Comments rorywilliams has made

  • illogical

    I also posted a critique of Lomborg's method back in May last year on Carbon Copy, just before the Copenhagen Consensus was updated. Ya gotta hand it to the guy, he knows how to convince.On Gore declines to debate Lomborg posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago 11 Responses

  • an example of CBA applied to global warming

    I am interested that nobody here has mentioned the Copenhagen Consensus, which was an exercise in prioritising the world's "great challenges of the day" using CBA. I don't agree with the Copenhagen Consensus method, but it's an interesting example. It was done four years ago, but an update will be presented at the end of this month.

    Its thrust was to identify the top ten challenges, and rank them. Strategies to address global warming were ranked at the bottom of the heap, on the grounds that you could get far better returns on money invested in strategies to address things like malnutrition, sanitation, disease and education.

    I am neutral on CBA in general, but I have a number of reservations about this approach to making what is essentially a political decision. I would love to embrace a rational approach, but we have to acknowledge that even the statements made by the IPCC about climate science are tempered by political negotiations. Similarly, the chosen strategies to fight global warming will not be based on a mythically objective analysis. If we are to make headway before it is too late, expediency will be the name of the game.

    Carbon CopyOn The climate crisis cannot be solved without cost-benefit analysis posted 1 year, 6 months ago 12 Responses

  • Washington is considering exactly the same thing

    This looks to me like a direct response to the US Climate Security Act, which also has a provision to block carbon-intensive imports to the US. I wrote about this on Carbon Copy.On Germany's Social Democrats call for climate sanctions on U.S. goods posted 1 year, 11 months ago 4 Responses

  • South African perspective

    Daily commentary was provided during the Bali conference from South Africa on Carbon Copy.On An incomplete roundup of reactions and commentary to the Bali climate meetings posted 1 year, 11 months ago 7 Responses

  • the list is endless

    The responses to this list show that everyone has their favourite "green" leader, and I am sure that most - if not all - claims are valid. The list really is endless, and I have argued on Carbon Copy (http://www.carbonsmart.com/carboncopy/2007/10/green-peopl ...) that green people are simply those that have heart and passion and a sense of responsibility and justice that guides how they think and act - whether or not they talk openly about green issues.

    Green people instinctively know what is right for the environment and life on earth. That's why a lot of religious leaders should be green, though being religious is no guarantee of responsible living.On 15 Green Religious Leaders posted 2 years ago 28 Responses

  • establishing the carbon goalposts

    An important point mentioned in your argument is that of needing to beat the average amount of CO2 emitted for every kWh of power generated. You are basically suggesting that we continually shift the goalposts as a strategy to make progress towards a low-carbon future. That's one way of approaching the challenge, which might work for big utilities, but I would be interested to hear how that provides an incentive for microgeneration. If I want to install a solar panel on my roof, that's zero carbon, so it doesn't feature on your sliding scale of targets for CO2 emissions.

    Another approach has been adopted in planning for Dongtan Eco-city, where it is recognised that to attain any global target for carbon emissions, many developments will need to be carbon negative to compensate for those that are carbon positive. In other words, it isn't enough to be carbon neutral. The Dongtan situation is one of centralised planning, so it doesn't answer my question about incentives for householders either, but I think that government will need to be involved - whether through taxes, subsidies or whatever - to "translate" the carbon market into something meaningful for residents or businesses making energy decisions. And I do believe that individuals and local communities will need to be involved, because localised power generation has benefits not available from centralised mega-projects.On What good carbon policy should -- but often doesn't -- reward posted 2 years, 5 months ago 13 Responses

  • the whole picture and nothing but

    I completely agree with Jon Rynn's contention that we must not only look at carbon and energy. I was not, in my comment above, in any way suggesting that coal-generated power is a good idea. Far from it. However, we have to face up to the fact that countries will not easily be persuaded to let vast coal fields lie fallow. It will be with us for decades to come.

    Of course it will run out eventually, but in the short term its use is increasing, not decreasing, in countries like China and South Africa. In fact there is so much cheap coal around that a number of countries are adopting South African-developed synfuels technology as a way to create a wider range of uses for coal. A comprehensive approach to GHG issues requires adaptation, mitigation and reduction - all three.

    A minor correction to Jon's point on concrete vs steel: It is not correct to say that steel is "more recyclable", as concrete is already recycled by crushing it to form aggregate in new concrete, thereby reducing landfill waste and reducing the need to mine new aggregate (a process that causes environmental damage, and often uses valuable agricultural land near cities). And concrete recycling uses less energy than steel recycling.

    The point in all of this is that there are no easy solutions, and what might seem to be the obvious environmentally sound approach is not always so.On A new report posted 2 years, 6 months ago 39 Responses

  • on the topic of byproducts of power generation

    Fly ash is a major "waste" product of coal-generated electricity. If it was used more to replace cement as a binder in concrete (a proven technology), we'd be recycling AND significantly reducing energy consumption. WorldWatch estimates that 5% of all human-caused carbon emissions are from cement manufacture, a result of the high level of embodied energy in cement.

    Here's more on cement's energy requirements.On A new report posted 2 years, 6 months ago 39 Responses