Over at the Air Vent, Jeff Id has a very interesting story by Roddy Campbell, and in particular one graph that struck me as thought provoking. When I first saw it, these two stories immediately came to mind:
Breaking: NASA GISS Dr. James Hansen – arrested yet again
Dr. James Hansen of NASA GISS arrested
You see, Dr. Hansen of NASA GISS, has been using his position to protest the use of coal in America. That’s certainly his right. But, since his concern is global CO2 produced by coal, is he really being effective by protesting here? It seems that he should think locally, but act globally. Have a look at this graph and see if you think he’s making any difference in the places coal is being used the most:
Now have a look at this graph and narrative I found from the same source as the one above.
What the chart doesn’t tell you is the composition of each country’s energy consumption. While many are aware the US is a heavy user of oil, there is less attention paid to China’s heavy use of coal. Let’s compare the two, shall we? Oil in the US represents nearly 39% of total energy use from all sources. But in China, oil barely represents 19% of total energy use. Most important of all: China’s coal use is four times its oil use.
Dr. Hansen, I’ll gladly take up a collection here for you to buy you a round trip ticket to any place in China you wish to go and protest, in the same manner you have done here in the USA. Just say the word.
Read the rest at the Air Vent here, and be sure to have a look at the graph showing China’s plan for airport expansion.
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So Margaret Thatcher should in theory be a hero not a villain to the Warmist brigade.
(Under her stewardship,coal mining in the UK was virtually wiped out)
What! she isn’t?
How predictable.
The political over scientific dimension to AGW sticks out like a sore thumb.
A lot happened in the 1990s including altering thermometer stations and dropping out those at high altitudes and in the interior and using airport thermometers in a certain way (rounding up plus warm tarmac). Alexander K says at 3:53 am:
“An excellent article!
The Socialist agenda has infected the education system in the West for many years and has made it easy for kids to become Warmist idealogues as they advanced through the system to adulthood without ever having to think about the issues involved. In the case of New Zealand, the Science syllabus for schools was changed in the 1990s and the importance of the basic process skills in science were relegated to a minor role in the subject and the the wooly thinking of Post-Modern science….”
Apparently this “global conspiracy” happened outside most of “our” awarenesses. I was sorta convinced of AGW global warming because of the scientific publications I had been reading. But I knew the science was/is never settled, so I kinda smelled a rotten fish. So I had to do my own research, thanks largely to sites like WUWT with great essays and intelligent commenters and many links.
Now that we know about the conspiracy and its timing, it is time to fight back. We need to names names (of course, we already know many of them) and look to the funders of this giant fraud/scam. Put as many of them in jail — long sentences — as possible, plus fine them and return ill-gotten gains to societies. Parents and grandparents can examine the science and “social studies” of every preschool, elementary, and secondary school in which their little ones are enrolled. Demand to present the accurate science and the scientific method. Offer to string up (should I self snip?) any teacher or administrator who refuses. Take the issue to PTAs. Take the issue everywhere.
The U.S. has begun the counteroffensive with the Tea-nami. This is just the beginning. Have faith and roll up your sleeves.
One other comment. Why does everyone think that declining birth rates are so negative when these happen under conditions of prosperity (of course, LIA and its consequences is another matter)? We have always known that with technological advances we do not need so many workers — but we do need many jobs that the “elderly” could help society with: like keeping their communities clean, sharing in some childcare, teaching a unit in their subject area in schools, supervising parks after school, doing some “lighter” security work — keeping an eye out in other words for a few hours per week. Not so onerous for a Social Security check. Let the young ones get their needed education and work hard for all of us, like we do/did for ours. All societies will be better off. Stop the negative attitude towards more and more “elderly”.
It’s like Pol Pot in disguise, actually.
It is not that the reality of what should be done for the our energy policy it is that we must first remove the simpleton President and what is left in the senate to begin to act on a rational energy policy. Every day, month, year that goes by pursuing the AGW religion means that our energy infrastructure falls further and further behind the requirements for life in the modern world. The China’s and India’s of this world have not had their eyes clouded by this AGW social experiment and are bringing to their population the energy they need for an improved standard of living. The sabotage that Obama, Boxer, Pelosi and Lisa Jackson have accomplished against the US and our population in the name of AGW will take years to repair. Destruction of energy infrastructure is not a lofty goal. The destruction of jobs has followed, as the leadership has found the cliff to send the population on their journey downward while they have moved their standard of living above royalty.
