Michael Meacher MP, former UK Environment Minister, has written on a national newspaper website yesterday about peak oil and, in particular, the Rimini Protocol (or Oil Depletion Protocol), which received 69% support from Simultaneous Policy campaign supporters (SP Adopters) in the last annual voting round.
Sadly Mr. Meacher does not mention the Simultaneous Policy as a way to achieve action on peak oil. I have posted a comment to the website referring to the past support for the Rimini Protocol within SP and encouraging people to investigate the campaign.
The more people that can post similar messages, the more likely visitors to the site will see them and investigate.
The article is at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/29/oil.oilandgascompanies
Mr. Meacher's article includes the following:
“The most direct means of constraining world demand would be the proposed Rimini protocol, which prescribes that oil-importing countries cut their imports to match the world depletion rate (ie annual production as a percentage of remaining global reserves) now running at about 2% a year. Of course, the fundamental political problem remains that the most powerful oil-hungry countries will not agree. If not Kyoto, why Rimini?”
To send a letter to the Editor of The Guardian, email letters@guardian.co.uk (with full contact details):
Here is my effort:
“Michael Meacher MP, former Environment Minister, highlights the Rimini Protocol for addressing depletion of oil reserves, but raises the difficulty of oil-hungry countries being persuaded to support this strategy for weaning us off oil, which will also help in addressing climate change. The Simultaneous Policy (SP) campaign is succeeding in persuading a growing number of politicians to pledge to implement, alongside other governments, policies to effectively address global problems. Simultaneous implementation removes the fear that unilateral action will harm competition and so the national economy. The Rimini Protocol gained 69% support in the last annual round of voting. SP is not an alternative to other forms of advocacy, but has the potential to achieve far more. By registering with the campaign, participating and voting in policy discussions and/or calling on politicians to make the SP pledge, everyone can help the transformation to people-led cooperation between nations.”
Mike Brady
Coordinator Cambridge SP Adopters Group
http://www.simpol.org.uk/
The Simpol forum talkboard on the Oil Depletion Protocol is at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4.0
Showing posts with label opportunity to comment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opportunity to comment. Show all posts
June 23, 2008
Gordon Brown in Saudi Arabia and in a political bind
There is a good analysis of the bind the UK Prime Minister is in when trying to form policy to cope with climage change and rising oil prices. It comes in an Observer article by Andrew Rawnsley entitled: "Don't rely on the boys with the black stuff, Mr Brown" and concerns Gordon Brown's attempt to get Middle East oil producers to pump more oil.
'Voters' say they want action on climate change, but call for contrary action when their own financial interests are at stake.
Another good opportunity to flag up the need for the Simultaneous Policy campaign. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/22/greenpolitics.gordonbrown
This is the comment I left:
---
This is a good analysis and we have to hope that politicians can lead the debate and explain why a low-carbon economy is better than pumping more oil to keep the price down.
I do take slight issue with this comment, however: "The culprit is easy to identify. I blame the voters. When they told pollsters that the environment was high in their concerns, the politicians made it high in theirs. With the economy sagging and the cost of essentials rising, the understandable response of voters is to tell the opinion pollsters that they are now less bothered about the planet and much more agitated about taxation and inflation."
It is true as far as it goes. But we need to go further. The reason why the government tried to backtrack on its commitments to the European Emissions Trading Scheme was pressure from business interests, which threatened that investment and jobs would move overseas if UK targets were too demanding. That would harm the economy and lose votes. So such pressure works and will continue to work.
Unless the voters can regain their democratic rights. A way to do so - as well as demonstrating and writing to MPs - is to support the Simultaneous Policy campaign, which brings people together around the world to discuss and agree the policies they wish to see implemented to address global problems and calls on politicians to pledge to implement them alongside other governments. Simultaneous implementation breaks the power of vested interests. Politicians from all major parties in Parliament are already signing up. The more voters that support the Simultaneous Policy, the more MPs that will pledge to implement it and the sooner that will become government policy, moving us closer to implementation.
It's not an alternative to other action, but can potentially take us far further, such as to implementation of the 'Contraction and Convergence' approach to climate change which is gaining support in the annual Simultaneous Policy voting rounds.
