Published Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:36
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (104 views and 1 comments)
Last Wednesday
evening around 18h30. In the renovated Brigittines chapel in
Brussels Sp.a co-workers are getting nervous. This
evening we present our input for the PES manifesto. We have
worked hard to provide for an interesting program (attached), but
can it compete with the beautiful spring evening?
At 7 o’clock our fears prove to be unfounded. Sp.a International
Secretary Saïd
El Khadraoui can introduce the evening before approximately
80 people. We kick off with a debate about New Social
Europe. Europe has done pioneering work on certain domains,
but it turns out that a lot more can be gained at European level.
For example, the health services directive that we are still
waiting for. There is no discussion about the need for a more
social approach of the Lisbon objectives. But ambitious and
enforceable European objectives concerning social themes are a
logical next step. The conclusions run parallel: Europe has a lot
of instruments at his disposal, but lacks ambition and
decisiveness when it comes to social themes. Political action
pays off, that becomes clear in dossiers such as the adjusted
Bolkenstein directive. As...
Tags: democracy, energy, environment, health, political parties, transparency, treaty, welfare
File:
manifesto_spa_FR.pdf,
flyer_spa.pdf
Published Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 09:42
by
Duncan Anderson 
in EU in the world (120 views and 0 comments)
I don't want to suggest that PES/EU can solve this problem within one term of office. But I do think that the EU should start talking to other countries and organisations about dealing with the consequences of over population.
Over population or having more people on the planet that it can sustain was a topic of discussion during the 1970s and China responded. I'm not saying that we or other countries should follow China's route.
But over population is at the core of many global problems. We need to use artificial fertilisers and G.M. products to feed the world and even then a lot of people starve. There is insufficient water to both grow food for people and for them to drink. We can't provide enough energy for everybody without damaging the planet.
Question, how do we address the twin problems of having a sustainable level of population on this planet? Answer, I don't know, but I'm interested in listening to there people's views.
If it is decided to reduce the population we have to consider the demographics of having more older people who are above a working age - but still need food, water and energy - than younger people who would be generating income and therefore taxes to pay for the water, food and energy of the older people.
But until we start discussing these concepts, both amongst ourselves and with other countries we're not going to fully understand the problems and therefore we won't find the correct answers.
read morePublished Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 10:25
by
martina
in Save our planet (538 views and 2 comments)
Climate neutrality, or, in scientific terms 'CO2 neutrality',
describes processes by which the global CO2 balance remains
constant (source: Wikipedia).
In my opinion this CO2 balance no longer exists – we need to
bring back this balance before we can actually maintain it. In a
time of increased environmental awareness, this worthy goal can
nevertheless produce unusual ideas.
Our lifestyles are often careless: jetting off to remote
countries, taking the car to go to the bakery around the corner,
using the tumble dryer and all the other small things which makes
life easy. These actions need no longer give us a guilty
conscience. By spending a bit of money you can compensate for
your polluting sins. For example, take a look at Atmosfair,
Greenmiles, The Climate Company or My Climate. There are probably
more such projects, especially outside Germany. Yet a study from
Tufts
University in Boston revealed that only three of thirteen
such ‘compensation agencies’, including Atmosfair and My Climate,
are actually recommended service providers.
When travelling by plane, Atmosfair can help you obtain a cleaner conscience.
You can pay when you book, but also calculate and compensate for
your CO2 emissions later. When typing...
Tags: blogger of the week, climate change, CO2, electricity, energy, environment
File:
IT_climate_DE.pdf
Published Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 15:12
by
Wind Energy
in Save our planet (410 views and 0 comments)
The world is facing
an energy and climate crisis. Globally, the energy sector emits 26
billion tonnes of CO2 each year and electricity production alone
accounts for 41% of emissions. The International Energy Agency
expects CO2 emissions in 2030 to have increased by 55% to reach
more than 40 billion tonnes of CO2. The share of emissions coming
from electricity production will increase to 44% in 2030, reaching
18 billion tonnes of CO2. Europe is going to be importing a growing
share of its energy at unpredictable but most likely higher prices,
from unstable regions, in ever-fiercer competition with the rest of
the world and at staggering environmental cost. Spare electricity
generating capacity is at a historic low. Europe has to invest in
new capacity to replace ageing plants and meet future demand. In
the period 2005-2030, the EU needs to install 862 GW of new
electricity generating capacity. 427 GW of generating capacity will
be retired in the EU and an additional 435 GW will be needed to
satisfy the growing demand for power. The required capacity exceeds
the total capacity operating in Europe (723 GW). Satisfying our
energy needs over the coming decades will be a big challenge. For a
region that currently imports 56% of its energy – and is on track
to reach 70% in the next 20 to 30 years – the challenge is big. Our
own...
read more
Published Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 11:00
by
frederic.vareillas
in EU in the world (323 views and 1 comments)
Hi,
Recently, the French President took a trip to Washington to say to the US congress how he "admired John Wayne". I won't elaborate.
