The Week That Was: 2016-04-16 (April 16, 2016) 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)
Freedom from Fear? The Progressive politically movement began with the hope that government powers can be directed to do social good. In the 1880s it targeted political machines and their bosses, which were common in many cities in the East. Early national icons included presidents from both major political parties such as “trust-busting” Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. (In recent years, Wilson has been under severe criticism for his views and actions on racial segregation.). Among the national political actions attributed to the progressives are the national income tax, direct election of Senators, and the prohibition of alcoholic beverages and distilled spirits. Many progressives also embraced eugenics to scientifically select a better human race.
The only president elected to a third term (and 4th), Franklin Roosevelt, instituted major economic changes, called the New Deal, which is considered by many historians to be an extension of the progressive era. After World War II revealed the horrors of eugenics practiced by the Nazis and others, the progressive movement waned. In recent years it has become strong again with many liberal Democrats identifying themselves to be progressive – particularly members of Obama Administration.
In his third inaugural address, on January 6, 1941, (eleven months before the US entered World War II), President Roosevelt articulated four freedoms to advance his political goals in economics and in support of the allies in WW II). The four freedoms are: 1) Freedom of speech; 2) Freedom of worship, 3) Freedom from want, 4) Freedom from fear. To Americans, the first two are enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution, the third can be considered a matter of economic security, and the fourth a matter of national security and as well as protection against arbitrary, authoritarian government.
It is disturbing that this president administration, which considers itself progressive-liberal, continues to promote fear – the fear of climate change – to expand its powers. The latest effort declares that climate change threatens health of citizens of the country, and is happening now!
“Developed over three years by approximately one hundred experts in climate-change science and public health – including representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) – the “Climate and Health Assessment” reinforces that climate change is a significant threat to the health of the American people not just in the future but right now.”
The White House and these government agencies are promoting fear of climate change, as if climate change never happened before, although it has been happening for hundreds of millions of years. Further, such proclamations give the impression that if the president is given sufficient powers, he can stop climate change! In spite of spending over $40 Billion on Climate Science since 1993, the Administration and the US Global Change Research Program does not comprehend the influences creating natural climate variability. The supposed solution, using solar and wind to generate electricity, would be a greater real threat to the health of Americans than the imagined threat created by using general climate models that the Administration has not bothered to validate. In particular, the models greatly overestimate the warming of the atmosphere that carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases. See Articles #1, # 2, #3, and links under Defending the Orthodoxy.
###################################################
Quote of the Week: “It is essential for men of science to take an interest in the administration of their own affairs or else the professional civil servant will step in — and then the Lord help you” – Lord Rutherford, Nobel Laureate for Chemistry (1908) [H/t Rob Lemiere]
###################################################
Number of the Week: Less than 13%
###################################################
Freedom to Investigate/Prosecute? Adding to the irony of a progressive-liberal administration promoting fear, is the willingness of state attorney generals and US Attorneys to investigate independent organizations who have questioned the Administration’s lack of science in substantiating its claims about health threats to Americans from human-caused climate change under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act of 1970. Among these organizations was the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which received a subpoena from Claude Walker. a recently appointed Attorney General of the Virgin Islands, a territory of the US. According to reports of his appointment, Walker was an attorney at the EPA for eight years. Claude Walker’s subpoena “commanded” CEI to turn over documents and communications with ExxonMobil, Esso and their foundations concerning climate change, including strategies to address climate change or impact public views on climate change.
CEI was one of the first organizations filing an objection to the EPA’s highly questionable finding that carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases, endanger public health and welfare. An objection in which SEPP joined CEI. Whether one calls this an investigation or a potential investigation is a meaningless distinction. It is clearly a suppression of freedom of speech and of independent inquiry. Writing in Library of Law and Liberty, CEI Attorney Hans Bader discusses his views on such government actions. See links under Suppressing Scientific Inquiry – The Witch Hunt and Suppressing Scientific Inquiry – The Witch Hunt – Push-Back.
******************
Violation of Civil Rights? In USA Today, University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds writes “Federal law makes it a felony ‘for two or more persons to agree together to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the Unites States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same).’”
Referring to an earlier, January 27, 2016, piece by Bader, Reynolds writes: “But here’s what happened next: After Bader’s critique, Walker, the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general, subpoenaed the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s donor lists. The purpose of this subpoena is, it seems quite clear, to punish CEI by making people less willing to donate.
“This all takes place in the context of an unprecedented meeting by 20 state attorneys general aimed, environmental news site EcoWatch reports, at targeting entities that have ‘stymied attempts to combat global warming.’ You don’t have to be paranoid to see a conspiracy here.”
The Department of Justice web site “Conspiracy Against Rights states:
“Summary:
“Section 241 of Title 18 is the civil rights conspiracy statute. Section 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree together to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the Unites States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same). Unlike most conspiracy statutes, Section 241 does not require that one of the conspirators commit an overt act prior to the conspiracy becoming a crime.
“The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.
TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 241
“If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same;…
“They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.”
Here we see that a felony is committed in the conspiracy, and it does not require actual oppression of rights.
Further adding to the irony, other attorneys say that it would require an act of an US attorney to bring these felony charges of conspiracy “to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate” individual rights. Given the attitude of this Administration that it does no wrong, it is doubtful that a US attorney will file such charges, at this time. Then, the speculation becomes what would happen if a Republican administration came into power? It is very possible that such an administration would be very sensitive to charges of political favoritism and political prosecution and not bring the felony charges. If so, then the current administration has limited the 1985 Civil Rights Act to apply only to a politically favored few. See links under Suppressing Scientific Inquiry – The Witch Hunt – Push-Back and https://www.justice.gov/crt/conspiracy-against-rights
******************
Encouraging News: In spite of the Witch Hunt, writing in Climate Etc., Judith Curry reports that the American Geophysical Union (AGU) decided to continue sponsorship from ExxonMobil. It is becoming evident that government funding assures no greater rigor in the scientific work than corporate funding. One must examine the work, not the funding source. See links under Seeking a Common Ground.
