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strativarius
May 26, 2024 2:09 am

Think of the children….

Greenpeace blocks planting of ‘lifesaving’ Golden Rice

The Philippines had become the first country – in 2021 – to approve the commercial cultivation of Golden Rice, which was developed to combat vitamin A deficiency…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/25/greenpeace-blocks-planting-of-lifesaving-golden-rice-philippines

Reply to  strativarius
May 26, 2024 6:30 am

From the link: “Greenpeace remains adamant, however. “There are specific problems with Golden Rice,” said Wilhelmina Pelegrina, head of Greenpeace Philippines, last week. “Farmers who brought this case with us – along with local scientists – currently grow different varieties of rice, including high-value seeds they have worked with for generations and have control over. They’re rightly concerned that if their organic or heirloom varieties get mixed up with patented, genetically engineered rice, that could sabotage their certifications, reducing their market appeal and ultimately threatening their livelihoods.”

Pelegrina added that relying on a single-crop system to alleviate malnutrition reduced resilience and increased vulnerability to climate impacts – a serious problem in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries.”

end excerpt

So, the reason Greenpeace wants to stop Golden rice is because local farmers have varieties of rice they don’t want contaminated by another variety.

And because Climate Change.

It would seem to me that the farmers already do a pretty good job of keeping their rice varieties separate from other rice varieties grown there, so I don’t see any reason why they can’t continue to grow their separate varieties of rice, even if golden rice is planted in some locations. As far as I can see, golden rice would not change things for these farmers. Nobody is suggesting they will be required to plant golden rice.

As for “climate change”. It is to laugh.

So two ridiculous reasons for not planting golden rice, it seems.

Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 12:20 pm

Obviously yes, so what’s the real reason, any clues they’re dropping, deliberately or accidentally – overpopulation, genocide ??

Coeur de Lion
May 26, 2024 2:15 am

Astounding. We have the Grauniad disagreeing with Greenpeace. Where next? Perhaps with lunatic McKibben that 350ppm is a ‘safe level’.

Scissor
Reply to  Coeur de Lion
May 26, 2024 6:54 am

349 ppm is okay.

Reply to  Scissor
May 27, 2024 5:11 am

1200 ppm is better for flora and fauna, including us.
CO2 played a 0.68% retained energy role in the atmosphere 16 C average temperature
RE aka enthalpy in STEM circles

David Wojick
May 26, 2024 2:41 am

Here is a nice map of right wing whale lovers done by left wing greenies at Brown Uni.
https://www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/post/against-the-wind-a-map-of-the-anti-offshore-wind-network-in-the-eastern-united-states

But sadly I am not on it so it is incomplete. 

Their extremo rhetoric is priceless. A sample of their wacko rhetoric: “As public relations and obstruction specialists actively engage local groups to block offshore wind projects, the climate and environmental justice consequences are dire. Offshore wind projects may struggle to get off the ground, locking us into catastrophic climate consequences experienced disproportionately by Black, Indigenous, Latine, and low-income communities.”

Woohoo

Reply to  David Wojick
May 26, 2024 3:22 am

Even if you can close your eyes to the wackiness, you will still wonder how “Black, Indigenous, Latine, and low-income communities” won’t suffer catastrophic consequences from not being able to afford hugely expensive power as a result of wind generation.

Reply to  quelgeek
May 26, 2024 3:28 am

And no, I can’t close my eyes that tight. The white saviour complex in that is so bright it burns.

Scarecrow Repair
Reply to  quelgeek
May 26, 2024 7:40 am

That’s one of the things that grated on me the most about Avatar, when friends took me there to watch the 3D movie. The whole patronizing I-Know-Best attitude permeated that movie from beginning to end.

Rich Davis
Reply to  quelgeek
May 26, 2024 5:33 am

Perfect comment!

Reply to  quelgeek
May 26, 2024 11:14 am

The low income, and assumed low income (black,etc) will be given (more) subsidies/wellfare/preference to make up for the harm foisted on them by the policies that are put in place to help them.

strativarius
Reply to  David Wojick
May 26, 2024 3:32 am

They really are full of the proverbial….

“Offshore wind projects may struggle to get off the ground”

Let alone into the sea.

Reply to  strativarius
May 26, 2024 3:50 am

Offshore wind projects — sunk by economic reality.

It’s been said and quoted very often, but humans will look back on this time in history regarding the love affair with the renewables and say — what the !#$ were they thinking??

Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 5:20 am

History won’t be kind to Climate Alarmists.

mleskovarsocalrrcom
Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 1:51 pm

That’s why the Marxists control history. Renaming buildings, removing statues and monuments, avoiding true history in schools, and calling everyone who’re white racists is happening today in case you haven’t noticed.

Reply to  mleskovarsocalrrcom
May 27, 2024 4:26 am

I heard a thought=provoking quote from Napolean the other day: He said history is made of lies that are agreed upon.

Daniel Church
Reply to  David Wojick
May 26, 2024 3:38 am

And still only one anti-wind novel on the market: my Winter Games, in which those freezing to death in their homes know it is because of Ivy League and other elitists pricing them out of affordable heat with green nonsense (and worse). Reviewed here as follows: “It will keep you up reading far past your bedtime and leave you cheering at the end.” — WattsUpWithThat

strativarius
Reply to  Daniel Church
May 26, 2024 4:51 am

Humans are looking back and discovering they’ve got an awful lot of it wrong.

Exhibit #1 Göbekli Tepe

Reply to  David Wojick
May 26, 2024 5:18 am

“experienced disproportionately by Black, Indigenous, Latine, and low-income communities.””

This should be changed to: “experienced disproportionately by low-income communities.”

This description would include everyone concerned, including poor white people.

But the aim of the original version is not to include all concerned, but to divide us into different groups and then pit each group against the others. it’s political propaganda intended to divide us, not unite us.

It’s criminal, what the radical Left is doing to this country with their hateful, divisive rhetoric. Their hateful rhetoric only makes things worse, not better. Of course, that is the intention of the radical Left: To destroy our current society and culture. Divide and conquer.

Rich Davis
Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 5:40 am

Another perfect comment!

Denis
Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 9:51 am

It is also precisely what our President did with his recent commencement speech at Morehead College.

Reply to  Denis
May 26, 2024 3:09 pm

Our county school system just celebrated “Black Graduation”, a special graduation ceremony for only black high school students from all the county high schools.

They all attend their individual school ceremonies as well.

Apparently, the color of your skin is a determining factor for government to use in promoting “special” graduation ceremonies, however there are no other skin color determined “special” ceremonies provided.

Reply to  doonman
May 27, 2024 4:30 am

Yes, it’s just more radical leftwing divisiveness.

They want to create victims, and then pretend to be their saviors.

Reply to  Denis
May 27, 2024 4:28 am

“It is also precisely what our President did”

Biden is the worst one of the bunch when it comes to being divisive. He is a divider, not a uniter.

J Boles
Reply to  David Wojick
May 26, 2024 1:27 pm

OMG how they talk about “fossil fuel interests” as if they are not interested in using FF every day, every day, what hypocrites! Imagine how they would cry out in pain if their FF were taken away over night.

May 26, 2024 2:58 am

The Polar Science Center has updated its estimates of monthly Arctic Sea Ice Volume through April 2024. The maximum is typically in April. When you plot each month separately, and use the Lowess smoothing function, the deceleration of ice loss beginning over a decade ago becomes obvious. What about now? The trends are essentially flat. The values are in 1000’s of cubic kilometers. April is in heavy blue in the plot.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KYNoVKjvK9U3Bo68lgvsrrvTTb7UdbKQ/view?usp=sharing

Source:
https://psc.apl.uw.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/schweiger/ice_volume/PIOMAS.2sst.monthly.Current.v2.1.txt

The planet will be fine. Tell the children.

May 26, 2024 3:46 am

The laptop class has rediscovered a basic truth: foundational innovation, once adoption proceeds at scale, is followed by an epic increase in energy consumption. It’s an iron law of our universe.

The epiphany that transition aspirations and the power realities of AI are in conflict was epitomized in a recent New Yorker essay titled, “The Obscene Energy Demands of A.I.” The article’s subtitle asks: “How can the world reach net zero if it keeps inventing new ways to consume energy?” The question answers itself.

Read it here >> The ‘Energy Transition’ Won’t Happen

strativarius
Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 3:58 am

“The Obscene Energy Demands of A.I.””

They’re running out of [negative] superlatives to describe what they do not like or approve of.

The word ‘obscene’ handily rolls three [meanings and reactions] into one word: offensive, rude, or shocking. As the Englishman said to the Irishman – pointing at three shovels. “Take your pick…”

atticman
Reply to  strativarius
May 26, 2024 4:57 am

I didn’t think you were allowed to tell that one nowadays…

strativarius
Reply to  atticman
May 26, 2024 5:25 am

You probably aren’t. To quote The Who’s Roger Daltrey

I got values…”

Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 4:17 am

..more from the article —

Today’s global cloud, which has yet to absorb fully the power demands of AI, has grown from nonexistent, several decades ago, to using twice as much electricity as Japan. And that estimate is based on the state of hardware and traffic of several years ago.

