THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Quote of the Week:
“The encouragement of perfect freedom of economic discussion. The Association as such will take no partisan attitude, nor will it commit its members to any position on practical economic questions.” From the American Economic Association Constitution – as quoted by Ross McKitrick (see below)
Number of the Week: 682%
As discussed in last week’s TWTW, western governments have spent tens of billions of dollars pursuing an answer to the wrong scientific question: what is the risk of human-induced global warming / climate change? As a result, the governments have funded a science that is focused on attributing climate change to humans rather than understanding all the causes of climate change. Under this approach critical assertions are not tested against empirical, physical evidence. The assertions that carbon dioxide is the principal driver of climate change and that humans are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming do not stand up to the physical evidence of past climate change. The failure to conduct rigorous hypothesis testing results in a discipline that is something other than a rigorous physical science.
Last week, TWTW discussed the testimony to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Power by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and American Public Health Association (APHA) representative Lynn Goldman. Both testimonies contained highly questionable assertions.
H. Leighton Steward, Chairman of PlantsneedCO2.org and CO2isgreen.org, submitted a statement that challenges Ms. Jackson and Ms. Goldman to substantiate their questionable claims and the labeling of CO2 as a pollutant. In his statement Mr. Steward brings up a vital issue that is generally ignored by government-funded science: the benefits of increased carbon dioxide. Life on the planet is carbon-based. Green plants need carbon dioxide to manufacture food upon which they and most other life forms depend.
As Mr. Steward succinctly expresses, extensive experiments in the laboratory and the field demonstrate that increased carbon dioxide is beneficial. It promotes more robust growth of plant life and a more robust environment. Importantly for humans, virtually every food crop grows better in an atmosphere of enhanced carbon dioxide. The use of carbon-based fuels has benefited humanity and the environment.
Putting the question in the more political form used by the UN IPCC rather than in a scientific form, one may ask what are the risks to humanity, and the environment, of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide?
>Number of the Week: 682%. From 1960 to 2010 wheat production in India went from 10,320 (1000 Metric Tons) to 80,710 (1000 MT) – an increase of 682 percent. According to the measurements at Mauna Loa Observatory, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1960 was below 320 ppm and in 2010 it is about 390 ppm – an increase of 22%. No doubt the “green revolution” of better seeds, farming practices and fertilizer plus removal of government price controls greatly contributed to increased wheat production in India, but so did CO2.
Please see Article # 1 and the articles under Carbon Dioxide Benefits Ignored in EPA & APHA Testimony.
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The Quote of the Week comes from a paper by Ross McKitrick, who along with Steve McIntyre first exposed the infamous “hockeystick.” McKitrick prepared the paper for a conference on establishing a common understanding on global warming issues.
Last week, and several times in the past, TWTW carried letters from distinguished scientists resigning from science societies that have issued opinions on global warming. Perhaps the members of science societies, and science in general, would be better served if all science societies followed the lead of the American Economic Association. Please see the entire paper referenced under “Seeking a Common Ground.”
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A group of Oxford University researchers claimed they established that global warming / carbon dioxide increases made Britain’s great floods in 2000 twice as likely as if there had been no global warming / carbon dioxide increases. To arrive at this conclusion, researchers estimated the conditions prior to carbon dioxide enhancement compared to estimated conditions in 2000. They used a computer climate model developed at the Met Office Hadley Centre and had volunteers run it thousands of times on personal computers. The announcement attracted considerable attention in the press. Of course, multiple model runs are necessary to establish an error range of the estimates from a non-linear, chaotic model; but multiple runs do not establish the accuracy of the assumptions in the model.
Piers Corbyn of Weather Action debunks the announcement in a post jokingly claiming the 2000 flooding was caused by the Millennium bug. His post contains the references to the article in Nature and Met Office news releases.
In a timely fashion, NIPCC reports reviewed several articles on the difficulty of modeling clouds and precipitation. Please see articles referenced under “Extreme Weather” and “Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC.”
