Comments Ben Tuxworth has made

  • Thanks for all these comments...

    The problem with innovation is never a shortage of ideas - the patents offices have thousands and thousands of great ideas registered over the years, that never made it to market.  Our competition was about finding innovations that were market ready and therefore promising as investment opportunities.  We did know that there are variations on the solar oven idea already out there, but the innovative element of the Kyoto box was the simplicity of approach, using existing manufacturing processes (initially a cardboard factory in Kenya, now developing a more durable plastic version in Indonesia) and simple resources to offer a full kit. As a result these boxes are cheap enough to retail in Africa and have a significant impact -  this could be cost neutral if carbon credits are factored in as part of an offset project. 

    And don't forget this was a competition -  other organisations working in this area unfortunately did not apply to the Challenge.   If you want to win the race you have to show up!  The judges and  the voting public saw merit in this idea ahead of the others on the basis of the idea and its planned path to market.  Social acceptability is a big part of this challenge, and  we'll follow up later in the year to see how the Kyoto box got on...

    On Kyoto stove wins $75,000 FT climate change innovation competition posted 7 months, 2 weeks ago 17 Responses

  • The sceptic curve

    Thanks for the comment.  Wilson sets out the 'not man-made' sceptical case, now that being sceptical about the change itself is pretty much impossible to hold as a line. Some of what he says is plain wrong - the much used idea of carbon emissions lagging temperature increases for example has been comprehensively debunked: a range of such myths are usefully exploded by ex Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government Sir David King in his book 'The Hot Topic'.  But there are always scientists who don't agree - a scientific consensus is by definition a highly caveat-laden proposition.  The point for policy is that most scientists and commentators now accept evidence that we are causing climate change is sufficiently firmly established to prompt precautionary action. To imply as Wilson does that there is an equal body of science suggesting climate change is from some other cause is disingenuous to say the least.  These tactics - to hold up the possibility of doubt as a reason not to act and to suggest governments are acting because of some sort of green conspiracy - are well past their sell-by date.  The risk to the Northern Irish economy that Wilson sees in discouraging carbon intensive business (if indeed any such thing is happening) is trivial compared to the much greater risk to that economy of being left behind as business elsewhere responds to the need to mitigate, both directly and through its supply chain.  On Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales are pursuing dramatically different environmental strategies posted 1 year, 1 month ago 2 Responses