Archives - October 2008 IgNobels for Obama - Seventy-six American Nobel
laureates in science endorsed Barack Obama this week. Despite their scientific successes, their political analysis
just doesn't make the grade. (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com) ANALYSIS - Obama To Go Green, But
Push Could Be Costly - WASHINGTON - The green revolution has ground to a halt with the collapse in oil prices,
right? Bill McKibben envisions
the first year in office for our next Climate Change President - The election campaign has (unofficially)
lasted almost two years. It’s featured endless discussions on health care, the housing crisis, and who should
get blamed for something their minister said. But when we elect a new leader, among his very first jobs will be
figuring out how to deal with global warming. He almost certainly won’t want it to rise to the top of his to-do
list, but it will. He who comes next is the Climate Change President. (Bill McKibben, Plenty) Uh, Bill? you're supposed to be electing the President of the United States, not fantasy world. NOAA:
U.S. breaks or ties 115 cold and sets 63 new snowfall records - Of course many of you that live in this
weather already know this, but there is an early start to winter this year, not only in the USA, but also in
London, where it snowed in October for the first time in over 70 years. Global
Cooling is Here! Evidence for Predicting Global Cooling for the Next Three Decades - In 2007-2008, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC) and computer modelers who believe that CO2 is the cause of
global warming still predict the Earth is in store for catastrophic warming in this century. IPCC computer models
have predicted global warming of 1F per decade and 5-6C (10-11F) by 2100, which would cause global catastrophe
with ramifications for human life, natural habitat, energy and water resources, and food production. All of this
is predicated on the assumption that global warming is caused by increasing atmospheric CO2 and that CO2 will
continue to rise rapidly. (Professor Don Easterbrook, Western Washington University) Greenpeace Resurrects JFK for
Global Warming Ad Campaign - Web video depicts dead president warning climate change 'threatens our very
existence,' claims 'technology and renewable energy offers the last remaining hope.' (Jeff Poor, Business &
Media Institute) International
climate talks are ‘on track’ – Harlan Watson - Discussions on a new global agreement to tackle climate
change should be completed in time to meet an end-2009 deadline, according to the US’s chief climate change
negotiator. On track but to where? The climate change bill: a
futile and very costly folly - It snowed in London last night – the first time it had snowed in October
since 1934. And as the temperatures plummeted our elected representatives voted in favour of the climate change
bill which includes draconian man-made CO2 emissions cuts of 80% by 2050 (raised recently from 60%) in order to
save the planet from “dangerous global warming” and frying to a cinder. FEATURE - "Carbon Army"
Hopes To Grab Slice Of New Deal Cash - LONDON - A growing "carbon army" of environmentalists,
bankers and investors has seized on official backing last week for major public spending announced in Britain and
the United States. Heidelberg
attacks EU carbon trading plans - HeidelbergCement says the European Commission's planned extension of its
emissions trading scheme in 2013 could threaten cement production in the EU. The company cites studies by
management consultants McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group that say the price of the emissions permits that
will be required to produce and transport cement could reduce the price competitiveness of EU-manufactured cement
by -50% to -100% by 2020. China’s White
Paper on Climate Change - The State Council Information Office issued a white paper today entitled China’s
Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change. In the words of the press release the paper describes that
China actively participates in worldwide efforts to address climate change, earnestly observes the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and plays a constructive role in international
cooperation in this regard. Predicting the climate future - How
successful will efforts to reduce carbon emissions actually be? And what will that mean for our climate and
society? These are the billion-dollar questions that everyone working in climate research, conservation, human
development, government and even business would love to know the answers to. With that in mind, UK sustainable
development charity Forum for the Future has teamed up with Hewlett Packard’s HP Labs to devise five scenarios
for the social, political, economic and psychological consequences of climate change by the year 2050. (ERL) How about dealing with the present? Are Australians learning yet? 'Stand
up to climate change deniers' - Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has hit out at federal Opposition Leader
Malcolm Turnbull for failing to stand up to the "climate change deniers" within his party. Kevin Rudd's emissions
trading scheme: $1 a day to save planet - THE Rudd Government has moved to ease fears about the impact of its
emissions trading scheme, releasing Treasury modelling showing the scheme is affordable, with households paying up
to $7 a week more for electricity and gas, and no industries forced offshore. Garnaut's myths of emission
- ROSS Garnaut's confident pronouncements in the final report of his climate change review delivered something for
everyone. Emissions trading economic
modelling based on an 'ideal world' - THE economic modelling for the Rudd Government's emissions trading
scheme is based on unrealistic assumptions of "the world as we would all like it tobe". What happens if
Copenhagen fails? - YOU don't have to be a Treasury modeller to work out that if the developed world signs up
to a global climate change deal next year and the biggest emitters in the developing world agree to follow suit
soon after, then "carbon leakage" isn't going to be a huge problem. Third
World to do our dirty work - AUSTRALIA plans to minimise the cost of tackling climate change by paying
developing countries such as Indonesia to cut their greenhouse emissions, long-awaited modelling by Treasury
shows. Price hikes under emissions
trading scheme to hit single pensioners - SINGLE pensioners will be the most affected by the price increases
to flow from emissions cuts, adding to their claims for reform of their benefits. (The Australian) Future to feed on chooks,
not chops or roos - IT'S not kangaroos but chickens that are likely to supplant steaks in the family menu in a
carbon-neutral world. Now available from our store! Climate
Science: Is It Currently Designed To Answer Questions? MIT scientists baffled by global warming
theory, contradicts scientific data - Boston (MA) - Scientists at MIT have recorded a nearly simultaneous
world-wide increase in methane levels. This is the first increase in ten years, and what baffles science is that
this data contradicts theories stating man is the primary source of increase for this greenhouse gas. It takes
about one full year for gases generated in the highly industrial northern hemisphere to cycle through and reach
the southern hemisphere. However, since all worldwide levels rose simultaneously throughout the same year, it is
now believed this may be part of a natural cycle in mother nature - and not the direct result of man's
contributions. (Rick C. Hodgin, TG Daily) Inevitable recycling: Melting Arctic Ocean
Raises Threat of ‘Methane Time Bomb’ - Scientists have long believed that thawing permafrost in Arctic
soils could release huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Now they are watching with increasing
concern as methane begins to bubble up from the bottom of the fast-melting Arctic Ocean. (Susan Q. Stranahan,
Yale360) A Mathematical Analysis of the Divergence
Problem in Dendroclimatology - Abstract: Tree rings provide a primary data source for reconstructing past
climates, particularly over the past 1,000 years. However, divergence has been observed in twentieth century
reconstructions. Divergence occurs when trees show a positive response to warming in the calibration period but a
lesser or even negative response in recent decades. The mathematical implications of divergence for reconstructing
climate are explored in this study. Divergence results either because of some unique environmental factor in
recent decades, because trees reach an asymptotic maximum growth rate at some temperature, or because higher
temperatures reduce tree growth. If trees show a nonlinear growth response, the result is to potentially truncate
any historical temperatures higher than those in the calibration period, as well as to reduce the mean and range
of reconstructed values compared to actual. This produces the divergence effect. This creates a cold bias in the
reconstructed record and makes it impossible to make any statements about how warm recent decades are compared to
historical periods. Some suggestions are made to overcome these problems. Q&A:
Roger A. Pielke Sr. - The controversial climatologist argues that global warming has stopped. (Mother Jones) Comments
on a New Report on Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation
for the Colorado Water Conservation Board by Ray et al. 2008 - Recently a report titled “Climate Change in
Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation for the Colorado Water Conservation
Board” by Andrea J. Ray, Joseph J. Barsugli, Kristen B. Averyt, Martin Hoerling, and Klaus Wolter was released.
The report has valuable information on the climate of Colorado and is written by well-respected climate
scientists. Sunspots
and the Rio Paraná - From Physics World (sub.
req'd): Hard lesson about solar realities for NOAA / NASA - The
real world sunspot data remaining quiet month after month are mocking the curved red predictions of NOAA and about
to slide underneath. Time for a rethink I reckon NOAA! (Warwick Hughes) Start squirreling away nuts? -
The other day, some weather geek friends of mine and I were exchanging emails about the early snow that was
happening in Ithaca, NY. How
not to measure temperature part 73, in the middle of nowhere - The idea with measuring climate accurately, is
to get as far away as possible from human/urban influences so that those things don’t bias the readings of the
thermometer. For example, on my way from Las Vegas to Reno this week, I passed through the near-ghost town of
Mina, Nevada, which has a USHCN station. Mina is about as in the “middle of nowhere” as you can be. In fact,
the view to the east of the Mina USHCN station is stunning for it’s remote beauty: (Watts Up With That?) Ah yes--CO2
allegedly caused the Antarctic peninsula to warm; ozone depletion allegedly caused the rest to cool (Tom
Nelson) Our models are crappy, so it must be people: Scientists
link human activity to warming in polar regions for first time - Human activity and, in particular, the
production of greenhouse gases can be linked definitively to warming in parts of the Arctic and Antarctic,
according to a new study that makes the controversial connection for the first time. The
Climate Change Bill. Part 1 - They Don’t Work for You. - The third reading of the Climate Change Bill took
place in parliament yesterday. More on that later. The reading was preceded by an Early Day Motion (EDM) to
include shipping and aviation in the scope of the bill. (Climate Resistance) The Climate Change Bill.
Part 2 - Appealing to Authority. - Here is an exchange between Peter Lilley MP, and other members of the House
of Commons on Tuesday’s reading of the Climate Change Bill. The
£70 Billion Cost of Raising the UK’s CO2 Reduction Target from 60% to 80% - The following is from Hansard
(the official transcript of parliamentary proceedings): (Climate Research) Climate Change To Help Short-Lived
Creatures - Study - OSLO - Climate change is likely to disrupt food chains by favouring animals with short
lifespans over often bigger rivals that are worse at tolerating temperature swings, scientists said on Thursday.
(Reuters) All this guesstimation based on the premise we face some unusual warming, something of which we have no
indication, whatsoever. US natural gas use to rise under next
president - NEW YORK, Oct 29 - With both U.S. presidential candidates calling for a reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions, the country's consumption of natural gas should rise under the next administration no matter who
wins the White House. Natural gas for electricity generation and industry will be key to the energy plans of
either Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama, said experts, who consider natural gas a bridge between
oil and future renewable energy sources under development. (Reuters)
No
statistically significant risks seen for prostate cancer or diabetes ... - Thousands of men and their loved
ones may have been frightened this week by news that the National Cancer Institute had announced it was halting a
major multi-center prostate cancer study due to safety concerns. It was a randomized clinical trial of vitamin E
and selenium and its suspension brought others to fear their vitamins could be putting them at risk for prostate
cancer or diabetes. While the precise findings which led to the decision to prematurely end this trial have not
been made public, a better understanding of the science and what is known may help lessen fears and put things
into perspective. (Junkfood Science) Update from UK:
fat children taken by the state - As a particularly vocal anti-obesity group in the UK continues to call for
fat children to be taken away from their parents and put into state care until they lose weight, earlier this
month the Association of Directors of Children’s Services had denied that it was happening. A spokesperson had
told The Independent that fat children had not been removed from their parents by child protective authorities.
But reporters kept digging. Finally, Councils just released the information following a request filed under the
Freedom of Information Act. (Junkfood Science) Malaria Deaths In Gambia Drop
Steeply - Study - LONDON - Providing pregnant women and children with insecticide-treated bed nets has sharply
cut malaria deaths in the West African nation of Gambia, according to a study published on Friday. An Obama Win Will Be More Than
Historic - Some elections are routine, some are important and some are historic. If Sen. John McCain wins this
election, it will probably go down in history as routine. But if Sen. Barack Obama wins, it is more likely to be
historic — and catastrophic. CHILE: Maize Contaminated with Transgenics -
SANTIAGO, Oct 30 - The Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA) at the University of Chile has detected
genetically modified organisms in four samples of conventional maize grown near fields where transgenic maize
seeds are being produced for export. The bigger question is why anyone should care. October 30, 2008 NOBEL RACIST FOR OBAMA? - James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA
structure, has signed a letter
along with 75 other U.S. Nobel prize winners endorsing Barack Obama for President. This is the same James Watson
who in 2007 told The Sunday Times (UK) that blacks were not as smart as whites. Here's a portion of the Times'
story:
UHI is real, in Reno at least
- A couple of days ago there was a guest post from Russ Steele citing a California study “Feeling the Heat” on
global warming that just didn’t seem to add up. One of the stations cited as having climate change related
warming was Reno, NV. So, I decided to do a field experiment to test this. The results show clearly that UHI
exists in Reno. (Watts Up with That?) EcoAmerica
Poll: Climate skeptics are the majority, not the minority - Only 18 percent of survey respondents strongly
believe that climate change is real, human-caused and harmful. Methane gas levels begin to increase again - The amount
of methane in Earth's atmosphere shot up in 2007, bringing to an end a period of about a decade in which
atmospheric levels of the potent greenhouse gas were essentially stable, according to a team led by MIT
researchers. So, what could cause simultaneous increase in both hemispheres? Anthropogenic action such as increased
drilling and waste gas venting is unlikely (the vast majority of that is in the northern hemisphere and it's
believed to take at least a year to equilibrate between hemispheres). It certainly isn't warming causing the
release from thawing permafrost (to begin with the southern hemisphere is not warming and the south does not
have vast regions of tundra to thaw). About the only way to get such a simultaneous increase would be to alter
availability of the hydroxyl free radical with which methane reacts and about the only thing that could do that
in both hemispheres at once would be an external forcing -- solar changes, perhaps? Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice reportedly said. A
Further Look into the AMO (and Atlantic Hurricanes) - There is a degree of disagreement among climate
scientists as to whether or not a phenomenon known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a true
physical mechanism operating in the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., Delworth and Mann, 2000; Knight et al., 2005; Zhang,
2007), or whether it is largely a manifestation of the pattern of the anthropogenic influence on the earth’s
climate (Mann and Emanuel, 2006). The subject is of considerable interest in that many researchers have identified
other climate phenomenon that seem to be related to the patterns of the AMO—primary among which are the patterns
of Atlantic hurricane activity (e.g. Goldenberg et al., 2001). Thus, the source of the AMO likely sheds light on
the source of Atlantic hurricane frequency and intensity fluctuations—are they primarily natural in origin, or
are they primarily caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols? (WCR) Romm's world: Palin
Shocker: McCain Won't Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Voters who care about either global warming or clean
energy have only one choice -- and it isn't McCain-Palin. No, Joe hasn't come to his senses -- he really thinks this is a bad thing and that highlighting it will make
people vote for the other guy. The Chinese seem to think there's a good chance a committed socialist will
capture the Whitehouse and that he and his cohorts will be happy to send your wealth and jobs to Asia: China toughens stance on role of
rich nations in climate effort - China raised the price of its co-operation in the world's climate change
talks yesterday by calling for developed countries to spend 1 per cent of their domestic product helping poorer
nations cut greenhouse gas emissions. And India: PM
takes dig at West over gas emissions - BEIJING: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday complained that the
western nations have not lived up to their commitments for technology transfer and additional financing since the
Rio Conference in 1992. He called for a global action plan to promote both food and energy security. Actually not, try flying over Iran, for example and you will soon find out about sovereignty and airspace
exclusivity but that is another matter. As far as atmospheric gas constituents are concerned industrial nations
have traditionally boosted global crops and wilderness for free and there are no known plans to charge anyone
for their crops' use of carbon dioxide liberated at no small expense. Granted misanthropists are going to
extraordinary lengths to try to stop this practice of industrialization gifting essential resources to the
biosphere but the people-haters have a long history of particularly disliking "little brown people,
breeding with the irresponsibility of codfish" and we recommend developing nations examine the policy
implications most carefully. ANALYSIS - Carbon Market's Future
Hangs In The Balance - LONDON - The future of global carbon markets is finely poised as recession threatens
the political will to shoulder costs but New Zealand, Australia and Japan follow Europe with their own cap and
trade schemes. (Reuters) Hmm... it's a market that shouldn't exist at all and one highly unlikely to survive the enforced realism of
an economic slowdown. A scam whose moment has passed. Nations See REDD In Rush For
Carbon Credits - SINGAPORE - In the far north of Indonesia's Sumatra Island lies a vast stretch of forest
brimming with orangutans and rare Sumatran tigers and elephants. In a quirk of fate, a decades-long insurgency in
Aceh province prevented illegal loggers from stripping the place bare. Apart from its wildlife and timber, though,
the forest is rich in another resource; the carbon locked up in the soil and very trees coveted by loggers --
legal and illegal. Keen to earn money from the forest, called the Ulu Masen ecosystem, the government of Aceh
province joined a leading conservation group and the financial market to save it. (Reuters) Tough 'taters guys, the world is rapidly working out that hot air sales are a scam. FACTBOX - UN Scheme Aims To Use
Carbon Credits To Save Forests - The United Nations hopes to include a market-based scheme aimed at using
carbon credits to save rainforests as part of a broader pact to fight climate change. (Reuters) Snow blankets London for Global
Warming debate - Snow fell as the House of Commons debated Global Warming yesterday - the first October fall
in the metropolis since 1922. The Mother of Parliaments was discussing the Mother of All Bills for the last time,
in a marathon six hour session. (Andrew Orlowski, The Register) Italy repeats opposition to EU
climate plan - ROME - The Italian government on Tuesday said it would stick to its opposition to an EU climate
plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions by a fifth by 2020, saying it would be too harmful for industry. (Reuters) China Says Curbing Greenhouse
Gases Difficult - BEIJING - China will find it difficult to curb growing greenhouse gas emissions any time
soon, the government said, while warning of a huge economic blow from global warming. Poor
Climate Science Article In The Economist On Glaciers - I am a fan of the Economist and have subscribed for
several years. It is a very effective magazine with which to learn what is occurring throughout the world.
However, its coverage of climate issues has generally been quite poor. The latest article (in the October 25 2008)
issue continues this inadequate reporting. (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) "Artic
Icecap is Melting, Even in Winter" - The scare: Jonathan Leake, in The Times of London on 26 October
2008, says: In the virtual realm: Rising
Sea Levels To Erode Sydney Beaches - Study - SYDNEY - Rising sea levels as a result of climate change will
erode Sydney's iconic beaches by 2050, with some at risk of disappearing, and threaten beachfront homes and
commercial properties, a new climate change study said. Modelers take their games seriously though: A
glacier's life - EPFL researchers have developed a numerical model that can re-create the state of
Switzerland's Rhône Glacier as it was in 1874 and predict its evolution until the year 2100. This is the longest
period of time ever modeled in the life of a glacier, involving complex data analysis and mathematical techniques.
(Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Predict its evolution to the year 2100? No, just make wild guesses according to various assumptions like
"a temperature increase of 3.6 degrees Celsius and a decrease in rainfall of 6% over a century".
How likely is such a scenario? Probably a lot less than my winning the lottery, even if I bought a ticket. 853% of respondents? Business
decries govt policies on emissions levels - To include agriculture in the emissions trading scheme, in the
words of one respondent, is Wow! They must have been emphatic. Nonetheless, the Clarke government has plunged into a ridiculous gorebull
warming scheme so it's pretty safe to say the majority of businesses are unhappy with the situation. Falling
oil production 'is greater threat to Britain than terrorism' - The threat to Britain posed by declining oil
production is greater than that of terrorism, an industry group has said. Someone else looking for a gravy train ticket. What all these 'alternative' promoters overlook is that there
is never a need to subsidize alternate energy sources -- as oil supplies tighten the price rises and more
expensive sources become competitive (sorry guys, there is not now nor ever will be a need to throw money at
you). Moreover oil's most likely and virtually unchallenged supplement/replacement is coal-to-liquid, not solar-
or wind-powered cars and trucks and we have centuries of supply. Humans will likely be using basically a
fission/fossil/hydro mix for a very long time to come while wind and solar remain those somewhat batty aunts
irregularly popping in for brief and inconvenient stays. The most important scenario is missing: Households
significantly reduce electricity use when prices rise - A new study in the RAND Journal of Economics examined
how quickly households change their electricity use when prices rise and fall rapidly. Results show that when
electricity prices increase, the average household rapidly reduces its electricity use. However, when electricity
prices then decrease, household energy use returns to previous levels. (Wiley) What happens when prices are increased and stay that way? Actually people get over the sticker shock and
power use returns to prior levels. The only way to price people out of energy use is to cause consumer poverty
by pricing the commodity beyond people's affordability (which is where the carbon cranks want to take us). Signs point toward U.S. bailing out
automakers - Ready or not, like it or not, Uncle Sam’s bailout of Detroit automobile makers General Motors
Corp. and Chrysler LLC sounds to be on the verge of happening. EU Carmakers To Press Call For 40
Bln Euro EU Loan - BRUSSELS - European carmakers will press their call for an EU loan of 40 billion euros
(US$50.98 billion) to help develop greener cars in a meeting with the bloc's executive on Wednesday, their
industry association chief said. (Reuters) EU Biofuel Data Change Angers
Environmentalists - BRUSSELS - European biofuels could receive a boost from a change in the way the European
Union calculates their impact on the environment, a document shows, angering environmentalists who think they do
more harm than good. (Reuters) Election day:
Freedom of health care choice - In one week, Arizona voters may make the most important vote in the country.
George Will explained why on Sunday: (Junkfood Science) Fears over
ownership of healthcare - A calm, thoughtful article appeared this morning in the Minneapolis Post examining
fears of change in who owns our healthcare coverage. For another side of this issue on everyone’s mind, attorney
Peter Nelson examines some of the concerns of losing employer-provided health insurance. (Junkfood Science) Perhaps, even
free isn’t worth the price - Tuesday’s free Medscape CME course for doctors and nurses reviewed the latest
INTERHEART data dredge. As covered here, it was a null study, finding no tenable link between diet and first heart
attacks. Healthcare professionals, however, were given a different interpretation of the study: “Western Diet
Increases MI Risk Worldwide.” (Junkfood Science) US agency faulted
over plastic chemical's safety - WASHINGTON - A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday
faulted the agency's August draft conclusion that a chemical used in many plastic products -- including baby
bottles -- is not harmful. All this nonsense trying to eliminate one-in-a-bazillion risks (regardless of cost) and yet, without their
desired ban-virtually-everything-just-in-case, human life spans and general health continue to increase (except
perhaps basket-case African States, where poverty, lack of health care and basic sanitation shorten life spans
dramatically). Logically things we have been exposed to for more than 50 years should really be exhibiting some
effect by now, no? Again with the atrazine mania: Agricultural
Chemicals Linked to Infections in a Declining Amphibian Species -- Amphibians around the world are on the
decline from disease. In an article in this week's issue of the journal Nature, Jason Rohr of the University of
South Florida (USF) and colleagues revealed that chemical pollution can increase often deadly trematode (parasitic
flatworm) infections in the northern leopard frog, a declining amphibian species. (PhysOrg.com) Disease expert warns on
recycled sewage - ONE of Australia's leading infectious disease experts has claimed technology does not exist
to prevent recycled sewage from contaminating the water supply of 2.6 million residents in southeast Queensland. This wealth redistribution thing is a worry: Obama's
Plumbers - Ohio Democrats refused to act on ACORN's massive vote fraud. Yet they have time to scour the
private records of Joe the Plumber. No wonder Barack Obama finds the Constitution an inconvenience. The Founding Fathers on
redistribution of wealth - “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers
has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and
skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise
of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816 Steve
Forbes Out in Front of U.S. Media in Warning Over Fallout from Weak Dollar - Destructive fiscal practices that
debase the value of the U.S. dollar and slow economic growth have both domestic and foreign policy implications
that call out for "Reaganesque" solutions Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes Magazine, explained
during an interview at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. All the right code words & ecospeak: Transitioning
to Sustainability Through Research and Development on Ecosystem Services and Biofuels: Workshop Summary - The
National Research Council's Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability hosted "Transitioning to
Sustainability through Research and Development on Ecosystem Services and Biofuels: The National Academies' First
Federal Sustainability Research and Development Forum" on October 17- 18, 2007. AFRICA: Water and Improved Livelihoods - JOHNNESBURG,
Oct 29 - "Sanitation may hold the key to success or failure of the MDGs. It is really a time bomb in terms of
health and the environment, waiting to be detonated," Professor Damas Mashauri told participants at a seminar
on water and sustainable development taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa. October 29, 2008
Global warming is killing frogs and salamanders in
Yellowstone Park -- Frogs and salamanders, those amphibious bellwethers of environmental danger, are being
killed in Yellowstone National Park. The predator, Stanford researchers say, is global warming. (PhysOrg.com) No, wait! Fungus killing off frogs
- The world’s frogs are in population decline because a fungal disease is causing extinctions, according to a
paper published in the prestigious US publication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Alaska’s Glaciers Are Growing - Alaska’s
glaciers grew this year, after shrinking for most of the last 200 years. The reason? Global temperatures dropped
over the past 18 months. The global mean annual temperature has been declining recently because the solar wind
thrown out by the sun has retreated to its smallest extent in at least 50 years. This temperature downturn was not
predicted by the global computer models, but had been predicted by the sunspot index since 2000. (Dennis Avery,
CFP) Once more, with feeling: Australia's
Stern review warns of runaway global warming - Carbon emissions are rising so fast that the world has no
chance of hitting climate targets, says Australian economist. (The Guardian) Earth is a water-rich world. 'Runaway' global warming is not possible here for that reason. Latent heat
(temporarily bound in evaporating water) and sensible heat (warmth you can feel) are transported aloft by
convective towers where the water vapor condenses (releasing latent heat). These towers need only transport
'spare' heat a mere 5500 meters (18,000 feet -- about half the altitude flown by commercial airliners) to bypass
half the total mass of the Earth's atmosphere and hence half of all possible greenhouse absorbers. This is how
Earth remains so cool despite almost complete absorption of surface emission spectra by greenhouse gases in the
lower atmosphere. In the absence of this convective adjustment surface temperatures would average 350 K (Möller
and Manabe, 1961) rather than about 288 K, as they do now. Moreover, any warming which increases evaporation (and Earth's surface is seven-tenths water) increases the
volume of water vapor carried aloft by convective towers, increases condensation with altitude (clouding) and
increases Earth's albedo (reflection of incoming solar radiation). Thus water increases both heat transport from
the surface and reduces heat transport to the surface, preventing 'runaway' warming. Earth can warm although not because the tropics get much warmer but because the moist tropics broaden from
the equator and the temperate zones expand polewards, so yielding a higher global mean temperature through
regional less colding. Unless the people-haters we call watermelons find a way of getting rid of all Earth's water there is zero
possibility of Earth suffering 'runaway' global warming and if they did manage to do so we wouldn't be worrying
about the temperature, would we? Finally, and people really need to know this, Earth has had sufficient greenhouse gases in its
atmosphere to absorb much more outgoing longwave radiation than it does for much longer than there have been
people to add to greenhouse gas levels (Ramanathan and Coakley, 1978, Freidenreich and Ramaswamy, 1993). The
reason it does not do so is not a lack of absorbers but a lack of energy to absorb. A radiation window is
'closed' when all electromagnetic radiation of that frequency is absorbed and the lower atmosphere is already a
closed window where radiation absorbed by carbon dioxide and water vapor are concerned. How good are you at
closing a closed window? Now do people see why we are so dismissive of gorebull warming? The Skeptics Handbook - Rise above the mudslinging in
the Global Warming debate. Here are the strategies and tools you need to cut through the red-herrings, and avoid
the traps. (JoNova) Turning up the heat
- A revolution in slow motion, the climate change bill has been two years in the making. In 2006 Friends of the
Earth began a campaign, which was picked up first by the Conservatives and soon after by the government, for a law
committing Britain to a sharp cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Yesterday evening the bill finished its Commons
stages. It was a radical moment, unmatched anywhere else in the world, the drama only slightly diminished by the
threadbare debate that preceded it. (The Guardian) Sheep
Vote To Pull The Wool - I must congratulate certain brave MPs, such as Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative Party
Member of Parliament for Chichester, and Rob Marris, the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South
West, for their bravery in saying this evening “Baa humbug!”, and in trying to inject some much-needed sanity
into the debate in the House of Commons on the Government’s wool-gathering Climate Change Bill. Sadly, however,
our Parliamentary sheep are set on pulling the wool over the eyes of the British electorate, bleating that they
can set meaningful emission targets for over 40 years hence when not one of them will still be an active
politician. I have rarely watched such a woolly-minded flock. The New Green Aristocracy - They don't
work for you - An aristocracy is a form of government by an elite that considers itself to possess greater
virtues than the hoi polloi, giving it the right to rule in its own interests. Aristocrats were referred to as
'the nobility', or 'nobs'. These days we prefer decisions to be made democratically – the idea being that we can
judge for ourselves which ideas serve our interests, thank you very much, ma'am. Climate
change laws to force companies to reveal pollution levels - All UK companies would be forced to reveal levels
of pollution under planned new laws to tackle climate change, enabling campaigners to name and shame the worst
offenders. (Daily Telegraph) But they are not talking about "pollution" at all, just greenhouse gas emissions... The U.N.'s Candidate - The
United Nations prays for an Obama victory so its collectivist agenda can be fulfilled. High on the list is climate
change, as Obama prepares to declare our breath a pollutant. As we see it: Aussies won't
catch bus to save planet - AUSTRALIANS are seriously worried about climate change but many draw the line at
catching the bus, a poll has found. (AAP) Aussies pay lip service to environmental woe but we sure don't believe that tripe and we certainly won't take
a bus just because some nitwit thinks it might cause slightly less colding in the super-cold, super-dry air
masses that would kill a black dog on a chain anyway. George III's heir: Prince Charles says
climate crisis trumps economy - Britain's Prince Charles said Tuesday the current financial crisis should not
distract from the larger issue of global warming. Yes, there have been eight intervening monarchs and yet you can still pick George III (Farmer George)'s
influence. Of course, Americans are more likely to know George III as "Mad King George", likely making
Charlie eminently more recognizable. China Sets Price For Cooperation
On Climate Change - BEIJING - China wants rich countries to commit 1 percent of their economic worth to help
poor nations fight global warming, and will press for a new international mechanism to spread "green"
technology worldwide. Why shouldn't they go for it? The West certainly gives every impression of being stupid enough... Holland
Inundated by Alarmist Propaganda: A Guest Weblog By Hendrik Tennekes - Five months ago, I felt that the tide
in Holland was turning. Marcel Stive, a civil engineering professor and member of the Delta Committee, a
blue-ribbon panel that was going to publish a report on our coastal defenses, said in an interview with an alumni
magazine: Ove's at it again: Rising
CO2 Accelerates Coral Bleaching - Study - SYDNEY - Rising carbon dioxide levels in the world's oceans due to
climate change, combined with rising sea temperatures, could accelerate coral bleaching, destroying some reefs
before 2050, says a new Australian study. (Reuters) Oregon governor
outlines ambitious climate-change agenda - Oregon's governor unwrapped an ambitious 2009 legislative climate
change package with proposals for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for homes and buildings by 2030, with
benchmarks to be sure the goal is reached. (Associated Press) Blacks targeted in climate campaign
- The growing movement to fight global warming includes entertainers and evangelical ministers, scientists and
suburban moms. Even both presidential candidates have called for fewer emissions of carbon dioxide and other
heat-trapping gasses that contribute to climate change. You really have to admire the way these ratbags manage to blame development and wealth generation for the
very problems their desired actions will either cause or exacerbate. Are African-Americans generally poorer?
Apparently yes, they are. Would they (and other poor people) suffer disproportionately from adverse events? Yep.
