WUWT
"Greece, aiming to stave off a fresh energy crisis, plans to support its main electricity market operator through a temporary tax on renewable power producers and by extending an emergency loan, a senior official said on Friday. The electricity system came close to collapse in June when market operator LAGHE was overwhelmed by subsidies it pays to green power producers as part of efforts to bolster solar energy. Greece has slashed the guaranteed feed-in prices it pays to some solar operators and is no longer approving permits for their installation."
Saturday, 29 September 2012
The great Arctic ice scare melts away as Antarctic ice hits record highs
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
" A Nasa surface temperature graph has long shown that the Arctic was considerably warmer in the late 1930s than it has ever been since. Furthermore, what the warmist scaremongers always forget to tell us is that polar ice at the other end of the world has been reaching record highs in recent years. Last week, Antarctica’s sea ice area was only just short of the greatest extent ever recorded at either pole. A graph on the science blog Watts Up With That, charting the combined global sea ice area over the past 33 years, shows the overall extent having remained virtually constant ever since 1979. But isn’t the point about this warming that it is meant to be “global”?
" A Nasa surface temperature graph has long shown that the Arctic was considerably warmer in the late 1930s than it has ever been since. Furthermore, what the warmist scaremongers always forget to tell us is that polar ice at the other end of the world has been reaching record highs in recent years. Last week, Antarctica’s sea ice area was only just short of the greatest extent ever recorded at either pole. A graph on the science blog Watts Up With That, charting the combined global sea ice area over the past 33 years, shows the overall extent having remained virtually constant ever since 1979. But isn’t the point about this warming that it is meant to be “global”?
George Osborne's CO2 tax will double UK electricity bills
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
"One reason why these plants are being hammered through their remaining quota of hours allowed by the EU is that a new UK tax comes into force next April, which aims to make fossil-fuel power significantly more expensive. In 2010, George Osborne announced his intention to impose, from April 2013, a “carbon floor price” of £16 on every tonne of CO2 emitted by British industry, rising to £30 a tonne by 2020 and £70 a tonne by 2030. An explicit purpose of this tax is to make the cost of electricity from fossil fuels so uncompetitive compared with “renewables” that it will, in the Treasury’s words, “drive £30‑£40 billion” of investment into “low carbon” sources such as wind and nuclear. On paper, the effect of Osborne’s new tax on our electricity bills looks devastating."
"One reason why these plants are being hammered through their remaining quota of hours allowed by the EU is that a new UK tax comes into force next April, which aims to make fossil-fuel power significantly more expensive. In 2010, George Osborne announced his intention to impose, from April 2013, a “carbon floor price” of £16 on every tonne of CO2 emitted by British industry, rising to £30 a tonne by 2020 and £70 a tonne by 2030. An explicit purpose of this tax is to make the cost of electricity from fossil fuels so uncompetitive compared with “renewables” that it will, in the Treasury’s words, “drive £30‑£40 billion” of investment into “low carbon” sources such as wind and nuclear. On paper, the effect of Osborne’s new tax on our electricity bills looks devastating."
Friday, 28 September 2012
Energy: rigging the market
Dr Richard North
"Sneaked in a week ago, therefore, was a detailed report addressed to the EU commission, entitled, "Creating the Internal Energy Market". Dealing with the lack of profitability in the wind industry, it is promoting no less than a revolution in the way electricity is priced and marketed. At its heart is the premise we saw yesterday, where it is recognised that, "in contrast to conventional power generation, which is demand driven, wind energy is mainly supply driven according to the availability of its energy source". It took 20 years to connect the first 10GW of wind power to the grids in European countries, and another 13 years to add 90GW - with over half installed in just the last six years. Still unable to compete, in order to get its next 100GW, and the next, conventional electricity generation is to be made vastly more expensive, while the market is to be redesigned (i.e., rigged) to fit the renewables supplier rather than the consumer."
"Sneaked in a week ago, therefore, was a detailed report addressed to the EU commission, entitled, "Creating the Internal Energy Market". Dealing with the lack of profitability in the wind industry, it is promoting no less than a revolution in the way electricity is priced and marketed. At its heart is the premise we saw yesterday, where it is recognised that, "in contrast to conventional power generation, which is demand driven, wind energy is mainly supply driven according to the availability of its energy source". It took 20 years to connect the first 10GW of wind power to the grids in European countries, and another 13 years to add 90GW - with over half installed in just the last six years. Still unable to compete, in order to get its next 100GW, and the next, conventional electricity generation is to be made vastly more expensive, while the market is to be redesigned (i.e., rigged) to fit the renewables supplier rather than the consumer."
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
500,000 New US Jobs By 2025 Thanks To Affordable Shale Gas – US Gas 75% Cheaper Than In Europe
NoTricksZone
"Unless the European government wakes up from its climate-protection fantasy, there will be no need for anyone there to turn off the lights when leaving. They’ll be going out by themselves soon enough."
"Unless the European government wakes up from its climate-protection fantasy, there will be no need for anyone there to turn off the lights when leaving. They’ll be going out by themselves soon enough."
The day after Britain's worst storm in 30 years: Massive clear-up begins after deluge so powerful it warped roads
Daily Mail
"The Met Office said an area of low pressure measuring 973 millibars had been recorded near the coast of the north east of England making the bad weather the most intense September storm for 30 years. Although the heavy rain is expected to die off today, there are still 75 flood warnings and 123 flood alerts in place today, and some communities are being warned of the possibility of more flooding."
