Guest post by Steven Goddard
Climate Activist Glues Himself to the Smiling Prime Minister at #10
Consider the conflicted UK, where the government is dominated by people who claim to be concerned above all else about CO2 emissions, and where the power industry warns that the country’s electricity and natural gas capacity may soon be inadequate to meet basic needs. Russia is currently threatening to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe. Climate vandals are welcomed to 10 Downing Street where they embarrass the Prime Minister, and formerly great newspapers like The Guardian demonize environmental activists for trying to protect the country’s scenic heritage from unsightly windmills. Dr. Hansen was recently welcomed as an expert witness for the defence of power plant damagers, and children block airport runways to stop vacationers from using airplanes – in the name of protecting of the climate.
The UK is currently in the grip of what the papers describe as a “Siberian Cold Front.” Solar insolation is close to zero this time of year at that latitude, so solar power is out of the question as a significant winter energy source. The light winds and freezing conditions make wind generated power minimally useful and unreliable. Coal, nuclear and natural gas are the only practical options to stay warm, yet the government appears too paralyzed by climate fears to move forward with the needed additions to the energy grid.
Britain is experiencing a seemingly irresolvable conflict in it’s collective belief system. Brits want to save the planet from global warming, and yet are faced with power shortages which may affect their livelihoods and ability to stay warm in a cold climate. The Church of England is wagering huge sums of cash on Al Gore’s understanding of the world. And as the New Year rings in with bitter cold, the Met Office warns of yet another hot year. The last “hot” day in London was July 27, 2006 when temperatures reached 30C (86F.) That was 889 days ago.
Can the great country which survived the Nazi Blitz overcome it’s own internal conflicts in 2009? I predict that England will pull herself together like she always has, but who will be the next Churchill to lead England out of it’s most clueless hour? Britain’s leadership hasn’t been this confused since Neville Chamberlain handed Czechoslovakia over to Hitler seventy years ago. Ironically, it may be current Czech President Vaclav Klaus who rescues Europe from themselves.
“Klaus wrote that it was futile to fight against phenomena like higher solar activity or the change of ocean currents”
Klaus assumed the EU Presidency today. Happy New Year to all.
Here’s letters from J Hansen to the Obama’s. He put them on his web site Dec 31. Talks about the goal… redistribution of wealth.
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20081229_DearMichelleAndBarack.pdf and http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20081229_Obama_revised.pdf
The near future nearly always looks bleak. But the longterm trends are very, very positive. We mustn’t get into that late 1970 malaise funk. It’s false.
I figure that the richer society gets, in some ways the sillier and more wasteful it gets. But I wouldn’t trade the modern age for any time in the past. We are freer than ever both in terms of rights and latitude (thanks to affluence). That also means we are freer to act like idiots than ever before without fatal consequences. (Consider it a sort of partial negative feedback.) But we are also freer to act positively, as well.
There is huge power in modernity, although it’s the weaknesses that get all the attention.
A Positive affirmation for the new year:
Newsflash!!!
Global Warming and Climate Change Will Be Good For Earth And Her People!
Recent research has found that the warming predicted by Global Climate Models will create an age of prosperity unprecedented in human history. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been declared unnecessary and irrelevant. It has been found that the addition of CO2 and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere has held off the expected ice age, and has also contributed greatly to the greening of the planet. “Why do you think that the farms of the world are producing such bountiful harvests,” asked Al Gore, “it’s because of the beneficial impacts of CO2 an important trace gas.”
It’s a wonderful life, it’s a wonderful world. 🙂
Like an embarassing uncle is a personal attempt to add support for Vaclav Klaus.
Britian has given most of the powers of government away to the EU, the European subsidiary of the UN essentially. So basically they’re screwed. In five years or so, give or take a couple, they’ll be going “Californian” with rolling black outs as their national grid can no longer keep up with deman due to their kow-towing to the environmentalists and EU laws. This is what happens when you give up your sovereignty to trans-national organizations. Britain is the best reason why the US should no longer be a part of the UN.
Tom in Texas et. al.
