Climate change petition gains thousands of signatures

Started after climate change debate pushed back in school curriculum

A petition started after the debate on climate change was ‘vastly scaled back’ in the school curriculum has gained over 12,000 signatures.

The petition was started by 15 year old Esha Marwaha after she discovered that the draft key stage 3 (the national curriculum for under 14 year olds) geography curriculum for English schools had pushed back discussion on the issue. In a special blog she wrote for the Guardian, she said ‘Climate change is the most pressing and threatening issue to modern-day society. Through lack of understanding from generations before us, we are having to fix it. And how can we do this without education?’

Campaigners have emailed education secretary Michael Gove to reinstate the climate change debate 

(Image source - Telegraph)

‘Our government, part of the generation who bear much of the responsibility for this problem, intends to not only fail to act on climate change themselves but to obscure the truth from children and young people. It is outrageous that Michael Gove can even consider the elimination of climate change education for under-14s. We must keep climate change in the curriculum in order for young people take on this challenge of tackling the threat posed by our changing climate’. Her views echoed the petition to the education secretary, Michael Gove, on the website change.org.

Following the immense support the petition has gained, which at one point was getting 500 signatures an hour, other groups have joined the campaign to get the climate change debate reinstated to the school curriculum. 2000 people from student network group People and Planet have emailed Gove to argue their case for reinstated the subject. Also, students, members of the UK Youth Climate Coalition and others plan to approach academics, universities and schools to take part in the formal consultation around the plans, which closes on 16 April.

Shale gas good for UK in the short term

Fracking only advised in areas where it will prove most valuable, says report

Shale gas obtained by the process of ‘fracking’ will be beneficially to the UK in reducing carbon emissions, according to the findings of a new report.

The report, from the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE, states that by replacing coal-powered power stations with ones run with shale gas, as they will ‘emit less than half the carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of coal-fired plants’. 

Reports says shale gas can be beneficial, but committed to it too much is 'risky'

(Image source - The Guardian)

However, the report also states that it is risky to assume that the UK has vast quantities of shale gas locked away underground or to assume that gas prices will be lower in years to come. The report believes the best course of action in terms of obtaining shale gas is to focus on areas where it can be most valuable in terms of reducing carbon emissions, which the report describes as a ‘dash for smart gas’.  

‘Fracking’ has proved controversial in Britain, with many critics fearing prolonged fracking sites could lead to earthquakes, polluted water supplies and decreases in housing prices. Supporters of it believe it can provide energy security due to it being collected domestically. Earlier this month, Greenpeace launched a protest outside George Osborne’s constituency office by erecting a mock fracking rig, and last year, the EU warned Britain about ‘jumping headlong’ into shale gas and argued that the country didn’t fully understand the environmental consequences of fracking.

Over 1,800 Green Deal assessments in first month

Contracts worth nearly £27m have been awarded through scheme

Over 1,800 assessments on homes and office buildings have been carried out by Green Deal providers since the scheme was launched at the start of the year.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released figures showing that, between the end of January and the end of February, 1,803 people had an assessment for a Green Deal package for their property carried out. Edward Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, says the scheme, which lets people take out loans to make energy efficiency improvements to their home, has gotten off to ‘an excellent start’.

Early figures do suggest that the Green Deal scheme is going well

(Image source - Which.co,uk)

‘We're seeing clear signs of a promising new market gathering momentum," he said. "In little more than a month, there have been 1,803 Green Deal assessments and that shows genuine interest from consumers. We have created the Green Deal to overhaul our inefficient housing stock and help people keep their homes warm, while also reducing their energy bills. And as the market builds and awareness of the Green Deal increases, I am confident that consumer interest will grow and grow’.

There were concerns that the Green Deal may fail, as experts claimed the scheme wouldn’t actually save people much money. There were also fears that the scheme hadn’t been widely advertised, as a poll held just days before its official launch found that 81% of people didn’t know what it was. Also, whilst these figures are encouraging, they don’t indicate how many of those who had assessments carried out actually went on to have the work carried out.

Britain at risk from oil supply disruption?

