The Week That Was: 2026-05-02 (May 2, 2026)
Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org)
The Science and Environmental Policy Project
Quote of the Week: “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” — Benjamin Franklin
Number of the Week: For 25 years about equal, less than 20 years later about 50% greater.
THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Scope: This TWTW begins by further discussing the Attribution Science Committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. TWTW discusses a study on extreme precipitation in the Continental US by John Christy and Ross McKitrick. TWTW then discusses an essay by Anthony Watts on the state of climate science, and a change in future scenarios used by the UN IPCC. TWTW closes with an example of unintended consequences.
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Attribution Non-Science: Last week TWTW discussed a new paper by John Chrisity “Declines in hot and cold daily temperature extremes in the conterminous US, 1899–2025.” The physical evidence contradicts claims that since 1900 weather in the continental United States (CONUS) has become hotter and more dangerous. The evidence shows that daily low temperatures have increased somewhat but the daily high temperatures have not. Cold weather is more lethal to humanity than hot weather, so the change has reduced the lethality of temperatures.
Last week, TWTW also discussed the current work of the Attribution Science Committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Its website states:
“Event attribution seeks to tease out the influence of human-caused climate change on specific weather and climate events. This study will update and expand on the 2016 National Academies report, Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change, by considering current scientific understanding and capabilities for extreme event attribution. The committee will identify research priorities to advance event attribution capabilities, consider ways to extend attribution science to data-limited regions, and provide guidance for engaging stakeholders with the findings of attribution science.”
According to a March 18, 2025, report posted on the website of the Union of Concerned Scientists:
“Attribution science shows us precisely how much climate change is shaping and changing our world.
Attribution science compares the climate conditions we are experiencing today to what the Earth’s climate would be like without human influence. It allows us to quantify the role climate change plays in shaping things like extreme weather events, sea level rise, or air temperature increases across the world.
Attribution science is an established scientific discipline backed by decades of research. It has been recognized by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a critical tool for understanding the impacts of climate change. And it’s central to our efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role as the primary driver of human-induced climate change.” https://www.ucs.org/resources/attribution-science
The IPCC ignores the geological record of millions of years of climate change that shows that the warming and cooling of Earth is largely unrelated to the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Further, the IPCC ignores the historic record of thousands of years that shows the Earth has warmed and cooled, with no major human use of fossil fuels. Thus, attribution science is a political movement that uses models (that are not validated) and questionable statistics (Ross McKitrick showed that those attribution studies claiming adherence to conditions of the Gauss-Markov theorem of being BLUE (BLUE meaning Best, Linear, Unbiased Estimator.) were erroneous). The attribution movement is a political movement with models and statistics, not a scientific one using the scientific method.
Given the political nature of its formation, it is doubtful that this special committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine will address studies such as Dr Christy’s. If the Committee does not address Christy’s study, it will violate the scientific method and clearly show it is a political entity not a scientific one.
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Extreme Precipitation: On his website Ross McKitrick posted the preprint of a paper he and John Christy wrote “Trends and Patterns In U.S. Daily Total and Extreme Precipitation Since 1893.” The abstract and the significance statement state [Boldface added]:
“Abstract We present a newly-constructed set of U.S. daily precipitation observations at 377 locations in nine CONUS regions. Our data end in 2025 and extend back to at least 1893 and in some places as far back as 1872, making this the longest completely continuous daily rainfall record ever assembled for the CONUS. We examine seven metrics covering annual total, skewness and extreme values. We conduct trend evaluations over the entire sample and over the post-1958 and post-1980 subsamples. Indications of positive trends are mainly in the eastern half of CONUS. Upward trends in annual total precipitation are found in the Mid-West, Northeast and Gulf South but they do not persist in the post 1980 subsample. Annual maximum precipitation has trended up in the Southeast and Atlantic South region post-1980 while summertime precipitation in the Intermountain region has trended down since 1958. We also undertake Generalized Extreme Value modeling of the influence of climate on annual block maxima. Attributable trends in maximum precipitation are found at individual locations and at regional levels (Northeast, Atlantic South and Gulf South) on long time scales, although not post-1958. We also present a panel regression (pooled regional cross-section and time series) analysis of CONUS-wide annual maxima. We find a significant role for temperature, but only in the east, and a significant role for ENSO. Overall, we find precipitation is a complex phenomenon that varies regionally and by time interval: also, average and extreme rainfall metrics do not necessarily share trends. Weather-sensitive planning operations such as agriculture and flood management would thus benefit most from local analysis of the longest possible data records.
Significance statement
We assembled the longest ever continuous, complete, quality-controlled record of daily precipitation for 377 locations across the continental US. We apply trend analyses over multiple time scales on eight precipitation metrics covering total, extreme and clustering phenomena. We also undertake nonstationary Generalized Extreme Value modeling and panel regression to test whether changes in annual maxima can be attributed to climatic factors. In line with other studies, we find positive trends tend to be in eastern regions, although the west-east contrast attenuates after 1980. Annual maxima are sensitive to El Niño events, but global warming plays an insignificant role. The extent of regional and temporal heterogeneity argues against trying to make continental-scale generalizations regarding changes in average or extreme precipitation.
The introduction begins with [Boldface added]:
“With rising atmospheric concentrations of infrared-active (greenhouse) gasses there is concern that various precipitation-related phenomena may be changing in sufficiently harmful ways as to require changes to disaster management infrastructure (Kunkel et al. 2019). More generally, changes in seasonal and annual rainfall can have economic impacts such as through agricultural productivity. Some data assessments have offered generalized conclusions about current trends. For instance the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5, USGCRP 2023) reported that the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events scales with the global warming level (Marvel et al. 2023 p. 2-24) and that since 1958, the total precipitation falling in the heaviest 1% of daily precipitation events has increased between 37 and 60% in the eastern CONUS (Fig 2.8, Ch. 2 NCA5, Marvel et al. 2023). Other studies, however, have found spatial and temporal heterogeneity limits the generalizations that can be made at the continental and even regional scale (Kunkel et al. 2019, van der Wiel et al. 2016, Jorgensen and Nielsen-Gammon 2024).
The starting point for understanding the potential magnitude of extreme local weather is an accurate record of what has happened historically over the longest possible interval. Here we present a new CONUS-wide archive of daily rainfall records from 377 monitoring sites that is twice as long as indicated in NCA5 and extends further back in time than any previous rainfall data set. The process of constructing this data set revealed many flaws and omissions in currently-available rainfall archives. Once the data are collected there is an essentially unlimited number of metrics one might examine to discover changes over time (e.g., 1-day, 2-day, 3-day … totals, 1%, 2%, 3% … heaviest events, seasonal totals, annual totals, changes in skewness, changes in variance, etc.). We shall focus on a few that are traditional and thus comparable with earlier studies and others that have been proposed as being related to the overall warming of the planet.”
In the presentation the authors carefully describe why they modified, included, or excluded certain observations such as for Kerrville, Texas that appear in the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) data record.
