The Week That Was: 2014-08-23 (August 23, 2014) Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
Quote of the Week: “Not the man who hopes when others despair, but the man who despairs when others hope, is admired by a large class of persons as a sage.” John Stuart Mill [H/t Matt Ridley] Number of the Week: 36 to 82% more greenhouse gases
THIS WEEK: By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
The Dance: The greenhouse effect takes place in the atmosphere. We now have over 1/3 of a century of global atmospheric satellite temperature records. They are far more globally comprehensive and reliable than any other temperature records. Yet, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and other entities that follow it, use surface-air temperatures records, which are far less comprehensive and subject to significant biases such as changes in land use (e.g. urban heat island effect).
The most closely followed surface-air temperature record, that of the Met Office Hadley Center and the Climatic Research Unit (HadCRUT), shows no significant warming for more than 17 years, which contradicts temperature forecasts from the models the IPCC uses and suggests something is wrong that prevailing IPCC mind-set that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major driver of global warming/climate change.
Now, there is a flurry of papers attempting to explain the failure of the surface record to show a continuing of the late 20th century warming trend. Consistent with the IPCC mind-set, the authors of many of these papers assume that the models are correct and that increased CO2 should be causing a continuation of the warming trend. Based on model projections, some of the authors calculate to be X amount heat and term X to be the missing heat.
On August 22, Science published a paper by Xianyao Chen and Ka-Kit Tung who state that the missing heat is hiding in the deep oceans, now in the north Atlantic, rather than the Pacific or the southern oceans. The cause of the missing heat is a change in the rate of flow of the Atlantic part of Meridonal Overturning Circulation (MOC), a well-known phenomenon, which transports heat from the tropics to the extreme north Atlantic, e.g. the Gulf Stream. The circulation sets up a global circulation of ocean transport known thermohaline circulation or MOC. The paper is well-discussed in the links below.
There are numerous issues. One issue is that the instrument record is not sufficiently complete to measure the heat transport into the deep Atlantic – so the hypothesis cannot be directly tested for years to come. A second issue is that the press release, but not the published paper, states that the authors earlier proposed that one-half of the late 20th century warming was due to human emissions of CO2 and the other half caused by the Atlantic Ocean cycle that kept more heat near the surface of the Atlantic. If the explanation is correct, then the greater than 95% certainty the IPCC expressed in its 2013 Summary for Policymakers of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR-5) is wrong.
As Judith Curry states: “I find the extremely likely IPCC confidence level to be logically insupportable”
Further, as Nic Lewis brings out, if the paper is correct, then the estimate of global warming from a doubling of CO2 used by the IPCC is far too high. Such a correction will eliminate the justification for many reports that produce frightening conclusions of dire consequences from CO2-caused global warming/climate change, such as massive species extinctions and dramatic sea level rise.
But, there is a more fundamental issue – there is no reason to assume that the IPCC models are correct, or even partially correct. None of the models have been verified and validated. Further, all this ignores the elephant in the room – there has been no atmospheric warming for over a decade. So there is no logical reason to assume there is any greenhouse gas heat missing. Perhaps we should classify such attempted explanations as The Dance of the Missing Heat. See links under Questioning the Orthodoxy.
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The Sun: By analyzing trace elements in ice cores from Greenland and cores in cave formations from China, a research team has reconstructed a record of solar activity from around 22,000 to 10,000 years ago. The period covers the maximum of the last ice age and the beginning of the current warm period, the Holocene. The team found that reduced solar activity could lead to colder winters in Northern Europe and warmer winters in Greenland, with greater snowfall and more storms. The study suggests that total solar energy output, not just irradiance (approximately visible light), is important to understanding the solar influence on climate. They attribute much of the findings to the indirect effects of solar changes on atmospheric circulation. Other than irradiance; ultraviolet light, solar magnetism, and the solar wind can influence the earth’s climate. The authors state that climate models should consider influence of reduced solar activity.
This finding should not be a surprise. In their book, Unstoppable Global Warming, Fred Singer and Dennis Avery discuss the cyclical nature of the solar influence based upon evidence, which was first identified by Dansgaard and Oeschger. These shorter cycles are superimposed on longer term ice age-interglacial cycles. The Dansgaard- Oeschger (D-O) events are an important part of understanding global warming/climate change and are largely ignored by the IPCC.
Loehle and Singer found that the D-O events continued through the current warm period, the Holocene, though they may have been less pronounced than during the last ice age. An August 13 paper by Xu Zhang et al. claims that the D-O events were limited to the ice ages and emphasize the period 110,000 to 23,000 years ago. The new paper states that the extreme events took place during the periods during which sea levels were lower than today, but higher than during the maximum of the last ice age. It is not clear if these findings are incompatible with the Loehle and Singer finding of the D-O events continuing through the Holocene.
