Nigel Farage and Bob Ward CLASH over NetZero and coal usage

Scissor

January 23, 2023 6:21 am

Farage is impressive. Ward not so much.

24

vuk

January 23, 2023 6:53 am

… and Bob Ward who works for Grantham research institute at prestigious LSE is supposed to be scientist while Farage is ex financier, politician and a journalist. Very embarrassing for the science.

37

HotScot

Reply to Scissor

January 23, 2023 10:31 am

All Bob Ward has ever done is shout.

He jumps from one trope to another with no discussion on any one of them. Odious little cultist.

20

alastairgray29yahoocom

Reply to HotScot

January 23, 2023 12:15 pm

I have heard of the Grantham Institute as a green cultist propaganda machine. Never heard of Bob Ward but saw him for the first time on this video. He certainly is a loud mouthed ignoramus. Compare that with say a Koonin Lindzen or Curry on the skeptic side . A shouty nonentity like this man reminds you of the odious and mendacious Michael Mann.

11

michael hart

Reply to alastairgray29yahoocom

January 23, 2023 4:25 pm

I would not really describe Jeremy Grantham, billionaire founder of the Grantham Institute as a classical green cultist.
He is a classical very wealthy hedge fund owner/manager who saw trading in Carbon Credits as the avenue to super-duper-duper profits and wealth.

He seems to have recognised, quite correctly, that if you gain control of the world’s energy supplies, you have the crown jewels of the world economy in your hands.

What was that famous quote? Something like “When you lead the world by the balls, then their hearts and minds will follow.”
Getting a slice of the action in an obligatory world-wide carbon trading system was, maybe, his slightly more modest intention. Just unfathomable wealth rather than world domination.

7

Yirgach

Reply to michael hart

January 23, 2023 5:52 pm

So true. How often has the same thing happened?

1

antigtiff

January 23, 2023 6:23 am

Bob is a retard. He claims China looks to the UK for leadership…..Xi Jinping would laugh at that statement…..any economy powered by wind/solar is going to be a weak fragile expensive economy…..with blackouts.

71

Gary Pearse

Reply to antigtiff

January 23, 2023 6:58 am

Anti: I got a good laugh outa that! Maybe Covid was engineered to put a stupidity gene in British leadership ‘pretenders’ (the other meaning).

17

It doesnot add up

Reply to antigtiff

January 23, 2023 1:58 pm

His twitter handle is @ret_ward which i tend to read minus the _w

4

Tom Johnson

Reply to It doesnot add up

January 23, 2023 7:35 pm

Leave he w in, just pronounce it like the w in ‘answer’.
‘;

2

Baileytheecologist

January 23, 2023 6:36 am

He is employed by the Grantham Institute which is funded by the Grantham Foundation. A climate activist trust which also funds the likes of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Although he apparently has a degree in geology most of his career appears to have been in media/PR and science journalism. Notice how he changes the subject whenever Farage confronts him with facts and appears to believe that wind and solar need no backup and that renewables are the cheapest form of energy!

Last edited 6 days ago by Baileytheecologist

39

Denis

Reply to Baileytheecologist

January 23, 2023 7:55 am

Perhaps Grantham is teaming with New York State to develop a catalog of cheap and readily available “DEFRs,” Dispatchable Emissions Free Resources, to fill in the blank spots in a wind/solar electricity system. These are integral to the States net-zero plans as well as Granthams it seems. As soon as I find the catalog, I will pass it on.

3

David H

Reply to Denis

January 23, 2023 1:59 pm

Denis:

From my understanding “DEFRs” work something like this; A transgender fairy will fly to a decommissioned power plant on a magic unicorn….sprinkle electric fairy dust around ….and it will immediately begin producing electricity….you can tell its working by the rainbows emanating from the cooling towers or smoke stacks. N.Y. Governor Hochul is working out the fine details. I hope I cleared that up.

4

Jeff Alberts

Reply to David H

January 23, 2023 4:27 pm

I think the substance being sprinkled is unicorn farts. Although, with a transgender rider, a more… liquidy substance, probably brown, is more likely to rain down.

1

bobpjones

January 23, 2023 6:43 am

I thought, Farage, let Ward get too much of his own way. He should have been armed with more facts, before taking on the loon.

