Global Warming

I have never been a great reader of the Daily Mail, but the story running about the alleged suppression of information from scientists questioning the doomsayers is very worrying. I don't begin to think that I know whether the earth is undergoing man-made climate change, or whether it is the slightest shift in the sun's position which is causing weather phenomena not seen in my lifetime.

I do believe, however, that we humans should show a little humility and listen to all the intelligent voices talking on this crucial topic, and allow people to make judgements based on evidence from all sides of the arguments.

I have spent several years challenging the perceived "wonderfulness" of wind turbines for example, which as far as I can see, from the extensive evidence I have gathered, are not the wonder drug to save the planet. They have a place in the renewables mix which we should be encouraging, but so many trying to "sell" us these turbines fail to point out some of their weaknesses - like the fact that conventional power stations which produce constant power are not turned off if wind turbines are put up, because the turbine energy production is too unpredictable.

In my view, the wind turbine can be an excellent additional power generator, perhaps used in industrial sites, or as part of a business park development, to allow less use of conventionally produced electricity taken off the grid. But they are not the best thing ever. They cost us all as consumers a great deal of money in our higher electricity bills. For that money I would rather see all our homes become as heat efficient as possible first, which would mean we USE less electricity in the first place. But I don't suppose any electricity supplier would want that to happen since that would reduce their sales.

All of this aggressive promotion of one side of the argument only createes anxiety and a need to depend on others to "save us", rather than empowering us all as individuals to make the right decision because we really understand what is needed. I have just signed up to Nigel Lawson's new think tank, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (http://thegwpf.org/). I want to hear all the discussions from all our great scientists and thinkers on this - I dont want the mass media to drive home scaremongering messages because they never hear any other views.

I recommend everyone to become a supporter, just so that you can hear both sides of the argument. If we stop listening and become emotional rather than rational, we are much more likely to make mistakes that we will rue for generations to come.