Such astonishing volumes of data being processed and moved will overwhelm the gains in energy efficiency that engineers will inevitably achieve. Already today, more capital is spent globally on expanding the energy-consuming cloud each year than all the world’s electric utilities combined spend to produce more electricity.

Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 5:25 am

Obviously, the answer is to build a sufficient number of nuclear power plants to handle the demand.

Even CO2-phobes ought to be able to agree on this.

Newminster
Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 9:51 am

You forget that CO2-phobes are also nuclear-phobes, Tom.
Essentially this has nothing to do with CO2 per se. It is do with modern civilisation.
You can count on your fingers (just about) the number of climate activists who aren’t, deep down, Malthusians. The target is fossil fuels, the common denominator in all of them being that in use they emit CO2. Switching to nuclear may meet the CO2 argument but it can still provide a lot of the energy needed to maintain civilisation.

Simon
Reply to  Newminster
May 26, 2024 11:42 am

“You forget that CO2-phobes are also nuclear-phobes, Tom.”
Not true. I am concerned about rising temperatures resulting from increases in CO2, so I support nuclear. There are a lot who are like me. The way I see it you can’t have it both ways. Nuclear is a great way to produce electricity efficiently and is getting safer by the day.

Reply to  Simon
May 26, 2024 12:32 pm

 I am concerned about rising temperatures resulting from increases in CO2

Are you scared of the Easter Bunny as well ??

Reply to  bnice2000
May 26, 2024 1:18 pm

Ask him about Russian Colluuuuusion…

Simon
Reply to  karlomonte
May 26, 2024 4:46 pm

Ask KM about bigoted racists.

Reply to  Simon
May 26, 2024 9:13 pm

 about bigoted racists.”

Look in the mirror, simpleton. !!

Reply to  karlomonte
May 26, 2024 5:49 pm

Hey KM, how ’bout them BLM supporters. How ’bout them Columbia administrators and students? How ’bout them elected Illinois politicians?

Reply to  Simon
May 26, 2024 3:18 pm

No, you are concerned about rising global average temperature anomalies resulting from increases in CO2.

That’s what is measured and what is claimed, so that’s all you can be concerned about.

Conflating actual temperatures with global average temperature anomalies is not valid.

Simon
Reply to  doonman
May 26, 2024 4:48 pm

How about you put your weird theory in writing and present it for peer review.

Reply to  Simon
May 26, 2024 9:17 pm

There is no scientific evidence that CO2 causes warming.

You have proven that conclusively.

Reply to  bnice2000
May 27, 2024 3:22 am

Thanks for proving, yet again, there is no evidence that CO2 causes warming

If you had any scientific evidence you would post it..

… but you do the red thumb instead… thus proving me correct.

Dave Andrews
Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 7:14 am

Continuing with the “Japan” reference the IEA estimate that electricity consumption by data centres alone would be more than 1000TWh in 2026 “roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of Japan”

IEA ‘Electricity 2024 Analysis and forecast to 2026’

Richard Greene
Reply to  SteveG
May 26, 2024 5:18 am
strativarius
Reply to  Richard Greene
May 26, 2024 5:25 am

But is it on your reading list, Richard?

Reply to  strativarius
May 26, 2024 5:51 pm

no nekked gurls .. no reason to visit his site ….

Reply to  DonM
May 26, 2024 10:21 pm

Heh!

Reply to  DonM
May 27, 2024 3:20 am

Except if you want to end up like Billy Madison. !

observa
Reply to  Richard Greene
May 26, 2024 5:46 am

In the same vein with the politics of US nukes-
(4) America’s $35BN New Nuclear Power Plant – YouTube
Must confess I wasn’t aware any were being built but that’s not surprising with the MSM controlling the message.

May 26, 2024 6:12 am

What is a Libertarian?

Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 26, 2024 6:24 am

I think I may be a Libertarian, if the “liber” bit refers to Liber, the God of Viticulture.

Reply to  Redge
May 27, 2024 4:35 am

What I should have asked is what is the difference between a Libertarian and a Conservative?

May 26, 2024 6:40 am

STORY TIP:
A lithium battery facility has been burning for over ten days and none of the MSM is talking about it.

