The Week That Was: 2015-02-07 (February 7, 2015) Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
US National Security – Threat of Climate Change: The White House has issued a report, “National Security Strategy”, stating that climate change (what used to be global warming before it stopped) is one of the greatest threats to US national security. The report contains choice terms such as “carbon pollution” which implies that the authors do not consider that their breathing is polluting, emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations 100 times that of the air they inhale.
The section “Confront Climate Change” states: “Climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources like food and water. The present day effects of climate change are being felt from the Arctic to the Midwest. Increased sea levels and storm surges threaten coastal regions, infrastructure, and property. In turn, the global economy suffers, compounding the growing costs of preparing and restoring infrastructure.”
As presented below, and in prior TWTWs, there are NO growing threats of storm intensity to the US or globally. Sea level rise appears to be in line with the past century, [local conditions are most important], the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), is not increasing, temperatures have plateaued, in general the globe is greening, except for conflicts created for ideological reasons there are few areas of famine, the decline in Arctic ice has reversed, and even the White House report recognizes that the US is becoming more self-sufficient in production of oil and natural gas, even though the Administration has denied access for increased production in Federal lands and waters. In short, the Administration’s campaign against climate change is out-of-touch reality.
For example, the section “Advance Our Energy Security” opens with the statement: “The United States is now the world leader in oil and gas production.” What has this administration done to create the US as the world leader – deny offshore drilling, deny Arctic drilling, deny hydraulic fracturing on federal lands and waters? The great increase in production of oil and gas is occurring on private and state-owned lands. This increase in production has led to a dramatic drop in world price of oil – a benefit to most American citizens and the world in general. The claim of “peak oil” in the foreseeable future is an idea of the past.
Almost amusingly, the report states: “Seismic shifts in supply and demand are underway across the globe.”… “Increasing global access to reliable and affordable energy is one of the most powerful ways to support social and economic development and to help build new markets for U.S. technology and investment.” Yet, the Administration continues to restrict the flow of oil to global markets, as can be seen in its refusal to approve the Keystone XL pipeline after six years of study.
According to newspaper- reports: Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz underscored the importance of energy security in his own statement on the plan.
“Now more than ever, it is critical for us to focus our efforts to cooperate on security issues that are increasingly critical to the stability of global markets and underscore the risk of relying on one source of energy,” he said.
“At the same time, collective action on security also presents an opportunity to diversify our low-carbon energy options, combat climate change, and strengthen our economies.” Apparently, Energy Secretary Moniz is unaware of the tremendous benefits to the US of low cost fossil fuels and the hardships that unreliable solar and wind are placing on the public and industries in Europe.
Unfortunately, the White House report gives an insight on how this ambitious administration will use whatever means it has available to expand control of the economy and energy use. The report states: More than 100 countries have also joined with us to reduce greenhouse gases under the Montreal Protocol—the same agreement the world used successfully to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals. The Montreal Protocol is being misused on the now questionable claim that hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were depleting the stratospheric ozone layer, although little effect was being measured on the surface. Now, the administration is manipulating the meaning and intent of the Protocol to cover greenhouse gases, particularly methane and CO2.
The Administration’s actions illustrate why the US should be wary of international agreements. Once approved by the Senate, an ambitious administration can manipulate international agreements for its own purposes. The administration’s actions have been a quiet endeavor, with little publicity. But, the effects on US energy and prosperity can be severe and long-lasting.
See links under Defending the Orthodoxy, EPA and other Regulators on the March and, for ACE, http://models.weatherbell.com/tropical.php
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Quote of the Week: If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” – Albert Einstein [H/t High Frontier]
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Number of the Week: 12.9% and 10.6%
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Natural Catastrophes – Losses: The December 20, 2014 TWTW linked to a preliminary report by Swiss Re, the world’s second largest re-insurer (those companies that take on insurance risks by other companies). The report stated that in 2014 global disaster events cost insurers USD 34 billion, below recent annual averages. It also stated a total loss of life of 11,000 from natural catastrophe and man-made disaster events in 2014 was down from the more than 27 000 fatalities in 2013. It should be remembered that natural disasters include earthquakes, tidal waves, etc. as well as extreme weather events.
The report of the world’s largest re-insurer, Munich Re is out, Review of natural catastrophes in 2014: Lower losses from weather extremes and earthquakes. This report states that more than nine out of ten (92%) of the loss-related natural catastrophes were due to weather events. “A striking feature was the unusually quiet hurricane season in the North Atlantic, where only eight strong – and thus named – storms formed; the long-term average (1950–2013) is around 11. In contrast, the tropical cyclone season in the eastern Pacific was characterized by an exceptionally large number of storms, most of which did not make landfall.”
The first and the fourth most expensive losses were winter damage, not heat or storm related. Japan was most hit by winter damage, which took 37 lives. Winter damage in the US and Canada ranked fourth in losses. Flooding in Asia took the most lives. Flooding has always been a major problem in Asia, and the rate of loss of lives is declining, not increasing.
Also, Roger Pielke posted a report on “The Precipitous Decline in US Flood Damage as a Percentage of GDP” Pielke states: The US is prone to very large flood events, resulting in tens of billions of dollars in losses. However, the trend since 1940 is striking. As the nation has seen its economic activity expand by a factor of almost 13, flood losses as a proportion of that activity have dropped by about 75%.
Please don’t use this data to say anything about the incidence of flooding in the US or changes in climate. For that, I urge you to look at data and research, discussed here. You’ll find very little evidence of increasing flood frequency or magnitude either in the US or globally. Regardless, the diminishing economic impact of floods in the US is undeniable.
It is becoming evident that the authors of the US “National Security Strategy” failed to consult with companies whose business it is to understand losses from extreme weather events or US academics who study these issues. See links under Changing Weather and
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Health: The EPA is heavily publicizing its anti-coal campaign on the grounds of public health, particularly fear of asthma. According to reports, early in this administration, officials at EPA decided that fear of respiratory diseases will be an excellent way to convince many in the public that action was needed to reduce coal-fired power plants. Asthma was a great fit. It was a disease often contracted in childhood and the incidence of the disease was increasing. The cause was unknown. It was assumed that the cause was outdoor air pollution in urban areas. Namely, in poorer neighborhoods where coal-fired power plants were located. The EPA built its anti-coal and the anti-ozone campaigns on this assumption. However, empirical science may get in the way.
A problem has developed in this great plan. A study published in the Journal of Asthma and Clinical Immunology found little or no relationship in incidence of asthma between children in urban areas and children in rural area, after adjustments for other factors such as poverty. The study emphasizes that air pollution may be a cause for asthma, only it’s indoor air pollution, such as second hand smoke, rodents, mold, etc. According to The Hill newspaper: The study couldn’t come at a worse time for the agency. EPA is preparing to tighten national standards for ground-level ozone (the main ingredient in smog) by as much as 20 percent. To justify the move, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy argued she was “following science” to “protect those most at-risk—our children, our elderly, and people already suffering from lung diseases like asthma.”
