Eric Worrall writes: The European Union has just committed economic suicide, by agreement a landmark deal, to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030.
Given that European emissions, by any rational measure, have been rising steadily, this would at first seem to be an impossible goal.
But anyone who is expecting a rational re-appraisal of European environment policy – don’t underestimate the blind determination of Europe’s green elite, to fulfill their dream of an emission free Europe. They will, in my opinion, happily bomb the European economy back into the stone age to achieve their ridiculous goal.
An an example of the people who run Europe, consider the most recently appointed European Commissioner, Violetta Bulc. According to Roger Helmer, a prominent UKIP Euroskeptic member of the European Parliament, Bulc is on record as claiming to be a practicing fire walker and a shaman. http://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/fire-walking-a-key-skill-for-eu-commissioners/
On her blog, Bulc describes herself as an expert on balanced sustainable development strategies, organic growth and innovation ecosystems. She believes in the power of networks, holistic individual, and positive energy.
A recent post on Bulc’s blog is “The vibration of white lions in the new era”. http://www.violeta.si/2014/09/the-vibration-of-white-lions-in-new-era.html
Yet Bulc is now, or shortly will become, one of the most powerful people in Europe – one of 28 European commissioners, who have sole power to source new legislation, which is usually in my opinion rubber stamped by near powerless European parliament. The European commission is also the sole body responsible for ensuring the legislation they source is executed – the commission combines executive, oversight and legislative powers into a single polity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Commission
Bulc will never have to face a vote – only members of the European parliament have to bother with all that populist democracy nonsense. Commissioners are appointed.
Can anyone imagine someone like Bulc relaxing her iron determination to drive down European emissions, just because a few miserable capitalists claim that they are going bankrupt? After all, its for the sake of the planet. And Bulc is not alone – most of the commission share her zeal for all things green.
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Come back in a couple of years . They agree now – but agreements can be broken. And promises are not always honoured.
Yes, but if it cools as the Met Office predicts and they have more winters like last years, there could be many deaths in the future if they actually cut back on reliable energy. That will be extremely sad. But the progs and the greens think good intentions are enough.
If the Met Office predicts cooling, based on past predictive skills, then I’m purchasing air conditioners, ice machines and umbrellas to get ahead of demand.
Those “many deaths”?
Feature, not bug. Never underestimate the misanthropy of people who claim humans are a deadly virus upon Mother Gaia.
They don’t have good intentions, their intention is to destroy the industrial economy, whatever the cost.
I hope you’re right. However, imagine what kind of signal that sends now to any company considering to invest in Europe. With the already abysmal economic outlook for Europe, this really comes close to harakiri.
There is an interesting parallel to be found in the Hague world disarmament talks in 1899 and 1907 – obviously just before the most savage war (to that date anyhow) in the history of the planet.
The “same people” who are convinced they can save the planet now were convinced then they could end war then. The governments of the major powers knew that it was stupid and mostly, if not completely, impossible but were forced to go along because of the tremendous outcry from the public (the chattering classes?) Of course, some good things did come out of those talks but by and large they ultimately came to lip service on the important matters.
When my wife asks me to do a chore, I always say “Yes, dear,” regardless of my actual intentions. The European Union has just said, Yes, dear.”
Didn’t anyone notice this in the announcement”
“A 27% renewable energy target that is binding at an aggregate European level but voluntary for individual member states.”
Voluntary.
Also, the scheme is contingent upon the upcoming UN climate summit in Paris next summer arriving at a legally binding international deal.
Anyone holding their breath?
Much ado about nothing.
“binding at an aggregate European level but voluntary for individual member states”
So it’s a “binding” 27% for the European aggregate but “voluntary” for all member states. HOW can that work?
It’s not meant to work Winston that’s the whole point.
So if it’s not meant to work, what do they have in mind as a remedy for the failure?
The fragrant Violetta obviously dislikes us.