15

186no

Reply to bobpjones

January 23, 2023 7:17 am

Absolutely; he had ample opportunity, several times, to nail this hysterical fool but ducked the issue, in an embarrassing fashion to me, and even appeared to agree with him a couple of times; typical Farage imho – he does not follow through nearly hard enough where Steyn and Oliver state their case without equivocation; but then he is a politician at heart. He should go the whole nine yards and not sit on the fence mixed metaphors aside.

7

Ben Vorlich

Reply to bobpjones

January 23, 2023 9:52 am

Agree, he let Ward get away with “wind producing 50% today” without mentioning the 9-10 weeks in summer when we relied on gas, Pity the interview wasn’t today when wind is barely 10% and currently offline coal power stations have been asked to get ready if needed.

5

It doesnot add up

Reply to bobpjones

January 23, 2023 11:35 am

Farage is often content to let a loon rant like a lunatic on the assumption that viewers are intelligent enough to understand that the rants do not answer the questions, and the ranter has no real answers.

He did the same with Roger Hallam, the man behind Extinction Rebellion.

7

quelgeek

January 23, 2023 6:48 am

A pox on both their houses. Ward revealed he is an oaf and Farage failed to land what should have been very easy punches.

Last edited 6 days ago by quelgeek

14

Mike Jonas

Editor

Reply to quelgeek

January 23, 2023 2:16 pm

Sometimes the ‘enough rope’ approach is all you need. That way, the viewer ‘owns’ their conclusion.

1

186no

Reply to Mike Jonas

January 24, 2023 1:50 am

The flaw in that is that all the viewers are capable of sifting through the detritus Ward and his ilk produce; not suggesting that there is only “one conclusion” to any statement made by Ward in this interview but it seemed to me that Farage allowed him a soap box too much of the time and failed several times to put to him the very inconvenient data that exists and that Ward & Co do not wish to address. Sadly I see that failure all to often with Farage, which to be fair to him might be due to his wish to be impartial versus MSM?

0

Gary Pearse

January 23, 2023 6:49 am

Nigel might be the only guy in UK who could save something of Britain’s former greatness (hmmm a little strong), or at least its relevance in the world. India is now the defacto grownup in the British Commonwealth. Make Britain Relevant Again!

19

quelgeek

Reply to Gary Pearse

January 23, 2023 7:08 am

I enjoyed Farage making mischief when he was an MEP. But he ain’t saving sh*t with a performance like that. He needs to get a briefing from a power engineer. His combativeness without being able to ask the hard questions just made him look like a crank. And I worry that is all he is.

6

Joseph Zorzin

Reply to Gary Pearse

January 23, 2023 10:30 am

perhaps it should be renamed to “The Indian Commonwealth” given that it’ll soon if not yet be the most populous nation- and given that someone with an Indian heritage is the prime minister of Britain

1

andersjoan

January 23, 2023 7:04 am

Andy Espersen :
Why can Nigel Farage be bothered talking to a bully like Bob Ward. This was not a sensible, serious debate. Bob Ward did not “discuss” the problem – he just screamed loud – would not listen or answer properly Farage’s quiet questions. Farage should have terminated the interview because of Ward’s behaviour.

3

186no

Reply to andersjoan

January 23, 2023 7:21 am

Or allowed him to continue and hit him with some data and facts these AGW/CC Inquisitionistas will not enjoy just to see them squirm and hear them spout more of their claptrap..? He was not properly prepared or had the producer/editor in his ear dictating what he said…

4

antigtiff

January 23, 2023 7:08 am

Seriously, the UK is too far north and too cloudy for efficient solar….so that leaves undependable wind – good luck with that.

13

quelgeek

Reply to antigtiff

January 23, 2023 7:16 am

I am looking at the grid data right this minute. This evening at 6pm customers with smart-meters can start self-rationing to get a rebate for the first time. The reason is the wind has dropped and the sun is setting. Natural gas and nuclear generation are almost maxed out. The Norwegian interconnects are maxed out. The French aren’t supplying us; they have problems of their own.

8

spetzer86

Reply to quelgeek

January 23, 2023 7:22 am

So the UK is officially entering the Third World? The shift from First World to Third doesn’t take long once you get on the Zero Carbon train.

