This morning on the radio:

According to a recent survey, Scots are skeptical about climate change. In a survey, over 50% of people questioned said that they didn't think conserving energy would save the planet.

I would have certainly been one of the "over 50%" you disagreed with that statement. What sort of nonsense question is that? Will my using energy-saving lightbulbs save the planet? Does the planet need saving? No and no. It's not the planet that needs saving, it's our own asses. And turning off the lights in empty rooms alone isn't going to do much either, it needs far more than that.

If anything, this survey tells us more about the people who designed it than about Scottish attitudes to climate change. It saddens me that the only coverage climate change gets in mainstream media is through these kinds of useless surveys or other half-baked information.

And when the host then comments the above news item with "no wonder Scots aren't worried about climate change - it's freezing!", I feel like throwing the radio out the window...

A few months back, I heard about Shai Agassi, an entrepeneur in California who is raising millions of dollars for a Project to create the infrastructure for electric cars to become a real alternative to fossil-fuel-powered models. The plan is to invest in "power stations", where cars can simply sway their empty batteries for charged ones - just like with a petrol station.

Over the last weeks, this project has gotten a lot of media attention, most prominently with Israel buying into the idea to create an oil-independent country.

Here is their submission to the "what can you do to make the world a better place?" World Economic Forum's Davos challenge. In today's complex world, if an idea is simple enough so a child can understand it, it has a chance of getting popular support. If a child can explain it, all the better.

We need more simple ideas like this with people like Shai Agassi to see them through.

Cheap airlines are ever-expanding their range of destinations, while dropping their prices. This has, over the last years, led to a massive growth in the aviation sector, and is the reason for the much-debated proposed Heathrow expansion. While aviation is currently only responsible for 11% of the UK's climate impact, if the current growth is left unchecked, it could by 2050 be responsible for all of the UK's emissions - meaning that the rest of the economy has to be decarbonised.

Still, people who are usually quite environmentally conscious insist on their right to fly. We fly for weekends to Amsterdam, for stag dos in Munich, or go an visit our relatives 4 times a year instead of once. Read More...

I try to be consistent in my beliefs and actions - but when it comes to technology, things are different. Read More...