Quote of the Week:
“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert. J. Robert Oppenheimer.
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Number of the Week: 20,000
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THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Trust but Verify: The above quote from Robert Oppenheimer highlights a desperately needed attitude in today’s society – including among academics and scientists. It is always too easy to go along and not question even when questions arise. Investigative reporting, such as Donna Laframboise’s exposé of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), needed to be done years ago.
Often presidents of universities are chosen more for the business acumen than other qualities. They may treat certain programs as profit centers and may prefer to ignore issues arising within these programs. This week, the President of Penn State University was fired for failure to properly supervise one highly successful program, its football program.
Steve McIntyre and Andrew Montford suggest that the highly successful revenue generation of certain research programs may have resulted in the failure to conduct proper inquiries into the Climategate emails, and related issues. The source of the leak is immaterial; the propriety of the contents is what was important.
According to the Penn State University Budget Office the total funds allocated for research in the fiscal year 2010 – 2011 amounted to $804,789,000 of which $469,954,000 were Federal sponsored grants and contracts. McIntyre suggests such level of funding may have been sufficient to cause the university investigators to less than rigorously perform their duties. At the time of the findings, McIntyre was extremely critical of their performance. Please see links under “Climategate Continued” and
http://www.budget.psu.edu/factbook/Research20…
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Climate Sensitivity: Patrick Michaels reports that a new study, about to be published in Science, shows that there is virtually no probability that a doubling of carbon dioxide will increase temperatures more than 3 K (5.4 deg F) and that it is likely the increase will be far less. The suggested maximum is far below the projections of many climate models. The extreme projections are used to justify many studies claiming drastic changes to the earth by human carbon dioxide emissions. No doubt the new study, if published, will be heavily criticized by those who make extreme claims because it would remove the foundation for such claims. If the study is published, and if it withstands scrutiny, then we should see a lowering of the hyperbole that has dominated the global warming issue. Please see links to Michaels and Motl under “Challenging the Orthodoxy.”
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BEST Project: The results of the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) project continue to receive scrutiny. A number of the issues have been discussed in the past two TWTWs: that the study applies only to land data; relies heavily on the common source for all data, etc. Also, one-third of the stations reported a cooling – yet there is no longitudinal distribution of these stations given as compared to all stations. The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the IPCC incorrectly dismisses events such as the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period as regional rather than global. It is vital to see if the pattern of the warming reported by BEST.
Two additional studies came out about the same time as BEST that disagree with some of the conclusions of the BEST project and conclude that 20th century warming was normal and most likely natural. Please see links under “Measurement Issues.”
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International Energy Agency: The World Energy Outlook, 2011, produced by The International Energy Agency (IEA) could have been written by the alarmist industry. Among its alarmist claims is that the world has only five years to adopt effective controls of carbon dioxide before it is too late.
One of the sections that reveal the extent to which the report reflects the attitudes of the European green movement is titled: “How high-carbon infrastructure “lock-in” is making the 2°C climate change goal more challenging and expensive to meet.” Given that there is no measured warming of the earth for more than ten years perhaps the section should be titled: “How the failure of the globe to warm is making the 2°C climate change goal more difficult to attain.” Please see links under “Expanding the Orthodoxy.”
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NIPCC: The influence of the reports by Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) continues to grow. A major paper by five scientists at Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education at Peking University in Beijing, notes that the claims in AR4 “have been largely questioned,” … “the Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), established in 2007, has introduced a number of controversial and divisive debates,” The 2008 and 2009 reports are cited and Fred Singer and Craig Idso are mentioned. Singer, Idso, all the contributors, and publisher Heartland Institute are to be congratulated for their efforts. Please see links under “Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC”
(2009)
(2008)
http://www.sepp.org/publications/NIPCC_final….
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Corporate Funding of Environmental Research: This week the Pew Center for Climate Change announced that it will be obtaining much of its funding from corporate sources, including Shell Oil, Hewlett-Packard, Entergy Corp (an electricity company), Duke Energy, GE, and Bank of America. Previously Pew obtained about 80% of its funding from PEW Charitable Trusts. The new organization will be called the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)! Many of the corporations funding C2ES were fellow members of the US Climate Action Partnership that lobbied for cap and trade for several years until the cap and trade bill lost in the Senate last year.
The announcement stated that C2ES seeks market-based solutions to global warming. This is misleading, because the goal is to have the Federal government interfere in the markets as C2ES desires. Subsidies, mandates, cap and trade, etc. distort the market for the benefit of a few and the expense of the many. These are no more market-based than mercantilism, where the king granted special privileges for a few chosen ones.