"The Met Office said an area of low pressure measuring 973 millibars had been recorded near the coast of the north east of England making the bad weather the most intense September storm for 30 years. Although the heavy rain is expected to die off today, there are still 75 flood warnings and 123 flood alerts in place today, and some communities are being warned of the possibility of more flooding."
Solar Climate Change: "This was the worst September storm to hit Britain in 30 years" - BBC News
Climate Realists
"Flooding is still causing problems for roads, rail and properties, as the most intense September storm for 30 years continues. About 70 warnings were in place, mainly in the north of England."
"Flooding is still causing problems for roads, rail and properties, as the most intense September storm for 30 years continues. About 70 warnings were in place, mainly in the north of England."
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
But will it get the green out?
Quadrant Online (Australia)
" ....5. Load Clothes Do not overload. Check to ensure all proletariat pockets have been picked and are empty. See 2.
6. Close Lid
7. Select Wash Cycle Required
(a) White Wash
(b) Green Wash
(c) Red Wash
(d) Colours
(e) (Shades of) Grey Wash
8. Insert Coins Carbon Credits into Slide
9. Push Slide in Gently
10. When All Lights are Out and Economy has Stopped, Remove Clothes and Carbon Price.
11. Washing Time Required for Laundering Earth’s Atmosphere Fifty years to one thousand years, or longer.
12. Spin, baby, spin! ....."
ED: Very Funny, but true
" ....5. Load Clothes Do not overload. Check to ensure all proletariat pockets have been picked and are empty. See 2.
6. Close Lid
7. Select Wash Cycle Required
(a) White Wash
(b) Green Wash
(c) Red Wash
(d) Colours
(e) (Shades of) Grey Wash
8. Insert Coins Carbon Credits into Slide
9. Push Slide in Gently
10. When All Lights are Out and Economy has Stopped, Remove Clothes and Carbon Price.
11. Washing Time Required for Laundering Earth’s Atmosphere Fifty years to one thousand years, or longer.
12. Spin, baby, spin! ....."
ED: Very Funny, but true
Al Gore’s ‘dirty weather’ timing is impeccable – NOAA just released data showing 2012 tornado count dropping like a house in Oz
WUWT
"Gore still hasn’t fessed up to the “24 hours of reality” lie he foisted on the public last year with his Climate101 video where he faked the results of a CO2 experiment in post production because it couldn’t possibly ever work on its own. I located all the exact same props and replicated his experiment, and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the end result of that experiment presented to the viewer was faked."
"Gore still hasn’t fessed up to the “24 hours of reality” lie he foisted on the public last year with his Climate101 video where he faked the results of a CO2 experiment in post production because it couldn’t possibly ever work on its own. I located all the exact same props and replicated his experiment, and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the end result of that experiment presented to the viewer was faked."
Monday, 24 September 2012
Drought and Climate Change
Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog
"The amount of nonsense in public debate on extreme events and climate change remains at a high level. This is great news for me because it provides plenty of opportunities to discuss what the actual science says and how we think we know what we know. As I have long argued, accurate representations of the state of science of extremes is far more important as a matter of scientific integrity than to the hyper-politiczed debate over climate change. Put another way, it is highly unlikely that misrepresentations of the state of science will do much to move action on energy policies, but they could damage the integrity of leading institutions of science."
ED:Mr Pielke Jr.practices the art of fence-sitting,and quietly rages against the so-called "science".
"The amount of nonsense in public debate on extreme events and climate change remains at a high level. This is great news for me because it provides plenty of opportunities to discuss what the actual science says and how we think we know what we know. As I have long argued, accurate representations of the state of science of extremes is far more important as a matter of scientific integrity than to the hyper-politiczed debate over climate change. Put another way, it is highly unlikely that misrepresentations of the state of science will do much to move action on energy policies, but they could damage the integrity of leading institutions of science."
ED:Mr Pielke Jr.practices the art of fence-sitting,and quietly rages against the so-called "science".
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Alex Salmond’s wind farm delusion
Andrew Montford,Spectator
"The UK plan is to reduce carbon emissions by 34 percent by 2020 — regardless of the consequences. That’s bad enough, but the Scottish government’s bid to out-Blackadder their Westminster counterparts almost defies belief. The idea seems to be that Scotland can turn itself into a Celtic version of Denmark — the Danes generate 30% of their electricity from wind turbines. Scotland is allegedly going to generate the equivalent of 100% of electricity consumption using renewables, exporting much of this power to England.
The idea that this is a plausible future for Scotland relies on that combination of ignorance and wishful thinking that you only ever get at Holyrood. Denmark has make wind power work — after a fashion — simply because of who its neighbours are. Wind turbines works well alongside hydroelectric, so on windy days the Danes export the majority of the power they generate to Norway and Sweden, where the much larger grids can absorb the power surges. When the wind doesn’t blow, they can buy hydro power in return.
It sounds great on the surface, but it is actually an extraordinarily bad deal. The Danes pay top dollar for the hydro power they buy from Norway, but have to almost give away the surplus wind power that they generate. The Danish consumer in effect subsidises the Norwegian housewife.
What is even more remarkable is that all their spending on wind power has made almost no difference to the amount of carbon dioxide the Danes emit: their per capita emission levels are almost identical to ours. But electricity prices are a different story; the Danes pay more for their power than any other country in Europe – twice as much as us in UK. So the Scots who are worried about their fuel bills this winter really ain’t seen nothing yet."