19

Peta of Newark

Reply to quelgeek

January 23, 2023 8:19 am

The link says it all
https://news.sky.com/story/cold-snap-forces-national-grid-to-put-three-coal-power-plants-on-standby-12792900

My sunshine panels are loving it here, 3.5kW nameplate and they made nearly 12kWh today.
We’re a month after winter solstice. When I acquired them (2 days after summer solstice) they ‘only’ made 15kWh per day even then

Ain’t that crazy but I know from experience, they do enjoy the cold = minus 8C here on The Fen last night and reaching a dizzying 4.6C this very moment (16:16UTC)
Shame those miserable low-lifes are only offering/giving 4 pence per kWh.
Sod them and their tedious bureaucracy, I give it away.

Last edited 6 days ago by Peta of Newark

1

Drake

Reply to Peta of Newark

January 23, 2023 9:12 am

And while “giving it away” you also get back up electricity the rest of the day AND NIGHT at the same price as everyone else.

Think of all the comments here regarding unreliables not having to provide dispatchable electricity 24/7, and that with that cost added in, they would be totally economically untenable.

Now if you had put in the battery backup and disconnected from the grid, then OK, but you should not be getting anything back for your excess “energy” since it helps to disrupt the grid and increase every rate payer’s costs.

Just sayin.

7

186no

Reply to Peta of Newark

January 24, 2023 1:55 am

and the coal comes from…..? A slew of environmentally green countries no doubt – do such receive green paragons any “subsidies” from the UK ~~Aid budget~~ taxpayer by any chance – eg India?

0

alastairgray29yahoocom

Reply to quelgeek

January 23, 2023 12:20 pm

Just turned on the oven at max with nothing in it to see if I could blow a sub-station. No luck yet but it is only when the blackouts hit that sanity may have a chance to prevail

2

Shytot

January 23, 2023 8:05 am

Bob says – If we achieve net zero then we stop climate change!
A bold claim – ROFL

Last edited 6 days ago by Shytot

19

Joseph Zorzin

Reply to Shytot

January 23, 2023 10:34 am

agreed- that was an extraordinarily stupid comment from Bob and of course that’s a big “if” given that India, China and Africa have no intention of go Net Zero- so for Britain to suffer for nothing is almost traitorous

3

doonman

Reply to Shytot

January 24, 2023 12:47 am

So far, we have achieved nothing, but it isn’t is if they haven’t tried. All for naught according to Bob Ward, so the goalposts have moved again.

1

186no

Reply to Shytot

January 24, 2023 1:57 am

If he is that “good” can he position himself on the east coast to turn back the high equinox tides in the next few weeks, dressed in the King’s New Clothes? A “useful contribution” as Grimawormtongue might have slobbered.

0

SteveG

Reply to Shytot

January 24, 2023 2:32 am

Ward — “If we get net-zero we stop climate change – that’s what the scientists say” — LOL!

0

Jim Turner

January 23, 2023 8:22 am

Bob Ward’s comments about gas backup for renewables being cheaper than gas alone (not true by the way) ignores the fact that the government is heading for ‘net ZERO’, not ‘net a bit less’. What happens when there is no fossil fuel backup? The Daily Telegraph gives us a clue in an article today about the National Grid in effect admitting that they can no longer guarantee matching supply with demand – the ‘Demand Flexibility’ scheme – customers will get a discount on their electricity bill if they cut usage between 5 and 6pm. As the article says:

‘As with so many green subsidies, it perversely rewards the well-off at the expense of the poor. If you own an 18-bedroom mansion you can easily claim your fee by switching off the lights in the east wing and delaying recharging your Tesla until 7pm. If you normally use only one electric light, there will be no savings for you. And needless to say, the free electricity for some households will ultimately be subsidised through higher bills for everyone else.’

It goes on:

‘The gaps in supply are far too big to be filled in this way…solar and wind ..at times in December (generated) less than two per cent (of demand). If you are going to try to build a grid based on wind and solar, and try to manage demand by paying people to switch their appliances off, you are going to have to chuck such enormous quantities of money at people that they are prepared to spend days on end shivering in the dark.’

16

Shytot

Reply to Jim Turner

January 23, 2023 8:32 am

That’s why I’m investing in a south facing cave now ! 😀

7

quelgeek

Reply to Jim Turner

January 23, 2023 9:00 am

‘As with so many green subsidies, it perversely rewards the well-off at the expense of the poor.’

What is perverse about it?! If this is the existential crisis we are assured it is, we must not be squeemish. The Demand Flexibility Service is (supposedly) about reducing consumption, not finding crumbs to toss the poor. Are we going to whine about the poor not sharing the savings when a rich person foregoes their second overseas holiday to reduce their carbon footprint?

