This is what happens when climate change cultists are elevated to official government status.
Greg Barker, the environment minister, has a provocative turn of phrase. Earlier this week he described wind farms as “wonderful and majestic” and said they had become tourist attractions in his Bexhill and Battle constituency. Today he trumped that by claiming that the UK will “pay the price in British lives” if we don’t spend £2 billion of taxpayer’s money (that’s £70 per household) on programmes to help developing countries switch to green energy.
Tourist attractions? Do you really want to waste valuable vacation time taking your kids to see dead birds?
As The Telegraph article points out, carbon footprints aren’t really a problem in the countries Mr. Barker feels will fall apart without windmills.
Carbon emissions from the most backward economies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are minuscule. A report published last year by Price Waterhouse Cooper put sub Saharan emissions at barely one ton per capita – the figure for the US is 20 tons. Wouldn’t western aid be better spent on economic development rather than ensuring that the populations of these countries continue to live in low-carbon poverty?
Oh for goodness’ sake. If you’re trying to set up an electricity network that’s decentralised in a rural part of the world (with no national grid) wind turbines are actually a pretty good bet: they work at night and don’t require fuel or gas schlepped out into the backwoods.
In other news: why the heck are we still paying attention to the climate change denial mob? Half of them think the world was created in 4004BC and half of the other half work for Exxon.
Actually, they do need gas and fuel schlepped out to them, for while they can work day or night, they can only do so when the wind is blowing. Fluctuations in wind speed can cause brownouts, and be handled by a battery, but when the wind stops, a natural gas generator kicks in to ensure a continuous supply.
To have any chance at success, any alternative energy idea must be tailored to the location. What are the winds like in those countries where he proposes to build windmills? If the winds aren’t strong and reasonably steady, the windmills will be useless.
Climate change happens. Climate change claims do, too. In the ’70s, it was The Coming Ice Age! Now, it’s all Rising Seas And Burning Deserts! Seems the climate changed before Man appeared, after Man appeared, and before The Industrial Revolution. I grew up in the midwest, where the glaciers disappeared about 15K years ago. Before SUVs; way before.
Makes no sense. Why would you want to supply electricity to the most energy efficient people on earth? Next thing you know we have another China on our hands.
We who are serious about Climate Change know that this looming catastrophe treatens all life on earth. If we start industry and modern society in places that are doing just fine without electricity, and all of the other stuff that created this mess in the first place out of our formerly stable wonderful climate, we will never get anywhere.
A bunch of giant fans are not going to cut it. Look at Egypt. No problem there for centuries. Then they put in that nice clean energy hydro dam and allowed for flood control right? The population booms. Everybody wants more and more stuff so they had to burn cheaper alternatives like oil and gas. Now the place is a CO2 nightmare and still cannot afford these fancy expensive fixes because they keep spending it on food.
Hey guys if you want a clean energy omlette gotta break a few eggs, am I right?
@Mended
Climate change is real. The questions that need to be asked are
1. Is global warming good or bad for the northern hemisphere?
2. If it is bad, exactly how bad?
3. Is it primarily caused by human activity or is it a natural occurance?
Isuppose that this makes me what is commonly called a “climat change denier” but I do NOT believe that the world was created in 4002 BCE nor have I ever worked for Exxon.
Wind farms are neither wonderful nor majestic. About the only thing they are for sure is inefficient as data from the US Department of Energy shows that the cheapest form of electricity is by far fossil fuels which costs $0.44 (44 cents) per megawatt-hour whereas wind energy costs $23.37 per megawatt-hour.
Don’t know if the same cost differential applies to UK but I’m sure it’s similar.