Above the masterpiece, “Tower of Babel” by Lucas van Valckenborch (1594) of the Louvre Museum.
Today’s contribution to human wisdom by the excellent Doctor Richard North (https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/energy-a-looming-calamity/) paints a bleak and deeply disturbing picture.
For myself, I compare the present “Net Zero by 2050” strategy as akin to the construction of the mythical Tower of Babel!
One of the most detailed accounts about the the Tower is to be found in the Book of Jubilees, a work only considered canonical by Ethiopian Jews and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Essentially the account is of the attempted construction of a very tall building using clay bricks and asphalt. Whilst this very ancient construction method can provide sturdy buildings there are limitations! One needs a mostly dry climate and the building should best be one storey in height (two at a push if necessary). Such buildings are constructed and lived in today. They have zero resistance to earthquakes which explains the high casualties in countries like Afghanistan.
Constructing a tall building requires material of high compressive strength as they have to bear the weight above. Clay bricks do not met this requirement. Similarly, asphalt whilst an excellent material has little shear strength when it comes to earthquakes. Therefore if there was a Tower of Babel the chances are that it collapsed due to fundamentally flawed design.
The Russo-Ukraine War is of course a key contributor to the present energy crisis. The appointment of a new Prime Minister on 5th September will herald a batch of “special measures” to try and alleviate matters. Mrs O’Leary has raised the prospect of “a moratorium” in applying the “Green” surcharges attached to energy bills. This will help, as will abolishing the 5% VAT on the same. However this will do nothing to reverse the catastrophic uplift in gas prices. Only President Putin can deal with this!
The FACTS are these:
There is no affordable short term solution!
The new PM can allow fracking to begin. However it takes time for this to come on line.
The new PM could allow new coal fired power stations to be built. However it takes time for these to come on line.
The mainstream politicians have collectively dug themselves into a deep hole of their own making!
It is possible that the maximum help would be directed to those on Universal Credit. Since those in receipt of the State Pension cannot claim or benefit from this (unless their partner is under retirement age) pensioners may receive additional help. Dramatic increases or one or more additional payments to all pensioners would mean those wealthy pensioners would receive this money as well. Of course a “clawback” measure could be introduced in a Finance Act to ensure that those wealthy pensioners would be forced to pay the extra back.
We shall have to wait and see.
However the ONLY viable LONG TERM SOLUTION is to abandon the CO2 reduction agenda!
If “radical action” (read, “very expensive”) is not taken by #10’s new incumbent, we can expect more than “discontent” this winter!
IF I was asked by a Tory as to what would – POLITICALLY – be best course of action for the Tories in these dire circumstances it would be to meet the inevitable demands of the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition for a General Election! Sir Keir Starmer can do no other than demand the new PM put themselves before the British People in the form of a General Election. Were the new PM to do this and loose to a Green/Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition with a “Confidence and Supply” commitment from the SNP the Tories would be able to sit back and relax on the Opposition benches whilst the “Progressive Alliance” would end up the victim of it’s own Green propaganda.
The sad fact is this: Until there is enough mainstream support for the abandonment Net Zero and the forgetting about CO2, the UK is on route to disaster.
All very interesting what our wonderful government and European partners are doing with Russia.
The UK still purchases oil and gas from Russia and did not plan to stop until the years end.
Three weeks ago the EC paid Russia the money it owed and resumed oil/gas trading. All this along with unfreezing Russian accounts.
As for C02 if looking at earth’s C02 history we can see that it is still at low levels. If it goes up a little it will help with food shortages as the plants grow quicker and stronger. Poly tunnel market gardeners use C02 producers in their poly tunnels to do exactly this.
Also it is trees and the ocean that absorbes vast amounts of C02, but research how many millions of trees have been cut down in Scotland for wind farms. Seems counter productive to me.