******************
Realistic Modeling Efforts: Economist Ross McKitrick, who along with Steve McIntyre, pointed out the modeling deficiencies behind Mr. Mann’s hockey-stick, has written a working paper, along with analysists at the Heritage Foundation, attempting to get at more realistic estimates of the economic costs of adding CO2 to the atmosphere than the $2.5 Billion per year US Global Change Research Program has managed. Their model uses empirically established estimates of the influence of a doubling of carbon dioxide on global temperatures. The model is not definitive, but it is a great step in the right direction. See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
******************
SEPP’S APRIL FOOLS AWARD
THE JACKSON
SEPP is conducting its annual vote for the recipient of the coveted trophy, The Jackson, a lump of coal. Readers are asked to nominate and vote for who they think is most deserving, following these criteria:
· The nominee has advanced, or proposes to advance, significant expansion of governmental power, regulation, or control over the public or significant sections of the general economy.
· The nominee does so by declaring such measures are necessary to protect public health, welfare, or the environment.
· The nominee declares that physical science supports such measures.
· The physical science supporting the measures is flimsy at best, and possibly non-existent.
The four past recipients, Lisa Jackson, Barrack Obama, John Kerry, and Ernest Moniz are not eligible. Generally, the committee that makes the selection prefers a candidate with a national or international presence. The voting will close on June 1. Please send your nominee and a brief reason why the person is qualified for the honor to Ken@SEPP.org. Thank you. The award will be presented at the annual meeting of the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness on July 9.
*****************
Number of the Week: Less than 13% — According to the US Energy Information Agency (EIA): “In 2015, about 24% of the petroleum consumed by the United States was imported from foreign countries, the lowest level since 1970.” Of that 24%, about 40% came from Canada and 8% from Mexico. Thus, less than 13% of total US consumption comes from areas outside of North America, that cannot be connected with pipelines. Yet, many in Washington claim subsidies and mandates are needed “for energy security to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” Clearly, the national security argument is no longer valid and the US Navy’s biofuel-driven, “Green-Fleet” is obsolete.
###################################################
ARTICLES: The Articles section is now at the bottom of TWTW.
###################################################
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Suppressing Scientific Inquiry – The Witch Hunt
Claude Walker Is The New Acting Attorney General
By Ernice Gilbert, Visconsortium, Aug 6, 2015
http://viconsortium.com/politics/claude-walker-is-the-new-acting-attorney-general/
Suppressing Scientific Inquiry – The Witch Hunt – Push-Back
The New Eco Tyranny
By Hans Bader, Library of Law and Liberty, Apr 8, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.libertylawsite.org/2016/04/08/the-new-eco-tyranny/
Dear attorneys general, conspiring against free speech is a crime: Glenn Reynolds
By Glenn Harlan Reynolds, USA Today, Apr 11, 2016
Report reveals secret meeting by environmentalists to target Exxon, oil industry
Editorial, Fox, Apr 13, 2016
Suing into submission
By Charles Battig, C-Fact, Apr 5, 2016
http://www.cfact.org/2016/04/05/suing-into-submission/
Left Revives Spanish Inquisition in Effort to Silence Climate Change Adversaries
By Hans von Spakovsky, CNS News, Apr 4, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Enemies of Freedom in our Midst?
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Apr 12, 2016
https://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/enemies-of-freedom-in-our-midst/
From the Subpoena:“YOU ARE COMMANDED to produce and permit inspection copying of the following documents or objects at the place, date, and time specified below followed by 14 pages (Capital letters in the original).
Gore’s RICO-style Prosecution of Global Warming Skeptics
By Russell Cook, American Thinker, Apr 15, 2016
Prosecuting climate chaos skeptics with RICO
Al Gore, Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat AGs threaten to silence and bankrupt skeptics
Guest opinion by Paul Driessen, WUWT, Apr 4, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/04/prosecuting-climate-chaos-skeptics-with-rico/
Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming
The NIPCC Report on the Scientific Consensus
By Craig D. Idso, Robert M. Carter, and S. Fred Singer, NIPCC, Nov 23, 2015
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/
Download with no charge
https://www.heartland.org/policy-documents/why-scientists-disagree-about-global-warming
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science
Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, 2013
https://www.heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-II/CCR-II-Full.pdf
Summary: http://www.nipccreport.org/reports/ccr2a/pdf/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts
Idso, Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, 2014
http://www.nipccreport.org/reports/ccr2b/pdf/Full-Report.pdf
Summary: https://www.heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-IIb/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Challenging the Orthodoxy
The Real Worrisome Trend
By Joseph D’Aleo, ICECAP, Apr 14, 2016
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/the_real_worrisome_trend/
Empirically-Constrained Climate Sensitivity and the Social Cost of Carbon
By Kevin Dayaratna, Ross McKitrick, David Kreutzer, Working Paper, Social Science Research Network, Apr 5, 2016 [Working paper]
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2759505
Computer Models are Powerful — But Often Misused — Tools
By Al Nin, Next Level, Apr 4, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
Dr Fred Goldberg Squashes Climate Alarmism
Video, Mar 17, 2016 [H/t Harley Moody]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEcnJFTxQcU&app=desktop
Deep-sixing another useless climate myth
By Dr. David R. Legates, WUWT, Apr 10, 2016
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/10/deep-sixing-another-useless-climate-myth/
[SEPP Comment: Addressing the absurd claim that 97% of scientists agree…]
Fighting Junk Science
By Norman Rogers, American Thinker, Apr 8, 2016
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/04/fighting_junk_science.html
Government-Tampered Temperature Data Goes To The DC Circuit
By Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian, Mar 31, 2016
Defending the Orthodoxy
White House: Climate will Wreck Your Health
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 5, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/05/white-house-climate-will-wreck-your-health/
White House ‘Fact Sheet’ Says Climate Change Could Kill 27,000 Americans In Summer of 2100
By Penny Starr, CNS News, Apr 11, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Link to “FACT SHEET: What Climate Change Means for Your Health and Family
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Apr 4, 2061
“Designating May 23-27, 2016, as Extreme Heat Week, during which Federal agencies will take a number of actions to work with community planners and public-health officials to enhance community preparedness for extreme heat events.”
