Archives - January 2008 Thimerosal-autism
link takes another hit… - Babies excrete vaccine-mercury quicker than originally thought Controversial
preservative doesn’t have time to build up in babies’ bodies February’s issue of Pediatrics offers another reason to rethink blaming the spike in autism diagnoses on
thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative routinely used in several childhood vaccines until the late ‘90s. Super Bowl
banned for 'causing' heart attacks? - Just imagine, New York Giants and New England Patriots fans might
have to find something else to do this Sunday. TV diet doctor
spreading the ‘gospel of healthy living’ - Let’s face it. There are a zillion ways to make money
selling a diet book. All anyone needs is a gimmick to cut calories, then write how easy your plan is to follow and
that everyone is guaranteed to lose weight. Promise they’ll never need to diet again. Be sure to warn about the
dangers of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, then vow that your diet will save them and lead to a healthier,
happier and longer life, prevent cancer, promote regularity or even give them youthful complexions. Give
impressive explanations that make your plan sound like it’s based on science (no evidence is required as
you’ll need only a few anecdotes and inspiring photos). Being able to say you’re a doctor or professor is
certain to make people believe you know what you’re talking about. Finally, get endorsements from celebrities or
high-profile television shows as they’ll guarantee your diet book will be a best seller. :) EU health chief
angers industry over labelling - BRUSSELS - The European Union's health chief overcame intense industry
pressure on Wednesday to propose stricter food labelling rules that aim to halt Europe's rising levels of obesity. A
Significant Warm Bias With The Diagnosis Of A Global Average Surface Temperature Anomaly To Diagnose Global
Warming - Part II From Our JGR Paper - Part I of this series of weblogs (see), discussed the serious
limited value of the use of a global average surface temperature anomaly to diagnose the global radiative
imbalance (i.e., global climate heat system changes). In Part II, we discuss another serious issue that we raised
in our paper Pielke Sr., R.A., C. Davey, D. Niyogi, S. Fall, J. Steinweg-Woods, K. Hubbard, X. Lin, M. Cai, Y.-K.
Lim, H. Li, J. Nielsen-Gammon, K. Gallo, R. Hale, R. Mahmood, S. Foster, R.T. McNider, and P. Blanken, 2007:
Unresolved issues with the assessment of multi-decadal global land surface temperature trends. J. Geophys. Res.,
112, D24S08, doi:10.1029/2006JD008229. PlayStation®
alert! Study Shows Hurricane Impact of Warmer Atlantic - LONDON - British researchers say they have shown
that a half-degree Celsius temperature rise in the Atlantic ocean can fuel a 40 percent increase in hurricanes. U.S researchers, however, last week challenged this view, saying global warming could reduce the number of
hurricanes hitting the United States with warmer waters resulting in atmospheric instabilities that prevent storms
from forming. (Reuters) UA prof challenges one of central beliefs about global
warming - New information is leading to a controversial shift in thinking on the impact of global warming
on ocean circulation, partly due to the work of a UA researcher. Witanagemot
Justice And Senator Inhofe’s Fancy List - Anyone interested in the intersection of science and politics
has to be watching with some amusement and more than a little dismay at the spectacle of professional immolation
that the climate science community has engaged in following the release of Senator James Inhofe’s list of 400+
climate skeptics. The amusement comes from the fact that everyone involved in this tempest in a teapot seems to be working as
hard as possible in ways contrary to their political interests. (Prometheus) Not sure I agree with Roger Junior’s conclusions here. For one thing the Senator’s list might encourage
skeptics to speak out because their voices will not be alone and they can take courage from company in expressing
doubts over positions espoused by government-imposed authority (the IPCC acronym stands for Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change after all). Offering comfort and encouragement to those wishing to raise legitimate doubts but concerned about appearing a
lone dissenter is surely to be encouraged rather than disparaged. If it discouraged young researchers speaking out
for fear of being listed as skeptical then that would say much about the established authority and none of it
complimentary. Scientists worried about appearing skeptical should perhaps familiarize themselves with Thomas Henry Huxley
(1825-1895). Moreover, the maintainer of the list, Marc Morano (who probably has a fancy title like "Communications
Director" or something but I don’t just recall what it might be), has a public
e-mail address and anyone concerned about finding themselves on said list could simply ask to be removed with
a stub stating they were wrongly included and that it did not reflect their position, so "Steve Rayner
asked if there was some way to sue the Senator for defamation, tongue only partly in cheek" is a pretty
silly and heavily loaded response. On the whole I’d say anything which encourages skepticism is to be applauded and so publication of a list
challenging the oft-touted "consensus" is a good thing. Can’t think of anything nice to say about
"climate science attack dogs" though… What the
Future Holds in Store - The American Geophysical Union (AGU) recently released its new and improved
“position statement” on global warming. Andy Revkin of the New York Times featured the AGU’s release on this
DotEarth blog site and asked AGU members to chime in on their opinions of the statement that was developed by the
AGU’s ruling Council. While there were definitely members who expressed dismay at the position statement, a
majority of commentors gave it their hearty endorsement. Apparently, most of the endorsers have not given a very
in depth consideration of all that is contained in the AGU’s statement, for otherwise, (we would hope anyway)
that they would have been a bit more reserved. U.S.
Senate Report Debunks Polar Bear Extinction Fears - The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is
considering listing the polar bear a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. This report details the
scientists debunking polar bear endangerment fears and features a sampling of the latest peer-reviewed science
detailing the natural causes of recent Arctic ice changes. UN:
Climate Change May Cost $20 Trillion - UNITED NATIONS - Global warming could cost the world up to $20
trillion over two decades for cleaner energy sources and do the most harm to people who can least afford to adapt,
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in a new report. Troops Help Stranded Chinese as
Snow Kills 50 - BEIJING - Troops fanned out across large swathes of China hit by snow storms that
have killed about 50 people as Premier Wen Jiabao apologised to stranded railway passengers ahead of the biggest
holiday of the year. Big firms lack climate
change plans - LESS than 3 per cent of major Australian firms have implemented a climate change plan even
though the Federal Government intends to bring in new carbon emission laws by 2010, a survey shows. Landlords
oppose EU bid to ban patio heaters - Patio heaters, which have mushroomed in pub gardens since the smoking
ban was introduced last year, were at the centre of a battle between British landlords and the EU last night as
Euro MPs were expected to vote for energy-saving proposals seeking their abolition. Patio
heaters ‘don’t harm the planet’ but the EU still wants them banned - Patio heaters have a minimal
effect on the environment, an expert said yesterday. Dr Eric Johnson spoke out as Euro MPs were about to demand that outdoor heaters be banned to tackle climate
change. Europe’s
Green wars begin - WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 — It is ironic that Europe, which likes to think of itself as the
center of environmental correctness and the green revolution, should now be the scene of a sharp political
struggle over its ambitious emissions targets. Indeed, few EU proposals have aroused quite such a chorus of
complaint and derision. EU
carbon trading scheme to wipe out paper industry profits - Paper companies have warned that the rising
cost of raw materials and the introduction of an EU CO2 carbon emission trading scheme will raise prices and kill
off profits. Peat bogs
pelted with heather to slow CO2 emissions - Bales of heather fell from the sky onto a peat plateau in the
Peak District yesterday, in the latest attempt to halt what scientists believe is a dangerous emitter of carbon
dioxide. Claimants Tiptoe Around
Lucrative Antarctic Rights - TROLL STATION, Antarctica - Nations claiming parts of Antarctica are quietly
staking out rights to the seabed, in stark contrast to the North Pole where Russia ostentatiously planted a flag
to back its claim. Emissions
trading - European power is a great business. Like producers everywhere, Europe’s utilities are shielded
from international competition by the need to produce electricity near their customers. Many get extra protection
from authorities’ foot-dragging on structural reform. And, since 2005, most have enjoyed an additional fillip.
Under the European Emissions Trading Scheme, customers have paid for the permits the utilities require to produce
carbon, despite the fact that, so far, the companies have received them for free. Between now and 2013 the number
of permits granted will fall, and the proportion of free permits will be reduced to two-thirds. But Centrica, the
UK’s biggest residential energy supplier, estimates the windfall from free permits will still be worth €110bn
for the European utilities. Finnish Nuclear Revival Not
Seen in Other Nordics - HELSINKI - Finland is pressing ahead with a new atomic power station and Swedes
have abandoned some of their deep-seated opposition to nuclear energy but other Scandinavian countries are
unlikely to resort to it. (Reuters) Britain Must Stand Firm on
Nuclear Power - E.ON - LONDON - The British government must remain resolute in its backing for a new fleet
of nuclear power stations despite the likelihood of a fresh legal challenge, the head of power giant E.ON UK said
on Wednesday. Wildlife disaster
as uncropped land is ploughed - Half the uncropped land in the country has been ploughed up this year, in
what conservationists have warned could be one of the worst disasters for wildlife for 40 years. DEVELOPMENT: Unexpected Benefits of Lesotho
Highlands Water Project - JOHANNESBURG, Jan 30 - The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) was conceived
and built primarily to supplement the water supply of the industrial hub of South Africa. The additional water has
however, provided an important benefit beyond the original aims of the project -- it is reducing the salinity of
the Vaal Dam reservoir. China's Crops Badly Damaged by
Icy Storms - Agmin - BEIJING - China's Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday that the unusually
harsh winter had dealt a serious blow to the country's wheat and vegetable crops and warned that damage could rise
because of persistent cold. (Reuters) Top
scientist scorns 'tastier' organic foods - A LEADING scientist has described claims that organic foods are
more nutritious and taste better as "fiction". Farmers May Have Golden Rice by
2011 - IRRI - HONG KONG - Genetically modified (GMO) Golden Rice may be available to farmers as early as
2011, possibly helping to save millions of children threatened with blindness or premature death due to Vitamin A
deficiency. US Seeks to Retaliate Against
EU in GMO Case - GENEVA - The United States underlined on Wednesday its right to retaliate against the
European Union in a row over an EU ban on biotech crops. January 30, 2008
Prison study to investigate link between diet and
behavior - Trials will soon be underway in three UK prisons to investigate the link between nutrition and
behaviour. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the study will look at which nutrients are most important and at what
dosage. Microbes
as climate engineers - Humans are continually altering the atmosphere. “Arrogant organisms that we are,
it is easy to view this as something entirely novel in Earth’s history,” says Dr Dave Reay from the University
of Edinburgh. “In truth of course, micro-organisms have been at it for billions of years.” Schelling’s
shilling: Face up to climate change - Talk about non-sequiteurs! “If we know that the earth is warming,
but are uncertain about how fast and with what effects on climates worldwide, what are the most urgent steps that
we should take to address it?” Firstly, nothing says we need address warming at all. Certainly there is no
indication urgent steps are required or that we could do anything even if we did decide there was need and value
in so doing. The one thing we do actually need to do is reduce people’s vulnerability to weather events
(whatever their cause) and we can do that with development and wealth generation (probably the only way we can do
so). The not-inconsiderable collateral benefit of this course is that people’s lives and living standards are
improved whether the climate becomes more hostile than usual or not. Setting
Up a Scapegoat - As with the global-warming advocate who explains each weather event — hot or cold, wet
or dry — as proof of his creed, there’s nothing like starting one’s day off having your beliefs or
assumptions affirmed. So when I picked up today’s Washington Post, I was confident that the lead
editorial would feature angst over the lack of global-warming specifics in last night’s SOTU speech. But the greatest disappointment of the night was [Bush’s] failure to commit to working with Congress on
legislation to create a mandatory carbon emissions reduction system in the United States — without which no
international accord will be possible. So the U.S. must unilaterally mandate carbon emissions in advance of international accords in which we’ll ask
other nations to join us in mutually mandating carbon emissions? Which is to say: Handing over our main bargaining
chip improves our bargaining position, because without that anticipatory capitulation there could be no
pact? Thank goodness WaPo editorial writers aren’t negotiating U.S. treaties. Some
fear super-cheap car’s environmental cost - Anything that gives IPCC chief misanthropist Rajendra
Pachauri nightmares simply must be a good thing. To do so while improving the lives of people in the developing
world elevates it to great. Bear in mind that Pachauri happily flies 10,000 mile round trips from conferences and
gabfests — to play social cricket matches! Does anyone who clocks up such frivolous mileage to play games have a
right to whine about families traveling in a small car? How
not to measure temperature, part 50. How to make a rural station “urban” - One of the things that
happens when your work becomes well known is that people send you things to look at. Such is the case for
today’s subject. Here we have a NOAA COOP station which is on the side of a mountain, well away from large
cities. Only problem is, they put it right next to a parking lot. (Watts Up with That?) Aha!
We knew the cold would be a sign of global warming! - No, you didn’t misread that. They said that the
most severe winter in 50 years, coming on the heels of one of the warmest [read: mildest] winters on record last
year, are both due to ‘rising global temperatures’ (which are currently not rising, so far as anyone can tell
— but never mind that). And some people take this crap seriously? Important New Research
Paper Published - Reconstructed Historical Land Cover And Biophysical Parameters For Studies Of Land-Atmosphere
Interactions Within The Eastern United States” - An important new research paper has appeared which
documents how dynamic human land management has been in altering the landscape component of the climate system.
This seminal paper is Steyaert, L.T., and R.G. Knox, 2008: Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical
parameters for studies of land-atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States, J. Geophys. Res., 113,
D02101, doi:10.1029/2006JD008277. (Climate Science) US
Climate Talks Must Focus on Emissions Curbs - UN - OSLO - US-hosted climate talks in Hawaii this week need
to focus more on agreeing curbs to greenhouse gas emissions by major polluters, the UN’s top climate change
official said on Tuesday. The debate on limiting greenhouse gas emissions, which come mainly from burning fossil fuels, needed "to
move into a higher gear" if the talks were to produce a plan this year, the United Nations’ Yvo de Boer
said of the Jan. 30-31 meeting in Honolulu. Relax greenhouse cuts, Rudd
told - THE Rudd Government will have to abandon plans for rigid interim targets for greenhouse gas cuts to
allow its emissions-trading scheme to work properly, a senior economist has said. From CO2 Science
this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Flirting with Solar Causes of
Climate Change: How can solar irradiance changes that are so small create terrestrial climate changes that are
so large? The Urban CO2
Dome and Heat Island of Baltimore (USA): Do the two conjoined phenomena represent a microcosm of what the
entire world can expect in the future? Growth Rates of Siberian
Spruce and Scots Pines in Northwest Russia: How did their growth rates change between the two 50-year periods
1900-1949 and 1950-2000? Earth's Peatlands in a CO2-Enriched
World of the Future: How will they differ from those of today? Temperature
Record of the Week: Conference Announcement: When
reality bites: Oil sands curbs could cost Ontario jobs - Vancouver–A defiant Alberta premier warned that
Canada’s economy, already on the verge of a slowdown, will be further hurt if his province is forced to move
quicker on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Another
surprise: Britain May Have to Dump Carbon Cutting Targets - LONDON - Britain may have to dump its carbon
cutting targets or risk power cuts due to the retirement in the near future of old coal and nuclear plants,
according to energy consultancy Inenco. CBI director says emissions
target unrealistic and not cost-effective - The head of Britain's business lobby said yesterday that there
was no chance of Britain or Europe meeting the cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by the deadline set by Brussels
last week. Nuclear
clean-up bill £12bn higher than predicted - Funny how they neglect to mention the major reason costs are
so high is ridiculous ’safety’ levels to placate a population terrorized by the very ‘environmental
campaigners’ who now claim these costs are indicative of a prohibitively expensive power source. Not climate change? How novel: New
threat to Lake Victoria? - Two hydroelectricity dams appear to be threatening the health of Lake Victoria
– and of the people living along its shores who depend on the lake for food. A new study¹ suggests that the
dams’ systematic overuse of water has decreased the lake level by at least two meters between 2000 and 2006 –
and that this drop was not influenced by weather. The study by Yustina Kiwango of Tanzania National Parks and Eric
Wolanski of James Cook University in Australia was published online this week in the Springer journal Wetlands
Ecology and Management. (Springer) E.coli a future source of energy? - For most
people, the name “E. coli” is synonymous with food poisoning and product recalls, but a professor in Texas
A&M University’s chemical engineering department envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy,
helping to power our cars, homes and more. California
Asks EPA to Regulate Machine Emissions - LOS ANGELES - California officials Monday called on the US
Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from industrial machines that they say emit
as much carbon dioxide as 40 million cars. (Reuters) A
load of hot air? - Green and vegan claims that meat is a climate crime are based on a UN statistic that
could lead to more industrialised farming Humans Join Hunt for
Antarctica's "Pink Gold" - TROLL STATION, Antarctica - They only grow up to 6 cm (2.4 inches)
yet are perhaps the most abundant creatures on the planet in terms of weight. Snow petrels nesting in Antarctica
fly for up to eight hours to catch a meal of them. USTR Schwab urges EU to hasten
biotech approvals - WASHINGTON - U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab on Tuesday pledged to watch for
proof that the European Union is accelerating approval of new biotech products and ending a delay that has been
costly to U.S. exporters. January 29, 2008
Children hungry to
lose weight - A diet program to reduce childhood obesity among school children in Scotland was given an
interesting name: Hungry for Success. According to NHS Health Scotland, the program has been a “substantial”
success ... except it failed to work. (Junkfood Science) U.S.
dietary guides criticized for potential harm - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some researchers are
questioning whether national guidelines advising Americans to eat a low-fat diet have had the unintended
consequence of feeding the current obesity epidemic. The federal government has issued official dietary guidelines every five years since the late 1970s. In 1990, a
recommendation was added that people should get less than 30 percent of their daily calories from fat. In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York
argue that the guidelines — particularly those on fat — may have done more harm than good. Deadly? Oh boy... In
San Francisco, Deadly High Fructose Corn Syrup May Soon be Banned - Following New York’s prohibition of
trans fats, San Francisco is pushing its own food ban. This one might cut even closer to the bone of processed
food. Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to curtail sugary drinks in the city by making those who sell it pay a significant
fee. He's particularly concerned about high fructose corn syrup, which a lot of authorities believe is even worse
than old-fashioned sugar. EU
health chief uses food labels to fight obesity - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s health chief
wants to introduce tougher food labeling rules to combat the growing problem of obesity across Europe, but is
facing stiff political and industrial opposition. Moonbat,
still wrong: Population growth is a threat. But it pales against the greed of the rich - I cannot avoid
the subject any longer. Almost every day I receive a clutch of emails about it, asking the same question. A
frightening new report has just pushed it up the political agenda: for the first time the World Food Programme is
struggling to find the supplies it needs for emergency famine relief. So why, like most environmentalists, won’t
I mention the p-word? According to its most vociferous proponents (Paul and Anne Ehrlich), population is "our
number one environmental problem". But most greens will not discuss it. El
Nino at play as source of more intense regional US wintertime storms - The next time you have to raise
your umbrella against torrents of cold winter rain, you may have a remote weather phenomenon to thank that many
may know by name as El Nino, but may not well understand. Researchers now believe that some of the most intense winter storm activity over parts of the United States may
be set in motion from changes in the surface waters of far-flung parts of the Pacific Ocean. Siegfried Schubert of
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and his colleagues studied the impact that El Niño-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) events have on the most intense U.S. winter storms. Volcanic eruptions caused Little Ice Age? Baffin
Island ice caps shrink by 50 percent since 1950s, says CU-Boulder study - A new University of Colorado at
Boulder study has shown that ice caps on the northern plateau of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic have shrunk
by more than 50 percent in the last half century as a result of warming, and are expected to disappear by the
middle of the century. Radiocarbon dating of dead plant material emerging from beneath the receding ice margins show the Baffin Island
ice caps are now smaller in area than at any time in at least the last 1,600 years, said geological sciences
Professor Gifford Miller of CU-Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. "Even with no additional
warming, our study indicates these ice caps will be gone in 50 years or less," he said. The study also showed two distinct bursts of Baffin Island ice-cap growth commencing about 1280 A.D. and 1450
A.D., each coinciding with ice-core records of increases in stratospheric aerosols tied to major tropical volcanic
eruptions, Miller said. The unexpected findings "provide tantalizing evidence that the eruptions were the
trigger for the Little Ice Age," a period of Northern Hemisphere cooling that lasted from roughly 1250 to
1850, he said. Inevitably: Groups sue for
files on polar bears, lease sale - Conservation groups today sued the federal agency responsible for the
upcoming offshore petroleum lease sale in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast, claiming the government
has not disclosed documents that could show harmful effects to polar bears and other marine mammals. More
of the harm done by “global warming” hysteria - The Preservation Predicament Conservation organizations that work to preserve biologically rich landscapes are confronting a painful
realization: In an era of climate change, many of their efforts may be insufficient or beside the point. Some scientists say efforts to re-establish or maintain salmon runs in Pacific Northwest streams will be of
limited long-term benefit to the fish if warming makes the streams inhospitable. Others worry about efforts to
restore the fresh water flow of the Everglades, given that much of it will be under water as sea level rises. Some
geologists say it may be advisable to abandon efforts to preserve some fragile coastal barrier islands and focus
instead on allowing coastal marshes to migrate inland, as sea level rises. (Cornelia
Dean, New York Times) All these well-meaning (if misguided) wannabe critter-savers are being discouraged or are misdirecting their
efforts because no one has explained the difference between reality and PlayStation® climatology. We do not know
and probably never will know what the climate will be in 30 years time. All we really know is that there is an
equal chance next year will be either warmer or cooler. We have no evidence of accelerating sea level rise. We
have no knowledge of impending disaster or temperature-related catastrophe. What a waste of everyone’s time and
effort. Spencer
Part2: More CO2 Peculiarities - The C13/C12 Isotope Ratio - NOTE: This post is the second in the series
from Dr. Roy Spencer of the National Space Science and Technology Center at University of Alabama, Huntsville. The
first, made last Friday, was called Atmospheric CO2 Increases: Could the Ocean, Rather Than Mankind, Be the
Reason? Will
Nuclear and Biotech Save Us From Global Warming? - Nuclear power and genetically engineered rice are set
to help rescue the world from global warming. This isn’t really what anti-tech activists had in mind when they
launched the campaign against fossil fuels, hoping to restrict our current lifestyles.
'Global warming' is alarmism
- Like most liberal organs in this country, the Seattle P-I invariably comes out on the side of global warming
being the direct result of irresponsible behavior by people. Economists
Help Climate Scientists To Improve Global Warming Forecasts That’s fair enough, "On the one hand it could get warmer, on the other hand it could get cooler" is
about as accurate as GCMs are ever likely to predict future climate states in a complex, coupled,
non-linear chaotic system. Economists are the perfect role models Dozey
blighters… Media consign global warming to back burner - Climate change may be a top issue in the minds
of California voters, but so far it’s played only a cameo role in this year’s presidential race. The League of Conservation Voters has been tracking the number of questions asked of the presidential
candidates on the Sunday news shows and the debates televised by the major networks. Of the more than 2,900
questions asked, only four have mentioned the words "global warming." "It’s stunning," said David Sandretti, the League of Conservation Voters’ chief spokesman. But it’s not the candidates’ fault. Many of the top contenders have been promoting their plans to battle
climate change on the campaign trail. It’s the leading TV journalists - like NBC’s Tim Russert or ABC’s
George Stephanopoulos or CNN’s Wolf Blitzer - who have relegated it to a second-tier issue. (SF
Chronicle) Of course the media have shelved gorebull warming — it’s winter and northern hemisphere snows are above
average for this time of year. Global warming alarmism is basically a summer sport, resurrected in winter only in
cases of seemingly anomalous warm spells or perhaps the 50% of times snow levels are below a periodic mean.
It’ll be back when the weather warms. Australia's
Climate Change Rainfall Non-Crisis - We've been told over and over again how global warming will result in
a decrease of rainfall over Australia. Here
we go again: Contaminated floodwater threatens reef - No, the Great Barrier Reef is not at risk from
floodwaters (a few shallow water, inner shoals within the lagoon tend to get smothered by silt every time we get
good rains, have been doing so for millennia but will wash clear again soon). The GBR is a huge complex, covers
many, many degrees of water temperatures, depths, salinity, clarity etc., not to mention some 25° latitude south
from the equator and actually requires these floods every few years for nutrient flows. There is zero risk here
which even the few amateurs who make up the fancifully named “Queensland Conservation Council” should be able
to find out. Lord only knows why the AAP found it necessary to regurgitate this pap. CLIMATE
CHANGE RE-EXAMINED - AGW DISPROVED - Claimed human-caused warming of the Earth to dangerous and
unprecedented levels by human-related emissions of carbon dioxide is contradicted by a non-correlation of CO2
levels with warming. (Climate Science NZ) Still
running the carbon dioxide=pollution nonsense - World’s Big Polluters Meet in Hawaii Over Climate WASHINGTON - The world’s biggest greenhouse gas-polluting countries are sending delegates to Hawaii this week
for a US-hosted meeting aimed at curbing climate change without stalling economic growth. The two-day gathering, which starts on Wednesday in Honolulu, is meant to spur UN negotiations for an
international climate agreement by 2009, so a pact will be ready when the current carbon-capping Kyoto Protocol
expires in 2012. No
need to sell Alberta's climate plan, Stelmach suggests - VANCOUVER — Embattled Alberta Premier Ed
Stelmach walked into a potentially charged meeting of the premiers Monday morning suggesting he does not need to
sell his colleagues on Alberta's plan to tackle global warming. Bordeaux to measure wine's CO2
footprint - BORDEAUX, France — The Bordeaux region, one of France's premier wine growing regions, is
launching an ambitious project to measure the industry's greenhouse gas emissions to bolster its environmental
standards. Europe
Climate Targets Strong Signal to Others - UN - DAVOS, Switzerland - New European targets for cutting
emissions of greenhouse gases are a strong signal to other countries to reduce their carbon output, the UN
environment chief said on Friday. The European Commission’s plan to cut emissions unilaterally by 20 percent by
2020, announced this week, is "quite far-reaching," Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations
Environment Programme, said at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. "I think the signal value of the European decision cannot be underestimated for other parts of the
world," Steiner told Reuters. Um… signaling what, exactly? That European bureaucrats are stupid and should not be emulated under any
circumstance? Warning
against greenhouse targets - THE economist advising the government on climate change has warned against
locking in to strict interim greenhouse-gas reduction targets. Professor Ross Garnaut is examining the economic costs of tackling climate change and is due to deliver his
report to the federal Government in the second half of this year. At December’s international climate talks in Bali, the Rudd government refused to commit Australia to interim
emissions-reduction targets until the Garnaut review was complete. Professor Garnaut said it was more important to achieve an overall greenhouse-gas reduction target longer-term
- for example over 40 years - than to meet short-term targets in particular years. Instead, the market should decide how quickly to cut emissions, he said. (AAP) Global
Warming Prompts Some Lifestyle Changes - LONDON - Britons are starting to change their lifestyles in
response to global warming, but few are making the tough choices and in many cases the motivation is fear of
punishment, according to a new survey. (Reuters) Lifestyle changes huh? They mean changes something like this? Carbon import tax could
provoke trade war - Plans to force importers to pay the same greenhouse gas emission charges as domestic
producers could provoke a trade war of retaliation and litigation, officials and lawyers have warned. Auto
Companies Press States on Calif. Emissions - WASHINGTON - Automakers and their allies have stepped up
lobbying to convince states that a proposal by California to cut tailpipe emissions sharply to fight global
warming could further depress the struggling US industry. US automakers, sandwiched between sliding sales and a softening economy on one side and a new mandate on the
other, are scrambling to respond with more efficient engines and research on alternative fuels. The impact of
December’s energy law alone at GM is US$6,000 per vehicle, the company estimates. EU
Industry Unites to Promote Energy-Saving Lamps - BRUSSELS - Europe’s lamp and electricity producers
joined forces with the retail sector on Monday to encourage consumers to buy more energy-efficient light bulbs and
help the European Union in its fight against climate change. Germany eases GM crops,
angering Greens, Monsanto - Germany - Germany passed legislation making it easier for farmers to sow
genetically altered corn, angering green lobbies and consumer groups while earning a rebuke from Monsanto Co., the
world's largest seed producer, for not going far enough. January 28, 2008
What's
Cholesterol Got to Do With It? - THE idea that cholesterol plays a key role in heart disease is so tightly
woven into modern medical thinking that it is no longer considered open to question. This is the message that
emerged all too clearly from the recent news that the drug Vytorin had fared no better in clinical trials than the
statin therapy it was meant to supplant. The
cholesterol myth has raised its ugly head again so perhaps it’s time to re-feature this review Big
fat lie - As you pound the treadmill in the gym, trying to sweat off the Christmas pudding and wind back
the dial on the bathroom scales, consider this: what if someone told you it was all in vain? What if no amount of
exercise will make you thinner, and everything we’ve been led to believe about exercise, diet and obesity is
wrong? This intriguing possibility has been raised by Gary Taubes, America’s most controversial science writer and
the author of a book called The Diet Delusion: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Loss and
Disease. The book, out this month, tackles what Taubes says are the myths surrounding these issues. Taubes, 51,
believes that, since the obesity epidemic began, back in the late 1970s, scientists have been working with faulty
- or at the very least too little - data. After conducting his own research for 13 years he has some shocking
conclusions: exercise won’t make us thin; carbohydrates are what cause obesity; eating fat doesn’t cause heart
disease. National medical welfare
- This story needs no introduction, but does deserve thoughtful consideration. (Junkfood Science) Reading for thought
- Inspired by George Santayana Isn’t
all this talk of an apocalypse getting a bit boring? - THIS year is the 40th anniversary of Paul
Ehrlich’s influential The Population Bomb, a book that predicted an apocalyptic overpopulation crisis in the
1970s and ’80s. Ehrlich’s book provides a lesson we still haven’t learnt. His prophecy that the starvation of millions of
people in the developed world was imminent was spectacularly wrong — humanity survived without any of the forced
sterilisation that Ehrlich believed was necessary. It’s easy to predict environmental collapse, but it never actually seems to happen. I
am an intellectual blasphemer - When Alexander Cockburn, author of the forthcoming book A Short History of
Fear, dared to question the climate change consensus, he was punished by a tsunami of self-righteous fury. It is
time for a free and open ‘battle of ideas’, he says. Warming
Trend: PDO And Solar Correlate Better Than CO2 - Note: This is my analysis of a new
paper by Joe D’Aleo, I’ve tried to simplify and explain certain terms where possible so that it can
reach the broadest audience of readers. You can read the entire
paper here. Analysis by Anthony Watts, Watts Up With
That? Modeling
the impact of historical land cover change on Australia’s regional climate - There is a very important
new paper that highlights the role of land surface processes, including its human management, as an integral
component of climate variability and change. The paper is McAlpine C. A., J. Syktus, R. C. Deo, P. J. Lawrence, H.