But it’s hard to see how lowering the current ozone limit either “follows the science” or “protects those most at-risk” for asthma.
No doubt, the environmental industry will condemn the study, to include claims of coal industry funding, etc. But, the problem of asthma cannot be solved by condemning the research of others on the dubious basis of funding. If asthma is a pressing national issue, then it must be approached with scrupulous examination, not personal attacks. See links under Health, Energy, and Climate.
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The Race to the Bottom — Circular Reasoning? As explained in last week’s TWTW, surveys (opinion polls) frequently disguise the scientific issues regarding global warming/climate change. The issue is not what climate scientists think, but how and why they think it — what physical evidence do they use to justify their claims? General climate models, which have not been validated, are not physical evidence. For example, given the best surface temperature records available, there were two periods of general warming during the 20th century; one from about 1910 to 1940 and the second from about 1976 to 1998. There has not been a generalized warming of the globe as one would expect from increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Surveys of scientists that fail to make these points as central issues are generally meaningless.
Many of those who create global climate models also ignore these points and are now trying to justify the failure of the models to predict the current plateau in global temperatures with ever imaginative explanations. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute used climate model simulations in 15 year periods to claim that the climate models are correct, except for natural variations (??). They concluded that there are no systematic errors in the models. To make matters worse the claim was summarized in Phys Org as:
Sceptics who still doubt anthropogenic climate change have now been stripped of one of their last-ditch arguments: It is true that there has been a warming hiatus and that the surface of the earth has warmed up much less rapidly since the turn of the millennium than all the relevant climate models had predicted. However, the gap between the calculated and measured warming is not due to systematic errors of the models, as the sceptics had suspected, but because there are always random fluctuations in the Earth’s climate. [emphasis added, from Matt Briggs]
Who claimed that there were no fluctuations in the Earth’s climate? Certainty, not most of the skeptics who have repeatedly pointed out that climate has been changing for hundreds of millions of years, long before humanity existed.
When analyzing the paper further, Nicholas Lewis (technical) and Andrew Montford (general) recognized the entire effort was another example of circular reasoning – an effort based on model outputs to verify models rather than rigorously comparing model output with physical observations of temperatures.
This affair exposes the poor quality of climate research being conducted and published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and its following among government entities. Some have argued that under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it is not the function of the IPCC to understand natural variation in climate change, but only the human influence. If so, then every report, every press release should boldly state that the report is addressing the issue of human cause of climate change and does not address the natural causes that have been on-going for hundreds of millions of years. Such a statement would help clarify the confusion in the public that the reports are from experts on climate, not experts on human influence who ignore natural influences. See links under Un-Science or Non-Science – Circular Reasoning?
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Non-Sustainable Alternative Energy? In discussing the experience of wind farms in Australia, David Archibald points out that the electricity from coal used to manufacture wind turbines cost far less than the electricity produced by wind turbines. How can such an activity be considered sustainable?
One can imagine the manufacturing difficulties that occur when electricity is unreliable. Pierre Gosselin has a graphs on Germany’s offshore wind capacity and actual production. See links under Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind and Questioning European Green
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Number of the Week: 12.9% and 10.6%. A study of over 23,000 children by a team headed by Dr Corrine Keet of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center found that 12.9% of inner city children had asthma while 10.6% of rural children did. When adjusting for factors such as poverty, the team found no statistical difference.
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ARTICLES:
Please note that articles that are not linked or summarized here are reproduced in the Articles Section of the full TWTW that can be found on the web site under the date of the TWTW.
1. Global Warming Pause: Is the End Near?
By S. Fred Singer, American Thinker, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/02/global_warming_pause_is_the_end_near.html
[SUMMARY: Global Warming (GW) alarmists are in a pickle: no GW, in spite of rising CO2 levels. True believers are using quasi-religious slogans, like “The End [of the GW pause] is Near” and “Repent [Stop emitting CO2] Before It’s Too Late.”]
2. Opinion/Letter: Energy-policy mind games a waste
By Charles Battig, Letter, Charlottesville Daily Progress, Feb 4, 2015
3. The Alarming Thing About Climate Alarmism
Exaggerated, worst-case claims result in bad policy and they ignore a wealth of encouraging data.
By Bjorn Lomborg, WSJ, Feb 1, 2015 [H/t William Readdy]
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bjorn-lomborg-the-alarming-thing-about-climate-alarmism-1422832462
[SUMMARY: Lomborg recognizes that in the past 15 years temperatures have risen about 90% less than what was predicted by the IPCC. “Facts like this are important because a one-sided focus on worst-case stories is a poor foundation for sound policies.” Lomborg emphasizes that one should view the world’s deaths from natural disasters over time. “In the Oxford University database for death rates from floods, extreme temperatures, droughts and storms, the average in the first part of last century was more than 13 dead every year per 100,000 people. Since then the death rates have dropped 97% to a new low in the 2010s of 0.38 per 100,000 people.” Economic development is key to improving the lives of the public and withstanding climate change.]
4. Energy-Pinching Americans Pose Threat to Power Grid
Sluggish Sales Could Deprive Utilities of Revenues to Maintain Vast Network of Generating Plants and High-Voltage Lines
By Rebecca Smith, WSJ, Feb 2, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/energy-pinching-americans-pose-threat-to-power-grid-1422910187
[SUMMARY: In the US power use is down, but prices are up. “Since 2004, average residential electricity prices have jumped 39%, to 12.5 cents a kilowatt-hour and prices for all users have jumped 36% to 10.42 cents, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retail sales to homes and businesses still are less than they were in 2007, before the recession.” This disparity is putting pressure on electric utilities. Among the more radical proposals being explored by state utility regulations is a significant fixed monthly fee for electricity service.]
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Global Warming Pause: Is the End Near?
By S. Fred Singer, American Thinker, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/02/global_warming_pause_is_the_end_near.html
Global Warming Hysteria Has Problem: It Doesn’t Fit With Facts
By Thomas Sowell, IBD, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t Paul Redfern]
German Analysis: “Current Warm Period Is No Anthropogenic Product” – Major Natural Cycles Show No Signs Of Warming!
Climate cycles and their extrapolation into the future
By Dietrich Koelle, Translated/edited by P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Feb 2, 2015
http://notrickszone.com/#sthash.pM8K8fRO.OiTUTX9Q.dpbs
[SEPP Comment: The note at the end of the post is critical: “In our book “The Neglected Sun” we presented two CO2 climate sensitivity scenarios: 1.0°C and 1.5 °C warming for a CO2 doubling. Current studies have corrected the original IPCC value of 3°C strongly downwards (see our articles “Studies from 2014 provide hope: warming effect of CO2 is considerably over-estimated. Official correction is imminent“). As Gosselin states: “It will be exciting to watch how research will develop with respect to climate sensitivity over the coming years.”
Defending the Orthodoxy
White House: Climate change threatens national security
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Feb 6, 2015
Link to Document: National Security Strategy, The White House, Feb 2015
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2015_national_security_strategy.pdf
Financing the Fight Against Climate Change
By Anne Paugam, Project Syndicate, Feb 6, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Another expert who considers a specific example is indicative of a general trend.]
