Comments MikeB has made

These environmetalists...

In fact most environmentalists were warning quite some time ago that first generation biofuels were unsuitable for large-scale use (old frying fat to power your local bus, yes; large-scale use in every car in Europe, no).  It was governments and certain interest groups (such as german car makers) who though this might be a great 'get out of jail free card'.  Biofuels have real promise as part of the solution (as fuel for ultra efficent hybrids for example), but these will be the 2nd and 3rd generation fuels, not the current ones.  I've read a number of articles decrying 'greens' for backing biofuels, but all seem to have conjured these greens out of thin air, instead of looking at the facts.On With food riots raging, let's open the books on the finances of Big Ag posted 1 year, 7 months ago 21 Responses

Where is the wind?

What happened to the off-shore wind idea - its still sort of going, but like most things to do with energy policy in the UK, its too little, too late.

The people who run UK energy policy (politicians, senior civil servants and lobbyists) have consistantly backed big techno-fixes such as nuclear and central generation by gas/coal over energy efficiency, alternatives and renewables. Yes, they have proposed a tidal power project, but it will cost at least $24 billion dollars and will flood large amounts of unique wetlands and will change the hydrology of an area only recently flooded in heavy rain.  Another techno-fix.

A White paper of only a few years ago saying that nuclear was not needed was overturned last year by the lobbying of the nuclear industry and the fear that Putin would cut off supplies of gas.  Coal is also back in favour, with large subsidies for what is left of our coal industry, and Eon has just been given permission to contruct a very large, not very efficient and extremely carbon dirty coal fired power station.  Emails between the government and the company show that there was a request for the government not to ask to have carbon storage equipment fitted, and they happily obliged.  Since carbon capture is a technology which the government says its very hopeful about, you suspect that not everyone believes, or is willing to pay for, the hype.

Where they have funded renewables, it's been on a very small scale, and for very limited periods.  Seemingly, its enough for the departments involved to just go through the motions.  When they did go for windpower, there was seemingly no attempt for tie it in with other technologies, and  many windfarms got held up by objections, often fanned by nuclear-backed anti-wind groups.

The governments stance on energy efficiency and small-scale generation has been lamentable, with programmes suddenly being cut, little money in the first place, and little information on how to claim for grants.  Our housing stock is the least efficient in Europe, and current regulations (which will not be raised for the building industry for some years), are so low, that a recent survey showed that Tudor, and then Victorian houses were the most efficient form of construction.  Modern construction came some way down the list.

 Local councils have started using their local powers to try to get developers to incorporate at least 10% of renewable capacity on site for each developent (the Merton rule), a rule developed because of the vacuum at central government level.  The building industry came very close to having them scrapped entirely last year through lobbying ministers.

The government has also said that it wants zero-carbon towns to be built - but no one can actually say what 'zero-carbon' will actually mean.

In short, energy policy is a mess, consistantly giving in to special interests, having unreasoned faith in technology and mega-projects, whatever their previous failures.  Peak Oil is simply not spoken of, and climate change is something which they would like to do something about, but not in a way which would annoy anyone.  

Lets just say it isn't like Sweden...On British government embraces a nuclear-powered future posted 1 year, 10 months ago 13 Responses

Green cars

Ethenol powered Hummer?  Thats it from GM?  So a 15 mpg tank is suddenly made green by powering it from a fuel source which is massively subsidised, is barely available anywhere and forces up the price of food for poor people.  
Is GM insane?  Do they really think this is in anyway a breakthrough, or do they just not get that they are building the wrong product, and that the company is a heartbeat away from bankruptcy.On Automakers unveil greener vehicles at Detroit auto show posted 1 year, 10 months ago 3 Responses

Cannot compute....

The WSJ v the WSJ - sounds like one of those old Star Trek episodes where the supercomputer says something like 'Cannot compute' and blows up - any chance that the WSJ will self-destruct?On The Wall Street Journal contradicts itself on global warming posted 2 years, 3 months ago 24 Responses

By the way..

Sorry, but I've just noticed that Amazon.com (via the Grist store) has got Michael Crichton to do a review!  He starts with 'Bjørn Lomborg is the best-informed and most humane advocate for environmental change in the world today' - do we really need to read on?

Is it about time that Grist starts talking to Powells?On Bjorn Lomborg's new book misunderstands risk and investment posted 2 years, 3 months ago 11 Responses

Rambling social commentary was right..

Much as I agree with you that Sicko does seem to paint non-US healthcare as perfect (the NHS could be better), I'm slightly confused as to why you went from lambasting the US system (which is largely a private free market) to then trying to argue that free markets work - when you have the perfect example of one that does not.

