The CERT concept dates back to 1985, when the Los Angeles Fire Department recognized that in the early stages of a major disaster local emergency responders could be overwhelmed, and basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills could improve the ability of community members to help themselves until responders or other assistance arrived. This program, which now exists in every state, is promoted by the Federal Government through the Citizens Corp. program and the NJ State Police Office of Emergency Management. New Jersey presently ranks among the top states in the Country based on the number of CERT programs within each state.

This program is a 24-hour training program that provides information on a variety of topics. Participants will receive training in such areas as: CERT team organization and Incident Command System, identifying hazards most likely to affect their homes or community and general disaster preparedness, basic fire knowledge, basic first aid training, light search & rescue, and terrorism. This program is not intended to train people to be first responders for fire or first aid purposes, but it is designed to train people to be better able to help themselves and their families, to possibly help their neighbors, and, if they choose, to help their community by assisting the various township emergency services in a major emergency situation.

CERT members that volunteer to help on a community level during an emergency situation could be used for a number of things including: staffing of emergency operations centers or shelters, providing food and supplies to the police department, fire department or first aid squad personnel, providing assistance or transportation to people who may have to evacuate their homes, or delivering pumps and/or generators to other residents in time of flooding or power outages.

Anyone interested in participating in this program should contact the Office of Emergency Management at 732-388-3600 Ext. 3007. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

This list is not definitive, it lists companies which I know have some degree of professional consulting or internal penetration testing & security assessment capability. If you know of other firms which are not listed here, please drop me an email. Please note the following are not in any order [Last updated: 27th August 2008].

Big 4 & Mid-tier

• BDO Kendalls
• Deloitte
• Ernst & Young
• KPMG
• PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Specialist

• Assurance.com.au
• B-Sec (acquired by Deloitte in 2008)
• Corsaire
• Infoshield
• NGS Software
• Pure Hacking
• Securus Global (formerly Security Assessment Australia)
• Sense of Security
• Sift

IT Integrators

• CSC
• Dimension Data
• HP
• IBM
• LogicaCMG

Global Security Vendors

• McAfee Foundstone
• Symantec
• Verisign

Finance (internal only)

• ANZ
• CBA
• NAB

Government (internal/critical infrastructure only)

• Australian Federal Police (AFP)
• Defense Signals Directorate (DSD)

If you haven't heard of it before, CERT is Community Emergency Response Team training that offers a course in a range of emergency response techniques. The aim is to provide citizens with the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective in a variety of circumstances so they are part of the solution, rather than adding to the problem for other responders. There is an emphasis on "Team" work, reminding trainees to buddy up whenever possible. That focus also means that others in our communities are encouraged to train, so that in an event, there may be several CERT trained volunteers that can quickly form a team and address the needs as they arise.

We have two very dedicated local folks who have given months worth of hours to train dozens of our coastal residents. Ken Reynoldson and Michelle Staples donate their time, materials, and endless patience. Their extensive experience includes disaster response, EMT and fire department operations, amateur radio work, and calls from the Red Cross to travel after flooding, hurricanes, etc.  Ken and Michelle always have great ideas and lots of very real stories to bring this training into context. They are awesome! Michelle is a published authority on animal rescue, and is often heard reminding us to be mindful of the needs of animals--large and small--during our training.

You can see more about her book here: http://www.saveyourhorse.com/save.htm 

Ashley and Athena are the latest Coasting Home staff to receive this training.

This photo is from the exciting section on Fire Safety.

We hope to never need to put this training into practice, but it feels good to have some good skills to rely on...just in case.

If you find that CERT training is available in your area, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of it. It's fun, very informative, and works great for teens to seniors. Everyone can help!

Cyberkrieg spielt im Konflikt zwischen Russland und Georgia eine bedeutsame Rolle. Um besser zu verstehen, wie Cyberkrieg funktioniert und welche Bedrohung für Israel in diesem Zusammenhang besteht, hat Redakteur Pesach Benson von MediaBackspin ein Interview mit Gadi Evron geführt.

Evron war in leitender Position zuständig für die Sicherheit des Internetservice-Providers der israelischen Regierung sowie ehemaliger Begründer und Manager des Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Im letzten Jahr half er beim estnischen CERT aus, als russische Hacker zahlreiche Webseiten des baltischen Staates hackten. Evron bloggt auch zu Sicherheitsfragen im Internet bei Circle ID.

