by Shaun Chamberlin | Aug 14, 2009 | All Posts, Climate Change, Cultural stories, Favourite posts, Peak Oil, Politics, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas)
As the evidence for the utter inapplicability of free market carbon trading to our climate emergency continues to pile up, interest continues to grow in the less PR-friendly alternative — the rationing of carbon-rated energy.
Yesterday, the UK Government’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas previewed a draft report commissioned from The Lean Economy Connection. The report, which I co-authored with Dr. David Fleming, emphasises the necessity of considering our pressing energy challenges alongside climate change, and argues that national energy rationing systems on the model of TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas) will be essential to the fair distribution of fuel as shortages unfold, with implementation now an urgent priority for the UK.
by Shaun Chamberlin | May 12, 2009 | All Posts, Climate Change, Peak Oil, Politics, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas)
I was delighted to read this week that my recent article in Resurgence magazine has helped inspire Bill Wilson MSP to champion TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas) in the ongoing debate on the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill. Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Dr. Wilson...
by Shaun Chamberlin | May 16, 2008 | All Posts, Politics, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas)
On Tuesday I spoke on TEQs at the House of Commons to a joint meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas (APPGOPO) and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change.
An audio recording of my presentation, and those of my co-speakers – Rob Hopkins of Transition Towns and Simon Snowden of Liverpool University’s Oil Depletion Impact Group – can be found on the APPGOPO website, along with our slides.
My personal highlight was Simon Snowden’s comment on so-called ‘silver bullet’ solutions to peak oil and climate change:
“Those familiar with their mythology will recall that silver bullets are used for killing werewolves. Werewolves do not exist. So silver bullets are both expensive and bloody useless!”
My presentation was very well received, and I was delighted to hear that I had created some new converts, but as is so often the case I found the informal chats around the event the most engaging aspect.
In particular I made the acquaintance of Polly Higgins, known as The Lazy Environmentalist, who informed me that the concept of an EU-MENA supergrid bringing Concentrating Solar thermal Power (CSP) to Europe from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East is rapidly gaining political momentum among European governments.
On Monday I will post a full comment on this significant development.
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