And what actions will most adversely affect poor people (including African-Americans)? Those which hamper
development and wealth generation, of course -- and top of the list of such actions are those "to address
gorebull warming". Limiting C02 Emissions Hurts Poor
Most - When our economic bus is teetering at the edge of a cliff, it's a bad time to throw on some extra
weight. Another imaginary endless feedback crashes and burns: Study
helps clarify role of soil microbes in global warming -- Current models of global climate change predict
warmer temperatures will increase the rate that bacteria and other microbes decompose soil organic matter, a
scenario that pumps even more heat-trapping carbon into the atmosphere. But a new study led by a University of
Georgia researcher shows that while the rate of decomposition increases for a brief period in response to warmer
temperatures, elevated levels of decomposition don't persist. (PhysOrg.com) Another eye-roller: Long term strategy needed for
reducing greenhouse gases - Carbon dioxide will continue to rise even if current national and international
targets for reducing emissions are met, scientists warn. But, they say, strong action taken now – such as the
80% target recently announced by the UK government – will continue to have benefits a long time into the future. All this from models and dodgy reconstructions while we know that life on Earth thrived when either or both
temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were much higher. There is no known reason to aspire to lower
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, ever. Scientists probe Antarctic glaciers for clues to past and
future sea level - Scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Australia have teamed up to explore two of the last
uncharted regions of Earth, the Aurora and Wilkes Subglacial Basins, immense ice-buried lowlands in Antarctica
with a combined area the size of Mexico. The research could show how Earth's climate changed in the past and how
future climate change will affect global sea level. (University of Texas at Austin) From CO2 Science this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Australian-Region Tropical Cyclone Characteristics:
How have they varied over the last 3.5 decades? Rapid Evolution of a Plant in Response to a Change in
Climate: What life history traits were altered? ... and how rapid were the alterations? The Carbon Balance of Old-Growth Forests: Is it
positive, neutral or negative? Leaf-Galls and Leaf-Mines of Mature Oak Trees: How
are they affected by medium-term atmospheric CO2 enrichment? (co2science.org) Is Big Oil for Obama? -
Some of the leading players in the U.S. energy business can’t wait for George Bush and Dick Cheney to leave
office. The only sensible reason for CO2 injection: Abu
Dhabi $3 Bln Carbon Capture Project Set For 2013 - ABU DHABI - Abu Dhabi's ambitious $3 billion Carbon Capture
& Storage (CCS) project will be operational by early 2013, allowing for enhanced oil recovery and providing
alternative energy for power and transport, the project's developer said on Monday. ANALYSIS - German Coal Plant Build
To Slow As Crisis Bites - FRANKFURT - The global financial crisis could prevent Germany from building enough
coal-fired power plants to safeguard its future electricity supply. Brazil Ethanol, Sugar Sector Sees
Hard Times Ahead - SAO PAULO - The global credit crunch delivered the latest punch to the gut of Brazil's
ethanol and sugar industry, which has been struggling with low margins over the past couple of years. (Reuters) ANALYSIS - 'Green' Loses Cachet On
Wall Street - LOS ANGELES - "Going green" doesn't have quite the cachet it used to, at least on Wall
Street. ANALYSIS - Wind Turbine Sales May
Take Big Recession Hit - LONDON - Investors are deserting a wind power sector which until now had benefited
from twin climate and energy concerns, as a debt squeeze forces developers to re-think projects. (Reuters) Are P4P measures
discriminatory? - Government-funded healthcare through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a
pay-for-performance system that links reimbursements to hospitals according to their adherence to certain process
performance measures. Hospitals are also graded based on these P4P measures and the CMS makes their grades public
record, to increase the incentives of hospitals to abide by them. A new study evaluating a P4P program for the
management of heart attack patients has been reported in this week’s news as finding that hospitals caring for
vulnerable populations — the elderly, women, the poor, uninsured and minorities — are most penalized by
Medicare P4P measures and receive less funding than those caring for young, wealthier, insured and white
Americans. Schools
'should keep pupils on premises at lunchtime to fight obesity' - Teenagers should be forced to stay in school
at lunchtimes to stop them going out for junk food, Schools Secretary Ed Balls said yesterday. (Daily Telegraph) Does Mould Make You Sick? Doctors
Seek Answers - WASHINGTON - Fungus expert Joan Bennett did not believe in so-called toxic mould-- the cause of
"sick building syndrome" and many lawsuits -- until her New Orleans home was flooded during Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. Gas heaters, stoves
may worsen kids' asthma - NEW YORK - Use of natural gas-powered space heaters, ovens, and cooking stoves in
the home may worsen asthma symptoms in preschoolers, study findings suggest. Study: Smog chops 2 months off Mexicans' lives --
Mexicans would live an average of two months longer if they breathed cleaner air, Harvard researchers conclude in
a study published Monday. The study found that some 7,600 people's lives were cut short each year by diseases
related to air pollution between 2001-2005, representing about 1.6 percent of annual deaths in Mexico. WHO: People Under Age 60 Account For Half of
Global Deaths - A World Health Organization study finds half of all deaths in Africa are children under 15,
and people under age 60 account for half of all deaths around the world. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from WHO
headquarters in Geneva on the latest assessment of the Global Burden of Disease. (VOA) On the other hand that means half of all people now make at least 60 years. That's pretty impressive. WHO: Heart, infectious
diseases, cancer kill most - GENEVA — Heart ailments, infectious diseases and cancer remain the world's top
three killers, the U.N. health agency said Monday. WHO slashes AIDS mortality
projections - GENEVA — The number of deaths arising from HIV and AIDS is expected to peak in the next five
years, the World Health Organization said Monday, as it sharply cut an earlier mortality forecast. (AFP) WHO: Nine out of ten children succumb to
malaria, Aids in Africa - The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday released its State of the World`s
Health report, which shows that Africa accounts for 9 out of every 10 child deaths due to malaria. (IPP Media) Axis Of Bias - A major newspaper
suppresses damning video of Barack Obama partying with pro-terrorism radicals. Meanwhile, Obama punishes news
outlets that do their jobs. Fairness Doctrine anyone? Using
Wolves to Hunt Republicans World is facing a
natural resources crisis worse than financial crunch - The world is heading for an "ecological credit
crunch" far worse than the current financial crisis because humans are over-using the natural resources of
the planet, an international study warns today. (The Guardian) Well, we better feed the biosphere at lot more carbon dioxide to boost its productivity then. These stupid
"we'll all be ru'ned" how-many-planets-does-it-take fantasy pieces are really beginning to annoy me. The temples of doom -
Population explosion, ecological disaster and weak leadership ... that's what probably killed off the Maya at the
height of their powers. Are the modern-day parallels too close for us to ignore? Rory Carroll reports (The
Guardian) Three billion Asians face food crisis threat: research
-- The escalating cost of rice and other foodstuffs across Asia could cause the reversal of policy reforms, social
unrest and deepening poverty for over 3 billion Asians – according to new research. (PhysOrg.com) October 28, 2008 Skeptical scientist has university certification revoked! - For ten years or more, professor David
Deming has taught a course in environmental geology at the University of Oklahoma. In October 2008, he was
informed that the "general education" certification for his course was being revoked. Under the
University of Oklahoma system, this means that student enrollment in the course is likely to drop by two-thirds. What the Public Doesn't Understand
About Climate Change - As I report on climate change, I come across a lot of scary facts, like the possibility
that thawing permafrost in Siberia could release gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, or the risk that
Greenland could pass a tipping point and begin to melt rapidly. But one of the most frightening studies I've read
recently had nothing to do with icebergs or megadroughts. In a paper that came out Oct. 23 in Science, John
Sterman — a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Sloan School of Management — wrote
about asking 212 MIT grad students to give a rough idea how much governments need to reduce global greenhouse gas
emissions to eventually stop the increase in the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere. These students had
training in science, technology, mathematics and economics at one of the best schools in the world — they are
probably a lot smarter than you or me. Yet 84% of Sterman's subjects got his problem wrong, greatly
underestimating the degree to which greenhouse gas emissions need to fall. When the MIT kids can't figure out
climate change, what are the odds that the broader public will? (Bryan Walsh, Time) Wrong according to whom? As yet people have no idea how much the apparent increase in atmospheric carbon
dioxide is actually a result of temperature change and without knowing that or what future temperature trends
might be all answers are dubious. These guys assume an awful lot of facts not in evidence. So, 82% get it: 18% - Climate Change -
Climate Change survey in America: Only 18% believe it's real, caused by humans, and harmful (Tom Nelson) Heat? - Dear FRONTLINE: The Week in D. C. - It will be up to the next President to
decide whether to use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. As Marlo discussed in last week’s
Digest, a key adviser for Senator Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign recently said that an Obama Administration
would use the Act to require emissions reductions. Senator John McCain’s (R-Az.) campaign advisers said that
McCain has not decided whether to do so. Both candidates favor enactment of cap-and-trade legislation to reduce
emissions by rationing use of coal, oil, and natural gas. (Myron Ebell, Cooler Heads Digest) Where's the Warming? - Every fall I pray for global
warming to intensify. I realize it is supposed to mean the doom of the planet, but I keep thinking about all of
the ways in which warm weather is so much more pleasant than the cold. I know that is short-sighted, but despite
all of the warnings of disastrous warming, WHERE IS IT? There’s been no warming over the last decade. So what
does the concept of “global warming” mean if there is no warming? (Doug Bandow, Open Market) Big decline in
depth of Arctic winter sea ice - The thickness of sea ice in the Arctic dramatically declined last winter for
the first time since records began in the early 1990s. The research by British scientists shows a significant loss
in the thickness of the northern ice cap after the record loss of ice in the summer of 2007, although the weather
was not abnormally warm. Risks Of Global Warming Greater
Than Financial Crisis - Stern - HONG KONG - The risks of inaction over climate change far outweigh the turmoil
of the global financial crisis, a leading climate change expert said on Monday, while calling for new fiscal
spending tailored to low carbon growth. (Reuters) Climate change expert? Stern? Meanwhile: Stock
Market Has Fallen Steadily Since Bailout Bill Signed – The U.S. stock market has lost 1,417 points--a
decline of nearly $3 trillion in value--since President Bush signed into law a $700-billion financial industry
bailout bill that was supported by both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Last week, stock
markets closed at a loss for the third straight week since the bailout’s enactment. (CNSNews.com) Young turning against Rudd Government's
2010 ETS deadline - YOUNGER people - the strongest supporters of an emissions trading scheme to cut greenhouse
gases - are turning against the Rudd Government's 2010 deadline for the implementation of such a scheme. Crisis puts ETS on back
burner: Newspoll - FEARS of the global financial crisis are driving people from the Rudd Government's carbon
reduction plans, with most Australians now either against an emissions trading scheme or wanting it delayed beyond
2010. (The Australian) Govts must be tough on ETS assistance:
IEA - Governments should not offer assistance to trade exposed, energy intensive industries under an emissions
trading scheme without doing more work on accurately measuring the true impact on each affected sector, a new
report warns. Facing
New European CO2 Rules, Airlines Promise Higher Fares - Feeling guilty about air travel? Soon you could be
flying frequently to Europe with fewer qualms — but you’ll probably pay more for the privilege. Global
airlines blast EU ETS decision - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has condemned a decision
by EU ministers to ignore the current economic downturn and approve a compromise deal on including aviation
activities in the bloc's emission trading scheme (EU ETS). (EurActiv) Featured stupidity: The Clean Air Act:
Jump-Starting Climate Action - Rather than wait for action by Congress, the next president should employ an
existing tool for tackling climate change: using the Clean Air Act to control greenhouse gas emissions and to
establish a national cap-and-trade program. (Michael Northrop and David Sassoon, Yale 360)
New
Article On The Need To Move From Dubious Multi-Decadal Regional Climate Predictions To The Assessment of Regional
Vulnerabilities - The Colorado Foundation for Water Education is a statewide non-profit, non-advocacy
organization providing water resource information and education. They publish invaluable reports on Colorado (and
western USA) water issues. Ice
from ancient global warming heats debate - TORONTO | Canadian researchers studying the Arctic´s ancient
permafrost have discovered 700,000-year-old ice wedges buried in the soil that have survived earlier periods of
global warming, adding complexity to predictions about the impact of contemporary climate change. Hmm... Climate
change affecting Walden Pond plants - Naturalist Henry David Thoreau might well be surprised that while much
of the land around Walden Pond remains undeveloped, many of the plants he knew so well are gone, probably a result
of climate change. (AP) Climate
change causes rare swans to stay in 'warm' Siberia instead of returning to UK - Hundreds of swans due to
return to an English nature reserve for the winter are staying put in Siberia because climate change has made the
region a warm haven, it emerged today. Licence
to dissent - British journalism lecturer and warming alarmist Alex Lockwood says my blog is a menace to the
planet. Sceptical bloggers like me need bringing into line, and Lockwood tells a journalism seminar of some
options: (Andrew Bolt Blog) Beware
the new faith (Andrew Bolt Blog) Can Smoke And Mirrors Ease Global
Warming? - OSLO - Backers of extreme technologies to curb global warming advocate dumping iron dust into the
seas or placing smoke and mirrors in the sky to dim the sun. DR VINCENT GRAY UPDATES 'GLOBAL WARMING
SCAM' PAPER (pdf) - Dr Vincent Gray, expert reviewer of IPCC Assessment Reports since their inception, has
up-dated his extensive paper, "The Global Warming Scam", in which he shows that none of the evidence
presented by IPCC confirms a relationship between emissions of greenhouse gases and any harmful effect on the
climate. (Climate Science NZ) Enron costs: Hidden Cost Of
China's Coal Is $250 Bln – Survey - BEIJING - China's dirty and dangerous coal mining industry cost the
country a hidden $250 billion last year in lost and damaged lives, wasted energy and environmental devastation,
according to a survey launched on Monday. Enviros do this a lot -- they make up all sorts of "environmental" costs and charges and book them
up as "coal expenses" the same way Enron imagined profits. World Can Halt Fossil Fuel Use By
2090 - Green Study - OSLO - The world could eliminate fossil fuel use by 2090 by spending trillions of dollars
on a renewable energy revolution, the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and environmental group Greenpeace
said on Monday. (Reuters) On the other hand, we could do something useful with the money. Now this is a shame: Economic
Fallout: West Virginia Coal-to-Liquids Plant Shelved - Add another notch to the tally of credit-crunch
casualties: West Virginia’s planned coal-to-liquids plant. Consol Energy and Synthesis Energy Systems pulled the
plug on the project, which aimed to produce 100 million gallons of gasoline from coal. Nuclear Power No Panacea For Poor
Nations - IAEA - UNITED NATIONS - Nuclear energy is undergoing a worldwide renaissance, but poor nations
yearning to develop need to realize that it is no panacea to profound poverty, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog
said on Monday. (Reuters) Spain Probes Wind, Solar Power
Subsidy Claims - MADRID - Spain's energy watchdog, the National Energy Commission (CNE) will inspect solar
parks in the renewables energy-dependent country to verify they met deadlines that entitle them to subsidies, the
CNE said. Group To Cut Spending, Wind Power
Growth - NEW YORK - FPL Group, the largest operator of wind-power generation in the United States, said Monday
it would slash its 2009 spending because of the economic slump, reducing its wind turbine additions. (Reuters) A Sound
Dollar is the Key to Recovery - Without it, we will be facing stagflation. Brave
New Scientist - The magazine uses the canard that money doesn’t buy us happiness, echoing the Soviets’
Central Plan Defining Problems With Socialism For
The Post-Cold War Generation - John McCain has finally called Barack Obama's agenda by its proper name. But if
he assumes voters understand what he means when he uses the word "socialism," he assumes too much. Dangerous times: Media's
Presidential Bias and Decline - Columnist Michael Malone Looks at Slanted Election Coverage and the Reasons
Why Even
Osama could donate to Obama - No one has raised so much money for a US election campaign as Barack Obama, with
$600 million raised so far and counting. If he were a Republican the media would scream about the buying of this
election. Obama on redistribution
of wealth - The third most discussed YouTube video today has terrified me, too. And I am not even an American.
What did Obama reveal about the ideas hiding behind his moderate face? Obama: a natural-born U.S.
citizen? - I learned about this story two days ago, from a Czech online newspaper, The Invisible Dog. At the
beginning, the idea that Barack Obama was not constitutionally eligible to become the U.S. president sounded
completely insane to me. Hasn't anyone among 300 million people noticed for 4+ years? Stranger
Than Fiction - Earlier this year, I wrote an eco-satirical column under the pseudonym Ethan Greenhart, in
which I (or rather, Ethan) called upon Greens everywhere to pray for an economic downturn. The column argued that
nothing would benefit our human-ravaged planet more than a “big, beautiful, stock-crashing, Wall
Street–burning, consumer-baiting, home-evicting, bank-busting recession.” Branding Environmentalism
- Another day, another expensive advert from the environmental movement. Not Oxfam this time, but Greenpeace, who
must spend a significant portion of the $hundreds of millions they make on their campaigns. (Climate Resistance) Bolivia To Tap Huge Lithium
Deposit In Salt Lake - LA PAZ - Bolivia is moving ahead with plans to tap potentially huge lithium reserves at
Uyuni, the world's biggest salt lake and one of the country's top tourist attractions, as demand for lithium-ion
batteries surge. Canada Lobster Fishers Feel Pinch
Of Global Crisis - OTTAWA - People eating in restaurants are spending less and avoiding pricier foods, which
means you can now add Canada's lobster fishermen to the long list of those hurt by the global financial crisis.
(Reuters) October 27, 2008
Reason to vote for the other guy? At
the U.N., Many Hope for an Obama Win - UNITED NATIONS -- There are no "Obama 2008" buttons, banners
or T-shirts visible here at U.N. headquarters, but it might be difficult to find a sliver of territory in the
United States more enthusiastic over the prospect of the Illinois senator winning the White House. Given that the UN is far more trouble than it is worth having degenerated to an obstructive and diseased
bureaucracy, refuge of despots and scoundrels, why would The Post run this as though it was a plus for
Obama? Why do they want to cede American sovereignty to global governance? How global governance emerged - October 24 was
U.N. day, celebrated by many as the birthday of the United Nations. In its 63 years of operation, it has spent
untold billions of dollars in its quest to create global governance. Its goal is almost in its grasp. European
leaders are pushing for a summit meeting with President Bush to create a new global “central bank,” with the
authority to control global monetary policy in much the same way U.S. monetary policy is controlled by the Federal
Reserve. The Commissars Of Climate Change - It’s not
just income taxes that might trash the dreams of Joe the Plumber. Indoctrination or terror campaign? Children
Artists Join Forces with the UN to Combat Climate Change - Young artists from around the world are lending
their support to global efforts to combat climate change through Paint for the Planet, an exhibit and auction of
children's art in New York. Bing:
Enough of the apocalypse already! - This doomsday business just gets old after a while, you know? The Green Religion - Most people almost
instinctually try their best to be responsible stewards of this earth’s valuable natural resources. But the
abrasive approach and militant tactics of many who fill the ranks of the environmentally conscious have led me to
believe that the movement has gradually devolved into a kind of Religion. In fact, if we look closely at some of
the social initiatives and assorted orbiting causes that are championed by the so called “green movement”, one
may discern some eerie similarities with some less well organized religions. (Miguel A. Guanipa, CFP) Obsessed with saving
the planet? There are worse fates - Do you feel anxious when you see a television set left on standby? Does
the sight of a plastic bottle haphazardly tossed into a paper-only recycling bin make you feel nauseous? Are you
consumed with rage when someone has left an empty room and not switched off the light? Whaddya mean "seem" to have gone quite mad? Climate
change leads to psychiatric illness: WHO (PTI) More green dementia: Completely
Unplugged, Fully Green - SIMON WOODS, who is 6, would like to play on a baseball team. His mother, Sharon
Astyk, is sympathetic, but is also heavily committed to shrinking her family’s carbon footprint. “We haven’t
been able to find a league that doesn’t involve a long drive,” she said. “I say that it isn’t good for the
planet, so we play catch in the yard.” Britain
threatens plan for climate spy in space - A major programme to monitor climate change from space could be in
jeopardy after it emerged that the British government is poised to slash funding for the project. So what? It was primarily an antidevelopment spy anyway. Sod the misanthropists, they cause enough trouble
without giving them gifts like that. Speed-Reading
at Interior - In its closing months, the Bush administration is pulling out all the stops in its eight-year
effort to undermine the Endangered Species Act. In mid-August, the administration proposed two dangerous
regulatory changes. One would free the government from considering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on
polar bears and other imperiled wildlife. The other would eliminate some expert scientific reviews of federal
projects that could harm endangered species. (New York Times) Bass-ackwards pal. Any law valuing critters above people is an inherently bad law and should be expunged.
Where's your problem? This silliness is recycled at lot: Tropical
cyclones can bury greenhouse gases-study - OSLO, Oct 19 - Tropical cyclones may be a tiny help in slowing
global warming by washing large amounts of vegetation and soil containing greenhouse gases into the sea,
scientists said on Sunday. Tropical cyclones do reduce planetary temperature. They do this mainly in two ways, they transport heat from
the ocean to the upper atmosphere past the bulk of the greenhouse effect, thus increasing the speed of radiation
to space and they increase the amount of cloud reflecting incoming solar radiation. While associated rains do
wash carbon-bearing sediment into the ocean the reduction in heating potential is immeasurably small. In a
rational world it would be viewed as a loss of soil nutrients but in these absurd times irrelevant greenhouse
gas potential rates a mention. Go figure! New
theory predicts the largest ozone hole over Antarctica will occur this month - cosmic rays at fault - From a
University of Waterloo press release (h/t to commenter Rob) See also our ozone page. A
hole lot of warming lessons - Another fiercely-defended scientific consensus is questioned - billions of
dollars later: (Andrew Bolt Blog) Nonsense recycled: CO2
curbs may be too late for reefs, study warns - A new global deal on climate change will come too late to save
most of the world's coral reefs, according to a US study that suggests major ecological damage to the oceans is
now inevitable. (The Guardian) Corals evolved when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels where many times those anticipated. Chicken Little, Half Truths And The Loss Of Freedom
- The media and alarmist scientists give the public the impression that Antarctica is warming so fast that it is
causing catastrophic melting, when in fact the warming is only occurring in the ocean along the western Antarctic
Peninsula. (Michael S. Coffman, NewsWithViews.com) Al Gore’s Inconvenient Diet - Why is
the world’s foremost environmental crusader not a vegetarian? Personal sacrifice? Al? Are they nuts? This is a money making scam for Albert & co. to enjoy more
of the good life, not less -- dopey blighters. Students watch ‘An Inconvenient
Truth’ - It’s “an inconvenient truth,” but only about 25 people showed up for a Harvard screening
Sunday (Oct. 19) of a film by the same name, which earned former Vice President Al Gore ’69 both an Oscar and a
Nobel Peace Prize. (Harvard Gazette) Climate Alarmism's Flimsy
Foundation - Forget pretty much any news reporting you see that attributes disastrous phenomena to global
warming, because it's all designed to create a fog surrounding the core issue: is climate change human-caused or
not? (Paul Chesser, American Spectator) Feeling the Heat, is
it real or is it ASOS? - Guest post by Russ Steele (Watts Up With That?) Climate of fear - Can Stavros
Dimas successfully defend the environment against economic gloom? (The Economist) A clear and present danger: Scientists with
political motives - A major problem with the climate change debate is scientists, especially those in
government or academia, claiming or pretending they have no political motive. There is a lesson for all in what is
happening in Canada, because it is true in most countries and at the UN, especially the IPCC, as I have documented
in articles in Canada Free Press. (Tim Ball, CFP) <chuckle> Salt
levels in the ocean reflect human-induced climate change - Global warming is changing levels of salt in the
ocean leading to different weather patterns on land, meteorologists have found. Hasn't read the script: An
ailing island in the sun - As the jet turns in crisp blue equatorial skies on its approach to Kiribati's
capital, Tarawa, the vulnerability of the ribbon of atolls unfolds. Actually Tuvalu is not in any imminent danger from 'rising sea levels' either. Original Mountain Marathon runners
rescued from freezing gale - HUNDREDS of marathon runners had to be rescued yesterday after horrendous weather
swept through northern England, causing flooding and freezing conditions. It's almost November, ya dopey buggers! What, did someone convince them the weather would be nice due to
gorebull warming or something? Cheap
Carbon: Slowdown Makes Pollution Permits Cheaper, Too - Leila Abboud reports from Paris: Here's old Boringtheme again: 2
greenhouse gases on the rise worry scientists - WASHINGTON — Carbon dioxide isn't the only greenhouse gas
that worries climate scientists. Airborne levels of two other potent gases — one from ancient plants, the other
from flat-panel screen technology — are on the rise, too. And that's got scientists concerned about accelerated
global warming. Oh so selective! Methane (CH4) is the #2 non water vapor greenhouse gas (NWVGHG), at about
1.7 parts per million by volume (ppmv) and with a global warming potential (GWP) of 21 (that is, it is thought
to be 21 times more effective than carbon dioxide) it is equivalent to about 40 ppmv CO2, making it
about 10.5% of NWVGHG. Water vapor accounts for about 95% of tropospheric greenhouse effect so in total methane
is about 10% of 5% or about 0.5% of the net tropospheric greenhouse effect. As predicted by non-hysterics,
methane levels stopped rising. More
importantly, methane competes with water vapor and there is already near 100% absorption of available outgoing
infrared in the electromagnetic frequencies of interest. Similarly there is very little "spare" energy
for carbon dioxide to capture, which is why catastrophic gorebull warming is and always will be a total
nonsense. The amount of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) in the atmosphere is too trivial to even rate at
less than 0.05% equivalence of carbon dioxide or about 0.0025% NWVGH effect or 0.000125% net greenhouse effect. The Case for Global
Warming Skepticism - One of the hot-button environmental issues is Global Warming. While some people argue we
must be more specific and refer to “anthropogenic Global Warming,” I do not do so. Not because I think humans
are not affecting the environment in any way, but because I think it is scientifically impossible to accurately
measure the temperature and compare it to historical trends in the first place. And if it is scientifically
impossible to do so, then all Global Warming (anthropogenic or natural) is unscientific. UK
MPs In Cloud Cuckoo Land - On Tuesday, UK MPs will vote, like bleating sheep, for the Climate Change Bill, for
mandatory cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. They are increasingly a Pavlovian ‘Ship of Fools’. Our MPs are
inhabiting a dangerous and unrealistic ‘ideal’ of Cloud Cuckoo Land - Aristophanes’
Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkygia). If poor
six-year olds are now to have to face up to sex education in schools, then it is high time that our MPs were
taught some basic facts of life as well, for, in the long-term, the electorate will not be generous. Here are some
of those facts: (Global Warming Politics) Wow! Just wow! Top
British scientist says New Zealand should become “Lifeboat” for global warming survivors - NEW
ZEALAND10/25/08– Leading British scientist James Lovelock said in a recent radio interview in New Zealand that
New Zealand is wasting its time trying to pass an Emissions Trading Scheme, or ETS for short. He said on the Radio
New Zealand program during a 4-minute interview from his home in Cornwall, England that New Zealanders should put
their sights on thinking of their island nation as a lifeboat for survivors of global warming events in the
distant future. Port Authority to Let Commuters Buy
Emissions Credits - Drivers who commute by car between New York and New Jersey will be able to assuage their
guilt beginning in early 2009. (New York Times) Financial Crisis Takes Toll On
Australia Carbon Scheme - CANBERRA - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd won office promising to be a
climate change warrior but his chief weapon -- a carbon trade scheme to slash emissions -- is falling victim to
shifting politics and world financial tumult. (Reuters) Carbon tax is just tilting
at windmills - THE one certainty of climate change (anthropogenic or not) is that it is unstoppable.
Government advertisements suggest worst-case scenarios but they do not concede that these are no less likely
should Australia cut its carbon dioxide output. Whether or not you believe in man-made climate change, it's out of
our control. Green shift: a loser worldwide - Remember
when Liberal leader Stephane Dion unveiled his carbon tax plan earlier this year? The green lobby was thrilled. It
had finally found a mainstream politician ready to fight an election on a promise to implement a tax on heating
fuels, diesel and other traditional sources of energy that households consume. Environmentalists were convinced
voters would rally around the plan, particularly since the carbon tax and ensuing higher energy prices would be
offset with tax cuts targeted to low-and modest-income earners. Canada was set to become a world leader in the
climate change debate. Minister bows to
calls on climate change bill - The government is to announce tomorrow that it will include rapidly growing
aviation and shipping emissions in Britain's commitment to curb its carbon footprint by 80% by 2050. Europe Forcing Airlines to
Buy Emissions Permits - European Union governments approved a potentially costly system capping greenhouse
gases from any airline flying into or out of the trade bloc. (New York Times) OPEC
Says It Will Cut Oil Output - VIENNA — Stung by what it called “a dramatic collapse” in crude prices,
the OPEC cartel said on Friday that it would reduce output by a steeper-than-expected 1.5 million barrels a day.
But that action failed to brake the price decline, and oil dropped 5 percent more by the end of the day. Quick
Sand: Credit Crunch and Falling Oil Hit Oil-Sands Projects - From Canada, more signs that the oil industry is
starting to feel pinched. India
Shopping for Coal Mines in Appalachia - As Clifford Krauss pointed out last spring, the United States, in
response to increasing global demand, has become a major exporter of coal for the first time in years, forcing
domestic buyers to compete with others from countries like Germany and Japan. A number of reports of this from the Netherlands, not apparently picked up by international media: Dutch
company breaks deadlock over nuclear energy - The dutch company Atoomstroom.nl
[Google-translated
page] is the first power company worldwide to deliver electricity that is exclusively generated by nuclear
power plants. 'Atoomstroom.nl', which translates literally into atomiccurrent.nl is an initiative from two young
entrepreneurs from the Netherlands (Amsterdam) Jacques Klok and Sjef Peeraer who were unhappy with the fact that
power companies only allow their customers a choice between green electricity on one side and grey (oil, gas and
coal) on the other side, but say 'no' when people ask for nuclear generated electricity. While there is currently
a controversy in the Netherlands about whether the much hyped green energy really originates from green production
facilities, there is no doubt a lot of nuclear generated electricity available from e.g. France. A market poll
convinced the two dutchmen that more than a 100.000 people in the Netherlands would be interested in selecting
them as a provider. Main arguments were the fact that nuclear power plants do not contribute CO2, allow
independence from Russian and Arab energy and doesn't depend on government subsidies like wind and solar generated
electricity. They obtained a licence from Dutch government and are now attacking the market. Initial response is
favorable. The price per kWh is average, though Kolk/Peeraer expect it to go down soon while prices of green
electricity will likely go up in the near future. To counter the argument that nuclear waste is an insurmountable
problem, they offer their customers a fake barrel of nuclear waste that represents the amount that is produced for
a family on a yearly basis. This amounts to only 10 grams, which resulted in a barrel that hangs on a key chain (picture).
In a 100 years of time even these 10 grams will be reduced by natural decay to one tenth, so we are confidently
told. (Translation courtesy Theo Richel) Greenpeas are a little miffed,
apparently. Nuclear Power May Be in Early Stages of a
Revival - Concerns about global warming and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels have rekindled interest in
building nuclear power reactors. (New York Times) Gordon Brown puffs
the great wind scam - Even in these dark times, it is still possible to be shocked when our Prime Minister
personally endorses a flagrant perversion of the truth. Last year, for example, many of us felt outraged when
Gordon Brown pretended that the Lisbon Treaty was somehow totally different from the EU Constitution, in order to
wriggle out of his party's manifesto promise of a referendum. Last week Mr Brown in effect did it again when he
endorsed the deception at the heart of his Government's wildly exaggerated claims about the benefits of using wind
to make electricity. (Christopher Booker, Daily Telegraph) National Grid delays ‘will
mean that climate targets are missed’ - Renewable energy and climate change targets for 2020 will be missed
unless the National Grid speeds up the rate at which new generators are connected, leading industry figures have
said. US Ethanol Profits Soft On Weak
Motorist Demand - NEW YORK - Average US ethanol distillers profits were narrowly positive this week on soft
input costs like those for corn and natural gas, but remained tough overall on weak fuel demand, analysts said.
(Reuters) KENYA: Biofuels Boom and Bust - NAIROBI, Oct 24 -
The Kenyan government has hailed bio-diesel as an innovation that combines green politics with poverty reduction.
But recent drops in biofuel prices have caused concern about the sustainability of alternative fuel production. D'oh! ANALYSIS - Funding
Becoming Harder To Get For Green Startups - LOS ANGELES - Saving the planet is looking a lot less profitable
than it was a few months ago, and investors once enamoured with finding the next high-flying alternative energy
startup are retrenching. (Reuters) JFS Special:
Food and heart attacks — is a link for real? - According to food headlines this past week, a new study has
shown that a Western diet causes 30% of all the heart attacks … throughout the whole world. A Western diet,
defined as one based on fried and salty foods, eggs and meat, was said to exemplify a bad diet. Taxes on harmful
greasy foods is one possible solution to the Western diet crisis, said lead investigator, Salim Yusuf, DPhil,
FRCPC, FRSC, Professor of Medicine, McMaster University, and director of Population Health Research Institute in
Ontario. “Just like with tobacco, we could have safety warrants for foods with high salt,” professor Yusef
said. In contrast, eating a “prudent” healthy diet of fruits and vegetables was said to lower the risk of a
heart attack by a third. (Junkfood Science) Ovarian cancer
screening — a developing story that can help us, too - Today, one of the nation’s largest commercial
clinical laboratories took a new ovarian cancer screening blood test off the market after the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration had issued the company a warning letter on September 29th. The company revealed its decision Friday
in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Some news stories are suggesting that this has raised
questions about whether the FDA should be regulating medical diagnostic tests and that it’s just an attempt to
squelch innovation and universities from profiting from their research — after all, everyone knows screening
tests save lives. Sidebar:
Understanding screening tests: sensitivity versus specificity, false positives and false negatives, and
probabilities of having a disease - There are important differences in the meanings and consequences of the
words used to describe the accuracy of a diagnostic or screening test. A test that can correctly identify a
disease among a group of people with a disease (sensitivity), is different from a test that can correctly identify
those without a disease among a group of healthy people (specificity). No one wants a screening test (which is
done on a group of asymptomatic people) that identifies a bunch of them as being disease-free when they’re not
(false negatives), or identifies a bunch of them as having the disease when they don’t (false positives). The
consequences can be costly and deadly. (Junkfood Science) Reagan
+ Friedman + Keynes: We Need All the Help We Can Get - Back in early 1981, when I went to Washington to work
for President Reagan, one of the architects of supply-side economics, Columbia University's Robert Mundell,
visited my OMB budget-bureau office inside the White House complex. At the time, we were suffering from
double-digit inflation, sky-high interest rates, a long economic downturn and a near 15-year bear market in
stocks. The Myth that
Laissez Faire Is Responsible for Our Financial Crisis - The news media are in the process of creating a great
new historical myth. This is the myth that our present financial crisis is the result of economic freedom and
laissez-faire capitalism. (George Reisman's Blog) George Reisman, Ph.D. is the author of Capitalism:
A Treatise on Economics (Ottawa, Illinois: Jameson Books, 1996) and is Pepperdine University Professor
Emeritus of Economics. Many Pesticides In EU May Damage
Human Brain - Study - OSLO - Many pesticides used in the European Union may damage brain growth in foetuses
and young children, according to a study published on Friday. (Reuters) No evidence that they do or that people are overgrown insects -- just another alarmist guess that could if
might maybe... Water
worries temporary: report - MELBOURNE will have so much water in the next few decades it will no longer make
economic sense to install rainwater tanks or greywater systems in new homes, a State Government-commissioned
report has found. Genteel custodian of grand
houses turns eco-warrior to save green spaces - The National Trust is to take up an aggressive eco-stance to
protect green spaces and prevent desecration of the countryside. ARGENTINA: Caution and Enthusiasm for Fish Farming -
BUENOS AIRES, Oct 25 - Fish farming is expanding in Latin America, fuelled by the demands of a global market that
is facing the stagnation of commercial fishing. But some people are warning about the limits of industrial
production of fish and the environmental and social risks. To
Counter Problems of Food Aid, Try Spuds - VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain — With governments having trouble feeding
the growing number of hungry poor and grain prices fluctuating wildly, food scientists are proposing a novel
solution for the global food crisis: Let them eat potatoes. Purple tomatoes: The richness of antioxidants against
tumors - Researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Great Britain, in collaboration with other
European centres participating to the FLORA project, have obtained genetically modified tomatoes rich in
anthocyanins, a category of antioxidants belonging to the class of flavonoids. These tomatoes, added to the diet
of cancer-prone mice, showed a significant protective effect by extending the mice lifespan. The research has been
published in the 26 October issue of Nature Biotechnology. (Catholic University) Too little, far too late: Europe's
secret plan to boost GM crop production - Gordon Brown and other EU leaders in campaign to promote modified
foods October 24, 2008
Greens: ‘Economic growth is killing the planet’
- If you need more evidence that the Greens intend to destroy our standard of living, you need not look further
than the Oct. 18 issue of New Scientist magazine -- the cover of which reads, “The
Folly of Growth: How to stop the economy killing the planet.” (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com) The idiocy continues: Dynegy
To Disclose Climate Change Risks - NEW YORK - Power producer Dynegy Inc will disclose its financial risks from
global climate change under an agreement with the state of New York, former US Vice President Al Gore and New York
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. The 'risk' is from AGW zealots, not planetary temperature... Nope: Climate
Science Temperature Discrepancy Cleared Up - Since I have been doing this blog over the past couple of years
there has been a fair amount of criticism (some of it justified) within the comment section of this blog against
climate modeling and its accuracy. Here is a new study that could restore lost confidence in temperature modeling,
at least in the tropics. Brett. (AccuWeather) What Benny Santer & co. have done is try to adjust reality to fit the models -- total nonsense. As we've
shown you before, the definitive signature of anthropogenic global warming (actually enhanced greenhouse), the
tropical hotspot, has simply failed to materialize -- it does not exist: Climate
Science Overstatement By Bob Schieffer In the Final Presidential Debate - At the last McCain/Obama debate, Bob
Schieffer had the following question: Observed Climate Change &
the Negligible Effect of Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Limits in Alabama - This report provides a review of
Alabama’s climate history and reveals that there is no observational evidence of unusual long-term climate
changes taking place that could be linked to anthropogenic “global warming” — despite scientifically
unsupportable claims and frequent prognostications of gloom and doom. The
Divergence Problem and the Failure of Tree Rings for Reconstructing Past Climate - Guest Commentary by Craig
Loehle, PhD, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) Scientist:
Government, Big Oil lax on cutting emissions - SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The nation’s oil companies are the
biggest slackers in looking for ways to combat global warming, according to the president of the nation’s top
science organization, the National Academy of Sciences. And he said the federal government is not doing well,
either. (Providence Journal) Hey, Ralphie! Here's a newsflash for you, bud, oil companies exist to extract, refine and sell petroleum
products -- it's their function. They do not now and never have existed to limit the combustion of these
products nor the emission of carbon dioxide that entails. Humans mine carbon or purchase it from other humans
who so do for the express purpose of combining carbon with oxygen to harvest the energy bound to carbon when it
was originally separated from oxygen by photosynthesis and sequestered eons ago. Returning this carbon to the
atmosphere from whence it came restores an essential and somewhat depleted resource to the biosphere and only
life-haters would genuinely wish to do that. For once government incompetence is doing wonders for life on
Earth, so, leave 'em alone, eh? Brazen: Q&A: 'Media Must Find a Way for the
Message' - ROME, Oct 23 - While there is clear evidence of growing global warming, "the political will to
address it is still lacking," says Mohan Munasinghe, co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as vice-chairman
of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (IPS) Once again we have the technical error over Nobel recipients -- Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (the organization) were co-recipients
of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize but individual members of The Panel and contributors to and reviewers
of its various publications were most definitely not. No matter, the pitch of this piece is that media should
somehow be even further in the tank for the misanthropy brigade and deliver an even greater indoctrination
effort. As if they hadn't caused enough harm already. Climate
change targets deal could include aviation and shipping emissions - Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary,
is close to reaching an agreement on toughening his legally binding climate change targets by promising to take
into account emissions from shipping and aviation. He is also expected to include a commitment that by 2012
businesses will be required to report annually on their carbon emissions. Business is responsible for 30% of total
emissions. (The Guardian) Lawmakers Gain In EU Climate Power
Struggle - BRUSSELS - European parliament leaders will bring forward a vote on steps to combat climate change
to try and gain influence in a power struggle with member states, parliament sources said on Thursday. (Reuters) Danish PM Says China Onboard For
Climate Pact Goal - BEIJING - China is committed to seeking a climate change pact at key talks next year, the
prime minister of Denmark said on Thursday, urging countries not to use global economic upheaval as a reason for
delaying a deal. (Reuters) Poland Eyes Alliance With China In
UN Climate Talks - BEIJING - China and Poland, both deeply reliant on coal, could collaborate in global
climate talks to ensure fighting greenhouse gases does not harm their economies, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
said on Thursday. (Reuters) New York conference expected to draw up to
1,000 scientists and experts: Global warming crisis "cancelled" by new scientific discoveries Comedy by exaggeration? Window of Opportunity
Closing Rapidly - The global financial crisis has pushed climate change off the front pages despite new
evidence that it is happening faster and with stronger impacts than previous projections, a new report warns. Either that or he expects to be taken seriously, which is tragic. Consumers Starting An
Organized Revolt Against Anti-Energy-Supply Government Policies, Civil Rights Leader Says - CORE Says It Is
Finding Overwhelming Support At The Grassroots Level With Its Citizen-Led Campaign To Push For More Energy Supply Bizarre: Fuel poverty court action dismissed
- The High Court has dismissed a legal bid by campaigners to force the Government to take more action to tackle
fuel poverty. Fiends of the Earth et al do everything they can to price energy out of most people's affordability
and then sue government for not doing enough to help people afford expensive energy. A New OPEC
for Gas? - Russia, Iran and Qatar held talks in Tehran yesterday about forming a cartel for natural gas that
would resemble the OPEC cartel for oil. But the structure of the natural gas business makes it unlikely that a gas
OPEC would get off the ground anytime soon. (Energy Wire) EU says gas cartel would force rethink -
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Europe would have to rethink its energy policy if Russia, Iran and Qatar go ahead with an
OPEC-style cartel on natural gas, the European Commission warned Wednesday. A bit late, isn’t it? (Number Watch) Bernard Ingham:
The next crisis will leave us all in the dark - ISN'T life a hoot? After 10 years as Chancellor of the
Exchequer and one as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has discovered "the weaknesses of unbridled free
markets". No wonder he didn't see the debt crisis coming. But then he wouldn't have, would he? He had
banished boom and bust. Norway Should Make Oil Fund
Greener - Minister - OSLO - Norway should earmark some of its $295 billion oil fund for long-term investments
in environmental stocks, Environment Minister Erik Solheim said on Thursday. (Reuters) Do environment portfolios exist as somewhere to put these tinkerbells because they are too remote from the
real world to be allowed near practical ones? Flake blasts proposed
ethanol bailout - Ethanol plants may be the next beneficiary of a federal bailout and Mesa congressman Jeff
Flake is among those opposed to that idea. ANALYSIS - Ethanol No Longer Seen
As Big Driver Of Food Price - CHICAGO - Heavy demand for corn from ethanol makers was seen as a key driver of
corn futures to record highs in June, but since then the sharp decline of corn along with other commodities shows
that belief was mistaken. (Reuters) The latest
news on the miracle weight loss drug, Acomplia - Today, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) issued an
announcement recommending the suspension of marketing authorization for Acomplia (rimonabant) across the entire
European Union. The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use completed its review of the evidence
on the drug’s effectiveness and safety, specifically psychiatric adverse reactions, at the request of the
European Commission. It concluded that the benefits of Acomplia do not outweigh its risks and that sales should be
suspended throughout Europe. (Junkfood Science) Minimizing undue risks -
In the news today, the latest analysis of FDA reports of serious drug reactions has just been released by the
Institute for Safe Medication Practice. For the second quarter in a row, one drug was responsible for more serious
injuries in the United States than any other prescription drug. Not gorebull warming? 100
million Britons a month flock to McDonald's as downturn bites - The credit crunch is driving record numbers of
customers from across the social spectrum to buy meals under the golden arches of McDonald's. (The Independent) Hmm... Ban
on fast food outlets near schools - A council is to become the first in the country to ban new takeaways from
within 400m of any of its schools. Waltham Forest Council, in north-east London, is tackling the growing problem
of childhood obesity by encouraging more youngsters to take up healthy school dinners. ... a quarter-mile dash to get take-out for lunch should do them wonders -- at least it should give them an
appetite. Deep green elitists in
charge - THE key challenge facing the Rudd Government's Infrastructure Australia will be how it assesses and
allocates the funds it has available. Competing proposals from the states will exhaust the approximately $20
billion of taxpayers' funds available many times over. The Government claims that funds will be allocated not on a
political basis but according to cost-benefit analysis. Rudd points to the advisory board, chaired by Rod
Eddington, to reassure taxpayers that their funds will be spent wisely. Gore
using his “We” website to “get out the vote” - I remember once having an argument on this blog with
someone who claimed Al Gore was “no longer political” but now was “all about science”. Erasing all doubt,
Gore’s “We” campaign announced today a series of webcasts to America’s youth designed to target students
at college campuses to enhance their voting on election day. (Watts Up With That?) Sarah Palin: a gift from god for East
Coast comics - Tina Fey’s zany skits on Sarah Palin unwittingly expose the anti-smalltown, redneck-baiting
beliefs of America’s big-city liberals. (Nathalie Rothschild, sp!ked) I
was wrong, Bush was right: Clinton - Today's global food crisis shows "we all blew it, including me when
I was president", by treating food crops as commodities instead of as a vital right of the world's poor, Bill
Clinton told a UN gathering today. October 23, 2008
AGU Chapman
conference: water vapor and climate - I'm here in Kailua Kona for the AGU Chapman conference on atmospheric
water vapor and its role in climate. Given the high humidity and afternoon rain, the topic seems quite
appropriate. Hmm... kind of true -- but only in the lowest 2,500 feet of the atmosphere, which, to a large extent, means
not over the continents (Colorado's mean altitude is 6,800 feet). Above about 5,000 feet the atmosphere appears
to have been drying and that is not at all what is expected of enhanced greenhouse and water vapor feedback. Gore effect arrives to Harvard
University - A reader using the "trademark" of the Office of the president of Harvard University
informed us about a hilarious event in Cambridge, MA, namely the Harvard Sustainability Celebration:
Green.harvard.edu: green is the new crimson Green police: Knock-on effect -
Essential surveillance kit for the new green police: the Energy Saving Partnership has taken out a patent on
Heatseekers, thermo-imaging vehicles which, at full potential, have the capacity to identify 1,000 properties an
hour, or 5,000 properties a night, that are leaking carbon. "Once the property has been scanned, a dedicated
team of energy advisers will visit householders to show them the thermal image scan of their homes," says
Inspector Knock-on-the-Door. That'll go down well after midnight. (John Vidal, The Guardian) Eye-roller: "New
Deal" Approach Needed For Climate Change – UN - LONDON - The world should take a leaf from US President
Franklin Roosevelt's playbook for tackling the Great Depression and fund a "Green New Deal" to fight
climate change, a UN agency proposed. Spain's ex-prime minister blasts
'new religion' of climate change - MADRID — Former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar Wednesday
dismissed climate change as a "new religion" that is drawing hundreds of billions of euros at a time of
economic crisis. But are we still
supposed to ignore all climate realists who are not climate scientists? (Tom Nelson) Nicky is blathering on again: Green
routes to growth - Recession is the time to build a low-carbon future with the investment vital for economy
and planet Who’s the Basket Case,
Oxfam? - There’s an advert for Oxfam running on UK TV at the moment that caught our attention. It is most
odd. (Climate Resistance) China Report Warns Of Greenhouse
Gas Leap - BEIJING - China's greenhouse gas pollution could double or more in two decades says a new Chinese
state think-tank study that casts stark light on the industrial giant's role in stoking global warming. (Reuters) Bumpy
ride on carbon tax whatever way you go - Climate-change policies are an air-mile ahead of the other pressing
environment challenges facing the country this election. A
New Paper “Ensemble Re-Forecasts Of Recent Warm-Season Weather: Impacts Of A Dynamic Vegetation
Parameterization” By Beltan-Przekurat Et Al 2008 - Our paper on the value added in seasonal weather
prediction as a result of adding a dynamic vegetation parameterization has appeared. The paper is Beltran-Przekurat,
A., C. H. Marshall, and R. A. Pielke Sr. (2008), Ensemble re-forecasts of recent warm-season weather: impacts of a
dynamic vegetation parameterization, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2007JD009480, in press. (Roger Pielke Sr.,
Climate Science) Synoptic Weather Lab Notes
Available - For over 25 years, I taught a course on synoptic weather analysis and forecasting (for an example
of my course syllabus; see).
