iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--COVID-19 Vaccine was available in September. Dems Blocked it.

COVID-19 vaccines were formulated and trialed by May 2020 .
Voluntary vaccination of the elderly could have started in September .
Biden , Harris , Pelosi , Cuomo , and other Democrat leaders delayed the vaccinations by two months .
They issued threats , spread fear , uncertainty , and doubt regarding a “ Trump vaccine ” , and they used their influence within the FDA to create new , excessive , and ever-changing requirements for the vaccines ’ emergency authorizations .
They put President Trump in a no-win position .
If Trump used his Presidential powers to stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Trump vaccine ” is not safe , that it is being politicized , and it can not be trusted .
Big Tech would quickly deplatform anybody siding with the President , and the downstream MSM would amplify the Democrat leadership ’ s message .
In essence , they would have denigrated the COVID-19 vaccine the same way they did Hydroxychloroquine .
Thus , Trump had no choice but to go along with the Democrat leadership ’ s plan to delay the announcement of a successful vaccine until late November , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and manufacturing of the coronavirus vaccines , at an unprecedented speed , was made possible due to the novel mRNA technology .
The proof-of-concept behind mRNA technology was in 1990 .
The technology needed a long time to properly develop to the point where it could be practically used .
Moderna was established in 2010 to develop commercially viable mRNA products .
Multiple mRNA vaccines have been developed and have passed Phase 1 trials in the last few years , but no vaccines were authorized before the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on the mechanism of preparation and action , and limited trial data .
The unique advantage of an mRNA vaccine is that it can be developed within a few weeks , and manufacturing can be ramped up very quickly .
Moderna ’ s pipeline contains multiple vaccines and anti-cancer products using mRNA technology .
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines , which were authorized just this month , December 2020 , were formulated in January-February , based on the published genome of the Wuhan coronavirus .
In April , Pfizer CEO announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September , 2020 .
It was important to start vaccination in early fall before the beginning of the cold and flu season .
However , not everybody wanted a COVID-19 vaccine delivered in the early fall .
Democrat leaders announced that they would not trust a “ Trump vaccine , ” and demanded longer , larger , and more stringent trials , than normally required for an emergency authorization .
They also demanded a longer authorization process .
The FDA obliged , contrary to its mission : “ The Food and Drug Administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by ensuring the safety , efficacy , and security of human and veterinary drugs , biological products , and medical devices … FDA is responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medical products more effective , safer , and more affordable … ” Thus , the FDA ’ s responsibility was to speed up the emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine .
This fact is frequently forgotten , but providing medical advice is outside of the FDA ’ s scope of responsibilities and authority .
Taking or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other treatment , is a personal decision , made in consultation with one ’ s doctor .
It is important to note that the FDA imposed excessive demands on vaccine developers ( see below ) , effectively guaranteeing that no vaccine would be announced before the November elections .
After Pfizer applied , the FDA spent another 3+ weeks reviewing it .
A long review was another delay the Democrats inserted into the authorization process .
This is in vast contrast to the EUA for Remdesivir , which was issued before the completion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ et al . )
, and even though the drug had already failed multiple times .
In September , nine leading pharmaceutical companies , including Moderna , Pfizer , and BioNTech , signed a weird pledge , agreeing not to question or appeal decisions made by the FDA , no matter how harmful , onerous , or insubordinate they are .
On October 6 , the FDA made exactly such a decision , arbitrary effectively setting the earliest application submission date to the third week of November .
When reviewing a prospective treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety .
The requirement of 50 % effectiveness for the COVID-19 vaccine was reasonable .
Both vaccines are 95 % effective .
Given such high effectiveness , and considering the urgency , it was not necessary to wait until the pre-defined endpoint .
Apparently , the Trump administration was aware of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine effectiveness when it ordered 100 million doses , on July 22 .
Safety is as important as effectiveness .
Generally , vaccines should be safer than drugs , because they are administered to potentially very large numbers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the disease .
In the case of the Wuhan coronavirus , the FDA could have issued the EUA for the vaccine for people 65+ ( or 65-85 , the age bracker selected in a trial ) .
In this age bracket , the risk of infection and severe COVID-19 disease is high and justifies the lower safety requirements typical of life-saving drugs .
Remdesivir , which was quickly approved by the FDA because it allegedly shortened hospital stay by four days , was not considered a life-saving drug .
Nevertheless , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its clinical trial on ~500 patients .
Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines were trialed on tens of thousands of people each .
By mid-September , there was enough data from the Phase 3 trial for the FDA to issue a EUA to Pfizer .
It could have restricted it to the 65+ age bracket and described all adverse effects .
It could have also limited the number of doses produced .
1,000,000-2,000,000 vaccines , given in September-October to volunteers ( age 65+ ) , with preference given to healthcare workers , would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eliminated most of the COVID-19 mortality in November-December because each prevented case also breaks a chain of transmission .
Again , the FDA ’ s duty was to accelerate the process , authorize the vaccine ( s ) that have an acceptable effectiveness/risk ratio , even if it was for only a portion of the population , and to document the adverse effects .
No one was mandating these vaccines .
If Pelosi , Cuomo , Newsom , and their accomplices do not trust a vaccine authorized by “ Trump ’ s FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional private or state-sponsored trials , or to simply not use this vaccine .
Notice that Newsom and Cuomo do not grant this same choice to the parents in their states , but instead force them to vaccinate their children with whatever vaccines have been authorized , without any transparency or even attention given to the process .
The Democrat leadership is also free to develop a vaccine of their own , and demand that the FDA fast-track its authorization as well .
But they can not legally block tens of millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptably safe vaccine .
The President ’ s duty is to direct the FDA .
Pelosi and other Democrat congresspersons are interfering with it .
April 23 : “ the first subject was vaccinated with BioNTech ’ s mRNA vaccine candidate ” ( BioNTech ) April 29 : Pfizer says coronavirus vaccine could be ready for emergency use by fall | TheHill “ Pfizer and German pharmaceutical company BioNTech have developed a coronavirus vaccine that could be ready for emergency use as early as September , Pfizer ’ s CEO told The Wall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : ( Pfizer ) Another coronavirus vaccine candidate might be ready sooner than expected – BGR “ “ If things go well , and the stars are aligned , we will have enough evidence of safety and efficacy so that we can… have a vaccine around the end of October , ” he [ Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla ] said during the event.
” June 30 : Development and Licensure of Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19 .
Guidance for Industry .
( FDA ) At the end of June , after at least two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successfully trialed , the FDA issued new “ Guidance ” with excessive requirements for the vaccine manufacturers .
Democrat leader , Nancy Pelosi quickly expressed support for the FDA ’ s new “ guidance ” , further casting doubt on the vaccines ’ efficacy and safety .
July 22 : US pays $ 1.95 billion for 100 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine ( usatoday.com ) July 27 : Pfizer and BioNTech Choose Lead mRNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 and Commence Pivotal Phase 2/3 Global Study Nasdaq : BNTX ( globenewswire.com ) “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be allowed to make public , uncensored statements and appear before Congress unconstrained to speak the truth.
” According to Biden , “ free of the political pressure ” means “ appearing before Congress ” .
He continues : “ as we enter the height of election season , President Trump should assure us all that the White House will respect the independent authority of the Food and Drug Administration to decide , free from political pressure , if the vaccine is safe and effective.
” The FDA has no independent authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive branch , and all its authority is derived from the powers of the President .
See Article II of the Constitution .
Joe Biden and other Democrat leaders should have joined in the efforts to develop and manufacture a vaccine , and thus , shared in the credit for its success ( or in the blame for the failure ) .
Instead , they elected to sabotage it .
Biden added additional terms and conditions for the vaccine authorization , such as making the clinical data publicly available ( patients ’ privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research , and meddling in other ways .
August 11 : Moderna Announces Supply Agreement with U.S. Government for Initial 100 Million Doses of mRNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 ( mRNA-1273 ) | Moderna , Inc. ( modernatx.com ) August 21 : Pfizer and BioNTech ’ s Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate Produces Antibodies in People Up to 85 Years Old | The Motley Fool September 30 : ( Dems ) All Eyes Are on Pfizer as Trump Pushes for Vaccine by October ( The NY Times ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — our best case — predicts that we will have an answer by the end of October , ” the chief executive , Dr. Albert Bourla … ” They had the answer for developing the COVID-19 vaccine in May .
The “ answer ” that Dr. Bourla was referring to , at this time , was on how to overcome the resistance of “ The Resistance ” .
“ The F.D.A .
has also told vaccine makers that they will need to track at least half of the patients ’ safety data for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency access.
” This was an arbitrary and capricious restriction , given that more than 40,000 participants had been recruited .
The Remdesivir trial ( Beigel et al . )
involved only about 500 patients , who were only tracked for one month , and the EUA was issued even before those results were available .
A reasonable demand for the vaccine would have been to track the first 2,000 participants for two months , and another 10,000 for one month , before applying for the authorization .
October 6 : Race for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warp Speed official tap the brakes “ The race for a Covid-19 vaccine slowed on Tuesday , as both U.S. regulators and the head of the Trump administration ’ s Operation Warp Speed initiative tapped ever so softly on the brakes .
The Food and Drug Administration released strengthened rules for authorizing any Covid-19 vaccine on an emergency basis.
” “ According to the revised rules , the FDA wants vaccine manufacturers to collect safety data on at least half of their clinical trial subjects for two months after they have received their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Half of their clinical trial subjects ” meant approximately 15,000 people for Moderna , and more than 20,000 for Pfizer .
Comparatively , in the Remdesivir trial , only about 500 patients received the drug , and the EUA was issued in less than two months , which means that no patient could have been observed for two months after taking the course of Remdesivir .
This last moment requirement was totally unnecessary .
Its effect was to set the third week of November as a firm earliest date for the applications .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ under undue influence .
October 16 : An Open Letter from Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla | Pfizer “ So let me be clear , assuming positive data , Pfizer will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the U.S. soon after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November.
” Clearly Democrat leaders and the far left succeeded in pushing Pfizer to postpone its application for EUA .
October 21 : ( Dems ) Newsom says California will independently review coronavirus vaccine : ‘ We won ’ t take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Fox News ) Late October : Pfizer stops confirming cases and drops the interim analysis that would show 90 % + effectiveness of the vaccine .
The announcement would be made after the elections .
“ Primary efficacy analysis demonstrates BNT162b2 to be 95 % effective against COVID-19 beginning 28 days after the first dose … Efficacy was consistent across age , gender , race and ethnicity demographics ; observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94 % … Data demonstrate vaccine was well tolerated across all populations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious safety concerns observed ; the only Grade 3 adverse event greater than 2 % in frequency was fatigue at 3.8 % and headache at 2.0 % ” “ Jan 13 : The NIH and Moderna ’ s infectious disease research team finalized the sequence for mRNA-1273 .
Feb 24 : Moderna shipped the first clinical batch of mRNA-1273 to the NIH for use in their Phase 1 clinical study .
Mar 16 : The NIH announced that the first participant in its Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273 was dosed , a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first human dosing .
Apr 27 : Moderna submitted an IND to the U.S. FDA for Phase 2 study of mRNA-1273 .
600 participant Phase 2 study to begin upon IND acceptance and safety data from ongoing NIH-led Phase 1 study “ mRNA-1273 elicited neutralizing antibody titer levels in all eight initial participants across the 25 µg and 100 µg dose cohorts , reaching or exceeding neutralizing antibody titers generally seen in convalescent sera mRNA-1273 was generally safe and well tolerated ” July 27 : The Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 being conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins Expected to enroll 30,000 participants in the U.S. [ This is 30 times more than in the Remdesivir trial ] Sep 08 : Moderna signed a pledge to continue to make the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals the top priority in development of the first COVID-19 vaccines .
Nov 16 : mRNA-1273 met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5 % ” Biopharma ’ s Pledge – the Opposite of the Hippocratic Oath The title is funny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Anyway , “ stand with science ” became a code phrase for “ resist the Trump administration ” .
“ The CEOs of AstraZeneca ( LSE/STO/NYSE : AZN ) , BioNTech ( NASDAQ : BNTX ) , GlaxoSmithKline plc ( LSE/NYSE : GSK ) , Johnson & Johnson ( NYSE : JNJ ) , Merck ( NYSE : MRK ) , known as MSD outside the United States and Canada , Moderna , Inc. ( Nasdaq : MRNA ) , Novavax , Inc. ( Nasdaq : NVAX ) , Pfizer Inc. ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( NASDAQ : SNY ) , today announced a historic pledge , outlining a united commitment to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines.
” This is a ridiculous pledge .
Since when do biotech and biopharma companies need a “ historic pledge ” to uphold the scientific process ?
What process were they using before ?
Clearly , they are either making a different statement or admitting to the whole world that , until now .
they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scientific process ” .
The “ pledge ” continues : “ The safety and efficacy of vaccines , including any potential vaccine for COVID-19 , is reviewed and determined by expert regulatory agencies around the world , such as the United States Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
FDA has established clear guidance for the development of COVID-19 vaccines and clear criteria for their potential authorization or approval in the US .
FDA ’ s guidance and criteria are based on the scientific and medical principles necessary to clearly demonstrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines .
More specifically , the agency requires … ” “ [ We pledge to ] Only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA.
” Again , this is ridiculous .
The companies are not pledging to meet FDA requirements , as if they ever had a choice not to .
Obviously , the signatories are not pledging to meet the regulatory requirements that they were always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are committing to a specific timeline , equally and universally delaying all vaccine authorizations until after the November Elections .
At the very least , this pledge would classify as an illegal collusive trust agreement , not only to not compete , as these companies are supposed to do , but to postpone any vaccine applications .
Colluding to purposefully delay life-saving innovations , while people are actively dying , is at best a human rights violation and at worst a crime .
“ Kennedy , a lawyer and prominent anti-vaccine activist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration began suggesting a vaccine may be ready before the November 3 election—Democratic leaders started voicing skepticism about the development process for the first time.
” Obviously , the motivation for this was not to allow a COVID-19 vaccine before the elections .
“ On September 24 , New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state will independently review all vaccines authorized by the federal government .
At the start of September , Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she would not trust President Donald Trump ’ s word alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efficient .
A week later , Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made similar remarks during a speech in Delaware , saying , “ I trust vaccines , I trust scientists , but I don ’ t trust Donald Trump.
” Meanwhile , Nancy Pelosi , Democratic speaker of the United States House of Representatives , has said any vaccine must meet safety standards before being released if it is to be accepted by the public.
” This article contains a short overview of the vaccine obstruction by Democrat leaders , in the couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author appears unaware that the obstruction started in May .
Stage 1 of the phase I/II trial in the U.S. will enroll up to 360 healthy people in two age groups , 18-55 and 65-85 .
Dec 4 , How key decisions slowed FDA ’ s review of a Covid-19 vaccine — but also gave it important data ( StatNews ) There was enough data in September .
The FDA elected not to look at it .
Even after submission of the Pfizer paperwork in late November , the FDA wasted another three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to delay authorization .
“ A STAT review of the process of vaccine development reveals only three ways it could have been further sped up .
The first , and biggest , revolves around an FDA decision to require two months of safety data for half the patients in a study before a company asked for authorization .
Had it settled for less data , a vaccine likely would have been authorized quicker.
” “ The FDA might have also been able to save some time if it evaluated data on the vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting all of the information — in Pfizer ’ s case , tens of thousands of pages — at once.
” “ Lastly — and perhaps least consequently — the FDA could have turned around the data for its advisory committee more rapidly , holding the meetings on , say , Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 , instead of Dec. 10 and Dec. 17.
” There were many more ways to speed the process up .
Sabotage by “ the resistance ” of embedded Democrat-Socialists , the FDA kept or added regulatory hurdles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the review of the data taking so long ?
… This type of analysis , routine for new drug approvals at the FDA , is not legally necessary for emergency use authorizations during a pandemic.
” Sure .
Remember Remdesivir ?
Further delays were incurred because of “ … the FDA ’ s decision , announced quietly on Oct. 6 in the prelude to an earlier FDA advisory committee , to tell vaccine makers not to ask for an EUA until half the patients in their studies had been followed for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 24:03 ) His own CDC Director says we could lose as many as another 200,000 people between now and the end of the year .
And he said , if we just wear a mask , we can save half those numbers .
Just a mask .
And by the way , in terms of the whole notion of a vaccine , we ’ re for a vaccine , but I don ’ t trust him at all .
Nor do you .
I know you don ’ t .
What we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden : ( 01:28 ) So here ’ s the deal .
This man is talking about a vaccine .
Every serious company is talking about maybe having a vaccine done by the end of the year , but the distribution of that vaccine will not occur until sometime beginning of the middle of next year to get it out , if we get the vaccine .
And pray God we will .
Pray God we will .
Chris Wallace : ( 01:49 ) Mr. Vice President , I want to pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 01:50 ) You ’ ll have the vaccine sooner than that .
Chris Wallace : ( 01:51 ) I want to pick up on this question though .
You say the public can trust the scientists , but they can ’ t trust President Trump .
In fact , you said that again tonight .
Your running mate , Senator Harris , goes further , saying that public health experts quote , “ Will be muzzled , will be suppressed.
” Given the fact that polls already show that people are concerned about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , are you and your running mate , Senator Harris , contributing to that fear ?
Vice President Joe Biden : ( 02:18 ) No more than the question you just asked him .
You pointed out he puts pressure and disagrees with his own scientists .
Chris Wallace : ( 02:25 ) But you ’ re saying you can ’ t- Chris Wallace : ( 02:26 ) Or Senator Harris is saying you can ’ t trust the scientist .
Vice President Joe Biden : ( 02:28 ) Well , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientist .
She didn ’ t say that .
You can trust the- Chris Wallace : ( 02:32 ) She said that public health experts quote , “ Will be muzzled , will be suppressed.
” Vice President Joe Biden : ( 02:36 ) Yes .
Well , that ’ s what he ’ s going to try to do , but there ’ s thousands of scientists out there , like here at this great hospital that don ’ t work for him .
Their job doesn ’ t depend on him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the way- President Donald J. Trump : ( 02:51 ) We spoke to the scientists that are in charge- Vice President Joe Biden : ( 02:53 ) By the way- President Donald J. Trump : ( 02:53 ) … they will have the vaccine very soon .
We have five companies in phase three clinical trials .
And we ’ re right now producing 10s of millions of doses .
So , the fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senator , I just asked you , stop playing politics with people ’ s lives .
The reality is that we will have a vaccine … And your continuous undermining of confidence in a vaccine is just , it ’ s just unacceptable .
… … and , Senator , please stop undermining confidence in a vaccine .
Advances in mRNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases , in Frontiers in Immunology , 2019 says that mRNA vaccines are relatively safe , easy to manufacture , and ideally suited for emerging diseases : “ As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mRNA vaccines is entirely cell-free , simple and rapid if compared to production of whole microbe , live attenuated and subunit vaccines .
This fast and simple manufacturing process makes mRNA a promising bio-product that can potentially fill the gap between emerging infectious disease and the desperate need for effective vaccines.
” “ Compared with the prophylactic and therapeutic application of mRNA in cancer , clinical trials of mRNA vaccines for infectious disease are still in their early age.
” mRNA as a Transformative Technology for Vaccine Development to Control Infectious Diseases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mRNA vaccines are “ on demand ” : A “ vaccine on demand ” approach that enables rapid development , large-scale production , and distribution of the vaccine would be desirable .
“ The seminal work from Wolff et al .
in 1990 provided the first successful example of in vitro-transcribed mRNA-expressing reporter proteins in the muscle after injection … ” These approaches are appropriate to produce almost any mRNA sequence , with low batch-to-batch variability , potentially saving time and reducing costs compared with other vaccine platforms .
mRNA vaccines — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2018 suggests that mRNA vaccines might be safe , versatile , rapid , scalable : “ … safety : as mRNA is a noninfectious , non-integrating platform , there is no potential risk of infection or insertional mutagenesis .
Additionally , mRNA is degraded by normal cellular processes , and its in vivo half-life can be regulated through the use of various modifications and delivery methods ” “ Preclinical studies have created hope that mRNA vaccines will fulfil many aspects of an ideal clinical vaccine : they have shown a favourable safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rapid to design for emerging infectious diseases , and are amenable to scalable good manufacturing practice ( GMP ) production … ” “ These observations suggest that mRNA offers a safe , simple and efficient alternative to therapeutic monoclonal antibody protein delivery , with potential application to any therapeutic protein … ”

COVID-19 vaccines were formulated and trialed by May 2020. Voluntary vaccination of the elderly could have started in September. Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Cuomo, and other Democrat leaders delayed the vaccinations by two months. They issued threats, spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt regarding a “Trump vaccine”, and they used their influence within the FDA to create new, excessive, and ever-changing requirements for the vaccines’ emergency authorizations.
They put President Trump in a no-win position. If Trump used his Presidential powers to stop the delays, Democrat leadership would allege that the “Trump vaccine” is not safe, that it is being politicized, and it cannot be trusted. Big Tech would quickly deplatform anybody siding with the President, and the downstream MSM would amplify the Democrat leadership’s message. In essence, they would have denigrated the COVID-19 vaccine the same way they did Hydroxychloroquine.
Thus, Trump had no choice but to go along with the Democrat leadership’s plan to delay the announcement of a successful vaccine until late November, and its approval until December.
Overview
mRNa Technology
The development and manufacturing of the coronavirus vaccines, at an unprecedented speed, was made possible due to the novel mRNA technology. The proof-of-concept behind mRNA technology was in 1990. The technology needed a long time to properly develop to the point where it could be practically used. Moderna was established in 2010 to develop commercially viable mRNA products. Multiple mRNA vaccines have been developed and have passed Phase 1 trials in the last few years, but no vaccines were authorized before the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
mRNA vaccines are considered safe, based on the mechanism of preparation and action, and limited trial data. The unique advantage of an mRNA vaccine is that it can be developed within a few weeks, and manufacturing can be ramped up very quickly. Moderna’s pipeline contains multiple vaccines and anti-cancer products using mRNA technology.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, which were authorized just this month, December 2020, were formulated in January-February, based on the published genome of the Wuhan coronavirus.
