Dieter Helm
The European Energy Review has a review of Dieter Helm’s new book “The Carbon Crunch“, read here (scroll down to: Dieter Helm’s new thriller separates climate fiction from fact).
According to the EER, Helm is one of the most famous energy economists in Europe – a professor of energy policy at the University of Oxford and a fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford. He has also served as special advisor to the UK government and to the European Commission.
It’s another recently published book criticizing climate science and policy by a high profile author in Europe.
EER writes (emphasis added):
Dieter Helm’s new book “The Carbon Crunch” reads a bit like a detective novel. It is about ‘who killed climate policy’. And how we can revive the corpse.
He starts his story with the stark observation that international climate policy, led by the EU as self-styled climate frontrunner, is an outright failure. The endless UN climate conferences and the famous Kyoto treaty are not delivering the goods. Neither is the EU Emission Trading Scheme. Moreover, what is worse, climate as a public concern is sliding down the political agenda. Clearly, something must be done – and done quickly – to stave off disaster.
Well, disaster? Is climate change really the threat that many people say it is? Helm notes that the public has become more sceptical in this regard – or more fatalistic, with the same effect. To his credit, he does not blame the “climate sceptics” or ExxonMobil for this. On the contrary, ‘green’ NGO’s and climate scientists deserve a lot of the blame, as they are frequently guilty of alarmist predictions and pretending to be certain about inherently uncertain things.”
So like Hans von Storch, Dieter Helm is also convinced that climate policy is dead and that the science is hyped up.
On solar and wind projects in Europe as a solution to pollution by coal, Helm tells us the policies to promote renewable energies (sun and wind) have been a disaster:
This is so much money wasted. These policies allow European politicians to grandstand about how brilliantly Europe is limiting its emissions, but they do not have any significant effect on the climate.
Grandstanding? Isn’t that precisely what Obama wants to do now? He may want to reconsider about getting in on the folly.
And Helm tells us how that Europe is cheating with its carbon bookkeeping:
The EU may be limiting its emissions from carbon production, but this is because European industrial production has shifted to a considerable extent to Asia – and the EU does of course import Asian products for its consumption. So what really counts is not so much carbon production, but carbon consumption. In the UK, for example, notes Helm, carbon production went down 15% between 1990 and 2005, but carbon consumption went up 19%!”
Helm, a warmist, also admits that going green does mean pain, and there is no denying it. EER writes…
Helm is at least honest enough not to pretend that climate policy is somehow going to be effective without economic sacrifices. Any solution will hurt, no matter how much politicians prattle about “green growth”. […] Whether political leaders will be able to persuade people to shed ‘blood, sweat and tears’ in this cause, is the big question. They could at least start by reading this book.”
Read more here, scroll down to: Dieter Helm’s new thriller separates climate fiction from fact.
Photo credit: http://www.dieterhelm.co.uk/
So this quantifies what we already knew to be true.
This is organized crime, but it is coming from the Government, and there is nothing in the Government to stop it.
The origin is Greenie organizations with agendas and influence that is way out of control. This has to stop, but how?
“Dieter Helm, CBE is a British economist, Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Oxford, and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford.[1][2][3]
He is also a member of the Economics Advisory Group to the British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Helm
So he’s a high ranking member of the warmist influence apparatus. Not happy with erecting wind turbines in the UK, Mr. Helm? What would you have done differently?
From his writing he would probably have preferred abolition of all imports and a return to pre-industrial famines.
I wonder if the UK would do things differently if it didn’t harbor that Kook, that ineffable Crackpot, the “Prince” of Wales
He’s not important. The Fabians are the puppetmasters.
Do you mean that prince who will return in his next life as a virus in order to destroy mankind? Not really important, isn’t it.