See links under Science: Is the Sun Rising?, Commentary: Is the Sun Rising?, and Changing Climate.
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ENSO the Cause? A paper by Markus Huber & Reto Knutti finds that there is little wrong with the climate models, once they are adjusted for current observations of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and solar influences, and stratospheric aerosol forcing. Apparently, it did not occur to these researchers that if the models are solid, they would not need adjustments for current observations. Contrary to their purpose, the authors provide further evidence that the IPCC misspoke when it expressed greater than 95% certainty in its work. See links under Un-Science or Non-Science?
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Methane: Much is being made of human emissions of methane and its influence on global warming/climate change. SEPP President Fred Singer wrote, perhaps, the first paper on the influence of methane and calculate human emissions [Nature 1971]. He has now modified his position on methane’s contribution to global warming. One, methane has a short lifetime in the atmosphere. Two, atmospheric water vapor absorption of infrared radiation overlaps partly with that of methane – and you can’t absorb the same radiation twice. And, three, methane’s infrared absorption is in a region of the spectrum where the earth normally emits little energy– unlike for CO2. For an example of press coverage see link under Oil Spills, Gas Leaks & Consequences
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Extreme Claims: Patrick Michaels of CATO presented a report exposing some of the extreme claims being made by the climate establishment in so-called scientific reports and in the publicizing of the reports. The planet is not warming. Apparently, the climate establishment and the green industry must make ever-more shrill claims to keep the Federal money and foundation donations flowing. See link under Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
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The Real 97%: Writing in Quadrant, John McLean reviews certain passages in the Summary for Policymakers of the scientific section of AR-5 by the IPCC (2013). McLean carefully translates the bureaucratic-speak into plain English. For example:
“… an analysis of the full suite of CMIP5 historical simulations (…) reveals that 111 out of 114 realisations show a GMST trend over 1998–2012 that is higher than the entire HadCRUT4 trend ensemble (… CMIP5 ensemble-mean trend is 0.21 ºC per decade).” [chapter 9, text box 9.2, page 769]
In simple terms this passage means that 111 (or 97%) of 114 executions of climate models (with some models run more than once) predicted warming greater than that calculated from temperature measurements. Compare the trends in the two extracts above and it seems the average prediction of climate models, at 0.21°C/decade, is at least four times higher than the temperature trend calculated from data from temperature observations.
We note here that the true 97% is not of climate scientists but of climate model runs that overestimate temperature measurements. See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
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Necessity or Luxury? In isolated areas, where there are no alternatives, electricity from unreliable solar or wind is better than no electricity. But, modern civilization requires reliable electricity. It is needed for motors, lighting, refrigeration, communications (cell phones, internet), transport (subways, elevators), etc. Under circumstances of ample, reliable electricity, adding solar or wind power can be considered luxury good – it may be emotionally appealing but it serves no real need. Many promoters of solar and wind power called them sustainable, a concept that is repudiated every time the sun goes down or the wind fails without notice.
The US Department of Energy has announced a program to promote wind power and the wind production wind tax credit to Americans ““As a readily expandable, domestic source of clean, renewable energy, wind power is paving the way to a low-carbon future that protects our air and water while providing affordable, renewable electricity to American families and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “However, the continued success of the U.S. wind industry highlights the importance of policies like the Production Tax Credit that provide a solid framework for America to lead the world in clean energy innovation while also keeping wind manufacturing and jobs in the U.S. [Boldface added.]
Call it marketing, advertising, propaganda, or whatever, a US government agency promoting special tax considerations for a luxury good is no longer acting for the benefit of public health and welfare. Instead, it is undermining the Constitutional justification for a Federal government. See links under Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up and http://breakingenergy.com/2014/08/18/energy-department-reports-highlight-strength-of-u-s-wind-energy-industry/
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Additions and Corrections: TWTW reader Tom Hayward inquired why many people state there has been no warming for 17 years, yet the graph of UAH satellite data indicates the period is far shorter. http://www.drroyspencer.com/latest-global-temperatures/
It all depends on the dataset and the judgment of the analyst. The 1998 El Niño throws things for a loop. It is generally accepted that 1998 warming was caused by an unusually strong El Niño. Those proclaiming no warming for 17 years generally refer to surface data – for example HadCRUT, and eliminate the El Nino. Others refer to the satellite data set by RSS, with the El Niño eliminated, indicating no warming for over 17 years.
In July, Christopher Monckton did an analysis of 5 datasets and showed no warming for 13 years, 4 months. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/29/temperature-analysis-of-5-datasets-shows-the-great-pause-has-endured-for-13-years-4-months/
SEPP thinks the surface data sets are too incomplete and have been manipulated too much to be really useful. Of the two sets of satellite datasets, SEPP prefers the one by University of Alabama in Huntsville because John Christy, and others, maintain that set with scrupulous transparency to the public. That is why TWTW states no significant temperature trend in the atmosphere for more than a decade. http://nsstc.uah.edu/climate/2014/july2014/graph072014.png
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Number of the Week: 36 to 82% more greenhouse gases. Many political leaders, and others promoting fear of CO2-caused global warming, have pointed to programs China is undertaking to control urban pollution. Too bad these leaders did not read the details, or if they did they did, they did not understand the language.