Norway signs up to EU greenhouse gas targets
By Staff Writers, Oslo (AFP), Feb 4, 2015
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Norway_signs_up_to_EU_greenhouse_gas_targets_999.html
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Climate Peace in Our Time
By Steven Hayward, Power Line, Feb 4, 2015
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/02/climate-peace-in-our-time.php
Link to Statement to the Press: Figueres: First time the world economy is transformed intentionally
By Staff Writers UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, Feb 3, 2015
Questioning the robustness of the climate modeling paradigm
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Feb 2, 2015
Excuse #64 For The ‘Pause’ In Global Warming: It’s Pure Luck
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Calller, Jan 30, 2015
http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/30/excuse-64-for-the-pause-in-global-warming-its-pure-luck/
Climate Scientists’ Major Fail.
By William Franks, The Australian Climate Sceptics, Feb 6, 2015 http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/climate-scientists-major-fail.html
East Greenland polar bears – said to be the most polluted but appear to be doing just fine
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Feb 4, 2015
Lukewarm About Climate Change
By Alan Caruba, Warning Signs, Feb 5, 2015
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2015/02/lukewarm-about-climate-change.html
UK Met Office uses graphical tricks to hide the pause
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Feb 6, 2015
http://joannenova.com.au/2015/02/uk-met-office-uses-graphical-tricks-to-hide-the-pause/#more-40832
Social Benefits of Carbon
Turning up heat on plants could help grow crops of the future
Press Release, University of Edinburgh, EurekAlert, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/uoe-tuh020215.php
Problems in the Orthodoxy
China rebuffed over UN move targeting NGOs
By Staff Writers, United Nations, United States (AFP), Jan 30, 2015
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/China_rebuffed_over_UN_move_targeting_NGOs_999.html
[SEPP Comment: The UN protects its favored green groups, which often demand UN action, a built-in UN promotion group. The US claimed that it would be a setback for transparency. Let’s see some real transparency in the UN reports – blunt statements as to the uncertainty and the bias in the reports.]
UN climate chief tempers expectation on Paris deal
By Staff Writers, New Zealand Herald, Feb 6, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11397709
You Ought to Have a Look: Tamping Down Expectations for Paris
By Patrick J. Michaels and Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger, CATO, Feb 6, 2015
http://www.cato.org/blog/you-ought-have-look-tamping-down-expectations-paris
Seeking a Common Ground
Questioning the robustness of the climate modeling paradigm
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Feb 2, 2015
Taxonomy of climate/energy policy perspectives
By Planning Engineer, Climate Etc. Feb 3, 2015
http://judithcurry.com/2015/02/03/taxonomy-of-climateenergy-policy-perspectives/#more-17744
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by CO2 Science
576 Years of Droughts and Floods Along Utah’s Wasatch Front
Bekker, M.F., DeRose, R.J., Buckley, B.M., Kjelgren, R.K. and Gill, N.S. 2014. A 576-year Weber River streamflow reconstruction from tree rings for water resource risk assessment in the Wasatch Front, Utah. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 50: 1338-1348. Feb 4, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/feb/a5.php
Herbivores Enhance the Carbon Flux to CO2-Enriched Forest Soils
Meehan, T.D., Couture, J.J., Bennett, A.E. and Lindroth, R.L. 2014. Herbivore-mediated material fluxes in a northern deciduous forest under elevated carbon dioxide and ozone concentrations. New Phytologist 204: 397-407. Feb 3, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/feb/a3.php
Representations of Aeolian Dust in CMIP5 Climate Models
Evan, A.T., Flamant, C., Fiedler, S. and Doherty, O. 2014. An analysis of aeolian dust in climate models. Geophysical Research Letters 41: 5996-6001. Feb 3, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/feb/a1.php
Real-World Lizards Are Evolving Right Before Our Very Eyes
Stuart, Y.E., Campbell, T.S., Hohenlohe, P.A., Reynolds, R.G., Revell, L.J. and Losos, J.B. 2014. Rapid evolution of a native species following invasion by a congener. Science 346: 463-466. Jan 30, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/jan/a28.php
“Nature, it would appear, has the ability to successfully deal with whatever challenges potential global warming and ocean acidification may foist upon it, as further demonstrated by the many journal reviews contained in the several sub-sections listed under the general heading of Evolution …”
Models v. Observations
Current Wisdom: A Closer Look at Climate Model Performance
By Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger and Patrick J. Michaels, CATO, Feb 6, 2015
http://www.cato.org/blog/current-wisdom-closer-look-climate-model-performance
Model Issues
Climate models disagree on why temperature ‘wiggles’ occur
By Staff Writers, Science News, Jan 27, 2015
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2015/01/27/climate.models.disagree.why.temperature.wiggles.occur
Many Mixed Signals in the UKMO’s Latest 5-Year Global Surface Temperature Forecast
By Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Feb 5, 2015
Measurement Issues
How To Access GISS Temperature Records
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Feb 1, 2015
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/how-to-access-giss-temperature-records/
No, 2014 Wasn’t the “Warmest Year In History”
By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe, Jan 29, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Only Satellites Show Pause, WUWT? (Now Includes December Data)
By Werner Brozek, WUWT, Feb 3, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/02/03/only-satellites-show-pause-wuwt-now-includes-december-data/
Uncertainty Ranges, Error Bars, and Cis
By Kip Hansen, WUWT, Feb 1, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/02/01/uncertainty-ranges-error-bars-and-cis/
UN confirms 2014 was ‘hottest year on record’
By Staff Writers, AFP, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://news.yahoo.com/un-confirms-2014-hottest-record-101032311.html
Why The GHCN Adjustments In The Arctic Are Wrong
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Feb 6, 20 https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/why-the-ghcn-adjustments-in-the-arctic-are-wrong/
Changing Weather
Review of natural catastrophes in 2014: Lower losses from weather extremes and earthquakes
By Staff Writers, Press Release, Munich RE, Jan 7, 2015
http://www.munichre.com/en/group/focus/climate-change/news/2015/2015-01-07-press-release/index.html
Natural loss events in 2014: http://www.munichre.com/site/corporate/get/documents_E-1611722943/mr/assetpool.shared/Documents/0_Corporate%20Website/6_Media%20Relations/Press%20Releases/2015/Munich-Re-Overview-Natural-catastrophes-2014.pdf
Map of losses worldwide: http://www.munichre.com/site/corporate/get/documents_E-1611684284/mr/assetpool.shared/Documents/0_Corporate%20Website/6_Media%20Relations/Press%20Releases/2015/Munich-Re-World-map-Natural-catastrophes-2014.pdf
The Precipitous Decline in US Flood Damage as a Percentage of GDP
By Roger Pielke Jr, Climate Fix, Feb 5, 2015
The “Historic” Blizzard of 2015 Ranked #41
By Roy Spencer, Global Warming, Feb 1, 2015
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2015/02/the-historic-blizzard-of-2015-ranked-41/
”The ranking is based upon societal impacts, so if the worst storm on Earth in the last 10,000 years hit where no one lived, it would not even rank.”
