PM Taken to Task Over Global Warming (Downing St. Blocked by Dumped Coal)

[callady]

PM taken to task over global warming

Matthew Tempest and agencies
Monday November 14, 2005

Three of the entrances to Downing Street were blocked with dumped coal today, as environmental groups attacked the government's record on climate change.

Greenpeace dumped the fuel around No 10 to highlight the UK's increasing CO2 emissions, whilst the World Wildlife Fund criticised Tony Blair for adopting an "indistinguishable" position from US president George Bush.

Mr Blair has promised to make global warming and Africa Britain's two priorities for chairing the G8 group of the world's richest nations.

But WWF campaigns director Andrew Lee said that by emphasising that targets for cutting damaging greenhouse gas emissions must not be at the expense of economic growth, Mr Blair was undermining efforts to deal with the issue.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1642341,00.html



Police guard one of the entrances to Downing Street blocked by dumped coal. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I love it

There's enough hot air coming out of 10 Downing street to melt a polar ice cap.

[twaddler01]

19. I agree n/t

[LiberalEsto]

2. Bravo, Greenpeace!

Once again their courageous stunts bring fresh media attention to critical global problems.

[Village Idiot]

3. Littering Bastards!!! Eco-Terrorists!!!

Just kidding.


I REALLY hope that there is some truth to the impeachment momentum stories I've been seeing this AM...

[mrhopeforwes]

23. check out stoplittering.com

[newyawker99]

24. Hi mrhopeforwes!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[chknltl]

25. Hey mrhopeforwes....

...Welcome to the big DU :hi:

[lonestarnot]

4. Maybe dats all they're gona get for Christmas!

[NNadir]

5. Let's be clear that Greenpeace fosters the use of coal.

They oppose nuclear power (with similar stupid stunts), and nuclear power is the only workable alternative to coal. In spite of what you hear on TV about "renewable power" (rich toys for rich boys), the safest and cleanest form of energy known is nuclear power.

Greenpeace is full of shit. Like all Greenpeace stunts this is long on self promotion and short on reality. This is pretty much par for the course for the Greenpeace crowd: They are a bunch of spoiled eternally adolescent middle class brats who are completely indifferent to the poor, and they have no trouble behaving like shit holes to garner attention for themselves.

The reality is that the atmosphere would have about 2-3% more carbon dioxide in it right now if Greenpeace had its way. We would be decades further into the collapse of our atmosphere had we followed the self-serving demands of the Greenpeace crowds.

I note that Britain is only one of four major European nations to have reduced its greenhouse gas output since 1990. Another is France.

[NV Whino]

6. The problem with nuclear power

is not the initial "clean" energy, it is the disposal of the waste, which since your hobby is nuclear power, you know never goes away. Not in our lifetime, nor our children's, nor their children's.

[NNadir]

7. And your point is? That carbon dioxide goes away? Mercury goes away?

Coal Ash goes away?

The problem with ALL forms of energy waste is that they don't go away. The only differences between so called "nuclear waste" and other forms of energy waste is: 1) So called "nuclear waste" is compact and is easy to control and contain. 2) So called nuclear waste has never injured anyone in US commercial operations, whereas tens of thousands of people die each year from air pollution. 3) So called "nuclear waste" is almost completely recyclable. 4) So called "nuclear waste" is not dumped routinely into our atmosphere and water. 5) So called "nuclear waste" is not destroying our atmosphere and creating the possibility of making our planet uninhabitable. 6) The experimental behavior of so called "nuclear waste" over billions of years has been observed (at Gabon in Africa where naturally occurring nuclear reactors operated about 1.8 billion years ago.)

With respect to number 6, the situation is not all that different from carbon dioxide - just one of the wastes routinely dumped into the atmosphere by the crowd usually ignored by Greenpeace. In fact we have observed the behavior of carbon dioxide in atmosphere - on the planet Venus, where temperatures on the surface are hot enough to melt lead.

Some people think that mentioning a problem with nuclear energy means that no other forms of energy have problems or that the other forms of energy can be ignored. This is exactly why we are in such dire states and have only a small probability of surviving an impending environmental catastrophe. In fact, when one engages in comparative analysis, one quickly grasps that while nuclear energy is not perfect it is without a doubt the safest and cleanest form of scalable on demand energy known. The matter has been exhaustively examined by the European commission and the report can be found here: http://www.externe.info/ The external costs of energy are its costs to the environment and human health. Consistently nuclear is superior to all other forms of energy except wind.

The table below gives the data and more detailed analysis can be found in the complete ExternE reports available on the internet.



I repeat. Greenpeace is a squad of self-serving anti-environmental spoiled brat clowns. They are not the solution to the problem since they confuse playing and joking and vandalism with thinking. They are PART of the problem. They cannot think clearly.

Fuck Greenpeace. They creating an environment in which people and the future are degraded.

[NV Whino]

8. If you will reread my post

I made no mention of other forms of energy or waste from them. My point is nuclear waste is around for a loooooong time. In other words, it is not a solution.