One such program is converting coal to synthetic natural gas (SNG) in rural areas and sending the SNG via pipelines to natural gas-power plants in urban areas. According to reports, scientists at Tsinghua University and Ford Motor Co. estimate the process emits between 36 and 82 percent more greenhouse gases, dominantly CO2, than directly burning coal to produce electricity.
Contrary to Western alarmists, it appears China does not consider CO2 to be a pollutant. If so, SEPP agrees with China’s view. See links under Energy Issues – Non-US and http://people.duke.edu/~cy42/SNG.pdf
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ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below, please see this week’s TWTW at: www.sepp.org. The articles are at the end of the pdf.
1. The Misdeeds of a Few Companies Don’t Warrant Fracking Bans
A proposed ban in Denton, Texas, could cost the city more than $251 million in economic activity.
By Chris Faulkner, WSJ, Aug 15, 2014
2. Cheeseburgers Won’t Melt the Polar Ice Caps
The next targets of the climate change enforcers will be livestock and all Americans who eat meat.
By Jayson Lusk, WSJ, Aug 17, 2014
http://online.wsj.com/articles/jayson-lusk-cheeseburgers-wont-melt-the-polar-ice-caps-1408317541
3. The Golden Age of Neuroscience Has Arrived
We have learned more about the thinking brain in the last 10-15 years than in all of human history.
By Michio Kaku, WSJ, Aug 20, 2014
4. Banking in a Time of Cholera
Bank of America pays $16.65 billion for doing the feds a favor.
Editorial, WSJ, Aug 21, 2014
http://online.wsj.com/articles/banking-in-a-time-of-cholera-1408664042
[SEPP Comment: Can any major financial institution trust Washington again?]
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Science: Is the Sun Rising?
Sun’s Activity Impacts Climate Change
By Staff Writers, Laboratory Equipment, Aug 18, 2014 [H/t SPPI]
http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2014/08/sun%E2%80%99s-activity-impacts-climate-change
Link to paper: Persistent link between solar activity and Greenland climate during the Last Glacial Maximum
By Florian Adolphi, et al. Nature Geoscience, Aug 17, 2014
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2225.html
Commentary: Is the Sun Rising?
Hundred-Year Period Of Increased Solar Activity Coming To An End
By Juha Merimaa, Helsinki Times, Via GWPF, Aug 18, 2014
http://www.thegwpf.org/hundred-year-period-of-increased-solar-activity-coming-to-an-end/
New paper shows solar activity is linked to the Greenland climate even 20,000 years ago
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 20, 2014
New paper finds the Sun controls Greenland climate
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Aug 18, 2014
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-paper-finds-sun-controls-greenland.html
[SEPP Comment: See like immediately above.]
Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
Academics Must Take Skeptics Seriously
By Joe Bast, Somewhat Reasonable, Aug 18, 2014
http://blog.heartland.org/2014/08/academics-must-take-skeptics-seriously/
Challenging the Orthodoxy
The Real Story
By Joe D’Aleo, ICECAP, Aug 23, 2014
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/new-and-cool/the_real_story/
[SEPP Comment: Debunking claims CO2 is a health hazard and other issues.]
The heat is on. Bureau of Meteorology ‘altering climate figures’ — The Australian
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 23, 2014
Parsing the IPCC’s Piffle
By John McLean, Quadrant, Aug 19, 2014
http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2014/08/parsing-ipccs-innumerate-piffle/
On The Recent Record-High Global Sea Surface Temperatures – The Wheres and Whys
By Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Aug 16, 2014
UHI – worse than we thought
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 20, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/20/uhi-worse-than-we-thought/
An Unsettling Climate
Global-warming proponents betray science by shutting down debate.
By Rupert Darwall, City Journal, Summer 2014 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.city-journal.org/2014/24_3_global-warming.html
Defending the Orthodoxy
Meeting the Climate-Change Challenge
By John Holdren, President, AAAS, Nov 3, 2006 http://www.whrc.org/resources/PPT/JPH_MBL_11-03-06_Clim-Chg-Challenge.ppt
[SEPP Comment: Slides from a 2006 presentation by the President’s science advisor.