Report suggests station closures and storage capacity cuts could lead to possible crisis

Findings gathered by business advisors Deloitte for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) argue that, due to reductions in storage capacities to save money, as well as the closure of thousands of petrol stations over the past 40 years means the UK is at risk of oil and petrol shortages if something was to disrupt supplies. It is estimated that the average petrol station has enough stock for just two days demand.

The report is one of two covering the impact the entry of supermarkets and the demise of independent retailers has had on the petrol retailing market. The second, produced by the Office of Fair Trading, rejected arguments from independents that competition in the market was not working because supermarkets controlled the market due to their purchasing power.

The report argues that petrol stations don't have enough stock to cope with disruption to oil supply

(Image source - Daily Mail)

John Hayes, energy minister, said the report showed the retail sector had more than enough stocks to “meet fuel supply shocks” before contingency measures were taken. However, the Petrol Retailers Association, claimed the Deloitte analysis demonstrated that the majority of forecourts were running with “dangerously low” levels of reserves.

In 2011, there were 8,700 petrol stations, down from 37,500 in 1970, with many people believing the rate of closures is due to the power of supermarkets, such as Tesco and Asda, who have petrol stations as part of nearly all of their UK stores. These supermarkets control around 40% of the petrol/diesel market (worth over £47bn a year) despite only accounting for 15% of petrol stations nationwide.

Heatwaves in US and EU ‘caused by global warming’

Temperature imbalances due to greenhouse gases affecting air systems

Scientists have stated that events such as the 2011 American drought and the 2003 European heatwave were the result of global warming.

The study found that air systems that bring warm air from the tropics and cold air from the Arctic at certain times are slowing down, meaning warm air is staying in areas for longer, causing extreme heatwaves.

Scenes like this are becoming normal during summertime in America because of the impact of global warming

(Image source - National Geographic)

‘During several recent extreme weather events these planetary waves almost freeze in their tracks for weeks’, said Vladimir Petoukhov, lead author of the study at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. ‘So instead of bringing in cool air after having brought warm air in before, the heat just stays’.

Global warming has been blamed for disrupting the air flow because the build-up of greenhouse gases is warming the Arctic at a faster rate than other regions, causing the slow-down of air flow as the temperature difference between the Arctic and southern hemisphere areas is what regulates the air flow system.

Whilst this study only focused on the northern hemisphere in the summer time, the scientists believe that a similar study done during winter would find out that extreme cold weather events, such as the one that has affected the UK recently, were caused by the slowing down of air systems, this time trapping cold air over areas instead of warm air.

Government home energy ‘dithering’ could damage UK housing industry

Plans were supposed to be launched in April but have been delayed until the autumn

Experts have warned that delays to schemes to make new homes in the UK more energy efficient could damage the housing industry in the long run.

A timetable was drawn up to make sure all new homes were ‘zero-carbon’ by 2016, with an ‘uplift’ to current energy efficient was due to be introduced in April. However, those proposals have been delayed until the autumn, leaving workers in the construction industry in the dark over new housing projects. Many companies fear that money used to purchase new equipment and training will be wasted if the government doesn’t confirm its intentions and stick to its home energy efficiency targets.

Housing experts fear Government delays in home energy proposals are damaging the industry

(Image source - Telegraph)

Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy said companies and investors were growing increasingly concerned about the silence from government. "Companies have been going to the City to get investment, to enable them to meet the targets, do the training they need and create jobs, and they were doing so based on the timetable set out. If it doesn't happen on time, companies are vulnerable," he said. "This is the real world and I'm getting bored of explaining this to ministers. Business will waste time and money unless government delivers."

This lack of clarity and silence from the Government over the 2016 target, despite still official being dedicated to achieving it, is preventing the construction of new homes, as well as putting off new potential investors in the UK housing industry. A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said the government's timetable had always been to publish the regulations in spring and introduce them in the autumn, but industry experts said the original timetable had been an April introduction.

Can Scotland reach their energy targets if they gain independence?

Target of 100% renewable energy may fail without UK help

If Scotland votes to become independent it may result in plans to become totally reliable on renewable energy being scrapped.