As always, SEPP considers the quality of the work paramount, and the source of the funding as secondary. It will be interesting to see how many of those who have falsely claimed that SEPP (or Fred Singer, personally) is funded by oil companies, tobacco companies, etc. will comment on C2ES. As always, SEPP is funded by private donations and appreciates receiving them.
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Number of the Week: 20,000. It was generally reported that the Keystone XL expansion of the existing Keystone pipeline would create 20,000 new jobs in the US. The purpose of the expansion was to bring an additional 700,000 barrels a day of oil from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to Oklahoma, and to extend the pipeline to refineries in southeast Texas. This would replace at least some heavy crude that is now imported from Venezuela. The pipeline, thus the jobs, would be privately funded, without need for government loans or subsidies.
The Obama administration, through the State Department, announced on Thursday that it will delay its decision six to eight months until a study of a total different route to the Mid-west is completed. This delay will, no doubt, result in a delay in a decision until after the November 2012 presidential election. Since President Obama previously insisted he was responsible for the decision, it is reasonable to conclude he is responsible for the delay.
The delay reveals that two of the major arguments used for the government promoting expensive and unreliable sources of electricity, such as solar and wind, are little more than red herrings – arguments used to mislead others from the real purpose of certain actions. One red herring is the US needs solar and wind to reduce its use of oil. As noted in prior TWTWs, less than one percent of US electricity is generated by using oil. The pipeline would provide oil from the most reliable trading partner the US has. This leads to the second red herring: we need solar and wind sources for national security and independence from mid-east oil. Again the pipeline delay contradicts this claim. The real issue is the demand by environmental groups, and others, that Washington control the energy resources of America and the energy use of the American public. Please see links under “Administration Control of Oil and Gas.”
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ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see this week’s TWTW at:
The articles are at the end of the pdf.
1. Obama Seeks Modest Expansion in Offshore Drilling
By Tennille Tracy, WSJ, Nov 8, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297…
[SEPP Comment: But highly restrict drilling as compared to when he took office.]
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Science: Is the Sun Rising?
New Paper “A Shared Frequency Set Between The Historical Mid-Latitude Aurora Records And The Global Surface Temperature” By N. Scafetta 2011
By Roger Pielke, Sr, Pielke Climate Science, Nov 8, 2011
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2011/11…
Climategate Continued
Penn State President Fired
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Nov 10, 2011
http://climateaudit.org/2011/11/10/penn-state…
CA readers are aware of Spanier’s failure to ensure proper investigation of Climategate emails and his untrue puffs about the ineffective Penn State Inquiry Committee, reported at CA here and by the Penn State Collegian as follows:
Corrupt inquiries
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Nov 11, 2011
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2011/1…
WWF’s tainted ‘witnesses’
By Peter Foster, Financial Post, Nov 9, 2011
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/11/09/p…
The IPCC’s Fake Review Editor
By Donna Laframboise, NFC, Nov 9, 2011
http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/11/09/the…
Challenging the Orthodoxy
A new, lower estimate of climate sensitivity
By Patrick Michaels, World Climate Report, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2…
Science: climate sensitivity is 1.7-2.6 °C
By Lubos Motl, The Reference Frame, Nov 10, 2011
http://motls.blogspot.com/2011/11/science-cli…
[SEPP Comment: Or less!]
Whether It Is Warming or Climate Change, It Cannot Be the CO2.
By Tim Ball, His Blog, Nov 9, 2011
http://drtimball.com/2011/whether-it-is-warmi…
New study shows temperature in Greenland significantly warmer than present several times in the last 4000 years
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 10, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/10/new-stu…
[SEPP Comment: Reaffirming prior studies such as those by Don Easterbrook.]
NCDC data shows that the contiguous USA has not warmed in the past decade, summers are cooler, winters are getting colder
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 5, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/05/ncdc-da…
[SEPP Comment: Many useful graphs. Also a link to the previous distortion of historic data making the 1930s to appear cooler than originally recorded.]
Global temperatures: Nonbelievers refuse to warm up to ‘climate hysteria’
By Gordon Fulks, Oregon Live, Nov 7, 2011
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2…
Defending the Orthodoxy
Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases
By Seth Borenstein, AP, Nov 4, 2011 [H/t Debbie Wetlaufer]
http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-jump-ever-seen-…
Global warming showdown: And skeptics are winning
U.N. prepares for urgent battle to extract $100 billion from U.S., developed countries
By Michael F. Haverluck, WND, Nov 8, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pag…
Nepal defends China snub for climate summit
By Staff Writers, AFP, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Nepal_defen…
[SEPP Comment: Countries have to justify getting part of the $100 Billion per year the UN demanded from developed countries.]