Reports: ‘Snow increasingly rare’ becomes ‘we knew snows would be heavier in warmer winters’
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Feb 2, 2015
Are heatwaves in Australia becoming more frequent, hotter or lasting longer?
The hypothesis tested.
By Geoffrey Sherrington, The Australian Climate Sceptics, Feb 6, 2015
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/are-heatwaves-in-australia-becoming.html
Heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent on Big Island, Hawaii
Press release, Univ of Hawaii, Feb 5, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
Link to paper: Trends in precipitation extremes and return levels in the Hawaiian Islands under a changing climate
By Ying Ruan Chen andPao-Shin Chu*, International Journal of Climatology Feb 18, 2014
“A positive relationship is found between the precipitation extremes and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), implying greater extreme events during La Niña years and the opposite for El Niño years.”
[SEPP Comment: The above statement is consistent with those who have argued for years, we are not properly studying the natural variations in climate.]
Super soaker ‘Pineapple Express’ organizing for heavy rain in California this weekend – as much as 20 inches in some areas
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Feb 2, 2015
[SEPP Comment: If this continues, soon those who blamed the drought on climate change will blame the floods on climate change. Can the dogmatic ever be wrong?]
Changing Climate
650-Year Drought Triggered Ancient City’s Abandonment
By Laura Geggel, Live Science, Jan 30, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.livescience.com/49646-ancient-city-abandonment-drought.html
Link to article, Cultural implications of late Holocene climate change in the Cuenca Oriental, Mexico
By Bhattacharya, et al, PNAS, Jan 26, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/01/21/1405653112.abstract
Chronique du climat
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 4, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/4/chronique-du-climat.html
[SEPP Comment: Climate was not always blissful in western France.]
Changing Seas
Slope on the ocean surface lowers the sea level in Europe
By Staff Writers, National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Jan 28, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://noc.ac.uk/news/slope-ocean-surface-lowers-sea-level-europe
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Iceland rises as its glaciers melt from climate change
By Staff Writers, Tucson AZ (SPX), Feb 01, 2015
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Iceland_rises_as_its_glaciers_melt_from_climate_change_999.html
Sea Ice Climate Schizophrenia?
By Jim Steele, WUWT, Feb 3, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/02/03/sea-ice-climate-schizophrenia/
Changing Earth
Earth’s orbit affects the stability of Antarctica’s Eastern ice cap
Press Release By University of Granada, Science Daily, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150203094326.htm
Orbital forcing of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene
By Patterson, et al, Nature Geoscience, Oct 26, 2014,
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v7/n11/full/ngeo2273.html
Acidic Waters
How will ocean acidification impact marine life?
By Staff Writer, Science News, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2015/02/03/how.will.ocean.acidification.impact.marine.life
[Comments by Clyde Spencer: Yes, but soda water and tap water are not highly buffered alkaline solutions like ocean water. Therefore, they are subject to actually being acidic and varying rapidly in their pH with small changes in CO2.
Apparently mammalian blood has a salt content very similar to ocean water, which is sometimes interpreted as reflecting the environment in which life first evolved. Interestingly, the pH of blood is a lot lower (being close to neutral) than what the oceans are today. Might that be an argument that the oceans are anomalously alkaline today compared to the distant past?]
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Quote of the day: can’t trust Greenpeace edition
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 3, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/3/quote-of-the-day-cant-trust-greenpeace-edition.html
Un-Science or Non-Science?
Evidence from warm past confirms recent IPCC estimates of climate sensitivity
By Staff Writers, Science News, Feb 4, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Unable to locate abstract. What caused the earlier warmer period?]
Mercury levels rise in Hawaiian ahi tuna: study
By Staff Writers, Miami (AFP) Feb 2, 2015
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Mercury_levels_rise_in_Hawaiian_ahi_tuna_study_999.html
[SEPP Comment: The unusual small sample size for 2008, the last year in the study, raises questions of over generalization.]
New paper finds oceans warming only a tiny 0.002°C-0.005°C/year since 2006
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Feb 2, 2015
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-paper-finds-oceans-warming-only.html
Un-Science or Non-Science – Circular Reasoning?
Global warming slowdown: No systematic errors in climate models
By Staff Writers, Max Planck Society, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t Bud Bromley]
http://phys.org/news/2015-02-global-slowdown-systematic-errors-climate.html#ajTabs
Link to paper: Forcing, feedback and internal variability in global temperature trends
By Jochem Marotzke & Piers M. Forster, Nature, Jan 29, 2015
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7536/full/nature14117.html
Global warming slowdown: No systematic errors in climate models
By Staff Writers, Munich, Germany (SPX), Feb 03, 2015
Marotzke’s circularity
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 5, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/5/marotzkes-circularity.html
Marotzke and Forster’s circular attribution of CMIP5 intermodel warming differences
By Nicholas Lewis, Climate Audit, Feb 5, 2015
Natural Variations In Weather DO NOT Explain The ‘Pause’: Update, With Letter to Nature
By William Briggs, His Blog, Feb 5, 2015
http://wmbriggs.com/post/15201
Lowering Standards
Inside scientivism
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 2, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/2/inside-scientivism.html
“My abiding impression was of a BBC presenter and a social scientivist sitting about discussing the efficacy of what amounts to a con on the general public.”
Major climate science reporting fail by Minnesota Public Radio
By Sierra Rayne, American Thinker, Feb 3, 2015
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
Climate change squabbles are inevitable in science — and life
By Ilan Kelman, RTCC, Feb 5, 2015 [H/t Climate Etc.]
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/02/05/climate-change-squabbles-are-inevitable-in-science-and-life/
[SEPP Comment: The author misses the central issue: The physical evidence to support the hypothesis that human CO2 emissions are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming. He assumes that which must be proven is correct. He obfuscates the science in a manner similar to that which he accuses tthe tobacco companies of doing.]
About the Claims That Northeast U.S. Blizzards Have Been Amplified by Human-Induced Global Warming
By Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Feb 2, 2015
Cold Nights and Shoddy Science Journalism at the Guardian
By Sierra Rayne, American Thinker, Feb 6, 2015
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/02/2_5_2015_14_56.html
Drylands: Desolate, scorched, uninhabitable? Scientists say otherwise
Complex ecosystem is patchwork of grasses, shrubs, agricultural fields, urban-dwelling species, including humans
By Cheryl Dybas, NSF, Dec 2, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=133883&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click
“Increasing ‘desertification’ threatens economic stability and societies globally,” says Saran Twombly, NSF LTER program director.
[SEPP Comment: The statement is nonsense. The globe is greening.]]
How to unscientifically hype insignificant noise in ocean “warming”
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Feb 3, 2015
http://joannenova.com.au/2015/02/how-to-unscientifically-hype-insignificant-noise-in-ocean-warming/
Temperatures Rise as Climate Critics Take Aim at U.S. Classrooms
By Alex Nussbaum, Bloomberg, Feb 5, 2015
Communicating Better to the Public – Do a Poll?