A. McGowan, I. G. Watterson, S. R. Phinn (2007), Modeling the impact of historical land cover change on
Australia’s regional climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22711, doi:10.1029/2007GL031524. (Climate Science) Physicist
questions climate change finding - No evidence in Canadian skies to back U.S. theory of jet condensation
trails, York U. professor says NEW ORLEANS–A York University professor has ignited a controversy by challenging a supposed prime example of
man-made climate change – that jet condensation trails, know as contrails, act like clouds, cooling the Earth
during the day and keeping it warmer at night. Physicist William van Wijngaarden says he found no evidence to support this climate effect in Canadian
temperature records for the contrail-free days immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That contrasts with a 2002 study by U.S. researchers that concluded the temperature spread between day and
night over the lower 48 states increased by 1.5C over long-term averages between Sept. 11 and 14 in 2001, when
commercial air flights were mostly grounded over North America. Double
Whammy Friday: Roy Spencer on how Oceans are Driving CO2 - NOTE: Earlier today I posted a paper from
Joe D’Aleo on how he has found strong correlations between the oceans multidecadal oscillations, PDO and AMO,
and surface temperature, followed by finding no strong correlation between CO2 and surface temperatures. See that
article here: Warming
Trend: PDO And Solar Correlate Better Than CO2 Now within hours of that, Roy Spencer of the National
Space Science and Technology Center at University of Alabama, Huntsville, sends me and others this paper where
he postulates that the ocean may be the main driver of CO2. In the flurry of emails that followed, Joe D’Aleo provided this graph of CO2 variations correlated by El
Nino/La Nina /Volcanic event years which is relevant to the discussion. Additionally for my laymen readers, a
graph of CO2 solubility in water versus temperature is also relevant and both are shown below: Additionally, I’d like to point out that former California State Climatologist Jim Goodridge posted a short
essay on this blog, Atmospheric
Carbon Dioxide Variation, that postulated something similar. So without any editing or commentary, here is Roy Spencer’s essay: (Watts Up with That?) Comment By Chris Colose On Water Vapor Feedback -
There is a posting on the weblog Climate Change An Analysis of Key Questions entitled “How not to discuss the
Water Vapor feedback” by Chris Colose with respect to the Climate Science set of weblogs on the subject Climate
Metric Reality Check #3 - Evidence For A Lack Of Water Vapor Feedback On The Regional Scale. Chris Colose has the
following issues with the Climate Science weblog: (Climate Science) How
not to measure temperature, part 49. Alaska’s COOP Stations - Earlier I wrote up an essay on the NOAA
climate station at Cordova, AK. This station was directly next to the village diesel power plant. That station
also happens to be part of the NASA GISS surface temperature record used for climate research. The problem is the
proximity to nearby human caused heat sources, which may not be accurately adjusted for in the record. Of course
the real issue is that if the stations were properly setup and maintained by NOAA, paying attention to their own
100 foot rule, such potential bias would not be an issue. Today I’d like to show you a few other NOAA climate
stations in Alaska. (Watts Up With That?) NEW
Presentation - 17th Jan on the occasion of Piers Corbyn being awarded the AMEME Hopley Lecture Shieild. -
Piers Corbyn was awarded the AMEME Hopley Lecture Shield for his Presentation on 17th Jan. This prestigious annual award was started by what was then the Association of Mining Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers in 1975. This presentation better than previous explains the lack of role of CO2 - slide 9, 23 and others; points about
what drives Climate Change Policy including oil companies - slide 36; and ‘What to do’ - slide 37. The Polar Bear Express - Global
warming is becoming a new unified field theory for environmentalists, a crisis so urgent and profound that it even
justifies leaping the democratic process. Consider the political campaign to prod the Bush Administration to list
the polar bear as an endangered species -- even though many proponents admit it isn't endangered at all. Political
science: Lacking studies, state still disputes polar bear ‘doom’ - The answer is really simple: the
bears are threatened by PlayStation® climatology, so turn off the PlayStation®s and the bears will be fine. The
darn things certainly survived the Holocene Climatic Optimum, when Arctic regions are thought to have been 3-9 °C
warmer in summer and a recent fossil find suggests they successfully survived the warmer Eemian interglacial
period, too. Oh…
fighting the phantom menace: The Bush Plan for Climate Change - The “Bali Roadmap” is a major
achievement. It was adopted by all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
to guide negotiation of a new, post-2012 climate-change arrangement by 2009. The U.S. is committed to working with
other nations to agree on a global outcome that is environmentally effective and economically sustainable. That is
the only kind of agreement that can win public support. To be environmentally effective, a new approach must involve measurable actions by the world’s largest
producers of greenhouse-gas emissions. Without substantial participation by developing economies, greenhouse-gas
emissions will continue to rise rapidly over the next 50 years even if the U.S. and other developed economies cut
emissions to zero. Meanwhile: Big
business says addressing climate change ‘rates very low on agenda’ - Poll of 500 major firms reveals
that only one in 10 regard global warming as a priority Nearly nine in 10 of them do not rate it as a priority, says the study, which canvassed more than 500 big
businesses in Britain, the US, Germany, Japan, India and China. Nearly twice as many see climate change as
imposing costs on their business as those who believe it presents an opportunity to make money. And the report’s
publishers believe that big business will concentrate even less on climate change as the world economy
deteriorates. Not
the time to be sandbagging the US economy or energy supply: - Move over US — China to be new driver of
world’s economy and innovation A new study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggests China may soon rival the United States as the
principal driver of the world’s economy – a position the U.S. has held since the end of World War II. If that
happens, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals. Sheldon
Richman: Most presidential seekers want energy socialism - One of the great unnoticed curiosities of the
presidential campaign is that even the party that claims devotion to free enterprise is full-out socialist — or,
more precisely, fascist — when it comes to energy policy. Listening to the presidential forum the other night, I
was struck by how anti-free market all but one of the Republican candidates, Ron Paul, are on this matter. Of course, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson, who has since dropped out
of the race, pay lip service to the free market on many issues. However, when it comes to energy, they don’t do
even that. Soon
we’ll all know the price of CO2 - You might think twice before switching on the lights. Brussels has
finally agreed reforms to Europe’s energy markets that should weaken our addiction to fossil fuels and at the
same time lighten our wallets. EU plans to see our
economy blown away - It was appropriate that, just as our MPs were voting last week to hand over yet more
of the power to run this country in the EU treaty, the EU itself should be unveiling easily the most ambitious
example yet of how it uses the powers we have already given away. The proposals for "fighting climate
change" announced on Wednesday by an array of EU commissioners make Stalin's Five-Year Plans look like a
model of practical politics. Shell
games… - After lobbying for carbon caps and trading, from which many of the rent-seekers expected
windfall profits from free emission allocations (for which we would all have to pay as consumers) we now see a new
strategy emerging (something to do with finding they’ll have to pay, perhaps?). Now we have the RDS chief
executive beginning to pave the way for much greater emission of carbon dioxide by waving the ‘peak oil’
banner. Iconic
Lewis Saved From Wind Farm? - “Fàilte. Ciamar a tha sibh?” I bring you hot news from one of the
biggest Green punch ups in the world, currently taking place on the beautiful Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais) in
the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Blaming
carbon on planes ‘is flight of fancy’ - Which is worse for the environment – cars or aircraft? If
your answer was aircraft, then you are among a growing crowd of aerophobes egged on by anti-aviation campaigners. Minnesota: Panel approves proposal on global warming -
Emissions to be curbed at least 30% by 2025 - Minnesota would cut greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon
dioxide at least 30 percent by 2025 under a mixture of strategies that received final approval Thursday from a
governor's advisory panel. Road humps slow the
traffic but speed up death of planet - They damage cars and give drivers a nasty jolt, but now speed bumps
have been found guilty of an even worse crime — they are helping to destroy the planet. To
bio or not to bio - are ‘green’ fuels really good for the earth? - From the top of the Greenergy
refinery in Immingham you can see across the Humber estuary to Hull. A hum of equipment fills the air, along with
a curious smell. Popcorn. Greenergy processes vegetable oil. It takes the gloopy juice squeezed from inside rape seeds harvested on
surrounding Lincolnshire fields, strips out the waste and chemically tweaks the leftovers to make it easier to
burn. Greenergy pipes almost 100,000 tonnes a year of its veggie option to ConocoPhillips and Texaco, just across
the road, which mix it with their diesel fuel. Until recently, the operation was viewed as a good thing. Because the oilseed rape plants absorb carbon
dioxide, the company says the carbon emissions of the mixed fuel are lower, which helps the fight against global
warming. And because oil companies that supply the blend pay less tax, everybody wins. Greenergy is expanding and
similar facilities are going up elsewhere. Should
There be a Ban on Incandescent Lamps? - PLEASE NOTE: My apologies for the length of this article, but this
has turned into something of a horror story. Only a short while ago, I thought that the power factor issue was
most important, then that a vast number of enclosed light fittings (probably hundreds of millions worldwide)
cannot be used with CFLs was critical. Now, it turns out that dimmers are a far bigger issue that first imagined.
What happens in houses where dimmers are fitted? These must be removed completely, not simply set to maximum and
left there. Who’s going to pay to have millions of dimmers worldwide removed by electricians? You, the homeowner
- that’s who. Can airlines
find a cleaner way to fly? - Planes may account for only 2 per cent of the world's carbon emissions, but
it is a figure destined to rise. The aviation industry is expanding at a dramatic rate, around 5 per cent a year.
Twice as many passengers are likely to be passing through British airports in 2020 compared with today, and three
times by 2030. Can
Darwin’s Lab Survive Success? - FOR anyone touring the Galápagos Islands, it is hard to imagine the
globe’s first World Heritage Site is at risk. The marine reserve is populated with sea turtles and humpback
whales, and the national park’s trails are inhabited by herons and albatrosses. Yet last June, Unesco added the archipelago to its “in danger list,” specifically citing the fragile
ecosystem and the negative effects of a sizable growth in tourism. The number of visitors to the Galápagos rose
more than 250 percent to 145,000 in 2006 from 40,000 in 1990, while the number of commercial flights to the area
has increased 193 percent from 2001 to 2006. “Unless we start to make fundamental changes right now, in the next 10 to 15 years we will see the Galápagos
suffer from both economic and environmental degradation,” said Dr. Graham Watkins, executive director of the
Charles Darwin Foundation, whose mission is to conserve the Galápagos through scientific research. “What we
have here is an unsustainable model of development,” he added in a telephone interview from his office in
Ecuador. FEATURE-Antarctica on alert for alien
invaders - TROLL STATION, Antarctica, Jan 28 - Aliens are landing in Antarctica. Thousands
of birds swoop down on St. Catharines - Thousands of birds have swooped down on a St. Catharines apartment
complex and global warming could be the reason why. Another
one who doesn’t realize people evolved as omnivores… - A SEA change in the consumption of a resource
that Americans take for granted may be in store — something cheap, plentiful, widely enjoyed and a part of daily
life. And it isn’t oil. It’s meat. Festival
film takes on water profiteers - Documentary film "Flow," premiering at the Sundance Film
Festival this week, condemns water profiteering, calling for a UN resolution to make access to clean drinking
water a human right. Transgenic rice seeds still
await go-ahead - China strictly supervises its transgenic rice research and production, and no such seed
has been approved for the market, according to agriculture officials. Monsanto
is shifting its focus from corn to new biotech soybeans - A shift is becoming visible in the research labs
and executive suites of crop giant Monsanto Co. January 25, 2008
Capturing Carbon Pipe Dreams - If
you enjoy the benefits of affordable and readily available electricity, a new report from the nonpartisan
Congressional Research Service (CRS) may spur you to press your elected representatives for a reassessment of
climate alarmism. (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com)
They said it... GE
Can’t Block Shareholder Vote On Climate-Change Costs - GE spokesman Peter O’Toole said GE shareholders
have resoundingly rejected the climate-change proposal in prior years, showing that they don’t think it is in
their interest. He said a global-warming report would provide minuscule, if any, value to shareowners, so GE
requested it be rejected to allow shareowners to focus on issues of genuine importance.” So, “global warming actions” are not an issue of genuine importance… Now you know. Brussels'
CO2 permits expected to cost Drax its independence - Drax, operator of Europe's biggest coal-fired power
plant, is facing a crippling increase in operating costs after the European Union decided yesterday to begin
auctioning carbon emission permits rather than giving them away, analysts said. Alberta sets bar low in climate change plan
- EDMONTON - The Alberta government set new provincial goals Thursday for greenhouse gas reductions that are less
stringent than Canada's obligations under the Kyoto Protocol or even the current federal government's lesser
targets. A
Serious Problem With The Use Of A Global Average Surface Temperature Anomaly To Diagnose Global Warming - Part I
- We recently published our paper Pielke Sr., R.A., C. Davey, D. Niyogi, S. Fall, J. Steinweg-Woods, K. Hubbard,
X. Lin, M. Cai, Y.-K. Lim, H. Li, J. Nielsen-Gammon, K. Gallo, R. Hale, R. Mahmood, S. Foster, R.T. McNider, and
P. Blanken, 2007: Unresolved issues with the assessment of multi-decadal global land surface temperature trends.
J. Geophys. Res., 112, D24S08, doi:10.1029/2006JD008229. Reanalysis
of the Climate Factors with USHCN Version 2 - A while ago, we presented correlations of US annual mean
temperatures with carbon dioxide, solar irradiance, and ocean multidecadal cycles. We found the best correlations
with the ocean cycles and irradiance and weakest with carbon dioxide, especially in the last decade. Huh? Lofty
Himalaya Magnify Global Warming Impact - DAVOS, Switzerland - The Himalayas are suffering the effects of
global warming more acutely because of their height and melting glaciers could flood local settlements, the World
Conservation Union (IUCN) said on Thursday. try this: Tibet’s
Temperature Story - Hardly a week goes by without some story hitting the news about global warming and
retreating glaciers, and for whatever reason, retreating glaciers in the Himalayan region get more than their fair
share of coverage. The recent death of Sir Edmund Hillary served to further focus attention on this part of the
world. (WCR) Al’s
off in the ozone again - The former US vice-president took to the stage at Davos to claim that the North
Pole ice cap could disappear in five years. Climate change
and hurricanes stir debate among weather experts at meeting in New Orleans - NEW ORLEANS – A lively and
sometimes scrappy debate on whether global warming is fueling bigger and nastier hurricanes like Katrina is adding
an edge to a gathering of forecasters here. Revkin’s
playing the ‘consensus statement’ line again - The bottom line is that this is not a binary state
machine, there is a diversity of views and infinitely nuanced perceptions. If your organization has made sweeping
statements and/or issued declarations of position with which you are not comfortable then this is a good time to
say so and a great opportunity to set Andy straight. Why not click on over there and have your say? Go ahead,
we’ll still be here when you get back. Comment
on Andy Revkin’s New York Times Weblog “Dot Earth” - Andy Revkin has started a dialog on the policy
statements of professional organizations with respect to the role of humans within the climate system on his
weblog Dot Earth. Advocacy
Out of Control in the Organizations and Media - As Andrew Revkin noted on the dot.earth blog today, the
American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest organization representing earth and space scientists, put out a
fresh statement on the causes and consequences of recent climate change and possible responses. In the last few
years, the Royal Society, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS)
have also issued statements endorsing the so-called “consensus” view that man is driving global warming. What
you don’t hear is that these societies never allowed member scientists to vote on these climate statements.
Essentially, only two dozen or so members on ad hoc committees and governing boards of these institutions produced
the “consensus” statements. (Joseph D’Aleo, CCM) Updated: Carbon Heat
Trapping: Merely A Bit Player in Global Warming Editor's note: this paper has been edited and resubmitted with typos fixed. Anyone wishing to review or
simply check the calculations please be sure to use the version linked above. Climate
change to cost 5% global GDP by 2030 - The descriptions are becoming more accurate, at least: “World
renowned Indian environmentalist, R K Pachauri” -- coincidentally IPCC chair. Heat put on Stern report
- A PRODUCTIVITY Commission paper has criticised the influential Stern review on global warming for making
value-laden assumptions that inflated estimates of the economic costs of warming. More nonsense founded in PlayStation® climatology: Climate
change affecting health - Climate change is putting global human health at risk and requires an
"urgent response". Republicans
Differ on Global Warming (but they have drunk the Kool-Aid) - WASHINGTON — While the major presidential
candidates agree global warming is real, the Republicans are sharply divided over what to do about it — even as
they chase votes in Florida, where the predicted risk of rising sea waters and more severe storms is anything but
a passing concern. Strategists in both parties say the political landscape for global warming has shifted dramatically in recent
years with a broad coalition of environmentalists, business leaders, evangelical Christians and national security
advocates — Democrats and Republicans alike — urging concrete actions to stem the effects. The issue is likely to interest voters not only in Florida’s primary next Tuesday but in the rush of
primaries that follow. Nine of the more than 20 states with contests on Feb. 5 have passed or are considering
programs to cap greenhouse gases, as is Maine, which holds its caucuses on Feb. 2. “Climate change is real. It’s happening. I believe human beings are contributing to it,” former New York
Mayor Rudy Giuliani said during a debate in Iowa when pressed on the issue. Limbaugh,
Geraghty & Global Warming - At the risk of losing my tongue-in-cheek position as Rush Limbaugh’s
“Official EIB Climatologist,” I’m going to weigh in on his argument against Jim
Geraghty’s view that the Republicans’ chances in the next presidential election are being hurt by those of
us not willing to give in to the scientific “consensus” on global warming. First, the science. After many years in this line of work, I’ve come to the firm conclusion that global
warming is one of those research areas where scientists think they know much more than they really do. In many
ways, putting a man on the Moon was far easier than understanding the climate system. Yes, carbon dioxide is a
greenhouse gas — a minor one. And, yes, humans burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide: one molecule of CO2
for every 100,000 molecules of atmosphere, every five years. But is this a recipe for a global warming Armageddon? I’m betting my reputation on: “No.” Recent research
has made me more convinced of this than ever. (Roy
Spencer, Planet Gore) Al
touting for business - “One simple thing that will solve the climate crisis is to put a price on carbon.
It needs to be effective globally,” he said at the forum of business and political leaders in Davos, where
economic fears have overshadowed climate problems. Who would be paying and who would be collecting this carbon premium Al? Oh boy... Bono
confesses sins to ‘father’ Al Gore - “It’s like being with an Irish priest. You start to confess
your sins,” he said. “Father Al, I am not just a noise polluter, I am a noise-polluting, diesel-soaking,
gulfstream-flying rock star. “I’m going to kick the habit. I’m trying father Al, but oil has been very good for me — those convoys
of articulated lorries, petrochemical products, hair gel.” Entry
in $150,000.00 Ultimate Global Warming Challenge - Global near-surface temperatures correlate with Al
Gore’s political clout. (Compelling piece of wiggle-fitting.) Core
issue ignored at Senate hearing on California waiver - Today, as I write, the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee is holding a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s denial of a waiver allowing
California to set the first-ever CO2 emission standards for new motor vehicles. Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
alleges that the EPA denied the waiver at the behest of industry special interests to the neglect of its duty to
protect public health and the environment. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson is defending the agency’s decision
on the grounds that global warming is by definition not exceptionally concentrated in California, unlike bad air
quality from traditional pollutants like smog-forming emissions. Alas, neither Boxer nor Johnson even touch on the
core issue. EPA could not authorize California and other states to regulate CO2 emissions under the auspices of
the Clean Air Act without creating a regulatory morass that will hinder economic and environmental progress. EU aims to adopt energy, climate laws by
spring 2009: presidency - The European Union aims to enact sweeping new legislation on energy and climate
change by the spring of 2009, the EU's Slovenian presidency said Thursday. Europe
Pisses In The Wind - Yesterday, the EU Commission proposed its draft plan to achieve, by 2020, a 20 per
cent cut in EU carbon emissions compared with 1990. Of course, the ever-bureaucratic and unaccountable EU could
not leave this to its individual countries to achieve in their preferred manner, so that the micromanagement of
each state, with severe financial penalties for failure, is an integral part of the centralised planning. Political tension rises in Japan over gas tax
- TOKYO - Political tension is heating up in Japan over whether to extend the temporary higher rate for the
gasoline tax, amid spikes in oil prices and growing concerns about global warming. The Choice between Food and Fuel
- Food prices are skyrocketing. Arable land is becoming scarce. And forests continue to disappear across the
globe. The world must decide between affordable food and biofuels. (Der Spiegel) Errors,
Inaccuracy Mar NYT Sushi Story - In a poorly-sourced, sensational article in this Wednesday’s New
York Times, reporter Marian Burros presents a distorted report on sushi and seafood that is at odds with
widely accepted science. The story is unreliable and contradicts broadly-held medical advice that tuna and other
kinds of fish are an essential part of a healthy diet. The Times story is alarmist, special interest-driven
journalism and should be treated with extreme skepticism. NFI will be demanding an explanation from Times editors for how these basic breaches in the newspaper’s own
standards could have occurred and will also be requesting a formal correction on specific errors. (National
Fisheries Institute) Basically just more food porn from mad Marian Burros but we guess some people will be concerned. Of greater
concern is that mercury mania is driven by desire to restrict energy as is AGW (Steve’s done some background
on this before, see e.g., FDA’s
Mercurial Fish Story, also see Mercury
In Perspective and Eat
More Fish!). The campaign to suppress human activity to spare the ‘Earth Mother’ goes on and on in it’s various
guises and activists long ago realized restricting energy supplies was their greatest weapon. They also know
their greatest chance of success is to disguise it as ‘concern for human welfare’ and everyone will do it
ForTheChildren™. How
to get permission to destroy the countryside: say you're building an eco-town - A giant Swiss-based
insurance company is seeking permission to build a new town of 12,500 houses in Hampshire by labelling it an
"eco-town". If it succeeds, Zurich Financial Services – the sixth biggest insurance group in the
world, with annual profits of $4.65bn (£2.4bn) – will be looking at a billion-pound bonanza. SOUTH AFRICA: Ban May Push Abalone to Extinction
- CAPE TOWN, Jan 24 - South Africa’s decision to suspend commercial fishing of wild abalone, a large marine
slug, from Feb. 1, could drive the species further towards extinction. Conservationists fear the ban will fuel
poaching, currently the most criminalized wildlife trade in Africa. (IPS) Finally
waking up to ‘use it or lose it’? - While tourism is popular in Kenya, it still provides few
incentives for people to protect wildlife rather than turn their land over to agriculture. Suppose one owned a
goat, but was not allowed to use it in any way: no slaughter, no milk, meat or skin. Suppose, further, that
breaking these laws meant risking death or imprisonment. In fact, the only way of making money out of the goat
would be if a passing minibus with a load of tourists happened to drive past and photograph it. Not many people
would keep goats. Update for
those following the cholesterol-Vytorin-ENHANCE story - The Congressional investigation has added insider
trading to its inquiry. In a letter on Tuesday addressed to the Chairmen and CEOs of Merck & Co. And
Schering-Plough Corp., the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations said they’d discovered company officer Carrie Smith had sold significant quanities
of Schering-Plough shares prior to the public release of the ENHANCE results. Happy Peanut Butter Day!
- Kids of all ages love peanut butter. Even dogs love PB treats. Peanut butter lovers even have their own website,
with fun tidbits and recipes. For those cooks and bakers with sophisticated peanut butter tastes, there are 185
more recipes here. January 24, 2008
When
science was forgotten — The Lobotomist - This historical medical film is one of the hardest and most
uncomfortable films you’ll ever watch. That is also why it is one of the most important films to watch. Cash carrot for obese people to
lose pounds - Obese and overweight adults in England could be paid to lose weight under plans being
considered by the Government. The new strategy to tackle poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles includes the
suggestion that people should receive financial rewards or shopping vouchers for achieving and maintaining a
healthy weight. Sea
Level Rise - Paradise Lost - Tuvalu - A BBC TV News item yesterday, January 22nd 2008, revisited the
perpetual story of Tuvalu, the Coral Island supposedly sinking beneath the waves, because of greenhouse gases from
the developed world. (Harbinger, Blog.JunkScience.com) Poor Countries Don’t Need Climate Change Welfare,
They Need Capitalism - Irvine, CA--A major theme of the recent climate change conference in Bali,
Indonesia, is that wealthy, industrialized nations have an obligation to help poor countries adapt to climate
change. Delegates agreed to activate an “adaptation fund” to help undeveloped nations cope with projected
threats such as disruptions to agriculture and decreased water availability. Antarctic Ice Loss: Is There
Really a Problem? (SPPI) Political
Advocacy By The University Corporation For Atmospheric Research (UCAR) (Climate Science) Second Warmest
Year Declaration Full of Pitfalls! - The news item about the year 2007 as the second warmest (Washington
Post 12 January 2008) must be taken with a grain (maybe a whole block) of salt. Such declarations are based on
calculating a mean temperature for the earth’s surface area (land-ocean combined) and this seemingly simple task
is often full of ‘pitfalls’. Large areas of earth’s landmass were only sparsely monitored in the past, and
remain so even today. Ironically the situation has gotten worse since 1990, when two thirds of the world’s
climate reporting stations shut down. Add to that the issues of improper accounting for urbanization and land use
changes as documented by Roger Pielke Sr. and most recently McKitrick and Michaels and poor siting as documented
by Anthony Watts and his network of volunteers and unaccounted for instrument changes as Ben Herman blogged on
Climate Science recently about, and you have a little reason to trust the accuracy of any station based data set.
(Madhav Khandekar and Joseph D’Aleo, Icecap) Driven
by mischief (These guys take themselves soooo seriously) - Judging by their ads, some companies now revel
in taunting environmentalists. (Well duh! What the heck else can you do with ‘em?) Discuss on
Blog.JunkScience.com Please, Al, turn up the
heat! - Sunday morning broke bright and clear. There was not a cloud in the sky, barely a breeze, and only
15 little degrees shivering in my porch thermometer. Please, Al, turn up the heat! I don't know who else to ask.
After all, the former vice president has been honored all over the world for having the most profound insight into
the weather. Climate
Laws May Be Used to Limit Exports, Group of 77 Says - The Group of 77 developing nations, representing
about two-thirds of the world's population, said it is concerned that climate-protection laws will be used to curb
their exports to rich nations. (Bloomberg) Warming 'proved' by consensus
- Tired of having to defend their dubious theory of anthropic climate change, warmists unilaterally declared
victory in 2005, thereby setting a new scientific standard of proof: consensus. No longer must they test their
hypothesis rigorously and repeatedly as the scientific method demands. Henceforth, anything they feel is proof
shall be deemed proof. All information contrary to the teachings of St. Internet Al shall be declared heresy and
suppressed, and all heretics — "deniers" — shall be vilified lest others take their arguments
seriously. (Republican American) How
not to measure temperature, part 48. NOAA cites errors with Baltimore’s Rooftop USHCN Station - I
happened across a NOAA internal training manual a couple of weeks ago that contained a photo of a USHCN official
climate station that I thought I’d never get a photo of. The Baltimore Customs House. (Watts Up With That?) New Antarctic ice core to provide clearest climate
record yet - After enduring months on the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth, researchers
today closed out the inaugural season on an unprecedented, multi-year effort to retrieve the most detailed record
of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere over the last 100,000 years. So
much angst spawned by PlayStation® climatology… More PlayStation®-driven hand wringing: Hurricanes
and global warming devastate Caribbean coral reefs - Warmer seas and a record hurricane season in 2005
have devastated more than half of the coral reefs in the Caribbean, according to scientists. In a report published
yesterday, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) warned that this severe damage to reefs would probably become a
regular event given current predictions of rising global temperatures due to climate change. (The Guardian) Keep
climate change on agenda, pleads IPCC (or “Don’t derail our gravy train”) - The head of the UN’s
Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change warned Wednesday that fears about the world economy could
put climate change issues in the shade. The
“teach-in” makes a comeback - My goodness, a relic, a veritable fossil of my misspent youth 35 odd
years ago in the heyday of anti-war teach-ins. It’s been reported by Evan Moore of CNSNews that Global
Warming Teach-In Coming to Campuses Nationwide.Now that I am forewarned, I will alert my daughter the high
school senior to avoid it when it comes to whichever institution of higher education she elects (depending upon
acceptances) to attend. It’s most appropriate the Goreacle leading the charge against anthropogenic global warming is a boomer and
that his acolytes should use the wayback machine to resurrect the “teach-in.” We baby boomers truly did loose upon the world some gruesome things about which we are ever eager to brag about
amongst one another while awash in our self-evident self-importance. (Johnny Lucid, Blog.JunkScience.com) Really? Australia
among worst climate offenders - AUSTRALIA is one of the world's worst performing nations when it comes to
addressing climate change, according to an annual ranking of 149 countries by researchers at Yale and Columbia
universities in the United States. (Sydney Morning Herald) Oddly enough, Australia's emissions are largely generated for and on behalf of others as we mine and ship
vast quantities of raw materials like iron ore, bauxite, coal... big shippers of grain to the world's hungry
too. China (aided and abetted by the anti-West contingent of Europe and the Green-Left watermelons) point out
that their emissions from manufacturing for export are made for and on behalf of consumers but the watermelons
apparently don't want such consideration for any Western nation. Since about the only thing differentiating
among developed nations (according to this list) is total greenhouse gas emission (emissions which aren't really
a problem but never mind that) and there is obviously sentiment that these emissions should be accounted by
end-user then Australia has a trivial footprint and the US, as generator of roughly a quarter of the world's
economic wealth but somewhat less than a quarter of human GHG emissions is also "in credit", so to
speak. Guess it must be the EU and ubiquitous "others" liberating carbon to the atmosphere but
contributing proportionately less to the world economy -- the consumers rather than producers, in other words --
we should consider "climate criminals" then, shouldn't we? Yale
Cooks the Global-Warming Books - The Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy has issued its 2008
Environmental Performance Index and —what a surprise — the United States looks like a bad guy, dropping from a
2006 ranking of 28th, to a 2008 ranking of 39th out of the 149 countries surveyed. Canada, our environmentally
angst-ridden neighbors to the north, also slipped in the rankings, dropping from 8th to 12th in only two years.