"The UK plan is to reduce carbon emissions by 34 percent by 2020 — regardless of the consequences. That’s bad enough, but the Scottish government’s bid to out-Blackadder their Westminster counterparts almost defies belief. The idea seems to be that Scotland can turn itself into a Celtic version of Denmark — the Danes generate 30% of their electricity from wind turbines. Scotland is allegedly going to generate the equivalent of 100% of electricity consumption using renewables, exporting much of this power to England.
The idea that this is a plausible future for Scotland relies on that combination of ignorance and wishful thinking that you only ever get at Holyrood. Denmark has make wind power work — after a fashion — simply because of who its neighbours are. Wind turbines works well alongside hydroelectric, so on windy days the Danes export the majority of the power they generate to Norway and Sweden, where the much larger grids can absorb the power surges. When the wind doesn’t blow, they can buy hydro power in return.
It sounds great on the surface, but it is actually an extraordinarily bad deal. The Danes pay top dollar for the hydro power they buy from Norway, but have to almost give away the surplus wind power that they generate. The Danish consumer in effect subsidises the Norwegian housewife.
What is even more remarkable is that all their spending on wind power has made almost no difference to the amount of carbon dioxide the Danes emit: their per capita emission levels are almost identical to ours. But electricity prices are a different story; the Danes pay more for their power than any other country in Europe – twice as much as us in UK. So the Scots who are worried about their fuel bills this winter really ain’t seen nothing yet."
Development goals and climate change – poverty barons
Catallaxy Files(Australia)"So desperate is the UK to reach its 0.7 per cent of GNI target for foreign aid, it has been literally throwing money away on consultants to provide ‘services’ to relatively wealthy countries. In an excellent series of articles in the UK’s Telegraph, we can see the extent of these excesses and follies. It seems that when poverty is not available as a justification for giving aid, the standard fallback is climate change which can be used to justify just about any form of expenditure in any country.
Here are some good quotes from the series of articles:
Here are some good quotes from the series of articles:
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Germany's wind power chaos should be a warning to the UK
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
"Germany is way ahead of us on the very path our politicians want us to follow – and the problems it has encountered as a result are big news there. In fact, Germany is being horribly caught out by precisely the same delusion about renewable energy that our own politicians have fallen for. Like all enthusiasts for “free, clean, renewable electricity”, they overlook the fatal implications of the fact that wind speeds and sunlight constantly vary. ....The more a country depends on such sources of energy, the more there will arise – as Germany is discovering – two massive technical problems. One is that it becomes incredibly difficult to maintain a consistent supply of power to the grid, when that wildly fluctuating renewable output has to be balanced by input from conventional power stations. The other is that, to keep that back-up constantly available can require fossil-fuel power plants to run much of the time very inefficiently and expensively....."
"Germany is way ahead of us on the very path our politicians want us to follow – and the problems it has encountered as a result are big news there. In fact, Germany is being horribly caught out by precisely the same delusion about renewable energy that our own politicians have fallen for. Like all enthusiasts for “free, clean, renewable electricity”, they overlook the fatal implications of the fact that wind speeds and sunlight constantly vary. ....The more a country depends on such sources of energy, the more there will arise – as Germany is discovering – two massive technical problems. One is that it becomes incredibly difficult to maintain a consistent supply of power to the grid, when that wildly fluctuating renewable output has to be balanced by input from conventional power stations. The other is that, to keep that back-up constantly available can require fossil-fuel power plants to run much of the time very inefficiently and expensively....."
Solar Influence On Winter Severity In Central Europe, Dispels Junk Claim A Warm Arctic Causes Cold Winters
NoTricksZone
"We’ve been hearing a lot of bogus “model science” asking us to believe the preposterous notion that a warm Arctic and reduced sea ice there “could” lead to bitter cold winters across Europe and North America. In summary the new science insists warming leads to more cold. Now there’s a new paper out in the Geophysical Research Letters titled: Solar influence on winter severity in Central Europe, which tells us this is a load of BS."
"We’ve been hearing a lot of bogus “model science” asking us to believe the preposterous notion that a warm Arctic and reduced sea ice there “could” lead to bitter cold winters across Europe and North America. In summary the new science insists warming leads to more cold. Now there’s a new paper out in the Geophysical Research Letters titled: Solar influence on winter severity in Central Europe, which tells us this is a load of BS."
Friday, 21 September 2012
Antarctic Sea Ice Growth Ruins A Good Global Warming Story
Climate Realists
"Lost in all the feverish I-told-you-sos was the fact that on one single day in the last week of June, 46 U.S. cities set or tied record lows. No, they were not all in Alaska. Some were in the Deep South, where even mild summers can be blistering hot. Now we find ourselves at the end of the broiling summer and what do we learn? That, according to James Taylor writing in Forbes, "Antarctic sea ice set another record this past week, with the most amount of ice ever recorded on day 256 of the calendar year (Sept. 12 of this leap year)." Taylor also reports that "Antarctic sea ice has been growing since satellites first began measuring the ice 33 years ago and the sea ice has been above the 33-year average throughout 2012." He also informs readers that ice on the continent itself is growing, too. Meanwhile, at the other pole, Arctic sea ice, which the media call a "critical climate indicator," is at its lowest point in the last 11 years. But earlier in 2012, it was higher than in eight of the years since 2002. Was it also a "critical climate indicator" then? Is Antarctic sea ice a "critical climate indicator" now? The real crisis is not the heating of the global climate but a fear campaign coming unglued. The alarmists' bible has turned out to be full of false prophets."