As part of that course, I completed a set of notes that might be of use to others. Dallas Staley has graciously
scanned them and placed the notes on our research website. They are available at Pielke Sr., R.A. 2002: Synoptic
Weather Lab Notes. Colorado State University, Department of Atmospheric Science Class Report #1, Final
Version, August 20, 2002. Arctic Ice
Increase Well Ahead of 2007 Pace - A very cold polar vortex with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation is
causing arctic ice to increase rapidly and the extent is well ahead of last year on this date. (Joseph D’Aleo,
Icecap) Sea
ice area approaching the edge of normal standard deviation - Watching arctic sea ice rebound this year has
been exciting, more so since a few predictions and expeditions predicated on a record low sea ice this past summer
failed miserably. I’ve spent a lot of time this month looking at the graph of sea ice extent from the IARC-JAXA
website, which plots satellite derived sea-ice extent. However, there is another website that also plots the same
satellite derived data, the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center of Bergen Norway, and they have an
added bonus: a standard deviation shaded area. (Watts Up With That?) The carbon scam: The carbon cash-in -
Fresh from the devastation they have wrought on the global financial system, some of the world's leading
investment banks meet in London today to discuss how they can "cash in" on carbon. But at least
delegates and speakers at the Cashing in on Carbon conference are open about not trying to reduce emissions or
helping the environment. Oh, no. This event is to see how "investment banks can profit today from an
increasingly diverse range of carbon-related investment opportunities". Particularly reassuring is the
emphasis on "hybrid and complex carbon credit structured products", and how to identify investor demand
for them in the US; "derivative/synthetic carbon products"; and "sub-index arbitrage
strategies". Also, we can refresh our knowledge of the basic options for "productising carbon" and
of "access channels for producers ... speculators, proprietary traders and investors". Good to see that
execs from Lord [Nicholas] Stern's company, IDEAcarbon, will be there, too. (John Vidal, The Guardian) Battle for a tough Climate Change Bill (5) – The
final decision! - As Parliament comes to vote next Tuesday (28th October) on the last details of the Bill
before it becomes law, Anthony Rae of Calderdale Friends of the Earth answers the critical question: will the new
Climate Change Act be tough enough? Watermelons and the Tyndall Centre, working together to destroy people's standard of living. Word is teh
government has completely surrendered to these dipsticks. EU Aligns Climate Policy with US - European climate
diplomacy shifted dramatically yesterday when EU member states for the first time demanded that developing nations
join the fight against climate change. (William Yeatman, Cooler Heads Digest) Divided
EU wants poor countries to join climate pledge - EU environment ministers want advanced developing states like
China and India to "contribute adequately" to emissions reductions as part of a global climate change
agreement next year. Meanwhile, a deal on the EU's own climate and energy package remains elusive following
opposition from Italy. (EurActiv) Give us money: Rich
nations lack climate commitment: RI - State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar has warned rich
nations not to use the global financial crisis as an excuse for delaying their commitments to help finance
climate-change mitigation in developing countries. At
Harvard, Ban calls for climate action: Says warming is a global priority - CAMBRIDGE - Calling global warming
"the defining issue of our time," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged immediate international action
to counteract the "imminent threat" of climate change. Why? What makes an insignificant effect on global mean temperature worthy of any consideration whatsoever? France leads
EU Council's Kyoto extension push to 2020 - PARIS, Oct. 22 -- France's National Assembly voted almost
unanimously Oct. 21 on the draft law implementing the country's environment package, concluding a widespread
debate with all relevant stakeholders over the past year. Bad idea: Energy agency urges more investment in
carbon-capture projects to reduce pollution - One of the best ways to make deep cuts in the pollution from
fossil fuels that is warming the planet is to capture emissions from factories and power plants and bury them deep
in the Earth, but the world's industrialized democracies are spending "nowhere near" the money needed to
get the first carbon-capture projects started, the International Energy Agency reported Monday. (McClatchy-Tribune
Information Services) Biofuels: From hope to husk -
It was an American dream that has failed to become a reality. For much of the last decade, enthusiasts from
President George W. Bush down have touted corn-based ethanol as something approaching a superfuel, a home-grown
alternative to foreign oil that would help cut smog and bring hope to struggling farmers. Say what? Preterm
Birth After the Utah Valley Steel Mill Closure: A Natural Experiment. - Results: Mothers who were pregnant
around the time of the closure of the mill were less likely to deliver prematurely than mothers who were pregnant
before or after; effects were strongest for exposure during the second trimester. Preterm birth within the Utah
Valley did not change during the time of mill closure. No patterns for birth weight were observed. (Epidemiology.
19(6):820-823, November 2008.) So, women were more likely to deliver prematurely after the mill has been closed and less
so during the stress of job losses and the mess of industry shutdown? And still they manage to conclude: These
results support other studies that have found effects on preterm birth of air pollution exposure early in
pregnancy. Sheesh! Influential
U.S. lobby group leads charge for better nutrition in Canada - At the "Championing Public Health
Nutrition" conference that begins in Ottawa today, more than 250 delegates will examine everything from food
tax laws to marketing aimed at children. See Steve's report on CSPI here: False Alarm: A Report on the
Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1971-2006 (pdf) Responsible behaviour - Spot the connection:
"Every one of the banks that has collapsed had an impressive corporate social responsibility programme ...
even as they were engaged in some of the most irresponsible behaviour in the history of capitalism." (John
Vidal, The Guardian) We've been telling you for years John, there is absolutely noting 'responsible' about CSR and it's lousy
business practice too. For crying out loud! Please
don't call it a drought, it's just 'dry' - GOVERNMENT experts say the word "drought" is making
farmers feel bad and want people to use the word "dryness" instead to describe Australia's worst
"lack of rain" in a century. Update:
Environmental Groups Exposed: ‘Every dollar spent has been aimed at helping Democrats’ - This report is
part of an ongoing oversight investigation into the funding and partisan political activities of environmental
groups. It's probably because I'm an Aussie and somewhat naive concerning American politics but why is it news that
green-cloaked socialists (a.k.a. watermelons because they are green on the outside, red on the inside) support
your apparently rabidly socialist Democrats? ‘Toffgate’
And The Green Chummery - With the possible exception of David Cameron and the Conservative Praetorian Guard,
everyone, I am sure, is much enjoying the current discomfiture of Gideon George Oliver Osborne, the beleaguered
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, who appears to have tried to play dirty way beyond his pay grade. I am afraid
that a reputed personal fortune of a mere £4 million, origins in fabrics and wallpapers, attendance at St
Paul’s School, and an Upper Second in History from Magdalen College, Oxford, are, as Julia Flyte and her set
were won’t to say, pretty ‘Pont Street’ by modern-day standards. (Global Warming Politics) Nitrous oxide emissions respond differently to no-till
depending on the soil type - The practice of no-till has increased considerably during the past 20 yr. The
absence of tillage coupled with the accumulation of crop residues at the soil surface modifies several soil
properties but also influence nitrogen dynamics. Soils under no-till usually host a more abundant and diverse
biota and are less prone to erosion, water loss, and structural breakdown than tilled soils. Their organic matter
content is also often increased. In addition, no-till is proposed as a measure to mitigate the increase in
atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. To assess the net effect of no-till on greenhouse gas emissions, other
gases also have to be examined. (Soil Science Society of America) Organic
farming 'could feed Africa' - Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN Africa's farming is organic and always has been, which is why they can't feed themselves. There are
exceptions, of course, South Africa modernized and exports food. Zimbabwe was a major food basket while
employing modern agriculture but is now a basket case, employing no one and feeding precious few, organically. October 22, 2008
Ruling
on Guns Elicits Rebuke From the Right - WASHINGTON — Four months after the Supreme Court ruled that the
Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess guns, its decision is under assault — from the right.
(New York Times) This is interesting: Lawsuit
against Canada over Kyoto accord dismissed - VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Environmentalists have lost a legal
challenge to force the Canadian government to abide by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which Canada signed
but has refused to implement. For a long time now activists have managed to coerce the judiciary into seizing extraordinary powers and
usurping the legislature by imposing the most outrageous greenie misanthropy. Is the above ruling finally
recognition that courts do not have the power to direct or impose policy or governance? Probably not but it is a
hopeful sign and useful example which just might help stiffen the resolve of other courts to resist the
watermelon assault on democracy. Hansen:
Still a Media Darling - A month ago, Planet Gore reported that NASA climatologist James Hansen, a leading
voice in proclaiming man’s role in climate change and a close advisor of Al Gore, had sided with the radical
environmental group Greenpeace in advocating eco-vandalism to save the planet. (Henry Payne, Planet Gore) Cloud-Hopping
In The Pacific Improves Climate Predictions - The clouds being investigated in this study are known as marine
stratocumulus clouds. They tend to form adjacent to continents where deep, cold, upwelling water reaches the
sea-surface. This cools the surface air, condensation occurs and clouds form. These clouds are capped by warm air
that descends into this region. Solar Variations: Too Tiny to Matter - The following
article is from The Huffington Post (Global Warming and Predictions of an Impending Ice Age - Part 1), it tries to
dismiss the Sun from the "Man Made Climate Change" equation, unfortunately for the author (Bill
Chameides), Lord Monckton sent him an email concerning this article. See Below for the Lord Monckton Email to Bill
Chameides (Co2sceptics) Researchers
find arctic may have had less ice 6000-7000 years ago - I love field work. I think any climate scientist that
basically becomes a data jockey should be forced to go out and examine real world measurement systems and weather
stations once a year so that they don’t lose touch with the source of the data they study. That’s why I’m
pleased to see that scientists at the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU ) did some good old fashioned field work to
look at geologic residues of past climate. Explorers To Measure Arctic's
Vanishing Summer Ice - LONDON - British explorer Pen Hadow is to return to the North Pole five years after his
record solo trek, in an attempt to establish when Arctic summer sea ice will disappear for good. (Reuters) He might need a lot of fingers and toes to count that many years. I just looked at sea
ice extent and note the current freeze area is within a day of 2004, 2005 & 2006 and over a week earlier
than 2007. Tamino’s Folly -
Temperatures did drop this past decade - “Tamino” has made a couple of posts on how the last 10 year drop
in temperature is not statistically significant, so it isn’t real. He went too far in his last one and began
claiming it was a tactic of some kind of creature called a denialist to confuse and confound the public. (Watts Up
With That?) Window closing on carbon-capture plan - The
International Energy Agency says countries aren't doing enough to develop and deploy systems that capture and
store carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, even though such technologies are considered crucial in the
battle against climate change. Never mind the closing window, we should be slamming the door on such stupidity. It is one thing if you have
an abundant cheap source of gas available to boost recovery from declining oilfields, that is both
profitable and sensible but is another thing entirely to stupidly throw away 20-40% of available energy simply
to deny the biosphere an essential trace gas. Post-Kyoto
Per Capita Emissions In the EU-15 and US - Over at Climate Progress, Joe Romm asserts that climate policies in
the EU represent "a very impressive achievement that should serve as an inspiration to the world". EU Climate Stalemate Could Threaten
Global Deal - Time is running out. If the European Union is unable to resolve internal differences over its
ambitious emissions reduction plan, then global climate talks could suffer, say experts. The world needs European
leadership. (Charles Hawley, Der Spiegel) I wonder if anyone believes this pap? Europe's
climate revolt - In the wake of the financial crisis, some EU member states are reassessing the union’s
carbon dioxide reduction goals (Benny Peiser, Financial Post) Italian Backlash Threatens EU's
Climate Fight - NAPLES/BRUSSELS - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi warned on Tuesday that 10 other EU
nations backed his efforts to block an EU climate plan, prompting further doubts over European action on global
warming. (Reuters) Australia Cannot Be An Island In
Carbon Market - SYDNEY - Australia cannot fence itself off from the world carbon-trading market, a leading
industry expert said, despite signs it may attempt to do just that in order to keep costs down for local
greenhouse-gas polluters. (Reuters) Carbon dioxide is not an atmospheric pollutant. How we
found ourselves ambushed by reality - Australia’s love of emissions trading to combat global warming is
ending in the face of economic uncertainty, says Tom Switzer (Spectator Australia) Herd
of 200 cows 'produces as much greenhouse gas as a family car driven 3,000 miles' - A herd of cows produces
more greenhouse gas in a year than a family car produces to drive 3,000 miles, an economist has revealed. Not exactly, atmospheric methane
levels stopped rising in the 1990s (the global cattle herd did not). While 149% sounds a big increase we are
talking parts per billion whereas carbon dioxide is measured in parts per million (even though the units are
1,000 times larger atmospheric carbon dioxide is still a mere trace gas). Grief: It’s what’s for dinner
- What happens when food, dogma, a green chef, and a Ph.D. collide? Why a scientifically based feel good cookbook,
that’s what. Well, it works in virtual worlds... Invention:
Hurricane pacifier - Interest in hurricane mitigation has peaked since Hurricane Katrina devastated New
Orleans in 2005, and any means of limiting the damage wrought by these huge storms would be welcomed by
governments and vulnerable populations alike. Penny Wong defends $14m cost of
climate change ads - TAXPAYERS are footing an advertising bill of more than $146,000 a day so the Rudd
Government can peddle its warnings about climate change. From CO2 Science this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Large Snowstorms East of the U.S. Rocky Mountains:
How did their numbers vary over the last half of the 20th century? The Atacama Desert During the Medieval Warm Period:
What distinguished it from the globally-cooler periods that preceded and followed it? Reproductive Responses of Paper Birch Trees to Elevated
CO2 and O3 Concentrations: What are they? ... and how do the benefits of atmospheric CO2 enrichment
compare with the damages caused by O3 pollution of the air? Dietary-Mediated Effects of Elevated CO2 on the
Longevity and Fecundity of Japanese Beetles: How does the beetles' consumption of foliage grown in
CO2-enriched air affect the two life-trait phenomena? (co2science.org) Let the Drilling Begin
- What are the short-term and long-term benefits of expanding offshore oil drilling? 3
Oil-Rich Countries Face a Reckoning - CARACAS, Venezuela — As the price of oil roared to ever higher levels
in recent years, the leaders of Venezuela, Iran and Russia muscled their way onto the world stage, using checkbook
diplomacy and, on occasion, intimidation. Power
struggle - Ontario’s regulatory process for electricity has broken down. The former Power Authority CEO
explains how to fix it (Financial Post) UK's Brown Says Downturn Won't Hit
Green Plans - LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday the global economic downturn would
not affect a government drive to reduce the country's carbon emissions. However, an industry executive cast doubt
on the ability of the UK's existing power transmission network to cope with planned increases in wind power
output. (Reuters) Alternative
Energy Suddenly Faces Headwinds - HOUSTON — For all the support that the presidential candidates are
expressing for renewable energy, alternative energies like wind and solar are facing big new challenges because of
the credit freeze and the plunge in oil and natural gas prices. What on Earth? Going green
doesn't add up - THEY promise their owners greener driving and clearer consciences. But motorists would have
to drive their low-emission cars up to the equivalent of three times around the world to recoup the extra cost.
(The Scotsman) Clueless parents?
Not necessarily… - A full 43% of parents of an underweight child consider their child to be of average
weight and 1.5% thought their underweight child was even overweight. Twice as many parents say they are concerned
that their child might be overweight compared to underweight. Sixty percent of underweight girls don’t think
they are underweight, compared to half of boys. Parents of girls are more like to incorrectly see their child as
overweight than parents of boys. Almost half (49%) of parents of children who fall in the overweight category on
BMI growth curves fail to identify their child as being overweight. (Junkfood Science) Coming soon to
your employer wellness program — metabo - Earlier this year, we first learned that older Japanese workers
were being required to undergo blood tests and ‘flab checks’ to identify people with metabo. These were people
ostensibly costing the national healthcare system because of their bad diets and lifestyles, making compulsory
medical interventions necessary. We heard little about the unsound medical evidence behind metabo and how it was
most discriminating against workers who were older or who had certain genetic predispositions. Perhaps, it
didn’t seem important since Japan was half a world away and everyone believed that something like that could
never happen here… (Junkfood Science) The
new asbestos science scare - A medical journal editorial tries to squelch the debate D'oh! Food drive 'fundamentally flawed' -
Healthy eating campaigns risk failure because they do not take enough notice of the different circumstances facing
families, says a report. Even high-profile initiatives, such as those by chef Jamie Oliver, can only reap
short-term benefits, it argues. Too many fall back on the "blame culture" when offering advice, it says.
(BBC News) !? Mobile
phone radiation fries sperm - study - MEN who talk for hours on their mobile phones could be jeopardising
their chance of fathering a child, Australian research suggests. I have to wonder how these guys are holding their phones... "Please hold, some of my other cells are
ringing!" Dodgy recommendation: Protecting
your skin is more important than getting vitamin D - "The reality is you need about five minutes of sun
exposure, three to four times a week, on an area the size of your face or hands," says dermatologist Mark
Lupin, regional director of the Canadian Dermatology Association. Actually it depends where and when -- people living in high latitude regions have no hope of getting
sufficient sun exposure for much of the year while tropical residents can get all the sun exposure they require
in minutes per day. You should avoid sunburn but you should definitely not be afraid of sun exposure. U. of C. split
over Friedman tribute - CHICAGO—In the world of economics, the name of free market icon Milton Friedman is
as closely associated with the University of Chicago as the Beatles are with Liverpool. Crunch May Spur Rethink Of Nature
As 'Free' - BARCELONA - The worst financial crisis since the 1930s may be a chance to put price tags on nature
in a radical economic rethink to protect everything from coral reefs to rainforests, environmental experts say.
(Reuters) What they mean, although they apparently don't know it, is that they recognize the tragedy of the commons and
really do believe in property rights as the ultimate in environmental protection. Good grief! Environmental Failure: A Case for
a New Green Politics - The U.S. environmental movement is failing – by any measure, the state of the earth
has never been more dire. What’s needed, a leading environmentalist writes, is a new, inclusive green politics
that challenges basic assumptions about consumerism and unlimited growth. (James Gustave Speth, Yale Environment
360) What a maroon! Earth is in great shape but these guys just have to wallow in misery. Sheesh! Climate change's threat to water needs more study
- JOHANNESBURG, 21 October 2008 - Models to predict the impact of climate change on potable water and the
management of wastewater are needed to deal with the expected increase in water-related illnesses as result of
global warming, says a new policy brief by the United Nations University (UNU). (IRIN) We agree clean water and sanitation are really big deals in human health care. What's wrong with this is it
ties the issue to climate change, which is entirely unpredictable at our present state of knowledge. Video: CO2
Truth-Alert: The Global Food and Water Crisis: (Uploaded 22 October 2008) - In a paper published in the Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society, four British scientists report that "agriculture accounts for 80-90%
of all freshwater used by humans," that "most of that is in crop production," and that "in
many areas, this water use is unsustainable." As a result, they say that "farmers in many countries are
now faced with legislative restrictions on use of water," noting that the Chinese government "has set a
target of a reduction of 20% in water use in agriculture by the year 2020," such that "if food security
for the region is not to be threatened, this must be achieved without a loss in production." So how is this
global food and water crisis to be met and overcome? (co2science.org) October 21, 2008
Obama's Carbon Ultimatum: The coming offer
you won't be able to refuse. - Liberals pretend that only President Bush is preventing the U.S. from adopting
some global warming "solution." But occasionally their mask slips. As Barack Obama's energy adviser has
now made clear, the would-be President intends to blackmail -- or rather, greenmail -- Congress into falling in
line with his climate agenda. PDO and temperature trends -
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was switching into cool and/or warm modes almost exactly when
cooling/warming trends began in the 20th century. Spin cycle: Simple Question, Simple
Answer... Not - The following article appeared originally in slightly different form on September 8, 2008 on
the RealClimate.org blog. It is being reproduced here, with the permission of RealClimate.org. The author has
added a postscript. (Spencer R. Weart, Forum on Physics & Society) While Weart admits some of the difficulties in climate modeling he gives way too much credence to admittedly
bad models. He claims we know enough to "take action" and have long done so. This is disingenuous, to
say the least. Climate models are process models -- they help us isolate and attempt to understand some of the
energy transactions taking place in a hugely complex interaction of which we have limited understanding and no
predictive ability. For example we know that the El Niño Southern Oscillation rearranges Earth's thermal
furniture -- it is not itself a source of heat but somehow causes Earth's surface temperature and that of the
lower troposphere to change. We know this to be true because we can see its effect in all the major mean
temperature time series: We do not understand it and we cannot predict it but we can see that Earth cooled way too quickly after the
event for hysterical claims about enhanced greenhouse to be true. If water vapor really magnified greenhouse
effect to the extent hypothesized then the 0.5-1.0 K warming experienced during the 1997/98 El Niño should have
been sustained much longer than it was. In fact, we do not even need "unusual" events to see that even significant warmings do not trigger
self-sustaining enhanced greenhouse from increased evaporation and water vapor greenhouse effect since the
Earth's lower troposphere warms more than 2 kelvins (° C) from January to July each and every year, only
to cool again. The northern hemisphere troposphere warms roughly 10 kelvins during that period and yet this is
insufficient to trigger any enhanced greenhouse problem. If 10 kelvins tropospheric warming cannot trigger enhanced greenhouse "runaway" then how could the
trivial warming possible from a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide do so? How can we assume it really would
be magnified from the physically possible 1.2 K to 3 K by water vapor feedback when the massive change
in insolation and albedo as winter snow and ice fields thaw occurs in each hemisphere each year without managing
to carry over into the opposing hemisphere's summer warming? Modelers cannot explain this "failure to occur" and yet insist their imaginary effect (used to
force model output to some semblance of realism) presents a clear and present danger to us all (pay more and
we'll tell you even scarier stories). Climate models do not now and probably never will perform useful predictive functions. Weart's supplementary
statement "If we require a level of certainty equivalent to what governments use in deciding to
intervene in markets or go to war, it is obvious that climate science has exceeded that level for a decade or
more." is an obvious nonsense since, to the best of human knowledge, each year has an equal chance of
being warmer or cooler than the last. Lorne
Gunter: Thirty years of warmer temperatures go poof - In early September, I began noticing a string of news
stories about scientists rejecting the orthodoxy on global warming. Actually, it was more like a string of guest
columns and long letters to the editor since it is hard for skeptical scientists to get published in the cabal of
climate journals now controlled by the Great Sanhedrin of the environmental movement. Sun’s protective
‘bubble’ is shrinking - From the UK Telegraph - source link California Releases Climate Plan - California is
considered the national leader on climate policy because of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act,
which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law in 2006. The act directs a California agency, the Air
Resources Board (CARB), to formulate a strategy that would reduce the state’s greenhouse emissions to 1990
levels by 2020, a thirty percent decrease from business as usual. If people are dumb enough to pay for hot air... Pollution
Credits Let Dumps Double Dip - CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. -- America's garbage dumps are reaping a windfall from
the fight against global warming. But their payday might not be doing much to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Italy Rocks EU Climate Meet,
Others Eye Global Deal - LUXEMBOURG - Italy kept up the pressure to dilute European Union climate proposals on
Monday, but most other EU nations reaffirmed the goals and stressed they would approach global talks this year in
"full negotiating mode". (Reuters) Italy will sign EU climate plan with revision clause:
report - Italy will sign the EU's climate plan in December but only on condition the deal is revisited at the
end of 2009 once real costs have been analysed, ANSA news agency reported Saturday. (AFP) 'Europe Cannot Allow Itself to Fall
Behind' - German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel discusses the rift among EU member states over a current
proposal to slash carbon dioxide emissions. He says a deal will likely be reached, but that flexibility is needed
to prevent companies from leaving Europe and taking jobs with them. (Der Spiegel) Australia Won't Copy Britain's
Carbon Targets - CANBERRA - The Australian government on Monday ruled out following Britain with a tougher
target for carbon emissions by 2050, saying business needed certainty over targets in the run-up to carbon
trading. (Reuters) Are they really so deranged? Climate
Deniers and Freedom of Screech - Does the right of freedom of speech extend to shouting “Hoax” on a
burning planet? The climate change / global warming Deniers made much hysterical arm waving out of James
Hansen’s “call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes
against humanity and nature” and David Suzuki’s call for Denier politicians to be “hold politicians legally
accountable“, do the Deniers have a point? Seems unlikely anyone actually subscribes to such a position unless they've been neglecting to take certain
prescription medicaments... UK Telegraph
falls prey to photo cherry picking - They say a picture is worth a thousand words right? Depending on what you
are trying to present, that picture can make or break any presentation. It
appears AP is the source of the Photoshop pics. Northern Greenland: less
ice 6,000-7,000 years ago - If you look at the recent pictures, you will notice that the northern beaches of
Greenland are surrounded by ice throughout the year. 'Oops!' again: Climate Change, Acid Rain Could Be
Good for Forests -- After more than 20 years of research in the northern hardwood forests of Michigan,
scientists at Michigan Technological University's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science have
reached a surprising conclusion: Moderate increases in temperature and nitrogen from atmospheric pollution
actually improve forest productivity. (PhysOrg.com) Sillier by the minute: Global
Warming Leads India Tigers To Village Attacks - KOLKATA - The number of tiger attacks on people is growing in
India's Sundarban islands as habitat loss and dwindling prey caused by climate change drives them to prowl into
villages for food, experts said on Monday. (Reuters) Q&A: "Profit Is Enemy Number One of the
Environment" - SANTIAGO, Oct 20 - The global financial debacle is evidence that capitalism "is more
alive than ever" and can only be stopped by policies that extinguish all forms of profit or by the end of
life on Earth, says Chilean professor and activist Marcel Claude. (Tierramérica) Is it really possible Socialists cannot see that impoverished people view the environment strictly in terms
of food, fuel and shelter (can it be eaten, burned or lived in)? Do they not notice that it is societies which
generate surplus beyond their needs (i.e., are wealthy) that divert time, effort and resources to the
environment and other purely aesthetic pursuits? Or do they merely hate people so much they'll say and do
anything to harm people? Think about it. Profit is about the only pal the "environment" really has. World
Wildlife Fund’s Luxurious Hypocrisy (Chilling Effect) Climate Change Issues: An Australian
Contribution to the Debate - An important contribution to the climate change debate has just appeared in final
form in Australia. This is the 600-page Garnaut Report, which can be seen as a Southern Hemisphere counterpart to
the Stern Review. Its author, Ross Garnaut, is a leading Australian professor of economics, and his review of
climate change issues in an Australian context was formally sponsored by the governments of Australia -
Commonwealth, state, and territorial. Woodside: Australia Carbon Plan
May Double Costs - PERTH - Australia's proposed carbon emissions trading scheme could more than double
operating costs of the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, operator Woodside Petroleum Ltd's chief
executive said on Monday. (Reuters) Desperately trying to talk down energy supplies: OIL
SANDS-PART 3: Biggest Customer Has Second Thoughts - FT. MCMURRAY, Oct 20 - As Canada's tar sands extraction
expands full steam ahead, a perfect storm of internal and external opposition could derail some of the voracious
growth at the world's largest energy project. Obviously Liz Barratt-Brown is not an investor (or at least a good one). In fact she shows all the hallmarks
of being a financial saboteur trying to sandbag energy supplies. No? Duh! Jobs blow
revealed in wind energy report - The massive planned expansion of renewable energy may produce far fewer jobs
than the government has claimed, a study has found. New CME for
doctors — What wasn’t said about childhood weight management - This past week, the American Academy of
Family Physicians announced the release of its latest CME (continuing medical education) Bulletin for family
doctors entitled, “Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity.” It exemplified the educational
information doctors are being given about fat children and, more importantly, what they’re not. (Junkfood
Science)
Another sales pitch? Gastric
bypass cuts heart risks - NEW YORK - The risk faced by obese people of having a heart attack or other
cardiovascular "events" is reduced substantially after they undergo gastric bypass surgery to lose
weight, according to a recent study. But they didn't measure mortality, just unsubstantiated guesses they've called "risk assessment".
It may be that formerly obese people reduced the load on their hearts by slimming down but there are no actual
measured positive outcomes here. 2,000
Is Really Enough - Health officials in New York City call it fast-food sticker shock. Since last May, chain
restaurants in the city have been required to list the number of calories for every item on their menus. According
to a recent survey, more than 80 percent of those who saw the calorie count were “surprised,” even shocked,
that an innocent-looking bran muffin could contain 470 calories and a full-fledged Big Mac attack (with soda and
fries, of course) more than 1,200. 'Western'
diets cause a third of heart attack deaths worldwide - Western diets rich in fried food, salt and meat could
be to blame for a third of heart attack deaths, a major study has shown. Two points: 1) RR1.35 is not distinguishable from random chance and 2) even if there is something in such a
trivial apparent disparity who is to say it is not because those consuming Western diets live long enough to
suffer coronary problems? Silly media claim. Oh darn... Blow to image
of ‘green’ reusable nappy - A government report that found old-fashioned reusable nappies damage the
environment more than disposables has been hushed up because ministers are embarrassed by its findings. Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett backs
logging in forestry debate - TASMANIAN Premier David Bartlett has sided with the forest industry in a fierce
debate with conservationists about whether old-growth forests should be protected as reservoirs of carbon. October 20, 2008 Candidates Don't Come Clean on Coal - A
squabble about “clean coal” has broken among the presidential candidates. Neither side has leveled with
voters. Open letter from The
Viscount Monckton of Brenchley to Senator John McCain about Climate Science and Policy - Dear Senator McCain,
Sir, Birmingham
Lunar Society discusses climate change - Climate change – myth or reality? It was a question that taxed some
of the leading minds in the field when they gathered in Birmingham this week, as Shahid Naqvi reports. Scientific Alliance
newsletter 17th October 2008 - A different view of environmental issues EU Vows "Cost-Effective"
Climate Plan Amid Crisis - BRUSSELS - European Union leaders planned on Thursday to appease critics of the
bloc's bold plans to fight climate change amid economic turmoil with concessions to heavy industry and former
communist nations. (Reuters) There is one cost-effective climate plan but sadly few governments are pursuing it: improve infrastructure to
protect citizens from a too-often hostile environment. Unfortunately misanthropes and scammers have convinced
most lawmakers to head in exactly the wrong direction of making people more vulnerable to extremes of
temperature and precipitation through energy rationing schemes and wealth destruction. Merkel Says EU Sticks to December
Climate Deadline - BRUSSELS - European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to stick to a December deadline for
agreeing ambitious measures to fight climate change, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. (Reuters) Deconstructing
Eurospeak - One of the funniest cartoons in Private Eye is always ‘EU-phemisms’. Today, the EU has
excelled itself in ‘EU-phemisms’, as it tries to square fantasy policies on climate change with the harsh
realities of the credit crunch and world recession [original headline - ‘EU “resolute” on climate
targets’, BBC Online Europe News, October 16]. Here is my brief guide to some of the Eurospeak on climate change
that has emanated from the European Council Summit in Brussels: (Global Warming Politics) Climate change
targets: 'Bold and courageous' or just more hot air? - In view of the uncertainty over the future direction of
the British and the world economies, the timing of Ed Miliband's announcement of new "green" targets was
odd to say the least. The younger brother of the Foreign Secretary was only recently installed in the new post of
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. It might have been imagined that he would take stock of the
extraordinary turmoil in the financial world before committing the country to further environmental measures. But
Mr Miliband has required just a fortnight to decide that the 60 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to
which the UK had previously signed up was insufficiently ambitious. Climate Effort Could Be Stalled by Credit
Crisis - The global financial crisis is threatening efforts in the U.S. and Europe to fight climate change. Russia Doubts CO2 Market Can Fix
Climate Change - OSLO - Moscow doubts carbon trading can solve climate change because recent swings in stock
and commodities prices show markets are unable to fix global problems, an official Russian document showed.
(Reuters) But that won't stop them taking any money the West is silly enough to give them for hot air. Leading
article: No time for retreat - The European Union's credibility as a serious economic force has been restored
this week by its co-ordinated manoeuvres to rescue the continent's banking sector. The task at hand now for the EU
is to maintain its credibility as a serious player in the global struggle to mitigate dangerous climate change.
(The Independent) East Europe Wins Special Treatment
in Climate Fight - BRUSSELS - European leaders handed concessions to heavy industry and former communist
nations on Thursday to smooth the path to a December agreement on fighting climate change amid economic turmoil.