This warning comes from academics from four UK universities, who believe that the country won’t be able to fund Alex Salmond’s ambitious plans for 100% of Scotland’s electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2020 if they break away from the UK. Scotland would have to spend billions to fund projects such as offshore wind farms and tidal devices on their own, as they would lose all financial support from the UK government. 

Alex Salmond's plans for a 100% renewable-powered Scotland may have to be put on hold

(Image source - Telegraph)

Academics from universities in Cardiff, Birmingham, Robert Gordan and Queens in Belfast, who worked on the report, titled ‘Delivering Renewable Energy Under Devolution’, believe that this increased cost will result in the target either being postponed to a later date or being scrapped completely. ‘Gaining greater control over energy policy is likely to be an inferior option as far as getting renewables funded is concerned, in comparison with the prospect of achieving a scheme organised by Westminster in which the costs are shared across the UK’, states their report, to be published this week in the journal Political Quarterly. ‘This is because, in practice, funding a significant expansion of Scottish-based off-shore renewables under independence would lead to considerable increases in Scottish electricity prices, something that a Scottish government would find hard to sustain politically’.

For Scotland to meet their energy target requirements, they would have to replace the amount of energy generated from fossil fuels and nuclear power, which is currently 50% of the country’s total energy output. They will also have to deal with the higher costs of developing off-shore wind farms in Scotland, as seas are rougher and deeper, making it harder to build, as well as the fact that off-shore wind farms in England and Wales are cheaper and already more advanced. Also, Scotland will likely lose business from the UK, as the UK will be unlikely to continue to support Scotland’s renewable energy projects with subsidies if they gain independence, as there are cheaper energy alternatives in Ireland.

Britain exporting gas cheaper than it is importing it

Ofgem warns of UK energy security being 'undermined'

There are fears that household bills may continue to be inflated because of the fact that Britain is exporting gas that is fetching lower prices abroad and is importing gas from Qatar that is more expensive.

An analysis by the Guardian, conducted jointly with Greenpeace, revealed these figures, which Ofgem, the energy watchdog, believe may be undermining UK energy security because of this distortion in the market. The analysis examined the gas interconnector between the UK and Belgium; a major part of the country’s gas infrastructure, as it has the capacity to carry a fifth of the UK’s gas in winter. However, the report discovered that on over 40% of the days between December 2011 and October 2012, the gas was being exported to the continent despite the wholesale gas price in the UK being higher. Over this period, it is estimated that Britain exported over 15 times more gas than it imported.

Prices may continued to rise if market distortion isn't resolved, warn Ofgem

(Image source - www.offshoreenergytoday.com)

Analysis on monthly government data from Revenue and Customs showed that the UK was importing large amounts of Qatari gas, despite it costing up to 5% more than gas exported to the continent. Ofgem said ‘It is vital that gas on these links flows in line with market signals, to ensure security of supply for customers. However, initial analysis suggests the links are not always being used efficiently. On behalf of consumers, we are looking at all the evidence to establish the facts’. 

This news is the latest in a series of recent reports looking into the ‘dark and murky world’ (as described by Leila Dean of Greenpeace), of the UK’s gas market. In November, there were suggestions that, following the price hikes by the major energy companies, that gas prices were purposely being manipulated.

'Green Deal' won't work, experts warn

Flagship scheme ‘not guaranteed’ to save consumers money

The government’s ‘Green Deal’ home insulation project that launched today has faced criticism from experts who believe the scheme won’t achieve its goal of getting people out of fuel poverty.

Despite reassurance from government officials that the savings that will come with lower energy usage will outweigh the cost of the ‘green’ loans needed to install the energy-saving features, many experts believe that factors such as the interest rate of the loans (set at just under 7%), along with the cost of initial assessments of the property, set-up fees and operating charges, will put people off investing in the scheme. There are also worries that potential clients will be put off by the fact that the loan repayments are left with the house, meaning that someone moving into a property that has had energy-saving work done to it will have to take over the loan repayments.

The government's energy-saving scheme has been heavily criticised by experts

(Image source - www.bbacerts.co.uk)

Alan Milstein, chairman of the Residential Property Surveyors Association, said ‘For many consumers, taking on a green deal loan may not be the most cost-effective mechanism to fund any green improvements to their property. With early repayment penalties and the uncertainty surrounding how having a green deal loan attached to your property will impact on its future saleability, for many homeowners it may be advisable to look at alternative ways to fund energy efficiency measures’.