Harper Government Guts Environment Programmes [Canada]
By Stephen Leahy, IPS, Nov 9, 2011
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105773…
Questioning the Orthodoxy
The “Global Warming”/”Climate Change” controversy continues
Editor Larry Gould, APS New England Section, Fall, 2011
By Gordon Fulks, Letter, pp 10-12
http://www.aps.org/units/nes/newsletters/uplo…
By Roger Cohen, Letter, p 12
http://www.aps.org/units/nes/newsletters/uplo…
Wasted ‘Climate Change’ Cash Could Save Lives Instead
Tomorrow’s theoretical problems have been trumping today’s urgent needs
By Tom Harris and Bob Carter, Pajama Media, Nov 6, 2011
http://pjmedia.com/blog/wasted-%E2%80%98clima…
[SEPP Comment: According to the GAO, from 1993 to 2010 the outlays by the US government amounted to $107 Billion.]
Questioning European Green
In Praise Of The Global Warming Policy Foundation
The GWPF is one of the most important think-tanks in Britain today, because it is helping to provide the balance that has been so sorely lacking in the mainstream of our economic and environmental policy debate for much of the last decade.
By Matthew Barrett, Conservative Home, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.thegwpf.org/opinion-pros-a-cons/42…
Britain can’t afford to bet its future on shale gas – wind turbines are here to stay
Diversity of energy sources increases our security: renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear power are not mutually exclusive.
By Chris Huhne, Sec of State for Energy and Climate Change, Telegraph, UK, Nov 8, 2011 [H/t GWPF}
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/88772…
[SEPP Comment: The government bet the estate on wind and is now backing down.]
Cheap gas is a ‘crisis’ for Greens, but not for us
By Andrew Orlowski, The Register, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/09/huhne…
Statoil threatens UK gas supplies over green policies
By Eric Watkins, Oil and Gas Journal, Oct 31, 2011 [H/t Hugh Sharman]
http://www.ogj.com/articles/2011/10/statoil-t…
Expanding the Orthodoxy
World Energy Outlook 2011
International Energy Agency, Nov 9, 2011
[SEPP Comment: Only 150 euros for a special pleading on behalf of European Greens.]
World has five years to avoid severe warming: IEA
By Staff Writers, AFP, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/World_has_f…
World headed for irreversible climate change in five years, IEA warns
If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will ‘lose for ever’ the chance to avoid dangerous climate change
By Fiona Harvey, Guardian, UK, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t Best of the Web]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/no…
One close observer of the climate talks said the $400bn subsidies devoted to fossil fuels, uncovered by the IEA, were “staggering”, and the way in which these subsidies distort the market presented a massive problem in encouraging the move to renewables.
[SEPP Comment: There was no reference to the study to document the subsidies. Many oil producing nations and developing nations, such as China, do provide heavy subsidies to the consumers of oil. Generally, this is not the case in developed nations.]
Oil prices are in ‘danger zone’, warns the IEA
Oil could hit $150 a barrel soon if investment in the Middle East and North Africa fails to rise with demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.
By Staff Writers, BBC, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15658275…
[SEPP Comment: Clear promotion of green energy.]
OPEC raises forecasts, warns of investment uncertainty
By Staff Writers, AFP, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/OPEC_rais…
[SEPP Comment: Another view on IEA statements.]
Problems within the Orthodoxy
China Threatens Massive Venting of Super Greenhouse Gases in Attempt to Extort Billions as UNFCCC Meeting Approaches
By Staff Writers, PR Newswire, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-threat…
[SEPP Comment: Western governments should not be surprised at China’s efforts to extort them, they created the distorted markets.]
Seeking a Common Ground
Planet Intolerance
By Rob White, Book Review of ‘On Tolerance’, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.thegwpf.org/best-of-blogs/4291-rob…
Carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise
By Martin Livermore, Scientific-Alliance, Nov 11, 2011
http://www.scientific-alliance.org/scientific…
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate?
Warming temps eyed as factor in Alaska storm
Region has seen less sea ice, pattern of more intense systems
By Pete Spotts, Christian Science Monitor, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45229295/ns/tod…
[SEPP Comment: It did not take long for the warming chorus to blame the strongest November storm since the global cooling period of 1974 on global warming.]
For the comments of Anthony Watts see:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/09/dr-jeff…
Arctic sea ice ‘to melt by 2015’
Arctic sea ice could completely melt away by the summer of 2015, destroying the natural habitat of animals like polar bears, one of Britain’s leading ocean experts has claimed.
By Nick Collins, Telegraph, UK, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/…
[SEPP Comment: No warming causes extreme melting!]
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
The Rough Guide to the Future by Jon Turney – review
A meticulously researched book analysing not only distant future scenarios but also the grim environmental outlook in short term
By James Kingsland, Guardian, UK, Nov 11, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/11…
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately below.]