"Lost in all the feverish I-told-you-sos was the fact that on one single day in the last week of June, 46 U.S. cities set or tied record lows. No, they were not all in Alaska. Some were in the Deep South, where even mild summers can be blistering hot. Now we find ourselves at the end of the broiling summer and what do we learn? That, according to James Taylor writing in Forbes, "Antarctic sea ice set another record this past week, with the most amount of ice ever recorded on day 256 of the calendar year (Sept. 12 of this leap year)." Taylor also reports that "Antarctic sea ice has been growing since satellites first began measuring the ice 33 years ago and the sea ice has been above the 33-year average throughout 2012." He also informs readers that ice on the continent itself is growing, too. Meanwhile, at the other pole, Arctic sea ice, which the media call a "critical climate indicator," is at its lowest point in the last 11 years. But earlier in 2012, it was higher than in eight of the years since 2002. Was it also a "critical climate indicator" then? Is Antarctic sea ice a "critical climate indicator" now? The real crisis is not the heating of the global climate but a fear campaign coming unglued. The alarmists' bible has turned out to be full of false prophets."
Thursday, 20 September 2012
New paper shows Canadian temperatures as warm or warmer than the present many times over past 785 years
The Hockey Schtick
"A paper published today in Quaternary Research reconstructs June-July temperature trends from the British Columbia Coast Mountains in Canada over the past 785 years from 1225-2010. The paper shows temperatures were as warm or warmer than the present [2010] during many periods in the past including around ~ 1240, 1270, 1310, 1340, 1400, 1460, 1500, 1550, 1590, 1660, 1670, 1710, 1820, and 1930-1940."
"A paper published today in Quaternary Research reconstructs June-July temperature trends from the British Columbia Coast Mountains in Canada over the past 785 years from 1225-2010. The paper shows temperatures were as warm or warmer than the present [2010] during many periods in the past including around ~ 1240, 1270, 1310, 1340, 1400, 1460, 1500, 1550, 1590, 1660, 1670, 1710, 1820, and 1930-1940."
Confirmation bias: the numbers
Andrew Bolt,Herald Sun(Australia)
Record ice melt in the Arctic - 5040 mentions in Google News overnight.
Record ice in the Antarctic: 962 mentions.
Record ice melt in the Arctic - 5040 mentions in Google News overnight.
Record ice in the Antarctic: 962 mentions.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Sea Ice News Volume 3 number 13 – 2012 Arctic sea ice minimum reached, it’s all gain from here
WUWT
"On September 16, Arctic sea ice appeared to have reached its minimum extent for the year of 3.41 million square kilometers (1.32 million square miles). This is the lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since 1979 and reinforces the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent. The sea ice extent will now begin its seasonal increase through autumn and winter. Please note that this is a preliminary announcement. Changing winds could still push ice floes together, reducing ice extent further. NSIDC scientists will release a full analysis of the melt season in early October, once monthly data are available for September."
"On September 16, Arctic sea ice appeared to have reached its minimum extent for the year of 3.41 million square kilometers (1.32 million square miles). This is the lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since 1979 and reinforces the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent. The sea ice extent will now begin its seasonal increase through autumn and winter. Please note that this is a preliminary announcement. Changing winds could still push ice floes together, reducing ice extent further. NSIDC scientists will release a full analysis of the melt season in early October, once monthly data are available for September."
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Regulatory Tsunami To Hit Business If Obama Wins Second Term
Climate Change Dispatch
"Last fall, President Obama decided to cancel a hugely expensive new EPA rule designed to cut smog levels across the country. Obama said he did so out of concern about the rule's impact on jobs. It was just one of many costly regulations the Obama administration has put on hold or delayed in the run-up to the election, as the president tried to dispel the impression that he's anti-business. "I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty," Obama said when he put the brakes on the smog standard, "particularly as our economy continues to recover." But if Obama wins re-election, all these postponed rules, along with a host of other costly regulations, likely will hit the economic shores."
"Last fall, President Obama decided to cancel a hugely expensive new EPA rule designed to cut smog levels across the country. Obama said he did so out of concern about the rule's impact on jobs. It was just one of many costly regulations the Obama administration has put on hold or delayed in the run-up to the election, as the president tried to dispel the impression that he's anti-business. "I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty," Obama said when he put the brakes on the smog standard, "particularly as our economy continues to recover." But if Obama wins re-election, all these postponed rules, along with a host of other costly regulations, likely will hit the economic shores."
Antarctic sea ice reaches record high while IPCC models predicted the opposite
The Hockey Schtick
"A recent paper in the Journal of Climate finds that most climate models erroneously predict that Antarctic sea ice extent decreased over the past 30 years, which "differs markedly from that observed." As noted in the abstract, Antarctic sea ice has confounded the models by instead increasing over the satellite era. In fact, it is currently at a record extent that is more than 2 standard deviations above the 1979-2000 average."
"A recent paper in the Journal of Climate finds that most climate models erroneously predict that Antarctic sea ice extent decreased over the past 30 years, which "differs markedly from that observed." As noted in the abstract, Antarctic sea ice has confounded the models by instead increasing over the satellite era. In fact, it is currently at a record extent that is more than 2 standard deviations above the 1979-2000 average."