Oh, Canada! Megatons? No but 2.4 tons per capita is about what Kyrgyzstan produces. Large sized typo
notwithstanding Green is right about Yale's loaded, um... 'study'. EU backs measures to combat climate change
- BRUSSELS: European Union officials on Wednesday presented a vast package of environmental measures to make the
trade bloc's climate protection system tougher and more expensive for polluters, setting the stage for a lengthy
fight with industry over the coming year. EU Climate Change Plans Get
Cool Reception - LONDON - Activists and environmentalists reacted cooly on Wednesday to the European
Commission's new plans to cut climate warming carbon emissions by one-fifth and boost energy from renewables like
wind, waves and sun by 2020. (Reuters) SOD:
UK Energy Policy - Here is a Full Report on UK Energy Policy from a sickly Green perspective: (Global
warming Politics) UK handed tough climate
change targets - The EU today announced ambitious plans to make Europe "the first economy for the
low-carbon age" before handing the UK a tough set of climate change targets. Energy Disaster Looming - There are strong
suggestions circulating that the Administration is being firmly lobbied to announce a cap-and-trade scheme for
electricity utilities in the State of the Union address as a 'legacy' item and in a futile attempt to bind the
hands of an incoming President. This would be a disaster. The more things change, the more they stay the same
- Rumors are flying that President Bush may propose to cap CO2 emissions from electric power plants in the
upcoming state of the union speech. It's deja vu all over again. (Marlo Lewis, CEI) "Wake Up, America!" - Today the Financial
Times has a little piece mentioning the gloating in the halls of Brussels over current U.S. financial
controversies, with one Eurocrat after another preening that the U.S. adopted reckless policies, didn’t pay heed
to Europe – and it’s projected 1.5-1.8% growth, by the way – and has only itself to blame. FT pompously
passed along the call to “wake up, America!. America Needs France’s Atomic Anne
- It’s not often that I find myself recommending a French state-owned industry as the answer to major U.S.
problems, but I guess there’s an exception to every rule. Ah! Nothing like a good conspiracy... Politicians
Censor Report on Dangers of Arctic Drilling - There's black gold beneath the snow white Arctic -- and oil
companies are gearing up to exploit it on a massive scale. Scientists had hoped to warn of the scope of the
environmental dangers of Arctic drilling in a new report, but 60 passages have been removed following pressure
from the United States and Sweden. (Der Spiegel) 20,000 wind turbines - plus a
15% rise in electricity bills - The cost of household electricity bills is expected to rise by up to 15
per cent if Britain is to meet compulsory climate change targets announced yesterday. Oh boy... Could
carbon capture replace cuts? - If there's a country that's really made the most of its fossil fuel
resources, Norway is a good candidate for the prize. Since they have to separate out large quantities of CO2 it makes economic sense to inject it to
help maintain pressure in the field and facilitate recovery of valuable hydrocarbons. There is no other useful
purpose for doing so and the economics quite unique in having a ready source of a handy hydrocarbon solvent
actually on field to wring more oil from the substrate. The value of capturing elsewhere and piping it to the
field is however far more dubious. Refineries, Airlines Phased
Into EU CO2 Charges - BRUSSELS - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday that oil refineries and
airlines pay more over time for permits to emit greenhouse gases under the European Union's emissions trading
scheme. (Reuters) EU Commission to Decide 2010 on
Free CO2 Permits - BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on Wednesday it would decide in 2010 which
industrial sectors will get free permits to emit greenhouse gases under its Emissions Trading Scheme from 2013,
after mulling competitiveness impacts. EU Persists With Biofuels - BRUSSELS, Jan 23
- The European Union has decided to maintain a target for increasing the use of biofuels despite mounting concerns
that its strategy could worsen global hunger. Critique Mounts against Biofuels
- The European Union has announced plans to increase the use of gas and diesel produced from plants. But the
critique against biofuels is mounting. Many say they are even more harmful than conventional fossil fuels. (Der
Spiegel) Govt, industry clash over biofuel usage
- The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization has announced that it withdrew a plan to
replace regular gasoline with a biofuel across the whole of the island of Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture. UN Warns of Biofuels' Environmental Risk - The
world's rush to embrace biofuels is causing a spike in the price of corn and other crops and could worsen water
shortages and force poor communities off their land, a U.N. official said Wednesday. (AP) Chrysler Executive Says Fuels
Key to Success - WASHINGTON - Research and development in fuel alternatives for gasoline should be the
auto industry's top priority, even in a weakened economy, and even if it means companies delay expanding or other
expensive strategic decisions, the president of Chrysler LLC said on Tuesday. (Reuters) Seismic images show dinosaur-killing meteor made bigger
splash - The most detailed three-dimensional seismic images yet of the Chicxulub crater, a mostly
submerged and buried impact crater on the Mexico coast, may modify a theory explaining the extinction of 70
percent of life on Earth 65 million years ago. (University of Texas at Austin) Biotech Critics Challenging
Monsanto GMO Sugar Beet - KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Opponents of biotech crops said on Wednesday they were filing
a lawsuit to challenge the USDA's deregulation of Monsanto Co's genetically engineered sugar beet because of fears
of "biological contamination" and other harm to the environment. (Reuters) Benefits outweigh risks from genetically modified plants
- Australian states should not ban commercial production of genetically modified (GM) plants and food as the risks
are alarmist and exaggerated, according to a new study. (UQ) ‘India may turn big
producer of GM rice, vegetables by 2010’ - Chennai, Jan. 23 India has the potential to become a major
producer of transgenic rice and several genetically modified (GM) or engineered vegetables by 2010, according to a
research report by Rabo India Finance Ltd on the Indian agri-biotech sector. It has emerged as one of the leading
destinations for investment in biotechnology in the recent years. It is also emerging as an important destination
for both biomarkers and validation services, the report said. (Hindu Business Line) January 23, 2008
Study raises questions about diagnosis, medical
treatment of ADHD - A new UCLA study shows that only about half of children diagnosed with
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, exhibit the cognitive defects commonly associated with the
condition. It’s not
nice to scare mothers: the latest miscarriage scare - Pregnancy should be a time of joy, as a new life is
about to be brought into the world. But, sadly, it can also be an anxious time for expectant parents, who worry
for the health of their unborn babies and fear that something will go wrong. Sound information can help to ensure
each pregnancy has a happy ending. This month brought reassuring information, as well as the re-emergence of a
30-year old scare targeting pregnant women. (Junkfood Science) Scientists: Warm seas may mean fewer
hurricanes - Following in the footsteps of an earlier study, government scientists on Tuesday said warmer
oceans should translate to fewer Atlantic hurricanes striking the United States. Surprise!
There’s an active volcano under Antarctic ice - It seems that we still don’t know everything there is
to know about our earth-climate system. Take this for example. Scientists have just now discovered an active
volcano under the Antarctic ice that “creates melt-water that lubricates the base of the ice sheet and increases
the flow towards the sea”. The
Relationship Of ENSO Events To Global Ocean Heat Content Anomalies And Its Use To Diagnose The Global Radiative
Imbalance - Bryan Sralla has asked several very important climate science questions in an interesting
discussion with Gavin Schmidt at Real Climate in comments in their January 11 2008 weblog. This discussion
concerns the relationship between ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) events and ocean heat content anomalies (OHCA).
(Climate Science) Follow Up On
Research On Ocean Heat Content Changes - Timo Hämeranta has graciously provided us with two new research
papers that are relevant to today’s weblog on ocean heat content. (Climate Science) Stalagmites'
nuclear touch a record of climate change - RADIOACTIVE fallout from nuclear bombs detonated in the
atmosphere more than 50 years ago has been found far underground, in limestone cave stalagmites around Australia. Why 'Global Warming'
is Not a Global Crisis - I earned my Nobel Peace Prize by making the United Nations fix a deliberate error
in its latest climate assessment. After the scientists had finalized the draft, UN bureaucrats inserted a new
table, but with four decimal points right-shifted. The bureaucrats had multiplied tenfold the true contribution of
the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets to sea-level rise. Were they trying to support Al Gore’s fantasy
that these two ice-sheets would imminently cause sea level to rise 20ft, displacing tens of millions worldwide? What? Human-generated
aerosols affect our weather - The rise of human-generated pollution in the global atmosphere is forcing a
change in ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere, in turn affecting our region’s weather systems. The northern hemisphere, which appears to be warming
slightly, is cooled by aerosols, 'creating an imbalance' which causes an increase in heat transport from the
southern hemisphere, which is actually doing nothing
in the temperature department. So, our energy flow then is from the cooler southern hemisphere to the warmer
northern due to an imbalance caused by aerosols cooling the north (which is actually the warming hemisphere).
And this is how GCMs treat thermal flow? And these guys believe the models over their own lying eyes? Worse, we pay
these fellows to write this stuff! Utah Scientist: Dust Shortening Winters -
Western winters are getting shorter because of dust kicked up by urban and agricultural development, a University
of Utah researcher said. This is significantly better. Snow and icefield discoloration is believed to account for a significant
portion of observed Arctic warming. Observation, empirical measure, cause and effect relationship. Not likely to
be embraced by the carbon dioxide coterie. Might get a bit of attention, even research funding, since this can
still be used to paint human activity "bad" and thus misanthropists will not be displeased. Ocean Bridge Links Climate In Mid-Latitudes And Tropics
- It's no surprise when a tropical El Niño brings wet storms to the U.S. Southwest; now researchers are finding
that the relationship may be two-way, with atmospheric variability outside of the tropics impacting the formation
of El Niños and La Niñas through upper-ocean pathways called "ocean bridges." And finally, an appropriate use of process models. This is precisely why climate models are of value
and involves no absurd prognostication (which is not even a vaguely plausible misuse of process models
'predicting' complex, coupled, non-linear chaotic systems). They help us untangle what is occurring to
produce results observed in the real world. Come again? Spanish
study warns of rising Mediterranean sea levels - The level of the Mediterranean is rising rapidly and
could increase by another half metre in the next 50 years unless climate change is reversed, producing
"catastrophic consequences", a Spanish study said Friday. So, the Med is rising because there's reduced rainfall, which is making it saltier because there's increased
evaporation because the traditionally warm, sunny Med has been, um... warm and sunny? And this has caused huge
increases in Mediterranean Sea levels? Do they suppose this could have something to do with varying atmospheric
pressure as oceanic oscillations go in and out of phase and winds tending to either pile up water or drain the
Med? What has been the current strength through the Strait of Gibraltar? How has it varied? Tourism at the End of the World - TORONTO,
Jan 18 - Hurry! Hurry! See the polar bears, penguins, Arctic glaciers, small pacific islands before they disappear
forever due to global warming. Development
and illustrative outputs of the Community Integrated Assessment System (CIAS), a multi-institutional modular
integrated assessment approach for modelling climate change - Abstract: This paper describes the
development and first results of the “Community Integrated Assessment System” (CIAS), a unique
multi-institutional modular and flexible integrated assessment system for modelling climate change. Key to this
development is the supporting software infrastructure, SoftIAM. Through it, CIAS is distributed between the
communities of institutions which has each contributed modules to the CIAS system. At the heart of SoftIAM is the
Bespoke Framework Generator (BFG) which enables flexibility in the assembly and composition of individual modules
from a pool to form coupled models within CIAS, and flexibility in their deployment onto the available software
and hardware resources. Such flexibility greatly enhances modellers' ability to re-configure the CIAS coupled
models to answer different questions, thus tracking evolving policy needs. It also allows rigorous testing of the
robustness of IA modelling results to the use of different component modules representing the same processes (for
example, the economy). Such processes are often modelled in very different ways, using different paradigms, at the
participating institutions. An illustrative application to the study of the relationship between the economy and
the earth's climate system is provided. Gee, wouldn't it be great if we could actually model the climate (and the economy, for that matter) so that
this system would actually be useful? Let’s
Have A Trade War! - The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, appears to have lost
it completely. Speaking yesterday in London, he has threatened to impose carbon tariffs on imports unless the US
accepts a climate-change deal (‘Barroso trade threat on climate’, BBC Online World News, January 22): Danish PM attacks forthcoming EU plans
on CO2 cuts - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted on Tuesday that an upcoming EU plan to
slash green house gases should not force Europe's richest countries to shoulder the heaviest load. (AFP) Merkel Caught between Industry
and the Climate - Last spring, Chancellor Merkel portrayed herself as the world's foremost fighter against
climate change. With the EU set to pass a package of emissions regulations, though, she suddenly finds herself
defending German industry. Will the real Merkel please stand up? (Der Spiegel) <chuckle> EU
puts carbon trading at heart of climate change battle - The European commission will tell member states
today what they have to do to meet its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth by 2020. meanwhile: Weather
warning for carbon trading - The only sure thing about the creation of this market for carbon quotas and
credits is that it risks opening a field for financial manipulation and speculation. Remember the financial wizardry that brought down Enron and later Parmalat? In the case of this new market, the
all-important responsibility of verifying the carbon quota and credit entitlements will rest with political
organisations – either national governments or the United Nations. (Financial Times) UK rejects plan for EU trade
steps against polluters - LONDON - Britain said on Tuesday it did not support proposed punitive trade
measures threatened by the European Commission against countries that do not sign up to greenhouse gas emissions
cuts. EU Must Control Kyoto Offsets
from 2013-20 - Report - BRUSSELS - The European Union should restrict the availability to heavy industry
of cheap carbon offsets to 1.4 billion tonnes from 2008-2020, to meet its greenhouse gas emissions goals, a
confidential EU document said. Global warming: French carbon emissions
sharply lower in 2006 - French greenhouse gas emissions fell sharply in 2006, helped by a warmer fall,
leaving the country well on course to meet its goals under the UN's Kyoto Protocol, France's ecology minister said
Tuesday. So, a mixture of less-cold and nuke power achieved exactly what AGW worriers claim to want. Problem solved
then, eh? From CO2 Science
this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: The Little Ice Age in
Mesoamerican Tropical Lowlands: Why is its manifestation there so important? The Roman and Medieval Warm
Periods at Paradise Lake, Northwestern Himalaya: How did their temperatures compare with those of the present? Grassland Soil Organic Matter
in a CO2-Enriched Atmosphere: Does it increase or decrease with the passage of time? Or
does it stay about the same? Effects of Elevated CO2
on Respiration in Prickly Pear Cactus: Does atmospheric CO2 enrichment enhance or
diminish dark respiration in this common CAM plant? Temperature
Record of the Week: Conference Announcement: EU sets UK
'ambitious' green energy target - Forty per cent of Britain's electricity will have to be generated from
wind, wave or plant energy by 2020 as a result of a legally-binding new European Union target. Water
Hogs on the Ski Slopes: Snow Cannons Drink Up As Attention Is Turned To Globe's Rising Thirst - DAVOS,
Switzerland -- The chief executives of Coca-Cola Co., Nestlé SA and others will warn the World Economic Forum in
Davos this week that the world is running out of water, threatening conflict, higher prices and lost production. Bushfire impact on water yields - While forest
fires can often result in an initial increase in water runoff from catchments, it’s the forests and bush growing
back that could cause future problems for water supplies by reducing stream flows. (CSIRO)
Without Proof, an Ivory-Billed Boom Goes
Bust - The ivory-billed woodpecker supposedly spotted in a patch of Arkansas bayou has remained scarce, as
has the economic upswing its admirers might have brought to the local community. (New York Times) How to encourage illegal dumping: Homes
face £100 'tax' for not recycling enough - Households could face "rubbish tax" charges of as
much as £100 for failing to recycle enough waste under Government plans. Council calls for
easing of restrictions on GM crops - EUROPEAN farmers must be given the tools to produce more food, if
targets to feed a rapidly expanding world population are to be achieved. Biotech
companies 'desert' international agriculture project And what did everyone expect with former IPCC chair Bob Watson directing the project and Greenpeace[!] having
representatives on the assessment panel? (Blog.JunkScience.com) Gates
Foundation's agriculture aid a hard sell - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dramatically
expanding its efforts to help the world's poorest farmers, with goals every bit as ambitious as its better-known
global-health work fighting diseases such as AIDS and malaria. January 22, 2008
The tyranny of science -
Scientists at one of Rome’s most prestigious universities, La Sapienza, are protesting against a planned visit
by Pope Benedict XVI this Thursday. The Pope is due officially to open the university’s academic year, but some
of the professors of science at the university are not happy. In a letter to the university’s rector, 67
lecturers and professors said it would be ‘incongruous’ for the Pope to visit given his earlier comments on
Galileo; while he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Pope said that the Catholic Church’s trial of the
great Italian astronomer was ‘reasonable and just’. So, university staff want to block a visit by a religious
leader in the name of defending scientific truth and integrity. see also: The
Royal Society’s ‘motto-morphosis’ - Nullius in Verba, the motto of the prestigious Royal Society in
London, is usually translated as ‘on the word of no one’. When it was coined back in 1663, it was intended to
distance science from the methods of the ancient universities, which relied heavily on the personal authority of
the scholars. ‘On the word of no one’ highlighted the independent authority that empirical evidence bestowed
on science; knowledge about the material universe should be based on appeals to experimental evidence rather than
authority. Really? Cancer
agents in Tassie devils - SCIENTISTS have been shocked to find high levels of potentially carcinogenic
flame retardant chemicals in Tasmanian devils, a discovery certain to fuel a global campaign to ban their use. And just where do they allege these compounds are coming from? The reason air samples are collected at Cape
Grim is because it's some of the most pristine on the planet, so having these compounds blow in from the
industrial north is unlikely, to say the least. Tasmania certainly is a significant producer (or consumer) of
such deliberately synthesised compounds. Is this another case of brominated chemicals of natural origin (of
which there are extraordinary numbers and quantities) being blamed on industrial "pollution"? That
would seem the most likely case, despite the wishful assertions of professional chemophobes. Put up a sticker and you've
done your bit - I HAVE this visceral dislike of bumper-sticker moralisers. These are people who go out of
their way to advertise what they take to be their own exalted moral sensibilities, but do so at no cost to
themselves and without the messy business of having to weigh costs and benefits or to choose between stark
alternatives where none is particularly pleasant or easy. It's all form and no substance for these people, and
there's no shortage of them around. (James Allan, The Australian) Cholesterol buzz - For
those still craving more perspectives on cholesterol and statins — the cover story of Business Week is devoted
to this very issue. The articles offer information that has not been reported anywhere else. Here's a glimpse at
this special issue. (Junkfood Science) Update:
Trusting drug company marketing - Yesterday, we examined a surprising similarity between FDA approval for
diet drugs and statins, but news today brought an entirely new connection. Brandweek NRx has just reported
additional background on the company management at Schering-Plough pharmaceutical company, behind that ENHANCE
trial controversy. (Junkfood Science) Calcium —
marvel or menace? The evidence may not be what you suspect - One of the most egregious examples of
inaccurate medical reporting and grossly exaggerating a study’s findings, and needlessly frightening millions of
women around the world, was seen this week. Does something as simple as taking a calcium supplement really double
an older woman’s risk for a heart attack, as was reported in the news? That is very unlikely what you would
conclude from reading the actual study. But the evidence might not be what you think, either. (Junkfood Science) Wellness
programs face legal action for being discriminatory - Today is a fitting day for this story. The
discriminatory aspects of employer wellness programs have caught the eye of the Department of Labor and lawyers.
Last month, the Department of Labor issued a Field Assistance Bulletin directed to company wellness programs. It
closed a loophole which would have allowed employers to discriminate against employees based on their health
indices and lifestyles. The Department of Labor said it may bring enforcement actions against companies that
attempt to reward employees based on their health status. (Junkfood Science) Amazing Food
Detective for doctors - In promoting its childhood obesity programs, Kaiser Permanente has been on
television, although viewers might not realize the source of the show. Leave no child fat -
The Sierra Club and other environmental groups are calling for a couch potato sin tax to finance their outdoor
classrooms, reportedly to fight childhood obesity. It’s part of a growing “Leave No Child Inside” movement
to get kids outside of classrooms and reduce screen time. We want to “tax part of the problem to fund the
solution,” a Sierra Club spokesperson told KOB-TV news. (Junkfood Science) Voices of sanity...
for the children - A calm article calling for balance, reason and an end to the hysteria over obesity is
something you rarely see in media anymore. That makes it all the more valuable for its fresh perspectives. Sharon
Kirkey writes in the Edmonton Journal of the adverse effects of today’s unhealthy obsessions with weight being
seen by pediatric psychiatric specialists. (Junkfood Science) Antarctica
Snowfall Increase - The ice caps hold a special place in the cold hearts of the global warming advocates
who are all too quick to insist that our ice caps are currently melting at an unprecedented rate. We suspect that
they will not be particularly thrilled to learn that a paper has just appeared in Geophysical Research Letters
entitled “A doubling in snow accumulation in the western Antarctic Peninsula since 1850.” The article is by
scientists with the British Antarctic Survey and the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada; the work was
funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the U.S. National Science Foundation. In case you think
that the Desert Research Institute in Nevada would have little interest in Antarctica, recall from geography
classes you’ve had that Antarctica receives little precipitation and is regarded by climatologists as a frozen
desert. (WCR) When Science
Reporting Was Unbiased - We reported that the arctic ice minimum this year was due to natural cyclical
fluctuations in the multidecadal ocean cycles and the flow of warm water into the arctic through the Barents Sea
and Bering Strait in this blog on September 22nd. NASA too did a story on the changes in the arctic being at least
in part due to changes in the arctic ocean circulation. Antarctic volcanoes identified as a possible
culprit in glacier melting - Another factor might be contributing to the thinning of some of the
Antarctica's glaciers: volcanoes. Antarctica and Volcanism
- Thanks to John McLean for a link to this site tracking Antarctic temperatures since 1955 by Ole Humlum, UNIS,
Department of Geology, Svalbard, Norway. They conclude the existing Antarctic surface air temperature records
1960-1998 reveal periods of persistent (multi-year) and geographically extensive temperature trends towards
cooling in the interior and warming in the coastal regions. The spatial and seasonal patterns of these trends are,
however, not quite simple and appear to change with time; that is, the temperature relationship between specific
locations is not temporally consistent. Within the Antarctic Peninsula a warming trend has, however, persisted,
with exception of the spring season. The cooling has been modest in coastal East Antarctic regions, but more
pronounced at the Amundsen-Scott Base and at the South Pole. (Icecap) see also: Antarctic Peninsula
warmer in mid-Holocene - Some interesting papers from an AGU conference: “Mid Holocene Warmth in the
Antarctic Peninsula: evidence from the Vega Drift”. So, 4000 to 7000 years ago this area was warmer than now.
Another interesting paper mentions an active undersea volcano in the area. “A Benthic Invertebrate Survey of Jun
Jaegyu Volcano: An active undersea volcano in Antarctic Sound, Antarctica”. (Warwick Hughes, Errors in IPCC
climate science) Guest
Weblog By Professor Ben Herman Of The University Of Arizona - Maximum Temperature Trends - There is an
issue with regards to U.S. surface temperature trends that seems to have been overlooked, although apparently well
recognized. I am referring to the HO-83 thermometers that were installed at many USHCN sites as well as first
order stations. It has been well documented (Gall et.al. 1992, Jones et.al. 1995, Karl et. al. 1995) and others
that a warm bias existed, primarily in the daily maximum temperature readings reported by these instruments. The
error in the Tucson data was about 2-3 deg F, but this error was apparently different with each thermometer. Karl
et. al. (1995) have suggested that the average for this error over the country was on the order of 0.5 deg C on
the reported maximum temperatures. Thus, if the maximum temperatures were corrected by this amount, average
temperatures in the U.S, would be lowered by about 0.25 deg C, assuming the minimum readings were correct. This
would probably pretty much neutralize the reported trend increase during the late 80’s and 90’s in this
country. The situation has been covered in some detail in a blog by Steve McIntyre on ICECAP.US
[Climate Audit?] (http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=1954)
for those wishing more detail on the history of this issue. (Climate Science) How not to
measure temperature, part 47 (Watts Up with That?) Numbers not yet checked, provided as is for anyone with the time and inclination: Carbon
Heat Trapping: Merely A Bit Player in Global Warming (.pdf) - Abstract: New calculations show that
doubling of carbon dioxide (CO2) will increase average global temperature by only about 1 °F
(degrees Fahrenheit) or 0.55 °C (degrees Centigrade), much less that the range of 1 °C to 5 °C
estimated by the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These new calculations are based on
NASA supported spectral calculations available on the Internet relating to greenhouse gases. The temperature
increases are estimated to be somewhat more in winter in the colder climates because of reduced competing
atmosphere water vapor, but smaller increases at other times and places. These calculations also estimate that a
10 percent increase of water vapor in the atmosphere, a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, or a
reduction in the average cloud cover of only about 2 percent, will increase global temperature about as much as
doubling CO2 would. Each additional doubling of CO2 will cause further temperature increases
of about the same as that caused by the first doubling. Greenhouse gases, except water vapor, only trap heat at
certain narrow wavelengths of infrared radiation related to their molecular structures. Data shows that present
concentrations of CO2, a strong absorber, are already well above the saturation value at its principal
wavelength, so increases in it have a relative small affect. These new calculations are based on atmospheric
models of the energy absorption bandwidths of greenhouse gases coupled with Max Planck’s equations relating to
infrared wavelength distributions. A new simple technique is also proposed in the appendix to measure actual
trapped heat being radiated back from the atmosphere to the Earth. This can be used to evaluate validate various
estimating models. It also indicates that the role of clouds and their height above the Earth may have a larger
role than previously thought. Since clouds operate as both powerful heat-trapping agents, overriding others, and a
reflector of the sun’s energy, they may be the key factor in the regulation of the average global temperature.
At the present time, they are one of the least measured parameters in the computer models predicting future
climate changes. Weather and climate forecasting considering all factors is very complex, and this paper does not
cover that subject. However it is felt that the simple role of long-term heat rises due to only CO2
changes is a much simpler process and better estimated by basic models as used here. Certain shortcomings in the
IPCC data and estimates, as reported by others, are also summarized. Based on this new information,
recommendations are made regarding future U.S. energy policy. While it does appear that the recent years show a
warming trend, the role of CO2 in this is very small, and perhaps beneficial in moderating winter
temperatures in colder climates. (Richard J. Petschauer, Senior Member IEEE) Correction to: A 2000-year global
temperature reconstruction based on non-treering proxies. Energy & Environment 19(1): 93-100. -
Historical data provide a baseline for judging how anomalous recent temperature changes are and for assessing the
degree to which organisms are likely to be adversely affected by current or future warming. Climate histories are
commonly reconstructed from a variety of sources, including ice cores, tree rings, and sediment. Tree-ring data,
being the most abundant for recent centuries, tend to dominate reconstructions. There are reasons to believe that
tree ring data may not properly capture long-term climate changes. In this study, eighteen 2000-year-long series
were obtained that were not based on tree ring data. Data in each series were smoothed with a 30-year running
mean. All data were then converted to anomalies by subtracting the mean of each series from that series. The
overall mean series was then computed by simple averaging. The mean time series shows quite coherent structure.
The mean series shows the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) quite clearly, with the MWP being
approximately 0.3°C warmer than 20th century values at these eighteen sites. (Multi-Science Publishing) Not a significant correction if you are only interested in whether the MWP a) existed and b) was of
comparable temperatures to those of today. Oh
good grief! Couldn’t be more wrong: - Winning
Over Global-warming Skeptics - … The skeptic’s argument is simple. Since the debate is still ongoing and
the jury still out, we should not get all hot and bothered about turning the world upside down to satisfy the
doomsday environmentalists. Let’s take no action. The Earth will eventually normalize. Seems reasonable enough. Or is this Russian roulette? You remember the game. The revolver has six chambers, one of which contains a
bullet. I spin the magazine, put the revolver to my head, and pull the trigger. Will it fire? Probably not.
Indeed, there is an 83 percent chance that I will survive, only a 17 percent chance that I will die (Rule 3). The
single bullet represents, of course, disaster for the human race; while the empty chambers, an adjusting planet
returning to normal. Odds for the survival of the planet, 83 percent are not too bad. Why not chance it? But wait. The forecast of catastrophe is held by 80 percent to 95 percent of scientists, with only 5 percent to
20 percent predicting that the changes will be manageable. Not one chamber but five chambers contain bullets. If I
spin the magazine and pull the trigger, will I blow my brains out? Now the probabilities are reversed — suicide,
83 percent; survival, 17 percent. Still in the game? (Joseph Murray, The Day) This is the error made generally by AGW disaster believers. There is no “low cost” means of “addressing
global warming” and no such thing as insurance against mythical problems. This is “Russian roulette” with
not one but two revolvers and it works like this: (JunkScience.com Blog) This nonsense, again! Ocean
floor sensors will warn of failing Gulf Stream - An armada of robot submarines and marine sensors are to
be deployed across the Atlantic, from Florida to the Canary Islands, to provide early warning that the Gulf Stream
might be failing, an event that would trigger cataclysmic freezing in Britain for decades. As long as the world turns and wind blows there is no stopping the gulfstream and it wouldn't significantly
affect European temperatures if it did since eastern Atlantic temperatures differ dramatically from western
primarily due to topography (i.e., mountain ranges deflecting winds and influencing the jet stream, causing much
greater frequency of Arctic breakouts over Labrador than Scandinavia). 'Ice age Europe' due to fluctuations in
the meridional overturning are one of the worst pieces of gorebull warming folklore. Will not happen. Can not
happen. 7.5m
Britons don't care about global warming - Up to 7.5million Brits do not care about global warming, a
government briefing paper warns. If the rest understood it they wouldn't give a rat's either. Of course... Suffering
from 'eco-anxiety' - NORTH CAROLINA -- Former Vice President Al Gore isn’t the only one concerned about
the environment, as more and more people are starting to become aware of global warming and experiencing
‘eco-anxiety.’ EPA Denies Docs On Calif.