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The economy of California continues to be hobbled by state government policies, especially unjustified environmental policies. Please see Article # 2 by Fred Singer and the article under “California Dreaming.”
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Palaeontologist Bob Carter points out that what are called natural disasters have occurred throughout history. There is little mankind can do to stop natural events, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which significantly impacts on the weather of Australia and New Zealand. Rather than blame carbon dioxide emissions for natural disasters, government officials should focus on planning for natural disasters. He holds up New Zealand’s GeoNet hazard as an outstanding example of a national hazard management system. Please see Article #3.
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The US administration continues to suppress drilling for oil in the United States both on land and off-shore, including the Gulf of Mexico. The actions contradict claims of promoting economic growth, as well as, seeking energy independence. Oil is primarily a transportation fuel and automobiles perform poorly if propelled by wind turbines. The pressure on the administration, including the Department of Interior, is increasing but thus far ignored. Please see Article # 4 and the articles under “BP Oil Spill.”
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The issue of EPA regulating the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is becoming hotter. Many members of Congress desire to rein in EPA’s expansion of power. There are a number of proposals to do so. Marlo Lewis has an insightful article on the pluses and minuses of various proposals. Please see Article # 5 and articles under “Let the Games Begin.”
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On the lighter side: Last week, TWTW referenced an article in which a climate expert declared that, with global warming, wine producers in Bordeaux can expect more vintages such as the hot, dry year of 2003. Experts in French wines reported to TWTW that 2003 was an excellent year, high in quality and low in quantity. (Often quality and quantity are inversely related.) The experts stated that the previous hottest year in Bordeaux was 1947 which, as the wines aged, is considered an outstanding year. Also, the vineyards producing some of the finest wines of Bordeaux are in urban centers – which typically have higher temperatures than the surrounding countryside.
Some traditional producers are stating that the sugars in the grapes are increasing, resulting in a higher alcohol content in the wine. SEPP suspects that the increase in sugar content is a result of carbon dioxide enrichment, not global warming. Please see the article referenced under “Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC.”
ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see: www.sepp.org.
1. Statement of H. Leighton Steward
To the US House Subcommittee on Energy and Power
In response to statements made February 9, 2011 by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and American Public Health Association representative Lynn Goldman, M.D.
By H. Leighton Steward, Chairman, PlantsneedCO2.org and CO2isgreen.org, Feb 16 2011
http://statement.co2isgreen.org/…
[SEPP Comment: A powerful challenge for credible evidence supporting EPA and APHA statements to Congress!]
2. The Sad State of the State of California
By S. Fred Singer, American Thinker, Feb 18, 2011
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/the_sad_state…
3. Disasters happen
And the appropriate response is to prepare for and adapt to them
By Bob Carter, Quadrant Online, Feb 13, 2011
http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2011/…
4. A Shale Of A Difference
Editorial, IBD, Feb 17, 2011
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/563…
5. Hitting EPA’s Pause Button – What Are the Benefits, Risks?
By Marlo Lewis, Cooler Heads Coalition, Feb 17, 2011
http://www.globalwarming.org/2011/02/17/hitting-epas…
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Climategate Continued
Announcing a formal request for the Auditor General to audit the Australian BOM (Bureau of Meteorology)
By JoNova, Feb 16, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://joannenova.com.au/2011/02/announcing-a-formal…
Are Skeptic Scientists Corrupt
By Russell Cook, SPPI, Feb 17, 2011
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/pap…
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Uncertainties Galore!
World Climate Report, Feb 16, 2011
http://www.climatedepot.com/r/9831/The-AntiScience-o…
“Climate committee” is a government advertising scheme by any other name
By JoNova, Feb 11, 2011
http://joannenova.com.au/2011/02/do-you-want-a-carbo…
Green Smoke Screen
Supporters of “green energy” like to say it will create more jobs. They’re wrong
By Bjorn Lomborg, Slate, Feb 13, 2011 [H/t Warren Wetmore]
http://www.slate.com/id/2284634/…
Defenders of the Orthodoxy
Tim Flannery appointed Australia’s climate commissioner
By Ben Packham, The Australian, Feb 10, 2011 [H/t John Cribbes]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/cli…
Republicans Gut EPA Climate Rules, Slash Deeply Into Climate Research, Aid and Technology Programs
By Lauren Morello, Dina Fin Maron, Lisa Friedman and Squib Rahim, NYT, Feb, 14, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/02/14/14climatewir…
Hopes of 30% cut in greenhouse emissions dashed
EU energy chief fears target would lead to a too-fast process of de-industrialization as compared to current 20%
By Fiona Harvey, Guardian, UK, Feb 10, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/feb/10/ho…
[SEPP Comment: Impressive propaganda photo of chimneys belching black stuff, what is it?’]
Lord Stern: West must end hesitation over climate change
By Andrew Willis, Euobserver, Feb 9, 2011 [H/t Catherine French]
http://euobserver.com/884/31778/?rk=1…
[SEPP Comments: Turning a blind eye on China’s increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The West must get over its current economic difficulties and “do what is right.” Too reminiscent of the aristocratic generals demanding the English troops to attack entrenched German artillery and machine guns during WWI.]
The politics of attack
They don’t have the facts, so House Republicans try to skewer the EPA
Editorial, Las Vegas Sun, Feb 12, 2011
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/feb/12/politics…
Seeking a Common Ground
Conflict Resolution in Climate Science: Some Preliminary Thoughts from an Outsider
By Ross McKitrick, Jan 26, 2011 [H/t ICECAP]
http://rossmckitrick.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/0/8/4808…
[“The Key to Intellectual Freedom in Economics: No Society Statements”]
Sanity slowly returning to global warming policy
Editorial, Washington Examiner, Feb 12, 2011
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/201…
The Seas are Changing
Rising Seas Will Affect Major US Coastal Cities by 2100, New Research Finds
By Staff Writers, Science Daily, Feb 14, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/1102150…
[SEPP Comment: Increased precision in estimating the results of inaccurate assumptions does not contribute to increased accuracy of the assumptions. A Wall Street promoter putting six digits after the decimal place on an estimated return on investment does not make a false estimate more accurate, only more precisely false.]
Carbon Dioxide Benefits Ignored in EPA & APHA Testimony
A critical look at APHA testimony to congress in support of the EPA regulatory authority in light of “the health threat” imposed by “global warming”
By Joe D’Aleo, ICECAP, Feb 15, 2011
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/APHA_testimony_to_co…
Where’s that Indian crop failure the warmists predicted?
By Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun, AU, Feb 17, 2011 [H/t Rupert Wynham]
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index….
Agriculture Production by Country – India
http://www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/?country=in&co…
Cited Source: US Department of Agriculture
CO2 is a benefactor not a pollutant. Producers should be reward not demonized and taxed
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Feb 14, 2011
http://www.icecap.us/ (Cold Storage)…
Extreme Weather
The Hottest Year on Record?
By Steve Goddard, SPPI, Feb 15, 2011 [H/t ICECAP]
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/pap…
[SEPP Comment: James Hansen declared 2010 the hottest year ever. Yet, the data of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) diverge from that of other reporting surface-air temperatures. For example, in 2010 Hadley-CRU reported temperatures below those of 1998. Of course, NASA-GISS use models to project temperatures where they have no thermometers.]
Floods caused by climate change
Devastating floods which wreaked havoc across Britain in 2000 were made more likely by global warming, according to the first study to link flooding in this country to climate change.
By Louise Gray, Telegraph, UK, Feb 16, 2011 [H/t Malcolm Ross]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8328705/F…
[SEPP Comment: See article below and review of articles on models and precipitation by NIPCC Reports.]
UK Floods in 2000 caused by Millennium bug
By Piers Corbyn, Weather Action, Feb 18, 2011
http://www.weatheraction.com/displayarticle.asp?a=31…
[SEPP Comment: See article above.]
