The Week That Was: 2022-12-03 (December 3, 2022)
Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org)
The Science and Environmental Policy Project
Quote of the Week: “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”― Albert Einstein
Number of the Week: Less than 1%
THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Scope: From the time of Aristotle into the 19th century, the study of nature (physics, biology, chemistry, etc.) was called natural philosophy. Isaac Newton’s great book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), translated to Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. There was one firm principle: nature was the ultimate judge. Humans could try to glean concepts, principles, and laws of nature through experiment and observation, but nature is the ultimate judge whether these human efforts are correct.
Thus, it is ironic to read in the popular press that those insisting that nature is the ultimate judge of concepts found in general circulation models (now called global climate models) are accused of being anti-science, or at least not being climate scientists. It is as if climate science is not the study of nature, but a totally different form of study – unrelated to the natural world. It is the study of an imaginary world.
The reports of the Nongovernmental Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) gave thousands of examples where climate models are inconsistent with nature and observations from nature. Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts gave over two thousand examples where nature greatly benefits from increasing carbon dioxide. Yet, the reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are so contrary to nature that many people fear that increasing human carbon dioxide emissions will lead to extinction of humanity and nature. Western government policies on energy are being set by politicians who are exploiting this irrational fear often promoted by “scientists” who have forgotten that nature is the ultimate judge.
David Whitehouse brings up problems in modeling The Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP), the area where the western Pacific and Indian Oceans meet. This region includes the warmest oceans in the world and are a part of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a belt of low pressure that traverses the equator, where the trade winds from the northern and southern hemispheres converge. This area gives rise to the traditional El Niños and La Niñas – The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is false to call any models that fail to replicate this area “global.” (Hot spots in the Pacific from submerged volcanoes are separate.)
Writing in Climate Etc., mathematician David Young brings up some of the numerous difficulties in overcoming the overconfidence in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as depicted in the general circulation models (global climate models). He asserts “that much of the literature is affected by selection and positive results bias.” This is common in climate studies where results from nature are ignored.
Francis Menton reports on a concept the teenage thinkers determining energy policy have not realized – the amount of energy storage needed for net zero. The billions of dollars used to subsidize wind and solar will be squandered without massive, affordable, reliable storage.
Cliff Mass gives a simple graph showing that sea levels are falling in certain places. The Biden administration is subsidizing the moving of tribes from those places because it claims sea levels are rising.
See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
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The Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP): Ecologist Jim Steele and others have brought out that the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) is the source of the chain of events set off by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) with its alternating El Niños and La Niñas. Tidal records show that the prevailing trade winds can shift over decades to centuries. If general circulation models (global climate models) have any hope of separating human influence from natural influences on climate (or weather) they need to do it here. They don’t.
David Whitehouse writes:
“The warmest water on Earth can be found on the edge of the Pacific and is getting warmer due, according to some reports, [to] anthropogenic climate change. But it’s not that straightforward. In fact, this vital region is showing us just how wrong climate models can be. The Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) is one of the most climatically important regions on our planet with a global influence yet, as observations and recent studies show, climate models fail to explain its behavior with implications for all forecasts of climate change.
“Waters from the western Pacific Ocean move into the eastern Indian Ocean via many passages that thread the Indonesian Archipelago. Many of those seas are shallow and straddle the equator resulting in very warm water all year. The IPWP is huge, covering a surface area equivalent to that of the entire USA, and is crucial to the regulation of climate globally.
The region is affected by monsoons and their seasonally alternating wind directions. It is the in the region of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) – a belt of low pressure that traverses the equator. Here trade winds from the northern and southern hemispheres converge. The ITCZ is formed as a result of the vertical motion of convective clouds, most of which [are] the rising component of the Hadley Cell, and of great importance to global atmospheric circulation.
“It is a region of change. Observations over recent decades show a significant warming of the IPWP and slight cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific, consistent with strengthening of the so-called Walker circulation, and also cooling in the Southern Ocean. The relative warmth of the warm pool in the western Indo-Pacific compared to the cold tongue in the eastern equatorial Pacific drives the Walker circulation in the tropical atmosphere which through its interaction on the upper troposphere drives large-scale atmospheric Rossby waves that propagate into higher latitudes and impact climate around the globe.
“The problem is that state-of-the-art climate models generally predict that the Walker circulation will weaken, bringing enhanced warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific, and warming in the Southern Ocean, contrary to what is observed. Sea-level pressure (SLP) observations show a weakening of the Walker circulation over the twentieth century, though some maintain that the Walker circulation has strengthened since 1979 contradicting climate model hindcasts over this period.”
The article Whitehouse links is titled “Systematic climate model biases in the large-scale pattern of recent sea-surface temperature and sea-level pressure change” and has been submitted to Geophysical Research Letters published by the American Geophysical Union with Harihar Rajaram editor-in-chief. Whether it will be printed remains to be seen. Far too many such articles are rejected because they do not conform to the fictions generated from the IPCC and its models that fail when tested against observations of nature. The abstract states:
“Observed surface temperature trends over recent decades are characterized by (i) intensified warming in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool and slight cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific, consistent with strengthening of the Walker circulation, and (ii) cooling in the Southern Ocean. In contrast, state-of-the-art coupled climate models generally project Walker circulation weakening, enhanced warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific, and warming in the Southern Ocean. Here we investigate the ability of 16 climate model large ensembles to reproduce observed sea-surface temperature and sea-level pressure trends over 1979-2020 through a combination of externally forced climate change and internal variability. We find large-scale differences between observed and modeled trends that are very unlikely (<5% probability) to occur due to internal variability as represented in models. Disparate trends are found even in regions with weak multi-decadal variability, suggesting that model biases in the transient response to anthropogenic forcing constitute part of the discrepancy.”
See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy and May 7 to June 11 TWTWs.
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Battle the Bear: One of the great difficulties in physical science is fluid dynamics and the lack of predictability. After receiving his PhD in mathematics in 1979, David Young started a long career at Boeing. His bio sketch states Young:
“has worked on a wide variety of projects involving computational physics, computer programming, and numerical analysis. His work has been focused on the application areas of aerodynamics, aeroelastics, computational fluid dynamics, airframe design, flutter, acoustics, and electromagnetics. To address these applications, he has done original theoretical work in high performance computing, linear potential flow and boundary integral equations, nonlinear potential flow, discretizations for the Navier-Stokes equations, partial differential equations and the finite element method, preconditioning methods for large linear systems, Krylov subspace methods for very large nonlinear systems, design and optimization methods, and iterative methods for highly nonlinear systems.”
