The soaring cost of oil is welcome as it sends a clear signal to consumers and firms to curb their use of fuel, the head of the OECD has said.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the world's richest nations, Angel Gurria said it would be "disastrous" if they cut fuel taxes or subsidised prices.
"The best solution to high oil prices is high prices" to cut demand, he said.
OECD members are trying to agree plans to tackle climate change and lessen the effects of the world financial crisis.
Time is running out to negotiate a new post-Kyoto treaty on climate change.
'Key challenge'
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's annual meeting comes as the world is facing a sharply slowing economy and soaring oil prices, which recently rose above $135 a barrel.
The OECD is uniting business, pressure groups and governments in an effort to find common ground on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming.
The meeting will examine the feasibility of increasing nuclear energy and bio fuels to meet growing energy needs.
And it will look at the role companies can play in encouraging clean technology.
But Mr Gurria's comments on the cost of oil will prove controversial at a time when the UK government among others is under growing political pressure to drop plans to tax the most-polluting cars more heavily.
By Steve Schifferes
full article
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Monday 2 June 2008
Push for sustainable energy from householders
As many as 9m microgeneration units such as solar panels and wind turbines could be in place within 12 years if the Government provides the financial and legal support.
They could produce as much energy as five large new nuclear power stations and by 2030 would be saving as much carbon as if all HGVs and buses were taken off the road.
The independent report, prepared for the Government, is claimed to be the largest piece of independent consumer research ever conducted into the market potential of microgeneration.
Its publication led to calls for the Government to bring forward strong policy measures underpinned by legally binding Government targets to encourage people to switch to mass-produced sustainable energy schemes.
Currently there are about 100,000 home energy installations but this could increase to 9m by 2020 if consumers are given a financial incentive and the confidence to make the switch.
Legally binding Government targets for microgeneration, backed up by concrete policy measures, would also encourage investment in the market, the report says.
Small-scale energy units would include solar panels, wind turbines, combined heat and power boilers, and ground and air source pumps.
It says take-up could be boosted by so called feed-in tariffs - allowing householders to sell any electricity they do not need in their own home to the big energy companies at a fixed price.
By Paul Eccleston
full article
They could produce as much energy as five large new nuclear power stations and by 2030 would be saving as much carbon as if all HGVs and buses were taken off the road.
The independent report, prepared for the Government, is claimed to be the largest piece of independent consumer research ever conducted into the market potential of microgeneration.
Its publication led to calls for the Government to bring forward strong policy measures underpinned by legally binding Government targets to encourage people to switch to mass-produced sustainable energy schemes.
Currently there are about 100,000 home energy installations but this could increase to 9m by 2020 if consumers are given a financial incentive and the confidence to make the switch.
Legally binding Government targets for microgeneration, backed up by concrete policy measures, would also encourage investment in the market, the report says.
Small-scale energy units would include solar panels, wind turbines, combined heat and power boilers, and ground and air source pumps.
It says take-up could be boosted by so called feed-in tariffs - allowing householders to sell any electricity they do not need in their own home to the big energy companies at a fixed price.
By Paul Eccleston
full article
Ten easy ways to drive down your petrol costs
1. Find your cheapest station. Go to www.petrolprices.com to find the cheapest fuel in your area. It covers 9,704 petrol stations and has 8,000 daily updates. The difference between the most expensive and the cheapest price per litre can be as much as 15 pence.
2. Pump up your tyres. Under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance and so use more fuel. Go to your local petrol station and use their pump – it is normally free.
3. Lose weight. Every extra 50kg will increase your petrol consumption by an average of 2 per cent, according to www.save-petrol.co.uk. So keep all your golf clubs – or anything else littering your boot – at home.
4. Streamline. Roof racks and bicycle carriers create extra wind resistance and so increase fuel consumption. If you do not need it, take it off.
5. Turn off the air-conditioning. It increases your petrol consumption by as much as 10 per cent – so if it is only mildly warm, put the fans on or wind down your window. That said, if you are travelling over 60mph having the window down increases drag which increases your fuel consumption – so air conditioning would be better.
6. Stick to the limits. The faster you go, the more fuel you use. Driving at 70mph uses up to 9 per cent more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15 per cent more than at 50mph, according to the Department of Transport.
7. Change your oil. Clean oil reduces the wear caused by friction of moving engine parts, helping to improve fuel consumption. You should change the oil in a petrol car once a year or every 7500 miles. For a diesel engine it is recommended you change the oil every 6 months or 3000 miles.
