My parents used to talk about rationing during the war with great apprehension. Clearly the nutters in and supporting Cancun are clueless as to how such a scheme would be viewed by the public. My inbox has lit up today from all around the world over this issue. Short of Climategate itself, I haven’t quite seen any other similar reaction.
Excerpts from the Telegraph: Cancun climate change summit: scientists call for rationing in developed world
Global warming is now such a serious threat to mankind that climate change experts are calling for Second World War-style rationing in rich countries to bring down carbon emissions.
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In a series of papers published by the Royal Society, physicists and chemists from some of world’s most respected scientific institutions, including Oxford University and the Met Office, agreed that current plans to tackle global warming are not enough.
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In one paper Professor Kevin Anderson, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said the only way to reduce global emissions enough, while allowing the poor nations to continue to grow, is to halt economic growth in the rich world over the next twenty years.
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Prof Anderson admitted it “would not be easy” to persuade people to reduce their consumption of goods
He said politicians should consider a rationing system similar to the one introduced during the last “time of crisis” in the 1930s and 40s.
This could mean a limit on electricity so people are forced to turn the heating down, turn off the lights and replace old electrical goods like huge fridges with more efficient models. Food that has travelled from abroad may be limited and goods that require a lot of energy to manufacture.
“The Second World War and the concept of rationing is something we need to seriously consider if we are to address the scale of the problem we face,” he said.
Full story here: Cancun climate change summit: scientists call for rationing in developed world
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Does anyone really want to see a ration stamp like this?
For anyone that wishes to get the Royal Society’s papers referenced in the article, they are available for a limited time download here:
http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1934.toc#content-block
I have a Charlie Daniels song for Prof Anderson. “Long Haired Country Boy” .
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs4y5si8DGs ]
I agree. We should start rationing scientists right away.
“…some of world’s most respected scientific institutions…”
Not any more.
“In one paper Professor Kevin Anderson, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said the only way to reduce global emissions enough, while allowing the poor nations to continue to grow, is to halt economic growth in the rich world over the next twenty years.”
Translation — Prof. Kevin Anderson has made his money (via research paid for by the U.K. tax payers) and had his fun in the world of cheap energy and plentiful goods. But now he thinks that you and your children do not deserve the same kind of world, so he going to make certain that you suffer for no good reason but to assuage his guilt.
I wonder if they’ll shut down the computer data centers at the Met Office, NASA GISS, Los Alamos, etc. and cut the bloated climate research budgets by 50% in order to reduce their own “carbon footprints.” Nahhh…carbon footprint reduction is for the little people…
These fools know no end to their folly.
Steve, maybe just ration alarmists and pontificators of any persuasion
Not bad for a Society that has failed to empirically prove ANY warming due to CO2 has happened.
Latest discovery announced at Cancun: a new improved massive black market generator!
Fascists.
These guys are economic imbeciles, coated in a thick layer of hubris. I love how they consider rationing the “rich” countries, e.g. the more productive and innovative. They really wet their undies with the fantassy of returning to a pre-industrial era. These are the real danger to a large portion of humanity. The death toll that would ensue due to a severe activity limitation does not seem to bother them very much… They must already have established a nice cottage and a nest’s egg on an idyllic beach in Bengladesh, complete with a gardener and four servants, paid at 3.50US$ a day…
Too bad we can’t vote some scientists out of office.
“to halt economic growth in the rich world over the next twenty years.
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Prof Anderson admitted it “would not be easy””
Masterful piece of understatement.
What is his “Plan B”?
Next up: 800 calories per day; utility settings at maximum 65F in winter, minimum 82F in summer; births limited to one for every three families on pain of Cyklon B up nostrils.
How long before these 10:10 types festoon lamp-posts from Cancun to Valparaiso? As the European Parliament (sic) was asked recently, “Who the hell do you people think you are?”
I sometimes wonder if the sole purpose of some institutions is to invent new levels of incompetence, and they then expect others to achieve them. Unfortunately, they appear to have some success.
john r
A, uh, Cancun climate change summit? Why not a Minnesota climate change summit? Why not a Scotland climate change summit?
When you stay at a place like this during the conference in Cancun you can feel like WW II rationing is happening
sarc off
http://motls.blogspot.com/2010/11/climate-conferences-is-beginning-in.html#more
Cough, cough. How many Mansions and swimming pools does Gore have again?
He said politicians should consider a rationing system similar to the one introduced during the last “time of crisis” in the 1930s and 40s.
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Labour’s 1983 Election Manifesto was widely described as “the longest suicide note in political history.”
Any political party adopting this policy would relegate that document to a very distant second.
By the way…Here’s Kevin Anderson…
And here’s the “carbon services” company he’s involved with…
Greenstone Carbon Management
“Greenstone is a specialist carbon solutions company. We work in partnership with major commercial and public sector organisations to enable them to measure, manage and mitigate their carbon emissions and obligations responsibly.”
So he and his company will be making BIG MONEY while you “decarbonize” to reduce your standard of living!
His appearance at Cancun must be part of their marketing plan…
One step closer to the real goal “One world government”. Thats REALLY what this entire global warming movement is about. It has nothing to do with climate, or weather or danger or any of that. Its all about convincing the peasants that a worldwide socialist government is the only future we should hope for. They are just using this as a means to an end.
I am sure the European Car of the Year 2010 will save us when the lights go out.
Get used to living in an Idiocracy surrounded my madmen.
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2010/11/completely-mad.html
John Blake says:
November 29, 2010 at 5:40 pm
“As the European Parliament (sic) was asked recently, “Who the hell do you people think you are?””
‘Think’ and ‘European Paliament’ are not often found in the same sentence.
I would be happy to do without, say, 1000 politicians at the local, state, and federal levels. Just want to do my part. Let’s get back to 1950’s staffing levels. That should save some CO2.
Unfortunately even if the “Rich countries” stopped emitting CO2 entirely it wouldn’t make much difference one way or the other…
Unless of course you include India and China in your list of rich countries and I kind of doubt that they are.
Energy rationing – How much energy does Google use? Maybe they could start by setting an example – Google only to be available on even hours … until they are totally powered by the East Coast Windmill grid they are promoting. Just imagine the savings – computers only turned on on even hours! Plug your electric cars in on odd hours. /sarc off