Why Energy Efficiency is About to Come Roaring Back
By RP Siegel, Triple Pundit, Aug 12, 2014 [H/t Climate Etc.]
http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/08/energy-efficiency-come-roaring-back/
[SEPP Comment: Energy efficiency applies to major cost- effective projects. Unfortunately, all too often it is applied to consumer products where bureaucrats do not calculate the inefficiencies to the consumers.]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Cause of hiatus found deep in the Atlantic Ocean
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Aug 21, 2014
http://judithcurry.com/2014/08/21/cause-of-hiatus-found-deep-in-the-atlantic-ocean/
Press Release: Has Earth’s Missing Heat Been Found
By Becky Oskin, Live Science, Aug 21, 2014
http://www.livescience.com/47487-new-theory-global-warming-pause.html
Link to paper: Varying planetary heat sink led to global-warming slowdown and acceleration
By Xianyao Chen & Ka-Kit Tung, Science, Aug 22, 2014
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6199/897
It’s the Atlantic wot dunnit
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 22, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/22/its-the-atlantic-wot-dunnit.html
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Will the Next El Niño Bring an End to the Slowdown in Global Surface Warming?
By Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Aug 21, 2014
Lewis on Chen and Tung
By Nic Lewis, Bishop Hill, Aug 22, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/22/lewis-on-chen-and-tung.html
An alarmist embraces the label “alarmist”
By Luboš Motl, Reference Frame, Aug 21, 2014
http://motls.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-alarmist-embraces-label-alarmist.html#more
In particular, I am a climate denier, not a climate skeptic. The term “skeptic” often indicates that there is a serious “case” to be made about the bold hypothesis and that one is seriously open-minded to both possibilities. Well, I am not. There won’t be any CO2-driven global catastrophe in the next 50, 100, or 200 years. I deny the claims that there exists a scientific or otherwise rational basis for the climate panic which clearly makes me a “denier”.
Another Climate Apocalypse Prediction Goes Up In Smoke
By Sierra Rayne, American Thinker, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Climate scientists’ views on aerosols
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 19, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/19/climate-scientists-views-on-aerosols.html
[SEPP Comment: Another survey that makes little sense.]
Shock! Leading Climate Institute Just Discovers That Ice Age Climate Behaves Differently Than Today’s!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 19, 2014
Summer sea ice melt and polar bear maternity dens
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Aug 20, 2014
http://polarbearscience.com/2014/08/20/summer-sea-ice-melt-and-polar-bear-maternity-dens/
Can Natural Variability Save Climate Models?
By Marlo Lewis, Global Warming.org, Aug 17, 2014
Charismatic Meteorologist Kachelmann Expresses Skepticism Over Weather Alarmism, Slams Seasonal Forecasting
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 16, 2014
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Effective UN Climate Agreement Not Likely
By Staff Writers, The Research Council of Norway, Via GWPF, Aug 15, 2014
http://www.thegwpf.org/effective-un-climate-agreement-not-likely/
India deals a blow to climate negotiations
By Zack Colman, Washington Examiner, Aug 14, 2014
http://washingtonexaminer.com/india-deals-a-blow-to-climate-negotiations/article/2552045
Seeking a Common Ground
How to Talk About Climate Change So People Will Listen: A Skeptic’s View
By Joe Bast, Somewhat Reasonable, Aug 18, 2014
Institutionalizing Dissent
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Aug 19, 2014
http://judithcurry.com/2014/08/19/institutionalizing-dissent/
[SEPP Comment: Rather than institutionalizing those who dissent?]
The Kardashians and Climate Change: Interview with Judith Curry
By James Stafford, Oil Price.com, Aug 20, 2014 H/t Tom Sheahen]
http://oilprice.com/Interviews/The-Kardashians-and-Climate-Change-Interview-with-Judith-Curry.html
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see www.NIPCCreport.org
Could Earth’s Coral Reefs Adapt to Any Future Global Warming?
Reference: Palumbi, S.R., Barshis, D.J., Traylor-Knowles, N. and Bay, R.A. 2014. Mechanisms of reef coral resistance to future climate change. Science 344: 895-898.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2014/aug/13aug2014a1.html
Antarctic Sea Ice Trends of the Southern Ocean
Reference: Fan, T., Deser, C. and Schneider, D.P. 2014. Recent Antarctic sea ice trends in the context of Southern Ocean surface climate variations since 1950. Geophysical Research Letters 41: 2419-2426.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2014/aug/13aug2014a2.html
The Climate Envelope Concept Is Not Applicable to the Real World
Reference: Wieters, E.A., Medrano, A. and Quiroga, G. 2013. Spatial variation in photosynthetic recovery of intertidal turf algae from acute UVB and temperature stress associated with low tides along the central coast of Chile. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 449: 340-348.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2014/aug/13aug2014a3.html
Models v. Observations
Climate Model Credibility Gap
By Doug Hoffman, The Resilient Earth, Aug 15, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://theresilientearth.com/?q=content/climate-model-credibility-gap
Measurement Issues
NOAA analysis reveals significant land cover changes in US coastal regions
By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX), Aug 19, 2014
[SEPP Comment: The emphasis on coastal areas is the current fad.]