(Reuters) EU facing revolt
over climate change target enforcement - The European Union is facing a revolt from poorer members over tough
climate change targets at a time when the global economy is heading for recession. EU climate change push in
disarray as Italy joins Iron Curtain revolt - Europe’s commitment to ambitious green goals became the latest
victim of the global financial crisis yesterday when a growing number of EU countries rebelled, claiming that the
plans were now too expensive. Berlusconi Defends Italy In EU
Climate Deal Row - ROME - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Sunday defended Italy's position on an EU
climate change deal, denying he was isolating Italy within Europe over the matter. EU Must Not Backslide On Climate -
UN Official - OSLO - The European Union must avoid backsliding on agreeing a package to fight global warming
in 2008 even though economic turmoil may make targets hard to hit, the top United Nations climate change official
said on Friday. (Reuters) Even Time has noticed, kind of: Is
Europe Backsliding on Climate-Change Targets? - Is this the moment the European Union's ambitious climate
change agenda unraveled? At the end of the two-day E.U. summit in Brussels Thursday, European leaders
congratulated one another on their bold bank rescue plans. But the mutual backslapping might have provided perfect
cover for a retreat from their long-standing commitment to reduce Europe's overall CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020,
compared to 1990 levels. (Time) The Guardian sees things differently: EU
pledges to lead climate change fight despite financial crisis - European Union leaders have reasserted their
ambition to lead the world in fighting climate change despite the growing economic recession and mounting rifts
among its 27 governments. (The Guardian) Cash-strapped
families face £1,000-a-year bill to help Government beat climate change (as if we didn't have enough problems)
- Families face a £1,000-a-year bill after the Government committed Britain to cutting greenhouse gas emissions
by 80 per cent before 2050. Climate plan pulps employees
downstream - MORE than ever, it is all about numbers in the political arena at the moment as the Rudd
Government confronts the global market meltdown and the steps needed to counter the dangers of economic recession. Australian
leader holds firm on climate change - CANBERRA, Australia -- World leaders must deal with the threat of global
climate change despite the spreading "cancer" of the global financial crisis, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
said Friday. (AP) If K.Rudd is a leader then he is one after the fashion of Quintilius Varus and he seems to think we should
reprise the role of Rome's XVIIth through XIXth Legions. 'Gorebull warming' may well be
K.Rudd's Arminius but Australians are not the 17th, 18th and 19th Legions, so,
off you go Kevni, you're on your own pal -- let us know how that turns out for you. We must press ahead on
climate change, Garnaut warns - THE "diabolical" policy problem of climate change should not be
pushed into the background by the financial crisis, Ross Garnaut has warned. Um... these short-term cyclical considerations -- kind of like 3 decades warming followed by say, 3 decades
cooling, huh? HWGA: Report says
Arctic temperatures at record highs - WASHINGTON — Autumn temperatures in the Arctic are at record levels,
the Arctic Ocean is getting warmer and less salty as sea ice melts, and reindeer herds appear to be declining,
researchers reported Thursday. Well, there has been some impressive warming -- see Alaska's
temperature change, for example. The most interesting feature of that of course is that nearly all the
warming occurred in the 1970s. There has been a little warming over the last decade or so, too, although '05/06 was warmer than the last
year: Same deal with the mid-troposphere, only less so (not the expected pattern from enhanced greenhouse). Regular readers know we have looked at Arctic temperature trends before
and found virtually identical trends from
the late 1800s through the 1930s and the 1960s through the current millennium. Ice
Reality Check: Arctic Ice Now 31.3% Over Last Year, plus Scientists Counter Latest Arctic ‘Record’ Warmth
Claims as ‘Pseudoscience’ (Watts Up With That?) Arctic Reality Check By Climate Scientist Dr. Ben Herman, past director of the Institute of Atmospheric
Physics and former Head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona is a member of both
the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth’s Executive Committee and the Committee on Global Change: First of
all, the Arctic sea ice is at its minimum in September, not October or November as the scientists in the McClatchy
article states. As Arctic ice experts, they certainly should have known this. Another point is that the Arctic
temperatures do not "naturally peak in October or November". They peak in mid August generally. Also the
article states that since the world's climates are interconnected, what happens in the Arctic may be an indicator
of what will happen in the rest of the world. How about what happens in the Antarctic then? Since its ice area has
been increasing, is this also an indicator of what might happen in the rest of the world? Comments on “Arctic air
temperatures climb to record levels” (pdf) (Ernst-Georg Beck) 'World News' Rediscovers Global
Warming - Despite being overshadowed by financial crisis, ABC blames 'climate change' for melting ice in
Greenland. (Jeff Poor, Business & Media Institute) NSIDC’s
Dr. Walt Meier answers reader questions on sea ice - Thanks again to Dr. Meier from NSIDC for answering
questions, and for offering to do a follow-up. (Watts Up With That?) Scientists to Probe Antarctica for
Sea Rise Clues - OSLO - Scientists will visit a vulnerable part of an Antarctic ice shelf this year to work
out if it will crack off in coming decades and perhaps trigger a rise in sea levels, they said on Thursday.
(Reuters) Please read the full article before asking how floating ice can raise sea levels -- the 'concern' is release
of back pressure on land-borne glaciers allowing an acceleration of ice flow to sea. Also in the item is fresh
admission no one knows why the tiny Larsen A & B shelves collapsed. We can be reasonably confident it is not
the result of any recent regional warming -- because there hasn't been any, the 3-decade trend is a trivial
cooling: Obama to
Declare Carbon Dioxide Dangerous Pollutant - In my opinion, this is lunacy - Obama’s thinking is completely
off the rails now. He cites a new energy plan in August, then cripples it from the start with this sort of
thinking. - Anthony (Watts Up With That?) Our Orwellian Future? - Barack
Obama has let it be known that he will allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon Dioxide
as a dangerous pollutant if elected president. Last years supreme court ruling makes this possible. The court
ruled that the EPA may use the Clear Air Act of 1990 to regulate carbon dioxide as “pollution”. This was of
course a terrible ruling. Carbon dioxide is essential for life on earth as we know it. If carbon dioxide levels in
the atmosphere fall below about 200 parts per million trees stop growing and agriculture grinds to a halt. Carbon
dioxide is plant food. If you own a greenhouse and you want your plants to glow faster you pump in three times as
much carbon dioxide as exists in the air, up to 1000 parts per million. Something in the air that brings life to
the world is not pollution. (Art Horn, Icecap) Environment
will wither whoever win US election - Eager anticipation of the next American president offering a
dramatically different policy on climate change is being tempered by the chill winds of the financial crisis. Another silly scare crashes and burns: Minor
disturbances - Methane deposits stored beneath the sea floor are unlikely to be a major contributor to climate
change in the coming century, suggests a new study. Methane clathrates, ice-like structures of water and the
potent greenhouse gas methane, are thought to be easily destabilized by rising ocean temperatures. (Alicia Newton,
Nature Reports Climate Change) “Welcome to the
21st Century” - A couple of our recent posts have looked unfavourably at the BBC’s coverage of the climate
debate, in particular the three part series, Earth: the Climate Wars. But it’s not all bad at the Beeb, and
it’s not fair to characterise their output as entirely biased in favour of environmental alarmists. (Climate
Resistance) Global Warming as a Natural Response
to Cloud Changes Associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) - Abstract: A simple climate model
forced by satellite-observed changes in the Earth's radiative budget associated with the Pacific Decadal
Oscillation is shown to mimic the major features of global average temperature change during the 20th Century -
including two-thirds of the warming trend. A mostly-natural source of global warming is also consistent with
mounting observational evidence that the climate system is much less sensitive to carbon dioxide emissions than
the IPCC's climate models simulate. Exclusive:
Bestselling “Climate Confusion” author talks with Chilling Effect! - New York Times best selling author
Dr. Roy Spencer was in the nation’s capital last week to talk about his book Climate Confusion. Read highlights
from the book here. Spencer spared a few minutes out of his schedule to talk with The Chilling Effect about the
book and the current state of the debate: (Chilling Effect) Outstanding
Climate Science Reporting And Investigation By Forrest M. Mims III - There is a set of excellent publications
and science reports by Forrest M. Mims III at www.forrestmims.org and www.sunandsky.org.
Mims has had a career as a science author, lecturer and syndicated columnist. He has written instructional books
on electronics and published papers and photographs in some 70 magazines and journals, including Nature, Science
and Popular Mechanics. He is a writer and editor for the Society for Amateur Scientists. (Roger Pielke Sr.,
Climate Science) Comment
On Dot Earth’s Weblog “Agreement Reached to Save Sumatran Forests” - The weblog Dot Earth published an
article titled “Agreement Reached to Save Sumatran Forests” which contained the text "According to the
environmental group WWF, Sumatra has lost 48 percent of forest cover in the past 23 years releasing vast amounts
of planet-warming gases – making the Sumatran forest problem a global problem.” 'Policy neutral' IPCC endorses Presidential Candidate: Obama
Win Would Clear Deadlock in Climate Talks, Pachauri Says -- The election of U.S. presidential candidate Barack
Obama would help clear the deadlock in United Nations talks to slow global warming, said Rajendra Pachauri, head
of a United Nations panel of climate-change scientists. (Bloomberg) 2008
Harold Clough Lecture: 'The Politics and Science of Climate Change: The Wrong Stuff' - I am pleased to present
this lecture today in Perth. We don't normally consider Al Gore a laughing matter -- but what the heck else can you do with him? Frank
TV: New Al Gore Movie - Supernova! It's comin' y'all! - Impressionist Frank Caliendo does his best Al Gore
basically admitting that, "it's the sun, stupid" - but Gore goes all alarmist, of course. (Climate
Change Fraud) Green Journalism - The Society of
Environmental Journalists conducts its annual conference this week in Roanoke, Va., and the best thing that can be
said about it is that this bunch won't be on the beat somewhere trying to report something -- especially about
global warming. Apocalypse
Now, via Diorama - There are real issues to be considered here — questions about probabilities, alternative
technologies, industrial evolution, relationships between developed and undeveloped nations — but they are never
really explored. The main impression, instead, is of an almost religious urgency. “Repent!” these displays
seem to call out, “Repent! Before it’s too late!” And perhaps the religious overtones are no accident.
Recently the physicist Freeman Dyson wrote in The New York Review of Books that environmentalism has become a
“worldwide secular religion” in which the “path of righteousness is to live as frugally as possible.” Guest
Essay: Lysenkoism And GW - I should like to thank Cliff Ollier for allowing me to repeat in our ‘Guest Essay
Series’ a slightly-edited version of his challenging analysis of the possible parallels between Lysenkoism and
‘Global Warming’. Cliff is a geologist, geomorphologist, and soil scientist. He is currently Emeritus
Professor and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western
Australia. He was formerly at the Australian National University (ANU); The University of New England, Australia;
Canberra University; The University of Papua New Guinea; and The University of Melbourne. Cliff has been a
prolific author, writing especially on volcanoes, on the origins of mountains, and on ancient landforms. (Global
Warming Politics) Oh boy... Immigration to the United States and
World-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions - The findings of this study indicate that future levels of immigration
will have a significant impact on efforts to reduce global CO2 emissions. Immigration to the United States
significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions because it transfers population from lower-polluting parts of the
world to the United States, which is a higher-polluting country. On average immigrants increase their emissions
four-fold by coming to America. (Steven A. Camarota and Leon Kolankiewicz, Center for Immigration Studies) Sheesh! Slowdown to
reduce carbon emissions - THE slowing world economy could help to cut back global emissions as factories close
and car fleets stall, in a rare piece of good news amid the financial doom and gloom. (Siobhain Ryan, The
Australian) Cold Reality - Funny how
economic concerns pull the mind away from foolishness such as global warming. But weather goes on, and in many
places it doesn't happen the way fear mongers predict. (IBD) Solar activity the primary driver of global temperature rise
- The period of global warming that we have experienced on our planet over the last century, which has seen a rise
in temperature of some 0,6 oC, does not correlate at all with a rise in the concentration of atmospheric carbon
dioxide (CO2), but is does correlate with solar activity. Indications are that solar activity is the primary
driver of the variation in global temperature. (Kelvin Kemm, CO2sceptics) Eye-roller: Foreboding
forecast - Even the most stringent of proposed climate mitigation measures may not avert dangerous climate
change, shows a new analysis. An increase in global average surface temperature of 2 °C above pre-industrial
values is generally considered to be the level of warming that could have serious impacts and, as such, is to be
avoided. (Olive Heffernan, Nature Reports Climate Change) Really? Here's one of the more alarmist time
series which shows increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide right enough -- along with alleged warming so trivial
no one would notice or worry about in the absence of constant media alarmism. Should people worry about a possible 0.5 °C rise in mean temperature since about 1880? Why? Where I
live at this time of year morning low temperatures are about 15 °C but by the time people get off work and
flock to the beaches to lie in the sun and play in the warming waters it's about 25 °C-30 °C in the
shade (35 °C-40 °C in full sun). Come high summer they'll still by hitting the beaches with
sun-exposed temperatures in excess of 50 °C (and plenty of tourists will get sunburned and suffer heat
stroke, too, simply because they are inexperienced in prevailing conditions). People outside the tropics experience warming (and cooling) of greater than 10 °C each and every year
and simply call them 'seasons' without crying 'catastrophe'. This whole temperature sensitivity thing has gone
way beyond a joke. Scientists
confirm oceans acidifying at unprecedented speed - The acidification of the world’s oceans, caused by the
absorption of huge volumes of carbon dioxide, is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, threatening marine
ecosystems and the livelihoods of tens of millions of people, concluded scientists attending the Second
International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World held in Monaco from 6-9 October. (UNESCO) Nice try fellas but this is not now, nor likely to be a "high CO2 world" at any time in
the foreseeable future. For the last few million years Earth's atmosphere is believed to have been in a
perilously low state of carbon dioxide enrichment, a trace gas essential for almost all life on Earth's surface.
Land plants colonized the continents during the Ordovician (atmospheric CO2 ~4,000-4,500ppmv) and
trees appeared in the Devonian, helping aquatic photosynthesizers abundant in the warm shallow seas temporarily
draw down the resource to roughly similar levels as we find today during the mass sequestration of the
Carboniferous (the source of much of the carbon we now mine). It took until the late Permian for Earth to
recover from this depletion although the resource has been continually drawn down throughout the Cretaceous and
Tertiary. Only now is some recovery underway as an accidental byproduct of human endeavor. Plants have rights to
CO2 at 2,000 ppm - Chimpanzees are going to get human rights in Europe. They won't be real humans so far, just
persons who must get their lawyers who can use anti-discrimination laws to protect their clients and who can bring
their guardians new tax breaks. But John Christy is ahead of them: Follow the logic. If flowers, trees, etc. have rights, then they should have the right to their original food
supply (CO2) in quantities as it was when they evolved (about five times today's value). Acceleration of Jakobshavn Isbræ triggered by warm
subsurface ocean waters - According to a recent email....Connie Hedegaard (Danish Climate minister) was asked
to apologise to the 21 world leaders she "tricked" into believing that the gletcher retreat was caused
by AGW, but she says she will carry on showing the "effects of global warming". (Co2sceptics) A Tale of Two Theories - ... Now we have
another theory: Global warming. As James Hansen will proudly tell anyone listening, he’s been trying to prove it
for decades, but where the AIDs conundrum led to discoveries, cooperation, and life-saving drugs, this theory has
led to something quite unwholesome. (Thomas Richard, CFP) Fuel Your Car With Coal? Less
Likely Now - HOUSTON - When crude oil was more than US$145 a barrel and investors were flush with cash,
building plants to turn coal into liquid fuel for cars and trucks looked like a winning bet. Actually it's still a really good idea, if for no other reason than diversification of supply. After all,
it's pretty difficult for a hurricane in the Gulf to stop coal production in Wyoming, no? OIL SANDS-PART 1: Showdown at Ft. McMoney - FT.
MCMURRY, Canada, Oct 16 - The sun rises in a bright, red line over flat land, small lakes, boreal forest and peat
bogs as our small double engine plane bumps through early morning turbulence between Edmonton and Ft. McMurray,
Canada. OIL SANDS-PART 2: "Where I Come From Is Ground
Zero" - FT. MCMURRAY, Oct 17 - The wheels of the Caterpillar 797B, the world's largest truck, are always
going round and round at Shell Canada's Albian Sands mine. Carbon capture
could be our green panacea - You might call carbon capture and storage the great white whale of greenhouse gas
reduction. Actually it's an energy-expensive 'fix' in search of a problem. Second Canadian Pipeline Damaged
In Explosion - VANCOUVER - A bomb has damaged a natural gas pipeline in north eastern British Columbia, police
said Thursday, describing the attack as the second of its kind in the same area in a week. (Reuters) Energy giants plot revival of
coal power - Britain's electricity generators are planning to build several coal-fired power stations despite
the controversy over the greenhouse gas emissions that they would produce. McCain On Nukes: Yes We Can -
Barack Obama needs to explain why, if we can power our lights with old Russian weapons, we can't expand our use of
nuclear power. Is there really such a thing as nuclear waste? (IBD) Energy-Hungry Poland Eyes Nuclear
Plants - WARSAW - Poland hopes to reduce its heavy reliance on coal, which produces harmful greenhouse gases,
by building a few nuclear power plants by 2030, Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Waldemar Pawlak said on
Thursday. (Reuters) Gordon
Brown’s Blethering Over Wind - Today, my old sparring partner, John Vidal of The Guardian/The Observer,
writes a good piece on the impossibilities of meeting Gordon Brown’s wind energy targets [‘UK wind farm plans
on brink of failure’, The Observer, October 19]. John does not go far enough, however. The whole project is
ill-thought out: (Global Warming Politics) US Solar Field Foresees Cost
Parity With Coal, Gas - SAN DIEGO - US producers of solar power will no longer need federal subsidies within
eight years because by then solar power will cost less than electricity generated by conventional power plants,
industry players said this week. (Reuters) New solar energy material captures every color of the
rainbow - Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it
absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture. Energy Tribune Speaks with Duncan MacLeod -
Since 2006, Duncan MacLeod has served as a global vice president in charge of Shell Hydrogen. MacLeod, with Shell
for over three decades, has held positions in Venezuela, the Caribbean, Nigeria, Japan, and the Netherlands. He is
a member of the Advisory Council for the E.U. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform, the California Hydrogen
Highway Network Advisory Panel, and the California Fuel Cell Partnership Steering Team. Duncan hails from
Scotland’s Western Islands and studied economics and geography at Birmingham University in England. He
corresponded with Robert Bryce in midAugust. (Energy Tribune) A costly truism
that’s not true— obesity has led to an epidemic of type 2 diabetes in young people - Do you ever wonder
how something that isn’t true becomes a truism — something everyone “knows” to be so? Maybe, just hearing
it repeated so often leads us to believe it, thinking “surely, someone has fact checked it by now” or “they
must know something I don’t.” Seeing it published in a peer-reviewed medical journal serves to add the
authority of degreed professionals to a truism, as it’s widely believed that experts fact check during the
editorial process. Even more important to the scientific process, though, is the peer review that happens after a
paper is published, when the entire scientific and medical community gives it close scrutiny. It would have
been such a simple fact check… - If you hope that food professionals are getting better quality information
about child obesity than the general public, the current issue of the trade publication, Food Navigator, will
unfortunately dispel that idea. The popular belief that kids are becoming “obese” because they eat
‘unhealthy’ food — as defined by calories, fat, salt and sugar — gulp down uncontrolled portions, and
don’t get enough exercise was sadly evident. So, too, were beliefs that the most costly chronic diseases — the
“Big Three:” heart disease, cancer and stroke — are caused by improper eating and can be prevented by eating
right. (Junkfood Science) Weight management
for preschoolers - Your heart wants to go out to young new parents. Everywhere they turn, they hear
frightening news suggesting that their children are headed for premature graves and being endangered by bad foods
and unhealthy lifestyles. This generation will be the first to have shorter life expectancies than their parents,
they’re told, and to save them, massive interventions and heightened diligence are urgently necessary. (Junkfood
Science) Study finds food for thought
- Experiments with young women drinking chocolate milkshakes have explained why some people become obese: the
"reward circuitry" in their brains gives them less satisfaction than normal when they eat and drink, so
they consume more to compensate. (Financial Times) E.P.A.
Toughens Standard on Lead Emissions; Change Is the First in 3 Decades - The Environmental Protection Agency on
Thursday set stringent new standards for airborne lead particles, following the recommendations of its science
advisers and cutting the maximum allowable concentrations to a tenth of the previous standard. It was the first
change in federal lead standards in three decades. The question is: "Why?" Pandering to scare-mongers: Canada
To Limit Bisphenol A In Baby Bottles - TORONTO - The Canadian government will move to limit sales of baby
bottles made with the chemical bisphenol A, a suspected carcinogen widely used for hardening and shatterproofing
plastic and lining food tins. (Reuters) Hello? Where were they? Better
Water, Sanitation Keys To Easing Poverty - UN - OSLO - Providing clean water and toilets in developing nations
is the quickest way to eradicate poverty and improve health worldwide, a study by the UN University said on
Sunday. Goldman Sachs Government -
As Goldman Sachs alumni play a key role in stewarding the nation’s economy, it’s worth recalling that the late
economist John Kenneth Galbraith blamed Goldman Sachs for helping to cause the Great Depression. In his book, The
Great Crash, 1929, Galbraith, a key figure in President John F. Kennedy’s administration, devoted an entire
chapter he titled “In Goldman, Sachs, We Trust,” to detailing the “large-scale corporate thimblerigging”
that Goldman and other Wall Street firms practiced in the 1920s. Bad news for Bonobo - It turns
out—shockingly, to some correct-thinking academics—that the bonobo ape is just as bloodthirsty as the rest of
the higher primates. Yes, it’s true. Lionfish devastate Florida's
native shoals - When Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, no one gave much thought to the six exotic lionfish
that spilt into Biscayne Bay as the storm smashed their Miami waterfront aquarium. Defenders
of Wildlife’s Partisan & Misleading Ads on Aerial Wolf Hunt - Follow up to Report Exposing Green Groups
as Democratic Party ‘Machines’ Suzuki worried failed Green Shift
may dissuade environment plans - TORONTO — It’s disconcerting that the Liberals’ disastrous showing at
the polls and whispered calls for Stephane Dion’s resignation may dissuade politicians from putting the
environment at the forefront of future election campaigns, renowned scientist and author David Suzuki said
Wednesday. He shouldn't be rude about Canadians -- I think they are smart enough that they'll never fall for such
nonsense again. Wal-Mart
environmentalism - Stock market indexes have plummeted from their inflated peaks. Oil and other commodities
have likewise plummeted. The next commodity to tumble from unsustainable peak levels: environmentalism. Deterioration in BoM rainfall data quality this decade -
While chasing updates for Perth Dam catchments rainfall data I have been hit by how common it is to find a marked
fall of in data quality this decade. I want to emphasize I have not searched for these cases, they just jumped out
in the normal course of checking data. Then I had a quick look at stations relevant to catchments east of
Melbourne incl the Thomson, very poor data there. October 16, 2008
Scientists Challenge UK Government Climate Committee to 'Drop
flawed science and the Climate Change millstone - Save the economy'. CO2 is the Gas Of Life ('GOL'), it is not
a problem Real
Politics Sink Carbon Claptrap - The Canadian voters have shown the door to the imposition of nonsensical
‘Green’ taxes and costs [‘Canadians re-elect Conservatives’, BBC Online Americas News, October 15]. With
nearly all the votes in, the sitting PM, Stephen Harper, and his Conservative Party have won 143 seats (37.6% of
the popular vote), an increase of 16 seats. The opposition Liberal Party, under Stephane Dion, has lost nearly 20
seats (26.2% of the popular vote). The Bloc Quebecois took 50 seats (10% of the popular vote). (Global Warming
Politics) Emission Trading Scheme - the next bubble in times of
financial crisis - This week, the German Minister for Environment, Sigmar Gabriel, was quoted saying the money
burnt at financial markets must not be taken away from CARITAS or climate protection. While at first sight
everyone might nod his head over this statement, it somehow reveals two interesting things. First, even
politicians from the environmental wing must finally admit: the so-called “climate protection measures” cost
money, in fact, a hell lot of money. EU Leaders Guard Economies in
Climate Battle - BRUSSELS - European Union leaders argued over plans to curb climate change on Wednesday, with
Italy and Poland calling for caution during the economic crisis and other nations arguing that new green
industries will spur growth. (Reuters) Poland Threatens Veto of EU
Climate Deal Deadline - BRUSSELS - Poland threatened on Wednesday to veto a December deadline for adopting
ambitious European Union legislation to fight climate change unless changes are made to shield the coal-based
Polish economy from the impact. (Reuters) Italy Business Warns EU on CO2,
Climate Goals - MILAN -European Union plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions could cause economic damage
because they are so costly, Italian industrial leaders said in comments published on Wednesday. (Reuters) What planet are these guys on? Voluntary
Carbon Offsetting Not Yet Crisis Victim - LONDON - Battling climate change is so important to the image of
many companies, and so cheap, that carbon offsetting is unlikely to be an early casualty of the financial crisis,
delegates at a London conference said. (Reuters) Target to cut carbon emissions may be increased as
Miliband insists climate change is priority - The new energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband
yesterday hinted he will today accept proposals from Lord Turner's climate change committee to increase Britain's
target to cut carbon emissions from 60% to 80% by 2050. The
Litmus Test For Nonsense - Oh dear! My Daily Newspaper Of Choice (DNOC), The Times, has allowed some
unmitigated climate claptrap to pollute the shades of its comment columns [‘A banking crisis mustn't take the
heat off climate change action’, The Times, October 16]. Wouldn't you think a museum would know better? NY
Museum's Climate Change Show Dives into Politics - NEW YORK - One of America's most renowned science museums
dives into politics again this week with a new exhibition on climate change that curators say is an effort to
separate fact from fear. Arctic
sea ice now 28.7% higher than this date last year - still rallying - 10/14/2008 7,064,219 square kilometers -
10/14/2007 5,487,656 square kilometers Some
Things We Know and Don't Know About Polar Bears - Introduction: Much of what you hear about polar bears these
days - their status, their plight - is distilled from a literature dominated by studies done within very limited
portions of the Arctic: those that are accessible to researchers. Logistical and technical difficulties prevent
scientists in all disciplines from traveling to, and working within, the ever-changing sea ice that exists well
offshore. As a consequence, the picture that gets painted of polar bear existence sounds more completely
understood than it really is. Due to the nature of the beast and the habitat in which it lives, there is in
reality a profound uncertainty regarding polar bear population status, some of its life history features and
conditions of its habitat, and the status of its primary prey, the ringed seal. However, it is clear from their
long-term success surviving within this habitat that the tight association polar bears and arctic seals have with
moving sea ice gives them tremendous flexibility and adaptability to changing climatic conditions. Absurd claim #... Global warming threatens
Australia's iconic kangaroos - As concerns about the effects of global warming continue to mount, a new study
published in the December issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology finds that an increase in average
temperature of only two degrees Celsius could have a devastating effect on populations of Australia's iconic
kangaroos. (University of Chicago) The blasted long-legged rats are endemic from New Guinea to Tasmania, from Australia's well-watered east
coast to the arid west. Their range has been extended and their numbers boosted beyond all recognition through
the provision of watering points for livestock and high-value feed in the form of improved pastures and cereal
crops. While some small varieties are suffering due to predation from feral cats and foxes this has absolutely
nothing to do with climate. Moreover, the perpetually-pregnant pests are evolutionarily perfectly suited to the
wildly erratic climate of ENSO-driven Australia, making it highly unlikely a couple of degree shift in
temperatures would have the slightest effect on 'roo populations whatsoever. Have these clots ever even seen a
kangaroo? Daily
Earth Temperatures from Satellites - A Valuable Climate Monitoring Website From Roy Spencer At The University of
Alabama at Huntsville - Roy Spencer has provided to all of us an extremely valuable website to monitor
tropospheric temperature variations and trends using AMSU-A
satellite data. The website is the Daily Earth Temperatures from Satellites.
The website writes that “Daily averaged temperatures of the Earth are measured by the AMSU flying on the NOAA-15 satellite. The
satellite passes over most points on the Earth twice per day, at about 7:30 am and 7:30 pm local time. The AMSU
measures the average temperature of the atmosphere in different layers from the surface up to about 135,000 feet
or 41 kilometers. During global warming, the atmosphere near the surface is supposed to warm at least as fast as
the surface warms, while the upper layers are supposed to cool much faster than the surface warms.” This very user friendly website permits the assessment, for example, of the current global average anomaly
at 600 hPa relative to last year’s value (e.g. see
for this example). In this example, the global average at this height is 0.33F cooler than last year. It is
about 0.15F warmer than the long term average. The data goes back to 1998, such that we can assess 10 years of tropospheric temperature changes with these
important satellite measurements. If the troposphere is warming, as claimed by the IPCC and CCSP reports, this data provides an ideal data set
to test those claims. (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) Famous Hockey Sticks in
History - I do love hockey, it is by far my favorite sport. Probably half of my Canadian readers will stop
reading when I say that I am a huge Red Wings fan. Will the Real
Hockey Stick Please Stand Up? (Jeff Id, The Air Vent) Id Goes
Mythbuster on Hockey Sticks- CPS (Jeff Id, The Air Vent) Simple
Statistical Evidence Why Hockey Stick Temp Graphs are Bent!! (Jeff Id, The Air Vent) Our minister for climate change... Climate
action a moral crusade - Wong - AUSTRALIA has a "moral" duty to tackle climate change and won't
delay action because of the world economic meltdown, the Federal Government says. Putting My Money Where Chevron's Mouth Is - Chevron has
plastered a series of posters all over the Washington, D.C. metro system as part of an advertising campaign
titled, “will-you-join-us?” Join Chevron how? By becoming an employee and helping Chevron produce the
petroleum products consumers need? Nope. By buying Chevron stock and becoming a shareholder? No again. By joining
the fight against anti-consumer policies like oil drilling bans and carbon cap-and-trade schemes? Not a chance. (Marlo
Lewis, Cooler Heads) Research points to methods for recovering petroleum -
Miles below us, deep within Earth's crust, life is astir. Organisms there are not the large creatures typically
envisioned when thinking of life. Instead, thriving there are microbes, the smallest and oldest form of life on
Earth. Although the biological diversity of these deep biosphere microorganisms may surpass that of the more
familiar surface biosphere, much about them is still unknown, including the origin of the organic compounds they
consume. Arizona State University researchers are using a novel approach that integrates physical organic
chemistry with organic geochemistry and biogeochemistry to uncover the source of these organic compounds. (Arizona
State University) Blackouts Imminent? - The U. S. faces the prospect of
demand-driven blackouts as soon as 2009, according to a report issued last week by the NextGen Energy Council. The
study, “Lights Out in 2009?,” says that U.S. base-load generation capacity reserve margins "have declined
precipitously to 17 percent in 2007, from 30-40 percent in the early 1990s." A 12-15 percent capacity reserve
margin is the minimum required to ensure reliability and stability of the nation’s electricity system.
Compounding this capacity deficiency, the projected U.S. demand in the next ten years is forecast to grow by 18
percent, far exceeding the projected eight percent growth in baseload generation capacity between now and 2016.
(William Yeatman, Cooler Heads) Energy Technology Advancements: Any Miracles in the
Pipeline? - It has taken only about a century and a half to create our current fossilenergized society, one in
which oil has become the most widely traded world commodity. Oil and natural gas provide about 63 percent of all
U.S. energy, approximately 61.5 quadrillion Btus a year. People-hating Bob Carr is still around -- who knew? Former
premier attacks 'filthy' coal - COAL-fired power plants are "filthy" and the world's reliance on
coal must end, former New South Wales premier Bob Carr said today. Coal underpins the Australian economy and
provides 13,000 jobs in Mr Carr's home state, but that didn't stop his tirade today. (The Australian) The poor gibbering nitwit is an acolyte of David Suzuki. Europe's
carmakers face massive hit from over-the-top CO2 rules - As car sales crater and manufacturers cut output, lay
off workers and slash prices to try and retain some semblance of viability, the European Union plans to saddle the
industry with huge cost increases because it wants to change the climate. EU Car Nations Close to Agreeing
Slower CO2 Curbs - BRUSSELS - Italy is close to backing a French plan to phase in European Union curbs on
greenhouse gas emissions from cars by 2015, leading to a united front among car-making nations, sources in the
talks said on Wednesday. (Reuters) Wind Energy:
Unreliable, Heavily Subsidized - A writer for the Omaha World Herald paper recently wrote an
article on wind energy activities in the Midwest. It was notable in its promotions of the wind energy
spokesmen, as well as a lack of cost and performance details. I wrote the following comments in response to her in
the hopes that her readers would gain a better understanding of the problems inherent in all such windmill
projects. Norway's REC Says Solar Not Immune
to Crisis - LOS ANGELES - Renewable Energy Corp's business is holding up for now, but it "would be
naive" to think that the fast-growing solar industry will not be affected by the global financial crisis, its
chief operating officer said on Wednesday. (Reuters) Now an epidemic of
hypertension? - Today’s news has been reporting that rates of hypertension among Americans are soaring,
according to a new study, and that the dramatic increases are due mainly to obesity. Simultaneously, this new
study is being used as evidence of a need to make prevention and control of obesity, called a “stroke-causing
condition,” a major national focus. Looking closer at the study, however, reveals that the evidence is unable to
support such dire concerns. You may actually find its results reassuring. So, let’s turn the panic dial down a
notch and take a look. (Junkfood Science) Breast cancer
screening — deciding what's best for you - It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and everywhere we turn there
are pink ribbons, as well as news stories reporting as much (or more) misinformation as helpful. Based on
sometimes alarming media portrayals, breast cancer is afflicting growing numbers of women. Few women will make it
to Halloween without feeling anxious and worried that they’ll be next. How to not tell people what's useful about your research: Diatom
genome helps explain success in trapping excess carbon in oceans - Diatoms, mighty microscopic algae, have
profound influence on climate, producing 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe by capturing atmospheric carbon and
in so doing, countering the greenhouse effect. Since their evolutionary origins these photosynthetic wonders have
come to acquire advantageous genes from bacterial, animal and plant ancestors enabling them to thrive in today's
oceans. These findings, based on the analysis of the latest sequenced diatom genome, Phaeodactylum tricornutum,
are published in 15 October edition of the journal Nature by an international team of researchers led by the U.S.
Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris. (Joint Genome
Institute) What the heck is "excess carbon"? Hmm... Green
Christmas more likely than a white Christmas - Christmas will be green, rather than white this year as changes
in the climate mean that leaves are staying on the trees right into the winter. In the 1940s traditional English
trees used to shed their leaves in early November. But now they are keeping their greenery well into December.
(Daily Telegraph) October 15, 2008 Dr. Richard Keen’s “Global
Warming Quiz” - Dr. Richard Keen of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) at the
University of Colorado has a very interesting set of questions that he has posted with respect to global warming.
It can be viewed here. I missed this a couple of weeks ago: Global-warming
- myth, threat or opportunity? - The most critical problem we face is not global warming, or how to make fuel
more expensive so we will use less, but providing enough at affordable prices to keep our economy going until
alternatives can become reality, writes scientist Dr Walter Starck. The Lucky Country has the choice between
disaster and a unique opportunity. (News Weekly) Some people missed the Columbus Day edition so we repeat this here: Really? Scientists
resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science -- A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the
differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics. But Benny, this dataset is brand new and it tells us tropical lower-troposphere warming is, well, what
warming? That is the region where we are supposed to be looking, isn't it? No, wait! It's supposed to be the tropical mid-troposphere! That's where we are assured the "human
signature" of accelerated warming is sure to be observed. The tropical mid-troposphere hotspot... Uh-oh... They can try to fudge all they like but the bottom line is that the tropical tropospheric "hot
spot" does not exist. The world might have warmed as alleged over the last 3 decades but the "human
signature" is missing. Global warming debate heats up -
NASA scientists duel over interpretation of data Bad weather was good for Alaska glaciers -
Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came the winter and summer of 2007-2008. Where they say "unusually" that is true for the last few decades but not in the longer term. Goes
on to mention a lot of things warmers would rather you weren't reminded of in a generally well-balanced article. Multidecadal Ocean Cycles and Greenland and
the Arctic (Joe D'Aleo, Intellicast) Don’t
Panic - The Arctic has survived warmer temperatures in the past - Since we are in the season of comparing
charts, graphs and interpretations of the summer Arctic ice melt, it may be useful to pause and consider the
history of Arctic temperatures in the Holocene. There is an abundance of data compiled by hardworking field
researchers over the years. Before everybody got so excited about global warming, it was understood that the
Arctic was considerably warmer in earlier parts of the Holocene than in the present. The evidence for these warmer
periods seems to have been forgotten in an age when satellite data causes us to fixate on the last thirty years.
(Climate Sanity) Politics, money
blur climate change picture - Achieving meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases that cause global warming
could result in higher taxes and electric bills while also driving up costs for everything from food to
electronics. U.N.: crisis
can't kill climate change action - WARSAW, Poland – Environment ministers from key players in the climate
change debate agreed Tuesday that the world financial crisis must not halt efforts to combat global warming.
(Associated Press) So says a bunch of Tinkerbells without real portfolios... EU climate pact in
crisis ahead of summit - French attempts to craft a global warming pact to make the EU a world leader in
tackling climate change are gridlocked, with governments unable to agree on how to share the pain and costs of
slashing greenhouse gases by 20% within 12 years. Take the greenhouse gasbags
with a grain of salt - HAVE you noticed how environmental campaigners almost inevitably say that not only is
global warming happening and bad, but also that what we are seeing is even worse than expected? The Week in D. C. - Representatives John Dingell (D-Mich.)
and Rick Boucher (D-Va.) this week released a 461-page draft bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their
cap-and-trade proposal is full of detailed plans for distributing and auctioning the rationing coupons. The most
obvious difference between it and most of the other cap-and-trade bills that have been introduced in this Congress
is that the targets start out easy before reaching roughly the same level by 2050. The Dingell-Boucher draft would
start reducing emissions in 2012 to reach a target of six percent below 2005 levels by 2020, then 44% below by
2030 and 80% below by 2050. Huge fight looms in EU over climate change -
BRUSSELS: Relief over the success of Europe's intervention in the banking crisis will give way Wednesday to
discord over climate change, with nations battling over whether a looming recession makes European Union
carbon-reduction targets unaffordable. (Stephen Castle and James Kanter, IHT) New Zealand Emissions Scheme Faces
Bumpy Ride - SINGAPORE - New Zealand's emissions scheme faces a turbulent road before it starts in 2009,
bedevilled by hundreds of last-minute amendments, fierce criticism from industry and a national election within
less than a month. (Reuters) But were the trees replaced? Climate
report won't harm environment - THE 680-page final report on the impact of Australia of climate change will be
published tomorrow - after its publishers paid for carbon credits to make up for the environmental damage caused
by printing it in the first place. Was the fiber sourced only from trees that had died a natural death and passed quietly in their sleep? What
about the forest nutrients lost in the form of these trees removal from the forest? Wouldn't bugs and critters
have made use of these expired providers of fiber? I think they should be very embarrassed publishing this
assault on Gaia... No significant global
warming since 1995 - The recovery of the earth's climate from the little ice age started about 200 years ago,
but the concentration of the atmospheric carbon dioxide started to increase significantly as late as in the 1950s,
probably due to rapidly increased burning of fossil fuels. Global Warming – Man-made
or Natural? - Abstract: One of the most interesting global questions today is whether the climate is changing
and, if it really is, whether the reasons are man-made (anthropogenic) or natural - or maybe even both. The United
Nations appointed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has on several occasions warned that the
climate is rapidly warming and that the reason for this is mostly the increased amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in
the atmosphere. This is an example of an "anthropogenic" effect. Former US Vice President Al Gore is
known for advocating his "inconvenient truth" about the changing climate and forthcoming catastrophes
and that the "science is settled". But the question still remains: is this so called greenhouse effect
by the CO2 gas really of importance? How big is the effect on global warming? What other factors (or
"forcings") are involved? Can we trust the IPCC and Al Gore? IPCC talks about a "science
consensus" that the CO2 is to blame. But is this really true? Some say "No". There is an
increasing group of "climate sceptics" comprising various professionals, non-professionals, scientists,
economists, etc., who ask questions and do not accept that scientific issues can be solved by a consensus vote.