In April, Pfizer CEO announced that their COVID-19 vaccine might be available in September, 2020. It was important to start vaccination in early fall before the beginning of the cold and flu season.
Democrats Delay the Vaccine
However, not everybody wanted a COVID-19 vaccine delivered in the early fall. Democrat leaders announced that they would not trust a “Trump vaccine,” and demanded longer, larger, and more stringent trials, than normally required for an emergency authorization. They also demanded a longer authorization process. The FDA obliged, contrary to its mission:
“The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices … FDA is responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medical products more effective, safer, and more affordable …”
Thus, the FDA’s responsibility was to speed up the emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine. This fact is frequently forgotten, but providing medical advice is outside of the FDA’s scope of responsibilities and authority. Taking or not taking a vaccine, or any other treatment, is a personal decision, made in consultation with one’s doctor.
It is important to note that the FDA imposed excessive demands on vaccine developers (see below), effectively guaranteeing that no vaccine would be announced before the November elections. After Pfizer applied, the FDA spent another 3+ weeks reviewing it. A long review was another delay the Democrats inserted into the authorization process. This is in vast contrast to the EUA for Remdesivir, which was issued before the completion of the first clinical trial (Beigel et al.), and even though the drug had already failed multiple times.
In September, nine leading pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech, signed a weird pledge, agreeing not to question or appeal decisions made by the FDA, no matter how harmful, onerous, or insubordinate they are. On October 6, the FDA made exactly such a decision, arbitrary effectively setting the earliest application submission date to the third week of November.
Vaccine Approval Process
When reviewing a prospective treatment, there are two considerations: effectiveness and safety. The requirement of 50% effectiveness for the COVID-19 vaccine was reasonable. Both vaccines are 95% effective. Given such high effectiveness, and considering the urgency, it was not necessary to wait until the pre-defined endpoint. Apparently, the Trump administration was aware of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine effectiveness when it ordered 100 million doses, on July 22.
Safety is as important as effectiveness. Generally, vaccines should be safer than drugs, because they are administered to potentially very large numbers of healthy people, with a low risk of the disease. In the case of the Wuhan coronavirus, the FDA could have issued the EUA for the vaccine for people 65+ (or 65-85, the age bracker selected in a trial). In this age bracket, the risk of infection and severe COVID-19 disease is high and justifies the lower safety requirements typical of life-saving drugs. Remdesivir, which was quickly approved by the FDA because it allegedly shortened hospital stay by four days, was not considered a life-saving drug. Nevertheless, it received a EUA before the completion of its clinical trial on ~500 patients. Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines were trialed on tens of thousands of people each. By mid-September, there was enough data from the Phase 3 trial for the FDA to issue a EUA to Pfizer. It could have restricted it to the 65+ age bracket and described all adverse effects. It could have also limited the number of doses produced. 1,000,000-2,000,000 vaccines, given in September-October to volunteers (age 65+), with preference given to healthcare workers, would have been another game-changer. This would have probably eliminated most of the COVID-19 mortality in November-December because each prevented case also breaks a chain of transmission.
Again, the FDA’s duty was to accelerate the process, authorize the vaccine(s) that have an acceptable effectiveness/risk ratio, even if it was for only a portion of the population, and to document the adverse effects. No one was mandating these vaccines. If Pelosi, Cuomo, Newsom, and their accomplices do not trust a vaccine authorized by “Trump’s FDA”, they are free to conduct additional private or state-sponsored trials, or to simply not use this vaccine. Notice that Newsom and Cuomo do not grant this same choice to the parents in their states, but instead force them to vaccinate their children with whatever vaccines have been authorized, without any transparency or even attention given to the process. The Democrat leadership is also free to develop a vaccine of their own, and demand that the FDA fast-track its authorization as well. But they cannot legally block tens of millions of Americans from voluntarily getting an efficient and acceptably safe vaccine. The President’s duty is to direct the FDA. Pelosi and other Democrat congresspersons are interfering with it.
Supporting Documents and Timelines
Selected Vaccines Development Events
March 16: (Moderna) NIH clinical trial of investigational vaccine for COVID-19 begins (NIH)
“The first participant received the investigational vaccine today.”
April 22: Pfizer, BioNTech Covid Vaccine Cleared for Human Tests (Bloomberg)
April 23: “the first subject was vaccinated with BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine candidate” (BioNTech)
April 29: Pfizer says coronavirus vaccine could be ready for emergency use by fall | TheHill
“Pfizer and German pharmaceutical company BioNTech have developed a coronavirus vaccine that could be ready for emergency use as early as September, Pfizer’s CEO told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. “
May 30: (Pfizer) Another coronavirus vaccine candidate might be ready sooner than expected – BGR
““If things go well, and the stars are aligned, we will have enough evidence of safety and efficacy so that we can… have a vaccine around the end of October,” he [Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla] said during the event.”
June 30: Development and Licensure of Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19. Guidance for Industry. (FDA)
At the end of June, after at least two mRNA vaccines had already been developed and successfully trialed, the FDA issued new “Guidance” with excessive requirements for the vaccine manufacturers. Democrat leader, Nancy Pelosi quickly expressed support for the FDA’s new “guidance”, further casting doubt on the vaccines’ efficacy and safety.
July 22: US pays $1.95 billion for 100 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (usatoday.com)
July 27: Pfizer and BioNTech Choose Lead mRNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 and Commence Pivotal Phase 2/3 Global Study Nasdaq:BNTX (globenewswire.com)
July 27: (Dems) Biden Urges Vaccine Process Free from ‘Political Pressure’ – Bloomberg (archive.is)
Biden makes the following statements:
“senior career scientists and public health experts should be allowed to make public, uncensored statements and appear before Congress unconstrained to speak the truth.”
According to Biden, “free of the political pressure” means “appearing before Congress”. He continues:
“as we enter the height of election season, President Trump should assure us all that the White House will respect the independent authority of the Food and Drug Administration to decide, free from political pressure, if the vaccine is safe and effective.”
The FDA has no independent authority. It is an agency within the executive branch, and all its authority is derived from the powers of the President. See Article II of the Constitution.
Joe Biden and other Democrat leaders should have joined in the efforts to develop and manufacture a vaccine, and thus, shared in the credit for its success (or in the blame for the failure). Instead, they elected to sabotage it.
Biden added additional terms and conditions for the vaccine authorization, such as making the clinical data publicly available (patients’ privacy be damned), getting a separate report from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and meddling in other ways.
August 11: Moderna Announces Supply Agreement with U.S. Government for Initial 100 Million Doses of mRNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) | Moderna, Inc. (modernatx.com)
August 21: Pfizer and BioNTech’s Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate Produces Antibodies in People Up to 85 Years Old | The Motley Fool
September 30: (Dems) All Eyes Are on Pfizer as Trump Pushes for Vaccine by October (The NY Times)
““Right now, our model — our best case — predicts that we will have an answer by the end of October,” the chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla …”
They had the answer for developing the COVID-19 vaccine in May. The “answer” that Dr. Bourla was referring to, at this time, was on how to overcome the resistance of “The Resistance”.