Was ist in Georgien passiert?

Technisch gesehen nicht viel. Sie attackierten die Webseiten mittels Dienstverweigerung durch verteilte Angriffe, was die Seiten entweder nicht aufrufbar machte oder einen Crash verursachte. Sie haben sie schlicht überschwemmt. Die wichtigsten Webseiten, etwa ein, zwei Dutzend, wurden von der Regierung Georgiens betrieben.

Verstörend an diesem Zwischenfall in Georgien ist, dass auch ganz normale Leute angegriffen wurden. Dabei können einfache Tools eingesetzt werden, die man aus dem Internet runterladen kann und für die auf russischen Webseiten geworden wird. All diese Leute dachten, dass sie in etwas verstrickt werden könnten, was sie ernsthaft in Schwierigkeiten gebracht hatte. Sie dachten - aus patriotischer, stolzer oder anderer Motivation heraus - dass sie diese einfachen Werkzeuge benutzen dürften und fühlten sich in die Sache verstrickt.

Was steht für Israel auf dem Spiel, wenn Hacker einen organisierten und anhaltenden Angriff starten?

Jedes Land ist mit der Gefahr von Online-Angriffen konfrontiert. Der Unterschied besteht darin, ob der Online-Angriff einer der gerissenen Art ist, der hochsensible Infrastrukturen attackiert. Die Hart 4 z.B zeigte sehr realistisch die Auswirkungen auf die Luftverkehrsüberwachung. Das ist der schlimmste anzunehmende Fall. Im Fall Estland wurde der gesamte Online-Bankverkehr, der entscheidend für das tägliche Leben ist, ins Visier genommen. In Georgien lag das Hauptgewicht mehr auf der Sichtbarkeit Georgiens im Internet und seine Fähigkeit, mit der Welt zu kommunizieren.

Was können Sie uns über die Hacker sagen?

Wann immer es ethnische Spannungen gibt, so wie zwischen China und Taiwan, Russland und Georgien oder bei den Mohammed-Karikaturen, fühlen sich die Leute im Internet mit Macht ausgestattet. Es gibt überall lose verbundene Ad-hoc-Gruppen, die diese Angriffe lancieren. Von Hunderten täglicher Angriffe sind die meisten nicht politisch motiviert. Sie geschehen überwiegend aus finanziellen Gründen oder aus simpler Boshaftigkeit. Pro-arabische und pro-israelische Hacker haben selbständige Webseiten von Banken, Zeitungen, Museen etc. angegriffen. Sie greifen eine Seite aus keinem anderen Grund an als dem, dass sie israelisch ist und verwundbar.

Die Attacken in Estland waren besser organisiert als jene in Georgien. Es war wie Online-Randale. Wir registrierten klare Anzeichen von Organisation, werden aber niemals in der Lage sein, definitiv zu beweisen, ob es ein Ad-hoc-Angriff war oder eine staatlich unterstützte und vorausgeplante Aktion.

Ich kann definitiv sehen, wie zukünftig Menschen die Blogosphäre benutzen werden, um Leute aufzuhetzen, zu hacken und online den Mob fernzulenken. Möglicherweise könnte jemand in Zukunft diese Info auf der Blogosphäre streuen und sie als eine Online-Form der Steuerung des Pöbels benutzen.

Wie teuer käme es, einen Hacker mit der notwendigen Ausstattung zu fördern?

Die Kosten sind minimal und es erfordert keinen Zeitaufwand. Jeder kann sich beteiligen.

Welche Lektionen kann man daraus lernen?

Eine prompte Antwort darauf ist schwierig. Man kann nicht verhindern, dass bestimmte Dinge passieren, aber wenn sie geschehen sind, kann man danach beurteilt werden, wie man darauf antwortet und wieder Normalität herstellt.

Zweitens ist das Internet global. Sie können von überall her auf der Welt attackiert werden. Viele Computer sind von Trojanern und Botnets infiziert worden und können bei globalen Angriffen benutzt werden. Ein Computer irgendwo auf der Welt, der mit einem Botnet angesteckt worden ist, kann von einem Hacker ohne Kenntnis des Eigentümers kontrolliert werden. Wenn Sie 100 oder eine Million infizierte Computer kontrollieren verfügen Sie über eine Armee. Sie können einen Befehl ausgeben und diese Computer werden machen, was Sie wollen. Dies zeigt die Wichtigkeit internationaler Zusammenarbeit.

