iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-20--Scare of the day: Rising use of nitrogen fertilisers could jeopardise global climate goals

That ’ s a large chunk of the global food supply in the dock then , according to IPCC-based ‘ greenhouse ’ climate theories that perform badly in climate models , leading to endless over-prediction of global warming .
– – – The growing use of nitrogen fertilisers in world food production could put ambitious climate targets out of reach , as it leads to rising levels of nitrous oxide ( N2O ) in the atmosphere , a new University of Oslo study shows .
Nitrous oxide ( N2O ) is a highly potent greenhouse gas , and its impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than that of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) .
Once emitted , N2O remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years .
What ’ s more – it also depletes the ozone layer .
If left unabated , the emissions resulting from the growing use of nitrogen fertilisers will require bigger reductions in CO2 emissions to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement to keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels , according to the study .
The study was recently published in the scientific journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hanqin Tian at Auburn University in the United States .
Scientists from 48 research institutions in 14 countries have contributed to the study , whose goal was to produce the most comprehensive assessment to date of all sources and sinks of N2O .
Agriculture accounts for over half of global , human-made N2O emissions Agriculture accounts for over half of the global human-made N2O emissions , with emissions from this sector growing at a rate of 1.4 % per year , according to Glen Peters .
He is a research director at CICERO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the authors of the study .
“ About two-thirds of the nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture come from the use of synthetic fertilisers .
Excess fertiliser makes great food for soil bacteria and enhances the microbial processes that lead to nitrous oxide emissions , ” says Peters .
“ The remaining one-third comes from livestock manure , with the emissions being the result of microbial processes that break down nitrogen-containing compounds in the soil and oceans .
These are the same microbial processes that lead to natural nitrous oxide emissions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manure are also to blame for human-made N2O emissions that are remote from agricultural land , according to Peters .
“ Excess nitrogen may be transported to other places through water runoff and atmospheric dispersion , which leads to further nitrous oxide emissions , ” he says , adding that these indirect N2O emissions constitute around 15 % of the total and are growing at around 1 % per year .
Other sources of human-induced N2O emissions include fossil fuel combustion , industrial production of fertilisers and synthetic materials – particularly nylon – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these sources account for about 25 % of the total , with their emissions increasing at 0.9 % per year .
Dramatic rise in N2O emissions over the past few decades “ N2O concentrations in the atmosphere have been stable for thousands of years , but the N2O concentration has risen dramatically over the past few decades and its growth has accelerated over the last ten years due to emissions from various human activities , ” says Rona Thompson .
She is a senior scientist at NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authors of the study .
Going forward , “ the currently growing demand for food – and in particular , meat – will just further increase global N2O emissions , ” adds Tian , the study ’ s lead author .
In terms of per capita N2O emissions , the world ’ s biggest emitters are North America , and Europe , according to the study .
N2O emissions are growing fastest in Asia , Africa , and South America , mainly due to increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser .
The highest growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerging economies , particularly in Brazil , China , and India , where both crop production and livestock numbers have increased .
Europe is the only region in the world that has reduced its N2O emissions over the past two decades .
Europe ’ s cut in N2O emissions is mainly the result of policies aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from industry .
A small share of the reduction is due to lower emissions from agriculture , resulting from nitrogen fertilisers being used more efficiently .
In the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatively stable , despite growing agricultural output .
Cutting fertiliser use is also good for the environment Reducing the use of nitrogen fertilisers does not only lead to lower N2O emissions ; it is also good for the environment because it results in improved air , soil , and water quality .

That’s a large chunk of the global food supply in the dock then, according to IPCC-based ‘greenhouse’ climate theories that perform badly in climate models, leading to endless over-prediction of global warming.
– – –
The growing use of nitrogen fertilisers in world food production could put ambitious climate targets out of reach, as it leads to rising levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere, a new University of Oslo study shows.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a highly potent greenhouse gas, and its impact on global warming is 300 times larger than that of carbon dioxide (CO2). Once emitted, N2O remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years. What’s more – it also depletes the ozone layer.
If left unabated, the emissions resulting from the growing use of nitrogen fertilisers will require bigger reductions in CO2 emissions to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement to keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the study.
The study was recently published in the scientific journal Nature, and was led by Professor Hanqin Tian at Auburn University in the United States. Scientists from 48 research institutions in 14 countries have contributed to the study, whose goal was to produce the most comprehensive assessment to date of all sources and sinks of N2O.
Agriculture accounts for over half of global, human-made N2O emissions
Agriculture accounts for over half of the global human-made N2O emissions, with emissions from this sector growing at a rate of 1.4% per year, according to Glen Peters. He is a research director at CICERO Center for International Climate Research and is one of the authors of the study.
“About two-thirds of the nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture come from the use of synthetic fertilisers. Excess fertiliser makes great food for soil bacteria and enhances the microbial processes that lead to nitrous oxide emissions,” says Peters.
“The remaining one-third comes from livestock manure, with the emissions being the result of microbial processes that break down nitrogen-containing compounds in the soil and oceans. These are the same microbial processes that lead to natural nitrous oxide emissions,” he adds.
Fertiliser use and manure are also to blame for human-made N2O emissions that are remote from agricultural land, according to Peters.
“Excess nitrogen may be transported to other places through water runoff and atmospheric dispersion, which leads to further nitrous oxide emissions,” he says, adding that these indirect N2O emissions constitute around 15% of the total and are growing at around 1% per year.
Other sources of human-induced N2O emissions include fossil fuel combustion, industrial production of fertilisers and synthetic materials – particularly nylon – wastewater, and biomass burning. Together, these sources account for about 25% of the total, with their emissions increasing at 0.9% per year.
Dramatic rise in N2O emissions over the past few decades
“N2O concentrations in the atmosphere have been stable for thousands of years, but the N2O concentration has risen dramatically over the past few decades and its growth has accelerated over the last ten years due to emissions from various human activities,” says Rona Thompson. She is a senior scientist at NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research and is one of the lead authors of the study.
Going forward, “the currently growing demand for food – and in particular, meat – will just further increase global N2O emissions,” adds Tian, the study’s lead author.
In terms of per capita N2O emissions, the world’s biggest emitters are North America, and Europe, according to the study. N2O emissions are growing fastest in Asia, Africa, and South America, mainly due to increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser.
The highest growth rates for N2O emissions are found in emerging economies, particularly in Brazil, China, and India, where both crop production and livestock numbers have increased.
Europe is the only region in the world that has reduced its N2O emissions over the past two decades. Europe’s cut in N2O emissions is mainly the result of policies aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from industry.
A small share of the reduction is due to lower emissions from agriculture, resulting from nitrogen fertilisers being used more efficiently.
In the U.S., meanwhile, N2O emissions have remained relatively stable, despite growing agricultural output.
Cutting fertiliser use is also good for the environment
Reducing the use of nitrogen fertilisers does not only lead to lower N2O emissions; it is also good for the environment because it results in improved air, soil, and water quality.
Full article here.
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November 20, 2020 at 11:03AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-20--Red Cross Accused Of Unethical Practices

London , 20 November : A new report from the Red Cross , which alleges a 35 % increase in the number of climate and weather-related disasters since 1990 , was today slammed for misleading the public .
According to GWPF director , Dr Benny Peiser , climate-related disasters have actually declined by 15 % in the last 20 years .
UN data shows that “ climate-related ” disasters have declined over the past 20 years ( 2000-2019 ) The authors of the Red Cross report have used the EM-DAT dataset which shows a significant decline in climate-related disasters since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dataset is unreliable before 2000 .
In fact , the Red Cross ’ s own report documents a pronounced decline in climate and weather-related disasters since that time , so they have grossly misled the public , ” Dr Peiser said .
Figure 1.1 shows significant decline in climate and weather related disasters since 2000 .
World Disasters Report ‘ Come Heat or High Water ’ , Geneva 2020 Any credible assessment of the link between global warming and natural disasters should also highlight the remarkable decline in the number of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sharp and continuing decline in the last 100 years , despite the rise in global temperatures .
Global annual number of deaths from natural disasters by decade .
Source Our World in Data This is the second major report that has led to allegations of deception .
Just six weeks ago the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction ( UNDRR ) was publicly humiliated when its report was accused of using the same unethical tricks to make claims of increasing climate disasters .
Remarkably , UNDRR is one of the sponsoring organisations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report , World Disasters Report 2020 : Come Heat or High Water is published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies , Geneva , 2020. via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
London, 20 November: A new report from the Red Cross, which alleges a 35% increase in the number of climate and weather-related disasters since 1990, was today slammed for misleading the public.
According to GWPF director, Dr Benny Peiser, climate-related disasters have actually declined by 15% in the last 20 years.
UN data shows that “climate-related” disasters have declined over the past 20 years (2000-2019)
The authors of the Red Cross report have used the EM-DAT dataset which shows a significant decline in climate-related disasters since 2000. It is generally acknowledged that the dataset is unreliable before 2000. In fact, the Red Cross’s own report documents a pronounced decline in climate and weather-related disasters since that time, so they have grossly misled the public,” Dr Peiser said.
Figure 1.1 shows significant decline in climate and weather related disasters since 2000. World Disasters Report ‘Come Heat or High Water’, Geneva 2020
Any credible assessment of the link between global warming and natural disasters should also highlight the remarkable decline in the number of people dying from climate disasters, showing a sharp and continuing decline in the last 100 years, despite the rise in global temperatures.
Global annual number of deaths from natural disasters by decade. Source Our World in Data
This is the second major report that has led to allegations of deception. Just six weeks ago the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was publicly humiliated when its report was accused of using the same unethical tricks to make claims of increasing climate disasters.
Remarkably, UNDRR is one of the sponsoring organisations of the Red Cross report.
This is another intercontinental shambles” said Dr Peiser.
The Red Cross should withdraw its report or face accusations of using unethical practices to mislead the public.”
——-
The report, World Disasters Report 2020: Come Heat or High Water is published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, 2020.
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November 20, 2020 at 09:21AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-20--The Impact Of EVs On Grid Capacity

