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Not As Environmentally Friendly As Promised

The countries that have promised to ban the sales of petrol/diesel cars by a certain year are not the only market for car manufacturers.
Other countries that have made no such promises will just become the target market for these vehicles instead.
The car companies will instead tailor their products towards the markets they have, so expect to see a glut of new EV models for the UK (and similar markets) while places like India continue to grow as a market and also benefit from the continuing drop in the cost of fossil fuels as demand from 'western' markets dwindles.
The promise seems to be like drunken words said to a lover at midnight!

The UK is nowhere near ready for the change over and won't be for decades , a more sensible approach albeit slower would have been to change over to hybrid cars and allow the infrastructure to develop from there
 
The level of mathematical ability was poor at all levels. Trying to recruit staff who could tell me what 10% of 200 was, was nigh on impossible. A colleague and I gained an almost supernatural reputation for mathematical competence with the treasurer's because we could work out percentages and trends. We had maths O levels that's all, I regard my mathematical ability as feeble so I was actually quite shocked at all this. This was all pre Excel, etc. I hope things have changed.
Noticed this myself- among my peer group I'm an average mathematician, among the general population...hm. It ain't good out here.
 
Where I worked it was trust. The politicians, and many senior managers didn't trust the figures or information they were given. There may have been some justification in some areas but not in all. This often led to consultants being brought in at extra expense.

In our case we wrote a report explaining how the service levels could not be maintained on the allocated budget (fairly obvious as the budget had been predicated on a number of cuts which hadn't been made) Suggestions were made to bring things in line. The report was ignored and consultants were brought in who produced a report that we didn't see for seven months when a new caretaker manager was put in charge. We took great delight in pointing out the four minor differences between the two reports.

The level of mathematical ability was poor at all levels. Trying to recruit staff who could tell me what 10% of 200 was, was nigh on impossible. A colleague and I gained an almost supernatural reputation for mathematical competence with the treasurer's because we could work out percentages and trends. We had maths O levels that's all, I regard my mathematical ability as feeble so I was actually quite shocked at all this. This was all pre Excel, etc. I hope things have changed.

I'm guessing that some of the trust issues are based on a fundamental lack of understanding the maths.

l recall many years ago when a national newspaper demonstrated the difference in maths education between the Nineties and - IIRC - a date in the late Fifties / early Sixties.

They showed an O-level maths question from the earlier date next to a GCSE one from the later date. The earlier one was a brutal, multi-stage calculation involving long division, vulgar fractions (e.g. 11/37ths) , percentages etc.

The one from the current GCSE depicted a rectangle divided into ten equal squares. The “challenge” was to colour in 20% of the illustration.

l don’t suppose that things have improved in the intervening years.

maximus otter
 
l recall many years ago when a national newspaper demonstrated the difference in maths education between the Nineties and - IIRC - a date in the late Fifties / early Sixties.

They showed an O-level maths question from the earlier date next to a GCSE one from the later date. The earlier one was a brutal, multi-stage calculation involving long division, vulgar fractions (e.g. 11/37ths) , percentages etc.

The one from the current GCSE depicted a rectangle divided into ten equal squares. The “challenge” was to colour in 20% of the illustration.

l don’t suppose that things have improved in the intervening years.

maximus otter
iirc there's a decent correlation between ability/qualifications in maths and career/life outcomes. Your observation might explain why the UK economy is shot...
 

UK Forced to Use Emergency Coal Generators for First Time as Green Energy Fails to Keep Up


The United Kingdom has been forced to use its emergency coal-fired backup generators for the first time as renewables failed to supply enough energy.

Britain’s crusade for net zero saw another major failure on Tuesday, with the country having to resort to using its emergency coal-fired power plants as renewables were unable to keep up with demand.

The country has been focused on moving away from burning fossil fuels and towards green energy sources in recent years, with the last twelve months in particular seeing the country struggle to keep the lights on at times due to the green agenda.

However, with it becoming clear that Britain’s new sources of power cannot keep up with the old, the country has kept some coal-burning power plants — those few it has not short-sightedly demolished — operational and in reserve, ready to start supplying power to the energy grid should the more eco-friendly sources start to fail.

According to the BBC, such a last resort had to finally be deployed on Tuesday, with two of the plants providing Britons with energy once again after green energy facilities failed to perform.

A total of five separate coal-fired power stations were put on standby yesterday, with two needing to be used in order to keep the energy grid stable.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/20...-first-time-as-green-energy-fails-to-keep-up/

maximus otter
 

UK Forced to Use Emergency Coal Generators for First Time as Green Energy Fails to Keep Up


The United Kingdom has been forced to use its emergency coal-fired backup generators for the first time as renewables failed to supply enough energy.

Britain’s crusade for net zero saw another major failure on Tuesday, with the country having to resort to using its emergency coal-fired power plants as renewables were unable to keep up with demand.