Monday, 17 September 2012
Energy: EU deception on biofuels
Dr Richard North
"....But all this misses the real story, which Booker and I highlighted in July 2008, when it was already known that the biofuels target was extremely damaging. Then, more than four years ago, a United Nations official was describing the rush for biofuels as a "a crime against humanity", while the British Government, published a review urging a slowdown in the move to biofuels. A key recommendation of this Gallagher Report, however, was that, beyond five percent, biofuel after 2013-14 should only be agreed by governments if the fuels were demonstrated as sustainable, including avoiding indirect effects such as change in land use. Thus, right on cue, the EU commission is about to propose precisely that which was suggested those four years ago, dressing it up as a response to the current Oxfam report. The 10 percent target for 2020, agreed in 2007, is to remain, and the amount of land given over to biofuels (much of it in developing countries) is not to be reduced. To call this "smoke and mirrors" would be too restrained. This is government by deception."
"....But all this misses the real story, which Booker and I highlighted in July 2008, when it was already known that the biofuels target was extremely damaging. Then, more than four years ago, a United Nations official was describing the rush for biofuels as a "a crime against humanity", while the British Government, published a review urging a slowdown in the move to biofuels. A key recommendation of this Gallagher Report, however, was that, beyond five percent, biofuel after 2013-14 should only be agreed by governments if the fuels were demonstrated as sustainable, including avoiding indirect effects such as change in land use. Thus, right on cue, the EU commission is about to propose precisely that which was suggested those four years ago, dressing it up as a response to the current Oxfam report. The 10 percent target for 2020, agreed in 2007, is to remain, and the amount of land given over to biofuels (much of it in developing countries) is not to be reduced. To call this "smoke and mirrors" would be too restrained. This is government by deception."
Government burn $70 billion a year subsidizing renewables, and wild claims of “fossil fuel subsidies” debunked
JoNova
"When activists protest about “fossil fuel” subsidies, it is a case of extreme-wordsmithing. Like chinese-whispers, the truth gets turned 180 degrees. It takes a string of half truths stacked in a series to come up with something which is so completely counter to reality it is meaningless.
The reality is that governments around the world are paying billions each year to prop up an industry that is inefficient, uncompetitive and unproductive. It’s money that is desperately needed in health or in real medical and scientific research."
"When activists protest about “fossil fuel” subsidies, it is a case of extreme-wordsmithing. Like chinese-whispers, the truth gets turned 180 degrees. It takes a string of half truths stacked in a series to come up with something which is so completely counter to reality it is meaningless.
The reality is that governments around the world are paying billions each year to prop up an industry that is inefficient, uncompetitive and unproductive. It’s money that is desperately needed in health or in real medical and scientific research."
New paper finds Earth's highest recorded temperature was in 1913 instead of 1922
The Hockey Shctick
"According to a paper published today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, the world record highest temperature extreme of 56.7°C (134°F) was actually during 1913 in Death Valley, CA, rather than in 1922 in Libya. Paradoxically, both recordings occurred when CO2 was "safe."
"According to a paper published today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, the world record highest temperature extreme of 56.7°C (134°F) was actually during 1913 in Death Valley, CA, rather than in 1922 in Libya. Paradoxically, both recordings occurred when CO2 was "safe."
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Greens and Gummer routed as shale gas wins new enthusiasts
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
"What makes all this even more significant, however, is that it is taking place against the background of a truly astonishing worldwide energy revolution. As can be seen from the website of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, country after country is now rushing to exploit the shale gas that, in the past four years, has more than halved gas prices in the US. China, Germany, France, Russia, South Africa and others all have immense reserves that promise to provide the world with cheap energy for centuries to come. And, here in Britain, determined moves are at last being made to reverse the Government’s grudging negativity towards our own vast shale gas reserves, led by our new Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, who seems to be winning surprising support for his enthusiasm for shale gas from key officials in his own department and the Environment Agency, which has regulatory responsibility for this new industry."
"What makes all this even more significant, however, is that it is taking place against the background of a truly astonishing worldwide energy revolution. As can be seen from the website of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, country after country is now rushing to exploit the shale gas that, in the past four years, has more than halved gas prices in the US. China, Germany, France, Russia, South Africa and others all have immense reserves that promise to provide the world with cheap energy for centuries to come. And, here in Britain, determined moves are at last being made to reverse the Government’s grudging negativity towards our own vast shale gas reserves, led by our new Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, who seems to be winning surprising support for his enthusiasm for shale gas from key officials in his own department and the Environment Agency, which has regulatory responsibility for this new industry."
Thursday, 13 September 2012
The IPCC Sinks to a New Low
Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog
"PIELKE RESPONSE SEPTEMBER 13: Not that the IPCC has shown a commitment to accuracy, but here it relies on a bureaucratic dodge to ignore the false information it put out via press reslease. Not good."
"PIELKE RESPONSE SEPTEMBER 13: Not that the IPCC has shown a commitment to accuracy, but here it relies on a bureaucratic dodge to ignore the false information it put out via press reslease. Not good."
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Reality Check: China’s Coal Boom
GWPF
"Even if China succeeds in building the 150 nuclear plants they aspire to over the next 50 years, they will still be burning more coal in 2035 than the entire world burns now."
"Even if China succeeds in building the 150 nuclear plants they aspire to over the next 50 years, they will still be burning more coal in 2035 than the entire world burns now."
Key Global Warming Report was Fudged
The Hockey Schtick
" Lilley is not easily irked. What has caught his full ire is his analytic look-back at the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change — a 700-page report released for the British government in October 2006. You can see why in his report What is Wrong with Stern? The Failings of the Stern Review, available from the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
His basic concern is that Stern was, at the time, a government-employed economist who was asked by his government to answer a question which was formulated by government. He gave them the answer they were hoping for."