Actions and beliefs behind climate change stance
Press Release by Monash University, EurekAlert, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/mu-aab020215.php
[Comment by Clyde Spencer: What wasn’t said was, “This finding suggests that antagonizing sceptics ‘believers’ and increasing their anger towards their opponents is likely to polarize them further, making them more committed to act in support of their cause.” It has been my experience that the Chicken Littles are the ones who are most likely to ‘go over the top’ when challenged.]
Another dumb climate psychology paper
By Paul Mathews, The IPCC Report, Feb 3, 2015
https://ipccreport.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/another-dumb-climate-psychology-paper/
Pew’s Public and Scientists’ Views on Science and Society Survey
By William Briggs, His Blog, Feb 2, 2015
http://wmbriggs.com/post/15184
NYT: Even Republicans fear global warming!
By Pedro Gonzales, American Thinker, Jan 31, 2015
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/01/nyt_even_republicans_fear_global_warming.html
Passion for climate change cools
Prudent nations are looking again at the cost of going green
Editorial, The Washington Times, Feb 2, 2015
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/2/editorial-passion-for-climate-change-cools/
Public are not buying science “experts” opinions: AAAS survey shows 30-50% gap
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Jan 31, 2015
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Fatally Flawed Climate Science Paper ‘Should Be Withdrawn’
Press Release by Staff Writers, GWPF, Feb 6, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/fatally-flawed-climate-paper-should-be-withdrawn/
Climate Change, Statistical Significance, and Science
By Michael Lavine, Stats.org, Jan 26, 2015 [H/t Bishop Hill]
http://www.stats.org/climate-change-statistical-significance-and-science/
“A recent plea for scientists to ‘stop playing dumb on climate change’ shows why The New York Times Op Ed page needs a statistician.”
Climate Horror Stories That Won’t Die: The Case of the Pika (Stewart, 2015)
By Jim Steele WUWT, Feb 4, 2015
Flawed Cherry Picking BOM [AU Bureau of Meteorology]
By Geoff Brown, Australian Climate Sceptics, Feb 2, 2015
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/flawed-cherry-picking-bom.html
Is the Pentagon hyping climate change? Here, take a look.
By Lori Montgomery, Washington Post, Jan 30, 2015 [H/t Climate Depot]
Communicating Better to the Public – Go Personal.
Climate of Hate: His children are urged to kill him, he’s compared to Adolf Hitler and labelled a ‘denier’ – even though he’s Jewish. Disturbing article reveals what happens if you dare to doubt the Green prophets of doom
Journalist David Rose has been labelled a ‘climate change denier’
Wrote article about scientists covering up data in ‘climategate’ scandal
He believes ‘renewable’ sources such as wind and ‘biomass’ are futile
One online commenter urged Mr Rose’s own children to murder him
By David Rose, Daily Mail, UK, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2934540/What-happens-dare-doubt-Green-prophets-doom.html
Journalist David Rose subjected to ‘vile online abuse’ for questioning severity of man-made climate change
By Dominic Ponsford, Press Gazette, UK, Feb 2, 2015
Climate denial gets a billion-dollar boost: Why the Kochs’ 2016 spending spree could mean planetary disaster
The Kochs’ major campaign financing push could undermine climate action right when we need it the most
B Lindsay Abrams, Salon, Jan 28, 2015
Shock study results: Calling climate skeptics ‘deniers’ just pisses them off
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Feb 2, 2015
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Propaganda on Children
FAIL: Wildflower School Anti-frackers vandalize park trees with political anti-fracking message
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Feb 6, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Paint the trees red in the name of green.]
Obama administration wanted Disney to remake Frozen as an AGW agitprop
By Luboš Motl, The Reference Frame, Feb 6, 2015
http://motls.blogspot.com/2015/02/obama-administration-wanted-disney-to.html#more
[SEPP Comment: Use of he term “ordered” is too strong. The retired admiral had no power to order Disney studios.]
Write to a tree about climate change in the Melbourne City Council, and it will write back
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Feb 4, 2015
Expanding the Orthodoxy
Climate Change
By Staff Writers, American Academy of Actuaries, Jan 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.actuary.org/files/EE_ClimateChange_012915.pdf
Selective Use of data, especially NOAA
World has not woken up to water crisis caused by climate change: IPCC head
By Nita Bhalla, Reuters, Feb 3, 2015
http://news.yahoo.com/world-not-woken-water-crisis-caused-climate-change-130410305.html
Questioning European Green
The penny drops
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 3, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/3/the-penny-drops.html
“I am constantly taken aback by the number of people in positions of power and authority who simply have no idea that many major environmental groups deceive the public in order to advance their aims.”
Renewable Energy Infrastructure Costs More Than Greek and Irish Bailout Combined.
By A.B. Sanderson, Breibart, UK, Feb 5, 2015
THE CHART Wind Energy Proponents Fear You’ll See…Offshore Wind Turbines Stay In Bed 4 Of Every 5 Workdays! –
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Feb 5, 2015
[SEPP Comment: On most days in Germany, production is far below nameplate capacity.]
Britons feel more threatened by Russia than climate change
British people feel less threatened by climate change now than they did in 2010, a survey by Chatham House reveals
By Sophie Yeo, RTCC, Feb 2, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/02/02/britons-feel-more-threatened-by-russia-than-climate-change/
Questioning Green Elsewhere
Burn Baby Burn
Review: Alex Epstein’s ‘The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels’
By Andrew Evans, Washington Free Beacon, Feb 1, 2015
http://freebeacon.com/culture/burn-baby-burn/
Funding Issues
Obama 2016 Budget Boosts Spending on Renewables and Climate Change Efforts [Corrected]
By Thomas Overton, Power Mag, Feb 2, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Renewable electricity generation is splendidly driving up the costs of electricity in Europe. Let’s have more in the US!]
Obama takes aim at billions in oil, gas, coal tax breaks
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Feb 2, 2015
“Obama targets a deduction afforded companies for domestic manufacturing, expensed intangible drilling costs, and breaks for coal exploration and development costs, among other tax breaks in the budget.”
[SEPP Comment: When analyzed, these “tax breaks” are questionable. Often they could be classified as legitimate business expenses. Yet, the administration brags of the increase in oil and natural gas production, which it did not foster or promote.]
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Getting Rid of Renewable Energy Mandate Would Benefit Consumers
By Staff Writers, NCPA, Feb 2, 2015
Link to study: Why Ending the Renewable Energy Mandate Is Good for Ohio Families and the Economy
By Joe Nichols, The Buckeye Institute, Jan 29, 2015
http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/uploads/files/Pew%20Renewables%20Final(1).pdf
Pace of German solar panel additions slows in 2014
By Vera Eckert, Reuters, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t GGWPF]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/03/us-germany-renewables-idUSKBN0L719U20150203
[SEPP Comment: A statistical correlation between the amount of subsidies and solar panel additions may be interesting.]
