The good and the not so positive ....

It's been a long time since I've been able to post a blog and this one is a little different than previous entries in that it doesn't say much in words but relies more on images.

From the link at the end of this post you can view a series of photos, which in one way or another, are linked to the environment.

The gallery was started as a demonstration for my students who are assigned to take 4~5 photos and bring them into class to discuss in a group. The group then decides which two photos to put forward and present to the class - one representing a positive impact on the environment and the other a negative impact. The class then decides on the best two in each category.

If you have your own photos which you think fit the theme please add them directly to the gallery (see Upload at top of gallery page) or send them to me at ifd66@mac.com

The gallery can be viewed at http://gallery.me.com/ifd66#100599

Copenhagen accord: progress or procrastination?

The outcome:

After two weeks of intense debate the delegates and heads of state for 192 nations 5 of these nations signed an accord that they recognised there was a case for keeping average global temperature increase to no more than 2˚C.

References to 1.5˚C were dropped despite this being the level at which scientists and climate models predict many island nations will be eradicated.

So too was an 80% cut in CO2 emissions by 2050 dropped.

It was agreed however that the richer nations pay $30bn per year to poorer nations to help deal with climate change, and $100bn per year by 2020.

Adding a pinch of perspective:

Last year these same rich countries managed to scrap together $8 TRILLION to support the banking and securities firms.

No agreements or even suggestions were made on how to limit global temperature rise to 2˚C.

2˚C represents the threshold where unstoppable climate change scenarios are likely to become reality. This is when many of the predicted positive feedback mechanisms will be triggered such as the release of the vast methane deposits in the frozen tundra, and the release of the massive amounts of carbon as the remaining tropical forests dry up and burn.

At the bare minimum, scientists are now telling us that we have a 50:50 chance of not passing this threshold and keeping climate stable. As one commentator said, who would allow their children to get on a plane with a 50:50 chance of crashing?

Commentator's comments on the summit's outcome:

"The city of Copenhagen is a crime scene with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport"

"Beating global warming will require a radically different model of politics than the one on display in Copenhagen"

"World leaders have effectively signed a death sentence for many of the world's poorest children"

And from this commentator, I have no more to say on this summit.

Why waste time debating global warming?

Recently I was sent an article from the BBC: What happened to global warming? Yes, I had already read it, and had heard the arguments for doubting the existence of man induced global warming, as well as all the counter arguments.

I wondered though, why was this ONE article being circulated so much, and not the other legions of anecdotal and scientific reports from around the globe which continue to clarify the current consensus that climate change is here, is getting worse, and is unlikely to go away?

While reports of record warming of oceans, melting of ice-sheets, shrinkage of coral reefs etc etc, are easily enough to convince me of the realities of global warming, debating whether this warming is human-induced or not, or indeed is itself real or not, simply acts to deflect from the arguably more tangible, and less controversial 'facts'.

These are:

FACT 1: Given that our economies are doing very little to rid themselves of their addition to fossil fuels, CO2 emissions are directly correlated with economic activity, or more crudely, consumption (the definition of consume being to completely destroy) of the earth's natural resources.

FACT 2: The rate of consumption has become far too high with the current population consuming the resources that would take 1.4 earths to restore - And guess what? - there's only ONE earth (Global Footprint Network)

FACT 3: This unrelenting pressure on the earth's resources is impossible to ignore - Just check out the highlights of the UN's GEO-4 - Global Environment Outlook about the current state of the earth's soil, water, air, forests, biodiversity, and development. Unfortunately there, are very few, if any, positive trends to cheer the heart and soul.

FACT 4: If there is any progress to be made on solving all these solutions we simply have to reduce our decidedly corpulent levels of consumption (ahem .... waste). And of course there is the small matter of fairness - how is it we continue to consume such huge quantities of resources in our developed enclave without at least paying a fair price (as pollution - ahem - carbon taxes would help ensure))

So let's forget the arguments about CO2 and global warming. Just agree that, at least in principle, it's fair to call for a reduction in our consumption (ahem... CO2 emissions) to levels that will allow our children to enjoy a lifestyle similar to ours.

Why waste time debating semantics (ah humm ... human induced global warming)?

As if the World Matters

This is a very short selection of books dealing with the environmental and social issues of our time.

Plan B 3.0: mobilizing to Save civilization

This book by Lester Brown's shows how the earth's systems work, the ills they are suffering, and how they are all interconnected.

The author is very good about supporting his assertions—both on the problem side and the solution side—with plenty of numbers and statistics. Better still, he always puts things in context. For example, a population growth rate of 3% in an impoverished country does not sound extraordinary to us, until Brown points out that 3% annual growth means the population will increase almost twenty-fold in a century. Indeed, the facts, figures, and logic of Plan B 3.0 is not easy to dismiss, for environmental skeptics or anyone else.

As the name suggests, Plan B 3.0 is a third edition which is refreshed with new data and a new sense of urgency as the world's crises accelerate their convergence on civilization. It's a must read for anyone who wants to understand what we face and who wants to be part of the solutions.

Capitalism as if the World Matters

A very interesting read by Jonathon Porritt, a leading eco-warrior of our time. This book puts forward a powerful argument that the only way to save the planet from environmental catastrophe is to embrace a new type of capitalism, and to do it quickly.

Peak Everything: waking Up to a Century of Decline in Earth's Resources

Written by the author of The Party's Over: Oil, War & and the Fate of Industrial Societies and Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon world

This book deals with how we might make the transition from the Age of Excess to the Era of Modesty.