We need to die off [die horribly of cold, starvation and famine – or be bludgeoned to death – so the bludgeoners can lick our blood from their bludgeons, so supplementing their inadequate diet – I guess] for Ms Bulc.
How on Earth did this delightful soul get appointed?
[I note that Commissioners appear not to be subject to Voter Recall. Very Strange.]
Perhaps one Lion is starting to vibrate . . . . . . .
Auto
There seems to be much uncetainty about this.
The Guardian, a loyal alarmsit newspaper, is distinctly lukeawrm about the agreement:
“Climate commissioner hails ‘strong signal’ ahead of global Paris summit but key aspects of deal left vague or voluntary”
“As well as the greenhouse gas, two 27% targets were agreed – for renewable energy market share and increase in energy efficiency improvement. The former would be binding only on the EU as a whole. The latter would be optional, although it could be raised to 30% by a review in 2020.”
“But a clause was inserted into the text that could trigger a review of the EU’s new targets if other countries do not come forward with comparable commitments in Paris.”
So, is this a way out? If the Paris meeting does not agree on something similar, the EU can disentangle itself from this deal?
The UK insisted on a clause about voluntary commitment;
“The prime minister won a battle to keep policies aimed at boosting renewables and saving electricity voluntary for member states.”
“It’s important that you’ve got flexibility over your energy mix,” said a Downing Street spokeswoman. Cameron had hoped to cut the energy efficiency figure to 25%, but was prepared to accept 27% as long as it was not binding on Britain.”
And Poland secured a huge trunk of EU subsidies for its coal industry, to clean up this dominant part of their energy sector.
All in all, a typical EU compromise. Watch out for sour comments from greenies, they will probably not be too happy with this agreement. So economic suicide sems a bit to dramatic to describe the situation in Europe. The leaders know that they cannot commit their countries to really loss-makig climate policies.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/24/eu-leaders-agree-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-40-by-2030
Sigh. What is it Einstein said about insanity? Defining it as repeating the same mistake over and over again, doing the same thing even though it never works? I don’t remember the exact quote, but it sure describes the European Union to a tee. In the meantime, electricity rates keep shooting up in Europe.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You are on point
My landlord replaced all fridge/freezer combos a couple of months ago and my electrical “consumption” have been reduced by half since, but the bill only by a fifth …
A new fridge reduced your power consumption by half, you sure about that?
Return on investment.
He or she need to get their money back. Unless you bought the fridge/freezer combo yourself, in which case raise heck.
But if the landlord bought it then in many ways you are both winners.
klem,
Yes, our bills contain statistics on monthly basis here in Sweden (including false information regulated by law about sources, ignoring physical laws …). There is an obvious drop at the time and have remained that low since, compared to earlier. Also, I don’t have a lot of electrical stuff, that is switched on. Mostly, I only sleep there and spend more time elsewhere working and socializing.
My previous fridge/freezer was already ca five years old when I moved into my flat fifteen years ago (fridges, freezers and stoves in flats here in Sweden, are in general owned by the landlords and not by the tenants).
This also seems appropriate:
Albert Einstein — ‘Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.’
The BRICS nations must be just quietly shaking their heads in public. And gleefully clapping their hands in private.
Well not really, they do rely a lot on people in the EU buying their stuff!
While that may be true now, there are enough people and resources in the BRICS countries to make the rest of the world irrelevant.
“Together, the four original BRIC countries comprise more than 2.8 billion people or 40 percent of the world’s population, cover more than a quarter of the world’s land area over three continents, and account for more than 25 percent of global GDP.”
http://www.globalsherpa.org/bric-countries-brics
Wait for Poland and Checho/slovakia who will never agree and it has to be unanimous. This is just grandstanding
Brianjay
The Poles have negotiated a 90% carbon credit deal which virtually exempts them. They are quite happy for the rest of Europe to commit suicide.