Royal Society book prize
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Nov 11, 2011
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2011/1…
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Measurement Issues
Pause (?)
Question of the week: Has the rate of warming continued unabated, or has there been a pause in the warming?
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Nov 4, 2011
http://judithcurry.com/2011/11/04/pause/#more…
BEST Data “Quality”
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Nov 6, 2011
http://climateaudit.org/2011/11/06/best-data-…
Two New Papers vs. BEST: Guest Post by Lüdecke, Link, and Ewert
By William Briggs, His Blog, Nov 7, 2011 [H/t SPPI]
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=4630…
Brief Commentary on Two Recent Papers
By Donald Rapp, Pielke Climate Science, Nov 9, 2011
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2011/11…
In other words, as the Earth goes through it chaotic variability, it is possible that it can generate its own long-term trends due to feedback effects. For example, if there is a random change in cloudiness or wind pattern or whatever that persists for quite a few years, this could set into motion feedback effects that could move the climate persistently in one direction, and the whole thing got started internally. Hence, the detection of a long-term trend it not necessarily proof of an external influence as the driver.
Skeptics “BESTed”?
By Tony Thomas, Quadrant, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-plane…
Changing Weather
Stalled Weather Systems More Frequent in Decades of Warmer Atlantic
By Maria-Jose Vinas for Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 08, 2011
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Stalled_Wea…
“They erode the base of glaciers, contributing to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. And the change in temperature and freshness of the waters can alter subpolar ecosystems, too.”
More than 1,000 die in Southeast Asia floods
By Staff Writers, AFP, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/More_than_1…
Changing Climate
UA scientists find evidence of Roman period megadrought
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 09, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/UA_scientis…
Texas A and M professor helping to unravel causes of Ice Age extinctions
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Texas_A_and…
Changing Seas
The Pacific sea surface temperature
David H. Douglass, Physics Letters A, Accepted Oct 28, 2011
http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~douglass/papers…
[SEPP Comment: The paper by Douglass mentioned last week is now posted.]
Ocean Temperatures Can Predict Amazon Fire Season Severity
By Patrick Lynch for Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 11, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Ocean_Tempe…
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Farmers 1, Smelt 0 — For Now
Enviros favor the lives of two-inch fish over the livelihood of farmers. A federal judge has finally told them: Enough!
By Peter Hannaford, American Spectator, Nov 7, 2011
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/11/07/farm…
Tropical forests are fertilized by air pollution
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 07, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Tropical_fo…
[SEPP Comment: Human emitted nitrogen enhancing tree growth?]
Shock news: trees grow better in a warmer climate with more carbon dioxide
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 11, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/11/shock-n…
[SEPP Comment: Obviously these climate change arctic researchers never read HH Lamb, or the work of the Idsos.]
The Political Games Continue
Republicans set their sights on another Energy Department program
By Andrew Restuccia, The Hill, Nov 9, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/1926…
White House Threatens to Veto CSPAR-Blocking Senate Resolution
By Staff Writers, POWERnews, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4154.html?h…
Litigation Issues
FOIA reveals NASA’s Hansen was a paid witness
By Conn Carroll, Washington Examiner, Nov 7, 2011
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columni…
Confessions of an FOIA criminal
By Christopher Horner, Washington Examiner, Nov 7, 2011
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/…
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Australia approves carbon tax
By Staff Writers, UPI, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Australia…
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
More Costs and Higher Prices
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Nov 11, 2011
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/more…
In other words, efficiently generated electricity is being replaced by inefficiently generated electricity from renewables. …In the real world, renewables cause problems, and increase the price of electricity to consumers.
Support for federal backing of renewables slips, driven by GOP skepticism
By Juliet Eilperin and Jon Cohen, Washington Post, Nov 10, 2011 [H/t Conrad Potemra]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health…
Growth in Customer Solar Power Installations Poses Significant Challenges for the Electric Grid
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 09, 2011
http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Growth_in_C…
Texas Wind Power (CREZ) Line Busts Its Budget (Blame Perry, not Obama)
By Kenneth Artz, Master Resource, Nov 11, 2011
http://www.masterresource.org/2011/11/texas-c…
Maryland Climate Plan Passes Key Tests in UMD Studies
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 09, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Maryland_Cl…
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA Moves Forward with GHG Regulations for Power Plants
By Staff Writers, POWERnews, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4155.html?h…
Why Obama Officials Had to Lie to Congress About Fuel Economy Standards
By Marlo Lewis, Big Government, Nov 8, 2011
http://biggovernment.com/mlewis/2011/11/08/wh…
[SEPP Comment: Interestingly, according to the Honda web site, the compressed natural gas model of the Civic is EPA rated as getting a combined 31 miles per gallon, though it uses no gasoline. The comparable LX gasoline model is rated at getting a combined 32 miles per gallon. Clearly, there is a component in the ratings that the regulators are not revealing.]
