Tuesday, July 01, 2003

LAST ONE OUT TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, PLEASE*

The Guardian reports today on the Instutite of Civil Engineers (ICE) annual report card for the UK:

"Britain's homes could be without light and heat for long periods by 2020 with the government being forced to repeat the 1974 imposition of power cuts by rota..."

Of course, this caught my eye so I read on.

"80% of the gas to fuel Britain's power stations and domestic central heating will be piped "from politically unstable countries thousands of miles away." Mechanical failure, sabotage and terrorist attack would lead to power cuts within days..."

So what are we to do?

Read the full report, where it says...

"This country has been largely self sufficient in electricity generation for the past 100 years. This is about to change dramatically. The target of 10% for renewables by 2010 will not be met and 20% by 2020 is out of the question without the right incentives! Coal will disappear shortly after 2016 due to emission constraints and only one nuclear station will continue beyond 2020."

"We cannot expect a financially distressed industry to invest in the future."

Financially distressed? Perhaps if they managed themselves better and directors weren't so interested in lining their own pockets at the cost of the consumer - a la Enron - then they wouldn't be "distressed". But, I digress...

"the public must accept that nuclear power will have to be a part of a truly sustainable solution."

And who pays for this? It is well known that nucelar power is NOT the economic answer. The cost, both in terms of shekels and to the environment, is unsustainable because of the clean-up required.

The Guardian went out and got a rent-a-quote:

"Simon Skilling, head of UK strategy for Powergen, the electricity generator, said he had not seen the report but agreed with its conclusions. "It is feasible that by 2020 the lights could go out.""

Read the fucking report, you idiot.

There's more. Remember, this is a report card for the UK infrastructure. On waste management...

"On a positive note, small local household waste recycling facilities are being effective and the public is responding positively to the need to separate wastes at the sites rather than just binning it. However, uninformed public opinion is also creating barriers to progress -with energy from waste incinerators (as with nuclear power plants) not being accepted on principle."

"Uninformed"? Shame on the public! Build that carcinogenic incinerator next to their homes!

On sustainability...

"There is now a greater awareness (and not before time) in society at large and in the construction industry in particular about sustainability."

Huzzah!

"However, as a society we are failing to deliver, largely through lack of financial motivation. With the price of electricity the cheapest in real terms since World War II, there is little incentive to economise. The public (Shame on them!) needs provoking into action by the right economic conditions. Congestion charging has driven cars but not people out of Central London, petrol price rises had an impact on traffic growth and the hike in the landfill levy spurred the development of alternative solutions to waste disposal."

"A healthy dose of realism (Oh, please!) is needed when sustainability issues are discussed and a true commitment to sustainability will require a shift in public understanding and perception. Until perception matches the reality, public opinion (Oh really?) will to close off sustainable options."

And who are these guardians of morality and straight thinking? The fucking concrete pourers.

* ... and pay the consultancy fee...

:: Posted by pete @ 13:21