Russian Winter: severe cold to invade Moscow and Eastern Europe
By Ryan Maue, WUWT, Feb 15, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/02/15/russian-winter…
[SEPP Comment: The losses suffered by Napoleon’s Army in the march FROM Moscow were staggering.]
BP Oil Spill and Administration Control of Drilling
Federal judge gives Interior 30 days to decide on deepwater drilling permits
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Feb 17, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/144917-…
Exxon-led group says oil well containment system is ready
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Feb 17, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/144835-…
Let the Games Begin
Bills now in Congress to stop EPA’s All-Pain, No-Gain climate rules
By Dana Joel Gattuso, Washington Examiner, Feb 17, 2011
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/02…
EPA Gearing up for regulatory review
By Andrew Restuccia, The Hill, Feb 18, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/145091-…
EPA and other Regulators on the March
The Risk to Bristol Bay
Editorial, NYT, Feb 13, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/opinion/14mon3.htm…
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Will Obama’s SunShot Initiative See the Light of Day?
By Eli Kintisch, Science Insider, Feb 15, 2011 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/02/wi…
[SEPP Comment: If DOE believes its research can make electricity from photovoltaic cost- competitive with electricity from traditional sources, we wish it great success. Thus, there is no justification for renewable energy standards, other mandates, or subsidies for green, renewable energy, including wind power. Once DOE has performed, to include solving the problem of storage, then, everyone will demand to convert to low cost solar.]
Energy Issues
Four Regulatory Fronts Against Coal Power (after the defeat of cap-and-trade)
By Robert Peltier, Master Resource, Feb 15, 2011
http://www.masterresource.org/2011/02/four-frontobst…
Europe launches trillion-euro energy revamp
By Staff Writers, AFP, Feb 4, 2011 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Europe_launches_…
Greens sour on natural gas
By Bob King, Politico, Feb 16, 2011 [H/t Randy Randol]
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49579.html…
States Sue NRC over Temporary Nuclear Waste Rules
By Staff Writers, Power News, Feb 16, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/3445.html?hq_e=el&…
[SEPP Comment: Now with Yucca Mountain shut down, Connecticut, New York, and Vermont desire to close down nuclear power.]
Nuclear Reactors under Construction Worldwide
European Nuclear Society, Jan 19, 2011
http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/n/nucle…
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Unconventional Gas Riles and Refigures the World Energy Market: North America (Part I)
By Donald Hertzmark, Master Resource, Feb 16, 2011
http://www.masterresource.org/2011/02/unconventional…
[SEPP Comment: The world energy market is changing – whether governments or vested interests like it or not.]
Unconventional Gas Riles and Refigures the World Energy Market: The Pacific and Asia (Part II)
By Donald Hertzmark, Master Resource, Feb 17, 2011
http://www.masterresource.org/2011/02/unconventional…
Exxon Struggles to Find New Oil
By Russell Gold and Angel Gonzalez, WSJ, Feb 16, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704409…
[SEPP Comment: May be behind a pay wall. The main issue is not the existence of oil but the denial by governments for exploring and developing oil fields.]
Alternative, Green Energy
Northern New Brunswick wind turbines frozen solid
By Greg Weston, Telegraph-Journal, Canada, Feb 15, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.globalmontreal.com/technology/Northern+Br…
Greenpeace Still Tilting at Windmills in Spain
By Gabriel Calzada, Institute for Energy Research, Feb 15, 2011 [H/t Randy Randol]
http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2011/02/15…
California Dreaming
Cap-and-Trade Fantasies In Disneyland
By Larry Bell, Forbes, Feb 15, 2011
http://blogs.forbes.com/larrybell/2011/02/15/cap-and…
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see
Climate Model Problems: Clouds and Precipitation
Reference: Zhou, Y.P., Tao, W.-K., Hou, A.Y., Olson, W.S., Shie, C.-L., Lau, K.-M., Chou, M.-D., Lin, X. and Grecu, M. 2007. Use of high-resolution satellite observations to evaluate cloud and precipitation statistics from cloud-resolving model simulations. Part I: South China Sea monsoon experiment.Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 64: 4309-4329.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/feb/16feb20…
[SEPP Comment: Timely review for claims that models link warming with flooding.]