Und bedenken wir zusätzlich: Das Internet ist perfekt geeignet für plausible Bestreitbarkeit. Angenommen, Ihr Computer wird benutzt, bei dem Ihres Nachbarn zu hacken und dort schaden anzurichten. Sind Sie dafür verantwortlich oder die Hacker? Vor Gericht den Nachweis zu erbringen. Da ist guter Rat teuer.

Wenn zwei gegeneinander Krieg führen, ist es dann für deren Bürger legal, eigenmächtig zu handeln, um die Websites des feindlichen Landes anzugreifen?

Das ist Neuland. Einige Länder haben eine sehr klare Gesetzgebung in Computerdingen. Wenn man angreift oder Wissen stiehlt muss man dafür haften. Aber die Strafverfolgung muss daran interessiert sein, Verstöße zu verfolgen und die Beweise zu erbringen. Sagen wir jetzt einmal, Sie könnten beweisen, dass ein staatlich gestützter Angriff stattfand, wie würden sie damit umgehen? Ist das ein Argument für Krieg? Im Internet dürften Sie wissen, wer Ihre Feinde, Rivalen und Gegner sind, aber Sie haben wahrscheinlich keinen Schimmer, von wem Sie angegriffen werden.

Sollten Hacker wie feindliche Kämpfer behandelt werden?

Ich sehe sie als Kriminelle. Feindlicher Kämpfer ist ein beladener Begriff mit vielen verschiedenen Bedeutungen.

Die staatlichen Webseiten Georgiens wurden auf Google Blogger umgelagert, während Einzelpersonen Twitter genutzt haben, um über die Kämpfe auf dem Laufenden zu bleiben. Was sagt dies über die Rolle der sozialen Medien in der Kriegsführung aus?

Ich bin kein Medienfachmann. Aber es ist logisch, dass in jedem Kriegsfall die Aggressoren versuchen würden, den Informationsfluss zu kontrollieren, und das Internet ist eine natürliche Ergänzung dazu. Es ist die neueste Form der Kommunikation, die wir haben.

Was kann Israel von Georgiens Bemühungen lernen, seine PR-Botschaft trotz aller Hackerangriffe weltweit zu verbreiten?

Georgien und Russland führten einen Medienkrieg, und sie sind Fachleute. Die ganze Medienkriegführung war äußerst extrem. Wenn man zwischen amerikanischen und russischen Nachrichtenseiten hin und her wechselt kann man nicht feststellen, wer die Wahrheit sagt. Wahrscheinlich gibt es Beweise dafür, dass Georgien zu manchen Dingen nicht die Wahrheit sagte, um die Medien auf seiner Seite zu halten. Was wir von Georgien und Russland lernen können, ist ihre Fähigkeit, die eigene Situation zu erklären und umfangreiche PR-Kampagnen zu lancieren. Das brauchen wir und uns wurde deutlich aufgezeigt, wie mangelt es uns ist was wir mangeln und wir sind deutlich gezeigt worden, wie die Könner es beherrschen.

Sind pro-israelische Webseiten im Ausland auch verwundbar?

Es gibt Websites außerhalb Israels, die gehackt worden sind, aber ich kann mich aus dem Bauch heraus an kein einzelne erinnern.

Was unternimmt Israel, um die Unversehrtheit seiner Internet-Infrastruktur zu schützen?

Keine Ahnung. Die Regierung ist mein ehemaliger Arbeitgeber. Dort müssen Sie nachfragen.

Welche Vorsichtsmaßnahmen können jüdische Websites treffen?

Zuerst sollten sie Sicherheit in ihr System bringen; sich vergewissern, dass ihre Systeme auf dem neuesten Stand sind, ebenso ihre Software, und sie sollten ihre Schwachstellen kennen. Alles, was gegen normale Hacker schützen kann, wird gegen Hacker mit Motiven schützen. Aber am wichtigsten ist, das Betriebssystem und die Programme und andere Sicherheitsmaßnahmen auf dem neuesten Stand zu halten.