---
This meeting takes place as a new opinon poll in the UK suggests that there is still a lot of confusion about climate change, with 60% incorrectly believing "many scientific experts still question if humans are contributing to climate change."
The information sharing role of the SP campaign has a role to play here. Amongst SP Adopters (anyone can sign up for no charge), in the last annual voting round 80% put climate change as the top global problem they want to see addressed.
The need for its strategy of putting people in charge of leading politicians is demonstrated by the lack of confidence those polled put in their leaders. According to The Guardian:
"More than half of those polled did not have confidence in international or British political leaders to tackle climate change, but only just over a quarter think it's too late to stop it. Two thirds want the government to do more but nearly as many said they were cynical about government policies such as green taxes, which they see as 'stealth' taxes."
See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/22/climatechange.carbonemissions
There is a lot of action taking place at more local level, sometimes motivated by the lack of it at national level, as with New Mexico's solar panel fields and Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
As The Guardian reports: "Although 25 states have approved their own RPS, a national standard has stalled in the face of resistance from traditional coal-powered utilities and their allies in Congress."
These innovations show that contraction of carbon emissions is possible. The introduction of a global strategy of Contraction and Convergence would serve as a motor for further innovation and provide a global market for the technology, so bringing down prices.
Technology isn't the whole answer, but those in early with refining technology are likely to see great benefits.
'Voters' say they want action on climate change, but call for contrary action when their own financial interests are at stake.
Another good opportunity to flag up the need for the Simultaneous Policy campaign. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/22/greenpolitics.gordonbrown
This is the comment I left:
---
This is a good analysis and we have to hope that politicians can lead the debate and explain why a low-carbon economy is better than pumping more oil to keep the price down.
I do take slight issue with this comment, however: "The culprit is easy to identify. I blame the voters. When they told pollsters that the environment was high in their concerns, the politicians made it high in theirs. With the economy sagging and the cost of essentials rising, the understandable response of voters is to tell the opinion pollsters that they are now less bothered about the planet and much more agitated about taxation and inflation."
It is true as far as it goes. But we need to go further. The reason why the government tried to backtrack on its commitments to the European Emissions Trading Scheme was pressure from business interests, which threatened that investment and jobs would move overseas if UK targets were too demanding. That would harm the economy and lose votes. So such pressure works and will continue to work.
Unless the voters can regain their democratic rights. A way to do so - as well as demonstrating and writing to MPs - is to support the Simultaneous Policy campaign, which brings people together around the world to discuss and agree the policies they wish to see implemented to address global problems and calls on politicians to pledge to implement them alongside other governments. Simultaneous implementation breaks the power of vested interests. Politicians from all major parties in Parliament are already signing up. The more voters that support the Simultaneous Policy, the more MPs that will pledge to implement it and the sooner that will become government policy, moving us closer to implementation.
It's not an alternative to other action, but can potentially take us far further, such as to implementation of the 'Contraction and Convergence' approach to climate change which is gaining support in the annual Simultaneous Policy voting rounds.
---
This meeting takes place as a new opinon poll in the UK suggests that there is still a lot of confusion about climate change, with 60% incorrectly believing "many scientific experts still question if humans are contributing to climate change."
The information sharing role of the SP campaign has a role to play here. Amongst SP Adopters (anyone can sign up for no charge), in the last annual voting round 80% put climate change as the top global problem they want to see addressed.
The need for its strategy of putting people in charge of leading politicians is demonstrated by the lack of confidence those polled put in their leaders. According to The Guardian:
"More than half of those polled did not have confidence in international or British political leaders to tackle climate change, but only just over a quarter think it's too late to stop it. Two thirds want the government to do more but nearly as many said they were cynical about government policies such as green taxes, which they see as 'stealth' taxes."
See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/22/climatechange.carbonemissions
There is a lot of action taking place at more local level, sometimes motivated by the lack of it at national level, as with New Mexico's solar panel fields and Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
As The Guardian reports: "Although 25 states have approved their own RPS, a national standard has stalled in the face of resistance from traditional coal-powered utilities and their allies in Congress."