Emissions Law - Invoking executive privilege, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday refused to
provide lawmakers with a full explanation of why it rejected California's greenhouse gas regulations. Media campaign to silence global warming
skeptics failing - Step right up folks and get your tickets to the greatest scam on Earth as we pay homage
to those much-maligned scientists, geologists, climate researchers and marginalized Global Warming Skeptics the
world over who refuse to be silenced by the skeptiphobics who would still the voices of reason. ‘Medieval Environmentalists’ attack CO2 in
their efforts to derail civilization - California Senator Barbara Boxer is a co-sponsor of the “Global
Warming Pollution Reduction Act” (S.309). The title, and much of the text of the bill, is inappropriate since,
regardless of its impact on climate change, CO2, the act’s major target, is not a pollutant. Gray
Matter, Golden Balls - Although the political philosopher, John Gray, is an out-and-out ‘global
warmer’, and a bit of a Neo-Malthusian doomster to boot, his rant today in The Observer against the
“irrational” Greens (‘Only science can save us from climate catastrophe’, January 20) is well worth
reading, especially as it makes some of the same trenchant points addressed by Nick Cohen in last week’s The
Observer [see my posting: ‘Blame The Greens’, January 13]. Gray is also, like ‘Global Warming Politics’,
entirely realistic about the future of fossil fuels: (Global Warming Politics) Signs of panic? Has global
warming really stopped? - Mark Lynas responds to a controversial
article on newstatesman.com which argued global warming has stopped. (Mark Lynas, New Statesman) Cap and Trade Not Enough to Cut
Carbon - Goldman - NEW YORK - Capping and trading carbon emissions will not be enough to fight output of
the gases blamed for warming the planet, the managing director of Goldman Sachs' US carbon emissions desk said on
Thursday. (Reuters) They don't say? To work,
carbon tax must sting - Most Canadians tell pollsters they're concerned about climate change. Many insist
they'd like to do something about it, and would even pay for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. US warns EU against using
environment for protectionism - BRUSSELS - US Trade Representative Susan Schwab warned Europe on Monday
against using environmental issues as an excuse for protectionism amid disputes ranging from biotechnology to
greenhouse gas emissions. EU
emissions plan to cost billions -German industry - FRANKFURT, Jan 21 - New financial burdens on German
industry arising out of greenhouse gas emissions rules due from Brussels later this week could run to 17 billion
euros ($24.92 billion), a German energy users' lobby said on Monday. Scientists
call for sharper cuts in carbon emissions - ENVIRONMENTAL scientists are today calling on the Government
to introduce tougher cuts in carbon dioxide emissions in the forthcoming Climate Change Bill. EU nations chafe as the climate
change bill comes in - BRUSSELS — Less than a year after challenging the world to a race to stop global
warming, European Union nations are bickering over who should carry the biggest burden in the EU's push to cut
greenhouse gases. EU climate change
plans to cost 60 billion euros: Barroso - BRUSSELS - European Union plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions
could cost at least 60 billion euros (86.6 billion dollars) a year, European Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso said Monday. Top EU ecology expert
wants global warming Marshall plan - Jacqueline McGlade, the EU's chief environment expert, believes
Europe needs a Marshall plan of investment - up to several percentage points of GDP per year - to reduce the
vulnerability to climate change. EU plans to charge for pollution
rights ruffle feathers - BRUSSELS — EU plans to make companies pay for the right to pollute have come
under fierce fire from governments and industry, warning they could force business and jobs to leave Europe. Really, well current spot prices don't suggest they'll raise too much cash: Welcome
to euets.com - the CO2 exchange for CEE -- current quote: €0.02/mt and yes, that really is 2¢. EU Executive Sees No Cut in
Green Goods VAT - Source - BRUSSELS - There will be no proposal from the European Commission to cut sales
tax on energy-efficient products as a way to help combat climate change despite French and British calls, a source
at the EU executive said on Monday. (Reuters) Japan to propose 2000 as
post-Kyoto base year: report - TOKYO — Japan will propose setting 2000 as the reference year for future
greenhouse gas emission cuts in a bid to bring more countries aboard a post-Kyoto Protocol deal, a report said
Monday. Europe won't like this -- they chose 1990 specifically to take advantage of accidental emission reductions
from the UK "dash for gas" and the collapse of inefficient Soviet industry as the USSR imploded. It
was then and remains today a handicapping scheme to make European industry more competitive in global markets. “What
Skylarks, Pip!” - I must first apologise to my non-British readers for the seeming parochial nature of
today’s post, which features the world’s longest-running radio soap [more than 15,000 episodes to date - it
was first broadcast on Whit Monday, 1950], namely The Archers (BBC Radio 4), our famous “everyday story of
country folk”. Still, you may well know the programme already (and its middle-England fictional village,
Ambridge - map here), as it holds the BBC radio record for the number of times listened to over the Internet. But
even if you don’t, you should most certainly read (and listen) on. In the Stott household, sitting down - often
with a glass in hand - to The Archers at 7.02 pm, after the ‘News Bulletin’, is a daily ritual to savour. Eye-roller: Philip
Pullman: new brand of environmentalism - Climate change, say the pessimists, will destroy our world. But
in an exclusive interview, acclaimed author Philip Pullman champions a new brand of environmentalism that offers
us all hope (London Telegraph) Dill! Environmentalism is the threat. And Now, A Bear Market In Oil
- A key Democrat wants the polar bear to be declared an endangered species to block offshore oil development in
Alaska. The only thing endangered by drilling there is our dependence on foreign oil. (IBD) Arctic Oil Activity Seen Up,
Eco-Risks Loom - Report - OSLO - Exploitation of the Arctic's huge oil and gas wealth poses a growing
danger to an icy wilderness that can recover only slowly from heavy oil spills, a report by the eight-nation
Arctic Council said on Monday. (Reuters) Honolulu City Lights
Going Out? - As described in The Honolulu Advertiser (Jan. 15, 2008), Honolulu lawmakers apparently are
thumbing their noses at basic science, energy, and environmental evidence. The international attacks on the U.S.
energy systems, systems which have provided the freedom, liberty, and prosperity of our nation for 2 centuries,
are being masked by green stories which are pleasing, plausible, and wrong. This is also being embraced by state
legislatures -- http://tinyurl.com/2z2sej -- and is very dangerous to the
economy and prosperity of Hawaii, and our nation. Public
stiffs green cars at Detroit auto show - After a week of rolling out green products to wow the assembled
media hordes and presidential candidates at the North American International Auto Show, the public got its first
look at the show Friday and stiffed the green products. Fury as fuel poverty soars
close to a 10-year record - One in six British households is living in fuel poverty, the highest for
almost a decade, according to new figures that threaten the government's target to eradicate the problem in
England by the end of the decade. Could it get any dumber than this? Taxpayers
face $15b power sale sting - NSW taxpayers could be forced to pay more than $15 billion to indemnify
private companies bidding for the state's power assets, a report has found. Fortunately it's only an 'analysis' by [anti-]Australia Institute fruit-loop Clive Hamilton, so the chances
of it being similar to reality are negligible. Car companies fight CO2
laws - Europe's carmakers have launched a fresh campaign to water down EU proposals to slash carbon
dioxide emissions from new vehicles and impose stiff penalties on manufacturers failing to meet its targets. (The
Guardian) Davos must deal
with the water crisis - We are on the verge of a water crisis. Dark side of a hot biofuel - In Indonesia, oil
palms feed world thirst for clean fuel, but forests, climate and species pay a steep price (Sacramento Bee) MPs' warning on biofuels
angers Brussels - The EU yesterday denounced a House of Commons report calling for a moratorium on the
increased use of biofuels and made plain it would stick to mandatory targets for the use of biofuels in transport
when it unveils a climate change package today. (The Guardian) B&Q to end
sale of patio heaters - The UK's largest DIY chain, B&Q, has announced it is to stop selling
environmentally damaging patio heaters once its current stock is sold off. Whassa matta? Not enough margin in such a competitive market? Time to wake up
to the sewage crisis - While carbon emissions are now rightly lodged at the forefront of most people's
minds, I'm constantly dismayed at how few mentions another urgent global environmental crisis is getting. There is
a major stink out there. Well, the need for sanitation and potable water part is right, at least. Traipsing off into the virtual realm, again... As
carbon dioxide levels rise, staple grains could lose some nutritional value - It started with a seemingly
off-the-wall question in a 2004 global change biology class at Southwestern University. The discussion was about
how increases in carbon dioxide, a contributing cause of global warming, lead to a decline in the amount of
proteins in some plants. Francis Childs, 68, Dies; Sage of High Corn
Yields - Francis Childs, a third-generation farmer who studied, schemed and tramped his fields with a
spade to become the most productive corn grower ever, died on Jan. 9 in Marshall County, Iowa. He was 68. Canadian farmer forces GM
giant back to court - He was portrayed as an environmental David who stood up to the corporate Goliath,
and became a figurehead of the battle against the introduction of genetically modified crops everywhere. When
Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser was sued by Monsanto for growing the firm's GM crops, which he claimed blew on to
his land, the company's eventual victory in the Canadian supreme court was overshadowed by accusations of
aggressive tactics and corporate bullying. Bizarrely The Guardian finds multiply-adjudged liar and thief Percy Schmeiser as worthy of yet more
ink. Militant 'Farmer' and French Government
Make Common Cause in GM Crop Ban - PARIS -- It was one of the most surprising and revealing images of the
New Year in French politics: José Bové, the famously mustachioed "anti-globalization" activist and
self-appointed scourge of genetically-modified crops, being greeted by France's prim and proper Deputy Minister of
Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet . . . with a kiss. The highly publicized encounter took place with cameras
rolling on Jan. 3 in front of the French Ministry of Ecology in Paris. Technically, Bové was supposed to be in
prison, serving a four-month jail sentence as a consequence of his role in vandalizing a field of
genetically-modified (GM) corn in the French department of Haute-Garrone in 2004. But in mid-December, a judge
"converted" his jail sentence into a fine of €4,800. January 21, 2008 Not so much like this More like this but we have managed to recover just about everything following a major crash. Unfortunately it was taking too long to unravel all the individual comments which have been
concatenated by thread (sorry!) but at least most are still online. Additionally, we have lost a couple of threads
and still need to restore a few files — we’re getting there — please bear with us. Meanwhile, despite the blog having a new address and
annoying people whose blog links no longer work, JunkScience.com
is undamaged & fully functional while the blog, albeit with a
couple of dings in the fender, is back and working more or less as before — within days all missing files &
updates should be complete. Thank you all for your patience. Barry Hearn January 18, 2008
Manmade Antarctic Melting, Indeed -
A new study, much hyped by the media, blames humans for escalating ice loss in Antarctica. The media, however,
seems to have no idea as to how truly manmade the supposed ice loss may be. (Steve Milloy, FoxNews.com)
Ice returns as Greenland temps plummet - While the
rest of Europe is debating the prospects of global warming during an unseasonably mild winter, a brutal cold snap
is raging across the semi-autonomous nation of Greenland. Russia Warns of Emergency as
Siberian Temperatures Dip to -55C - Jan. 16 -- The Russian region of Siberia faces plunging temperatures
over the next week, the Emergencies Ministry warned, advising regional officials to be prepared for heating
systems to break down in the extreme cold. More PlayStation® 'science': Far
fewer polar bears expected by 2050 - WASHINGTON - Two-thirds of the world's polar bears will be killed off
by 2050 – and the entire population gone from Alaska – because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the
Arctic, government scientists forecast Friday. Bear litigation a ploy, say Inuit groups
- The push by environmentalists to have polar bears declared a threatened species by the U.S. is a cynical ploy
that puts politics ahead of science, says Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapariit Kanatami. Polar bear status won't halt oil exploration -
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is just weeks away from a decision that most likely will designate polar
bears as a threatened species but said today that it won't budge on issuing oil and gas leases in their shrinking
Alaska habitat. Global warming
hysteria fading in Canada? (Tom Nelson) Podcasts From AccuWx On
Climate Change - There are a set of quite informative podcasts on the Accuweather website. It is
accessible through http://www.accuweather.com/global-warming/headline-earth.asp Cycles
in Landfalling U.S. Hurricanes? - To many global warming alarmists, every disastrous weather event becomes
yet another piece of evidence of the coming man-made apocalypse. One only needs to look at their exploitation of
Hurricane Katrina victims in the furtherance of the global warming crusade. Most average citizens are shocked to
find out that at landfall, Katrina was not a record-setting Category 5 monster hurricane, but really a Category 3
storm—hardly unprecedented in intensity but devastating with respect to the landfall location and timing. Adapting To Climate - The mantra is repeated
daily. There is consensus on climate change. Global warming is real. It will be a disaster. Humans are to blame.
We have to do something – immediately. Washington state sea levels could rise considerably by
end of century - Melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, combined with other effects of global
climate change, are likely to raise sea levels in parts of Western Washington by the end of this century, though
geological forces will offset the rising water in some areas. South Florida firm plans Kyoto
specialty - Speaking to 200 participants who gathered Thursday in Coral Gables for a conference on how to
take advantage of global warming, a Greenberg Traurig executive described how the law firm had established a
Climate Change Task Force to meet the growing needs of the business community. Sarkozy attacks EU carbon
targets - Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has weighed into the controversy over the European
Union's climate change plans with an attack on some proposals as "neither efficient, fair nor economically
sustainable". The
End Of European Industry? - Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa, better known as ‘Sarko’,
the French President, has more on his mind than singer/ex-model Carla Bruni, and former wives, Marie-Dominique
Culioli and Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz. As the Financial Times reports (‘Sarkozy attacks EU carbon targets’,
January 15), he is about to employ his now infamous Kärcher on the EU’s self-destructive and barmy
emissions-trading scheme: Oh, so it's just a face-saving exercise? EU
to Stick to Climate Plan Despite Rival Protests - BRUSSELS - The European Commission will spell out next
week, over the din of protests from industry and governments as well as green groups, how it intends to cut
greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change. Norway Says Aims to Go Carbon
Neutral by 2030 - OSLO - Norway, which last year set what it called the world's most ambitious target for
cutting greenhouse gas emissions, said on Thursday it aimed to go "carbon neutral" in 2030, which is 20
years earlier than its previous target. (Reuters) New chief
scientist’s advice to Defra - Defra’s new chief scientific adviser Prof Robert Watson spoke about
climate change at the Oxford Farming Conference. After his speech, WILLIAM SURMAN caught up with him and asked
what sort of advice he would be giving Defra Secretary Hilary Benn.( Farmers Guardian) British Gas Chief Says EU Must
Make Polluters Pay - LONDON - Lawmakers must act now to end a scheme that has handed billions of euros in
windfall profits to Europe's biggest polluters, the chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica said on
Thursday. Britain Cool on Carbon Profit
Claw Back Proposal - LONDON - Britain is focused on making power generators buy more permits to emit
climate-warming gases, rather than taking back billions of pounds in windfall carbon profits from utilities, the
government says. Nuclear Fuel: Waste Not, Want Not
- On the eve of the Nevada caucus, Democrats fall over each another opposing storage of the nation's nuclear waste
at the Yucca Mountain Repository. But is it really waste or the ultimate form of renewable energy? (IBD) Unconventional natural gas reservoir in Pennsylvania
poised to dramatically increase US Production - Natural gas distributed throughout the Marcellus black
shale in northern Appalachia could conservatively boost proven U.S. reserves by trillions of cubic feet if gas
production companies employ horizontal drilling techniques, according to a Penn State and State University of New
York, Fredonia, team. (Penn State) Siberian
riches - With the population of 0.03 persons per square kilometre in some parts and temperatures plunging
well below minus 50 degrees Celsius in the winter, East Siberia is Russia's next up-and-coming oil province. China Drought Underlines
Hydropower Reliance Risks - BEIJING - A major drought has squeezed electricity output at big dams across
southwest China, highlighting the risks of Beijing's massive hydropower expansion plans on coal and oil markets in
a warmer, drier world. (Reuters) Down and dirty - IN
THE world of environmental activism, there is a good rule of thumb. If an energy source comes out of the ground it
is probably bad (think coal, oil, natural gas and, in the view of many, uranium). If it does not, then it is
probably good (think wind, waves, solar and biofuels). But there is an exception. Even the most hair-shirted
environmentalist finds it hard to argue against geothermal energy. When what comes out of the ground is merely hot
water or steam there is, as it were, little to get steamed up about. Top
Ten Science Based Predictions that didn’t come true. - There’s an article in the New York Times
pushing a something called “the five stages of climate grief” done by a professor at the University of
Montana. This got me to thinking about the regular disaster forecasting that we see published in the media about
what will happen due to climate change. How’d we get
here? If you’re confused about the latest statin and cholesterol news, this information may help... -
Have you been confused about what to make of the ENHANCE trial tumult and the differing viewpoints from experts
about whether or not statins save lives and if lowering cholesterol levels matter? Research Links New Virus to
Rare Form of Skin Cancer - Scientists have discovered a new virus and strongly linked it with the most
aggressive form of skin cancer, they reported in a scientific journal on Thursday. Team finds an economical way to boost the vitamin A
content of maize - A team of plant geneticists and crop scientists has pioneered an economical approach to
the selective breeding of maize that can boost levels of provitamin A, the precursors that are converted to
vitamin A upon consumption. This innovation could help to enhance the nutritional status of millions of people in
the developing world. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Europe voices ethical doubts over
'Frankenfood' - BRUSSELS — A European report voicing ethical misgivings over cloned animal products on
Thursday fuelled a growing debate in the EU on "frankenfood", despite approvals granted this week by US
food authorities. January 17, 2008
The one to watch in 2008 - Malaria kills
thousands each day, mainly in the world's poorest countries. At a research centre in Mozambique, the work of one
man, Pedro Alonso, offers hope Revulsion
theatre: using horror to “make you” change your ways - Trying to gross you out or terrorize you about
fat are the latest side show efforts to make people feel disgusted by fat people and for their own bodies, and to
scare them about "bad" foods. Crudeness is not how trusted medical providers care for people, but it
does create attention for “celebrity” chefs. The same young chef who electrocuted a chicken to scare people
about eating things he doesn’t believe are good for children is now behind televising an autopsy — the
distasteful content reportedly to “make people change their eating habits.” (Junkfood Science) Cholesterol as a Danger Has Skeptics
- For decades, the theory that lowering cholesterol is always beneficial has been a core principle of cardiology.
It has been accepted by doctors and used by drug makers to win quick approval for new medicines to reduce
cholesterol. Yet more classical scaremongering nonsense
(Number Watch) Fun
science facts: What do people really know about science? - The new report “Science and Engineering
Indicators 2008” has just been released. This is that biannual report by the National Science Foundation’s
Division of Science Resources Statistics under the National Science Board that reveals the state of science
education, research and development trends, health of the science and technology industry, and the understanding
of science among children and adults in the United States. The chapter on public attitudes and understandings
about science and health always offers interesting surprises about what people think. (Junkfood Science) Reporting or
marketing? It really is possible to tell the difference... - All too often, journalism today is little
more than marketing copy. How many reporters cite original source materials, investigate the evidence behind the
claims, reveal the conflicts of interest of the experts they quote, or present a balanced viewpoint? Practically
none, especially when it comes to obesity. Writing that elicits an emotional response on this issue, rather than
objectively reports the facts, has become so widespread that many readers and editors have become numb to the
manipulations. Out of
business: the country’s largest weight loss chain - Amidst the nonstop diet and weight loss commercials
that are besieging us this month with unprecedented intensity, have you noticed the silence from the country’s
largest weight loss chain? For years, you couldn’t turn on the television without seeing an ad for LA Weight
Loss Centers — the corporate-owned outlets renamed 'Pure Weight Loss' last year. The
world according to Jim - Hansen claims 2007 was the equal second warmest in history but which data is he
using? He has published global mean temperature anomalies for December 2007 of +0.39 to +0.6. Everyone else seems
to think the world has cooled since 1998 yet Hansen claims it’s a tie. Why? (JunkScience.com blog) Low system heralds return of
Big Wet - A MONSOONAL low that battered an inland town with the ferocity of a mini-cyclone and caused at
least $12 million worth of damage across north Queensland was hailed by a senior forecaster yesterday as heralding
a return to the traditional Big Wet. It remains to be seen whether we are witnessing a Pacific phase shift back to the regime that held through
the great cooling scare. Early indications are promising. Climate Science has
Moved and is Back Online! - We have moved our weblog to a new private host and we are back up and running.
Thanks for your patience and understanding. Discuss this in the blog: New
test for developers in Maine: climate change - A plan to build thousands of new homes next to a lake in
Maine’s north woods faces an environmental test that may one day challenge developers nationwide: What’s the
carbon footprint of a new subdivision or land development? At hearings last month, Maine environmentalists unveiled for state regulators what is being called a
first-in-the-nation study of the greenhouse-gas emissions expected from a huge development planned for Maine’s
Moosehead Lake. Some observers call it a new front in an emerging battle between environmentalists and developers
that started in California two years ago. The Failure of Climate
Change Economics - In 1896, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius developed a theory to explain the
likely impact of burning coal on the climate. Arrhenius claimed that, due to human activity, the
concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere would increase, creating an "enhanced" greenhouse effect.
His theory did not enjoy consensus in his time, but the scientific community today agrees that human beings are
responsible for the present global warming trend. Why, then, has the United States not signed on to the
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international document
that established legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with targets determined on a
country-by-country basis? (Matthew Thomas Clement, Monthly Review) Oh, it's the pine beetles' fault: Prince
George to send warm water into river to ease ice jam - Prince George has been given the go-ahead to pump
warm water into the Nechako River with the aim of loosening an ice jam that has caused widespread flooding in the
city for five weeks. Hubbard Glacier refuses to fade away
- As you read this, a rogue glacier is again threatening a small town. It’s
Water Vapour, Stupid - An extremely important and challenging paper, ‘Coupling of water and carbon
fluxes via the terrestrial biosphere and its significance to the Earth’s climate system’, has just been
published in the Journal of Geophysical Research (Vol. 112, 2007: doi:10.1029/2007JD008431). The paper is by Paul
R. Ferguson and the eminent, Professor Ján Veizer, of the Department of Earth Sciences and Ottawa-Carleton
Geoscience Centre, University of Ottawa, Canada. (Global Warming Politics) Whoops! Those Darned Climate Models Just Don’t Work
- What will the world look like in a century? Imagine asking that question in 1900. And in 1800. The world would
have changed in so many dramatic ways, that any economic and environmental predictions would have been worthless. Hmm... Climate
change, global economy among top priorities for 2008: UNDP chief - 16 January 2008 – Climate change and
the world economy are among the top development priorities for this year, the head of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) announced today in New York. (UN News) ... either these are mutually exclusive goals or he means they are going to concentrate on hyping the phantom
menace in order to destroy the world economy. Even the
cheapest global warming bill ain't cheap - A report released yesterday by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency should be opening some eyes to the true costs and ultimate ineffectiveness of proposed domestic
legislation to fight global warming. Taxi Industry Questions Safety Of Switching to Hybrid Vehicles
- Taxi industry officials are calling dangerous Mayor Bloomberg's plan to quickly replace Ford's Crown Victoria
vehicles with fuel-efficient hybrid cars. Texas Is Biggest Carbon Polluter
- (AUSTIN, Texas) — Everything's big in Texas — big pickup trucks, big SUVs and the state's big carbon
footprint, too. Except atmospheric carbon dioxide is not pollution. UN Climate Head Welcomes
Marshall Plan Climate Fund - LONDON - UN climate chief Yvo de Boer on Wednesday hailed as a "Marshall
Plan" for climate change news that the United States will set up a multi-billion dollar fund to help
developing nations acquire clean power technologies. (Reuters) Detroit Wants Industries Looked
at on Climate - DETROIT - With stricter US rules in place to sharply improve gas mileage and reduce
tailpipe emissions, domestic automakers now want Washington to look elsewhere for help in achieving climate change
goals. (Reuters) Climate plans spark EU job fears -
Trade unions and business leaders say EU plans to cut carbon emissions could harm European jobs and industry. EU's Barroso Hits Back at
Critics of Climate Plan - STRASBOURG, France - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hit back
on Wednesday at criticism from member states and industry of planned radical proposals to fight climate change and
save energy. (Reuters) EU wants Germany to double clean energy output:
report - (FRANKFURT) - The European Commission wants Germany to double the percentage of renewable energy
in its overall consumption to 18 percent by 2020, a press report said, quoting EU diplomatic sources. Biofuels, BP-Berkeley, and the New Ecological
Imperialism - British Petroleum, Beyond Petroleum . . . Biofuel Promoter, Biosphere Plunderer. Regardless
of what the BP abbreviation actually stands for, one thing is clear: this oil giant knows a good deal when it sees
one. For a relatively small financial contribution, BP appropriates academic expertise from a leading public
research institution, founded on 200 years of social support, to maximize its return on energy investments. These
investments, in turn, are focused primarily on promoting the market for biofuel, the newest darling of those in
power who stimulate change while maintaining "business as usual." This means working-class people in the
core developed countries will subsidize the extraction of even more ecological goods from the developing world to
serve elites, who never mind taking food out of the mouths of people to put gold in their pockets. Socializing the
costs for private economic gain is not a new phenomenon in the capitalist system. However, this case represents a
new twist in the combination of debunked science, ecological imperialism, and the sophistry of "sustainable
development." (Hannah Holleman and Rebecca Clausen, Monthly Review) Editorial: No more energy
favors, please - WASHINGTON - Huge energy price increases account for almost all of terrible new inflation
numbers that came out yesterday, and federal lawmakers deserve much of the blame. The Labor Department said
wholesale prices rose 6.3 percent in 2007, the largest jump in 26 years. “Core” inflation (excluding food and
energy) rose just 2 percent, but a whopping 18.4 percent jump in energy prices pushed the overall rate sky-high.