" Lilley is not easily irked. What has caught his full ire is his analytic look-back at the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change — a 700-page report released for the British government in October 2006. You can see why in his report What is Wrong with Stern? The Failings of the Stern Review, available from the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
His basic concern is that Stern was, at the time, a government-employed economist who was asked by his government to answer a question which was formulated by government. He gave them the answer they were hoping for."
Global Warming Now Pounding Antarctica…Springtime Temps A Balmy -107°F, Windchill Temps Of -152°F !!
NoTricksZone
"Antarctica just refuses to cooperate with the global warming meltdown narrative. Down at the South Pole it’s early spring, but you wouldn’t know it from the weather forecast for Vostok, beginning with Thursday September 13, 2012:"
"Antarctica just refuses to cooperate with the global warming meltdown narrative. Down at the South Pole it’s early spring, but you wouldn’t know it from the weather forecast for Vostok, beginning with Thursday September 13, 2012:"
Warmism's ebbing tide
Quadrant Online (Australia)
"There are two reasons why NSW’s decision to remove the compulsory application of coastal councils’ benchmarks for rises in sea levels, as outlined by Special Minister of State Chris Hartcher, is an important development in the debate on global warming. First, it represents a retreat from former official certainties and, of more tangible significance, it boosts the likelihood of Victoria and Queensland following suit."
"There are two reasons why NSW’s decision to remove the compulsory application of coastal councils’ benchmarks for rises in sea levels, as outlined by Special Minister of State Chris Hartcher, is an important development in the debate on global warming. First, it represents a retreat from former official certainties and, of more tangible significance, it boosts the likelihood of Victoria and Queensland following suit."
Monday, 10 September 2012
What to expect if President Obama wins second term
LA Times
"CLIMATE: Obama sharply criticized Romney in Thursday's speech, saying "Climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They are a threat to our children's future."
Since his election, Obama has taken two significant steps to reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases — measures to increase the fuel economy of new cars and regulations to reduce the use of coal to generate electricity. But broader measures failed in Congress in 2009. If Obama wins reelection, environmental groups will push hard for him to make a renewed effort, which could involve further regulatory steps if the deadlock in Congress continues."
ED: Climate Change has occurred for millions of years - fact. A TAX will not change a thing.
"CLIMATE: Obama sharply criticized Romney in Thursday's speech, saying "Climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They are a threat to our children's future."
Since his election, Obama has taken two significant steps to reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases — measures to increase the fuel economy of new cars and regulations to reduce the use of coal to generate electricity. But broader measures failed in Congress in 2009. If Obama wins reelection, environmental groups will push hard for him to make a renewed effort, which could involve further regulatory steps if the deadlock in Congress continues."
ED: Climate Change has occurred for millions of years - fact. A TAX will not change a thing.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
North Holland Province Says “No” To New Windparks: “Mega Money Pit With Virtually No Merit”
NotricksZone
"The Dutch province of North Holland has realised that windparks are a complete and useless eyesore that blight the landscape, and they save very little CO2. Therefore, the province has decided to forbid their construction."
"The Dutch province of North Holland has realised that windparks are a complete and useless eyesore that blight the landscape, and they save very little CO2. Therefore, the province has decided to forbid their construction."
Are wind farms saving or killing us? A provocative investigation claims thousands of people are falling sick because they live near them
Daily Mail
"The symptoms they claim to have suffered may vary – dizziness; balance problems; memory loss; inability to concentrate; insomnia; tachycardia; increased blood pressure; raised cortisol levels; headaches; nausea; mood swings; anxiety; tinnitus; palpitations; depression – but the theme remains the same."
"The symptoms they claim to have suffered may vary – dizziness; balance problems; memory loss; inability to concentrate; insomnia; tachycardia; increased blood pressure; raised cortisol levels; headaches; nausea; mood swings; anxiety; tinnitus; palpitations; depression – but the theme remains the same."
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Owen Paterson: The 'unknown Cabinet minister’ has a fight on his hands
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
" The brief Mr Paterson has been given, according to Downing Street, is to revive Britain’s hard-pressed rural economy. What he is determined to do is push for a wholesale return to policies that make practical common sense, in light of the facts rather than misguided ideology. If he tries to do that in all the directions his pragmatic instincts lead him to, he will inevitably find himself up against opposition and constraints on all sides – not just from the EU and its house-trained acolytes in his own department but also from other ministers, notably those in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Nowhere is this battle likely to be fiercer than over those useless wind farms and the vast reserves of cheap shale gas, which could offer Britain an even brighter energy future than that promised in the 1970s by the North Sea, as Paterson has been well-briefed to grasp, not least by his brother-in-law Matt Ridley. Thanks to the fact that the regulation of shale gas was given to the Environment Agency, answering to Defra, he can now call the shots on this issue in a way that those who hoped it could thus be parked on the back burner never imagined.
Mr Paterson has indeed got a fight on his hands. If he fails in his drive to bring about the most radical shake-up in Defra’s orientation for decades, he will at least have demonstrated where those problems lie, which are in so many ways constraining the lives of all those affected by its vast range of activities. He – and the rest of us – are in for what promises to be an exhilarating, if unnerving, ride."
" The brief Mr Paterson has been given, according to Downing Street, is to revive Britain’s hard-pressed rural economy. What he is determined to do is push for a wholesale return to policies that make practical common sense, in light of the facts rather than misguided ideology. If he tries to do that in all the directions his pragmatic instincts lead him to, he will inevitably find himself up against opposition and constraints on all sides – not just from the EU and its house-trained acolytes in his own department but also from other ministers, notably those in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Nowhere is this battle likely to be fiercer than over those useless wind farms and the vast reserves of cheap shale gas, which could offer Britain an even brighter energy future than that promised in the 1970s by the North Sea, as Paterson has been well-briefed to grasp, not least by his brother-in-law Matt Ridley. Thanks to the fact that the regulation of shale gas was given to the Environment Agency, answering to Defra, he can now call the shots on this issue in a way that those who hoped it could thus be parked on the back burner never imagined.