“The precipitation values were gathered from on-line digital files supplemented with values we manually-keyed from images of the original forms from the NCEI EV2 image archive. An example is shown in Fig. 2 which displays the daily climate information recorded at the Cotton Region Station in Kerrville Texas for July 1900 (a station used in this study). Unfortunately, most of the Cotton Region Stations, which provided excellent data during the late 19th century, were not keyed into the NCEI archive, and thus are unavailable to researchers who usually rely only on computer-readable files from NCEI.
The example shown here of Kerrville is especially important relative to the 4 July 2025 flooding disaster and the context in which it occurred. Note the rainfall value on 15 July 1900 of 11.60 inches (295mm) and the extensive flooding associated with the event, indicating that the river level rose by the same amount in 1900 as in the 2025 event. However, if querying the NCEI digital archive for the most extreme daily precipitation for Kerrville (NCEI available data for 1901-1974), the value returned is 8.25 inch (210 mm) on 23 June 1965. (A nearby Kerrville station, Kerrville 3 NNE, operating 1974- present, also recorded 11.60 inch (295 mm), on 2 Aug 1978.) The more extreme value from 1900 for the original Kerrville station is not available because the observer did not begin recording the daily data on separate Cooperative Observer forms (which were keyed by NOAA) until 1 Dec 1901. Many stations such as Kerrville were completed for this study back to at least 1893 from such images, providing a more suitable, consistent and complete sample from which analyses may be performed.”
In short, in going digital the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) have introduced errors and possible biases in their data record. Attribution studies following the July 2025 flooding were biased whether intentional or not. This detailed, competent study concludes with [Boldface added, citations in paper]:
“Our first aim herein is to publish one of the largest collections of U.S. precipitation records ever assembled, providing complete high quality daily records for 377 locations in nine regions back at least to 1893 and in some areas back as far as 1872. Notwithstanding what can be learned about out-of-sample event probabilities from statistical modeling of recent weather records, the laborious task of building and examining the longest possible precipitation histories at locations across the country remains, in our view, critical for understanding current and future risks associated with extreme precipitation.
We have also undertaken a comprehensive analysis of trends and potential drivers of observed changes. Over the past 130 years we find, similar to Kunkel et al. (2019), there has been a tendency for increased rainfall in the east and decreased rainfall in the west, although the gradient weakens after 1980 and there is considerable heterogeneity by location and temporal subsample. We find no truly CONUS-wide trends nor attributable changes in any of our measures of average or extreme precipitation. Regional trends observed on the entire post-1958 interval as used in the NCA5 [Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023)] do not typically hold up on the post-1980 subsample or when the sample is extended back to the late 1800s. The Northeast region shows evidence of higher annual total and extreme precipitation after 1958 but the fraction of locations with significant trends drops sharply after 1980, and the regional trends become insignificant on the post-1980 subsample. The Southeast exhibits a robust upward trend in maximum rainfall after 1958 and it, the Northeast and the Gulf South support an attribution of maximum rainfall trends to global warming when analyzed on the longest record, but not on the post-1958 subsample when the warming signal should be strongest. Based on the panel regression results, in which significant effects of temperature on maximum rainfall after 1980 appear in the east but not in the west, we conjecture that what appears to be a causal link with warming may be an artifact of omitting a climatic driver that jointly affects US Atlantic coastal storms and tropospheric temperatures.
Our findings obviously do not mean there is no such thing as extreme rainfall in the U.S. record, or that it does not sometimes exhibit multi-decadal trends up or down in some regions. We have shown these things to be demonstrably true. But our findings do not support the general claim in the Fifth National Climate Assessment (p. 2-24) that the frequency and severity of extreme rainfall scales linearly with the global warming level. There is too much heterogeneity in the record to support such a conclusion. Trends in extreme rainfall can be found in many locations. For the purpose of disaster planning or other applications we encourage users of climate data to study the longest possible time series of local rainfall records. With regards to forecasting extremes, we find ENSO informative and regional temperature projections informative in some locations, but projections of global mean surface temperature are unlikely to improve local precipitation forecasts.”
This paper is an example of how statistics can be carefully applied to observations without misleading the authors or the public as to attribution of cause. Climate change and weather events have many complex influences contributing to them. Allocating probability guesses to one possible influence is contrary to the scientific method. See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
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The State of Climate Science: On WUWT, Anthony Watts has a good post: “The State of Climate Science: Uncertainty, Complexity, and the Politics That Follow.” Watts begins with [Boldface added]:
“Every so often it’s worth stepping back from the daily barrage of nonsensical doom-laden headlines and taking stock of where things actually stand. Not where press releases say they stand, not where advocacy groups would prefer they stand—but where the underlying science, data, and institutions genuinely are. Climate science today sits in an unusual position: technically sophisticated, heavily funded, and politically elevated to a degree few scientific fields have ever experienced. That combination brings both uncertainty and, inevitably, complications.
Let’s begin with the science itself.
There’s no question that the observational network is better than it was decades ago. Satellite measurements, ocean buoys, reanalysis datasets—these have added layers of detail that early researchers could only dream about. But improved instrumentation hasn’t eliminated uncertainty; it has simply shifted where that uncertainty resides. Surface temperature records, for example, remain subject to adjustments, homogenization techniques, and ongoing revisions. Each of those steps may be justified individually, yet the cumulative effect introduces a level of opacity that deserves scrutiny rather than automatic trust.
Climate models, meanwhile, continue to serve as the backbone of long-term projections. They’ve grown more complex, incorporating atmospheric chemistry, ocean dynamics, and land-use changes with increasing granularity. But complexity is not the same as accuracy. Model ensembles still display a wide spread in climate sensitivity estimates, and their historical performance shows mixed skill depending on the metric chosen. Some runs track observations reasonably well; others overshoot warming trends, particularly in the tropical troposphere—a region that was once expected to provide a clear ‘fingerprint’ of greenhouse forcing.
What’s often missing in public discussions is the distinction between hindcasting and forecasting. A model tuned to match past data does not necessarily demonstrate predictive skill. As one often-cited principle in statistics reminds us, fitting known data is relatively easy; predicting unseen data is where the real test lies. Yet much of the confidence conveyed to policymakers rests on scenarios that extend decades into the future, relying on assumptions about emissions, technological change, and socio-economic pathways that are themselves highly speculative.”
Watts discusses topics such as attribution and the controversies surrounding feedbacks, as well as natural variability (usually ignored by the UN IPCC and its followers). After discussing the politicization of climate science and policy, Watts concludes with:
“Climate science is neither settled in the simplistic sense often portrayed nor entirely adrift. It’s a field marked by genuine advances alongside persistent uncertainties. The challenge lies in maintaining a clear boundary between what is known, what is inferred, and what is projected. Blurring those distinctions may serve short-term policy goals, but it does little to enhance long-term understanding.
A more productive approach would emphasize transparency—open data, clear methodologies, and a willingness to revisit assumptions. It would also encourage a broader range of inquiry, including studies that test prevailing models against observations without presuming their correctness. Scientific progress has always depended on questioning established ideas, not reinforcing them through repetition.