Temperature and Precipitation Extremes: Models vs. Reality
Reference: Kiktev, D., Caesar, J., Alexander, L.V., Shiogama, H. and Collier, M. 2007. Comparison of observed and multimodeled trends in annual extremes of temperature and precipitation. Geophysical Research Letters 34: 10.1029/2007GL029539.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/feb/15feb20…
[“If climate model results are utilized as the basis for mandating a complete overhaul of the world’s energy system – as the world’s climate alarmists are attempting to do – the models should possess considerably more than moderate skill at what they do. But they definitely should not have low skill. And to employ models that have an absence of skill is the height of folly.”]
Evolving Ideas about Climate and Human Disease
Reference: Harvell, D., Altizer, S., Cattadori, I.M., Harrington, L. and Weil, E. 2009. Climate change and wildlife diseases: When does the host matter the most? Ecology 90: 912-920.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/feb/16feb20…
Climate Change and Infectious Diseases
Reference: Lafferty, K.D. 2009. The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases. Ecology 90: 888-900.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/feb/16feb20…
More CO2 Enrichment Work on Wine Grapes
Reference: Moutinho-Pereira, J., Goncalves, B., Bacelar, E., Cunha, J.B., Coutinho, J. and Correia, C.M. 2009. Effects of elevated CO2 on grapevine (Vitis viniferaL.): Physiological and yield attributes. Vitis 48: 159-165.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/feb/16feb20…
[SEPP Comment: An article referenced in last week’s TWTW claimed that global warming will significantly damage wine production in Bordeaux region of France. The researcher did not address the benefits of CO2 enrichment.]
Other Scientific Issues
Worldwide Sulfur Emissions Rose Between 2000-2005, After Decade of Decline
By Staff Writers, SPX, Dec 17, 2011 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Worldwide_Sulfur_E…
[SEPP Comment: Apparently from China and increase in international shipping. The effects of increased sulfur emissions are unclear.]
Building A Global Thermostat In L1
By Launchspace Staff, Space Daily, Feb 14, 2011 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Building_A_Global_…
Other Issues that May Be Of Interest
Malware Aimed at Iran Hit Five Sites, Report Says
By John Markoff, NYT, Feb 11, 2011 [H/t Warren Wetmore]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/science/13stuxnet….
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Going bananas over radiation
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Feb 16, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/02/16/going-bananas-…
[SEPP Comment: An amusing post]
Forget CO2, US Debt “Causes” Warming
By Ira Glickstein, WUWT, Feb 16, 2011
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/02/16/forget-co2-us-…
PLEASE NOTE: The complete TWTW, including the full text of the articles, can be downloaded in an easily printable form at this web site: http://www.sepp.org/the-week-that-was.cfm…
Given the behavior of climate scientists it certainly doesn’t conform to the very rigorous physical sciences. However, it does fit nicely in with the social sciences.
The Arctic Oscillation is predicted to go strongly positive with only one or two models indicating less so. If this happens, ice growth should see a jump. Maybe even a jump to within 2 standard deviations of normal I would say.
Right now, Wallowa County is blanketed, roads, valleys, and hills, with about 4 to 5 inches of new snow. The mountain snow pack will take a leap up.
You should be clear about the relation between wheat production and CO2. There is none whatsoever. Clearly, increased atmospheric CO2 will not have a negative effect on wheat production, but it also does not have a positive effect. Wheat is a C4 plant, like corn and most other grasses. They are ambivalent to the amount of CO2 in the air, as long as there IS some.
The true reason for the increase in production is new faster growing wheat strains and plain old technology. There is little doubt that the increase in production will continue, regardless of the amount of atmospheric CO2, or for that matter, the world temperature.
Monthly rainfall in England and Wales back to 1914. A small trend down. No correlation to temperatures or CO2 levels at all.