This news has put a dampener on the launch of the ‘Green Deal’, although according to a poll published last week, over 80% of people had never heard of the scheme.

'Green Deal? What's that then?'

Over 80% of people haven't heard of new government energy-saving scheme

Just days before a new scheme designed to help people deal with energy costs launches, a poll has discovered that 4 out of 5 people have never heard of it.

The ‘green deal’ works by offering loans to pay for home improvements such as roof insulation, new boilers and draught-proofing, which will help lower the overall cost of energy bills. However, a YouGov poll of 5,071 UK energy customers found that 81% hadn’t heard of the new scheme, with 51% citing that the initial cost of upfront ‘assessment fees’ of between £85 to £150 was a major obstacle for them.

The cost of things like roof insulation is putting people off making their homes energy-efficient

(Image source - solar-renewable-energy.co.uk)

The climate minister, Greg Barker, isn’t worried about the findings, as the scheme is still in its infancy, so people shouldn’t expect a ‘big bang’. He said, ‘We're right at the beginning of the green deal journey, and the report is right to identify there is relatively low consumer understanding around the green deal. It's as you'd expect, as it's yet to be rolled out. I expect that to change over the coming year’.

However, the shadow climate minister, Luciana Berger, has slammed the Coalition’s handling of the scheme, saying ‘It's very worrying that so few people have heard of the green deal just days before it finally goes live’. She added that the interest rates on the loans will leave people paying back more than twice the upfront cost of the measures they have installed, which she thinks will leave many people saying ‘no deal’ to the ‘green deal’.

Why can't Britain deal with snow?

We all knew it was coming, so why couldn't we handle it?

If you live in the UK, you would have experienced (or at least heard about) the recent snowfall that has left many areas with up to 8 inches of snow. Warnings were issued, roads were gritted and shoppers panic-bought, with a Tesco store in Aberdare, South Wales selling out of bread and milk the night before. But despite all of the preparations and heads-up that the snow was coming, when it actually came the country came to a virtual stand-still. But why? Why after all these years of getting snow during the winter can Britain not seem to cope with it?

Bread, milk, fruit and fresh meat all sold out in stores across South Wales

(Image source - ITV)

Services

In the days before the snowfall gritters across the country were out in force, making sure all of the main roads were clear. But it seems that’s where they stopped; the main roads. It’s understandable that main roads are made a priority and that budgets mean smaller roads can’t be gritted as much, but in many cases there is no attempt to do anything about these smaller roads and the side-streets. It’s all well and good to make sure the major roads are cleared for traffic, but if the traffic can’t get from the smaller roads to the main ones then what’s the point?

Instead of cancelling trains in advance, why can't providers do something about snow-covered tracks?

(Image source - Metro)

Another service that is also often affected by the snow is transport. As with cars, if roads aren’t safe for buses to drive along then they can’t run. But trains run on tracks, which are never as badly affected by snow as roads. Yet last week, as the snow hit, many services were either delayed severely or cancelled completely. In some cases, trains were cancelled before the snow had actually hit. Rather than preparing for the snow by cancelling trains, why couldn’t providers actually do something to allow their trains to run in the snow?  


Attitude

Whilst a lot of people hate the way snow disrupts normal-day life, many others embrace it, as it gives them the ‘snow day’. The day where it is ‘impossible’ to get to work so you’ll just have to stay at home. For many people that is true because, as mentioned earlier, a lack of gritting on side-streets means many people can’t safely get to work. And with retail workers, if people can’t get to the store to shop then there’s no reason for the store to open. But in many cases, people can get to work. People with access to main roads can easily drive to their offices and places of work. Those who use public transport can get a train and get to work. And those who walk can, well, walk.

Snow doesn't stop everyone from getting to work, so why do so many take the day off?

(Image source - BBC News)

There is a general feeling across the country that when it snows we can’t do anything. But we can, if we just made the effort, and if transport providers made the effort too.