Mr Paterson has indeed got a fight on his hands. If he fails in his drive to bring about the most radical shake-up in Defra’s orientation for decades, he will at least have demonstrated where those problems lie, which are in so many ways constraining the lives of all those affected by its vast range of activities. He – and the rest of us – are in for what promises to be an exhilarating, if unnerving, ride."
Thursday, 6 September 2012
New paper finds Southwestern US temperatures 'have been relatively stable over last 500 years'
The Hockey Schtick
"A paper published today in Geophysical Research Letters finds from temperature reconstructions that "Temperature trends in Southwest US have been relatively stable over last 5 centuries" and that there has been "no sustained monotonic rise in temperature or a step-like increase since the late 19th century." This would imply that there has been no significant influence of man-made CO2 on temperatures of the Southwest US."
"A paper published today in Geophysical Research Letters finds from temperature reconstructions that "Temperature trends in Southwest US have been relatively stable over last 5 centuries" and that there has been "no sustained monotonic rise in temperature or a step-like increase since the late 19th century." This would imply that there has been no significant influence of man-made CO2 on temperatures of the Southwest US."
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Nicholas Stern – the most dangerous man you've never heard of
Telegraph
"Pretty much every piece of dire "environmental" policy enacted or proposed since – the carbon taxes, the devastation of our landscape with wind farms, the rise in energy bills, the growing regulatory burden, the abject misery which comes from being controlled by hair-shirt eco loons – is the result of Stern's bravura combination of junk economics with junk science. Sure, others such as Al Gore had sowed the seeds; but it was Stern's apparently rigorous, cost-benefit-analysing report which gave politicians the justification they felt they needed to go ahead and bomb our economies back to the dark ages in order to save the planet for "future generations." (Future generations, it should be noted, who are going to be a hell of a lot richer than we are, and consequently far better capable of dealing with any climate disasters that might arise)"
"Pretty much every piece of dire "environmental" policy enacted or proposed since – the carbon taxes, the devastation of our landscape with wind farms, the rise in energy bills, the growing regulatory burden, the abject misery which comes from being controlled by hair-shirt eco loons – is the result of Stern's bravura combination of junk economics with junk science. Sure, others such as Al Gore had sowed the seeds; but it was Stern's apparently rigorous, cost-benefit-analysing report which gave politicians the justification they felt they needed to go ahead and bomb our economies back to the dark ages in order to save the planet for "future generations." (Future generations, it should be noted, who are going to be a hell of a lot richer than we are, and consequently far better capable of dealing with any climate disasters that might arise)"
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
New paper finds solar activity has a strong influence on Arctic winter severity
The Hockey Schtick
"A paper published today in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics finds the ice winter severity index over the past 600 years in the Baltic region of the Arctic is "strongly modulated" by solar activity over periods as short as one decade. The authors also found that the 180 year cycle of the Barycenter modulates solar activity and the ice winter severity index."
"A paper published today in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics finds the ice winter severity index over the past 600 years in the Baltic region of the Arctic is "strongly modulated" by solar activity over periods as short as one decade. The authors also found that the 180 year cycle of the Barycenter modulates solar activity and the ice winter severity index."
German Professor Says We Are “Treading On Thin Ice” With Our Interpretation Of Warming
NoTricksZone
"Online German daily Die Welt here published a surprisingly anti-alarmist article written by Prof Wolfgang Behringer, a science historian at the University of Saarbrücken.His conclusion: climate change and ice cap melting (and freezing) are nothing new and that man ought to be grateful it’s warmer, and not be hysterical about it.
Indeed this is the first time in human history where some among us are cursing the warmth. He writes: “The ice at the poles is supposedly melting faster than ever before – but that has occurred many times before. That it’s getting warmer on the planet is good news for man.” (Actually, it hasn’t warmed in over 10 years, but we will go along with Behringer’s overall statement).
Behringer says that so many climate predictions have been shown to be wrong, e.g. more hurricanes because of warming, that climate scientists have adopted a new pattern of argumentation: “The prognosis was wrong, but we are still right.”
Behringer writes that all the horror stories about melting Arctic every August are convenient for journalists for filling in the slow news cycle that is typical during vacation month of August. Warm periods are hardly foreign to the planet. Behringer reminds us: “In the nomenclature of geology, a ‘warm period’ is defined by completely ice-free poles. According to this terminology, we’ve been living in an ice age for a few million years now.”
The warm period of the Holocene over the last 10,000 years (70% of which has been warmer than it is today) has been a blessing for mankind, facilitating the development of agriculture. Behringer cites numerous examples and reminds us that life during the Little Ice Age, let alone the ice age itself, is not anything we would want to go back to."
ED : Larger quote due to hackers on NoTricksZone site
"Online German daily Die Welt here published a surprisingly anti-alarmist article written by Prof Wolfgang Behringer, a science historian at the University of Saarbrücken.His conclusion: climate change and ice cap melting (and freezing) are nothing new and that man ought to be grateful it’s warmer, and not be hysterical about it.
