CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING

[PanBiker]

I stand corrected. One thing is for certain you only need one faulty one to set on fire. Shove all the other lithium based ones in any fire and they would definitely go bang! I have a screwdriver somewhere that was used to change a properly (0v) dead lithium battery in a tablet computer that would not charge. It melted the end off when I slipped during the extraction. An awful lot of folk walk around with a potential fire bomb in their pocket.

I read a report some time ago that our security forces were worried that clever IT types could develop malware that could be distributed to mobile phone platforms that could overload the CPU's and cause thermal runaway to the devices. That would have the potential to severely disable a large proportion of any given population and also cause havoc to property via devices not actually carried around. Modern equivalent of the incendiary bomb but could be delivered from a laptop anywhere on the planet.

[Whyperion]

could be delivered from a laptop anywhere on the planet.

could also end up on any laptop too with similar ? though dont some devices have a overload / thermal lockout before problems occur

[Whyperion]

Forgive my scepticism Tripps but what makes it look `like another lithium battery fire' rather than petrol, diesel or other inflammable chemicals combined with plastics, tyres etc?

Is there actually a way in which the combustion energy from Lithium looks different to such hyrocarbons ? I seem to remember the flame experiments in Physics at School.

As to the recycling site, that does take out a specialist in this - Veolia were offering a "disposable vapes" (they should be banned anyway" reprocessing solution. Clearly storage of incoming batteries and their transport is going to be very difficult as the full process for mass recycling unbuilding of lithium and other batteries, is it really unsafe in all handling of them which makes the industry problematic and thus difficult trying to move to a battery storage climate solution ( actually for Grid Storage there are other salt/iron batteries that may be less of a problem and more appropriate ?)

[Stanley]

Plenty of cargo planes have caught fire during flight and they don't run on batteries either.

[Whyperion]

Russian sabotage and carrying lithium as cargo. Less applicable to engine fires which has been main cargo plane problems / wrong kind of maintenance

[Tizer]

I read a report some time ago that our security forces were worried that clever IT types could develop malware that could be distributed to mobile phone platforms that could overload the CPU's and cause thermal runaway to the devices. That would have the potential to severely disable a large proportion of any given population and also cause havoc to property via devices not actually carried around. Modern equivalent of the incendiary bomb but could be delivered from a laptop anywhere on the planet.

That makes me think of the Mossad trick that was finally put into action recently and lots of phones being used by supposed `terrorists' blew up in their faces.

[Stanley]

Me also Peter. The advent of 'smart devices' and the 'internet of everything' would seem like a perfect route to sabotage people's lives. That's why, as far as is possible, I avoid such things.
THIS BBC report caught my eye....
BP is expected to announce it will slash its renewable energy investments and instead focus on increasing oil and gas production. The energy giant will outline its strategy later following pressure from some investors unhappy its profits and share price have been much lower than its rivals. Shell and Norwegian company Equinor have already scaled back their plans to invest in green energy. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" comments have encouraged investment in fossil fuels and a move away from low carbon projects. Some shareholders and environmental groups have voiced concerns over any potential ramping up on production of fossil fuels. Five years ago, BP set some of the most ambitious targets among large oil companies to cut production of oil and gas by 40% by 2030, while significantly ramping up investment in renewables. In 2023, the company lowered this oil and gas reduction target to 25%. It is now expected to abandon it altogether while confirming it is cutting investments in renewable energy by more than half in what chief executive Murray Auchincloss called a "fundamental reset".
I don't think either you or I will be surprised by this move. It's been obvious for a while that there is a general move away from green policies and the revival of some fossil fuel initiatives. I don't know if you have noticed but 'Net Zero' has become a dirty word because of its contribution to inflation.....

[Whyperion]

The Book of Revelation in the Bible suggests that the Earth will be consumed by fire. Its not really clear if it is the expansion of the Sun - thats a long time away, total war - could be anytime , or general heating up from Greenhouse effect. Point is getting a sustainable planet is not cheap , but getting cheap short term solutions will be more expensive.

[Tizer]

I don't think either you or I will be surprised by this move. It's been obvious for a while that there is a general move away from green policies and the revival of some fossil fuel initiatives. I don't know if you have noticed but 'Net Zero' has become a dirty word because of its contribution to inflation.....

Yes, and now AI has companies worldwide scrabbling for more and bigger servers that need vast amounts of energy to cool them.

[Tripps]

Encouraging news from BP. (British Petroleum).

Change of direction

"BP has abandoned a radical attempt to reinvent itself as a green energy company, bowing to pressure from investors after its aggressive shift away from fossil fuels over the past five years backfired.

In a return to its roots, the FTSE 100 group said on Wednesday that it would increase oil and gas spending by a fifth to $10bn a year and cut expenditure on renewables by 70 per cent."

[Whyperion]

Better Batteries ? mostly Fe related with different manufacturing

[Stanley]

The world is changing fast and I think this is only the start of it. In days to come, it will be seen as comparable to the Industrial Revolution.
Interesting times.

