To me, Green philosophy starts with the fundamental ‘ecological’ idea that we humans are an intrinsic part of the eco-system, no more, or less, important than any other species. We do have a unique ability to modify it, which we need to be very careful about. Gilbert White’s detailed day to day observations of the environment around his parish of Selbourne at the end of the eighteenth century, were probably the first in English to start to see ecological systems as a whole, and the interdependence of organisms within them. He talks about trees, soils, births and deaths, rainfall, worms and all the minutiae of life.

The influence of EF Schumacher on Green thinking and the institutions he left us with can’t be underestimated. Small is Beautiful, and his ideas of appropriate technology and keeping economys to a scale that ordinary people can deal with underpins a lot of Green Party policy. In some ways, its problematic in an age of globalisation – the internet does a lot to promote localism but is a massive technology – but still very relevant. The charity he founded, Practical Action probably does more to promote sustainable societies than any green political movement ever has.
When I first came to the UK, it was the Schumacher Society which rekindled my interest in Green politics. The challenge Schumacher poses us in Britain today is how to apply his ideas at urban scales, and this is where many of the Briefings published by the Schumacher Society become useful. These are well-considered policy documents, looking at a range of issues – sustainable cities, democracy, carbon economics, health. They should be compulsory reading for anyone involved in forumulating Green Party policy.

And then there’s the deep ecology end of the spectrum, for which you should read Arne Naess’ Ecology, Community and Lifestyle. I’ve always been a bit uncertain about this – as a philosophy its attractive, but as a guide for living life in London today, or for political parties, its more difficult. Naess believes that a fundamental change in the way we think and act is needed to allow us to live within our environment, and that political parties are not the way to achieve that except in fairly singular circumstances as campaigning organisations (eg a party to campaign against nuclear power) and doesn’t think its useful in bipartisan systems like the US or, probably, the UK.

Jonathan Porritt’s Seeing Green is a British classic, and Caroline Lucas cites it as an early influence. On specific points its perhaps a little dated – I don’t know that many Greens would advocate coal as a transition fuel from oil and gas to renewables now – but worth a read.

I also mentioned Dryzek’s The Politics of the Earth, which I reviewed on here a few years ago. It looks at different ways of discussing environmental politics including descriptions of most of the major strands of Green (and not-so-green) though. Its real value is in showing ways of engaging with various constituencies on Green issues.

Jim – my copy of Small is Beautiful seems to have been recycled somewhere, but you’re welcome to borrow any of the others.

Looking at the new projections for London’s climate later this century, it really doesn’t sound too bad.  If I get to spend my old age in the climate of my childhood, while staying here in London, I’ll be quite happy.  It sounds like the sea may even be a lot closer (or at least the Thames rather wider).

And perhaps this is why its so hard to get anyone to understand the urgency of the situation we face.  If London is like Auckland, that’s not so bad, even if the tube floods, and the capital decamps to Leeds (the suggestion that the industrial revolution was a Yorkist plot is one of the more bizarre, and best, I’ve heard lately.  It’s worth spreading:-) )

But if our summer temperatures rise by 4-5 degrees, people in the South will be dying in their millions.  There will be no more ice, and the sea level will rise inexorably.  Those who can least cope will be most effected.  Having done so little to reduce the risk of global warming, our government seems to have quietly moved to an ‘adapt’ strategy.  That may be realistic, but is there really no way to motivate people to cut down their energy use and address the problem that’s staring us in the face?

What will it take to make us realise the ferocious urgency of today?

A playground for (more-or-less) grown-ups, it might even encourage me away from my computer and into some exercise.  Unlike ordinary gyms, where I tend to sign up for a year and go twice, it’s free.  I suspect that an initiative like this could do more to improve local health than all the high-tech medical research labs ever proposed.

I’m going to ask the council if they have any plans to organise around it, as I don’t remember seeing a ‘consultation’ on the subject.   Perhaps a scheme to train people to be personal trainers, or to run exercise classes?  Or maybe a grassroots initiative would be a better idea.  Are there any other forty-something ladies out there who fancy setting up our own Saturday morning gym session?

