by Shaun Chamberlin | Jan 23, 2011 | All Posts, Climate Change, Cultural stories, Economics, Peak Oil, Politics, Reviews and recommendations, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas), Transition Movement
What a week – Tuesday’s launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil’s report into TEQs was a tremendous success, with excellent media coverage, including Time magazine, The Sunday Times, Bloomberg News, the BBC, the Financial Times and many others (linked article list). The only problem has been that the degree of interest has been such that I haven’t found a moment to write anything here – although I have been Tweeting, I feel as though I’m the last to cover it!
A fuller, more thoughtful piece may follow when time allows, but for now take a look at the videos from the event (Caroline Lucas MP, John Hemming MP, Jeremy Leggett and me), the various blogs that are discussing the implications, and of course the report itself.
by Shaun Chamberlin | Jun 9, 2010 | All Posts, Climate Change, Cultural stories, Favourite posts, Peak Oil, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas), The Transition Timeline, Transition Movement
Christopher Fraser of London Transition has kindly transcribed the above popular interview with Canada’s Radio Ecoshock that I posted a couple of months back. I’ve also added links at a few pertinent points below. — Alex Smith, Radio Ecoshock:...
by Shaun Chamberlin | Mar 28, 2010 | All Posts, Climate Change, Cultural stories, Peak Oil, TEQs (Tradable Energy Quotas), The Transition Timeline, Transition Movement
Above is a 24 minute interview I did last week with Canada’s excellent Radio Ecoshock. The full 60 minute show can be heard here. Dark Optimism readers may also be particularly interested in Ecoshock’s recent “Expecting Collapse” edition,...
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 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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