White House: Climate will Wreck Your Health
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 5, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/05/white-house-climate-will-wreck-your-health/
WH Science Advisor: Farmers, Construction Workers Will Die From Climate Change
By Eric Scheiner, CNS News, Apr 4, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Climate Change Politics Threaten National Security
By Leigh Thompson, Real Clear Energy, Apr 12, 2016
“The EPA’s Clean Power Plan makes carbon reduction, not reliability, price, or safety the priority of the electric grid. But, forced closure of coal-fired power plants, making up nearly 40 percent of the nation’s electric generation, will undermine the stability of the entire electric grid and present a significant threat to our national security.”
Climate change: Assessing the risks
Likelihood of dangerous human-caused climate change minuscule
By Tom Harris, Harlan Daily Enterprise, Mar 31, 2016
http://harlandaily.com/opinion/columns/8477/climate-change-assessing-the-risks
Polar bear biologists imply “summer sea ice” and “sea ice” are synonymous
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Apr 13, 2016
RCP 8.5, Part Deux: “The stuff nightmares are made from.”
Guest post by David Middleton, WUWT, Apr 6, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/06/rcp-8-5-part-deux-the-stuff-nightmares-are-made-from/
After Paris!
Twilight of the Climate Change Movement
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Apr 10, 2016
https://judithcurry.com/2016/04/10/twilight-of-the-climate-change-movement/#more-21356
What fossil fuel conspiracy? Big oil hates big coal, likes big carbon
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Apr 14, 2016
“David S says I thought Big Oil was the funding source for sceptics. The reality is that big oil is the funding source for big Oil.”
The Administration’s Plan
Sorry, Republicans: Ending Obama’s Climate Rules Is Harder Than It Looks
By Cass Sunstein, Bloomberg, Apr 5, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
The Administration’s Plan – Independent Analysis
Consequences of Paris Protocol: Devastating Economic Costs, Essentially Zero Environmental Benefits
By Kevin D. Dayaratna, Ph.D., Nicolas Loris and David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., Heritage, Apr 13, 2016
[SEPP Comment: Even assuming the government’s models are realistic, the Administration’s energy plan is economically destructive.]
The Administration’s Plan – Push-Back
EPA’s Deceptive Defense of Carbon Rule
By Hubbel Relat, American Energy Alliance, Mar 31, 2016
http://americanenergyalliance.org/2016/03/31/epa-takes-gullible-to-a-new-level/
“The closest EPA comes to mentioning any actual benefits from the rule is with broad and vague references to fighting climate change.”
“When asked about the lack of climate benefits from the regulation, she [EPA Administrator McCarthy] admitted that the point of the regulation was ‘having had enormous benefit in showing sort of domestic leadership as well as garnering support around the country for the agreement we reached in Paris.’”
Government CO2 Emissions Regulations: There Is a Much Better Approach in the US
By Alan Carlin, Carlin Economics and Science, Apr 15, 2016
http://www.carlineconomics.com/archives/2630
Social Benefits of Carbon
Forest growth accelerating in B.C. due to carbon dioxide ‘fertilizer effect’
By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun (Can), Apr 11, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
Link to paper: Potential near-future carbon uptake overcomes losses from a large insect outbreak in British Columbia, Canada
By Arora, et al. Geophysical Research Letters, Mar 16, 2016
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015GL067532/full
From the press release: “Like other modelling studies, the results are subject to caveats associated with model and data limitations.” http://pics.uvic.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/sliders/Forestry%20MPB%20April%202017%20FINAL.pdf
[SEPP Comment: Far too few alarmist announcements have such caveats in the press release.]
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Are You New To the Global Warming Debate? James Hansen Admits a Couple of Things about Global Temperatures and Sea Levels You Should Know
Guest Post by Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Apr 13, 2016
Climate Change Hits the Snooze Button
By Steven Hayward, Power Line, Apr 11, 2016
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/04/climate-change-hits-the-snooze-button.php
Seeking a Common Ground
Kudos to the AGU
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Apr 14, 2016
https://judithcurry.com/2016/04/14/kudos-to-the-agu/#more-21420
Letting a thousand flowers bloom
By Martin Livermore, The Scientific Alliance, Apr 8, 2016
http://scientific-alliance.org/node/987
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by CO2 Science
Dying from Heat and Cold in Madrid: Which Extreme Dominates?
Diaz, J., Carmona, R., Miron, I.J., Ortiz, C. and Linares, C. 2015. Comparison of the effects of extreme temperatures on daily mortality in Madrid (Spain), by age group: The need for a cold wave prevention plan. Environmental Research 143: 186-191. Apr 14, 2016
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V19/apr/a10.php
Two Centuries of Moisture Trends on the Eastern Mongolian Plateau
Liu, N., Liu, Y., Bao, G., Bao, M., Wang, Y., Ge, Y., Zhang, L., Bao, W. and Tian, H. 2015. A tree-ring based reconstruction of summer relative humidity variability in eastern Mongolian Plateau and its associations with the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 438: 113-123. Apr 12, 2016
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V19/apr/a8.php
A 2,000 Year Record of Hydrologic Variability for Northern Italy
Taricco, C., Alessio, S., Rubinetti, S., Zanchettin, D., Cosoli, S., Gacić, M., Mancuso, S. and Rubino, A. 2015. Marine sediments remotely unveil long-term climatic variability over Northern Italy. Scientific Reports 5: 12111, doi:10.1038/srep12111. Apr 11, 2016
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V19/apr/a7.php
Coral Calcification in the Face of Large Temperature Variations
Dandan, S.S., Falter, J.L., Lowe, R.J. and McCulloch, M.T. 2015. Resilience of coral calcification to extreme temperature variations in the Kimberley region, northwest Australia. Coral Reefs 34: 1151-1163. Apr 7, 2016
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V19/apr/a5.php
Models v. Observations
Controversy over comparing models with observations
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Apr 5, 2016
https://judithcurry.com/2016/04/05/comparing-models-with-observations/#more-21374
Why Gavin Schmidt’s Temperature Plot Baseline Issue is Irrelevant
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Apr 7, 2016
The Illusions Provided by Time-Series Graphs of Climate Model Ensembles and Model Spreads
Guest Post by Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Apr 6, 2016
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Model Issues
The Model Atmosphere and Global Warming
By Anthony J. Sadar, American Thinker, Apr 12, 2016
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/04/the_model_atmosphere_and_global_warming.html
“Even really smart science sages cannot know the long-term state of the global climate, other than within a wide range of temperature and precipitation levels (a range too wide to be of much practical value). This lack of knowledge has been confirmed over the past 18 years as the modeled global average temperature trend has dramatically not matched reality.”