As for the politics, they’re unlikely to become less intense anytime soon. The stakes—economic, environmental, and ideological—are simply too high. But recognizing the difference between scientific evidence and political narrative would be a good place to start. Without that distinction, it becomes difficult to tell whether decisions are being driven by data or by the desire to appear aligned with it.
In the end, the climate system will do what it does, indifferent to our models and policies. Our task is to understand it as accurately as possible, acknowledging both what we know and what we don’t. That requires a level of intellectual honesty that can sometimes be in short supply when science and politics become so tightly coupled. See link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
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A Change: In a post on his Substack, Roger Pielke Jr. writes “RCP8.5 is Officially Dead:
The most significant development in climate research in decades.” As Pielke states IPCC reports have claimed:
“’[T]he high-emissions RCP8.5 scenario has long been described as a “business-as-usual” pathway with a continued emphasis on energy from fossil fuels with no climate policies in place. This remains 100% accurate . . . ‘
“— from 2021, Chris Field (co-chair of IPCC WG2 AR5) and Marcia McNutt (president of U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine).”
Note that the president of the US National Academies was the co-author. This is further evidence that the National Academies are heavily involved with the UN IPCC and unlikely to write an unbiased US Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Fourth Edition in which they were the co-editors.
According to Pielke, the committee responsible for the scenarios in the upcoming Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) it uses, found that the extreme RCP8.5 scenario is implausible.
Contrary to Pielke, TWTW does not consider the change—the rejection of RCP8.5— to be a significant development. It is a small adjustment in a massive political movement that ignores the scientific method, regardless of its use of tools identified with science such as mathematics. A more significant change would be recognition that water vapor is the dominant greenhouse gas, which changes the greenhouse influence of other greenhouse gases. Further, the influence of both water vapor and carbon dioxide are heavily into diminishing returns and adding more will have minimal influence on Earth’s temperatures. Of course, the real significant change is the ability to calculate the greenhouse effect using updated measurements of the various greenhouse gases and having the calculations validated by satellite observations. See link under Problems in the Orthodoxy.
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Unintended Consequences? The conflict in the Persian Gulf has driven up oil prices, particularly in non-oil and natural gas producing countries. The UK and some countries in the EU have reacted by intensifying their efforts in abandoning fossil fuels and hoping wind and solar can deliver reliable, affordable energy. However, South Korea has taken a different approach. Vijay Jayaraj writes, in part:
“Just a few months ago, South Korean officials were busy boasting about extreme net zero targets. Fast forward to April 2026, and the country is scrambling to secure every vessel load of oil and natural gas available on the global market….
So, why does a wealthy nation codify a net zero mandate for 2035 and then follow up by begging global suppliers to send massive loads of hydrocarbons?
The answer lies in the unforgiving physics of energy. Wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage cannot power, produce, or sustain a modern manufacturing base. They lack the energy density and reliability required to replace electricity from fossil fuels.
South Korea’s three major refineries — SK Energy’s Ulsan complex, GS Caltex in Yeosu, and S-Oil’s Onsan plant — rank among the largest globally. Combined, they process millions of barrels per day into both fuels and industrial feedstocks exported to nations. Naphtha from these refineries serves as the vital feedstock for South Korea’s petrochemical plants, the fourth-largest producers of ethylene and propylene on Earth.
These chemicals create plastics, synthetic fibers, and resins that make up automobile interiors, electronic device casings, clothing fabrics, food packaging, medical tubing, and construction. Without them, South Korea’s export engines for semiconductors, shipbuilding, automobiles, and textiles don’t exist. Oil does not merely move goods; it sustains entire industries.
Jayaraj concludes with:
“The net zero agenda requires a deliberate ignorance of how the modern world functions. South Korea rose from the ashes of war to become a global economic titan because it embraced the power of energy-dense, reliable fossil fuels. Turning away from this proven model in favor of unproven, weather-dependent technologies is a recipe for economic ruin.
South Korea must end sacrificing growth, stability, and innovation at the altar of unverifiable climate fantasy. The country remains dependent on fossil fuels by necessity.”
See link under Questioning the Orthodoxy.
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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.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was the 2025 recipient. Past recipients are not eligible. See list at https://www.sepp.org/april-fools-award.cfm
The committee that makes the selection prefers a candidate with a national or international presence. The voting will close on JULY 1 NOT JULY 31 as previously announced. Please send your nomination and a brief reason why the person is qualified for the honor to Ken@SEPP.org.
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Number of the Week: For 25 years about equal, less than 20 years later about 50% greater. In the Wall Street Journal, Joseph Sternber asks “What Happens When Europeans Find Out How Poor They Are? The Continent trails far behind U.S. economic output. Politics is bound to catch up sooner or later.” The GDP per capita, current prices: U.S. dollar per capita by the International Monetary Fund shows that from 1980 to about 2007, the per-capita GDP of the US, Germany, UK, and France were comparable.
Today, the per-capita GDP of the US is about 45% greater than the per-capita GDP of Germany; 61% greater than that of the UK; and 81% greater than that of France. One explanation is that the European countries have embraced the concept of Net Zero carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the efforts of some presidents, the US has not. However, states such as New York are about to experience the European embrace. See Articles # 2 and # 3.
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Commentary: Is the Sun Rising?
Changing Sunlight, Weather & Climate
By Richard Willoughby, WUWT, Apr 29, 2026
Challenging the Orthodoxy — NIPCC
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science
Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), 2013
Summary: https://www.heartland.org/_template-assets/documents/CCR/CCR-II/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts
Idso, Idso, Carter, and Singer, Lead Authors/Editors, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), 2014
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/climate-change-reconsidered-ii-biological-impacts/
Climate Change Reconsidered II: Fossil Fuels
By Multiple Authors, Bezdek, Idso, Legates, and Singer eds., Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change, April 2019
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/climate-change-reconsidered-ii-fossil-fuels/
Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming
The NIPCC Report on the Scientific Consensus
By Craig D. Idso, Robert M. Carter, and S. Fred Singer, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), Nov 23, 2015
http://climatechangereconsidered.org/why-scientists-disagree-about-global-warming/
Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate
S. Fred Singer, Editor, NIPCC, 2008
http://www.sepp.org/publications/nipcc_final.pdf
Challenging the Orthodoxy – Radiation Transfer
The Role of Greenhouse Gases in Energy Transfer in the Earth’s Atmosphere
By W.A. van Wijngaarden and W. Happer, Preprint, Mar 3, 2023
Dependence of Earth’s Thermal Radiation on Five Most Abundant Greenhouse Gases
By W.A. van Wijngaarden and W. Happer, Preprint, December 22, 2020
Net Zero Averted Temperature Increase
By Richard Lindzen, William Happer, and William A. van Wijngaarden, CO2 Coalition, June 2024
Radiation Transport in Clouds
By W.A. van Wijngaarden and W. Happer, Klimarealistene, Science of Climate Change, January 2025
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Trends and Patterns In U.S. Daily Total and Extreme Precipitation Since 1893
By John Christy and Ross McKitrick, Preprint, April 14, 2026
The State of Climate Science: Uncertainty, Complexity, and the Politics That Follow
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 27, 2026
European Institute For Climate And Energy: “Climate Debate is Seldom About Science”
By Pierre Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Apr 24, 2026
#DoEDeepDive: Crop modeling studies
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
The DoE report then discusses the potential problem that, with all the extra CO2 in the air, plants might grow better but the density of nutrients doesn’t go up with the crop mass, so the concentration of protein and important minerals could decline. Again, rising temperatures might offset this effect. But to the extent it happens, crop breeding can raise micronutrient contents of crops, and fortification of food is already routine (vitamin B in flour, iodine in table salt, etc.)