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2024/05/24/the-lithium-ion-battery-energy-storage-facility-blaze-you-hadnt-heard-aboutis-still-burning-n3788991

Reply to  Brad-DXT
May 26, 2024 1:26 pm

The fire has already consumed 5 million gallons of water, and firefighters estimate it will take an additional 7-10 days to control, using a total of 15-20 million gallons. LETHAL amounts of Hydrogen Cyanide were present in the air for 3 hours after the fire began…”

Reply to  karlomonte
May 26, 2024 5:41 pm

Quite the expenditure of water for a desert area. I think the water is mostly used to reduce thermal runaway but, it is ineffective in putting out the fires and can lead to shorting of other batteries. I feel for the firefighters needing to wear breathing apparatus in the desert.

Lithium is a disastrous chemical to use for an energy storage device. I have great hopes for some other storage tech like the new capacitors.
Since there is a lot of money invested in lithium usage, I wonder if other tech is being suppressed.

Reply to  Brad-DXT
May 27, 2024 4:43 am

Net Zero is not working very good.

Our Net Zero politicians are insane to continue down this disastrous road.

The chickens are coming home to roost for all these grand Net Zero plans.

CO2 is not the control knob of Earth’s temperatures. Rather, it is cloud coverage reduction that accounts for the current warming by allowing more sunlight to shine through to the ground. There is no connection between CO2 and cloud coverage.

CO2 speculation is going into the dust bin of history.

Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 27, 2024 5:56 am

Right now there is too much hype and influence. I fear that it will have to get much worse before it gets better.
Our only hope to save the well being of our populace is to remove the entrenched bureaucrats and politicians. This upcoming election is the most important of my life.

We must have a clean sweep and deep cleaning of our political, educational, and administrative systems. It will be met with a lot of media resistance and social unrest with plenty of false narratives coupled with violent rhetoric leading to violence. The rent-a-mobs will be out in force paid for by leftist billionaires.

FJB

Reply to  Tom Abbott
May 27, 2024 3:54 pm

it is cloud coverage reduction that accounts for the current warming

And what caused the cloud coverage to reduce, O wise one? Cloud coverage is not an independent variable; it certainly doesn’t have a mind of its own.

There is no connection between CO2 and cloud coverage

You’re probably right, but a few shreds of evidence might make your point more convincing.

Science does not advance by unsupported assertions That’s the job of the climatistas.

Reply to  Smart Rock
May 29, 2024 2:58 am

“And what caused the cloud coverage to reduce, O wise one? Cloud coverage is not an independent variable; it certainly doesn’t have a mind of its own.”

That is the pertinent question that needs to be answered.

“You’re probably right, but a few shreds of evidence might make your point more convincing.”

The CERES data shows evidence that clould cover changes can be correlated with the temperatue increases from 1997. The climate update from last week has an article describing this, and I posted it as a separate posting a few days later.

“CERES” ought to be a pretty easy search term to find the “evidence”.

There is no evidence correlating CO2 with temperature increases. You probably know that, though.

May 26, 2024 6:46 am

The New York lapdog Media was down playing the Trump rally in the Bronx
It showed photos with about 25,000 people about 6 hours before Trump delivered his speech

The NY Police Department estimated the people at 140,000, when Trump’s speech was being delivered.

See X, aka Twitter

Now you see why the Media went hysterical when a truth seeker spent 40 BILLION to make sure the truth is being told.

Reply to  wilpost
May 26, 2024 6:53 am

Here is more truth

It shows CO2 plays a LILLIPUTIAN role regarding the Retained Energy in the atmosphere

From
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/natural-forces-cause-periodic-global-warming
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/hunga-tonga-volcanic-eruption