(Kenneth Rundt, Facts and Arts) | Download
full paper. From CO2 Science this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Low-Flow Characteristics of Northern Eurasian Rivers:
How have they varied over the last few decades? The Future of Earth's Terrestrial Birds: What do
projected climate and land-use trends suggest about the subject? North American Birds in a Warming World: How did
they adjust their northern and southern range boundaries over the last three decades of the 20th century? Species Richness in a Central European Bird Community:
How did it vary in response to the warming of the last two decades of the 20th century? (co2science.org) People giving more honest responses? Green
drive shows signs of flagging - As a certain Muppet once lamented, it's not easy being green. Seeing the wood
- Consider two propositions. First, avoiding climate catastrophe could require cuts in carbon emissions of as much
as 80%. Second, deforestation accounts for 17% of the total. The upshot is obvious. Unless we somehow safeguard
the forests, the carbon savings needed elsewhere could entail virtually shutting down the fossil fuel economy.
Yesterday a government-commissioned review by the businessman Johan Eliasch spelled out this steely logic. It made
an overpowering financial case for investing in the world's arboreal lungs. (The Guardian) Forest plan may 'fuel corruption' - The UK
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has launched a plan to save the world's threatened rainforests - but already it is
running into opposition. The review by Swedish businessman Johan Eliasch proposes paying poor nations not to cut
down their trees. The money would come from carbon trading schemes in rich countries where firms have to buy
permits to pollute. However, some development groups have deep reservations about the plan, believing it could
fuel corruption. (Roger Harrabin, BBC News) Black
widows set to establish colonies in Britain as climate changes, experts warn - Black widow spiders
accidentally brought to Britain in consignments of fruit could soon establish colonies as the climate becomes
milder, warns experts. (Daily Telegraph) Democrat Leader: Restoring Offshore
Drilling Ban a ‘Top Priority’ for Next Year - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com
on Wednesday that restoring the ban on new offshore oil drilling leases “will be a top priority for discussion
next year” if the Democrats retain control of Congress. Palin Thwarts The Gas Cartel -
Iran resurrected its idea of a "gas cartel" to control gas markets like oil. But even if it succeeds,
the U.S. won't be vulnerable. If you wonder why, look to the governor of Alaska. Avoiding A Blackout - The hot
months of 2009 might be known as the Summer of Brownouts. And it will be considered a good year, because, unless
hundreds of billions are invested in the U.S. power system, the brownouts will turn black. Big Brother wants YOU! Study
on 'mileage tax' seeks volunteers - Gas tax becoming obsolete as driving falls off and auto efficiency
improves. Build UK Wind Farms Near Land to
Cut Costs - Study - LONDON - Britain will fall woefully short of its own renewable energy targets unless the
government allows wind farms to be built closer to shore, the Carbon Trust said in a report on Tuesday. (Reuters) Silly name really. Do you trust any of these carbon cranks? I surely don't. Formula
One's Green Grovel - NASCAR may have conquered the U.S.A., but U.K.-based Formula One is still the world’s
motorsports king. And like all auto-related endeavors these days — particularly those based in righteously green
Europe — the sport is under intense pressure from environmentalists to repent for its sins. (Henry Payne, Planet
Gore) Challenging the Bio-fuel-Hunger Paradigm - NEW
DELHI, Oct 14 - Participants at The Third India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Business Forum 2008 came together here
to debunk the belief that development of bio-fuels would invariably exacerbate global hunger. Conventional wisdom
has it that increased production of bio-fuel -- particularly ethanol -- will invariably result in decreasing
acreage for food grain production, rising food prices and a surge in hunger and malnutrition. Participants at the
Forum -- held in New Delhi during the lead-up to the third IBSA Summit -- declared that this was not necessarily
true. When potions can cost
lives - Victims of AIDS in Africa endure tremendous suffering, compounded by poverty, starvation and limited
access to medical care. They have also been victimized by remedies that offer false hope while turning them away
from medical care that could extend their lives. Non-melanoma skin cancers
on the rise - A NEW government report has found that 434,000 Australians will be diagnosed with non-melanoma
skin cancer this year, a finding that is unacceptable, one academic said. Hmm... mandatory reporting is an action of dubious efficacy -- there's no indication anyone is at risk of
catching anyone else's non-melanoma skin cancer. Watching
the Numbers and Charting the Losses — of Species - Like everyone, I have been reading the graphs and looking
at the numbers that measure the convulsions in the global financial markets. And as I do, I keep hearing the echo
of another frightening set of numbers — the ones that gauge the precipitous declines in the species that
surround us. The financial markets will eventually come back, but not the species we are squandering. (New York
Times) U-huh... can you name any? Thought not. Fact is most species losses with an anthropogenic component occurred
in the days of sail, usually from cats and rodents inadvertently transported to islands. Current "massive
losses" occur only in the fevered imaginations of misanthropes and poorly programmed computer models. Endangered
Species Reforms Will Help The West, Business Leaders Say - Lakewood, CO (Oct. 14, 2008) -- The Western
Business Roundtable today lauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service for
proposing reforms to the highly troubled Endangered Species Act (ESA). Scientist finds coastal dead zones may benefit some species
- Coastal dead zones, an increasing concern to ecologists, the fishing industry and the public, may not be as
devoid of life after all. A Brown scientist has found that dead zones do indeed support marine life, and that at
least one commercially valuable clam actually benefits from oxygen-depleted waters. Did termites help Katrina destroy New Orleans floodwalls?
- Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, people still speculate over causes of the
destruction of the city's floodwall system. A new article in the fall issue of American Entomologist (Vol. 54, No.
3) suggests that Formosan subterranean termites played a large role. (Entomological Society of America) October 14, 2008 Fiscal crisis prevents legislators committing economicide? Fiscal
woes could delay climate change efforts - The financial crisis and a deepening economic downturn are
threatening to delay efforts to deal with another pressing global crisis: climate change. That's a silver lining, I guess. What
warming? Climate change slips among global priorities - Feature - Washington - You might call it the fourth
crisis. While collapsing financial institutions plunge wealthy nations into recession and developing countries
grapple with surging food and energy costs, the once urgent need to fight global warming seems to have taken a
back seat. Shouldn't be on the agenda at all. Climate Talks
Push Ahead in Poland Amid Credit Crunch -- Environment ministers from 40 nations met today in Warsaw to lay
the groundwork for new climate-change regulations that may raise costs for polluting industries such as power
generation and transportation. Financial crisis clouds EU's climate
change plans - BRUSSELS — The financial crisis and slumping economic activity are threatening Europe's
ambitious plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions, with governments eager to avoid saddling companies with
additional burdens. German plea to halt costly laws
- Representatives of German business have called for a moratorium on any European Union legislation that would
impose higher costs on companies at a time when they are grappling with the fallout from the financial crisis. EU climate package to
cost UK £9bn pa - We estimate that the cost of the package as a whole will be more than 73 billion euro per
year by 2020 for the EU 25, and £9bn per year for the UK. (Open Europe) Admitting gorebull warming is all about theft? Analysis:
Money woes ignite CO2 debate - Energy reform must be implemented if the United States is to escape the
burgeoning financial crisis, experts say, but how to do it, and whether the public will stand for it, remains
uncertain. "You can't pick an empty pocket..." So what's changed? These cranks have always been after
your money. Survey on Kyoto 'a waste of
time' say half of Australians - ALMOST half of Australians believe the signing of the Kyoto Protocol - a
cornerstone of Kevin Rudd’s election campaign - was a waste of time. Actually the survey was
unanswerable -- it simply assumed agreement that gorebull warming is real and a pressing problem and was
associated with this. Inadvertent release? Old
Course 'may crumble into sea' - An environmental expert in St Andrews has warned the year 2050 could see the
town's famous golf course, the Old Course, crumble into the North Sea. Come on guys. This was prepared for April 1, right? That's the trouble with advance preps, sometimes they
escape into the wild when they are published rather than saved. Pollution May Hit Himalayan
Monsoon Clouds - Study - OSLO - Higher levels of pollution in Asia may affect the formation of clouds high in
the Himalayas, perhaps disrupting monsoons and speeding a thaw of glaciers, according to a study on Monday.
(Reuters) Selective misinformation: Longest,
hottest drought on record, says Bureau of Meteorology - THE long drought affecting southern Australia is
officially the worst on record. Here's the Bureau's own annual
rainfall time series (precipitation has been pretty ordinary really): This is their anomaly time series wrt 1961-90: While some portion of Australia is always in drought this has always been the case. As can be clearly seen
from their anomaly series Australia has not been abnormally dry. The moonbat went for it: This
stock collapse is petty when compared to the nature crunch - The financial crisis at least affords us an
opportunity to now rethink our catastrophic ecological trajectory (George Monbiot, The Guardian) George, the vast majority of this alleged "benefit" is of the wrong sign -- carbon sequestration is
not a service, it's a massive cost as otherwise useless scrub sucks down the essential resource gifted to the
world's crops as a byproduct of human activity -- marvelous life-supporting carbon dioxide. We don't really mind
that wildlands and critter habitat benefits from it too, we're just not about to consider such parasitism any
form of benefit. And from just that catastrophic analysis error this 'study' ended up with the wrong arithmetic
sign -- should have read undeveloped regions cost buckets and are a huge drain on global finances, not some
magical hidden wealth producer. Surely even you could have figured that out Georgie-boy, no? Just gets worse: Global
fund 'could pay owners to keep rainforests safe' - A revolutionary multibillion-pound fund should be set up to
pay the owners of the world's rainforests not to cut them down, a report to the prime minister will say today. The
report by special adviser John Eliasch says the scheme would be a comparatively cheap way to reduce climate change
emissions and would also inject vital funds into developing countries to help alleviate poverty. (John Vidal and
Juliette Jowit, The Guardian) The misanthropes are having fun -- kill your standard of living with punitive energy taxes and use some of
the proceeds to con undeveloped regions out of developing. Every watermelon's dream come true. HWGA: From
energy efficiency to war: thinktank sees 2030 climate future - The challenge posed by climate change could be
resolved by a peaceful switch to a low-carbon economy, or alternatively inflict stresses that could include war
and desertification of swathes of the US and Australia, a thinktank said on Monday. The "carbon economy" has little if any bearing on global temperature but huge bearing on people's
well-being. Regardless of whether 2030 is warmer or cooler (and there's an equal chance of either) the greatest
danger is posed by zealots causing economicide. Climate change
study predicts refugees fleeing into Antarctica - Climate change will force refugees to move to Antarctica by
2030, researchers have predicted. Among future scenarios are the Olympics being held in cyberspace and central
Australia being abandoned, according to the think tank report. (Daily Telegraph) More wild-eyed guesses from the virtual world: Warming
likely to affect Great Lakes shipping - Global warming could devastate the Great Lakes region's shipping
industry by lowering water levels, as predicted under the current regime of climate-change scenarios. These guesses are founded on claims of extraordinary climate sensitivity to increase in the essential trace
gas carbon dioxide. These claims cannot be
empirically supported. Climate change called
certain and most predictions are bad - Second of three parts This again? Why don't they look up a distribution
map for Aesculus glabra (Ohio buckeye) and see that it is endemic south through Tennessee and
south-west through Texas almost to the Mexican border. In fact Ohio is pretty near the limit of the tree's
northern range. They have boom and bust cycles like the rest of Australian fauna? Warmer
water devastates Great Barrier Reef's seabirds - GLOBAL warming has been blamed for dramatic declines in
seabird populations on the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding waters. Now who would have thought critters that live and breed in the ENSO boom/bust region of Australasia undergo
similar boom/bust cycles in their populations? Despite these critters managing to survive thousands of these
cycles they are now endangered by purely hypothetical anthropogenic changes extant only in the virtual worlds of
computer models. Our bad... Pop-sci rag SciAm gives Holdren more ink: The
Future of Climate Change Policy: The U.S.'s Last Chance to Lead - The ongoing disruption of the earth’s
climate by man-made greenhouse gases is already well beyond dangerous and is careening toward completely
unmanageable. Under midrange projections for economic growth and technological change, the planet’s average
surface temperature in 2050 will be about two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than its
preindustrial value. The last time the earth was that warm was 130,000 years ago, and sea level was four to six
meters higher than today. No one knows how long it will take sea level to “catch up” with such an increase; it
could be several centuries, or it could be less. (John P. Holdren, SciAm) Absurd statement of the moment: "The ongoing disruption of the earth’s climate by man-made
greenhouse gases is already well beyond dangerous and is careening toward completely unmanageable."
Climate is continuous and most assuredly hasn't been "disrupted" -- it is still changing as always.
Moreover, it is not approaching or "careening toward" being completely unmanageable -- that is how it
has always been. The planet might warm or it might cool. The only thing Holdren got right was the "no one
knows" bit. Climate change
targets could end farming as we know it - NFU - New targets to cut the UK's greenhouse emissions by at least
80 per cent will cripple agriculture in the UK, according to farmers. Fuel costs could force
winter shutdowns for UK factories - Britain warned last night that high energy prices could lead to factory
closedowns in late autumn and winter. Venezuela's
oil output slumps under Hugo Chavez - Venezuela's daily oil production has fallen by a quarter since President
Hugo Chavez won power, depriving his "Bolivarian Revolution" of much of the benefit of the global boom
in oil prices. (Daily Telegraph) Liquefied Gas Floating Higher in the Water -
Floating liquefied natural gas FLNG facilities are coming of age. In June, Flex LNG, based in the Virgin Islands,
announced an agreement with Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. and Nigeria’s Peak Petroleum to develop and market the
world’s first floating liquefaction project offshore Nigeria. A few days later, Flex LNG announced another
agreement with Britain’s Rift Oil for an FLNG project offshore Papua New Guinea. Pediatricians double vitamin
D recommendations - CHICAGO - The American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for a daily
dose of vitamin D in children in the hopes of preventing rickets and reaping other health benefits, the group said
on Monday. Supplementation is a good idea -- if you aren't getting enough sun exposure... Lack of vitamin D linked to Parkinson's disease - A
majority of Parkinson's disease patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D in a new study from Emory University
School of Medicine. (Emory University) The
Scan That Didn’t Scan - This is a story about M.R.I.’s, those amazing scans that can show tissue injury
and bone damage, inflammation and fluid accumulation. Except when they can’t and you think they can. China also
suffers from indoor air pollution - Because of stoves and smoking, the air inside lower-class homes is up to
10 times worse than the gloom outside, researchers say. (John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times) Social engineers at work: Green Strategies
Spur Rebirth of America Cities - U.S. cities have been using green planning to spark economic development,
helping create a real urban renaissance in America. With a new administration soon to arrive in Washington, these
same approaches may finally start being used on a national scale. (Keith Schneider, Yale Environment 360) A waste of time - We need a
proper cost analysis of the time we are now required to spend recycling, compared with its benefits: is it worth
it? (Tim Worstall, The Guardian) Weather Eye: artificial fertilisers
are an important invention of the 20th century - What was the most important invention of the 20th century?
Electronic computers, television, penicillin or a process for turning air into nitrogen fertiliser? Today is the
100th anniversary of a patent for making cheap, artificial fertilisers, without which probably half of the
world’s population would not be able to exist today. (Paul Simons, The Times) Tropical
Wastelands To Croplands With Biotech - CHURCHVILLE, VA—Imagine Africa feeding itself comfortably, instead of
being overwhelmed by its own expanding population. Imagine millions of tropical consumers being fed without
clearing more forests, thus protecting the wildlife in the very regions where most of the species of the world
live and are critically threatened by population pressure. Suddenly, high-yield conservation for the tropics may
not be a pipedream. (Dennis T. Avery And Alex A. Avery, CGFI) Cloned animals
shouldn't be used for food, survey for EU says - The majority of Europeans believe cloned animals should not
be used for food, according to a new survey. October 13, 2008
:) Meteorologists
Predict Worst Autumn on Record (Watts Up With That?) :) Consensus
Watch - An ongoing series dedicated to vigorously monitoring emerging threats to The Consensus that global
warming is real, caused by humans, and must be addressed immediately if we are to forestall cataclysm. After all,
without consensus, scientific conclusions would remain vulnerable to new data and alternative hypotheses that
better fit recorded observations! (Planet Moron) Wealthy imagination: Deforestation
Costs More than Financial Crisis - It is a steep bill. Our shrinking forests cost us up to $5 trillion a year
-- far more than the current banking crisis. Environmentalists hope the sobering calculation, made by a European
Union commissioned team, will focus political will on funding conservation. Did anyone every have this "money"? Of course not, it's the airiest form of make believe. How does
anyone realize any of this value (remember there are locals who actually require real spending money for health
services and other such trivial niceties)? Simple -- develop or die early following a short brutish life. We
know what well-healed misanthropic enviros would prefer these people do (another of the reasons we are agin 'em). Nope: Leading
article: The green lining to this chaos - There are two responses to the financial crisis that are wrong. One
is to say that we can forget all that goody-goody guff about the environment now that people are worrying about
how to pay next week's bills. The other is to say that our culture of consumption has been exposed as
unsustainable and that we must abandon capitalism for a life that is closer to nature. Today we outline a middle
way. (The Independent) What's wrong is the assumption contemporary "environmentalism" is a legitimate perspective, which
is false. What passes for "environmentalism" has degenerated to pure misanthropy and must never be
entertained. Britain's worst misanthropists, as chosen by The Sindy: The
IoS Green List: Britain's top 100 environmentalists - Britain's most successful transport campaigner has come
top of the first comprehensive list of the country's most effective greens, compiled by The Independent on Sunday. And The
climate change unbelievers - Global warming is happening and we're to blame, right? That's certainly the view
of almost every expert in the field. But a die-hard band of naysayers continues to rail against the consensus. Are
they completely mad? Judge for yourself... (Independent on Sunday) Actually "unbelievers" is reasonably accurate given that gorebull warming is strictly faith-based,
being completely devoid of evidentiary support. As everyone can see for themselves below, the much modeled and
alluded to tropical mid-troposphere "hot spot" hasn't managed one-tenth of one degree warming over
three decades (0.03 °C/decade), just half that of the tropical lower-troposphere (which greenhouse theory
insists it must greatly exceed) with its 0.06 °C/decade. And what warming there is in the tropical
atmospheric record depends entirely on the El Niño of 1997/98 and a curious little wiggle in the time series
2002-2006, now chilled out by a La Niña event. This is nowhere near the "expected" warming pattern
from enhanced greenhouse effect. You'll find the time series plots below a hopeful claim by Ben Santer that they've "resolved" the
tropical warming discrepancy. Oh puh-lease! If those time series indicate accelerated warming beyond the
tropical surface then we need to think about protecting the Amazon jungle from frost damage. Gore and the corruption of Faith: Gore
Gathers Religious Leaders For Aid - Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore says he gathered more than 130 pastors
and other religious figures in Nashville to enlist them in his global warming fight. Oh brother... 'Carbon heroes' (TrueCarbon.org) Is Global Warming
Starving Science? - This article concerning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry caught my attention this morning: Following
Europe's Lead on Climate Change - Environmentalists, journalists and politicians say tough climate legislation
is a moral imperative. Global warming science is settled, the United States is out of step with other nations,
America must follow Europe’s lead to prevent climate chaos. Turnbull delivers searing attack on
Howard - FEDERAL Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a searing attack on John Howard accusing him
of losing Queensland votes with his hardline stance on climate change. Uh, no Malcolm, they failed to neutralize the nonsense by telling people the facts (too afraid of the
watermelons' lies and hysteria over gorebull warming) but they lost Queensland purely because the
fast-developing state has sucked up vast numbers of blue collar workers -- union men... Labor voters. To win
required brutal honesty -- Kyoto and successors will eat your jobs -- not a cheap political lie in
ratifying symbolic stupidity. Turnbull is a fool. Hopefully he is only keeping the position warm for a year or
thereabouts until Peter Costello decides to save the country. Setting the Right Priorities Means to Forget
the Global Warming - I would like to express my thanks for the invitation to participate in this important
gathering. Inhofe
Honored For Protecting U.S. Taxpayers from Devastating Climate Tax - Americans for Prosperity Foundation
Honors Inhofe with Prestigious ‘Washington Award’ The
folly, and lesson, of B.C.’s carbon tax - The unpopularity of British Columbia’s carbon tax has helped
boost the opposition NDP above the ruling Liberals in the polls for the first time in years. With B.C.’s May
12th fixed-election date quickly approaching, the premier hit the panic button. The result is a confusing mix of
policies and propaganda. If the premier were smart, he’d cut his losses and get rid of the carbon tax
altogether. (Maureen Bader, Financial Post) No margin for hot air traders? Fixed
Price Seen a Threat to Australia CO2 Scheme - SINGAPORE - Setting a fixed price for carbon during the initial
phase of Australia's emissions trading scheme will stunt the fledgling market, the head of the country's only
carbon exchange warned on Friday. Sachs Tax? Carbon Tax Seen
as Best Way to Slow Global Warming - NEW YORK - Climate taxes, not cap and trade markets alone, will lead to
the vast technological changes the world's energy system needs to fight global warming, a top US economist said on
Thursday. (Reuters) Oh... The Climate
Has Changed - The climate has changed. There can now be no doubt. Change is happening and it is definitely
man-made: the changed financial climate is a plausible pretext for any nation that wishes to renege on its
environmental promises. (The Times) Michael
Mann’s Lecture at URI and the “blogger who must not be named” - People send me stuff, and for that I’m
always grateful, and happy to oblige posting relevant comments and content for the wide distribution WUWT now
enjoys. Gary Boden writes: (Watts Up With That?) New
Research Paper “Interaction of Impacts of Doubling CO2 and Changing Regional Land-Cover on Evaporation,
Precipitation, and Runoff at Global and Regional Scales” by Li and Mölders 2008 - There is a new paper that
examines, using a modeling sensitivity study, the relative roles of added CO2 and landscape change. The paper is
Li, Z., and N. Mölders, 2008: Interaction of impacts of doubling CO2 and changing regional land-cover on
evaporation, precipitation, and runoff at global and regional scales. Int. J. Climatol. 28: 1653-1679 (Roger
Pielke Sr., Climate Science) Baird, Hooley
deny congressional junket charge - Reps. Brian Baird, D-Washington, and Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., are about to
get raked over the coals by the TV show, Inside Edition, for a congressional trip they took to the Galapagos
Islands in June. A long weekend trip to the Galapagos to study climate change? Oh puh-lease! By definition "climate
change study tours" to exotic locations are junkets for the simple reason they tell you exactly nothing
about the climate. Global warming grips
Greenland, leaves lasting mark - Island residents adapt to new realities First of four parts (Toledo
Blade) Curious they should headline warming as "leaving a lasting mark" when one of their key quotes is
"Ove Rosbach, who has fished the Arctic for decades, blamed the decline on warmer ocean currents flowing
to the north. He said a similar phenomenon occurred in the 1950s." Wasn't that lasting then, was it. Might have been better received without the propaganda: NASA
Maps Shed Light on Carbon Dioxide's Global Nature -- A NASA/university team has published the first global
satellite maps of the key greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in Earth's mid-troposphere, an area about 8 kilometers, or
5 miles, above Earth. The team's study reveals new information on how carbon dioxide, which directly contributes
to climate change, is distributed in Earth's atmosphere and moves around our world. (PhysOrg.com) While it is technically true that carbon dioxide "directly contributes to climate change" it does
so but trivially (doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide could potentially add a degree over the next century --
provided it is not suppressed or eliminated by negative feedbacks). The only really worrying climate change on
the horizon is a potential cooling, which will reduce crop yields at a particularly unfortunate point in human
history (because there are currently a lot of us to feed). Really? Scientists resolve long-standing puzzle in
climate science -- A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the differences between simulated
and observed temperature trends in the tropics. But Benny, this dataset is brand new and it tells us tropical lower-troposphere warming is, well, what
warming? That is the region where we are supposed to be looking, isn't it? No, wait! It's supposed to be the tropical mid-troposphere! That's where we are assured the "human
signature" of accelerated warming is sure to be observed. The tropical mid-troposphere hotspot... Uh-oh... Significant Cycle
24 sunspot group emerges - This is the biggest Cycle 24 spot since the first one was seen on January 4th,
2008. This spot looks to have some staying power other than the “specks” we’ve seen winking on and off
lately. No squinting to see this one, or wondering if it’s a dead pixel in the SOHO CCD imager or not. (Watts Up
With That?) Sun’s
magnetic field still in a funk during September - While the sun puts out a new and significant cycle 24 spot,
the real news is just how quiet the suns magnetic field has been in the past couple of years, and remained during
September 2008. From the data provided by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) you can see just how
little magnetic field activity there has been. I’ve graphed it below with the latest available data from October
6th, 2008: (Watts Up With That?) David Archibald’s elegant illustration of how late and
weak solar cycle 24 is proving (Errors In IPCC Climate Science) We wondered how extreme the claims would get: Exotic
Climate Study Sees Refugees in Antarctica - OSLO - Refugees are moving to Antarctica by 2030, the Olympics are
held only in cyberspace and central Australia has been abandoned as too dry, according to exotic scenarios for
climate change on Monday. That's the trouble with making a living out of scares -- you constantly have to escalate to attract attention
in a crowded marketplace. Warmer Climate to Dry Up Peatlands
- Study - HONG KONG - Warmer temperatures in the years ahead will dry up peatlands, release more carbon
dioxide into the world's atmosphere and aggravate global warming, a study in Japan has found. Oh Andy... NYT Times' Revkin: Get
real on global warming - People around the world need to be more proactive in respecting the environment,
Andrew Revkin, prize-winning New York Times environment writer and author, said Thursday in a lecture titled
“The Hot Seat: Making Sense of Global Warming, from the North Pole to the White House.” ... what meaningless pap! A 'treeless forest'? How about Arctic tundra, that's a currently treeless forest
but it wasn't always. Used to be forests in Antarctica too, but that's going back a might. People haven't been
the cause of the vast majority of extinctions either -- time, changing climates and conditions and sometimes
tectonic upheavals, even asteroid strikes have seen off the majority of creatures ever to inhabit the Earth.
Humans haven't really been that significant. Oh, and that global warming thing? Let's put that into planetary
perspective too -- the following graphic is absolute temperature scaled to planetary relevance, likewise
atmospheric carbon dioxide: Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away... UN
says credit crisis could enable "green growth" - UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10 - Instead of sidelining the
fight against climate change, the global credit crisis could hasten countries' efforts to create "green
growth" industries by revamping the financial system behind them, the U.N. climate chief said on Friday. Oh dear... Rising Seas and Powerful
Storms Threaten Global Security - Standing before the United Nations General Assembly in October 1987, Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, made an appeal representing “an endangered nation.” That year for the
first time, “unusual high waves” in the Indian Ocean inundated a quarter of the urban area on the capital
island of Male’, flooded farms, and washed away reclaimed land. Gayoom cited scientific evidence that human
activities were releasing greenhouse gases that warm the planet, ultimately raising global sea level as glaciers
melt and warmer water expands. The trouble extended beyond small islands; studies showed that rising seas would
wreak havoc on the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Netherlands, and the river deltas of Egypt and Bangladesh. ... lotsa rhetoric, no facts. Apart from the most recently observed changes in global sea level being
declines (sea water is not disappearing but it does occupy less space as it cools and as more potential runoff
is held on land as ice and snow) there is no evidence of any change in long-term rates of sea level rise (it has
been doing so for millennia and will continue until the onset of the next ice age). Decadal Trends
in Sea Level Patterns: 1993-2004 - From Conclusion: At best, the determination and attribution of global
mean sea level change lies at the very edge of knowledge and technology. The most urgent job would appear to
be the accurate determination of the smallest temperature and salinity changes that can be determined with
statistical significance, given the realities of both the observation base and modeling approximations. Both
systematic and random errors are of concern, the former particularly, because of the changes in technology and
sampling methods over the many decades, the latter from the very great spatial and temporal variability. It
remains possible that the database is insufficient to compute mean sea level trends with the accuracy necessary to
discuss the impact of global warming - as disappointing as this conclusion may be. The priority has to be to
make such calculations possible in the future. (Carl Wunsch, MIT et al. in Journal of Climate via Icecap) [em
added] Binary nomenclature (Number Watch) Ed
Miliband will follow EU instructions on climate change - For all the acres of newsprint devoted to the return
to the Cabinet of Peter Mandelson, by far the most important and potentially damaging move in Gordon Brown's
recent Government reorganisation could well be his setting up of a wholly new ministry, laughably called the
Department of Energy and Climate Change. Efforts on global warming
chilled by economic woes - WASHINGTON — The economic free fall gripping the nation may bring down one of the
main environmental objectives: capping the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming. Can see it now... the world would have warmed -- if not for the fortunate financial crisis of
confidence suppressing the global economy. They are going to continue to ride gorebull warming even as failure
to broil becomes blindingly obvious to all. By their own mouths condemned: A
good time to cause trouble - On Monday a bunch of women are going to attempt to remind the government about
climate change - a subject which appears, frankly, to have slipped its mind lately: the Climate Rush is modelled
on the "rush" on Parliament 100 years ago by the Suffragettes. On Friday a group of protestors targetted
the Royal Bank of Scotland for its aggressive pro-fossil fuel investment policies. And by Saturday the organisers
of the London Anarchist bookfair are hoping that "Capitalism will have already collapsed in a global
financial melt-down! Hooray!" If these twits are so troubled by the capitalist system that supports them why don't they move to a more
ideologically suitable location -- pretty sure the dear leader would welcome them to North Korea and they would
even have to worry about that nasty light pollution, either: This satellite photo from NASA's Visible Earth project shows the
region at night, with the bright spots indicating electricity usage. To the right of the circle are the islands
of Japan, to the left is the eastern portion of China, and at bottom is the island of Taiwan. Following is a
close up of their desired darkness. Moron feature? Westminster
protester prepared to risk jail in cause of climate change - On the eve of another demo against airport
expansion, would-be priest Tamsin Omond is resigned to breaching her bail terms (The Observer) The U.N.'s Man of Mystery - Is the
godfather of the Kyoto treaty a public servant or a profiteer? Because Oil Is Not Green - BARCELONA, Oct 10 -
Several environmental organisations have asked the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to stop
accepting funding from Shell, the giant international oil company. Black gold isn't green? Whoa! They're good at this game! (No cards or letters, please -- we are aware crude
oil can be a range of colors) Funny, isn't it, oil companies should 'do more' but when they do it's some form of
insult (haven't heard of Greenpeace & co. returning funds from oil companies, Ford or any company from whom
they extort money and/or services though). Lawmakers say dams producing
renewable energy - Hydroelectric power in the Northwest and the potential to develop more across the nation
could help reduce the effects of global warming, according to two Washington state members of Congress. Granted dams and hydroelectricity are vastly more useful than wind and solar power combined but the gorebull
warming myth is no reason to build them. If your only justification is AGW then fuggedaboudit -- it's a crock! Prop. 7 Should
Be Denied for Environment - THE BACKERS OF Proposition 7 get top marks for their good intention to increase
the amount of renewable energy generated in California -- and a failing grade for their execution. Actually it should be denied because it's just plain stupid. Alternative energy outlook clouds up
- As hot as the alternative energy sector is, the international credit crunch coupled with falling oil prices
could squeeze investment, particularly for startup companies, an analyst said Thursday. Valueless schemes harder to flog when money's tight? Go figure... Florida Hopes Energy Farm Will Be First of Many -
TAMPA, Florida, Oct 10 - If an experiment to plant sweet sorghum in rural Florida and convert it to fuel ethanol
pans out, it could herald a fundamental change in how the U.S. and other countries create and use renewable
bio-energy, researchers say. What about food crops or pasture displaced to grow sorghum, or don't they count? Greenpeace Fumes at German
Carmakers - Greenpeace is pointing its finger at auto giants like Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen, saying their
new cars emit more carbon dioxide than earlier models. The new findings blacken the environmental report cards of
the German firms -- and undermine an industry trend of flaunting green credentials. (Der Spiegel) Earth to Greenpeace: Who cares? Fact is the biosphere thrives with increased carbon dioxide, a resource still
in relatively short supply. EU Car Loan Call Puts Spotlight on
CO2 Costs - PARIS - European car makers are probably using their call for 40 billion euros (US$55 billion) of
loans from the European Union to develop green vehicles as a lever to enter talks with the regulator regarding CO2
legislation, analysts say. Let
there be energy-saving light: Traditional bulbs to be banned from sale by 2010 to reduce greenhouse gases -
The sale of conventional light bulbs will be banned in Europe from the start of 2010 as part of a target to reduce
greenhouse gases. Low-energy fluorescent bulbs will replace incandescent bulbs, currently the standard type.
(Daily Mail) Ireland
bans traditional lightbulbs - About half of the traditional lightbulbs on sale in Ireland will be banned next
March, under Government plans announced today. Subsidy
for bulbs 'wasted' - THE flawed scheme to cut greenhouse gas abatements by giving away lightbulbs has
squandered an estimated $60 million of NSW taxpayers' money, the State Opposition says. We predict you will
be very, very diseased - Despite criticisms from the scientific-medical community, health departments, federal
regulatory and consumer protection groups; companies funded with tens of millions of dollars from private backers
are going forward with plans to create the nation’s largest commercial databank of genetic material and
lifestyle and demographic information of employees. To get around the regulatory censures over scientifically
un-validated genetic tests being marketed directly to consumers, this consortium of companies has just announced a
“first-of-its-kind research study” to see if telling people they’re at genetic risk for a disease will
motivate them to change their behaviors to healthy living, such as seek regular medical screenings, eat salads and
low-fat foods, lose weight and stop smoking. (Junkfood Science) What are polls and
surveys again? Marketing - No, this post isn’t about those polls — we’ll leave those to the legal
professionals already taking critical looks. Radiation warning over
ecofriendly lightbulbs - Health officials issued a warning over common energy-saving lightbulbs today after
research showed some types could potentially harm the skin and may even raise the risk of cancer. I admit CFLs are vastly overrated and most definitely should not be mandatory but this piece is inflammatory
nonsense. To begin with it should have specified people working within a foot or less of desk lamps and mobile
work lights -- that is they should have immediately told readers ceiling-mounted room lights (most people's
exposure) are not of concern. Moreover, they should have pointed out UVC (200-270nm) does not require atmospheric ozone (O3) for
absorption but no natural (solar) UVC reaches Earth's surface because UVC is also absorbed by oxygen (O2)
-- the same reason you won't be troubled by unencapsulated CFLs if the lamp is physically located a foot (30cms)
or more distant from exposed skin (unencapsulated CFLs are the 'ordinary' squiggly looking ones, those that look
like standard bulbs are not a problem either way). Bottom line is that there is no indication room lighting CFLs present any UV radiation danger to the
population but it is advisable not to work continuously within inches of those with an exposed coil, as is the
case with some desk lamps and mobile work lights. Now, for those who never look these things up, here's an extract from our seasonal
ozone page: What about the all-important "solar shield" we hear so much about having to protect so that it will
preserve us from UV bombardment? Well, not much, actually. UVA (ultraviolet radiation in the 320-400
nanometer [nm] band), which is implicated in deep skin DNA changes thought responsible for melanomas, is not
blocked by ozone at all. [Note: De Fabo, et al, claim the reverse to be true for the cause of
melanoma, at least in a mouse model - see: Ultraviolet
B but not Ultraviolet A Radiation Initiates Melanoma. Meanwhile: Melanoma
risk only partially associated with exposure to UVB from sunlight - The report in the Dec. 21 (2005) issue
of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also indicates that only nonmalignant skin cancers (basal
and squamous cell carcinoma) are strongly associated with exposure to UVB radiation. (University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center)] UVB (270-320nm), which causes sunburn, is both blocked by ozone (O3)
and, if allowed to penetrate the atmosphere, creates ozone lower in the atmosphere where it can be an irritant
in photochemical smog - thick clouds also block UVB. UVC (<270nm), which would cause severe burns with
short exposure, does not penetrate the atmosphere, blocked completely by atmospheric oxygen (O2), in
addition to ozone (O3). Regardless, life flourishes in the tropics, where stratospheric ozone levels
are never high and where solar radiation bombardment is roughly 1,000 times higher than that received in the
region of the Antarctic Ozone Anomaly -- the so-called "ozone hole" that makes a brief appearance with
each Southern Hemisphere Spring. The reason there remains confusion and doubt over the role(s) of solar ultraviolet radiation in triggering
malignant cancers is that the effects are small and ambiguous -- particularly since solar UV powers the
reactions in our skin that convert cholesterol to vitamin D, which inter alia is believed protective
against various cancers. Certainly it has never been worthy of the skin cancer scare campaigns, themselves a
spinoff of the ozone farce and the charge for Montreal -- undoubtedly the world's silliest Protocol
until the mind-bogglingly stupid Kyoto. The number massage: It's a gas -
What I like about Bad Science is that it's a game the whole family can play. This month "Lloydspharmacy",
as Lloyds Pharmacy insist on being called, is trying to flog carbon monoxide detectors (for only £12.99). It is a
noble calling, so it decided to follow industry protocol for getting its product and brand into the media: it
produced a misleading set of superficially plausible survey figures to massage our prejudices, which journalists
obediently copied and pasted out of the Lloyds press release email and into their word processors, to make a
"news" article. (Ben Goldacre, The Guardian) Peer Review Not
Perfect: Shocking Finding - The way peer review works is broken, according to a new finding by John Ioannidis
and colleagues in their article “Why Current Publication Practices May Distort Science”. The authors liken
acceptance of papers in journals to winning bids in auctions: sometimes the winner pays too much and the results
aren’t worth as much as everybody thinks. (William M Briggs, Statistician) The
Arctic contest heats up - What is Russia up to in the seas above Europe? Investors' Real Fear: A Socialist
Tsunami - "Why has the market dropped so much?" everyone asks. What is it about the specter of our
first socialist president and the end of capitalism as we know it that they don't understand? Farming Makes a Comeback in Russia
- Investors are pouring billions into agribusiness and trying to reverse decades of Soviet mismanagement. October 10, 2008
Five-Star Green Hypocrisy - Move over Al Gore.
