The Dark Side of Factory Farming
The video below is from the Pig Business web site.
Keith Taylor, the Green Party MP for the South East region, is fiercely committed to protecting the rights of animals and to promoting higher standards of animal welfare across the EU. He has called for an end to cruel industrialised farming practices. For further information, please visit Keith Taylor’s animal rights page.
David M. Davison
Tories Troubled by Wind
Tories Troubled By Wind
Last week saw 100 MPs, majority of whom are conservative and including Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford and Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, write a letter to the Prime Minister demanding a dramatic reduction in subsidies to on-shore wind. While off shore wind receives no subsidy, all other renewable energy receives the Renewable Obligation Payment. The complaint of these 100 MPs is that they should not get this payment.
Trish Marchant, from Medway Green Party, is keen to challenge this demand. “It is a smoke screen to pick on on-shore wind. Perhaps Tracey, Mark and the others would like to get back the billions of pounds of subsidy paid to the nuclear and fossil fuel companies over the years? These subsidies have been much higher per year and still represent a significant benefit to the coal, oil, gas and nuclear industry. Lets no forget that tax payers still stand to fork out £70 billion to decommission the old nukes. And the subsidies the government do pay out are hugely in favour of the nuclear industry which they describe, contentiously, as low carbon.”
In their letter the MPs describe turbines as intermittent, a term commonly used by anti-wind campaigners. RenewableUK, the organisation which represents the wind industry, state that this simply isn’t true. They explain this that while wind power varies around the country it is rarely off, and the more wind generators there are the better as while the wind varies across the country it rarely (if ever) reduces to zero.
Trish Marchant added “It could be that these MPs just don’t like wind energy, maybe have an interest in nuclear and fossil fuel companies, and or belong to the Nigel Lawson school of climate change sceptics. More than 80% of us do actually like wind turbines and appreciate why they are there so the opposition of these MPs is clearly undemocratic. Also one must assume that Tracey, Mark and others don’t realise the employment wind energy can produce. In Germany for example, where they have 10 times more turbines than us, they employ 250,000 people to maintain them. That could be a significant boost to job creation, at present we employ less than 10,000 people in the wind sector.”
Environmentalist are keen to stress the other benefits to wind energy; far less road or rail traffic required after a turbine is installed as opposed to coal, oil, gas and nuclear hence secondary pollution is reduced dramatically. All public bodies, from universities to hospitals, are required to reduce their CO2 emissions or pay massive costs back to the government. Putting turbines can be seen as a simple, low impact solution to this requirement. The MPs letter also mentions the planning laws being to lax in allowing inappropriate wind turbine placement.
Trish Marchant finds this hypocritical “This is a bit rich as Labour and the Tories both swept in new regulations telling us we could build our porches and conservatories more easily. But environmentalists have opposed this bill since it’s inception as it will mean we as the people have very limited or no rights to oppose construction of anything seen by central government as of national importance. The anti-nuclear movement saw this immediately as a Government move to ease the building of new nuclear power stations. The MPs are happy to support this for their own ends but wish to oppose it when it suits them. Surely it is better to see the faults with a law and get it changed before, not use it as an excuse to denigrate wind power?”
Notes:
- RenewableUK paper on variability of wind http://www.bwea.com/pdf/briefings/Wind-Power-Variability.pdf
- Electricity question “What happens when the wind stops blowing?” http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=1884
- Letter from 100 MPs http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9061554/Full-letter-from-MPs-to-David-Cameron-on-wind-power-subsidies.html
Like this:
Please Help President Nasheed of the Maldives
President Mohamed Nasheed has been a world leader in the fight against climate change and just been ousted in a military coup. 350.org has set up a petition to put pressure on key international politicians to act below is their related press release.
David M. Davison
Dear friends,
Our fight is a global fight, and early this morning one of our greatest allies, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, was ousted in a military coup. He’s under house arrest at the moment and could be in serious danger. We’re collecting signatures on a petition that we will deliver to key secretaries of state and foreign ministers to make sure there’s pressure on the coup leaders to keep President Nasheed safe.
On our action page, you’ll see a video of President Nasheed at the Copenhagen climate talks – it was one of the great moments of the 350 movement. We also pasted an account of the coup from inside the government. Click /Get More Info/ on the page for both. The Maldives was on course to become the world’s first carbon-neutral nation, a beacon for the rest of the planet; but for the moment, all that matters is the safety of our dear friend and his colleagues.
Days like today remind us how hard this fight will be, and how many setbacks we’ll see on the way. They also remind us that we need solidarity above all else. If you’re a praying person, include President Nasheed and his family in your prayers. We know that all of you are action people, so here’s that sign-on link again.
With respect,
Bill McKibben and the 350.org team.
Greece Bans Animal Circuses
ADI reported on 3rd February that Greece has banned the use of all animals in circuses following a campaign by ADI and the Greek Animal Welfare Fund (GAWF) – the campaign was backed by over 50 local animal protection groups across Greece.
The ban means Greece is the first European country to ban all animals from circuses and similar performances. Austria has banned wild animal acts and several European countries including Croatia, Denmark and Portugal have measures to ban or phase out wild animals in circuses. The UK is noticeable by its absence from that list.
Hopefully, Greece’s action will place more pressure on the UK to implement a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
David M. Davison
Medway City – Can We Decide Please?
Trish Marchant says: Medway Green Party are the only local party which has been consistently requesting proper consultation on the city status bid. Medway council applied to turn our towns into a city without formal consultation. We think this is wrong and collected signatures from you in support of proper discussion, not one-sided blinkered decisions by the councillors (there is cross party support) and senior officers. Our petition has now been submitted and the Cabinet Office have reassured us that you views will be considered
Rochester is one of Britain’s oldest cities and should be restored to it rightful status. Medway is just an authority area, a bureaucratic conglomerate of towns. It is a happen-stance of places clustered around a river. Each town and village has its own history, style and priorities and many people are unhappy about the way the boundaries between them have been removed and visitors are met with “Welcome to Medway” as they approach the administrative boundary.
