Montane Spine 2023

[Mossdog]

I am surprised the 2% - or often 1% - fallacy is still being repeated. Everybody can put themselves in a 1% group - by definition there will be 100 in the world - and say that their contribution to climate change is close to zero and therefore they do not need to do anything.

As to the developing nations using fossil fuel, isn't one of the major agreements of the recent COPs that we help them to the tune of $100 billion per year so that they can to an extent bypass fossil fuel usage and go straight to renewables. A lot of those saying we need to let them use fossil fuels as that is how we became rich actually mean "don't limit them as that would mean limiting me".

From Damian's book: A lot of cynicism is actually apathy dressed up as wisdom.

Most developing countries are pragmatic enough (they have had to be to survive) to realise that so-called renewables are expensive, ineffectual distractions, for those who see the world as they would like it to be, rather than the reality most are forced to live in. If wind/solar weren't expensive and ineffective, developing countries would buy them up in droves.

The thought of Western countries paying vast $$$ to leaders of developing countries (some of whom are despotic or have dodgy democratic regimes)to suppress their populations benefiting from cheap energy is worrying, as it appears to represents a form of neo-colonialism. Do as we say and not as we do - and continue to do. And afterall, we're repeatedly being told how colonialism is bad (Am I detecting another Hall-like hypocrisy here?).

Damian's book appears to have a lot of get-out-of-jail-free quotes. "I'm a hypocrite, but hypocrisy is good cos it brings issues to the forefront"; "A lot of cynicism is actually apathy dressed up as wisdom", we can translate as "people who don't agree with me are lazy thinkers, so don't listen to them". It smacks of school-yard philosophy and suggests he really hasn't thought very deeply about the issues and strategies he claims to represent.

It would have been interesting to observe how he would have reacted if his journey to the race had been blocked by 'peaceful' protesters, as many tens of thousands of people were blocked from going about their lives (jobs/hospital/flights/etc.) by his group; or if he had been delayed on route to Kirk Yetholm for several hours by other peaceful protesters. The Spine doesn't get a whole lot of coverage in the national press, just a few columns. He, of course, could have made a quite a news splash if he'd stopped, metres short of the finish line, thrown the race, waving his banners; or had run it in the opposite direction on his own - now that would have made the headlines ah, albeit at a real cost to himself! Action not empty words