Who the Hell Put the Psychologists in Charge?
Making the mistake of the century
By John Rigway, Climate Scepticism, Apr 29, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
If there were any doubt that the psychologists are only interested in managing risk by managing attitudes, these are dispelled by reading what the IPCC, acting under their influence, has decreed to be the necessary ‘framework for the management of risk’. This is carefully explained in their AR5 WG3 Chapter 2:
The choice of climate policies can thus be viewed as an exercise in risk management (Kunreuther et al., 2013a). Figure 2.1 suggests a risk management framework that serves as the structure of the chapter.
They call Figure 2.1 a risk management framework, but it isn’t one as I understand the term. It’s certainly not one of the recognized international standard frameworks that could have been chosen. In fact, it is just the section headers taken from chapter 2, placed in boxes, and connected by lines in a way that is vaguely suggestive of a process.
Defending the Orthodoxy
IEA Head Fatih Birol: UK should forego North Sea Oil Expansion Because Nobody Needs Oil and Gas
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 26, 2026
“The damage is done’: global oil crisis has changed fossil fuel industry for ever, IEA chief says.
Exclusive: International Energy Agency’s Fatih Birol, the world’s leading energy economist, also says UK should largely forgo North Sea expansion.”
Defending the Orthodoxy – Bandwagon Science
Space weather: Protecting the planet
NSF supports research to understand and predict space weather events and their impact on critical infrastructure
By Staff, National Science Foundation, Apr 17, 2026
U.S. National Science Foundation-supported ground-based observations and research are critical to understanding the complex feedback loop between the sun and Earth’s system.
[SEPP Comment: Not mentioned is that changing solar activity may change Earth’s weather and climate.]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
The Psychology of Climate Doom: How Narrative Outpaces Nuance
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 25, 2026
Before digging into the details, here’s the short list of what drives it:
- Humans are wired to prioritize alarming information over neutral data
- Media coverage amplifies extreme events while downplaying context
- “Consensus” messaging substitutes for deeper understanding
- Scientific uncertainty gets compressed into false precision
- Moral framing turns disagreement into a social risk
- Worst-case scenarios are treated as baseline expectations
Miliband’s Favourite Economist Doesn’t Understand How Markets Work
By Tilak Doshi, His Substack, Apr 30, 2026
Peer Review Is Broken—Here’s How to Fix It
By Rob Jenkins, Brownstone Journal, Apr 29, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
Tidbits
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
Free Climate Infographics at World of CO2 2026 Update
By Ron Clutz, His Blog, May 1, 2026
Link to: The World of CO2
By Raymond Inauen, RIC Communications, Accessed May 2, 2026
South Korea’s Net Zero Boast Crumbles
By Vijay Jayaraj, WUWT, Apr 30, 2026
Energy & Environmental Review: April 27, 2026
By John Droz, Jr., Master Resource, Apr 27, 2026
Problems in the Orthodoxy
RCP8.5 is Officially Dead
The most significant development in climate research in decades
By Roger Pielke Jr., His Substack, Apr 29, 2026
Bye Bye, RCP 8.5
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, May 1, 2026
IPCC Troubles: The Latest from Bangkok
By Robert Bradley Jr., Master Resource, Apr 28, 2026
There is trouble in IPCC-land where the next (Seventh) assessment, due out in late 2029 (COP 34), is behind schedule with uncertain prospects. Chalk up another setback to the Big Problem of trying to control the climate via anti-CO2 policies.
After Paris!
Isn’t this where we came in?
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
You’ll regret asking. See according to CHN:
“This is the task for the 60 or so nations now gathering in the coastal city of Santa Marta to firm up what has been dubbed a coalition of ‘the willing’, ‘doers’ and even ‘speedboats’. Don’t expect a negotiated outcome – the whole point is for this process to be nimbler than the UN climate talks where it takes only a couple of countries to block meaningful results.”
And OK, arguably a dead elephant is “nimbler” than the UN climate talks.
Social Benefits of Carbon Dioxide
The effect of extra CO2 on Pteridium revolutum
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
From the CO2Science archive.
Seeking a Common Ground
Understanding the ‘Iron Law’ of Climate Policy
Part 3 of The Shrinking Economic Weight of Energy
By Roger Pielke Jr. His Substack, Apr 27, 2026
[SEPP Comment: When former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan commented on the shrinking weight of the GDP, reporters and commentators were puzzled.]
Changing Weather
Google rolls out AI tool to predict flash floods up to 24 hours ahead
By Eric Henrickson, The Hill, Apr 29, 2026
Rain Check
A fascinating journey down a war propaganda rabbit hole.
By Doomberg, His Blog, Apr 30, 2026
Tornado damage rates swept away
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
As Pielke Jr. often points out, more often than he should have to given how obvious the point is, if you are going to measure damages over time in real dollars, from natural disasters or anything else, they need to be normalized for the growth of the economy. A twister today can do a lot more damages than in the 1950s because there is more stuff in its path. And obviously, or so you’d think, it’s also necessary to adjust for inflation since the apparent dollar value of the stuff has been inflated by rising prices eating away the purchasing power of dollars.
A great many worsening-weather scare stories omit both, from incompetence or tunnel vision.
Attack of the super El Niño
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
The point is:
“Though many parts of the world are likely to get clobbered by El Niño’s characteristic combination of hotter, drier weather, the phenomenon has the potential to alleviate some of the extreme weather we’ve seen recently in the United States. For example, warmer, wetter conditions in the southern U.S., milder winters in the north, and increased wind shear in the Atlantic hurricane basin are all classic El Niño signatures in North America.”
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Unprecedented 2024 East Antarctic winter heatwave driven by polar vortex weakening and amplified by anthropogenic warming
By Haosu Tang, et al., Nature, Climate and Atmospheric Station, Apr 1, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
The abstract begins with: During July–August 2024, East Antarctica experienced the most intense winter heatwave in the 46-year satellite era, with regional mean surface air temperatures across Dronning Maud Land exceeding the climatological mean by more than 9°C for 17 consecutive days. To explore the physical drivers and quantify the anthropogenic contribution to this unprecedented event, we propose a multi-model, multi-method attribution framework integrating regional climate model-based storyline attribution, circulation analogues, and large-ensemble probabilistic attribution.
[SEPP Comment: On April 29, 2026, at 12:55 pm local time, the reported temperature at Vostok Station, East Antarctica, was minus 88℉ (-67℃) with a “real feel” of minus 106℉ (-77℃) and a cold wave expected. If one had exposed skin, they would not be feeling the “real feel” very long. With such temperatures a 9°C “heat wave” has little meaning.]