Real Monsters Didn’t Disappear After Halloween
By Harry Jackson and Efrain Pineda, Freedoms Journal, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.freedomsjournal.net/2011/11/10/rea…
[SEPP Comment: A realistic plea for the less fortunate.]
Environmental Justice: EPA Needs to Take Additional Actions to Help Ensure Effective Implementation
By Staff Writers, GAO-12-77 October 6, 2011 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-77…
[SEPP Comment: Giving EPA greater power and environmental organizations greater leverage over the public.]
Black Hills to Shutter Coal Plants, Build Gas-Fired Facility in Coal-Rich Wyo.
By Staff Writers, POWERnews, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4160.html?h…
NOAA designates critical habitat for black abalone
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NOAA_design…
[SEPP Comment: Expanding control.]
Energy Issues
Why “energy independence” means less power for the US, not more
By Matthew Hulbert, European Energy Review, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.europeanenergyreview.eu/site/pagin…
Americans using more fossil fuels
By Anne M Stark for LLNL News, SPX, Nov 11, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Americans…
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Oil jobs boom in US despite recession
Jobs related to oil and gas drilling account for more than one in eight of all net new nonfarm jobs in the United States since 2003, and almost one in five in the private sector, according to an analysis of data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By Staff Writers, News Wires, Nov 1, 2011
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article286…
[SEPP Comment: Without large government subsidies or loan guarantees.]
We Found Oil! Is That Good?
New ways to extract oil and natural gas could buy the U.S. some time to develop renewable energy. Or they could keep us addicted to dirty fuels.
Discussion, NYT, Nov 11, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/11/…
[SEPP Comment: Once the discovery of economically recoverable natural resources was considered a benefit to the nation. Now, many question the benefit.]
Democratic jackpot
The energy-short democracies will become top producers
By Lawrence Solomon, Financial Post, Nov 4, 2011
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/11/04/l…
Administration’s Control of Oil and Gas
US to study alternate route for US-Canada pipeline
By Staff Writers, AFP, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/US_to_stu…
Interior announces offshore-drilling plan, scaled back following Gulf spill
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Nov 8, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/1923…
Return of King Coal?
Obama Tightens Screw on America’ Coal Supply
By Marita Noon, Townhall, Nov 6, 2011
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/marita…
New EPA Rules Split Power Industry
By Ryan Tracy, WSJ, Nov 10, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297…
[SEPP Comment: May be behind a pay wall.]
It’s a Coal World After All
“The German Federal Institute for Geosciences estimates the current proved recoverable global coal reserves at 1,000 billion tons” IEA, 2011
By Frank Clemente, Energy Facts Weekly, Nov 10, 2011
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=29bc7d5d8…
Oil Spills & Consequences
Exxon Mobil says Montana spill to cost $135 million
By Braden Reddall and Laura Zuckerman, Reuters Fri Nov 4, 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/05/us-…
Nuclear Energy and Fears
New nuclear energy policy for Taiwan
No life extensions will be granted to Taipower’s existing nuclear power plants in a newly announced nuclear energy policy that promises eventually to make the island ‘nuclear-free’.
By Staff Writers, WNN, Nov 3, 2011
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-New_nucl…
Thorium shows promise for nuclear power
By Staff Writers, UPI, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Thor…
[SEPP Comment: A promise not exactly new, but a long way to go.]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy
Time To Change Course on Green Jobs,
By Walter Russell Mead, American Interest, Nov 3, 2011
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/20…
Trade War in Solar Takes Shape
By Keith Bradsher, NYT, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/business/gl…
[SEPP Comment: Message to the US: Don’t Bother. The war is not worth the cost. Develop the far more effective and affordable fossil fuels.]
Paul Krugman’s Solar Eclipse
Why solar has failed
By Robert Bryce, National Review, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/282610…
Taming Unruly Wind Power
By Matthew Wald, NYT, Nov 4, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/business/en…
Ontario’s Power Trip: The Globe has gone with the wind
The Globe and Mail declined to run the following letter to the editor from Parker Gallant:
By Parker Gallant, Financial Post, Nov 8, 2011
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/11/08/o…
Wind Farms Disrupting Radar, Scientists Say
By Maxim Lott, Fox News, Nov 5, 2011 [H/t Debbie Wetlaufer]
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/05/win…
Biofuels: Fields Of Pipedreams
By Larry Bell, Forbes, Nov 8, 2011
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2011/11…
Wood biofuel could be a competitive industry by 2020
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.biofueldaily.com/reports/Wood_biof…
Carbon Schemes
Coal Project Hits Snag as a Partner Backs Off
By Matthew Wald, NYT, Nov 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/business/en…
[SEPP Comment: Another hit on the scheme to capture carbon dioxide emissions. The promised $ 1 billion from the US government has a time limit ending in 2015.]