Young’s post “’Colorful fluid dynamics and overconfidence in global climate models” is too technical for TWTW but a few key points will be made here. The post begins:
This post lays out in fairly complete detail some basic facts about Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. This technology is the core of all general circulation models of the atmosphere and oceans, and hence global climate models (GCMs). I discuss some common misconceptions about these models, which lead to overconfidence in these simulations. This situation is related to the replication crisis in science generally, whereby much of the literature is affected by selection and positive results bias.
It cites where the full post can be found with lengthy references then it gives the Background:
Numerical simulation over the last 60 years has come to play a larger and larger role in engineering design and scientific investigations. The level of detail and physical modeling varies greatly, as do the accuracy requirements. For aerodynamic simulations, accurate drag increments between configurations have high value. In climate simulations, a widely used target variable is temperature anomaly. Both drag increments and temperature anomalies are particularly difficult to compute accurately. The reason is simple: both output quantities are several orders of magnitude smaller than the overall absolute levels of momentum for drag or energy for temperature anomalies. This means that without tremendous effort, the output quantity is smaller than the numerical truncation error. Great care can sometimes provide accurate results, but careful numerical control over all aspects of complex simulations is required.
Contrast this with some fields of science where only general understanding is sought. In this case qualitatively interesting results can be easier to provide. This is known in the parlance of the field as “Colorful Fluid Dynamics.” While this is somewhat pejorative, these simulations do have their place. It cannot be stressed too strongly however that even the broad “patterns” can be quite wrong. Only after extensive validation can such simulations be trusted qualitatively, and even then, only for the class of problems used in the validation. Such a validation process for one aeronautical CFD code consumed perhaps 50–100-man years of effort in a setting where high quality data was generally available. What is all too common among non-specialists is to conflate the two usage regimes (colorful versus validated) or to make the assumption that realistic looking results imply quantitatively meaningful results.
The first point is that some fields of numerical simulation are very well founded on rigorous mathematical theory. Two that come to mind are electromagnetic scattering and linear structural dynamics. Electromagnetic scattering is governed by Maxwell’s equations which are linear. The theory is well understood, and very good numerical simulations are available. Generally, it is possible to develop accurate methods that provide high quality quantitative results. Structural modeling in the linear elasticity range is also governed by well posed elliptic partial differential equations.
One can assert that the IPCC’s general circulation models (GMC) are “colorful” but not valid. Further, they are contradicted by what is occurring in the atmosphere. Later in the post, Young discusses Rossby waves. He states:
“The best technical argument I have heard in defense of GCM’s is that Rossby waves are vastly easier to model than aeronautical flows where the pressure gradients and forcing can be a lot higher. There is some truth in this argument. The large-scale vortex evolution in the atmosphere on shorter time scales is relatively unaffected by turbulence and viscous effects, even though at finer scales the problem is ill-posed. However, there are many other at least equally important components of the earth system. An important one is tropical convection, a classical ill-posed problem because of the-large scale turbulent interfaces and shear layers. While usually neglected in aeronautical calculations, free air turbulence is in many cases very large in the atmosphere. However, it is typically neglected outside the boundary layer in GCMs. And of course there are clouds, convection and precipitation, which have a very significant effect on overall energy balance. One must also bear in mind that aeronautical vehicles are designed to be stable and to minimize the effects of ill-posedness, in that pathological nonlinear behaviors are avoided. In this sense aeronautical models may be actually easier to model than the atmosphere. In any case aeronautical simulations are greatly simplified by a number of assumptions, for example that the onset flow is steady and essentially free of atmospheric turbulence. Aeronautical flows can often be assumed to be essentially isentropic outside the boundary layer.”
This is interesting because many “climate scientists” claim extreme weather events are caused by human CO2 emissions. However, some are actually caused by stagnant Rossby waves (such as the cold Texas Northers) and extreme heat events (such as the one in the Northwest US and Canada in June 2021). After going through topics such as “The Role of Turbulence and Chaos in Fluid Mechanics” and “Overconfidence and Bias”, Young closes his informative post with:
In my opinion those who retard progress in CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] are often involved in ‘science communication’ and ‘Colorful Fluid Dynamics.’ They sometimes view their job as justifying political outcomes by whitewashing high levels of uncertainty and bias or making the story good click bait by exaggerating. Worse still, many act as apologists for ‘science’ or senior researchers and tend to minimize any problems. Nothing could be more effective in producing the exact opposite of the desired outcome, viz., a cynical and disillusioned public already tired of the seemingly endless scary stories about dire consequences often based on nothing more than the pseudo-science of ‘science communication’ of politically motivated narratives. This effect has already played out in medicine where the public and many physicians are already quite skeptical of health advice based on retrospective studies, biased reporting, or slick advertising claiming vague but huge benefits for products or procedures. Unfortunately, bad medical science continues to affect the health of millions and wastes untold billions of dollars. The mechanisms for quantifying the state of the science on any topic, and particularly estimating the often high uncertainties, are very weak. As always in human affairs, complete honesty and directness is the best long-term strategy. Particularly for science, which tends to hold itself up as having high authority, the danger is in my view worth addressing urgently. This response is demanded not just by concerns about public perceptions, but also by ethical considerations and simple honesty as well as a regard for the lives and well-being of the consumers of our work who deserve the best information available. [Boldface added]
In the view of TWTW, thanks to the work of AMO physicists van Wijngaarden and Happer on greenhouse gases, extended by Howard Hayden to Planetary Heat Balance, we do not need to get into “colorful climate modeling” to establish an upper bound on how greenhouse gases influence earth’s temperatures and how the atmosphere influences planetary heat balance. See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy and http://www.sepp.org/science_papers.cfm
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Is It A Problem? At COP-26 (2021) in Glasgow, the leaders of western governments participated in a dance of sugar plum fairies. Despite the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent cut-off of Russian gas from Europe, few of the leaders have awakened from their dreams, including the US administration. The late Roger Andrews writing in Energy Matters and Howard Hayden writing in Energy Advocate have noted that converting to wind and solar power requires massive, affordable, reliable electricity storage over long periods of time.
In 2017, Hayden calculated that about 11% of the time, industrial wind turbines produce full power. About 50% of the time, they produce 40% or less. About 25% of the time, they produce nothing. Wind power is unpredictable several days out. A winter high pressure system over Europe can stop wind for several days when electricity is needed the most. Bigger wind turbines don’t create more wind, just more blowhards.