The $100,000 Pickup Truck
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Feb 6, 2015
https://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/the-100000-pickup-truck/
EPA and other Regulators on the March
How to Comment on EPA’s Proposal to Revise the Ozone Standards in Writing
Document: How to comment
http://www.epa.gov/glo/pdfs/20141125fs-comment.pdf
EPA Email Shows Desperate Climate Change Agenda
By Larry Bell, Newsmax, Feb 2, 2015
http://www.newsmax.com/LarryBell/climate-warming-epa-fuel/2015/02/02/id/622081/
Ozone Layer Protection
Recent International Developments Under the Montreal Protocol
By Staff Writers, EPA, Accessed, Feb 6, 2015
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/intpol/mpagreement.html
Summary: North American 2014 HFC Submission to the Montreal Protocol
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/downloads/HFC_Amendment_2014_Summary.pdf
Benefits of Addressing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol
Stratospheric Protection Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA, Jul 2014
HFCs: A Critical Link in Protecting Climate and the Ozone Layer
By Staff Writers, UNEP, Nov 2011
http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/HFC_report.pdf
Lawmakers clash over ‘mythical’ EPA water rule
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Feb 4, 2015
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231722-lawmakers-fight-over-mythical-epa-water-rule
“We don’t want to regulate a puddle, that’s ridiculous,” she [Sen Boxer] said. “We want to regulate a body of water that has pollutants in it, and those pollutants wind up in the drinking water system.”
[SEPP Comment: In the past, Federal officials have declared wet leaves as “waters of the United States.”]
Playing Politics with the Weather
The EPA’s head forsakes science in predicting that Aspen will one day resemble Amarillo, Texas.
By Rupert Darwall, National Review Online, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t Climate Etc.]
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/397766/playing-politics-weather-rupert-darwall
Energy Issues – Non-US
Future Trends in Carbon-Free Energy Consumption in the US, Europe and China
By Roger Pielke Jr. The Climate Fix, Feb 2, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Would the trends continue if it were not for subsidies and mandates.]
Why Russia’s Grip on Europe’s Gas Markets Is Weakening
By Stephen Fiedler, WSJ, Via GWPF, Jan 30, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/why-russias-grip-on-europes-gas-markets-is-weakening/
Paul Younger: Why Strangle The Golden Shale Goose?
By Paul Younger, The Times, Via GWPF, Feb 5, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/paul-younger-why-strangle-the-golden-shale-goose/
“What I learned on that committee convinced me that the fracking furore is a typhoon in a tea cup. The number of genuine environmental problems attributable to shale gas operations is tiny, and highly localised in any objectively demonstrable effects. The impacts are trivial compared to those I spent my career combating.”
Germany’s “Energiewende” Leading To Suicide By Cannibalism. Huge Oversupply Risks Destabilization
The coming age of power cannibalism…Germany on the verge of committing energy suicide
By Fred F. Mueller, No Tricks Zone, Feb 4, 2015
New Cold War: US, Russia fight over Europe’s energy future
By Bradley Klapper and Matthew Lee, AP, Feb 3, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.stripes.com/news/europe/new-cold-war-us-russia-fight-over-europe-s-energy-future-1.327523
Obama Rejects Arctic Oil and Gas Drilling. Is Putin Preparing to Come and Take It?
By Ron Arnold, The Daily Signal, Feb 4, 2015
http://dailysignal.com/2015/02/04/obama-rejects-arctic-oil-gas-drilling-putin-preparing-come-take/
The outspoken Rep. Young of Alaska said, “It’s becoming undeniably clear that this administration does not view Alaska as a sovereign state, but rather an eco-theme park for the most extreme environmentalist allies of the president and his party.”
Russia’s War on Fracking
Threatened by low oil prices, Putin is covertly supporting anti-frackers and spreading propaganda.
By Tom Rogan, National Review Online, Feb 3, 2105
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/397755/russias-war-fracking-tom-rogan
The sheep in Wales
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Feb 5, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/2/5/the-sheep-in-wales.html
“A proposal against shale gas fracking was voted through in the Welsh Assembly late on Wednesday, effectively making it impossible for shale gas developments to receive planning permits in Wales. As ever with the public sector, you see that decisions are made for the benefit of the staff rather than those they allegedly work for. There are 100,000 unemployed people in Wales.”
Energy Issues — US
Electricity Consumption Drops during the Super Bowl
By Staff Writers, NCPA, Feb 3, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Save electricity, watch football.]
US crude oil stocks return to 1930s crisis levels
By Staff Writers, Reuters, Feb 1, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/01-Feb-2015/us-crude-oil-stocks-return-to-1930s-crisis-levels
[SEPP Comment: The inventory used is not particularly meaningful when compared with consumption.]
Washington’s Control of Energy
Federal fracking rules due out soon
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Feb 2, 2015
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231498-federal-fracking-rules-due-out-soon
[SEPP Comment: No doubt to be issued and approved when the Administration is due to depart. On land, hydraulic fracturing has nothing to do with the BP blow-out.]
EPA hands ammunition to Keystone XL foes
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Feb 3, 2015
[SEPP Comment: No doubt the first of many government efforts to stop infrastructure projects the Administration opposes under the guise of climate change and the Administrations executive order that climate change must be considered in Federal funding.]
Obama To States: Shut Down Coal Plants Or Else
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Feb 3, 2015
http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/03/obama-coal-highway/
3 Reasons to Dismiss EPA’s Latest Excuse on Keystone XL
By Nicolas Loris, Daily Signal, Feb 4, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://dailysignal.com/2015/02/04/3-reasons-dismiss-epas-latest-excuse-keystone-xl/
Boehner to Kerry: Stop the Keystone secrecy
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Feb 5, 2015
Obama’s Offshore Drilling Deal
By Jeffrey Folks, American Thinker, Feb 2, 2015
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/02/obama_offshore_drilling_deal.html
Former Md. governor slams White House on new drilling rules
By David McCabe, The Hill, Feb 2, 2015
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/231412-omalley-slams-white-house-on-new-drilling-rules
[SEPP Comment: The administration is not green enough – ban all off-shore drilling! It may interfere with off-shore wind, which the governor promoted.]
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Peak oil postponed
By Martin Livermore, Scientific Alliance, Feb 5, 2015
http://scientific-alliance.org/node/905
Its’ All Over: Chevron Abandons Shale Ventures In Europe
By Stanley Reed, International New York Times, Via GWPF, Jan 31, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/its-all-over-chevron-abandons-shale-ventures-in-europe/
Return of King Coal?
The Future of the American Coal Industry
By Jacopo Zenti, NCPA, Jan 30, 2015
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Small Modular Reactors
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Feb 3, 2015
https://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/small-modular-reactors/
Can nuclear succeed in liberalized power markets?
