Storms of my Grandchildren, James Hansen

[rt29781]

A mate in Cananda just sent me James Hansen's latest book, Storms of my Grandchildren.  The book is hard going even for a scientist as it contains so many facts. 

In summary and this is probably no surprise to this audience:
Coal fired anything has to be defeated.
We are at climate breaking point unless we stop burning fossil fuels.
Renewables are important but unlikely to be enough to power the planet on their own.
Fourth generation nuclear fast breeder reactors should be trialled in the US.
The normal stuff like fuel efficiency and better house building are required.
A tax is required on all carbon based fuels at source with the proceeds going back to the people (very good idea this).  This makes carbon based fuels compete properly with renewables.
The most compelling point to me though was Hansens realisation that nothing will change unless the lobbyists are defeated because without that no progress on the above will be possible.

Although hard going the book is an excellent reference source and explains very clearly why our grandchildren have cause for concern.  I take my hat off to this scientist for his magnificant spirit and guts to keep going when all around him had given up.  He is now 69 and beyond being just polite so he now feels free to tell it like it is.

[Amy]

A tax is required on all carbon based fuels at source with the proceeds going back to the people (very good idea this).  This makes carbon based fuels compete properly with renewables.

We are all people, and most of us already pay a carbon fuel tax, does that mean I should get any tax I pay on gas and diesel and gas gen electric back?

[rt29781]

The tax goes on the carbon fuel at source and the money raised goes to everyone in that country.  So lets say for instance everyone gets £3000.  Then everyone who uses a carbon based fuel pays a higher price for it.  Simples.  Some win, some lose but the CO2 polluter pays.

[Amy]

So unless we live like the taliban in a cave, back to the stone age,. we pay more tax on top of the incredibly high tax we are already paying for our dino fuels

[desperate]

Nice one rt

It is a shame that most scientists only feel free to tell it straight at the end of their careers as reputation and funding become less important to them. So many scientists still in their prime end up getting pilloried for being in someones pocket or a Govt stooge that the real message rarely seems to get through to the mainstream.

Desperate

[desperate]

Not sure if you'll get the Daily Mail delivered to a cave

For the average wage earner I suspect Dino fuel is no less affordable than it was 20 or thirty years ago, and somehow we have to pay the real cost of dumping the effluent into the environment, raising the tax on it is a pretty good way, especially if the revenue raised is reinvested in renewables.
For people who are genuinely hard up an extension of the winter fuel payment could be introduced, a nice redistributive tax policy for you.

Desp

[Amy]

But thats just it, the tax raised on dino fuels, and more recent eco taxes simply ARNT spent wholely on what they should be.
They get stolen to fill black holes in weak government policy

[desperate]

Of course the tax raised is not going where it should be, I am arguing for a way of changing that without the need to go live in a cave

D

[martin]

The point that struck me was the mention of needing to defeat the lobbyists - over recent years, their power has become almost absolute - to the extent that we're not governed by those we elect, but the companies with the money to pay the US neocon lobbying companies - whether it's the horrors of GM from Monsanto or the "wind doesn't work" lunacy funded by Exxon.......
As for this "stone age cave" thing, I just don't subscribe to it at all - this is now, the knowledge we have enables us to live a far better, more civilised life, even without the profligate squandering of the earth's resources to which we've become accustomed - mostly it's an "attitude" thing - there is no reason on earth why walking to work or school, eating home grown food, and holidaying in the UK shouldn't be cool

[Amy]

Over 40 BILLION pounds in tax was collected from road transport last year, yet less than 15 billion was spent on transport

A nice little earner wouldnt you say?

[desperate]

would you rather pay more income tax then??

D

[daftlad]

Of course the tax raised is not going where it should be, I am arguing for a way of changing that without the need to go live in a cave

D

They need the tax, the public are not responsible enough to spend there own money but thankfully we have a responsible government to spend it for us.
In fact I think they may need more.
ta ta

[rt29781]

http://www.stormsofmygrandchildren.com/beyond_the_book.html

This website contains links to many papers that Hansen has written.  Interesting reading.

For Amy's benefit I will try and clarify some more on the tax.  Hansen call it fee and dividend  as opposed to the cap and trade system in place.  There is a comparison of the two system here:  http://www.komanoff.net/fossil/CTC_Carbon_Tax_Model.xls

Hansen says:
"The beauty of the fee and dividend approach is that the carbon fee helps any carbon free energy source, but it does not specify these sources; it lets the consumer chose.  It does not cost the government anything.  Whether it costs citizens, and how much, depends on how well they reduce their carbon footprint."


Martin, Hansen has really stuck his neck out over lobbyists (he calls them specialist interest groups most of the time).  He has found out first hand how these "creatures" destroy democracy and he is prepared to take them on.  We need more ways to try and defeat the loobyists because as you rightly say they run the world and not the people.  Until the lobbyists have been defeated we are going to struggle to get anywhere with stopping coal fired power station, reforms of banks, controlling GM etc.  All other points are irrelevant until the people have their power back, as until that day the corporates are in control and the future is very bleak as corporates are Sociopaths.

[EccentricAnomaly]

rt quoted James Hansen:

The beauty of the fee and dividend approach is that the carbon fee helps any carbon free energy source, but it does not specify these sources; it lets the consumer chose.

Exactly.  This is one of the main reasons I so dislike FITs, etc.  No, I haven't read Storms of my Grandchildren but I have read quite a lot of other things Hansen has written and found most of it seemed to make sense at the time.

[rt29781]

On the subject of Lobbyists it seems Obama is trying to clean up the US special interest groups.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/104279-president-directs-agencies-to-stop-hiring-lobbyists-for-commissions

Or is he?
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2010/02/03/king-coals-top-lobbyist-to-meet-obama/
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/stop_auto_dealers_from_blocking_more_fuel_efficient_cars
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/polluted-by-profit-johann-hari-on-the-real-climategate-1978770.html