The country has been focused on moving away from burning fossil fuels and towards green energy sources in recent years, with the last twelve months in particular seeing the country struggle to keep the lights on at times due to the green agenda.

However, with it becoming clear that Britain’s new sources of power cannot keep up with the old, the country has kept some coal-burning power plants — those few it has not short-sightedly demolished — operational and in reserve, ready to start supplying power to the energy grid should the more eco-friendly sources start to fail.

According to the BBC, such a last resort had to finally be deployed on Tuesday, with two of the plants providing Britons with energy once again after green energy facilities failed to perform.

A total of five separate coal-fired power stations were put on standby yesterday, with two needing to be used in order to keep the energy grid stable.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/20...-first-time-as-green-energy-fails-to-keep-up/

maximus otter
I note though, that small modular nuclear reactors are quietly rolling out, there one going in at Trawsfynydd for example.
 

Woman facing eviction from home of 62 years​


Because her home can’t meet the energy performance requirements.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64939862
Inevitable. The next step is to make it next to near impossible to sell a house unless it meets 'a standard'. So must have an 'A rating ' and solar panels or some such crap. Then loads of people will not be able to afford to sell a house (even to downsize) and next step will be to ensure that leaving it to someone (like 'your children') will also face 'upgrade' charges on handover (not unlike an inheritance tax).

Got to get property back from the proles don't ya know? They can't possible know what's good for them.
 
Inevitable. The next step is to make it next to near impossible to sell a house unless it meets 'a standard'. So must have an 'A rating ' and solar panels or some such crap. Then loads of people will not be able to afford to sell a house (even to downsize) and next step will be to ensure that leaving it to someone (like 'your children') will also face 'upgrade' charges on handover (not unlike an inheritance tax).

Got to get property back from the proles don't ya know? They can't possible know what's good for them.
It does seem that is the way things are going.
Using the green agenda as leverage.
Most of the people in western Europe rent from corporate landowners. Britain will go down this path, inevitably.
People will be so squeezed that homelessness will go up and many people will never be able to retire.
Then we'll all be serfs in a new feudal system.
 
Eminent Oxford Scientist Says Wind Power “Fails on Every Count”

(...)In his paper, Allison concentrates on working out the numbers that lie behind the natural fluctuations in the wind. The full workings out are not complicated(...)He shows that at a wind speed of 20mph, the power produced by a wind turbine is 600 watts per square metre at full efficiency. To deliver the same power as the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant – 3,200 million watts – it would require 5.5 million square metres of turbine swept area.

It is noted that this should be quite unacceptable to those who care about birds and other environmentalists. Of course, this concern does not seem to have materialised to date. Millions of bats and birds are calculated to be slaughtered by onshore wind turbines every year. (...)

When fluctuations in wind speed are taken into account in Allison’s formula, the performance of wind becomes very much worse. If the wind speed drops by half, the power available falls by a factor of eight. Almost worse, he notes, if the wind speed doubles, the power delivered goes up eight times, and the turbine has to be turned off for its own protection.

(...)When it comes to the enormous batteries needed to store renewable power, Allison notes the problems with safety, as well as mineral shortages. Batteries will never make good the failure of offshore wind farms, even for a week, and he points out they can fail for much longer than that.
(...) Professor Allison has done his sums based on basic physics and freely available information. “Whichever way you look at it, wind power is inadequate. It is intermittent and unreliable; it is exposed and vulnerable; it is weak with a short life-span,” he concludes.

https://www.thegwpf.org/content/upl...nergy.pdf?mc_cid=5c197dfa62&mc_eid=c926002e71
https://dailysceptic.org/2023/03/25...-the-environment-and-be-entirely-unnecessary/
 
Eminent Oxford Scientist Says Wind Power “Fails on Every Count”

(...)In his paper, Allison concentrates on working out the numbers that lie behind the natural fluctuations in the wind. The full workings out are not complicated(...)He shows that at a wind speed of 20mph, the power produced by a wind turbine is 600 watts per square metre at full efficiency. To deliver the same power as the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant – 3,200 million watts – it would require 5.5 million square metres of turbine swept area.

It is noted that this should be quite unacceptable to those who care about birds and other environmentalists. Of course, this concern does not seem to have materialised to date. Millions of bats and birds are calculated to be slaughtered by onshore wind turbines every year. (...)

When fluctuations in wind speed are taken into account in Allison’s formula, the performance of wind becomes very much worse. If the wind speed drops by half, the power available falls by a factor of eight. Almost worse, he notes, if the wind speed doubles, the power delivered goes up eight times, and the turbine has to be turned off for its own protection.