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Hasta ahora el único CERT, o equipo de respuesta ante incidentes que funciona en el país, es el Arcert, que depende de la Oficina Naci...... LEER MAS >> ]]> http://kanabies.wordpress.com/?p=220 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:17:26 +0000 kernellicious http://kanabies.wordpress.com/?p=220 ====================================================================
title: Bladjar Buat CCNA
post author: kernellicious
date posted: August, 04th 2008
posted in: Cert
====================================================================

Kalo aye, persiapannye:

1. tekad yang kuad disertayi nekad yang bulad dan tudjuwan yang mantapd

2. sybex 640-802 tulisan master Todd Lammle (not lamer)

3. gns3 (simulator yang powerfull!!)

4. Cisco IOS image (yang gretong bo!!)

5. tabungan buat ujian

6. pass4sure terbaru (buat ngapalin soal)

Sybex 640-802, Todd Lammle, ada 14 bab.
Oke sista, mungkin training (maharani bo, 4 jeti an) itu mendukung, tapi hasil yang paling berpengaruh adalah praktek, latihan dan ngerti konsep.

c moi not a ccna yet, but i really want to..!!

====================================================================

./ialwaysloveshares

I missed updates on the CERT #800113 DNS issue. It seams that we didn't have the 30 days, as Kaminsky requested, but 13 days. As published by Security Focus on July 22nd and 24th in Kerfuffle erupts as DNS flaw described and Metasploit releases double-whammy for DNS.

I asked my own ISP (XS4all) about this issue, and got the response from the Helpdesk on the 25th:

... although the attack is plausible, it is being over hyped. The chance that this attack will take place is small.

technorati tags: 800113, cert, hacking, kaminsky, risk, security, xs4all

"Depending upon how it is configured, Bluetooth technology can be fairly secure," the advisory said. "Unfortunately, many Bluetooth devices rely on short numeric PIN numbers instead of more secure passwords or passphrases."

Basically, any device that can "discover" another Bluetooth device can send unsolicited messages or do things that could lead to extra fees, data being compromised or corrupted, data stolen in an attack called "bluesnarfing," or the device being infected with a virus, the advisory said.

To protect against these risks, Bluetooth owners should disable the technology when it is not being used, disable unnecessary features, and switch it to "hidden" mode, CERT said. Using "hidden" mode won't prevent me from using my headset with my phone because once the two devices have located each other, or paired, they will continue to be able to recognize each other thereafter.

Bluetooth users should also be careful where they are using the technology. For instance, using it in a public wireless "hotspot" poses a greater risk that someone else can intercept the connection than using it in your home or car, according to the advisory.

Now all I have to do is get something to protect me from the Bluetooth device's electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs), which may or may not pose health risks.

Read more: Pairing your cell with Bluetooth? Buyer beware

Also known as Certificated Locations - The Caravan Club has the right to grant a certificate to small, privately-owned caravan sites to licence them for use exclusively by Club members. These are low-cost, often (but not always) lower facilities than regular Club Sites, and are limited to a maximum of 5 caravans at any one time. Many have a very informal atmosphere, perhaps being located in the grounds of a farm, pub, country house or even a castle.

Also see:  www.cltouring.com

I know I have a caching DNS server in my ADSL modem, and the chance is quite high that you do too. Now is the time to update your modem, get the extra features. Contact your vendor or ISP and get the patch, don't trust that nothing will happen to you, it will! This is very important.

technorati tags: hacking, kaminsky, cert, 800113, security, risk

Can you remember when vendors all joined hands, worked together, came up with a solution, and coordinated a single day to release the patch?  Not only that, but this has been kept under wraps really well over the past 4+ months while it has been talked about and worked on.  To me that is more impressive than any patch that is released.

Anyway, back to the DNS stuff.  Today is the patch release day and the short story is that you should patch your name servers ASAP.  You should really patch all your systems as DNS clients are at risk also, but name server are the most important to patch.  You not only need to worry about your internal DNS servers, but also your upstream servers.  Dan has a link on his site that will allow you to test whether or not you are "safe".  If you try this and it reports back that your upstream provider is vulnerable shoot them an email to find out when they plan on patching, or start using another DNS server that is patched.