The EU and its parent body the UN are the product of the ultra green human-haters. These lunatics see humans as a cancer on the earth. Interestingly, the Nazis were an offshoot of this ultra green movement. They loved nature and animals, but hated humans. Perhaps UN actually stands for “United Nazis.”
Don’t be silly. They have no ‘dream’ to have an emission-free Europe. What they want is in the second part of that quotation:
I was always taught never to confuse ‘goals’ and ‘aims’: you think the Greens have ‘goals’; they KNOW they have ‘aims’.
Much of Europe is in recession strangled by the single currency as it makes nations uncompetitive.
Business investment is low, taxes are high, wage rates are stagnant. energy costs are high.
So how do we improve things? I know!
Lets vastly increase business costs by raising energy prices further whilst tying industry up in green tape. This will also help to remove any spending power that consumers have got left in their pockets.
Has anyone in the EU actually heard of China which is now emitting more co2 than the US and Europe combined?
Renewables need to be a part of the energy mix, indeed I would advocate a CERN type research programme to find new/improve existing renewables-but they are too unreliable and expensive at present to warrant this further emphasis on green energy. Hello Sou. What is Australia doing?
tonyb
So how do we improve things?
Stamp out TWO BILLION sterling by December 1st! and that is an order not a request, you have no choice!
You gota to be feeling sorry for the UKs PM’s current predicament.
No I haven’t!!!
He got himself in the stupid position he’s now in. He knows that in a few weeks time, UKIP will have another MP after this announcement. He could have stopped it in its tracks but his monumentally stupid policy of loving all the green crap and, at heart, being a committed EU-lover means that he is now skewered. Good.
Ahh…. but he worked for Mr.Green (CarltonTV), I remember him as a young dapper fellow some 15 or maybe 20 years ago, visiting once or twice our technical services we run for the ITV at the London’s South Bank.
Vuk – I am immensely grateful for all the stats, graphs etc. you post here and for all the work that goes into them. I don’t profess to understand it all, but thank you anyway.
However, your attempts to get me to love Camoron are never going to work. I have nothing but contempt for him, contempt only beaten by that I hold for Milliband.
Please don’t give up your day job!
Hi again
Mrs C would not appreciate that.
My day job is done, the ITV has provided for a comfortable existence.
When you make it too tough for manufacturers they simply go overseas and maybe keep their head office locally. No wonder China is a manufacturing haven. The EU policy can only help China and India who could not give a fart about co2 emissions.
Abso-effing-lutely. This is just insanity. A sad day for the entire EU population, but it will only strengthen the EU-sceptic parties that are cropping up all over the place. I increasingly get the sense that the EU, as an institution, is headed for the dustbin of history.
You say that in jest, but that’s EXACTLY the “broken window” theory that Krugman and others have sold the US government on. They will say, with completely straight faces, that wars are good for the economy, because destruction = stimulus. This is essentially the green equivalent of bombing Dresden to the stone age.
This is not just economic suicide, but political suicide for those that voted for it. AGW is just not physically possible and the voters are going to find that out well before 2030.
This decision is of course a massive boost for the rise and rise of the UKIP.
Indeed it is a massive boost for UKIP. Along with the ill-timed extra tax bill that was handed to the UK today (while France gets a rebate). Once may be misfortune but twice?
One wonders if this might be an EU plan to get rid of Cameron and negotiate with the City of London via a PM who is less constrained by an unruly party?
Cameron must have agreed to this, surely? I thought it required unanimity, which was why some were getting excited over the possibility of a Polish veto.
As I’ve already posted, I think this (and the new tax bill) has made a probable UKIP win in Strood an absolute certainty. Following that, the Tories may well have a leadership election. Even if he wins, he will (as Margaret Thatcher was in 1990) undoubtedly be weakened as leader.
That then begs the question as to what happens in the GE in May. Cameron definitely won’t be “less constrained by an unruly party”, as Tories who scent blood are quick to go in for the kill. On the other hand, Milliband (let’s face it, the only other party leader who has any chance of being PM next time) may not have an unruly party behind him, but will almost certainly not be willing to be in the middle of any City of London – EU stitch up,even if his party let him.