Texas has higher electric consumption per capita because of all the large industrial users — not solely because of air conditioning. The refineries, chemical plants, and petrochemical plants, plus other manufacturers use great amounts of electric power.
Texas is also a leader in using co-generation, thereby reducing the amount of raw energy consumed per kwh produced.
It is good to remember that most of those refined oil products and much of the natural gas are sold to consumers in other states. Texans enjoy the jobs and financial benefits of such production, refining, and sales.
As to California not installing wind or other renewables, it is about to get interesting out here. AB 32, our Climate Change Initiative, requires 33 percent of all power sold to be from renewable generation by 2020. Also, a recently enacted law prohibits generation or purchase of power from coal.
I have long predicted that California is on the brink of the abyss, and soon must decide which is more important: people and jobs, or crystal-clear air and clear views of the ocean.
On top of all the other problems currently rampant in California (high unemployment, ever-higher taxes, crumbling infrastructure, serious lack of fresh water, Federal judge who requires perfectly good river water be sent into the ocean rather than diverted to human use, inadequate transportation systems, massive state budget deficit, and many others) this AB 32 Climate Change Initiative was not only passed, but is being implemented over the dire warnings of outside experts that the economic benefits touted by the State are bogus, wrong, and not going to happen.
I can only hope that the California legislature changes their mind when (not if) confronted with scientific evidence that sea level rise and snowpack melting are not related to GHG emissions. This is our goal, and this is my mission. We may have to repeal AB 32 by other means if the legislature will not budge.
Please, Anthony and others, keep up the good work. The information provided by you and the commenters here is invaluable.
Some references:
Texas co-generation:
http://energyguysmusings.blogspot.com/2008/08/texas-cogeneration.html
California AB 32 and its implementation scheme (Scoping Plan):
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/scopingplan.htm
Analysis of Scoping Plan by non-partisan group:
http://www.lao.ca.gov/2008/rsrc/ab32/AB32_scoping_plan_112108.pdf
Roger E. Sowell
Marina del Rey, California
Steven Goddard: Great article. Yes England is starved for “Churchill” like leadership. Likewise the US, Obama = FDR ? … We’ll see !
One problem we have here in the UK is that there is no coherent political opposition to AGW to be found anywhere; it amounts to a mere handful of MPs, mostly back-bench Conservatives. I want to vote for more power stations, and against the dangerous antics of Greenpeace, Plane Stupid and their ilk, but there appears to be no-one I can vote for. Very frustrating.
I wrote to my MP last November, voicing my concerns about the sorry lack of debate re the Climate Change Bill (80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050) which was rubber-stamped by MPs with scarcely a murmur of dissent, and which would appear to be an industry-killer, if strictly enforced.
She has acknowledged my letter and passed on my concerns to Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, but I’m still waiting for his response.
evanjones: “There is huge power in modernity, although it’s the weaknesses that get all the attention.”
I would agree with that; the short-term stupidity is highly frustrating, but human ingenuity, imagination and willpower will win the day, eventually, coupled with the technological prowess which brought us out of the Middle Ages.
Thanks Steven Goddard for a good article. Unfortunately things look even worse for us in the UK because it is not only the psychotic Scot Gordon Brown and his tired gang who worship at the Gore altar, but David Cameron has also been seduced by the ultra green agenda preachers. His eco-adviser Zac Goldsmith stoutly defended the eco-vandals in the Kingsnorth power station scandal, so even a change in political colour will not stop the AGW rot here. Cameron even praised Brown for the creation of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. As to the LibDems, they are even more extreme than the other two main parties, so there is no hope there either.
Further to my last posting, there is a little bit of hope, at least with some of our news media. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/4029837/Global-warming-Reasons-why-it-might-not-actually-exist.html published in the Daily Telegraph.
Mike Bryant
I love your quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer and I love your positive affirmation for the New Year.
The Churchill we need: just keep on holding up hope for this folks, in whatever form this “leadership” is going to appear this time. In our British tradition the help tends to appear at 11.59 just when many have given up hope that UK can do anything sensible.