Changing Earth
The Seismite Problem
By G. Shanmugam, CO2 Coalition, Apr 30, 2026
Lowering Standards
Time for the UK Met Office to Reform its Junk Temperature Statistics Before It’s Too Late
By Chris Morrison, The Daily Sceptic, Apr 27, 2026
WSJ Energy Reporting: Improvement Needed
By Allen Brooks, Master Resource, Apr 30, 2026
“The Wall Street Journal should hire reporters who understand the technical side of the energy industries and can cut through political agendas and narratives. A more competent editorial staff can identify and correct shortsighted reporting too.”
[SEPP Comment: Energy reporting in the WSJ has become, at best, shallow.]
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Yellow (Green) Journalism?
Death of the dead coral
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
Actually, how could it, if breaching 1.5C doesn’t mean overshooting 1.5C? What do words even mean to such people? And when we say “such people” we should point out that the author of the Guardian piece, Jason Momoa, is “an actor, film-maker, and UNEP Advocate for Life Below Water” so um not a climate scientist. He is however one with the universe as an aboriginal:
“Where I come from – Hawai’i – the reef isn’t just something you look at. It’s part of us. It feeds our families, protects our shores, and lives at the center of our culture. In our stories, coral is one of our oldest ancestors. It’s a reminder that everything in the ocean, and all of us, are connected.”
Not being ourselves demonstrably descended from polyps, we are obliged to approach the matter less cosmically. Including objecting that Momoa plays fast and loose with numbers.
Wrong, AP, Wildfires Have Always Burned at Night
By Anthony Watts, Climate Realism, Apr 28, 2026
Sorry, Los Angeles Times, Climate Change Isn’t Driving Georgia’s Wildfires
By Linnea Lueken, WUWT, May 1, 2026
Duluth News Tribune Ignores Benefits to Plants from Global Warming, Focuses on Allergies Instead
By Linnea Lueken, Climate Realism, Apr 23, 2026
Video: Is Climate Change Really Turbocharging Allergy Season?
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
Eye Roller Study: Burned forest areas have faster snowmelt
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 27, 2026
Link to paper: Forest fires increase vulnerability to midwinter rain-on-snow snowmelt in the western Oregon Cascades
By Sage C Ebel and Kelly E Gleason, Environmental Research Communications, Mar 31, 2026
Bugs, Windshields and Climate Change – Oh My!
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, May 1, 2026
The “Windshield Phenomenon” — Are We Measuring Insect Decline, or Car Design Evolution?
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Al Gore Shifts On Global Warming: Time To Watch Out For A New Ice Age?
By Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, Apr 29, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
Former Vice President Al Gore warned a Hollywood audience this week that a “Gulf Stream collapse” could occur within 25 years, leading to an abrupt and devastating new Ice Age.
Claim: Extreme Heat is Responsible for More than Half of Aussie Natural Hazard Deaths
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, May 1, 2026
But more people still die in winter.
Communicating Better to the Public – Use Propaganda
Geopolitics and make-believe
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
Yay far-sighted Communist economic planning. Boo short-time-horizon free enterprise. But the big issue isn’t whether governments can dump endless resources into projects to extract sunbeams from cucumbers. It’s whether you get the sunbeams.
He [NYT reporter] thinks we are, hailing the rise in renewables and how “the green transition has picked up speed”, and warns of “the risk of AMOC disruption” for good measure. But the problem is that it’s the same reasoning writ large: just because governments are giving a favored kind of enterprise massive subsidies and those enterprises are growing, it doesn’t mean they’re actually efficient and outcompeting rivals by satisfying consumers.
Questioning European Green
European energy policy: full speed towards the wall
By Evert Doornhof, Clintel, Apr 26, 2026
What do you do when you realise you are heading in the wrong direction? Hit the brakes, right? In Europe, this is not the case. Instead, the answer of European leaders is to accelerate further, opting for an energy transition that is even faster, more ambitious, and more radical. In the meantime, the problems are piling up. A summary of the key facts, makes you wonder desperately: why isn’t anyone hitting the brakes?
The gap with the United States is widening. After all, the US benefits from cheap energy, a strong industry and therefore higher economic growth. At the same time, Europe struggles with expensive energy, is losing its industry and lags economically.
Why the UK and EU Keep Doubling Down on Net Zero Dogma in the Face of Spiralling Economic Dysfunction
The Hormuz Blockade and the Triumph of Economic Illiteracy
By Tilak Doshi, His Substack, Apr 26, 2026
The hangman’s noose concentrates the human mind wonderfully, Dr Samuel Johnson once observed. But this evidently does not apply to the government bureaucracies ensconced in Westminster or Brussels. The oil price shock triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — “the world’s worst energy crisis in history exceeding the combined shocks of both the 1970s oil prices shocks and the Ukraine war” according to the IEA chief Fatih Birol — has led the environmental justice warriors among the ruling elite to yet more muddled thinking.
Instead of applying basic economic principles — comparative advantage in international trade, portfolio diversification to manage risks, and marginal costs in commodity pricing — Europe’s elites have doubled down on their net-zero dogma.
Net Zero Lunatics Set to Empty Your Medicine Cabinet
By Chris Morrixon, The Daily Sceptic, May 1, 2026
Questioning Green Elsewhere
Finally, An Administration That’s Changing The Climate Narrative
I & I Editorial Board, Apr 29, 2026
For more than three decades, it’s been almost invariably accepted in policymaking circles that fossil fuel use has to be reduced and then eliminated altogether if we are to save the planet. But the second Trump administration has restored reason and logic to the energy and environment debate. Every American who enjoys the life-giving benefits of fossil fuels today should be thankful.
Climate News – May 2026
By Alan Moran, His Blog, May 1, 2026
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright points out, “In the last 20 years, the world spent $10 trillion on green energy. It hasn’t made it to 3% of global energy, and it’s just driven up prices.” G20 governments provided at least $168 billion in financial support for renewable power in 2023 alone.
Co-op City: What It Looks Like When Energy Reality Catches Up To You
By Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian, Apr 28, 2026
Co-op City has looked into building “renewable” resources to replace its natural gas power plant, but has figured out that that is completely infeasible:
“Buss [Jeffrey Buss, Co-Op City’s general counsel] said it is technologically impossible for Co-op City to completely replace its gas-fueled plant with cleaner energy sources. He said renewable, fossil-free energy sources such as solar, wind, or geo-thermal energy aren’t capable to meet the heating, cooling and electrical demands of Co-Op City. “Although our co-generation turbines can run on 30% hydrogen,” Buss said, “there is no hydrogen supply…I don’t know the solution.” [Boldface added]
Funding Issues
UK strengthens support to Pacific communities on climate crisis
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
Link to press release: UK strengthens support to Pacific communities on climate crisis
New UK funding will support communities across the Pacific, helping them prepare for extreme weather, protect vital ecosystems and build long‑term resilience.
From: British High Commission Suva, Apr 28, 2026
From British High Commission Suva website
The British High Commission in Fiji maintains and develops relations between the UK and Fiji.
Homewood: As if we have money to burn!