Swankier carbon charlatanism has come to town in the form of the World Wildlife Fund’s luxury getaway called
"Around the World: A Private Jet Expedition." (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com) Meanwhile: EU to Urge Other
States to Curb Aviation Emissions - BRUSSELS - The European Union will press countries outside the bloc to
include aviation in their current or future schemes for curbing emissions of greenhouse gases, its transport
ministers decided on Thursday. (Reuters) Attack of the Gorebots: Pint-Size
Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy - Sometimes, Jennifer Ross feels she cannot make a move
at home without inviting the scorn of her daughters, 10-year-old Grace and 7-year-old Eliza. The Acura MDX she
drives? A flagrant polluter. The bath at night to help her relax? A wasteful indulgence. The reusable shopping
bags she forgot, again? Tsk, tsk. Poor programmed little zombies... Down with the filthy rich misanthropes
- Many green activists and commentators think that anyone who dares to criticise the apparent consensus on the
science and politics of climate change must be in the pay of big business. In truth, as a meeting in London on
Monday night powerfully illustrated, the megabucks are really on the side of those who think humanity is screwing
up the planet. (Rob Lyons, sp!ked) Scientist warns cash woes 'devastating' to science --
Famed scientist Richard Leakey warned that the worldwide credit crisis will be "just devastating" to
scientific research in coming years, as endowment interest income drops and companies cut donations. So, private and corporate funding is good for science after all? Go figure... On the other hand, this might
be just the thing to tone down activist lunacy for a bit and perhaps even derail the gorebull warming gravy
train. UN Climate Plans vs. The Poor - ACCRA --
Despite the breakdown of UN climate-change talks in Bali last December, the same themes were still being pushed at
this week’s meeting in Ghana--but now developing countries have begun to question the effects on the world’s
poorest. James Inhofe Debates Andrew Rice On Global Warming Tank Progress has an assault here. As
usual, greenhouse hysterics have posted a graphic suggesting dramatic warming with the allusion that this is due
to enhanced greenhouse. So, how is the search for the expected mid-troposphere enhanced greenhouse 'signature'
going? Like this, actually: For enhanced greenhouse to overcome natural variability that temperature series should be climbing with
atmospheric carbon dioxide (in fact, taking the
modelers' marvelous magical multipliers into account, should be climbing 2.5 times faster) but quite apparently
the anticipated mid-troposphere warming is simply not happening. Now, Senator Inhofe says in the clip that warming was true although it is cooling at the moment. Is he
right or wrong? Going by the most accurate available global 'thermometer', he's right: It is fair to say the lower troposphere had warmed between two-tenths and three-tenths of one degree for a few
years at the beginning of the millennium and that the running average has now plunged back near the 20-year
average. Given the immediacy of political debate I'd say the claim there was warming but it's now cooling
qualified as true whereas Jimmy Hansen claimed in UK court testimony that carbon dioxide emissions from a specific
power station would cause 400 species' extinctions, which most assuredly does not. Clearly Inhofe by TKO. John Brignell advises he is, in fact, still
alive. Good to see skepticism is not dying off too quickly ;-) Seriously, JunkScience.com wishes the good
professor the best possible health and wonders if those sidewalk hazards have any tendency to multiply on the
return journey from the village watering hole... Is Obama spiking Kindergarten Kool-Aid? - While
the highly charged debate on climate change and global warming ensues, Obama wants kindergarten children to be
taught climate change science in the classroom. On May 14, 2007, Obama introduced in the Senate, a bill called,
the “Climate Change Education Act,” which authorizes “the National Science Foundation to establish a Climate
Change Education Program.” (CFP) “Inside
The Logic Of The IPCC Statements On Attribution” By Roger A. Pielke Jr. - The IPCC offers a number of
statements expressing its confidence in the likelihood of various claims based on very explicit guidance that it
prepared for conveying uncertainties to its readers. These statements are the subject of much confusion and
debate. This post discusses the IPCC statements on attribution of increasing global temperatures to various
causes, as reported in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report from 2007. (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) 'Fertilising' the Ocean Could be a Cure That Kills -
BARCELONA, Oct 9 - Environmentalists are challenging dubious new proposals to reduce the concentration of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. To a limited extent we agree with them but not for any reason they would endorse. We don't want a cooler
world and, given our druthers, warmer is the preferred change. Furthermore, additional atmospheric carbon
dioxide is a bonus for the biosphere, we don't see any value in reducing it. Ed Miliband, Energy
and Climate Change Secretary, has his work cut out - Whether you are a climate-change denier, a sceptic or a
believer in the scientific consensus on global warming, you have to admit that there is something preposterous
about making someone Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Plea to save Albert's scam? US
Focus on Climate Could Ease Financial Crisis - WASHINGTON - If the United States focused on curbing climate
change as soon as a new president took office -- or sooner -- it could help pull the world from the financial
brink, environmental policy experts told Reuters. Rubbish: FTSE
100: rankings show how ready companies are for climate change - Companies that fail to assess the impact of
climate change are storing up problems for the future in a similar way that the financial community built up debt
leading to the current financial crisis, according to City experts. CDP trying to prop up the carbon scam and their own jobs. Carbon, schmarbon: Carbon
Market is No Safe Haven Yet - LONDON - New carbon commodities are government-guaranteed in the climate change
fight, but are still too complex and immature to provide a haven for investors fleeing financial markets' rout.
(Reuters) By definition scams are not "safe havens" dopey. France Eyes CO2 Opt-Outs for Some
EU Industry - Draft - LUXEMBOURG - Europe's plans to curb climate change should allow opt-outs for industries
facing competition from unregulated overseas rivals and for some countries' power sectors, a draft document from
the EU's French presidency shows. (Reuters) Control
Freaks - But Pigs Won’t Fly - A kindly soul has just pointed out to me that yesterday good ol’
Guardianista, John Vidal [“For it is he!”], had a teeny dig (once again) at ‘Dotty Stotty’ in his regular
Wednesday Eco soundings’ slot [‘Too much hot air’, Eco soundings (4th item down), The Guardian, October 8]: They will try this though: UK Speed Cameras to
Monitor Every Stretch of Road - The UK Commission for Integrated Transport last year proposed a nationwide
blanket of speed cameras as a means of fighting global warming. After a series of trials, the Home Office is now
set to make this a reality by approving early next year the SPECS3 "distance over time speed measuring
device" that will make it impossible to drive on any primary road in Britain without being tracked and
subjected to an instant fine for exceeding the posted speed limit. (The Newspaper) EU countries may use economic
crisis to ditch climate change commitments - Papers seen by the Guardian suggest the EU council will water
down measures to tackle global warming (The Guardian) Fears rise that EU
may drop climate pledge (The Guardian updated or recycled) Financial crisis prompts fears of
climate failure - Fears are growing that the deepening global financial crisis and the inevitable recessionary
conditions to follow will derail the fight against climate change, snuffing out investment in low-carbon
technologies and weakening the chances of a new global political agreement to follow on from the Kyoto Protocol.
(Carbon Positive) Global Cooling
Consensus Not A Myth - Timely but alas flawed contribution by Thomas Peterson of NOAA, William Connolley of
the British Antarctic survey and science reporter John Fleck, reporting on the “Bulletin of the American
Meteorological Society” about the apparent lack of peer-reviewed papers predicting global cooling, between 1965
and 1979 (it’s reported here in Nature’s Climate Feedback blog). Yet
More Evidence Of Global Cooling Consensus In 1961 (OmniClimate) Climate Change Could Force
Millions From Homes - BARCELONA, Spain - Environmental damage such as desertification or flooding caused by
climate change could force millions of peoples from their homes in the next few decades, experts said on
Wednesday. (Reuters) Like a lot of climate claims this contains an element of truth -- altered regional hydrology has
traditionally forced people to move throughout human history, although modern infrastructure development has
reduced this devastation. The implication, of course, is that anthropogenic global warming would be at fault for
contemporary changes in regional hydrology when the reality is that such changes represent traditional norms.
Moreover, the one truly significant global human effect is omitted -- returning previously lost carbon to the
atmosphere is literally greening the Earth and increasing plants' water use efficiency, thus impeding
desertification. Funny how they never mention that humanity's greatest effect on the biosphere is highly
beneficial. One-metre
sea-level rise this century, scientists say - Berlin - Global warming calculations have been too optimistic,
and the sea level round the globe is likely to rise a full metre this century, two senior German scientists warned
Wednesday. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, who heads the Potsdam Institute for Research on Global Warming Effects and
Jochem Marotzke, a leading meteorologist, said UN-backed data on climate change, predicting a rise of 18 to 59
centimetres, was out of date. Except sea levels have been falling for the last couple of years as the oceans cool... Germany's Hans
Joachim Schellnhuber: Fool or fraud? (Tom Nelson) Clean-Air
Policies May Accelerate Warming Trend, Scientist Says -- Cleaning air in Beijing and in other large cities
suffering from pollution problems by limiting car and power-plant emissions may raise global temperatures instead
of lowering them, according to a German scientist. Jeremy van Loon... just saying. Oh boy... Polar
bears may be the poster child for global warming, but tropics also threatened - WASHINGTON - If you can't
stand global warming, get out of the tropics. While the most significant harm from climate change so far has been
in the polar regions, tropical plants and animals may face an even greater threat, say scientists who studied
conditions in Costa Rica. ... except the tropics aren't actually warming. Global
warming change part of bigger picture - University of Western Ontario physics professor Wayne Hocking says it
is important to look to the poles – the Arctic and Antarctic poles – to find the truth about global warming
and other atmospheric changes. (Western News) Michigan
Sacrifices for the Planet - Detroit — Top climatologist James Hansen endorses anti-industry vandalism to
fight global warming and, as noted below, Reuters reports that atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen sees a global
financial meltdown as environmentally beneficial. France Says Burying CO2, EU Gas
Shipments Urgent - BRUSSELS - The European Union must urgently find funding for a new technology to trap and
bury carbon dioxide underground and should increase the region's capacity for liquefied gas shipments, the EU's
French presidency said. (Reuters) France, Britain Back Coal Plant
Climate Fix - BRUSSELS/LONDON - The European Union must fund a new technology to clean up coal plants and
fight the twin problems of energy security and climate change, the EU's French presidency and Britain's new
climate minister say. (Reuters) Look how they've managed to frighten people: E.ON
Foe Sees `End of World' in Coal as Germany Shuns Reactors -- Winfried Schwab-Posselt feels he's driving toward
Armageddon when commuting to work. Wood as a
power source may be making comeback - RUSSELL, Mass. -- The push for more power from renewable fuels has
renewed interest in one of the oldest energy sources: wood. Why? Iceland Finds New Ways to Trap Carbon -
REYKJAVIK, Oct 9 - At the Hellisheidi geothermal power station, located about 30 km east of Reykjavik, Icelanders
are developing novel ways of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) that are emitted from the
plant. Promising new material that could improve gas mileage -
With gasoline at high prices, it's disheartening to know that up to three-quarters of the potential energy you are
paying for is wasted. A good deal of it goes right out the tailpipe instead of powering your car. Mushroom enzyme could
strip pollutants from fuel cells - An enzyme from fungus that grows on rotting wood could be used as clean
alternative to expensive and polluting and rare metals in fuel cells and batteries, say scientists (The Guardian) Wind farm business
scheme will help communities profit - Farmers have set up a unique new business scheme in the UK to enable
land owners and communities to benefit from wind farms. Publish
and be wrong - One group of researchers thinks headline-grabbing scientific reports are the most likely to
turn out to be wrong Does the
evidence really show that school obesity policies and weigh-ins don’t increase taunts against fat kids? -
Should we be concerned that today’s anti-obesity programs could be having unintended consequences for school
children? Since Arkansas passed Act 1220, launching the country’s most comprehensive school-based anti-obesity
thpolicies, parents, educational professionals, and child psychology and eating disorder specialists have voiced
concerns that the program could be focusing negative attention on children’s weights and putting young people at
risk for dangerous weight loss practices and eating disorders, and heightening stigma against fat children.
(Junkfood Science) First Salmon Caught in Basel in
50 Years - A Swiss fisher reeled in a surprise on Sunday. The Swiss environment ministry confirmed Wednesday
that the hobby fisher had caught the first salmon seen in Basel for half a century. (Der Spiegel)
Obscure European humor? Switzerland's
Green Power Revolution: Ethicists Ponder Plants' Rights - ZURICH -- For years, Swiss scientists have blithely
created genetically modified rice, corn and apples. But did they ever stop to consider just how humiliating such
experiments may be to plants? Europeans Reject Animal Cloning
For Food - Survey - BRUSSELS - Most Europeans have reservations about cloning animals for food, while 67
percent see cloning as justified if used to preserve rare animal species, a survey that could help forge EU policy
in the area showed on Thursday. (Reuters) Who’s afraid of xenotransplantation?
- Using pig organs in humans could save thousands of lives. So why is Britain driving research away? (Stuart
Derbyshire, sp!ked) Wheat harvest does not suffer as
rainfall decreases - Most climate impact studies assume that reduced rainfall will result in lower crop yields
in semi-arid areas. But wheat production in one such climate, Western Australia, has not declined since the 1970s
despite a decrease in rainfall in the region. In fact, production actually increased by about 40 kg per hectare
per year between 1980 and 2000. A team of scientists is now saying that this is because most of the reduction in
precipitation has occurred in winter, a period when rainfall frequently exceeds crop demand. (Environmental
Research Web) October 9, 2008 Roy Spencer, climate skeptic, speaks
- Roy Spencer, one of a relatively small number legitimate climate skeptics (sic), visited Houston today to give a
talk sponsored by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. Spencer, a team leader on NASA's Aqua
satellite, believes natural cycles account for most of last century's warming, with carbon dioxide increases
contributing only a modest amount. Most climate skeptics are born out of wedlock? Or did Berger mean something else with his gratuitous opening
"one of a relatively small number [of] legitimate climate skeptics"? No matter, at least
he gave Spencer some opportunity to present his case, more than can be said for Science or Nature. Officials
should look deeper at climate change - Government officeholders at federal and state levels assume that
current global warming is chiefly, if not entirely, due to mankind’s growing carbon dioxide emissions, but they
have not examined the science enough. Shock, Shock ... the Climate Catastrophe Lobby is Telling Fibs
- This undoubtedly will shock readers, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has a tendency to shade
the truth. And only in one direction. It seems ... drumroll, please! ... that the member governments have their
own agendas and aren't above lying to the people to achieve their ends. (Doug Bandow, Cooler Heads) Hey lookit! Old 'Ice Age' Schneider's talking gorebull warming: Climate
expert to deliver Bonser Distinguished Lecture at Indiana University - BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Stephen H.
Schneider, one of the world's leading experts on climate change science, will present the 2008 Charles F. Bonser
Distinguished Lecture at Indiana University, sponsored by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the
Kelley School of Business. The topic is "Changing the Course of Global Climate Change." (Press Release) For
How Long will the Current Grand Maximum of Solar Activity Persist? - There is a new paper ‘in press’ in
GRL by J.A. Abreu, J. Beer, F. Steinhilber, S.M. Tobias, and N.O. Weiss, entitled: ‘For how long will the
current grand maximum of solar activity persist?’ October
8, 2008 Research Update #1: Our Feedback Diagnosis paper to appear in J. Climate, Nov. 1 issue. UAH Global
Temperature Anomaly Jumps in September - UAH (University of Alabama, Huntsville) Microwave Sounder Unit (MSU)
lower troposphere global temperature anomaly data for September 2008 was published this week and unlike August,
which moved a bit below the zero anomaly line, with a value of -0.010°C, (down from 0.048°C in July 2008) we now
have a significant positive jump to 0.161°C. That makes it the warmest monthly temperature this year. (Watts Up
With That?) Added
Information To The Assessment And Interpretation Of Surface and Tropospheric Temperature Anomalies - The
excellent websites The Blackboard Where Climate Talk Gets Hot!” and Climate Audit have been discussing in depth
the latest anomalies in the in-situ measured surface and satellite measured tropospheric temperatures. This
Climate Science weblog is intended to add to this discussion by presenting several issues with respect to these
data sets: (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) GISS Releases September 2008
Data - GISS (Goddard Institute of Space Studies) Surface Temperature Analysis (GISSTemp) released their
monthly global temperature anomaly data for September 2008. (Watts Up With That?) 80% and the
Climate Change Aristocracy - The Independent newspaper announced yesterday that The UK should cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by mid-century, the Government’s
climate change committee recommended today. The dangers of climate change were worse than previously thought? What possible worse scenario could there be,
than the barrage of catastrophic visions we have been subjected to by activists, politicians, and the media, over
the last few years? (Climate Resistance) They still don't get it: US
Seen Open to Forestry Offsets in Climate Fight - NEW YORK - As it inches toward forming climate policy, the
United States is more open to attempting to slow global warming through investments in tropical forests than the
European Union is, a broker that works on forestry deals said. This isn't about cost-effective 'solutions' to the imaginary problem but an all-out assault on capitalism. Oh no! Arctic soil could be... fertile? Arctic soil
reveals climate change clues - Frozen arctic soil contains nearly twice the greenhouse-gas-producing organic
material as was previously estimated, according to recently published research by University of Alaska Fairbanks
scientists. (University of Alaska Fairbanks) EU climate change
programme in balance as crucial talks begin - MEPs vote in favour of tougher carbon emission rules, but
opposition to wide-reaching programme in some member states is strengthening (James Murray, BusinessGreen) EU Could be Greener - BRUSSELS, Oct 8 - The outcome
of a crucial European Parliament vote on tackling climate change this week was not as negative as many green
activists had feared. Yet it also suggested that the rhetoric of European politicians on how they must exercise
leadership to ward off the threat posed by rising temperatures is not being matched with decisive action. (IPS) EU
Parliament's Environment Committee Vote Threatens Europe's Aluminium Industry - BRUSSELS, October 7, 2008 -- A
key part of the EU's climate change policy - the Emission Trading System (ETS) - could destroy the economic
viability of Europe's aluminium industry. The European Parliament's Environment Committee recognised the impact of
CO2 costs passed into electricity prices (indirect effects) as one of the criteria for carbon leakage, as it has a
large negative effect on the competitiveness of energy intensive industries. Therefore, it is inexplicable that
the Committee failed to adopt provisions for a legal mechanism to address this problem. (PRNewswire via COMTEX) Good for them: Indian
Politics Makes Climate a Tough Sell - NEW DELHI - India's raucous democracy, endemic poverty and soaring
economic ambition make targetting greenhouse gas emissions cuts a hard sell, even as global pressure mounts on the
government to do more on climate change. (Reuters) An Open Letter to Premier Anna
Bligh and All Elected Members in Queensland (pdf) - Dear Premier and Members, Livestock less damaging than UN report claimed
- A blunder has seen New Zealand blamed for climate change caused by other countries, the United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organisation has acknowledged. Arrgh! Stupid media! Scientist
upbeat on climate prospects - Susan Solomon, a Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist, knows all of the glum
statistics behind global warming, but she said she is optimistic about reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. No, Solomon is not a Nobel Laureate (although she and a few hundred others did contribute to a report on
behalf of the panel that shared the 2007
Peace Prize with Al Gore) and the ozone nonsense
was always invalid. False
causality between Atlantic hurricane activity fluctuations and seasonal lower atmospheric wind anomalies - A
new paper has been published in GRL by K L Swanson entitled: ‘False causality between Atlantic hurricane
activity fluctuations and seasonal lower atmospheric wind anomalies.’ Stuck
in Neutral: Climate Legislation Won’t Curb Driving - Congress is back on the climate-change warpath, with
draft legislation introduced yesterday. That already has environmentalists howling that the proposals are too
weak, while conservatives cringe at what they see as a wrecking ball headed for the economy. D'oh! Holidaymakers don´t care about the planet
- Holidaymakers don´t care about carbon offsetting and do not enquire about a company´s green credentials
when they make a booking. Somehow I can't see either The Indy or The Guardian featuring the above or below items. All
that nonsense they featured by Meacher, King, the Prince of Wails, Blair and the Moonbat et al, yet UK
denizens continue to behave in a rational manner -- must be quite disheartening for the watermelons at times. Brits cutting back on flights due to price rises -
The rising price of flights has prompted 50% of Brits to change their travel plans, according to a survey of 2,000
members of European travel portal trivago.co.uk. American Crude - With a media
wind at his back, Barack Obama regularly gets away with false and distorted statements. He repeated one Tuesday
that seems superficially plausible but should not go unchallenged. Energy Department warns of
higher heating costs - WASHINGTON — Heating U.S. homes with oil this winter will cost a painful $450 more
than a year ago, another slap to families already reeling from high gasoline and food costs and fearful of losing
their heat because of unpaid bills. The attack on coal continues: 'Fingerprinting'
method tracks mercury emissions from coal -- University of Michigan researchers have developed a new tool that
uses natural "fingerprints" in coal to track down sources of mercury polluting the environment. The
research is published in today's online issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. (PhysOrg.com) Putin’s Useful Idiots - Wonder why
Russia has Europe over a barrel? Ask German environmentalists. Poland Wants EU Energy Solidarity
Pact Tightened - Poland wants to force the European Union to respond more quickly if Russia cuts off gas
supplies to any member state, according to a report. Warsaw is also concerned that EU emissions reductions targets
could increase the country's reliance on Russian gas. (Der Spiegel) Closing
Iran’s Oil Spigot - There’s one last chance for a peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. UK
electricity price four times more than France - British companies are being forced to pay over four times more
for their electricity this winter than competitors in France and in excess of 70 per cent more than in Germany. Coal-fired
power generators face new threat from EU carbon emissions curb - The future of coal-fired power generation in
Europe was called into question yesterday after a European Parliament committee backed new laws that would force
power companies to pay for all of their carbon dioxide emissions from 2013. Indonesia's '09 Palm Biodiesel Use
Seen at 1-1.2m T - JAKARTA - Indonesia may consume 1 million to 1.2 million tonnes of biodiesel using palm oil
as feed stock in 2009, following the introduction of a mandatory biofuel policy, a government official said on
Wednesday. (Reuters) Indonesia Papua Forests Seen Under
Palm Oil Threat - JAKARTA - Indonesia must do more to save pristine rainforests in Papua from destruction,
particularly with plans to open up huge tracts of land to develop palm oil plantations, environmentalists said on
Wednesday. (Reuters) Science by
press release squared — Can children’s books really eradicate childhood obesity? - This story takes the
prize for the most deceptive example of science by press release. Debate resumes in UK
— should fat children be taken from their parents by the state? - Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick, a general
practitioner in London and the author of The
Tyranny of Health: Doctors and the Regulation of Lifestyle, writes in the current issue of the British Journal
of General Practice that child obesity is not a form of child abuse or an issue for child protection authorities.
Tam Fry, a spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum, however, is continuing his calls for fat children to be
taken into state care. (Junkfood Science) 'Battle for life on Earth'? Cities
Should Do More to Protect Nature - UN - BARCELONA, Spain - The world's burgeoning cities must do more to
safeguard animals and plants by increasing parkland, planting trees and recycling resources, the UN's top
biodiversity official said on Wednesday. Sheesh these guys have inflated opinions of themselves and their importance! No matter what people do or
don't do we will not determine the presence or absence of life on Earth. US Justices Seem Split Over Navy
Sonar Whales Case - WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court seemed on Wednesday closely split on whether President
George W. Bush can exempt the Navy from federal environmental laws, a case pitting protection of whales against
military training exercises. (Reuters) Should Americas defense be hampered by a bunch of mammals that couldn't hack it on land? Should a few liberal
whackos be able to cripple America's defenses? Should unpatriotic judges be tolerated? Always questions... The Coming Counterrevolution To Hush
The Alternative Media - Conservative-friendly media better get ready. Should Barack Obama win the presidency
and the Democrats control Congress, as now seems likely, they will launch a full-scale war to drive critics —
especially on political talk radio — right out of legitimate public debate. Available now from our store! Obama
Sincerely Wants to Raise Taxes - I worked in Albany, N.Y., years ago, and remember stories about how the famed
Democratic political machine there used to buy votes for $5 apiece, and I thought of that the other night when I
saw a Barack Obama ad on TV. The all-seeing state is
about to end privacy as we know it - Plans for a vast central database of our emails, phone calls and texts
will see everyone monitored as a potential suspect (Jenni Russell, The Guardian) Drought resistant GM crops ready 'in
four years' - Genetically modified crops that are drought resistant will be grown by farmers within four to
five years, according to scientists developing the technology. Developing more water efficient plants is excellent although tying them to gorebull warming is foolish in the
extreme -- a non-existent problem is no justification for developing these crops. Arctic
Warming Chills Interest In Fishing - This afternoon (Lower-48 time), representatives of Pacific Northwest
states, Uncle Sam, and fishers concluded an unprecedented agreement to indefinitely put U.S. Arctic waters off
limits to commercial fishing. These waters fall within 200 miles of Arctic Alaska’s coastline. It's very doubtful warming will continue but if it does, what makes them think say the Russian fleets would
fail to exploit an newly available resource? October 8, 2008
Two important features: A
role for atmospheric CO2 in preindustrial climate forcing - Complementary to measurements in
Antarctic ice cores, stomatal frequency analysis of leaves of land plants preserved in peat and lake deposits can
provide a proxy record of preindustrial atmospheric CO2 concentration. CO2 trends based on
leaf remains of Quercus robur (English oak) from the Netherlands support the presence of significant CO2
variability during the first half of the last millennium. The amplitude of the reconstructed multidecadal
fluctuations, up to 34 parts per million by volume, considerably exceeds maximum shifts measured in Antarctic ice.
Inferred changes in CO2 radiative forcing are of a magnitude similar to variations ascribed to other
mechanisms, particularly solar irradiance and volcanic activity, and may therefore call into question the concept
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which assumes an insignificant role of CO2 as a
preindustrial climate forcing factor. The stomata-based CO2 trends correlate with coeval sea-surface
temperature trends in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting the possibility of an oceanic source/sink mechanism for
the recorded CO2 changes. (PNAS) Firstly, they reintroduce fluctuation in pre-Industrial Revolution atmospheric carbon dioxide levels,
supporting work already raising considerable doubt over the ice core reconstructions and secondly, they suggest
atmospheric CO2 changes precede temperature changes. Unfortunately this second facet relies on
modeled CO2 forcing which we consider, uh, dubious, at the very least. Nonetheless, it is good to see
natural variation making it past the PC publication police. Will the Environment Lose Out to the
Economy? - Environmentalists are often accused — not always unfairly — of overplaying the fear card. With
apocalyptic references to melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels and widespread species extinction, the driving
message of environmentalism is that the future is doomed, unless we act now to save it. "Not always unfairly"? Now there's an understatement! No matter, these guys still don't get it,
even when they make an accurate statement. Yes, a falling economy is bad for "the environment" -- the
bit they don't ever seem able to grasp is that a booming economy is by definition good for the environment and
yet the so-called environmentalists' raison d'être is to kill economies (so you can't consume any of
Gaia's goodies). Face it guys, only the affluent can view their surrounds from a perspective other than food,
fuel or shelter (can I eat it, wear it, burn it or turn it a dwelling) -- aesthetics and amenity really only
count when your needs have been met. Another eye-roller: Climate
Change vs. the Economy - As the second term of the George W. Bush's Administration nears its end, policy
makers, scientists, environmentalists and others long-concerned about the planet-wide changes being triggered by
global warming are optimistic that with a new president, the United States will finally take concrete steps to
reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. (Jim Dawson, Inside Science News Service) Do any of these nitwits really believe we can knowingly and predictably adjust the climate, let alone
by tinkering with a trivial peripheral variable like anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions? Really? The virtual realm: Temperature increase of 21st
century mitigation scenarios - Abstract: Estimates of 21st Century global-mean surface temperature increase
have generally been based on scenarios that do not include climate policies. Newly developed multigas mitigation
scenarios, based on a wide range of modeling approaches and socioeconomic assumptions, now allow the assessment of
possible impacts of climate policies on projected warming ranges. This article assesses the atmospheric CO2
concentrations, radiative forcing, and temperature increase for these new scenarios using two reduced-complexity
climate models. These scenarios result in temperature increase of 0.5–4.4°C over 1990 levels or 0.3–3.4°C
less than the no-policy cases. The range results from differences in the assumed stringency of climate policy and
uncertainty in our understanding of the climate system. Notably, an average minimum warming of ≈1.4°C (with
a full range of 0.5–2.8°C) remains for even the most stringent stabilization scenarios analyzed here. This
value is substantially above previously estimated committed warming based on climate system inertia alone. The
results show that, although ambitious mitigation efforts can significantly reduce global warming, adaptation
measures will be needed in addition to mitigation to reduce the impact of the residual warming. (PNAS Open Access) The Sun is in a deep
minimum - Its clear that the Sun has entered a phase that we might never have seen before with anything like
modern instrumentation. Implications of PDO and NAO Shifts and Global Climate in
Upcoming Decades (pdf) - In a Geological Society of America abstract, Dr. Don Easterbrook, Professor of
Geology at Western Washington University, presents data showing that the global warming cycle from 1977 to 1998 is
now over and we have entered into a new global cooling period that should last for the next three decades. He also
suggests that since the IPCC climate models are now so far off from what is actually happening that their
projections for both this decade and century must be considered highly unreliable. (Dr. Don Easterbrook, Icecap) Global
Warming, Inc: Dramatic Falls - Your very own insider-dealing ‘Global Warming Politics’ reporter and
photographer, Rooter Scooter, today captured on his hidden cell phone camera what was really happening at the New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after that opening bell [“By the way, why do they all stand there clapping and
grinning when they all know that financial mayhem is about to be let loose upon the world?”]. (Global Warming
Politics) Trading Debts Against Carbon Credits? - COLOMBO, Oct
7 - Little Sri Lanka wants developing countries to be able to trade their debts against the environment
destruction and climate change attributed to the developed nations. You can't blame developing nations for believing the nonsense spewed for so long by NGOs trying to complete
Strong's stated mission -- "Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialised civilizations
collapse? Isn't it our responsibility to bring that about?" (Maurice Strong, head of the 1992 Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro and Executive Officer for Reform in the Office of the Secretary General of the United
Nations). Why shouldn't they think they can get plenty for nothing, "owed" to them by the developed
world? After all, this is what the watermelons have been screeching for decades. As we and plenty of others pointed out when Kyoto was first envisaged, this gorebull warming scam has
always been a massive Socialist wealth redistribution and social engineering exercise along with attempted
creation of global government through seizure of the energy supply. A few, notably Al Gore, have corrupted this
socialist vision to line their own pockets and I neither know nor care whether watermelons realize this and
tolerate it because he's assisting them weaken free and democratic society or whether they are too dumb to see
he's ripping them off too. Dumb as it gets: House
Democrats unveil draft climate change bill - WASHINGTON — With the presidential election less than a month
away and the economy reeling, House Democratic leaders Tuesday unveiled a proposal to reduce the gases blamed for
global warming from power plants, transportation and factories by 80 percent by 2050. The New
Climate Entitlement - You may not believe what’s just been plopped in our laps, which rather contradicts the
remarkable, dishonest, and irresponsible pap regularly noted in this space to the effect that imposing the
global-warming agenda of mandates and taxes will improve the economy. (Can they really believe that the distance
afforded by the Atlantic Ocean ensures that everyone is utterly ignorant of what’s happening in Europe?) Giant
Sucking Sound (Chris Horner, Planet Gore) Financial Crisis Dims Chances for U.S. Climate
Legislation - Environmentalists had been looking to a new president and a new Congress to pass legislation
dealing with global warming next year. But with tough economic times looming, the passage of a sweeping climate
change bill now appears far less likely. (Environment 360) Italy minister says EU CO2
targets too costly-report - MILAN, Oct 7 - The global financial turmoil has made European plans to cut carbon
emissions steeply by 2020 too costly and its burden should be shared with other countries, Italy's Environment
Minister was on Tuesday quoted as saying. (Reuters) EU
lawmakers watch credit crisis in climate fight - BRUSSELS, Oct 7 - European Union lawmakers maintained a tough
line on curbing carbon emissions in the fight against climate change on Tuesday, but handed some concessions to EU
industries in the grip of an economic downturn. EU Lawmakers Vote to Save
Factories from Carbon Cost - BRUSSELS - Influential EU lawmakers sought in a key vote on Tuesday to ease the
cost for factories of meeting greenhouse gas emissions limits from 2013 as much of Europe heads for recession.
