Re: [Monbiot] Digest for monbiot-discuss@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 2 Topics
Andrew Inglis
Poorly located , poorly designed, but relatively improved insulated
houses is occurring in in suburban Australia. The trouble is there is
no Energy cap / square metre nor a maximum volume i.e. size limits to
houses and lousy planning controls easily manipulated by political
process : that would be regulating lifestyles: an anathema to
libertarians. As in Toronto, Here in Melbourne the city is built on
the states' best farmland and being centripetal and relatively flat is
spreading cancerously in all directions but mainly to the southeast
(the best, most fertile farmland!) because there is little underlying
rock, unlike the volcanic plain to the west of the Yarra).
More importantly slow steps to introduce manadatory disclosure ( a
sort of road-worthy certificate on the energy efficiency for houses,
flats etc) at point of sale is occurring, but as yet no obligatory
upgrade as I believe is the case in some US states and certain parts
of Europe. Upgrade of existing Housing stock is at best a 30 year
program at worst almost 70 years.
Given Australia seems likely to EXPAND coal and iron ore international
exports to India and China in the next 15-20 years our fabled barrier
reef seems doomed per ocean warming and consequential effects , not
the least being increased shipping in narrow shallow shipping channels
inside the reef due to said expected export activity.
By that argument the Romans would have said North African and
Levantive de-forestation (timber taken to feed the furnaces of Rome)
was a "local " problem, as was ensuing soil erosion, pollution of
streams and eventually siltation of and the abandonment of
established estaurine cities.
The energy savings of so called 5 & 6* houses Australia wide (10*
represents zero emissions or nil net longterm environmental demand)
represents only about a week of annual electrical energy production
(coal based with some gas-fired ) and of course the carbon economics
excludes exported carbon because it is considered to be created at
"point-of-use" not origin. Not going backwards , more like trying to
climb an Alpine ski-jump with teflon coated boots without stops!
So the point is we can only focus on what we can influence:
sometimes that seems precious little, but as we know from ocean
temperature measurements and chaos theory small changes can trigger
enormous results even without Konrad Lorentz butterflies.
BTW the area conversion is 0.404 Hectares to the acre. I mile is 8
furlongs each of 220 yards length ( or 3 x 8 x 220 = 5280 feet) a
metre is about 39 inches or one yard 3 inches. A cricket pitch is 66
feet or 100 links or 22 yards so 80 cricket pitches to the linear
mile. 1 square metre is 10.88 square feet or 1 square yard about
0.93 sq.m
I thought Canada was entirely metric? especially the The Francophone parts.
Oil/ petrol/ benzene fluctates: Australia is set by Singapore Tapis
price. At the pump/ bowser we pay aound AUD$1.53- $1.65 for lead-free
distallate and about AUD$0.59-0.65 for LPG gas including Government
taxes. There are various fuel bounties for primary producers miners
etc (ie different tax treatments) so as elsewheree the poor subsidise
the rich.
Currently there is abig kerfuffle because the government is supporting
electrical gentailers in CHARGING for the changeover to smart-meters:
a rort given the "privatized" companies will save $'s by sacking
meter readers and gain greater control over power consumption and
patterns of use. We are seeing costs shift away from consumption and
"back" to supply: which is clearly a strong status quo message and an
even greater barrier to implementation of renewables or reduced
dependency on "established" power supplies. Historically Electrical
supply was a "public good" and heavily subsidized in the name of
progress, truth, happiness and the Great Australian way of life. WE
seem to be overtaking the Yanquis as the world's best practice in
per-capita consumption and energy squattocracy: the New Romans (
Ignoramii Numeroii Questae Ridiculae).
I need a sense others out there are also frustrated and doing there
bit at the same time: harrying elected reps, stirring up local issues
and actions etc. Apols for the long send
Andrew I
On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 8:57 AM, <monbiot...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> Today's Topic Summary
>
> Group: http://groups.google.com/group/monbiot-discuss/topics
>
> Fw: [Monbiot] What happens when? [1 Update]
> What happens when? [2 Updates]
>
> Fw: [Monbiot] What happens when?
>
> Kuttappan Vijayachandran <kvij...@gmail.com> Jan 15 11:29AM +0530
>
> @patrick
>
> Human progress triggered by the globalization of intellectual labor with
> the help of ICT revolution will be far less demanding on energy, compared
> to the progress registered by globalization of physical labor, based on
> industrial revolution and steam power. We are unable to make use of these
> possibilities due to the system constraints inherent in market economy,
> driven by income differentials: every one is under moral compulsion to take
> more than what he gives and crisis and confusion are inherent under this
> system.