“So, when it comes to modeling Earth’s distant future climate, perhaps the eminent atmospheric scientist, Reid Bryson, said it best: Making a forecast is easy. Being right is the hard part.”
Climate forecasts may be flawed, says study
By Mariëtte Le Roux, AFP, Apr 6, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-forecasts-may-flawed-says-study-184006557.html?nhp=1
[SEPP Comment: May be?]
Measurement Issues — Surface
Do the Adjustments to Sea Surface Temperature Data Lower the Global Warming Rate?
Guest Post by Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Apr 9, 2016
Hadley Climate data has been “corrected” thanks to alert climate skeptic
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 11, 2016
We’ve been getting these key details about Greenland’s melting all wrong
By Chelsea Harvey, Washington Post, Apr 1, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer]]
Link to NASA Missions: Oceans Melting Greenland
By Staff Writers, April 2015
http://science.nasa.gov/missions/omg/
Measurement Issues — Atmosphere
No Statistically Significant Satellite Warming For 23 Years (Now Includes February Data)
Guest Post by Werner Brozek, Comment Included From David Hoffer, Edited by Just The Facts:, WUWT, Apr 7, 2016
Changing Weather
Notions of a delayed La Niña might have been hasty: Braun
By Karen Braun, Reuters, Apr 6, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-weather-lanina-braun-idUSKCN0X215F
Not only is the atmosphere supporting a faster switch to La Niña, but now so is a major climate model. It was announced last week that the Climate Forecast System Version 2 model, commonly known as CFSv2 and run by a division of the U.S. government, had accumulated an error that was massively skewing the results.
[SEPP Comment: The CFS version 2 was developed at the Environmental Modeling Center at National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NOAA).]
How do meteorologists see fog and low clouds at night?
By Cliff Mass, Weather Blog, Apr 10, 2016
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-do-meteorologists-see-fog-and-low.html
Possible Explanation For Warm Ocean Water Off the Oregon Coast Known as “The Blob.”
Guest opinion: Dr. Tim Ball, WUWT, Apr 8, 2016
[SEPP Comment: Geothermal influences are largely unknown.]
Changing Climate
Large variations in precipitation over the past millennium
By Staff Writers, Stockholm, Sweden (SPX), Apr 07, 2016
Link to paper: Northern Hemisphere hydroclimate variability over the past twelve centuries
By Ljungqvist, et al. Nature, Apr 6, 2016
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v532/n7597/full/nature17418.html
Changing Seas
Coral Bleaching Is Not a Tell-Tale Sign of Imminent Extinction
By Craig Idso, Cato, Apr 13, 2016
http://www.cato.org/blog/coral-bleaching-not-tell-tale-sign-imminent-extinction
Broken Altimetry? 225 Tide Gauges Show Sea Level Rising Only 1.48 mm Per Year …Less Than Half The Satellite-Claimed Rate!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Apr 11, 2016
Burning Fossil Fuels Is Responsible For Most Sea-Level Rise Since 1970
By Aimée Slangen and John Church, IFL Science, Apr 13, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/burning-fossil-fuels-responsible-most-sea-level-rise-1970
Temperature-driven global sea-level variability in the Common Era
By Kopp, et al. PNAS, Mar 15, 2016
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/11/E1434.abstract
“Semiempirical 21st century projections largely reconcile differences between Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections and semiempirical models.”???
[SEPP Comment: What brought us out of the Little Ice Age, before “global warming.”]
As ocean acidification threatens the West Coast, a quest to stop it
A panel of scientists, convened in 2013 at the behest of government officials, has delivered their findings on the threat of ocean acidification to the North American West Coast. The danger is real, they say, but they see a path to progress
By Jason Thompson, Christian Science Monitor, Apr 4, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer
“Besides the fact that “ocean acidification” is a fraudulent attempt to scare people through misappropriation of a chemistry term, the ‘crisis’ on the west coast is the result of upwelling, and not anthropogenic CO2! It is instructive to review the pH monitoring of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California to see how quickly and to what extent the pH can change as upwelling from the Monterey Bay Canyon occurs – which happens frequently!” – Clyde Spencer
NASA’s tricky sea level newsletter
By Dave Burton, WUWT, Apr 7, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/07/nasas-tricky-sea-level-newsletter/
[SEPP Comment: Chartsmanship in action.]