Indeed this is the first time in human history where some among us are cursing the warmth. He writes: “The ice at the poles is supposedly melting faster than ever before – but that has occurred many times before. That it’s getting warmer on the planet is good news for man.” (Actually, it hasn’t warmed in over 10 years, but we will go along with Behringer’s overall statement).
Behringer says that so many climate predictions have been shown to be wrong, e.g. more hurricanes because of warming, that climate scientists have adopted a new pattern of argumentation: “The prognosis was wrong, but we are still right.”
Behringer writes that all the horror stories about melting Arctic every August are convenient for journalists for filling in the slow news cycle that is typical during vacation month of August. Warm periods are hardly foreign to the planet. Behringer reminds us: “In the nomenclature of geology, a ‘warm period’ is defined by completely ice-free poles. According to this terminology, we’ve been living in an ice age for a few million years now.”
The warm period of the Holocene over the last 10,000 years (70% of which has been warmer than it is today) has been a blessing for mankind, facilitating the development of agriculture. Behringer cites numerous examples and reminds us that life during the Little Ice Age, let alone the ice age itself, is not anything we would want to go back to."
ED : Larger quote due to hackers on NoTricksZone site
Saturday, 1 September 2012
The Chinese puzzles of chairman Tim Yeo
Christopher Booker,Telegraph
" Yeo cited as his main reason for supporting this cause that it would help British businesses to open up more trade links with China. But it was then pointed out that a company of which he is chairman, TMO Renewables (which last year paid him £60,000, at up to £1,000 an hour), has just signed a memorandum of understanding with the largest farming corporation in China to supply it with feedstocks for biofuels. TMO’s latest annual report states that doing business with China has become a “key focus” of its activities.
What everyone missed, however, was that the following day Yeo’s committee published a major report, “Low carbon links with China”, urging that “assisting China in low-carbon development should be at the heart of Government plans to tackle climate change and secure high-value business opportunities for UK firms”. The report was issued in the name of the committee, but most of the long press release that accompanied it consisted of three separate statements calling on ministers to promote those business opportunities, each prominently headed with the name of Mr Yeo." ------------------------------- How Blair led us into this light bulb fiasco
" The EU’s attempt to force us to switch from the bulbs most of us prefer to the supposed “low energy” ones has been a shambles from start to finish. It began with a package of planet-saving green measures agreed by the European Council in March 2007. One after another – from the craze for biofuels to those absurd renewable-energy targets – these have proceeded to fall apart.
It was a supreme example of gesture politics, spun from the inflated egos of politicians with no idea what they were doing – none more obviously so than Tony Blair, who signed us up to producing 15 per cent of our energy from renewables by 2020. His chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, later admitted he had been “horrified” by what this let us in for.
Blair hadn’t realised that half our total energy budget comes from sources such as oil and gas which cannot be replaced by renewables. Thus he committed us to the quite impossible goal of generating 32 per cent of our electricity from renewables. Hence our Government’s utterly crazy plan to cover our countryside and sea with 32,000 wind turbines.
Next time you wonder how you are meant to dispose safely of a broken low-energy bulb as it spills toxic mercury into your carpet, remember Mr Blair’s part in one of the great political follies of the age. "
" Yeo cited as his main reason for supporting this cause that it would help British businesses to open up more trade links with China. But it was then pointed out that a company of which he is chairman, TMO Renewables (which last year paid him £60,000, at up to £1,000 an hour), has just signed a memorandum of understanding with the largest farming corporation in China to supply it with feedstocks for biofuels. TMO’s latest annual report states that doing business with China has become a “key focus” of its activities.
What everyone missed, however, was that the following day Yeo’s committee published a major report, “Low carbon links with China”, urging that “assisting China in low-carbon development should be at the heart of Government plans to tackle climate change and secure high-value business opportunities for UK firms”. The report was issued in the name of the committee, but most of the long press release that accompanied it consisted of three separate statements calling on ministers to promote those business opportunities, each prominently headed with the name of Mr Yeo." ------------------------------- How Blair led us into this light bulb fiasco
" The EU’s attempt to force us to switch from the bulbs most of us prefer to the supposed “low energy” ones has been a shambles from start to finish. It began with a package of planet-saving green measures agreed by the European Council in March 2007. One after another – from the craze for biofuels to those absurd renewable-energy targets – these have proceeded to fall apart.
It was a supreme example of gesture politics, spun from the inflated egos of politicians with no idea what they were doing – none more obviously so than Tony Blair, who signed us up to producing 15 per cent of our energy from renewables by 2020. His chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, later admitted he had been “horrified” by what this let us in for.
Blair hadn’t realised that half our total energy budget comes from sources such as oil and gas which cannot be replaced by renewables. Thus he committed us to the quite impossible goal of generating 32 per cent of our electricity from renewables. Hence our Government’s utterly crazy plan to cover our countryside and sea with 32,000 wind turbines.
Next time you wonder how you are meant to dispose safely of a broken low-energy bulb as it spills toxic mercury into your carpet, remember Mr Blair’s part in one of the great political follies of the age. "
Veteran German Journalist Calls Claims Of “Unprecedented” Arctic Ice Melt “Gross Nonsense”
NoTricksZone
"Kulke labels claims of Arctic ice melt reaching “unprecedented” levels “gross nonsense” and reminds us that “during changeovers between warm and cold periods there have been already completely ice-free Arctics on multiple occasions.”
"Kulke labels claims of Arctic ice melt reaching “unprecedented” levels “gross nonsense” and reminds us that “during changeovers between warm and cold periods there have been already completely ice-free Arctics on multiple occasions.”
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