It is true that a large part of the problem today stems from increasing international demand combined with a weak
dollar. But the big congressional energy bill of 2005 unnecessarily made the problem far worse. In April 2005,
when gasoline prices were at what now seems like a bargain at $2.20 per gallon, analyst Ben Lieberman of the
Heritage Foundation warned that the energy bill then moving through Congress would be a disaster. Boy, he got that
right. (The Washington DC Examiner) New Fields May Offset Oil Drop -
Output from the world's existing oil fields is declining at a rate of about 4.5% annually, a new study concludes,
depriving the world of the same amount of oil that No. 4 producer Iran supplies in a year. Solar Industry Faces More
Supply, Falling Prices - LOS ANGELES - The booming solar power sector is about to get squeezed by the
age-old laws of supply and demand. BA uses own jets to examine
effect of air travel on climate - British Airways aircraft are to be used to gather data about the hidden
impact of air travel on climate change in research that could result in much higher environmental surcharges on
tickets than expected. Green advisers dismiss
nuclear plans as 'megafix' solution - Two of the UK's chief green advisers yesterday launched a ferocious
attack on government saying the national fight against climate change will be hindered by the decision to
encourage nuclear power. (The Guardian) | A
blatant failure of moral vision | Overthrow
of New King Coal Scientists outraged by GE tree vandalism -
The Life Sciences Network has condemned the actions of "eco-terrorists" who broke into a genetically
engineered tree trial on Monday. Many US consumers
oblivious to GM food fears - Concerns over genetically modified foods have failed to make much impact in
the United States, where consumers and the US media are less fired up about the issue than in Europe, activists
say. January 16, 2008
Amalgams pose no
risk to human health, EU report - LONDON - Amalgam fillings for teeth, containing mercury, pose no health
risk to the human nervous system, an EU scientific committee said on Tuesday. Reading the
evidence closely — statins for seniors - Recent news has reported that new research offers evidence for
the benefits of taking statins for the elderly and for women — two groups of people in which statins have been
especially controversial and not widely prescribed. Today, we’ll look at this new study on the use of statins in
seniors. America's Poor Scientific Literacy
- Don’t worry about that sound. It’s just the ghost of C.P. Snow lamenting the persistent gulf between what he
long ago labeled the two cultures — science and the rest of learning. The latest survey results have just come
out on what laymen know about science, and the picture, mainly concerning Americans, is not pretty. But on the
bright side, though most of us know relatively little about it, we generally like it. Plague: a growing
but overlooked threat -- study - LONDON - Plague, the disease that devastated medieval Europe, is
re-emerging worldwide and poses a growing but overlooked threat, researchers warned on Tuesday. Poor sanitation
kills 5,000 children a day: report - LONDON - Five thousand children die every day globally because they
do not have access to clean toilets, health experts said on Tuesday. A Coffin for Rabies
- On June 26, 2007, a dog walked into Lupiro, a small village in southern Tanzania. It bit eight people and 11
other dogs before anyone managed to kill it. It had rabies or, as the French call it, la rage. Hooray! Some skepticism in The Guardian: Did
a pair of twins really get married by mistake? - So you're sitting in the pub and your nice-but-naive
friend says: "Hey, I heard the most amazing story the other day. There were these twins, right, a boy and a
girl, who were separated at birth and adopted by different families. And, like, years later, by an amazing
coincidence, they meet. And fall madly in love, and get married. Straight up! Then, obviously, they find out
they're actually brother and sister. And it all has to be annulled, and they're just devastated. It's the ultimate
nightmare. Can you imagine?" Coco loco - When Jennifer Aniston
was spotted with a shopping trolley full of coconut oil, the manufacturers of this little-used fat must have
jumped for joy. Coconut oil has had a bad press because of its high saturated-fat content, but devotees claim it
is misunderstood. It is heart-healthy and fantastic for weight loss, they say, because it speeds up the
metabolism. It is also cholesterol-free and - according to some of the wilder proponents - can cure anything from
candida to cancer. The coconut is being touted as the health food of 2008, but a closer look at the science behind
the claims highlights the hyperbole that is rife in the "superfoods" industry. Can the answer to all
modern ills really be found up a palm tree? (The Guardian) Global Advances Challenge U.S. Dominance in
Science - The United States remains the world leader in scientific and technological innovation, but its
dominance is threatened by economic development elsewhere, particularly in Asia. (New York Times) Green
“Disparate Impact”: Ugly and selfish realities. - Environmentalists often talk as if they are trying
to save the last few patches of greenery from being paved over, when in fact 90 percent of the land in the United
States is undeveloped and forests alone cover more area than all the cities and towns in the country combined. Behind much of the lofty and pretty talk are some ugly and selfish realities. Greenland thaw
biggest in 50 years - report - OSLO - Climate change has caused the greatest thaw of Greenland's ice in
half a century, perhaps heralding a wider meltdown that would quicken a rise in world sea levels, scientists said
on Tuesday. There is no known significance to PlayStation® 'predictions' and while there may indeed have been some
increased recent melt there was also increased snowfall, with little net result. I ran a GCAG
HadCRUT2v plot for the region Longitude: -85 to -25, Latitude: 85 to 60
with the suggestion there is a long-term warming with a trend of [drum roll, please] Trend: 0.05°C/decade. So,
if it continued for 1,000 years (some hope) it might deliver the warming they claim for 100. And when do we think was the greatest period of Greenland ice melt in recent history? Probably in the 1920s
and 1930s: Remote sensing of Greenland ice
sheet using multispectral near-infrared and visible radiances - Abstract: We present the physical
basis of and validate a new remote-sensing algorithm that utilizes reflected visible and near-infrared radiation
to discriminate between dry and wet snow. When applied to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) satellite data, our discrimination algorithm has the potential to retrieve melting regions of the ice
sheet at a spatial resolution of 0.25 km2, over three orders of magnitude higher than the resolution of current
microwave methods. The method should be useful for long-term monitoring of the melt area of the Greenland ice
sheet, especially regions close to ice sheet margins and of the outflow glaciers. Our analysis of MODIS
retrievals of the western portion of the Greenland ice sheet over the period 2000 to 2006 indicates significant
interannual variability with a maximum melt extent in 2005. Collocated in situ meteorological data reveal a high
correlation (0.80) between the MODIS melt-day area and the average summer temperature. Our analysis suggests
that it is the magnitude of the summer temperature that dominates the melting (not the variability of the length
of the melting season). Furthermore, we find that the melt-day area increases by about 3.8% for each 0.1
K increase in the average surface air summer temperature. We combine this empirical relationship with historic
temperature data to infer that the melt-day area of the western part of the ice sheet doubled between the
mid-1990s and mid-2000s and that the largest ice sheet surface melting probably occurred between 1920s and
1930s, concurrent with the warming in that period. (Petr Chylek, M. McCabe and M. K. Dubey, JOURNAL OF
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, D24S20, doi:10.1029/2007JD008742, 2007) Mapping of Greenland may aid understanding of sea-level
mystery - A University of Alberta Arctic ice researcher is closing in on some real understanding about the
process that might be feeding rising sea levels. (University of Alberta) This is actually a pretty good piece, note the tag: "We are asking if it is actually true that the
amount and extent of melting in Greenland has increased over the period of interest and, in particular, is it
increasing in the places where it looks as if the flow of the glacier has been sped up," said Sharp. Haifa University study: Local rainfall stats defy
global warming fears - Despite warnings that global warming is already impacting precipitation quantities,
local rainfall statistics have remained essentially unchanged in the 60 years they have been tracked. Sun drives carbon levels via water cycle? Coupling
of water and carbon fluxes via the terrestrial biosphere and its significance to the Earth's climate system
- Abstract: Terrestrial water vapor fluxes represent one of the largest movements of mass and energy in the
Earth's outer spheres, yet the relative contributions of abiotic water vapor fluxes and those that are regulated
solely by the physiology of plants remain poorly constrained. By interpreting differences in the oxygen-18 and
deuterium content of precipitation and river water, a methodology was developed to partition plant transpiration (T)
from the evaporative flux that occurs directly from soils and water bodies (E d ) and plant
surfaces (I n ). The methodology was applied to fifteen large watersheds in North America, South
America, Africa, Australia, and New Guinea, and results indicated that approximately two thirds of the annual
water flux from the “water-limited” ecosystems that are typical of higher-latitude regions could be attributed
to T. In contrast to “water-limited” watersheds, where T comprised 55% of annual precipitation, T
in high-rainfall, densely vegetated regions of the tropics represented a smaller proportion of precipitation and
was relatively constant, defining a plateau beyond which additional water input by precipitation did not
correspond to higher T values. In response to variable water input by precipitation, estimates of T
behaved similarly to net primary productivity, suggesting that in conformity with small-scale measurements, the
terrestrial water and carbon cycles are inherently coupled via the biosphere. Although the estimates of T
are admittedly first-order, they offer a conceptual perspective on the dynamics of energy exchange between
terrestrial systems and the atmosphere, where the carbon cycle is essentially driven by solar energy via the water
cycle intermediary. (Paul R. Ferguson and Ján Veizer, JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, D24S06,
doi:10.1029/2007JD008431, 2007) Changing
climate 'is leading to rougher seas' - Climate change is having a significant impact on the health of the
seas surrounding Britain, says a new report. When hasn't coastal erosion been an issue in the UK? Global Warming Hysteria in The West
Australian: A Note from Roger Underwood - Over the last 6 months, readers of The West Australian
newspaper have been subjected to a barrage of hysteria over global warming. Very bad news stories of one kind or
another are published almost every day, all with the common theme that civilisation as we know it is about to be
destroyed. Green tax a state cash cow - The tax minister admits
that CO2 levy is solely in place to fill state treasury US House's Dingell Hopes to
Draft Climate Bill Soon - DETROIT - The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Democrat John
Dingell of Michigan, said Tuesday he hoped to draft climate change legislation as soon as possible. (Reuters) EU Business Blasts Planned CO2
Emissions Auction - BRUSSELS - Europe's top business lobby attacked on Tuesday European Commission plans
for implementing deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, saying that auctioning pollution permits could hurt
industry in global competition. (Reuters) ROMANIA: Fighting for the 'Right' to More Emissions
- BUCHAREST, Jan 15 - Following the example of seven other countries from Central and Eastern Europe that joined
the European Union (EU) in 2004, Romania and Bulgaria, the newest members, have sued the European Commission (EC)
for lowering their national caps for carbon dioxide emissions. European
Union countries fighting over share-out for cutting greenhouse gas emissions; Environment Commissioner now says
some biofuels do more harm than good - European Union countries are fighting for national interest within
days of the Commission publishing the country-by-country targets share-out for cutting greenhouse emissions. EU Lawmakers Seek More Time for
Car CO2 Cuts - STRASBOURG, France - Automakers should be given more time to cut carbon dioxide emissions
from their cars under legislation proposed by the European Union's executive arm to slow climate change, EU
lawmakers said on Tuesday. (Reuters) 'Cavalier' construction
undermining government's green message - Whitehall departments are undermining government attempts to
encourage people to take climate change seriously, MPs said today. From CO2 Science
this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Southeastern United States
Hurricanes: Shining a Light on Their Positive Side: Not everything associated with the feared storms is bad. Elevated CO2
Primes the Ocean's Biological Carbon Pump: Just as it does for land plants, so also does atmospheric CO2
enrichment enhance the photosynthetic rates of oceanic phytoplankton, leading to a greater transfer of carbon from
the surface of the global ocean to the sea's abyssal sediments. The Potential for
"Symbiont Shuffling" in Corals: A new investigative technique provides evidence for the veracity of
a postulated mechanism by which corals may survive high-temperature-induced bleaching. The Functioning of Symbiodinium
Clade A and B Algae in Giant Sea Anemones: What does it reveal about the potential for "symbiont
shuffling" in corals? Temperature
Record of the Week: Warming Threat Used to Thwart Coal Power Plants -
Today the Associated Press examines how environmental activists are engaged in an unprecedented push to prevent
utilities from building new coal-fired power plants, because of the threat from global warming: (Paul Chesser,
Climate Strategies Watch) Green Groups Sue Ottawa Over
Refinery Assessment - CALGARY, Alberta - Environmental groups are suing the Canadian government and Irving
Oil Ltd, alleging the federal environmental assessment planned for a proposed C$7 billion (US$6.9 billion)
refinery in New Brunswick is too limited, their legal defense fund said Monday. (Reuters) Gesture politics: Ontario to
approve Great Lakes wind power - Ontario is preparing to lift a controversial moratorium on the
development of offshore wind projects in the Great Lakes that has been in place for nearly 14 months, the Toronto
Star has learned. Germany, Spain Warn EU on
Renewables Plan - BRUSSELS - Germany and Spain have warned the European Commission that an ambitious plan
to boost the use of renewable energy sources, due to be unveiled next week, could be counter-productive and wreck
existing successful schemes. (Reuters) Fifty times more
wind turbines by 2020 - Britain will have to install six times more wind turbines on land and 50 times
more wind turbines at sea by the end of the next decade under rules to be announced by Brussels next week. Climate Change Aids Nuclear,
Despite Safety Fears - OSLO - Half a century after the first atomic power plant opened at Obninsk near
Moscow, climate change is widening the environmental appeal of nuclear power despite a lack of final storage for
the most toxic waste. (Reuters) Australia Tells India it Will
Not Sell it Uranium - CANBERRA - Australia's new Labor government told India's nuclear envoy Shyam Saran
on Tuesday it would not sell uranium to New Delhi unless it signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), reversing a
decision by the previous government. (Reuters) EU reviews biofuel
target as environmental doubts grow - A European drive to run vehicles on biofuels instead of petrol and
diesel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to be reviewed after concerns about its environmental impact. More of US Grain Crop to be
Consumed by Family Car - WASHINGTON - Almost a third of the US grain crop next year may be diverted from
the family dinner table to the family car as fuel, putting upward pressure on food prices, a leading expert warned
on Tuesday. (Reuters) US Ethanol Expansion Cooling
Next 18 Months - CHICAGO - US corn-based ethanol expansion is headed for a cooling-off period over the
next 18 months until demand catches up with supply, said a senior executive of leading agricultural research firm
Informa Economics on Monday. (Reuters) US Gives Blessing to Food from
Cloned Animals - WASHINGTON - The US government ruled on Tuesday that meat and milk from cloned animals
and their offspring is as safe as other food, but pressed firms that produce clones to hold off on bringing them
into the food supply. (Reuters) Brussels to hear report on
moral and ethical issues - The ethical and moral issues surrounding the use of cloned animals and their
offspring for food and milk will be examined today in a report by a European advisory group, including senior
Christian theologians. France Defends GMO Crop Ban,
Says Temporary - PARIS - French ministers tried on Tuesday to calm tensions following the government's
decision to ban cultivation of the sole genetically modified (GMO) crop grown in the country, stressing that the
move was temporary. (Reuters) Some nitwits never shut up: Dr.
Mae-Wan Ho: Beware the New “Doubly Green Revolution” - The fake moral crusade to feed the world with
genetically modified crops promoted as the second “Doubly Green Revolution” is doing even more damage than the
first. The bad genetics involved in has failed the test in science and in the real world. (UN Observer) January 15, 2008
Don't tell the enviros but Heavy
metal slips down UK air quality charts - Air quality in the UK has improved significantly over the last 25
years according to a report published by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Monitoring at 17 testing sites
around the UK shows a fall in the presence of harmful heavy metals such as lead, iron and copper in the air we
breathe. (National Physical Laboratory)
Breaking
news! ENHANCE trial results released - After nearly two years of controversy surrounding the results of
the ENHANCE clinical trial — a melodrama filled with theories of cover-ups and manipulations of clinical trial
data in the possession only of the drug company sponsor, a secret panel behind attempts to change the study
endpoints after the trial was over, a Congressional investigation and years of delays in the release of the
findings — in a surprise move this morning, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals announced the results:
(Junkfood Science) Living in Fear and Paying a High Cost in
Heart Risk - Which is more of a threat to your health: Al Qaeda or the Department of Homeland Security? The Real Key to Development - Are
the world's impoverished masses destined to live lives of permanent misery unless rich countries transfer wealth
for spending on education and infrastructure? Inhofe
EPW Website Wins Coveted Gold Mouse Award International Conference on Climate Change - The
Heartland Institute is planning an International Conference on Climate Change for the weekend of March 2 – 4,
2008 in New York. We will have hundreds of scientists from around the world in attendance to debunk the supposed
‘consensus’ on global warming. (Heartland Institute) The
Publication Of A Hypothesis: An Article Titled “A Model Forecast - Model Projections of an Imminent Transition
to a More Arid Climate in Southwestern North America” - Thanks to Chris Castro for alerting us to this
paper (see also his quest weblog “Monsoon on Track to be a Wet One”) . Canada
Inuit rap U.S. greens for polar bear campaign - OTTAWA - Leaders of Canada's Arctic Inuit people denounced
U.S. environmentalists on Monday for pushing Washington to declare the polar bear a threatened species, saying the
move was unnecessary and would hurt the local economy. (Reuters) Latest Antarctic Sea Ice
Extent - Once again today we were told in the media that the Antarctic ice is melting at an increasing and
alarming rate. One example was a Globe Mail story today based on a research project, led by Eric Rignot, principal
scientist for the Radar Science and Engineering Section at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
California, and appearing in the current issue of Nature Geoscience. In an e-mail, Dr. Rignot attributed the
shrinkage in the ice sheet to an upwelling of warm waters along the Antarctic coast, which is causing some
glaciers to flow more rapidly into the ocean. He suspects the trend is due to global warming. (Joseph D’Aleo,
CCM) Oh boy... The
end of the world as we know it - In a hundred years, the planet will be unrecognisable. (Sydney Morning
Herald) The changing face of Britain's
skies - Driven by climate change, the 21st century will see a dramatic shift in the nation's feathered
population with many species either arriving for the first time or leaving for good. Michael McCarthy reports
(London Independent) Climate change
threatening bird species, RSPB says - The RSPB today called for urgent action to cut greenhouse gas
emissions to avoid a 'calamitous' impact on birds. How nice, PlayStation® Biology to go with PlayStation® Climatology ;) Race for '08: Voters split on global warming cost
- Some fear businesses will be hobbled - Engel, an undecided voter, is uncomfortable with Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's self-proclaimed California crusade against global warming and by the state's decision to sue the
Bush administration for blocking California's effort to impose the nation's first greenhouse gas emission limits
for cars and light trucks. He's willing to make environmental changes that make sense for his company but doesn't
want California businesses to bear an unfair burden. (Sacramento Bee) Wash. state governor to launch
greenhouse gas bill - SEATTLE - Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire said on Monday she plans to
introduce legislation to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent in 2050 from 1990 levels. Survey shows
eco-warriors are worst polluters - A survey of travel habits has revealed that the most environmentally
conscious people are also the biggest polluters. EU members braced for emissions targets
- EU members are bracing for proposed greenhouse gas emission targets due next week as they fret over how much of
the burden they will have to bear in the fight against climate change. EU to Allow Poorest Members to
Raise CO2 Emissions - BRUSSELS - The European Commission will propose allowing the poorest new central
European member states to increase greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent by 2020 over 2005 levels under a
major energy and climate change plan to be unveiled next week, EU sources said on Monday. (Reuters) China 07 Coal Output Rises 5
Pct to 2.52 Bln Tonnes - BEIJING - China's coal output rose 5 percent in 2007 to 2.52 billion tonnes, the
China Daily said, citing the head of the State Administration of Work Safety. (Reuters) How Did They
Become 'Smart' Thermostats? - As the debate builds about state-controlled thermostats in your homes, you
may notice that programmable communicating thermostats (PCTs) are now being referred to as "Smart"
thermostats. This conflates PCTs with programmable, or "setback" thermostats which have been around for
decades and are totally under the householder's control with no radio override features. Google "smart
thermostat" and you'll find information on both kinds. (Joseph Somsel, American Thinker) Time's
up for petrol cars, says GM chief - THE world's biggest car maker, General Motors, believes global oil
supply has peaked and a switch to electric cars is inevitable. EU to Toughen Environment
Criteria for Biofuels - BRUSSELS - The European Union is to set tougher environmental criteria for
biofuels after acknowledging that the drive for transport fuels produced from crops has done unforeseen damage,
the European Commission said on Monday. (Reuters) The Big Question: Can
biofuel help prevent global warming, or will it only make matters worse? - The European Union is having
second thoughts about its policy aimed at stimulating the production of biofuel – transport fuel derived from
crops and other vegetation or organic waste. Stavros Dimas, the EU environment commissioner, admitted yesterday
that the EU did not foresee the scale of the problems raised by Europe's target of deriving 10 per cent of its
transport fuel from plant material. The rush to produce biofuels is reported to have increased the cost of food on
the global market, destroyed tracts of rainforest in tropical countries and to have had little overall impact on
reducing greenhouse gases. UK Biofuels Push Lacks
Greenhouse Targets - Report - LONDON - A government directive requiring fuel suppliers to use more
biofuels will do little to combat climate change because the measure lacks targets to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, British scientists said on Monday. (Reuters) Food cost increase
adds £750 to annual bill - Food prices are accelerating at their fastest rate since records began,
fuelling a rise in the average family's shopping bill of £750 a year. EU drive to boost grain output
fails - The European Union effort to boost agriculture production significantly has failed in spite of the
suspension of the limits to grain crops and despite current record prices. DuPont sees ethanol as path to
new fuels - NEW YORK - Corn-based ethanol may dominate the nascent U.S. biofuels industry for now, but
fast-developing technologies will likely create new biofuels and markets in the next few years, the head of
chemical giant DuPont's biofuels development said on Monday. This has
been my perfect week - A couple of weeks ago, plans for a wonderful new coal-fired power station in Kent
were given the green light and I was very pleased. Protests Greet Nuclear Power Resurgence in US South
- WAYNESBORO, Georgia , Jan 14 - Residents and environmental activists are in a bitter dispute with large U.S.
energy corporations and the federal government over the safety of nuclear power, as more than a dozen corporations
plan to, or have filed, paperwork to open new nuclear power plants, primarily in the U.S. South. (IPS) Nuclear Costs Explode -
Progress Energy Florida is going to have to spend more than originally planned to build two nuclear reactors in
Levy County, the utility's top executive said. Genetically modified carrots provide more calcium
- A specially developed carrot has been produced to help people absorb more calcium. Researchers at Texas A&M
AgriLife’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center studied the calcium intake of humans who ate the carrot and
found a net increase in calcium absorption. The research, which was done in collaboration with Baylor College of
Medicine, means adding this carrot to the diet can help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis. (Texas A&M
University) US stalls sanctions
against EU in biotech food dispute - THE US said it would temporarily hold fire on sanctions on European
Union goods in a last-ditch attempt to resolve a bitter trade dispute over genetically modified crops. (Agence
France-Presse) Arpad Pusztai: Biological
divide - Contrary to the belief of some in the scientific community, Dr Arpad Pusztai does not have horns
or a malevolent cackle. Nor does he inhabit an imposing gothic mansion bought with the proceeds of guest
appearances as an eco-hero. In fact, he lives in a modest semi in Aberdeen. January 14, 2008
High degree of resistance to antibiotics in Arctic birds
- In the latest issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, Swedish researchers report that birds captured
in the hyperboreal tundra, in connection with the tundra expedition “Beringia 2005,” were carriers of
antibiotics-resistant bacteria. These findings indicate that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature,
which is an alarming prospect for future health care. (Uppsala University) Antibiotic resistance has always been high in nature. After all, antibiotics are the result of the
evolutionary war that has been ongoing between competing entities just about as long as there has been life on
Earth. Follow-up:
Secret panel hired by drug company revealed - More amazing than what is reported in the news is what
isn’t. Diets
don’t work, but keep dieting anyway? - Here’s one marketing campaign didn’t last long. What happened
to their acknowledgement that diets don’t work? Today, Weight Watchers general manager is reported as blaming
fat women for not continuing to diet and for not losing weight! As the Australian Age reports, the diet company
manager said fat women have given up and are in denial about the need to lose weight: (Junkfood Science) Junkfood Science could use your assistance -- the
donation button is just above the awards logos on the right of the main page. Cue
the gluttony: Environmental triggers might play a significant role in Americans' overeating. - HERE'S an
interesting thought: What if you're not to blame for your weight problem? Economists
weighing in... Round two - Another economist has weighed in with an obesity book and, once again, the
media has credulously reported it as expert health information and recommended health policy. This time, however,
the public isn’t buying it. Growing numbers of consumers know that obesity is not a ‘lifestyle choice” or
the result of an economy that forces people to eat too much and be inactive, as the media and this book reports.
Nor are they convinced that it is a public health crisis. In fact, on the authors’ website, an informal and open
poll asks people if they believe ‘obesity’ is a problem in the United States and, as of this morning, more
than two-thirds had checked “No, not at all.” (Junkfood Science) Cinnamon
and sugar — blood sugar, that is - Each January brings advice on how to start the New Year off right,
revitalize ourselves and get healthy. Superfoods are credited with special powers to protect us from cancer, heart
disease and other diseases of aging. Cinnamon is one such food. It has been widely heralded for its ability to
stabilize blood sugars and ward off diabetes. (Junkfood Science) Oh
boy… It Happened to Him. It’s Happening to You. - The news of environmental traumas assails us from
every side — unseasonal storms, floods, fires, drought, melting ice caps, lost species of river dolphins and
giant turtles, rising sea levels potentially displacing inhabitants of Arctic and Pacific islands and hundreds of
thousands of people dying every year from air pollution. Last week brought more — new reports that Greenland’s
glaciers may be melting away at an alarming rate. What’s going on? Are we experiencing one of those major shocks to life on Earth that rocked the planet in the
past? That’s just doomsaying, say those who insist that economic growth and human technological ingenuity will
eventually solve our problems. But in fact, the scientific take on our current environmental mess is hardly so
upbeat. More than a decade ago, many scientists claimed that humans were demonstrating a capacity to force a major
global catastrophe that would lead to a traumatic shift in climate, an intolerable level of destruction of natural
habitats, and an extinction event that could eliminate 30 to 50 percent of all living species by the middle of the
21st century. Now those predictions are coming true. The evidence shows that species loss today is accelerating.
We find ourselves uncomfortably privileged to be witnessing a mass extinction event as it’s taking place, in
real time. (Michael
Novacek, Washington Post) The number of documented extinctions according to the 2007
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is 735 animal species since 1500 AD. The majority of these are island
critters that could not cope with the influx of Norway Rats in the era of sail and exploration (ground & low
shrub-nesting birds etc., whose nests were pillaged by rats…). Just prior to 1500 there was a wave of
extinctions due to Maori hunters in newly settled New Zealand (mainly species of flightless Moa). In the last
few centuries Australian fauna has taken a bit of a hiding from introduced rodents, rabbits, cats and foxes, in
particular. Recent [presumed] extinctions are actually pretty rare, perhaps 30 since 1950 (although some not
sighted for some time have a bit of a habit of turning up thriving in unexpected locations or known by different
local names). The sixth great extinction wave? There’s a lot of talk about it but no evidence it is occurring. Consequences
Of The Conflict Of Interest In the 2007 CCSP Report - “Temperature Trends in the Lower Atmosphere: Steps for
Understanding and Reconciling Differences” - As reported on Climate Science (e.g. see)
and documented in depth in a public comment; see Pielke Sr., Roger A., 2005: Public
Comment on CCSP Report “Temperature Trends in the Lower Atmosphere: Steps for Understanding and Reconciling
Differences”. 88 pp including appendices. the CCSP Report - Temperature Trends in
the Lower Atmosphere: Steps for Understanding and Reconciling Differences “……excluded valid scientific perspectives under the charge of the Committee. The Editor of
the Report systematically excluded a range of views on the issue of understanding and reconciling lower
atmospheric temperature trends. The Executive Summary of the CCSP Report ignores critical scientific issues and
makes unbalanced conclusions concerning our current understanding of temperature trends.” The Editor of this Committee was Thomas Karl, who is also Director of the National Climate Data Center (NCDC).
Karl also directs the completion of multi-decadal global surface air temperature trends which were used in the
2007 IPCC report. (Climate Science) Making NOAA’s MMTS
wireless - issues also know that I’ve been critical of the MMTS (Max Min Temperature System) which has
been deployed at a majority of the COOP and USHCN networks. As of this writing, 55% of USHCN is made up of the
original MMTS system, with 16% of the network being the improved “Nimbus” version, which has a display unit
with max-min memory to prevent data loss. With 71% of the USHCN network being based on MMTS technology, it
represents the major component of surface temperature measurement. WMO
wants satellites to monitor climate change - GENEVA — The United Nations' weather agency will ask NASA
and other space agencies next week to make their next generation of satellites available to monitor climate
change, a senior official at the UN body said on Friday. NASA Satellites Capture Start of New Solar Cycle
- NASA scientists say a new solar cycle is beginning, and this could have important repercussions for space-based
technology ranging from GPS navigation to weather satellites. (Marshall and Goddard space flight centers) Oh
dear… Andy Revkin is still at it: - Unfortunately his entire opening premise is dead flat wrong. What
needs to head the list is acknowledgement that we can not now and never will be able to knowingly and predictable
adjust the global thermostat by tweaking peripheral parameters such as carbon emissions. Complete cessation of
human emissions will produce exactly zero measurable change in global temperature in the next 50-100 years. Even Hansen admits we do not know the
global mean temperature within ±0.7 K — note that that is 10 times greater than Tom
Wigley estimates could have been achieved by Kyoto and 3-7 times what a Kyoto “constant
compliance” scenario would shave off global average temperatures by 2100. We simply can’t measure global
temperature that precisely. Then there’s the premise that a warmer world, if it did eventuate, would be a net detriment. Funny how people
want to escape to tropical paradises but don’t seem to aspire to cold uh, ice holes. He also raises such irrelevancies as ocean acidification and the absurd stories of “it’ll harm
coral/shellfish…” without stopping to think about when these species evolved. Atmospheric CO2 was
>4,000ppmv in the Ordovician and in the Ordovician a variety of new types including cephalopods, corals,
bryozoans, crinoids, graptolites, gastropods, and bivalves flourished. Doesn’t sound like calciferous critters
are at much risk at present at <400ppmv, does it? See also: New
front in the carbon wars. Nonetheless, here’s what Revkin calls A
Starting Point for Productive Climate Discourse. Here’s our take Andy, we don’t need a “starting point” but rather an endpoint for all this nonsense so
we can move on to real problems. (JunkScience.com Blog) Raining
on the Drought Parade - One of the many pillars of fear regarding global warming is the claim that
droughts will become more severe in the future, particularly in continental interiors. The story is very simple
and is told over and over – temperatures rise, evaporation rates increase, and even with no change in rainfall,
soil moisture levels decrease and droughts last longer and are more severe. Then, crops will fail, ecosystems will
collapse, major cities will run out of water, diseases will spread – you know the story. There is always some
drought occurring some place on the planet, so supporting evidence is easy to find. We have written on this subject many times, and like everything else, there is a lot more complexity to the
story. Changes in wind and/or clouds could impact future evaporation rates, global dimming could cause a decease
in evaporation, plants could become more water use efficient thanks to higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
and therefore extract less water from the soil, and on and on. One of the problems is that long term soil moisture
data are rare to non-existent, but an article in a recent issue of the International Journal of Climatology brings
us a story about soil moisture extending back 1,426 years! (WCR) Storm porn: Call it the Katrina effect: it's no longer
enough to just report the weather; it has to be entertainment - Has the weather gone Hollywood? and disaster porn: Everglades
project can ease harm of climate change, scientist says - CAPTIVA — Global warming means South Florida
faces a future of eroded coasts, flooded barrier islands, mud-clogged bays, dying coral reefs, swaths of dead
mangroves and saw grass, and shorelines reeking with blooming algae, a University of Miami scientist warned
environmentalists Saturday. This crock, again: Scientists
to discuss how global warming effects diseases - PRAGUE — Global warming in Europe could mean a host of
potentially fatal diseases become more prevalent, a leading scientist warned Friday ahead of a major conference on
the subject. Malaria is not limited by temperature. World
warming despite cool Pacific, Baghdad snow - OSLO - Climate change is still nudging up temperatures in the
long term even though the warmest year was back in 1998 and 2008 has begun with unusual weather such as a cool
Pacific and Baghdad's first snow in memory, experts said. Well, yes, after a fashion. Checking trend slope since January 2000 (the "bottom" of the cooling
post-97/98 El Niño) shows GISTEMP and UAH MSU yielding y = 0.0019x (R2 of 0.1711 and
0.1373, respectively) while HadCRUT3 delivers y = 0.001x (R2 = 0.0863) and RSS AMSU comes in at y =
0.0007x (R2 = 0.0201). Not exactly the kind of results you'd write home about, are they? Weather, climate, and noise
- Gavin Schmidt and Stefan Rahmstorf discuss the difference between the weather and the climate and the relevance
of noise. There are many correct things in their text but there is a lot of naivité in it, too. (The Reference
Frame) Hot
And Icy - For a long time, scientists have regarded a geological stage known as the Turonian to be one
that was largely ice-free. The Turonian, lasting from 93.5 ± 0.8 Ma (million years ago) to 89.3 ± 1 Ma, was one
of the warmest times in Earth history, when dinosaurs still prowled the world and alligators/crocodiles were key
predators, even in the Arctic. The stage was defined by a French paleontologist, Alcide d'Orbigny (1802 - 1857),
who named it after the city of Tours. This again: Antarctic
ice sheet shrinking at faster rate - One of the biggest worries about global warming has been its
potential to affect the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet, a vast storehouse of frozen water that would
inundate the world's coastal regions if it were to melt because of a warming climate. Our guess is it'll be at least next week before competing statistics says the Antarctic is gaining ice
mass. What isn't highlighted in this piece is that this again relies on PlayStation® climatology -- compared
with models the WAIS appears to be losing mass. Meanwhile JunkScience reader M O'R has beaten us to checking the data, pointing out that the Antarctic
Peninsula (the region of alleged ice loss) shows dramatic cooling over the last year and providing the
following: Five GISS Stations To The North And East Coast Of The West Antarctic Peninsula 70188968000 BASE
ORCADAS
-60.75 -44.72 6 0R -9HIICCO 1x-9WATER 70089050000
BELLINGSHAUSE
-62.20 -58.93 16 76R -9HIICCO 1x-9ANTARCTICA
A 30489056000 CENTRO
MET.AN, Marsh -62.42 -58.88 10
0R -9HIICCO 1x-9ANTARCTICA A 30188963000 BASE
ESPERANZ
-63.40 -56.98 13 45R -9HIICCO 1x-9WATER
A 70089055000
CMS_VICE.DO.Marambio -64.23 -56.72 198
0R -9HIICCO 1x-9WATER A Three GISS Stations On The West Coast Of The West Antarctic Peninsula 70089063000
FARADAY
-65.25 -64.27 11 0R -9HIICCO 1x-9WATER
A 70089062000
ROTHERA POINT
-67.57 -68.13 16 12R -9HIICCO 1x-9WATER
A 70089066000
BASE SAN MARTIN -68.13
-67.13 4 233R -9MVICCO 1x-9WATER
A Even providing a bookmark file for Google Earthers :) Another
Cherry Picking Study and AP Story - Recently we reported on a study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts
and conducted by the Vermont Public Research and Education Fund purports to show increased extreme precipitation
events-rain and snow-in the United States over the last 59 years, perhaps linked to global warming. The first
half of the period studied was the last cold phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, an ocean current pattern
that strongly affects storm tracks and thus precipitation over North America. Half way through the VPIRG study
period the PDO flipped to its warm phase. The VPIRG carefully picked a period where it could hardly have avoided
getting the higher precipitation frequency that it wanted for maximum shock effect. (Joseph D’Aleo, CCM) Greenhouse ocean may downsize fish - The last
fish you ate probably came from the Bering Sea. But during this century, the sea’s rich food web—stretching
from Alaska to Russia—could fray as algae adapt to greenhouse conditions. Um... La Niña cools the Bering
Sea. The last time we weren't in a mild El Niño phase (which warms the Bering sea) was 2000-2001.
