Climate change - NOT amateur radio

So all the countries at the Paris climate summit have reached agreement. This is just the start, but it shows a willingness to work towards a world which does not have dangerous warming. As someone pointed out on BBC TV this morning, the cost of choosing a non-carbon path has significantly reduced, so it is less burdensome to choose clean energy.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35084374 .

UPDATE 2315z: A new challenge will be non-carbon fueled cars.  As someone who had a fair bit to do with rechargeable batteries, I do not see the electric car as the answer, unless there is staggering breakthrough in battery technology allowing 300+ mile ranges between charges. Somehow I doubt this will happen. Maybe the answer will come in fuel cells, or low cost anytime storage of renewable energy? We need efficient storage of wind, solar and tidal energy so the energy generated can be used later.  Maybe the answer is partly power in the roads, with the car picking up this inductively? This way the weight of cars could be dramatically reduced? The car would only need a smaller battery to use when in-road power is not available?

World Climate - NOT amateur radio

Opinions vary widely on the effect Man may be having on the climate. Some say it is mostly down to Man whereas others say the world has always gone through heating and cooling cycles.

I was interested in this NASA site as it is from the USA. Until very recently both the USA and China have denied that our climate is changing. Of late, both seem more disposed to look at the evidence.

There is little doubt in my mind that it is up to Man to help keep the rise in global temperatures within safe limits. Whether or not Man is to blame we can argue later. The world needs a co-ordinated effort. It can be done.

Quote of the decade

"If the climate was a bank they would have saved it", said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "But it is not. And they have not"

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8423822.stm

Climate change - Copenhagen

A binding agreement in Copenhagen next month seems to be slipping away because no-one wants to make firm commitments on the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Personally, I think it would be a tragedy if our leaders came away with just a "wishy washy" set of political statements and nothing concrete. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8345343.stm . For the sake of our children and grandchildren we need ACTION from our statesmen, not words.

Quaker News

The QRP community has a lot in common with Quakers (Society of Friends) , especially their ethos of living simply and fairly. If you have never done so, do check them out. They have been instrumental in much good work around the world, but this is usually done quietly behind the scenes e.g. they did a lot of work on reconciling the groups in Northern Ireland helping to work for peace there. The latest copy of Quaker News is available on-line. It has some interesting articles e.g. on the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference later this year and on the need for urgent and fair action worldwide.