The Impact Of EVs On Grid Capacity

As promised , some more reflections on the grid implications for EVs : First , let us recap the Committee on Climate Change ’ s calculations for fully electric fleet : Unfortunately I have lost the link , but only the other day the National Grid was still insisting that they would only need 10 % extra capacity to cope – that is about 5 GW .
So , to my fag packet !
Based on the Nissan Leaf , you can expect about 100 miles from a 40 KWh battery .
[ Their official figure is 168 miles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Leaf is also a tiny car , so my 100 miles assumption is not unreasonable for an average car size ] Based on an annual mileage of 10,000 , a car would therefore consume 4000 KWh a year .
There are 33 million cars on the road in the UK , so this would add up to 132 TWh a year , much higher than the CCC ’ s estimate .
( Note as well that they assume 46 million cars . )
I may of course be overestimating average miles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the OBR , fuel duty brings in £28.4bn a year at 57.95p/litre .
Assuming an average of 40 mpg , this works out at about 13,000 miles a year on average for every car .
However , assuming the CCC is correct , if all cars were charged up between midnight and 6 am , the average load from EVs during those hours would be 35 GW .
As the chart below shows , the current load at night during January is about 30 GW , indicating the need for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 GW higher than the peak daytime load , making a nonsense of the Grid ’ s claims .
Of course , some cars may charge during the day , but this will simply add to demand which the grid is already struggling to meet , particularly when every house relies on a heat pump .
If my guesstimate of 132 TWh is correct , we would need an extra 60 GW of capacity , instead of 35 GW .
Let ’ s carry on with the CCC assumption , and suppose that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 hour period , between 6pm and 6am .
This would need capacity of 18 GW , but at 6pm demand is at a peak of 45 GW , so we would still need at least 63 GW , so this scenario is little better .
But what is the likelihood that cars will be charged up at these times that are convenient to the grid ?
In my view , extremely unlikely .
The official view is that we will all be using smart chargers , which only switch on when there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chargers currently do no such thing – they are merely pre-set timers , to allow you to set the time you want them to come on .
Moreover smart chargers cost typically £1000 or more .
Many drivers will refuse to pay this , and simply plug into a household socket .
A further problem is that most drivers park on the drive at night .
If the charger is in the garage , that means leaving the garage door open .
Nobody in their right mind would leave the door open at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bikes , lawn mowers and tools !
Even if the charger is outside the garage , you are still likely to get the cable nicked if it is left out all night .
I suspect that most drivers will simply plug in as soon as they get home from work out of convenience , and do this everyday , and not just when the battery is low .
Even if the price of electricity is lower at night , the savings would only amount to a few pence , so who is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demands on the grid will be much greater.Even generously assuming that cars are plugged in in an evenly staggered fashion between 6pm and 10pm , you would need 51 GW of capacity .
And this at a time when demand is at a peak of 45 GW .
In reality , although the average car might only need an hour or two charge each night , most drivers will start charging up in a small band of time , with most cars being charged between 6pm and 8pm .
Under this scenario @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s cars on charge at this time , we would need capacity of 112 GW .
[ 16 million cars at 7 KW ] All of this , of course , applies to the time when all cars are electric .
But with the new ban , it is likely that half of Britain ’ s cars will be electric by the mid 2030s , given annual sales of 2.5 million .
It is inevitable that many EVs will be sold in the years leading up to 2030 , as manufacturers begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore very quickly see a lot of extra capacity being needed by then .
We can not rely on wind power , and if nuclear energy is to be relied on , it will have to start being built now .
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
As promised, some more reflections on the grid implications for EVs:
First, let us recap the Committee on Climate Change’s calculations for fully electric fleet:
Unfortunately I have lost the link, but only the other day the National Grid was still insisting that they would only need 10% extra capacity to cope – that is about 5 GW.
So, to my fag packet!
Based on the Nissan Leaf, you can expect about 100 miles from a 40 KWh battery. [Their official figure is 168 miles, but this assumes perfect driving conditions. The Leaf is also a tiny car, so my 100 miles assumption is not unreasonable for an average car size]
Based on an annual mileage of 10,000, a car would therefore consume 4000 KWh a year. There are 33 million cars on the road in the UK, so this would add up to 132 TWh a year, much higher than the CCC’s estimate. (Note as well that they assume 46 million cars.) I may of course be overestimating average miles. However, there is a double check.
According to the OBR, fuel duty brings in £28.4bn a year at 57.95p/litre. Assuming an average of 40 mpg, this works out at about 13,000 miles a year on average for every car.
However, assuming the CCC is correct, if all cars were charged up between midnight and 6 am, the average load from EVs during those hours would be 35 GW.
As the chart below shows, the current load at night during January is about 30 GW, indicating the need for at least 65 GW. This is 20 GW higher than the peak daytime load, making a nonsense of the Grid’s claims.
https://www.bmreports.com/bmrs/?q=generation/fueltype/current
Of course, some cars may charge during the day, but this will simply add to demand which the grid is already struggling to meet, particularly when every house relies on a heat pump.
If my guesstimate of 132 TWh is correct, we would need an extra 60 GW of capacity, instead of 35 GW.
Let’s carry on with the CCC assumption, and suppose that EVs are charged up evenly for a 12 hour period, between 6pm and 6am. This would need capacity of 18 GW, but at 6pm demand is at a peak of 45 GW, so we would still need at least 63 GW, so this scenario is little better.
But what is the likelihood that cars will be charged up at these times that are convenient to the grid? In my view, extremely unlikely.
The official view is that we will all be using smart chargers, which only switch on when there is spare power around. But smart chargers currently do no such thing – they are merely pre-set timers, to allow you to set the time you want them to come on.
Moreover smart chargers cost typically £1000 or more. Many drivers will refuse to pay this, and simply plug into a household socket.
A further problem is that most drivers park on the drive at night. If the charger is in the garage, that means leaving the garage door open. Nobody in their right mind would leave the door open at night, an open invitation to steal bikes, lawn mowers and tools! Even if the charger is outside the garage, you are still likely to get the cable nicked if it is left out all night.
I suspect that most drivers will simply plug in as soon as they get home from work out of convenience, and do this everyday, and not just when the battery is low. Even if the price of electricity is lower at night, the savings would only amount to a few pence, so who is going to bother?
Under this scenario, the demands on the grid will be much greater.Even generously assuming that cars are plugged in in an evenly staggered fashion between 6pm and 10pm, you would need 51 GW of capacity. And this at a time when demand is at a peak of 45 GW.
In reality, although the average car might only need an hour or two charge each night, most drivers will start charging up in a small band of time, with most cars being charged between 6pm and 8pm. Under this scenario, and assuming half of the nation’s cars on charge at this time, we would need capacity of 112 GW. [16 million cars at 7 KW]
All of this, of course, applies to the time when all cars are electric. But with the new ban, it is likely that half of Britain’s cars will be electric by the mid 2030s, given annual sales of 2.5 million. It is inevitable that many EVs will be sold in the years leading up to 2030, as manufacturers begin to phase them in.
We could therefore very quickly see a lot of extra capacity being needed by then. We cannot rely on wind power, and if nuclear energy is to be relied on, it will have to start being built now.
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November 20, 2020 at 09:09AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--Flood of evidence of Voter Fraud coming in the next two weeks…

So many American patriots have come forward Sidney Powell , one of Trumps senior legal team , can ’ t even put a number on the affidavits .
Glen Beck asks : If 25 % of what you guys said yesterday turn out to be true , this is the biggest crime in American history .
And you don ’ t put this together in two weeks .
Powell describes something that is a global criminal conspiracy of “ mind blowing ” proportions .
It ’ s not just the Democrats and Dominion and Smartmatic that don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the State and Federal governments around the world who were elected with the help of them — who also have to cover this up , plus the institutions of the US that should have stopped this and didn ’ t — or who should have reported on it , but covered it up .
Then there are all the vested interests who were expecting a seat at the table with a Biden win , not to mention China .
Witnesses are being put under protection .
There are trillions of dollars at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flourish or fail depending on the outcome .

Powell: “we will start putting documents online this week”
So many American patriots have come forward Sidney Powell, one of Trumps senior legal team, can’t even put a number on the affidavits.
Glen Beck asks: If 25% of what you guys said yesterday turn out to be true, this is the biggest crime in American history. And you don’t put this together in two weeks.
Powell describes something that is a global criminal conspiracy of “mind blowing” proportions. It’s not just the Democrats and Dominion and Smartmatic that don’t want the word to get out, but all the State and Federal governments around the world who were elected with the help of them — who also have to cover this up, plus the institutions of the US that should have stopped this and didn’t — or who should have reported on it, but covered it up. Then there are all the vested interests who were expecting a seat at the table with a Biden win, not to mention China. Witnesses are being put under protection. There are trillions of dollars at stake. Whole industries and careers will flourish or fail depending on the outcome.
It’s a fight to the death. […]
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November 21, 2020 at 05:31AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--German Parliament Accused of Passing a Covid-19 Enabling Act

h/t Carl Friis-Hansen ; Protestors in Germany have accused the state of endangering citizens rights , by granting the German executive sweeping powers to shut premises or impose curfews to control Covid-19 outbreaks .
But advocates claim the law requires greater oversight of Covid-19 lockdown decisions , and provides special protection for cultural events .
Large crowds protested in Berlin against the German government ’ s push to enshrine coronavirus restrictions into an existing law .
Police intervened as the crowds sought to approach the parliament .
“ Police calling on demonstrators to leave .
Lots of booing .
Demonstrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where new additions to infection law are being debated [ at the moment , ] , ” DW ’ s Nina Haase reported from the scene .
A tense standoff ensued , as police tried to convince the crowd to disperse amid cries of “ We are the people !
” and as some protesters started singing the national anthem .
What do the new rules entail ?
Germany ’ s lower and upper houses passed changes to Germany ’ s existing infection protection law , catering more specifically to the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government to impose restrictions on social contact , rules on mask-wearing , drinking alcohol in public , shutting shops and stopping sports events .
Demonstrators who took part in the Wednesday protests did not actively wear masks or socially distance .
But one participant wore a face mask with the words “ Merkel-Muzzle , ” while others held banners with slogans such as “ For Enlightenment .
Peace and Freedom.
” Critics say the coronavirus laws would give the government too much power and endanger citizens ’ civil rights .
The right-wing populist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the proposed measures with the Enabling Act of 1933 that paved the way towards Adolf Hitler ’ s dictatorship , particularly in its social media postings .
A senior AfD member , Bernd Baumann , drew the same parallel in the Bundestag .