It seems to me that this concatenation of events has greatly increased the chances of UKIP having a major presence in parliament next May with all the unpredictability that that will bring. Interesting times.
No, Cameron does not agree. The EU has not cut Cameron any breaks of late, despite his increasingly desperate position. This is just more evidence of the apparent death wish of the EU.
It seems from the above, Bulc is certifiable. She will be in similar company in the EU Comission then. It should simply be redesginated as an asylum.
Even more reason for the UK to get out of the mad house that is the EU
+1
+lots if your doctorate is in psycho-nutrients
+ shed-loads if you can assist an Alzheimer’s’ beginner in what word I seek.
some of the cannabinoids,
Ah – it IS catching up with me.
Whatever it is . . . . . . .
Auto
It could have a fortunate side effect, once people begin to realise that renewable energy is so expensive and inefficient, they might start actually questioning the actual science which is supposedly behind the drive to cut emissions.
And when people actually start to properly look at things like Mann’s hockeystick, they might get rather annoyed at how they have been duped, and just questionable some of the loftier ideals really are. The power of the people properly challenging the science is there, it just hasn’t been done yet, because people generally haven’t suffered from much from it, once they do, you can bet that people might start asking hard questions, which they should have already been doing anyway…No.1. being climate sensivity.
The trade unions wanted even more severe cuts.
Are Europeans workers aware that their own unions are trying to put them out of a job?
Unions are outdated! They are basically today an extension of politics, at least here in Sweden, where most of them are tied indirectly to the Labour Party (Our present “PM” is the former leader for the metal union. We will hopefully soon get a new election, as the new leftist government is too weak to govern by itself and many campaign promises, not surprisingly, are already broken …). They put most effort in collecting member fees from the workers.
In the UK, unions mostly seem to represent government employees and employees of what were once nationalized industries run by the government. I’m guessing government employees expect to get more power as a result of this nonsense, and don’t care that there will be no-one left running businesses to pay their wages.
UK Climate Change Act requires 80% reduction by 2050. It was passed by almost all our MPs. Its author could be our Prime Minister in a few months. Pray for us but not to Gaia if you don’t mind.
Nigel S
October 24, 2014 at 1:24 am
It’s law here. It is!! Mod – no /Sarc!
I suggest prayer to any – and every – god, goddess, demi-god, etc. that you hold holy [even semi-demi-hemi-holy!] – please.
Because this watermelon legislation is bad for the UK and the world.
I think a solution may lie elsewhere – but I’ll take any help – even supernatural – I can get!
Auto
People say “they’re insane”, but I mean it clinically. Our politicians are delusioinal.
It’s like having the mad emperor Nero playing his lute whilst he watches the once glorious city of Rome burning at his feet.
emperor nero that was long ago – now we have !
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Official-The-US-is-a-Leading-Terrorist-State-20141020-0067.html
Freshly-minted and up on a tee, ready for the death-swat from something like ISIS.
In living memory, Britain and Europe ruled this planet, defined civilisation, invented everything worth inventing, and set the course of history. Now they’re gleefully putting their heads on the chopping block to please their rulers, who are men without chests who openly despise their people and their culture.
This isn’t suicide, it’s assassination.
Just out of curiosity, what did they invent?
The steam engine. It’s ironic, really, isn’t it?
Have you heard of the Industrial Revolutiuon aka the birth of the modern world?
What did the Europeans ever do for us? Well, the World Wide Web and thermometers seem relevant. If we just look at British inventions in alphabetical order: Anemometers, Disk Brakes, Tin Can, Cats Eyes, Portland Cement, Cordite, Corkscrews, Depth Charges, SCUBA Diving Gear. That has got to D and we haven’t had to move outside the UK yet.
http://inventors.about.com/od/europeaninvention/
When I was given this book- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asimovs-Biographical-Encyclopedia-Science-Technology/dp/0385177712 the first thing that struck me was the number of Scottish inventors listed. Added to the English and German they outnumbered the rest of the world many fold.