Media

As has already been said, the newspapers have been talking about the incoming snow for weeks. During the past few days, the reports on the weather during news programmes have featured several stories about the snow and residents trying to deal with it, all of which can be simplified to ‘There’s snow’. There seems to be a media frenzy when it comes to the snow. News outlets all seem to be telling us how bad the snow is and how devastating it has been, leading to public panic and the view that they can’t do anything because of the snow.

Should a bit of snow really be making the front pages?

(Image source - Daily Express)

There are many developed countries across the world who are capable of functioning despite heavy snowfall on a regular basis. Surely Britain can find a way to cope for the handful of days every year it snows, especially when everyone knows about it weeks in advance.

Linking offshore wind farms to grid will cost £17bn

Fears that development costs could lead to higher prices for consumers

Plans to link offshore wind farms to the grid may result in higher electricity prices for consumers, it has been warned by a committee of MPs.

The method of bringing power from offshore wind farms, and onshore ones, to land is very complex and has been a major obstacle in the development and expansion of the wind energy industry, as a heavy-duty transmission infrastructure has to be developed, which has left many wind farms waiting for long periods to be connected to the grid.

Currently, a licensing system is in place which allows transmission lines to be constructed by the National Grid and other developers, who are then given a guaranteed income for 20 years; a total cost of £17bn. However, companies can only be fined 10% of their income if they fail to meet obligations, which Margaret Hodge, the chair of the public accounts committee, fears will lead to higher prices for consumers. She said, ‘Not only is it unlikely that this licensing system for bringing electricity from offshore wind farms on to the national grid will deliver any savings for consumers, it could well lead to higher prices. Indeed the terms of the licences appear to have been designed almost entirely to attract investors at the expense of securing a good deal for consumers’.

Offshore wind farms seem to be a good source of energy, but getting to use this energy is costly

(Image source - The Guardian)

Ofgem, the energy regulator, responded to the MPs report by highlighting the fact that it was only able to cover the first four tenders for licences, and added that the competition for these licences had saved customers about £290m. They said: ‘Our objective is to ensure this necessary investment is delivered at a fair price. As with any new market, there are lessons from early transactions. The initial tenders were conducted under interim arrangements. "It has always been Ofgem's intent to refine the tender process to deliver greater efficiencies and further benefits to consumers’.

As has been said before, new forms of energy production will, in the short term, lead to higher bills to cover the costs of implementing these new initiatives, though it is expected that these renewable forms of energy production will lead to cheaper bills in the future. But what do you think? Are you willing to pay more now for cheaper bills later? Let us know your views in the comments below.

Are politicians really that out of touch with the public?

MPs calling for higher wages despite millions struggling with low pay and rising energy bills

Earlier this week, the results of a survey of 100 MPs were released, showing that 69% thought that their annual wage of £65,738 made them ‘under-paid’, with the majority of them suggesting that their wage should be at least £96,740.

Considering the expenses scandals of recent years, and the fact that millions of people are struggling to afford things like food, housing, energy bills and general living costs, the news that MPs think they are hard done by is just astonishing. It’s not just because of things like their second homes, their expenses and questions about how much they actually do (apart from major events, how often is Parliament completely full?), but because of the simple fact that so many ordinary, hard-working people are having to face higher living costs without any wage increases and are being told by these very MPs that they’ll have to just put up with it because of the UK’s economic situation.

Despite millions of people struggling with living costs, MPs also think they have it rough

These opinions aren’t just held by one party however. 47% of Conservative MPs and 39% of Labour MPs felt they were unpaid. Only 9% of Lib Dems held this view, but they thought that the ideal wage for a politician was around £78,000. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, Britain’s largest public sector trade union, said ‘The idea MPs believe they deserve a 32 per cent increase is living in cloud cuckoo land’.  Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, agreed, saying, ‘Hiking politicians’ wages at a time of pay freezes, benefit caps and necessary spending cuts would be completely unpalatable to taxpayers.

