Roundup: credibility, carbon and wind contracts

• Credibility in science: Professor Geoffrey Boulton, of Edinburgh University, who was a key player in a much criticised 'Climategate' enquiry, has been appointed by the Royal Society to lead 'a major new policy study into the use of scientific information as it affects scientists and society'.   There are many, (including myself)  who wonder if he has the credibility and track record to inspire public trust in science.  See here for a link to professor Boulton's piece in The Lancet (free registration required).

• Carbon reduction  in the Cabinet:  There is much consideration of the battle within the coalition on carbon reduction targets.  The BBC's Paul Hudson raises the issue and the political blogs and newspapers are covering this too.  See here for Andrew Turnbull in the Telegraph and here for comment on the battle in the cabinet and here for the BBC report on how the battle has been resolved. 

• Contract for wind: Finally this week, a link to a BBC report earlier this month on contractual arrangements obliging the government to pay Scottish wind farms £300,000 over a period of several hours to STOP producing wind energy.  See the report here.



Chris Huhne is Energy Secretary and battling on carbon reduction targets



Scottish Greens flatline, Aussie Greens abandon target

Hopes, created by opinion polls, that the Greens might gain eight seats in the Scottish Parliament were dashed at the Scottish election last Thursday.  Again standing only for the list, they obtained 4.4% of the votes in that poll - slightly up from four years earlier when they polled 4%.   On both occasions the vote translated into two of the 129 seats.

Joining Patrick Harvey MSP is Alison Johnstone MSP.  Alison is undoubtedly one of the more moderate and pragmatic Scottish Greens (I have served alongside her as a councillor on Edinburgh Council for the last four years).  But whether she will have the ability to revive the faltering Green cause in Scotland, is, I suggest unlikely.

The broader environment is becoming more unfavourable, exemplified by this report from Australia's Brisbane Times, where Greens became kingmakers in the last election.  It notes that the Greens there have dropped their insistence on a reduction of 40% in emissions by 2020.

Elections: Green star rising or falling

Unintended consequencies?

Polls predict the Greens will do well in Thursday's Holyrood election.  I spoke with a buoyant Green friend a couple of days ago who is expecting 8 MSPs.

Greens electoral fortunes can be an indication of how the anthropogenic global warming message is faring.  The truth is very mixed.  In the March German state elections the Greens did very well gaining their first ever premier in Baden-Wurtemburg.  However, in Ireland they were wiped out in February, losing all six members of the Dail, having triggered the election in the first place.  From having two cabinet ministers they went to 1.8% share of the national vote.

What of the Green Party in Canada in yesterday's elections?  Elizabeth May, their leader was elected - their first ever MP.  A triumph?   Well not quite.  Provisional results indicate their vote share nationally was down from 6.8% to 3.91% - a reduction of 42% on the 2008 result - and her election is widely attributed to the implosion of Liberal votes in her riding.   However, perhaps the Conservative Government of Stephen Harper, now with a clear majority, will send opponents to the Greens over the next few years.

Back in Scotland, at a hustings we shared last week, Kenny McAskill, SNP Justice Secretary in the last SNP government,  managed to (falsely) call me a 'climate change denier' and trotted out the now rather old canard  that people are fleeing man made floods in Pacific islands and Bangladesh as evidence that we must reduce our CO2 emissions in Scotland.

However it cannot be long before Scotland wakes up to the reality of the folly of some of the 'green' policies which have been visited upon us.  As one example, it is rather extraordinary that Scottish wind farms companies were paid over £300,000 to STOP producing electricity during a couple of days in early April because of the crazy subsidy system operated under the guise of kick starting the renewables industry.  See the full  story from the BBC here.

Another example of supposed green actions having unintended consequences.