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/7381/englandandwalesrainfall.png
Daily rainfall in England and Wales back to 1931. No real trend but a few big days in the Autumn of 2000. Given the monthly rainfall numbers in 2000 were exceeded by many cool years including 1914, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1929, 1952 etc., and the cool years of the 1960s also had some big daily numbers, one would assume there is no correlation of daily rainfall to global warming or CO2 levels. (but then, I’m using actual data and not a climate model).
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4800/dailyrainfallenglandwal.png
Kevin says: “You should be clear about the relation between wheat production and CO2. There is none whatsoever.”
I thought I had read something quite different. The first paper I came to while searching stated: “On average, doubling [CO2] from 350 to 700 ppm increased yield about 31%.” (The article was specifically about wheat production).
Who is right?
Also, the vineyards producing some of the finest wines of Bordeaux are in urban centers – which typically have higher temperatures than the surrounding countryside.
I am sorry but this quote is utter rubbish. Margaux, Pomerol, Lalande, Lalinde, Mouton Cadet, St. Emilion etc are all in what I would describe as campagne. Each of them sells wines over $150 / 70cl.
Stephen Richards. Prés de Bordeaux.
“Obama has said he will veto any legislation that strips EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases.” (NYT article)
As I said, Obama is a global warming nut, that’s why his proposed cuts included cutting heat subsidies for the poor, banning oil drilling, hiring John Holdren and of course, the EPA’s actions.
Since WUWT is a hot-bed of “deniers,” the posting of the views of John Holdren, White House Science Advisor, will alert the “herectics” to the catastophic dangers to which they are exposing themselves and others by not joining the “consensus” agreed to by virtually all the World’s scientists.
Holdren’s powers of prophesy were displayed when he co-authored a book, Ecoscience, with Paul and Anne Ehrlich, which “advocated the formation of a “planetary regime” that would use a “global police force” to enforce totalitarian measures of population control, including forced abortions, mass sterilization programs conducted via the food and water supply, as well as mandatory bodily implants that would prevent couples from having children.”
These measures were necessary because
“Humanity cannot afford to muddle through the rest of the twentieth century; the risks are too great, and the stakes are too high. This may be the last opportunity to choose our own and our descendants’ destiny. Failing to choose or making the wrong choices may lead to catastrophe. But it must never be forgotten that the right choices could lead to a much better world.”
Words applicable to the 21st Century looming, “catastophy by consensus,” climate chaos.
The 20th Century barely escaped the prediction
“that England would not exist by the year 2000, that 4 billion people would starve to death during the 1980’s, and that the average American life span would be 45 years of age by the start of the 21st century.”
We are, indeed, living on borrowed time.
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John Holdren on Global Warming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmr5gdOOWU8&feature=player_embedded
“what is the risk of human-induced global warming /”
We are doing a very poor job of inducing global warming. The Hadcrut3 data just came out at http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature/hadcrut3gl.txt
The January anomaly was 0.194. Of the last 23 years, 18 were warmer and 5 were colder.
@Kevin says:
February 20, 2011 at 10:42 am
You should be clear about the relation between wheat production and CO2. There is none whatsoever.
+++++++
I agree with most of your post but not that there is ‘none whatsoever’. Wheat is a new plant (joining the genetic material of two dicotyledons) that appears to be a response to our historically low CO2. C4 plants are perhaps all in this category. C3 plants simply need more CO2 to grow ‘properly’ and are stunted by the present low level.
The response by C3’s to higher CO2 is greater than that by C4’s because they don’t have the tools to be vigorous with only 400 ppm. Plants evolved at much higher levels than our CO2-depleted atmosphere now contains.
It seems logical to put large greenhouses at the exhaust of all the natural gas-fired power plants to use the remaining heat and CO2 to enhance food production during the coming global cooling. Selling the agricultural rights to that CO2 could offset some of the costs of increasing fuel demand in a chilling regions.