Actually what I think you were trying to say is that you want something in the middle, but it got lost somewhere. Free markets are seldom perfect, which is something every economics student learns about as soon as they open a newspaper, but they can be useful.

Healthcare is simply too important to be left to the market (some would  say the same of sub-prime mortgages after this week..), and has none of the price signals that work in a free market.  Are you sick is not the same as can you pay.  Only the most fanatical free-marketeer would argue that bird flu should be left to the free market to deal with, for instance.  

The NHS and other such systems work on the premise that while the free market is great at getting you a cheap DVD player, there are seldom great profits to be made in ICU's and the like.  Universal healthcare is simply insurance for everyone - it spreads the risk, allows long-term planning and allocates (hopefully) resources where they will be the most effective, rather than the most profitable.

The reason the NHS was set up just after the war was not despite the shortages and damge caused by the war, it was in part because of it.  The old system (which closely resembled the situation in the US in many ways) simply did not work, and there had been radical changes during the war in terms of healthcare organisation, diet and the whole idea of state control.  The Beveridge report simply said what many had been thinking already.  

The 'retired member of the British Parliament' is actually Tony Wedgewood Benn, a long-time hate figure for the British right, and a former Lord (the Wedgewood part comes from the pottery dynasty).  Now he's something of a national treasure. Times change...but we still love the NHS, whatever its failings. On Along with a rambling social commentary posted 2 years, 3 months ago 20 Responses

European fridges

Its strange that this topic came up the day I took delivery of a brand new fridge freezer - to replace the nine month old machine which is seemingly the only one Bosch have ever made with a design fault (not that I'm annoyed at Bosch or anything).

Its perfectly true that most European fridges/fridge freezers are smaller than their US counterparts, but the trend in the UK is certainly towards larger units.  US sitcoms (apart from Friends - who have the classic Smeg look) always seem to have a massive fridge in their kitchen, etc - and having a US style machine is a bit like having a SUV - its a fashion statement as much as anything.

The one I've just taken delivery of seems huge.  Its 2m tall (even the Bosch was only 185cm high), and resembles a white version of the monolith from 2001 sitting in your kitchen.  The difference between US and European machines is partially one of layout - the US side by side machines are much wider, so they seem even bigger. But they are also bigger in terms of volume.  The store which sells my new machine (John Lewis) also sells US makes such as Maytag and Admiral.  The smallest machine  for either of those makes has a fridge size 40% bigger than mine (although admittedly for twice the price), and the Magtag Zigzag's is pretty much double.

Part of the reaon for that, as lama pointed out, is the size of US packaging.  My wife and I went to San Diego for our honeymoon, and went to the local supermarket to get a pint of milk.  The smallest we could get was 6 pints.  Thats the largest family sized pack you can get in the UK, and the rest of the cold section was similar.  Very big bottles, etc means very big fridges.  My cousin lives in SD, and as a single guy who travels on business a fair bit, he basically eats out, rather than buying a large amount of food which he will have to throw away - its simply cheaper and easier.

There are other reasons for smaller units in Europe as well, but certainly in the UK, the idea that we all go out to the market every day, have our milk delivered in pint bottles and ignore the supermarket is simply no longer true (hopefully the French and the Italians will hold on to this idea).  UK consumers normally now go once a week to a supermarket, load up (especially if there is a BOGOF going) and throw everything into the fridge/freezer (my new machine even has a special setting to cool down food just bought from the supermarket, alas).

And we do buy increasing amounts of ready meals, which we then put in the fridge, and often throw away at the end of the week, as well as pizzas, etc.

But most people here still buy the classic Euro model, with the fridge on top, although they are certainly getting taller.  We tend to go up because kitchens are generally smaller.  That design is also seemigly  more efficient than a side by side (although the Maytags, etc that JL seems to sell are all A rate). Euro models also never seem to have the ice cube makers which must really  burn power.

I suspect that a lot of the difference is lifestyle - I certainly dont think that my cousin has a large fridge, although it would be rather cheaper for him to buy one in the US - he simply does not need one.

I also suspect that manufacturers produce what they think the market wants - if your used to a big unit, then thats what you'll tend to buy - most of us dont shop just on price or energy efficiency alone.

I am surprised though by the fact that all my North American relatives still use top loading washing machines - something which I havn't seen for years here.  Front loaders are easier to load and more efficient with water, yet on Pricerunner, about 60% of the machines are still toploaders.  Again, the size and design of machines probably has as much to do with culture and tradition as anything else.On Umbra on refrigerator downsizing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses