iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Timeline of CCP attacks on Australia from 2008

March 2008 Thuggery at Olympics torch rally in Canberra proves existence of multi-coachloads of CCP 5th column loyal supporters undermining Australia .
Just ask Mr Google In 2012 , MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans revealed that an attack had cost Rio Tinto—an estimated A $ 1.43 billion , in lost revenue , ‘ not just through intellectual property loss but also from commercial disadvantage in contractual negotiations ’ .
www.aspi.org.au/report/hacking-cash 2014 China suddenly without warning starts militarizing shoals , reefs and islets in the South China Sea .
27 May 2014 New Zealand climate gurus NIWA hacked from IP address in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bureau of Meteorology refuses to comment on cyber attack – CHINA has been blamed for a “ massive ” cyber attack on the Bureau of Meteorology , where a supercomputer holds critical government information .
www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/bureau-of-meterology-refuses-to-comment-on-cyber-attack/news-story/17f408c4e3dab1590f4790417e4a48c6 10 August 2016 Census : Australian Bureau of Statistics says website attacked by overseas hackers www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-10/australian-bureau-of-statistics-says-census-website-hacked/7712216 16 Sep 2019 Australia concluded China was behind hack on parliament , political parties www.reuters.com/article/uk-australia-china-cyber/exclusive-australia-concluded-china-was-behind-hack-on-parliament-political-parties-sources-idUKKBN1W00VD 19 Jun 2020 Australia is under sustained cyber attack , warns the government .
What ’ s going on , and what should businesses do ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than I have mentioned .
2020 China disrupts normal import-export procedures in a range of imports from Australia .

Suggest any additions –
March 2008 Thuggery at Olympics torch rally in Canberra proves existence of multi-coachloads of CCP 5th column loyal supporters undermining Australia. Just ask Mr Google
In 2012, MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans revealed that an attack had cost Rio Tinto—an estimated A$1.43 billion, in lost revenue, ‘not just through intellectual property loss but also from commercial disadvantage in contractual negotiations’.
www.aspi.org.au/report/hacking-cash
26 May 2012 China accuses Australia as Bonn climate talks founder
www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=1574
2014 China suddenly without warning starts militarizing shoals, reefs and islets in the South China Sea.
27 May 2014 New Zealand climate gurus NIWA hacked from IP address in China
www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=3028
3 Dec 2015 Bureau of Meteorology refuses to comment on cyber attack – CHINA has been blamed for a “massive” cyber attack on the Bureau of Meteorology, where a supercomputer holds critical government information.
www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/bureau-of-meterology-refuses-to-comment-on-cyber-attack/news-story/17f408c4e3dab1590f4790417e4a48c6
10 August 2016 Census: Australian Bureau of Statistics says website attacked by overseas hackers
www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-10/australian-bureau-of-statistics-says-census-website-hacked/7712216
1 Dec 2017 Chinese hackers targeting Australian law firms, an industry specialist warns
www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-01/chinese-hackers-targeting-australian-law-firms/9213520
19 Aug 2018 Is Australia under cyber attack?
www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=5891
27 Aug 2018 ANU assures data safety after security breach, but expert raises doubts
www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-27/doubts-over-data-safety-after-anu-breach/10164726
22 Dec 2018 WA companies caught in China hacking blitz
thewest.com.au/business/wa-companies-caught-in-china-hacking-blitz-ng-b881057227z
16 Sep 2019 Australia concluded China was behind hack on parliament, political parties
www.reuters.com/article/uk-australia-china-cyber/exclusive-australia-concluded-china-was-behind-hack-on-parliament-political-parties-sources-idUKKBN1W00VD
19 Jun 2020 Australia is under sustained cyber attack, warns the government. What’s going on, and what should businesses do?
theconversation.com/australia-is-under-sustained-cyber-attack-warns-the-government-whats-going-on-and-what-should-businesses-do-141119
There are many more cyber attacks than I have mentioned.
2020 China disrupts normal import-export procedures in a range of imports from Australia.
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December 11, 2020 at 12:27AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Australia Not Invited to a Big International Climate Summit

Summit organisers , the United Nations and UK PM Boris Johnson , rejected Australia ’ s attendance , claiming Australia ’ s climate action plan was “ unacceptably weak ” .
Australia will suffer for global climate summit snub to Morrison This weekend more than 70 world leaders – from Canada to Japan to Rwanda – will gather virtually to discuss how they are laying the concrete foundations for the clean economic transition that all their policies are converging upon .
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will not be one of them .
Leaders were asked to submit ambitious new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British governments running the Climate Action Summit .
Australia ’ s offer – to stop using old carbon credits to make it easier to meet emission cut goals and to consider a carbon neutrality plan – was deemed by the organisers to be unacceptably weak , especially compared with the concrete commitments and plans from other leading economies .
Australia will be a notable absentee at a meeting where Britain , Japan , South Korea , the European Union , China and connections to the incoming US administration will affirm the direction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not at the table of leaders who have set a clear direction for a cleaner world where fossil fuels do not dominate , where coal is in a death spiral and oil and gas greatly diminished .
This will ultimately hurt Australia ’ s people and economy .
Few countries are as blessed as Australia when it comes to clean energy potential .
From the sun , surf and wind to the raw materials that are critical to the fifth industrial revolution , few countries can count themselves as lucky to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia has not been invited to is the “ Global Ambition Summit ” .
With the COVID-19 pandemic having disrupted plans to hold the annual international UN climate meeting – known as the COP – this year , the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom have announced that they will instead co-host a “ landmark global event ” on 12 December , the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement .
The event is being dubbed “ the sprint to Glasgow ” by the UN .
Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was slated to host this year ’ s COP in the Scottish City .
The Summit is now scheduled to take place a year later , in November 2021 .
The December event will be held amid signs that the world is off-track to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels , and that a carbon-free economy is long overdue .
“ The climate emergency is fully upon us , and we have no time to waste , Mr. Guterres said in a statement .
“ The answer to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scaled up action and solidarity among nations ” .
The aim of the event is to rally momentum and call for much greater climate action and ambition .
National governments will be invited to present more ambitious and high-quality climate plans , as well as COVID recovery plans , new finance commitments and measures to limit global warming to 1.5C .
It will bring together leaders from across all levels of government , as well as the private sector and civil society , to present new measures , boosting ambition and action .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ there would be no need for government targets and international bullying .
There is no regulatory impediment to investors flocking to Australia ’ s “ blessed ” renewable energy opportunities of their own free will .
But for some reason , investors won ’ t touch all these amazing renewable energy opportunities unless the government guarantees their profits through mandatory climate targets , soft loans and guaranteed market share .
Bullying Australia for not embracing alleged green energy opportunities is great cover for nations which have yet to demonstrate any meaningful climate progress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see a lot more climate bullying and non-achievement , if Biden is confirmed as the next US President .
The main reason US emissions have fallen over the last decade is gas fracking displaced a lot of coal .
The alleged climate achievements of European nations behind the big push for renewables are mostly fancy accounting and exporting carbon intensive jobs like manufacturing solar panels to China .

Aussie PM Scott Morrison Brandishes a Lump of Coal in Parliament
Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Summit organisers, the United Nations and UK PM Boris Johnson, rejected Australia’s attendance, claiming Australia’s climate action plan was “unacceptably weak”.
Australia will suffer for global climate summit snub to Morrison By Laurence Tubiana
December 11, 2020 — 7.14am This weekend more than 70 world leaders – from Canada to Japan to Rwanda – will gather virtually to discuss how they are laying the concrete foundations for the clean economic transition that all their policies are converging upon. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will not be one of them. Leaders were asked to submit ambitious new proposals to the UN, French and British governments running the Climate Action Summit. Australia’s offer – to stop using old carbon credits to make it easier to meet emission cut goals and to consider a carbon neutrality plan – was deemed by the organisers to be unacceptably weak, especially compared with the concrete commitments and plans from other leading economies. Australia will be a notable absentee at a meeting where Britain, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, China and connections to the incoming US administration will affirm the direction of the battle against climate change. Australia is not at the table of leaders who have set a clear direction for a cleaner world where fossil fuels do not dominate, where coal is in a death spiral and oil and gas greatly diminished. This will ultimately hurt Australia’s people and economy. Few countries are as blessed as Australia when it comes to clean energy potential. From the sun, surf and wind to the raw materials that are critical to the fifth industrial revolution, few countries can count themselves as lucky to have so many winning cards. … Read more: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/australia-will-suffer-for-global-climate-summit-snub-to-morrison-20201210-p56m79.html
The summit Australia has not been invited to is the “Global Ambition Summit”.
UN chief and UK premier announce December climate summit 24 September 2020
Climate Change With the COVID-19 pandemic having disrupted plans to hold the annual international UN climate meeting – known as the COP – this year, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom have announced that they will instead co-host a “landmark global event” on 12 December, the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The event is being dubbed “the sprint to Glasgow” by the UN. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the UK was slated to host this year’s COP in the Scottish City. The Summit is now scheduled to take place a year later, in November 2021. The December event will be held amid signs that the world is off-track to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and that a carbon-free economy is long overdue. “The climate emergency is fully upon us, and we have no time to waste, Mr. Guterres said in a statement. “The answer to our existential crisis is swift, decisive, scaled up action and solidarity among nations”. The aim of the event is to rally momentum and call for much greater climate action and ambition. National governments will be invited to present more ambitious and high-quality climate plans, as well as COVID recovery plans, new finance commitments and measures to limit global warming to 1.5C. It will bring together leaders from across all levels of government, as well as the private sector and civil society, to present new measures, boosting ambition and action. … Read more: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1073392
If climate action made economic sense, there would be no need for government targets and international bullying. There is no regulatory impediment to investors flocking to Australia’s “blessed” renewable energy opportunities of their own free will.
But for some reason, investors won’t touch all these amazing renewable energy opportunities unless the government guarantees their profits through mandatory climate targets, soft loans and guaranteed market share.
Bullying Australia for not embracing alleged green energy opportunities is great cover for nations which have yet to demonstrate any meaningful climate progress of their own.
I expect to see a lot more climate bullying and non-achievement, if Biden is confirmed as the next US President. The main reason US emissions have fallen over the last decade is gas fracking displaced a lot of coal.
Biden is hostile to fracking.
The alleged climate achievements of European nations behind the big push for renewables are mostly fancy accounting and exporting carbon intensive jobs like manufacturing solar panels to China.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Electric vehicle shock treatment

Electric vehicle shock treatment

Britain showcases what US and global future will really look like with “ sustainable ” EVs Joe Biden , his fellow Democrats , and apparently big U.S. automakers , have joined the rush to transform America ’ s transportation to 100 % electric vehicles ( EV ) whether We the People want it or not .
During an October town hall , Biden asserted that his plan would save “ billions of gallons of oil ” and help create a million auto industry jobs , in part by banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion ( IC ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will happen in the Real World , he didn ’ t say .
Biden ’ s California-inspired vision excludes hybrid vehicles , includes installing 500,000 EV charging stations , and provides “ cash for clunkers ” style rebates for new EV buyers .
But as of 2018 , nearly half of EV registrations ( 256,800 out of 543,600 ) were in California , with Hawaii , Washington and Oregon not far behind .
Yet as of 2018 , EVs comprised less than 2 % of California ’ s 15 million total vehicles – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stations , free access to HOV lanes , and other subsidies and incentives .
Only 727,000 electric vehicles were sold in the USA in 2019 , and nearly half were plug-in hybrids .
Hybrid sales peaked in 2013 , but by 2019 had fallen to 2.3 % ( about 400,000 vehicles ) of all light-duty vehicle sales , largely due to shunning by EV purists .
Compare those numbers with the 6.3 million total vehicles sold in 2016 , or to the 273,600,000 passenger cars , motorcycles , trucks , buses and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following China ’ s lead , U.S. automakers – not just Tesla – are all aboard for this big switchover .
As IC vehicles are replaced and gasoline stations are transformed into EV charging stations , the pressure will rise to ditch remaining IC vehicles and buy more EVs .
China-friendly General Motors plans to spend $ 20 billion on EV and self-driving vehicle technology through 2025 , including 23 different EVs by 2023 .
Ford Motor Company has pledged to invest $ 11 billion by 2022 on EV development .
Biden is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Boris Johnson , whose new climate plan includes banning sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030 , and hybrids by 2035 .
But , as economist and Global Britain think tank director Ewen Stewart argued , this is “ frankly one of the most illiberal and economically destructive policies ever to come from Whitehall .
It risks hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and much-needed exports for the most marginal benefit.
” “ The implications of this ban [ in a country with only 1 % EVs ] are immense in terms of manufacture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital , employment , infrastructure , consumer choice , value of existing stock , and so much more , ” Stewart explained .
“ Never before has a government dared to close down an entire and critical industry almost overnight , by diktat.
” It is delusional , he continued , to believe that destroying a successful British industry by banning IC engines – rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy .
Today ’ s British automotive sector comprises a fifth of the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the 1.3 million cars it manufactures being exported .
That ’ s 13 % of the UK ’ s entire export market .
The UK automotive industry employs over 180,000 Britons directly and many hundreds of thousands more indirectly .
But the United Kingdom can not compete with China for the global EV market , because UK labor costs are far higher , and its energy is increasingly far more expensive and unreliable .
Worse , Stewart pointed out , this virtue signaling will have at best a miniscule benefits for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be devastating for automobile owners .
The British government already vastly diminished the value of the nation ’ s 12 million diesel vehicles with surcharges that cost owners of pre-2015 diesel vehicles up to $ 67 per week just to drive in “ ultra-low-emission zones.
” Other costs included doubling parking permit rates and higher taxes for diesel vehicles .
The new initiatives will do the same to gasoline-powered vehicles .
They will phase out gasoline pumps , cause resale value to plummet , and devastate the nation ’ s export market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Global Warming Policy Forum , says the misguided British plan could cost motorists £700 billion ( US $ 938 billion ) .
Several aspects of EVs , Montford contended , make them more costly than petrol cars : replacing expensive batteries , installing home charging stations ( often requiring upgrading household wiring ) , time and inconvenience during battery recharges , and more .
Montford estimated that by 2050 the average household might have spent an extra £19,000 ( US $ 25,460 ) – if they can still afford to own a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandates driving up the cost of electricity , the cost of motoring could double , driving working classes entirely off the roads .
The absurdity of this British assault on its own existing auto industry is made even more ridiculous by the fact that wide-scale electrification doesn ’ t change current mobility patterns – and only manages to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions 15 % by 2050 , Spanish systems engineering expert Margarita Mediaville explained .
To call EVs “ green ” or “ sustainable ” is patently absurd .
Ms. Mediaville ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those new EV batteries would deplete proven global reserves of copper , lithium , nickel and manganese , unless mining and/or recycling rates grow enormously by 2050 .
But opening new mines , mostly in other countries , as the European Union proposes , would have “ devastating repercussions on water , biodiversity and the human rights of local communities.
” Mining and processing ores , and manufacturing batteries , would also require enormous amounts of fossil fuels , involve hundreds or thousands of tons of ore and overburden for every ton of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide .
Indeed , a new report by Competitive Enterprise Institute analyst Ben Lieberman concludes that replacing gasoline with electricity as the energy source for vehicles does not eliminate those emissions , but only changes where they are emitted .
Yet another downside of vastly increasing the number of EVs is that the metals and minerals increasingly come from countries like China , Chile and Congo – where fair wage , child labor , workplace safety and environmental standards are far below anything the US or EU would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy to manufacture than batteries and engines for IC vehicles .
Recycling them is likewise complicated , expensive , and fraught with pollution and public health risks .
The financial firm UBS found that replacing global sales of conventional IC vehicles with electric versions would require a 2,898 % increase in lithium production ; a 1,928 % increase in cobalt ; a 524 % increase in graphite ; a 105 % increase in nickel ; a 655 % increase in rare-earth minerals ; and at least a tripling of copper production .
Coal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skyrocket , to fuel the work .
A separate report from Securing America ’ s Future Energy indicates China controls nearly 70 % of electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity , compared to just 10 % by the USA .
The report projects that 107 of the 142 EV battery manufacturing projects scheduled by 2021 will be in China , with only nine in the U.S. Moving toward mandatory EVs will clearly enrich China at America ’ s expense .
Before taking any steps toward converting America to EVs and non-fossil fuel electricity generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human and environmental costs – in precise numbers , including rising lung disease , cancer , injury and death rates in foreign mines , processing plants and factories .
They must also consider the impact on American workers and communities from outsourcing battery manufacturing to Chinese companies .
The Chinese , with assistance from a President Biden , will happily take most of those manufacturing jobs back to the Middle Kingdom , while saddling American families with soaring costs for unreliable electricity , short-range driving and collapsing industries .
Incredibly , our dependence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for high-tech military equipment will also soar !
All these issues demand the attention of our legislators and regulators , environmentalists and journalists .
Unless of course they ’ re just engaging in cheap virtue-signaling , and actually don ’ t give a hoot about American workers and energy consumers , the U.S. and global environment , or global adult and child workers who will put their health and lives at risk providing EV and other technologies .
Duggan Flanakin is Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow ( @ @

Britain showcases what US and global future will really look like with “sustainable” EVs
Duggan Flanakin
Joe Biden, his fellow Democrats, and apparently big U.S. automakers, have joined the rush to transform America’s transportation to 100% electric vehicles (EV) whether We the People want it or not. During an October town hall, Biden asserted that his plan would save “billions of gallons of oil” and help create a million auto industry jobs, in part by banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion (IC) engine vehicles by 2030. How this will happen in the Real World, he didn’t say.
Biden’s California-inspired vision excludes hybrid vehicles, includes installing 500,000 EV charging stations, and provides “cash for clunkers” style rebates for new EV buyers. But as of 2018, nearly half of EV registrations (256,800 out of 543,600) were in California, with Hawaii, Washington and Oregon not far behind. Yet as of 2018, EVs comprised less than 2% of California’s 15 million total vehicles – despite huge tax credits, free charging stations, free access to HOV lanes, and other subsidies and incentives.
Only 727,000 electric vehicles were sold in the USA in 2019, and nearly half were plug-in hybrids. Hybrid sales peaked in 2013, but by 2019 had fallen to 2.3% (about 400,000 vehicles) of all light-duty vehicle sales, largely due to shunning by EV purists. Compare those numbers with the 6.3 million total vehicles sold in 2016, or to the 273,600,000 passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and other vehicles on U.S. roads in 2018.
Following China’s lead, U.S. automakers – not just Tesla – are all aboard for this big switchover. As IC vehicles are replaced and gasoline stations are transformed into EV charging stations, the pressure will rise to ditch remaining IC vehicles and buy more EVs. China-friendly General Motors plans to spend $20 billion on EV and self-driving vehicle technology through 2025, including 23 different EVs by 2023. Ford Motor Company has pledged to invest $11 billion by 2022 on EV development.
Biden is following in the footsteps of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose new climate plan includes banning sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030, and hybrids by 2035. But, as economist and Global Britain think tank director Ewen Stewart argued, this is “frankly one of the most illiberal and economically destructive policies ever to come from Whitehall. It risks hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and much-needed exports for the most marginal benefit.”
“The implications of this ban [in a country with only 1% EVs] are immense in terms of manufacture, supply chains, investment, sunk capital, employment, infrastructure, consumer choice, value of existing stock, and so much more,” Stewart explained. “Never before has a government dared to close down an entire and critical industry almost overnight, by diktat.”
It is delusional, he continued, to believe that destroying a successful British industry by banning IC engines – rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy. Today’s British automotive sector comprises a fifth of the nation’s manufacturing base, with over 80% of the 1.3 million cars it manufactures being exported. That’s 13% of the UK’s entire export market.
The UK automotive industry employs over 180,000 Britons directly and many hundreds of thousands more indirectly. But the United Kingdom cannot compete with China for the global EV market, because UK labor costs are far higher, and its energy is increasingly far more expensive and unreliable.
Worse, Stewart pointed out, this virtue signaling will have at best a miniscule benefits for the UK and global environment, but will be devastating for automobile owners. The British government already vastly diminished the value of the nation’s 12 million diesel vehicles with surcharges that cost owners of pre-2015 diesel vehicles up to $67 per week just to drive in “ultra-low-emission zones.” Other costs included doubling parking permit rates and higher taxes for diesel vehicles.
The new initiatives will do the same to gasoline-powered vehicles. They will phase out gasoline pumps, cause resale value to plummet, and devastate the nation’s export market.
Andrew Montford, deputy director of the Global Warming Policy Forum, says the misguided British plan could cost motorists £700 billion (US$938 billion). Several aspects of EVs, Montford contended, make them more costly than petrol cars: replacing expensive batteries, installing home charging stations (often requiring upgrading household wiring), time and inconvenience during battery recharges, and more.
Montford estimated that by 2050 the average household might have spent an extra £19,000 (US$25,460) – if they can still afford to own a vehicle. Moreover, with other government mandates driving up the cost of electricity, the cost of motoring could double, driving working classes entirely off the roads.
The absurdity of this British assault on its own existing auto industry is made even more ridiculous by the fact that wide-scale electrification doesn’t change current mobility patterns – and only manages to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2050, Spanish systems engineering expert Margarita Mediaville explained. To call EVs “green” or “sustainable” is patently absurd.
Ms. Mediaville’s company also found that manufacturing all those new EV batteries would deplete proven global reserves of copper, lithium, nickel and manganese, unless mining and/or recycling rates grow enormously by 2050. But opening new mines, mostly in other countries, as the European Union proposes, would have “devastating repercussions on water, biodiversity and the human rights of local communities.”
Mining and processing ores, and manufacturing batteries, would also require enormous amounts of fossil fuels, involve hundreds or thousands of tons of ore and overburden for every ton of finished metals, and result in prodigious emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide. Indeed, a new report by Competitive Enterprise Institute analyst Ben Lieberman concludes that replacing gasoline with electricity as the energy source for vehicles does not eliminate those emissions, but only changes where they are emitted.
Yet another downside of vastly increasing the number of EVs is that the metals and minerals increasingly come from countries like China, Chile and Congo – where fair wage, child labor, workplace safety and environmental standards are far below anything the US or EU would tolerate. EV batteries also require more energy to manufacture than batteries and engines for IC vehicles. Recycling them is likewise complicated, expensive, and fraught with pollution and public health risks.
The financial firm UBS found that replacing global sales of conventional IC vehicles with electric versions would require a 2,898% increase in lithium production; a 1,928% increase in cobalt; a 524% increase in graphite; a 105% increase in nickel; a 655% increase in rare-earth minerals; and at least a tripling of copper production. Coal, diesel and gasoline burning would also skyrocket, to fuel the work.
A separate report from Securing America’s Future Energy indicates China controls nearly 70% of electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity, compared to just 10% by the USA. The report projects that 107 of the 142 EV battery manufacturing projects scheduled by 2021 will be in China, with only nine in the U.S. Moving toward mandatory EVs will clearly enrich China at America’s expense.
Before taking any steps toward converting America to EVs and non-fossil fuel electricity generation, U.S. policymakers must carefully examine the human and environmental costs – in precise numbers, including rising lung disease, cancer, injury and death rates in foreign mines, processing plants and factories.
They must also consider the impact on American workers and communities from outsourcing battery manufacturing to Chinese companies. The Chinese, with assistance from a President Biden, will happily take most of those manufacturing jobs back to the Middle Kingdom, while saddling American families with soaring costs for unreliable electricity, short-range driving and collapsing industries. Incredibly, our dependence on China for minerals and component parts for high-tech military equipment will also soar!
All these issues demand the attention of our legislators and regulators, environmentalists and journalists. Unless of course they’re just engaging in cheap virtue-signaling, and actually don’t give a hoot about American workers and energy consumers, the U.S. and global environment, or global adult and child workers who will put their health and lives at risk providing EV and other technologies.
Duggan Flanakin is Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org)
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Youtube shuts down Scott Adams, the deadly, misleading cartoonist

Who needs an Election when Youtube decides the winner ?
Scott Adams , author of Dilbert cartoon , was one of the first to be rounded up in Youtube ’ s new pogrom .
Probably Scott was caught saying things like this : 14:30 minutes in : The odds that historians are going to find this election was fixed are pretty much 100 % .
Ten years from now , I don ’ t think anyone is going to say , “ …despite all the claims , Biden won , and it looked like a pretty solid good election.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might cause Walmart to be looted and pillaged , one day , indirectly , — albeit mostly by people who don ’ t know who Scott Adams is .
There is no proof of election fraud ( and if there was we ’ d delete it . )
Yesterday was the safe harbor deadline for the U.S. Presidential election and enough states have certified their election results to determine a President-elect .
Given that , we will start removing any piece of content uploaded today ( or anytime after ) that misleads people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election , in line with our approach towards historical U.S. [ … ]

Who needs an Election when Youtube decides the winner?
Scott Adams, author of Dilbert cartoon, was one of the first to be rounded up in Youtube’s new pogrom.
Probably Scott was caught saying things like this:
14:30 minutes in: The odds that historians are going to find this election was fixed are pretty much 100%. Ten years from now, I don’t think anyone is going to say, “…despite all the claims, Biden won, and it looked like a pretty solid good election.”
After all, these sort of thoughts might cause Walmart to be looted and pillaged, one day, indirectly, — albeit mostly by people who don’t know who Scott Adams is.
There is no proof of election fraud (and if there was we’d delete it.)
Youtube’s reasons:
Yesterday was the safe harbor deadline for the U.S. Presidential election and enough states have certified their election results to determine a President-elect. Given that, we will start removing any piece of content uploaded today (or anytime after) that misleads people by alleging that widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, in line with our approach towards historical U.S. […]
Rating: 9.6/10 (5 votes cast)
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December 11, 2020 at 01:58PM


Climate Tits!

This appeared in the Telegraph the other day .
It followed a similar story in the “ Independent ?
” last month , and another from the Telegraph a couple of years ago : A rapidly warming climate will spell disaster for swathes of life on earth , including many bird species .
A new study reveals some birds which are dependent on specific abundant food sources at certain times of year may not be able to adapt fast enough to the change to seasonal patterns the climate crisis is bringing .
The research , by scientists at the Norwegian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University , focused on great tits ’ dietary habits .
They found that warmer winters and subsequent early springs cause trees to leaf earlier , which in turn prompts the larvae that feed on the plants to hatch earlier , and this can present a problem to the birds .
Great tits are among many species which depend on an abundance of larvae available when their chicks are newly hatched and growing .
Warmer springs are leaving birds hungry because they hatch after the caterpillar population has peaked , experts have warned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sheffield found that the emergence of chicks is ‘ increasingly mismatched ’ with their main food source of oak caterpillars which are only active for a few weeks .
After that , they typically fall from the trees and pupate , transforming into moths by November .
Researchers found that Great tits were on average two days later than the caterpillar peak , Blue tits were on average three days later , while Pied flycatchers hatched 13 days too late .
“ Forests have a short peak in caterpillar abundance , and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincides with the time when their chicks are hungriest , ” said Dr Malcolm Burgess , of the University of Exeter and the RSPB .
“ With spring coming earlier due to climate change , leaves and caterpillars emerge earlier and birds need to breed earlier to avoid being mismatched .
We found that the earlier the spring , the less able birds are to do this .
The key month for determining whether trees leaf early and how early insects appear seems to be March .
( After all , I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predict in March what the weather will be like in April or May ! )
This is borne out by the Woodland Trust ’ s Spring Analysis this year : Note that insects appeared 23.2 days early in 2019 , against 16.4 days this year and 1.4 days late in 2018 .
This tallies with the temperature record : You will notice of course that the warmest Marches were in 1938 and 1957 , rather putting the kibosh on the global warming argument !
But what really does stand out is the huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much as 6C .
If insects and birds can manage to survive this weather variability , I am sure they won ’ t have any problem dealing with a degree of change over 30 years .
The reality is that weather has a much bigger impact on butterflies , including rain , snow , storms , and not just in the month they first appear as caterpillars .
For instance , a mild March may bring insects out early , but a cold , wet April can cause much harm .
What none @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand is that nature is far more resilient than they give it credit for .
Insects quickly adapt to changing weather conditions , and can readily move from one flower to another as they bloom during the season .
Similarly , most birds feed from a multiple of different sources , which they can adapt to as circumstances change from week to week .
Above all , nature has its own self-balancing mechanism .
In this case , if fewer caterpillars are eaten this year by birds , there will be more butterflies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus allowing bird populations to thrive in turn next year .
In turn , more birds means fewer caterpillars next , beginning the whole cycle again .
But you don ’ t have to take my word for this .
The Woodland Trust themselves tell us that Great Tits and Blue Tits have been thriving in Britain since 1970 : via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
This appeared in the Telegraph the other day. It followed a similar story in the “Independent?” last month, and another from the Telegraph a couple of years ago:
A rapidly warming climate will spell disaster for swathes of life on earth, including many bird species.
A new study reveals some birds which are dependent on specific abundant food sources at certain times of year may not be able to adapt fast enough to the change to seasonal patterns the climate crisis is bringing.
The research, by scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Oxford University, focused on great tits’ dietary habits.
They found that warmer winters and subsequent early springs cause trees to leaf earlier, which in turn prompts the larvae that feed on the plants to hatch earlier, and this can present a problem to the birds.
Great tits are among many species which depend on an abundance of larvae available when their chicks are newly hatched and growing.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-birds-great-tits-extinct-b1720406.html
Warmer springs are leaving birds hungry because they hatch after the caterpillar population has peaked, experts have warned.
The Universities of Exeter, Edinburgh and Sheffield found that the emergence of chicks is ‘increasingly mismatched’ with their main food source of oak caterpillars which are only active for a few weeks.
After that, they typically fall from the trees and pupate, transforming into moths by November.
Researchers found that Great tits were on average two days later than the caterpillar peak, Blue tits were on average three days later, while Pied flycatchers hatched 13 days too late.
“Forests have a short peak in caterpillar abundance, and some forest birds time their breeding so this coincides with the time when their chicks are hungriest,” said Dr Malcolm Burgess, of the University of Exeter and the RSPB.
“With spring coming earlier due to climate change, leaves and caterpillars emerge earlier and birds need to breed earlier to avoid being mismatched. We found that the earlier the spring, the less able birds are to do this.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/04/23/warming-climate-leaves-birds-hatching-late-caterpillar-harvest/
The key month for determining whether trees leaf early and how early insects appear seems to be March. (After all, I know of no way trees and butterflies can predict in March what the weather will be like in April or May!)
This is borne out by the Woodland Trust’s Spring Analysis this year:
https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
Note that insects appeared 23.2 days early in 2019, against 16.4 days this year and 1.4 days late in 2018. This tallies with the temperature record:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-temperature-rainfall-and-sunshine-time-series
You will notice of course that the warmest Marches were in 1938 and 1957, rather putting the kibosh on the global warming argument!
But what really does stand out is the huge year-on-year variation, which can be as much as 6C. If insects and birds can manage to survive this weather variability, I am sure they won’t have any problem dealing with a degree of change over 30 years.
The reality is that weather has a much bigger impact on butterflies, including rain, snow, storms, and not just in the month they first appear as caterpillars. For instance, a mild March may bring insects out early, but a cold, wet April can cause much harm.
What none of these supposed nature experts seem to understand is that nature is far more resilient than they give it credit for.
Insects quickly adapt to changing weather conditions, and can readily move from one flower to another as they bloom during the season. Similarly, most birds feed from a multiple of different sources, which they can adapt to as circumstances change from week to week.
Above all, nature has its own self-balancing mechanism. In this case, if fewer caterpillars are eaten this year by birds, there will be more butterflies and consequently more caterpillars next year, thus allowing bird populations to thrive in turn next year. In turn, more birds means fewer caterpillars next, beginning the whole cycle again.
But you don’t have to take my word for this. The Woodland Trust themselves tell us that Great Tits and Blue Tits have been thriving in Britain since 1970:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/blue-tit/#:~:text=Blue%20tits%20are%20found%20in%20deciduous%20and%20mixed,an%20estimated%20population%20of%20around%203.4%20million%20pairs.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/great-tit/#:~:text=Great%20tits%20are%20found%20across%20the%20UK%2C%20in,%2F%20Alamy%20Stock%20Photo%20Signs%20and%20spotting%20tips
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December 11, 2020 at 12:18PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political argu

Comparing today ’ s world to the American Civil War , or the UK Commonwealth period of the 1600s with an Absolutism King colliding with Parliament , or the French revolution .
The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments My understanding is that the US electorate wishes to count every legal vote and disallow every illegal vote .
My question is , should the entire set of Democrat states be proven to have mounted an electoral coup using electronic hacking and fake votes on a massive scale , isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments within countries .
The American Civil War is an example of what happens when absolute dictators try to rule .
This is no different than the UK Commonwealth period of the 1600s with an Absolutism King colliding with Parliament , or the French revolution .
Electoral electronic fraud on a mass scale affecting 300 million people shows just what happens when a NWO World Government with 5 or six continental assemblies supposedly voted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever be proven safe and free from tamper ?
The post The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Comparing today’s world to the American Civil War, or the UK Commonwealth period of the 1600s with an Absolutism King colliding with Parliament, or the French revolution.
___________
The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments
J. H. Walker
My understanding is that the US electorate wishes to count every legal vote and disallow every illegal vote.
My question is, should the entire set of Democrat states be proven to have mounted an electoral coup using electronic hacking and fake votes on a massive scale, isn’t that treasonous in the extreme?
The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments within countries. The American Civil War is an example of what happens when absolute dictators try to rule. This is no different than the UK Commonwealth period of the 1600s with an Absolutism King colliding with Parliament, or the French revolution.
Electoral electronic fraud on a mass scale affecting 300 million people shows just what happens when a NWO World Government with 5 or six continental assemblies supposedly voted for by the majority.
Can electronic voting ever be proven safe and free from tamper?
Who watches the watchers?
The post The whole purpose of a democratic vote is to prevent the old violent ways of settling political arguments appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 11, 2020 at 12:18PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Claim: The greening of the earth is approaching its limit

A new study published in Science reveals that the fertilizing effect of excess CO2 on vegetation is decreasing worldwide When plants absorb this gas to grow , they remove it from the atmosphere and it is sequestered in their branches , trunk or roots .
An article published today in Science shows that this fertilizing effect of CO2 is decreasing worldwide , according to the text co-directed by Professor Josep Peñuelas of the CSIC at CREAF and Professor Yongguan Zhang of the University of Nanjin , with the participation of CREAF researchers Jordi Sardans and Marcos Fernández .
The study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , concludes that the reduction has reached 50 % progressively since 1982 due basically to two key factors : the availability of water and nutrients .
“ There is no mystery about the formula , plants need CO2 , water and nutrients in order to grow .
However much the CO2 increases , if the nutrients and water do not increase in parallel , the plants will not be able to take advantage of the increase in this gas ” , explains Professor Josep Peñuelas .
In fact , three years ago Prof. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nature Ecology and Evolution that the fertilising effect of CO2 would not last forever , that plants can not grow indefinitely , because there are other factors that limit them .
If the fertilizing capacity of CO2 decreases , there will be strong consequences on the carbon cycle and therefore on the climate .
Forests have received a veritable CO2 bonus for decades , which has allowed them to sequester tons of carbon dioxide that enabled them to do more photosynthesis and grow more .
In fact , this increased sequestration has managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air , but now it is over .
“ These unprecedented results indicate that the absorption of carbon by vegetation is beginning to become saturated .
This has very important climate implications that must be taken into account in possible climate change mitigation strategies and policies at the global level .
Nature ’ s capacity to sequester carbon is decreasing and with it society ’ s dependence on future strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions is increasing ” , warns Josep Peñuelas .
The study published in Science has been carried out using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information .
It highlights the use of sensors that use near-infrared and fluorescence and are thus capable of measuring vegetation growth activity .
According to the results , the lack of water and nutrients are the two factors that reduce the capacity of CO2 to improve plant growth .
To reach this conclusion , the team based itself on data obtained from hundreds of forests studied over the last 40 years .
“ These data show that concentrations of essential nutrients in the leaves , such as nitrogen and phosphorus , have also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researcher Songhan Wang , the first author of the article .
The team has also found that water availability and temporal changes in water supply play a significant role in this phenomenon .
“ We have found that plants slow down their growth , not only in times of drought , but also when there are changes in the seasonality of rainfall , which is increasingly happening with climate change , ” explains researcher Yongguan Zhang .

A new study published in Science reveals that the fertilizing effect of excess CO2 on vegetation is decreasing worldwide
SPANISH NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (CSIC)
Research News
When plants absorb this gas to grow, they remove it from the atmosphere and it is sequestered in their branches, trunk or roots. An article published today in Science shows that this fertilizing effect of CO2 is decreasing worldwide, according to the text co-directed by Professor Josep Peñuelas of the CSIC at CREAF and Professor Yongguan Zhang of the University of Nanjin, with the participation of CREAF researchers Jordi Sardans and Marcos Fernández. The study, carried out by an international team, concludes that the reduction has reached 50% progressively since 1982 due basically to two key factors: the availability of water and nutrients. “There is no mystery about the formula, plants need CO2, water and nutrients in order to grow. However much the CO2 increases, if the nutrients and water do not increase in parallel, the plants will not be able to take advantage of the increase in this gas”, explains Professor Josep Peñuelas. In fact, three years ago Prof. Peñuelas already warned in an article in Nature Ecology and Evolution that the fertilising effect of CO2 would not last forever, that plants cannot grow indefinitely, because there are other factors that limit them.
If the fertilizing capacity of CO2 decreases, there will be strong consequences on the carbon cycle and therefore on the climate. Forests have received a veritable CO2 bonus for decades, which has allowed them to sequester tons of carbon dioxide that enabled them to do more photosynthesis and grow more. In fact, this increased sequestration has managed to reduce the CO2 accumulated in the air, but now it is over. “These unprecedented results indicate that the absorption of carbon by vegetation is beginning to become saturated. This has very important climate implications that must be taken into account in possible climate change mitigation strategies and policies at the global level. Nature’s capacity to sequester carbon is decreasing and with it society’s dependence on future strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions is increasing”, warns Josep Peñuelas.
The study published in Science has been carried out using satellite, atmospheric, ecosystem and modelling information. It highlights the use of sensors that use near-infrared and fluorescence and are thus capable of measuring vegetation growth activity.
Less water and nutrients
According to the results, the lack of water and nutrients are the two factors that reduce the capacity of CO2 to improve plant growth. To reach this conclusion, the team based itself on data obtained from hundreds of forests studied over the last 40 years. “These data show that concentrations of essential nutrients in the leaves, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, have also progressively decreased since 1990,” explains researcher Songhan Wang, the first author of the article.
The team has also found that water availability and temporal changes in water supply play a significant role in this phenomenon. “We have found that plants slow down their growth, not only in times of drought, but also when there are changes in the seasonality of rainfall, which is increasingly happening with climate change,” explains researcher Yongguan Zhang.
###
Reference article:
Wang S, Zhang YG, Ju W, Chen, J, Ciais P, Cescatti A, Sardans J, Janssens IA, Sardans, J, Fernández-Martínez, M, … Penuelas J (2020). Recent global decline of CO2 fertilization effects on vegetation photosynthesis. Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.abb7772
From EurekAlert!
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Updates posted on Supreme Court website on Thursday alone

Meanwhile , the media keeps harping us that this is a “ frivolous ” lawsuit .
Must be a lot of frivolous State ’ s Attorneys General .
“ The following are all of the updates that were posted on the Supreme Court website on Thursday alone , ” says reader Adoni .
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief not accepted for filing .
( December 10 , 2020 ) ( corrected motion electronically filed ) Response to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opposition to Texas ’ s motion for leave to file bill of complaint and its motion for preliminary relief from defendant Georgia filed .
Opposition to motions for leave to file bill of complaint and for injunctive relief from defendant Michigan filed .
Opposition to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction , temporary restraining order , or stay from defendant Pennsylvania filed .
Motion for leave to file amicus brief from the District of Columbia on behalf of 22 States and Territories filed .
Motion to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Intervention of State of Missouri submitted .
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae and Brief for Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly .
as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiff/Defendants of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly submitted .
Motion of Certain Select Pennsylvania State Senators for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Christian Family Coalition for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Amicus brief of Bryan Cutler Speaker of the Pennsylvania House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives submitted .
For Leave to File Complaint-in-Intervention of Ron Heuer , et al .
submitted .
Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin , Senator Lora Reinbold , Representative David Eastment , et al .
( Elected State Officials ) for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Amicus brief of City of Detroit submitted .
Motion for Leave to File and Amicus Curiae Brief of Justice and Freedom Fund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff submitted .
Complaint in Intervention of Ron Heuer , et al .
submitted .
Amicus brief of Ga. state Sen. William Ligon et al .
submitted .
Motion of L. Lin Wood for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Steve Bullock , in his official capacity as Governor of Montana for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
The post Updates posted on Supreme Court website on Thursday alone appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Meanwhile, the media keeps harping us that this is a “frivolous” lawsuit. Must be a lot of frivolous State’s Attorneys General.
“The following are all of the updates that were posted on the Supreme Court website on Thursday alone,” says reader Adoni.
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief not accepted for filing. (December 10, 2020) (corrected motion electronically filed)
Response to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order or stay from defendant Wisconsin filed.
Opposition to Texas’s motion for leave to file bill of complaint and its motion for preliminary relief from defendant Georgia filed.
Opposition to motions for leave to file bill of complaint and for injunctive relief from defendant Michigan filed.
Opposition to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction, temporary restraining order, or stay from defendant Pennsylvania filed.
Motion for leave to file amicus brief from the District of Columbia on behalf of 22 States and Territories filed.
Motion to Intervene and Proposed Bill of Complaint in Intervention of State of Missouri submitted.
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae and Brief for Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiff/Defendants of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly submitted.
Motion of Certain Select Pennsylvania State Senators for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Christian Family Coalition for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Amicus brief of Bryan Cutler Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Kerry Benninghoff Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives submitted.
For Leave to File Complaint-in-Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.
Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, Senator Lora Reinbold, Representative David Eastment, et al. (Elected State Officials) for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Amicus brief of City of Detroit submitted.
Motion for Leave to File and Amicus Curiae Brief of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff submitted.
Complaint in Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.
Amicus brief of Ga. state Sen. William Ligon et al. submitted.
Motion of L. Lin Wood for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Steve Bullock, in his official capacity as Governor of Montana for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/22o155.html
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December 11, 2020 at 12:03PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Temperatures far below normal in Kazakhstan and Central Asia

In Kazakhstan and Central Asia , for two weeks it has been too cold for December .
Air temperature anomaly maps show sub-normal temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees , sometimes as much as 10 degrees .
Minus 30 ° C have been observed in Kazakhstan , and minus 25 ° C in both Kyrgyzstan and northern Uzbekistan.
, which are uncommon for December .
It ’ s cold in the south .
It is snowing in Dushanbe and Tashkent , and the temperature only occasionally reaches a high of zero .
Alexander Shuvalov , head of the forecasting center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southern neighbors , said : “ This is practically the same as if in Moscow there were now frosts below -40 ° C ( -40F ) .
We can only sympathize with the southerners , for whom this is , if not a disaster , then an unprecedented test.
” “ Furthermore , ” said Shuvalov , “ this kind of cold wave hits Central Asia in December extremely rarely , at best , once for 15-20 years .
” Thanks to Martin Siebert for this link The post Temperatures far below normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Ice Age Now .

“Kazakhstan and Central Asia fall into ice captivity.”
In Kazakhstan and Central Asia, for two weeks it has been too cold for December. Air temperature anomaly maps show sub-normal temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees, sometimes as much as 10 degrees.
Minus 30 ° C have been observed in Kazakhstan, and minus 25 ° C in both Kyrgyzstan and northern Uzbekistan., which are uncommon for December.
It’s cold in the south. It is snowing in Dushanbe and Tashkent, and the temperature only occasionally reaches a high of zero.
Alexander Shuvalov, head of the forecasting center, commenting on the situation of the southern neighbors, said: “This is practically the same as if in Moscow there were now frosts below -40 ° C (-40F). We can only sympathize with the southerners, for whom this is, if not a disaster, then an unprecedented test.”
“Furthermore,” said Shuvalov, “this kind of cold wave hits Central Asia in December extremely rarely, at best, once for 15-20 years. ”
http://www.meteo-tv.ru/news/Prirodnye-proisshestviya/Kazakhstan-i-Srednyaya-Aziya-popali-v-moroznyy-plen/
Thanks to Martin Siebert for this link
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December 11, 2020 at 11:49AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Robert Zubrin: Why we need a technological environmentalism

Saving the planet means going high-tech , not back to nature .
In the 1930s , many idealistic people of good will enlisted in the communist movement , only to discover that its promised land offered not heaven on Earth but hell .
Having gone through that experience , writers like George Orwell , Arthur Koestler , and Whittaker Chambers shared their hard-won wisdom in some of the twentieth century ’ s most noteworthy books , so that others like them , and most certainly society as a whole , might be duly warned from making the same mistake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hurts Us All , veteran environmental activist Michael Shellenberger makes an excellent attempt to deliver a similar signal warning against today ’ s most seductive political cult .
Shellenberger ’ s personal voyage of discovery began as a young green movement missionary seeking to protect indigenous peoples from the alleged harms of economic development .
On these travels he discovered the real evil crushing the lives of billions of people — poverty — and how the limitations imposed on them by some of the richest of the world ’ s elites in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escape from brutal grinding poverty but undermined the putative goal of preserving the wonders of nature .
In further pursuit of this insight , Shellenberger then takes the reader on a tour of the African horror show .
There , European aristocrat–led organizations like the World Wildlife Fund — following the example of Sierra Club founder John Muir , who advocated for the expulsion of Native Americans to create the Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks — have paid local potentates to clear vast lands of over 14 million poor natives to create game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from protecting wildlife , however , these cruel projects have served to incite their victims to seek revenge by killing the animals that displaced them .
Shellenberger contrasts this model of environmental preservation with that of economic development fueled by electricity generation , which gets people off the land not at gunpoint , but through the offer of city jobs in factories and offices .
Environmentalists have denounced these opportunities as “ sweatshops , ” but Shellenberger shows that for those able to seize them they are godsends , allowing them to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chopping wood to become motor-scooter-liberated commuters , riding home from work to electrified apartments with lighting , air conditioning , electric stoves , indoor plumbing , and flat-screen TVs .
Shellenberger then generalizes from such particulars to develop a broader theory of environmental conservation that is not in conflict with human needs , but coherent with them .
His theory is based on two main principles .
First : that to preserve the natural we must embrace the artificial .
And second , as a central example derived from this , that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible energy sources .
A substantial part of the book is devoted to unpacking these two principles .
The post Robert Zubrin : Why we need a technological environmentalism appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

Saving the planet means going high-tech, not back to nature.
In the 1930s, many idealistic people of good will enlisted in the communist movement, only to discover that its promised land offered not heaven on Earth but hell. Having gone through that experience, writers like George Orwell, Arthur Koestler, and Whittaker Chambers shared their hard-won wisdom in some of the twentieth century’s most noteworthy books, so that others like them, and most certainly society as a whole, might be duly warned from making the same mistake.
In Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All, veteran environmental activist Michael Shellenberger makes an excellent attempt to deliver a similar signal warning against today’s most seductive political cult.
Shellenberger’s personal voyage of discovery began as a young green movement missionary seeking to protect indigenous peoples from the alleged harms of economic development. On these travels he discovered the real evil crushing the lives of billions of people — poverty — and how the limitations imposed on them by some of the richest of the world’s elites in the name of conservation not only prevented their escape from brutal grinding poverty but undermined the putative goal of preserving the wonders of nature.
In further pursuit of this insight, Shellenberger then takes the reader on a tour of the African horror show. There, European aristocrat–led organizations like the World Wildlife Fund — following the example of Sierra Club founder John Muir, who advocated for the expulsion of Native Americans to create the Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks — have paid local potentates to clear vast lands of over 14 million poor natives to create game reserves for their aesthetic pleasure. Far from protecting wildlife, however, these cruel projects have served to incite their victims to seek revenge by killing the animals that displaced them.
Shellenberger contrasts this model of environmental preservation with that of economic development fueled by electricity generation, which gets people off the land not at gunpoint, but through the offer of city jobs in factories and offices. Environmentalists have denounced these opportunities as “sweatshops,” but Shellenberger shows that for those able to seize them they are godsends, allowing them to leave behind backbreaking rural lives hauling water and chopping wood to become motor-scooter-liberated commuters, riding home from work to electrified apartments with lighting, air conditioning, electric stoves, indoor plumbing, and flat-screen TVs.
Shellenberger then generalizes from such particulars to develop a broader theory of environmental conservation that is not in conflict with human needs, but coherent with them. His theory is based on two main principles. First: that to preserve the natural we must embrace the artificial. And second, as a central example derived from this, that we must base our civilization on the densest possible energy sources. A substantial part of the book is devoted to unpacking these two principles.
Full essay ($)
The post Robert Zubrin: Why we need a technological environmentalism appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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December 11, 2020 at 10:59AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-11--Energy Masterminds Announce Latest Folly: Shutdown Of Modern Coal Power Plant Commissioned Just 5 Yr

Energy Masterminds Announce Latest Folly: Shutdown Of Modern Coal Power Plant Commissioned Just 5 Yrs Ago!

Pressured by climate activism , power genherator Vattenfall announced it will shut down its recently commissioned 1.65 GW modern Moorburg coal power plant in Hamburg , Germany .
It will take the equivalent of over 1600 wind turbines to take up the slack .
Just days ago , I reported here how Big Wind and crony politicians are pushing to clear 2000 hectares of 1000-year old forests to make way for 60 giant 5-MW wind turbines .
Now imagine this being done 25 times because one ultra-modern coal plant will be decommissioned after being in service just 5 years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ race in Germany to build up wind parks everywhere possible ( environment be damned ) stems from the political folly of shutting down baseload-providing modern coal power plants .
Swedish power giant Vattenfall just announced ) hat it will be decommissioning its new 1.65 GW combined heat and power ( CHP ) coal Hamburg-Moorburg power plant .
Under pressure from environmental activists , Swedish Vattenfall announced the decommissioning of Hamburg , Germany ’ s modern Moorburg CHP coal power plant after being in operation only 5 years .
It will take some 1600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slack ( assuming 20 % efficiency ) .
Image credit : Vattenfall Hamburg Moorburg The decommissioning of the Moorburg plant has been approved by the Bundesnetzwerkagentur ( Federal Network Agency ) .
As one of the most modern coal-fired power plants , Moorburg was commissioned in 2015 and is still considered as brand new on a power plant scale .
It came with a 3-billion euro price tag and was scheduled to run until 2038 .
The power plant plays an important role in the power supply in northern Germany , in Hamburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , metal operations and Airbus .
But Swedish operator Vattenfall has lost interest in the plant and has wanted to shut it down .
The two units of this modern , most environmentally friendly coal-fired power plant have a sensationally high efficiency of up to 46.5 percent .
This means that a high proportion of the energy contained in the coal can be converted into electricity , which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions .
The latest technical filter technology is also installed in the exhaust lines .
The Moorburg plant technology is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up within a quarter of an hour , making it flexible in times of power fluctuations .
Until recently , coal-fired and nuclear power plants had been suitable for supplying base load energy at a high level .
But power generation fluctuations cause significant thermal problems when boilers and pipes expand – or contract – under heat .
Engineers solved that problem .
Yet , environmental protests pressured the plant to shut down .
Taxpayer gets stuck with the bill From the Vattenfalls ’ point of view , it is more economical to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than to burn more and more money .
Green environment and energy senator Jens Kerstan earlier welcomed a quick shutdown of Moorburg : “ There is an oversupply of electricity on the market , and so Hamburg ’ s electrical supply is not at risk without Moorburg.
” He did not explain further where the electricity would come from in times of shortage , when there is little wind and the sun is not shining .
Forests threatened : 1600 monster wind turbines to take up the slack With Moorburg ’ s rated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take over 1600 wind turbines with a rated capacity of 5-MW ( operating at 20 % ) to replace the power plant .
That could mean a profound impact on forests and landscapes in Germany if they have to be cleared for more wind parks .
The calculation does not include the heat the plant would provide .
Will need the approval from power grid operators In the next step of the decommissioning , the grid operators must check whether the two Hamburg-Moorburg power plant units are “ system-relevant ” .
If they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down .
Otherwise they will be decommissioned next year .
Vattenfall Germany CEO Tuomo Hatakka : “ Now we will push ahead with the planning for the early closure .
This includes helping our employees find new jobs .
”

Pressured by climate activism, power genherator Vattenfall announced it will shut down its recently commissioned 1.65 GW modern Moorburg coal power plant in Hamburg, Germany. It will take the equivalent of over 1600 wind turbines to take up the slack.
Just days ago, I reported here how Big Wind and crony politicians are pushing to clear 2000 hectares of 1000-year old forests to make way for 60 giant 5-MW wind turbines. Now imagine this being done 25 times because one ultra-modern coal plant will be decommissioned after being in service just 5 years.
One folly leads to another. The race in Germany to build up wind parks everywhere possible (environment be damned) stems from the political folly of shutting down baseload-providing modern coal power plants. Swedish power giant Vattenfall just announced )hat it will be decommissioning its new 1.65 GW combined heat and power (CHP) coal Hamburg-Moorburg power plant.
Under pressure from environmental activists, Swedish Vattenfall announced the decommissioning of Hamburg, Germany’s modern Moorburg CHP coal power plant after being in operation only 5 years. It will take some 1600 monster-size wind turbines to take up the slack (assuming 20% efficiency). Image credit: Vattenfall Hamburg Moorburg
$3 billion plant operates only 5 years
The decommissioning of the Moorburg plant has been approved by the Bundesnetzwerkagentur (Federal Network Agency). As one of the most modern coal-fired power plants, Moorburg was commissioned in 2015 and is still considered as brand new on a power plant scale. It came with a 3-billion euro price tag and was scheduled to run until 2038. The power plant plays an important role in the power supply in northern Germany, in Hamburg and the surrounding area with its port, metal operations and Airbus.
Sensationally high 46% thermal efficiency
But Swedish operator Vattenfall has lost interest in the plant and has wanted to shut it down. The two units of this modern, most environmentally friendly coal-fired power plant have a sensationally high efficiency of up to 46.5 percent. This means that a high proportion of the energy contained in the coal can be converted into electricity, which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The latest technical filter technology is also installed in the exhaust lines.
New standard in flexibility
The Moorburg plant technology is designed so that power can be ramped up within a quarter of an hour, making it flexible in times of power fluctuations. Until recently, coal-fired and nuclear power plants had been suitable for supplying base load energy at a high level. But power generation fluctuations cause significant thermal problems when boilers and pipes expand – or contract – under heat. Engineers solved that problem. Yet, environmental protests pressured the plant to shut down.
Taxpayer gets stuck with the bill
From the Vattenfalls’ point of view, it is more economical to let the taxpayer pay for the phase-out than to burn more and more money. Green environment and energy senator Jens Kerstan earlier welcomed a quick shutdown of Moorburg: “There is an oversupply of electricity on the market, and so Hamburg’s electrical supply is not at risk without Moorburg.” He did not explain further where the electricity would come from in times of shortage, when there is little wind and the sun is not shining.
Forests threatened: 1600 monster wind turbines to take up the slack
With Moorburg’s rated capacity of 1.65 GW, it will take over 1600 wind turbines with a rated capacity of 5-MW (operating at 20%) to replace the power plant. That could mean a profound impact on forests and landscapes in Germany if they have to be cleared for more wind parks. The calculation does not include the heat the plant would provide.
Will need the approval from power grid operators
In the next step of the decommissioning, the grid operators must check whether the two Hamburg-Moorburg power plant units are “system-relevant”. If they are, then they cannot be shut down. Otherwise they will be decommissioned next year.
Vattenfall Germany CEO Tuomo Hatakka: “Now we will push ahead with the planning for the early closure. This includes helping our employees find new jobs.”
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December 11, 2020 at 10:43AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--GREENHOUSE EFFECT EXPLAINED AND THE FUTILITY OF ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL CLIMATE

Here is a good article which explains how greenhouse gases work and the human contribution to them , which is @ @ @ @ @ are never mentioned on the mainstream media , yet they lie at the heart of @ @ @ @ @ As Joe Biden plans to spend 1.75 Trillion dollars to lower world temperatures by 0.1 @ @ @ @ @ good time to remind ourselves of the utter futility of the whole project .

Here is a good article which explains how greenhouse gases work and the human contribution to them, which is incredibly small. These facts are never mentioned on the mainstream media, yet they lie at the heart of the global warming debate. As Joe Biden plans to spend 1.75 Trillion dollars to lower world temperatures by 0.1 degrees C. it is a good time to remind ourselves of the utter futility of the whole project.
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December 12, 2020 at 06:10AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Electric vehicle shock treatment

Electric vehicle shock treatment

It is delusional to believe that destroying a successful industry by banning internal combustion engines rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy .
______________ “ Potential President Joe Biden has said part of his plan for ‘ saving the planet ’ from ‘ dangerous manmade climate change ’ includes banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030 , ” writes Paul Driessen .
“ Even hybrid vehicles appear to be on his extinction list .
Mr. Biden claims his plan would save “ billions of gallons of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ auto industry jobs .
Maybe this scheme will work on paper , during like-minded staff meetings , and in various computer models .
But as Duggan Flanakin explains here , it ’ s not working well in Great Britain , and it ’ s hardly likely to work on a US or global scale , in the Real World.
” Britain showcases what US and global future will really look like with “ sustainable ” EVs Joe Biden , his fellow Democrats , and apparently big U.S. automakers , have joined the rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % electric vehicles ( EV ) whether We the People want it or not .
During an October town hall , Biden asserted that his plan would save “ billions of gallons of oil ” and help create a million auto industry jobs , in part by banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion ( IC ) engine vehicles by 2030 .
( That ’ s only nine years away ! )
How this will happen in the Real World , he didn ’ t say .
Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ installing 500,000 EV charging stations , and provides “ cash for clunkers ” style rebates for new EV buyers .
But as of 2018 , nearly half of EV registrations ( 256,800 out of 543,600 ) were in California , with Hawaii , Washington and Oregon not far behind .
Yet as of 2018 , EVs comprised less than 2 % of California ’ s 15 million total vehicles – despite huge tax credits , free charging stations , free access to HOV lanes , and other subsidies and incentives .
Only 727,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2019 , and nearly half were plug-in hybrids .
Hybrid sales peaked in 2013 , but by 2019 had fallen to 2.3 % ( about 400,000 vehicles ) of all light-duty vehicle sales , largely due to shunning by EV purists .
Compare those numbers with the 6.3 million total vehicles sold in 2016 , or to the 273,600,000 passenger cars , motorcycles , trucks , buses and other vehicles on U.S. roads in 2018 .
Following China ’ s lead , U.S. automakers – not just Tesla – are all aboard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles are replaced and gasoline stations are transformed into EV charging stations , the pressure will rise to ditch remaining IC vehicles and buy more EVs .
China-friendly General Motors plans to spend $ 20 billion on EV and self-driving vehicle technology through 2025 , including 23 different EVs by 2023 .
Ford Motor Company has pledged to invest $ 11 billion by 2022 on EV development .
Biden is following in the footsteps of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , whose new climate plan includes banning sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as economist and Global Britain think tank director Ewen Stewart argued , this is “ frankly one of the most illiberal and economically destructive policies ever to come from Whitehall .
It risks hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and much-needed exports for the most marginal benefit.
” “ The implications of this ban [ in a country with only 1 % EVs ] are immense in terms of manufacture , supply chains , investment , sunk capital , employment , infrastructure , consumer choice , value of existing stock , and so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Never before has a government dared to close down an entire and critical industry almost overnight , by diktat.
” It is delusional , he continued , to believe that destroying a successful British industry by banning IC engines – rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy .
Today ’ s British automotive sector comprises a fifth of the nation ’ s manufacturing base , with over 80 % of the 1.3 million cars it manufactures being exported .
That ’ s 13 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market .
The UK automotive industry employs over 180,000 Britons directly and many hundreds of thousands more indirectly .
But the United Kingdom can not compete with China for the global EV market , because UK labor costs are far higher , and its energy is increasingly far more expensive and unreliable .
Worse , Stewart pointed out , this virtue signaling will have at best a miniscule benefits for the UK and global environment , but will be devastating for automobile owners .
The British government already vastly diminished the value of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles with surcharges that cost owners of pre-2015 diesel vehicles up to $ 67 per week just to drive in “ ultra-low-emission zones.
” Other costs included doubling parking permit rates and higher taxes for diesel vehicles .
The new initiatives will do the same to gasoline-powered vehicles .
They will phase out gasoline pumps , cause resale value to plummet , and devastate the nation ’ s export market .
Andrew Montford , deputy director of the Global Warming Policy Forum , says the misguided British plan could cost motorists £700 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several aspects of EVs , Montford contended , make them more costly than petrol cars : replacing expensive batteries , installing home charging stations ( often requiring upgrading household wiring ) , time and inconvenience during battery recharges , and more .
Montford estimated that by 2050 the average household might have spent an extra £19,000 ( US $ 25,460 ) – if they can still afford to own a vehicle .
Moreover , with other government mandates driving up the cost of electricity , the cost of motoring could double , driving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The absurdity of this British assault on its own existing auto industry is made even more ridiculous by the fact that wide-scale electrification doesn ’ t change current mobility patterns – and only manages to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions 15 % by 2050 , Spanish systems engineering expert Margarita Mediaville explained .
To call EVs “ green ” or “ sustainable ” is patently absurd .
Ms. Mediaville ’ s company also found that manufacturing all those new EV batteries would deplete proven global reserves of copper , lithium , nickel and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grow enormously by 2050 .
But opening new mines , mostly in other countries , as the European Union proposes , would have “ devastating repercussions on water , biodiversity and the human rights of local communities.
” Mining and processing ores , and manufacturing batteries , would also require enormous amounts of fossil fuels , involve hundreds or thousands of tons of ore and overburden for every ton of finished metals , and result in prodigious emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide .
Indeed , a new report by Competitive Enterprise Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with electricity as the energy source for vehicles does not eliminate those emissions , but only changes where they are emitted .
Yet another downside of vastly increasing the number of EVs is that the metals and minerals increasingly come from countries like China , Chile and Congo – where fair wage , child labor , workplace safety and environmental standards are far below anything the US or EU would tolerate .
EV batteries also require more energy to manufacture than batteries and engines for IC vehicles .
Recycling them is likewise complicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and public health risks .
The financial firm UBS found that replacing global sales of conventional IC vehicles with electric versions would require a 2,898 % increase in lithium production ; a 1,928 % increase in cobalt ; a 524 % increase in graphite ; a 105 % increase in nickel ; a 655 % increase in rare-earth minerals ; and at least a tripling of copper production .
Coal , diesel and gasoline burning would also skyrocket , to fuel the work .
A separate report from Securing America ’ s Future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity , compared to just 10 % by the USA .
The report projects that 107 of the 142 EV battery manufacturing projects scheduled by 2021 will be in China , with only nine in the U.S. Moving toward mandatory EVs will clearly enrich China at America ’ s expense .
Before taking any steps toward converting America to EVs and non-fossil fuel electricity generation , U.S. policymakers must carefully examine the human and environmental costs – in precise numbers , including rising lung disease , cancer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , processing plants and factories .
They must also consider the impact on American workers and communities from outsourcing battery manufacturing to Chinese companies .
The Chinese , with assistance from a President Biden , will happily take most of those manufacturing jobs back to the Middle Kingdom , while saddling American families with soaring costs for unreliable electricity , short-range driving and collapsing industries .
Incredibly , our dependence on China for minerals and component parts for high-tech military equipment will also soar !
All these issues demand the attention of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unless of course they ’ re just engaging in cheap virtue-signaling , and actually don ’ t give a hoot about American workers and energy consumers , the U.S. and global environment , or global adult and child workers who will put their health and lives at risk providing EV and other technologies .
Duggan Flanakin is Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow ( www.CFACT.org ) The post Electric vehicle shock treatment appeared first on Ice Age Now .