Litigation Issues
The Climate Litigation Swindle
A flood of lawsuits utilizing junk science seeks to bankrupt energy companies and undermine the basis of American power.
By Heather Mac Donald, City Journal, Spring 2026
Leftists Fake Tears About High Energy Prices, But Ignore the Foreign-Funded Lawfare
By Larry Behrens, WUWT, Apr 26, 2026
This isn’t speculation. It’s a coordinated, well-funded legal war. The Natural Resources Defense Council brags it sued the Trump administration 163 times, taking credit for killing the Keystone XL pipeline. The Sierra Club proudly claims it filed over 300 cases against the first Trump term and launched more than 100 new lawsuits and interventions in 2025 alone. Earthjustice has racked up over 200 suits. For those keeping score, that’s more than 600 lawsuits in total targeting energy policies and projects. These aren’t friendly neighborhood environmental watchdogs. This is weaponized litigation designed to block pipelines, delay drilling, stop natural gas terminals, and tie up every responsible domestic energy project in endless court battles. And these groups are all getting checks from way out of town.
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Boiler Tax Fails: Government Heat Pump Policy Hits Families but Installs Fewer Heat Pumps
By Staff, Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) [UK]. Apr 27, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
The Clean Heat Market Mechanism (CHMM) which created the ‘boiler tax’ which came into force in April 2025, was designed to force boiler manufacturers to sell more heat pumps or pay fines. Those fines are being passed directly onto households as a “boiler tax”, adding to the cost of replacing boilers during an already acute cost-of-living crisis.
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
Another PTC/ITC Extension for Wind/Solar? Just Say NO
By Robert Bradley Jr., Master Resource, May 1, 2026
“The continued reliance on ‘clean’ energy tax credits is a political crutch…. Those who have introduced this legislation … should be working to phase out these subsidies more quickly, not doubling down on them.” – Tom Pyle, AEA president
EPA and other Regulators on the March
Lee Zeldin Infuriates Purple-Haired Democrat While He Schools Her On Basic Supreme Court Cases
By Nicole Silverio, Daily Caller, Apr 28, 2026
Energy Issues – General
Statistical Review of World Energy 2025
By Staff, The Energy Institute
For the first time since 2006, all major energy sources, renewables and fossil fuels alike, hit record consumption levels, a reflection of surging global demand. No country has shaped this outcome more than China. Its rapid expansion of renewable capacity, alongside continued reliance on coal, gas, and oil, is driving global energy trends. The scale and direction of China’s energy choices will be pivotal in determining whether the world can deliver a secure, affordable, and low-carbon energy future. [Boldface added]
Dr Nick Wayth CEng FEI FIMechE – Chief Executive, Energy Institute
Emerging as the World’s AI Infrastructure Superpower
By Tor Langoy, Real Clear Energy, April 29, 2026
Let’s be frank – Compute is power, and power is now the decisive constraint. In that equation, Norway, Finland and the Nordics writ large are quietly positioning itself as one of the most strategically important countries in the global AI economy.
[SEPP Comment: Norway has great hydro potential, why relatively flat Finland is added to the mix is not explained.]
Energy Issues – Europe
Germany Taxpayers To Subsidise Electricity Costs
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
Transferring costs from consumers to taxpayers solves nothing of course.
[SEPP Comment: But the headlines say:
“Energy price relief measures take effect
The Federal Government is subsidizing electricity grid fees and permanently reducing the electricity tax for manufacturing companies. It has also abolished the gas storage levy. The goal: lower energy costs for everyone.”]
Oversupply Of Volatile Solar Energy Leads To Record NEGATIVE Prices!
By Pierre Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Apr 29, 2026
Because renewable energy operators are often guaranteed a fixed feed-in tariff regardless of market prices, the “gap” between the negative market price and the guaranteed remuneration must be covered by subsidies (often financed through taxes or levies). Since solar owners often receive money even when their electricity has a “negative value,” there is little incentive to invest in storage technologies like batteries.
Grid Network Charges To Increase £9bn in Next Few Years
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
An extra £9 billion a year, ie the increase from £3 billion to £12 billion, means a surcharge on bills of about 11%. Overall, it equates to a cost per household of £330 pa [£330/per year], part of which will appear on energy bills – the rest will feed through into higher prices and taxes.
Grid Balancing Costs Set To Rise To £8 Billion By 2030
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 30, 2026
So, let’s recap:
- OFGEM want to spend £80 billion on upgrading the grid in the next five years, adding £9 billion to electricity bills.
- Expansion of intermittent renewable capacity to meet Net Zero targets will necessitate wasting billions of pounds worth of power, when it is too windy or sunny.
- Post 2030, tens of billions more will need to be spent to cope with increasing renewable capacity.
- Far from reducing bills, this never ending cycle of increasing renewable capacity/upgrading the grid will inevitably increase them.
Nobody in their right mind would have designed such a system. Unfortunately, by the time of the next election, most of the damage will be irreversible.
Miliband To Ban Tumble Dryers
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 30, 2026
From the Telegraph: Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, is introducing new laws that will phase out the sale of condenser tumble dryers and promote heat-pump alternatives to help cut carbon emissions.
[SEPP Comment: Traditional dryers vent warm air. A heat pump dryer is an energy-efficient, ventless, tumble dryer that recycles warm air to dry clothes while using up to 50% less electricity than conventional dryers.
Disadvantages: Higher upfront cost, longer drying times, higher maintenance (cleaning filters), and reduced effectiveness in cold weather.]
Energy Issues – Australia
Snowy 2.0 blows out 20 times to $42b — we could have built 4 nuclear plants instead
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Apr 27, 2026
There are, of course, excellent reasons for secrecy
Responsible Members of Parliament clearly have a duty to keep these obscene costs a secret from taxpayers, adversaries, and anyone with a calculator. This isn’t about dodging accountability —it’s about protecting Australians from the harmful effects of understanding the astronomical numbers. Clearly releasing the truth suddenly would demoralize the nation, increasing rates of depression and suicide if people knew how crooked and inept our government really is. This is secrecy in the interests of public mental health.
As we run low on petrol, diesel, fertilizer and plastic, thank the bankers
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Apr 30, 2026
It’s a banker’s job to manage the Indian Ocean dipole, don’t you know?
People have noticed that coal, oil and gas projects that were legal and looked profitable were still unable to get funding from the Big Bankers. You might think it was the elected government’s role to figure out the complex trade-offs of how to keep the lights on, avoid unemployment and protect the spotted quoll (and the nation). But even if the people vote, and the government approves, the bankers can still say “No”. And they did…
The Commonwealth Bank piously declared in August 2024 that they will no longer provide finance to oil and gas companies that don’t have a “Paris Transition Plan”. The bank was helpfully taking on the role of judge, jury and financial executioner.
Frack, Baby, Frack
By Greg Chapman, Quadrant, Apr 25, 2026
Energy Issues – Elsewhere non-US
Claim: Japan’s Coal and Nuclear Push Risks Displacing Renewable Energy
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 30, 2026
Energy Issues — US
Winner’s remorse
By John Robson, Climate Discussion Nexus, Apr 29, 2026
…The background here, as Don Surber explains on Substack, is that in 2021 the Illinois legislature at the urging of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, passed the “Climate & Equitable Jobs Act”…, garnering praise even from the Chicago Tribune, requiring the state to phase out hydrocarbon power generation by 2045 and slating some natural gas plants for execution earlier, by 2030. And now people who vowed to get rid of this form of energy are howling because it’s going away. What can they possibly have expected?