[NNadir]

14. I did read your post and that is precisely my criticism of it.

All forms of waste will be around for a looooong time. Is it your belief that carbon dioxide will go away? By what mechanism exactly?

I guess you don't get it.

In fact, all radioactive materials decay to non-radioactive materials. Released mercury from powerplants never goes away under any circumstances. It is widely understood that there is an excellent chance that carbon dioxide may never go away either.

By the way, in 1000 years time, the use of nuclear power can reduce the overall radioactivity of the planet. This is a point that is lost on non-scientists who take the Greenpeace self-promoters seriously.

[PATRICK]

9. fossil fuel and the heat sink

There has to be a conjunction of using LESS heat producing energy with undesirable long lasting material by-products. The simple conversion of matter into energy means that somehow the heat must be dumped or cycled back into the environment. Fossils have literally trapped the heat of tropical past and when consumed release that climate back into the air.

Wind, nuclear and water plus a lot smarter use of technology, some realistic efforts at population control would just be a beginning at putting things into balance, a balance where the periodically changing climate itself is still the major player and not a static status quo. Sustainability is a meek myth.

Keeping the "heat" on to make progress is good if it wipes complacency and footdragging(whose consequence will be bloody and catastrophic) off the scene. If the world would prioritize the debate then these stunts would lead beyond the simplistic. Even that has not seriously happened to the degree most of the world's population, I believe, seems ready to understand and accept. As for the sacrifice and cost, much of the world's business leadership really really don't want to know if the people would accept it. It is a repressed crisis presided over self-interested corporate jerks sitting on the lid, who control the machinery of the human problem.

[Lori Price CLG]

10. Downing Street blocked with tonnes of coal (in protest)

Downing Street blocked with tonnes of coal

This morning we (Greenpeace) sent a reminder to Tony Blair of his commitment to tackle climate change - several tonnes of coal.

Greenpeace volunteers blockaded three entrances to Downing Street as Tony Blair rows back on his commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. In a series of statements in recent weeks the Prime Minister has cast doubt on his long-term support for the global agreement, while British emissions of carbon-dioxide have risen since he came to power.

At 7.30am a truck emblazoned with the slogan 'Blair - Climate Failure' arrived at the Horse Guard's Road entrance to Mr Blair's residence.

<snip>

Lori Price

[Angry Girl]

11. See, America? Wake up!!!! THIS is how it's done!

THIS is how you get on TV! This is how you get attention! Not by writing an editorial in a newspaper that DOESN'T GET READ BY MOST OF AMERICA!!!!!

Here's what started me off this morning, lest this appear totally psychotic.... The stolen elections in Ohio. How many times now?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5353589&mesg_id=5355336

[mrhopeforwes]

12. great attitude!

I'm new here. You wanna read an advance copy of my really amazing short story about what a mistake it was to have Kerry as the nominee, especially since Clark was an option? I was told by a mother of an Iraqi soldier that she was "honored" to have read it. It's as funny as it is intense.

[Angry Girl]

15. Sure! Let's see it!

Welcome to DU! And just so you know, my attitude may not be the most popular here....
:hi:

[mrhopeforwes]

17. gald you wanna see my story...

you'll have to give me your email address so I can send it to you.
I just sent it to the guy on here who's in charge of officially publishing it. Hopefully it'll be soon.
how do I become a donor on here?

[Angry Girl]

21. To donate click here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/donate.html
After that, just PM me!

URGENT! Timing is critical to save earthquake victims before winter!

[mrhopeforwes]

22. I can't open the message cuz i'm not a donor

so email me: [email protected]

[twaddler01]

20. Wonderful

Great way to protest and get their attention! Maybe some body bags at the white house would get the attention at our homeland. Then again, maybe not.

[mrhopeforwes]

26. Wes Clark needs to take over!!!

Hi. I'm new here and don't have the ability to become a donor so this damn thing won't let me post where I need to and get some attention. I have a short story I'm trying to get published about a) how inarguably imperative it is to remove President Magoo and, b) that Kerry actually won (DUH) and that Kerry needs to give it up for Clark. I was actually told by a Clarkie whose son is in Iraq: "I was honored to have read it." Hopefully the people on here in charge of publishing it on here will get on the ball, but in the meantime, if anyone reading this would like a copy, email me at [email protected]. Even if you don't like Clark, any anti-Bush person will love this thing cuz it's the reddest meat you'll ever eat.
Also, does anyone know how many members of the Bush administration it takes to change a light bulb? ...It's a trick question: They're out of lightbulbs.

ALL HAIL PRESIDENT TUSH

[babylonsister]

13. K&R! Good show, Brits! nt

[DRoseDARs]

16. What's the big deal? It just fell off the truck accidentally...

...three times.

*Tee hee* ;)

[Demoiselle]

18. Anybody see "A Very British Coup?"

It's a brilliant bbc tv serial drama about modern politics in Britain. The hero, a decent Labor PM who is gradually done in by his right wing enemies. At one point, an angry farmer dumps a great load of manure at 10 Downing Street. I recommend the show highly.