24 Jan 2011
Tradeable Energy Quotas launched in the House of Commons
Last week saw the Parlimentary launch of Tradeable Energy Quotas (TEQs), the brilliantly simple carbon rationing approach developed by the late Dr. David Fleming with the support of ‘Transition Timeline’ author Shaun Chamberlin. The excellent new report (which you can download here) was launched at an event featuring Caroline Lucas MP, John Hemming MP, Jeremy Leggett and Shaun. Each gave a presentation, you can see Shaun’s very clear overview of what TEQ’s is and how it works below…
[Part Two]
The event generated some amazing media coverage, being picked up in most of the press, including a big piece in yesterday’s Sunday Times. The coverage was mostly positive, apart from a piece on the Financial Times blog which although it questioned peak oil as a motivation, partially retracted some of its comments in the comments thread. TEQs is a brilliant idea, one of David Fleming’s great legacies. It remains to be seen the level of serious interest it is able to generate among MPs, but in terms of a measured and intelligent national response to energy descent, it is the sharpest tool that we have in the toolbox. Deepest congratulations to Shaun who put the most extraordinary amount of energy into the launch and into everything surrounding it. Also, in case you haven’t seen it, have a look at one of the very last interviews David gave, in a tree, which captures him beautifully.
Shaun Chamberlin
24 Jan 3:18pm
Thanks Rob. The massive interest is still continuing. Articles in the Daily Express and Daily Mail today, and I have a more technical piece going up on The Oil Drum either today or tomorrow, as well as a few other pieces elsewhere.
All being added to the report’s media page that you linked to of course. Busy times! But I’m really glad to feel that I’m doing David’s legacy justice.
Rob
24 Jan 4:21pm
Well done Shaun, great stuff. Very touching the minute’s silence at the end of the presentation.
Jon Barrett
24 Jan 10:09pm
The first green shoots of recovering sanity in Parliament, perhaps…let’s hope that this eminently sensible and well-constructed scheme quickly gains traction amongst wider numbers of MPs.
Many congratulations to Shaun Chamberlin; your evident hard work and commitment to driving this proposal forward – and in achieving such wide press coverage for the launch – is truly inspirational. This feels like it could be the beginnings of a real game-changer…
Skintnick
7 Feb 9:05pm
Shaun was the guest speaker at our unleashing in May 2009 at Bungay, Suffolk. At the time I was very high on the idea of TEQs and kicked off the Q&A by asking Shaun to pin on our timeline a post-it for when they would become operational in the UK. (I confess I can’t remember his answer). Glad to see the idea becoming much closer to reality – nice work Shaun.