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see
Global Warming: The View from China
Reference: Fang, J.Y., Zhu, J.L., Wang, S.P., Yue, C. and Shen, H.H. 2011. Global warming, human-induced carbon emissions, and their uncertainties. Science China Earth Sciences 54: 1458-1468.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/nov/…
Consequently, and contrary to what the IPCC crowd continually contends, the science of global climate change is definitely not “settled.”
Three Thousand Years of Climate Change in Central Iceland
Reference: Larsen, D.J., Miller, G.H., Geirsdottir, A. and Thordarson, T. 2011. A 3000-year varved record of glacier activity and climate change from the proglacial lake Hvitarvatn, Iceland. Quaternary Science Reviews 30: 2715-2731.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/nov/…
The research team’s findings clearly suggest that there is nothing unusual, unnatural or unprecedented about the warmth of the post-1950 Current Warm Period…
The MWP and LIA in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica
Reference: Bertler, N.A.N., Mayewski, P.A. and Carter, L. 2011. Cold conditions in Antarctica during the Little Ice Age — Implications for abrupt climate change mechanisms. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 308: 41-51.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/nov/…
“the McMurdo Dry Valleys were 0.35°C warmer during the MWP [Medieval Warm Period] than during ME [Modern Era], accompanied by warmer conditions in the Ross Sea.”
Holocene Fluctuations in Arctic Sea-Ice Cover
Reference: McKay, J.L., de Vernal, A., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Not, C., Polyak, L. and Darby, D. 2008. Holocene fluctuations in Arctic sea-ice cover: dinocyst-based reconstructions for the eastern Chuckchi Sea. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 45: 1377-1397.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/nov/…
“it is important to note that the amplitude of these millennial-scale changes in sea-surface conditions far exceed [italics added] those observed at the end of the 20th century.”
Health, Energy, and Climate
Analysis reveals malaria as ancient, adaptive and persistent foe
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Analysis_re…
[SEPP Comment: Unrelated to warming.]
Oh Mann!
Academic freedom
A court decision in the United States rescinding an order to turn over academic e-mails in response to a freedom-of-information request is welcome.
Editorial, Nature, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit]
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v479/n73…
[SEPP Comment: The editorial is incorrect. The issue is not about academic freedom, but obtaining public funds under false pretenses.]
Environmental Industry
Pew Center Turns to Industry Funding for Climate Change Research
By Jim Efstathiou, Jr, Bloomberg, Nov 9, 2011 [H/t Willie Soon]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-09/pew-…
Environmental Groups Seek Federal Court Review of EPA Avenal PSD Permit
By Staff Writers, POWERnews, Nov 9, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4161.html?h…
[SEPP Comment: Opposing gas-fired electrical generation.]
Coca-Cola starts $4M campaign for its iconic polar bears
By Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov 7, 2011 [H/t SPPI]
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/07/2490663…
Other Scientific News
What does the Tiangong 1 space station mean for China
By Staff Writers, XNA, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/What_does_t…
NASA’s Future Up In Space
By Launchspace Staff, SPX, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_Futu…
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Swimming Jellyfish May Influence Global Climate
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 08, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Swimming_Je…
Sea life “must swim faster to survive” [global warming]
By Staff Writers, SPX, Nov 09, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Sea_life_mu…
PLEASE NOTE: The complete TWTW, including the full text of the numbered articles, can be downloaded in an easily printable form at this web site: http://www.sepp.org/the-week-that-was.cfm…
Brace for weather extremes – UN panel
http://www.news.com.au/world/brace-for-weather-extremes-un-panel/story-e6frfkyi-1226193834641
UN climate scientists warns of weather extremes
Global warming to create “weather on steroids”
Human settlement in some areas could be wiped out
The authors expresses high confidence in some findings but stresses uncertainty in others, mainly due to lack of data.
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The continuing problem of the lack of any data showing that Natural Carbon Dioxide combined with Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide is causing any deleterious effects on the Natural Processes of Nature. However, the precision of Computer Climate Models shows a “…future warming ranging between an additional 1C to 5C by 2100.”
Per campaign promise, Obama has stopped the rise of sea level dead in its tracks. One less worry for the IPCC scientists.
The IPCC scientists, er, politicians are belatedly recognizing Nature’s occasional deviation from Computer Model mandates: “They also emphasize that the vulnerability of human settlements depends as much or more on exposure, preparedness and the capacity to respond as it does on the raw power of Nature’s violent outbursts” as opposed to the raw power of Computer Models.
