This is not my... Focus
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Bring Back the Boffin!
"Boffins are scientists, engineers, and other people who are stereotypically seen as engaged in technical or scientific research"- Wikipedia
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And not the distant cousins to the Puffin.... (Lara?)
The name might seem a little twee nowadays but it was an affectionate term for a person engaged in ‘back-room' research during the second world war.*
Anyhow - last week it was 'Bring Back the Blimp' and this week it's the Boffins.
Basically if you haven't yet got the picture just think of Q from Bond (James Bond).
Yes, if we want to bring back the new and improved blimp or any other amazing things we can dream up then we need these guys to figure out how.
If oil is runnng out - which even George W accepts it is - then whether we like it or not this is going to bring about huge changes to our economy and our way of life. Unless....
Dun dun nun nahhhh "Here they come to save the day - etc"
... We gather these clever minds together and get them to come up with the technology we need to get our country working again.
In my mind, therefore, it makes sense to start doing it sooner rather than later.
Although Mr Brown gave another £50 million to microgeneration technologies in theis years budget a little bit more wouldn't go amiss.
Britain's have made some of the most amazing things ever. The light, bicycle, computer, internet, steam train, television, vaccinations, salad cream...
As a small island of limited resource it was our technological advancement that enabled us to conquer a third of the globe and to stay at the forefront of world politics.
If we don't nurture our skills as innovators we will be left behind as the developing nations pass us by.
We may be investing £50 million (and I assume some more in private investments) this is a tiny amount in comparison to other investment in this emerging industry.
According to the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century:
"Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30 billion in 2004.."
Billion...
And that:
"Countries with the strongest markets in renewable energies include Brazil (particularly for biofuels), China (solar hot water and small hydro), Denmark (wind), Germany (wind and solar PV), India (wind and rural solar and biomass), Japan (solar PV), Spain (wind), and the United States."
So not us then.
For an example of the incredible benefits of the industry just check out the growth of SunTech, a Chinese company.
The Worldwatch Institute notes that:
"Having passed the payoff point in 2003, Suntech earned US $18.5 million in net profits in 2004 and a shocking $23 million in net profits for the first nine months of 2005, boasting a year-on-year growth rate of 163 percent. The company projects net profits of $50 million and $90 million in 2005 and 2006 respectively, achieving a return-on-investment rate rarely seen elsewhere.
We have got to get in on the action.
If we aren't careful our reticence to adapt might be troublesome. Already the developing nations are looking to each other for support and investment. Take China's interest in Brazil as a prime example.
So maybe we need to think about a little more innovation and a little more about investment in technologies of our own.
Only yesterday the BBC reported that wind energy has reached a crossroads in the UK and needs a cash injection to reach its full potential. We are surrounded by water for tidal power and despite the usual British complaints about the weather according to the Solar Energy Society:
"In Britain each square metre of a south-facing roof receives around 1000 kWh of solar radiation during a year. This means that the roofs of many of our homes receive more energy from the sun in a year than we need to provide both the space heating and hot water."
Perhaps it is time then to get together all the pennies we can find and dust off those lab coats.
It's time for some drastic action.
Yes.
It is time to:
Bring Back the Boffins!
"The world leaders in innovation and creativity will also be world leaders in everything else." - Harold R. McAlindon
*As twee as it may be I am sticking with Boffin though. My gutter-mind can't cope with going on about 'back-room boys' without finding it childishly amusing.
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