Then John Mc Cain came to Paris and that same President promised to send more French troops to Afghanistan.
Next, the French President is preparing an alliance with Britain to develop Nuclear technology, build and export nuclear plants with the British and only the British.
He baptized a new submarine with sixteen nuclear missiles on board ("the Terrible", by the way).
I have just one thing to say : My God ! What does Germany think about that ?
Regards,
Frederic (Paris)
read morePublished Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 10:16
by
cafeneaua.politica
in Save our planet (412 views and 2 comments)
The most important matter of sustainable development doesn’t support the quantity of economic growth but the quality of an environmental, economic, social, and cultural development.A sustainable community effort consists of a long-term and integrated systems approach to developing and achieving a healthy community by balanced environmental, economic, social, and cultural issues. The Romanian (European) Social Democrats advocates a sustainable development of our planet and not the destruction of the environment and our resources.
It is necesary that the price of the different resources must cover all calculatable external costs. The government has to add the calculated charges so the different resources get the same conditions on the market. If the charges are creating an income, this income is to restitute to the inhabitants and to the companies (the same restitution per inhabitants or worker).
As basic measures we can talk about sustainable development when total production of the region is sufficient to provide for the inhabitant’s needs without requiring more resources than the area can regenerate (energies,...
read morePublished Monday, March 10, 2008 at 10:12
by
frederic.vareillas
in Save our planet (409 views and 3 comments)
Published Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 04:16
by
frederic.vareillas
in EU in the world (475 views and 10 comments)
Hi,
Dmitri Medvedev has just been chosen by 70 % of the Russian voters to become next President of Russian federation (with Putin as Prime Minister).
1/ This election has been only PARTLY democratic but a vast majority of the people in Russia are supportive of Putin's policies and are behind Medvedev (more than 60% of th total Russian population. So, Medvedev IS representative of the russians as much as Bush is representative of the americans.
2/ Russia has 10000 nuclear warheads targeting western Europe because of the American project of an anti missile "shield" (!) in Poland and Chzec Republic.
3/ America is a debtor nation , diving into a great depression, with no cash or oil left,
whereas Russia is on the rise : A new middle class, Oil, Gas, Coal, Gold, Diamonds, A new banking, trading, commercial and economic booming system.
4/ (and most important) : Look at your geographical maps : Kaliningrad, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and most of the big Russian cities ARE in EUROPE.
5/ A bit of history : The forefathers of the white Russians where the "Varegs", Vikings coming to the region of Moscow around the tenth century A.D.
Russians Are europeans, and live mostly on the European continent.
That is to say : Most of the modern european Russians have SWEDISH ancestors : Sweden happens to be a member of the U.E. and is getting ready to join the € zone and the Schengen agreement.
6/ USA are...
read morePublished Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 18:32
by
rikkeindenmark
in New Social Europe (458 views and 0 comments)
The afternoon of the Danish conference on the PES manifesto ended with a plenary where the four work groups presented a ‘top 3’ of priorities for their manifesto theme. Here are, from my view, some of the most interesting ideas brought forward:
Published Friday, February 29, 2008 at 15:44
by
frederic.vareillas
in Save our planet (467 views and 4 comments)
All right, my friend,
You are concerned about the waste. So, all I can tell you is: What do you suggest we do?
We have two years left before oil and gas cost ten times more
than today; solar energy and wind turbines can supply maximum 7
percent of our total consumption of energy; oceans are littered
with plastic bags, wrappings, and are 80 percent DEAD; the sun is
getting hotter; we are killing the great forests to get wood to
burn (and transform into paper); Earth's temperature is rising 2
degrees Celsius (which is huge) due to CO2 and methane.
What would you say if we could recycle and reutilize nuke waste
and nuke plants?
Think again: We have two years in front of us before the great
depression.
What do you suggest we do?
Friendly,
Fred
Published Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 12:26
by
Editor
in Save our planet (532 views and 1 comments)
Published Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 14:47
by
reimannsdavid
in Save our planet (508 views and 2 comments)
Hey!Published Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 10:24
by
frederic.vareillas
in New Social Europe (476 views and 3 comments)
Hi,
American scientists have just filmed an electron in motion. Watch
it on Yahoo
News. It is time for us, Europeans, to pay our scientists a
decent wage, and pay them well. It is time for us to fund
correctly our science universities.
Who's going to find the next source of energy?
Yours friend,
Frederic
Published Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 10:16
by
frederic.vareillas
in Save our planet (474 views and 2 comments)
Dear friends,
I would like to share two other readings with you so as we're
able to think Europe's near future through:
First: There's a very interesting issue of "L'Ecologiste" #24;
Oct-Dec 2007 (French version of the original "The Ecologist",
London, UK) about the biofuel hoax and slowing our cars' speed.