The Striezelmarkt in Dresden, Germany, is considered the first genuine Christmas market in the world. By LH DD/Dittrich – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, link
Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Carl Friis-Hansen; Protestors in Germany have accused the state of endangering citizens rights, by granting the German executive sweeping powers to shut premises or impose curfews to control Covid-19 outbreaks. But advocates claim the law requires greater oversight of Covid-19 lockdown decisions, and provides special protection for cultural events.
Police break up large Berlin protests as Germany passes tougher coronavirus laws Large crowds protested in Berlin against the German government’s push to enshrine coronavirus restrictions into an existing law. Police intervened as the crowds sought to approach the parliament. “Police calling on demonstrators to leave. Lots of booing. Demonstrators want to access cordoned-off area around parliament where new additions to infection law are being debated [at the moment,],” DW’s Nina Haase reported from the scene. A tense standoff ensued, as police tried to convince the crowd to disperse amid cries of “We are the people!” and as some protesters started singing the national anthem. … What do the new rules entail? Germany’s lower and upper houses passed changes to Germany’s existing infection protection law, catering more specifically to the coronavirus pandemic. The new measures will enable the government to impose restrictions on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, drinking alcohol in public, shutting shops and stopping sports events. … Demonstrators who took part in the Wednesday protests did not actively wear masks or socially distance. But one participant wore a face mask with the words “Merkel-Muzzle,” while others held banners with slogans such as “For Enlightenment. Peace and Freedom.” Critics say the coronavirus laws would give the government too much power and endanger citizens’civil rights. The right-wing populist AfD has even gone as far comparing the proposed measures with the Enabling Act of 1933 that paved the way towards Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship, particularly in its social media postings. A senior AfD member, Bernd Baumann, drew the same parallel in the Bundestag. … Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/police-break-up-large-berlin-protests-as-germany-passes-tougher-coronavirus-laws/a-55644706
The German art community seems happy about the new laws. A leading arts advocate claims the new laws for the first time recognise cultural events as being distinct from art exhibitions.
German Infection law: A new legal status for culture Date 19.11.2020
Author Dagmar Breitenbach Under Germany’s infection protection law, culture is no longer classified as entertainment. Canceling arts events in the pandemic might become difficult. In Germany’s recently passed Infection Protection Law, culture now has an enhanced legal status as the government fights the coronavirus pandemic by restricting certain fundamental rights enshrined in the German constitution. Previously, decrees were used to meet the crisis — including the weeks-long closure of theaters, concert halls, museums and other venues and the blanket ban of most arts and entertainment events in the Spring, and again in November 2020. ‘Good thing:’ New status for culture The German Culture Council has welcomed the change to the legislation that now gives culture a special status. … Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/german-infection-law-a-new-legal-status-for-culture/a-55660182
What a mess. If I have understood correctly, under the new laws you might be arbitrarily banned from visiting your family at Christmas or even be required to self isolate by remaining indoors at home, but in the middle of all this lockdown mania you could still be granted a special pass to attend cultural events like Oktoberfest or a visit to Germany’s famous Christmas markets, because major cultural events now enjoy special privileges.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--Vladivostok snowstorm: Emergency declared amid chaos and power cuts

This report features the scary video that the screen shot above was taken from .
A local meteorologist said the last similar storm bringing such freezing rain occurred 30 years ago .
– – – A snowstorm has battered parts of the Russian Far-East , causing power cuts , transport chaos and school closures , reports BBC News .
The storm hit the Primorsky region on Thursday .
In the port city of Vladivostok winds brought down frozen trees and ice-laden power lines .
A state of emergency has been declared across the region .
Rescue services and the army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At least 150,000 homes have been left without electricity .
“ The situation with the electricity supply remains very difficult – the destruction is widespread , ” the deputy head of the region ’ s government , Elena Parkhamenko , said .
She said electricity may not be restored to some homes for several days .
The chief of the regional meteorological service , Boris Kubay , said the situation has been “ aggravated by a strong gale wind that breaks everything ” .
He said a clash between two storms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold , caused freezing rain on Thursday .
The meteorologist said wires and trees were encrusted in ice up to 1.2cm ( 0.4in ) thick , an occurrence not seen in 30 years .

This report features the scary video that the screen shot above was taken from. A local meteorologist said the last similar storm bringing such freezing rain occurred 30 years ago.
– – –
A snowstorm has battered parts of the Russian Far-East, causing power cuts, transport chaos and school closures, reports BBC News.
The storm hit the Primorsky region on Thursday. In the port city of Vladivostok winds brought down frozen trees and ice-laden power lines.
A state of emergency has been declared across the region.
Rescue services and the army are scrambling to deal with the fallout. At least 150,000 homes have been left without electricity.
“The situation with the electricity supply remains very difficult – the destruction is widespread,” the deputy head of the region’s government, Elena Parkhamenko, said.
She said electricity may not be restored to some homes for several days.
The chief of the regional meteorological service, Boris Kubay, said the situation has been “aggravated by a strong gale wind that breaks everything”.
He said a clash between two storms, one carrying hot air and another carrying cold, caused freezing rain on Thursday.
The meteorologist said wires and trees were encrusted in ice up to 1.2cm (0.4in) thick, an occurrence not seen in 30 years.
Full report here.
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November 21, 2020 at 04:49AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--Beware, Parents, Your Kids Are Being ‘Scootled’

