• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Climate Change

The "twelve foot storm surge" that has been repeatedly warned of as coming at you like a double decker bus.
No.
It is a higher tide caused by water swelling in the area, not a tsunami.
The risk is of flooding, not a "wall of water".
And, in actual fact, the tide was about five feet lower than normal, not fifteen feet higher.
Funny stuff weather, you never really know until it happens.
 
Double post...again...different point...same old story...no whippings for me, others deserve them much more.

Another (probable) hottest year on the planet, hotter than last year's hottest year ever.
So another bag of even hotter air called COP 29.
The previous COPs have made such a massive difference.

All the very important pillocks turn up in private jets, to agree that they aren't doing enough, that change will cost too much for the economy, and continue the fire.

But hey, throw a few quid at the poorer, less developed countries, and shove a couple of quid on flights, that will fix things nicely.
Possibly.
 
Triple post, just me again...
Latest CO2 figures...worst ever recorded.
Hottest year ever, again, massive seasonal and non seasonal wildfires contributing to increasing pollution, and the 1.5 degree increase "warning point" has already passed us by...unless you use the statistical "average over 20 years" escape clause.
As mentioned a few posts above, many people will not be able to get house insurance in California, as well as Florida...$350,000,000,000 is a lot of noughts to cover the costs of the fires.

So not only are we going to hell in a handcart rather quickly, we have added new faster wheels and removed the brakes.

On the positive side, good old Skyscanner, return trips to Poland from £26:00...getting even cheaper!
 
Last edited:
On the positive side, good old Skyscanner, return trips to Poland from £26:00...getting even cheaper!
Ooh nice, I need another trip to Krakow.

Rob - while countries like the USA, China, India continue to emit more than anyone else, there is no way climate change is going to be slowed down.

And while the people in the west continue to fund countries like China by buying the cheap crap from Temu, Shein and whole UK businesses continue to move industry out there to make even more profits, and while we are happy to have this crap imported by diesel powered ships daily then it ain’t gonna stop either.

If we in the west are really wanting to stop climate change, we need to totally change our buying habits. More focus on local products which are high quality, fixable and made by non polluting factories (and not made by child labour either).

I fact, I would love to see a tax on products based on various factors such as :

How they are made (factory green credentials, staff welfare)

The quality of the products used (source of products, ethics)

If the product has been made locally (ie how far has the product travelled to get here and by what means)

If the products can be fixed should they break

Product guarantee length

And how well the product can be recycled once it reaches the end of its lifespan.


Any products not meeting these requirements should be heavily taxed to encourage buyers to purchase products which are more sustainable and not live in this throw away culture. That should discourage people buying tat from Chinese companies (usually heavily subsidised by the CCP) and thus reduce the emissions from their factories as demand dries up.

We can bang on and try and make ourselves feel good by buying an EV, or having a heat pump fitted, but the reality is even if the UK did reach true net zero (at great expense) it won’t make a darn bit of difference to the global position.

It should also help reduce the funding going to their military in which they happily issues threats against the west but that’s a different topic.

Seeing Rachel Reeves over in China last week to try and cozy up to them even more despite their pollution, threats, and human rights records just shows how two faced we are in the west.


Edit: on the subject of tax….. so Labour are on about ramping up the tax on ICE cars, and on gas boilers. Instead of doing this, don’t they think it would be better to actually incentivise and help people get these things. Have a financial incentive to buy these items rather than tax those who can’t afford them. I’d like solar panels on the house but as we work we can’t get any financial help towards them, and I’m not paying the high price to have them fitted. Same with a heat pump. Same with an EV. Instead of punishing people who actually do want these items but can’t afford them, actually help them purchase them!
 
Ahh the “we are too small so let’s not bother argument.”

I agree on getting our produce locally, it was one of the many reasons I was against Brexit as we went from trading locally (when considered globally) to doing bad trade deals with Australia.

Fact is although the UK getting to net zero isn’t going to make a huge difference it does help and it puts us in front of the curve when it comes to embracing these technologies.

As for increasing tax it generally works to change behaviour (look at smoking). My only argument against a 2025 implementation is public transport isn’t up to snuff and EV’s are pricey. But these tax changes where also baked in under the previous government so the political party doing it is irrelevant.
 
I still think it’s better to encourage people to buy something else than just throw some tax at what they usually buy. Take smoking for example, yeah they tax it high but there is also help valuable through the NHS to help quit.

What help is available should I wish to buy an EV? Or some solar panels? Or a heat pump? Plenty available if I’m on benefits, but what about working people who want to “embrace these new technologies”?

Surely it’s better to help someone get into an EV than let them buy a diesel car and then just charge them another £100 a year tax?

As for the let’s not bother comment - I don’t believe I said that. What I said is that our contribution to reducing global emissions is tiny compared to the large polluters and unless the west changes its habits particularly when it comes to industry then our net zero contribution isn’t going to make any difference in slowing down climate change.

So no, I didn’t say let’s not bother did I?
 
What help is available should I wish to buy an EV? Or some solar panels? Or a heat pump? Plenty available if I’m on benefits, but what about working people who want to “embrace these new technologies”?
Sorry, please explain exactly the "plenty of help" that's available to people claiming benefits to purchase an EV, some solar panels or a heat pump.

If you're referring to the ECO4 scheme, then there is some assistance granted to a very small proportion of benefit claims, for assistance with increasing energy efficiency in some households. It is explicitly not a grant system. The level of assistance provided is decided by your energy provider and, importantly, you must be the home owner to apply.

The proportion of benefit claimants who actually own their own home is shockingly low. It is unlikely that private landlords, if they even allow benefit claiming tenants (and aren't using an "insurance" clause to refuse to house them), are making use of the scheme on their tenants' behalf.

There is certainly no assistance provided to benefit claimants for Electric Vehicles that I'm aware of.
 
Sorry, please explain exactly the "plenty of help" that's available to people claiming benefits to purchase an EV, some solar panels or a heat pump.

If you're referring to the ECO4 scheme, then there is some assistance granted to a very small proportion of benefit claims, for assistance with increasing energy efficiency in some households. It is explicitly not a grant system. The level of assistance provided is decided by your energy provider and, importantly, you must be the home owner to apply.

The proportion of benefit claimants who actually own their own home is shockingly low. It is unlikely that private landlords, if they even allow benefit claiming tenants (and aren't using an "insurance" clause to refuse to house them), are making use of the scheme on their tenants' behalf.

There is certainly no assistance provided to benefit claimants for Electric Vehicles that I'm aware of.

I agree the number of people on benefits who own their own homes is very low. And yes there are no incentives for someone on benefits to buy an EV. But in the past when I have looked into schemes like new boiler, solar panels etc the help has only been there for those receiving certain benefits.

My argument remains that instead of taxing people out of cars, or out of gas boilers we should be offering financial incentives for people to buy them. Might actually win some votes instead of p*** people off even more.
 
Top