(Reuters) EU Parliament Says Energy Utilities
Should Pay for Emissions - In a key vote on Tuesday, the European Parliament's environment committee affirmed
plans for an emissions trading system. Brussels' only elected body says utility companies who pollute with coal
should pay the full price for certificates, but gives other industries a break as recession approaches. (Der
Spiegel) Poland
Leads Charge to Delay European Climate Reforms - The E.U. created the world’s largest emissions trading
market in 2005 to force heavy industries to cap their pollution levels. Next on the E.U. agenda: switching to 20
percent renewable energy and cutting greenhouse gases by 20 percent by the end of the next decade. China Shying from Climate
Obligations - Adviser - BEIJING - China and other rising economies must shoulder growing obligations to cut
greenhouse gases as they climb the development ladder, said a prominent Chinese adviser who has broken ranks with
his government on global warming. (Reuters) Really? What "climate obligations" might those be? China Grim on Prospects for
Climate Pact - BEIJING - Negotiations seeking a global pact to tackle global warming are troubled and could
end in disastrous failure, China's top climate change envoy warned on Monday, saying rich countries are failing to
deliver on promises. (Reuters) Yawn du jour: 2008 ozone hole larger than last year
- The 2008 ozone hole – a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica – is larger both in size and ozone loss
than 2007 but is not as large as 2006. (ESA) ESA is still babbling about ODS although that
theory has been discredited (& it wasn't up to much to begin with). Sheesh! Economic woes
may give planet a breather - NICOSIA - A slowdown in the world economy may give the planet a breather from the
excessively high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions responsible for climate change, a Nobel Prize winning scientist
said on Tuesday. Staying green in the
gloom - Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, may only just have found a desk in
his newborn department, but he already has a crucial document to read at it. Yesterday's interim advice from the
committee on climate change was short and strong: by 2050 Britain must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to below
80% of 1990 levels, rather than the 60% cut now proposed in the climate change bill. This tougher target, the
report says, must be written into the bill before it becomes law. On top of that, the 80% reduction needs to be
made even harsher to compensate for emissions from international aviation and shipping, excluded from the existing
60% target. (Editorial, The Guardian) Only half? Nearly half of
FTSE-250 companies keep their carbon footprints hidden - The number of leading British companies willing to
disclose their carbon footprint to City investors has fallen this year, research reveals today. Not one company has a legitimate excuse for wasting shareholders' time and funds responding to greenies'
extortion 'surveys'. Don't respond to them, just file them in the circular file and get on with your jobs,
earning profits for shareholders. Financial gloom clouds
environment trust fund - WASHINGTON - The world financial crisis could cast a pall on the Global Environment
Fund, which uses billions of dollars in government money to tackle ecological problems, the fund's climate change
chief said on Monday. What "science of global warming"? And what "predictions of world temperature rise"? The
IPCC has only "storylines" and PlayStation® climatology which bears no relation to reality or at
least the planet on which we live. Speaking of PlayStation® climatology: NCAR
predicts hurricanes through 2055: Center’s supercomputer helps dissect links between global warming, hurricanes
- Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder are using their new supercomputer to
figure out how climate change will affect the intensity and frequency of hurricanes through 2055. CO2 Truth-Alert -
China: Getting Greener (In the Good Sense): Over a quarter-century ago, Dr. Sherwood Idso stated in a small
self-published book that if the airs CO2 content continued to rise, it would enhance plant growth and water use
efficiency to the point that semi-arid lands not then suitable for cultivation could be brought into profitable
production and that the deserts themselves could blossom as the rose. How is this prediction standing today? From CO2 Science this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Extreme Floods of Southern France: How have they
changed over the past quarter century? The Roman Warm Period in Denmark: Intersecting data
from palaeoclimatology and anthropology tell an interesting story. Shifts in Plant Distributions in a Warming World:
Can they occur rapidly enough to keep up with climate change? Soil Organic Carbon Decomposition: Will rising
temperatures enhance the phenomenon, thereby augmenting global warming? (co2science.org) More fevered imaginations: "Deadly
dozen" diseases seen due to climate change - BARCELONA, Spain– A "deadly dozen" diseases
ranging from avian flu to yellow fever are likely to spread more because of climate change, the Wildlife
Conservation Society said today. (Reuters) Stupid claim: Large
Ships Account for 3% of Global CO2 Emissions - The Environmental Defense Fund released a report, “Floating
Smokestacks: A Call for Action to Clean Up Shipping Pollution” (PDF), which finds that large ocean-going ships
in U.S. waters are one of the world’s largest emitters of global warming gases, responsible for about 3 percent
of global CO2 emissions. The report also recommends protective policy actions. (Environmental Leader) What they probably mean is 3% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions or about one-tenth of 1% of global CO2
emissions. On reflection being out by a mere factor of 30 or so is pretty close for ED and their ilk so perhaps
we should congratulate them on their 'improvement'. Why? US to Limit Oil
Development in Polar Bear Habitat - ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The US Interior Department will designate within two
years protected areas of the Arctic that are considered critical habitat for polar bears and cannot be harmed by
oil development as part of a legal settlement with environmental groups on Monday. (Reuters) Domenici
Emphasizes Drilling in Talk - New Mexico's Republican Sen. Pete Domenici quieted a sustained standing ovation
from several hundred energy-industry representatives Monday with a raised hand. Carmakers float EU loan request
- Carmakers facing falling sales asked Brussels for a €40bn ($55bn, £31bn) loan package yesterday. Opel,
BMW call temporary halt to production - Berlin - German carmakers Opel and BMW said Tuesday they were calling
a temporary halt to production, following a fall-off in demand triggered by the global credit squeeze. Opel
announced it was halting production in nearly all its European plants for periods of up to three weeks from
October 13. (DPA) This is what Socialists never get: Governments
Must Lead on Renewables, says Shell CEO - BARCELONA, Oct 7 - Royal Dutch Shell, which makes more than 310
billion dollars profit a year extracting oil and gas, mainly in third world countries, says it is up to
governments rather than companies like Shell to take the lead in finding solutions for a sustainable energy
future. It is not the function of business to throw money away at the bidding of every dill with some shiny-eyed
ideal. Nuclear Power Back on German
Political Agenda - The industry is growing globally and other European nations including Britain and Finland
are reviving nuclear. But Germany -- where about half the power comes from coal -- has so far stuck to a 2001 law
to phase out nuclear reactors by 2021. US Coal Exports Seen as Target in
Climate Fix - NEW YORK - The next US president may have to address rapidly rising US coal exports because
their emissions abroad could hinder global efforts to tackle global warming, said the head of the coal campaign at
the country's largest grass-roots environmental group. (Reuters) Australia has a problem with coal exports, too -- our ports are operating over capacity and we urgently need
more so we can increase shipments to desperate consumers. World Needs to Rethink Biofuels -
UN Food Agency - ROME/MILAN - The Western world needs to rethink its rush to biofuels, which has done more
harm pushing up food prices than it has good by reducing greenhouse gases, a United Nations report said on
Tuesday. (Reuters) A given since there is not now and never has been any value in limiting the return of essential carbon
dioxide to the atmosphere. Study shows how fatty foods curb hunger - Fatty foods
may not be the healthiest diet choice, but those rich in unsaturated fats – such as avocados, nuts and olive oil
– have been found to play a pivotal role in sending this important message to your brain: stop eating, you're
full. (University of California - Irvine) Put
the blame where it belongs - Despite mounting evidence of government failure, the prevailing belief is that
free markets are responsible for the downturn (Terence Corcoran, Financial Post) Jakarta Sinks as Citizens Tap
Groundwater - JAKARTA - It's one of the fastest-growing megacities in Asia. But some doomsters predict large
parts of Indonesia's coastal capital could be under water by 2025. Interesting little half-truths: Speaker
warns of Antarctica warming - SPRINGFIELD - If there is a "canary in the coal mine" in Antarctica,
it is the Adelie penguin, and global warming is rapidly reducing the species' population, according to a National
Geographic photojournalist who has specialized in the coldest continent. Actually Adelie penguins have been shifting their nesting sites north and south according to conditions for
thousands of years so the size of nesting colonies vary considerably over time. Significantly, there has been
some catastrophic events recently for some colonies related to too much ice with parent birds abandoning chicks
due to the time and effort involved in traversing huge ice shelves. This is not related to temperature changes
which have been slightly negative over most areas of interest with the exception of the Antarctic Peninsula
north of the Antarctic Circle. October 7, 2008
Lethal disinformation: Rural
communities best equipped to cope with climate change: UN report - Rural communities which protect nature and
exploit forests, wetlands and wildlife sustainably will be the best equipped to cope with the droughts and floods
that will increasingly hit Africa, Asia and Latin America with climate change, says a new UN-backed report. (John
Vidal, The Guardian) These idiots should be locked up for spreading such dangerously misinformed natur über alles
propaganda. Regardless of cause those best equipped to cope with flood, drought, heat or cold are those with the
best infrastructure development and the wealth to establish and maintain it. Development and wealth generation
are protective, reverting to primitive hunter-gatherer lifestyles as these dills recommend is a guarantee of
short, hard lives. Incredibly irresponsible. Shame on Vidal and The
Guardian for publishing it. Their contacts page is here. Reality intrudes? Financial
crisis tests industry’s green priorities - The slowing economy and financial crisis are testing Europe’s
goal of becoming a world leader in greenhouse gas reduction. Bottom line: there is no known means of adjusting the climate in a controlled and predictable manner, at any
price. Nonsense: Green
policies can have big economic spinoffs: UN - BARCELONA, Spain - The credit crunch is distracting from a shift
to green policies that have big but often overlooked economic benefits, the head of the U.N. Environment Programme
said on Monday. To begin with biological carbon sequestration is not a service but a cost. One of the worst facets of
the gorebull warming myth is the deliberate misclassification of the essential trace gas and marvelous resource,
atmospheric carbon dioxide, as a "pollutant". It wasn't until the Carboniferous Age of massive
biological sequestration (and source of our current fossil fuels) that previously abundant atmospheric carbon
dioxide was drawn down near currently depleted levels and, although it recovered to about 5 times current levels
in the Jurassic it has been slowly depleting again since until recent human activity started restoring the
resource to the biosphere from whence it came. It is true that human action is providing such benefit purely as
a byproduct (we are effectively greening the Earth by accident) but returning carbon previously lost to the
biosphere is about the best thing people can do for life on Earth. Researchers investigate
carbon neutrality - In a race for the greenest of the laurels, not a day goes by without another announcement
about going “carbon neutral.” There's a
Gold Mine In Environmental Guilt - This is strange territory. The Dow is down. Wall Street needs a bailout.
But in the Washington area and across the country, there is still a bull market in environmental guilt. Whether it's fair to
blame the weather - Having spent more than 30 years in the forecasting business, I have become rather
proprietorial about the weather, and become quite cross when other people blame extreme weather for their own
shortcomings. 1 in 3 Aussies doubt climate change is even occurring: Aussies
'bored' with climate change - AUSTRALIANS are getting bored with climate change, and many still doubt whether
it is actually happening, a new survey has revealed. Hopefully this is an artifact of lousy poll questions since climate is changing, as it always does.
Presumably this means roughly one-third of Aussies doubt catastrophic climate change as so frequently promoted.
The fewer than half who would attempt to 'do something' about climate change if they were in charge is plausible
-- I don't know any but most people down at my local watering hole seem to either know or work with someone who
thinks "something" should be done. Pop-sci rag recycles propaganda: The
Physical Science behind Climate Change - Why are climatologists so highly confident that human activities are
dangerously warming the earth? Members of the IPCC, the 2007 peace winner, write on climate change. (William
Collins, Robert Colman, James Haywood, Martin R. Manning and Philip Mote, SciAm) Oiling
the Wheel of Despair at the Edge of Scare City - The future is bleak. That seems to be the message that
everybody wheeled into the public spotlight is keen to tell us. Indeed, if you can’t say that the future is
bleak, you have no business being on the news. Some raw answers about
Gore and Hansen - There’s an eye-opening interview on Grist of Richard A. Muller about the current state of
science understanding by presidential candidates, global warming, and alternate energy tech. China Grim on Prospects for
Climate Pact - BEIJING - Negotiations seeking a global pact to tackle global warming are troubled and could
end in disastrous failure, China's top climate change envoy warned on Monday, saying rich countries are failing to
deliver on promises. (Reuters) No? Duh! Plenty of stupid politicians have said what activists told them to and made promises that would
never, could never be delivered. Risks Mount for Global Warming
Fight - UN - LONDON/BARCELONA - The struggle against climate change must not follow world trade talks into
limbo as risks mount that the credit crisis will sap commitment to the fight, the UN climate chief said on Monday.
Yvo de Boer said he was worried about the impact of the credit crisis on international action to fight climate
change, as US and European governments pour cash into keeping commercial banks afloat. He's right about that and that is exactly why not one penny must ever be wasted by throwing it at gorebull
warming. These guys take a long time to learn, don't they? dot.bomb redux: EU Vote
Weighs Carbon Trading Riches - LONDON/BRUSSELS - European Union lawmakers are likely on Tuesday to support
sweeping cuts in carbon emissions from coal plants, and tweak EU climate change proposals to ease costs for
industries staring at recession. (Reuters) Brussels
readies for 'Super Tuesday' climate vote - MEPs will tomorrow (7 October) vote on key legislation designed to
slash the EU's CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020. But the vote comes amidst a worsening economic crisis, with several
member states indicating that they want to put the brakes on any rapid adoption of the measures. (EurActiv) EU Stepping Back from Cleaning Up - BRUSSELS, Oct 6
- Most of the European Union's promised cuts in greenhouse emissions could be undertaken outside the bloc under a
proposal to be considered by law-makers this week. Climate change and energy
policies lack cohesion, says Oxfam report - New energy and climate change secretary faces calls to unify
government approach to environmental problems (The Guardian) Scientific method? NASA study finds rising Arctic
storm activity sways sea ice, climate - A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of
arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked
acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change. Ahem: "set out to confirm a long-standing theory". Really? I never considered attempts to
confirm a preconceived position to be of any value. What efforts were made to falsify their hypothesis, what
were their boundary conditions and how did they determine such conditions could not exist? Alas, we shall never
know for the release eventually admits "we speculate" which is the best that can be done in the
absence of any real baseline data. Fact is the headline is a nonsense -- NASA study did not in fact find but
rather "some people guess something might...". A
New Paper “Multi-Decadal Variability Of Atlantic Hurricane Activity By Chylek and Lesins 2008 - There is an
important new addition to the scientific discussion of Atlantic hurricane activity over the last century and a
half. It is Chylek, P., and G. Lesins (2008), Multi-decadal variability of Atlantic hurricane activity: 1851-2007,
J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2008JD010036, in press. (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) New
Detailed Analysis of Global Temperature Data Does Not Support Significant Role for Carbon Dioxide - The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that: Most of the observed increase in global average
temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse
gas concentrations, mainly carbon dioxide. This conclusion is based on output from global climate computer models
known as General Circulation Models (GCM). (JenniferMarohasy.com) NASA moves
the goalposts on Solar Cycle 24 again - NASA’s David Hathaway just recently updated his solar cycle
prediction and has pushed cycle 24 into the future a little more once again. Though to read his latest update on
10/03/08 at his prediction page here, you wouldn’t know it, because the page is mostly tech speak and reviews of
semi relevant papers. (Watts Up With That?) Apparently the Nude Socialist is at least aware of this: Why
nature can't be reduced to mathematical laws - ONE of the grand aims of science is to explain every aspect of
nature in terms of simple, fundamental laws - but is this possible? A team of physicists claims to have found a
hint that some things simply cannot be computed, and that nature could be more than the sum of its parts. (New
Scientist) Wonder if climate modelers will ever get it? The chaotic nature of the atmosphere is one reason we will
probably never be able to predict weather more than a couple of weeks on advance (if we ever get that good). It
is also why claims of climate prediction are complete nonsense -- we don't know from one year to the next
whether the following year will be warmer or cooler than the last. Early
birds do best with changing climate - Birds that haven't adjusted to the realities of a warming world are
worse off than their more flexible counterparts, according to a first-of-a-kind study directly linking population
declines in birds to climate change. There are two possible strategies here: take the risk of going earlier and possibly starving but potentially
reaping a bounty and achieving booming breeding success or; keeping to 'traditional' schedules that have seen
the species survive many past fluctuations in climate while allowing the population to fluctuate with prevailing
conditions. Apparently both strategies work because species employing either are still here, still migrating,
still breeding. For a while (as long as 'early' Springs persist) exploiters of early conditions show population
increases -- guess what happens when Springs are not 'early'? Revealed:
The cave paintings which could show how humans survived dramatic climate change during the Ice Age - British
scientists are set to unlock the secrets of hidden cave paintings which could reveal how humans survived during
the changing climate of the Ice Age more than 15,000 years ago. (Daily Mail) Big Oil’s Big Profits–For Now - Big Oil’s
role in oil prices is greatly exaggerated. No Democratic politician can talk about national energy policy without
mentioning oil companies as in “Big Oil” and railing against their profits. Nor can there be a successful
Republican who appears to be protecting oil’s “corporate welfare.” According to most people, oil companies
are responsible for screwing the consumer from their inalienable right to free gasoline, and lately, for
destroying the planet. But facts tend to disappoint those with a neat view of the world. Financial
crisis darkens outlook for climate talks - Wall Street's sickness and its contagiousness for the world economy
are bad news for the already faltering effort to craft a new pact to tackle climate change. Got that wrong, too :) Eclipsed:
Solar Power’s Celebrations Cut Short by Market Carnage - For the solar-power industry, it was the best of
times and the worst of times—all in the space of a long weekend. On Friday, after the passage of the Wall Street
bailout bill that included juicy tax breaks for solar power, champagne was the order of the day. By Monday, as
stock markets went south and some of the implications of the new tax breaks sank in, solar companies expecting to
cash in saw their prospects turn as gloomy as anybody’s. (Keith Johnson, WSJ) Now is the time to tackle global
warming - Stern - Lord Stern of Brentford has suggested the credit crunch might provide an opportunity to
invest in measures to tackle global warming as a way of stimulating economic growth. (The Guardian) Green
Stocks Fall Even Faster - New Energy Finance tracks companies worldwide that claim to focus on ‘climate
change’ stocks involving the generation and use of cleaner energy and efficiency. It hosts the WilderHill New
Energy Global Innovation Index, known as NEX [see Graph: the NEX Index since October 2007. For the full graph,
enlarged, go here]. End use of fossil fuels in
20 years, UK warned - Britain must abandon using almost all fossil fuels to produce power in 20 years' time,
the government's climate change watchdog will warn today. (The Guardian) EU Snubs Industry Plea for US$54
Bln for Greener Cars - PARIS/BRUSSELS - European Union auto makers called on Monday for 40 billion euros
(US$54.4 billion) of loans to help develop greener cars in the fight against climate change, but were instantly
rebuffed by the EU executive. (Reuters) Why? UN Body to Finalise
Action on Ship Emissions - LONDON - Curbing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, possibly by including the
sector for the first time in an emissions trading scheme, tops the agenda at a meeting of the industry's top
regulatory body in London this week. (Reuters) This is quite possibly the most important book about energy in a generation. For over thirty years Americans
have been fed a steady diet of half-truths, misinformation, urban legends and outright fabrications about energy.
The small amount of accurate information that does reach us is often obscured by scientific terminology or
one-sided political posturing. :) The
first Law of Thermodynamics in real life - A doctor leading a weight loss group responded to a question posed
by her group as to why they were unable to lose weight. She said it was all because of the Law Of Conservation of
Mass, also known as the Law of Thermodynamics. “This law of physics,” Dr. Val Jones wrote, “states that
matter cannot be created or destroyed, although it may be rearranged.” That means that to lose weight, someone
else has to gain it, since fat cannot be destroyed only rearranged. So, give your fat to someone else, she said.
To that end, she’s been baking cookies. :-) (Junkfood Science)
Parental doubts over
childhood vaccines common - NEW YORK - Roughly one in four parents express doubts about the risks and benefits
of various vaccines for their children and, in many cases, they delay or forgo vaccination, new research shows.
However, the findings also suggest that physicians can play an important role in encouraging vaccination. (Reuters
Health) Um... no. Pollution linked to appendicitis -
Air pollution may increase the risk of appendicitis, research suggests. If the appendix becomes inflamed it must
be removed surgically to avoid the risk that it will burst, and put the patient's life at risk. A University of
Calgary team found more patients were hospitalised on days when pollution levels were at their highest. The study,
presented to an American College of Gastroenterology conference, suggests pollution raises the general risk of
tissue inflammation. (BBC) RR 1.15? Nothing, in other words. What they 'observed' is as easily explained by say, people's activity
levels during warmer weather with ozone levels as a completely unrelated factor. Our radiation fears are being
exploited, charity warns - Scientists have hit out at companies selling unproven products that they say
exploit unfounded health fears among consumers about radiation from mobile phones, Wi-Fi and other devices. The
products claim to block or dissipate electromagnetic fields from everyday electronic goods, but the researchers
say there is no solid evidence that such fields are dangerous. (The Guardian) It's even worse than they thought! Fat
nation: Three out of four UK adults are overweight - Three out of four UK adults are overweight or obese -
more than previously thought, an expert said today. At least 75 per cent are carrying too much fat even though
official estimates put the figure at 66 per cent, he said. Dr Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, associate professor of
medicine at the well-known Mayo Clinic in the US, said the way overweight and obesity is currently calculated is
wrong. He argued that body mass index (BMI) fails to distinguish between lean mass and body fat and so people in
the "normal" range may still be carrying too much fat. Dr Lopez-Jimenez said: "I believe that the
UK's obesity problem is significantly worse than we thought. (Daily Mail) Potentially toxic flame retardants highest in California
households - In what may be an unintended consequence of efforts to make furniture safer and less flammable,
residents of California have blood levels of potentially toxic flame retardants called PBDEs at levels nearly
twice the national average, scientists from Massachusetts and California are reporting. Their study, the first to
examine regional variations in PBDE levels in household dust and blood within the U.S., is scheduled for posting
online Oct. 1 by ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. (ACS) Probably not a problem unless you are trying to burn Californians... Heater
swap could save millions on asthma: study - A ground-breaking study has found that getting rid of unflued gas
heaters can reduce the cost of treating asthma symptoms by about as much as the millions of dollars the country
spends every year on new asthma medication. Hmm... Why
the atom smasher went bang - A poor soldering job on one of 10,000 connections is the most likely cause of the
failure that sidelined the world's largest atom smasher days after the start of the new collider with great
fanfare, a senior scientist said. Or perhaps they were using lead
free solder? Media Bias Exposed
- On September 24 on NBC News Luke Russert made the observation about the
students at the University of Virginia that "The smartest kids in the state go there, so it is leaning a
little bit toward Obama." This may be Luke’s assessments of Obama, of the students of the University of
Virginia, of the lesser Universities across the nation, and of the perceived lack of “smart people” who might
not vote for Obama. Millions would disagree with this. A few examples of where we might disagree might help.
(Michael R. Fox, Hawaii Reporter) Web
2.0 tools are beginning to change the shape of scientific debate - As readers of this blog and others such as
Climate Audit know, reviewing new ideas, essays, and papers can often progress very quickly with the help of a
widely varied readership. But we still wait for traditional methods sometimes, and for the fast pace of venues
like this, it can be excruciatingly slow. Wake Up, America - A nation that
doesn't know history is destined to repeat its serious mistakes. People swayed by carefully crafted political
propaganda relentlessly repeated and effectively delivered can easily lose their freedom and way of life. (IBD) Cranking up the rhetoric: One
in Four Mammals Risks Extinction - Study - BARCELONA, Spain - A quarter of the world's mammals are threatened
with extinction, an international survey showed on Monday, and the destruction of habitats and hunting are the
major causes. (Reuters) Deadlines set for
designating polar bear habitat - ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The federal government will designate "critical
habitat" for polar bears off Alaska's coast, a decision that could add restrictions to future offshore
petroleum exploration or drilling. All Firms Urged to Appoint Green
Expert to Board - BARCELONA, Spain - All businesses should appoint an environmental expert to their board to
help safeguard the planet, the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said on
Sunday. (Reuters) Don't be so stupid. Breeding Seen Key in Greener
Farming Revolution - LONDON - Crops must be bred to resist insects and drought rather than relying heavily on
pesticides and irrigation, Britain's chief scientist said on Monday. (Reuters) Yep. And biotechnology is a key tool to do so. Organic Food Offers Little More Than Peace of
Mind, Critics Say - Jami Nelson always tried to eat healthy and take good care of her body, so she was stunned
to learn she had breast cancer at the age of 25. October 6, 2008 Monday smile: Stop
Anthropogenic Solar Cooling Now! - As most scientists know, the Earth emits as much radio energy as a small
star and with the advent of WiFi, Bluetooth and the iPhone, we as a society are continually emitting ever
increasing amounts of electromagnetic (EM) transmissions. These EM emissions are interacting with the solar wind,
forcing it back upon itself and therefore interfering with the Sun’s ability to generate sunspots. This is
predicted by peer-reviewed models showing ever lower solar cycles in the future and is proven by the delayed start
of cycle 24. (Here I go again) House
Democrats Push Climate Tax While Negotiating Fiscal Bailout - They just don’t get it House passes $700B “bailout
bill” - CO2 Tax issues included (Watts Up With That?) Who
Is In Charge, Karl Marx or the Marx Brothers? - Last January I wrote a column entitled: Are Polar Bears
Edible? I pointed out that during good times, people worry about whether polar bears will have ice in one-hundred
years—but when times are tough we wonder whether the bears are tasty. Main Street vs. Wall
Street - The financial bailout isn’t as bad as Main Street thinks. It’s worse. Not rocket science: Biden's Fantasy
World - Sarah Palin may not know as much about the world, but at least most of what she knows is true. (Wall
Street Journal) This is a real worry. If the US elects an Obama/Biden administration these idealistic clowns are going to
cost science very dearly -- well-funded public and commercial science requires a strong economy but socialists
have done most everything possible to wreck it. Although McCain is a gorebull warming fool at least Palin is
much more aware and she's pretty energy savvy too. My advice to US citizens is to not let the misanthropic Big
"L" watermelon MSM railroad you into electing another Socialist Government but see if you can actually
hold a couple of self-proclaimed mavericks to small government, prosperity and no abdication of national
sovereignty and control of the energy supply to unelected UN and EU bureaucrats under the guise of
"addressing gorebull warming". If the EU is so enamored with Barack Obama then let them elect him to
some EU bureaucracy. The world really needs America to lead, not surrender. Environment
Minister's views on climate change "bizarre" - In his efforts to attack the "green gang",
the Environment Minister, Sammy Wilson, puts himself at odds with the global scientific community and paints an
inaccurate and misleading picture of the scientific evidence. Actually, the 'scientific community' does not have a cohesive collective conclusion. Come to think of it, we
don't even have an agreement on whether global mean temperature is a useful or even a valid metric. Yes, global warming "is
just propaganda" - Worldwide interest in my quite run-of-the-mill comment, on the need to debate the
manmade global warming hypothesis, is pleasing but not surprising. It confirms that my fellow science writers have
miscalculated badly. Most readers don't want endless scare stories about climatic doom, accompanied by
authoritarian lectures about their carbon footprints. They're hungry for a variety of opinions. I'll Gladly
Pay You Tuesday . . . - The Kyoto industry has been a windfall to those major-emitting countries that
insisted on exemption, such as South Korea, China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, for the very same reason it has been
a financial drag on the economies of the small handful of countries (35) that claimed they would do . . .
something. That is, most of the “reduction” promises were no such thing, thanks to a 1990 baseline tailored to
accommodate subsequent economic collapse by half of the 35. During
Seattle Visit, Czech Republic President Cites EU's Crippling Effect on Democracy - Wednesday night Václav
Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, addressed 1,100 guests of Washington Policy Center at the organization's
2008 Annual Dinner in Seattle. His remarks are available online. (John Barnes, Seattle Politics Examiner) Seas turn to acid as they soak
up CO2 - The Bay of Naples is renowned for its breathtaking beauty and glittering clear waters. For centuries,
tourists have flocked to the region to experience its glories. I don't recall the Nature paper and it is unclear whether the so-called decline in biodiversity is
compared with areas distant from the natural volcanic carbon dioxide outgassing or if this is supposed to be new
vents that have killed off some of the existing endemic critters. Either way its relevance to atmospheric
absorption is tenuous to non-existent. Perhaps rather than Volcanic carbon dioxide vents reveal ecosystem
effects of ocean acidification (Nature 454, 96-99) they should have gone with something like Shallow-water
Volcanic Outgassing Apparently Not Good for Local Critters. “Surface
Temperature Cooling Trends and Negative Radiative Forcing Due to Land Use Change Toward Greenhouse Farming in
Southeastern Spain” By Campra Et Al 2008 - An excellent new paper has appeared. It is Campra, P., M. Garcia,
Y. Canton, and A. Palacios-Orueta, 2008: Surface temperature cooling trends and negative radiative forcing due to
land use change toward greenhouse farming in southeastern Spain,J. Geophys. Res., 113, D18109,
doi:10.1029/2008JD009912. (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) 'Supreme threat of gorebull warming'? Oh puh-lease! Slicing
up Whitehall - Merging the energy and climate departments sells short the supreme threat of global warming
(Peter Preston, The Guardian) That
New Climate Department - So, in today’s reshuffle of the UK Cabinet, Gordon Brown has decided to establish a
new ‘Energy and Climate Department’ to be headed by Ed Miliband, brother of our ‘Warmista’ Foreign
Secretary, David Miliband [‘Greens welcome new climate dept’, BBC Online Science and Environment News, October
3]. Oh dear! I fear that such a Department is going to need an awful lot of Ministers and Parliamentary Under
Secretaries. On this question, I have already consulted Sir Humphrey Appleby GCB, KBE , MVO, MA (Oxon), no less,
who is horrified at the large number of politicians who might have to be promoted (although, of course, he
welcomes the staffing implications for more civil servants). (Global Warming Politics) Stupidity: MPs tipped to
call for greater cut in UK emissions - The UK's independent climate change committee is expected to recommend
next week that the government sets a binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050,
campaigners say. Where's Al Gore now? - Obviously,
Al Gore's personal "carbon footprint" is massive. As I dug deeper into Gore's own energy use, even I was
surprised at the extent of the absolutely cartoonish gap between his words and his actions. Watermelons trying to reach into your pocket, again: New
charges on shipping could help climate - Billions of dollars could be raised to help the poorest countries
cope with and tackle climate change under proposals to be floated in London this week for new charges on
international shipping. Oh boy... Go to a climate party —
change your lifestyle - Open your front door to friends and the future of the planet. The climate party is the
new Tupperware party in Sweden, where the only thing on offer is a change of lifestyle. (Christine Demsteader,
Sweden) Green Shift:
Eco issues take back seat to market mayhem - Calgarian Mark Leigh believes he does his part for the
environment: he is a devoted cyclist and volunteers at two bicycle co-operatives so others can ride for a small
cost. People consider the economy important? Go figure... Hold
the front page on who's causing climate change - LIKE many, I'm finding it hard to decide whether climate
change is a man-made phenomenon or part of a natural order, a natural cycle of things. Winds
are Dominant Cause of Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheet Losses - Two new studies summarised in a news
article in Science magazine point to wind-induced circulation changes in the ocean as the dominant cause of the
recent ice losses through the glaciers draining both the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, not ‘global
warming.’ (Climate Research News) Watts
Up With That? has a nice animation to go with the above. Record South
Pole Ozone Hole Predicted - CHURCHVILLE, VA—A Canadian scientist says the largest known hole in the ozone
will occur over the South Pole in the next week. If that happens, it will help us understand global warming. Less 'flu is 'a concern' now? Global
warming impact on flu bug concerns experts - A warmer Earth likely means less flu, but determining just how
much less is a "wicked problem," the dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health told a standing room-only crowd of more than 100 people Friday at Science 2008. That poor virtual world: Florida
Fish and Wildlife Commission preparing for effects of climate change - The Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission is looking for ways to limit climate change's impact on wildlife. (Miami Herald) New Solar Cycle Not
Packing Much Punch - I found a reference to this article while looking at Leif Svalgaard’s website, and
since I missed it the first time around, and because the message is still valid, I thought I’d reprint it here.
Also, the artwork they provided a hi-res link to makes a great desktop wallpaper. - Anthony (Watts Up With That?) How not to
measure temperature part 72: Italian Style - People send me things, its always interesting to see what comes
in the inbox daily: (Watts Up With That?) Gore links Iowa floods to climate
change - Iowa's recent natural disasters are connected to global climate change, former Vice President Al Gore
said in a speech at the state Democratic Party's annual fall fundraiser Saturday. (Des Moines Register) Gore
demonstrates he doesn’t understand basic meteorology, much less climate - Gore links Iowa floods and
tornadoes to climate change, but makes a basic error on global temperature to evaporation linkage, plus he misses
the real reason behind imagined tornado increases. (Watts Up With That?) Media mythology: Economic
turmoil could scupper EU climate plans - As if the European Union's attempts to curb carbon dioxide emissions
had not drawn enough criticism, the current economic turmoil is bringing further attempts to weaken European
climate protection policies. (NewScientist.com news service) The trouble is "European climate protection policies" aren't -- they are misanthropic
anti-energy and anti-development proposals that actually make people more vulnerable to, well, most
everything really. A changed climate: The
European Union is struggling to deliver on its promises to cut carbon emissions - JUST 18 months ago the
European Union promised to save the world from climate change. A final plan to deliver on those promises must be
finished soon. But it is in deep trouble. Ecologists fear EU diluting climate change
battle plans - European Union plans to tackle climate change reach a crucial phase on Tuesday with votes in
the EU parliament, amid fears among green groups that pressure from industry is watering the proposals down. (AFP) Six EU states ready to
block climate plan: Poland - WARSAW - Poland has assembled a blocking minority among the European Union
members enabling them to stall Brussels' climate package, Polish officials said. EU climate change
cuts: Poland leads revolt over Russia fears - Poland has claimed that it has assembled enough votes to block a
landmark EU climate change agreement after spearheading a revolt by Eastern European states that fear the package
would increase their dependence on Russian natural gas supplies. (Daily Telegraph) Poles
To Freeze Brussels’ Sprouts - I am delighted to say that many of the newer entrants to the European Union
are exhibiting a far more robust approach to potentially-damaging ‘global warming’ politics and economics than
‘moules-frites-in-the-sky’ Brussels. As widely reported, Poland has now assembled a ‘blocking minority’
among EU member states sufficient to stall Brussels’ unrealistic climate-change packages [see, for example:
‘EU climate change cuts: Poland leads revolt over Russia fears’, The Daily Telegraph, October 3; ‘Six EU
states ready to block climate plan: Poland’, Reuters, October 3]. (Global Warming Politics) 'Taxing' farts and burps
- Committed to the Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand promised to cut its emissions to 1990 levels. The country's biggest
source is methane from cattle, and as Stephen Evans discovers, the issue is raising a stink among local farmers.
(BBC) Climate change stocks fall more than
wider markets - LONDON - Shares in companies specializing in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, including
energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, have tumbled faster than wider markets this year, indices
showed. The main reason would appear to be that these speculative stocks are a mimic of the dot.bomb debacle -- they
are shares in entities that actually don't produce anything useful and whose entire business model is to farm
subsidies and venture capital. Peru Studies Climate Riddle as the
World Heats Up - LIMA - Scientists are using everything from a yellow submarine to weather balloons and
special airplanes to solve a climate conundrum: why is Peru getting colder while the rest of the world heats up?
(Reuters) Who says the world is heating up? The southern hemisphere mid-troposphere has always be uh, reluctant.
The one thong about this gorebull warming thing upon which we can all agree is that it has never been global. More virtual world guessing: Fish
stock at risk in climate change - CLIMATE change is likely to hit supplies of many of Australia's favourite
eating fish, including barramundi, salmon, rock lobster and prawns, the most extensive study on the subject yet
undertaken by the Federal Government has warned. Lets see, wasn't it Al who said models were proven - Wall Street has been using them for years? Well Wall
Street's models just pranged the world's financial
system, again -- this in an environment well studied, well financed, data rich and moderately well understood.
And climate models are absolutely infantile compared with financial ones. Wild guess #... Climate
change ‘will cut water supplies’ - Householders will have to reduce their consumption of water by a third
or more over the next 40 years because climate change will cause river levels to slump, new research has shown. While simultaneously causing more floods, no doubt: Britain's
rivers could run dry - Britain's rivers could nearly run dry because long hot summers caused by climate change
will not be sufficiently compensated by wetter winters, researchers predict. It is a scenario that would endanger
wildlife and send household water bills soaring. UCS says so? So what? Report warns Pennsylvania about
global warming effects - Apples and sweet corn, brook trout and smallmouth bass, fall foliage and winter snow
cover will all disappear from Pennsylvania if emissions causing global warming continue at their current rates,
according to a detailed, state-specific climate change report by the Union of Concerned Scientists. (Don Hopey,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) UCS have never been right about anything before, why would anyone take them seriously now? Billions
of Barrels Could Mean Trillions of Government Dollars; Media AWOL - Old Media's coverage of the
recently-lifted executive and congressional bans on offshore exploration and drilling for oil and natural gas
largely overlooked an important element that should have been very relevant to the discussion. EDITORIAL: Drill, and drill now
- Barack Obama and John McCain have been talking about finding new forms of energy, bringing down its cost and
finding alternatives to oil. At the recent Clinton Global Initiative summit, both addressed how they would solve
an energy "crisis" that has led to pain at the pump for Middle America. Unfortunately, offshore-drilling
prospects remain entangled in red tape and legal challenges. Gas Pains for the
Environment - Common sense dictates that some of the more important keys to American energy independence are:
more oil exploration and drilling; more natural gas exploration and drilling; more nuclear plants; more wind farms
and solar panels—but not more bio fuels because diversion of corn and other plant life to the fuel market
increases food prices more than is reasonable. An Energy-Fraud Twofer
Insult: Measure Dictates Renewable Energy Use - Oct. 3--Proposition 7's arrogance should offend every
Californian. Its two alleged benefits are that it will "reduce the rising costs of energy" and
"limit the dangers of global warming." Solar hopes up in
smoke - JOHN POPPINS has many investments, but his proudest sits on his roof. The retired engineer has $30,000
worth of solar panels on his Mount Waverley home, a personal power station that covers all his home energy needs
and then some. He's not, he says, a guy who likes to "put his hand out". But it's people like Poppins
who, you might think, deserve some payment for the excess clean electricity they feed back into the community.
(The Age) Why? I don't care if it's Mary Poppins, just because some people are stupid enough to buy into the solar
panel nonsense we should pay them far above market rate for nuisance amounts of electricity? Go to Hell! For
more than 40 years we have been subsidizing solar power as the 'next big thing' and it is time to stop the
bullshit -- solar voltaic panels will never be a viable nor useful supplement to baseload electricity. If it's
supposed to be so damn great then let it pay its own way. If it remains a niche toy for obscure applications,
who cares? Even if Australia decides to introduce solar power into the energy supply mix it won't be through
PVCs but through solar thermal technologies. In the meantime Australia has abundant carbon reserves and nuclear
materials to power the place for many, many centuries. Brazil announces more oil and gas
proven reserves - Brazil’s oil and gas government managed corporation Petrobras announced the proven
presence of oil in a well south of the Santos Basin, in sandy reservoirs above the salt layer. The discovery
confirms the good light oil potential in the shallow water portion of the basin, said Petrobras in a brief release
from last Friday. (Mercopress) ENAP exploring for coal methane gas
in Magallanes - Chile is exploring for methane gas from the abundant coal reserves in the extreme south region
of Magallanes, more precisely 80 kilometers to the north of Punta Arenas. (Mercopress) European carmakers plead for £32bn
loan to meet green target - Carmakers are pushing the European commission for a €40bn (£32bn)
"green" bail-out plan to help them meet stringent EU limits on carbon emissions, it emerged yesterday.
(The Guardian) Dutch city kept warm by
hot-water mines - In an age of rapidly rising fuel bills the discovery of vast supplies of free hot water
sounds too good to be true. But that is exactly what one Dutch city has found to run the radiators of hundreds of
homes, shops and offices. Another myth
exposed: the "epidemic of childhood obesity and poor health in Australia" - Just as in the United
Kingdom and the United States, the myth of a growing epidemic of obesity and disease among Australia’s children
and teens has been shown false by its government’s own statistics. It was only this past summer when
Australia’s fat bomb was resoundingly defused. Now, as proposals to address Australia’s “childhood obesity
epidemic” become increasingly extreme, costly and unsupported — from mandatory after school sports exercise
programs for the nation’s school children to banning advertisements for breakfast cereals — two new government
reports reveal that an epidemic of childhood obesity is a myth and that Australia’s children and young people
are healthier than ever… (Junkfood Science) Healthcare on the
government - The Federal Parliament's House Standing Committee on Health and Ageing began its Inquiry into
Obesity in Australia on March 19th. It has received more than one hundred submissions from stakeholders with
proposals for addressing obesity — Remember the submission from the Baker Heart Research Institute,
Australia’s Future Fat Bomb? — and has been conducting a series of public hearings. Among the presenters at
this past week’s public hearing were Queensland Health and the Centre for Burden of Disease and
Cost-Effectiveness. (Junkfood Science) How about
some science to go along with your cereal? - Are added sugars and foods low in fiber bad for kids and lead
them to become fat? Thank you note from Sandy.
(Junkfood Science) Killing
Malarial Mosquitos Now! - Not long ago, most Americans thought malaria had disappeared from Planet Earth. Few
remembered that it had killed thousands every year in the United States, into the 1940s – or that it was once
prevalent in New Jersey, Ohio, California and the South, as well as in Europe and even Siberia. Weather Eye: A gloomy October is bad
for our health - It looks as if October is about to become a lot gloomier, with unsettled conditions lasting
for another week and possibly longer. Following on from the dullest August on record in Britain, there are
concerns about the effects of the lack of sunshine on our health. It is quite true that vitamin D is but poorly stored (in that much-maligned body fat, actually), so you need
daily sun exposure to synthesize enough for your needs and it is also true that 'ozone-depletion'
and 'sun danger' hysteria have caused considerable ill-health from low vitamin D levels. Hmm... where to begin? Failure
to fight ozone pollution 'puts lives in danger' - Human health and food production are being damaged because
too little is being done to control worldwide ozone levels, a report by the Royal Society says. In a way this item highlights the absurdity of so many 'ozone layer' claims -- it matters not whether an
ozone molecule is located at 6 meters altitude or 60,000 meters, if it intercepts ultraviolet B radiation and
'saves' you from that bit of exposure it has done the same job, no? Back when the Montreal Protocol farce
was being negotiated the US EPA derived a mind-numbingly idiotic 'benefit' of $trillions from the health
benefits from banning ozone depleting substances (ODS). Embarrassingly there is some evidence that it is UVA
(not blocked by ozone) that causes the ill-health effects from which banning ODS was alleged to protect us but
not UVB, the portion of sunlight actually blocked by ozone. At the same time they bestow Jekyll and Hyde
characteristics on this substance, declaring ozone molecula non grata in the lower atmosphere as a health
hazard. Guess what? If there were the merest trace of validity in claims about the value of the conceptual
'ozone layer' then ozone should be welcomed throughout the atmosphere. The cost of a comparatively few lives
from lower atmosphere ozone pales into insignificance compared with those claimed saved by this wonder molecule.