Trees and shrubs invading critical grasslands, diminish cattle production
By Staff Writers, Tempe AZ (SPX), Aug 19, 2014
[SEPP Comment: Critical grasslands are becoming critical forest areas. How does this fit with NOAA land cover change cited above?]
Changing Weather
Increase in reported flooding a result of higher exposure
By Staff Writers, Phys.org, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-result-higher-exposure.html
Link to paper: ‘Trends in reported flooding in the UK: 1884-2013’
By Andrew J. Stevens, et al, Hydrological Sciences Journal, Aug 7, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02626667.2014.950581#.U_SQcfldV-4
[SEPP Comment: Urbanization and population growth exposes more in urban areas to flooding?]
New Satellite Data Will Help Farmers Facing Drought
By Staff Writers, Pasadena CA (JPL), Aug 19, 2014
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/New_Satellite_Data_Will_Help_Farmers_Facing_Drought_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Doubt if it will prevent judges and bureaucrats from ordering release of irrigation water to “save” fish.]
Changing Climate
Claim: study published in Nature shows that small variations in the climate system can result in dramatic temperature changes
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 21, 2014
Link to paper: Abrupt glacial climate shifts controlled by ice sheet changes
By Xu Zhang, Gerrit Lohmann, Gregor Knorr, & Conor Purcell, Nature, Aug 13, 2014
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7514/full/nature13592.html
Irish Famines, Politics, and Climate History
By Tim Ball, WUWT, Aug 20, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/20/irish-famines-politics-and-climate-history/
New paper finds Chilean ocean temperatures were consistently warmer than present-day over most of past 12,000 years
By Staff Writers, The Hockey Schtick, Aug 22, 2014
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-paper-finds-chilean-ocean.html
Changing Seas
New paper finds groundwater extraction & 2004 earthquake are the primary causes of sea level rise in Thailand
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Aug 19, 2014
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/new-paper-finds-groundwater-extraction.html
Link to paper: Spatial variations of sea level along the coast of Thailand: impacts of extreme land subsidence, earthquakes and the seasonal monsoon
By Suriyan Saramula, Tal Ezerb Global and Planetary Change, Aug 19, 2014
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818114001775
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
The Sun In July 2014 And Arctic Sea Ice In Mid Summer
By Frank Bosse and Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt,
Historic Variations in Arctic Sea Ice – Part Two
By Tony Brown, WUWT, Aug 22, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/22/historic-variations-in-arctic-sea-ice-part-two/
Ice is low, but record unlikely
By Staff Writers, Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t Tom Hayward]
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
[SEPP Comment: Minimizing the changed trend in the Arctic.]
Life found below Antarctica’s ice sheet
Confirmed: 800 meters beneath Antarctic ice sheet, subglacial lake holds viable microbial ecosystems
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 22, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/22/life-found-below-antarctica/
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Pro-GMO movement continues to gain support, while anti-GMO movement spirals downward
By Staff Writer, ACSH, Aug 18, 2014
http://acsh.org/2014/08/pro-gmo-movement-continues-gain-support-anti-gmo-movement-spirals-downward/
Decision Could Boost Use of Popular Weed Killer
By Mary Clare Jalonick, AP, Aug 13, 2014 [H/t Climate Etc.]
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/decision-could-boost-use-popular-weed-killer
[SEPP Comment: GM crops and selected herbicides benefit no-till agriculture.]
Shale gas to drag world agro prices lower
Diminishing ethanol demand will trigger a fall in corn prices and also lead to lower wheat/rice values.
By Tejinder Narang, Financial Express, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/shale-gas-to-drag-world-agro-prices-lower/1280505/0
[SEPP Comment: The grains trade analyst sees the dark side of good news to the consumer.]
Un-Science or Non-Science?
Excuse #31 for ‘the pause’ – El Niño and longer solar cycles
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 19, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/19/excuse-31-for-the-pause-el-nino-and-longer-solar-cycles/
Link to paper: Natural variability, radiative forcing and climate response in the recent hiatus reconciled
By Markus Huber & Reto Knutti, Nature Geoscience, Aug 17, 2014
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2228.html
We conclude that there is little evidence for a systematic overestimation of the temperature response to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the CMIP5 ensemble.
The Climate Sensitivity Dutch Auction
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Aug 22, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/22/the-climate-sensitivity-dutch-auction/
[SEPP Comment: Critique on the paper immediately above.]
Lowering Standards
Global warming slowdown ‘could last another decade’
By Matt McGrath, BBC, Aug 21, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28870988
BBC Fail To Understand AMO
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Aug 22, 2014
http://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/bbc-fail-to-understand-amo/
Atlantic Ocean key to global-warming pause
Changing currents could be driving heat into the deep sea.