When I noticed that a top-tier federal-state education body is providing lesson materials for teachers , I decided to take a look .
The body is Education Services Australia ( ESA ) , a company set up by federal-state education ministers .
ESA provides free supplementary online materials for teachers via 20,000-plus pages on its Scootle portal .
No mickey-mouse operation , it ’ s all keyed precisely to the curricula and used in 2019 by some 60,000 teachers , who chalked up 2.8 million sessions involving 18.8 million page views .
From 2000-09 this on-line exercise chewed up about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ 1 ] Today ESA self-supports on revenue of $ 40 million a year from projects and subscriptions .
Scootle is just one of many third-party inputs to schooling .
More than 90 per cent of teachers and 8400 schools , for example , use online lessons supplied by the anti-capitalist green-left Cool Australia outfit ( See here , here , here , here ) .
I fully expected that Scootle materials would be part of the Leftist miasma pervading education , which is so all-encompassing that even the 50 per cent conservative-voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their kids are being taught .
In the immortal words of Victoria ’ s one-time education minister and premier Joan Kirner , education must be reshaped to be “ part of the socialist struggle for equality , participation and social change , rather than an instrument of the capitalist system ” .
This was consummated in 2008 when PM Julia Gillard and her Labor premiers brought in their “ Melbourne declaration ” .
Conservative governments don ’ t seem to mind that schools have been converted to breeding grounds for green-minded woke warriors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improved students outcomes ” and classier teachers and schools .
As we know , our kids ’ performance is sliding down the international league tables , despite ESA ’ s best efforts .
So , as an amateur auditor , having logged on as a “ guest user ” , I had a look around .
“ Paul Keating ” gets 17 hits , virtually all laudatory ; Gough Whitlam gets 56 hits , none hostile and most laudatory .
Whitlam ’ s dismissal ( 1975 ) gets a dozen tracts .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cites , but sadly none are laudatory and most hostile .
[ 3 ] I got a surprise when I searched on “ WWF ” to check that green lobby ’ s input .
Instead of cute pandas , I got a dozen propaganda film clips from the Communist-led Waterside Workers Federation of the 1950s , such as “ Banners Held High , 1956 : May Day ” .
Scootle tells kids this film is “ honouring the achievements of workers across the world ” .
Actually , a few months after its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Soviets as their tanks crushed the Hungarian revolt .
[ 4 ] Scootle ’ s asylum-seeker treatment is straight from The Greens ’ playbook .
[ 5 ] Search for “ asylum seeker ” and the request generates exactly 100 hits and ‘ refugee ’ alone 169 hits .
Scootle ’ s intense interest in the topic includes : Discussion paper – ‘ Towards a fairer immigration system for Australia ’ , 1992 .
This is the cover of a 55-page paper titled ‘ Towards a fairer immigration system for Australia ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system is unfair to some groups and discusses how to guarantee fair access to Australia ’ s immigration system .
The paper was prepared by Andrew Theophanous and published in 1992… The dimensions of the discussion paper are 29.60 cm x 21.00 cm .
I ’ m sure it ’ s a lovely paper from 28 years ago for kids to study , being 29.60cm x 21.00cm and all , about fairness and victim support .
Author Andrew Theophanous was MHR ( Labor ) for the seats of Burke and Calwell from 1980-2000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He was later jailed for bribery and fraud offences relating to visa applications and other immigration matters.
” Specifically , “ he was charged with defrauding the Commonwealth by making false representations in relation to an immigration matter , taking an unlawful inducement and soliciting an unlawful inducement.
” He got six years , and served two of them .
Maybe Scootle should footnote that ?
Another example is : Anthem – An Act of Sedition , 2004 : MV Tampa and September 11 This clip presents an interpretation of the Howard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of refugees in Australian waters on the MV Tampa in August 2001 .
The narration states that John Howard had often used scare tactics for his political advantage and that the refugees were now to be used in a ‘ race election ’ .
Views defending the refugees are juxtaposed with images of troops .
Scenes of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York dramatise the narration , which states that the government used fear of terrorism to override international law and civil rights .
The tone here seems similar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Scootle ’ s explanatory notes say the film argues passionately that PM John Howard cynically exploited Tampa and 9/11 “ to create fear , undermine the rule of law and secure a win in the November 2001 election.
” The notes say , “ the desperation of the passengers led the captain to attempt to land under conditions of emergency ” .
In fact the Afghans effectively took over the ship by threats , which led to SAS troops storming the vessel .
Scootle cites Julian Burnside QC , most recently a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ‘ Pacific Solution ’ legislation as being a clear-cut infringement of international law , and another lawyer sees it as being undemocratic.
” In a mealy-mouthed way , Scootle says , In this case no attempt is made to present the case for the Howard government , the narration puts its views strongly and the use of dramatic footage heightens the sense of crisis , reinforcing the filmmakers ’ view that these events marked a serious attack on civil liberties and democratic processes .
Impressionable kids are treated to a tear-jerking film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about an Australian family with four kids visiting an Afghan teen in detention in Port Hedland in 2004 .
The visiting mother describes ‘ a heavy gate being locked behind ’ them , the children ‘ huddled together wide-eyed and silent ’ and the guard ‘ unlocking the third door ’ , with an echoing , sombre and “ slightly fearful ” sound track .
The film , asserts Scootle , “ raises questions about the government policy that imprisoned children in the name of border protection.
” Kids also get a poem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ by Amelia Walker .
Extract : “ I switch on the TV and see wire with children behind it .
If this isn ’ t their country it isn ’ t mine.
” Images include chicken wire and “ refugees ’ children in detention camps ” .
There ’ s also a color cartoon provided from leftist New Matilda [ 6 ] showing a dilapidated ship crowded with asylum seekers approaching a pier where an elderly woman stands with outstretched arms , saying : ‘ I know it ’ s extremely unAustralian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to welcome you to our shores … ’ So where does Scootle offer kids the conservative government ’ s case ?
A search on “ people smuggler ” finds one hit from a 1990 incident , and none contemporaneous .
Another search fails to turn up reference to the 1,200 asylum seekers drowned after Labor ’ s PM Rudd overturned Howard ’ s policy and encouraged people smugglers to ship 50,000 people south in those infamously leaky boats .
Among other role models provided for kids are Greenpeace-affiliated saboteurs .
Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GM crops ” kids are treated to Greenpeace propaganda via ABC-TV Education ( 2011 ) : “ Watch Greenpeace activists mow down a research crop of genetically modified ( GM ) wheat grown by CSIRO.
” They used brushcutters to wreck a year ’ s CSIRO research and cost the agency $ 300,000 .
A personable young Greenpeace lady says all such trials need to be shut down because of risk to foods like bread .
Scootle instructs kids , “ Consider some arguments for and against GM foods and find out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia.
” Virtually all Scootle material on GM foods is of the pros-and-cons variety , with one piece emphasising “ Who funds GM research trials ?
” while waxing suspicious about commercial funding .
The main bias is via omission : Scootle offers kids nothing about genetically modified “ golden rice ” and its role in saving 100 million-plus Third World kids from Vitamin A deficiency , possible blindness and death .
Scootle slaps woodchipping ( yesteryear ’ s big villain ) with a 1991 report on excess use of paper : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is accompanied by a compelling music score.
” Inevitably , Greenpeace gets a flattering mention .
Kids are encouraged towards further Greenpeace worship via an ABC-TV feature — Four Corners – French Connections , 1985 : Connecting the dots — on the sinking of Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior back in 1985 , before many of today ’ s kids ’ parents were born .
Sometimes kids are ( pro forma ) advised to research the conservatives ’ arguments but with no or minimal guidance .
For example , searches of “ Institute of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ National Farmers Federation ” generates only two hits , one from 2012 .
Scootle also dishes up four episodes of ABC Education ’ s worship of faux Aboriginal Bruce Pascoe and his nonsense about pre-colonial Aboriginal agriculturists living in permanent towns .
[ 7 ] Scootle ’ s material falsely describes Pascoe as a Yuin , Bunurong and Tasmanian man , although he ’ s been rejected by all three groups and himself admits he ’ s “ solidly Cornish ” .
China ’ s Mao Tse-tung gets half a dozen mentions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The others include two on the Communist army ’ s 1934-35 Long March and one on the Cultural Revolution .
They are reasonably balanced but there is nothing on Mao ’ s so-called Great Leap Forward ( 1958-62 ) leading to 30 million deaths by starvation .
China ’ s current supreme leader , Xi Jinping , gets no mention at all , nor is there any discussion of how China has arrived at its world-power status .
Scootle gives “ human rights ” in general 471 mentions , some involving multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of China on Scootle and only four related to China and democracy .
They included a brave one on dissident Xu Wenli and another on the ‘ umbrella protests ’ in Hong Kong .
[ 8 ] Ancient China gets about 20 mentions , 19th century and pre-1940 China get about 60 .
I counted fewer than 25 items dealing with contemporary China such as urbanisation , energy and pollution ( including one that deliberately muddles CO2 with particulates ) .
Not one dealt with our minerals/energy trade with China , as if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t exist .
Although “ engagement with Asia ” is one of the three all-important “ cross-curricula priorities ” , kids will graduate from high school as full bottles on Chinese gold-rush diggers , circa 1860 , and I reckon that ’ s about it .
Kids are coached to wallow in remorse about last early-century ’ s White Australia policy , with an ABC-aided documentary ( from 1992 ) relating how we “ tried to fill Australia with ‘ pure white ’ immigrants.
” [ 9 ] The wallow includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia ’ 1910 ” with the song ’ s lyrics , ‘ Australia , the white man ’ s land , / Defended by the white man ’ s guns , / Australia !
Australia !
/ For Anglo-Saxon race and Southern Cross ’ .
[ 10 ] Scootle also cites much White Australia material from Canberra ’ s National Museum .
That museum from the outset was a leftist workshop , and when I last visited ( 2017 ) , it had a major exhibition fawning over the Communist Party of Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of global warming , Scootle pulls out all stops : “ Personal activity — Make a pledge to halt climate change.
” Scootle asks : “ Has your influence on people increased since studying about climate change ?
” Kids are supposed to make a list of all the people they influence , rather like for Tupperware sales .
Parents are to be badgered about their carbon footprint .
Consistency is not Scootle ’ s strong point .
On one page , 6degC would melt the Greenland Ice Sheet .
Next page , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ page , in a fit of candour , does mention that “ it would not happen immediately and it is estimated that this would take a few thousand years.