If you believe this stuff, focus. Don’t be spinning off into “equity” and “justice” or I’ll start to suspect it was never really about climate.

4

Jim Turner

Reply to quelgeek

January 24, 2023 3:00 am

Where did that come from? This is a quote from a conservative newspaper, highlighting the hypocracy of the ‘progressive’-promoted ‘net zero’ policy. I think that the people that talk about ‘equity’ are usually the same as those who promote ‘climate crisis’. And I do think that the Demand Flexibility Service’ is about reducing consumption, it is the only option when you have crippled the grid with a single minded persuit of ‘Net Zero’, without any real thought for the consequences to supply. The transfer of wealth from poor to rich is probably an unavoidable side-effect, but clearly one the government are prepared to tolerate in persuit of their objectives.

1

Jon Garvey

Reply to Jim Turner

January 23, 2023 9:15 am

Thank goodness we are planning to decrease consumption by replacing the entire vehicle fleet with electric cars. I expect the wind will have got up a bit by then.

8

michel

January 23, 2023 9:39 am

And meanwhile China is adding 70GW of coal generation this year alone. Compared to the UK, which has a total annual demand of around 40GW.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-To-Accelerate-The-Construction-Of-Coal-Fired-Power-Plants.html

5

terry

January 23, 2023 10:19 am

I loved Wards response to more windmills cluttering the view – in defense he says there are way more golf courses than there will be windmill sites. People build houses on golf courses for the bucolic views, are they building houses on windmill sites for the same reason?

Yeah natural gas is now expensive, but that’s a choice the greenies make when they ban fracking in England.

9

Joseph Zorzin

Reply to terry

January 23, 2023 10:38 am

There may be more acreage in golf courses than windmill sites- but just how much of Britain will have to be covered with wind/solar farms once the nation is net zero? Who will want to live in such a place? I suspect that will trigger a huge emigration.

3

Elliot W

Reply to terry

January 23, 2023 5:24 pm

Well perhaps those wind and solar sites should first take over all the golf courses, instead of actual food farms? Perhaps if the politicians and their rich friends had some skin in the game their decisions would be more sensible.

1

n.n

January 23, 2023 11:05 am

What’s behind a return to coal? Fitness to purpose. Go green, emit.

1

Citizen Smith

January 23, 2023 12:11 pm

Arguing with a true believer is a waste of co2

5

Chris Hanley

January 23, 2023 12:30 pm

Contrary to what Bob Ward and his ilk claim about the economic benefits of net-zero policies the empirical evidence from countries that have adopted them indicates the opposite for instance according to Trading Economics after decades of steady growth the inflation adjusted GDP and GDP per cap growth for UK has been net-zero since the so-called Climate Change Act was passed by in 2008.
Net-Zero policies = net-zero growth (or worse).

Last edited 6 days ago by Chris Hanley

4

joe x

January 23, 2023 12:54 pm

this was an awful exchange. the bald headed fart on the left spewed nothing but talking points. farage slumped and cowered in his chair.

1

Bob

January 23, 2023 1:00 pm

It is to painful to listen to the likes of Ward he is a liar.

2

Mike

Reply to Bob

January 23, 2023 6:03 pm

He is too stupid to be a liar.

1

186no

Reply to Mike

January 24, 2023 1:59 am

Very true!!

0

RickWill

January 23, 2023 1:09 pm

Ward is wrong on two key facts.

The current Net Zero strategy cannot reduce coal use. All the stuff needed for a NetZero economy is an energy sink. The coal has to be burnt somewhere to make that stuff; currently mostly in China.

The only impact CO2 has on climate is the expansion of the land based biomass, which is mostly beneficial for the climate. Reducing CO2 to the point that the atmospheric level declines will reduce land based biomass and make climate worse. Certainly removing biomass to install solar panels and wind turbines is highly detrimental to the climate.

5

Mariner

January 23, 2023 2:25 pm

From the Weekly Roundup: As Dietrich Bonhoeffer described malice may be a lesser enemy that what we face. Dealing with well-intentioned but misled true believers who become more strident and committed in the face of increasing evidence of the short comings may be a much more alarming scenario than what is described in this paragraph.