The specifics are that two-thirds of the Elwood plant in Will County, comprising six of its nine 150-megawatt gas turbines, was sold to a new owner, Hull Street Energy, which is literally disassembling it, loading it on trucks, and moving it to Texas. Not to its own home state of Maryland. To somewhere they have some understanding of power. And of economics.
Heads Up, America: The Long Haul for Our Energy Independence Starts Now
By Scott Angelle, Real Clear Energy, Apr 30, 2026
Democrats Make It Clear That If They Retake Power, U.S. Energy Security Will Once Again Be at Risk
By Gary Abernathy, WUWT, May 1, 2026
Washington’s Control of Energy
Trump opens up Minnesota wilderness for mining
By Rachel Frazin, The Hill, Apr 28, 2026
While the protections were more than 60 legislative days ago, Republicans argued that they were not properly transmitted to Congress at the time.
The maneuver is the latest from the GOP that seeks to use the CRA’s power in novel ways, previously and controversially using it to axe California clean car standards over objections from the Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian.
Trump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline
By AP, The Hill, Apr 30, 2026
Sometimes called “Keystone Light,” the Bridger Pipeline Expansion would not cross any Native American reservations.
More than 70% would be built within existing pipeline corridors and 80% on private land, Bridger Pipeline LLC said in a statement. The line would carry various grades of crude, including from Canada’s oil sands region, to be exported or refined in the U.S., company spokesperson Bill Salvin said.
Nuclear Energy and Fears
The World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant Nears Completion
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
Link to: The World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant Nears Completion
By Srividya Kalyanaraman, Moby, Apr 21, 2026
American nuclear fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems has many wins. Adding to that: CEO Bob Mumgaard said that the company’s, and the country’s, first commercial fusion power plant is nearing completion.
Mumgaard said the remaining magnets would be installed throughout the first half of the year. SPARC is expected to produce the first plasma this year and demonstrate net fusion energy, producing more power than it consumes, shortly after.
The commercial plant, ARC, is scheduled to start generating power to the grid in the early 2030s, with construction beginning after state, local, and federal permits are secured. It would cost more than $2.5 billion and be sited at the James River Industrial Center in Chesterfield County, on land leased from Dominion Energy.
[SEPP Comment: If the demonstration project in Devens, Mass, is successful the electricity generation industry could be transformed dramatically, particularly for baseload electricity which wind and solar cannot provide.]
CFS CEO Pooh-Poohs Claim Fusion Is Not Worth the Money
By Duggan Flanakin, Real Clear Energy, April 29, 2026
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
The Solar Farm That Will Emit More CO2 Than It Saves
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
It sounds crazy, but the construction of solar farms itself increases global emissions of carbon dioxide. Solar panels, along with much of the ancillary stuff, are mostly made in China, using coal power. These then have to be shipped over to the UK and then installed. When all these extra emissions are factored in, they offset many of the emissions savings arising from the electricity produced.
Wyoming has a secret eagle-kill organization
By David Wojick, CFACT, Apr 27, 2026
Link to website: Wyoming Golden Eagle Working Group
The Wyoming Golden Eagle Working Group (WY-GOEA-WG) is a collaboration of wildlife scientists and managers interested in the biology and conservation of Golden Eagles in Wyoming, USA
By Staff, Accessed Apr 30, 2026
Mission: Facilitate long-term viability of raptor populations in Wyoming by providing a platform for communication, identification of conservation needs, and guidance for plans and assessments; with a current emphasis on Golden Eagles.
From Wojick: They even list their 98 present members on their about page, including a lot of federal officials. What is secret is what these folks do. They have a group listserv and recently held their annual meeting, but both are for members only. They appear to have never issued a report on their activities, a study, or even a press release. No hint as to what all these people talk about. My requests for communication were all refused.
[SEPP Comment: The annual timber harvest in Oregon and Washington collapsed in the 1990s on the false claim that Northen Spotted Owls needed thousands of acres of old growth forests, yet the actual threat were the invasive Barred Owls. Now, we have “save the species” organizations meeting in secret to kill protected Golden Eagles?]
BOEM Offshore Wind Approvals: Radar Risks Identified, Not Resolved
By Lisa Linowes, Master Resource, Apr 29, 2026
While the U.S. has accelerated deployment, other global powers reached a starkly different conclusion: governments have prioritized national security considerations in evaluating offshore wind development.
From our closest European allies to our strategic competitors, the consensus is the same. In November 2024, Sweden flatly rejected 13 offshore wind projects, warning that turbines would slash missile detection times from two minutes to a mere 60 seconds. Finland has blocked over 200 projects for similar reasons, and the United Kingdom is spending £1.5 billion to replace its entire radar network. Even China has restricted development in the Fujian province to protect its military surveillance opposite Taiwan.
The common thread is clear: radar interference is not a minor glitch; it is a system-level vulnerability.
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Storage
Appalachia Lithium Cache Could Power U.S. for Centuries
The newly published lithium resource numbers are estimates, and much more work needs to be done to take advantage of our current mineral capacity.
By Leslie Eastman, Legal Insurrection, May 1, 2026
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Battery electric RUBBISH trucks are GARBAGE!
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
Video by MGUY: Heavy electric vehicles are more expensive, have poor range, take longer to charge, and require complex recharging facilities.
Hybrid drivers face pay-per-mile tax hit despite proof they rarely use electric
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Apr 29, 2026
There’s a few things to unpack here, notably:
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates pay-per-mile will bring in £7bn for the Treasury come 2050. That is far below the £24bn currently raised each year from fuel duty.
As I warned when the new tax was announced, it would eventually have to at least tripled if it was to fully replace the revenue lost from fuel duty.
The Government should really just come clean now and announce a timetable of increasing the tax to, say, 10p/mile.
The second issue is that while hybrids are extremely fuel efficient, they still need fuel. That is why new hybrids are being phased out between 2030 and 2035, as they are incompatible with Net Zero.
Carbon Schemes
The Folly of Funding Direct Air Capture
By Jonathan Lesser, Real Clear Energy, April 28, 2026
Link to report: Direct Air Capture: Definition and Company Analysis
By Grant Faber, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, January2025
Last paragraph of Executive Summary of report: Cultivating a diverse global portfolio of DAC technologies may help hedge against the risk of any one approach failing to materialize and provide multiple options that may be better suited to different climatic, environmental, and energetic conditions. Innovations in DAC may also have spillover effects in other fields, just as advances in fields such as materials science or machine learning may instigate advances in DAC. Further research, development, and demonstration support can help provide optionality and realize more benefits from the technology. Regardless of the technical progression of DAC, scaling it will require robust efforts in workforce development, enabling energy and CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, supply chain management, community engagement, and market development.