” To help my editor keep his job by tallying clicks , please CLICK HERE for the original .
Kids are given three scenarios about emission cuts , with an obvious push towards the maximum-cut scenario .
They are asked , “ Has undertaking this activity influenced your decisions about how you will try to adapt your lifestyle in the future ?
” They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ sustainability ” , a typically utopian project .
Kids might be better educated with lessons on how houses are designed , engineered , project-managed and built , which might encourage Jack and Jill towards tradie careers rather than Whiteness Studies or Lesbian Dance Theory at Big Six universities .
Talking of pie-in-sky , kids are presented by Scootle with maniacal projects like fertilising the ocean by “ adding huge quantities of iron and other nutrients to encourage the growth of algae and phytoplankton ” ; “ artificial trees : A machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ‘ carbon scrubber ’ to capture carbon dioxide from the air ” ; and best of all , \ Building a fleet of specially designed wind-powered ships that would spray sea water particles into the atmosphere to create clouds to make clouds more reflective .
I ’ d like to see the environmental impact statements first .
Scootle provides kids with ( stale ) material from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority .
The authority “ educates ” about “ ocean acidification ” , a non-problem , using a cartoon movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 2009 ) .
The Scootle-endorsed Authority is brazen about its propaganda : This is a highly complex topic and this animation does not explain the process in detail , rather uses a characters [ sic ] experience of this phenomenon to illicit an emotional understanding that ocean acidification will alter life on coral reefs.
” [ My emphasis ] .
The lovable Hermie ’ s shell crumbles from the acidic seas and every time he finds another shell , it too crumbles from the acidic impact .
Meanwhile nasty sea creatures aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would despair at Hermie ’ s fate ( close to 50,000 kids have seen the video ) .
In reality claims about the oceans now being 30 per cent more “ acidic ” are junk-science .
Attempts to measure the “ acidification ” even over past decades are laughably imprecise [ 12 ] , corals evolved when CO2 was multiple times today ’ s level , shellfish live happily around sub-sea volcanic vents spewing CO2 , and whatever “ evidence ” is around , comes from dunking acid into fish tanks , hardly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , “ In a lab experiment , a sea butterfly { pteropod } shell placed in seawater with increased acidity slowly dissolves over 45 days.
” ) Aussie kids are told they can “ help the [ Great Barrier ] Reef in the face of climate change ” by reducing their CO2 emissions with new light bulbs , shorter showers , biking and ( somehow ) offsetting their remaining emissions .
Fact check : nothing Australia does about emissions will change the climate , let alone the Reef , as Chief Scientist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s emissions dominate all .
It ’ s interesting that in 2013 the “ Reef Scare ” via Scootle and the ABC was about possible uranium exports from Townsville .
It ’ s now all morphed into Adani coal-export scares .
Surprisingly , “ Adani ” gets no hits on Scootle .
Scootle is happy to offer ( stale ) material from the Britain ’ s Royal Geographic Society ( RGS ) , that bunch being over-the-top in their climate zealotry .
RGS asks kids to speculate on How will local places be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be examined .
For schools close to sea-level , lower-impact scenarios of 1-5 metres will still have very significant implications .
For schools further inland ( for example on inland river flood plains ) , the effects of more extreme sea-level rise could be considered .
[ What ?
More extreme than 5 metres of sea rise , the height of a house ? ]
If there is no risk the nearest threatened settlement could be substituted .
‘ Create an opportunity for students and make a link with a different subjects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in literature , perhaps excerpts from a novel such Richard Doyle ’ s Flood [ 2002 ] which anticipates a serious event for London and tells of a worse [ sic ] case scenario of inundation in the capital .
Whilst this is not a scientific book it does make some predictions that may not be commonly anticipated .
[ My emphasis ] .
” ‘ As any fule kno ’ ( quoting Nigel Molesworth ) , the IPCC sea-level-rise estimate for 2100 is only from 61cm to 110cm , and that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pump up the scare .
The “ 1-5 metres ” doesn ’ t seem a typo ( e.g .
for 1.5m ) ; the author is just an idiot and abuser of schoolkids trust .
[ 13 ] For what it ’ s worth ( zero ) , here ’ s the recommended novel Flood and its “ geographical data ” ( so useful for geography teaching ) : Can fifty feet high gates be overwhelmed by a wave ?
Then there is an explosion the size of a small Hiroshima : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most of the Essex petrochemical works are going up with it .
The Thames catches fire and the wall of fire and water thunders towards Britain ’ s capital .
This is the story of what happens next , and the desperate attempts to save the capital from destruction .
Even more ludicrously — indeed , reprehensibly — RGS material frightens kids with the 2004 Day after Tomorrow horror movie , which posits climate-change causing the warm North Atlantic conveyor currents to stall , plunging Britain and Europe to plunge into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the implicit connectedness of human and physical processes on the planet , ” the RGS writes , which and Scootle dutifully passes along without question .
RGS refers kids to the British Royal Society ’ s paper of 2005 ( yes 2005 ) , “ Guide to facts and fictions about climate change ” .
It ignores the 43 Royal Society fellows who revolted over that paper being issued in their names and forced the Society to issue a revised paper with less activism and more uncertainties .
Typical of Scootle ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australian Academy of Science ” fails to turn up mention of that green-left body ’ s primers on global warming of 2010 and 2015 .
At least those primers look scientific , even if the AAS believes computer models ’ output is “ compelling evidence ” of global warming .
[ 14 ] Scootle shoves at kids aged 9 to 11 ( no kidding ) a Jackie French book about the possibilities from the greener world of tomorrow … where the future is filled with environmental hope — and practical solutions , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power .
Lively , fun and positive , this book … shows them that a lot of environmental solutions are simple and relatively easy to put in place.
” Actually , Australian taxpayers are subsidising green energy to the tune of $ 13 billion a year , but that ’ s a bit advanced for Grade 3 kids .
You may be curious by now about Scootle ’ s parent , ESA , as a Melbourne-based woke outfit .
Apart from disseminating Stasi-style facts , ESA ’ s been rolling out an online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The teachers ’ unions detest any measures to make teachers accountable , but unions ’ description of ESA ’ s 2018 NAPLAN rollout as a ‘ debacle ’ and the 2019 NAPLAN roll-out as a ‘ disaster ’ seem close to the mark .
Mercifully for ESA , COVID-19 scotched further rollout this year .
The second transition year to NAPLAN Online saw over 2.17 million tests successfully completed by 670,000 students using the assessment platform infrastructure .
ESA is proud to play a significant role in delivering these adaptive tests , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide richer data that helps teachers tailor their teaching to student needs .
The first day of testing saw the disruption of many student test sessions .
The cause of the incident is within ESA ’ s responsibilities and we sincerely regret the distress caused .
I commend our staff for their calm and systematic handling of the incident on the day , their ability to keep focused on delivering a successful assessment program for the remainder of the testing period , and their work and resolve to avoid a recurrence of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 120 staff may stem from ESA ’ s unique conditions of employment .
Apart from “ competitive remuneration ” , staff enjoy regular fruit supply , fun activities and competitions [ sack races ? ]
, and much more – all aimed at building a culture supportive of healthy lifestyle choices .
Maybe a banana diet is augmented by rotten tomatoes from the NAPLAN users .
Notwithstanding its sedentary workplace , ESA remains convulsed by efforts to curb its own CO2 emissions .
Last year it tracked emissions from 3,678km of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work .
All staff have been provided with a personal keep-cup for coffee .
Recycling facilities are on hand for Expressi coffee capsules , dental floss containers and contact lens packs .
Sadly , these savings pale before the team ’ s 666,364 km of CO2-spewing air trips for vital meetings .
ESA ’ s carbon-neutrality tickets have been won by carbon offsets supporting things like the Guohua Wulate Zhonggi and Hebei Chongli wind farms in China .
Talking of China , its emissions of 14 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent rather swamps ESA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
But I guess every recycling of a contact lens pack helps save the planet .
ESA ’ s report is seriously unhelpful about its top people ’ s pay .
All we learn is that combined , they pocketed $ 2.008m .
Tony Thomas ’ s new book , Come To Think Of It – essays to tickle the brain , is available here as a book ( $ 34.95 ) or an e-book ( $ 14.95 ) [ 1 ] The Federation absorbed $ 74m from taxpayers in 2001-2006 alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers at all levels .
It budgeted for a further $ 55m from 2006-09 to broaden its offering by 4000 elements , which seems a tad expensive .
[ 2 ] The declaration introduced cross-curricula priorities of Aboriginality , sustainability and Asia relations .
[ 3 ] Many links have become broken over time , making the Scootle reference useless , and others now merely point to the ABC Education TV home page rather than the specific video in question .
Much material is ridiculously out of date .
Items from 2000-2007 are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century .
[ 4 ] Asked when Australia would become socialist , WWF leader Jim Healy replied , ‘ When fifty-one per cent of the people think as we do ’ .
[ 6 ] New Matilda ’ s website today features rabid journalist John Pilger as “ an eyewitness to the agony of Julian Assange ” .
[ 7 ] Australia ’ s finest historian Geoff Blainey debunks Pascoe ’ s thesis : “ I think I have read , in the last 50 years , every book written by an early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not support Pascoe in any way.
” • [ 9 ] Scootle : “ The final chapter in this sad story of prejudice and discrimination came with the reforms of the Whitlam Labor government in 1973.
” [ 10 ] Scootle had the guts to mention Labor coming to power in 1910 on an explicitly racist platform .
[ 11 ] “ At the time of the 1967 referendum , the Communist Party of Australia gained support from indigenous rights campaigners for their vocal stance against racially discriminatory policies.
” The poster was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sydney District Committee , Communist Party of Australia.
” [ 12 ] “ The Royal Society pH estimate for 2100 is thus consistent with a linear extrapolation of the eighteen years of data from Ocean Station Aloha .
Such an extrapolation would appear to be unwarranted or questionable at best…the eighteen years of Ocean Station Aloha or similar data appear to have been linearly extrapolated out to 2300 .
This is even more questionable than a linear extrapolation to 2100.
” [ 13 ] Elsewhere , Scootle offers obsolete IPCC dogma : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , global sea level could reach 0.22 to 0.44 m above 1990 levels.
” [ 14 ] “ Together with physical principles and knowledge of past variations , models provide compelling evidence that recent changes are due to increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere … ”