[Tizer]

Better Batteries ? mostly Fe related with different manufacturing

For years I've been saying (and have written on OG) that instead of destroying the environment to mine ever more lithium we should be using the money for research to find ways of using much cheaper and abundant alternatives such as iron. At last somebody seems to be doing it. Unfortunately the way research is funded these days as soon as some rare material is found to offer a new property all the money people pile in to make a profit out of it, regardless of damage to the environment, instead of investing in research to find a better and cheaper alternative. The investors are like young children wanting chocolate - `Me! Gimme chocolate! Now! Me! Now!...

[Whyperion]

We are also not very good at recycling , fires in processing aside , we litter our bins with electric items containing amounts of reusable materials ( that are not though cheap to process - but it is not cheap to dump away long term either) Should we pay more for our batteries and have a large return incentive ?

[Stanley]

Unfortunately what you say Peter is so true. Look at Trump and Ukraine minerals at the moment. What is driving him is not altruistic scientific progress but 'What's in it for me and my mates...'

[Whyperion]

Forest Fires in Japan
Although January to March is typically Ofunato's driest season, the area saw less rainfall last month than any February in more than 20 years - recording just 2.5 millimetres, compared to the usual average of 41.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the speed at which Spring is warming up.
New analysis shows that spring is the fastest-warming season in the United Kingdom largely down to climate change. A report by Climate Central, external, an independent organisation on climate research, has found that all four seasons are warming but at different rates. The average spring temperature has increased by 1.8C since 1970 making it the fastest warming season for all four nations of the UK. Autumn is the second fastest at 1.6C.

[Whyperion]

Our wetter, warmer, times are increasing the green growths on our roof slates and tiles.

[Stanley]

On BBC 'You and Yours' I heard people describing their experiences with insulation grants and heat pumps. On the whole they were not good.
I remembered seeing THIS BBC report....
Four in five cars should be electric and half of homes should have heat pumps within 15 years, say the government's independent climate advisers. By law the UK must reach "net zero" - no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - by 2050. UK greenhouse gas emissions have more than halved since 1990, largely thanks to less electricity coming from fossil fuels and more from renewables. But the Climate Change Committee (CCC) says that to reach the 2050 target we will also need to change how we drive and heat our homes. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government would consider the advice and respond in due course.
Am I alone in being deeply sceptical about these reports? Listening to the reports from the real world make Miliband's response seem hollow.

[Whyperion]

Heat Pumps in all new builds would be the best place to start. Followed by retrofit to Offices and other commercial premises - inc churches (they can be switched off during the services)
On YT Skillbuilder is not convinced by heat pumps for all applications and houses, Technology Connections and 8 Bit Guy show they can be useful. But dont forget they still need some electric to power them.

[Whyperion]

There is another Climate conference due in Brazil soon
Brazil is building infrastructure to Host it
This includes new road through clearing (and logging) forest , along with expanding port and accomodation facitilies, this seems stupid, , and again farmers harvesting nuts and fruits have been ridden over. Time for full costed plan to reverse the damage done by all nations as final consumers.
__________________________________________________________
The quango that prompted HS2 to build a bat tunnel will be handed new powers to purchase land to offset the damage done to nature by new developments.

Labour’s planning bill will enable Natural England to ‘acquire land compulsorily’ to build nature reserves and other havens for wildlife.
The move to increase the body’s power will cause concern given its boss Tony Juniper recently called for golf courses to be rewilded to protect the environment.
At present, developers must put in place compensation or mitigation for harm done to the environment before being granted planning permission.
Under the changes, they would instead pay into a Nature Restoration Fund which will be overseen by Natural England which will fund projects such as nature reserves or creating nesting habitats for protected species.

Big Yellow Taxi - They took away the trees and put them in a tree museum.

[Whyperion]

Insulating single (?) skin / non cavity brick wall with woodboard and lime mortar
(I think I would be wearing gloves, mask and googles

[Whyperion]

The Aim of UK internally to be net zero by 2050 seems to have been given up on. But surely the small steps toward it need not be so expensive as is made out. OK we may have to park for now Steel Making, but Concrete has ways of doing a 50percent cut easily. The building of new residences offices and so on must be done in a way that less energy is used, or less from CO2 generating sources. Passivehaus is not impossible , even on conversions of older properties and mortage/loans that are tied to buildings rather than people might be a way to fund this inc solar and so on.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report about a new national forest.
2 hours ago
Twenty million trees will be planted and 2,500 hectares of new woodland created in the west of England as part of a "national forest" drive, the government has announced. The Western Forest will be made up of new and existing woodlands across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, the Cotswolds and the Mendips as well as in urban areas such as Bristol, Swindon and Gloucester. It will be the first of three new national forests promised by the government to help meet a legally-binding target of achieving 16.5% woodland cover in England by 2050. However, with only 10% cover achieved so far, environmental groups have warned much more needs to be done to meet tree-planting targets.
Later.... I have heard that the UN has designated 2025 as the Year of the Glacier to draw attention to the melting of the world's glaciers.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report.....
3 hours ago
Sir David Attenborough is launching what he says is one of the most important films of his career as he enters his hundredth year. He believes his new, cinema-length film Ocean could play a decisive role in saving biodiversity and protecting the planet from climate change. Sir David, who will be 99 on Thursday, says: "After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on land is not on Earth but at sea." The ocean is the planet's support system and humanity's greatest ally against climate catastrophe, the film argues. It shows how the world's oceans are at a crossroads. A blue carpet will be rolled out at the film's premiere tonight at the Royal Festival Hall.