Wonder if that was why they found warming conditions there over the last few years? La Niña: 'Little Girl' Makes Big Impression -
Cool, wet conditions in the Northwest, frigid weather on the Plains, and record dry conditions in the Southeast,
all signs that La Niña is in full swing. With winter gearing up, a moderate La Niña is hitting its peak. And
we are just beginning to see the full effects of this oceanographic phenomenon, as La Niña episodes are
typically strongest in January. (GSFC) More extreme weather forecast
- The country's leading meteorologist warned on Friday that China will witness more extreme weather conditions
this year as a result of global warming. EU emission limits could
drive industries out of Europe - The European commission will set out new laws next week to impose
swingeing limits on greenhouse gas emissions from EU heavy industries in a move that could prompt some of these
to relocate lock, stock and barrel overseas. Mukherjee
says emission cuts must be balanced with economy - TOKYO, Jan. 11 - Indian External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee told his Japanese counterpart on Friday that India is fully aware of the need for an overall
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide but stressed that considerations also be given to ensure a
balance with economic development needs. Desperate to suppress human activity any way they can: Banks
can help fight climate change, report says - TORONTO - The world's banks are uniquely positioned to push
private-sector companies to adopt environmentally conscious practices, say the authors of a report released on
Thursday. Blame
The Greens - Every now and again, a journalist and commentator can encapsulate brilliantly what one
feels about a subject. Today, Nick Cohen, does precisely this, capturing perfectly, in a fine piece for the The
Observer (‘Blame the greens when the lights go off’, January 13), my own long-held worries about the
‘Green’ movement. I have always respected Mr. Cohen’s work, and I agree with much of it. He is a
journalist of integrity, and of considerable intellect. I have therefore little to add to what he has written
today; he has said it all much better and more fairly than I could. I would thus recommend you read his piece
carefully and in full. (Global Warming Politics) The war on hot
air - David King is the man who persuaded the government to take climate change seriously. So why is he
attacking the green movement in a new book? Oliver Burkeman met him (The Guardian) I pushed Blair’s nuclear
button - Professor Sir David King stepped down as the government’s chief scientist on New Year’s Eve
and is at last free to reveal the furious rows behind the decision to create new nuclear power stations. He was
horrified by the ignorance of science shown by mandarins across Whitehall and says Tony Blair did not understand
climate change. (Sunday Times) Neither, obviously, does David King since he has made some of the world's most foolish statements on the
topic. And along came Polly... Presenting
nuclear as the grown-up option is deceptive and delaying - Faced with persistent cabinet and industry
lobbying and professors bearing heavy statistics, MPs have simply caved in (Polly Toynbee, The Guardian) No wonder the state's going broke: California
Agency Presses EPA on Ship Exhaust - LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles-area air quality agency Thursday
petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately set tougher standards on global-warming pollutants
for ocean vessels calling on US ports. Canada Oil Sands Projects
Flunk Green Test - Groups - CALGARY, Alberta - Canadian oil sands mining projects, seen as a key source
of North American energy supply for decades to come, have been given poor environmental marks in a report
released on Thursday, with even the best performer barely garnering a passing grade. (Reuters) Good thing the only test that counts is whether they viably (and profitably) produce oil. Environmental board
declines CO2 regs - Despite some impassioned words about global warming, a key state board today
declined to impose new carbon-dioxide regulations on a coal-fired power plant proposed near Great Falls. To beat climate
change, breaking the mold isn't enough - There's a big hole in the Kyoto Protocol: Airline emissions
aren't covered. This emission omission has officials in California and Europe worried, so each acted recently to
plug the hole. In December, ministers from 27 different countries agreed to cap carbon emissions from aircraft
flying to and from the European Union. California joined a host of other U.S. states and municipalities to
petition the EPA to institute a similar system on all aircraft flying to and from American airports. NGOs
Demand Tougher Biofuels Standards - A group of NGOs have written to EU Energy Commissioner Andris
Piebalgs, calling on him to introduce much tougher standards for biofuel production or give up mandatory
transport biofuel targets altogether. The warning came ahead of the publication of new legislative measures
aimed at promoting the use of these alternatives to oil. Edible
antifreeze promises perfect ice cream - Edible antifreeze developed by a US researcher could keep ice
cream tasty and smooth, and prevent other frozen foods from being ruined. The antifreeze contains proteins
similar to those that help "snow flea" insects survive winter without freezing solid. EU Food Agency Backs Cloned
Meat, Dairy Products - BRUSSELS - Meat and milk from cloned animals moved a step closer to European
Union supermarket shelves on Friday after the bloc's top food safety agency said cloned food products are safe
to eat. (Reuters) EU backing for cloned
products re-opens 'Frankenfoods' debate - Food from cloned animals is safe to eat, European regulators
declared yesterday, in a move likely to spark a re-run of the heated debate over genetically modified
"Frankenfoods". France
says extends ban on GMO crop - PARIS - France will activate a safeguard clause that will effectively
prohibit growing the sole genetically modified (GMO) crop grown in France, Prime Minister Francois Fillon's
office said in a statement on Friday. (Reuters) Biotech
companies race for drought-tolerant crops - JOHNSTON, Iowa - Outside the headquarters of Pioneer Hi-Bred
International Inc, the pavement is iced over and workers arriving for the day are bundled up against the cold. Big
rise in European GM area predicted - The area of Genetically Modified crops grown across Europe outside
the UK is increasing as attitudes towards the technology change, Monsanto's Robert Plaice said. January 11, 2008
Vaccine Vindication - The vaccine
preservative Thimerosal is not linked with autism, a new study reports. The data also suggest that the
dilettante “scientist” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. should perhaps go back to practicing law and stop exploiting
parental fear and suffering for his own political agenda. (Steve Milloy, FoxNews.com)
Obesity now a 'lifestyle' choice for Americans, expert
says - As adult obesity balloons in the United States, being overweight has become less of a health
hazard and more of a lifestyle choice, the author of a new book argues. If only it were true...
- News around the world has reported that “healthy habits can add 14 years to your life.” As incredible as
that sounds, more incredible is that not a single health or medical reporter appears to have read the study
behind the headlines and accurately report its findings. (Junkfood Science) In Life’s Web, Aiding Trees Can Kill
Them - When elephants were removed from a research site in Kenya, a mysterious decline in the colonies
of good ants and a growth in the colonies of bad ants emerged. (New York Times) What If You Built An Island Paradise And
No One Came? - HULHUMALÉ, Maldives -- With an average altitude of just over three feet, this tiny
island nation faces an imminent threat from rising sea levels caused by global warming. Luckily, it has a
lifeboat: Technocrats have built a man-made island more than six feet high. Gaia
nuts really don’t want people’s living standards to improve - Can the world afford the Tata Nano? -
It costs just £1,277, allowing millions to buy a car for the first time. But green groups fear the planet will
pay a heavy price… It’s either the start of a people’s revolution or the trigger for social and environmental headaches
across the globe. The Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car, was unveiled with great fanfare in the Indian
capital yesterday amid bright lights and blaring music. An
Example Of The 2007 IPCC Report Failure To Consider Policy Relevant Science - Climate Science has
webloged on the paper listed below before (e.g. see),
however, it is reported on again since this is such a clear example of inadequate attention given to this topic
by the 2007 IPCC report. (Climate Science) U.S.
Senate Report: Over 400 Skeptical Climate Scientists - The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment &
Public Works has released an addendum to its list of 400-plus scientists who express some level of skepticism
about man-made global warming. I highlight this because, well, it turns out that my name has made its way onto
the list, so I now have to explain why and what it means to be a “skeptic.” (William M. Briggs,
Statistician) 'What can we do about global
warming?' - When 400 bona fide climate and atmospheric scientists, with impeccable credentials, say they
don't buy into man-made catastrophic global warming, politician-for-life Al Gore, without any evidence to back
up his scurrilous and defamatory accusation, suggests they are all being paid off by big business. Ah,
scare campaigns… LCV gets into the act - U.S. campaign spurs bid to solve climate change - WASHINGTON
- After just two early contests in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, some environmental groups are already
declaring a winner: the issue of climate change. Energy Balance at the Tropopause - The IPCC defines
radiative forcing at the tropopause. However, nowhere do they provide a diagram showing energy balances above
the tropopause and below the tropopause - something that seems like one of the first things to do. Instead, they
show the Kiehl and Trenberth cartoon which treats the atmosphere as a whole without distinguishing balances
above and below the layer said to be critical to radiative forcing calculations Kiehl and Trenberth 1997 online
here. (Kiehl and Trenberth 1997 is a very good and interesting article and deservedly is widely cited and relied
on.) Willis Eschenbach has attempted to make these estimates and has produced a very interesting calculation and
diagram, doing exactly this. His calculation also sheds some interesting light on the IPCC/Houghton explanation
of the enhanced greenhouse effect as being due to higher effective radiation from the troposphere. (Steve
McIntyre, Climate Audit) A Spot Check of
Global Warming - Has the planet been heating as predicted? (New York Times) Now,
there’s a really good point - An e-mail copied to me today contained the statement: Just remember, there is no such thing as a ‘climate event.’ Climate deals with long term
trends. Is it possible that so much of today’s talking without listening stems from differing perspective of
timeframe? Try Googling “climate
event” and you’ll be offered some 14,500 links and yet the author of the above statement is perfectly
correct, climate is the average of weather over time and hence cannot be an ‘event,’ which by definition is
singular (something that happens, something that occurs in a certain place during a particular interval of time,
like a game of baseball or football). Wow!
That’s a big southern sea ice anomaly in the southern summer! - Cryosphere
Today has been displaying an error message of late, advising a hardware problem had corrupted their data and
that timeseries shown were incorrect. This is gone now and clearly the southern hemisphere has established an
observation record for sea ice in the southern hemisphere summer. Global
warming may not affect sea levels - Scientists have discovered that glaciers survived for hundreds of
thousands of years during an era when crocodiles roamed the Arctic, reports Roger Highfield The most pessimistic predictions of sea level rises as ice sheets are melted by global warming may have to be
scaled back as a result of an extraordinary discovery that ice persisted when the Earth was much hotter than
today. Scientists have discovered that glaciers survived for hundreds of thousands of years during an extraordinary
era when crocodiles roamed the Arctic and the tropical Atlantic Ocean was as warm as human blood. They had thought that Earth was ice free during the so called Turonian period, a “super greenhouse world”
between 93.5 million and 89.3 million years ago. But now evidence has been found of hothouse glaciers that
persisted by studies of tiny plankton and other marine organisms. Large ice-sheets existed about 91 million years ago, during one of the warmest periods in the past 500
million years, an international team of scientists reports in Science. The scientists from the UK, Germany, USA and Netherlands found evidence of an approximate 200,000 year period
of widespread glaciation, with ice sheets about 60 per cent the size of the modern Antarctic ice cap. (London
Telegraph) Deep Sea Probe to Track
Australia Climate Change - SYDNEY - Australian and US scientists will send an unmanned submersible 2.5
kms (1.5 miles) deep into the ocean off Australia next week to track climate change by studying coral at
unprecedented depths. Know
a kid being victimized by global warming hysteria? Enter “The Sky’s Not Falling” video or essay contest
and win! - Los Angeles, CA (Jan. 10, 2009) — Amused or just plain disgusted about what the kids in
your life are learning about “climate change”? Then fire up your video camera or word processor and enter
the “Sky’s Not Falling: Why It’s OK to Chill About Global Warming” contest. Carbon offset warning from international team of
scientists - Leading marine scientists from across the world have issued a warning that it is too early
to sell carbon offsets from ocean iron fertilisation. Schwarzenegger to propose sweeping state government
cuts - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday proposed a $101 billion spending plan that cuts virtually
every function of state government to close a $14.5 billion budget gap. Does this economy drive include dropping frivolous lawsuits over the phantom menace? The
Real World: Oil at $100 - Is $100 oil a cause to celebrate? The answer is, yes -- in the short term, and
no -- in the long term. The answer also depends on who you are and where you sit. New Yorkers Paying More Than Ever to
Keep Their Homes Warm This Winter - Despite a relatively mild winter so far, New Yorkers are paying more
than ever to heat their homes, largely because of a surge in the prices of oil and natural gas. (New York Times) Spitzer,
industry pushing for more power plants to spur jobs - ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Eliot Spitzer's promise this
week to unlock, then speed the process to build more power plants to spur jobs and cut business expenses drew an
assist Thursday from the industry. Environmental group sues
over federal energy corridor plan - An environmental group sued the U.S. Department of Energy on
Thursday for designating an energy corridor in Arizona and California that will bypass normal reviews for new
high-voltage power lines. Futile
Fight Against Fission - “At the end of this century, historians will wonder why we did not use all the
technologies available to us. Our debates about nuclear will come to look petty in the extreme ... The green
lobby should ... not lose credibility with its futile fight against fission.” (Camilla Cavendish, writing in
The Times*, January 10, p. 17) Finance, not politics, remains
biggest hurdle to nuclear power - A host of issues remain before Britain greets the first batch of
nuclear plants since construction started on Sizewell B in Suffolk 20 years ago. Will Canada be the next oil superpower?
- CALGARY -- Jeff Rubin has hit the bull's eye twice this decade with aggressive long-term oil-price forecasts,
and if his latest prediction proves correct - oil at US$150 a barrel in the next four years - Canada will become
a global oil superpower thanks to Alberta's oilsands. Hot Prospect for
Oil’s Big League - A huge underwater oil field discovered late last year has the potential to
transform Brazil into a sizable exporter and win it a seat at the table of the world’s oil cartel. (New York
Times) Race
to Make Electric Cars Stalled by Battery Problems - DETROIT — When the car world gathers here Sunday
for the annual North American International Auto Show, the industry will be buzzing about electric power. Auto
makers from General Motors Corp. to Toyota Motor Corp. will be displaying a new breed of cars that run mainly on
electricity. But there is one thing the car people won’t be charged up about: batteries. For all the hoopla, nobody yet
has figured out how to make a small enough battery that will hold a big enough charge for these new cars — and
not be a risk to burst into flames. (Wall Street Journal) How nanocones could help
you stay dry - Were you soaked in last summer's heavy rainstorms? John Simpson, a senior research
scientist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, has developed a new
super-water-repellent coating that might make a dismal British summer more bearable. Although helping stay dry
in bad weather is one application, Simpson believes that there are many other possibilities. (The Guardian) Sarkozy mulls decision to bar
transgenic corn - PARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday was facing a decision whether
to bar a strain of genetically-modified corn after a watchdog authority said it had "serious doubts"
about the product. Cloning-for-Food Growth Seen
Slow if FDA Approves - WASHINGTON - Regulatory approval could catalyze the nascent US cloning industry,
but leading firms say growth would come slowly as they battle to win consumers over to the concept of food from
cloned animals. January 10, 2008
More George Soros-funded junk science... The
Lancet's Political Hit - "Three weeks before the 2006 elections, the British medical journal Lancet
published a bombshell report estimating that casualties in Iraq had exceeded 650,000 since the U.S.-led invasion
in March 2003. We know that number was wildly exaggerated. The news is that now we know why." (Wall Street
Journal)
Discuss this on the new blog: Feeling
Murderers' Pain - Death Penalty: The Supreme Court this week heard arguments that lethal injection is
cruel and unusual punishment. Euthanasia advocates consider it a blessing for the deathly ill. Yet it's cruel
for the just plain deadly. (IBD) Oh boy... Plastic
bags to be axed by year's end - THE federal Government hopes to phase out plastic bags completely by the
end of the year. They really are struggling to find something for the old 'nightsoil howler to do, aren't they? We've not
long been through the bag studies and inquiries: Ditching plastic bags 'no real use'
- The plan is supposed to save marine wildlife and reduce litter, but the Productivity Commission argues
that not only is the plastic bag not a serious threat to wildlife, but governments have not taken into account
the food-safety benefits of plastic bags or their typical re-use as liners for the garbage bin. Truth in advertising
- I just had to share one of the most reputable product companies online. Every page of the company’s website
is informative and offers helpful health advice. And every word is true... and you can’t say that very often
anymore! (Junkfood Science) Surprise -- cholesterol may actually pose benefits,
study shows - If you’re worried about high cholesterol levels and keeping heart-healthy as you get
older, don’t push aside bacon and eggs just yet. A new study says they might actually provide a benefit.
(Texas A&M University) You can comment on this on the new blog, too: Yup!
He’s lost his mind… - Straight to Michigan for McCain McCain said he would work to find common ground with evangelicals by talking to them about his determination
to curb climate change. “That’s clearly an issue in which I’m in sync with the evangelical community,”
he said. (Juliet
Eilperin, WashPost Blog) McCain is a little confused and apparently now thinks he’s Al gore… Note the following picture captioned “Protesters signs in the snow outside the state house
in Concord, New Hampshire” Sure looks like “Gore effect”, doesn’t it? Environmental extremism must be put in its
place in the climate debate - All responsible citizens are ‘environmentalists’, but that is no
reason to yield to mass delusions. Video: Briefing
at the National Press Club on Energy Policy TV - Energy Policy TV on the Climate Channel How
not to measure Temperature, part 46. Reno’s USHCN Station - Last summer I attempted to do a survey of
Reno’s USHCN official climate station. But I was thwarted by its placement at the Reno International Airport
due to security and lack of accessible photographic vantage points. Reno’s USHCN station is particularly
important due to it being part of the test cases of stations in the new USHCN2 scheme being implemented by NCDC.
It’s also important due to it’s steep temperature trend which appears to be more of an urban heat island
issue than a climate change issue. It shows up as a hot spot in USHCN contours done by Steve McIntyre. (Watts Up
With That?) Editorial:
Global Warming from a Critical Perspective - Please Note: As I indicated below, these remarks express my
own considered opinion and should not be construed as representing any official position of the Executive Board
of the New England Section of the American Physical Society. (L.I. Gould; January 9, 2008) This one is likely to draw hostile comments from the carbon posse: Part
of the problem: The Road from Climate Science to Climate Advocacy - [See discussion following] Richard
C. J. Somerville, a climatologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography near San Diego, is one of a growing
array of scientists who have chosen to move beyond studying heat transfer and cloud physics and take on the role
of activist: prodding society to move aggressively to cut greenhouse gases. It is a sticky position, and comes with risks, not the least of which is the potential for opponents of gas
restrictions to raise questions about a scientist-advocate’s objectivity back in the research world. But Dr.
Somerville, who has also contributed to several reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says
the risks that attend further silence, in the face of ever-growing emissions of heat-trapping gases, are far
greater. Last month, he attended the climate-treaty talks in Bali as part of a small delegation representing 200
scientists who signed a declaration pressing negotiators to commit to preventing the global temperature from
rising more than 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above where it is now (roughly 59 degrees). (Andrew
C Revkin, New York Times) Among the subsequent assertions is another one by Revkin that perhaps requires further examination: “As
I say in the story I wrote last summer for AARP Magazine touching on the debate, the focus on winners and
losers distracts from the issues that were NOT in debate (that more CO2 will warm the world, and it’s a hard
process to undo once done).” To a point this assertion is true, CO2 is a greenhouse gas and greenhouse gases do slow
the loss of heat to space, leaving us a habitable planet. How much warming is another matter
entirely. What is rarely discussed and never explained is how increased levels of trace gases might limit physical
transport (this is how physical greenhouses actually work, despite quite ridiculous claims about glass and
infrared radiation). The IPCC also uses a dodgy
model: (continued
on the blog) On the blog: Rearranging
the (thermal) furniture - El
Niño gives us grounds seriously to doubt that the average global surface temperature is a sound measure of
whether the Earth is either warming or cooling. El Niño is purely a phenomenon of convection. It contains no
heat sources and just rearranges the heat there is (mainly in the oceans). Yet El Niño is widely credited with producing
a “record” surface temperature in 1998. Consequently it influences the slope of trend lines,
particularly those over relatively short periods and terminating around that time. Such were widely used to
justify the claim that the planet is warming. (Number Watch) A
New Paper - Numerical Experiments on Fair-Weather Clouds Forming By Tadao Inoue and Fujio Kimura - There
is a important new paper in the journal SOLA on the role of urban areas within the climate system. The paper is
Tadao Inoue and Fujio Kimura; 2007: Numerical Experiments on Fair-Weather Clouds Forming over the Urban Area in
Northern Tokyo. SOLA, in press. (Climate Science) As arctic ice melts, South Pole ice grows
- Scientists are puzzled, but the phenomenon seems to fit the latest global-warming models. (The Christian
Science Monitor) Is there anything which doesn't fit the infinitely tweakable worlds of PlayStation® Climatology? Groups
to Sue for Polar Bear Protection - ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Three conservation groups notified the federal
government Wednesday they intend to sue to get polar bears listed as a threatened species due to global warming. See what our blog author Harbinger has to say in For
Polar Bears, read Penguins… Garth
George: Great global warming debate a bunch of hot air - For a couple of weeks in December, 10,000-odd
politicians, bureaucrats, scientists, activists and journalists from over 100 countries invaded Bali for a
conference on climate change that probably created enough carbon debits to keep a country like ours in hock for
years. Wednesday
Charivari - Today, I thought I would provide a quick round up of some interesting events and comment
from the ‘Confused Noise’ that is our modern world: (Global Warming Politics) WEF Warns 2008 Uncertainties
May Hurt Climate Fight - LONDON - A stronger focus on turbulent financial markets and escalating
geopolitical tension in 2008 could prompt governments and companies to neglect less immediate risks such as
climate change and food security, the World Economic Forum warned. Actually it's squandering funds and effort fighting the phantom menace that weakens the global capacity to
manage future challenges. There is no upside to "the climate fight". From the blog: Not
sticking to the script… - Transport emissions study ‘misleading’ say experts Experts are calling “misleading” a study which suggests that emissions from the shipping industry cool
the world and will continue to do so for centuries. The study was published in a leading scientific journal on
Monday. “The conclusions may be misleading to policymakers if they take this paper to be an assessment of the
future impact of transport modes,” Alice Bows of the Tyndall Centre in the UK told New Scientist. The study, by Norwegian researchers, calculated what the climatic effects of each form of transport
(aviation, shipping, rail, and road) have been since modern industry was born in the late 1800s. It found that road transport has so far been responsible for warming temperatures the most. The warming effect of road transport, say the researchers, has been twice that of emissions produced by the
airline industry. They also say that since the late 1800s shipping emissions appear to have cooled global
temperatures roughly as much as aviation has warmed it. EU, World Bank Eye Loan for
Climate Change Fight - BRUSSELS - The European Union and the World Bank are discussing raising a major
long-term loan to help poorest countries fund essential measures to combat climate change, the EU's development
chief said on Wednesday. Discuss this on the blog: January
tornados - The news stories already are stating that the January tornado outbreak in Midwest is
“rare” and “unbelievable”, etc., intimating that it is due to global warming. None of those
reporters are going to mention this little tidbit (actually pretty large and detailed) article in Wikipedia. Oh... Global
warming could hit rural health - GLOBAL warming could hit human health in remote Australia hard by
causing irregular disease distribution and extreme weather, according to a new study. Climate command-and-control... State
proposes to take control of home temps - "California utilities would control the temperature of new
homes and commercial buildings in emergencies with a radio-controlled thermostat, under a proposed state update
to building energy efficiency standards." (North County Times) How long will it be until they control our home and work thermostats at all times?
Global warming makes capitalism an endangered species? California
Utilities Amp Up Push To Slash Energy Use - "Under California's plan, the utilities would be
awarded cash equal to 12% of the costs they avoid if they meet or exceed their targets; the combined figure
could range from $324 million to $450 million. Each utility earns those bonuses -- or penalties -- based on its
own performance, which it has to document for regulators. They can win partial payments for coming close to
their energy-saving goals, but if they miss by too much they start getting docked. For instance, if they each
fall short by half, the penalties would total $234 million. The public utilities commission recently signaled it
may lower the bar, however, making it easier to qualify for big bonuses -- and less likely utilities will pay
penalties. (Wall Street Journal)
California taxpayers are paying PG&E to reduce its revenues.
Who
could get sued for global warming - It's not who you think. One report identifies a toymaker and cruise
operator among firms most at risk for not telling shareholders enough. (Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com)
The emissions shell game... Emissions
target threat to EU industry - "Plans to tighten up the rationing of greenhouse gas emissions will
contribute to the loss of some heavy industries from the European Union, according to official documents."
(Financial Times) CO2 emissions aren't being reduced -- just transferred to Eastern Europe, India, China, etc.
Report Finds Rising Tide of Green Financing
- BROOKLIN, Canada, Jan 9 - There appears to be hope for the planet yet. Um... no. What they are looking at is a rising tide of subsidy farming but that has nothing to do with
'self-sufficient renewables' and everything to do with rent-seeking lobbies. Is Ethanol for Everybody? - Near
what remains of the first sugar factory in Brazil, built in 1877 with a sign in Latin over the entrance that
translates as “Sweet is the Reward of Work,” Danuza Gomes da Silva swings a glinting knife as she makes her
way down the length of a field cutting cane. Power groups bite
back at Darling - Chancellor Alistair Darling's bid to portray himself as a consumers' champion over
soaring energy bills has back-fired spectacularly, with power companies revealing that higher Treasury taxes
account for almost 50pc of last weeks' rise in household energy bills. Italy Renews Nuclear Power
Debate - MILAN - Simmering debate of a nuclear energy relaunch in Italy, banned 20 years ago in a
referendum, got a fresh boost on Wednesday with the news that major utilities were to draft a plan to build
nuclear power stations. (Reuters) THAILAND: Green Groups Will Take GM Crops Issue To
Court - BANGKOK, Jan 9 - Thai environmentalists are banking on the country’s courts to overturn a
decision by the military-appointed government to allow field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops. French Experts Say Doubts
Remain on GMO Maize Risks - PARIS - French experts said on Wednesday serious doubts remained over
whether the only genetically modified (GMO) crop grown in France was safe, a move likely to prompt the extension
of a current ban on GMOs. (Reuters) French Farmers Say Government
Playing GMO Games - PARIS - France's main farm union on Wednesday accused the government of playing
political games on the issue of genetically modified (GMO) crops and cast doubt on the country's ability to defy
the European Union on the issue. (Reuters) January 9, 2008
Must have brass ones… -
Over the holidays there was a press release from the ‘Space and Science Research Center’ making some
extravagant claims and which resulted in calls for information, the results of which were posted here.
At the time it was unclear how Casey expected to profit from his actions — now we know. The following turned
up in my mail box: (JunkScience.com) Eat that, Peta! Climate
change cure is warm and fuzzy - CANADA: I am starting to warm to this whole climate change business.
Arrived in Vancouver for a night just before 2007 drew to a close. With barely a few hours remaining before the
stores closed, I raced out and bought a fur coat. A long coat cascading down to my ankles, light as a feather
and as warm as a ... well ... fur. UN Climate Chief to
Visit Antarctica - OSLO, Norway — The next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
should deal with the "frightening" possibility that both Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets start
melting at the same time, the chief U.N. climate scientist said Tuesday. On the topic of the assessment reports, JunkScience.com has established a mirror of IPCC_TAR
(because official sites are apparently being taken down) and would like to archive all the reports.
Does anyone have, or can they create digital copies of FAR and/or SAR? We’d love to hear
from you. Northern
Hemisphere Sea Ice Extent now greater than last year (Tom Nelson) California
USHCN station surveys are complete - I’m pleased to announce completion of USHCN station surveys for
California’s USHCN stations. (Watts Up with That?) Please
Permit Me To Rant And Rave A Bit - Every now and then it just builds up to the point where I have to let
it loose. I can watch and listen only so long before I need to release the pent up pressure...and now I've
gotten to that point. Over and over again I hear the suits on TV go on and on about this
"unbelievable" weather and how it is so much warmer than it "should" be. Right there...in
that one short little sentence...were two of my hot button phrases that really get me steamed. Former television meteorologist Anthony Watts provides
some explanation: Media
Promotes Global Warming Alarmism - About this time last year, Dr. Phil Jones, head of the Climatic
Research Unit of East Anglia University in Britain, predicted 2007 would be the warmest year on record. Well, yes, the media does promote alarmism -- no argument there. What we take issue with -- and point out repeatedly -- is that a few tenths of a degree one way or the
other is neither here nor there in global temperatures. The world is likely warmer now than it was in the
Dickensian period of frost fairs on the Thames (although the fact the Thames no longer freezes is not proof
since London dumps an extraordinary amount of heat into the Thames with its wastewater, for example) and few
would argue that either people or wildlife would be better off with a return to the bitter winters described
for the period. The biggest warming guess at the moment is GISTEMP
(although the accuracy is most suspect given their propensity to extrapolate 1200Km from the nearest recording
point: "Our analysis differs from others by
including estimated temperatures up to 1200 km from the nearest measurement station" (Hansen, J.E.,
and S. Lebedeff 1987. Global trends of
measured surface air temperature. J. Geophys. Res. 92, 13345-13372)) -- taking New York, New York's
temperature with devices in Atlanta, Georgia is an ambitious undertaking, to say the least and that is
basically what they are claiming to be able to do. Even so their estimated anomaly for December 2007 was less
than four-tenths of one kelvin warmer than the average 1951-1980. At the other end of the accuracy
scale, with the greatest global coverage too, is the UAH
MSU series at about one-tenth warmer than the 1979-1998 average. Pretty hard to pick any serious trend
from their time series though, especially since hemispheric
temperatures in the lower troposphere oscillate
~10 kelvins through the year and the mean global temperature varies by more than 2. The National Climatic Data Center calculate their
anomalies against expected global mean near-surface temperatures ranging from 12.0 °C in January to 15.8 °C
in July, so they expect an oscillation of 3.8 kelvins through an 'average' year. Do we really think short-term changes of a few tenths worth getting excited about? Heck, even Hansen admits we don't even have
an agreement on what we are trying to measure, let alone how to go about doing so. Forecast
Verification for Climate Science, Part 2 - Yesterday I posted a figure showing how surface temperatures
compare with IPCC model predictions. I chose to use the RSS satellite record under the assumption that the
recent IPCC and CCSP reports were both correct in their conclusions that the surface and satellite records have
been reconciled. It turns out that my reliance of the IPCC and CCSP may have been mistaken. (Prometheus) Liberals and
Mathematical Models - I just don't understand American liberals and their attitude toward mathematical
models. The left places an inordinate amount of faith in untested models predicting man-made warming of the
global climate, while ignoring time-tested mathematical models in another important field important to all
Americans. (Jerome J. Schmitt, American Thinker) An
Invitation To Authors Of Climate Science Papers - This weblog invites authors of new peer reviewed
papers in research areas in which Climate Science has expertise (peer review is defined as those which are
included in the list of journals by Thomson Scientific) to contact Climate Science to write a guest weblog on
their paper and its significance to climate science. Also, please alert Climate Science by e-mail if there are
important new peer reviewed papers that you feel would be of interest to our readers. These papers must be in
press or published to be considered. Musings
on Satellite Temperatures - A couple of interesting items have come to light recently regarding the
temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere as measured by satellites. Here we run briefly run through some of
them, in no particular order. (WCR) Sir John Houghton on the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
- Yesterday I collated IPCC AR3 and AR4 “expositions” of the enhanced greenhouse effect, observing that, in
my opinion, they were so baby food as to be essentially useless to a scientist from another discipline. Today
I’m going to drill a little deeper in the expositions, going to a 1995 journal comment by Houghton and to his
text, Global Warming: the complete briefing, to see if either contains a more useful exposition. I’ll also
comment on why I find the IPCC heuristic particularly unsatisfying. (Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit) Why is the
greenhouse effect logarithmic? - Steve McIntyre at climateaudit.org has started a kind of thoughtful and
holy crusade ;-) against the logarithmic formula for the greenhouse effect. Instead of joining him, let me post
my explanation why I think that the idealized greenhouse warming is a logarithmic function of the concentration
under semi-realistic idealized assumptions. (Luboš Motl, The Reference Frame) That virtual world again: Japan
sees temperatures up 4.7 C on global warming - TOKYO - The average temperature in Japan could rise by up
to 4.7 degrees Celsius (8.5 Fahrenheit) this century unless steps are taken to combat global warming, the
Environment Ministry said on Wednesday. UN Climate Panel Head
Probably Seeking Re-Election - OSLO - India's Rajendra Pachauri said on Monday he will probably seek a
new term as head of the UN climate panel that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al
Gore. (Reuters) IPCC's Pachauri Lose Face and Temper in Discussion with
Norwegian Author - Norwegian author Onar Åm, took IPCC's chairman Rajendra Kumar Pachauri to task at a
debate at the University of Stavanger, Norway on Monday this week. Wow! Fred seeing the light? Climate
change is not an excuse for genocide - Climate change is becoming an excuse for governments to wage war
and for misguided Western apologists to wring their hands and look the other way. The week...the
consensus...died? - Sometime in the recent past, there was supposed to be this complete
"consensus" that the earth was facing catastrophic global warming caused by human CO2 emissions.
