A thought for Green campaigners

Slowly, slowly . . .

Up Mount Fuji . . .

O snail.

Kobayashi Issa 1763-1828

"Nuclear Power is the answer to global warming" - NOT

"Nuclear Power is the answer to global warming" is one of those common statements that lacks a factual basis.

If all the existing uranium was exhausted, it could meet current global electricity demand for - wait for it - 3 (three) years.

Current NP energy output (438 plants) meets 3% of global energy needs (NP does electricity; most energy is used as heat).

When the CO2 from the energy required to mine, mill and enrich the uranium, and to build and decommission the nuclear power stations is taken into account, nuclear power entails CO2 emissions roughly equivalent to gas powered stations.

This theme is developed on : http://www.greenhealth.org.uk/Nuclear.htm , with links to an important source document.

"Don't Vote, it only encourages them"

I agree that it is a sham democracy in the UK ( http://www.greenhealth.org.uk/Democracy.htm ) but any vote is better than no vote, and it is a shame not to use it - but just do it as you would pick up a piece of litter: a good thing to do, but not earth moving in its effect.

If in a marginal constituency, your vote can help keep the pro-war labour ond/or the Tory out.

If in a safe seat - vote Green, because of the principle of ecological wisdom that they represent. If no Green, pop in and spoil a paper.

At last, I squeeze out a word on politics

After 25 years of campaigning in the Green Party, I now realise that politics is the art of using the media to persuade the maximum number of people that they will be better off in the next 4 years if they vote for you. This being the case, the Green message is off the political radar. So we are left with demonstrations. But non-violent demonstrations do not receive the coverage of violent demonstrations. And Greens don't do violence. So basically, we are screwed. But we have to keep trying, because if we do not try, we are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Like a Parachute on a Hang Glider . . .

Gloom from someone on the Gaian Democracy (discussing new forms of democracy) list because it seems to have dried up. John Bunzl replies that Simpol is still going strong, and I kick in with this:


Contraction & Convergence is making slow and steady progress along the web of global warming thought. And the executive/boards of Amnesty, the United Nations Association and Medact are all in process of considering the Index of Governance, the notion that before the UN resorts to the use of military force against regimes that are abusing the human rights of their citizens, it needs to have in place a non-violent system that disables those oppressive governments. The Index of Governance will first measure objectively the human rights performance of all states at UN level, and will later set a tariff of targeted sanctions designed to disempower the ruling elite of states that abuse their citizens.

All these little initiatives from Civil Society are like a parachute on a hang glider: they may not save us, but they do give us something to do on the way down...

PS there is an election going on and I realise that it is my duty as a political blogger to notice it and I really will try to do so. Manana.