By Edward Kee, WNN, Feb 4, 2015
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/V-Can-nuclear-succeed-in-liberalized-power-markets-0420152.html
New IAEA Project Focusses on Decommissioning and Remediation of Damaged Nuclear Facilities
By Patrick O’Sullivan, IAEA, Feb 4, 2015
NRC Completes Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report
By Aaron Larson, Power Mag, Jan 29, 2015
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Inherit the Wind (and not much else)
By David Archibald, Quadrant, Feb 5, 2015
http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2015/02/inherit-wind-much-else/
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Other
Renewable energy policies drive production of southern wood pellets for bioenergy
By Staff Writers, Asheville NC (SPX), Feb 03, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Off to Europe!]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Gasoline vs. Electric Cars: Energy Usage and Cost
By Stanislav Jakuba, Master Resource, Feb 4, 2015
https://www.masterresource.org/electric-vehicles/energy-usage-cost-gasoline-vs-electric/
Carbon Schemes
DOE Pulls the Plug on FutureGen
By Thomas Overton, Power Mag, Feb 4, 2015
http://www.powermag.com/doe-pulls-the-plug-on-futuregen/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3023368&hq_l=5&hq_v=5e660500d0
“In addition, there may be repercussions from the decision given that the EPA had highlighted FutureGen as one justification for its New Source Performance Standards rule. That inconsistency was blasted by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity in statement, calling the move ‘hypocrisy’ and the administration’s treatment of clean coal technology as ‘misleading double-talk.’”
Obama pulls funding for top clean-coal project
By Ben Wolfgang, Washington Times, Feb 4, 2015
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/4/obama-pulls-funding-top-clean-coal-project/
DOE lends Shell a hand on carbon capture in Canada
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Feb 4, 2015
[SEPP Comment: US DOE – help Shell in Canada, pull the plug in the US – to protect US taxpayer interests?]
Health, Energy, and Climate
Asthma Justification for EPA Regulations Gutted by the Latest Science
By Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger and Patrick J. Michaels, CATO, Feb 5, 2015
http://www.cato.org/blog/asthma-justification-epa-regulations-gutted-latest-science#csJOPB:N9a
Link to paper: Neighborhood poverty, urban residence, race/ethnicity, and asthma: Rethinking the inner-city asthma epidemic
By Keet, et al, Journal of Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Jan 20, 2015
http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(14)01676-5/abstract
Does Air Pollution Actually Cause Childhood Asthma?
By Staff Writers, Center for Accountability in Science, Feb 3, 2015
https://www.accountablescience.com/does-air-pollution-actually-cause-childhood-asthma/
Part of the problem is that the EPA claims it is not allowed to consider economic costs when making “clean air” rules. Rather, its sole charge under the Clean Air Act is to protect public health within an “adequate margin of safety.” But as the World Health Organization emphasizes, poverty is one of the greatest risk factors for disease.
Upending EPA’s science on pollution and asthma
By Joseph Perrone, Ph.D., The Hill, Jan 31, 2015
Environmental Industry
How green and peaceful really is Greenpeace?
By Andrew Montford, The Spectator, Feb 5, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/andrewmontford/2015/02/how-green-and-how-peaceful-really-is-greenpeace/
Activists Show Up in Droves for EPA Ozone Hearing
By Aaron Larson, Power Mag, Feb 2, 2015
Other Scientific News
NASA Launches Groundbreaking Soil Moisture Mapping Satellite
By Staff Writers, Vandenberg AFB CA (SPX), Jan 31, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Why expect NASA, and Washington, to pay closer attention to the records from these satellites when it ignores the 34 year temperature record from other satellites?]
Satellites can improve regional air quality forecasting
By Staff Writers, Iowa City IA (SPX), Feb 01, 2015
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Satellites_can_improve_regional_air_quality_forecasting_999.html
[SEPP Comment: NOAA and NASA-GISS have ignored satellite temperature records. Will these agencies ignore records from these satellites, if the results are not approved by their administrators?]
Other News that May Be of Interest
Invasive species in the Great Lakes by 2063
By Staff Writers, Montreal, Canada (SPX), Feb 01, 2015
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Invasive_species_in_the_Great_Lakes_by_2063_999.html
Pope Francis Apparently Doesn’t Know IPCC Climate Objective Contradicts Catholic Doctrine. By Tim Ball, A Different Perspective, Feb 1, 2015
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BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Nutty claim: Our ability to think inhibits our climate response
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Feb 3, 2015
Link to Editorial, Human Nature May Seal the Planet’s Warming Fate (Op-Ed), by Raghu Murtugudden, Live Science, Feb 2, 2015
http://news.yahoo.com/human-nature-may-seal-planets-warming-fate-op-183943535.html
Floating wind turbines bring electricity where it’s needed
By Cicile Gonzalez, NSF, Feb 3, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=134023&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click
[SEPP Comment: $895,679 in US grants so far. As Number Watch stated in the past: How do you tie it down to keep it stable in gusting winds? What is the weight of the lines keeping it stable?]
It’s a parody of science: The Conversation thinks creativity in science is about dance choreography
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Feb 5, 2015
Link to the article: Living data: how art helps us all understand climate change
By Lisa Roberts, The Conversation, Feb 4, 2015
https://theconversation.com/living-data-how-art-helps-us-all-understand-climate-change-36890
Feds To Regulate Fake Fireplaces To Stop Global Warming
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Jan 30, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/30/fireplace-regulation-global-warming/
[SEPP Comment: Banning bio-fuels to stop fossil fuel warming!]
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climate change (what used to be global warming before it stopped) is one of the greatest threats to US national security
I’m sure the POTUS will cut back on Air Force One usage
“US National Security – Threat of Climate Change: The White House has issued a report, “National Security Strategy”, stating that climate change (what used to be global warming before it stopped) is one of the greatest threats to US national security. The report contains choice terms such as “carbon pollution” which implies that the authors do not consider that their breathing is polluting, emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations 100 times that of the air they inhale.”
It is such a relief knowing that the authors of this B.S. do not consider me to be polluting the air with carbon every time I exhale. I don’t know how I could go on living with myself and sleep at night knowing that they believed that I did.
Among the things that we genuinely do need to worry about in the U.S. today is a demonstration from the POTUS and his administration that they are willing to continue with this corruption science and push this CAGW farce to its limits. Thankfully, as polls suggest, they are not succeeding in getting the majority of the American people to believe that there is a climate problem that requires attention.
I would be laughing my head off if the whole thing wasn’t so pathetic.
Long writeup. Good summary, thank you for your time and effort.
Here’s one more for the NSIDC of all places. A little honest summary of the Royal Society conference on Arctic sea ice – a very unusual honest admission of large gains in the Antarctic sea ice, and then then mandatory a one-sentence “But it is still CAGW” at the end when all the ice melts anyway
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2015/01/december-ends/
2014 in review
Compared to recent years, sea ice conditions observed throughout 2014 were largely unremarkable. Throughout the year, extent for the Arctic as a whole remained below average, but generally within two standard deviations of the average. The maximum extent observed on March 21 of 14.91 million square kilometers (5.76 million square miles) was the fifth lowest in the satellite record, with the minimum extent observed on September 17 of 5.02 million square kilometers (1.94 million square miles) being the sixth lowest on record. One event of note was in the Laptev Sea, where during August, open water was observed to extend to about 85 degrees latitude, less than 560 kilometers (350 miles) from the North Pole.
