Weekend Review

China dominated sustainable coverage this weekend. The country is reported to have become a big investor in Spain's solar energy industry. How is it that the country soon to be the world's largest carbon emitter is rapidly becoming some kind of screwed-up poster child for marvellous climate change awareness? Gordon Brown's seems to be at the vanguard. He's gone there to praise the country on its efforts (if not its achievements) and to try and cement a $60bn trade deal. Incidentally he's hoping to export British knowhow (sic) on climate change and building advances.

Meanwhile closer to home the stalwart British middle-class self-build crew, replete with toothy-children and acreage, at least know how to do it. The Metcalfes in the Sunday Times tell us how they 'can save the planet and own a Maserati.' The publisher of carporn mag, Evo, has a ground source heat pump (£20k minus risible £1,200 government grant), an £18,000 turbine (cashback: £5,000) and a £5,000 air-source heat pump for the pool. No grant, there. The only question is: what's holding you back, people??

Another successful publisher, Felix Dennis, threatens to cause problems for Gordon Brown by jumping all over plans for his local, official eco-town, Middle Quinton. He claims to be ecologically concerned (he's planting a huge forest on 50,000 acres) even if no 'eco-Nazi,' and says he's no nimby. Well, they never do. Nonetheless, he's unhappy about the railroading of the scheme through the planning system and is hanging his hopes on a rare butterfly. Also, he's down on the increase in CARS, (which, in my book, would remain an environmental hazard even if they imbibed carbon from the air to power themselves.)

Compare that word CAR, however, with the word sea kites. These could power up to 60% of the world's 90.000 commercial ships and cut diesel carbon emissions by 20%, their German (re)inventor says.

Not to say they are not doing their bit in the Sunday Mirror (I can't link to the story on their web site which looks like Yahoo! search results circa 1993) but the lefty fellows suggest ripping out your lawn and replacing it with plastic to cut down on carbon emissions from your mower. Let me think about that a while ...