I OBJECT —
Under the Hatch Act, Jim Hansen should have been prosecuted long ago – during the Bush Administration, if not before. As a Government employee, it IS ILLEGAL for him to engage in the kind of political activity that he’s perpetrated.
Sorry – don’t mean to shout, but I worked as a government contractor and I’ve known people who were terminated (from their jobs) for far less egregious offenses.
Nonoy Oplas says:
November 15, 2010 at 12:12 am
“China, India, Brazil, many other developing countries can grow faster, create more jobs and lift more of its people from poverty with cheaper energy prices.”
The Chinese are currently paying $116/tonne for imported steam coal.
Steam coal can be had for $15/tonne in Wyoming.
Energy security is highly important to China. e.g.,
Coal Demand/Supply and Coal Policy in China
Xiao Xinjian, Jan.25, 2008, Tokyo
http://www.brain-c-jcoal.info/jcoal-japac_s/pdf/S2.pdf
The International Energy Agency now reports that global crude oil peaked in 2006!
Lloyds of London (2010)is warning that a global fuel crunch is likely in the 2012-2015 time frame.
With the US importing 65% of its liquid fuel, importing countries such as the US, Japan, Germany, China and India etc must focus on providing critical transport fuels to reduce the massive drop in GDP that will otherwise come with non-availability of fuels to import!
See 2010 ASPO-USA Peak Oil Conference
Washington, DC | Oct 7-9 2010
Especially Brown on net exports.
http://www.aspousa.org/2010presentationfiles/10-7-2010_aspousa_TrackBNetExports_Brown_J.pdf
and Hirsch on The Impending World Energy Mess.
http://www.aspousa.org/2010presentationfiles/10-8-2010_aspousa_KeynoteEnergyMess_Hirsch_R.pdf
We need to wake from the climate pipe dream and focus on critical reality of rapidly depleting oil with not enough to replace it.
@Garry: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/reactors.html
I was looking over those nuclear reactor figures, and, wow. What is Germany going to do? It has none planned or on order. I guess they’re going to continue burning coal forever or buying nuclear power from France, which is probably just as well.
China looks to be in good shape for nuclear power if they build everything they’re proposing. It would be interesting to know if the power plants the Chinese are building are multi-use, i.e., can use nuclear, oil, coal, gas or geothermal as their heat sources. Apparently, that idea never caught on in the U.S.
As I started reading this item I was expecting to see a graph comparing the increase in atmospheric CO2 and the increase in coal fired plants in China with the uptick in James Hansen arrests. Sort of a hat trick of hockey sticks all in one graph! Surely someone has plotted those arresting moments.
I don’t know if it’s global warming or what, but today will be 78 and I live 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. I’ve been trying to kill mosquitoes in my apartment all night, in NOVEMBER yet !
In a ” normal ” year, the Bay Area gets Indian Summer like temperatures twice a year, once in April & once in September. But THIS year saw us have temperatures of 105 degrees and set records for highs all over the area.
Once the sun goes down, the temperature here has been dropping to as low as 40 in the middle of the night.
Did anyone notice that Obama was over in India and never said word one about India’s contribution to pollution ? Nor has he said anything about any of the Far Eastern nations as well. I suppose that’s not on his list of ” top priorities “.
The guy from NASA needs to stop blaming the US for burning coal and address the issue worldwide. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. and can remember when the skies were dark at noon because the steel mills were using coal as well as many of the houses and buildings in the city. The skies are much clearer in Pittsburgh today with all the steel mills having closed and the steel being made in China and Japan.
[Happy birthday, George!☺ ~dbs, mod.]
[Link removed. Linking to a visual of an extreme vulgarity is no different then openly stating / showing it directly in the blog comment. Hence, unacceptable…. bl57~mod]
May I apologise for the extremely vulgar image conjured up in the minds of Scotsmen all over the world by my comment at 01:09AM?
You don’t need the “at” after protest. [Fixed, thanx. ~dbs]
Why don’t we make that a one-way ticket instead 😉
All pollution is equal, but some pollution is more equal than other pollution.
Industrialized America is already gone. Most of the heavy industry has been shipped overseas. We’re a service-oriented country now, importing far more than we’re ever going to export. When you have an American company named “Pride” who’s products are made in China, something’s wrong.
