Yep. Everything is going to change. The
latest target to cut emissions cannot be achieved without a totally different economic model.
1. No more gas and gas boilers.
2. No more petrol and diesel.
3. No more jet fuel.
I don't think it can be achieved at all, at least not in a meaningful way. The CO2 can be pushed off UK statistical bits of paper, to bits of paper in another country, but that doesn't address the underlying problem.
The world is over populated, it's really that simple. Nature tried to correct it several times, but humanity decided to fight on each occasion, so of course there are consequences to those decisions. Covid is just the latest example.
The problem isn't the UK emission level, the UK just likes to pretend it's still relevant on the world stage because it wins votes, yet that ship sailed a long time ago. I'm more on the patriotic side, but I also try to be a realist. The UK produces only 1% of CO2 globally, which of course is because it doesn't really have a manufacturing industry anymore and we drive tiny toy cars and in fact, here, everything is tiny except where it truly counts
.
The real issue is in the countries who manufacture stuff that we and other countries want and in doing so create the majority of emissions as a byproduct. This isn't entirely the fault of those countries, although it's fair to say also, that China, India, Brazil and the US don't exactly have the best green credentials, even when it comes to stuff thats relatively easy to implement, such as not selling V10 diesel vehicles to consumers wanting to haul a caravan which weighs 20 tonnes or failing to add a simple filter to a factory to stop it spewing out toxic waste into the environment.
The solution to the climate mess, is either a less populated planet, or, humans wanting less stuff. Neither of these is ever going to happen, so the CO2 emissions simply become a political football to be passed around. China states it will do X% by X date. Great. To do so, they move their heavy industrial base to.....Lesotho. Then it's congratulations China on meeting their environmental pledge and also to Lesotho, who have now been catapulted onto the world stage as a manufacturing base and the next high growth country. Cue hedge fund investment and corresponding returns to shareholders. (sorry lesotho, I'm sure you're doing your best)
The emissions are a byproduct of consumer demand, so they have to come from somewhere. The west has made that happen by sourcing the cheapest possible labour (china, india, taiwan) to produce what they want at a price they can make a profit for shareholders on, giving little thought/care to the consequences. China were nothing even 50 years ago, now look. They absolutely dominate off the back of cheap labour. It is only a matter of time until China surpasses the USA.
There was a report put out, which was burried, that said electric cars, over their entire life cycle, on average, create more CO2 than comparable diesel cars. I'm sure diesels require less in the way of child mining labour, too.
The marketing of diesel cars as eco friendly by governments and the corresponding financial incentives, is something which seems to have quietly been forgotten/ignored, yet it should be an absolute scandal. It makes me incredibly cynical and I struggle to find these pledges, particularly by a minor player like the UK, to be anything other than prior notification of yet another tax grab, without a hint of any green credentials but still, I'm paying 10p if I want a carrier bag so I'm doing my part, right? My conscience is placated for another voting cycle.
Is anyone old enough to remember the 1980's version of this? The "hole in the ozone layer" which required us all to buy a new fridge freezer? They have taken that and simply scaled it up. The fundamental issues remain and have remained since the industrial revolution.
The youngsters lap this environmental stuff up, as I did at the time, but now I've seen the same stupid policy suggestions 3 or 4 times, I'm not so sure. I don't deny there is a problem, I just question how the issue is being dealt with, because I don't believe it is being truly dealt with at all.
Anyway, enough thread derailment. There are supply problems across the board caused by a multitude of factors as someone already said. It will gradually get better, but the status quo has to shift to enable these world leaders to meet their cynical pledges and "save the planet" or buy the next presidency.
I find the whole thing rather sad and as a parent, that feeling is magnified because I've no idea of the future my children will face.
One thing I do know for sure, for better or worse, we are all in this together. Perhaps we should make use of the fresh air on our bikes, whilst we still have it?
