Ed Dowding

I love this graph.

WOT = Well Off, Thoughtful
LIL = Low Income Lifestyle

Basically it says “Yes, you may recycle and think you’re green and lovely and one of the people who should survive The Great Reckoning, but actually you’re about 3 times more environmentally impactful than that fat TV watching pikey you feel so superior to.”

The main differences are the amount of things we buy, and the amount of flights we take. However we also just consume more of everything, which pushes us into an American level of planet abuse.

We do turn off our lightbulbs and insulate our roofs, though. So that smug, warm feeling is definitely real, it’s just misattributed.

I’m not suggesting Puritan self-flagellation (though I can think of some people who should try it), just some consideration for the alternatives.

If you’re thinking of popping off to Morocco for the weekend, of flying to Geneva for the week to go skiing, take the train. And if you’re thinking about buying something,  spend the money on a memorable experience instead – it lasts much longer.

Source: Peter Harper, Centre for Alternative Technology: Sustainable_Households a presentation given to the Transition Winchester conference.

1. Heathrow runway ‘approval is due’

The government is expected to confirm approval for a third runway at Heathrow Airport later, the BBC understands. (http://is.gd/fVkJ)

Your government doesn’t care about your long term future, so please take responsibility for it yourself. Only fly when you HAVE to. If you want to get away that much, consider moving. You’ll have a better quality of life.

2. Biometric passports agreed to in EU

The European Parliament has voted to implement biometric passports in the EU, starting June 29.(http://is.gd/fXoc).

Your government doesn’t care about you, so when you’re issued with your new biometric passport:

• DO NOT USE IF FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN TRAVEL. That means don’t allow hotels to see it, don’t use it for booking cars, generally just don’t use it at all.
• Get a Faraday mesh to cover your passport. Sounds like paranoia? Once your biometric data is out, it’s out. You can’t have it revoked like you can a serial number or PIN code.
• Be sure not to be a bricklayer or lose your arms, because then you’ll need to get a new temporary passport every 12 months.

If I were to get the very best security experts in the whole of the EU, form them into a well funded group (www.fidis.net/about), and ask them to look at the viability of this plan, and they came back with the answer that they “dramatically decrease security and privacy and increase the risk of identity theft” (http://is.gd/fXqc), I think I’d stop the plan, since that’s the DIRECT FUCKING OPPOSITE of the stated goals.

So see the level of competence and thought that has gone into this plan, have a look at the member states’ answers to the security questions posed (http://is.gd/fXwy). Generally it’s of the tone “we aren’t actually collecing data yet, so we don’t have to think about its security”. And these are the people in charge of you.

3. Miliband regrets ‘war on terror’

The idea of a “war on terror” puts too much emphasis on military force and unifies extremists, says the foreign secretary. (http://is.gd/fXlA)

If your government does care, it’s too stupid to do the right thing. (See 1 and 2)

4. I’ve started knitting a scarf

I’m one whole yarn through so far. That’s right, folks, knitting is making a comeback.