When I noticed that a top-tier federal-state education body is providing lesson materials for teachers, I decided to take a look. The body is Education Services Australia (ESA), a company set up by federal-state education ministers. ESA provides free supplementary online materials for teachers via 20,000-plus pages on its Scootle portal. No mickey-mouse operation, it’s all keyed precisely to the curricula and used in 2019 by some 60,000 teachers, who chalked up 2.8 million sessions involving 18.8 million page views. From 2000-09 this on-line exercise chewed up about $130 million of taxpayer money.[1] Today ESA self-supports on revenue of $40 million a year from projects and subscriptions.
Scootle is just one of many third-party inputs to schooling. More than 90 per cent of teachers and 8400 schools, for example, use online lessons supplied by the anti-capitalist green-left Cool Australia outfit (See here, here, here, here). I fully expected that Scootle materials would be part of the Leftist miasma pervading education, which is so all-encompassing that even the 50 per cent conservative-voting parents long ago ceased to notice what their kids are being taught.
In the immortal words of Victoria’s one-time education minister and premier Joan Kirner, education must be reshaped to be “part of the socialist struggle for equality, participation and social change, rather than an instrument of the capitalist system”. This was consummated in 2008 when PM Julia Gillard and her Labor premiers brought in their “Melbourne declaration”. [2] Conservative governments don’t seem to mind that schools have been converted to breeding grounds for green-minded woke warriors.
ESA is supposed to promote “improved students outcomes” and classier teachers and schools. As we know, our kids’ performance is sliding down the international league tables, despite ESA’s best efforts. So, as an amateur auditor, having logged on as a “guest user”, I had a look around.
“Paul Keating” gets 17 hits, virtually all laudatory; Gough Whitlam gets 56 hits, none hostile and most laudatory. Whitlam’s dismissal (1975) gets a dozen tracts. “John Howard” gets more than 20 cites, but sadly none are laudatory and most hostile.[3]
I got a surprise when I searched on “WWF” to check that green lobby’s input. Instead of cute pandas, I got a dozen propaganda film clips from the Communist-led Waterside Workers Federation of the 1950s, such as “Banners Held High, 1956: May Day”. Scootle tells kids this film is “honouring the achievements of workers across the world”. Actually, a few months after its May Day love-in, the WWF backed the Soviets as their tanks crushed the Hungarian revolt.[4]
Scootle’s asylum-seeker treatment is straight from The Greens’ playbook.[5] Search for “asylum seeker” and the request generates exactly 100 hits and ‘refugee’ alone 169 hits. Scootle’s intense interest in the topic includes: Discussion paper – ‘Towards a fairer immigration system for Australia’, 1992.
This is the cover of a 55-page paper titled ‘Towards a fairer immigration system for Australia‘. It states that the current immigration system is unfair to some groups and discusses how to guarantee fair access to Australia’s immigration system. The paper was prepared by Andrew Theophanous and published in 1992… The dimensions of the discussion paper are 29.60 cm x 21.00 cm.
I’m sure it’s a lovely paper from 28 years ago for kids to study, being 29.60cm x 21.00cm and all, about fairness and victim support. Author Andrew Theophanous was MHR (Labor) for the seats of Burke and Calwell from 1980-2000. But as Wikipedia puts it, “He was later jailed for bribery and fraud offences relating to visa applications and other immigration matters.” Specifically, “he was charged with defrauding the Commonwealth by making false representations in relation to an immigration matter, taking an unlawful inducement and soliciting an unlawful inducement.” He got six years, and served two of them. Maybe Scootle should footnote that?
Another example is:
Anthem – An Act of Sedition, 2004: MV Tampa and September 11
This clip presents an interpretation of the Howard government’s response to the arrival of refugees in Australian waters on the MV Tampa in August 2001. The narration states that John Howard had often used scare tactics for his political advantage and that the refugees were now to be used in a ‘race election’. Views defending the refugees are juxtaposed with images of troops. Scenes of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York dramatise the narration, which states that the government used fear of terrorism to override international law and civil rights.
The tone here seems similar to what East German kids used to get. Scootle’s explanatory notes say the film argues passionately that PM John Howard cynically exploited Tampa and 9/11 “to create fear, undermine the rule of law and secure a win in the November 2001 election.” The notes say, “the desperation of the passengers led the captain to attempt to land under conditions of emergency”. In fact the Afghans effectively took over the ship by threats, which led to SAS troops storming the vessel.
Scootle cites Julian Burnside QC, most recently a failed Greens candidate, who “condemns the ‘Pacific Solution’ legislation as being a clear-cut infringement of international law, and another lawyer sees it as being undemocratic.”
In a mealy-mouthed way, Scootle says,
In this case no attempt is made to present the case for the Howard government, the narration puts its views strongly and the use of dramatic footage heightens the sense of crisis, reinforcing the filmmakers’ view that these events marked a serious attack on civil liberties and democratic processes.
Impressionable kids are treated to a tear-jerking film (aka “powerful account”) about an Australian family with four kids visiting an Afghan teen in detention in Port Hedland in 2004. The visiting mother describes ‘a heavy gate being locked behind’ them, the children ‘huddled together wide-eyed and silent’ and the guard ‘unlocking the third door’, with an echoing, sombre and “slightly fearful” sound track. The film, asserts Scootle, “raises questions about the government policy that imprisoned children in the name of border protection.”
Kids also get a poem, ‘When I think of Australia’ by Amelia Walker. Extract: “I switch on the TV and see wire with children behind it. If this isn’t their country it isn’t mine.” Images include chicken wire and “refugees’ children in detention camps”. There’s also a color cartoon provided from leftist New Matilda[6] showing
a dilapidated ship crowded with asylum seekers approaching a pier where an elderly woman stands with outstretched arms, saying: ‘I know it’s extremely unAustralian of me, but I’d like to welcome you to our shores …’
So where does Scootle offer kids the conservative government’s case? A search on “people smuggler” finds one hit from a 1990 incident, and none contemporaneous. Another search fails to turn up reference to the 1,200 asylum seekers drowned after Labor’s PM Rudd overturned Howard’s policy and encouraged people smugglers to ship 50,000 people south in those infamously leaky boats.
Among other role models provided for kids are Greenpeace-affiliated saboteurs. Under the heading “Greenpeace takes a stand against GM crops” kids are treated to Greenpeace propaganda via ABC-TV Education (2011): “Watch Greenpeace activists mow down a research crop of genetically modified (GM) wheat grown by CSIRO.” They used brushcutters to wreck a year’s CSIRO research and cost the agency $300,000. A personable young Greenpeace lady says all such trials need to be shut down because of risk to foods like bread. Scootle instructs kids, “Consider some arguments for and against GM foods and find out the number of GM crops being trialled around Australia.”
Virtually all Scootle material on GM foods is of the pros-and-cons variety, with one piece emphasising “Who funds GM research trials?” while waxing suspicious about commercial funding. The main bias is via omission: Scootle offers kids nothing about genetically modified “golden rice” and its role in saving 100 million-plus Third World kids from Vitamin A deficiency, possible blindness and death.
Scootle slaps woodchipping (yesteryear’s big villain) with a 1991 report on excess use of paper: “The footage is in fast motion and is accompanied by a compelling music score.” Inevitably, Greenpeace gets a flattering mention. Kids are encouraged towards further Greenpeace worship via an ABC-TV feature — Four Corners – French Connections, 1985: Connecting the dots — on the sinking of Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior back in 1985, before many of today’s kids’ parents were born.
Sometimes kids are (pro forma) advised to research the conservatives’ arguments but with no or minimal guidance. For example, searches of “Institute of Public Affairs” get no hits and “National Farmers Federation” generates only two hits, one from 2012.
Scootle also dishes up four episodes of ABC Education’s worship of faux Aboriginal Bruce Pascoe and his nonsense about pre-colonial Aboriginal agriculturists living in permanent towns.[7] Scootle’s material falsely describes Pascoe as a Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man, although he’s been rejected by all three groups and himself admits he’s “solidly Cornish”.
China’s Mao Tse-tung gets half a dozen mentions, including, of course, Whitlam-meets-Mao. The others include two on the Communist army’s 1934-35 Long March and one on the Cultural Revolution. They are reasonably balanced but there is nothing on Mao’s so-called Great Leap Forward (1958-62) leading to 30 million deaths by starvation. China’s current supreme leader, Xi Jinping, gets no mention at all, nor is there any discussion of how China has arrived at its world-power status.
Scootle gives “human rights” in general 471 mentions, some involving multiple lessons. I waded through 300-plus mentions of China on Scootle and only four related to China and democracy. They included a brave one on dissident Xu Wenli and another on the ‘umbrella protests’ in Hong Kong.[8] Ancient China gets about 20 mentions, 19th century and pre-1940 China get about 60. I counted fewer than 25 items dealing with contemporary China such as urbanisation, energy and pollution (including one that deliberately muddles CO2 with particulates). Not one dealt with our minerals/energy trade with China, as if our $235 billion annual two-way trade doesn’t exist. Although “engagement with Asia” is one of the three all-important “cross-curricula priorities”, kids will graduate from high school as full bottles on Chinese gold-rush diggers, circa 1860, and I reckon that’s about it.
Kids are coached to wallow in remorse about last early-century’s White Australia policy, with an ABC-aided documentary (from 1992) relating how we “tried to fill Australia with ‘pure white’ immigrants.”[9] The wallow includes “Sheet Music Cover for ‘White Australia’ 1910” with the song’s lyrics, ‘Australia, the white man’s land, / Defended by the white man’s guns, / Australia! Australia! / For Anglo-Saxon race and Southern Cross’.[10] Scootle also cites much White Australia material from Canberra’s National Museum. That museum from the outset was a leftist workshop, and when I last visited (2017), it had a major exhibition fawning over the Communist Party of Australia.[11]
On the perils of global warming, Scootle pulls out all stops: “Personal activity — Make a pledge to halt climate change.” Scootle asks: “Has your influence on people increased since studying about climate change?” Kids are supposed to make a list of all the people they influence, rather like for Tupperware sales. Parents are to be badgered about their carbon footprint. Consistency is not Scootle’s strong point. On one page, 6degC would melt the Greenland Ice Sheet. Next page, 3degC would melt it. The latter page, in a fit of candour, does mention that “it would not happen immediately and it is estimated that this would take a few thousand years.”
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Kids are given three scenarios about emission cuts, with an obvious push towards the maximum-cut scenario. They are asked, “Has undertaking this activity influenced your decisions about how you will try to adapt your lifestyle in the future?” They’re exhorted to redesign their homes for “sustainability”, a typically utopian project. Kids might be better educated with lessons on how houses are designed, engineered, project-managed and built, which might encourage Jack and Jill towards tradie careers rather than Whiteness Studies or Lesbian Dance Theory at Big Six universities.
Talking of pie-in-sky, kids are presented by Scootle with maniacal projects like fertilising the ocean by “adding huge quantities of iron and other nutrients to encourage the growth of algae and phytoplankton”; “artificial trees: A machine like a tree which can act as a ‘carbon scrubber’ to capture carbon dioxide from the air”; and best of all, \
Building a fleet of specially designed wind-powered ships that would spray sea water particles into the atmosphere to create clouds to make clouds more reflective.
I’d like to see the environmental impact statements first.
Scootle provides kids with (stale) material from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The authority “educates” about “ocean acidification”, a non-problem, using a cartoon movie about “Hermie the hermit crab” (2009). The Scootle-endorsed Authority is brazen about its propaganda:
This is a highly complex topic and this animation does not explain the process in detail, rather uses a characters [sic] experience of this phenomenon to illicit an emotional understanding that ocean acidification will alter life on coral reefs.” [My emphasis].
The lovable Hermie’s shell crumbles from the acidic seas and every time he finds another shell, it too crumbles from the acidic impact. Meanwhile nasty sea creatures aim to gobble up Hermie. Little kids would despair at Hermie’s fate (close to 50,000 kids have seen the video). In reality claims about the oceans now being 30 per cent more “acidic” are junk-science. Attempts to measure the “acidification” even over past decades are laughably imprecise [12], corals evolved when CO2 was multiple times today’s level, shellfish live happily around sub-sea volcanic vents spewing CO2 , and whatever “evidence” is around, comes from dunking acid into fish tanks, hardly analogous to oceanic forces. (For example, “In a lab experiment, a sea butterfly {pteropod} shell placed in seawater with increased acidity slowly dissolves over 45 days.”)
Aussie kids are told they can “help the [Great Barrier] Reef in the face of climate change” by reducing their CO2 emissions with new light bulbs, shorter showers, biking and (somehow) offsetting their remaining emissions. Fact check: nothing Australia does about emissions will change the climate, let alone the Reef, as Chief Scientist Alan Finkel has confessed. Asia’s emissions dominate all.
It’s interesting that in 2013 the “Reef Scare” via Scootle and the ABC was about possible uranium exports from Townsville. It’s now all morphed into Adani coal-export scares. Surprisingly, “Adani” gets no hits on Scootle.
Scootle is happy to offer (stale) material from the Britain’s Royal Geographic Society (RGS), that bunch being over-the-top in their climate zealotry. RGS asks kids to speculate on
How will local places be affected by sea-level rise? Different scenarios can be examined. For schools close to sea-level, lower-impact scenarios of 1-5 metres will still have very significant implications. For schools further inland (for example on inland river flood plains), the effects of more extreme sea-level rise could be considered. [What? More extreme than 5 metres of sea rise, the height of a house?] If there is no risk the nearest threatened settlement could be substituted. ‘Create an opportunity for students and make a link with a different subjects like English and look at geographical data in literature, perhaps excerpts from a novel such Richard Doyle’s Flood [2002] which anticipates a serious event for London and tells of a worse [sic] case scenario of inundation in the capital. Whilst this is not a scientific book it does make some predictions that may not be commonly anticipated. [My emphasis].”
‘As any fule kno’ (quoting Nigel Molesworth), the IPCC sea-level-rise estimate for 2100 is only from 61cm to 110cm, and that’s a scenario from computer models tailored to pump up the scare.
The “1-5 metres” doesn’t seem a typo (e.g. for 1.5m); the author is just an idiot and abuser of schoolkids trust.[13] For what it’s worth (zero), here’s the recommended novel Flood and its “geographical data” (so useful for geography teaching):
Can fifty feet high gates be overwhelmed by a wave? Then there is an explosion the size of a small Hiroshima: a supertanker is ablaze in the estuary and most of the Essex petrochemical works are going up with it. The Thames catches fire and the wall of fire and water thunders towards Britain’s capital. This is the story of what happens next, and the desperate attempts to save the capital from destruction.
Even more ludicrously — indeed, reprehensibly — RGS material frightens kids with the 2004 Day after Tomorrow horror movie, which posits climate-change causing the warm North Atlantic conveyor currents to stall, plunging Britain and Europe to plunge into an Ice Age. “This scenario shows the implicit connectedness of human and physical processes on the planet,” the RGS writes, which and Scootle dutifully passes along without question.
RGS refers kids to the British Royal Society’s paper of 2005 (yes 2005), “Guide to facts and fictions about climate change”. It ignores the 43 Royal Society fellows who revolted over that paper being issued in their names and forced the Society to issue a revised paper with less activism and more uncertainties. Typical of Scootle’s erratic content, a search on “Australian Academy of Science” fails to turn up mention of that green-left body’s primers on global warming of 2010 and 2015. At least those primers look scientific, even if the AAS believes computer models’ output is “compelling evidence” of global warming.[14]
Scootle shoves at kids aged 9 to 11 (no kidding) a Jackie French book
about the possibilities from the greener world of tomorrow … where the future is filled with environmental hope — and practical solutions, such as common usage of solar and wind power. Lively, fun and positive, this book … shows them that a lot of environmental solutions are simple and relatively easy to put in place.”
Actually, Australian taxpayers are subsidising green energy to the tune of $13 billion a year, but that’s a bit advanced for Grade 3 kids.
You may be curious by now about Scootle’s parent, ESA, as a Melbourne-based woke outfit. Apart from disseminating Stasi-style facts, ESA’s been rolling out an online version of kids’ NAPLAN testing. The teachers’ unions detest any measures to make teachers accountable, but unions’ description of ESA’s 2018 NAPLAN rollout as a ‘debacle’ and the 2019 NAPLAN roll-out as a ‘disaster’ seem close to the mark. Mercifully for ESA, COVID-19 scotched further rollout this year.
From chief executive Andrew Smith’s 2018-19 report:
The second transition year to NAPLAN Online saw over 2.17 million tests successfully completed by 670,000 students using the assessment platform infrastructure. ESA is proud to play a significant role in delivering these adaptive tests, which students find more engaging, and which provide richer data that helps teachers tailor their teaching to student needs.
The first day of testing saw the disruption of many student test sessions. The cause of the incident is within ESA’s responsibilities and we sincerely regret the distress caused. I commend our staff for their calm and systematic handling of the incident on the day, their ability to keep focused on delivering a successful assessment program for the remainder of the testing period, and their work and resolve to avoid a recurrence of the issue.”
The fortitude of Mr Smith’s 120 staff may stem from ESA’s unique conditions of employment. Apart from “competitive remuneration”, staff enjoy
regular fruit supply, fun activities and competitions [sack races?], and much more – all aimed at building a culture supportive of healthy lifestyle choices.
Maybe a banana diet is augmented by rotten tomatoes from the NAPLAN users.
Notwithstanding its sedentary workplace, ESA remains convulsed by efforts to curb its own CO2 emissions. Last year it tracked emissions from 3,678km of staff commutes by car and public transport to work. All staff have been provided with a personal keep-cup for coffee. Recycling facilities are on hand for Expressi coffee capsules, dental floss containers and contact lens packs. Sadly, these savings pale before the team’s 666,364 km of CO2-spewing air trips for vital meetings.
ESA’s carbon-neutrality tickets have been won by carbon offsets supporting things like the Guohua Wulate Zhonggi and Hebei Chongli wind farms in China. Talking of China, its emissions of 14 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent rather swamps ESA’s emissions of 824 tonnes last year. But I guess every recycling of a contact lens pack helps save the planet.
ESA’s report is seriously unhelpful about its top people’s pay. All we learn is that combined, they pocketed $2.008m.
Tony Thomas’s new book, Come To Think Of It – essays to tickle the brain, is available here as a book ($34.95) or an e-book ($14.95)
[1] The Federation absorbed $74m from taxpayers in 2001-2006 alone for on-line “learning resources” for teachers at all levels. It budgeted for a further $55m from 2006-09 to broaden its offering by 4000 elements, which seems a tad expensive.
[2] The declaration introduced cross-curricula priorities of Aboriginality, sustainability and Asia relations.
[3] Many links have become broken over time, making the Scootle reference useless, and others now merely point to the ABC Education TV home page rather than the specific video in question. Much material is ridiculously out of date. Items from 2000-2007 are common and many are from the previous century.
[4] Asked when Australia would become socialist, WWF leader Jim Healy replied, ‘When fifty-one per cent of the people think as we do’.
[6] New Matilda’s website today features rabid journalist John Pilger as “an eyewitness to the agony of Julian Assange”.
[7] Australia’s finest historian Geoff Blainey debunks Pascoe’s thesis: “I think I have read, in the last 50 years, every book written by an early European explorer of Australia. They do not support Pascoe in any way.”
[8] “Uyghur” gets no mention.
[9] Scootle: “The final chapter in this sad story of prejudice and discrimination came with the reforms of the Whitlam Labor government in 1973.”
[10] Scootle had the guts to mention Labor coming to power in 1910 on an explicitly racist platform.
[11] “At the time of the 1967 referendum, the Communist Party of Australia gained support from indigenous rights campaigners for their vocal stance against racially discriminatory policies.” The poster was “donated by Mr Peter A Murphy, Sydney District Committee, Communist Party of Australia.”
[12] “The Royal Society pH estimate for 2100 is thus consistent with a linear extrapolation of the eighteen years of data from Ocean Station Aloha. Such an extrapolation would appear to be unwarranted or questionable at best…the eighteen years of Ocean Station Aloha or similar data appear to have been linearly extrapolated out to 2300. This is even more questionable than a linear extrapolation to 2100.”
[13] Elsewhere, Scootle offers obsolete IPCC dogma: “By the mid-2090s, for instance, global sea level could reach 0.22 to 0.44 m above 1990 levels.”
[14] “Together with physical principles and knowledge of past variations, models provide compelling evidence that recent changes are due to increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere …”


