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Sammy Wilson should take the lead in reversing climate change policy
Monday, 16 February 2009
The Belfast Telegraph editorial (February 11) is wrong to criticise Environment Minister Sammy Wilson for banning Government TV advertisements linking energy-saving measures to climate change mitigation.
While energy saving action is important for sound political and economic reasons, it is very unlikely that any such measures would affect global climate one way or another.
What is certain, however, is that the so-called ‘carbon reduction measures’ proposed by our Government would have a disastrous effect on our national economy and well-being.
Future historians will shake their heads in amazement at the UK's folly in phasing out fossil fuel for power generation in favour of untried and, in many cases, proven to be unfeasible, alternatives. The UK, and other Western European nations, could face an energy crisis of unprecedented proportions within five or six years. The UK has vast reserves of coal waiting to meet our energy needs for many years to come.
If action is taken at once to replace or refurbish our life-expired nuclear power stations and build new nuclear generators, we should be able to generate 50% of our energy needs by this clean and reliable method by the middle of this century.
The Belfast Telegraph expresses the view that scientists who contend that man's activities have a minimal effect on climate are very much in a minority.
While this statement is, at best, questionable and, at worst, wrong, it must be pointed out that scientific conclusions are not arrived at by democratic vote. Most of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the last century were originally minority views.
Unfortunately, influential bodies such as the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, while having many able scientists among its membership, corporately fails to follow proper scientific procedure and produces reports based on half-formed opinions and untested predictive modelling.
It would be a great day for Northern Ireland if our Environment Minister gave the lead in reversing the developed nations' foolish policies aimed at mitigating the unlikely effects of an unproven hypothesis.
Alan Love
UK Independence Party: Energy and Environmental Policy Committee, Lisburn
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Alan Love has asserted:"scientific conclusions are not arrived at by democratic vote."
I suggest Mr. Love take note of the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change examines & debates a smorgasbord of scientific theories & opinions before ultimately basing its conclusion on a majority vote.
Mr. Love is of course correct in asserting that such methods are unscientific & thus unworthy of lofty appraisal by ill-informed editorialists.
Posted by jock | 18.02.09, 10:35 GMT
global warming - what global warming ?? i have been a member of the DUP for years and still feel icy cold.
Posted by sammy, london | 17.02.09, 13:51 GMT
Marsh dwellers of the world unite!
Burn down the rainforests!
Leave everything switched on and your doors and windows wide open!
Use oil and coal like there's no tomorrow!
Sleep with your foot in your mouth and forget to take it out!
Marshmen rise up!
Vote frogspawn!
(not available anywhere else except in N. Ireland)
Posted by plannisuarus rex | 16.02.09, 21:06 GMT
well said M Spence but with the flat earth party, ie the d.u.p runing the country should we be surprised they have closed ranks in support of sammy
Posted by hugh | 16.02.09, 17:04 GMT
Malachy,
Fishing policy absurd? You are correct. In a foolish attempt at compromise fishing has not been banned from vast swathes of the UK and Ireland's coastlines which may prevent ever depleting fish stocks from suffering complete collapse. Do you honestly think the UK or Irish Governments will make the politically unpopular but neccessary decisions in the future?
The EU is the only effective solution for peacefully resolving EU wide issues, that much is clear.
Waste management. This is not a European failure. The finger should be pointed squarely at our own inept politicians for failing to make strategic investments. Instead of shipping it overseas, our sorted waste should be treated here at home. Sending our waste to sorting centres for export defeats the purpose of the legislation. If our politicians (as per usual) fail to see the bigger picture the blame should be attributed much closer to home than Brussels.
Posted by M Spence | 16.02.09, 15:35 GMT
It must be increasingly to even the feeble minded that being part of an EU which does not even like us, is inimical to our well-being. Our main problem is our anal obsession with rules which separates us from other countries. Fishing policy is totally absurd .The whole bureaucracy surrounding waste management keeps a lot of little people busy ( exotic holidays for scrap) while we ignore what the issues are essentially about. Foolish social workers have begun to command the stage, and PC attitudes introduce Sharia law.
Posted by Malachy McAnespie | 16.02.09, 11:32 GMT
UKIP? I take the views of this political joke of a party about as seriously as I take the DUPs or SFs. Just more of the same ill considered political opportunism, the same tired excuses, the same empty rhetoric. Nothing to see here.
Posted by M Spence | 16.02.09, 09:37 GMT