The Global Warming Policy Foundation published a report by Francis Menton that clearly and systematically shows how severe the electricity storage problem is. Yet, politicians and the general press ignore it. On his website, Menton summarizes the paper. He writes:
The main point of the paper is that an electrical grid powered mostly by intermittent generators like wind and sun requires full backup from some source; and if that source is to be stored energy, the amounts of storage required are truly staggering. When you do the simple arithmetic to calculate the storage requirements and the likely costs, it becomes obvious that the entire project is completely impractical and unaffordable. The activists and politicians pushing us toward this new energy system of wind/solar/storage are either being intentionally deceptive or totally incompetent.
If you follow the news on this subject at a general level, you might find this conclusion surprising. After all, there are frequent announcements that this or that jurisdiction has entered a contract to purchase some seemingly large amount of batteries for grid-level storage. The Report cites data from consultancy Wood Mackenzie as to announced plans or contracts for storage acquisition in all major European countries, and cites other reports as to announced plans from California and New York in the U.S. The title of the April 2022 Wood Mackenzie paper on Europe certainly gives the impression that these people have the situation under control and know what they are doing: “Europe’s Grid-scale Energy Storage Capacity Will Expand 20-fold by 2031.” Impressive!
But this is one of those subjects on which you have to look at the actual numbers to evaluate whether the plans make any sense. In this situation, you need to compare the amount of energy storage that would be required for full backup of an almost-entirely wind/solar grid (with fossil fuels excluded), to the actual quantity of grid-scale energy storage being acquired.
Menton discusses the disaster unfolding in Germany, which a fallacious report by Wood Mackenzie states Germany is addressing. From Menton’s report:
“In other words, the amount of energy storage that Germany is planning for 2031 is between 0.016% and 0.036% of what it actually would need. This does not qualify as a serious effort to produce a system that might work.”
Politicians who dream of sugar plums hire consultants with similar dreams. See links under Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy – Storage.
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Any Excuse to Squander? In a post discussing changing weather conditions in the US Northwest, Meteorologist Cliff Mass had an interesting sidenote with an article in the Seattle Times. The article stated:
“And on Wednesday, the Biden administration announced $75 million in funding to help three tribes, including the Quinault, move to higher ground.”
“In 2021, the tribe completed its new Generations Building, home to programs for seniors and children. That year, Kilmer and the tribe hosted U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in Taholah to discuss the imminent threats of climate change for tribal communities and the need for future funding.”
The tribes are on the Olympic coast. According to Mass, the tidal gauges show that the sea levels of the Olympic coast are falling (the land is rising as a rebound from glaciation). Apparently, an administration that believes there is a climate emergency has no need to examine hard evidence. See Links under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
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Number of the Week: Less than 1%: Paul Homewood gives a simple graph that even a UK politician should understand. According to The University of Sheffield solar tracker, the total photovoltaic electricity for November 29 was 5.46 GWh, less than 1% of the average 840 GWh used each day. Virtually all of it came between 10 am and 2 pm. And politicians are subsidizing these and electric vehicles? See link under Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind.
Science: Is the Sun Rising?
Secrets of Sunspots and Solar Magnetic Fields Investigated in NASA Supercomputing Simulations
Press Release, NASA, Via WUWT, Dec 1, 2022
Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science
Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), 2013
Summary: https://www.heartland.org/_template-assets/documents/CCR/CCR-II/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts
Idso, Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), 2014
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/climate-change-reconsidered-ii-biological-impacts/
Summary: https://www.heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-IIb/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Fossil Fuels
By Multiple Authors, Bezdek, Idso, Legates, and Singer eds., Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change, April 2019
http://store.heartland.org/shop/ccr-ii-fossil-fuels/
Download with no charge:
Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming
The NIPCC Report on the Scientific Consensus
By Craig D. Idso, Robert M. Carter, and S. Fred Singer, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), Nov 23, 2015
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/
Download with no charge:
https://www.heartland.org/policy-documents/why-scientists-disagree-about-global-warming
Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate
S. Fred Singer, Editor, NIPCC, 2008
http://www.sepp.org/publications/nipcc_final.pdf
Global Sea-Level Rise: An Evaluation of the Data
By Craig D. Idso, David Legates, and S. Fred Singer, Heartland Policy Brief, May 20, 2019
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Earth can regulate its own temperature over millennia, new study finds
Scientists have confirmed that a “stabilizing feedback” on 100,000-year timescales keeps global temperatures in check.
By Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office, Nov 16, 2022
https://news.mit.edu/2022/earth-stabilizing-temperature-1116
Link to paper: Presence or absence of stabilizing Earth system feedbacks on different time scales
By Arnscheidt and Rothman, Science Advances, Nov 16, 2022
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adc9241
[SEPP Comment: Worth repeating. Does not discuss that naturally occurring greenhouse gases are saturated.]
Pacific problems for climate models
By David Whitehouse, Net Zero Watch, Nov 29, 2022
Link to paper: Systematic climate model biases in the large-scale pattern of recent sea-surface temperature and sea-level pressure change
By Jnglin Wills Robert C, et al, Submitted to Geophysical Research Letters Nov 16, 2022
“Colorful fluid dynamics” and overconfidence in global climate models
By David Young, Climate Etc. Dec 2, 2022
Clouds may be less climate-sensitive than assumed
Press Release by University of Hamburg, Phys.org, Nov 30, 2022 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
https://phys.org/news/2022-11-clouds-climate-sensitive-assumed.html
Link to paper: Strong cloud–circulation coupling explains weak trade cumulus feedback
By Raphaela Vogel, Nature, Nov 30, 2022
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05364-y
From the abstract: “Our observational analyses render models with large positive feedbacks implausible and both support and explain at the process scale a weak trade cumulus feedback. Our findings thus refute an important line of evidence for a high climate sensitivity.”
Economic Analysis of the 2022 Federal Clean Fuels Standard
By Ross McKitrick, et al, LFX Associates, Toronto, Ontario, Sep 6, 2022
A Note on Obfuscation, the 2022 Climate Report, and my Latest Film
By Jennifer Marohasy, Her Blog, Nov 27, 2022
[SEPP Comment: Photos of corals from the air, cannot see them, and photos from 3 meters down.]
A Look At Climate Models: “Obviously Do Not Represent The Physics”…”Not At All Capable”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Nov 30, 2022
What Do The Current Climate Models Really Do?
By Die kalte Sonne, Frank Bosse, (Translated/edited by P. Gosselin)
Defending the Orthodoxy
Countries Present Climate Ambition and Action at COP27
By Staff, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Nov 28, 2022
https://unfccc.int/news/countries-present-climate-ambition-and-action-at-cop27
Dimming the Sun to Cool the Planet Is a Desperate Idea, Yet We’re Inching Toward It
The scientists who study solar geoengineering don’t want anyone to try it. But climate inaction is making it more likely.
By Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, Nov 22, 2022
https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/dimming-the-sun-to-cool-the-planet-is-a-desperate-idea-yet-were-inching-toward-it?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Defending the Orthodoxy – Bandwagon Science
Climate change: Wasted methane gas ‘a scandal’
By Jonah Fisher, BBC, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63744757
[SEPP Comment: According to the chart, 48% of the methane comes from farming and 41% from waste disposal. The real scandal is that the authors who do not understand the greenhouse effect are university professors.]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Don’t Be So Sure That The Climate Extremists Have “Won”
By Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2022-11-29-dont-be-so-sure-that-the-climate-extremists-have-won
“The current cult of the academic, journalistic and governmental elites suffers from the eternal problem of all central planners. They think they are brilliant — and in some ways they might be (high scores on SATs?) — but they have no idea at all how to engineer an energy system that will work. We all eagerly await for their planned utopia to crash and burn.”
NetZero impossibility point? Europe’s renewable wonderland now can’t make solar, wind, batteries or EV’s
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Dec 3, 2022
Everybody knows: doing nothing is not an option
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“The PBO estimated that instead of Canada’s economy being 6.6 percent smaller in 2100 it will be… 5.8 percent smaller. In other words the benefit of doing “something” comes down to 0.8 percent of GDP 80 years from now. And obtaining that sub-atomic sized benefit by complying with Paris would cost us far more than 0.8 percent of GDP. So doing nothing is not just an option, it’s a better option.”
[SEPP Comment: Report from Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office.]
Good News in Climate Scenarios
My short talk at the 2022 Scenarios Forum
By Roger Pielke Jr., Nov 29, 2022
https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/good-news-in-climate-scenarios?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
[SEPP Comment: A way to evaluate IPCC scenarios.]
After Paris!
“Climate reparations” are immoral
The hottest idea emerging from the UN’s COP27 climate conference is “climate reparations.” This is an immoral idea that Congress should reject.
By Alex Epstein, His Blog, Dec 1, 2022 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
https://alexepstein.substack.com/p/climate-reparations-are-immoral?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=513601&post_id=87751203&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
COP 27 has no back-up plan to replace products from oil!
By Ronald Stein, The Heartland Institute, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/cop-27-has-no-back-up-plan-to-replace-products-from-oil
[SEPP Comment: Unreliable electricity such as from wind and solar is useless for high tech manufacturing such as required for computer chips.]
Canadian Gothic
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
[SEPP Comment: Prosperous countries must be punished for the “sins of the past” to prevent future warming?]
Change in US Administrations
President Biden’s Energy Motto: Not in the U.S.A. Nor Its Territories
By Staff, Institute for Energy Research, Nov 23, 2022
Barclays Coal Plan Exposes Reach of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
The UK bank is acting to phase out financing to the world’s dirtiest companies earlier than previously stated.
By Alastair Marsh, Bloomberg, Nov 30, 2022
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-30/barclays-coal-plan-exposes-reach-of-biden-s-inflation-reduction-act
Another Snow Event Friday Night/Saturday Morning
By Cliff Mass, Weather Blog, Dec 1, 2022
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2022/12/another-snow-event-friday-nightsaturday.html
Link to article: $25M from feds will boost Quinault Indian Nation’s climate relocation; here’s how
By Isabella Breda, The Seattle Times, Dec 1, 2022
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/25m-from-feds-will-boost-quinault-indian-nations-climate-relocation-heres-how/
[SEPP Comment: Mass exposes the phony sea level rise on the Olympic coast with the Quinault tribe being paid $25 million to move.]
Chevron can resume key role in Venezuela’s oil output, exports
By Daphne Psaledakis and Marianna Parraga, Reuters, Nov 26, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-issues-expanded-license-allow-chevron-import-venezuelan-petroleum-2022-11-26/
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Opinion: COP27 failed, so why continue with these UN climate summits?
By David Tindall, et al, The Conservation, Dec 1, 2022 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
https://phys.org/news/2022-12-opinion-cop27-climate-summits.html
[SEPP Comment: Begins with a false premise, “Climate change is an existential threat to human civilization and planetary ecosystems.”]
Switzerland, Facing an Unprecedented Power Shortage, Contemplates a Partial Ban on the Use of Electric Vehicles
It turns out that you can have battery-powered cars, or you can have renewable energy, but you can’t have both.
By Staff, Eugyppius, Dec 1, 2022 [H/t CLINTEL]
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/switzerland-facing-an-unprecedented?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=268621&post_id=88017513&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Academics Slam Claims Biotech Could Solve the Climate Crisis
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Nov 30, 2022
COP27 Greenwishing: Progressive Discontent
By Robert Bradley, Jr, Institute for Energy Research, Nov 28, 2022
“The Guardian (UK) declares ‘World still ‘on brink of climate catastrophe’ after COP27 deal.’ This refrain, now in its fourth decade, is at odds with the official statistics about temperature and weather extremes—and the bottom line of climate-related deaths. Climate/CO2 optimism is merited to end the open-ended government forays against affordable, reliable energy.”
India shakes up global approach to climate change as G20 chair
By Saul Elbein, The Hill, Dec 1, 2022
“Today, the greatest challenges we face – climate change, terrorism, and pandemics – can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together.” Modi
Seeking a Common Ground
Exploiters versus experts
By Planning Engineer (Russell Schussler), Climate Etc. Nov 28, 2022
Column: The world as we know it ends if it can’t find its bearings
By Terry Etam, BOE Report, Nov 29, 2022 [H/t WUWT]
Climate Change Debate: Bjørn Lomborg and Andrew Revkin | Lex Fridman Podcast #339
Video
Climate Brawl Debate: Tony Heller vs Gerald Kutney
By Tony Heller, His Blog, Nov 25, 2022
https://realclimatescience.com/2022/11/climate-brawl-debate-tony-heller-vs-gerald-kutney/
Science, Policy, and Evidence
Netherlands To Close 3000 Farms To Comply With EU Climate Rules
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
“Why do western governments hate their own people so much?”
By A. de Lange, J. D. Ferguson, W. A. van Wijngaarden & W. Happer, CO2 Coalition, 2022
https://wvanwijngaarden.info.yorku.ca/files/2022/10/Nitrous-Oxide-FINAL-1.pdf?x45936
[SEPP Comment: As van Wijngaarden and Happer have demonstrated, Nitrous Oxide has negligible impact on temperatures.]
Evidence grows of forced labour and slavery in production of solar panels, wind turbines
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Dec 1, 2022
Will Germany’s energy policy lead to economic failure?