Accurate time pieces. Radically altered man’s ability to sail the seas and maintain accurate location.
What have Romans ever done for us?
Don’t make me post the Monty Python “what have the Romans done for us” video.
Oops. Too late.
You really can’t think of anything invented in Europe?
How about scientific instruments for starters, such as the telescope, microscope, thermometer, barometer, etc? Or advances in science & math, such as the calculus, theory of gravity, atomic theory of matter (including discoveries of oxygen, hydrogen, etc & the periodic table of the elements), the germ theory of disease (including antibiotics, public health, sterile surgery, etc) & theory of evolution.
Or technology, such as the horse collar, screwdriver, eyeglasses, mechanical clock, moveable type printing press, steam engine, railroad, electric battery, gas & diesel engines, radio, radar, sonar, liquid & solid fuel rockets & nuclear power (developed in the US based upon the idea of a Hungarian immigrant, reliant in turn upon the discovery of fission by two Germans), to name but a few. Some of these advances relied upon Chinese component discoveries or inventions.
Still waiting for someone to invent a reliable thermometer that doesn’t require constant adjustment.
Historically, that’s just medicine in general.
Except everyone dies some time.
We don’t know what will happen next, but in general EU treaties are ignored by everyone; see the Schengen treaty, – Italy constantly violates it by sending illegal immigrants on their merry way to Austria and Germany; and the Maastricht treaty – limiting public deficits to 3% of GDP, nobody even mentions that anymore.
“A recent post on Bulc’s blog is “The vibration of white lions in the new era”. ”
LOL. She’s EU commissioner for transport. What could possibly go wrong with that one?
Maybe everything that the EU does is so crap because the elite (Bilderbergers) are already hopelessly senile.
So, the elite will probably not see 2030. Either the EU is history at that point or the elite will have been replaced by less senile people. (I’m not talking about the elected people.)
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/circus-arts/firewalking.htm
she should know what a scam fire walking is
Its charged on the UK mostly and a few others and paid to….others and wait for it…..largely France and Germany.
One country that wrecked Europe and the other wrecking itself now. Irony !!
Next year Europe and the USA will sink into economic chaos dragging the rest of the world down with it. 2015-2016 will make 2007-2008 look like a picnic. All these green schemes will be turned into dust. Unfortunately so will a lot of people.
Peter, your expertise in economic matters is shown to be equal to that of your expertise in climate matters, i.e. nil.
Let me play economic swami too. It’s fun and I’m not ashamed of being wrong (just like a real economist; no-ne knows anything).
It’s time to acknowledge that the Eurozone is not one economic area anymore.
Deflation is not a threat in areas with export manufacturing or export primary resource economies as the lower input costs from falling oil and other resources will stimulate investment and productivity gains on their main wealth generator.
But service based economies which have no stimulus by productivity gains but still falling input costs will have deflationary pressures.
The best case of falling oil prices stimulating economic reform and productivity will be in the east of the EU with agricultural reforms – unless the CAP inhibits them.
-The worst case will be in France.
US energy gas costs about a third of that in Europe. I expect that will drive their competitiveness. I don’t know what effect tax cuts will have but I am aware that their corporation tax is among the highest in the world and could probably do with cutting.
The problem isn’t the Democrats or the Republicans, it is the system which keeps the Democrats and the Republicans in power regardless of how badly both fail.
To cure ourselves of right wing extremism, it took WW2. To cure most of the world of communism it took the cold war and the inevitable collapse of communist incompetence.
What will it take to cure ourselves of climate catastrophe armagedonnism?
I hope its a fairly simple cure.
Emigrate.
Where to? What’s left?
North Korea and Syria are looking prettyy good?
