Sarah Jane Smith Adventures and Black Gold

The beloved mentioned that when I blog about environmental issues I tend to lose him. Here therefore is an environmental story from the point of view of a field he understands better than me: economics. This article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/edmundconway/6505670/North-Sea-oil-is-dragging-us-into-the-red.html claims that the UK's economic prosperity since the early 1980s has been due to 'black gold' - i.e. North Sea oil and gas and the money it has brought into country. With these supplies now running out and the UK no longer being self-sufficient in energy, we are going to have economic problems.

I am not convinced with the Doctor's inclusion in the Sarah Jane Smith Adventures. In the episode he was in all he seemed to do was hang a lampshade on the fact all stories with The Trickster in them have basically the same plot, and tell the 'meddling kids' how wonderful they and Sarah Jane Smith are and how important what they do is. Is that really the best they could come up with?

But, the kids liked it so, since it is a children's program, maybe I should not complain.

President of Europe

Tony Blair would appear to be angling for a job that does not yet exist that of the first permanent President of the European Council. Already it seems to have been decided that he is not going to get it.

An idea I had for who could take the position was Marta Andreasen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Andreasen). She might be good for Europeans because:

• She seems to have integrity
• She is prepared to stand up for what she believes
• She is intelligent
• She understands the EU’s financial accounting system and knows how to fix it

There are various reasons why the people who will chose the President will not consider her:

• She seems to have integrity
• She is prepared to stand up for what she believes
• She is intelligent
• She understands the EU’s financial accounting system and knows how to fix it

OK, so who do you think might get the job/ would be good at the job? (Two completely different questions).

Hope

On one of the bridges over the canal near where I work there is a tree growing on a small ledge half-way up the wall of the bridge. Most of the time I believe humanity is doomed and we will drive ourselves to extinction by what we are doing to our environment. Sometimes though, I get glimmers of hope. Maybe nature is stronger than us and will find a way to keep humanity clinging to life in the same way that tree clings to the wall.

Clean Coal

There is, at current rates of production, about 200 years of coal left. This is large compared with natural gas (about 60 years) and crude oil (about 40 years). It would be beneficial for the environment if we left that coal under the ground. But since it is one of the easiest of the options to answer the world’s growing energy demands, that coal is going to be mined and burnt. This will release large amounts of carbon dioxide. One way to mitigate some of the impacts is to capture that carbon dioxide and store it and not release it into the atmosphere. The proposal at Hatfield in South Yorkshire, is to pipe into the North Sea and store it in disused gas and oil wells.

It is an unproven technology and it might not work. Trying it though seems better to me than continuing as we are and sending all that carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_coal_technology

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article6867016.ece

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8311286.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6319437/Obamas-green-guru-calls-for-clean-coal.html

Belief

Listening the other day to the radio and someone calling in said she was not an environmentalist and she did not believe in global warming. It was another instance of someone confusing science with religion. Environmentalism is not a religion. Global warming is not an act of faith. Global warming is a scientific theory, that causally links humanity burning large amount of fuels, with rising carbon dioxide levels with observations suggesting climate change, such as increased flooding in some places, increased droughts in others, species migrating pole wards and to higher altitudes, coral reef bleaching, less permafrost etc. This causal link is backed by the theory on how the greenhouse effect works.

The Wicked Witch of the West

I was introducing myself on the forum of an arts course I am just starting. Since I have been on the science side most of my studying, I put ‘…so I feel a little strange on the 'arts' side, like it said 'formal' on a party invite, but I mis-read it as 'fancy' and came as the wicked witch of the west.’ It then occurred to me that summed up how I feel in most situations.

I find life is like I have mis-read ‘formal’ on the invite as ‘fancy’ and come as the Wicked Witch of the West. I know something is not right, but I have not worked out what, although it does seem strange everyone else has come as James Bond or Cinderella at the Ball. No one else has worked out my mistake either and there is a mixture of pity (poor thing that being her best dress), contempt (look what the cat dragged in) and outrage (she should have made more of an effort, why did they invite her?). Thankfully there are one or two people who seem to like me as the Wicked Witch.

Three Questions

In the next General Elections, what are the chances of:

• A hung Parliament?
• The Liberal Democrats coming in second?
• The Liberal Democrats Winning?