>
>
> --
> K Vijayachandran
> Cell phone:91-9447174015
> Partner and Chief Consultant,
> Industries Research and Services
> www.industries-research.co.in
>
>
>
> What happens when?
>
> PAdam...@aol.com Jan 14 04:51PM -0500
>
> I noticed today the price of diesel has edged up again - £1.43 a litre.
> Thats 8p higher than at the peak of a couple of years ago when crude was
> $145
> a barrel. Its also 8p lower than if recent scheduled tax rises had been
> implemented.
>
> The price of road fuel in the UK is largely driven by what the supermarkets
> are charging in a very competitive and depressed market. Nobody makes
> profit from selling road fuel, only by selling other goods to motorists when
> they call to fill up.
>
> So, what happens when crude goes up again to nearly $150 and perhaps much
> higher? What happens to Government revenue when they are forced to cut taxes
> again? What happens when yet more businesses dependant on people driving
> cars go under? What happens when tax revenues fall even more and
> unemployment rises?
>
> My home town, Oxford, used to have 26,000 car industry jobs. Now its down
> to 5,000 - many of those poorly paid agency workers. Still plenty of wealth
> there though. 5 million journeys a year through the rail station - many
> commuting to London at great expense on overcrowded trains. The university
> science area being redeveloped at over £1 billion. Today 7,000 people paid
> over £20 each to spend 2 hours on a cold January day watching United lose to
> Crewe Alexandra! House prices are still rising, and its a landlords'
> paradise. I certainly cant afford to live there now. A good place for a
> transition
> town perhaps?
>
> Patrick
>
>
>
> Roger Priddle <roger....@gmail.com> Jan 15 12:04AM -0500
>
> Hi Patrick
>
> My wife filled her car with gas today - it was about $1.15cdn/litre here in
> Ontario. Last I saw, crude was just under $100US/barrel. I don't know
> what the conversion is from Sterling to Dollars but the US and Cdn are
> about par.
>
> Based on what I've read, we've passed Peak Oil (although no-one agrees on
> just when...). If the theories are right, the price of fuel should now
> start a series of spikes and fall backs, with each cycle higher than the
> one before. No amount of "competition" will be able to hold the prices at
> current levels over the next 5 to 10 years.
>
> In Canada, the taxes are a percentage of the selling price (I believe) so
> as the price rises, government revenue from fuel rises too. Certainly,
> there will have to be adjustments in the way business behaves as the price
> of fuel rises but surely we can concurrently reduce the absolute amount of
> fuel burned...? More efficient vehicles, smarter routing, telecommuting
> and teleconferencing, etc should all create efficiencies that cheap fuel
> has not encouraged.
>
> While some parts of society still have lots of surplus, I expect that to
> decrease with the increase in the cost of all petroleum-based products and
> activities. (Let's face it - even the ticket prices for a United/Crewe
> Alexandra match (whatever that is <grin>) will rise as the cost of
> transporting the teams around rises.)
>
> All these people making long commutes will have to change. We have the
> same situation here. Near Toronto (a major city), suburbs were built
> consisting of thousands of houses in the 3,000 to 4,000 sq.ft range. (I
> think that's 300 to 400 sq. m. but my memory of the conversion factor may
> be wrong.) These are large, inefficient and poorly insulated. Heating
> cost is going to be a major concern along with the commuting costs - those
> people have no local jobs and no rail transit, in fact, very little transit
> at all.
>
> Many of those homes were built on prime farmland - now lawns are the order
> of the day. I expect to see vegetable gardens and chickens there soon, and
> people generating local work, or selling and moving to where the work is.
>
> Transition Towns are bound to become more prevelant and relevant in the
> next few years. We have a very active one here, planning a conference on
> local food soon in conjuction with the local government. Actually,
> compared to many areas I hear about, I feel pretty good about the way
> things are progressing in my immediate area.
>
> Roger.
>
>
> --
> Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music.
> (George Carlin)
>
> First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then
> you win. (Mahatma Gandhi)
>
> Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can
> change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has! (Margaret
> Meade)
>
>
>
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Lila Smith
Our petrol in price in NZ Andrew. People screamed when it was nearly $2
however they are now just accepting it, we have a further warning that price
increases will be on the way to ..'cover costs'.........
Lila Smith
www.windwand.co.nz
Taranaki Tourism Website
www.windwand.co.nz/organickitchengarden.htm
Organic Kitchen Gardening
Mob 021230 7962
06 7512942
201 Omata Road
New Plymouth
New Zealand
tmgraphics
We took the car out for a change yesterday to give the dogs a run on an empty beach. 25 miles each way, that's one imperial gallon of petrol at €7 a gallon. Absolute peanuts to transport two people and two dogs in a warm, comfortable ton of metal a whole 50 miles! What's the problem? 8))
David