Summer weather conditions, which are known to strongly influence September minimum ice extent, were also largely unremarkable in 2014. Compared to the long term (1981 to 2010) climatology, sea level pressure over the period June through August 2014 was higher than average over much of the central Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic sector of the Arctic, and Greenland. While air temperatures at the 925 hPa level (approximately 3,000 feet altitude) were slightly above average over part of the central Arctic Ocean, they were below average over the Kara Sea and just north of Alaska.
By sharp contrast, sea ice in Antarctica was at satellite-era record high daily levels for much of 2014. On September 22, 2014, Antarctic ice extent reached 20.11 million square kilometers (7.76 million square miles). This was the first year in the modern satellite record that Antarctic ice extent climbed above 20 million square kilometers (7.72 million square miles).
As the year drew to a close, sea ice extent again reached record high levels for the date by declining far more slowly than usual. Extent anomalies are particularly large in the Ross Sea and Amundsen Sea regions, and in the northern Weddell Sea—areas that have been anomalously high for most of the calendar year. However, sea ice concentration in both these regions is now quite low, that is, the sea ice pack is loose and open. This is characteristic of dispersal of the ice by storms, and indeed strong low pressure anomalies were present in the eastern Ross Sea and northern Weddell Sea in the second half of December. The extent of this loose sea ice pack far to the north makes it likely that a rapid decline will occur as warmer summer weather arrives.
Losing the memory of low extent
Figure 4. This graph shows future projections of September sea ice extent under various future greenhouse gas emission levels.
Limiting the warming in 2100 to about 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit) under the RCP2.6 emission scenario would help to stabilize ice conditions at levels seen today. The RCP8.5 emission scenario (warming by about 4 degrees Celsius 0r 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century) would result in a seasonally ice-free Arctic by the end of this century.||Credit: Julienne Stroeve| High-resolution image
Figure 4. This graph shows future projections of September sea ice extent under various future greenhouse gas emission levels. Limiting the warming in 2100 to about 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit) under the RCP2.6 emission scenario would help to stabilize ice conditions at levels seen today. The RCP8.5 emission scenario (warming by about 4 degrees Celsius 0r 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century) would result in a seasonally ice-free Arctic by the end of this century.
In September of 2014, the Royal Society of London held a workshop focused on the reduction in Arctic sea ice extent.
One outcome of this meeting was a greater understanding of the overall trajectory of September ice extent. In a nutshell, it appears that very large departures from the overall downward trend in September extent are unlikely to persist into the following September. If a given September has very low ice extent, strong winter heat loss results in strong ice growth, so that the “memory” of the low ice September ice extent is lost. If a given September has a high ice extent, winter heat loss is more limited, meaning less ice growth. Consequently, while there can be large departures from year to year from the downward linear trend in ice extent (e.g., September 2012 compared to 2014), the natural tendency is for the large departure to dampen out, so that, overall, ice extent stays on the long-term downward trajectory that will eventually lead to seasonally ice free conditions as the Arctic continues to warm in response to rising atmospheric concentrations of Greenhouse gases.
(What used to be called global warming before it stopped ) perfect. admitting it stopped and calling it our greatest national security threat. We have the most Orwellian administration in the history of this country.
What a bunch of clowns. Unfortunately clowns with power.
Except they didn’t admit that it stopped. That was Ken’s sarcastic aside. Reminds me of something I said recently, commenting on a news story about the snowstorm hitting the northeast US: “We haven’t had “global warming” in over 18 years, but this “climate change” sure is killing us! “
British Columbia, Canada.
The snow storm is part of the same weather system, known as a Pineapple Express, that is bringing heavy moisture to much of the province’s coast.
Kitimat has received 120 cm of snow since Thursday morning and another 10 to 20 cm is expected on Friday night. That mean it’s on track to beat the past 24-hour snowfall record of 112 cm, which was set on Feb. 5, 1961.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/terrace-kitimat-experience-record-breaking-snowfall-1.2948934
nearly 15,000 comments in one day!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/globalwarming/11395516/The-fiddling-with-temperature-data-is-the-biggest-science-scandal-ever.html
Health: The EPA is heavily publicizing its anti-coal campaign on the grounds of public health, particularly fear of asthma. According to reports, early in this administration, officials at EPA decided that fear of respiratory diseases will be an excellent way to convince many in the public that action was needed to reduce coal-fired power plants. Asthma was a great fit. It was a disease often contracted in childhood and the incidence of the disease was increasing. The cause was unknown.
My wife works in an Asthma / Allergy Clinic. This is the doctor’s mother, who ran studies in the late 1950’s /1960’s on 13,000 families. It is heavily genetic with a dose of shared environment. Was interesting to talk with her and the problems getting ‘establishment’ types to recognize the findings.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19661002&id=jsctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=epoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5456,1361452
“ refugee flows ”
Blaming climate change for the problem of illegal immigration? I wonder if there were any illegal immigrants before climate change?
Arthur Berman: Why Today’s Shale Era Is The Retirement Party For Oil Production | Peak Prosperity
http://www.peakprosperity.com/
Did a Tactical Nuke Just Go Off in Ukraine? Big Explosion Rocks Donetsk
http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/02/09/things-blow-out-of-proportions-in-donetsk/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1243441-did-a-tactical-nuke-just-go-off-in-ukraine-big-explosion-rocks-donetsk/
Does the big donations meter ring loudly when fake reports of national security are issued by the WH and its political appointees in the agencies?
Washington has transformed into a revolving door with a newly added environmental sue & settle slush fund. No doubt that the Democrats are a bit confused on how to lure lost Wall Street money back into their coffers again. Notice it didn’t work so well for Mitt Romney, flip flopping back on global warming, something I had always predicted. Lots of big money friends are warmists, but now they’re mostly on the side of the Republicans. Maybe they’re just plain scared and getting the Petrodollar War Machine back going is their top shelf priority right now, instead of climate change. I don’t know, but I am concerned, just my opinion and I hope it won’t get that bad.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-07/death-petrodollar-was-finally-noticed
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-09/how-wall-street-broad-daylight-took-over-us-government
The Dollar Will Die with a Whimper, Not a Bang
http://dailyreckoning.com/dollar-will-die-whimper-bang/#
“The section “Confront Climate Change” states: “Climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources like food and water. The present day effects of climate change are being felt from the Arctic to the Midwest. Increased sea levels and storm surges threaten coastal regions, infrastructure, and property. In turn, the global economy suffers, compounding the growing costs of preparing and restoring infrastructure.””
Translation: Text book example of priming the victim. Statements like this prepares the victim to not only accept, but to blame himself, for what is really the result of top-down destruction of modern agriculture, energy, immigration law, and drainage engineering/dredging in vulnerable areas.
Hopefully, as the models become more sophisticated, they will coalesce around one answer, Brown said.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2015/01/27/climate.models.disagree.why.temperature.wiggles.occur
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And the Maunder Minimum? —> translation Its the sun stupid.