I would support the IET declaring a climate emergency, and I suspect that the majority of the membership would also support such a declaration. We should be supporting best practice in electrical installation to reduce losses. Consider also not just the environment but also the recent increases in electricity prices. In more and more cases it will be worth increasing cable sizes in order to reduce losses. 

In industrial control gear a lot of energy is wasted in running incandescent pilot lamps and in power wasting contactor coils. There is often a view that in the case of plant using hundreds of kilowatts, that a few watts wasted does not matter. This in my view is incorrect, if replacing incandescent pilot lamps with LEDs costs £100 and saves £33 a year, then it should be done. The fact that the percentage savings are say 0,001% is irrelevant.

And what happened to economy circuits for contactor coils ?

However as some of the above posts show, such views are not universal.

The IET is the institute of engeering and technology. Nothing to do with the catastrophic doom that is alleged.

I like there independence.

What is it broardgauge that is alarming you?

I agree.

The law of supply and demand may be cutting in. If energy becomes more expensive, then it becomes cost-effective to reduce consumption. Eventually a new equilibrium will be reached.

Then of course, well beyond my demise, there will be no fossil fuels so a new climate equilibrium will be reached.

I am alarmed by the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, this is generally accepted to be driving higher temperatures and more extreme weather globally, and increasing sea levels.

The recent heatwave resulted in numerous temperature records being broken both within the UK and overseas.

Rising sea levels may soon render Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other low lying nations uninhabitable.

Worldwide, many cities are facing a permanent drought due to lack of snow and ice upriver of the city. Snow and ice melted gradually during the hot season and produced a somewhat steady flow in the river that supplied water to the city. Now they get rain instead of snow, this rushes down downriver and results in flooding, followed by a drought.

Some parts of the world are becoming too hot for human life. The limit for human survival is 35 degrees wet bulb temperature, or about 50 degrees dry bulb temperature.

I am alarmed by the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, this is generally accepted to be driving higher temperatures and more extreme weather globally, and increasing sea levels.

The recent heatwave resulted in numerous temperature records being broken both within the UK and overseas.

Rising sea levels may soon render Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other low lying nations uninhabitable.

Worldwide, many cities are facing a permanent drought due to lack of snow and ice upriver of the city. Snow and ice melted gradually during the hot season and produced a somewhat steady flow in the river that supplied water to the city. Now they get rain instead of snow, this rushes down downriver and results in flooding, followed by a drought.

Some parts of the world are becoming too hot for human life. The limit for human survival is 35 degrees wet bulb temperature, or about 50 degrees dry bulb temperature.

Broadgage, you are spouting nonsense. Perhaps you would care to discuss DATA instead of propaganda. The NASA data for global temperature from satellite measurements is not increasing in any significant way. Our food production is doing very nicely thanks due to increased CO2. The thermodynamics say that the "Greenhouse" effect doesn't exist, the original proposition was made a long time ago, and was erroneous then. Rising oceans are not a problem at present rates, and even these measurements are rather unreliable. Animals in general do better in hotter temperatures rather than cold ones. In other words, you must prove beyond doubt that there is an emergency, such would require killing about 5 Billion people to make a difference. Why are you not protesting about China and India building HUGE numbers of coal power stations? Basically why the UK, whatever we do, it is impossible to make a worldwide difference? What part of that do you not understand, and why do your "friends" not understand it either? I am very happy to discuss the thermodynamics with you, but reading a textbook would probably be easier. I will ask the first question of the discussion. What exactly (at a molecular level) is temperature? BTW we also need to include the Physics of the Sun, what is the mechanism of energy absorption by gases, the effects of pressure and convection and many other topics, including the laws of thermodynamics. It might take a while, but not understanding all of this you cannot have an opinion, and neither should the IET as very few members could cope, many have enough trouble with simple electrical systems!

Let's keep this respectful please. There's a debate going on and there's no room for insults. 

While this is a contentious issue everyone needs to accept and be respectful of other people's views.