Some MPs have tried to defend their responses, as one wrote in the anonymous comments of the survey that people have ‘no idea’ of ‘the pressure, breadth of knowledge and social skills that are required to do the job’.  If MPs feel they are unpaid, how do they think they rest of the country feels? Didn’t they think about the reaction of the public to their survey responses? Do MPs seriously believe a family struggling to make ends meet, who are have to face turning off their heating to afford to eat, or a graduate who can’t get a job despite having a first-class degree, would think ‘You’re right, £65,000 isn’t anywhere near enough for a politician’?

A lot of MPs seriously seem to have no idea what everyday life is like for a lot of people in Britain, and the results of this survey just show how out of touch they are with the British public by not seeing the irony of telling people to accept pay freezes, lower wages and higher energy bills whilst demanding higher pay for themselves. 

Parents turn off heating to feed kids

New figures show how fuel poverty is rising

One in four families are having to turn off their heating to afford to feed their children due to rises in energy bills.

A survey conducted by the Energy Bill Revolution campaign has revealed the startling figure, along with others that highlight just how much fuel poverty in the UK is rising. According to the results, 45% of adults are using blankets and extra layers to keep warm, and nearly half of parents are turning the heating off whilst their children are out. Another shocking figure shows that a fifth of parents claim their children have been getting ill more regularly due to living in a colder house.

The cost of heating is starting to get too much for many families

(Image source - Metro)

The survey was aimed at 1000 members of the Netmums website, with 88% of them stating they more concerned with energy bills now than they were last year. Sally Russell, the founder of Netmums, said 'With almost nine in 10 families now rationing energy use due to spiralling prices, this signals a new winter of discontent for British families.'

Fuel poverty is an issue that has started to affect more and more people and is something Home Reheat has regularly discussed, with recent articles looking at how nearly 300,000 homes will be dragged into fuel poverty this winter and how elderly people will be hit the worst. 

Backbench rebellion over energy bill?

'Decarbonisation target must be included' say MPs

Fears of a backbench rebellion in Parliament are growing following news that a decarbonisation target will not be included in the energy bill being put forward by the Coalition government.

Despite being seen as a crucial factor for climate change campaigners and supporters of low-carbon energy, any target on decarbonising electricity generation has been left out of the bill on the insistence of both the Chancellor George Osborne and the Prime Minister David Cameron. Tim Yeo, chairman of the energy and climate change select committee, is set to give a speech in the City this morning insisting that an amendment to the bill to include a decarbonisation target be brought forward when the bill reaches the reporting stages early next year.

The lack of a decarbonisation target is splitting Parliament

(Image source - The Guardian)

Yeo believes that a 2030 target to reduce carbon emissions from energy production is essential in encouraging investors to the UK and to give them certainty that the country’s long-term emissions-cutting targets are met. Yeo said that these issues were ‘a constant theme’ in his talks with investors, and believes that a specific decarbonisation target would ‘boost investor confidence’.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has suggested that the target should be no more than 50g of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour by 2030. Yeo said he would happily compromise with a target of 50 to 100g/kWh. The current figure is around 490g/kWh.

Another row over carbon targets is expected as Ed Davey, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, will announce the same day as Yeo whether the government will accept the advice of the CCC and include emissions from aviation and shipping in the UK's carbon targets. Many within the Conservative Party are opposed to this, but it would be damaging to the Liberal Democrats if Davey was to overrule the committee, the statutory body set up to advise ministers on how to meet long-term carbon targets, on this issue.

Fuel poverty set to rise

‘Inadequate’ Government policies blamed for increase in households struggling to pay bills

Christmas will be a difficult time for a lot of families as reports suggest another 300,000 households will be plunged into fuel poverty following recent price rises.

The independent Fuel Poverty Advisory Group has warned that nine million homes could be hit by fuel poverty by 2016 and have blamed the Coalition government for doing very little to ‘soften the blow’ of initiatives such as implementing green measures, which could add nearly £100 to the average energy bill, and getting firms to insulate the roofs of poorer customers’ homes, which will add another £100. With these measures, along with the recent price increases from the major energy companies, the average annual energy bill will be around £1,365.

More and more people are struggling to pay the bills to keep their homes warm

(Image source - The Mirror)

A policy announced by the Government which will limit the amount of tariffs energy companies can have and will force companies to offer customers the cheapest tariff has been criticised, as many believe it will actually cause prices to rise because it will effectively end competition for cheap deals and will stop customers switching tariffs regularly.