In the battle, concerning the Earth’s care and livability, Nature is supreme over the revered Computer Models of the IPCC.
The battle will continue because, deep in their hearts, the IPCC politicians know that Nature is theirs to control.
The DC Caller is running a small story on Gore vs. Monckton:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/13/lord-moncktons-personal-challenge-to-al-gore/
People should visit and leave a comment – its a good good over there…
Desmog wants those who disagree with them to just die. I guess if you cannot win the debate on scientific grounds, ………….
Please do not go there as I do not want to increase their miniscule traffic. Losers.
The ipcc thinks “global warming” will produce weather on steroids. I’ve got news for them the ocean will not play ball. Reason. Surface tension. To demonstrate surface tension you place a paper clip on water and it is supported by surface tension Sea water has the highest surface tension of all the non metallic liquids.To demonstrate how resistant surface tension is to the transfer of heat, try heating the water in a bucket with a heat gun.With the machine on max setting, the water will not take any heat including on its surface for between 10 to 12 minutes. I do mean NO heat. It takes the heat of the gun at approximately 450 deg celsius 10 to 12 mins to reduce the surface tension so that the water can accept heat. The agw story is that man made co2 will be heated by the sun and the excess heat will find its way into the ocean. Rubbish. What chance would a molecule of co2 heated to say 20 degs above sea temperature have of reducing surface tension enough to pass heat into the ocean.Zero. This explains Trenberth’s missing heat, it explains why in the last 10 to 15 years despite a rising level of co2, the temperature has flatlined or even dropped and it would explain the dropping sea levels.
I’m 70 years of age and I was taught about surface tension but I keep meeting younger people today who have not been taught about it. Since it is the argument that can blow agw out of the water I wonder if there is a connection.
Its worth remembering that part of Penn State’s verdict on the ‘enquirer’ was thanking Mann for the research money he brought in, although its a standard feature of US universities it should have had no part to play in whether Mann had acted correctly or not . The fact they felt the need to included in their report at all would suggest McIntyre may well be right and they were unwilling to risk exposing ‘Mann the cash cow’ to much actual questioning, preferring instead to ‘take his word for it ‘
Speaking of BEST, Judith Curry captures some choice Muller quotes. Perhaps they should be included as well: http://judithcurry.com/2011/11/13/congressional-climate-briefing-to-push-end-of-climate-change-skepticism/
Please send some reinforcements over here to help out on comments !
http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/13/lord-moncktons-personal-challenge-to-al-gore/#disqus_thread
Would be greatly appreciated :o)
Possibly, you should have also mentioned this heart rending appeal for funds – sarc.
http://profmandia.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/donation/
I’m a PSU grad and have written the Board of Trustees two emails about re-opening the Mann investigation. I encourage all WUWT followers, especially fellow PSU alumni, to voice your concerns about the Mann whitewash and the need to truly investigate his actions and publications. Email address is: bot@psu.edu
Bill Yarber
AeroSpace Engineering. ’69 & ’71
That Oppenheimer quote sounds like it might be a justification for someone passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.
Thanks for the quotation from Oppenheimer. His words are superb.
OT, when is that sunspot conglomeration supposed to be in range of earth if there’s another CME?
McIntyre suggests such level of funding may have been sufficient to cause the university investigators to less than rigorously perform their duties. At the time of the findings, McIntyre was extremely critical of their performance.
———
The thing is I cannot imagine an investigation of any kind, no matter how rigorous or protracted, that McIntyre would accept; if it cleared Mann.
The chances that McIntyre would agree that Mann is blameless is and the investigation did a good job is zero under any circumstances.
XL pipeline. The delay is 100 % political. As a Canadian I have no problem with my neighbor taking a political decision. I do have a problem when that neighbor attempts to tell us how to live and run our country. That said, I think we would be far better off building that pipeline to the Pacific and selling our oil to the highest bidder. Isn’t that the essence of a free market? Oh I forgot, the US talks the talk but does not walk the walk on that.
The MWP and LIA in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica
Reference: Bertler, N.A.N., Mayewski, P.A. and Carter, L. 2011. Cold conditions in Antarctica during the Little Ice Age — Implications for abrupt climate change mechanisms. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 308: 41-51. http://go.madmimi.com/redirects/d49670c7a59fc017b55c10e13774a0ea?pa=6204656852
“the McMurdo Dry Valleys were 0.35°C warmer during the MWP [Medieval Warm Period] than during ME [Modern Era], accompanied by warmer conditions in the Ross Sea.”…
___________________________________-
Well that just shot down the Medieval Warm period was a local condition argument. It also should kill the Hockey Stick and CAGW DEAD.