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
Models v. Observations
Is global sea level responding as predicted by climate models?
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
From the CO2Science archive:
“Thus it is made clear that all of these real-world measurements, as Parker rightly notes, are in ‘conflict with theoretically derived ocean temperatures and sea level changes.’
“So who you gonna trust? … the models or the measurements?”
Measurement Issues — Atmosphere
NASA Cancels Satellite CO2 Monitoring Project
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Dec 1, 2022
Changing Weather
Strongest Arctic cyclone on record led to surprising loss of sea ice
By Staff Writers, Seattle WA (SPX), Dec 02, 2022
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Strongest_Arctic_cyclone_on_record_led_to_surprising_loss_of_sea_ice_999.html
Link to paper: Record Arctic Cyclone of January 2022: Characteristics, Impacts, and Predictability
By Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, et al. JGR Atmospheres, Oct 26, 2022
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JD037161
[SEPP Comment: From 1979, using satellite data. Why not use satellite data for temperature trends?]
No CO2-Induced Warming Trend Identifiable For The ‘Entire Territory Of Italy’ Since 1948
By Kenneth Richard, No Tricks Zone, Nov 28, 2022
Ace Forecaster Bastardi: “Something We Used To See In 1970s”, Warns Of “Spectacular Cold”
By P Gosselin, NO Tricks Zone, Nov 27, 2022
A Triumph of Weather Technology, the Next Snow Events, and Power/Airport Problems
Weather prediction technology has come a huge way over the past decades and yesterday’s localized snow event is a great example of how far we have come.
By Cliff Mass, Weather Blog, Nov 30, 2022
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-triumph-of-weather-technology-next.html
Climate change apparently makes floods less severe
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Nov 28, 2022
[SEPP Comment: “The tree of knowledge” tells all?]
Changing Seas
Drowning Maldives
By Tony Heller, His Blog, Dec 2, 2022
https://realclimatescience.com/2022/12/drowning-maldives/
[SEPP Comment: Gone by 2018?]
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Most detailed maps of polar regions ever created
Stunning images of polar regions are publicly available
Press Release, NSF, Nov 28, 2022
https://beta.nsf.gov/news/most-detailed-maps-polar-regions-ever-created?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
The incredible power of the ice that sculpted Europe’s landscape
By Staff Writers, Tromso, Norway (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_incredible_power_of_the_ice_that_sculpted_Europes_landscape_999.html
Link to paper: The extreme yet transient nature of glacial erosion
By H. Patton, et al. Nature Communications, Nov 30, 2022
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35072-0
The End of Snow — Again
By Kip Hansen, WUWT, Nov 28, 2022
Benefit From Sea Ice Loss Due To Enhanced Prey Accessibility
Another New Study Indicates Polar Bears Benefit From Sea Ice Loss Due To Enhanced Prey Accessibility
By Kenneth Richard, No Tricks Zone, Dec 1, 2022
Link to study: Demographic assessment using physical and genetic sampling finds stable polar bear subpopulation in Gulf of Boothia, Canada
By Dyck, Regehr and Ware, Marine Mammal Science, 2022
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12968
Eastern Canadian Arctic has much more sea ice than usual while Svalbard polar bears deal with less
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Nov 24, 2022
Polar bear specialist calls Hudson Bay freeze-up ‘late’ yet bears were moving offshore 2 weeks ago
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Nov 28, 2022
Changing Earth
Keeling Curve CO2 Measurements Halted By Mauna Loa Eruption
By Staff, Big Island Video News, Nov 29, 2022
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Climate Change Reducing Wh[e]at Yields–Latest BBC Lie
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 28, 2022
Science Shows Why Cows Don’t Cause Global Warming
By Rob Barnby, CO2 Coalition, Nov 29, 2022
“Having overheard my unsuccessful pitch, the rancher suggested that I watch this video by Dr. Thomas Sheahen based on this presentation.”
[SEPP Comment: Barnby gives a good, brief summary of the accomplishments of van Wijngaarden & Happer.]
The Great Famine of the 21st Century
A cautionary tale of our future climate
By David Siegel, His Blog, Mar 30, 2022 [H/t Paul Homewood]
https://shortfall.blog/the-great-famine-of-the-21st-century-bef10e21ed7c
Lowering Standards
Climate Hazards Could Disrupt U.S. State Department Operations Overseas (interactive map)
By Staff, US Government Accountability Office, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.gao.gov/blog/climate-hazards-could-disrupt-u.s.-state-department-operations-overseas-interactive-map
[SEPP Comment: A irresponsibly poor report of risk based on heat, wind, water stress (?), flooding, earthquakes (?) landslides (?), and tsunamis (?). Extreme cold is not a listed hazard.]
UN shakedown: Threats to list healthy reef as in danger just a way to extort “climate” money
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Dec 1, 2022
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Yellow (Green) Journalism?
No, NPR, Climate Change Isn’t ‘…Making the Weather More Severe,’ nor Should It Be in Daily Weather Forecasts.
By Anthony Watts, Climate Realism, Dec 1, 2022
NPR: Why Don’t Severe Weather Forecasts Mention Climate Change?
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Nov 28, 2022
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Top Five Climate Lies–Laurence Fox
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Dec 1, 2022
Video
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Propaganda
Chicken Little Propaganda Dressed Up As Science
Written by Peter Ridd, Institute of Public Affairs, Nov 26, 2022 [H/t Eduard Harinck]
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Propaganda on Children
Climate Conferences Are Failing By Design and Damaging Our Kids’ Mental Health in the Process
By Mandy Gunasekara, Real Clear Energy, Dec 1, 2022
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/12/01/climate_conferences_are_failing_by_design_and_damaging_our_kids_mental_health_in_the_process_867799.html
Expanding the Orthodoxy
Investment in nature must double, UN says
By Saul Elbein, The Hill, Dec 1, 2022
Link to report: State of Finance for Nature 2022
By Staff, UN Environment Programme, Dec 1, 2022
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/state-finance-nature-2022
[SEPP Comment: Why does it ignore nature when estimating human contribution to climate change?]
UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15)
7 – 19 December 2022, Montreal, Canada
By Staff, UN Environment Program, Aug 15, 2022
https://www.unep.org/events/conference/un-biodiversity-conference-cop-15
Talks kick off on global plastic trash treaty
By AFP Staff Writers, Punta Del Este, Uruguay (AFP) Nov 28, 2022
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Talks_kick_off_on_global_plastic_trash_treaty_999.html
Questioning European Green
Germany Addresses Critical Materials
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Nov 29, 2022
Not really about the economics, is it?