Also look at the present issue of "The Ecologist": "The end
of food as we know it" (London, 2008). You should also have
a look at the website: www.theecologist.org – it’s interesting
(English and French versions available).
Second: A French essay by Eric Orsenna and Le Cercle des
Economistes: "Un monde de ressources rares" (2008,
paperback, French only). They offer some economical and political
ways to deal with scarcity.
Your friend,
Frederic (Paris)
Published Monday, February 25, 2008 at 17:22
by
frederic.vareillas
in Save our planet (525 views and 2 comments)
Dear friends,
I have read your remarks about my
post.
True. Nuclear power is not 100 percent safe but which energy is?
Coalmines ? Gas? Forget it: To many deaths. And oil is the
poison, our lethal addiction. I remember Chernobyl but, compared
to a French reactor, Chernobyl 3 was a poor piece of junk. Risk
zero doesn't exist.
Do we really have a choice? For the generation to come (25
years), nuclear power is the only possible choice unless we want
to be in a new dark age (back to middle ages). Do you want this
regression? Again, do we have a choice? We should have changed
and adapted 25 years ago when the oil prices quadrupled. We
didn't. Europe needs power - Europe needs electricity to avoid
wars and to keep civilized.
As to the disposal of nuclear WASTE I recommend again you read
Sir Jim Lovelock's book "Revenge of Gaia". This book is
a project to save civilization from the dark age. While you're at
it, you should also read "Vers un monde de ressources
rares" by Eric Orsenna and Le Cercle des Economistes" (2007,
paperback).
Then you'll understand the urgency of the present Europe's (and
Earth's) situation. Good luck, keep it up!
Your friend,
Frederic (Paris)
Published Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 12:40
by
jonworth
in New Social Europe (437 views and 3 comments)
Free trade
between Member States is one of the principles on which the
European Union is founded. I profit from this personally, being
able to sell website services in the UK, Belgium, Germany and
Sweden. It's good that a company from Ynys-ddu can sell its
widgets in Ystad without hindrance.
Europe-wide markets have helped many large firms to develop - plenty of us make calls with our Vodafone mobiles, fly Easyjet and drink beers brewed by Inbev. Regulatory frameworks established by the EU help these firms to develop.
Yet what about services traditionally provided by the state such as refuse collection, water and energy services? Street sweeping in Camden, London, the underground in Stockholm, trains in northern Netherlands, buses in Pontypridd and sewage works in Budapest are all operated by Veolia - a logo that's appearing all over Europe. SUEZ is active in many countries in similar sectors - water, waste, recycling and energy...
read morePublished Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 15:55
by
Eric
in Save our planet (678 views and 3 comments)
Hey!
It’s my third day as your guest blogger, and today I would like
to present some specific policy proposals. And I will start with
a political issue very close to my heart: the environment.
None of my parents (Bo and
Gunnel) were members of a political party when I
grew up. However, my dad Bo was very interested in politics in
general, and environmental issues in particular. He started
working with green issues already in the early 1960s, when
Rachel Carson’s book ”Silent Spring” served as one
of the first alarm bells. At the time, my dad did some research
into why some birds’ eggs were too shallow and broke before the
new little bird was born. The reason was that the birds were fed
with foodstuffs containing mercury.
Ever since 1960s, we have gradually become better at ensuring
that growth must be ecologically and socially sustainable. If
growth means that birds are fed mercury, our society will not be
sustainable in the long run. The EU has been good at slowly
transforming societies in the right direction in this way, and
Mark Leonard wrote a fantastic little book about
how the EU's ”soft power” is so much more efficient than the...
Published Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 11:42
by
Editor
in Save our planet (725 views and 2 comments)
When speaking to Ilmar
Reepalu, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, and member of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, you realize
that mentality is really the key to change when it comes to
combating climate change. Since the mid-nineties Reepalu has been
working to change Malmö from an industrial town to a modern, green
capital of the region. And with great success – Malmö has received
numerous prizes for its green projects, most recently the
prestigious ‘LivCom’ award in London. Published Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11:00
by
frederic.vareillas
in EU in the world (528 views and 2 comments)
Je viens de voir hier
"le monde de Gazprom" sur ARTE. Au vu de ce reportage, il me semble
très urgent que l'UE renforce ses liens avec la Russie de Poutine
et de Medvedev.Published Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:50
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (909 views and 4 comments)
The Spanish Socialist
Party, PSOE, has launched its manifesto for the
Spanish general elections on 9th March. It happened at a conference
this Saturday at which PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen declared
“We cannot have a Social Europe without a Social Spain”!
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