Apocalypse of sea levels coming. Global Worriers on beach should sell up to deniers
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Apr 16, 2016
Rising seas alert! Watch how science becomes a sensational news story
By Larry Kummer, Fabius Maximus, Apr 4, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
http://fabiusmaximus.com/2016/04/04/antarctic-melting-rising-seas-95551/
The North Atlantic Keeps Getting Colder
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 12, 2016
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/the-north-atlantic-keeps-getting-colder/
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Problems with satellite sea ice monitoring confirmed by NSIDC – no timeline for fix
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 13, 2016
Global sea ice makes a strong comeback
By Paul Dorian, Vencore Weather, Apr 11, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.vencoreweather.com/blog/2016/4/11/215-pm-global-sea-ice-makes-a-strong-comeback
New cause of exceptional Greenland melt in July 2012 revealed
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 3, 2016
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/03/new-cause-of-exceptional-greenland-melt-in-july-2012-revealed/
Changing Earth
Uh, oh. New study shows Earth’s internal heat drives rapid ice flow and subglacial melting in Greenland
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 8, 2016
Link to paper: Melting at the base of the Greenland ice sheet explained by Iceland hotspot history
By Rogozhina, et al. Nature Geoscience, Apr 4, 2016
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2689.html
Japan hit by 7.3-magnitude earthquake
Reports of deaths and people trapped inside buildings after second quake in as many nights in Kumamoto region on island of Kyushu
By Staff Writers, AP, Apr 15, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/15/japan-hit-by-74-magnitude-earthquake-tsunami-advisory
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
‘Blind flying pig test’ from climate model says islands will lack precipitation while being submerged by sea-level rise
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 12, 2016
Communicating Better to the Public – Do a Poll?
John Cook is cooking up more 97% consensus, while two papers refute his statistical sleights of hand
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 12, 2016
“What’s important is that this is not just one study—it’s the consensus of multiple studies,” [Sarah] Green says. This consistency across studies contrasts with the language used by climate change doubters…”
[SEPP Comment: The one consistency SEPP has found in the three studies it has reviewed is that they are an affront to those who attempt to create objective surveys. The first one, published in Eos, sent the survey to over 10,300 individuals, yet based its 97% on 77 out of 79 respondents (less than 1% of those surveyed).]
Expanding the Orthodoxy
The power of prayer
By Martin Livermore, The Scientific Alliance, Apr 15, 2016
http://scientific-alliance.org/node/989
Questioning European Green
How Britain and Germany Have Led the Way to Energy Bankruptcy
By Alan Carlin, Carlin Economics and Science, Apr 8, 2016
http://www.carlineconomics.com/archives/2624
EU Climate Policy Threatens Future Of European Steel Industry
To reduce CO2 emissions, the EU plans to cut emissions rights for the steel industry. According to the industry, this policy threatens its very existence.
By Carsten Dierig, Die Welt, Via GWPF, Apr 6, 2016
http://www.thegwpf.com/eu-climate-policy-threatens-future-of-european-steel-industry/
“252,000 jobs are lost in the service sector alone, according to the study, around 71,000 in industry, 37,000 in the steel sector and 17,000 in the construction industry. And that are rather conservative assumptions, Limbers says. Because self-reinforcing effects, such as similar effects in other energy-intensive industries such as chemicals or cement or effects in other EU countries, were not included in the calculations.”
[SEPP Comment: The politicians may believe that aluminum, titanium, or carbon fiber are replacements not requiring energy.]
£2billion fiasco as huge recycling plant dumped: Hundreds of workers facing the sack as PFI facility is shut down leaving thousands of tons of waste destined for landfill
By Martin Delgado, Mail, UK, Apr 9, 2016
UK’s £3 billion green home scheme not value for money – watchdog
By Susanna Twidale, Reuters, Apr 14, 2014
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-energy-efficiency-idUKKCN0XA2SK
Questioning Green Elsewhere
Green energy dropping out of mix in developing world
By Claudeia Caruana, Sci Dev Net, Apr 8, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.scidev.net/global/energy/news/green-energy-developing-world-renewable-energy.html
Link to report: Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Future, International Renewable Energy Agency, March 2016
http://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/IRENA_REmap_2016_edition_report.pdf
Green Jobs
Terence Corcoran: Clean, green and catastrophic
By Terence Corcoran, Financial Post, Apr 1, 2016 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/terence-corcoran-clean-green-and-catastrophic
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau told the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “that green industries are the backbone of a strong economy.”
Non-Green Jobs
Britain’s High Energy Prices May Kill Port Talbot Rescue Plan
By Kiran Stacey and Michael Pooler, Financial Times, Via GWPF, Apr 11, 2016
http://www.thegwpf.com/britains-high-energy-prices-may-kill-port-talbot-rescue-plan/
UK’s Crippling Energy Bill For Industry
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 4, 2016
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/uks-crippling-energy-bill-for-industry/
Litigation Issues
Federal Court rules in Favour of Plaintiffs Demanding Climate Action
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 10, 2016
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Let the Subsidized Sunshine In
Rooftop Solar companies will play only if the game is stacked in their favor.
By Marita Noon, American Spectator, Apr 8, 2016 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://spectator.org/articles/65994/let-subsidized-sunshine
REVEALED: EU subsidises the CHINESE steel which is decimating British industry
BRITISH taxpayers have been forced to subsidise the very Chinese steel companies that are threatening 40,000 UK jobs, critics say.
By Marco Giannangeli, Express, Apr 10, 2016
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/659627/EU-loaning-millions-Chinese-steel-companies-40000-UK-jobs
EPA and other Regulators on the March
Op-Ed: Pipeline rules would have dramatic impact on industry
By James B. Curry and Keith J. Coyle, Pittsburgh Business Times, Apr 8, 2016
FDA Proposes New Useless Regulation on Arsenic In Baby Food
By Ruth Kava, ACSH, Apr 4, 2016
http://acsh.org/news/2016/04/04/fda-proposes-new-useless-regulation-on-arsenic/
Energy Issues – Non-US
Demand-Side Mismanagement: How Conservation Became Waste
By Ross McKitrick and Tom Adams, Fraser Institute, Apr 5, 2016
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/demand-side-mismanagement-how-conservation-became-waste
Link to report by same authors: Demand-Side Mismanagement: How Conservation Became Waste
[SEPP Comment: Demand-side management (DSM) of electricity is wasteful in Ontario, Canada.]
Electricity in China
By Peter Davies, Climate Etc. Apr 6, 2016
https://judithcurry.com/2016/04/06/electricity-in-china/
[SEPP Comment: As solar and wind increase, how well will these unreliable sources of electricity be integrated into the grid?]
We’re following Germany to an energy disaster
By Christopher Booker, Telegraph, UK, Apr 2, 2016
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2016/04/02/were-following-germany-to-an-energy-disaster/
Energy Issues — US
How much petroleum does the United States import and export?