LazyTeenager says:
November 13, 2011 at 2:10 pm
“The thing is I cannot imagine an investigation of any kind, no matter how rigorous or protracted, that McIntyre would accept; if it cleared Mann.”
Well, yes. We’ve noted your lack of imagination…. and inability to accept rigorous and protracted evidence … in your usual posts here at WUWT.
To paraphrase: “A lazy teenager can’t imagine any investigation of any kind, no matter how rigorous or protracted, that a lazy teenager would accept; when it clearly demonstrated AGW fraud or refuted the hypothesis of Anthropogenic Global Warming.”
A 70 year old person (R.M.B.) is under the impression on November 13, 2011 at 8:55 am that surface tension is the antidote that proves the AGW theory to be invalid.
Well, as a theory, built – like all theories – on assumptions, it is a valid one but it has got to be supported by/with facts and as far as I can see, R.M.B. there is no connection between “Surface Tension” and “warming by CO2”, other than the fact that all objects (including CO2 atoms) do possess this “thing” which we call “Surface Tension” – as without it, no – one – thing would/could exist, (there’s another theory).
Therefore you do well to separate (put “surface Tension”) between “Heat and CO2”.
Many people (including “AGW skeptics and heretics”) do think/believe that the oceans will suck CO2 out of the atmosphere in colder climatic times and expel CO2 during warmer periods, (again a theory) – this theory has – by now, morphed into belief – in spite of the fact that there is no “detected CO2 Trail” between the “Tropical and Arctic/Antarctic” oceans.
IMHO the whole “scientific world” has “morphed” into a “scientific mess” these past 3 or 4 decades. –
When I was around eleven years old (60 years ago) I learnt in school that we do not need an extra nose, at ‘the other end of our bodies’, because: 1) – it would just pick up bad smells, and: 2) – because the mixtures of gases we breathe in and out are separated by CO2 which is a gas that does not dissolve or mix with liquids (including blood) and therefore the membranes in our lungs sort things out automatically. – Simple -.
I also learnt, all those years ago – from disappointed former students of Svante Arrhenius – that Tyndall was a very clever scientist but one who had never the less not proved that (CO2) or GHGs could neither create – nor that ‘radiation’ could trap energy.
Your thoughts may be correct but I do not believe that bringing ‘Surface Tension’ into the ring (although it may have its points) is of much value as “The scientific consensus” seems to be that the atmosphere is warming the earth’s surface.
Good Luck, yours 71year old.
David Ball says on November 13, 2011 at 8:32 am :
“Desmog wants those who disagree with them to just die. I guess if you cannot win the debate on scientific grounds, ………….
Please do not go there as I do not want to increase their miniscule traffic. Losers.”
I do go there David, not often and not because I wish to read their “dragging people through the carbon-energy and tobacco drivel” but because they have a list of “People Who Deserve Their Investigation” (PWDTI).
Most –or all – of the people on the ‘DeSmogBlog PWDTI’ list are my climate heroes – that list is growing all the time – and is a very good anti-dote to any claim “that there is just a handful of scientists” who are skeptical of the AGW (CAGW) theory.
So, where are those rising sea levels again…http://pindanpost.com/2011/11/13/sea-levels-falling-or-no-change-everywhere/ Guam, Marshall islands, Nauru, Cook Islands, Maldives? No, no, no, and no…
Regarding Penn State….I’m sorry, I’m a total cynic to ALL university functions that involve any funding whatsoever! The recent scandal in their football program shows the level of isolation these folks have from society, so all bets are off when a prominent faculty member like Mann (who can bring home the bacon, support students with tuition waivers etc. etc.) is involved.
My own University of Illinois is hardly blameless, here’s some recent news –
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-09/news/ct-met-uofi-law-college-20111109_1_law-school-lsat-score-test-scores
ALL universities have their hands out, especially now!! “Whose coins I take, whose song I sing….”
WOW!!! That wasn’t just chasing a few strays outta the surrounding hills…. That was a REAL roundup, Anthony! I’ve been ‘hull down’ recently, work and personal obligations, so I really appreciate the summary with all of the links readily available. It will take me another week to just work through the list though….. };>)
Thanks, for doing what you do so well!!!
How many civil or petroleum engineers or geologists does the State Department employ? What expertise can State possibly have concerning the feasibility, design, location and operation of the crude oil pipeline? The entire mess is a charade designed to obfuscate the fact that Obama is doing his level best to destroy the US economy.
Based on Leif’s comments on the Oct. 24th post, we should be lined up with the active spot again on Sunday Nov. 20th. So if there’s a big CME from that softspot on the sun between the 19th and 21st we might get another show.
Edit note: “It is vital to see if the pattern of the warming reported by BEST.” That’s the intro to a sentence. What’s the rest?