Live at 1 PM ET: Paper Straws Suck: SCIENCE! — The Climate Realism Show #223

The Heartland Institute

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The Heartland Institute

It turns out the green scolds’ war on plastic straws really sucked. A new study from South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment found that plastic straws have a smaller environmental footprint than plastic straws, and paper straws produce more than six times the carcinogens. Oops!

On Episode #223 of The Climate Realism Show, we will cover that bit of Crazy Climate News of the Week, and more. Just in time for Halloween a scary new map by something called The Climate Impact Lab claims more than 373,000 additional people will die between now and March because of this year’s Super El Niño.

We will also talk about the climate and energy angle to the cult-like opposition to the building of AI data centers. And we will preview next month’s COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye where some 100,000 politicians, bureaucrats and activists will work out how to pry trillions more out of the few wealthy nations still willing to pay to the United Nations’ host of grifters.

Join The Heartland Institute’s Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely and CFACT president Craig Rucker for another weekly 90-minute dose of fun and spirited discussion on Friday, October 30 at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook. Participate in the show by leaving your comments and questions in the live chat.

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13 Comments
F. Leghorn
October 30, 2026 10:11 am

Should I accept this new study? The old study turned out to be made up nonsense. I’m having trouble knowing which ‘SCIENCE” to believe anymore.

jshotsky
October 30, 2026 10:16 am

I have plastic straws that I have been using over 10 years. Turns out they are perfectly suited to go through the dishwasher…

October 30, 2026 10:21 am

Paper vs plastic straws is a classic tempest in a teapot.

October 30, 2026 11:38 am

Those of us who grew up with paper straws could have told the “scientists” this was likely to be the case. Especially for anyone under the age of about 15 who usually managed to get through multiple straws per drink.

October 30, 2026 11:57 am

“Participate in the show by leaving your comments….”
Would love to but, ya know, I’m banned from those sites.

Here will have to do.

*RGHE theory requires Earth’s atmosphere to “back” radiate (violates LoT 2) “extra” energy (TFK_bams09 396) from an ideal 16 C black body surface (TFK_bams09 page 315 box).

As demonstrated by experiment, the gold standard of classical science, kinetic heat transfer processes of the contiguous atmospheric molecules render that black body scenario implausible.

For the experimental write up see https://principia-scientific.org/debunking-the-greenhouse-gas-theory-with-a-boiling-water-pot/ &/or Search: Bruges group “boiling water pot Schroeder”*

RGHE = bogus & CAGW = scam. (This, I think is what gets me clipped.)

Sparta Nova 4
Reply to  Nicholas Schroeder
October 30, 2026 12:36 pm

It is more likely the repetition and use of accounting terminology is a primary cause.
Another possible cause is posting these multiple times on articles unrelated to atmospheric phenomena, weather, etc.

That said, this write up is much more elegant and concise.

Thermal management of components uses T^4 calculations. Materials Sciences have determined the validity. But, one must combine EM with thermal. At a given temperature a surface emits EM but at a lower level that T^4 calculates due to thermal energy removed via conduction (e.g., heat sinks) (and for the earth, convection, conduction, and latent heat). The components I analyze operate in vacuum conditions (<< 1% atmospheric pressure).

From this experience, I can confirm your experimental results, structurally.

Now for the disagreement. EM is not thermal and is not part of the Laws of Thermodynamics, regardless of how many pseudo-science sites/organizations are promoting it.

There are no greenhouse gasses nor is there a greenhouse effect. The earth is an open system and those expressions only apply to closed systems. Yes, the terms are commonly and socially used, but those definitions are not concise scientific definitions.

Yes, climate collapse (or whichever spin is in vogue today) is fake and actions on addressing such a non-issue are tantamount to a scam. Given climate is more than temperature reinforces the conclusion that climate actions taken based on temperature alone are scams.

It is also true that what is being claimed violates systems engineering, specifically control theory.

Reply to  Sparta Nova 4
October 30, 2026 1:16 pm

About 80% of the earth’s climate is water, ice, snow, rock and sand. What is the green crowd “climate action plan” for the Pacific ocean. the Rocky mountains, or the Sahara desert?

Reply to  Sparta Nova 4
October 30, 2026 1:43 pm

The GHE is the bedrock of it all.
When it fails it all fails.

Reply to  Sparta Nova 4
October 31, 2026 7:52 am

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emissivity
emissivity
noun
emis·​siv·​i·​ty ˌe-mə-ˈsi-və-tē 
ˌē-ˌmi-ˈsi-
plural emissivities
1: the relative power of a surface to emit heat by radiation
2: the ratio of the radiant energy emitted by a surface to that emitted by a blackbody at the same temperature

Emissivity 1: The energy leaving a system by radiation relative to all the energy leaving. For example, TFK_bams09 63/160=0.39. These number are real and useful for real applications.

Emissivity 2: The energy leaving a system compared to theoretical & imaginary energy that would leave a system as a black body at temperature. For example, TFK_bams09 at 16 C 63/396=0.16. This emissivity is needed to correct IR instruments that are calibrated assuming the target is a BB. IR instruments do not measure power flux directly but are calibrated to present a relative, referenced, comparative temperature and power flux is then calculated assuming emissivity. If the target is not BB operators are advised to apply black paint or tape or a known emissivity. The theoretical 396 is imaginary as are its daughters 333 BB & 63 duplicate.

And RGHE house-of-cards fails as does all the CAGW nonsense stacked on top.

Jack Pasha
October 30, 2026 12:43 pm

Typo in your 1st paragraph, it says plastic straws have a smaller environmental footprint than plastic straws

Reply to  Jack Pasha
October 30, 2026 1:31 pm

Needs correcting.

Rational Keith
October 30, 2026 5:33 pm

“found that plastic straws have a smaller environmental footprint than plastic straws” does not make sense.
Isn’t the article comparing plastic to paper?

Reply to  Rational Keith
October 31, 2026 2:01 pm

The whole banning of plastic straws was based on circular reasoning so … 😎