Usually a patch is released with all the gory details of the vulnerability, but the exact details of this flaw have not been released yet.  Dan plans on releasing the details during his presentation in Vegas at Black Hat which is a month away.  The rationale here is that delaying the release of details will buy some time for systems to be patched before exploits start popping up.  Don't assume this means people won't reverse engineer the patch sooner.....go patch.

CERT has released a vulnerability note with some details.  You can find some decent info in there, including some vendor notes.  Rich Mogull over at Securosis has a good write up and an interview with Dan that I recommend you listen to.

Oh and did I mention....go patch.  ;)

*Update*

Dan Kaminsky has updated his blog with a post about this whole thing.

Chris Eng from Veracode has an interesting post surrounding this as well.

Imorgon ska jag på valpträff hos kenneln, det ska bli jättekul!! hoppas vädret håller i sig och att vi kan sitta ute och ha det trevligt! :)

Det som var trist idag var själva tävlingshallen. Det var en världsvinnar utställnig och det kändes som vilken skk ustösllning som helst, inget flac´shigt, inte speciellt mycekt försäljare och ja som en vän sa : -som att ställa i en lagerlokal.... och jag håller med!

Nu var jag inte där och såg finalerna, så jag kan inget säga om dem.. men någon gala stämning kan jag inte tänka mig att det var... Nåja sluta och klaga i alla fall det ska jag

Nu har jag varit utan barnen i två dagar och det är jättejobbitg.. speiellt när Manne är ledsen och ringer och vill komma hem.. men han är ju i skåne så han kan inte komma hem på en gång.. Hoppas att det blir bättre.. annars får jag åka ned och hämta honom på nått sätt.. eller skicka ned Melle att hämta hem pojke busen :) Jag hoppas dock att han ska tycka att de har kul där och vilja stanna kvar.. men han är ju en liten kille fortfarande så klart att vara borta från mamma och pappa så långe kan skapa lite jobbiga stunder.. då är det bara att bita ihop och hoppas på att det går över !

Kram och godnatt!

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

The program will be offered again in September. For more information or an application, call Officer William Eicholz at (732) 827-2079.

Members of the Rahway Community Response Team training at the Union County Fire Academy in Linden. Pictured above: Judi Dimaio, Omayra Acevedo, Christen Mandela, Tara Tilton, Chris Gonczik, Dennis Kirk, William Taylor, Jean Robertson, Denise B. Brevard, Greg Gillespie, Chuck Sweetman, John Pencak, David Stuart, Russ Painter, Debbie Painter, John Mazurick, Ed Kelly, PO William Oplinger, PO William Eicholz training coordinators.

My intention of this blog is to ask the question WHY? And to find the answers as to why, not excuses; but justified reasons, then perhaps the WHY can be solved!!

WHY Number 1:

With all the Natural Disasters occurring throughout the planet WHY are humans so unprepared?

There are numerous sites on the World Wide Web with free training and information on how to be prepared for such:

o         FEMA’s  - Are you Ready

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/

o         Citizens Corps - Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)

https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/

o       Department of Health and Senior Services  - Ready in 3

http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3/

These are just a few offered here in the United States. Many are translated into Foreign languages. So, the problem is not having access to the information or being able to read the information in an understandable language.

Perhaps, the problem is just taking the time to read the information and applying it to each individuals circumstance.

Each person should ask themselves,

Are you, your family’s, and neighbors’ lives worth spending a few hours learning how to be prepared for a Natural Disaster?

Think of all the lives that could be saved if only one person in each household took the time to prepare.

There is an old commercial that was on TV many years ago that simply said:

Do you know where your children are?

I believe today the question should be:

Do you know your Emergency Operations Plan?

Pamphila Tarhuntassa

The emissions come from energy use, usually gas and electricity consumption, but in some cases heating oil and liquid petroleum gas consumption. These are the figures for domestic carbon dioxide emissions from DEFRA – the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

• 53% from space heating
• 20% from water heating
• 24% from electrical lighting and appliances
• 5% from cooking

These statistics vary from year to year as the weather varies. I think that when you look at other figures the emissions from water heating are probably slightly higher and the emissions from heating and cooking slightly lower, but for the purposes of this post I shall accept DEFRA’s figures.

