged reductions and staged reduction targets.


For more info check out http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/


Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#4)

by wgm on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 08:54:08 PM GMT

MPs get bagfuls of campaign cards and e-mails from FoE, Christian Aid etc every week urging them to sign up to 80%, I know, I have to reply to them all saying that my MP already backs the higher target.

The Facebook group says the campaign was launched by Nick Clegg and Steve Webb - even with its laudable if rather second-hand aims, should we really be supporting a Lib Dem bandwagon?


[ Parent ]

Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#5)

by alexswanson on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 06:38:08 PM GMT

Can I also suggest that anybody contacting their MP urge govt support for the ITER international nuclear fusion research project currently underway in France.

 

Although success is still many years ago, it would transform civilisation overnight, providing essentially endless energy from sea water. Fossil fuels could be dispensed with overnight. Environmental concerns over the land usage required for solar, wind, hydroelectric or tidal power would become pointless, since such means of generating power would also become obsolete. It is quite literally true to state that it would be the greatest single advance in technology certainly since the invention of the wheel, and on a par with the taming of fire. There is quite literally almost no sacrifice that it would not be worth making in order to achieve it.


Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#6)

by alexswanson on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 06:39:01 PM GMT

Erm, I meant "many years away", obviously. OOps.

 

Rest still stands though. 


[ Parent ]

Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#7)

by rwendland on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 11:39:49 PM GMT

Careful with this optimism! Just because the fuel is water, that doesn't automatically make it economic. Current nuclear power costs are mostly (about 70%) servicing the capital costs of building the thing - and just because fusion fuel is water doesn't mean capital costs will be lower.

Current guesses on fusion R&D costs are around €60-80 billion over a period of 50 years before commercial exploitation. EU fusion R&D spend is more than spending on renewable energy R&D I think - there is a reasonable case that we'd do better investing this R&D elesewhere.

We need to park the wild enthusiasm, and take a hard-headed look at it. Remember the nuclear industries last golden bullet? Fast breeder reactors. And where are they now after billions of spending? Pretty much abandoned as unworkable at reasonable costs. 


[ Parent ]

Re: Climate change: Help us persuade MPs (#8)

by alexswanson on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 07:19:49 AM GMT

I'm aware that at the moment fusion power is uneconomic. that's the point of the research. And, yes, it's expensive and will take time. Both are reasons for putting in the maximum effort now. Or would you rather wait until the oil actually does run out?

I'm not at all against research into other forms of energy generation, but they're far from proven either, and although I have no figures, I really wouldn't like to bet on them being able to sustain a world population of six billion ain Western lifestyles.


[ Parent ]

Climate change: Help us persuade MPs | 8 comments (8 topical)