“Right wing extremism”? Not this hoary old chestnut again. There was nothing “right wing” about the various political ideologies of Europe in the first half of the 20th century, only further left and less further left. To have a right and left wing, you have to have a “centre”. Europe has never had a “centre”.
Exactly right – Fascism was simply a variant, nationalistic form of Socialism, while Communism was more inter-nationalistic in focus. In actual practice, there wasn’t a dimes worth of difference between the two.
Um, Ursus, please note that the “Right Wing” designation was assigned by Stalin as Herr H. was “to the right” of International Socialism. (i.e. National Socialism did not see the need for a global socialism…) Also note that Mussolini chose ‘Fascist’ as it was a sop to the “bundle” image for Unions. Both were socialist ( now called “3rd way progressive” ) types with a market glue on. Calling them “right wing” is at best an error. It was the National Socialist German Workers party, after all…
That the Progressive / Socialist folks want to relabel their trash as “right wing” is not a surprise, but please do not swallow that mistake and chuck it back up again….
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/some-quotes-on-socialism-and-fascism/
Yes, they were authoritarian militaristic nationalists. But socialist ones…. not free market liberals (classical sense / UK sense) aka libertarians (USA usage). Most socialisms are authoritarian central control militaristic types. (See the USSR and Maoist China) it is only over the question of international vs national that they quibble…
It get’s worse. The UK is effectively being fined by the EU for having the effrontery to get its economy turned around:
http://alturl.com/j9oqs
Well, not exactly true. What has happened is that the UK have changed the way they measure the economy by including illegal activities. This has been applied retrospectively from 2006 and the result is that the UK economy was larger by some measure. Consequently, the amount of EU tax levied was based on an economic metric that was too small and like the tax man they want the difference repaid.
So – the Reeperbahn has no ‘Ladies of negotiated Virtue’?
Auto
Better emigrate to Southeast Asia. Nobody here is as crazy.as these modern European Luddites.
As China grows and prospers so will the economies of her neighbours and so will retirement funds invested here where “capitalism” is not regarded as a dirty word..
Not quite as bad as it seems
40% is from the 1990 baseline, and apparantly emissions are already 20% down from that. However Germany switching off nuclear is likely to make emissions go up
Incredible.
‘And the band played on as the ship slipped beneath the waves…..’
I’m certain that in another 4-5yrs, as temps continue to drop, she will be labeled as a savior, and the falling temps will be proof that their policies were incredibly effective.
C’mon…we know how this works by now. We’ve seen that move a thousand times.
“…as temps continue to drop, she will be labeled as a savior…”
I feel that’s why we’re seeing such a huge push against CO2. If it warms; “We need more taxes and reductions!”, and if it cools; “Our new taxes and reductions are working!” Win-win, just not for taxpayers.
If temps drop it will still be in the face of rapidly rising CO2 — from China, India, Brazil, and the rest of the world. Hard for Europe (or US) to claim any victories from their regional CO2 policies.
It doesn’t matter if temps drop, they will just adjust the numbers to show the warming has continued
As I was thinking, we have some so so President of the USA who is shutting down coal electric plants as well as by law Atomic plants are required to shut down due to their age. He seems to ha the largest Carbon Foot Print of them all.
We are now in in a Sunspot Minimum and that will require a very large carbon footprint to keep the inter cities alive. What does he care? He only wants his Cap and Tax to pass so his make believe stock options go up. You have to go back to his Senate days in Chicago for that gem.
R
So the Euro Union is on a Gun to its head. Fastest way to dissolve it’s self. I have a book somewhere on the Shelf that was written after the Great WAR to end all wars. Pretty much described the Europe of today. You have Berlin as the Pimp and Paris as the Prostitute. They run the EU for German money has bailed it out so many times it should be bankrupt.
I already had Europe customers at my cash register at my summer souvenir concession complaining about the Cap and tax. I let them know not to complain to me but to their Representative.
Fools. This might break up the EU eventually.
Let’s prey it does.
Paul