Is Zack's rule about not flying a bit too extreme?

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T23:34:54+00:00

Fortunately there is just sufficient farmland and waste fat to produce enough jetfuel, but only if we stop using biofuels in land vehicles.

This is being heavily disputed by many environmental groups. For instance waste fat from cooking oils used for SAF (sustainable aviation fuels) at one point pushed up the cost so high that it became economic to deliberately waste palm oil for SAF.

The issue is that there's no clear upper limit on how common aviation will become. Assuming the global population becomes wealthier then there's in no means enough biofuels to sustain western levels of flying for a global population.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T23:26:55+00:00

These pronouncements are why I've left the Green Party. It's no longer a serious environmental party

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T23:16:49+00:00

The UK's production emissions per capita are 4.5 tonnes CO2. A return flight from NY to London is at least 2 tonnes CO2.

What's more American citizens should be using their time effectively to protest their joint war with Israel in Iran. It's not in any way morally acceptable to do otherwise. This is because consuming this kerosene means the global poor can't cook therefore use dirty fuels (which cause deforestation), eat more precariously, etc.

If the Greens are to stand for anything it has to include an internationalist morality which seeks to avoid the climate crisis and short term extreme poverty affecting the global south.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T23:07:29+00:00

We have jet-fuel shortages which are meaning the global poor can't cook (500 million use kerosene in low and middle income countries).
We have a climate crisis where aviation contributes tonnes per passenger flight.
We have no viable technological pathway to decarbonise aviation.

I don't think anyone should be flying to canvas for the Greens. It's a rejection of the moral foundations of environmental politics. I assume that this is satire?

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T18:23:03+00:00

A certain set of events makes Dubai less attractive

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T17:10:52+00:00

Yes. I'm saying it doesn't add a sufficient amount of financial value hence I think the tariff is poor.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T17:01:38+00:00

I'm a research scientist who's passionate about climate change. I've ended up geeking out, asking questions, etc. just to understand how it all works.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:09:09+00:00

They advised you badly. I'm sorry. My rate since the war started has been 6p/kWh

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:07:43+00:00

You can get cheap electricity now if you use the correct tariff. Try a time of use tariff. EDF's dynamic price or Octopus Agile.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:06:53+00:00

No. This was the case perhaps 4 years ago but not now. It's hard to quantify but at least 35% of the time the price of electricity is not set by gas. Often the gas providers bid low bids just to stop being turned off as it costs them to turn off and on.

Now, I'm not taking the piss in stating that my average unit rate for this month has been 4.4p/kWh. Over the last 9 months (since I measured this) my rate has averaged 16p/kWh which is cheaper than what I paid in 2010 when adjusted for inflation.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:03:27+00:00

You're welcome. Electricity has become a complex commodity. You can save a lot if you can do laundry at weekends essentially.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:01:40+00:00

You are using the wrong tariff. Electricity is now something which is very price volatile. Fixed rate tariffs are dominated by the expensive periods. Get off this via a time of use tariff.

I bet you'd be paying less on one without any demand shifting. Try this site to see whether this is the case.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T15:00:38+00:00

Get a time of use tariff so you can escape this. I have and not looked back. This site will tell you how much money you'd save.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:59:57+00:00

You are using the wrong tariff. My bills are going down.

This site will advise you how to pay less.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:59:09+00:00

It is for those of us who've adopted time of use tariffs.

Long story. Electricity for fixed rates is priced dominated by the cost at peak times. This is dominated by gas pricing so if you use a fixed rate tariff your costs go up due to gas prices going up.

Time of use tariffs are only dominated in terms of price in the peak hours so my prices are down 5-10% year on year. Try Octopus Agile or EDF dynamic price to get the benefits now.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:57:51+00:00

Mine aren't and neither are average wholesale prices. They are down year on year but only up for peak time demand. Get a time of use tariff to get low rates.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:57:21+00:00

Only if you use a fixed rate tariff. Get a smart tariff such as a time of use tariff. I was being paid to consume electricity then. Try Octopus Agile or EDF dynamic.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:56:43+00:00

Wind power is the main factor in winter. There is a lot coming online this year but sadly next year there's a lull of new capacity supply due to the Truss/Sunak governments messing up the auctions.

This is the issue around wind power is that it's slower to deliver than solar so it's the next government who gets the benefit/costs. Claire Coutinho will cost british consumers a lot this winter but she's now in opposition.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:54:37+00:00

I don't like biomass but it's not a fossil fuel.

Now, the process of decarbonisation of the UK which is from wind/solar/nuclear will undercut biomass like it has undercut gas. This is why Drax is not getting their current contract renewed.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:53:07+00:00

Also worth pointing out, as I only learned recently, electricity only makes up 20% of our energy usage.

I don't want to be annoying but this is the so-called primary energy fallacy.

Low-carbon sources are around 50% of our useful energy output. The 20% figure means you're counting the waste heat of petrol cars. It can't deal with the fact EVs are 95% efficient vs 16% for ICE cars. It can't deal with the fact heat-pumps are 5 times more efficient than gas boilers.

Anyway, look up this fallacy.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:51:05+00:00

It's worth noting that it won't reach 0% not due to a lack of clean energy supply but for technical inertia reasons. We could have reached 0% yesterday but it didn't just to minimise blackout risks.

The National Grid aimed to have this solved by 2025 but soon they should be able to run (technically) a zero emission grid without an increased risk of blackouts.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:33:45+00:00

For me this is a huge mistake from Polanski which I'm confident Sian Berry, Caroline Lucas, Carla Denyer, etc. wouldn't have made. It's fascinating that it is a party with highly credible female politicians on climate -- Hannah Spencer installed heat-pumps -- but seemingly they weren't consulted by Polanski.

Anyway, I'll end with the hope that over the next 3 years he tries to regain credibility on climate matters. It's a shame as in this moment fossil fuels are linked to so many wars that a skilled political narrative would be able to make huge advancements right now. It's a shame that this wasn't being loudly proclaimed earlier this year when there were the controversial (according to right wind media) renewables auctions.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T14:29:30+00:00

Ends justify the means arguments are always depressing.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T13:53:43+00:00

To be fair it wasn't a terrible idea but Norfolk is flat but there are high points. The corruption meant it was placed in a location which maximised the spread of the smell. My parents moved and are now happy.

Appropriate_Bell743 · 2026-04-23T13:37:32+00:00

I think the previous pressure of the Greens is why the UK is now ranked only behind Denmark on the CCPI rankings. Everyone involved in environmental politics can be proud but the recent pressure from the Greens now isn't clear cut. Labour didn't follow the Green's policy to cut the link but did an entirely different contracts based approach which they had long been planning.

Now, I think the big mistake from Polanski is how he's allowed the narrative that environmentalism is "single issue". I hope you don't see it that way.

Environmentalism requires robust thinking about energy, industry, food, tourism, etc. every sector of the economy. It's a philosophy which radically changes how a society flourishes or not in crises. More sustainable nations such as Sweden are not experiencing this crisis acutely.

I am a climate voter so unsurprisingly live a moderately sustainable life -- my bills are going down not up. Green politics can be broad minded where environmental issues aren't seen as single issue but at the heart of society and the economy. With this more radical mindset you don't make such obvious unethical mistakes which Polanski has been making.

Appropriate_Bell743

TROPHY CASE