I’m quite sure that Dr Hansen would protest the increasing use of coal in China, but I’m certain you would agree that his influence is considerably less there than in the US. In no way, however, does this take away from his main point , namely: CO2 gas in the atmosphere is resulting in increased warming and a host of derivative problems.
Ric Werme says: at 6:57 am “Climate Change Task Force”
Is this the sort of report you refer to:
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/state_climate_profiles.html
SPPI and others have documented that these reports were orchestrated by a “green” group. No dissent was allowed and they all read about the same, with “cut & paste” parts evident.
Interestingly, I just got back from a week in China for business. First time there.
Did you know you WUWT is blocked over there? Couldn’t get my daily dose of sanity.
Nice timing on this article. I was with my brother. He lived/worked in Beijing from ’89 (just after Tianamen) – 92 and has been involved extensively over there ever since. He talks about how much cleaner it is now compared to then. Back then, everybody was burning coal directly in there little huts for heat. Now of course it is mass burned at plants and the resulting electricity is mass distributed. I won’t talk about what they did with bodily waste.
China is essentially going through what North America did 80 years ago. It will continue to get cleaner. It’s population is demanding it and the gov’t recognizes it. The difference is the population remembers where they were 20 years ago and realized things have improved extensively. One thing I will say, is if North America doesn’t get its head out of its derriere with respect to energy, China is going to have a grand time burning coal to make the subsidy sucking windmills and solar panels they will sell us. The only carbon reduction they will do will be economic based and producing what I’m sure will amount to be subsidy sucking carbon capture and storage contraptions in whatever form they take. If we don’t smarten up, they will have us for lunch. Next thing you know, they’ll be exporting all the intellectual property, (our bread and butter), too.
D Archibald says above “..China has 1.006 trillion tonnes of coal, about four times that of the US…”. Something doesn’t match here. According to BP’s listing of proven recoverable coal reserves, USA has about 246 Billion tonnes or about 27% of the world reserves. Followed by Russia at 17%, China at 12.6%, India at 10%, and Austraila at 8.6%. Looking at the grades of coal in each reserves, on a BTU basis, it appears that the USA would have an even larger share than China. So, from that listing, five countries contain about 75% of the world’s reserves.
Regardless of the opinions about whether AGW is correct or not, the idea that the people who support AGW are purposely hurting development is not valid. If one believes that AGW will cause flooding in certain areas, and desertification in other areas, the people who will suffer the most are in the less developed world. This is true for Pakistan and Bangladesh who have been hit with devastating floods, which are supposed to become more frequent as AGW proceeds.Also areas of Africa and China will be plagued by drought. Finding alternative sources of energy that don’t cause AGW, and conservation is a good idea even for the less developed world, assuming AGW is correct.
It is of course very satisfying for some opponents of AGW to label the proponents as somehow evil or stupid because they should know they are harming the interests of underdeveloped countries, but that is not a correct characterization.
Alex the Skeptic: Bravo! Excellent summation of the left’s desire to return to the “Good old days”.
Thanks Anthony, very kind. I loved the two graphs too, they pictured so well the CO2 future.
A friend of mine who runs a power company was speaking to the Scottish Members of Parliament recently, see the story here in The Scotsman, http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Scotland-39risking-a-blackout39-in.6624497.jp . The money quote from him on going alternative (wind) and hoping for the best in terms of keepin the lights on was:
“At the moment we as a nation are turning up to meetings with the bank manager in jeans and a T-shirt that says: ‘Jesus loves you’,” he said.
Hugh Pepper says:
November 15, 2010 at 9:06 am
“CO2 gas in the atmosphere is resulting in increased warming and a host of derivative problems.”
Please provide direct proof that the alleged “man-made” global warming is causing “a host of problems” and specifically state what those “problems” are. [LOL.]
JacobusZeno says:
November 15, 2010 at 12:14 am
I wonder how long that schtick will work (developing country). We have been getting “boogey man” stories of them becoming the #1 world economy in as little as 2 years time. So if #1 is developing, then aren’t we all?
It is Hansen’s right as an American citizen lawfully to protest the coal industry.
That right does not extend to the use of his well-paid government job as a bully pulpit.
For this and a laundry list of other reasons I sincerely hope that our new Congress finds a better use than GISS for our tax dollars.