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--Boris Johnson’s green poverty plan: One in three motorists cannot afford even the cheapest electric

A third of motorists are unable to afford even the cheapest electric car , experts warn .
The figure – equivalent to ten million households – highlights how many ordinary families will struggle to finance the switch from petrol and diesel cars being pushed by ministers .
Even middle-earning households will have difficulty paying for one of the cheapest leased electric vehicles – the £170-a-month Skoda Citigo .
The analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research ( CEBR ) shows drivers need to be spending at least £2,100 a year on their current car , including fuel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Households that spend around £1,800 could afford a plug-in car at a squeeze , butthose who spend around £1,400 will have difficulty .
Drivers who spend up to that will find it impossible to afford .
CEBR economists said the research proves that ‘ access to an electric vehicle is a pipe dream for a third of the population ’ .
The findings are a blow to Government plans to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 .
Motor groups have described the £12billion plan as ‘ incredibly ambitious ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent of vehicles .
High up-front costs and a lack of road chargers have been blamed for stagnating demand .
Entry-level electric vehicles are around £5,000 more expensive than equivalent fuel models .
Although electric cars have a higher up-front cost , the average lifetime running expense – including purchase – is £52,100 , against £53,600 for petrol .
One in six English councils has failed to install chargers on residential roads , even though 2.8million will be needed .
Howard Cox , founder of the FairFuelUK pressure group , said the plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drivers unable to afford the switch to electric .
He added : ‘ Has the Government asked low income households , families and hard-pressed small businesses if they have signed up to their inequitable green revolution ?
’ The post Boris Johnson ’ s green poverty plan : One in three motorists can not afford even the cheapest electric car , experts warn appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