It has previously been suggested that nearly 90% of people will ‘ration’ their energy this Christmas in an attempt to save money, with elderly people more likely to do so, and more likely to suffer because of it. This Christmas, it is feared that fuel poverty will be directly responsible for over 2000 ‘excess winter deaths’, with that figure looking increasingly likely to rise as winters get colder and prices get higher.

Was Doha a success?

Did climate talks in Qatar achieve anything?

The Doha climate talks in Qatar have come to an end; and for some they were a bit of an anti-climax, as no grand, bold deal on dealing with climate change was reached. However, other commentators have stated that this was never the point of the talks, that they were just a stepping stone for the more important talks in 2015. So was Doha a success?

According to environmental organisation World Wildlife Federation, the talks were a complete failure. WWF called the deals made at Doha ‘shamefully weak’ and accused larger nations like the US, Russia and Japan of blocking any real progress. The organisation even went as far to say that many governments of developed countries are ‘out of touch with the reality of climate change’ and that at Doha they failed to deliver even the most minimum expectations of dealing with climate change.

Doha didn't produce a major climate change deal, but did pave the one for one in 2015

(Image source - Yahoo.com)

However, there are others who would disagree. Granted that no major deals on battling climate change were made at Doha, a lot of people didn’t see that as the main goal of the talks. Connie Hedegaard, environment correspondent for the Guardian, believes that Doha was simply ‘setting the stage’ for the main talks in 2015. She states that, although goals on climate change weren’t set, goals on sorting out the way future talks would go were set, and reached.

Before Doha, there were several different working groups based on the vast differences between developed and developing nations. Now, there is one negotiation forum for everyone, the Durban Platform. Before Doha, only developed nations had a legal commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Now, both developed and developing countries will make legal commitments to tackling climate change. And now, following Doha, there is now a schedule of what must be done before 2015.

So Doha may not have been the spectacular definitive moment where climate change was beaten, as some environmental groups seem to have thought it would be. But progress was made. The preparations for the major talks in 2015 were made. Now it is down to the governments to make the most of the progress made at Doha and take it into the talks in three years time. Climate change is a very serious issue, for both developing and developed nations alike, so all nations have to make sure that a proper deal is made in 2015, otherwise all of the progress made in Doha will have been for nothing.

Fracking laws needed says EU

Brussels warns UK about jumping 'headlong' into shale gas

The European parliament has warned it will regulate the shale gas industry as it claims the UK doesn’t know what it is doing with its ‘dash for gas’.

Jo Leinen MEP, a member of the parliament’s environment committee, believes the UK isn’t fully aware of the scale of environmental and health consequences that can occur from large-scale ‘fracking’, the controversial method of blasting rocks with pressurised water, sand and chemicals to force gases from them. Leinen said ‘In Great Britain they give the green light for industrial exploitation but they have to know what they are doing. I don't know if they can be so sure and clear about what they are doing”. 

The Coalition sees shale gas as a great opportunity, but may be ignoring the environmental implications of it

(Image source - The Guardian)

Recent reports on fracking from the European commission warn of the high risk of ground- and surface-water contamination, noxious air emissions, risks to biodiversity and noise pollution. However, just last week the chancellor George Osbourne announced that fracking firms would be offered tax breaks to set up in the UK, whilst energy secretary, Ed Davey, is expected to lift restrictions on a fracking site in Blackpool shortly, after it was closed when it was suggested the process may be triggered earthquakes.

Another criticism of the process is that, according to research, between 2500 and 3500 horizontal wells and 113 million tonnes of water would be needed to produce just 10% of the UK’s gas consumption over the next 20 years, with prompted Christophe McGlade, from the UCL Energy Institute who worked on a report for the European commission on the level of shale in the EU, to say, "Just because the resource is there, it does not mean that it can be produced economically."