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“But that assessment may be giving it too much credit, since the communists at least tried to be systematic in their thinking (their problem was reasoning consistently from consistently deranged premises). The greens tried to ram through an ‘Energiewende’ on the grounds that since alternative fuels are so much cheaper than the traditional kind they must therefore be subsidized heavily while hydrocarbons are taxed or banned. No, wait, that’s not the punchline. It’s the setup.”
Destruction By Energy Costs: Fivefold Higher Prices Cause Popular Hotel, Brewery To Close
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Nov 29, 2022
“Five-fold increase in energy prices – €400,000 per year – forces historically located brewery, hotel and restaurant to close”
Wind Power: U.K. Blown Off Course (Again)
By Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, Nov 28, 2022
Millions of rural households will be forced to spend £13k on heat pumps
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
Funding Issues
A little help for a colleague?
By Kip Nansen, WUWT, Nov 30, 2022
Oil exploration firms warn of ‘complete collapse’ of operations in the North Sea
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Dec 1, 2022
“North Sea oil exploration firms have told the Treasury that they face going out of business due to the 75% windfall tax imposed on them in the Chancellor’s autumn statement. Andrew Milligan”
“Liam Halligan [reporting the story] misses the point. The shutdown of North Sea oil and gas has always been the goal of successive governments’ energy strategy.”
Bankers pour cold water on red hot coal
By Sarah Mcfarlane and Clara Denina, Reuters, Nov 24, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/bankers-pour-cold-water-red-hot-coal-2022-11-24/
Editorial: U.N. climate fund will become a money pit if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels
Editorial, Los Angeles Time, Nov 30, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-11-30/cop-27-climate-fund-fossil-fuels
[SEPP Comment: Identifying what it is intended to be – a money pit.]
The ESG divestment grows: Florida takes $2 billion back from Blackrock
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Dec 2, 2022
The Political Games Continue
Natural Resources Democrats seek Interior documents on bribery allegation
By Zack Budryk, The Hill, Dec 2, 2022
“Two Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee are seeking documents from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that they say could shine line on whether President Trump offered a pardon to two people convicted of setting fires on public land because of a campaign donation.”
[SEPP Comment: How about investigating Haaland for incompetence?]
Litigation Issues
“Exxon Knew”
By Tony Heller, His Blog, Dec 2, 2022
https://realclimatescience.com/2022/12/exxon-knew-4/
[SEPP Comment: While NOAA was predicting cooling?]
Puerto Rican towns sue Big Oil under RICO alleging collusion on climate denial
By Clark Mindock, Reuters, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/puerto-rican-towns-sue-big-oil-under-rico-alleging-collusion-climate-denial-2022-11-29/
Pop goes the lawsuit
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“Still, the sight of Greta Thunberg suing the Swedish government for being planet-wrecking right-wing greenwashing brutes cannot fail to bring amusement to the world. And perhaps a bit of regret to many Swedes who cheered for the face-eating leopard never thinking it would eat their face.”
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA closes in on veto of controversial Pebble Mine project
By Zack Budryk, The Hill, Dec 2, 2022
“The proposed Pebble Mine seeks to extract ore from the Pebble deposit in the southwestern part of the state, the largest known undeveloped copper ore deposit in the world.”
[SEPP Comment: No need for copper in the US; get it from Chile and Peru?]
EPA announces new biofuel blending mandate proposal
By Zack Budryk, The Hill, Dec 1, 2022
Rewriting The Climate At NOAA
By Tony Heller, His Blog, Dec 1, 2022
https://realclimatescience.com/2022/12/rewriting-the-climate-at-noaa/
Right there in black and white
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“Even though ‘The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted federal protections to the world’s tallest and heaviest penguin species Tuesday’ which will come as a great relief except for the fact that any [non-zoo] Emperor on American territory is one lost penguin.”
Energy Issues – Non-US
Siemens Power CEO Confirms the Iron Law of Power Density
By Robert Bryce, Real Clear Energy, Dec 2, 2022
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/12/02/siemens_power_ceo_confirms_the_iron_law_of_power_density_867905.html
“And this is where his comments revealed what I call the Iron Law of Power Density, which says the lower the power density of a given source, the higher the resource intensity. Bruch said: ‘Never forget, renewables like wind roughly, roughly, need 10 times the material [compared to] … what conventional technologies need…So if you have problems on the supply chain, it hits … wind extremely hard, and this is what we see.’”
The Tories’ wind power delusion
By Matt Ridley, The Spectator, Dec 3, 2022
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-tories-wind-power-delusion/?mc_cid=0f00695edd&mc_eid=4961da7cb1
Westminster’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 28, 2022
Britain’s energy cost crisis and the Mad Hatter’s Tea-Party of Westminster
Net Zero Watch Statement, Nov 28, 2022
“The intellectual quality of the UK energy policy debate is a disgrace to parliament, revealing both the ignorance and folly of elected representatives. Like Alice in Wonderland, it is utterly surreal nonsense; but, unlike Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, it isn’t funny. The British people deserve better.” – John Constable
£22.2 bn To Be Spent Upgrading UK Electricity Network To Make It Greener
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Dec 1, 2022
“More cost to be incurred for the renewables push:”
[SEPP Comment: Government calling the squandering of money for unneeded wind, solar, and wave power an investment.]
Germany to get new Qatari LNG flows through QatarEnergy, ConocoPhillips deal
By Andrew Mills and Maha El Dahan, Reuters, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/qatarenergy-conocophillips-sign-lng-supply-deal-germany-2022-11-29/
“Europe’s biggest economy, which mainly relies on natural gas to power its industry, aims to replace all Russian energy imports by as soon as mid-2024.”
Germany Sets Windfall Tax At 90%
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 28, 2022
First floating LNG terminal arrives at German port
The first of several ships that will serve as floating terminals to receive liquefied natural gas imports in Germany have arrived off the Baltic Sea port of Mukran
By Staff, The Associated Press, Nov 23, 2022
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/floating-lng-terminal-arrives-german-port-93844232
Energy Issues – Australia
Shh! Despite a bloodbath quarter for electricity prices, hated Brown Coal still sells at just 4c per KWh
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Nov 26, 2022
Aussie Reserve Bank: Increase Domestic Gas Supply to Reduce Inflation
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Nov 28, 2022
[SEPP Comment: What a novel idea!]
Let the Excuses Flow: Aussie Federal Government Misses Emission Targets
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Dec 1, 2022
Energy Issues — US
Energy Sense: Tucker Carlson (winter heating costs in the news)
By Robert Bradley Jr., Master Resource, Dec 1, 2022
Save America’s grid!