“The F.D.A. has also told vaccine makers that they will need to track at least half of the patients’ safety data for two months before the agency will grant emergency access.”
This was an arbitrary and capricious restriction, given that more than 40,000 participants had been recruited. The Remdesivir trial (Beigel et al.) involved only about 500 patients, who were only tracked for one month, and the EUA was issued even before those results were available. A reasonable demand for the vaccine would have been to track the first 2,000 participants for two months, and another 10,000 for one month, before applying for the authorization.
October 6: Race for Covid-19 vaccine slows as regulators, top Warp Speed official tap the brakes
“The race for a Covid-19 vaccine slowed on Tuesday, as both U.S. regulators and the head of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed initiative tapped ever so softly on the brakes. The Food and Drug Administration released strengthened rules for authorizing any Covid-19 vaccine on an emergency basis.”
“According to the revised rules, the FDA wants vaccine manufacturers to collect safety data on at least half of their clinical trial subjects for two months after they have received their second dose of vaccine …”
“Half of their clinical trial subjects” meant approximately 15,000 people for Moderna, and more than 20,000 for Pfizer. Comparatively, in the Remdesivir trial, only about 500 patients received the drug, and the EUA was issued in less than two months, which means that no patient could have been observed for two months after taking the course of Remdesivir.
This last moment requirement was totally unnecessary. Its effect was to set the third week of November as a firm earliest date for the applications. Undoubtedly, this new restriction was issued under undue influence.
October 16: An Open Letter from Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla | Pfizer
“So let me be clear, assuming positive data, Pfizer will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the U.S. soon after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November.”
Clearly Democrat leaders and the far left succeeded in pushing Pfizer to postpone its application for EUA.
October 21: (Dems) Newsom says California will independently review coronavirus vaccine: ‘We won’t take anyone’s word for it’ (Fox News)
Late October: Pfizer stops confirming cases and drops the interim analysis that would show 90%+ effectiveness of the vaccine. The announcement would be made after the elections.
Nov 18: PFIZER AND BIONTECH CONCLUDE PHASE 3
“Primary efficacy analysis demonstrates BNT162b2 to be 95% effective against COVID-19 beginning 28 days after the first dose …
Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics; observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94% …
Data demonstrate vaccine was well tolerated across all populations with over 43,000 participants enrolled; no serious safety concerns observed; the only Grade 3 adverse event greater than 2% in frequency was fatigue at 3.8% and headache at 2.0%”
Selected events:
“Jan 13: The NIH and Moderna’s infectious disease research team finalized the sequence for mRNA-1273.
Feb 24: Moderna shipped the first clinical batch of mRNA-1273 to the NIH for use in their Phase 1 clinical study.
Mar 16: The NIH announced that the first participant in its Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273 was dosed, a total of 63 days from sequence selection to first human dosing.
Apr 27: Moderna submitted an IND to the U.S. FDA for Phase 2 study of mRNA-1273.
600 participant Phase 2 study to begin upon IND acceptance and safety data from ongoing NIH-led Phase 1 study
May 18: Moderna announced positive interim Phase 1 data for mRNA-1273.
“mRNA-1273 elicited neutralizing antibody titer levels in all eight initial participants across the 25 µg and 100 µg dose cohorts, reaching or exceeding neutralizing antibody titers generally seen in convalescent sera
mRNA-1273 was generally safe and well tolerated”
July 27: The Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 being conducted in collaboration with the NIH and BARDA begins
Expected to enroll 30,000 participants in the U.S. [This is 30 times more than in the Remdesivir trial]
Sep 08: Moderna signed a pledge to continue to make the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals the top priority in development of the first COVID-19 vaccines.
[See below.]
Nov 16: mRNA-1273 met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%”
Biopharma’s Pledge – the Opposite of the Hippocratic Oath
Sep 8: Biopharma Leaders Unite to Stand with Science (press release)
The title is funny. Did they stand against science before? Anyway, “stand with science” became a code phrase for “resist the Trump administration”.
“The CEOs of AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN), BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX), GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), and Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY), today announced a historic pledge, outlining a united commitment to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines.”
This is a ridiculous pledge. Since when do biotech and biopharma companies need a “historic pledge” to uphold the scientific process? What process were they using before? Clearly, they are either making a different statement or admitting to the whole world that, until now. they did NOT “uphold the integrity of the scientific process”. The “pledge” continues:
“The safety and efficacy of vaccines, including any potential vaccine for COVID-19, is reviewed and determined by expert regulatory agencies around the world, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA has established clear guidance for the development of COVID-19 vaccines and clear criteria for their potential authorization or approval in the US. FDA’s guidance and criteria are based on the scientific and medical principles necessary to clearly demonstrate the safety and efficacy of potential COVID-19 vaccines. More specifically, the agency requires …”
“[We pledge to] Only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA.”
Again, this is ridiculous. The companies are not pledging to meet FDA requirements, as if they ever had a choice not to. Obviously, the signatories are not pledging to meet the regulatory requirements that they were always subject to, but instead, they are committing to a specific timeline, equally and universally delaying all vaccine authorizations until after the November Elections.
At the very least, this pledge would classify as an illegal collusive trust agreement, not only to not compete, as these companies are supposed to do, but to postpone any vaccine applications. Colluding to purposefully delay life-saving innovations, while people are actively dying, is at best a human rights violation and at worst a crime.
Other Sources
October 6: Anti-Vaxxers Feed Off Democrats’ Skepticism of COVID Vaccine (NewsWeek)
“Kennedy, a lawyer and prominent anti-vaccine activist, said that around the middle of August—when the Trump administration began suggesting a vaccine may be ready before the November 3 election—Democratic leaders started voicing skepticism about the development process for the first time.”
Obviously, the motivation for this was not to allow a COVID-19 vaccine before the elections.
“On September 24, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state will independently review all vaccines authorized by the federal government.
At the start of September, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she would not trust President Donald Trump’s word alone that any vaccine developed is safe and efficient.
A week later, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made similar remarks during a speech in Delaware, saying, “I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump.”
Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has said any vaccine must meet safety standards before being released if it is to be accepted by the public.”
This article contains a short overview of the vaccine obstruction by Democrat leaders, in the couple of months prior to publication. The author appears unaware that the obstruction started in May.
May 13: Wuhan Virus Vaccines, Rud Istvan, WUWT
A lay review.
May 7: Pfizer Starts Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Vaccine (webmd.com)
Stage 1 of the phase I/II trial in the U.S. will enroll up to 360 healthy people in two age groups, 18-55 and 65-85.
July 31: Biden Questions Safety of Eventual Coronavirus Vaccine (archive.is from Townhall)
Dec 4, How key decisions slowed FDA’s review of a Covid-19 vaccine — but also gave it important data (StatNews)
There was enough data in September. The FDA elected not to look at it. Even after submission of the Pfizer paperwork in late November, the FDA wasted another three weeks, because the process was set to delay authorization.
“A STAT review of the process of vaccine development reveals only three ways it could have been further sped up. The first, and biggest, revolves around an FDA decision to require two months of safety data for half the patients in a study before a company asked for authorization. Had it settled for less data, a vaccine likely would have been authorized quicker.”
“The FDA might have also been able to save some time if it evaluated data on the vaccines on a rolling basis, instead of getting all of the information — in Pfizer’s case, tens of thousands of pages — at once.”