By Richard A. Lovett, Nature, Aug 21, 2014
http://www.nature.com/news/atlantic-ocean-key-to-global-warming-pause-1.15755
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Global warming ‘hiatus’: Scientists duel over which ocean steals some heat
Many scientists say natural climate variability is behind a slowdown in the pace of global warming over the past 15 years. And the key to the variability is the way oceans can act as heat sinks.
By Pete Spotts, Christian Science Monitor, Aug 21, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
Met Office Rejects Research Findings On UK Flooding
By Hannah Devlin, The Times, Via GWPF, Aug 14, 2014
http://www.thegwpf.org/met-office-rejects-research-findings-on-uk-flooding/
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
NOAA’s Misleading Propaganda On Tornadoes
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Aug 21, 2014
http://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/noaas-misleading-propaganda-on-tornadoes/
[SEPP Comment: Unfortunately, NOAA is no longer a trust-worthy source on weather records.]
Climate change reflected in altered Missouri River flow, report says
By Maya Srikrishnan, Los Angles Times, Aug 17, 2014
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-missouri-river-20140817-story.html
[SEPP Comment: The multitude of dams built in the 1950s to 70s has nothing to do with it?]
World’s primary forests on the brink
By Staff Writers, Brisbane, Australia (SPX), Aug 19, 2014
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Worlds_primary_forests_on_the_brink_999.html
The analysis shows that almost 98 per cent of primary forest is found within 25 countries, with around half of that located in five developed countries: the U.S., Canada, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
[SEPP Comment: Who would have thought these forests of the five developed countries would survive development? Could it be that the countries used fossil fuels rather than forests for fuel? Plugging for climate change treaties and other non-science.]
New analysis links tree height to climate
By Staff Writers, Madison WI (SPX), Aug 19, 2014
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/New_analysis_links_tree_height_to_climate_999.html
[SEPP Comment: That trees tend to grow better in moist areas than in dry areas is news?]
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Is the Sky Really Falling? A Review of Recent Global Warming Scare Stories
By Patrick Michaels, CATO, Aug 23, 2014
No bodies
By Rud Istvan, Climate Etc. Aug 20, 2014
http://judithcurry.com/2014/08/20/no-bodies/
[SEPP Comment: Other extreme predictions from the IPCC.]
Reality Check: Germany Does Not Get Half of its Energy from Solar Panels
By Robert Wilson, The Energy Collective, Aug 18, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
DOE promotes wind power in reports
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Aug 18, 2014
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/215375-doe-promotes-wind-power-in-reports
Fear: The Strategy of Activists
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Aug 19, 2014
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/fear-the-strategy-of-activists/
In retwardian, “grossly misleading” means “correct”
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 21, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/21/in-retwardian-grossly-misleading-means-correct.html
Expanding the Orthodoxy
NHS To Save The World From Global Warming!!
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Aug 21, 2014
http://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/nhs-to-save-the-world-from-global-warming/
[SEPP Comment: More waste of resources by the National Health Service. The US expenditures on climate change alternative energy exceed NIH expenditures on clinical research.]
Climate Change in Polar and Mountainous Regions
An IAEA Project Studying Impact of Climate Change on Land and Water-Ecosystems in Polar and Mountain Regions Moves Into Next Phase
By Staff Writers, IAEA, Aug 18, 2014
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2014/polarregions.html
What’s happening to the Earth’s polar and mountainous regions is unprecedented in recorded human history, and it is important we learn as much as we can about it. [Boldface added.]
[SEPP Comment: Don’t bother trying to understand geological history, or the disappearance of the Harappan civilization, for which we have no written records – it does not have the right propaganda message.]
Meet the companies that are trying to profit from global warming
Bu Brad Plumer, Vox, Aug 23, 2014
http://www.vox.com/2014/8/18/6031219/how-to-profit-off-of-global-warming
Questioning European Green
The disastrous revolution
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 17, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/17/the-disastrous-revolution.html
[SEPP Comment: Spain’s Photovoltaic Revolution, from boom to bust.]