Kevin says: February 20, 2011 at 10:42 am
“You should be clear about the relation between wheat production and CO2. There is none whatsoever. Clearly, increased atmospheric CO2 will not have a negative effect on wheat production, but it also does not have a positive effect. Wheat is a C4 plant, like corn and most other grasses. They are ambivalent to the amount of CO2 in the air, as long as there IS some…..”
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Kevin, your assertion appears to be incorrect since Wheat is a C3 plant, not a C4 plant. See for example
http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/esi/1999/princeton/projects/c3_c4/Group3web.
html
which lists some of the more common C3 and C4 plants.
The link in my last post did not appear to work because the final part .html disassociated itself from the address. Should you wish to check the reference, please ensure that .html forms part of the address.
http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/esi/1999/princeton/projects/c3_c4/Group3web.html
I appreciate the notion that the science must refocus on the proper questions in the debate. However this leaves unaddressed the whole issue of how to deal with the fraudulent practices of the alarmists. This is no Piltdown Man fraud, where the perpetrators remain undiscovered.
I know we can wait for congress to act, but really, why must the scientific organizations involved in climate research wait on the US congress? The non-alarmists need to begin warning these organizations about the upcoming storm of congressional inquiry, and neither ad hominem nor a list of degrees and awards can save them.
Yikes! I was under the impression that wheat and rice were C4, but Richard’s link says they’re C3. As C3 plants benefit significantly from an increase in atmospheric CO2, my previous comment must be incorrect. Sorry! I’ll check my facts better before commenting again.
Re the USA EPA interference with CO2. I’m reminded of a standout passage from “Atlas Shrugged” which will soon be re-released as a new movie.
Dr Ferris is from the State Science Institute, which is trying to control industrialists like Mr Rearden. Quote:
“Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them broken. ….. We’re after power and we mean it. …. we know the real trick, and you’d better get wise to it. There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted—and you create a nation of law-breakers—and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Rearden, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.” End quote.
Did you note the word “trick”? Was there any lack of clarity in the meaning? Do you see a similarity of methods between the State Science Institute and the EPA?
Note 2.
While Australian law does not immediately apply in the USA, each country uses the other’s precedents and case laws to illustrate arguments. The question of freedom to use national resources, coupled with natural justice and denial of legitimate expectations was considered in a case in the High Court here (the Full Bench, the highest we can go), a case with which I was intimately associated. Among other matters, it deals with the origins of decisions that Courts can hear if a dispute arises. It outlines some origins of Governmental power that are outside the scope of Courts to consider. It might be useful for a specialist USA lawyer seeking to challenge some EPA directives. The 1987 reference in short (from an appeal by the Government) is
Minister for Environment v. Peko-Wallsend Limited 75 ALR 218 s39B Judiciary Act.
“From 1960 to 2010 wheat production in India went from 10,320 (1000 Metric Tons) to 80,710 (1000 MT) ”
If 10,320 something equals 10000 MT Shouldn’t 80,710 be around 8000 MT?
Oops. It’s supposed to read 80,000 MT instead of 8,000 MT in my previous post.
There is no point in discussing CO2 fertilizer in isolation, without temperature and available moisture. A plant which is NOT exhibiting vigorous growth, cannot utilize much fertilizer, including CO2 and nitrogen. Unless a plant has warm temperatures, it has no need for “plant food”.
It is indeed fortunate that warm temperatures causes increased carbon dioxide degassing from everything. This is when plants can really put it to work making carbos. GK
Contrary to what some wrote above. Warmer temperatures WITH enhanced CO2 is primarily what enabled increased agriculture production, for the end of the last century. GM foods did not. GK
Thanks for the link to Ross McKitrick’s lucid and succinct piece on why academic and professional associations should not issue statements on behalf of their membership.
Members of such bodies should be beseiging their organisation’s hierarchy to adopt the same policy as that adopted by the economists.
Here is the link again (only 2 pages!) for those who may have missed it:
http://rossmckitrick.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/0/8/4808045/mckitrick_preliminary_notes.pdf
Elegant prose expressing an idea which embodies the highest principles of scholarship.