(...)When it comes to the enormous batteries needed to store renewable power, Allison notes the problems with safety, as well as mineral shortages. Batteries will never make good the failure of offshore wind farms, even for a week, and he points out they can fail for much longer than that.
(...) Professor Allison has done his sums based on basic physics and freely available information. “Whichever way you look at it, wind power is inadequate. It is intermittent and unreliable; it is exposed and vulnerable; it is weak with a short life-span,” he concludes.

https://www.thegwpf.org/content/upl...nergy.pdf?mc_cid=5c197dfa62&mc_eid=c926002e71
https://dailysceptic.org/2023/03/25...-the-environment-and-be-entirely-unnecessary/
It's a pity we couldn't somehow harness the power of my near neighbours dogs who bark- for hours.
 
I wanted to post this in the "Petrolhead" thread but I couldn't find it.

In modern parlance, "Wavy" is a term of endearment or appreciation.

But these wavy kerbs just off Islington High Street (London) are insane.

Supposedly to slow cars, they play right into the hands of accidents.

Because so many pedestrians walk along looking at their phones, and are bound to fall off these kerbs or walk into the path of oncoming traffic - cars and bikes alike.

wa.jpeg


https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/27/wavy...ad-to-slow-cars-and-promote-cycling-18508232/
 
I wanted to post this in the "Petrolhead" thread but I couldn't find it.

In modern parlance, "Wavy" is a term of endearment or appreciation.

But these wavy kerbs just off Islington High Street (London) are insane.

Supposedly to slow cars, they play right into the hands of accidents.

Because so many pedestrians walk along looking at their phones, and are bound to fall off these kerbs or walk into the path of oncoming traffic - cars and bikes alike.

View attachment 64846

https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/27/wavy...ad-to-slow-cars-and-promote-cycling-18508232/
Standard British design. Even new estates often have this. And the roads are so narrow people still have to park with two wheels on the pavements (sidewalks), causing obstructions for pedestrians and damaging the thinner layer of asphalt that pavements have.
 
these wavy kerbs just off Islington High Street (London) are insane.
Its the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
I can only image drivers will see it as a challenge to go down it as fast as possible, like a racetrack, especially bikers.
How long will it be before twice as much money is spent to 'straighten' this again?
Local council must be flush to afford this nonsense.
 
"A cycle route will also allow bikes to travel with or against the direction of road traffic."

What could possibly go wrong?

I see that of over 180 residents who responded to a survey, only 28% approved of the plans.
 
Its the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
I can only image drivers will see it as a challenge to go down it as fast as possible, like a racetrack, especially bikers.
How long will it be before twice as much money is spent to 'straighten' this again?
Local council must be flush to afford this nonsense.
Local councils always have money for really stupid and impractical ideas. I sometimes think where I live (Brighton, UK) is the ancestral home of the idiotic idea.

For instance: stop using weedkiller on paths and footways which is a good idea but then have no plans in place what to do about all the weeds that then grow.
 
Inevitable. The next step is to make it next to near impossible to sell a house unless it meets 'a standard'. So must have an 'A rating ' and solar panels or some such crap. Then loads of people will not be able to afford to sell a house (even to downsize) and next step will be to ensure that leaving it to someone (like 'your children') will also face 'upgrade' charges on handover (not unlike an inheritance tax).
The Scottish Government is already intending to legislate for this; soon it will not be possible to sell a house in Scotland with an energy rating of ‘C’ or less. Which means I won’t be able to sell my house which is an early 19th century converted school unless I do major work to upgrade the insulation, windows etc.. Of course it’s also category C listed building so I’ll have to apply to the council for permission and use special materials that won’t come cheap.

London Taxis: 'It's cheaper to use petrol than electricity'​


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-65083432
I heard a thing on radio 4 - probably You & Yours - last year about a man who provides a service to electric car owners in London who don’t have a way of charging their vehicles in on-street parking. He drives round overnight in a van with a diesel generator in the back charging them up ready for the morning commute.
 

Woman facing eviction from home of 62 years​


Because her home can’t meet the energy performance requirements.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64939862
This makes me very angry. Apart from the upheaval, (which I wouldn't want now let alone at the age of 83), this house has been her home since 1961. A home she knows and presumably likes very much. It takes time to settle into a new house and get used to all it's quirks.
And now she has to do this at her age. Madness.
 
Her house must have been terribly environmentally unsound for 62 years then. It's a wonder that it's still standing.
 
Her house must have been terribly environmentally unsound for 62 years then. It's a wonder that it's still standing.
Yes, marvelous isn't it- and it'll probably be there for a few hundred years more.

I wonder what changes need to be done? Insulation in the loft is easily sorted as are cavity walls (if it has them). People have this done all the time.
It just sounds like a way of keeping surveyors etc in work, (as if they need it when you consider what a con their services are when you buy a property).
 
And what about National Trust Properties, Stately Homes, Royal Palaces, Churches and church buildings etc?
 
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