Heatwaves, UK fuel and oil cost crisis, Russia and renewables: Lynn News View From a Shed

Kevin Holland’s View From a Shed monthly column

Planet Earth hit a few new milestones in recent weeks. Never before have CO2 particles in our atmosphere been higher.

Several countries experienced unprecedented heat waves in March this year and never have rivers been drier and never has the coastline of Alaska been as free of ice.

In Peterborough, Canada they reported the earliest ever recorded 30C temp just last week!

The climate of our planet is changing quicker than ever before, with icebergs bigger than Kent floating around the South Atlantic and a world at war for resources.

So whilst our own industry has more than doubled in size in just one year, countries like China who install 80% of the global solar and wind energy generators are ploughing ahead and will reach its net zero targets five to seven years in advance of the 'set date'. It's still not enough. Not nearly enough, not nearly as quick as it should be.

Right now, the worst April heat wave in Asian history is ongoing in more than a dozen countries: 44.0C in Pakistan, 43.5C in India, 45C in Thailand (new national record), 43.3C in Myanmar, 41.7C in Bangladesh, 42C in Central Asia. Friday the 14th April saw the hottest day on record at Sayabouri in Laos.

Last year, here in the UK we had two heatwaves: do we have to wait for more this year before our inept political classes actually take action? Do we have to wait till we're ankle deep in water before we wake up to what's happened to our planet?

Here in the UK, we saw renewable records tumble and after several data collections and reports from last winter, it now appears that we generated enough low carbon energy to run the UK without the need for gas! Who would have thought that, eh? Especially those who still for some strange reason swallow the bull written in Britain's diminishing right wing national newspapers.

The only thing stopping us from being totally renewable is government inaction. They like to talk about all the things they are doing yet still issue licences for oil wells, they still sanction coal mines although hydrogen has been used to make steel for a few years in Europe.

They tell us it can't be done, but whole nations are running at close to 100% renewable or low carbon.

And those who say we can't keep the lights on with renewables should take a look at our neighbours. At time of writing (6pm, 14/04/23) West Norway 100% renewable, Iceland 100% renewable, South Sweden 71% renewable, Portugal 95% renewable, The Netherlands 78% renewable and Latvia 94% renewable.

Here in Britain, 42% renewable and they tell us we're world beaters! Yet another lie.

To close, I had a chat on Twitter last week with an American. He pays between $0.05c - $0.08c/kwh of electricity he uses. Here in the UK I know business paying 78p/kwh and most homes around 40p/kwh.

And our government wants you to believe that it's the Russians that are the reason we're so fuel poor.

Like everything this government does, their net zero targets are being missed and anything they do will be too little too late whilst they protect their friends and the fossil fools and make us pay the price.

And whilst the world burns and nations fight over the last scraps of dirty oil and gas, the sun still rises, the tides still turn and the wind still blows.

Every single day!