By David Wojick, CFACT, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.cfact.org/2022/11/29/save-americas-grid/
Rolling Blackouts Looming For New England
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
“’Currently, New England is in acceptable shape regarding electricity, but the real challenge will be any extended periods of time where the temperature drops below 10 degrees,’ Kelly said. ‘The critical issue is the duration of the cold snap, every day longer the situation gets worse and worse. My expectation is that in a long cold snap they would keep the blackouts as short as possible to avoid freezing pipes, probably on the order of three hours rotating throughout New England until the temperature moderates.’
“Consumers would receive warning before any such blackout, Kelly said.” [General Manager of Groton Electric Light Department.]
Washington’s Control of Energy
The U.S. Shale Boom Is Officially Over
By Tsvetana Paraskova, Oil Price.com, Nov 24, 2022
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-US-Shale-Boom-Is-Officially-Over.html
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Australia Ships First LNG Cargo To Europe
By Tsvetana Paraskova, Oil Price.com, Nov 28, 2022
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Australia-Ships-First-LNG-Cargo-To-Europe.html
[SEPP Comment: Cannot be used in Australia?]
Where It’s At – More Gulf Coast LNG Export Capacity Is On Its Way. Where Will The Feedgas Come From?
Published by: Sheetal Nasta, RBN Energy, Nov 28, 2022
https://rbnenergy.com/where-its-at-more-gulf-coast-lng-export-capacity-is-on-its-way-where-will-the-feedgas-come-from
Big Gun, Part 5 – British Columbia’s Montney Gas Well Performance Continues To Soar
By Martin King, RBN Energy, Nov 27, 2022
https://rbnenergy.com/big-gun-part-5-british-columbias-montney-gas-well-performance-continues-to-soar
Italy would ideally need 4 new LNG terminals, Eni head says
By Francesca Landini and Giancarlo Navach, Reuters, Nov 28, 2022
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/italy-ideally-4-lng-terminals-123733580.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEri1o0_FMep1Ce7O9d_CKks0MCDnmbyX70fZ_P8FlcediOTKhXsJhliA3dbMAnlcCfVUcwaZEfq0CRd5hFtQEbqO5DbI7jzYB9dYuf8QhOM8IKqhE8m7rVUdeNEQWYf0otWovJbMw7Ag0mtJv2U9UHWxzJxN_g3JadIczXGq1O6&guccounter=2
Return of King Coal?
Coal bounces back
By Arianna Skibell, Politico, Nov 21, 2022
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/power-switch/2022/11/21/coal-bounces-back-00069710
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Why Solar Power is Useless in Winter
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
The exploitation of ‘green energy’
Wealthy nations abuse poorer nations’ workforces and environment
By Rick Amato and Ronald Stein, Washington Times, Nov 30, 2022 [H/t Paul Homewood]
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/30/exploitation-of-green-energy/?mc_cid=232c44ba14&mc_eid=4961da7cb1
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Other
Final approval obtained in the U.S. – Hydro-Québec’s export project to New York City: Green light from the Public Service Commission
Press Release, Hydro Quebec, Apr 14, 2022
[SEPP Comment: Green New York’s solution for reducing CO2, hydroelectric dams across Northern Canada.]
Timera Take A Look At Hydrogen Investment Support (AKA Subsidies
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 28, 2022
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Storage
The Manhattan Contrarian Energy Storage Paper Has Arrived!
By Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian, Dec 1, 2022
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2022-12-1-the-manhattan-contrarian-energy-storage-paper-has-arrived
Link to paper: The Energy Storage Conundrum
By Francis Menton, The Global Warming Policy Foundation, 2022
https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2022/11/Menton-Energy-Storage-Conundrum.pdf?mc_cid=80a8bdfb6a&mc_eid=4961da7cb1
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Magic Cars
By John Stossel, His Blog, Nov 16, 2022
‘Practically Unviable’ for Volkswagen to Build EV Batteries in High-Cost Europe
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 30, 2022
“Take a deep breath and try to wrap your head around this. Europe has been closing nuclear plants and subsidizing wind and solar. Now they’ll tax wind and solar in order to “fund a €54bn consumer aid package.”
“Subsidized wind and solar are too expensive, so Germany will tax it to pay for consumer subsidies on wind and solar.
“It takes a really big government to be that stupid.”
Health, Energy, and Climate
Green Energy Cabal Blind to Africa’s Medical Horror Show
By Vijay Jayaraj, CO2 Coalition, Dec 2, 2022
Timing The Health Effects Of Air Pollution
By Fred Lipfert, ACSH, Nov 28, 2022
https://www.acsh.org/news/2022/11/28/timing-health-effects-air-pollution-16690
[SEPP Comment: Exposing some of the deficiencies in the mathematical nonsense of the Linear No Threshold Model.]
Environmental Industry
Climate Alarm Scams Can Be Traced to Special Interests
By Larry Bell, Newsmax, Dec 2, 2022
https://www.newsmax.com/larrybell/enron-kyoto-lay/2022/12/02/id/1098903/
Other Scientific News
BP weighs ending its 70-year-old Statistical Review of World Energy
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Nov 29, 2022
“The BP Review is essential for seeing what is happening to fossil fuel trends worldwide. By providing the actual data, it has continually shown the claims made by the renewable lobby to be falsehoods.
“It is of course very damaging to the climate agenda put forward in the West that the rest of the world has carried on increasing fossil fuel consumption and emissions. Without the BP Review we would have little other than untrustworthy data provided by official sources such as the IEA.”
Other News that May Be of Interest
Fixing The CDC
By Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA, ACSH, Nov 28, 2022
https://www.acsh.org/news/2022/11/28/fixing-cdc-16688
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE
Autism And Baby Foods
By Susan Goldhaber MPH, ACSH, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.acsh.org/news/2022/11/29/autism-and-baby-foods-16678
Link to report: Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury
By Staff, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Committee on Oversight and Reform U.S. House of Representatives, Feb 4, 2021
“The studies did not determine causality; they identified a correlation.
“Out of the 14 studies on arsenic exposure, 8 (53.3%) reported a positive association.
“Out of the 37 studies on lead exposure, 19 (51.3%) reported a positive association.”
[SEPP Comment: Given the legal advertising on TV, is anyone alive in coastal China?]
‘Train Your Brain’ on Climate Change? (debate, don’t assume)
By Robert Bradley Jr., Master Resource, Dec 2, 2022
“In the New York Times’s ‘Climate Forward,’ Somini Sengupta recently interviewed neurologist Ann-Christine Duhaime based on her new book, ‘Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis’ (Harvard University Press). The question she sets out to answer (per Climate Forward) is: ‘Why we mortal humans cannot grasp and act on the climate emergency.’”