These innovations show that contraction of carbon emissions is possible. The introduction of a global strategy of Contraction and Convergence would serve as a motor for further innovation and provide a global market for the technology, so bringing down prices.
Technology isn't the whole answer, but those in early with refining technology are likely to see great benefits.
June 9, 2008
Opportunities to comment : raising awareness of SP
There are many articles I read in the newspapers and on blogs where the issues discussed or the argument developed lead inevitably to the Simultaneous Policy (SP), but rarely actually reach it.
Articles are left hanging, perhaps highlighting a problem with no solution, or appealing for people to come together across national frontiers to address global problems, but without proposing a mechanism.
I use these opportunities when possible to leave a comment, send a letter to the editor and/or contact the author and often appeal on the simpol yahoo groups for other Adopters to do the same. The more people who send messages, the higher the profile of SP, the more likely a letter is to be published and the more likely authors will make the missing link to SP in future. The more people who are aware of SP, the more Adopters involved in discussing and voting on policies and the more likely politicians - and in consequence, governments - are to support and implement SP.
I'll write about some of these success stories in the future and also flag up chances to respond to articles as they arise, tagged 'opportunity to comment'. If you come across any other opportunities, please do post them to the yahoo campaign group, set up by simpol (the organisation that promotes SP). See:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simpol/
Here's an article on The Guardian website from European Union Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, entitled: "Globalisation is Good" and my comment under the name spdevcambridge. Please do add your own comment to the article and recommend those on SP. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/09/globalisation.eu
Articles are left hanging, perhaps highlighting a problem with no solution, or appealing for people to come together across national frontiers to address global problems, but without proposing a mechanism.
I use these opportunities when possible to leave a comment, send a letter to the editor and/or contact the author and often appeal on the simpol yahoo groups for other Adopters to do the same. The more people who send messages, the higher the profile of SP, the more likely a letter is to be published and the more likely authors will make the missing link to SP in future. The more people who are aware of SP, the more Adopters involved in discussing and voting on policies and the more likely politicians - and in consequence, governments - are to support and implement SP.
I'll write about some of these success stories in the future and also flag up chances to respond to articles as they arise, tagged 'opportunity to comment'. If you come across any other opportunities, please do post them to the yahoo campaign group, set up by simpol (the organisation that promotes SP). See:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simpol/
Here's an article on The Guardian website from European Union Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, entitled: "Globalisation is Good" and my comment under the name spdevcambridge. Please do add your own comment to the article and recommend those on SP. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/09/globalisation.eu
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Peter Mandelson says above: "Rather than worry about a relative decline in their economic weight, or retreat from international engagement, the US and Europe should recognise that in an interdependent world, they have nothing to gain from a stalling of growth in the developing world. Instead they should focus on renewing the global institutions needed to hold this new mix of states together through difficult debates on climate change, energy security and trade."
Certainly we live in an interdependent world. Climate change, where pollution in the industrialised world, impacts on the planet as a whole is perhaps the clearest example. Our leaders are not doing a very good job of tackling it because each country puts its own economic interest first. Bush was blunt in saying he would do nothing to harm the US economy. But his successors are unlikely to be radically different and the UK's Labour Government tried to weaken its commitment to the European carbon trading scheme under pressure from business.
So what hope do we have that the global institutions will be reformed in any sensible way? Not much, I venture, if the debates at the World Trade Organisation, for example, are anything to go by.
Fortunately there are people with vision and proposals for addressing global problems through policies that have been proposed for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy (SP). Anyone can take part in the discussion, put forward proposals and vote by signing up as an SP Adopter, which is free to do at:
http://www.simpol.org/
Politicians from all main parties in the UK have signed a pledge to implement SP - the policies developed by we, the people, of the planet - alongside other governments. Simultaneous implementation removes the fear of first mover disadvantage. It also enables a coherent package of polices, where climate change is linked to trade reform is linked to improved regulation of transnational corporations and so on, as decided by Adopters.
SP is not an alternative to lobbying for change through conventional campaigns, but it does enable us to focus on the policies that are necessary not just those that will be tolerated. Join the discussion at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/
Globalisation is only good if democratic accountability keeps pace.