Fuji Rock and the blue sheets

Last weekend I went on my third pilgrimage to Japan's premier music festival Fuji Rock. Set deep in the Alps of Japan it offers the festival-goer many spectacular sights from mother nature. However, while impressed by the festival's ubiquitous efforts of recycling, and it's two areas set aside for eco & NGO focused stalls, and renewables-powered music stage, it was evident that for most of the festival-goers, materialism was still the dominant force in their lives and indeed their Fuji Rock festival experience.

While the most obvious sign was the enormous queues in front of the official merchandise stalls, more interestingly was the fact that while everyone there seemed happy to be out in amongst nature, for most it seemed only to be on condition that nature was experienced from a distance - in a tamed and orderly manner.

What drew me to this conclusion was the en mass use of blue plastic sheeting to keep them, and all their possessions, separated from the ground. And for many, it seemed that it wasn't even enough to be sitting on a camp chair. The chairs themselves often need to be positioned neatly in the middle of an expanse of blue sheeting, which in turn is perfectly pegged out with proper stake mallets, and all transported on specialised camping trolleys.

And camping trolleys! Only the other day, while perusing a camp shop, I was thinking thinking what marketing geniuses the camp gear manufacturers must be. To have beguiled the camping public into buying so many superfluous items to take with them camping that they now need to buy special camping trolleys to carry it all on. Brilliant! And the greatest superfluous item of them all - the Colman (other brands are available) lantern stand. Granted, it may be, as they claim, multi-purpose, but really! And besides, isn't one of the points about camping to get away from it all, which in my view, includes light pollution.

Anyway, I'm getting away from the main theme; what - in my humble, and yes I know, cynical opinion - the ubiquitous use of blue sheeting represents. As well as a nature controlling device, I also see the blue sheets as a reflection of our ingrained materialism. The sheets seem to represent the desire to own and control material things which in this case is public space. At any one time, out of the thousands of blue demarcated property blocks, only 30% seemed to be occupied - in other words, the owners simply secured their space only to then leave it vacant (or vacantly leave it?) until when they see fit to return. Sharing public space is obviously not a virtue.

Again, I found myself reflecting on the themes that run through the very thought-provoking film The 11th Hour which reminds us that the world's social and environmental problems largely stem from the fact that we humans have separated ourselves from nature, and as a result, no longer see it's beauty. Without seeing the beauty of where we live, there is clearly no incentive by the majority to take care of it. So please, if you live in Japan, next time you go to a festival (of course, including cherry blossom viewing) - leave the blue sheets at home and share the public space with others, and enjoy the ground, the grass, or sandy gravel for what it is.

For a very entertaining and insightful blog on the music content of the festival, I highly recommend my fellow festival-goer's blog islandsofecstacy

Toyota paving the way ...

I read an article today Toyota Making Green Cars May Mean Destroying Japan Rice Paddies . As it goes, Toyota is set to pave over 1,600 acres of 17th Century old rice paddies and cedar forest in Aichi, by creating a new test track. When confronted with a list of endangered birds that will most likely be effected, Toyota made no comment. Probably, their 5 trillion yen in cash is enough said for the Japanese government - despite their own green-wash rhetoric about the need to increase Japan's self-sufficiency rate (currently only 40%). But what's another 1,600 acres of concrete ...

The Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who is clearly on a mission said:

“Over the next 100 years, I hope that cars will remain something that people will need. We must make sure that that happens.”

What a visionary! It's easy to see how he became head of the world's largest automaker.

WVO update

It's been a while since I added anything about how the project is going on running a diesel car on waste vegetable oil (WVO) or as it's also known straight vegetable oil (SVO). So here's an update...

Unlike the first winter, the car (a beaten up Toyota Hilux Surf) ran really well this winter. The reason: better lagging on the fuel lines under the car so that the oil, when heated by the heat exchanger on it's way to the engine, stayed heated. In the previous winter it was being cooled by the minus wind-chill temperatures under the car and so leaving the car powerless. On these occasions, the only solution was to switch back to diesel - made possible because the WVO system we use is a so called 2-tank system.

So now the car is running pretty much trouble free and my focus is on getting the WVO:diesel ratio as high as possible (or do I mean as low as possible?). Anyway, for the 21 months we've been running the car on WVO, and including all times we needed to nurse the car up steep hills by switching back to diesel, of the total amount of fuel we have used, 76% has been WVO. Given a few long summer holiday trips; to Fuji Rock music festival this July (1,100kms round trip), and Hokkaido in August (2-4,000kms round trip), this percentage should be well up, may be even to the 90% plus area.

Of course the more kms we cover, the more money we are saving, despite the criminally low price that fuel is still at - Oh where are the CARBON TAXES?! Although the goal of driving carbon neutrally, rather than cost saving, was the motivator for this project, costs are always interesting to consider. And here are a few details...

While the cost of the car was only 100,000 Japanese yen (JYN), the total costs of equipment and garage fees connected with the WVO 2-tank conversion came to 270,000JYN. We have now used 2180 litres of WVO which comes to a saving in diesel of about 218,000JYN (using average prices over the last 18 months or so).

And in this top graph is a record of the monthly fuel we used in 2007/08. In the winter, the amount of diesel and even kerosene (to prevent the vegetable oil from freezing) are higher than in the summer when the long trips and minimal use of diesel really starts to show. A similar pattern should appear this summer too after the month of June 2009.

Finally, it's worth noting that I finally got around to changing the extra filter (Delphi HDF296) the other day after 8,000kms, and although very dirty, hadn't been causing any problems despite some blogs mentioning that the filters need changing after every 2,000kms or so. This might be down to diligent filtering of the veggie oil before it gets put into the car.

If anyone would like to know more details on this project or WVO systems in general, contact me or visit my homepage where I have or details and useful links.