Investments in forecasting and research yield more accurate predictions Today marks the official end of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, which matched NOAA’s seasonal predictions for being extremely active. The…
Month: November 2017
An ugly new paper shows why the climate policy debate is broken
By Larry Kummer. From the Fabius Maximus website. Summary: An important (but fatally flawed) new peer-reviewed paper about climate change reveals much about climate science, the public policy debate, and…
Qatar Runs Out of Sand!
Guest geo-humor by David Middleton The future of the diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar may come to hinge on an unlikely commodity: sand. An analysis of Qatar’s export and import data conducted…
A must read: A Veneer of Certainty Stoking Climate Alarm
In Private, Climate Scientists Are Much Less Certain than They Tell the Public By Rupert Darwall* Foreword by Judith Curry, President of the Climate Forecast Applications Network and former Professor…
Have Students Become Bored with Climate Activism?
Guest essay by Eric Worrall An attendee at the Harvard University event “Hope and Despair: Communicating an Uncertain Future” expressed concern about how few undergrads bothered to attend their climate…
Wanderlust
A quick note for those interested in my ongoing adventures around the world. I’m currently in Gizo, in the Solomon Islands … why? Well, the answer is in my latest…
New solar instrument set to launch in time for pending solar minimum
From NASA Goddard: New NASA Instrument Continues Measuring Solar Energy Input to Earth We live on a solar-powered planet. As we wake up in the morning, the Sun peeks over…
More slime from the Lewandowsky-Mann machine, calling for ‘trench warfare’
First, the press release on this new opinion hit-piece masquerading as peer-reviewed science that smacks of desperation, especially in light of the fact that “climate change” seems to be disappearing…
Latest Excuse for the Global Warming Pause: The Bali Volcano
Guest essay by Eric Worrall A NASA Scientist is claiming that if Mount Agung in Bali erupts, it could plunge the world into a cold period for several years. Bali…
Study: no acceleration in global warming, climate sensitivity to CO2 too high
New research yields old result: Climate warming slow, steady. Observed value is half that of CMIP5 climate models. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Nov. 29, 2017) — The rate at which Earth’s atmosphere is…
Claim: sugarcane ethanol can replace 13.7% of global oil supply
From FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO and the “great gasoline famine of 2032” department Brazilian ethanol can replace 13.7 percent of world’s crude oil consumption Expansion…
Winning: grant applications for ‘climate change’ research are down 40%
Scientists appear to be self-censoring by omitting the term “climate change” in public grant summaries. An NPR analysis of grants awarded by the National Science Foundation found a steadily decreasing…
Unbelievable: New $500 million Oroville dam spillway already has cracks
CA Department of of Water Resources says: “don’t worry”, it’s “robust”. Readers may recall that in February 2017, the spillway at Oroville dam eroded and collapsed due to the massive…
Trump Administration Approves Climate Friendly Flammable Refrigerants
Guest essay by Eric Worrall Greens are celebrating that the US EPA has raised the quantity of cheap highly flammable climate friendly refrigerants which can be used in home appliances.…
Does Air Pollution Really Shorten Life Spans?
Guest essay by Dr. Indur M. Goklany Periodically we are flooded with reports of air pollution episodes in various developing countries, and claims of their staggering death toll, and consequent reductions…
Claim: China CAN Lead on Climate, if they Cut Back on Coal Investment
Guest essay by Eric Worrall Greens are starting to comment that China’s climate “leadership” seems to involve enormous investments in coal. But history suggests there is a solution to China’s…
Making CO2 into fuel
From the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MIT-developed method converts carbon dioxide into useful compounds. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — MIT researchers have developed a new system that could potentially be used for converting…
Cool tech: a switchable solar window
Demonstration device dynamically responds to sunlight by transforming from transparent to tinted while converting sunlight into electricity Thermochromic windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity at a high efficiency have…
Good news about climate change from an unexpected source
By Larry Kummer. From the Fabius Maximus website. Summary: Today we have several pieces of good news about our changing climate. It is good news from an amazing source. …
Mirrors and Mazes: A guide through the climate debate
From the “smoke and mirrors” department. Two leading USA scientists have acclaimed a little known book for its ability to show everyday people, not just scientists, the wonder of the…
Paris Agreement Architect Calls the End of Coal – in the Middle of a Coal Rush
Guest essay by Eric Worrall Former UNFCCC secretary Christiana Figueres, architect of the Paris Agreement, has called Australia’s planned giant new coal mine a “Kodak moment”, a doomed investment in…
Draining the Swamp: Office of Science and Technology Policy Edition
Guest swamp analysis by David Middleton By JACQUELINE ALEMANY CBS NEWS November 21, 2017, 5:00 AM Donald Trump’s science office is a ghost town In its 41-year-old history as the…
Significant finding: Study shows why Europe’s climate varied over the past 3000 years
From CARDIFF UNIVERSITY and the “motion from the ocean makes or breaks English vineyards” department. Ocean floor mud reveals secrets of past European climate Samples of sediment taken from the ocean…
Weekly Climate and Energy News Roundup #293
Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project THIS WEEK: By Ken Haapala, President Hypothesis Testing: Following up on work by the late Bob Carter,…