Thread by @SiOldridge

1/ I’m a big fan of @theCCCuk but this report makes the false assumption that the public won't accept change.
Which leads them to rubber stamp hugely costly, discredited tech like carbon capture and blue hydrogen, ignoring cheaper, superior options.
The evidence... 🧵

https://twitter.com/BIEE10/status/1664195300708216832

2/ First, the issue in brief. Then the solutions.
There are no independent studies proving blue hydrogen works as a low carbon option. There IS a study that shows it's as bad for climate as burning coal.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10… UK likely slightly less bad, but FAR from 'clean'.

3/ New rules for calculating blue hydrogen emissions look like they were written by big oil:
🙉Ignore construction emissions
🙉Ignore downstream leaks of hydrogen (33x more potent than CO2)
🙉Applicants can use their own fugitive methane %
🙉 & more..

https://twitter.com/SiOldridge/status/1655603474510368768

4/ If blue H2 was a good idea, why is it only producer countries taking that path?
Gas is no cheaper for us, even though it comes from our territory. Nor does it generate much tax revenue (Gov gives it away).
The only beneficiaries are fossil fuel companies & their politicians.

5/ The report pushes blue H2 vs green, because using renewables to power electrolysis will divert capacity from decarbonising power, slowing net zero. But 1) that's pretending blue H2 is v low carbon 2) 'Better than' is wrong thinking. We need to do what's necessary.

6/ There are no independent studies proving carbon capture at scale. USA has spent over $7bn on fruitless attempts, largely focused on 'enhanced oil recovery' - i.e. injecting CO2 to extract more oil...!
theconversation.com/why-the-oil-in…

7/ @KevinClimate on new carbon capture plans:
"Given the huge cost, very high-life cycle emissions and appalling record of working as promised, there is little, if any, merit in pursuing CCS as a major plank of UK strategy" @BylineTimes bylinetimes.com/2023/05/26/car…

8/ Are we REALLY naïve enough to trust fossil fuel companies (who've lied & lied about climate change) to operate expensive plant to capture invisible CO2, & to take necessary precautions not to leak powerful warming gas methane?
Look what happened with sewage - which is visible!

9/ @theCCCuk say that renewables won't cover energy demand in 2035. So they plug the gap with fossil fuel backed tech that's incredibly risky at best. And more likely, it will actually make climate change WORSE!
They ignore the 🐘 in the room....

10/ The report overlooks the option to cut energy use more quickly. A far cheaper & faster option - better for us, better for climate.
Scientists @CREDS_UK have shown UK can cut energy use by over 50% whilst actually making life better.
low-energy.creds.ac.uk

11/ Instead of building roads, we should build a world class public transport system.
Instead of subsidising fossil companies & their fantasy tech, let's use safe existing tech: subside electric buses and trains and help people ditch their cars.

https://twitter.com/Andrew9Boswell/status/1660625095868526592

12/ UK has the most expensive public transport in Europe. So our roads are gridlocked, and we're wasting scarce resources on millions of unnecessary vehicles.
cities-today.com/uk-public-tran…

13/ Forward-thinking Germany now has a €49/month travel pass covering all local and regional buses and trains. Better for people. Better for planet. Reduced congestion and air pollution.
euronews.com/travel/2023/04…

14/ Why aren't we banning private jets with 10 times the emissions per person? This utterly frivolous selfish waste should be the 1st thing to cut back instead of paying £billions to grow energy supply with fake solutions like carbon capture. @GreenpeaceUK
greenpeace.org/international/…

15/ Where is the national insulation program - retrofitting houses efficiently, street by street? UK grants are tiny. Italy pays 110% of your cost, including a heat pump, up to €100k per home!
That's how to build supply chains fast.
itv.com/news/2021-10-2…

16/ Insulation greatly reduces the heat input needed. As we convert homes to heat pumps, that means we won't have to expand the grid as much, or build as much renewable power - huge savings ££££!
Gov seems incapable of making this connection. Or just wants to prop up gas sales

