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Monday 9th 52F, overcast but calm. All the wind turbines are at a standstill. Walked up to the woods under grey, misty skies. Thousands of gulls were following the ploughs.
Talking of green energy: Denmark is accused by its own scientists of blatant cheating when it claims it burns wood in its power stations. Unlike other countries, Denmark imports the vast majority of its timber from abroad. Including from the USA! Shipping and chipping the logs for burning consumes huge quantities of energy and releases vast quantities of CO2. Which is NOT included in the claimed CO2 savings from burning wood.
Even worse, any newly planted trees will take a century to reclaim all the CO2 from the immediate burning of existing trees. Which means the CO2 must be directly added to Denmark's national burden on Global Warming. Must try harder? Ask the environment minister. Who denies that Denmark will be the very last country in Europe to ban Glyphosate or Round-up. Farmers rule in Denmark. Whichever shade of government pretends to be in power to their adoring, mutually-parasitic, national TV station.
The environment Minister is flying off to stir the pot at the latest climate meeting. "Do as I say. Not as I do?" Denmark has stated it wants to slash CO2 within 10 years. It's called "slash and burn" in some circles.
Most existing, Danish homes are poorly insulated and there seems to be no public plans to insulate them. Only new builds are energy efficient and there's serious doubt about that claim. Foreign investors seem to own most of the city housing stock these days. So only they would reap the benefits of insulation strategies in increased rents.
Most existing, Danish homes are poorly insulated and there seems to be no public plans to insulate them. Only new builds are energy efficient and there's serious doubt about that claim. Foreign investors seem to own most of the city housing stock these days. So only they would reap the benefits of insulation strategies in increased rents.
Larger cars, with higher fuel consumption, are popular here because of Right Wing taxation strategies. The number of electric vehicles sold in Denmark is absolutely derisory. All due to Right Wing market interference by doubling import taxes.
So how Denmark actually intends to make a REAL dent in its CO2 burden on the world is entirely up in the air. The economics of existing plans don't even add up. There was talk of subsidies for new wood burning stoves to replace the old. All that did was stagnate the stove market while everybody waited for the tax handout. It certainly didn't reduce the airborne, particle count.
Heat pumps aren't being subsidized because they are inefficient and costly to run in [typically] poorly insulated homes. Most owners just use them for greater comfort and who can blame them?
There are still homes being built with two storey, glass walls facing north. How do the builders get away with it? There seems to be no strategy to use passive solar. No plans to reduce the overheating burden from solar gain in summer. No strategy to stop solar shadowing of other properties.
A light coloured, southern roof slope can remove the need for heat pumps to be used for Air Conditioning in summer. Expanding into the loft, rather than buying a new home, is hideously expensive in energy costs. For both heating and cooling. Human comfort must be completely ignored except in Autumn and Spring. Affordable, external, louvred blinds, to reduce heat gain through acres of glass in summer, are simply not available. Fixed louvres on roofs could block unwanted summer heat gain. While allowing some beneficial heat gain in winter.
The only really green form of transport is the cycle. Every cyclist is one commuter less. Which means one space more on the overcrowded roads. There is precious little sign of any greater investment in cycle paths. Not outside the cities. Where costly, cycling superhighways are boasted about and can be opened by this week's environment minister. Many official cycle routes offer zero protection to cyclists. They are lucky if there is even a white line 4" from the overgrown brambles on the verge. I know this because that is usually where I place my nearside wheel.
Any former, sheltering hedge was subsidized by the taxpayer for its earlier removal. Disused railways could offer direct cycling routes across country. But remain the province of occasional private hire of pedal driven trolleys in summer. These are slow, heavy, noisy, uncomfortable, inefficient and all rather pointless.
When a real bicycle could easily triple the average speed if the gaps between the rails and sleepers were filled with self-compacting gravel. Thereby vastly increasing the number of potential cyclists using the route. Assuming, of course, that the cycle track is made wide enough for cyclists to pass safely in opposite directions without a major blood bath making global headlines! 🙈
A light coloured, southern roof slope can remove the need for heat pumps to be used for Air Conditioning in summer. Expanding into the loft, rather than buying a new home, is hideously expensive in energy costs. For both heating and cooling. Human comfort must be completely ignored except in Autumn and Spring. Affordable, external, louvred blinds, to reduce heat gain through acres of glass in summer, are simply not available. Fixed louvres on roofs could block unwanted summer heat gain. While allowing some beneficial heat gain in winter.
The only really green form of transport is the cycle. Every cyclist is one commuter less. Which means one space more on the overcrowded roads. There is precious little sign of any greater investment in cycle paths. Not outside the cities. Where costly, cycling superhighways are boasted about and can be opened by this week's environment minister. Many official cycle routes offer zero protection to cyclists. They are lucky if there is even a white line 4" from the overgrown brambles on the verge. I know this because that is usually where I place my nearside wheel.
Any former, sheltering hedge was subsidized by the taxpayer for its earlier removal. Disused railways could offer direct cycling routes across country. But remain the province of occasional private hire of pedal driven trolleys in summer. These are slow, heavy, noisy, uncomfortable, inefficient and all rather pointless.
When a real bicycle could easily triple the average speed if the gaps between the rails and sleepers were filled with self-compacting gravel. Thereby vastly increasing the number of potential cyclists using the route. Assuming, of course, that the cycle track is made wide enough for cyclists to pass safely in opposite directions without a major blood bath making global headlines! 🙈
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