Today Friends of the Earth Scotland issued a press release publicising their latest research. In their opinion meeting our climate targets could 'increase employment, cut health-care costs and reduce social exclusion'. The report is entitled '42% Better'.
I'd like to comment briefly on a few bits of their report because it does disappoint me the lengths to which these pro-environmental campaigners will go to substantiate the biggest scam in recent times.
I sincerely believe that we need to reduce pollution all over the world. As a person who respects the soil and the environment but not to a hysterical degree, I compost and send the my excess leaves off to the council in a bin along with those garden prunings which I know will take a couple of decades to reduce to a decent composition. But I'm not longer allowed to have get rid of my leaves by burning them. ( Now therein lies another story - perhaps for tomorrow).
I'm told to divide cooked food into my 'garden surplus' (the stuff you shouldn't even considering composing) into a separate bin destined for recyling is a lie. In my area all bins, with the exception of paper bins, all go into the same landfilll. I don't use my paper bin because I don't buy newspapers and I shred everything I receive by post, That, I think in my naviety, thinks protects my identity.
Yet some of the biggest and wealthiest countries are ignoring my efforts I think that's a waste of time. I appreciate the question of pollution but I don't think Scotland is going to rescue the rest of the world by introducing extreme measures or rescue Scotland. I won't go into statistics (they're boring and you can spend days trying to find sensible numbers) but I will name a couple of countries who have no regard for this emissions scam. China and India have increased their carbon emissions and continue to do so even although we plough billions of our hard earned money into them through the Yet our wee island's governments feel we must continue down the road, (oops they don't like the word roads the FoE), of ensuring any good living citizen in this country who works/has worked for years will be financially broke.
The report, '42% Better', identifies extra jobs in energy efficiency and public transport, health care savings arising from reduced obesity, improved mental health and reduced respiratory disease, and social inclusion gains from reductions in fuel poverty amongst the many non-environmental benefits of a strong climate policy. Even in the limited case studies examined, the estimated value of the health benefits alone exceeds £2bn.
Have you ever heard such nonsense? Let me give you another quote from Duncan McLaren, CE of FoE Scotland.
"The report focuses on policy measures in the parts of our economy unaffected by the European Union's emissions trading scheme: such as housing, transport and agriculture."
So we're not dancing to the EU's emissions trading scheme which currently excludes housing, transport and agriculture.
In this next quote I have highlighted what I consider are pure spin (to be polite) points in bold.
For example, improving and insulating the homes of those in fuel poverty in Scotland, could avoid an estimated 180,000 cases of anxiety and depression each year, and cut days lost to work and school as a result of respiratory illnesses by up to 25%. The increased levels of fitness resulting from raising cycling rates to Danish levels could save over 1,600 lives a year, and help cut obesity rates in Scotland in half, especially if supported by the widespread adoption of low-carbon, low-meat diets.
Let me start by saying how will improving and insulating homes of many of us in fuel poverty 'eliminate 180,000 cases of anxiety and depressions each year? I qualify for the term 'fuel poverty' but because I claim no other benefits I'm refused help. By dipping into my small savings I can pay my bills - for now. Do these people really think that by improving homes with insulation will reduce anxiety and depression? They haven't spoken to anyone in my age group who would tell them that our anxiety - which may lead to depression - is cause by the knowledge that we utility users know we will have to cough up more and more of our pension(s) to fund this great scam.
days lost to work and school as a result of respiratory illnesses by up to 25%.
How can these people make that statement defeats me. It's brainwashing. There is no scientific evidence that this will happen. In fact, since the ban on smoking in pubs and public places came into our legislative process. Even worse is the propaganda pushed out by statistics yet
this blogger has been diligent enough to analyse the figures. Please do look.
There's nothing more I could desire than Scotland manufacture (and invented) products which could be sold world wide in connection with reducing polutution. I have no objection to driving a low emissions car yet I do have objections a driving 'a electric car. One of those things wouldn't get me to and back from the shops in Dundee or Perth and I can't see plugs lining my route home. Just for those of you who have been courageous enough to read this far, I run a car which costs me £30 a year in tax. It can cope with four passengers comfortably over a couple of hours trip and I still get around 55 to the gallon. It's diesel. The emissions are low. Would I want to do 1000 miles in a day in it? Naw. I'd have to have an ambulance waiting at my destination because it's not a 'comfort' car, it's a utility one. That's all I need.
We still produce the best engineers in the world, (albeit with a couple of them in the US), yet our engineers are moving to other countries to work and then import their excellent products to us. What does that say about Scotland or the UK.
Of course there are short-term benefits from this scam, there always are from scams. The jobs will be short-term. How many windmills can we produce? A lot less than ships which have been essential to the civilised work for centuries.
It's hard to find the details of how often these windmills would need replaced, yet the expense of erecting and maintaining them is vast. Maintaining windmills won't last forever. We will always require boats/ships/fishermen/engineers/care workers. I could give an endless list of a coherent society and well balanced society. However this week it was announced by one major utility company they intend to raise the cost of domestic rate by just less than 10%. That's only the beginning, believe me. No government will argue with the multiples. We were sold out years ago when our basic utilities were privatised. But then, those of us who still believe in common sense in fuel tariffs and support those of our older generation who hadn't planned for such extreme bills, but are want to have a standard of living which doesn't require other taxpayers to subsidise, aren't taken in by the FoE.
The answer from our politicians will be the same as David Cameron gave yesterday about giving our military's independence to France. "I can't do anything". We pay them for doing nothing. Remember that on polling day.
source:
Friends of the Earth Scotland
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