Says it all really

2

Mike

January 23, 2023 6:01 pm

It’s frightening how stupid this Ward bloke actually is.
”Net zero will stop climate change” How the hell do you argue with a child because that seems to be his level of understanding of the subject.

4

ATheoK

January 23, 2023 7:03 pm

Watch or listen to Bob Ward?

Not a chance!
Talk about a total waste of oxygenated air. All Ward emits are poisonous fumes and other delusions.

1

TEWS_Pilot

January 23, 2023 9:32 pm

Bob Ward did a masterful job of illustrating deflection and circular logic as well as the principle of “we are losing $1 on every unit sold, but we will make it up on VOLUME.”

He never understood how adding more wind and solar power required adding 100% backup from coal or NG or nuclear or some other traditional source for every unit added, so all the new “Green” components are doing is DOUBLING the amount of traditional sources needed with no actual benefit to the grid and a huge liability for when they are not producing and a huge cost to repair or replace when they fail.

3

Jackdaw

January 24, 2023 12:02 am

I feel sorry for the saps that believe the hogwash Ward, and those like him peddle. He says with absolute certainty that stopping CO2 emissions will stop climate change! He’s delusional, brainwashed, motivated by greed or just plain dumb.

1

observa

Reply to Jackdaw

January 24, 2023 2:58 am

Climate changer resets the meaning of hubris.

0

aelfrith

January 24, 2023 1:11 am

An unconsciable bully

0

observa

January 24, 2023 2:51 am

Green job learnings and strategic restructuring-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/techandscience/lightyear-has-stopped-production-on-its-solar-powered-ev-after-three-months/ar-AA16FgyN
Face facts coal fired Chinese EVs have you licked along with their solar panels and wind turbines.

0

zzebowa

January 24, 2023 6:14 am

Net Zero will NOT stop climate change!

The scientists do NOT say this!!!!!

0

John Oliver

January 24, 2023 8:03 am

The entire green energy net zero scam is just gift to socialist and a trap for fools. In their minds if green energy can produce some electricity it should be able to produce all the electricity. They don’t have the critical thinking skills in econ and engineering to know any different.

0

Jackdaw

January 24, 2023 9:00 am

New oil boilers are to be banned from 2025 affecting 1.6m people in Britain, many in deprived rural areas, so much for ‘levelling up’. Nobody is talking about this, instead they focus on gas boilers, but this will cause hardship and hard to a great many households.

1

Jackdaw

January 24, 2023 9:03 am

Bob Ward is good at shouting down his opponents, like so many eco-loons, but his arguments don’t stack up.

I don’t understand why any government would deliberately and knowingly make the country weaker and poorer, it makes no sense.

0

stevo

January 24, 2023 10:44 am

Wards arguments are the arguments of a zealot….There is no truth in anything he says. The facts are that coal and natural gas are far cheaper and infinitely more reliable than wind and solar….which don’t work consistently or reliably. The nations that resist the calls to renewables are the ones with the cheapest energy and is a major reason why they are capturing all the manufacturing industry
The UK and the EU are fools and a new world order is on the way as a result.
The richer the nation, the more foolish you can afford to be…until it’s too late.

0

mickeyreno

January 24, 2023 12:30 pm

Ward is an oppressive idiot. Of course China wants the west to “lead by example.” This just further exacerbates our competitive disadvantages in labor costs. Fossil fuels, especially coal for electricity generation is much, much, much cheaper than sparse, intermittent systems that require full backup for when the wind does not blow and the sun don’t shine. Bob Ward seems to have his head where the sun perpetually does not shine.

0

muzchap

January 24, 2023 2:17 pm

Serious question, is this guy retarded?

He parrots absolute drivel.

We should be investing in nuclear immediately- we are 20 years too late.

If the UK hits net zero – we account for 1% of global emissions e.g. irrelevant.

How is this person employed in Academia? Hence my first question, is there some quota I’m unaware of?

0

Joy

January 28, 2023 4:21 am

The more he’s wheeled out, the better for the so called “denier’s” side.

Bob is such a bad rep for the vanity folly of net zero

In the real world I’ve only met two people who believe in the climate thing. That’s a lot of people!
Yet again the politicians are not in touch with the populous. Believing bad polling and thinking that the younger generation’s attitude is a good measure of overall opinion. It never is an never was.

0

Watts Up With That?

Nigel Farage and Bob Ward CLASH over NetZero and coal usage

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