The Failure of the UK Climate Change Act
By Roger Pielke, Jr. His Blog, Aug 16, 2014
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-failure-of-uk-climate-change-act.html
EU Enviro-Totalitarians Impose Restrictions On Woodstoves…Vacuum Cleaners Limited To 900 Watts In 2017!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 19, 2014
Questioning Green Elsewhere
Trampling on Coal Country Families
By Paul Driessen, Townhall, Aug 17, 2014
http://townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2014/08/17/trampling-on-coal-country-families-n1879570
The crazy world of Renewable Energy Targets
By Jo Nova and Tom Quirk, Her Blog, Aug 20, 2014
http://joannenova.com.au/2014/08/the-crazy-world-of-renewable-energy-targets/#more-37714
Non-Green Jobs
Oil production in Permian causes pipeline bottleneck in Texas
By Catherine Nigai, Reuters, Aug 12, 2014 [H/t Toshio Fufita]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/12/oil-crude-permian-infrastructure-idUSL2N0QH1XQ20140812
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Spanish Wind Power Hits Buffers As Subsidies Slashed
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Aug 20, 2014
EPA and other Regulators on the March
Toxic air pollution has dropped dramatically, EPA tells Congress
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Aug 21, 2014
Link to the report: Second Integrated Urban Air Toxics Report to Congress
By Staff Writers, EPA, Aug 21, 2014
http://www2.epa.gov/urban-air-toxics/second-integrated-urban-air-toxics-report-congress
[SEPP Comment: Makes current EPA claims of health benefits from controlling CO2 from coal-fired power plants seem trivial.]
EU rules against powerful vacuum cleaners ban ‘best’ models, Which? warns
Consumers warned to “act quickly” before top-rated powerful vacuum cleaners sell out forever
By Emily Gosden, Telegraph, UK, Aug 21, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
Energy Issues – Non-US
The availability of energy
By John Brignell, Number Watch, Aug 20, 2014
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/2014%20August.htm#availability
…”it is not just the presence of energy that matters, it is also its availability (to do work).
Energy is abundant, but available energy is not, particularly nowadays if you take into account the vital element of constancy of supply.”
Coal Gas Boom in China Holds Climate Change Risks
By Jack Chang, AP, Aug 22, 2014
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/coal-gas-boom-china-holds-climate-change-risks
Link to IER report: China to Build 50 Coal Gasification Facilities
By Staff Writers, Institute for Energy Research, Aug 6, 2014
http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/china-build-50-coal-gasification-facilities/
[SEPP Comment: The AP article is excessively long and flowery.]
Sorry, Mr. Obama, Africa needs coal
Africa faces a dilemma: It’s vulnerable to climate change but needs coal to grow robustly. So which way are Africans going?
By Ken Silverstein, Christian Science Monitor, Aug 15, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2014/0815/Sorry-Mr.-Obama-Africa-needs-coal
Belgium asks “Can I borrow your power cable?”
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 20, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/20/belgium-asks-can-i-borrow-your-power-cable.html
Energy policy, reform roll-back put German economy in uncertainty
By Staff Writers, Reuters, Aug 15, 2014
Oil Companies Turning Away From The Middle East
By Claude Salhani, Oil Price.com, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Oil-Companies-Turning-Away-From-The-Middle-East.html
Energy Issues — US
Oil production in Permian causes pipeline bottleneck in Texas
By Catherine Nigai, Reuters, Aug 12, 2014 [H/t Toshio Fufita]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/12/oil-crude-permian-infrastructure-idUSL2N0QH1XQ20140812
Alexander: Obama goes around Congress to help ‘Big Wind’
By Ramsey Cox, The Hill, Aug 22, 2014
More Harsh Winters Could Spell Disaster For The Electrical Grid
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Aug 15, 2014 [H/t SPPI]
http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/15/more-harsh-winters-could-spell-disaster-for-the-electrical-grid/
Washington’s Control of Energy
Natural gas execs fear they’re next for regs
By Timothy Cama and Benjamin Goad, The Hill, Aug 17, 2014
[SEPP Comment: With good reason. Green pressure groups, such as the Sierra Club, have made the shift from anti-coal to anti-gas. In some parts of the country natural gas combined-cycle power plants cannot be built.]
Arctic drilling rule sent to White House
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Aug 18, 2014
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/215357-arctic-drilling-rule-sent-to-white-house
[SEPP Comment: What’s the rush, it’s been only five years?]
Enbridge Avoids U.S. Review With Plan to Boost Oil Sands
By Jim Snyder and Rebecca Penty, Bloomberg, Aug 22, 2014
Ethanol mandate goes to White House for review
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Aug 22, 2014
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/215759-ethanol-mandate-goes-to-white-house-for-review
[SEPP Comment: The supposed deadline for a final determination for the year 2014 expired November 2013.]
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Refracking brings ‘vintage’ oil and gas wells to life
By Anna Driver and Ernest Scheyder, Reuters, Aug 20, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/20/energy-refracking-idUSL2N0QP28220140820
[SEPP Comment: Addressing the issue of rapid drop in production.]
Turn natural gas into gasoline for $1 per gallon
By Staff Writer, Peak Oil, Aug 21, 2014 [H/t Tom Sheahen]
http://peakoil.com/consumption/turn-natural-gas-into-gasoline-for-1-per-gallon
[SEPP Comment: Big question! But, great if correct.]
COLUMN-Natural gas can keep those motors running:
By John Kemp, Reuters, Aug 19, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/19/lng-autos-usa-kemp-idUKL5N0QP16Z20140819
Return of King Coal?