Judging by the children playing on the, as yet still wrapped, equipment yesterday, it will be popular.  The council need to finish it off quickly, or local people will do it for them.

1989 Minimum Sea Ice

Then look at this for September 2007.

2007 Minimum Sea Ice

Then go and visit the good people at NASA, and see how it’s shaping up for 2008.   The ice cover has been retreating at about 10% per decade, and its accelerating.  It’s not just the melting ice, its the change from nice, white, stuff sitting at the top of the planet reflecting all that energy back into space to dark blue stuff absorbing it and getting hotter.   Any minute now, the Arctic will be an open sea for the first time in human history.

An update on climate research remotivates me in a big stick followed by small carrot sort of a way.

The stick was administered by Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre, who has just published a paper* on targets for emission reduction.  We talk about reducing emissions by 60% by 2050, but that is meaningless.  The planet can only support so much CO2, so we need to worry about the total amount in the atmosphere, not some future rate of increase.  This means that we are almost certainly heading for a 2C increase in global temperature whatever happens, and 4C is likely.  We might be okay, maybe.  Bangladesh and Tuvalu will not.

Even limiting CO2 in the atmosphere to 650ppmv, and a likely 4C increase, requires us to start cutting emissions drastically now, rather than letting them keep on rising as they have ever since Rio in 1992.   If the coming recession is drastic (on the scale of the collapse of the economy of the Soviet Union) we might manage it, but there doesn’t seem to be any other way it will happen.

We have to change now.  Fortunately, the Center for Alternative Technology believes its possible, and has a plan for doing it.  Its not a detailed, do this on Monday, this on Tuesday type of plan which is what we really need, but it does show a way.  They show how the UK could be self-sufficient in renewable energy, providing we both reduce demand and invest heavily in renewables now.

So, we know the problem.  We have ideas about the solution.  Now, its finding the will to do something about it.

* Kevin Anderson  and Alice Bows
Reframing the climate change challenge in light of post-2000 emission trendsPhil. Trans. R. Soc. A November 13, 2008 366:3863-3882;  doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0138

Next stop is the founding of Green Party Women, and somehow I end up taking minutes and becoming the secretary.  The debate about including men becomes rather heated and its all very uncomfortable though we do get through.  I’m proud to identify as a feminist, but its a long time since I’ve engaged with the side of the movement that wants a lot of separate space.  I worry that if we marginalise men, we force areas which should be shared to be ‘women’s issues, and that can be very counter-productive.  The arguement that men don’t understand women’s issues seems dangerous to me.  Why, say, would a childless woman understand issues faced by a mother better than a father does?    I suspect I’m going to have a challenging time with this one.

There are no meal breaks in the schedule, and not much food on the site, so a couple of us head over to a Pret, to discuss guerilla gardening and how I’m happy to be the third on the list for the Somers Town ward of Camden Council.  I’m a lot more keen on guerilla gardening.  There may be an outbreak of marigolds on vacant lots in Somers Town any minute now.

I finally got to meet Tom Reynolds, who is a friendly chap, much slimmer than in the video.  He’s manning the Open Rights Group stall, though not a Green himself.

And then lots more bloggers, at a fringe event about blogging, and the launch of Green Home, which will be a central point for Green Party blogers.  A couple of people have even heard of CamdenKiwi (*waves at Sue and Jim).  It would be good to see the Green blogosphere develop in the way the Conservative one has since Conservative Home was launched – lots of individual bloggers, doing their own thing, but communicating with each other and the rest of the world.  Blogging seems like a rather green sort of thing to do.

Finally, another plenary, with motions on buying up the Afghan opium crop (excellent idea) and removing the UK’s ability to opt out of the social and environmental chapters of EU agreements.  The Green Party is becoming much more pro-EU, I’m pleased to see.  And someone won a prize for his pumpkin in an allotment contest.

