The progress of the COVID-19 epidemic in Sweden: an analysis

Reposted from Dr. Judith Curry’s Climate Etc. Posted on June 28, 2020 by niclewis | By Nic Lewis The course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden is of great interest, as it is one of very few advanced nations where no lockdown order that heavily restricted people’s movements and other basic freedoms was imposed. As…

When does government intervention make sense for COVID-19?

Reposted from Dr. Judith Curry’s Climate Etc. Posted on May 29, 2020 by niclewis By Nic Lewis Introduction I showed in my last article that inhomogeneity within a population in the susceptibility and infectivity of individuals would reduce the herd immunity threshold, in my view probably very substantially, and that evidence from Stockholm County appeared…

The Global CO2 lockdown problem

Guest post by Geoff Sherrington The global problem. In response to the threat of a global viral epidemic, countries announced lockdowns at various times near 25th March 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_lockdowns This caused a reduction of industrial activity and hence a lower rate of emission of anthropogenic carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. An example of reduction from…

China Poised To Buy Up Texas Oil Amid #Coronavirus Slump

From The Daily Caller David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief May 16, 2020 1:12 PM ET With oil prices going through the floor as the United States economy struggles from the coronavirus pandemic, China and other foreign countries could pick up some Texas oil at bargain basement prices. The national lockdown has devastated the energy sector…

COVID-19 lockdowns significantly impacting global air quality

American Geophysical Union WASHINGTON–Levels of two major air pollutants have been drastically reduced since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant – ground-level ozone – has increased in China, according to new research. Two new studies in AGU’s journal Geophysical Research Letters find nitrogen dioxide pollution over northern China, Western…

Parks without Parking, Beaches without Beachcombers

Reposted from The Cliff Mass Weather Blog Original title: Seattle Parks without Parking, Washington Beaches without Beachcombers Tuesday, May 12, 2020 If you want to drive to a major Seattle park, you will not be able to park there. And if you are looking forward to a walk on a Washington State ocean beach, forget…

Lockdown Fail In One Easy Graph

Guest “Excel-lent!” by David Middleton What happens if you crossplot the “lockdown” rating of the Lower 48 states and DC with the COVID-19 infection rate? To the extent there is a correlation, the states with the tightest lockdowns have the highest infection rates. Alaska and Hawaii were the only states ranking in the top 10…

An influenza test for whether lockdowns work

By Chris Gillham As one of the audit team for Jo Nova’s blog, I have been looking at the question of whether lockdowns work and their potential suppression of communicable diseases other than COVID-19. Since the current pandemic only began killing people this year, there is no previous year with which it can be compared.…