What is the United Kingdom doing to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from houses by encouraging householders to take up renewable energy?

The answer is virtually nothing.

Together the heat technologies – space and water heating create three quarters of the emissions. Bear in mind that these are average figures only, so if you live in a very modern home the insulation will be higher and the share of space heating will decline, and water heating increase. If you have a large family the water heating figure will also be higher – and a large family in a very modern home will probably spend at least 60% of its heat carbon dioxide output on water heating.

The emissions by heat in homes are by far the greatest, no question about that even on DEFRA’s average figures. So you will be as puzzled as me when I explain that in an effort to reduce household emissions government policy has over the past years been to

• Provide household photovoltaics with subsidies that generally were five or six times more than subsidies for renewable heat
• Provide household wind turbines with not only direct subsidies but also indirect ones that together are on average twice the value of those provided for solar water heating.
• Encourage the generation of renewable electricity by a Renewable Obligation, but have no similar incentive for the generation of renewable heat.

This odd state of affairs has existed for a number of years. I have asked Mr Wicks the Energy Minister on two occasions at public meetings in Blackpool and in Manchester (he was later to lose his post as energy minister only to be reappointed a year later) why there was no renewable heat obligation and why we had an electricity policy and not an energy policy, but unfortunately his replies were so unmemorable that I have forgotten what he said.

The UK’s renewable subsidy program is called “the Low Carbon Building Programme Phase 1” which was thought to be an improvement on its predecessor which was simply called “the Clear-Skies Scheme”.

The subsidy level is very low (it was reduced a year ago by 20% to £400), and what is worse (and the main reason why the subsidy is not being taken up in any significant numbers) is that this very low level of subsidy is conditional upon the applicant having done things or doing things which are completely unrelated to renewable water heating.

The applicant must install loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and low energy lighting. This is apparently because you should only get the subsidy (bear in mind it is only £400) if you are "holistic" enough to spend £700 on measures which will not make your water heating greener or more sustainable.

I understand that most people who install solar thermal systems do not bother with the subsidy, such is the unfortunate complexity and inappropriateness of the rules surrounding it.

While on the subject of subsidy, we should look at the value of the subsidy in relation to the Government’s tax take on a solar system. The value added tax rate of an installed solar system is 5%. That means if you spend £4200 on an installation, £200 is value added tax that goes to the government. This is exactly the same rate of tax that is charged on your highly polluting fossil fuel heating system.

The United Kingdom has only one real policy of reducing household emissions through its Carbon Emissions Reductions Target (CERT). Essentially this policy requires energy suppliers to add extra charges on their customer’s energy bills (usually around 4%) on the basis that the energy supplier is legally obliged to spend the money added on measures to reduce carbon emissions.

This makes it a bit like an additional energy tax – additional to the 5% VAT, which is hypothecated. Around 90% of the money so raised is spent on either supplying from insulation to vulnerable people or subsidised insulation for households that are not vulnerable. The remaining 10% is spent on other ways of reducing carbon emissions – such as handing out low energy light bulbs.

I am not sure that this policy is terribly effective; insulation does save energy, but I suspect that behaviourally if your energy costs less, you bathe and shower more and you turn the heat up and wear fewer clothes at home. I also doubt that the energy supply companies are the fittest organisations to undertake measures which effectively reduce their won turnover and profit.

However, I am sure that insulation is a key measure in carbon emission reduction, but it should not be the only measure and it is not the most important measure.

It is more important that we devote resources to generating energy from renewables. I think that the carbon dioxide savings will over the long term be higher and will last longer and that it will help the United Kingdom have a renewable energy industry which will be required to serve it more and more in the years to come.

The United Kingdom’s present ways of trying to save household carbon dioxide emissions are rather odd, when you think about it. The United Kingdom’s homes emit 25% of its carbon dioxide. Of that 53% is space heating and 20% for water heating. There is a scheme to save emissions on space heating by insulation, although how much it actually saves is not measured. There is a scheme to generously subsidise some of the 24% electricity consumption with renewable energy but for heat the subsidy is shrouded in such conditions that make it worthless for most people.

It all goes back to the questions that I asked Mr Wicks – why do we have an electricity policy and no energy policy and why is there no renewable heat obligation. These questions are still unanswered.