By Staff Writers, EIA, April 1, 2016
http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=727&t=6 and
http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=32&t=6
“Petroleum includes crude oil and petroleum products. Petroleum products include gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, chemical feedstocks, asphalt, biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), and other products.”
The Future Of American Shale: Political & Energy Realities
By Mark Mills, Real Clear Energy, Apr 11, 2016
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Against All Odds, This West Texas Oil Renaissance Just Keeps Going
By Phillip Dunning, Forbes, Apr 4, 2016
[SEPP Comment: Even with lower oil prices, conventional wells are financially rewarding.]
Band plays on, as global oil glut leaves supertankers in a huge jam
By Keith Wallis and Henning Gloystein, Reuters, Apr 13, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-tankers-congestion-insight-idUSKCN0X91E4
How fracking reduces greenhouse gases
Green propaganda about catastrophic consequences are wrong again
By Stephen Moore, Washington Times, Apr 10, 2016
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/10/stephen-moore-how-fracking-reduces-greenhouse-gase/
Natural Gas Bankrupted The U.S. Coal Industry
By Robert Rapier, Energy Trends, Apr 13, 2016
http://www.energytrendsinsider.com/2016/04/13/natural-gas-bankrupted-the-u-s-coal-industry/
[SEPP Comment: The US coal industry would not be suffering as much if the cost of natural gas remained at 2005 to 2009 levels. The lower costs of natural gas are due to hydraulic fracturing and are a clear benefit to consumers.]
Return of King Coal?
The largest U.S. coal company just filed for bankruptcy
By Charles Riley and Chris Isidore, CNN, Apr 13, 2016
http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/13/news/companies/peabody-coal-bankruptcy/
Cut carbon emissions by 50%? — Greens nightmare — Coal gasification may be the answer
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Apr 11, 2016
Link to report: Hybrid system could cut coal-plant emissions in half
Combining gasification with fuel-cell technology could boost efficiency of coal-powered plants.
By David Chandler, MIT News, Apr 4, 2016
http://news.mit.edu/2016/hybrid-system-could-cut-coal-plant-emissions-half-0404
Nuclear Energy and Fears
What happens when a nuclear power plant is shut down?
By Mark Perry, AEI, Apr 11, 2016
https://www.aei.org/publication/what-happens-when-a-nuclear-power-plant-is-shut-down/
Feds Spend Over $700 Million On A Radioactive Waste Plant That Doesn’t Work
By Michael Bastasch, Daily Caller, Apr 5, 2016
“’Specifically, we found that the Department postponed rigorous, comprehensive performance testing; an activity intended to demonstrate the facility’s capability to function as intended and meet mission need, until after construction was declared complete,’ reads a recent report by the DOE’s inspector general.”
Fallout From The Nuclear Security Summit
By James Conca, Forbes, Apr 3, 2016
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Is large-scale energy storage dead?
By Roger Andrews, Energy Matters, Apr 8, 2016
http://euanmearns.com/is-large-scale-energy-storage-dead/#more-13322
[SEPP Comment: Unreliable solar and wind require large-scale storage to be suitable for wide-use.]
A Solar Power Plant vs. A Natural Gas Power Plant: Capital Cost – Apples to Apples
Guest essay by Philip Dowd, WUWT, Apr 1, 2016
CO2 Emissions Variations in CCGTs Used to Balance Wind in Ireland
Guest post by Maria Tsagkaraki and Riccardo Carollo, Incoteco (Denmark) ApS. Data Source: EirGrid, Energy Matters, Apr 15, 2016
http://euanmearns.com/co2-emissions-variations-in-ccgts-used-to-balance-wind-in-ireland/#more-13372
Indian bankers said to be wary of solar as SunEdison totters
Record-low Indian solar tariffs stoke concern that projects could struggle financially
By Anindya Upadhyay and Anto AntonyLive Mint, Apr 12, 2016 [H/t GWPF]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Don’t be fooled – Elon Musk’s electric cars aren’t about to save the planet
By Bjørn Lomborg, Telegraph, UK, Apr 6, 2016
Electric cars are only as clean as their power source
By Robin Mills, The National, Apr 10, 2016
http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/electric-cars-are-only-as-clean-as-their-power-source
California Dreaming
The Long-term Variability of Floods and Droughts in California
By Craig Idso, Cato, Apr 6, 2016
http://www.cato.org/blog/long-term-variability-floods-droughts-california
“In consequence of these realities, Verosub concludes that ‘the paleoclimate history of California suggests that even in the absence of climate change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases, decadal, multi-decadal, or even century-long droughts are a real possibility in the future for California as is flooding on a greater scale than was seen in the twentieth century.’”
Environmental Industry
Hanging together to save affordable power
Conventional energy suppliers are all threatened by radical green advocates
By Tom Harris, Washington Times, Apr 6, 2016
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/6/tom-harris-energy-suppliers-threatened-by-environm/
Other Scientific News
How deep does life go?
By Staff Writers, Woods Hole MA (SPX) Apr, 07, 2016
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/How_deep_does_life_go_999.html
Link to paper: A distinct and active bacterial community in cold oxygenated fluids circulating beneath the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic ridge
By Meyer, et al. Nature, Mar 3, 2016
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep22541
Other News that May Be of Interest
Humans changed a life-giving nutrient into a deadly pollutant
By Elizabeth Grossman, Ensia, Business Insider, Apr 3, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.businessinsider.com/nitrogen-nutrient-to-pollutant-2016-4
[SEPP Comment: Excess nitrogen released into waters.]
Solar storm researchers prepare for the ‘big one’ with new urgency
By Staff Writers, Newark NJ (SPX), Apr 08, 2016
Why on Earth Is China Shooting Crude Oil Into Space?