8. Drive Smoothly. Acceleration and deceleration is what uses most fuel – so try to slow down gradually at lights, avoid heavy braking and try not to rev too much.
9. Avoid rough surfaces. Gravel or heavy dirt surfaces can increase your fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent – not to mention the affect on your paintwork. If there is a route involving smooth tarmac, even if it is slightly longer, then take that.
10. Rather obviously… use your car less. Combine short trips – such as buying the paper, dropping-off the recycling, or collecting the kids – rather than making multiple short trips.
By Lauren Thompson
full article
2. Pump up your tyres. Under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance and so use more fuel. Go to your local petrol station and use their pump – it is normally free.
3. Lose weight. Every extra 50kg will increase your petrol consumption by an average of 2 per cent, according to www.save-petrol.co.uk. So keep all your golf clubs – or anything else littering your boot – at home.
4. Streamline. Roof racks and bicycle carriers create extra wind resistance and so increase fuel consumption. If you do not need it, take it off.
5. Turn off the air-conditioning. It increases your petrol consumption by as much as 10 per cent – so if it is only mildly warm, put the fans on or wind down your window. That said, if you are travelling over 60mph having the window down increases drag which increases your fuel consumption – so air conditioning would be better.
6. Stick to the limits. The faster you go, the more fuel you use. Driving at 70mph uses up to 9 per cent more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15 per cent more than at 50mph, according to the Department of Transport.
7. Change your oil. Clean oil reduces the wear caused by friction of moving engine parts, helping to improve fuel consumption. You should change the oil in a petrol car once a year or every 7500 miles. For a diesel engine it is recommended you change the oil every 6 months or 3000 miles.
8. Drive Smoothly. Acceleration and deceleration is what uses most fuel – so try to slow down gradually at lights, avoid heavy braking and try not to rev too much.
9. Avoid rough surfaces. Gravel or heavy dirt surfaces can increase your fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent – not to mention the affect on your paintwork. If there is a route involving smooth tarmac, even if it is slightly longer, then take that.
10. Rather obviously… use your car less. Combine short trips – such as buying the paper, dropping-off the recycling, or collecting the kids – rather than making multiple short trips.
By Lauren Thompson
full article
Sunday 1 June 2008
Greener power to the people: the real energy alternative?
Ministers could avoid building nuclear reactors by encouraging families to fit solar panels and other renewable energy equipment to their homes, a startling official report concludes.
The government-backed report, to be published tomorrow, says that, with changed policies, the number of British homes producing their own clean energy could multiply to one million – about one in every three – within 12 years.
These would produce enough power to replace five large nuclear power stations, tellingly at about the same time as the first of the much-touted new generation of reactors is likely to come on stream.
And, it adds, by 2030, such "microgeneration" would save the same amount of emissions of carbon dioxide – the main cause of global warming – as taking all Britain's lorries and buses off the road.
The conclusions of the report – approved and partly financed by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) – sharply contrast with initiatives hurriedly launched by Gordon Brown last week in reaction to the lorry drivers' fuel-price protests.
In his most pro-nuclear announcement to date, the Prime Minister indicated that he wanted greatly to increase the number of atomic power stations to be built in Britain. And he met oil executives in Scotland to urge them to pump more of the black gold from the North Sea's fast-declining fields – even though his own energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, admitted that this would do nothing to reduce the price of fuel.
full article
The government-backed report, to be published tomorrow, says that, with changed policies, the number of British homes producing their own clean energy could multiply to one million – about one in every three – within 12 years.
These would produce enough power to replace five large nuclear power stations, tellingly at about the same time as the first of the much-touted new generation of reactors is likely to come on stream.
And, it adds, by 2030, such "microgeneration" would save the same amount of emissions of carbon dioxide – the main cause of global warming – as taking all Britain's lorries and buses off the road.
The conclusions of the report – approved and partly financed by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) – sharply contrast with initiatives hurriedly launched by Gordon Brown last week in reaction to the lorry drivers' fuel-price protests.
In his most pro-nuclear announcement to date, the Prime Minister indicated that he wanted greatly to increase the number of atomic power stations to be built in Britain. And he met oil executives in Scotland to urge them to pump more of the black gold from the North Sea's fast-declining fields – even though his own energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, admitted that this would do nothing to reduce the price of fuel.
full article
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