Oregon agency stings coal industry as it nixes key permit
By Zack Colman, Washington Eximiner, Aug 18, 2014
Too late for Oregon’s coal terminal: Exporting US coal to Asia could drop emissions 21 percent
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 19, 2014
Oil Spills, Gas Leaks & Consequences
Methane leaking from Sacramento gas pipelines adds to greenhouse effect
By Edward Ortiz, The Tribune, Aug 17, 2014
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/08/17/3197251/methane-leaking-from-sacramento.html
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Banking on nuclear
By Ron Cameron, WNN, Aug 18, 2014
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/E-Banking-on-nuclear-1808201401.html
Fukushima’s legacy
By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX), Aug 21, 2014
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Fukushimas_legacy_999.html
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
A birds-eye view of the bird scorching Ivanpah solar electric power plant
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 18, 2014
Biggest Solar Project Falls as Australia Reviews Policy
By Iain Wilson, Bloomberg, Aug 18, 2014 [H/t GWPF]
The cost of wind
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 18, 2014
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2014/8/18/the-cost-of-wind.html
Industrial Wind Needs Blowback (Siemens ad campaign targeting U.S. taxpayers)
By Mary Kay Barton, Master Resource, Aug 20, 2014
http://www.masterresource.org/2014/08/siemens-ad-us-taxpayers/#more-31432
California Dreaming
Spot the portion of California drought caused by ‘climate change’
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 18, 2014
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/18/spot-the-portion-of-drought-caused-by-climate-change/
Oh Mann!
Yet Another Misrepresentation in the Mann Pleadings
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Aug 19, 2014
http://climateaudit.org/2014/08/19/yet-another-misrepresentation-in-the-mann-pleadings/#more-19489
Hopefully Dr. Michael E. Mann Doesn’t Sue Me For This Column
By Trevor Burrus, Forbes, Aug 14, 2014 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Environmental Industry
Big Green Hypocrites — Part III
By Tony Thomas, Quadrant, Aug 16, 2014
http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/tony-thomas/2014/08/big-green-hypocrites-part-iii/
American Lung Association in Cahoots with EPA
By Megan Tooms, Cornwall Alliance, Via ICECAP, Aug 18, 2014
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/new-and-cool/american_lung_association_in_cahoots_with_epa/
Activists urge EU to scrap science advisor job
By Staff Writers, Brussels (AFP), Aug 19, 2014
http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Activists_urge_EU_to_scrap_science_advisor_job_999.html
[SEPP Comment: How about a trade, the EU science advisor for the US President’s science advisor?]
EPA pressed for time limits on chemical trade secrets
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Aug 21, 2014
Meet BPA-Free, The New BPA
By Steve Hentges, Science 2.0 Aug 18, 2014 [H/t ACSH]
http://www.science20.com/steve_hentges/meet_bpafree_the_new_bpa-142600
Other News that May Be of Interest
Knowledge
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Aug 22, 2014
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/knowledge/
Copper foam turns CO2 into useful chemicals
By Staff Writers, Providence RI (SPX), Aug 18, 2014 [H/t Toshio Fujita]
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Copper_foam_turns_CO2_into_useful_chemicals_999.html
[SEPP Comment: As compared with useless plant food?]
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BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Greens warn climate change could ruin ‘outdoor’ experience
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Aug 19, 2014
Pointless Ohio State study predicts the obvious with models – fish will die as streams dry out
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 18, 2014
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Satellite Map Shows Fracking Flares in Texas and North Dakota Equal to Greenhouse Emissions From 1.5 Million Cars ?????
http://ecowatch.com/2014/08/22/flared-gas-fracking-texas-north-dakota/
That’s actually from 2006, not 2014. Perhaps he’s done an article with the same title this year. If so, a different link is needed.
This week in Hopelessness:
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/40555/title/Seeds-of-Hopelessness/
“Lagging adaptation to warming climate in Arabidopsis thaliana”
Apparently seeds from southern sites of a certain species did better in Finland than the (cold adapted?) seeds from the native Finnish sites. No word in the abstract on whether during the test all the seeds were subjected to a frost event, but who am I to find fault? After all, if there were some freak frost event the experiment would have to be scrapped, since it would no longer give any useful information about adaptation to climate change, right?
Here is the Abstract page from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences :
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/22/7906.abstract
The author/spokesperson, Johanna Schmitt was apparently very proud of her work:
“There’ve been a lot of papers suggesting [lagging adaptation] has been a problem, but ours has been the first to explicitly demonstrate it,” says Schmitt. In her own data, she adds, “this is the first time I saw [the effects of climate change] tangibly, so starkly.”
Starkly? Sounds bad. Of course I’m no expert on these things: I’d just like to have the details before I make up my mind.