“Lastly — and perhaps least consequently — the FDA could have turned around the data for its advisory committee more rapidly, holding the meetings on, say, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, instead of Dec. 10 and Dec. 17.”
There were many more ways to speed the process up. Sabotage by “the resistance” of embedded Democrat-Socialists, the FDA kept or added regulatory hurdles, starting in May.
“Why is the review of the data taking so long? … This type of analysis, routine for new drug approvals at the FDA, is not legally necessary for emergency use authorizations during a pandemic.”
Sure. Remember Remdesivir? Further delays were incurred because of
“… the FDA’s decision, announced quietly on Oct. 6 in the prelude to an earlier FDA advisory committee, to tell vaccine makers not to ask for an EUA until half the patients in their studies had been followed for two months.”
Trump – Biden Debate
Sep 29, Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020 – Rev
Vice President Joe Biden: (24:03)
His own CDC Director says we could lose as many as another 200,000 people between now and the end of the year. And he said, if we just wear a mask, we can save half those numbers. Just a mask. And by the way, in terms of the whole notion of a vaccine, we’re for a vaccine, but I don’t trust him at all. Nor do you. I know you don’t. What we trust is a scientist.
President Donald J. Trump: (24:25)
You don’t trust Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer?
…
Vice President Joe Biden: (01:28)
So here’s the deal. This man is talking about a vaccine. Every serious company is talking about maybe having a vaccine done by the end of the year, but the distribution of that vaccine will not occur until sometime beginning of the middle of next year to get it out, if we get the vaccine. And pray God we will. Pray God we will.
Chris Wallace: (01:49)
Mr. Vice President, I want to pick up-
President Donald J. Trump: (01:50)
You’ll have the vaccine sooner than that.
Chris Wallace: (01:51)
I want to pick up on this question though. You say the public can trust the scientists, but they can’t trust President Trump. In fact, you said that again tonight. Your running mate, Senator Harris, goes further, saying that public health experts quote, “Will be muzzled, will be suppressed.” Given the fact that polls already show that people are concerned about the vaccine and are reluctant to take it, are you and your running mate, Senator Harris, contributing to that fear?
Vice President Joe Biden: (02:18)
No more than the question you just asked him. You pointed out he puts pressure and disagrees with his own scientists.
Chris Wallace: (02:25)
But you’re saying you can’t-
Vice President Joe Biden: (02:26)
Everybody knows-
Chris Wallace: (02:26)
Or Senator Harris is saying you can’t trust the scientist.
Vice President Joe Biden: (02:28)
Well, no, no. You can trust the scientist. She didn’t say that. You can trust the-
Chris Wallace: (02:32)
She said that public health experts quote, “Will be muzzled, will be suppressed.”
Vice President Joe Biden: (02:36)
Yes. Well, that’s what he’s going to try to do, but there’s thousands of scientists out there, like here at this great hospital that don’t work for him. Their job doesn’t depend on him. They’re the people… And by the way-
President Donald J. Trump: (02:51)
We spoke to the scientists that are in charge-
Vice President Joe Biden: (02:53)
By the way-
President Donald J. Trump: (02:53)
… they will have the vaccine very soon.
Michael Pence to Kamala Harris
Oct 8, Michael Pence – Kamala Harris Debate
We have five companies in phase three clinical trials. And we’re right now producing 10s of millions of doses. So, the fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration, I think is unconscionable. And Senator, I just asked you, stop playing politics with people’s lives. The reality is that we will have a vaccine … And your continuous undermining of confidence in a vaccine is just, it’s just unacceptable. …
… and, Senator, please stop undermining confidence in a vaccine.
Scientific Reviews of mRNA vaccination
Advances in mRNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, in Frontiers in Immunology, 2019 says that mRNA vaccines are relatively safe, easy to manufacture, and ideally suited for emerging diseases:
“As previously described the production procedure to generate mRNA vaccines is entirely cell-free, simple and rapid if compared to production of whole microbe, live attenuated and subunit vaccines. This fast and simple manufacturing process makes mRNA a promising bio-product that can potentially fill the gap between emerging infectious disease and the desperate need for effective vaccines.”
“Compared with the prophylactic and therapeutic application of mRNA in cancer, clinical trials of mRNA vaccines for infectious disease are still in their early age.”
mRNA as a Transformative Technology for Vaccine Development to Control Infectious Diseases, in Molecular Therapy, 2019 says that mRNA vaccines are “on demand”:
A “vaccine on demand” approach that enables rapid development, large-scale production, and distribution of the vaccine would be desirable.
“The seminal work from Wolff et al. in 1990 provided the first successful example of in vitro-transcribed mRNA-expressing reporter proteins in the muscle after injection …”
These approaches are appropriate to produce almost any mRNA sequence, with low batch-to-batch variability, potentially saving time and reducing costs compared with other vaccine platforms.
mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology, in Nature, 2018 suggests that mRNA vaccines might be safe, versatile, rapid, scalable:
“… safety: as mRNA is a noninfectious, non-integrating platform, there is no potential risk of infection or insertional mutagenesis. Additionally, mRNA is degraded by normal cellular processes, and its in vivo half-life can be regulated through the use of various modifications and delivery methods”
“Preclinical studies have created hope that mRNA vaccines will fulfil many aspects of an ideal clinical vaccine: they have shown a favourable safety profile in animals, are versatile and rapid to design for emerging infectious diseases, and are amenable to scalable good manufacturing practice (GMP) production …”
“These observations suggest that mRNA offers a safe, simple and efficient alternative to therapeutic monoclonal antibody protein delivery, with potential application to any therapeutic protein …”
Trump’s tweets
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1260919777301798912 (May 14)
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1283374013100720128 (Jul 15)
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1297138862108663808 (Aug 22)
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325962203346972678 (Nov 10)
via Science Defies Politics
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December 31, 2020 at 04:45PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Guardian Scum Strike Again

Guardian Scum Strike Again

Is there a more pathetic rag in the world than the Guardian ?
When lockdown began , climate scientists were horrified at the unfolding tragedy , but also intrigued to observe what they called an “ inadvertent experiment ” on a global scale .
To what extent , they asked , would the Earth system respond to the steepest slowdown in human activity since the second world war ?
Environmental activists put the question more succinctly : how much would it help to save the planet ?
Almost one year on from the first reported Covid case , the short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , experts say the pandemic may have made some environmental problems worse , though there is still a narrow window of opportunity for something good to come from something bad if governments use their economic stimulus packages to promote a green recovery .
During the northern hemisphere spring , when restrictions were at their strictest , the human footprint softened to a level not seen in decades .
Flights halved , road traffic in the UK fell by more than 70 % .
Industrial emissions in China , the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 18 % between early February and mid-March – a cut of 250m tonnes .
Car use in the United States declined by 40 % .
So light was humankind ’ s touch on the Earth that seismologists were able to detect lower vibrations from “ cultural noise ” than before the pandemic .
British Airways planes parked on the tarmac at Glasgow Airport in March 2020 .
Photograph : Andrew Milligan/PA The respite was too short to reverse decades of destruction , but it did provide a glimpse of what the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more space for nature .
Wildlife did not have time to reclaim lost territory but it had scope for exploration .
Alongside apocalyptic images of deserted roads , the internet briefly buzzed with heartwarming clips of sheep in a deserted playground in Monmouthshire , Wales , coyotes on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco , wild boar snuffling through the streets of Barcelona , and deer grazing not far from the White House in Washington DC .