Then, to the bar, a few drinks, a deep and meaningful conversation about the Dorje Shugden controversy, and miserable failure in the quiz.  But now I know Sheffield United was the first football club in the UK.  Useful, no?

I start worried.  Some people are getting very hung up on the data protection act and policy about campaigning for internal elections.  That’s not going to save the planet, now is it?   It gets better with a workshop on housing policy and free school meals.  Surviving climate change will need a strong dose of social justice in with the environmental policies, which is why a Green Party is so much more than just another environmental pressure group.   Later, a motion was passed to set the minimum wage at 60% of the average, which is close to the NZ Values Party idea of a minimum income for all, and would go a long way towards improving social equity.

The treasurers report sparks more interest than I would have expected.  Apparently they’ve hired a professional fundraiser to raise money for election campaigning, which seems sensible enough but doesn’t quite sit comfortably with Green ways of doing things.

Its all remarkably well organised.  Sessions start on time, with effective chairing making sure everyone keeps to the point and noone rambles on for too long.  At the start of each session they have a minutes silence in ‘attunement’ when you’re supposed to focus yourself to the task at hand.  A bit hippy perhaps, but it seems to get everyone quiet and concentrating.

The highlight of the day is Caroline Lucas, the new (and first ever) Leader.  She’s a credible, charismatic speaker, who sounds like she could run the country but still has a touch of the radical about her.  Many of the elected politicians are impressive – Caroline Lucas, but also the other MEP, Jean Lambert, and the two GLA members Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones.  The place is full of articulate, interesting councillors from all over the country.

More plenary sessions, then a break because I couldn’t be bothered with hustings for the election of party officers.  For me, the last session of the day was the launch of Jean Lambert’s new report on how employment will be affected by climate change, including speakers from the TUC and British Wind Energy Assocation.  The BWEA speaker, Dr Gordon Edge, attracted the most interest, talking about the effect of nimbyism on the industry and the problems with the planning process.  He seemed much more interested in industrial scale windfarms than smallscale microgeneration, probably reflecting his organisation and the limits of the technology.  The UK is hoping to be a major player in offshore wind energy, and may still have a chance to be involved in the manufacture of offshore turbines.  The onshore market has been lost to Germany and Denmark.

Prof Tom Thomas, on the same panel, mentioned that Boris has cut funding for the London Energy Partnership, another example of Tory ideas of being green.

The real blog of the conference, with a lot more detail, is over here.  Tomorrow, we’ve got voting reform, Green Party Women, and, I hope, the chance to meet one of my favourite bloggers, Tom Reynolds of Random Acts of Reality.  It’s odd, not a lot about climate change or the environment.

But the best thing about them is that I am customer number 19496, rather than one of millions and when I call them up, they chat and are helpful.  The contrast between them and British Gas is so high, I’m tempted to get rid of the gas just to be able to deal with them all the time.

Technorati Tags: ecotricity, green power

Its certainly not fear of terrorism that’s done it, but the sheer misery of flying now.  Rather than checking in online, and arriving at the airport less than an hour before the flight leaves, then waltzing off at the other end to bypass the luggage queues and get the first taxi off the rank, on Friday night, I queued for forty five minutes behind people with tiny bags to get to one of three security checkpoints open out of the six available.  I watched people being told to throw away cosmetics, and a little four year old girl being frisked.  The flight was about an hour late.  On the way back, it was a similar story.  Although Pisa airport were allowing normal amounts of hand luggage, they were  not allowing liquids of any form through.   That flight was just under two hours late.  

The DTO, with their over-zealous regulations, and BAA with their obvious lack of contingency planning have done what fear of climate change has failed to do, and, I suspect, destroyed the short break market.  All the airline investment in online checkin and enough handbaggage to go away for the weekend have come to nothing.   The many people who take two or three weekends away a year may not be kicking up a fuss or cancelling their flights, but I bet they’re not booking them either. 