Anyone not buying this alleged consensus was supposed to be misinformed or paid off by Big Oil. Will Global Warming Generate America's Fourth
Great Awakening? - We have just ended the season when every environmental group to whom we've
contributed, the NWF, WS, Sierra Club, and others, sends appeals for more funds. If you have ever contributed to
these groups, you've no doubt been approached to join the Global Warming Crusade. New approach needed to
save coral reefs-study - LONDON - A growing human population is pushing coral reefs in the Caribbean to
breaking point and saving them will require a new, larger-scale approach, researchers said on Tuesday. Incurable
dengue disease could spread in US: Researchers - WASHINGTON: Incurable, mosquito-borne dengue disease
could spread from subtropical areas into the United States through global warming, requiring greater efforts to
combat it, health authorities said in commentary. Guess what? Dengue doesn't require sub tropical conditions and while its widespread appearance in the US is
a possibility it has nothing to do with warming, global or otherwise. Climate change contest launched - A £1m
competition to find the brightest ideas to help fight climate change is being launched. Shiny crops could slow global
warming, scientists say - Forget mirrors in space and seeding the oceans with iron, scientists have come
up with a new way to tackle the looming threat of global warming: fields of shiny crops. Not entirely implausible and possibly spawned from the hypothesis Europe triggered the Little Ice Age
clearing dark forests for agriculture and lumber for housing and ships. That of course would open another can
of worms for AGW advocates since we would have since seen a recovery as Earth 'healed' from anthropogenic
cooling rather than 'suffering' anthropogenic warming now. Better not mention European deforestation of the 12th
through 18th Centuries then. Journey Begins - The Age
last year launched a greenhouse
gas indicator to shame its small readership into living
miserably: Great environmentalist Mao brought humans down to “more
acceptable levels”. Let’s see how the Age’s campaign is working
out:
Annual greenhouse gas emissions from energy in Victoria have soared by nearly 30% ... According to the greenhouse indicator, a world-first project designed to track a state’s continuing
contribution to climate change, Victoria emitted 103.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2007, compared with
80 million tonnes in 1990. Keep on trackin’, li’l greenhouse indicator. (Tim Blair) F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is
Well Spent - Corporations and shoppers in the United States spent more than $54 million in 2007 on
carbon offset credits, but where exactly is that money going? (New York Times) EU split over plan to levy
import tax on polluters - A row has erupted in Brussels over proposals to introduce a carbon tax on
goods entering the European Union from countries that fail to take measures to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon trading at heart of Tory global
warming plan - OTTAWA -- At the beginning of each year, European countries set a cap on the greenhouse
gas pollution from 12,000 of the largest polluting companies in their territory. EU emissions quotas too generous /
Trading scheme may require major overhaul - The European Union's emissions trading scheme, seen as the
bloc's trump card in reducing greenhouse gases, allocated several companies higher emissions quotas than they
actually needed, it was learned Monday. Kyoto, We Have a Problem - As I have previously
noted, every possible benchmark that can be applied to the European Union’s carbon cap-and-trade scheme is
pointing downward. Still, supporters of imposing Kyoto-style cap-and-trade schemes in the U.S. insist, against
all evidence, that after three years of operation “it is too early to call Europe’s ETS a failure.” From CO2 Science
this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: The Roman and Medieval Warm
Periods in the Southern Austrian Alps: How did the maximum warmth of the two periods compare with that of
today? Herbivores and Their Host
Plants in a Warmer World: How will the two match up? A Rapid Start to the CO2-Induced
Enhancement of Nitrogen Fixation in Garden Beans: Just how soon after seed germination is the process
initiated? Dandelion Reproduction in CO2-Enriched
Air: Is it enhanced or retarded compared to reproduction in ambient air? Temperature
Record of the Week: The light bulb – still a good idea
- Have you ever noticed how we associate the light bulb with a good idea? No limits for new nuclear
power stations - A new generation of nuclear power stations will be encouraged to supply unlimited
amounts of electricity to the national grid, The Times has learnt. New Nuclear Will Add Little
to UK Bills - Source - LONDON - Britain expects the cost of handling the waste and decommissioning of a
new generation of nuclear reactors to add about one percent to the cost of power produced, a source familiar
with government thinking said. British Nuclear Decision
Likely to Help Sway Others - LONDON - Britain is expected on Thursday to back a new generation of
nuclear power plants, adding to the gathering momentum behind atomic energy as part of the solution to the
world's energy problems. (Reuters) Papua New
Guinea - 'eco hero' to 'eco zero' - Papua New Guinea has been accused of going from "eco hero"
at Bali to "eco zero" by allowing the felling of a large area of rainforest on a remote island for a
palm oil plantation. (Charles Clover, London Telegraph) Health
Watch: Kala azar, neglected disease - Radha is a young girl living in an impoverished village of
Goanpura, in the northeastern state of Bihar in India. The floor and walls of her tiny hut are plastered with
mud and cow dung. There is an infestation of sand flies in the dense vegetation of bamboo trees with climbers
and creepers around her house. Radha, 14, has been the sole bread earner for her family for six months now, but
of late even her health seems to be failing. The Crone seeks black helicopters: Food
Allergies Stir a Mother to Action - Robyn O’Brien has looked deep into the perplexing world of
childhood food allergies and seen a conspiracy. (New York Times) Defra vision of
a farm-less Britain? - Michael Wigan on the surreal concept of doing away with British farming in its
entirety. (London Telegraph) Certain to amuse the greenies: Biotech
firm plans to fund GM rice crops with carbon credits - Money paid by green consumers to offset their
flights and by companies that go carbon-neutral will be used to fund the planting of genetically modified (GM)
crops under plans drawn up by a US biotechnology company. US eager for turnaround in European biotech
rules - WASHINGTON, Jan 8 - The U.S. farm sector will be watching closely this week when the European
Union runs up against a world trade court deadline for Europe to welcome more imports of genetically engineered
food and feed. Frankenstein foods
are not monsters - All hail Doctor Frankenstein, maker of monsters. God is in retreat, skulking outside
the laboratory while modern imitators of Mary Shelley’s mad boffin brew potions, splice genes and bring more
new life forms into profitable being. January 8, 2008 Has John McCain lost his mind?(Or is that a rhetorical question?)Another medical-dietary myth exposed? New study adds to new thinking on sugar in the diabetes diet - "Patients with type 2 diabetes are often advised to cut out sucrose (table sugar) all together. However, in recent years this traditional advice has been questioned by some researchers who suggest that moderate amounts of sugar can be safely consumed as part of the diet of patients with diabetes. Now a new study has been published that is consistent with this revised approach. It showed that patients who increased their daily sugar intake (in the form of carrot cake) but maintained a stable body weight, showed no adverse changes in their blood glucose." (The Sugar Bureau)
Where's the beef on oatmeal? Oatmeal's health claims strongly reaffirmed, science shows - "A new scientific review of the most current research shows the link between eating oatmeal and cholesterol reduction to be stronger than when the FDA initially approved the health claim's appearance on food labels in 1997." (Quaker Oatmeal)
If an eco-myth falls in the forest... No convincing evidence for decline in tropical forests - Claims that tropical forests are declining cannot be backed up by hard evidence, according to new research from the University of Leeds. This major challenge to conventional thinking is the surprising finding of a study published today in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences by Dr Alan Grainger, Senior Lecturer in Geography and one of the world's leading experts on tropical deforestation. "Every few years we get a new estimate of the annual rate of tropical deforestation,” said Dr Grainger. “They always seem to show that these marvellous forests have only a short time left. Unfortunately, everybody assumes that deforestation is happening and fails to look at the bigger picture – what is happening to forest area as a whole.” In the first attempt for many years to chart the long-term trend in tropical forest area, he spent more than three years going through all available United Nations data with a fine toothcomb – and found some serious problems. “The errors and inconsistencies I have discovered in the area data raise too many questions to provide convincing support for the accepted picture of tropical forest decline over the last 40 years,” he said. “Scientists all over the world who have used these data to make predictions of species extinctions and the role of forests in global climate change will find it helpful to revisit their findings in the light of my study.” Dr Grainger does not claim that tropical deforestation is not occurring, as there is plenty of local evidence for that. But owing to the lack of frequent scientific monitoring, something for which he has campaigned for 25 years, we cannot use available data to track the long-term global trend in tropical forest area with great accuracy. “The picture is far more complicated than previously thought,” he said. “If there is no long-term net decline it suggests that deforestation is being accompanied by a lot of natural reforestation that we have not spotted.” Dr Grainger first examined data published every 10 years by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) since 1980. These cover all forest in the humid and dry tropics and appear to indicate decline. FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000, for example, showed that all tropical forest area fell from 1,926 million hectares to 1,799 million hectares between 1990 and 2000. Ten years earlier, however, FAO’s previous report said that tropical forest area fell from 1,910 million ha to 1,756 million ha for the same 90 countries between 1980 and 1990. “Owing to corrections to the earlier study, the 1990s trend was just like a 're-run' of that in the 1980s,” said Dr Grainger. “The errors involved in making estimates for forest area could easily be of the same order as the forest area reported cleared in the previous 10 years. Even if you take enormous care, as FAO does, I argue that large errors are inevitable if you produce global estimates by aggregating national statistics from many countries. This has important implications for the many scientists who rely on FAO data.” Since errors in national statistics are higher for forests in the dry tropics than for forests in the humid tropics, in places near the Equator such as Amazonia, Borneo and the Congo Basin, he repeated the process just for tropical moist forest, with a different set of data, in the hope it would give a clearer picture. This time he found no evidence for decline since the early 1970s. Indeed, while his own estimate in 1983 of tropical moist forest area in 1980 was 1,081 million hectares, the latest satellite data led to an estimate of 1,181 million hectares for the same 63 countries in 2000. He is cautious about the apparent slight rise. “We would expect to see some increase in estimates as we use more accurate satellite sensors. This is even apparent in FAO’s data. It is sad that only in the last 10 years have we begun to make full use of the satellite technology at our disposal.” Despite the large errors attached to present estimates, the lack of apparent decline in tropical moist forest area suggests that deforestation is being offset by natural reforestation at a higher rate than previously thought. Dr Grainger uses data from FAO’s latest report, published in 2006, to show that in a few countries, such as Gambia and Vietnam, forest area has actually expanded since 1990, as the reforestation rate has exceeded the deforestation rate. He believes that a rise in natural reforestation is a logical precursor to this switch from net deforestation to net reforestation. It has already been the subject of studies in Brazil, Ecuador and India, but available data are too poor for us to be sure of its exact scale worldwide. To give us more reliable data Dr Grainger says we need a World Forest Observatory to monitor changes in forests in the tropics and elsewhere. "What is happening to the tropical forests is so important, both to the peoples of tropical countries and to future trends in biodiversity and global climate, that we can no longer put off investing in an independent scientific monitoring programme that can combine satellite and ground data to give a reliable picture,” he said. “A World Forest Observatory would bring together existing research teams in Europe, the USA and elsewhere and ensure they are properly funded to continue mapping tropical forest at least every five years. It could also undertake a massive project to analyse all available satellite and other data from the past and reconstruct the trend in tropical forest area since 1970. Only then will we really know what has happened to tropical forests over the last 40 years.” (University of Leeds) Thimerosol-Autism link shattered! Removing Thimerosal from Vaccines Did Not Reduce Autism Cases in California - CHICAGO – Autism cases continued to increase in California after the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal was eliminated from most childhood vaccines, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This suggests that exposure to thimerosal is not a primary cause of autism. Diagnosed cases of autism and related conditions, known collectively as autism spectrum disorders, have increased in recent years, according to background information in the article. “Young children receive immunizations in the period preceding the typical manifestations or diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders,” the authors write. “Increased exposure to thimerosal, a preservative that contains 49.6 percent ethylmercury by weight, has been postulated to have contributed to the upswing in reported cases of autism spectrum disorders.” Thimerosal was eliminated from most vaccines by 2001. A 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine cited the lack of data supporting thimerosal as a cause of autism, but recommended that trends in autism diagnoses be observed as exposure to thimerosal decreased. Robert Schechter, M.D., M.Sc., and Judith K. Grether, Ph.D., of the California Department of Public Health, Richmond, studied the prevalence of children with autism in California from 1995 through March 2007. They used data provided by the California Department of Developmental Services, which administers a statewide system of centers that serve individuals with autism and other developmental problems. “The estimated prevalence of autism for children at each year of age from 3 to 12 years increased throughout the study period,” the authors write. Per 1,000 children born in 1993, 0.3 had autism at age 3, compared with 1.3 per 1,000 births in 2003. The highest estimated prevalence—4.5 cases per 1,000 births—was reached in 2006 for children born in 2000. “Although insufficient time has passed to calculate the prevalence of autism for children 6 years and older born after 2000, the prevalence at ages 3 to 5 years has increased monotonically for each birth year since 1999, during which period exposure to thimerosal has been reduced,” they continue. In addition to analyzing the prevalence of autism by birth year, the researchers also examined the rate among children age 3 to 5 based on quarterly reports issued by the Department of Developmental Services. Prevalence increased each quarter from January 1995 (0.6 per 1,000 live births) through March 2007 (4.1 per 1,000 live births), including after 2004, when the researchers estimate that exposure to thimerosal during infancy and early childhood declined. Over the same time period, the rate of all developmental disabilities increased but at a slower rate, from 5.4 to 9.5 per 1,000 live births. “The hypothesis that a modifiable risk factor, such as thimerosal exposure, is a major cause of autism offers the hope for prevention through reduced exposure,” the authors conclude. “Although our analysis of Department of Developmental Services data shows an increase in autism in California despite the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines, we support the continued quest for the timely discovery of modifiable risk factors for autism and related conditions. Continuing evaluation of the trends in the prevalence of autism for children born in recent years is warranted to confirm our findings.” (Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(1):19-24. Editor’s Note: This study was supported through the California Department of Public Health. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc. Editorial: Fears About Vaccines Persist Despite Evidence “In the last decade, two hypotheses on autism-immunization links were raised that have had a profound impact in the field of autism research and practice and on public health at large,” writes Eric Fombonne, M.D., of the Montreal Children’s Hospital, in an accompanying editorial. “One incriminated the measles component of the triple measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, the other the amount of thimerosal (about 50 percent of which is ethylmercury) contained in most other childhood vaccines.” Since the 2004 Institute of Medicine report favored the rejection of both hypotheses, “more studies have accumulated that have reinforced this conclusion, one independently reached by scientific and professional committees around the world,” he writes. “Parents of autistic children should be reassured that autism in their child did not occur through immunizations,” Dr. Fombonne concludes. “Their autistic children, and their siblings, should be normally vaccinated, and as there is no evidence of mercury poisoning in autism, they should avoid ineffective and dangerous ‘treatments’ such as chelation therapy for their children.” (Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(1):15-16.
Lack of vitamin D may increase heart disease risk - The same vitamin D deficiency that can result in weak bones now has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Framingham Heart Study researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. (American Heart Association) More sun exposure may be good for some people - A new study by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and colleagues in Norway suggests that the benefits of moderately increased exposure to sunlight - namely the production of vitamin D, which protects against the lethal effects of many forms of cancer and other diseases - may outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer in populations deficient in vitamin D. The study will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of January 7, 2008. (Brookhaven National Laboratory) JFS
Exclusive: “Has there been a time when you felt you weren't as good-looking or as smart as other people?”
- After reviewing the evidence, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force** recently concluded that there is
insufficient support for routine screening by doctors for suicide risk. Despite what might seem intuitive, there
is no evidence that screening tools accurately identify suicide risk or that screening reduces suicide attempts
or mortality. And it found no studies examined the balance of the harms of screening and treatment. JunkScience.com welcomes new site Climate
Debate Daily - Climate Debate Daily is intended to deepen our understanding of disputes over climate
change and the human contribution to it. The site links to scientific articles, news stories, economic studies,
polemics, historical articles, PR releases, editorials, feature commentaries, and blog entries. The main column
on the left includes arguments and evidence generally in support of the IPCC position on the reality of
significant anthropogenic global warming. The right-hand column includes material skeptical of the IPCC position
and the notion that anthropogenic global warming represents a genuine threat to humanity. Response To The New York Times Weblog By John Tierney Entitled “Are There Are Any Good Weather Omens?” - Synopsis of This Weblog: An examination of even the most fundamental of climate metrics show that recent trends are inconsistent with the 2007 IPCC claims regarding global warming. This includes a lack of warming in the global average lower tropospheric temperature and upper ocean, the muted at best moistening of the troposphere, and evidence of a negative radiative feedback. These lack of agreement with these climate metrics indicate that the IPCC report should be interpreted as a collection of papers on a hypothesis rather than a summary of established scientific understanding of how humans are altering the climate system. (Climate Science) Decision on listing polar bear postponed
- ANCHORAGE, Alaska --Federal officials said Monday that they will need a few more weeks to decide whether polar
bears need protection under the Endangered Species Act because of global warming. A warmer Arctic? Blame
Mother Nature - 'Something other than CO2 and CO2-related feedbacks ... are playing a large role in the
region's recent temperature trends." A scramble to understand Greenland's melting
ice sheets - The ancient frozen dome cloaking Greenland is so vast that pilots have crashed into what
they thought was a cloud bank spanning the horizon. Flying over it, one can scarcely imagine that this ice could
erode fast enough to raise sea levels dangerously any time soon.
More: Melting
Ice = Rising Seas? Easy. How Fast? Hard. - Most forecasting is easier and more reliable in the short run
than over the long haul. Think of weather prediction. (And history is full of failed long-term forecasts of
everything from oil prices to human population trends.) Southern Canada basks in near-springtime
temperatures, but not for long - From British Columbia to much of the Maritimes, people in southern
Canada are basking in unseasonably warm temperatures that have raised wistful but assuredly premature hopes for
an early spring. Britain has backed itself
into a corner on energy – with no easy way out - FIRST THE credit crunch, now the energy crunch. Just
as household electricity bills go stratospheric the first coal-fired power station to be built in Britain for
more than 30 years has been approved by Medway Council in Kent. The £1 billion plant at Kingsnorth, near
Ashford, will be coal-burning - and carbon-producing - so is hardly an example to India or coal-rich China on
how not to overheat the planet. But it will be built if only for one reason - to keep the lights on in the south
of England. BYO tropical paradise... nice work if you can get someone to pay for it: Energy
islands could use power of tropics, says innovator - From a distance it looks like an island paradise,
but get closer and those tall structures that could be palm trees turn out to be wind turbines - and the surf
laps against wave barrages instead of sandy beaches. Welcome to "Energy Island", a vision of how
humans could help meet our future needs for energy, food and water using the power of nature in the tropics. Canada Needs Carbon Tax
Quickly - Gov't Panel - OTTAWA - Canada's Conservative government needs to quickly impose a price on
carbon to stand any chance of meeting its own targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases, an official
panel said on Monday. Carbon tax looks like roadkill -
The campaign for the Great Canadian Carbon Tax to curb greenhouse-gas emissions appears to be running out of
gas. Or at least that's my reading of the latest policy advice from Mark Jaccard, who up until last night had
been Canada's leading proponent of such a tax. Also wimping out a bit on the carbon-tax push is Harvard
economist Greg Mankiw. Where once he called on the U.S. Congress to "increase the gas tax by US$1 per
gallon," he now concedes it's an idea that won't fly, and so we now need a "global carbon tax." Brussels considering climate tax on imports - The European
Commission is considering proposing a carbon dioxide tariff on imports from states failing to tackle greenhouse
gas emissions, while also considering a toughening-up of the EU's own emission trading system. The £1,290 car delights Indians
but horrifies the green lobby - After years of secret preparation, the world's cheapest car will be
unveiled in Delhi this week - delighting millions of Indians as much as it is horrifying environmentalists. Switchgrass shows promise for ethanol production: study - A large-scale trial of switchgrass suggests that the crop may be a more viable plant source of biofuel than previously thought, according to a study released Monday. (AFP) Bright Future for Biofuels in Congo, UN Says - LONDON - The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of Africa's most promising biofuels producers due to its vast amount of farmland suited to a range of crops from palm oil to soybeans, a top UN economist has said. (Reuters) Will intensive forest practices impact water quality? - In order to increase productivity, forest practices have become more intense in recent decades. Forest fertilization increased by 800% in the southeastern United States from 1990 to 1999, and the total acreage fertilized in the Southeast exceeds the forest area fertilized in the rest of the world. This has generated concern that intensive forest practices, including fertilization, may negatively impact water quality in forest streams. (Soil Science Society of America) China's biotech industry: An Asian dragon is growing - Backed by a government intent on promoting innovation and fuelled by the “brain gain” of talented scientists and entrepreneurs returning from abroad, China’s health biotech industry only needs a more favourable investment climate to emerge as a global force in the production of therapies and medicines – both new and low-cost generics – experts say in a new study. (McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health) Spawning
Something Fishy - Some years ago, a friend suggested that I play a practical joke on the British public.
His idea was that I should mix the popular dislike of biotechnology with the widely-held suspicion that other
Europeans are swindling the system, and write an April Fool’s Day article in which I would claim that the
French had genetically engineered a breed of tiny sheep — sheep the size of rabbits. With such small sheep,
you could keep many more on one field; and since European farm subsidies are calculated per sheep…. January 7, 2008 What’s in
a name? Where did millions of research grant money go? - The Journal News in New York has printed a
two-part series this week reporting on one of the biggest scandals to rock clinical research in years. The CFO
of the Institute for Cancer Prevention (IFCP) in Valhalla during 2001-2003 just admitted to lying to federal
agents to cover up the Institute’s misuse of millions of dollars of government grant money for cancer
research. While he could face up to ten years in prison, the paper reports that he’ll likely be sentenced to
12-18 months. Brain disease death
raises fear of link to BSE meat of 90s - A 39-year-old woman has died of a previously undiagnosed form
of the brain-wasting condition variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, raising fears that her case heralds a new wave
of patients suffering from the devastating condition. The language of causes - The obesity-weight loss industry is increasingly co-opting the language of other movements. Last week, it was usurping the lingo of the fat acceptance movement, as the largest diet company in the world tried to convince the public that their diet wasn’t really a diet because “diets don’t work.” This week’s British Medical Journal exhibited two more. (Junkfood Science) Healthy diet could halt
70,000 early deaths, study suggests - Almost 70,000 premature deaths a year - more than one in 10 -
could be avoided if people in the UK switched to a healthier diet, according to an analysis by the Cabinet
Office. The myth of sloth - Did
you hear how active Americans are today? Really. There is no epidemic of sloth, as we hear incessantly. The
latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report barely made a blip on the news, but it found that
the numbers of men and women engaging in “regular, moderate or vigorous activity” increased from 2001 to
2005. Among women, Hispanics and Blacks, increases have been most significant. Despite the nonstop admonitions
that too many Americans are sedentary and that public health officials must do something about it, the CDC
reported that about half of all adults are getting regular physical activity. There's a few things this item omits: Down
to the last croak - The so-called platypus frog was one of a kind. The only species of land vertebrate
animal - amphibian, reptile, mammal or bird - to rear its young inside its stomach.
Br-r-r!
Where did global warming go? - THE STARK headline appeared just over a year ago. "2007 to be
'warmest on record,' " BBC News reported on Jan. 4, 2007. Citing experts in the British government's
Meteorological Office, the story announced that "the world is likely to experience the warmest year on
record in 2007," surpassing the all-time high reached in 1998. Oh my... Catching up from eight lost years - If we can make it through the next 379 days without getting into nuclear war, historians writing 100 years from now will begin their assessment of George W. Bush, not at all kindly, by identifying him as the United States president who caused the world to lose eight years in getting started with serious efforts to save the planet and the inhabitants thereof from the deadly consequences of global warming. (Waldo Proffitt, Herald-Tribune)
:) Global
warming a big hoax - In the spirit of being a good neighbor, I've decided to offer a needed service for
all of the believers in human-caused global warming. That's right, step right up, folks, I'm going to be selling
carbon credits to those who want to assuage their guilt about heating up the planet with their SUVs. Someone forgot to update this piece: U.S. Has Opportunity to Lead World in Reducing Global Warming - Climate change is real and it is affecting the Earth. Earlier this year, I traveled with my Senate colleagues to Greenland where we saw dramatic evidence of retreating glaciers and rising sea level caused by global warming over the last decade. (Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Southern Maryland Online)
Lowering Sea Level Rise - Have you seen the latest on sea level rise? If not, you will find over one million websites on the topic and according to almost all of them, global sea level is rising ever faster, the acceleration will increase into the future (by some estimates resulting in a rise of several meters by century’s end) and the entire mess is caused by burning fossils fuels and increasing the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. But is what you find on these sites really the latest on sea level rise? Are sea levels really rising at the pace that they are so often made out to be? (WCR) Global Hot Air from the
BBC - Billions of people now ‘know' about global warming and how it threatens the planet. They
‘know' that it is all the fault of decades of irresponsible, profligate industry and capitalism. The Hadley
Center Tries Again - The U.K.’s Hadley Center has issued a forecast that 2008 will come in as one of
the top 10 warmest years in its 150+ year record of global average temperature. While this forecast is about as
risky as predicting that the next box of a dozen doughnuts you buy will contain twelve of the one-holed wonders,
the press seems enthralled by it, as virtually all major news wires ran the story under with some variant of the
headline “2008 to be among hottest years on record.” Oh boy... Alarming
Weather and Global Warming - Our provocative science columnist John Tierney endured a hailstorm of
responses for a column and blog post this week on the tendency of some climate campaigners to focus on extreme
weather as a selling point for cutting greenhouse gases. Today he’s posted an explanation and defense of his
view, echoing a lot of what I’ve been writing over the past several years.
Why
We Need Estimates Of The Current Global Average Radiative Forcing - Climate Science asked questions to
Real Climate regarding Figure SPM.2 in the 2007 Statement for Policymakers in the weblog http://climatesci.colorado.edu/2007/12/18/question-the-weblog-real-climate/
with the follow up in http://climatesci.colorado.edu/2007/12/19/follow-up-to-question-to-real-climate/
The questions are straightforward: IPCC on Radiative Forcing #1: AR1(1990) - As an
innocent bystander to the climate debates a couple of years ago, I presumed that IPCC would provide a clear
exposition of how doubled CO2 actually leads to 2.5-3 deg C. The exposition might involve considerable detail on
infra-red radiation since that’s relevant to the problem, but I presumed that they would provide a
self-contained exposition in which all the relevant details were encompassed in one document (as one sees in
engineering feasibility studies.) IPCC and Radiative Forcing #2: 1992-AR2 - In our review of IPCC AR1 (1990) on radiative forcing, I noted that the logarithmic relationship and 4 wm-2 values were attributed to: Hansen et al (1988), which in turn cited Lacis et al 1981; and Wigley (1987) which is not presently available to me (or to Wigley himself) and appears not to have been peer-reviewed (FWTW). Feedback analysis primarily relied on Cess et al 1989. I’ll examine those references at some point, but today I’ll continue the review through two supplements to IPCC (1990), published in 1992 and 1994. (Steve McIntyre, Climate Science) AR4: “ad hoc tuning of radiative parameters” - Chapter 1 of AR4 has some surprisingly interesting comments about models that, to the extent that the points are disclosed in the body chapters, are disclosed so opaquely that they would be undecipherable to anyone other than a few. Here are some interesting comments about flux adjustment - an issue that must surely raise civilian eyebrows. A “flux adjustment” in a GCM is defined below as an “empirical correction that could not be justified on physical principles” i.e. a fudge factor, and one of the accomplishments of recent GCMs has been to apparently get past that. AR4: (Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit) AR4: “Now-Classic” Results on Cloud Uncertainty are “Unsettling” - AR4 (chapter 1 on the History of Climate Science) contains the remarkable statement:
As they say, it is somewhat unsettling. On the basis that these results are “now-classic”, one would have expected them to have been prominently featured in TAR. [yeah, right.] So let’s how prominently TAR featured these results - were they as prominent as the Hockey Stick? (Steve McIntyre, Climate Science) People in
Greenhouses Throwing Stones - We promised to provide a breakdown of the IPCC's WGI as we did for WGII
and III. So here goes: Gosh these nonsense items are annoying: Australian
climate changing, experts say - SYDNEY - Australia experienced one of its hottest years on record
in 2007, and climate experts have warned that the higher temperatures are likely a taste of things to come as
weather patterns change.
OSU
climate change researcher tackles remote New Guinea glaciers - PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea - For
5,000 years, great tongues of ice have spread over the 3-mile-high slopes of Puncak Jaya, in the remotest
reaches of this remote tropical island. Now those glaciers are melting, and Lonnie Thompson must get there
before they're gone.