Wildflowers flourished on roadsides because verges were cut less frequently .
In the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rhino poaching declined in Tanzania due to disruption of supply chains and restrictions on cross-border movements , but bushmeat hunting , illegal firewood collection and incursions into protected areas increased in India , Nepal and Kenya because local communities lost tourist income and sought other ways to care for their families .
How on earth could anybody normal welcome a year which has seen millions of deaths , global economic dislocation and third world poverty , all as a result of the Wuhan virus ?
Which according to this nobhead , Jonathan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a “ real ” effect .
Evidently this utter prat would prefer it if even more workers had lost their jobs , whole populations locked up for years on end , and millions more die , just so that a few wildflowers can grown by the roadside .
I ’ m not sure who are more depraved – idiots like Watts who write this drivel , or the sad , pathetic rabble who read it .
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
Is there a more pathetic rag in the world than the Guardian?
When lockdown began, climate scientists were horrified at the unfolding tragedy, but also intrigued to observe what they called an “inadvertent experiment” on a global scale. To what extent, they asked, would the Earth system respond to the steepest slowdown in human activity since the second world war?
Environmental activists put the question more succinctly: how much would it help to save the planet?
Almost one year on from the first reported Covid case, the short answer is: not enough. In fact, experts say the pandemic may have made some environmental problems worse, though there is still a narrow window of opportunity for something good to come from something bad if governments use their economic stimulus packages to promote a green recovery.
During the northern hemisphere spring, when restrictions were at their strictest, the human footprint softened to a level not seen in decades. Flights halved, road traffic in the UK fell by more than 70%. Industrial emissions in China, the world’s biggest source of carbon, were down about 18% between early February and mid-March – a cut of 250m tonnes. Car use in the United States declined by 40%. So light was humankind’s touch on the Earth that seismologists were able to detect lower vibrations from “cultural noise” than before the pandemic.
British Airways planes parked on the tarmac at Glasgow Airport in March 2020. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA
The respite was too short to reverse decades of destruction, but it did provide a glimpse of what the world might feel like without fossil fuels and with more space for nature.
Wildlife did not have time to reclaim lost territory but it had scope for exploration. Alongside apocalyptic images of deserted roads, the internet briefly buzzed with heartwarming clips of sheep in a deserted playground in Monmouthshire, Wales, coyotes on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, wild boar snuffling through the streets of Barcelona, and deer grazing not far from the White House in Washington DC. Wildflowers flourished on roadsides because verges were cut less frequently.
In the global south, the picture was more mixed. Rhino poaching declined in Tanzania due to disruption of supply chains and restrictions on cross-border movements, but bushmeat hunting, illegal firewood collection and incursions into protected areas increased in India, Nepal and Kenya because local communities lost tourist income and sought other ways to care for their families.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/29/could-covid-lockdown-have-helped-save-the-planet
How on earth could anybody normal welcome a year which has seen millions of deaths , global economic dislocation and third world poverty, all as a result of the Wuhan virus? Which according to this nobhead, Jonathan Watts, did not last long enough to have a “real” effect.
Evidently this utter prat would prefer it if even more workers had lost their jobs, whole populations locked up for years on end, and millions more die, just so that a few wildflowers can grown by the roadside.
I’m not sure who are more depraved – idiots like Watts who write this drivel, or the sad, pathetic rabble who read it.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
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December 31, 2020 at 03:48PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Top six polar bear stories of 2020

Top six polar bear stories of 2020

Here are the six most important polar bear stories I wrote about in 2020 that are worth reading if you missed them .
These posts cover new evidence that polar bears are thriving ( including more populations stable or increasing ) despite recent declines in summer sea ice blamed on climate change , an explanation of why the simplistic ‘ less ice , fewer bears ’ is false and a short post that shows a much-publicized new model predicting future extinction of polar bears is scientifically implausible .
Honourable mention goes to a story refuting the claim that Alaskan polar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploration in coastal Wildlife Refuge .
1 .
Southern Beaufort polar bear population stable since 2010 not declining new report reveals ( 4 October 2020 ) 3 .
Baffin Bay polar bears are abundant and the population is stable study scientist admits ( 3 March 2020 ) 4 .
New Paper : Body condition of Barents Sea polar bears increased since 2004 despite sea ice loss ( 5 May 2020 ) 6 .
New model of predicted polar bear extinction is not scientifically plausible ( 20 July 2020 ) Honourable mention : Risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploration in coastal Wildlife Refuge is small ( 18 August 2020 ) , in part because the opposition to Alaskan oil drilling based on possible harm to polar bear cubs is dependent on the claim that the population is declining , which post # 1 shows is no longer true .
Like the situation in Western Hudson Bay , polar bear advocates using their scientific credentials to advance an agenda are using redundant data to support their cause because the up-to-date information refutes it .

Here are the six most important polar bear stories I wrote about in 2020 that are worth reading if you missed them.
These posts cover new evidence that polar bears are thriving (including more populations stable or increasing) despite recent declines in summer sea ice blamed on climate change, an explanation of why the simplistic ‘less ice, fewer bears’ is false and a short post that shows a much-publicized new model predicting future extinction of polar bears is scientifically implausible. Honourable mention goes to a story refuting the claim that Alaskan polar bear cubs are at risk from oil exploration in coastal Wildlife Refuge.
Six top polar bear stories of 2020
1. Southern Beaufort polar bear population stable since 2010 not declining new report reveals (4 October 2020)
2. Good news: Gulf of Boothia and M’Clintock Channel polar bear survey results (17 November 2020)
3. Baffin Bay polar bears are abundant and the population is stable study scientist admits (3 March 2020)
4. New Paper: Body condition of Barents Sea polar bears increased since 2004 despite sea ice loss (5 May 2020)
5. Polar bear survival contradictions: sea ice decline vs. documented harm (15 July 2020)
6. New model of predicted polar bear extinction is not scientifically plausible (20 July 2020)
Honourable mention: Risk to Alaskan polar bear cubs from oil exploration in coastal Wildlife Refuge is small (18 August 2020), in part because the opposition to Alaskan oil drilling based on possible harm to polar bear cubs is dependent on the claim that the population is declining, which post #1 shows is no longer true. Like the situation in Western Hudson Bay, polar bear advocates using their scientific credentials to advance an agenda are using redundant data to support their cause because the up-to-date information refutes it.
via polarbearscience
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December 31, 2020 at 03:01PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Dozens of Republicans Plan to Challenge Electoral College Results

At least 25 Republicans plan on challenging electoral votes during next month ’ s joint session of Congress , according @ @ @ @ @ Epoch Times .
Twenty-four representatives and representatives-elect , who will enter office several days before @ @ @ @ @ filing objections .
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-Mo . )
is the only member or @ @ @ @ @ to commit to an objection .
“ You ’ ve got 74 million Americans who @ @ @ @ @ like their vote doesn ’ t matter .
And this is the one opportunity that @ @ @ @ @ States senator , this process right here , my one opportunity to stand up and @ @ @ @ @ ’ s exactly what I ’ m going to do , ” Hawley said on @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Ala. ) was the first to announce plans to file an objection .
The @ @ @ @ @ to Challenge Electoral College Results appeared first on Ice Age Now .

At least 25 Republicans plan on challenging electoral votes during next month’s joint session of Congress, according to a tally by The Epoch Times.