Maybe it is Klaus. Santa Klaus – after all, it was the original Saint Nicholas who threw three money bags into the window where three young girls were destined to be sold into slavery or whatever it was, because their parents had no money for a dowry. And Wenceslaus was another Czech (Bohemia).
Personally I hope Klaus gets some public DEBATES started. Trouble is, most people don’t know about us still or think it is some tiny bunch of known, cracked regulars.
Roger Sowell (23:45:52) wrote: ” serious lack of fresh water, Federal judge who requires perfectly good river water be sent into the ocean rather than diverted to human use,”
Steady, Roger! We in Australia, invented that…
Ah, well. Guess we can share (the pain).
Vaclav Klaus doesn’t have a full support here in Czechia either, unfortunately. He and his views are considered unconventional, truculent, contrarian. Our government tries its best to convey a message, that Klaus doesn’t represent a majority POV in Czechia.
Former president Havel doesn’t like Klaus and incessantly talks about how bad and corrupt our nation is, how good is for us to surrender more and more ruling to the EU (because we are so bad, that we are unable to govern ourselves) and, of course, how bad is humanity in general for the planet. He held very anti-science views when still a dissident.
There’s a long tradition that January 1, president holds a 10-min speech starting at 1.00 p.m. about the state of the nation and the outlook in the new year. After that, cca 45 min of classical music follow and there’s apart from news no further politics at this day.
However, this year the music was left out and a political discussion with Havel immediately followed… Go figure
“… human ingenuity, imagination and willpower will win the day …”
Don’t underestimate stupidity – that’s what gor most politicians into power!
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/article1221092.ece;jsessionid=4C311D1D8EB1FAEF6DE9B7B456606429?postingType=posting&mode=thanks&postingId=1221258
Roger Sowell, You need to get yourself here to Texas.
I live in England and am stockpiling wood from trimming shrubs and trees in my garden. When the wood is dry and my chimney fully restored I will be ready to at least heat my house when the UK runs out of energy.
OT. Dr Roy Spencer has a blog. http://www.drroyspencer.com/
What the UK needs now is more tax revenue to bail the government out because of its vast (for the UK) budget deficit.
Fortunately for them they have what they like to call “Green” taxes. What these taxes enable them to do is raise revenue in the name of “Saving The Planet”.
Unfortunately for us, none of the main parties wants to call into question the need to save the planet because they all know that they will need the tax revenue if/when they get into power.
A second problem for the UK is that making a profit is now seen as EVIL, especially if its a utility company. If any should happen to make a profit then the gorvenment threatens them with a “windfall tax” just to discourage them. As a result, the utility companies, dont have the money or inclination to build and invest in new coal/gas/nuclear power plants. Other types of plant are ok as they can cover most of the cost with subsidies and grants.
Tom T (23:01:49) :
Here’s letters from J Hansen to the Obama’s. He put them on his web site Dec 31. Talks about the goal… redistribution of wealth.
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20081229_DearMichelleAndBarack.pdf and http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20081229_Obama_revised.pdf
I would like to offer president-elect Obama a letter from the realist side, refuting and correcting with facts, one by one, in order, the points made by Jim Hansen.
Anthony, would you consider this forum as an area to post a new thread where we could number the claims and begin offering the truth, with references? I like this one: “A large fraction of the carbon dioxide emitted in burning fossil fuels stays in the air many centuries”. Not true by a long shot (source and sink reference needed with e^-x formula showing absorption rate, etc). We could also explain that not even the IPCC believes the link between CO2 and temperature is very robust, or at least didn’t until the wording was changed to “very likely”, in direct opposition to the other 52 reviewers… I think a new tag line is in order – “The IPCC – a consensus of ONE”.
There is a letter to Jim Holdren claiming a lot of rubbish too, which also needs to be refuted… Any takers on such a thread? I think a finished response letter (carefully reviewed for accuracy of the facts) would be taken by a number of media outlets.