Scientists hope frozen mammoth will shed light on climate change - The frozen carcass of a 37,500-year-old baby mammoth undergoing tests in Japan could finally explain why the beasts were driven to extinction — and shed light on the history of global climate change, scientists said Friday. (Associated Press) Polar Bears Vie With Oil for US Government Focus - WASHINGTON - The US government will soon decide whether polar bears are in danger because global warming is melting their icy habitat. But last week, the government offered some of that habitat as a place to drill for oil. (Reuters) On thin ice - JUNEAU, Alaska:
About the closest most people will ever get to a polar bear are those cute, cuddly animated images that smiled
at us while dancing around, pitching soft drinks on TV and movie screens this holiday season. This is
unfortunate, because polar bears are magnificent animals, not cartoon characters. They are worthy of our utmost
efforts to protect them and their Arctic habitat. But adding polar bears to America's list of endangered
species, as some are now proposing, should not be part of those efforts. Who Will Control Your Thermostat? - "There is nothing wrong with your thermostat. Do not attempt to adjust the temperature. We are controlling your power consumption. If we wish to make it hotter, we will turn off your air conditioner. If we wish to make it cooler, we will turn off your heater. For the next millennium, sit quietly and we will control your home temperature. We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your thermostat. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... SACRAMENTO!"* (Joseph Somsel, American Thinker)
Paul
Chesser: Climate change panel offers draconian plans - WASHINGTON - A commission on global warming
appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley wants state lawmakers to implement policies that would further harm
an economy already hit by the housing market downturn, with no proof that anything positive would result for the
climate. Climate change task forces
zero in on erosion issues - Two state entities dealing with climate change will focus on the mitigation
of coastal erosion threatening several western Alaska communities in their final recommendations to the
Legislature. Whether the panels will steer away from recommending controls on greenhouse gases believed to be
contributing to climate change remains to be seen. Cool Zoning: The City of Vancouver's
"Eco-Density" zoning initiative - City Hall is threatening to rezone the single-family
neighborhoods of Vancouver to reduce global warming. The City's policy called Eco-Density purports to apply
Ecological Footprint theory to zoning. The assumption is that low density detached housing is considered bad and
high-density apartment living is considered good, because the latter supposedly produces fewer greenhouse gases
and carbon dioxide. If it is true that we collectively face a global calamity because of our profligate
production of carbon dioxide, then my neighbors and I will do our part. We will sell our homes to developers who
in turn will perform their duty to the planet by demolishing them, carting the waste to the dump and replacing
our houses with high-rises. Those of us who don't want to join a strata council will take the money and run -to
the suburbs and commute to work in Vancouver by car. But if climate change is not caused by mankind or if
rezoning won't help do the trick, I would just as soon stay where I am. From the rubber room: Medicine at the crossroads of energy and climate change - With few exceptions, medicine is not preparing for global warming and the approaching zeniths in the extraction of oil, natural gas and coal from the earth (often referred to as peak oil). The implications of these intertwined socioeconomic and geopolitical perils are stupefying, with global warming calling for radical reductions in the use of fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions – most estimates calculate 80% or more by 2050. (Originally published in Synergy & Regeneration: A Magazine of Green Social Thought (Winter 2007)) Brian
Leyland: Powering our future or wrecking the economy? - The draft New Zealand Energy Strategy is
dominated by the Government's conviction that climate change (more properly described as "man-made global
warming") is happening and that we must develop renewable energy to save New Zealand from disaster. EU Considers Carbon Tariff as Part of Climate Push - LONDON - The European Commission is debating whether to push for a carbon tariff on imports from countries that do not tackle their greenhouse gas emissions, as part of climate change proposals due out this month. (Reuters) Oil price fuels fresh
look at coal - VAST coal reserves in Asia are gaining attention as major energy consumers such as China
and India grapple with the reality of oil prices around $US100 a barrel and the risks they pose to their
economies. 'Oil Prices Are Still Too Cheap' - What does $100-a-barrel oil mean? No one is entirely sure. But this week's new high has economists, pundits and politicians vigorously speculating on the impact on the world economy. German commentators, though, are more concerned about the environment. (Der Spiegel) Clean Power for Norway Oil
and Gas Rigs Seen Costly - OSLO - Norway's hopes of supplying cleaner electricity to offshore oil and
gas platforms to help fight global warming suffered a setback on Friday when an official report projected
higher-than-expected costs. The new Prohibition - One
lesson every American claims to have learned is that Prohibition was wrong, a mistake, a sad chapter in U.S.
history when the government tried to deny citizens something they wanted. 'Eternal' flame to
be replaced by lightbulb - A town's Olympic-style flame is to be replaced by a lightbulb because of the
enormous gas bills and the carbon emissions it gives off. Low-energy bulbs
'could cause skin cancer' - Using environmentally-friendly light bulbs can be bad for your skin, say
doctors. The
Mercurial EU - The e-mails are flowing in about yesterday’s comment on the mounting follies of
mercury-containing compact fluorescent bulbs, or lamps (CFLs) [see: ‘The Great Green Gaff’, January 5; also:
‘Dimwits’, December 4]. Scientist sees few benefits from biofuels - Rising production of biofuels has distorted government budgets, helped to drive up food prices and led to deforestation in south-east Asia, the chief scientist of Defra said on Friday. (Reuters)
The Price of Biofuels (Part 1) - The irrational exuberance over ethanol that swept through the American corn belt over the last few years has given way to a dreary hangover, especially among those who invested heavily in the sprawling production facilities now dotting the rural landscape. It's the Midwest's version of the tech bubble, and in some ways, it is remarkably familiar: overeager investors enamored of a technology's seemingly unlimited potential ignore what, at least in retrospect, are obvious economic realities. (Technology Review) Part 2 | Part 3 ADM Will Bury Carbon from US Ethanol Plant - NEW YORK - Archer Daniels Midland Co, a major food processor, said it is working with business and government groups in the US Midwest on an US$84 million project to bury planet-warming gas emissions from an ethanol plant starting next year. (Reuters) Six
million face energy price hike of up to 17% - Power bills are set to soar for millions of families as
temperatures plummeted below freezing across much of Britain and oil traded above $100 a barrel for the second
day running. Scientists take on Brown over nuclear plans - Academics say safety concerns of new generation of plants not yet addressed (John Vidal, The Guardian) Efficient Biofuel Made From Genetically Modified E. Coli Bacteria - Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for producing next-generation biofuels by genetically modifying Escherichia coli bacteria to be an efficient biofuel synthesizer. The method could lead to mass production of these biofuels. (ScienceDaily) An appetite
for the food boom - Donald Coxe remembers the moment he became an agri-bull. It was 2006, and the global
portfolio strategist for Bank of Montreal had taken a leave of absence to trace his family roots in India, where
his father was raised. January 4, 2008 The latest in junk science... killer carbon dioxide! First-ever study to link increased mortality specifically to carbon dioxide emissions - "A Stanford scientist has spelled out for the first time the direct links between increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases in human mortality, using a state-of-the-art computer model of the atmosphere that incorporates scores of physical and chemical environmental processes. The new findings, to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, come to light just after the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent ruling against states setting specific emission standards for this greenhouse gas based in part on the lack of data showing the link between carbon dioxide emissions and their health effects. While it has long been known that carbon dioxide emissions contribute to climate change, the new study details how for each increase of one degree Celsius caused by carbon dioxide, the resulting air pollution would lead annually to about a thousand additional deaths and many more cases of respiratory illness and asthma in the United States, according to the paper by Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. Worldwide, upward of 20,000 air-pollution-related deaths per year per degree Celsius may be due to this greenhouse gas. “This is a cause and effect relationship, not just a correlation,” said Jacobson of his study, which on Dec. 24 was accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters.
Newt Gingrich Out-Greens Al Gore? - Newt Gingrich has guzzled Al Gore’s Kool-Aid. Now he wants us and the Republican 2008 presidential candidates to drink it, too. (Steve Milloy, FoxNews.com) Warn the public about drinking the Green Fool-Aid! Fearing Frog Deformities: Media and Environmentalists Croaking in the Wind - Hideously deformed frogs, multiple legs sprouting from their various body parts, are the poster amphibians of the environmental movement. Their fragile eggs are supposedly poisoned by agricultural pesticides and other insidious chemical slough, exposed to global warming, and to radiation streaming through the ozone hole. Frogs are utterly defenseless against man’s corruption of the environment. So, what’s your reaction when you hear about these deformed creatures? A lot of folks would respond the way researcher Stanley Sessions of Hartwick College did when he heard about deformed frogs in Minnesota. “Actually, when I first heard about the Minnesota situation, I immediately suspected a chemical substance,” Sessions admitted. “That’s the first thing everybody thinks of. You see a screwed-up animal in the field and that’s the conclusion you jump to.”(1) Not even Sessions, who ultimately debunked the chemical substance issue with frogs, could ultimately resist the temptation. Following this line of thought, let’s go on an excursion into the world of frogs to see how the public consciousness has been shaped by the media and environmentalists. (Jack W. Dini, Plating & Surface Finishing, December 2007) Mercury mania strikes again: Cremation
a hazard to the living? - FORT COLLINS, COLO. -- Rick Allnutt has closed all but one section of his
funeral home on the north end of town. Nutrition Labeling On Menu Boards And Menus: A Recipe For Failure
- Introduction: Concern about the United States’ population’s weight gain has led to a variety of policy
proposals about how best to deal with what is often referred to as the “fattening of America.” One proposal
receiving increased prominence is requiring restaurants to include on their menus or menu boards the fat,
sodium, and calorie counts for all of their offerings. The California legislature recently passed a law
requiring menu labeling, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who termed it impractical and
inflexible. Congress has considered the Menu and Labeling Act, which would require chain restaurants with twenty
or more outlets to provide certain nutritional information. The Food and Drug Administration has also begun
studying whether national standards for provision of nutritional information on restaurant menus are necessary,
and New York City has reintroduced its menu labeling legislation after the original statue was overturned. A heart stopper -
Bringing in the new year, Radio Iowa reported from a bariatric surgeon at Creighton University Medical Center in
Omaha. Increasing numbers of teens are coming in wanting bariatric surgeries, according to Dr. Ranjan Sudan, and
“some doctors are looking at performing weight loss surgeries [sic] on children as young as five.” “Aesthetic
objections are not the province of government” - Daniel Hannan has written a hard-hitting Op-Ed in the
Telegraph about the obsessions and bullying surrounding fat, “fatism,” and the new government proposal to
require people to exercise and lose weight in order to receive medical treatment. Buy my product, it works, honest.... - Dr. Roy Jobson, M.D., a pharmacology instructor at Rhodes University in South Africa, has written a satirical and stinging article on the techniques used to take advantage of the “worried well” and others to scare and trick them into buying bogus weight loss products, health foods, and remedies for nonexistent health problems. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth a read in its entirety. There is a lesson in critical thinking in every step: (Junkfood Science) Dieting
for Dollars: An economist explains his weight-loss plan. - We're only four days into the new year, but
many people may already be stuck, wondering how they will fulfill their weight-loss resolutions. Of late,
employers have been getting into the game, paying their workers to lose weight and thereby cut some corporate
health-care bills. The results of these programs have been fairly predictable, at least for an economist like
me. Employers who use weight-loss incentives inadvertently encourage workers to gain weight before the first
weigh-in. Catholic Cardinal and Bishop Condemn Climate
Change Extremism, Radical Environmentalism - VATICAN, January 3, 2008 - Two high-ranking Catholic
clergymen ushered in the New Year by separately denouncing the currently most fashionable doomsday theory-the
theory of man-driven global-warming-and radical environmentalism, as both unscientific and disturbingly
quasi-religious. Al Gore Will Never Live Up to Milton Friedman - After browsing YouTube for several days, I found many videos about Milton Friedman. Eventually, after some time, one of those videos stuck out at me, but not for reasons you would think. (Copious Dissent) The Times -- They Are
A-Changin' - Climate Change: Skepticism about man-induced global warming has reached the science pages
of the newspaper of record. This suggests the debate not only isn't over, but that it's also finally newsworthy. Global warming bias
- It seems the world is jumping into the global warming waters the same way those Polar Bear Club members jump
into some frigid body of water each New Year's Day -- with abandon. North Atlantic warming tied to natural variability, study says - A Duke University-led analysis of available records shows that while the North Atlantic Ocean’s surface waters warmed in the 50 years between 1950 and 2000, the change was not uniform. In fact, the subpolar regions cooled at the same time that subtropical and tropical waters warmed. This striking pattern can be explained largely by the influence of a natural and cyclical wind circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), wrote authors of a study published Thursday, Jan. 3, in Science Express, the online edition of the journal Science. Winds that power the NAO are driven by atmospheric pressure differences between areas around Iceland and the Azores. “The winds have a tremendous impact on the underlying ocean,” said Susan Lozier, a professor of physical oceanography at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences who is the study’s first author. Other studies cited in the Science Express report suggest human-caused global warming may be affecting recent ocean heating trends. But Lozier and her coauthors found their data can’t support that view for the North Atlantic. “It is premature to conclusively attribute these regional patterns of heat gain to greenhouse warming,” they wrote. “The take-home message is that the NAO produces strong natural variability,” said Lozier in an interview. “The simplistic view of global warming is that everything forward in time will warm uniformly. But this very strong natural variability is superimposed on human-caused warming. So researchers will need to unravel that natural variability to get at the part humans are responsible for.” In research supported by the National Science Foundation in the United States and the Natural Environment Research Council in the United Kingdom, her international team analyzed 50 years of North Atlantic temperature records collected at the National Oceanic Data Center in Washington, D.C. To piece together the mechanisms involved in the observed changes, their analysis employed an ocean circulation model that predicts how winds, evaporation, precipitation and the exchange of heat with the atmosphere influences the North Atlantic’s heat content over time. They also compared those computer predictions to real observations “to test the model’s skill,” the authors wrote. Her group’s analysis showed that water in the sub-polar ocean –- roughly between 45 degrees North latitude and the Arctic Circle –- became cooler as the water directly exchanged heat with the air above it. By contrast, NOA-driven winds served to “pile up” sun-warmed waters in parts of the subtropical and tropical North Atlantic south of 45 degrees, Lozier said. That retained and distributed heat at the surface while pushing underlying cooler water further down. The group’s computer model predicted warmer sea surfaces in the tropics and subtropics and colder readings within the sub-polar zone whenever the NAO is in an elevated state of activity. Such a high NAO has been the case during the years 1980 to 2000, the scientists reported. “We suggest that the large-scale, decadal changes...associated with the NAO are primarily responsible for the ocean heat content changes in the North Atlantic over the past 50 years,” the authors concluded. However, the researchers also noted that this study should not be viewed in isolation. Given reported heat content gains in other oceans basins, and rising air temperatures, the authors surmised that other parts of the world's ocean systems may have taken up the excess heat produced by global warming. “But in the North Atlantic, any anthropogenic (human-caused) warming would presently be masked by such strong natural variability,” they wrote. Arctic Fingerprint Doesn’t Match - Remember the good old days when “fingerprinting” was in vogue as the way to demonstrate a human impact on global climate? The idea was to show that observed temperature changes throughout the atmosphere match well the temperature changes predicted by climate models to occur there. One of the most prominent, and ultimately disproven, attempts was made by Ben Santer and colleagues, back in 1996. Santer et al. published an article in Nature magazine titled “A search for the human influences on the thermal structure of the atmosphere” in which they concluded that “Our results suggest that the similarities between observed and model-predicted changes in the zonal-mean vertical patterns of temperature change over 1963-1987 are unlikely to have resulted from natural internally generated variability of the climate system.” In other words, there must be a human influence on the observed changes. However, we (Michaels and Knappenberger, 1996) published a subsequent Comment in Nature, titled “Human effect on global climate?” describing how the correspondence between the observed patterns of vertical temperature change in the atmosphere and those projected by climate models broke down if a longer time period were considered. In other words, if the comparison was extended from 1958 to 1995 (instead of Santer et al.’s 1963 to 1987) the correspondence between model and observations became much less obvious. We concluded “Such a result… cannot be considered to be a ‘fingerprint’ of greenhouse-gas-induced climate change.” (See here for more details) (WCR) What sea ice loss? - We've all heard that the much-dreaded global warming is melting the polar ice caps, but is there actually a net loss of sea ice? According to NOAA data presented on the web site of Bill Chapman of the Polar Research Group at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), the level of sea ice has reached about the same level as it was in 2003. Check out the red line at the bottom of this graph. The current change in global sea ice coverage is a positive 1 million square kilometers -- a gain of 1.8 million square kilometers in the Southern Hemisphere netted against a loss of 800,000 square kilometers in the Northern Hemisphere. More output from
2007 warmest year on record? Coldest in this century - One month ago, we noticed that November 2007 was the coldest month since January 2000. Well, the RSS MSU satellite data show that December was even cooler. The December anomaly was -0.046 °C, compared to -0.014 °C in November. That means that December 2007 was also cooler than the average December from 1979. Moreover, we can finally complete the ranking of years! (The Reference Frame) Global temperature 2008:
Another top-ten year - 2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years say Met Office and University
of East Anglia climate scientists, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years.
But wait -- it's worse! Warming
forests sop up less greenhouse gases than thought - OTTAWA - Last year brought glum news that Canada's
forests are only a so-so defence against global warming. Uh-huh... Northward
Ho? - BROOKLIN, Canada, Jan 2 - Dan Bloom thinks it's time to figure out how to build self-sustaining
cities in the polar regions because climate change will eventually make most of Earth uninhabitable. A New GRL Paper - Multi-Decadal Surface Temperature Trends Are Overstated When Minimum Temperatures Over Land Are Used - Reports of multi-decadal temperature trends and temperature anomalies have been based on the measurement of air temperature at a single height above the ground. The claim by NOAA, for example, that “2007 a Top Ten Warm Year for U.S. and Globe“, is based on this data. (Climate Science) James Annan on 2.5 deg C - I’ve been seeking an
engineering-quality exposition of how 2.5 deg C is derived from doubled CO2 for some time. I posted up Gerry
North’s suggestion here , which was an interesting article but hardly a solution to the question. I’ve noted
that Ramanathan and the Charney Report in the 1970s discuss the topic, but these are hardly up-to-date or
engineering quality. Schwartz has a recent journal article deriving a different number and, again, this is
hardly a definitive treatment. At AGU, I asked Schwartz after his presentation for a reference setting out the
contrary point of view, but he did not give a reference. I’ve emailed Gavin Schmidt asking for a reference and
got no answer. Data Shed New Light on Night Clouds - A Hampton University professor is shedding new light on night-shining clouds that might be affected by climate change. Jim Russell is the lead scientist for the NASA-funded AIM satellite, the first to study the wispy "noctilucent" clouds, which only appear above Earth's poles. (AP) Wildfires
added to climate change hysteria - The year 2007 was the year wildfires joined the cavalcade of events
that are supposedly the result of human-caused climate change. Obituary: Bert
Bolin, at 82; cofounded UN panel on climate change - STOCKHOLM - Bert Bolin, a Swedish climate scientist
and cofounder of the Nobel Peace-winning UN panel on climate change, has died at age 82. Anyone know these guys? Changes
in the Sun’s Surface to Bring Next Climate Change - Today, the Space and Science Research Center,
(SSRC) in Orlando, Florida announces that it has confirmed the recent web announcement of NASA solar physicists
that there are substantial changes occurring in the sun’s surface. The SSRC has further researched these
changes and has concluded they will bring about the next climate change to one of a long lasting cold era. A cold spell soon to replace global warming
- MOSCOW. – Stock up on fur coats and felt boots! This is my paradoxical advice to the warm world. Energy-saving
light bulbs blamed for migraines - The energy-saving light bulbs that will be made compulsory in homes
in a few years can trigger migraines, campaigners have claimed. Coal
Surfaces Again In The UK - “A Happy New Year” to you all, and I return with the good news that
Medway Council has given its approval for two new coal-fired power stations in Kent. British
nuclear plans to get green light - BRITAIN is expected to give the go-ahead to a new generation of
nuclear power stations next week, sparking a frenzy of deal-making by nuclear firms as well as a fresh challenge
from environmental campaigners. Tourists deepen carbon
footprint - Carbon emissions from visitors' air travel to New Zealand equal total emissions from the
country's coal, gas and oil-fired power generation, say University of Otago scientists. Forget oil, the new global crisis is food
- A new crisis is emerging, a global food catastrophe that will reach further and be more crippling than
anything the world has ever seen. The credit crunch and the reverberations of soaring oil prices around the
world will pale in comparison to what is about to transpire, Donald Coxe, global portfolio strategist at BMO
Financial Group said at the Empire Club's 14th annual investment outlook in Toronto on Thursday. Farmer on hunger strike in GM protest - FRENCH farmer José Bové, who became a worldwide celebrity for his fight against junk food, went on a hunger strike yesterday with around 15 other activists to try and get the government to do more to ban genetically modified crops. (The Scotsman) Cloned Livestock Poised To Receive FDA
Clearance - Get ready for a food fight over milk and meat from cloned animals and their offspring. January 3, 2008 New JGR Paper Published - “Unresolved Issues With The Assessment Of Multidecadal Global Land Surface Temperature Trends” - Our paper Pielke R. A. Sr., et al. (2007), Unresolved issues with the assessment of multidecadal global land surface temperature trends, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D24S08, doi:10.1029/2006JD008229 [also available from http://climatesci.colorado.edu/publications/pdf/R-321.pdf] has appeared. This paper can help explain the role of non-spatially representative measurements of multi-decadal land surface air temperature trends, that was extracted statistically in the article McKitrick, R.R. and P.J. Michaels (2007), Quantifying the influence of anthropogenic surface processes and inhomogeneities on gridded global climate data, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D24S09, doi:10.1029/2007JD008465 (Climate Science) The Biggest Whopper of 2007 - Among the candidates for the biggest cock-and-bull story in 2007 must be NASA’s James Hansen with his work of creative genius on Greenland’s and Antarctica’s ice sheets and his wannabes, who subsequently copied his imaginative tour de force. (Julie Walsh, CE) Nunavut News - Here’s a trivial question for geography buffs: What is the capital of Nunavut (pronounced ‘Noo-na-voot’)? If you know that the answer is Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), you win five stars. Of course, you are probably the only one in the room who has a clue about this place called Nunavut. (WCR) Al Gore a prophet; global warming a religion - You don't have to be religious to qualify as a fundamentalist. You can be Al Gore, the messiah figure for the global warming cult, whose followers truly believe their gospel of imminent extermination in a Noah-like flood, if we don't immediately change our carbon polluting ways. (Sun Sentinel) :) Bali Highs
- More than week after the big U.N. Climate Change Conference wrapped up in Bali last month, Ms. Henny-Penny,
founder and now Recording Secretary of The Holy Order of The Sky is Falling, is finally back from that fabled
isle herself. "I was so exhausted from that wonderful conference, I just had to rest for several
days," she told us when we caught up with her this morning. Fabulous timing - This gloomy "E, the Environmental Magazine" cover story bemoans the lack of snow in New Hampshire and Aspen just as all-time December snowfall records were announced in both places. (Tom Nelson) What's going on here? Nature
and man jointly cook Arctic - WASHINGTON - There‘s more to the recent dramatic and alarming thawing of
the Arctic region than can be explained by man-made global warming alone, a new study found. Nature is pushing
the Arctic to the edge, too.
Verification of 22
Historic Climate Studies Pinpoints Patterns in Data Errors - We're swamped with information about
anticipated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But the indicators vary wildly. A new study compared the
historic numbers of 22 trend-setting organizations to actual findings and found out where data fouls up. California Sues EPA Over
Greenhouse Gas Regulations; Says Its Limits Better Than Federal Plan - SACRAMENTO -- California sued the
federal government Wednesday in its ongoing bid to set the country's first greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks
and SUVs, providing new data to show its program is superior to a federal plan. Meanwhile: Rain, snow,
wind to arrive Thursday for a lengthy visit - A series of fierce winter storms is expected to slam into
the Sacramento area and the Sierra beginning Thursday afternoon, bringing high winds and drenching rains to the
valley and heavy snow to the mountains throughout the weekend. The Deadly Toll Of Wind Power - Despite yearlong effort to curb bird deaths by turbines on the Altamont Pass, many still have perished (Charles Burress, SF Chronicle) Oil futures rise to $100 a barrel - NEW YORK
-- Crude oil prices briefly soared to $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time, reaching that milestone amid
an unshakeable view that global demand for oil and petroleum products will outstrip supplies. Banks See Big Profits in Biofueled Food Inflation - From Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, via Bloomberg, comes a truly terrifying financial news article about the biofueled rally in agricultural commodity prices. It seems that whereas in the coming years the struggle for energy--meaning oil and gas--will be between nations, the struggle for food will be within nations. Excerpts appear below. (China Confidential) The most common source of unsound health interventions - Yellow teeth is a risk factor for lung cancer. Of course, the soundest evidence clearly shows us that yellow teeth is not the cause of lung cancer, so no one would seriously suggest extracting healthy teeth to prevent lung cancer. (Junkfood Science) January 2, 2008 Not bad for a New York Times Op-ed Putting a Plague in Perspective - "If one were to ask the people of virtually any African village (outside some 10 countries devastated by AIDS) what their greatest concerns are, the answer would undoubtedly be the less sensational but more ubiquitous ravages of hunger, dirty water and environmental devastation. The real-world needs of Africans struggling to survive should not continue to be subsumed by the favorite causes du jour of well-meaning yet often uninformed Western donors." (Daniel Halperin, New York Times, Jan. 1) So much for the 'Green' Olympics... Beijing’s Olympic Quest: Turn Smoggy Sky Blue - "To win the Games, Beijing promised a “Green Olympics” and undertook environmental initiatives now considered models for the rest of the country. But greening Beijing has not meant slowing it down. Officials also have encouraged an astonishing urbanization boom that has made environmental gains seem modest, if not illusory." (New York Times) Will President Bush sell out to the Greens in 2008? In Bush's Final Year, The Agenda Gets Greener - "The coming year offers a final test of whether Bush is willing to move beyond the policies of the past seven years and embrace more aggressive measures, including a mandatory limit on carbon emissions with pollution credits that can be bought and sold -- a system known as cap-and-trade. If presented such legislation by Sens. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Warner (R-Va.), supporters hope, Bush might sign it." (Washington Post, Dec. 29) Japanese profiteers for climate alarmism... Japan Urges China to Reduce Pollution - "The Japanese government and its companies have provided technology to Chinese factories to help them improve efficiency and capture waste gases. But those efforts remain limited, partly because Chinese companies have not been required to buy top-flight equipment, and Japanese companies have been reluctant to provide their latest technology at a discount." (New York Times, Dec. 29) Cap-and-trade to erase African aid? Africa aid wiped out by rising cost of oil - "The rising cost of oil has wiped out the benefits many African countries were expecting from western aid and debt relief over the past three years, new research from the International Energy Agency has shown. The situation is raising fears that, in spite of the strong growth many African countries have seen in recent years, there could be a repeat of the 1980s’ debt crisis in the developing world that was caused in part by the oil shocks of the 1970s." (Financial Times, Dec. 29) More bad news for Africa... economist Arthur Laffer has likened cap-and-trade global warming regulation to the 1970s oil shocks. Check out this YouTube video too! The seventh annual Numby Awards (Number Watch) In 2008, let us challenge the Politics of Apocalypse - In the past year, the threat of doom – from weather, terror or disease – became an everyday, even banal issue. It’s time to inject a dose of humanism into public debate. (Frank Furedi, sp!ked) In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm
- I’d like to wish you a happy New Year, but I’m afraid I have a different sort of prediction. Climate-change
half-measures are better than none at all - It's not surprising that a large, diverse, free-market
democracy like ours is having trouble developing an effective and systematic response to the issue of global
climate change.
Editorial: Global warming 'consensus' a fiction - Skeptics from a range of scientific disciplines get louder in their opposition to doomsday claims (Orange County Register) Uncertain science dogs climate debate - The
Government's Energy Strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions from power stations to help reduce man-made
greenhouse gases. New
Research Paper “Quantifying The Influence Of Anthropogenic Surface Processes And Inhomogeneities On Gridded
Global Climate Data” By Ross McKitrick And Pat Michaels - There is an important new peer reviewed
paper that further raises questions on the robustness of using surface air temperature data to calculate the
radiative imbalance of the climate system. Important
New Paper “Using Limited Time Period Trends as a Means to Determine Attribution of Discrepancies in Microwave
Sounding Unit Derived Tropospheric Temperature Time” By R. M. Randall and B. M. Herman - There has
been considerable discussion on the use of microwave sounding unit (MSU) data to assess multi-decadal
tropspheric temperature trends (e.g. see CCSP, 2006). An important new paper is in press in the Journal of
Geophysical Research which adds new insight into this issue including a comparison of the analyses from two of
the leading groups that analyze multi-decadal tropospheric temperature trends from the MSU data [i.e. University
of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS)] Newsweek's Prophetess of Doom Wonders 'Why We Were So Stupid' - Some journalists are so confident that we're already cooked by global warming that they're scolding ignorant Americans in advance for all the now-unpreventable doom that's coming our way. Newsweek's Sharon Begley rings in the new year by shaking her head at the Stupid, Soon to Be Overheated Majority and how we'll have to adapt to being cooked: (NewsBusters) Of Two Minds on Polar Bears - Two
agencies in the Department of the Interior are nearing significant yet contradictory decisions that will affect
the fate of one of America’s iconic animal species, the polar bear. Do polar bears need U.S. protection? - A federal agency is poised to say whether global warming means the bear should be added to the 'threatened species' list. (The Christian Science Monitor) The Crone... The
One Environmental Issue - The overriding environmental issue of these times is the warming of the
planet. The Democratic hopefuls in the 2008 campaign are fully engaged, calling for large — if still
unquantified — national sacrifices and for a transformation in the way the country produces and uses energy.
The Republicans do not go much further than conceding that climate change could be a problem and, with the
notable exception of John McCain, offer no comprehensive solutions. Why won't Al Gore debate? -
When Al Gore ran for U.S. senator from Tennessee he debated – repeatedly. All About: Cities and energy consumption
- Humans can now officially be called an urban species. More than half of the global population now live in
cities and the United Nations says that by 2030, 60 percent of us will live in them.
From CO2 Science
this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Late 20th-Century Drought in Morocco: How exceptional was it? A Second Review of Drought in Morocco: How does it fit into the bigger picture of the entire Northern Hemisphere? And what does it suggest about coincident temperatures? Glomalin in Ecosystems: Results of a Recent Literature Review: What do they reveal about the effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on soil glomalin concentrations and biospheric carbon sequestration? Effects of Elevated CO2 on Plant-Herbivore Interactions: A recent review of the scientific literature comes up with some general conclusions. Temperature
Record of the Week: Bye
Bye, Light Bulb: If only Microsoft could argue its competitors hurt the environment. - Just like
that--like flipping a switch--Congress and the president banned incandescent light bulbs last month. OK, they
did not exactly ban them. But the energy bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush sets
energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs that traditional incandescent bulbs cannot meet. Energy firms face tough
year as new emissions rules bite - A combination of new regulations and tougher controls on emissions
which came into force yesterday will make life tougher for Britain's power generators. Ah, socialized medicine... 'Patients
to lose weight before NHS treatment' - Patients could be required to stop smoking, take exercise or lose
weight before they can be treated on the National Health Service, Gordon Brown has suggested. An outrageous
threat to NHS patients - To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NHS, Gordon Brown
plans to introduce a "constitution" setting out the rights and responsibilities of our healthcare
system. Fat or thin,
it's not the state's business - Yet again, overweight people find themselves surrounded by a baying mob.
Force fatties to diet, cry the commentators. Deny them treatment on the NHS! Make them stop smoking! Put them on
treadmills! What can you buy for $310,000? - The countdown has already begun and the diet season is off and running. It's become our national pastime. Diets don’t actually work to make us thin and certainly don’t make us healthier, by all evidence, but they are extremely effective at one thing: making gobs of money for the weight loss industry. According to Marketdata Enterprises Inc., it’s a $55 billion market just in the U.S. and is expected to reach $61 billion in 2008. (Junkfood Science) Junk food ad ban comes into force in Britain - Britain introduced a ban on advertising junk food to under-16s Tuesday, aimed at promoting healthy eating and countering growing child obesity. The ban, which extends measures already in place for under-10s, will curb television adverts for food and drink products with high fat, salt and sugar content. Specifically the new measures, agreed last year, will ban adverts for junk food and drink around all programmes of particular appeal to children under 16 years. (AFP) Never
mind organic, feel the food print - It’s not easy to do the right thing these days, especially on the
food front. Not so long ago, we were happy to load up our trolleys with whatever the supermarkets pushed at us,
the more battery reared, industrially grown, air-freighted and genetically modified the better. How carefree
that seems now, when a trip to the shops can present enough ethical dilemmas to tax King Solomon. Animal
welfare, pesticides, antibiotics, food miles, carbon emissions… there are so many issues to be considered that
it can leave the conscientious shopper’s head in a spin. Oh boy... Virus
threatens mass extinction of frogs - An international campaign has been launched to help save the
world’s amphibians from extinction.
A backpacker’s guide to eco-death - Into the Wild, Sean Penn's film about the anti-materialist Christopher McCandless, reminds us why being 'one with nature’ is no picnic. (Patrick Hayes, sp!ked) |