Maddie Stone, Gizmodo, Apr 5, 2016
http://gizmodo.com/why-the-hell-is-china-sending-crude-oil-into-space-1769176779
###################################################
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Earth Is Tipping Because of Climate Change
Melting ice and shifting rain patterns are causing the north and south poles to drift
By Shannon Hall, Scientific American, Apr 8, 2016 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-is-tipping-because-of-climate-change1/
[SEPP Comment: Based on this type of analysis, it is amazing the north pole did not go out of control during the melting of the great ice sheets starting about 18,000 years ago.]
The sky isn’t falling – it’s shrinking!
By Staff Writers, Climate Change Predictions.org, Apr 16, 2016
http://climatechangepredictions.org/uncategorized/6080
“While we are coming out of one of the longer periods of low solar activity in a century, scientists have found that the thermosphere has shrunk some 28 percent. That’s the largest drop in recorded history, and they cannot explain why.”
###################################################
ARTICLES:
Please note that articles not linked easily 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. ‘Standing Up to the WSJ’
Senator Whitehouse features us in an email to his donors.
Editorial, WSJ, Apr 1, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/standing-up-to-the-wsj-1459551388
The Editors write: “Politicians are endlessly inventive in the ways they promote themselves—like the Geico ad says, it’s what they do—and Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse is one of the most creative. Even we’re impressed with his idea to use our recent criticism of his attacks on climate-change skeptics as a fund-raising tool.
“Senator Whitehouse has been demanding that prosecutors use laws created to thwart the Mafia against dissenters who question global-warming models. As he struggles to rebut our critique of his awful idea, Mr. Whitehouse has apparently decided that if he can’t persuade the general public to adopt his climate absolutism, at least he can use the controversy to motivate his deep-pocketed partisans.
This week a recipient shared with us an email sent out on Tuesday by the Senator’s re-election campaign. The subject line: “Standing up to the WSJ.”
“The email was addressed “Dear Friends” and said, “I hope you’ll take a moment to read this. It’s not often that the Wall Street Journal editorial page comes after your U.S. Senator as they have recently. You may have heard of this dust-up, and you deserve an explanation.”
“They certainly do, and Mr. Whitehouse doesn’t skimp on the melodrama. His email consists of a description of what he portrays as his brave and lonely stand against the terrible abuse he is taking from fearsome foes, including “the Wall Street Journal editorial page, as well as various less-well-known blogs, fronts and just plain cranks.”
“It seems some of these terrifying people call him names—“the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada,” for example. As for us, he says, “the Wall Street Journal is trying to saddle me with arguments I am not making, because they have no good answer to the arguments I actually am making.”
“We could find nothing in the email to back up this assertion, so we asked the Senator’s office what he is talking about. A Whitehouse spokesman tells us, “He is referring to the end of your recent editorial where you claim the Senator is trying to ‘stifle’ political and scientific opponents.”
“Glad we cleared that up. Apparently the Senator doesn’t understand why anyone would be concerned about the impact on political debate of civil charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or the potential for states and private litigants to seek treble damages.
“Most academic scientists aren’t rich enough to dismiss the risk of a RICO suit, and even most companies would go out of the way to avoid the cost and risk of endless litigation. Why even raise the possibility of RICO suits—and suggest it to the Justice Department—if Mr. Whitehouse’s goal isn’t to punish those who disagree with him on climate?
“By the way, the spokesman insists that ‘this was not a fundraising email.’ But it did go to Mr. Whitehouse’s donors and the email says ‘Paid for by Whitehouse for Senate,’ which means his campaign arm, not his Senate office. He also wants his donors to know that “I am not the kind of person to back down from a fight.” We’re happy to give him one, though we hope he doesn’t report us to the Federal Election Commission for making an in-kind political contribution to his campaign.”
*****************
2. An Overheated Climate Alarm
The White House launches a scary campaign about deadly heat. Guess what: Cold kills more people.
By Bjorn Lomborg, WSJ, Apr 6, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-overheated-climate-alarm-1459984226
Link to report: The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment
By Crimmins, et al. editors, Climate and Health Assessment, U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2016,
https://health2016.globalchange.gov/
Contradicting study: Mortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature: a multicountry observational study
By Gasparrini, et al. Lancet, May 21, 2015
http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2962114-0.pdf
SUMMARY: After repeating his belief that carbon dioxide emissions cause global warming Lomborg severely criticizes the Administration’s new health report “for inconvenient evidence—like the fact that cold kills many more people than heat.”
“Consider a rigorous study published last year in the journal Lancet that examined temperature-related mortality around the globe. The researchers looked at data on more than 74 million deaths in 384 locations across 13 areas: cold countries like Canada and Sweden, temperate nations like Spain, South Korea and Australia, and subtropical and tropical ones like Brazil and Thailand.
The Lancet researchers found that about 0.5%—half a percent—of all deaths are associated with heat, not only from acute problems like heat stroke, but also increased mortality from cardiac events and dehydration. But more than 7% of deaths are related to cold—counting hypothermia, as well as increased blood pressure and risk of heart attack that results when the body restricts blood flow in response to frigid temperatures. In the U.S. about 9,000 people die from heat each year but 144,000 die from cold.
“The administration’s new report refers to this study—it would be difficult to ignore, since it is the world’s largest—but only in trivial ways, such as to establish the relationship between temperature and mortality. Not once does this “scientific assessment” acknowledge that cold deaths significantly outweigh heat deaths.
“The report confidently claims that when temperatures rise, “the reduction in premature deaths from cold are expected to be smaller than the increase in deaths from heat in the United States.” Six footnotes are attached to that statement. But one of the cited papers doesn’t even estimate cold deaths; another flat-out disagrees with this assertion, projecting that cold deaths will fall more than heat deaths will rise.
“Further, the figure that made it into news reports, those “tens of thousands” of additional deaths, is wrong. The main model that the administration’s report relies on to estimate temperature-related mortality finds, in a worst-case scenario, 17,680 fewer cold deaths in 2100, but 27,312 more heat deaths—a net increase of 9,632.
“Moreover, the model considers cold deaths only from October to March, focusing on those caused by extreme temperatures in winter. Most cold deaths actually occur during moderate temperatures, as the Lancet study shows. In the U.S., about 12,000 people die from extreme cold each year but 132,000 die from moderate cold. In London, more than 70% of all cold-related deaths occur on days warmer than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Although extreme temperatures are more deadly, they occur only a few days or weeks a year, whereas moderate cold comes frequently.
“Thus, one of the central findings in the administration’s new report is contradicted by a large number of scientific studies from around the globe. A 2009 paper from the European Union expects that the reduction in cold deaths will definitely outweigh extra heat deaths in the 2020s. Even near the end of the century, in the 2080s, the EU study projects an increase in heat deaths of “between 60,000 and 165,000” and a decrease of cold deaths of “between 60,000 and 250,000.” In other words, the effects will probably balance each other out, but warming could save as many as 85,000 lives each year.
“An academic paper published two years ago in Environmental Health Perspectives similarly shows that global warming will lead to a net reduction in deaths in both the U.K. and Australia. In England and Wales today, the authors write, statistics show that heat kills 1,500 people and cold kills 32,000. In the 2080s, they calculate that increased heat will kill an additional 3,500. But they find that cold deaths will drop by 10,000. In Australia the projections suggest 700 more heat deaths but 1,600 fewer cold deaths.
“Globally, one estimate of the health effects of climate change, published in 2006 by Ecological Economics, shows 400,000 more respiratory deaths (mostly from heat) by midcentury, but 1.8 million fewer cardiovascular deaths (mostly from cold).
“In pushing too hard for the case that global warming is universally bad for everything, the administration’s report undermines the reasonable case for climate action. Focusing on only the bad side of the ledger destroys academic and political credibility.
Although there is a robust intellectual debate on heat and cold deaths, there is a much simpler way to gauge whether people in the U.S. consider higher temperatures preferable: Consider where they move. Migration patterns show people heading for warm states like Texas and Florida, not snowy Minnesota and Michigan.
“That’s the smart move. A 2009 paper in the Review of Economics and Statistics estimates that because people seek out warmth, slightly more die from the heat, but many fewer die from the cold. In total, the actions of these sun-seekers avert 4,600 deaths in the U.S. each year. You won’t be surprised to learn that the study wasn’t mentioned in the administration’s half-baked report.
*****************
3. Climate Change: More Losers Than Winners
Heat is just one of many exposures by which climate change threatens human health.
Letters, WSJ, Apr 13, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/climate-change-more-losers-than-winners-1460583835
SUMMARY of letters disagreeing with Lomborg’s op-ed (above) Among the key points are:
“More important, Mr. Lomborg misses the forest by arguing about just one tree. Heat is just one of many exposures by which climate change threatens human health. Severe storm events kill and displace people. Insect-borne disease risk spreads, as warming allows West Nile or Zika-carrying mosquitoes and Lyme-ridden ticks to expand their range. Nutrition is threatened as the nutrient content of crops decreases and changes in weather threaten our breadbasket. Heat and stagnant air masses threaten respiratory health from ozone (smog) pollution.”
Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr. P.H.
University of Washington
Jonathan Patz, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
“Climatologists should consider an alternative explanation for the observed migration patterns away from places like Michigan and Minnesota to places like Florida and Texas: taxes.”
Rick Crosby
Darien, Conn.
*****************
4. Exxon Fires Back at Climate-Change Probe
Argues subpoena represents unwarranted fishing expedition into its records that violates its constitutional rights
By Amy Harder, Devlin Barrett and Bradley Olson, WSJ, Apr 13, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-fires-back-at-climate-change-probe-1460574535
SUMMARY: The authors write:
“The company filed court papers in Texas seeking to block a subpoena issued in March by the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of several government officials pursuing Exxon. Wednesday’s filing argues that the subpoena is an unwarranted fishing expedition into Exxon’s internal records that violates its constitutional rights.
“’The chilling effect of this inquiry, which discriminates based on viewpoint to target one side of an ongoing policy debate, strikes at protected speech at the core of the First Amendment,’ the filing says.
“Exxon also dismisses the notion that there is any suggestion of a crime, saying Attorney General Claude Earl Walker ‘issued the subpoena without the reasonable suspicion required by law and based on an ulterior motive to silence those who express views on climate change with which they disagree.’
“A request for comment to the U.S. Virgin Islands’ attorney general’s office wasn’t immediately returned.”
###################################################
When you’re looking at the statutes, don’t stop reading. If they actually do this, then 18 USC 242 comes into effect. 241 is conspiracy but 242 covers actual “Deprivation of Rights Under the Color of Law”.
At first glance 242 appears to cover only discrimination, but that’s a mis-reading. It actually applies to all Constitutional rights, and it applies to ALL government officials, even the President.
The maximum penalty is life in prison. Not only that: the conviction rate for prosecution under 18 USC 242 is very close to 100%.
When I was young, I read Orwell’s books, Animal Farm and Brave New World.. But I thought then like a Cold War warrior that they were critiques only of Communism and the USSR.
But now the USSR is gone and with it Soviet-style communism. And the Progressive movement has morphed into something that seems to be leading toward a composite Animal Farm and Brave New World .
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/18/us-and-china-lead-push-to-bring-paris-climate-deal-into-force-early
Someone has pulled a fast one on the Paris treaty.
If that’s the kind of bad faith that is being it, Time to Pull Out NOW.
“…. a number of countries did not notice the omission. ”
The question is : who WAS in on this? It took years to get this kind of agreement and this is fundamental shift if what was carefully negotiated and agreed.
This is fundamental change of terms. This is a grounds to throw the whole thing out.
I noticed in the 1980s that College Boy engineers were enamored of Brute Force computing. Don’t think, just throw everything into the computer and let it figure things out.
Global Circulation Models are Brute Force computing. An attempt to use computing power to substitute for rational design.
Any climate model that takes more than a day to run will produce nothing of value.
Wow, only four comments on WUWT ?!
Must be an all time record. UNPRECEDENTED. Must be due to CO2.