This week, the Government revealed Ed Miliband’s plans for the UK to become the "sustainable finance capital of the world". These plans will “support banks and large companies in developing climate transition plans”, “help unlock billions in clean energy investment” and “grow the economy”. But like most schemes of this kind, they are long on hyperbole, short on detail, and show no evidence of thought or reflection on the growing evidence of policy failure.
“We're determined to make the UK the sustainable finance capital of the world”, said Ed Miliband on X. “Our plans will transform our leading financial services sector into a global hub for green investment.” But I might just as well announce my plans to become a rock-star-super-model-Olympic-swimmer-and-successor-to-Einstein.
“Transition planning means businesses set out a roadmap that outlines how they intend to adapt and transform their operations, strategies and business models to align with their climate goals,” explains the Government’s announcement. So the “Government’s commitment to secure Britain’s position as the sustainable finance capital of the world” requires companies make that commitment, i.e., the plan is to get companies to make plans. This requires “a voluntary registration regime for the providers of assurance of sustainability reporting”, “new UK Sustainability Reporting Standards”. It’s hard to see anyone jumping for joy about such “opportunities”, but no doubt, buried beneath the jargon, hype and waffle, there are promises of returns, at the consumer’s and taxpayer’s expense. But that’s beside the
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This is yet another stark example of how the older generation has failed the younger one. We’ve neglected to properly educate, guide, or train them. In our day, anyone suggesting such harebrained ideas would have been laughed out of the room and firmly told to grow up.
But now? Management is all ears—eager to nod along, yet lacking the backbone or experience to call nonsense what it is.
Take this as just one example. Another recent absurdity: Scottish landfill being shipped to England.
Frankly, I despair.
“a voluntary registration regime for the providers of assurance of sustainability reporting”
Another quango, as usual funded by fees paid by the “voluntary” registrants. Make work for public sector nutjobs.
Climate Mania is in the same category as Tulip Mania or the South Sea Bubble. And it will go the same way as like all manias it is not rooted in reality.
I had no idea that Sunak had worked for the odious Hohn. I’m amazed that Sunak joined the Conservatives and it would certainly explain his U-turn on fracking (after which I cancelled my membership).
The Tories will take just about anyone – there is no requirement to do anything more than pay lip service to actually conservative principles
Temperature is an intensive property and as such cannot be added, and therefore cannot be averaged. The whole thing is a myth.
Climate – doesn’t exist – has anyone ever seen it? Has play at Lords every been stopped by bad climate?
It is a word for the retrospective analysis of all meteorological data – not just temperature – averaged over long periods (tens of thousands of years). It is not a tangible phemenon, therefore cannot be observed, nor measured so cannot be compared to show a “change” as a tangible event that can be experienced in real time.
Changes in meteorological averages take place slowly, in small increments, are unobservable in life, and are non-linear.
Myth – grift.
There are over 30 climates on Earth as shown in the map below. The UK had a different climate during the Holocene Climate Optimum as shown by the evidence that different types of trees grew over the top of Pen Y Fan in Wales, which shows that the tree line and therefore temperature has come down a lot since then.
There is no global average temperature in reality and neither is there a global climate. I defy Sir David to characterize this global climate using the established scientific Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification. I’m sure Sir David is all in favour of the scientific method?
Solar and wind are as good as dead in the West. UK aims for Urenco-built HALEU facility by 2031 – World Nuclear News https://share.google/TCxKyGeUxF2gkzg7V
This was essentially a done deal 13 months ago, to cope with the fact that up till then nearly all HALEU came from Russia. A five Nation decision had been made that we are going nuclear, we just have to wait a bit.
I agree – Mad Ed is a proper Knut.
Beat me to it!
You have spoonerised a couple of the letters in Knut!
“Britain could go it alone to draw more of those dwindling funds towards support for the most expensive and undemocratic political project in our history”——-Why is it that the UK always has to pretend to save the planet harder and faster than every other country? —-Is it because there is virtually nothing else we are leading the world with, and saving the planet is us clinging to the lifeboat of global leadership? Is it because we are governed by career UN lackey Politicians that mostly never run a business and who seek to follow to the letter the orders from their technocrat bosses who use Climate Politics to govern the whole world and its resources? —–Probably a bit of both, and some brown envelopes chucked in there from green technology manufacturers seeking to skim as much money from the taxpayer as they can for their niche technologies.
Because saving the planet is not a real thing and totally absurd, they can define what it is from month to month so it can fit with their chosen grift. It’s the grift that keeps on giving.
Much like “the pandemic”, which was an invented problem, they could get to choose when it ended, to suit their agenda.