[SEPP Comment: The real crisis is in thinking there is a climate crisis!]
Baby Names to Change because of …. Climate Change
By Kip Hansen, WUWT, Nov 29, 2022
Claim: Psychiatrists Can Spur Climate Action by Flying Balloons Around the Planet
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Nov 29, 2022
[SEPP Comment: Maybe they will be caught in a circumpolar vortex.]
Climate hypocrite of the week
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“But now that they’ve [COP 27 attendees] all flown home to catch flights elsewhere telling us how marvelous they are, we’ve opted for progressive darling Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand who just broke that nation’s record for international flights by a minister in a quarter. Her caucus racked up $1.2 million and she alone accounted for $329,000.”
[SEPP Comment: It costs big money to save the planet.]
Opinion: Abigail Disney: 125 billionaires control our climate future
By Abigail E. Disney, CNN, Nov 29, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/opinions/billionaires-climate-crisis-abigail-disney/index.html
[SEPP Comment: 125 billionaires control nature?]
Somewhere over the rainbow
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Nov 30, 2022
“To which Patrick Moore of EcoSenseNow responded by tweeting ‘A ‘study’ has found that climate change is going to produce more rainbows. That’s all well and good, but what about unicorns and fairies?’ But if they were real, climate change would be driving them extinct.”
Schadenfreuday Funny
By Charles Rotter, WUWT, Dec 2, 2022
ARTICLES
1. Biden’s Dirty Oil Deal With Venezuela
Caracas gets a sanctions reprieve while the U.S. vetoes a loan to Guyana, a rare U.S. ally in the region.
By Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, Nov. 27, 2022
https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-dirty-oil-deal-with-venezuela-free-elections-guyana-environmental-reparations-strategic-value-pdvsa-11669579238?mod=hp_opin_pos_2#cxrecs_s
TWTW Summary: The veteran columnist on South America states:
“At the United Nations climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the U.S. agreed to pay environmental reparations to developing countries. Days later it emerged that the Biden administration would issue a new license to Chevron to resume operations in joint ventures with Venezuela’s oil company, PdVSA.
“The U.S. government thinks you’re a fool, dear reader. And not only because it waited until Americans were en route to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving to let news slip of a deal to increase heavy-crude output from joint ventures controlled by a dictatorship allied with Iran. Or that it expects you to believe that Venezuela is considering a return to free elections in exchange.
“Presumably you also haven’t noticed Team Biden’s effort to impede the development of huge reserves of light sweet crude from Guyana, a U.S. ally.
“Washington policy makers occasionally make miscalculations that help American enemies, undermine development in a poor country, or harm U.S. economic interests. But to nail the trifecta requires a special blend of ideological blindness and incompetence that is mercifully rare. Still, as the administration’s treatment of Guyana demonstrates, it does happen.
“In a region that has been trending anti-American in recent years, Guyana, with a population of less than 800,000, has been an uncommon ally. Nestled on the southeast border of Venezuela and north of Brazil, the small English-speaking nation has obvious strategic value to the U.S.
“Since 2015, when Exxon Mobil made its first oil discovery in offshore waters, a series of further finds has brought Guyana’s estimated reserves above 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels. On a per capita basis only Kuwait has more oil.
“The story gets even better because the crude under Guyanese waters has low sulfur content, the opposite of the tar that comes out of Venezuela. It would be hard to dream up a more exciting narrative for a country mired in poverty.
“In a November working paper for the International Monetary Fund, economist Rina Bhattacharya noted that the petroleum discoveries offer the ‘promise to transform Guyana’s agricultural and mining economy into an oil powerhouse, while hopefully helping to diversify the non-oil economy.’ There is ‘a momentous opportunity to boost inclusive growth and diversify the economy providing resources to address human development needs and infrastructure gaps.’ But there are also significant ‘challenges.’
“The most obvious problem facing a poor country that suddenly enjoys a gusher of dollars is the absence of the rule of law. Frail institutions tend to fuel financial recklessness and corruption.
“Guyana needs all the U.S. help it can get if it hopes to harness its newfound wealth constructively and avoid turning into another banana republic with oil. But thanks to Mr. Biden’s climate religiosity, it looks as though the Guyanese will have to rely on China.”
The journalist discusses projects to upgrade the Guyanese infrastructure necessary to export the oil safely, then concludes:
“It looked like a 21st-century fairy tale: wealth creation, low-impact energy production, environmentally careful investors and solar development all in a democracy aligned with the U.S. In a March interview with Guyana’s Stabroek News, then-IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone spoke about the auspicious outlook: IDB oversight and transparency was poised to assist in producing real benefits for the nation rather than what has occurred under ‘Middle Eastern and African models that have actually seen development stalled with the new resources and democracy trampled.’
“The U.S. vetoed the loan. Its reasoning was based on August 2021 Treasury ‘guidance on fossil fuel energy at the multilateral development banks,’ which says that the U.S. will ‘promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy.’ After two years of working with the IDB to ensure proper due diligence, the company had to go back to the drawing board.”
****************
2. Climate Change Summit Leaves Hope for Limiting Global Warming
Governments at COP27 didn’t make deal for sharper cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, but analysts say 1.7 degrees is achievable
By Matthew Dalton, WSJ, Nov 28, 2022
https://www.wsj.com/articles/climate-change-summit-leaves-hope-for-limiting-global-warming-11669629480?mod=hp_lead_pos6
TWTW Summary: The journalist goes through the usual platitudes regarding COP-27 presented in a series of TWTWs. To this, Ken Haapala submitted the following comment posted in the electronic version.
“UN ‘science’ has stagnated since the 1970s. Over the past 40 years, there have been great advances in the ability to measure and understand what is occurring in the atmosphere. Most of these advances are from the use of satellites, backed by weather balloons. These advances include measurement of atmospheric temperature trends, and measurement of changing influence of changing greenhouse gases. The influences change by gas type, concentration, altitude, and latitude. The 1970s thinking of the UN is too simplistic to grasp this complex issue. It ignores these advances and relies on mathematical operations that cannot duplicate what is occurring.
“Atmospheric temperature trends show an increase of 0.13°C per decade (0.23°F) from all causes. No climate crisis here. UN and US climate scientists use the latest computers, but their thinking is so last century. If you are going to stop a column of Russian T-72 tanks, what do you use? A bazooka or an infrared guided (heat seeking) Javelin missile that depends on understanding the properties of infrared blocking greenhouse gases? Ask the Ukrainians.”
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