UPDATE -

Energy secretary Ed Davey has now lifted the restrictions on fracking in the UK, allowing energy company Cuadrilla to resume its operations at the site in Blackpool. Despite protests from anti-fracking campaigners, who believe that this practice of collecting shale gas could be damaging to climate change targets and could potentially contaminate aquifers, Davey sees shale gas as a promising new energy source. Davey stated he has taken all factors into account, saying, "My decision is based on the evidence. It comes after detailed study of the latest scientific research available and advice from leading experts in the field",

Wales tackling climate change

Talks in Doha highlight Wales as first country to introduce unique climate law

The climate change talks in Doha, Qatar are well underway and have brought up an interesting fact. Wales, out of all the 194 countries with representatives at the talks, is the only  one to be preparing to introduce a new law that requires all public bodies, such as schools and libraries, to take into account the environmental factors of any decision.

This sustainable development bill will be law in just under a year and follows other bold actions to deal with climate change. Wales has a target of reducing carbon emissions in the country by 3% every year (which would mean a 40% reduction by 2020) and is currently leading the UK in renewable energy. The country also has plans to make improve energy efficiency in social housing by fitting homes with energy saving devices. These plans show Wales is ambitious in dealing with the issue of climate change, but one embarrassing fact is that, between 2009 and 2010, greenhouse gas emissions in the country actually increased 8%, compared to just 2% in England, although this has been attributed to economic growth and the cold winter during that period.

Wales has its sights set on becoming leader in renewable energies

(Image source - The Guardian)

John Griffiths, the Welsh assembly member who is representing them at the Doha talks, wants to get Wales utilising more onshore and offshore wind, but accepts the opposition schemes like these have faced, especially in mid-Wales. To deal with this, he wants to find a way to make energy companies benefit the local communities they operate in. "We are in discussions with companies to get more community benefit, and to provide more jobs. We need to paint a positive picture around renewables in Wales. There's a lot of benefit for us if we get it right." 

Griffiths wants more schemes to make homes in Wales energy efficient

(Image source- South Wales Argus)

Griffiths sees the importance of tackling climate change, as he blames it for the recent flooding in many parts of Wales. "We in Britain had the wettest summer for 100 years. Now we are told we will have more extremes [like this] with climate change. It was very much in line with climate change. Floods like that and the one at Talybont bring climate change home to people. It will have a severe impact."

There is potential for Wales to be seen as a small but outward-looking, progressive state, as there are scores of renewable energy companies in the country looking to help reduce the impact of climate change and, in the process, help improve the lives of the Welsh people.

Winter is coming!

Temperatures set to hit 100-year low

You may have already noticed when you went to work this morning with three layers on and spent 20 minutes trying to defrost the car, but winter is here.

Temperatures have plummeted this week and are set to drop even further throughout December, with temperatures estimated at minus 3C in many places, and even as low as minus 20C in some northern areas. 

As has been in case during the last few winters, there are fears of snow blizzards closing roads and train lines, causing chaos for travellers during the festive period. Experts have also expressed concerns that the torrential rain, that has devastated many areas of Britain this week, will return early next month, hampering recovery efforts of those who have been flooded.

Snow has already hit mountainous areas, and could be on its way to the rest of us

(Image Source - The Daily Mail)

So, with temperatures dropping, now would be the time to crank up the heating. But many people are set to go without heating for extending periods over winter due to the increases in energy bills. If only there was a way to utilise and make the most of all of the heating you pay for…

Luckily, there is!

Our innovative Home Reheater recycles the warm air in your home (particularly the heat trapped in your ceiling as it naturally rises) and recirculates it back down to the rest of the room. This allows you to turn your heating down to a lower temperature and still stay warm, as the entire room will remain at one constant temperature, instead of the ceiling being the warmest, as is currently the case in homes across the country.

So there are three options this winter; turn your heating up and face the costs in the New Year, turn it off and stay horribly cold all Christmas, or invest in a Home Reheater and stay happily warm, whilst reducing your heating bill at the same time. Surely the answer is obvious?

Go to our website now and look at the 16 different designs available to find the one that suits your home. With its simple installation process your product will be up and running and saving you money in no time. And at a cost of just £39.95 it is a cheaper alternative to paying over the odds for heating that you'll only waste as it rises to the ceiling.

So stay warm and get your own back this Christmas with