Seeing the Changes 1854

Precarious shelter for an Small elephant hawk moth (Deilephila porcellus) at Swansea University's Bay Campus.

A Nice Little Sweetener?

The UK's PM has announced money for two carbon capture establishments (one in Scotland and one on the Humber). Concomitantly, he unnecessarily helicoptered to Aberdeen, to announce granting 100 new licences for the North Sea's Rosebank oil/gas deposits. Some people seem convinced that this is 'good news' (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/31/rishi-sunak-carbon-capture-party-politics-climate-crisis-co2). They apparently believe that funding carbon capture, illustrates the PM's continued commitment to pledges of carbon zero. They also seem impressed by the government's claim that the Rosebank licences, will make the UK's energy supply 'more secure'. Local oil for local folk? Petrochemicals don't work this way. Any extracted oil and gas will flow to the International market. Folk in the UK, are not going to get it cheaper or more reliably, because it's produced nearer home. Carbon capture, at scale, is still in its infancy, so the two projects, even if they work, have no chance of counterbalancing the extra 'greenhouse gas' emissions, produced by extracting and burning the Rosebank deposits. It's actually more money to big oil! How easily people seem to be conned. Just keep repeating the 'energy security' mantra and appear to throw a meaningless sop to the climate-concerned.

Fiddling Whilst the Planet Burns?

Robin McKie says there's no prospect of a 'magic bullet', to rescue the Earth from global heating (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/30/radical-ways-to-fix-the-earth-are-they-magic-bullets-or-just-band-aids). Capturing carbon emissions and storing them underground is difficult and much too slow. Carbon dioxide (for all its demonisation) makes up only a small percentage of the Earth's atmosphere. It's consequently difficult (and energetically demanding) to extract, even before converting it to a state, where it can be safely stored (perhaps in a disused oil well). Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), in contrast, tries to deflect the 'problem'. Suggestions here, include using giant orbiting mirrors or high atmospheric clouds of sulphate aerosols, to reflect sunlight back into space. SRM would, of course, simply leave the 'greenhouse gases' in place. Most climate scientists maintain that the only sensible and workable strategy, is to stop extracting and burning coal, oil and gas. Even if that was done (most unlikely in the present financial and political 'climate'), there would be no immediate effect on global heating.

And Now For the Sweet Course

Sweet courses from around Europe.

Some of My Favourite Pictures of Caterpillars

Caterpillars, mainly from the UK and NE India.