Britain needs a leader like Churchill with a determination to put things right – to do whatever is necessary. Like others, our economy has collapsed, we have rising crime, rising immigration, the roads are pot-holed, and the transport system can’t cope. We can’t hope to get any leadership or good politics from the messers that Gordon Brown leads. Not too far in the future, the Union will break up and Scotland will go its own way. Maybe then we (England) may rid ourselves of the very politicians that are presiding over this sorry mess. At the very least we do have some minor politicians who can see that AGW is false, and that Britain needs to be out of the EU – people like Roger Helmer http://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/ A beacon indeed when we need one. And no, I’m not a Conservative!
Klaus may help and the EU elections later in the year may help also as will the Irsih revote,
The power of the NGOs is great at the moment. Why did the whole UK government vote for the climate change bill? Surely some of them would have seen that we are at a pivot point now? There is a blank stare when you suggest there has been no stat sig warming recently.
I have tried talking to MPs about AGW (MMGW, CAGW) and found them to have 1) Faith in ‘Alternatives’ (Wind, Solar, Hydro etc) and 2) Faith in Obama.
The ones I have conversed with downplay the EU except to promote Germany as an example of how renewables can be used. (Except I believe Germany is running into problems).
So as some have said, the ‘Credit Crunch’ might help people see the wood for the trees.
Will the UK find a new Churchill? This question is a whole new can of worms! Perhaps someone dynamic will appear once they realise that political advantage (power) can be gained from not supporting AGW rather than any change in the weather,
Still keep up the excellent work WUWT, an interesting year ahead and having a rounded view always helps.
west
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Michael S
Sounds a good idea as long as they are short, succinct and ‘factual’ (as far as anything in this industry can be)
i wouldnt want to see people airing their pet theories ad infinitum but would welcome a check list of thirty or so ‘real truths. ‘I particularly like your two examples above and would add ‘arctic ice melt is unprecedented’ ‘current temperatures are unprecedented’ and ‘ploar bears are an endangered species.’
tonyB
Vaclav Klaus is not the only politician to give us hope. Here’s more from the Belfast Telegraph on the Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister Sammy Wilson (as previously featured on WUWT in September).
http://wattsupwiththat.com/?s=sammy+wilson
The BT published an article on New Year’s Eve, which was picked up and featured on ICECAP. Thanks Guys!
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/environment-minister-sammy-wilson-i-still-think-manmade-climate-change-is-a-con-14123972.html
As a result the eBT has had an unprecedented number of comments on the website (490 and counting as I type this). Most comments were held up until the site moderator came back on line this morning. The overwhelming majority (quick survey: ~90% of the first 50 comments) are supportive of Sammy’s views. Thanks to ICECAP, these are from all over the world and at least one i saw mentions WUWT.
I think a quick email to the editor calling for a full article setting out the science, and giving both sides a chance to air views is called for. I’ll get on to it.
Scottish wind farm
Copy/paste 55° 14.701, – 4° 42.029 into Google Earth are enjoy Scotland’s future. These .. these .. these .. things are right behind me with more yes more on the way.
The main road A77 to Glasgow was recently planted with wind mill seeds and new wind mills are growing beautifully.
Now I really would not mind so much if they were turning making electricity.
It has been freezing here in Scotland for the past month and as normal when it is cold in Scotland the weather is controlled by high pressure situated right above us.
No wind just freezing.
As an aside the BBC cannot resist reminding us of Global Warming.
The BBC Scotland weather woman cheered us all up last week she turned to the camera and said “it is the mildest December day so far this year”. I broke into a sweat.
The British/English media never gives up.
“Pete Stroud (01:26:53) :
Thanks Steven Goddard for a good article. Unfortunately things look even worse for us in the UK because it is not only the psychotic Scot Gordon Brown and his tired gang who worship at the Gore altar, but David Cameron has also been seduced by the ultra green agenda preachers. His eco-adviser Zac Goldsmith stoutly defended the eco-vandals in the Kingsnorth power station scandal, so even a change in political colour will not stop the AGW rot here. Cameron even praised Brown for the creation of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. As to the LibDems, they are even more extreme than the other two main parties, so there is no hope there either.”
I doubt this will change any time soon. Politicians and their “causes” are motivated by one thing only…votes. So as long as they believe that John/Jane Q. Public will cast more votes for a green agenda, however faulty the science is, the longer this will remain as the theme du jour.
JimB