Retained Energy (Enthalpy) in Atmosphere Equals Global Warming
RE in atmosphere is a net effect of the interplay of the sun, atmosphere, earth surface (land and water), and what grows on the surface and in water. 
Calculations are based on three well-known items. I assumed 16 C in 2023 and 14.8 C in 1900, as the temp of the entire atmosphere, which is overstated, but helps simplicity.
The RE ratio would not be much different, if complex analyses were used, such as how the three items vary with altitude and temp. The complex approach would subtract from both REs, leaving the ratio intact. 
This method is suitable to objectively approximate the RE role of CO2. How CO2 performs that role, the A-to-Z process, will keep many academia folks busy for many years.
.
NOTE: This short video shows, CO2 plays no RE role in the world’s driest places, with 423 ppm CO2 and minimal WV ppm, i.e., blaming CO2 for global warming is an unscientific hoax. 
https://youtu.be/QCO7x6W61wc
.
Dry Air and Water Vapor
ha = Cpa x T = 1006 kJ/kg.C x T, where Cpa is specific heat of dry air
hg = (2501 kJ/kg, specific enthalpy of WV at 0 C) + (Cpwv x T = 1.84 kJ/kg x T), where Cpwv is specific heat of WV at constant pressure
.
1) World, enthalpy of moist air, at T = 16 C and H = 0.0025 kg WV/kg dry air (4028 ppm)
h = ha + H.hg = 1.006T + H(2501 + 1.84T) = 1.006 (16) + 0.0025 {2501 + 1.84 (16)} = 22.4 kJ/kg dry air
RE of dry air is 16.1 kJ/kg; RE of WV is 6.3 kJ/kg 
.
2) Tropics, enthalpy of moist air, at T = 27 C and H = 0.017 kg WV/kg dry air (27389 ppm)
h = 1.006 (27) + 0.017 {2501 + 1.84 (16)} = 70.5 kJ/kg dry air 
RE of dry air is 27.2 kJ/kg; RE of WV is 43.3 kJ/kg
https://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-the-Enthalpy-of-Moist-Air#:~:text=The%20equation%20for%20enthalpy%20is,specific%20enthalpy%20of%20water%20vapor.
.
CO2
h = Cp CO2 x K = 0.834 x (16 + 273) = 241 kJ/kg CO2, where Cp CO2 is specific heat 
World, enthalpy of CO2 = {(421 x 44)/(1000000 x 29) = 0.000639 kg CO2/kg dry air} x 241 kJ/kg CO2 289 K = 0.154 kJ/kg dry air.
.
RE In 2023; 16 C; CO2 421 ppm; World WV 4028 ppm; Tropics WV 27389 ppm
World: (16.10 + 6.33 + 0.154) kJ/kg dry air x 1000 J/kJ x 5.148 x 10^18 kg x 10^-18 = 116,263 EJ
Dry air, WV and CO2 played 71.3%, 28% and 0.68% RE roles.
RE ratio of WV/CO2 = 41.1; RE ratio of dry air/CO2 = 104.5
.
Tropics: (27.16 + 43.36 + 0.154) kJ/kg dry air x 1000 J/kJ x 2.049 x 10^18 kg x 10^-18 = 144,804 EJ. 
Dry air, WV and CO2 played 38.4%, 61.4% and 0.22% RE roles.
RE ratio oWV/CO2 = 281.6; RE ratio of dry air to CO2 = 176.4 
The Tropics is a major RE area, almost all of it by WV. At least 35% of the RE is transferred, 24/7/365, to areas north and south of the 37 parallels with energy deficits

Reply to  wilpost
May 26, 2024 4:13 pm

Desert very low humidity. Why are they so hot?

Reply to  Harold Pierce
May 26, 2024 5:56 pm

Spend a few nights in your nearest desert region and come back to discuss.

Reply to  DonM
May 31, 2024 8:49 am

Been to Arizona a few times. Its a dramatic effect

Reply to  Harold Pierce
May 27, 2024 5:21 am

It lacks water and fauna and flora, due to too low CO2 ppm, already for millions of years.
Instead of paving over Arizona, we should be planting trees.

atticman
May 26, 2024 9:57 am

I’ve not seen any contributions from Peta of Newark for a while. I hope everything’s OK.

Mason
Reply to  atticman
May 26, 2024 12:14 pm

Ditto! Always enjoy the insight.

May 26, 2024 10:12 am

Ken Gregory’s comment April 2014 regarding Methane is worth a re-read.

Here’s another:

Wills Eschenbach Oct 2015 Scientific Urban Legends (Methane)

Reply to  Steve Case
May 27, 2024 12:49 am

The concentration of methane is 1.9 ppm. The reason methane concentration is so low is that discharges of lighting initiates its combustion. There are thousands of lighting discharges everyday, especially in the tropics. We don’t have to worry about methane.

May 27, 2024 12:08 pm

Anyone have a view on this bit of history The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Trees and grasslands dominated the landscape from roughly 10,000 years ago to 5,000 years ago. Then, abruptly, the climate changed, and north Africa began to dry out.

Reply to  MIke McHenry
May 27, 2024 4:17 pm

Climate zones all moved towards the equator during glacial periods, and then moved away from the equator as the current interglacial developed.

It wasn’t an abrupt climate change, but took place over thousands of years. Lake Chad was the last remnant of the inland seas of the Sahara.

It’s beginning to look as if the equatorial rain forests shrank to a fraction of their current size during the last glacial period, and only grew to their present extent within the last couple of millenia. LIDAR surveys of the Amazon basin show extensive civilizations with cities, fields and roads, all now covered by the jungle.