Two Degrees Show

#16: Carbon Rationing contd.

Two Degrees Show on February 13, 2007 | Make a Comment

CARBON RATIONING – Your questions answered

“The urgency with which we must make the transition to a low-carbon pathway leaves no option but to instigate a radical and immediate programme of demand management.” – Living Within A Carbon Budget (Tyndall Centre, 2006)

In five years time, we could all have an equal carbon allowance to buy our electricity and fuel with. This would help us play our part as an industrial nation in bringing global carbon dioxide emissions down rapidly to a relatively safe level. In a follow-up to last weeks interview with Mayer Hillman, Phil England puts some of your concerns and questions about carbon rationing (or tradeable energy quotas) to Richard Starkey of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

• How does Mayer Hillman’s scheme differ from David Fleming’?
• How does personal carbon trading compare to a carbon tax?
• Would the scheme make people more carbon conscious?
• Would the scheme allow the rich to continue their energy profligate lifestyles?
• Is there a danger that the scheme could be weakened by allowing carbon offsetting?
• How costly would the scheme be to set up and run?
• Would the scheme encourage a black market?
• How could energy used in the manufacture of products (embedded energy) be accounted for?
• Under the part of the scheme that relates to corporations would buy-out clauses such as the problematic Clean Development Mechanism be included which would render the scheme ineffective?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions or comments: Alex Smith (Radio Ecoshock, Canada), Naomi Fowler (freelance radio producer), Tam Dougan (Network for Alternative Technology and Technoloy Assessment), Mark Aitken (producer of ResonanceFM’s I Can Hear The Grass Grow), Brian Ross (Stop Stansted Expansion), Roger Levett (Levett-Therivel Sustainability Consultants), Jonathan Essex (Sustainable Redhill).

• A Modest Proposal to Save the Planet (Mayer Hillman, The Independent)
  
• A Rough Guide to Individual Carbon Trading (DEFRA)
  
• Domestic Tradeable Quotas (Tyndall Centre)
  

#15: Carbon Rationing

Two Degrees Show on January 30, 2007 | Make a Comment

Continuing our look at solutions, we have the great pleasure of presenting an interview with Mayer Hillman who came up with the concept of carbon rationing back in 1990. Mayer is a much admired policy strategist whose proposal has been snowballing in popularity to the point where Environment Minister David Milliband is now seriously championing the idea. His book “How We Can Save the Planet” (published by Penguin) is a layman’s guide to the idea of carbon rationing. It will finally be published in North America in April as “The Suicidal Planet: How to Prevent Global Climate atastrophe.”

Mayer is acutely aware that our business-as-usual attitude is propelling us towards disaster and that we need to act radically and with great speed. He reminds us of some harsh, uncomfortable truths and presents a compelling solution to our predicament. More…

#14: Organic Farming Part Two

Two Degrees Show on January 23, 2007 | Make a Comment

Last week Craig Sams (Soil Association Chair and co-founder of Whole Earth Foods and Green & Blacks chocolate) told us how he thinks a worldwide transition to organic farming could help us reduce carbon in the atmosphere by half the amount that we need to in order to stabilise climate change. This week we speak to two independent experts to examine these claims:

• Peter Smith, Professor of Soils & Global Change, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen; and lead author on the UN IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report chapter on agriculture’s role in climate change mitigation
• Phil Metcalfe – organics expert at ADAS who co-authored “Energy use in organic farming systems” (DEFRA, 2000)

At the end of the programme we make our own assessment of the evidence and issues. We would be interested to know if you agree or disagree. More…

#13: Organic Farming Part One

Two Degrees Show on January 16, 2007 | Make a Comment

Soil Association Chair, Craig Sams, has been making some extraordinary claims. He calculates that a worldwide transition to organic farming could help us reduce carbon in the atmosphere by half the amount that we need to in order to stabilise climate change. Sams – who is also the founder of Whole Earth Foods and Green & Blacks Chocolate – sees carbon pricing as a way of making this transition possible.

Next week we hope to get a couple of independent experts to examine these claims and their implications.

• Craig Sams; Martin Radcliffe Lecture 2005
• Soil Association

#12: No Way Back Part Two

Two Degrees Show on January 9, 2007 | Make a Comment

The second of two programmes comprising our coverage of the RSA’s “No Way Back?” conference on arts and ecology.

Featured guests:

• Stewart Wallis, executive director, New Economics Foundation
• Max Andrews, editor, “Land, Art: A Cultural Ecology Handbook” (published by RSA, distributed by Cornerhouse)

When Nicholas Stern describes climate change as the biggest market failure ever, he is effectively admitting that our current economic system – which does not place a value on environmental or social costs – has been responsible for our failure to act sufficiently to combat climate change.

The New Economics Foundation has been arguing for over 20 years that our economic thinking is outdated. The strength of their arguments has grown as our present economic system reaches its limits and leads us towards collapse. NEF’s arguments are now unavoidable. Stewart Wallis explains why we need to replace GDP with Well Being as the goal of our economic system if we are to make the transition to a sustainable society.

A major new book was launched at the “No Way Back?” conference. “Land, Art: A Cultural Ecology Handbook” traces the often hidden set of diverse artistic practices that, from Land Art in the 1970s onwards, have explored themes relating to the land and the environment. We spoke to the editor of this beautifully designed, thought-provoking anthology, Max Andrews, about some of the issues it raises. More…

#11: No Way Back?

Two Degrees Show on December 19, 2006 | Make a Comment

The first of two programmes featuring interviews with speakers featured at the RSA “No Way Back?” conference on arts and ecology.

We had the good fortune to speak to:

Professor John Schellnhuber – chief advisor to the German government on climate change

• What does he regard as a responsible level of global mean temperature rise?
• What level of greenhouse concentration in the atmosphere does he suggest we aim to stabilise at?
• If 550ppmv is dangerous and likely to lead to amplifying feedbacks, why is the UK government keeping this outdated target?
• What will be the chief messages he will be giving to the German government over the coming critical year?

Ed Gillespie, Creative Director, Futerra Sustainability Communications

• What is the current public understanding of climate change?
• How do we communicate for behaviour change?
• Around the World in 80 Ways – Ed’s globe trotting project which explores the joys of travelling without flying

and James Mariott – co-founder, Platform

• London as an oil city
• Dismantling the network of institutions that comprise the Carbon Web
• “And While London Burns” – Platform’s new operatic soundwalk around the fossil fuel institutions of the City of London More…