Greenpeace UK Chief Scientist and policy guru.
Every minute of every day someone, somewhere is doing something deeply stupid making matters worse
Nov 28, 2023 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
So we're getting a transatlantic flight using "100% green fuels"
The main component of these fuels is 'used cooking oil' and British airlines supply is mostly from Malaysia, China and Indonesia. Is it really used? Or just assumed to be?
🧵 bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
If not a genuine waste - so if the used oil might have been used locally for other things - then supplying it to UK to use in flights indirectly leads to deforestation. Malaysia and Indonesia being big suppliers of palm oil (which becomes used cooking oil) linked to deforestation
1. Bills – As a former Energy Minister has noted, UK production will have no impact on bills because we’re a small producer and the oil&gas once extracted belongs to companies, who will want and expect the global market price
I've been away for a bit so can't help notice the global clean technology race that is now playing out in real times - and how this is affecting thinking/politics in UK
So apologies it's a thread alert 🧵1/11
2/11
For those fresh to this, the US Inflation Reduction Act is offering big subsidies to companies investing in (broadly defined) clean technology in USA, with benefits extending to Canada/Mexico
Sizewell C #nuclear power station is being reviewed.
Here’s why, despite its low carbon credentials, we can, and should, do without it
Thread 🧵 1/16 bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
Nuclear is problematic, issues incl waste, accident & terrorist threat, to link to weapons.
But uppermost for most people will be: can the UK have a reliable, cheap, zero carbon electricity without it?
Yes, there’s plenty of evidence we can
2/16
Jun 25, 2022 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
Prime Minister Johnson has just signalled that the UK electricity market is about to undergo the biggest shake up since privatisation over 30 years ago. This will be a major test of their ability to do the right thing whilst keeping the show on the road 🧵
On @BBCr4today just now Johnson said one of the things to tackle cost-of-living crisis was to stop the ‘crazy’ situation that all electricity is paid for at the marginal gas price i.e. it’s all paid for at the price of the most expensive that fulfils UK demand at that moment
Feb 4, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Who are these f***ing imbeciles in UK govt cabinet who think "the pace of the planned switch to renewable energy is too fast" ??
Have they not being paying attention to energy costs for the last decade?
Renewables now cheaper than anything else
THREAD
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…
There are a few other idiocies in there which make one realise how disconnected our 'leaders' are
UK 2050 net zero target WAS one of the most aggressive in the world. Not any more. It's the direction the world is now travelling
Get with it or get left behind
Nov 12, 2021 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
1/5 🧵 on subsidies
New draft text at #COP26 (1/CMA.3 in the jargon) mentions phasing out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”
This has weasel word’ inefficient’ but that’s still a step forward, right? Right?
OK so we're going to have to talk about UK government's increasingly irrational obsession with #nuclear power again. Sigh
It matters because nuclear is now an *obstacle* to delivering rapid emissions cuts in UK
If that sounds wrong or weird, read on ft.com/content/d115c0…
First there are perfectly good reasons for not liking nuclear power. Link to nuclear weapons. Possible catastrophic accident.
And nuclear waste, for which no deliverable solution exists, even though the problems were flagged up *60 years ago*
New targets from UK government on climate change - promising 78% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035
What does it mean?
A thread on first thoughts bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
First - it’s great news the commitment is there.
There'll be criticism from many (incl me) who say you need to match targets with action
But the target is now there, it will go into law. It's better to have a stretch target than not. So it’s excellent it is
Mar 5, 2021 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
I'm getting pretty fed up with uk govt rejections of criticism by making up any old shit as their response. Either it has no grasp of the issues, or is trolling the british people
THREAD 1/62/6
Exhibit A: Cumbria Coal mine
A new coal mine is a 'local issue'
Presumably China's coal use is a 'local issue' too?
I see Sizewell is in the news as a ‘go-ahead’ is expected soon
Apologies but even though it’s Saturday I feel compelled to do a thread on this
Here’s why this is a bad decision bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
The justification is weak and insubstantial. There are 3 reasons given for the go ahead, only one of which holds water (we’ll come to that later)
Jun 24, 2020 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Here we go again with the "#nuclear power will be really cheap" story again
Amazing how often this is trotted out. There is zero evidence for it. Those who like nuclear want it to be true. But it isn't. A quick reprise
ft.com/content/e69b62…
A long time ago in 2006 there was UK energy review concluding nuclear power was a good idea
Overturning policy that renewables were best bet because they were 'not delivering' after 3 yrs of trying
One of all-time worst decisions in energy thinking
For those interested in what the future might hold, here are some thoughts on what happens now for #Heathrow and UK aviation policy after this seismic judgement
bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
Now government has said they won't appeal this judgement, what are the options for government?
The legal point is that the Aviation National Policy Statement should have taken into account the Paris Agreement on climate and didn't, which judge said was a misdirection in law
And that's all you're going to get as justification for major energy system choices, which will cost billions of ££ and commit UK to infrastructure legacy for decades
(in fact given nuke waste, hundreds of thousands of years)
Mar 13, 2019 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
The @UE expose of @BP_plc lobbying for relaxing US rules on emissions of methane, powerful greenhouse gas, shows split in oil majors, and possibly directions of travel unearthed.greenpeace.org/2019/03/12/bp-…
By contrast, Greenpeace are no friend of @Shell , but they are publicly calling for *tightening* of those same methane emissions rules reuters.com/article/us-cer…