17/ The science is absolutely settled that heat pumps are much better than hydrogen for heat. Yet Gov is waiting until 2026 to make a decision, keeping the door open to hydrogen. Heating with green H2 uses 6 times (!) as much primary energy as a heat pump.
rechargenews.com/energy-transit…

18/ As a result of that uncertainty, coupled with inadequate grants, and a lack of a state training program, our heat pump installation rate is a national embarrassment.
There should be a retrofit training centre in every town.

https://twitter.com/janrosenow/status/1628737351508975616

19/ Gov is aiming for 300k houses a year. But constructing a house typically causes 50 tonnes of CO2. This study shows that housing alone will blow the UK's fair carbon budget on our current path - lots of new houses and minimal retrofit. @sophusticated
osf.io/5kxce/

20/ That study☝️ finds UK has circa 1.2m surplus houses (excess of households vs dwellings).
We could really reduce emissions with robust tax measures to bring some of these into use - AND free up labour for retrofit.
Instead we're subsidising fake tech solutions for more energy.

21/ The Conservatives are allowing SUV sales to soar - using more energy & taking up more space. Why? The market knows best? It's good for growth, screw the climate? It all means wasting more energy, and helps drive this ridiculous support for flawed tech.
bbc.co.uk/news/business-…

22/ UK is allowing multiple airports to expand. Lunacy when facing a climate emergency and a shortage of clean energy. In UK 15% of people take 70% of flights. A fair, frequent flyer tax would help cut emissions @NEF
neweconomics.org/2021/07/a-freq…

23/ Another🐘in the room is the failure to embrace nature-based solutions for absorbing carbon. Restoring sea beds, salt marshes, peatlands, woodland will help lock up huge amounts of CO2, and it's MUCH cheaper than tech 'solutions' - and helps nature.

https://twitter.com/SiOldridge/status/1633887515529691136?s=20

24/ The report DOES flag concerns with blue H2 & CCS. Eg the need to import super high carbon LNG, staying dependent on oil states.
BUT this shameless pro-oil Conservative Gov won't react to hints.
I understand @theCCCuk treads a challenging path, but please, be unequivocal 🙏

25/ Horrified to see bioenergy with carbon capture #BECCS still in the plan. Surely no-one still believes that burning trees at Drax is zero carbon? @theCCCuk really needs to be v clear. Bionenergy is wrecking nature & is worse than coal!
ember-climate.org/insights/resea… @EmberClimate

26/ Panorama have literally documented that Drax are burning whole forests, with huge carbon in chopping, chipping & shipping.
bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…
UK BECCS plans would require an area the size of Wales to provide its feedstock. @DrPaulBehrens zerohour.uk/reports/

27/ Yes, new trees reabsorb carbon but that takes up to 50 years. No good when facing deadly climate tipping points now. And with warming, many saplings die.
It's utter lunacy to release all this carbon simply because we don't want to reduce energy use.
imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial…

28/ Bioenergy is also a major source of air pollution.
biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
Despite the fact that it doesn't do what it says on the tin, it wrecks nature, and pollutes our air, Drax receives £2 million EVERY DAY in subsidy from you and me. ember-climate.org/insights/resea…

29/ What's the solution?
Pass the Climate & Ecology Bill #CEBill. A legally-binding commitment to limit emissions consistent with our share of the 1.5°C carbon budget & to restore nature.
Then work out a fair strategy with the help of a citizens assembly.
zerohour.uk/bill/

30/ The very first thing is to start actually treating this as an emergency and stop pretending we can have business as usual.
Government should conduct monthly briefings, with scientists, like they did in the pandemic.

31/ Most Conservative MPs say we don't need the #CEBill. They apparently have it all in hand.
A huge number of leading experts strongly disagree.
Who d'you believe?
zerohour.uk/take-action/
@cebill_now