Anecdotal evidence suggests business travellers are also reconsidering, and rethinking the practicality of trains for 4-6 hour trips, rather than just the very short ones.  If flights are consistently delayed, and you need to be at the airport two hours before departure rather than one, Amsterdam is suddenly closer by train than by plane.

Longer holidays are probably not affected.  If you were already going to check luggage in, and going for a couple of weeks, then an extra hour or two doesn’t matter so much.  I suspect long-haul across the Atlantic, where you’re still not allowed to take a bottle of water even if it was bought airside, will become less popular for families.

The Green in me is pleased – air travel needs to be curtailed and if fear of climate change wasn’t enough to stop me then it wasn’t stopping many people.  I will miss it though.

Technorati Tags: BAA, airport security, environment

The idea is one of those uses of the internet which is so obvious when you see it, and would have been very hard and labour-intensive before.  Freecycle is run through Yahoo Groups, with groups for all the different localities, and moderated by volunteers.   Apart from, perhaps, the main website (link above) they have no costs, and it probably just runs itself now that it has built up enough momentum.
The local group for Camden has about 800 people on its mailing list, and seems to generate 4 or 5 offers a day. There is also a London-wide group, with some 20000 people, but I’m a worried about having an email explosion if I post there.

I was concerned about having a strange bloke come round to the flat, so met him outside at the entrance to the apartment building.  I’m rearranging the bedroom, so a small desk will be the next to go. It needs reassembling, and I can’t be fussed with putting it on EBay, so it will be freecycled as soon as I’ve cleared it out.

The Carnival of the Green was created by City Hippy and Triple Pundit as a weekly round up of the green blogosphere.  Last week, the Carnival was hosted by City Hippy, and next week it will be with FrugalForLife. 

I wish the London and Camden authorities would take up some of the ideas used in Chicago John presents in  Urban Greening posted at A DC Birding Blog.   As I also live in the London / South East drought zone, I was very interested to see Tracy’s ideas at Eco Street
for ways of easily reusing your greywater.  Most people I know have
water butts, but there has been so little rain this summer that these
are mostly empty now, so using bath and other waste water makes a lot
of sense.

Nick Aster looks at the bizare PR antics
of DCI group who pretend to be amateur videographers making fun of Al
Gore but actually come across as fools.  The video Nick’s refering to
(and has a link for) is very poorly done, and the YouTube rating of 1
star after 2722 votes (2723 after I’d put in mine) says it all.

Riversider presents Preston Riverworks – A Guide to the Pro-Ribble Response posted at Save The Ribble!. 

The Disillusioned Kid talks about the environmental consequences of the Israeli assault on lebanon

Greener Magazine follows up
on its previous examination of  problems with the Alyeska Pipeline and
British Petroleum’s failure to adequately maintain their feeder lines.

Deirdre Helfferich at the Ester Republic is looking at ways of going solar, and in this post talks about providing natural lighting with a brief comparison of two natural lighting systems – the tubular skylight and the hybrid solar light.  If people, in Ester, Alaska, can go solar, there’s no excuse for the rest of us.

In another Alaskan post, the Harbour Master at the Port of Valdez has some advice for recreational boaters, saying that clean boating practices will ensure favorite areas remain pristine and unspoiled for future trips. 

Sally Kneidel, PhD, biologist and co-author of Veggie Revolution, writes about marine mammals encountered on a recent trip to Washington state and British Columbia.  This is the first of several upcoming posts about Pacific coastal and marine wildlife and conservation issues.

City Hippy’s Edinburgh Editor, Katherine, brings us news of the positive effects of a wind farm up on an island off the West coast of Scotland.  And if you can’t have a wind farm, Avant News presents a fabulous post showing how livestock and pets can be harnessed as an important new energy resource,
complete with pictures.

Joe Kissell presents Geodesic Domes: Interesting Thing of the Day posted at Interesting Thing of the Day, and explains the history and geometry of these structures.

Don Bosch over at The Evangelical Ecologist has some green thoughts on Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan in a post titled “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”