It is delusional to believe that destroying a successful industry by banning internal combustion engines rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy.
______________
“Potential President Joe Biden has said part of his plan for ‘saving the planet’ from ‘dangerous manmade climate change’ includes banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030,” writes Paul Driessen. “Even hybrid vehicles appear to be on his extinction list. Mr. Biden claims his plan would save “billions of gallons of oil” and help create a million auto industry jobs. Maybe this scheme will work on paper, during like-minded staff meetings, and in various computer models. But as Duggan Flanakin explains here, it’s not working well in Great Britain, and it’s hardly likely to work on a US or global scale, in the Real World.”
______________
Electric vehicle shock treatment
Britain showcases what US and global future will really look like with “sustainable” EVs
Duggan Flanakin
Joe Biden, his fellow Democrats, and apparently big U.S. automakers, have joined the rush to transform America’s transportation to 100% electric vehicles (EV) whether We the People want it or not. During an October town hall, Biden asserted that his plan would save “billions of gallons of oil” and help create a million auto industry jobs, in part by banning the sale or manufacture of new internal combustion (IC) engine vehicles by 2030. (That’s only nine years away!) How this will happen in the Real World, he didn’t say.
Biden’s California-inspired vision excludes hybrid vehicles, includes installing 500,000 EV charging stations, and provides “cash for clunkers” style rebates for new EV buyers. But as of 2018, nearly half of EV registrations (256,800 out of 543,600) were in California, with Hawaii, Washington and Oregon not far behind. Yet as of 2018, EVs comprised less than 2% of California’s 15 million total vehicles – despite huge tax credits, free charging stations, free access to HOV lanes, and other subsidies and incentives.
Only 727,000 electric vehicles were sold in the USA in 2019, and nearly half were plug-in hybrids. Hybrid sales peaked in 2013, but by 2019 had fallen to 2.3% (about 400,000 vehicles) of all light-duty vehicle sales, largely due to shunning by EV purists. Compare those numbers with the 6.3 million total vehicles sold in 2016, or to the 273,600,000 passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and other vehicles on U.S. roads in 2018.
Following China’s lead, U.S. automakers – not just Tesla – are all aboard for this big switchover. As IC vehicles are replaced and gasoline stations are transformed into EV charging stations, the pressure will rise to ditch remaining IC vehicles and buy more EVs. China-friendly General Motors plans to spend $20 billion on EV and self-driving vehicle technology through 2025, including 23 different EVs by 2023. Ford Motor Company has pledged to invest $11 billion by 2022 on EV development.
Biden is following in the footsteps of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose new climate plan includes banning sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030, and hybrids by 2035. But, as economist and Global Britain think tank director Ewen Stewart argued, this is “frankly one of the most illiberal and economically destructive policies ever to come from Whitehall. It risks hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and much-needed exports for the most marginal benefit.”
“The implications of this ban [in a country with only 1% EVs] are immense in terms of manufacture, supply chains, investment, sunk capital, employment, infrastructure, consumer choice, value of existing stock, and so much more,” Stewart explained. “Never before has a government dared to close down an entire and critical industry almost overnight, by diktat.”
It is delusional, he continued, to believe that destroying a successful British industry by banning IC engines – rather than letting consumer choice determine the market – will be good for the economy. Today’s British automotive sector comprises a fifth of the nation’s manufacturing base, with over 80% of the 1.3 million cars it manufactures being exported. That’s 13% of the UK’s entire export market.
The UK automotive industry employs over 180,000 Britons directly and many hundreds of thousands more indirectly. But the United Kingdom cannot compete with China for the global EV market, because UK labor costs are far higher, and its energy is increasingly far more expensive and unreliable.
Worse, Stewart pointed out, this virtue signaling will have at best a miniscule benefits for the UK and global environment, but will be devastating for automobile owners. The British government already vastly diminished the value of the nation’s 12 million diesel vehicles with surcharges that cost owners of pre-2015 diesel vehicles up to $67 per week just to drive in “ultra-low-emission zones.” Other costs included doubling parking permit rates and higher taxes for diesel vehicles.
The new initiatives will do the same to gasoline-powered vehicles. They will phase out gasoline pumps, cause resale value to plummet, and devastate the nation’s export market.
Andrew Montford, deputy director of the Global Warming Policy Forum, says the misguided British plan could cost motorists £700 billion (US$938 billion). Several aspects of EVs, Montford contended, make them more costly than petrol cars: replacing expensive batteries, installing home charging stations (often requiring upgrading household wiring), time and inconvenience during battery recharges, and more.
Montford estimated that by 2050 the average household might have spent an extra £19,000 (US$25,460) – if they can still afford to own a vehicle. Moreover, with other government mandates driving up the cost of electricity, the cost of motoring could double, driving working classes entirely off the roads.
The absurdity of this British assault on its own existing auto industry is made even more ridiculous by the fact that wide-scale electrification doesn’t change current mobility patterns – and only manages to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2050, Spanish systems engineering expert Margarita Mediaville explained. To call EVs “green” or “sustainable” is patently absurd.
Ms. Mediaville’s company also found that manufacturing all those new EV batteries would deplete proven global reserves of copper, lithium, nickel and manganese, unless mining and/or recycling rates grow enormously by 2050. But opening new mines, mostly in other countries, as the European Union proposes, would have “devastating repercussions on water, biodiversity and the human rights of local communities.”
Mining and processing ores, and manufacturing batteries, would also require enormous amounts of fossil fuels, involve hundreds or thousands of tons of ore and overburden for every ton of finished metals, and result in prodigious emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide. Indeed, a new report by Competitive Enterprise Institute analyst Ben Lieberman concludes that replacing gasoline with electricity as the energy source for vehicles does not eliminate those emissions, but only changes where they are emitted.
Yet another downside of vastly increasing the number of EVs is that the metals and minerals increasingly come from countries like China, Chile and Congo – where fair wage, child labor, workplace safety and environmental standards are far below anything the US or EU would tolerate. EV batteries also require more energy to manufacture than batteries and engines for IC vehicles. Recycling them is likewise complicated, expensive, and fraught with pollution and public health risks.
The financial firm UBS found that replacing global sales of conventional IC vehicles with electric versions would require a 2,898% increase in lithium production; a 1,928% increase in cobalt; a 524% increase in graphite; a 105% increase in nickel; a 655% increase in rare-earth minerals; and at least a tripling of copper production. Coal, diesel and gasoline burning would also skyrocket, to fuel the work.
A separate report from Securing America’s Future Energy indicates China controls nearly 70% of electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity, compared to just 10% by the USA. The report projects that 107 of the 142 EV battery manufacturing projects scheduled by 2021 will be in China, with only nine in the U.S. Moving toward mandatory EVs will clearly enrich China at America’s expense.
Before taking any steps toward converting America to EVs and non-fossil fuel electricity generation, U.S. policymakers must carefully examine the human and environmental costs – in precise numbers, including rising lung disease, cancer, injury and death rates in foreign mines, processing plants and factories.
They must also consider the impact on American workers and communities from outsourcing battery manufacturing to Chinese companies. The Chinese, with assistance from a President Biden, will happily take most of those manufacturing jobs back to the Middle Kingdom, while saddling American families with soaring costs for unreliable electricity, short-range driving and collapsing industries. Incredibly, our dependence on China for minerals and component parts for high-tech military equipment will also soar!
All these issues demand the attention of our legislators and regulators, environmentalists and journalists. Unless of course they’re just engaging in cheap virtue-signaling, and actually don’t give a hoot about American workers and energy consumers, the U.S. and global environment, or global adult and child workers who will put their health and lives at risk providing EV and other technologies.
Duggan Flanakin is Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org)
The post Electric vehicle shock treatment appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 12, 2020 at 05:38AM