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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
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Politics: Are we sleepwalking into the arms of Big Brother?

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      CommentAuthorKeith Hall
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2007
     
    I was listening to Radio 4 again last night and they briefly discussed personal Carbon Credits. It seems likely that something along the lines of a credit card type system (where people who do not use up an allocation can sell their unused credits to people who want to do more than they are allocated) may get introduced before too long. With it almost certain that Carbon trading between business has turned out to be little more than a money earner with barely measurable use to the environment, what makes us think that a personal trading system will be anything other than a new way of taking money from the many to hand on to the few? OR am I being too skeptical again?

    Maybe the Carbon Credit card can be doubled up with an identity card. Now there's a thought!
  2.  
    You may be skeptical that the government will go for a system that doesn't work. The best system invented is Tradeable Energy Quotas (TEQs). That would work if only the government would adopt it. You really need to read the booklet by David Fleming, downloadable from http://www.teqs.net/
    • CommentAuthorchuckey
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2007
     
    For the system to work it would have to be incredibley complex. When ever we bought some thing, the card would have to be debited, now I can't see Tescos being very keen on doing this for the Goverment for free. In general all retail outlets would try to debit the minimum amount of carbon credits and I am sure they will be more resourceful and devious then the Goverment, so as Biff says, the system is doomed to fail.
    Frank
  4.  
    No chuckey, TEQs are not incredibly complicated. The whole system does not have to more complex than Tesco's loyalty card system! Please do read Ebergy and the Common Purpose, downloadable from here: http://www.theleaneconomyconnection.net/downloads.html
    •  
      CommentAuthorKeith Hall
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2007 edited
     
    my main worry is the level they set as the base carbon credit.

    Would any government get elected if they take away liberties from joe public (as is probably needed) so what will be established? I guess, will be a level compatible with consumption levels at the time of introduction - is it 5 planets worth or so at the moment?

    Therefore it will only act as a new business venture to add to all the other zero carbon ventures that the gov seems hopeful to make lots of money /taxes from.
  6.  
    I agree that TEQs are the way forward having read the report Biff refers to. Only way we can be certain of meeting the targets set without creating undue hardship for the poorest. However, I sincerely hope the Government lets a consortium of private sector banks implement the system and doesn't try to tackle it as a public sector IT project, or it will be knackered before it starts.
  7.  
    Incidently, I think we are certainly walking into the arms of Big Brother. We have 25% of world's CCTV cameras, un-manned drones being deployed over Manchester and continual erosion of civil liberties and basic rights and freedoms under the anti-terroriam agenda (didn't need it to tackle the IRA did we?). Next we'll be required to present ID cards on demand (did the Nazis actually win WWII and I didn't notice??).

    I can't help thinking this relentless build up of powers has a purpose, i.e. to control the population when the brown stuff hits the fan after we pass Peak Oil and the economy goes down the toilet. Time for people to stand up for freedom and democracy before we are further trodden on by an over bearing State.
  8.  
    Yes, TEQs will be the tool used to manage the energy descent after Peak Oil bites. All the talk of combating climate change is just so much hot air. We will be using every drop of oil that we produce as no policies are going to beat the oil depletion curve set by geology.

    BTW there's a little short term glitch coming tomorrow. A Cat 5 typhoon is heading for Oman and the Straits of Hormuz. 17 million barrels of oil pass that way on a normal day but tomorrow is not going to be normal.

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