From Leser: A U.S. DOE report issued at the end of the Biden Administration suggested that the U.S. needs to extract as much as two billion metric tons of CO2 annually. Extracting that with DAC would require almost 60% of today’s total U.S. electricity generation.
California Dreaming
Federal Power Meets California Resistance in Santa Ynez Oil Restart Battle
President Trump issued a Defense Product Act-based executive order to get oil flowing again off the California coast. State judge basically ruled a previous California court injunction against offshore oil drilling superseded that EO.
By Leslie Eastman, Legal Insurrection, Apr 27, 2026
Once again, California finds itself in the familiar position of needing the very energy infrastructure its political leadership keeps trying to shut down, and the contradictions are getting harder to ignore.
California’s Self-Destructive War on Oil
By Edward Ring, California Policy Center, Apr 29, 2026
Link to: Statistical Review of World Energy
The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy™ analyses data on world energy markets from the prior year. Previously produced by bp, the Review has been providing timely, comprehensive and objective data to the energy community since 1952.
By Staff, Energy Institute, with EMBER, 2025
From Ring: California’s state legislature may succeed in destroying its own oil industry, but it won’t change anything in the world. It will only export jobs and raise the cost of living here at home. Here’s a reality check.
[SEPP Comment: Adding to the problem, in the UK, Paul Homewood has demonstrated that EMBER develops its numbers on government policies (hopes) not reality.]
California’s Climate Overreach
California is strangling its own energy base—then blaming oil companies for the predictable fallout of shortages, wildfires, and policies built on ideology instead of economics.
By Edward Ring, American Greatness, Apr 29, 2026 [H/t Bernie Kepshire]
Link to: The Climate Litigation Swindle
A flood of lawsuits utilizing junk science seeks to bankrupt energy companies and undermine the basis of American power.
By Heather Mac Donald, City Journal, Spring 2026
Health, Energy, and Climate
It’s The Cold, Stupid! Cold 20 Times More Lethal Than Heat, Multiple Studies Show
By Pierre Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Apr 26, 2026
Link to press release: Cold weather linked to 40,000 extra heart deaths each year in the U.S.
Cold snaps may be one of the biggest hidden killers of the heart.
By American College of Cardiology, Mar 25, 2026
Link to paper: Cardiovascular disease mortality attributable to monthly non-optimal temperature in the United States: a county-level analysis
By Pedro Rafael Vieira de Oliveira Salerno, American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Mar 24, 2026
Other News that May Be of Interest
Evolving Fire Frequency in the Western United States and Its Links to Human Influence
By Gavin D. Madakumbura, et al., Earth’s Future, Apr 30, 2026
From plain language summary: Using a comprehensive fire occurrence data set, we find a significant decline in the annual number of wildfires in the western United States over the past three decades. Decreases in human-caused ignitions are most evident in California and Arizona, while human-caused ignitions increased in Wyoming. When examining how the number of human-caused fires relates to population patterns, we find that the relationship varies. In areas with very low population, fires increase as population increases.
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE
Dam the Bering Strait? – When Climate Panic Meets Geoengineering Fantasy
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Apr 28, 2026
Let’s be clear about what is being proposed here: the physical closure of the Bering Strait—an ~80 km-wide ocean gateway between Alaska and Russia—using a series of dams, in order to manipulate large-scale ocean circulation and “stabilize” the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
Claim: Only Conservatives who Don’t Like Liberals Oppose Climate Action
By Eric Worrall, WUWT, Apr 29, 2026
Link to first article: Climate policy isn’t partisan — research suggests more on the right support it than oppose it
By Emily Huddart Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia & Tony Silva Associate Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia, The Conversation, Apr 28, 2026
[SEPP Comment: The professors of Sociology apparently do not know that in physical science, physical evidence is the final and ultimate judge. So much for “Academic Rigor” in “The Conversation.”]
ARTICLES
1. The Climate Lobby and the Courts
Congress is investigating the plaintiff bar’s campaign to influence federal judges.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ, April 28, 2026
TWTW Summary: The editorial begins with:
The recent scandal over the Federal Judicial Center’s (FJC) scientific manual for federal judges exposed how the purportedly neutral document was captured by climate-change dogmatists with connections to the plaintiffs bar. That conflict of interest is now coming under scrutiny from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.
On Tuesday, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the panel’s subcommittee on courts, sent letters to Vic Sher at the environmental plaintiffs firm Sher Edling, Michael Burger at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, and Environmental Law Institute President Jordan Diamond.
The Judiciary Committee is ‘investigating allegations of improper attempts by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and its Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) to influence federal judges,’ the letter to Mr. Sher says. While the ELI says CJP doesn’t ‘participate in litigation,’ the Congressmen say there is evidence that ‘raises questions’ on whether ELI or CJP have been coordinating with Sher Edling ‘on climate related litigation, lectures for judges or other activities aimed at predisposing judges to side with plaintiffs in climate-related cases.’
After discussing some details, the editorial concludes with:
“Few judges are climate experts, so they will tend to rely on scientists for guidance. It seems clear Sher Edling was attempting to hide biased research behind the Federal Judicial Center’s reputation for neutrality. The goal is to tilt judges in support of dubious climate suits that could yield jackpot jury verdicts.
Great for Sher Edling and the climate lobby. Bad for the country and rule of law. Let’s see what the House uncovers.”
**************
2. New York Demands a Climate Sacrifice
Albany Democrats admit that imposing financial pain is what they intended with mandates.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ, April 30, 2026
TWTW Summary: The editorial begins with:
“Gov. Kathy Hochul wants her Democratic Legislature to delay implementing New York’s far-reaching climate mandates because they’ll raise energy costs. The Democratic response: That is the point of the mandates so we’re not going to change them.
That’s more or less what Albany Democrats argue in a new friend-of-court brief that backs a lawsuit that seeks to compel Ms. Hochul to enforce the state’s 2019 climate law. That law requires the state to develop such policies as a cap-and-tax program to reduce its CO2 emissions 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
The ‘Legislature knowingly enacted a statute that would require large-scale economic transformation, including substantial and uncertain costs,’ the Democrats write. The law ‘directly acknowledges that the transition to a clean energy economy may impose costs and affect certain sectors more than others,’ including job displacement in fossil fuels.”
After discussing that the Governor stated that the legislation will impose high costs to the public, the editorial concludes with”
“The Democrats say they dismissed such concerns because, well, climate change. One Democratic Senator in 2019 proclaimed that even if the law’s mandates bring ‘hard times,’ ‘if we haven’t saved our planet, the rest is moot.’ So please bow to the ‘transformation’ that your political betters demand.
The reality is that any CO2 reductions New Yorkers make will have zero effect on global temperatures. China and India will more than make up the difference, which makes the purpose of the sacrifices moot. Then again, for today’s left, the pain and the ability to run the economy are the point.”
**************
3. What Happens When Europeans Find Out How Poor They Are?
The Continent trails far behind U.S. economic output. Politics is bound to catch up sooner or later.
By Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, April 30, 2026
Link to: GDP per capita, current prices: U.S. dollars per capita
By Staff, International Monetary Fund, 2026