On the other hand, we could admit the Montreal Protocol is a total crock and that the
presence or absence of outer atmospheric ozone is of no particular interest to life on Earth. What say we
just concentrate on actual real-world problems? Us neither... A 60-year-old scandal,
an eminent botanist and a plant that was planted - THE discovery of a rare plant on the Isle of Rum in the
1940s led scientists to question whether the Ice Age had ever reached the Scottish isles. Now, more than half a
century later, it has emerged that the man credited with finding the plant had grown it in his Newcastle garden
before replanting it in the Inner Hebrides. (The Scotsman) Sheesh! Price rises to
force cuts in water use - Ministers want householders to cut their water consumption by a fifth using
compulsory metering and sharply rising prices. Manifestly inadequate supply by government authorities becomes a 'sustainability issue'? Crap, the failed
Queensland Government trimmed target usage to 170 liters per day on level 6 restrictions! This is
considered rationing and evidence of complete failure by the government to ensure adequate infrastructure and
supply and is one of the reasons the Bligh government cannot hope to get itself re-elected. God save the Queen! Really, really long may She reign! Charles
targets GM crop giants in fiercest attack yet - In a provocative address to an Indian audience, the Prince
echoes Gandhi with a stinging attack on 'commerce without morality'. Geoffrey Lean reports Crikey Charlie's a dipstick isn't he? The war over GM is back. Is the truth
any clearer? - Genetically modified foods were sidelined in Britain 10 years ago amid a furious assault on
'Frankenstein foods'. Now climate change and world hunger have placed them back on the agenda. The ferocious
debate is again splitting the science, political and environmental communities. But, asks Observer food expert Jay
Rayner, what's the real truth about GM? (Jay Rayner, The Observer) SOUTH AFRICA: GM Sorghum Test Approved -
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 3 - As Africa grapples with the question of food insecurity, biotechnology buffs seem to have an
answer: genetically modified crops that could feed a continent vulnerable to famine and food deficits. But
environmentalists warn of new dangers. October 3, 2008
Greens Exploit Wall Street Bailout - Will the
Wall Street bailout be the beginning of the New (Green) Deal? A Bill That Deserves
to Fail - The pending bailout legislation does not offer realistic solutions to our current financial
problems. So, this is why gorebull warming remains the undead 'problem' that never was: When
seeing IS believing - New research published in the journal Science explains why individuals seek to find and
impose order on an unruly world through superstition, rituals and conspiratorial explanations by linking a loss of
control to individual perceptions. The research finds that a quest for structure or understanding leads people to
trick themselves into seeing and believing connections that simply don't exist. (Manning Selvage & Lee) People imagine carbon dioxide controls climate and Gore makes bazillions pushing the myth. The Beeb feels they are part of the 'debate': The
battle caused by Climate Wars - Our BBC documentary was right to cover the whole debate, even if the
scientific consensus is that global warming is a reality (Jonathan Renouf, The Guardian) Funny, we thought they were the official AGW propaganda press but, in fairness, Renouf does mention "there
is still a furious debate going on out there" (probably comes as quite a shock). This was news to someone? UN
chief’s subtle style under fire from critics - During a retreat for senior UN officials in Turin, Italy, in
August, the secretary general was reported to have told team members: “We waste incredible amounts of time on
largely meaningless matters.” (The National) In the virtual realm: Study Pushes Appearance of
Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheets Back By 22 Million Years -- Climatologist Robert DeConto of the University of
Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues at four institutions are reporting in the Oct. 2 issue of the journal Nature
that their latest climate model of the Northern Hemisphere suggests conditions would have allowed ice sheets to
form there for the last 25 million years, or about 22 million years earlier than generally assumed. Their research
has implications for the evaluation of global climate change. (PhysOrg.com) New guesstimate increases era of northern hemisphere ice cap by order of magnitude. (Modelers like to tell us
we have this climate thing nailed down) What happened to the expected record melt of thinner, 1st-season ice? Arctic
sea ice hits second-lowest extent, likely lowest volume - Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008 melt season
dropped to the second-lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979, reaching the lowest point in its
annual cycle of melt and growth on Sept. 14, according to researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's
National Snow and Ice Data Center. (University of Colorado at Boulder) Regulating Global Warming: Expanding The
Authority Of The Environmental Protection Agency - In May 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that greenhouse
gases met the definition of an air pollutant in the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
responded in 2008 by issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) that explains how the Clean Air Act
applies to regulating emissions of greenhouse gases thought to contribute to global warming. The notice will
likely be followed by regulations to reduce emissions. Unfortunately, such regulations would significantly
increase energy prices, but would not affect the global level of greenhouse gases, says Amanda Berg, legislative
assistant for the National Center for Policy Analysis. Party Like It's 1984 - Imagine a
society in which children are encouraged to be informants against their families over a phony issue? Imagine no
longer. (IBD) GREEN ALERT: Hidden Carbon Tax Provisions in Paulson’s
Bailout 2.0 - Why is the mainstream media ignoring what might be the most earth-shattering provisions in
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s Bailout Package Version 2.0? Passive-Aggressive
CO2 Tax Treatment - Has Congress just elevated the despised natural resource of plant food, CO2, to a lofty
status as a valuable resource. (Well, it's true we wouldn’t necessarily die without timber, many millions of us
would die without oil . . . we’d all die without CO2. A statement sure to set the fever swamps ablaze.) It's
either that, or they made a drafting error and are trying to create tax loopholes for their buddies selling CO2
offsets, and set things up for the folks pushing for the Lieberman-Warner (-McCain-Kyoto) CO2 rationing scheme. Václav Klaus: Notes from
American Northwest - Well, I obviously disagree with some comments of the Czech president about the financial
crisis (as well as about the purpose of education, the future of IT, and the importance of elegance in clothing)
but I still think it's interesting enough a collection of essays to quickly translate for you - and many readers
will surely agree with all his points. (The Reference Frame) Groan... McCain eyes potential
Treasury picks - Asked if he would be a visible presence in international talks to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and replace the Kyoto Protocol, McCain, who has clashed with fellow Republicans over climate change,
said he would do "whatever is necessary to try to move forward." Documentary: Cooling in the Greenhouse
- the Finnish Broadcasting Co YLE has produced a half hour documentary about why global warming seems to have come
to a halt. The show is in Finnish, but an English transcript is available here: Video: Truth alert:
Hurricane Katrina - Shortly after making landfall in late August of 2005 - and causing massive destruction and
death along the Gulf Coast of the United States - several prominent scientists and a host of climate alarmists
began claiming that hurricane Katrina was a product of CO2-induced global warming. Is there any scientific truth
to this claim? (co2science.org) An
Essay “The IPCC Report: What The Lead Authors Really Think” By Ann Henderson-Sellers - Thanks to Timo Hämeranta
for alerting us to the essay by the internationally well respected climate scientist Ann Henderson-Sellers on
September 17 2008 titled “The IPCC report: what the lead authors really think”. It is worth reading and I have
reproduced below: (Roger Pielke Sr., Climate Science) Steelmakers Urge EU to Improve
Emissions Proposal - BRUSSELS - Two major European steel industry bodies urged the EU on Thursday to improve
its proposal on revising the bloc's emissions trading system, saying it could damage the European industry's
competitiveness. (Reuters) High cost of hitting
Ross Garnaut's climate panic button - PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd's handpicked global warming guru Ross Garnaut
has issued his third apocalyptic theory unencumbered with any hard scientific evidence. New item on the 'Global warming blamed' list? Climate
change threat to haggis - Global warming could pose a threat to a key ingredient used in one of Scotland's
most famous dishes. (BBC) The SingleMinded Stupidity of Energy Policy -
The biggest problem in energy supplies today is that politicians think it is a problem with a solution. And by
that I mean they seem to think it has exactly one solution. Pipeline
challenges - TransCanada estimates that the regulatory process has added $3-billion to the cost of the
Mackenzie pipeline project (Peter Foster, Financial Post) The
Energy Crunch Cometh - On Tuesday, courtesy of the Bow Group, I spoke at the Conservative Party Conference in
Birmingham. In my talk, I stressed over-and-over that, where energy is concerned, Britain stands on the brink, and
that the looming energy crunch would make the credit crunch seem like small beer, sentiments echoed by The Rt.
Hon. Lord Howell of Guildford in his trenchant ‘Opening Remarks’ to the British Institute of Energy
Economists’ (BIEE) Annual Conference at St. John’s College, Oxford, September 24 [read in full here]: (Global
Warming Politics) Ethanol Insanity - Barack Obama doesn’t want
to talk about corn ethanol. And it’s no wonder. In early August, his campaign Web site purged several sections
of his energy plan that talked about corn ethanol. Before the purge, Obama was touting corn ethanol as a pivotal
element in his push for “energy independence.” His site declared that Obama “will require 36 billion gallons
of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022 and will increase that to at least 60 billion gallons
of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030.” The site also claims that less than 10 percent of new
corn ethanol production is coming from farmerowned distilleries. To address this, “Obama will create a number of
incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries.” (Robert Bryce, Energy Tribune) Oil's Green Costs Set to Rise as
Canada Vote Nears - CALGARY, Alberta - Already struggling with the soaring costs of developing the Alberta oil
sands, Canada's energy industry now also faces the prospect of tighter environmental controls regardless of which
party wins the country's upcoming general election. (Reuters) Fuel poverty: 1m more
households slip into category - Over 1m more households have officially slipped into fuel poverty, the latest
figures reveal. (Daily Telegraph) How Well Do
Windmills Actually Work? - The Tokyo District Court ordered Waseda University on Monday to pay some ¥200
million in damages to the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, because windmills installed at schools there, based
on the university's plan, failed to generate the amount of electricity expected. Documentary
on 'Path to 9/11' Shows Liberals, Clinton Voters Supported Project - Former Clinton Administration officials
and liberal news media personalities who have been sharply critical of the "The Path to 9/11" miniseries
fail to point out that top executives, editors and researchers connected with the docudrama ,who are actually
quite left of center themselves, were supportive of the project, according to a new film that explores the
controversy. Reporters love rapid detox
- In what read like a paid advertisement, Britain’s Independent newspaper has become the latest media outlet to
fall for the claims of the promoters of a procedure called “rapid” or “ultra rapid” opioid detox. Research team discovers brain pathway responsible for
obesity - University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, for the first time, have found a messaging system in
the brain that directly affects food intake and body weight. (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Same 'endocrine disruption' nonsense that has driven the science-by-press-release recycled fears of the last
few months: 6 environmental research studies reveal
critical health risks from plastic - Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and flame retardants (PBDEs)
are strongly associated with adverse health effects on humans and laboratory animals. A special section in the
October 2008 issue of Environmental Research, "A Plastic World" provides critical new research on
environmental contaminants and adverse reproductive and behavioral effects. (Elsevier) Probing Question: Could your kitchen counters be
radioactive? - Verde Butterfly. Black Galaxy. Kashmir Gold. If you’ve remodeled your kitchen in the last
decade, chances are you encountered one of the 1,600 varieties of granite imported into the United States from 64
different countries. According to recent market research, demand for natural stone countertops has increased 5
percent annually between 2001 and 2006, with granite being the most popular option. And why not? Granite is not
only durable, resistant to mold and mildew, and easy to clean, but because no two pieces of granite are alike,
your counter will have its own unique look. (Research Penn State) Yes, your granite kitchen bench top, your fired clay house bricks and the planet under your feet emit small
amounts of natural radiation all the time. Should you be worried about this? Not at all. Biochemists devise method for bypassing aluminum toxicity
effects in plants -- Aluminum toxicity, a global agricultural problem, halts root growth in plants, severely
limiting agricultural productivity for more than half of the world's arable land. Breakthrough in genetic map of wheat: scientists -
Researchers on Thursday reported inroads in an ambitious project to map the genetic sequence of wheat, which
ultimately could lead to the creation of more fertile and disease-resistant wheat strains. (AFP) October 2, 2008 Here we go, yet again: Global Warming:
Heated Denials - The Organized Effort to Cast Doubt on Climate Change (Lisa Chiu, Center for Public Integrity) CfPI, that's what, Big Socialist Media's propaganda arm? No matter, everybody trusts reporters, right? It is
interesting to see the recycling effort going into the allegations of Big Denial1
rolling out the Big Tobacco Playbook2 to willfully and knowingly prevent all
sentient and other beings3 from protecting themselves from a planet-threatening
problem, one which is only known to exist in the virtual realms of PlayStation® climatology4. Senate Resurrects Energy Tax Giveaway - To add insult to
injury, the energy tax provisions are being used as a means to pass the bailout, which is an even worse waste of
federal dollars. Charity for renewable energy is popular among a bipartisan swath of Congress because the money
gets spread around to boondoggle energy projects in districts across America. So Senate leaders tacked it on to
the bailout to make it more attractive to their colleagues. Uggh!!! (William Yeatman, Cooler Heads Digest) | See
the 451 page giveaway here. Hope for
One Slice of Green Pork - The Senate bailout bill contains a surprising 100-page section authorizing billions
in tax credits for small wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, coal gasification, carbon sequestration, plug-in
hybrid vehicles, biofuels, etc. (Marlo Lewis, Planet Gore) NAP & the gorebull warming monster: Global
Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Understanding the Contributions to Infectious Disease Emergence:
Workshop Summary - Long before the "germ theory" of disease was described, late in the nineteenth
century, humans knew that climatic conditions influence the appearance and spread of epidemic diseases. Ancient
notions about the effects of weather and climate on disease remain embedded in our collective consciousness
through expressions such "cold" for rhinovirus infections; "malaria," derived from the Latin
for "bad air;" and the common complaint of feeling "under the weather." Today, evidence is
mounting that earth's climate is changing at a faster rate than previously appreciated, leading researchers to
view the longstanding relationships between climate and disease with new urgency and from a global perspective. On
December 4 and 5, 2007, the Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop in Washington, DC to consider the
possible infectious disease impacts of global climate change and extreme weather events on human, animal, and
plant health, as well as their expected implications for global and national security. (NAP) Obviously these bloody idiots never heard of 'flu season: EU
could save £20bn per year on health by cutting emissions - The EU could save an extra £20bn per year on
health spending by setting tougher targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report. They do know cold weather kills off lots of people, far more than does warm weather, right? They do realize
excess deaths from cold far outnumber those from heat? Apparently not, otherwise they would not have released
such utter bullshit as they have. Just about anted out? Experts
warn species in peril from climate change - Climate change threatens to kill off up to a third of the planet's
species by the end of the century if urgent action isn't taken to restore fragile ecosystems, protect endangered
animals and manage growth, scientists warned Wednesday as a wildlife summit opened. (Associated Press) These guys... they've upped the ante so many times (still without managing to stampede the populace) that
they've just about nowhere left to go. What nonsense are they going to try next, gorebull warming to make oceans
so hot on Sun side that Earth will become a steam rocket and zoom out of the Solar System? Extratropical
critters experience much larger temperature changes seasonally, even between day and night, than any
hypothetical change from enhanced greenhouse and yet they are still here, no? Candidates Weigh in at Clinton Confab - The Democratic and
Republican nominees also spoke at the annual pow-wow of the Clinton Global Initiative this week. Senators Barack
Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Az.) presented almost indistinguishable plans to ration energy with a
cap-and-trade program and save us from global warming. They also both vowed to reduce global poverty and revive
the U. S. economy. The little difficulty that no one asked them about is that cap-and-trade will create chronic
economic stagnation and increase poverty around the world. (Myron Ebell, Cooler Heads Digest) Act
hastily, roo the scare tactics - I don't want to eat kangaroo. Ever. It's dark, chewy, gamey and smelly. But,
says Ross Garnaut, the Government's economics guru on climate change, kangaroo is what we will all have to eat in
a few years. Beef and lamb will be reserved only for the very wealthy in the brave new future he envisages, in
which Australia leads the world on tackling climate change. Pact, schmact -- people are beginning to realize what a crock this all is: Financial
Storm Dims Hope of Tough UN Climate Pact - OSLO - Global financial mayhem is dimming prospects for a strong
new UN pact to fight climate change, but it might aid cheap green schemes such as insulating buildings to save
energy, analysts said. (Reuters) Even the
Sun's Not as Bright as It Used to Be (Chris Horner, Planet Gore) Idiot article of the moment: Gambling
On Ice - 2008 Arctic ice melt another will prove to be another stunning record, with some scientists even
wagering on how much (Margaret Munro, Canwest News Service) No idea what planet Munro is on but it sure doesn't seem to be Earth. Dim
Bulbs: Those Squiggly “Green” Light Bulbs Could Hurt the Environment, Study Says - The law of unintended
consequences strikes again—this time with light bulbs. Silly buggers! The alleged justification for these hideous bulbs doesn't exist. Nigel
Lawson’s lonely crusade - Nigel Lawson was one of Margaret Thatcher’s most brilliant ministers. In recent
years, Lord Lawson has become fascinated, and troubled, by the issues of climate change science and policy. The
result is An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming, a brief, clearly written critique of the
conventional wisdom on the issue (which he refuses to call “climate change,” a phrase which he sees as
“alliterative weasel words”). (Peter Foster, Financial Post) Get your copy through our store and help
JunkScience.com at the same time. Today's gibberish award: The
silent Sun’s uncertain course - The Sun has gone quiet, very quiet. The solar wind – which is comprised of
electrically charged particles streaming out from the star – is weaker than at any time since scientists began
accurate observations in the 1950s, and the number of sunspots in 2008 may be the lowest since the 19th century.
(Financial Times) "Although some people who are sceptical about the human influence on global warming like to emphasise
the link between solar variability and climate, Prof Mayewski turns their argument on its head: “The fact that
we are not in conditions like the little ice age today shows that the atmosphere is being perturbed by human
activities,” he says." So, there you have it. Changes in solar activity are not enough to affect Earth's climate and can not be the
reason we think Earth has warmed a little. Moreover, now that the sun has gone quiet over the last year and we
haven't plunged into a Little Ice Age demonstrates that human perturbation of the atmosphere is preventing such
catastrophic cooling... Do you suppose Mayewski realizes that solar activity plunged for 4 decades and remained minimal for a further
5 decades during the Maunder Minimum? Does he really think Earth's climate is so solar-sensitive it should have
plunged to LIA-like conditions in less than a year? [Lack of] Climate Change in the Grain Belt
- PSD researcher Marty Hoerling gave an invited presentation entitled, "Climate Change in the Grain
Belt," on September 10 at the 2008 Corn and Climate Conference in Ames, IA. His presentation focused on the
fact that since 1895 there has not been a warming of temperatures in the Corn Belt during the growing season. It
is important for researchers to sort out the reason why, since historical data does not show the warming that
would be anticipated from green house gas increases. Increased precipitation has kept this region cool, which is
favorable to corn yields. It is unknown why it has been wetter during this period, but is most likely attributable
to natural variations in climate. I missed this earlier -- thanks to John S. for bringing to my attention. Weather
disasters explained - In 1816 a freak summer led to the creation of Frankenstein, the invention of the bicycle
and Turner's finest paintings. In the bleak winter of 1947, Britain nearly starved. The Times's weatherman
explains why (The Times) Scientists Aim to Boost Southern
Ocean CO2 Monitoring - SINGAPORE - Australian scientists set sail later this week on a voyage that could lead
to better data from the Southern Ocean, which plays a major role in acting as a brake on climate change. Atmospheric measures show negligible, if any warming in the southern extratropics and southern polar regions
and there's no baseline data either so this is going to tell them what, exactly? Carbon Sinks: Issues,
Markets, Policy - With reducing carbon emissions on the national agenda, a group of expert panelists will
discuss methods, markets, testing and policy issues on how carbon sinks or carbon sequestration may be used to
reduce atmospheric CO2. (SPX) But we don't want to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide -- it's better for life on Earth to have it elevated
further. Don't
Blame Cities For Climate Change, See Them As Solutions - Cities are being unfairly blamed for most of
humanity's greenhouse gas emissions and this threatens efforts to tackle climate change, warns a study in the
October 2008 issue of the journal Environment and Urbanization. (SPX) The Cuban Diet - The global
warming scare isn't about the environment as much as it is about smothering capitalism and forcing Americans to
change their lifestyles. A report out of Great Britain confirms this. (IBD) The U.S. Faces Serious Risks of Brownouts or
Blackouts in 2009, Study Warns - Enviro Group Lawsuits, Cost Concerns, Climate Regulation Uncertainty Cited As
Major Obstacles To Grid Improvements Black Activist on End of
Congressional Ban on Oil Exploration: ‘Energy Freedom Day’ Great for Families and for Energy Independence
- Washington, D.C. - On October 1, 2008, a congressionally-mandated ban on offshore oil exploration and expanded
development of oil from shale rock in the American West officially expires. Supporters of increased domestic
energy production are calling it "Energy Freedom Day." Wholesale
price of electricity surges amid fear of supply shortfall - Wholesale electricity prices surged higher
yesterday amid mounting fears that the UK could face a supply shortfall next month. Learn More about the Wind Energy Rip-Off! - To that end,
check out this site on the basics of wind energy by avowed environmentalist John Droz, jr. While I disagree with
Droz on the merits of “doing something” about global warming, his assessment of the wind energy boondoggle is
spot-on. (William Yeatman, Cooler Heads Digest) Italy Biodiesel Group Aims for
Fuel From Seaweed - ROME - A group of Italian biodiesel producers said on Wednesday they have begun a project
to move away from using food crops for fuel by using seaweed instead. (Reuters) Groundbreaking discovery may lead to stronger antibiotics
- The last decade has seen a dramatic decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics, resulting in a mounting public
health crisis across the world. A new breakthrough by University of Virginia researchers provides physicians and
patients a potential new approach toward the creation of less resistant and more effective antibiotics.
(University of Virginia) Terminator morphs into chief nanny stater: Schwarzenegger
requires menu postings - Battling the bulge, California became the first state Tuesday to require chain
restaurants to post calorie content of menu items. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will affect
about 17,000 facilities once it is fully implemented in 2011. (Sacramento Bee) Cartoon
characters promote unhealthy food to children - Adverts using cartoon characters like Tony the Tiger and the
Dairylea Cow to target unhealthy food at children should be banned, a report said. (Daily Telegraph) What's the correct term for these guys? Are they just the food police or aspiring social engineers? (I know,
there are lots of other terms for them but we do try to maintain a family-friendly site) How disappointing for the zealots: Obesity
not linked to poor semen quality - NEW YORK - While overweight and obese men tend to have abnormal sex hormone
levels, the quality of their semen doesn't seem to be affected, study findings indicate. (Reuters Health) Top Corporate Watchdogs Form New
Free Enterprise Project at National Center for Public Policy Research - Washington, DC - The National Center
for Public Policy Research is pleased to announce that the personnel and resources of the non-profit Free
Enterprise Education Institute have joined the National Center for Public Policy Research. Programs in defense of
free markets, shareholders and taxpayers formerly carried out by FEEI now will be run under the new Free
Enterprise Project of the National Center for Public Policy Research. (National Center) An “Ubersecretary Paulson” Would Be
a Bad Idea - Washington, DC - Directors of the Free Enterprise Project at the National Center for Public
Policy Research are urging Congress to be wary of placing excessive power in the Treasury Secretary or any other
cabinet official as it crafts any "bailout" bill. Is there a translator out there? Sustainability
in a recession makes more sense than ever (Internal Comms Hub) If so, can you parse this crap? What do these people believe they actually produce or what value do they
think they add, if anything? Nature as a Privileged Minority - This past
Sunday, Ecuadorans overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, the twentieth such document in that nation's
history since 1830. But this constitution is markedly different from all the others, and its most notable feature
is nothing less than giving nature the same rights as human beings. "Persons and people have the fundamental
rights guaranteed in this Constitution and in the international human rights instruments. Nature is subject to
those rights given by this Constitution and Law." Record Sept Rain Soaks Midwest,
Delays Harvest - CHICAGO - After a soggy start to the summer, record September rainfall in parts of the US
Midwest has farmers racing to get corn and soy harvested ahead of the first frost. Water table depth tied to droughts in Great Plains --
Will there be another “dust bowl” in the Great Plains similar to the one that swept the region in the 1930s?
It depends on water storage underground. Groundwater depth has a significant effect on whether the Great Plains
will have a drought or bountiful year. October 1, 2008
Global Warming Alarmism is Unacceptable and
Should be Confronted - Many thanks for the invitation and for the opportunity to be here with all of you. I
have visited the U.S. many times since the fall of communism in November 1989 when – after almost half a century
– traveling to the free world became for people like me possible again, but I’ve never been to this beautiful
city and to the state of Oregon before. Once again, thank you very much. (Václav Klaus, Portland Speech, Cascade
Policy Institute luncheon address, Hilton Hotel, September 30, 2008) An Exhausting War on Emissions: Norway's
Efforts to Contain Greenhouse Gases Move Forward -- and Backfire - In 1991, Norway became one of the first
countries in the world to impose a stiff tax on harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, the country's
emissions should have dropped. Instead, they have risen by 15%. Idiot! 98
months, and counting - Governments moved quickly to rescue our banks. Why does it take any longer to act to
save the planet from runaway warming? (Andrew Simms, The Guardian) There is no possibility of "runaway" warming on Earth. Even past carbon dioxide levels 20 times
current could not trigger it. EU Urged to Agree on Climate
Before UN Talks Open - WARSAW - The European Union must reach a consensus on climate policy if it wants to
play a leading role in UN-led talks on a new pact to cut greenhouse gases, a Polish official said on Tuesday.
(Reuters) True but why do they want to lead society to decline and ruin? The correct course is to adapt to whatever
occurs since we cannot knowingly and predictably adjust the climate by tweaking a few minor variables. All these
meetings and reports are complete nonsense. This is the failure they want the rest of the world to sign on to: Moving
the goal posts and scoring an own goal: MEPs allow more offsets to meet non-ETS targets - While Phase I of the
EU Emissions Trading Scheme was widely considered a failure, Phase II is proving to be a lot more successful and
is on track to deliver significant levels of carbon abatement. However, recent signals from the European
Parliament's industry committee could undermine the scheme's fragile credibility. (Energy Business Review) Not that the concept of carbon constraint can ever really gain any credibility among us carbon-based critters
on this carbon-powered planet. Global
warming: why cut one 3,000th of a degree? - Britain's efforts to reduce the speed of global warming will cost
huge sums of money and have a pitifully tiny effect (Bjørn Lomborg, The Times) One of the strongest possible endorsements for doing nothing: Prince
Charles: World is not acting quickly enough over climate change - Prince Charles has warned that the world is
not reacting quickly enough to combat climate change. (Daily Telegraph) Met Office's bleak
forecast on climate change - The head of the Met Office centre for climate change research explains why the
momentum on emissions targets must not be lost (The Guardian) Isn't this the mob who promised us an El Niño and the hottest year ever for 2007? Uh-oh... Mike's off-message: About Science-Nature Eye
off the storm - Moves to adapt our society for a changing climate may have focused rather too much on
long-term scenarios and not enough on how to cope with weather and short-term variability, argues Mike Hulme. He
says the past two British summers show the dangers of this overemphasis on laudable long-sightedness. (ExFn) Also at the Beeb: To what climate are we
adapting? - Moves to adapt our society for a changing climate may have focused rather too much on long-term
scenarios and not enough on how to cope with weather and short-term variability, argues Mike Hulme. He says the
past two British summers show the dangers of this overemphasis on laudable long-sightedness. (Mike Hulme, BBC) The green Sahara, a desert in bloom - Reconstructing
the climate of the past is an important tool for scientists to better understand and predict future climate
changes that are the result of the present-day global warming. Although there is still little known about the
Earth's tropical and subtropical regions, these regions are thought to play an important role in both the
evolution of prehistoric man and global climate changes. New North African climate reconstructions reveal three
'green Sahara' episodes during which the present-day Sahara Desert was almost completely covered with extensive
grasslands, lakes and ponds over the course of the last 120.000 years. (Kiel University, Germany) Science Meets PR - NSDIC does admit, though, that
“perhaps the most interesting aspect of the 2008 melt season was the higher-than-average retention of first-year
sea ice (see earlier entries, including April 7). Relatively thin first-year ice is more prone to melting out
completely than older, thicker ice. However, more of this year’s first-year ice survived the melt season than is
typical. Sea ice age maps from Sheldon Drobot, our colleague at the University of Colorado at Boulder , show that
much more first-year ice survived in 2008 than in 2007. This is one of the reasons that 2008 did not break last
year's record-low minimum. One cause of the high first-year ice survival rate was that this summer was cooler than
in 2007.” I guess I shouldn’t hold my breath for articles on how those earlier alarmist reports were wrong.
(Julie Walsh, Cooler Heads Digest) Officially: Spotless
Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age - Sept. 30, 2008: Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008
is now the "blankest year" of the Space Age. Gore News - The problem with Gore’s
"leadership" is always the same: it’s do as I say, not as I do. I have a suggestion. Before trying to
stop new power plants from being constructed, why don’t young people concerned about greenhouse gas emissions
concentrate on the root of the problem—energy consumers. They could start at the top with people who are using
the most energy. For example, take Al Gore. He must use at least fifty times as much energy as the average person.
Protesters could picket the several large houses he owns and could meet him whenever the private jet he uses for
most of his frequent trips takes off or lands. (Myron Ebell, Cooler Heads Digest) Subtle as a flame-thrower: Damselfish
DNA saves Great Barrier Reef in distress - INSIGHTS into the DNA of tropical fish could provide a vital way of
protecting the Great Barrier Reef from climate change. Uh-huh... "if climate change continues to devastate the natural wonder". What devastation
has the modern concept of "climate change", a.k.a. gorebull warming wrought upon the GBR or anything
else for that matter? What a crock. Oh... BS
Alert: Polar bear hearing affected to due global warming? - From the BBC, a video report so absurd, you wonder
if it is an April fools joke. The premise? Noise from excessive ice calving and cracking due to “climate
change” would affect the bear’s hearing. I wonder what agency was gullible enough to provide a grant for this
load of rubbish? Like polar bears have never heard ice floes cracking and calving before? Give me a break. Plus,
the polar bear they are using for a test subject isn’t in it’s natural environment, it’s at a zoo and
who’s to say this bear establishes a credible baseline hearing test? This is just unbelievable stupidity in the
guise of bad science. What next? Hearing aids for polar bears? A hat tip to Tony B in the UK for alerting me to
this story. - Anthony (Watts Up With That?) Will “Green Banking” Lead to
Red Ink for US Banks? - In the “green” domain, American industry across the board is in the unfamiliar
position of being the laggards. Many other nations of the world (unlike the U.S., signatories to the Kyoto
Protocols) have already taken great strides in both educating their populations and changing the behavior of their
business managers, including those in financial services. Eventual U.S. adoption of some sort of expanded
emissions control legislation is inevitable, although its timing and scope remain uncertain. When it happens,
American consumers and American businesses together will face a possibly difficult period of adjustment. Absolutely it's green hype and utter nonsense! No matter what people do we cannot knowingly and predictably
adjust the climate. Quote of the week - This sums the
banking issue well. Beetles and Climate -
Another Climate Forcing - There was a news article by Randolph E. Schmid (AP Science Writer) last Wednesday
(September 24, 2008) which highlights another climate forcing [thanks to Ben Herman to alerting us to this news
article]. Climate of realism must
temper green delusions - THE central organising idea of the Garnaut report is that the size of Australia's
climate change mitigation must be proportionate to the solution the world embraces or fails to embrace at
Copenhagen in 2009. What is really delusional is the belief we can knowingly and predictably adjust teh climate by tweaking a
minor variable or two. Fuggedaboudit! Eat kangaroo to help combat
climate change: Ross Garnaut - AUSTRALIANS should replace beef and lamb on the dinner table with kangaroo to
fight climate change, Kevin Rudd's chief climate change adviser says. You know the funniest part of this nonsense? The world would eat a lot more kangaroo already but for
fraudulent greenie campaigns about the damn pests being 'endangered', even to the point of organizing boycotts
and CITES bans on kangaroo products (they produce great fine leather, too). Garnaut: We can't save the world alone
- IF Australia slashed greenhouse emissions to zero tomorrow it would have almost no effect on global warming but
inflict great economic damage, economist Ross Garnaut says. And that's true even if there was something to save the world from. From CO2 Science this week: Medieval
Warm Period Record of the Week: Subject Index Summary: Plant Growth Data: Journal Reviews: Rainfall Extremes at Uccle, Belgium: 1898-2004:
What do they reveal? The "Closed" System of Symbiotic Algae
Acquisition by Corals: Are there any circumstances under which the system may be "opened"? Central Indian Ocean Coral Recovery from 1998 Bleaching:
Has there been little or much reestablishment of the most devastated species? CO2 Enrichment of a CAM Bromeliad:
Was its response positive or negative? ... and how good or bad was it? Temperature
Record of the Week: The green bubble
bursts - Amid the energy crisis, Democrats are losing the high ground on the environment to a GOP that is
pushing oil drilling. (Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, Los Angeles Times) UK
‘Renewables’ Policy Laid Waste - There is only one article to read today, a truly brilliant piece by Bjørn
Lomborg writing in The Times [‘Global warming: why cut one 3,000th of a degree? It’s absurd’, The Times,
September 30, p. 28]. No Tax
Breaks: No Renewables - Today’s Greenwire (subscription required) reports that Congress is expected to
adjourn without passing an extension of some $15 billion in tax credits for wind, solar, geothermal, and other
renewable energy sources. The credits are set to expire on December 31 unless Congress, well, renews them.
Congress might do this in a lame-duck session after the November elections — or it might not. Road
to an Atomic Damascus or the Green Reformation? - Poor old Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees: our future on a
hotter planet, who once thrust custard pies into the faces of people who dared to question environmental
orthodoxies. He now finds himself on the receiving end of eco-dogma. Fancy that. (Climate Resistance) People Near Nuke Plants Don't Mind
New Ones - Study - LONDON - People living near nuclear power stations in Britain tend to support construction
of new plants in their communities, according to findings presented on Tuesday which could ease the government's
plan for new facilities. (Reuters) It's not even about pollution: Battle
Over EU Car Emissions Takes Greener Path - BRUSSELS - A key European Union vote on curbing tailpipe emissions
from cars ended in chaos last week, but a consensus is now emerging in favour of swiftly enforced limits and tight
controls on potential loopholes. (Reuters) What they are talking about is the essential trace gas, carbon dioxide. Maybe we should call it by a more
correct term... how about "biospheric bonus"? Too much of a mouthful? Most people won't understand
"life support" even though it is true... Maybe we can run a competition on it to give carbon dioxide a
new image. Hamburg Allows Vattenfall to Build
Coal-Fired Plant - HAMBURG, Germany - A controversial coal-burning power plant for Hamburg can be built
provided certain conditions are met, the environment minister in the northern German city-state said on Tuesday.
(Reuters) Study Eases Fear About Wind Farm
Threat to Birds - LONDON - Wind turbines do not drive birds from surrounding areas, British researchers said
on Wednesday, in findings which could make it easier to build more wind farms. (Reuters) Science,
medicine, advocacy and politics - Recently, there’s been a shake-up in medicine, as medical professionals
begin to get serious about cleaning up conflicts of interest in research, journal articles, clinical guidelines
and continuing education, and are adopting new disclosure policies. As is becoming increasingly recognized,
financial and ideological interests are polluting the scientific integrity of medicine and using science for
financial or political purposes. Even the scientific literature has become tainted, as studies are funded that
have poor methodologies, designed to produce results that can be used to further interests. Searching for Clarity: A Primer on Medical
Studies - There are three basic principles that underlie the search for medical truth and the use of clinical
trials to obtain it. (Gina Kolata, New York Times) Killing
with kindness - The UN convened last week in New York to discuss its Millennium Development Goals and the aim
of “ending poverty by 2015.” Candidate for top UNAIDS job says close it down!
- The United Nations programme for AIDS, UNAIDS, is obsolete and an obstacle to improving healthcare in developing
countries claims Roger England, an international health expert at the Health Systems Workshop, and candidate for
the post of Executive Director of UNAIDS. Let them fail - The same experts, in Congress
and out, who did not foresee and who promulgated the current banking/credit crisis are the same ones assuring us
their plan for salvation is just the thing. This idiocy, still: No
More Plastic Bags - Westport, Conn., this month became the latest of a handful of communities to ban some
plastic bags. The bags, which have only a brief, useful life, can survive forever in landfills and are of enormous
concern to not only environmentalists but local officials who are running out of places to put their trash. It is physically not possible to "run out" of landfill space but never mind. There's also a great
deal of energy available in trash so it should be burned for combined heat and power generation with the ash
used in construction after usable metals have been recovered. Dopey greens have run hysteria campaigns and got
some people frightened of incineration but it is the most economical and least hazardous course in most cases. Pollution Slowly Killing World's
Coral Reefs - CANCUN, Mexico - Dainty blue fish dart around coral shaped like moose antlers near the Mexican
resort of Cancun, but sickly brown spots are appearing where pollution threatens one of the world's largest reefs. Yes, water quality is an issue that must be addressed, including sewage outfalls. No, campaigners should not
mention gorebull warming in their pitches for the simple reason use of mythical problems destroys their
credibility. Not smart fellas, not smart at all. Ocean "Dead Zones"
Spread, Fish More at Risk - Study - OSLO - The number of polluted "dead zones" in the world's oceans
is rising fast and coastal fish stocks are more vulnerable to collapse than previously feared, scientists said on
Monday. (Reuters) Part-Time Vegetarians - Advocates call it flexitarianism, but
critics say being a little bit vegetarian is like being a little bit pregnant. (News Week) Funny, real worlders call vegetarians "a little bit intelligent" since they remember to at least
part of a balanced diet. Face it guys, humans evolved as omnivores and meat proteins and fats are an important
part of our natural food. |