A third of motorists are unable to afford even the cheapest electric car, experts warn.
The figure – equivalent to ten million households – highlights how many ordinary families will struggle to finance the switch from petrol and diesel cars being pushed by ministers.
Even middle-earning households will have difficulty paying for one of the cheapest leased electric vehicles – the £170-a-month Skoda Citigo.
The analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows drivers need to be spending at least £2,100 a year on their current car, including fuel, to comfortably afford an electric vehicle.
Households that spend around £1,800 could afford a plug-in car at a squeeze, butthose who spend around £1,400 will have difficulty. Drivers who spend up to that will find it impossible to afford.
CEBR economists said the research proves that ‘access to an electric vehicle is a pipe dream for a third of the population’.
The findings are a blow to Government plans to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Motor groups have described the £12billion plan as ‘incredibly ambitious’ when plug-ins account for just 0.3 per cent of vehicles.
High up-front costs and a lack of road chargers have been blamed for stagnating demand.
Entry-level electric vehicles are around £5,000 more expensive than equivalent fuel models.
Although electric cars have a higher up-front cost, the average lifetime running expense – including purchase – is £52,100, against £53,600 for petrol.
One in six English councils has failed to install chargers on residential roads, even though 2.8million will be needed.
Howard Cox, founder of the FairFuelUK pressure group, said the plans risk ‘demonising’ petrol and diesel drivers unable to afford the switch to electric.
He added: ‘Has the Government asked low income households, families and hard-pressed small businesses if they have signed up to their inequitable green revolution?’
The post Boris Johnson’s green poverty plan: One in three motorists cannot afford even the cheapest electric car, experts warn appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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November 21, 2020 at 02:30AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-11-21--Scots Suffer Crippling Power Bills, While Wind Industry Pocket £Billions in Record Subsidies

Scotland ’ s wind power scam is positively criminal : foreign-owned wind power outfits have pocket tens of £billions in subsidies ; working-class Scots struggle to pay crippling power bills – plenty of them have no hope of powering their homes ever again .
A further obscenity is the fact that wind farms in Scotland are routinely paid hundreds of £millions each year to NOT produce any electricity , at all : World ’ s Biggest Scams : Scotland ’ s Wind Farms Paid £650,000,000 To NOT Produce Power The cost of wind power subsidies to Scottish power consumers is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As Gareth Rose outlines below .
It ’ s the SNP ’ s green dream , yet firms are handed millions every year to run Scotland ’ s wind farms… and YOU are paying for it The Scottish Mail on Sunday Gareth Rose 1 November 2020 Wind farms are being handed record subsidies in a move that is driving up power bills for hard-pressed families .
The operators were last year given an uprecedented £1.3 billion , analysis shows .
The payments were made under a scheme set up almost 20 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then the uncertain field of green energy .
But the subsidies have continued even though wind farms are well established and highly profitable .
Last night , critics warned that the payments were effectively doubling the cost of household energy bills and called for the ‘ disgraceful ’ scheme to be scrapped .
The eye-watering cost of propping up Scotland ’ s renewable sector is the result of the Renewables Obligation scheme , introduced in 2002 by the UK Government .
It was designed to give financial support to green energy projects in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of 15 or 20-year contracts that continue today .
That is despite many of the owners – often foreign-based – earning millions in profits .
Scots renewable energy firms have claimed more than £10 billion through the scheme , proportionally far higher than any other part of the UK , according to the Renewable Energy Foundation ( REF ) .
The cash is paid by energy suppliers to those generating the power , and the cost passed onto UK consumers in their bills .
The biggest winner has been ScottishPower Renewables ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has received £476 million since 2002 .
The company , owned by Spanish giant Iberdrola , recorded an £867 million net profit in 2019 .
Other renewable developments to have benefited include Robin Rigg , in the Solway Firth , which has received £460 million , and Clyde wind farm , in Lanarkshire , which has been given £426 million .
Robin Rigg is owned by German energy giant E.ON .
Its UK arm , E.ON Energy , recorded a £73 million loss last year .
Scottish firm SSE owns the majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million profit .
However , in a sign of the value of such subsidised projects , SSE sold a 49.9 per cent stake in it in 2016 for £355 million .
The subsidies have been analysed by charity REF , using figures from market regulator Ofgem .
REF also questioned whether the scheme would be affordable under independence , with the full cost loaded onto consumers north of the Border , where there are proportionately more projects .
Its director , Dr John Constable , said : ‘ The subsidy supporting the Scottish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for by UK consumers and will strike many as disgraceful .
In the event of independence , UK bill-payers will expect better value for money , and cross-border subsidies are unlikely to continue .
‘ Has the Scottish Government thought this through ?
’ Graham Lang , of campaign group Scotland Against Spin , said : ‘ The burden of subsidies on ordinary citizens is out of control and that money is largely going into the pockets of foreign companies and a few wealthy individuals.
’ The SNP has hailed Scotland ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story , with the then First Minister Alex Salmond famously claiming the country would become the ‘ Saudi Arabia of renewables ’ .
However , REF shows the sector is still heavily reliant on subsidies .
Under the Renewables Obligation scheme , which was closed to new entrants in 2017 , suppliers must show they are using an increasing amount of renewable energy .
According to REF , they typically pay an extra £55 per megawatt per hour for doing so – almost double the wholesale cost of energy and a cost that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mail on Sunday

Scotland’s wind power scam is positively criminal: foreign-owned wind power outfits have pocket tens of £billions in subsidies; working-class Scots struggle to pay crippling power bills – plenty of them have no hope of powering their homes ever again.
A further obscenity is the fact that wind farms in Scotland are routinely paid hundreds of £millions each year to NOT produce any electricity, at all: World’s Biggest Scams: Scotland’s Wind Farms Paid £650,000,000 To NOT Produce Power
The cost of wind power subsidies to Scottish power consumers is staggering, and it continues to mount. As Gareth Rose outlines below.
It’s the SNP’s green dream, yet firms are handed millions every year to run Scotland’s wind farms… and YOU are paying for it
The Scottish Mail on Sunday
Gareth Rose
1 November 2020
Wind farms are being handed record subsidies in a move that is driving up power bills for hard-pressed families.
The operators were last year given an uprecedented £1.3 billion, analysis shows.
The payments were made under a scheme set up almost 20 years ago to lure firms into what was then the uncertain field of green energy.
But the subsidies have continued even though wind farms are well established and highly profitable.
Last night, critics warned that the payments were effectively doubling the cost of household energy bills and called for the ‘disgraceful’ scheme to be scrapped.
The eye-watering cost of propping up Scotland’s renewable sector is the result of the Renewables Obligation scheme, introduced in 2002 by the UK Government.
It was designed to give financial support to green energy projects in their early days, but signed as part of 15 or 20-year contracts that continue today. That is despite many of the owners – often foreign-based – earning millions in profits.
Scots renewable energy firms have claimed more than £10 billion through the scheme, proportionally far higher than any other part of the UK, according to the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF).
The cash is paid by energy suppliers to those generating the power, and the cost passed onto UK consumers in their bills.
The biggest winner has been ScottishPower Renewables’ Whitelee wind farm, near Glasgow, which has received £476 million since 2002. The company, owned by Spanish giant Iberdrola, recorded an £867 million net profit in 2019.
Other renewable developments to have benefited include Robin Rigg, in the Solway Firth, which has received £460 million, and Clyde wind farm, in Lanarkshire, which has been given £426 million.
Robin Rigg is owned by German energy giant E.ON. Its UK arm, E.ON Energy, recorded a £73 million loss last year. Scottish firm SSE owns the majority of Clyde, which made a £5.7 million profit.
However, in a sign of the value of such subsidised projects, SSE sold a 49.9 per cent stake in it in 2016 for £355 million. The subsidies have been analysed by charity REF, using figures from market regulator Ofgem. REF also questioned whether the scheme would be affordable under independence, with the full cost loaded onto consumers north of the Border, where there are proportionately more projects.
Its director, Dr John Constable, said: ‘The subsidy supporting the Scottish Government’ s renewables policy is paid for by UK consumers and will strike many as disgraceful. In the event of independence, UK bill-payers will expect better value for money, and cross-border subsidies are unlikely to continue. ‘Has the Scottish Government thought this through?’ Graham Lang, of campaign group Scotland Against Spin, said: ‘The burden of subsidies on ordinary citizens is out of control and that money is largely going into the pockets of foreign companies and a few wealthy individuals.’
The SNP has hailed Scotland’s green energy sector as a lucrative success story, with the then First Minister Alex Salmond famously claiming the country would become the ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’.
However, REF shows the sector is still heavily reliant on subsidies.
Under the Renewables Obligation scheme, which was closed to new entrants in 2017, suppliers must show they are using an increasing amount of renewable energy. According to REF, they typically pay an extra £55 per megawatt per hour for doing so – almost double the wholesale cost of energy and a cost that is passed onto customers.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday