Fred Singer will be spreading the joyous news that humanity and the environment do not face eminent destruction. The claim of unprecedented and dangerous global warming is scientifically false.
Fred’s tentative itinerary includes talks at the following times and locations:
July 14: Oakland, CA, Lunch at the Independent Institute. Reserve tickets at
http://www.independent.org/events/…
July 15: Los Alamos, NM, At Masa Library 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
July 16: Albuquerque, NM, at 8 am, at the conference of the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (requires registration)
July 18: Fort Collins, CO, at 7:30 pm during a general meeting at Glover Hall, Colorado State University, (technical meeting at 3 pm)
July 19: Boulder, CO, at 4 pm at NIST, 345 Broadway
For details please contact Ken
Quote of the Week:
The world looks with some awe upon a man who appears unconcernedly indifferent to home, money, comfort, rank, or even power and fame. The world feels not without a certain apprehension, that here is someone outside its jurisdiction; someone before whom its allurements may be spread in vain; someone strangely enfranchised, untamed, untrammelled by convention, moving independent of the ordinary currents of human action. Winston Churchill, politician and statesman (1874-1965)
Number of the Week: 34,000 premature deaths per year
THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Videos from the Sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC) sponsored by Heartland Institute are available on the web. Go to: http://climateconference.heartland.org/watch-live/
Alternative energy, such as wind power, is so popular with many politicians and governments that it has become a mania similar to the canal construction frenzy that seized many politicians in the United States prior to the Civil War. Opened in 1825, New York State’s Erie Canal was a great success, permitting the transportation of goods between the Atlantic seaboard and the Great Lakes region of the country, through the Appalachian Mountain range, avoiding much of the difficult terrain by taking advantage of a natural glacial channel, the only major cut in the mountains for hundreds of miles. At the time, water was by far the least expensive way to transport goods.
Many other state governments and communities tried to duplicate the success and most failed, burdening the bond holders, or worse, if financed by government guarantees, the citizens of the states and communities. Many failed quickly because the projects were poorly conceived and the economics were bad. Others failed later, when a generally superior form of inexpensive transport over irregular terrain was developed – the railroads.
Today, many politicians and government officials, often driven by the green industry, are seized in a mania of wind (or solar) power for the generation of electricity, even though it is a high cost, inefficient, unreliable method of generating electricity, depending upon the whims of nature. By contrast, coal generation is reliable, operates on demand, and, comparatively, is low cost. Very simply, wind promoters ignore the economics. It is as if they are promoting the building of canals over the Appalachian Mountains after the railroads have already crossed them at numerous locations.
Touted as providing jobs, wind projects are a long term financial burden on taxpayers and electricity consumers. They are not financially viable without government subsidies and mandates, and without these the industry would collapse as quickly as poorly conceived canal projects collapsed in the 1800s. Simply, so-called sustainable energy is not sustainable without governments forcing the financial burdens onto others. Wind and solar will remain unsustainable until an effective, inexpensive means of storing electricity becomes available on a commercial scale.
Storage of electricity has been a technologically vexing problem for decades, affecting all base-load electricity producers that often have excess generation capability during the parts of the day (usually nighttime) when the demand is low. Yet, political promoters of wind and solar conveniently overlook such shortcomings.
The political leaders of Great Britain are determined to make it a leader in wind power. Several reports this week illustrate the financial hardships and the absurd situations that government wind policy is causing. The Global Warming Policy Forum reported two articles explaining how government policy is expanding energy (fuel) poverty. Energy poverty is defined as households forced to pay more than 10% of their take home income for energy.
The UK charity (non-profit), Renewable Electricity Subsidies (RES) calculates that, under current policies, the probable cost of renewable Electricity Subsidies may reach the range of £100 Billion by 2030. This is excellent news for those thriving by subsidies (rent seekers) and terrible news for the general public.
RES also reports that grid operators are paying wind farms significant sums not to produce electricity because wind generated electricity is so unreliable and disruptive to the grid. Of course, electricity consumers pay these costs. Please see articles referenced under “Alternative Clean (Green) Energy” for what promoters ignore.
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Electric Luxury Cars: Last week’s TWTW referenced an article by Eric Peters on the Tesla automobile company which was promoted by Al Gore’s investment group and to which the US Department of Energy gave loan guarantees and incentives of about $500 Million. The first car in production is the Tesla Roadster with a base price of $109,000. Peters revealed that the car is based on the tiny Lotus Elise which has a base price of about $51,800 – not a bad mark-up for the electric drive.
Production for the affordable Tesla family version, Model S, is scheduled to start in 2012 with an estimated base price $56,400 – hardly a car for the average family. Of course, it comes with a $7,500 US tax credit.
Fisker, another new electric automobile company that received over $500 Million in loan guarantees and incentives, was strongly promoted by Vice-President Biden. A Washington dealer just announced it will be receiving deliveries in August of the first model, the Karma, which has an announced base price of about $95,900. It is a hybrid, similar to the Chevy Volt, blending some electric power with the convenience of a gasoline engine. Not as luxurious, the Volt has a base price of about $41,000 before tax credits up to $7,500. A search of the internet failed to reveal an estimated price or deliver schedule for the lower-cost family version of the Fisker automobile.
In contrast to the successful Volkswagen by Germany, apparently the US Department of Energy believes the best way to build an electric car fleet is to promote high cost versions first, hoping to bring down cost with volume, as if cars are similar to consumer electronics. Please see articles referenced under “Alternative, Clean, (Green) Energy.
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Number of the Week: 34,000 premature deaths. On Thursday, EPA announced its new regulations of sulfur dioxide (S02) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants and claimed these new regulations “will prevent 34,000 premature deaths, 15,000 heart attacks and 400,000 cases of asthma starting in 2014.” The Hill The EPA claims are not creditable.
For example, asthma is a perplexing disease. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the prevalence of asthma has grown from 3.1% of the US population in 1980 to 8.2% in 2009, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest regions. Yet, objective measurements in various cities show that outdoor air quality has improved enormously in urban areas since the 1970s. The NCHS report states that: “Although little is understood about preventing asthma from developing, the means for controlling and preventing symptoms are well established.” Yet, EPA claims it can prevent 400,000 cases of asthma per year by further regulating SO2 and NOx. EPA should be compelled to demonstrate this causal relationship that, thus far, defies medical science.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr032.pdf…
The EPA also claims these compounds cause acid rain which pollutes forests, farms, lakes and streams across the Eastern United States. Environmental advocates claim the regulations will end “the chronic acidifications of lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks.” Yet, all rain is acidic, with a natural pH of about 5.6. The pH of some of some lakes in the Adirondack Mountains of New York has been measured as low as 4.5. There are several issues to this controversy, which require carefully controlled measurements to resolve. Is the pH of the rain falling in the Adirondacks below 5.6? If so, then the cause may be sulfur emissions from coal fired plants. But such measurements are not reported by the alarmists. Does the run off of the rain water have a lower pH than the rain? Then the cause may be the erosion of high acid soils. Also, what is the pH of still rain water with vegetation litter from the area? This can be established experimentally. If the pH is lower, than acidic vegetation may be a major cause of the low pH in the ponds.
Some representatives from the utility industry predict significant job loss resulting from the closure of coal fired plants; others said they are prepared for it. Without a careful analysis of all plants, it is impossible to accurately project the consequences of EPA’s actions. However, many large base-load plants are designed to operate year-round and generally are well equipped with the necessary, expensive scrubbers because the costs can be prorated over the year. The plants that supply seasonal increases in electricity generation, such as winter and summer, are often not so well equipped because the costs of the equipment cannot be so easily justified. The EPA actions may result in significant jumps in peak season electricity costs. Without substantiation, it is speculative to state that the closing of the seasonal plants will not have significant consequences. Please see referenced articles under “EPA on the March.”
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Sulfur Dioxide and Soot Hiding Global Warming? Almost as an introduction to the new EPA sulfur dioxide regulations, a new study announced that the emissions of sulfur from Asia, particularly China, are hiding the global warming that is projected by the climate models, but is missing from observations. The study was cited widely in the press. A simple examination of the warming trends as described by over 30 years of satellite data calls this study into question.
Most of the warming has been in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. There has been little warming below about 35 deg. north. There has been both slight cooling and warming in the Southern Hemisphere. China is largely between 20 deg. N and 45 deg. N. How the SO2 emissions from China affect the warming, or lack thereof, in the Southern Hemisphere requires an explanation of wind patterns that is contrary to the generally accepted ones. Please see articles referenced under “Defenders of the Orthodoxy.”
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Richard Lindzen is the subject of a rather complimentary article in the New York Times. Lindzen is, of course, one of the rocks challenging the orthodoxy. Is the Gray Lady recognizing that not all “deniers,” a term Lindzen rather likes, are rabid, anti-science zealots? Please see referenced article under “Challenging the Orthodoxy.”
ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see:
1. NIPCC vs. IPCC
Addressing the Disparity between Climate Models and Observations:
Testing the Hypothesis of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW)
By S. Fred Singer, to be presented at Majorana Conference, Erice, Sicily, August 2011
http://www.sepp.org/links-and-sources.cfm…
2. Shot with its own gun
Editorial, Nature, Jun 30, 2011
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v474/n73…
[With Comments by Fred Singer]
3. Rules of engagement
By Martin Livermore, Scientific Alliance, Jul 7, 2011
http://www.scientific-alliance.org/scientific…
4. Jobs in the Pipeline
The EPA tries to scuttle oil transport from Canada’s tar sands.
Editorial, WSJ, Jul 7, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270…
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Climategate Continued
Michael Mann and the ClimageGate Whitewash, Part II
By Larry Bell, Forbes, Jul 5, 2011
http://blogs.forbes.com/larrybell/2011/07/05/…
Dirty Laundry II: Contaminated Sediments
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Jul 6, 2011
http://climateaudit.org/2011/07/06/dirty-laun…
[SEPP Comment: Rather than retracting their study or admitting the data is contaminated, “the Team” pretends it makes no difference. The main issue is will IPCC AR5 use such a study with contaminated data.]
ICO orders release of (mostly useless) weather station data
CRU cuts of weather datasets released into the wild
By Andrew Orlowski, A Register, Jun 28, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/28/ico_c…
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Lukewarmers, Denialists, and Other Climate Change Skeptics
Impressions and reporting from the Sixth International Climate Change Conference
By Ronald Bailey, Reason.com, July 5, 2011
http://reason.com/archives/2011/07/05/luckewa…
Scientists Tout Climate Skepticism at Heartland Conference Kickoff
By Jean Chemnick, NYT, Jun 30, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/06/30/30gre…
A Climate Change Dissenter Who Has Left His Mark on U.S. Policy
By John Fialka, NYT, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/07/06/06cli…
[SEPP Comment: An article on Richard Lindzen]
The science is not settled
By Bob Carter, Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 3, 2011 [H/t Tom Harris]
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-cha…
Global Warming Standstill Confirmed – But How Long Will It Last
By David Whitehouse, The Observatory, Jul 4, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://thegwpf.org/the-observatory/3373-globa…
The UN’s Climate of Desperation
By David Rothbard, Townhall, 7/2/2011
http://townhall.com/columnists/davidrothbard/…
Science Corruption at the National Academies of Science
By Michael Fox, Hawaii Reporter, Jul 5, 2011 [H/t ICECAP]
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/science-corrupt…
Bet Your Country
By Donn Dears, Power USA, Jul 5, 2011
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/bet-…
Even U.N. Admits That Going Green Will Cost $76 Trillion
By Dan Gainor, Fox News.com, Jul 6 2011 [H/t Brad at Prescott]
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/07/06/eve…
Defenders of the Orthodoxy
Developing world need $1 trillion a year for green tech: UN
By Staff Writers, AFP, Jul 5, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Developin…
[SEPP Comment: To be provided by taxpayers in developed countries and to be handled by the UN and its favored carbon traders.]
Asia pollution blamed for halt in warming: study
By Gerard Wynn, Reuters, Jul 4, 2011 [H/t Peter Salonius]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/04/us-…
[SEPP Comment: Desperation! Another effort to find the “missing” warming. The failure of the Southern Hemisphere to warm as projected is caused by emissions from China, latitude between 20 to 45 deg. N?]
CA climate: inland warmer; coast cooler and wetter
By Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, Jul 6, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/…
[SEPP Comment: A conclusion of California climate trends taken from a sample of 8 urban areas. One, Reno, is in Nevada over the high Sierra Nevada Mountains.]
Report: Shipping emissions to rise in Arctic
By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post, Jul 4, 2011 [H/t Conrad Potemra]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health…
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Coal Stops Global Warming?
Editorial, IBD, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Arti…
Questioning the European Green
Shelving of energy bill shows government is not serious about its green agenda
Delay means that the ‘green deal’ – the centrepiece of David Cameron’s climate change policy – has been sidelined
By Meg Hillier, Guardian, UK, Jul 7, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/ju…
Snoopy and the Green Baron
Airline opposition to carbon trading another blow against EU system
By Peter Foster, Financial Post, Jul 5, 2011
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/07/05/p…
“With Alice in Wonderland reasoning, countries that supported the tougher targets – including Britain and France – suggested that since Europe was in such economic bad shape, meeting the targets would be easier. On this basis, what is really needed is a complete collapse of the European economy, which is in fact what many climate catastrophists would appear to welcome.”
Problems within the Orthodoxy
You mustn’t believe the lies of the Green zealots. And I should know – I was one
By Mark Lynas, Mail Online, Jul 4, 2011 [H/t Marc Morano, Climate Depot]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-20109…
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate?
Wars, food shortages and mass immigration: How global warming poses dire threat to Britain’s security
By David Derbyshire, Daily Mail, UK, Jul 8, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/articl…
Models v. Data
New Paper Illustrates Another Failure Of The IPCC Mullti-Decadal Global Model Predictions – “On the Warming In The Tropical Upper Troposphere: Models Versus Observations” By Fu Et Al 2011
By Roger Pielke, Sr, Pielke Climate Science, Jul 8, 2011
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2011/07…
Measurement Issues
More On the Divergence Between the UAH and RSS Global Temperature Records
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Jul 8, 2011
Changing Weather
UAH Global Temperature Update for June, 2011: +0.31 deg. C
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, July 7th, 2011
http://www.drroyspencer.com/category/blogarti…
[SEPP Comment: Please read the column to understand the significance.]
Think It’s Getting Hotter? Thank Again
Editorial, IBD, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Arti…
Public records show Corps reacted too late to avoid flood
By Matt Bunk, Great Plains Examiner, Jul 2, 2011 [H/t Charles Rigler]
http://www.greatplainsexaminer.com/2011/07/02…
[SEPP Comment: It was bound to happen.]
Aircraft Influence the Local Weather, New Study Shows; Inadvertent Cloud Seeding Can Increase Precipitation Around Major Airports
By Staff Writers, Science Daily, Jun 30, 2011 [H/t Cliff Bamford]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/…
[SEPP Comment; Does this affect the reliability of weather measurements taken at airports?]
Dust Storm Swarms Phoenix
By Christine McEnrue, WeatherBELL, July 6, 2011
http://www.weatherbell.com/weather-news/dust-…
[SEPP Comment: There is an old local term for such storms – haboob.]
Changing Climate
Is Warmer Really the New Normal?
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Jul 7, 2011
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/Warmeristhene…
Arctic Temperatures and Ice – Why it is Natural Variability
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Jul 3, 2011
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/ARCTIC.pdf…
Sunspot decline could mean decades of cold UK winters
Ice-skating on the Thames to make a comeback?
By Lewis Page, A Register, Jul 6, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/06/lockw…
Researchers considering climate change
By Staff Writers, UPI, Jul 1, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Researchers…
[SEPP Comment: I have not seen weather like this; therefore, it must be climate change!]
La Nina’s Exit Leaves Climate Forecasts in Limbo
By Staff Writers, JPL, Jun 30, 2011
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/La_Nina_Exi…
[SEPP Comment: The IPCC AR-4 does not recognize any of these events as influencing climate.]
The Political Games Continue
White House blasts Energy and Water spending bill
By Andrew Restuccia The Hill, Jul 6,, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/…
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Wait and see
What the Prime Minister should be telling us
By John McLean, Quadrant, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-plane…
Emergency Loans for Australian Coal Plants Hit by Carbon Tax
By Staff Writers, POWER News, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/3837.html?h…
[SEPP Comment: Government playing favorites.]
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Kenya project: making safer water to sell carbon credits
By Staff Writers, AFP, Jun 30, 2011
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Kenya_proje…
[SEPP Comment: A practical use for carbon credits, but a straight donation would be less costly – it eliminates the middleman – the carbon trader.]
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA finalizes rules for cross-state air pollution
By Andrew Restuccia The Hill, Jul 7, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/…
E.P.A. Issues Tougher Rules for Power Plants
By John Broder, NYT, Jul 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/science/ear…
[SEPP Comment: Longer version of the above.]
EPA Funds Green Groups That Sue the Agency to Expand
By John Merline, IBD, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Arti…
[SEPP Comment: A deceitful practice that should be stopped.]
Last chance for GOP to stop EPA train wreck
Obama’s greenhouse-gas regulations about to kill more jobs
By Steve Milloy, Washington Times, Jul 5, 2011
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/…
An overblown attack on EPA emissions rules
Editorial, Washington Post, Jul 2, 2011 [H/t David Manuta]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-ove…
[SEPP Comment: Use of selected numbers to defend the EPA. See comments in This Week.]
Energy Issues
Obama’s energy policies deserve to be junked
By Sol Sanders, Washington Times, Jul 3, 2011
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/…
Obama’s plan for $10 Gas
By Jeffrey Folks, American Thinker, Jul 8, 2011
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/07/obamas…
House votes to scuttle ban on high-carbon defense fuels
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Jul 8, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/…
[SEPP Comment: Stopping a DOD boondoggle.]
Yellowstone River rising, Exxon Cleanup Becoming More Difficult
By Christine McEnrue, WeatherBELL, July 5 11
http://www.weatherbell.com/weather-news/yello…
[SEPP Comment: A spill of 1000 barrels that alarmists will use to try to stop approvals of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas.]
ExxonMobil expands Yellowstone pipeline cleanup
By Staff Writers, AFP, Jul 3, 2011
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/ExxonMobi…
Nuclear Fears & Responses
Japan Restricts Power Usage, India Also Experiencing Shortages
By Staff Writers, POWER News, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/3842.html?h…
Power company RWE wants compensation for nuclear opt-out
By Staff Writers, AFP, Jul 3, 2011
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Powe…
Nuclear’s loss is German wind power’s gain
Chancellor Merkel’s nuclear phase-out is good news for the wind industry but meeting Germany’s new offshore targets will require the right political framework and careful planning.
By Jason Deign, Wind Energy Update, Jul 4, 2011
http://social.windenergyupdate.com/offshore-w…
Dirtier Air and Higher Costs Possible if Indian Point Closes, Report Says
By Patrick McGeehan, NYT, Jul 6, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/nyregion/di…
[SEPP Comment: New York City receives about 25% of its electricity from nuclear. The mayor of New York City, who is a wind power advocate, can put wind turbines on every building in the City and it will not come close to the electricity needed to run the City. The next step is to cover most of Long Island or Connecticut.]
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Black gold rush in Texas
By Ton D’Altorio, Stockhouse, Jul 6, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2011/Jul…
Administration Control of Fossil Fuels
Canada Has Plenty of Oil, but Does the U.S. Want It?
By Chip Cummins and Edward Welsch, WSJ, Jul 8, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270…
[SEPP comment: A failure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline to bring oil from Canada to refineries in Texas will illustrate the falsehood of those who argue that national security requires oil from reliable sources. May be behind a pay wall.]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy
A Quarter Of Brits Are Living In Fuel Poverty As Energy Bills Rocket
From Global Warming Policy Forum, Jul 6, 2011 [H/t Gordon Fulks]
http://www.thegwpf.org/uk-news/3393-britains-…
[SEPP Comment: Two separate articles on the same topic.]
The Probable Cost of UK Renewable Electricity Subsidies 2002-2030
By John Constable & Lee Moroney, Renewable Energy Foundation, Jun 20, 2011
http://www.ref.org.uk/publications/238-the-pr…
[SEPP Comment: Just another £100 Billion.]
Consumers Pay Scottish Wind Farms to Throw Energy Away
Press Release, Renewable Energy Foundation, May 17, 2011
http://www.ref.org.uk/press-releases/233-cons…
Scottish Wind Power Constraint Payments Update
John Constable & Lee Moroney, Renewable Energy Foundation, Jun 30, 2011
http://www.ref.org.uk/publications/239-scotti…
Wind power numbers down in Britain
By Staff Writers, UPI, Jul 1, 2011
http://www.winddaily.com/reports/Wind_power_n…
“The amount of electricity generated by U.K. wind farms fell last year because of the lowest average wind speeds this century, government statistics show.”
Solar Panel Myth Exposed
By Lauren Thompson, Daily Mail, Jul 6, 2011 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/money/article-2…
Plug pulled on electric car subsidy from the Government in two years
By Tom Mcghie, Mail, UK, Jul 3, 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-2010…
The Obama Car
By Eric Peters American Spectator, Jul 7, 2011
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/07/07/the-…
[SEPP Comment: The concept of inertia eludes the administration’s imagination.]
Ruling on ‘rare earth’ goes against China
By Claire Courchane, Washington Times, Jul 5, 2011
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/…
[SEPP Comment: Enforcement will be interesting.]
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see
A Reassessment of Long-Term Atlantic Hurricane Statistics
Reference: Vecchi, G.A. and Knutson, T.R. 2011. Estimating annual numbers of Atlantic hurricanes missing from the HURDAT database (1878-1965) using ship track density. Journal of Climate 24: 1736-1746.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/jul/…
Given such findings, the two researchers from NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory state their results “do not support the hypothesis that the warming of the tropical North Atlantic due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions has caused Atlantic hurricane frequency to increase.”
The Glacial Climate of Ammassalik Island, Greenland
Reference: Mernild, S.H., Kane, D.L., Hansen, B.U., Jakobsen, B.H., Hasholt, B. and Knudsen, N.T. 2008. Climate, glacier mass balance and runoff (1993-2005) for the Mittivakkat Glacier catchment, Ammassalik Island, SE Greenland, and in a long term perspective (1898-1993). Hydrology Research 39: 239-256.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/jul/…
During the past century of general mass loss, they found that “periods of warming were observed from 1918 (the end of the Little Ice Age) to 1935 of 0.12°C per year and 1978 to 2004 of 0.07°C per year,” and they say that “the warmest average 10-year period within the last 106 years was the period from 1936-1946 (-1.8°C),” while the second warmest period was from 1995-2004 (-2.0°C). In addition, they note that “also on West Greenland the period 1936-1946 was the warmest period within the last 106 years (Cappelen, 2004).”
Overcoming Photoinhibitation in a Tropical Tree Species
Reference: Rasineni, G.K., Guha, A. and Reddy, A.R. 2011. Elevated atmospheric CO2 mitigated photoinhibition in a tropical tree species, Gmelina arborea. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 103: 159-165.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/jul/…
[SEPP Comment: Significant increases in photosynthesis during mid-day from CO2 enrichment.]
A History of Drought Duration and Frequency in the U.S. Corn Belt
Reference: Stambaugh, M.C., Guyette, R.P., McMurry, E.R., Cook, E.R., Meko, D.M. and Lupo, A.R. 2011. Drought duration and frequency in the U.S. Corn Belt during the last millennium (AD 992-2004). Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151: 154-162.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2011/jul/…
It is abundantly clear from Stambaugh et al.’s findings that there is nothing unusual, unnatural or unprecedented about any 20th or 21st century droughts that may have occurred throughout the agricultural heartland of the United States. It is also clear that the much greater droughts of the past millennium occurred during periods of both relative cold and relative warmth, as well as the transitions between them. Thus, to testify that “droughts are becoming longer and more intense,” and to imply that they are doing so because of global warming, is to be doubly disingenuous.
Other Scientific News
Getting Ready for the Next Big Solar Storm
By Dr Tony Phillips for NASA Science News, SPX, Jun 27, 2011
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Getting_Rea…
Other News that May Be of Interest
FUNDANOMICS: The Free Market, Simplified
By Roy W. Spencer, His Blog, Jul 4, 2011 [H/T WUWT]
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2011/07/fundanomi…
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Weed-Covered, Neglected Solar Park: 20 Acres, $11 Million, Only One And Half Years Old!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Jul 4, 2011 [H/t WUWT]
http://notrickszone.com/2011/07/04/weed-cover…
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…
good grief…
All of this, just this week….about a trace gas that’s only gone up 0.011
You didn’t mention today and tomorrow’s light bulb ban lifting, or not, in congress.
I must note something about the futility of the Edison light bulb ban. There is already available an excluded-from-the-ban version of incandescents from Amazon.com and online bulb sites that only cost about double of already cheap normal bulbs, namely “rough service” bulbs that have beefier filaments and are thus *less* efficient than standard bulbs. This loophole will be outed soon after the ban takes effect, assuming it does, and just like other types of prohibition will lead to a rebellion against the law, making them cool and popular and resulting in more energy use akin to how vast number of people prefer big beefy SUVs as status symbols in rebellion against green nanny statism. From the bill:
(ii) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘general service incandescent lamp’ does not include the following incandescent lamps:
…
(XII) A rough service lamp.
Search Amazon.com for: 100W rough service.
We already knew it, and for free, here in Wattsupwiththat!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/8627949/UK-electricity-bills-to-be-among-highest-in-Europe-as-Government-focuses-on-nuclear.html
Yes – the UK is run by total idiots who should be prosecuted for treason against the public. Please join me in telling these people what you think by commenting on the Telegraph article.
(UK) Energy bills to double in 5 years http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013325/Green-power-push-double-energy-bills-years.html
“Fred Singer will be spreading the joyous news that humanity and the environment do not face eminent destruction.”
I think the word should be ‘imminent’, although ’eminent’ still fits!
Trouble is, with all these green lunatics maintaining their misbegotten ideals, our economic world seems to be spiralling down the pan, along with all the windmills, “carbon” taxes, etc., etc..
I wish that I could live for another 25/30 years, just to see what happens.
Denis rancourt interviews Ray rayhumbert and look for interview with Prof LIndzen compare both and make up your own mind I have LOL
http://trainradio.blogspot.com/2011/07/professor-raymond-pierrehumbert-on.html
Denis rancourt Interview with Lindzen BTW the interviewer is a Physicist:
http://climaterealists.com/index.php?tid=125
Hi,
I think the word you want is “imminent” not eminent.
http://grammar.about.com/od/alightersideofwriting/a/eminentgloss.htm
Best,
Don
Oh Anthony! eminent destruction? Surely an imminent correction is eminently desirable?
REPLY: Surely you’ll write to the actual author, SEPP, rather than blame me? I have better things to do with my time. – Anthony
I have major problem with ICCC6 videos – they all appear to have single-channel sound and it really hurts my left ear as I’m using headphones and the sound goes to left channel only. I really wish they were downloadable so I could fix the sound to be able to listen to it…
Definitions:
Brown Energy – what you get when your Power Company goes Green, and you can bet your bottom dollar that you will pay way too much for it.
Alternative Energy – what you wish you could opt for when you get your first Green Energy bill.
Anomalymomenter – the virtual device used to scare populations into paying way too much for thier energy consumption.
Global Warming – the feeling you get when backing up to a heat source on a biting cold day.
Catastrophic Global Warming – what happens when you overdo it at the heater.
Climate Change – just when weather finally suits your taste…the season turns
Climate Change Denier – one of those people that defiantly jumps into ice ponds in the dead of winter
Climate Skeptic – someone who tests the water before taking a plunge
Climate Alarmist – phobic to all forms of weather phenomena
Climate Disruption – rain during your Picnic/Parade
Perpetual Motion – fake energy fad
Cold Fusion – early attempt at Green Energy
Green Energy – any form of energy that produces less than it consumes to generate
Molten salt energy storage, problem solved.
Imminent not eminent
Number of the Week: 34,000 premature deaths per year
In the USA? If so, 330 million in the USA, av. 75 years/person, 4.4 million deaths per year, 34,000 “premature” deaths per year is 0.77% of deaths. That would be called “noise”.
Please, don’t let the numbers refer to the planetary deaths …
More stats that mean nothing except that door-to-door canvasers can raise money using this sounds-serious bogosity.
CRS, Dr.P.H. says:
Pumping water uphill to a reservoir, to be used as needed.
I will try to change my schedule around to attend Dr. Singer’s talk on Thurs.- Thanks for putting the reference to the meeting at the top of the post;)
Number of the Week: 34,000 premature deaths per year
How did they figure out when those 34,000 were scheduled to die so they could state the the deaths were premature?
And why don’t we ever see the numbers for those smokers, drinkers, and burn-the-candle-at-both-enders who should have been dead years ago but are still hanging around partying like there will be a tomorrow?
Could it be that they just cancel each other out?
The funny thing is unless I misremember, there was a heavyweight US scientific investigation into acid rain and the effect of the then new power plant desulphurisation. Sometime in the early 1990’s I fancy. The results were so embarrassing that the politicoes buried it but I imagine it is still extant.
As I recall after careful monitoring it said that the programme had had no effect at all on acid rain in the mountain areas and that whilst there where a handful of lakes suffering from high acidity this was best and cheaply cured with a little lime.
Anybody know where the report can be found? it seems very relevant to the EPA claims.
Kindest Regards
Unfit for purpose. Can handle maybe a day’s worth of power, and wind e.g. can stop for a month in a blocking high, etc. And there aren’t enough handy uphill valleys to contain much water (relative to actual demand).
Hand-waving. Don’t enjoy yourselves too much.
rbateman says:
July 11, 2011 at 4:46 pm
CRS, Dr.P.H. says:
{molten salt}
Pumping water uphill to a reservoir, to be used as needed.
See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station
A total waste of 16 km of tunnels, 1 million tons of concrete, 200,000 tons of cement and 4,500 tons of steel.
The only way such “storage” could effectively smooth supply would be if they were used as a buffer, 100% of the time, like a UPS for a computer. But there are significant losses at each stage of conversion of one form of energy to another, and the already poor efficiency and cost levels of the “source” renewables are made much worse.
And, as noted, for wind power the volume of storage needed for the inevitable protracted excursions outside the Goldilocks velocity and temperature ranges it requires mandates the use of one or two varieties of unobtanium or lossless engineering.
P.S. No, balancing loads across large geographic areas is also a chimera; not only can any such area have simultaneous “out of bounds” conditions, the (also very lossy) transmission and switching networks required are possible only in Erehwon. Maybe when those room-temp superconducting cables are perfected … any day now!
typoz: “if it was used”, “requires or mandates”
Also, the same applies, mutatis mutandi, to solar.
Desertec, e.g., is a delusion. Protection from sandstorms (dirt and abrasion) and marching sand dunes (up to 30 meters/yr.), humongous and inherently vulnerable transmission cables and switching stations, and 100% diurnal swings in supply are not just devilish details to be resolved. They are deadly flaws in the concept.
Somewhere in a link from a link above is this Ottawa radio interview by a physicist of Lindzen; unique to have a competent questioner!
At about the 15 min. mark (of the full hour), Lindzen explains the crucial ice-age-o-genic variable, which I propose could/should be dubbed “PSSI”, for Polar Summer Solar Insolation. That’s what determines if ice persists through the summer, and hence drives ice sheet growth. He points out that the variation in this indicator/driver is ~50W/m^2, about 14X the IPCC claimed maximum CO2 doubling impact of ~3.7W/m^2.
Re: the Lindzen interview linked earlier.
LTTWT; lots of good material, mashed and mutilated rather less than usual for broadcast. Some mention of Pierrehumbert’s calumnies re Lindzen uttered on an earlier broadcast (‘He doesn’t know physics, can’t publish anything’, etc.) .
Don’t skip the music interludes (<2 min each, 2 during and one at the end — especially the last one! It's about the intersection of sex and greenness. "Whatever I can do, To get in bed with you…")
In other news…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/12/house-turns-out-light-old-style-bulbs