Twenty-four representatives and representatives-elect, who will enter office several days before the session, plan on filing objections. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is the only member or member-elect of the upper chamber to commit to an objection.
“You’ve got 74 million Americans who feel disenfranchised, who feel like their vote doesn’t matter. And this is the one opportunity that I have as a United States senator, this process right here, my one opportunity to stand up and say something, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Hawley said on Wednesday.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) was the first to announce plans to file an objection.
“In my judgment, based on what I have seen so far and my own personal experience with voter fraud and election theft by Democrats, in my judgment, if you only could count lawfully cast votes by American citizens, Donald Trump won the Electoral College,” Brooks told The Epoch Times.
See entire article:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/dozens-of-republicans-planning-to-challenge-the-electoral-college-results_3639277.html
The post Dozens of Republicans Plan to Challenge Electoral College Results appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 31, 2020 at 02:43PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--German Economist Says ‘Great Reset Will Cause a Crash Worse than 1930s’

“ We know this money is coming to an end and that it will soon be over .
Next you will see massive unemployment all over Europe as one country pulls down another country.
” – Dr Antony Mueller Not exactly a Happy New Year ’ s message , but unfortunately this makes a huge amount of sense to me .
Delingpole : German Economist Says ‘ Great Reset Will Cause a Crash Worse than 1930s ’ ( Excerpts ) – The Great Reset is real , it ’ s happening now and will lead to devastation worse — “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Weimar Republic , a German economist has warned .
Dr Antony Mueller , Professor of Economics at the Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil , says that the Chinese coronavirus ‘ pandemic ’ is being used as cover by the globalist elite to destroy small businesses and hasten a new world order based on “ expertocracy , climate green religion , and brutal depopulation ” .
This globalist elite — inspired by the World Economic Forum ’ s ‘ Build Back Better ’ campaign for a ‘ Fourth Industrial Revolution ’ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — are killing Main Street , together with thousands of jobs , by keeping economies across the Western World in near-permanent lockdown .
“ Most people have not noticed yet because at the moment governments can afford to give them subsidies and welfare payments .
But the question is : ‘ For how long ?
’ We know this money is coming to an end and that it will soon be over .
Next you will see massive unemployment all over Europe as one country pulls down another country.
” The coming economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world has seen before because all the countries in the Western world will become impoverished simultaneously and be unable to help one another .
It was the decline of Germany ’ s Weimar Republic — a period of high unemployment , deprivation , and hyperinflation — which led to the rise of Hitler .
But however bad it might have been , the coming depression is going to be much worse because society is more atomised and less family-oriented and religious .
The other factor which is going to make this depression almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small businesses are being methodically and deliberately wiped out by government fiat , there will be nothing to make ordinary life bearable .
This has nothing to do with the virus , says Professor Mueller , and everything to do with government policy : “ The real pandemic will be the effect of the lockdown.
” “ We had a foretaste in 2008 .
You remember the pictures of lines of people waiting to draw their cash from the bank ?
This could well happen because you will have a collapse of credit… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no funds .
It will be mega inflation or a major contraction .
“ It was not the virus that did this .
It was the lockdown .
Most people can not comprehend it because the dimension explodes anything we are used to .
“ History has many examples where we ask ‘ How could they do this ?
’ But they did .
“ One should not bank on having money .
People say : ‘ Oh I have a pension.
’ But the government won ’ t be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have some savings.
’ But you won ’ t have any access to your savings account.
” While Mueller says the prognosis is bleak , his disastrous scenario may not come to fruition if Western economies see sense .
The best immediate hope , he says , would have been if Donald Trump got re-elected .
The post German Economist Says ‘ Great Reset Will Cause a Crash Worse than 1930s ’ appeared first on Ice Age Now .

“We know this money is coming to an end and that it will soon be over. Next you will see massive unemployment all over Europe as one country pulls down another country.”
– Dr Antony Mueller
Not exactly a Happy New Year’s message, but unfortunately this makes a huge amount of sense to me.
____________
Delingpole: German Economist Says ‘Great Reset Will Cause a Crash Worse than 1930s’
JAMES DELINGPOLE
26 Dec 2020
(Excerpts) – The Great Reset is real, it’s happening now and will lead to devastation worse — “much, much worse” — than the Weimar Republic, a German economist has warned.
Dr Antony Mueller, Professor of Economics at the Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil, says that the Chinese coronavirus ‘pandemic’ is being used as cover by the globalist elite to destroy small businesses and hasten a new world order based on “expertocracy, climate green religion, and brutal depopulation”.
This globalist elite — inspired by the World Economic Forum’s ‘Build Back Better’ campaign for a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and by the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 — are killing Main Street, together with thousands of jobs, by keeping economies across the Western World in near-permanent lockdown.
“Most people have not noticed yet because at the moment governments can afford to give them subsidies and welfare payments. But the question is: ‘For how long?’ We know this money is coming to an end and that it will soon be over. Next you will see massive unemployment all over Europe as one country pulls down another country.”
The coming economic crisis will be worse than any the world has seen before because all the countries in the Western world will become impoverished simultaneously and be unable to help one another.
“We are seeing the destruction of the economy in all Western countries — from the U.S. and Canada to New Zealand and Western Europe. 2020 as been a big catastrophe in the making. It’s just not here yet but it will be worse — much, much worse — than Weimar.”
It was the decline of Germany’s Weimar Republic — a period of high unemployment, deprivation, and hyperinflation — which led to the rise of Hitler. But however bad it might have been, the coming depression is going to be much worse because society is more atomised and less family-oriented and religious.
The other factor which is going to make this depression almost uniquely horrible is that because all the small businesses are being methodically and deliberately wiped out by government fiat, there will be nothing to make ordinary life bearable.
“We know, for example, that Argentina has had economic crashes. But they were always survivable because there were always small businesses — you could get your car repaired, go to the butcher for meat, the bars and cafes stayed open. In this new crash the bars and cafes will be all closed.”
This has nothing to do with the virus, says Professor Mueller, and everything to do with government policy: “The real pandemic will be the effect of the lockdown.”
“We had a foretaste in 2008. You remember the pictures of lines of people waiting to draw their cash from the bank? This could well happen because you will have a collapse of credit… Unemployment will come. The government will have no funds. It will be mega inflation or a major contraction. “It was not the virus that did this. It was the lockdown. Most people cannot comprehend it because the dimension explodes anything we are used to. “History has many examples where we ask ‘How could they do this?’ But they did. “One should not bank on having money. People say: ‘Oh I have a pension.’ But the government won’t be able to pay your pension. ‘Oh I have some savings.’ But you won’t have any access to your savings account.”
While Mueller says the prognosis is bleak, his disastrous scenario may not come to fruition if Western economies see sense.
The best immediate hope, he says, would have been if Donald Trump got re-elected.
See entire article:
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/12/26/german-economist-great-reset-will-cause-a-crash-worse-than-1930s/
The post German Economist Says ‘Great Reset Will Cause a Crash Worse than 1930s’ appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 31, 2020 at 02:21PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Beijing – Coldest December day in 42 years

30 Dec 2020 – Apart from the resurgence of the coronavirus that has confined many Beijingers at home , local @ @ @ @ @ to stay indoors – the bitter wind and extreme cold as the city saw its @ @ @ @ @ 42 years at -26 C ( -14.8F ) .
Residents were astonished at the sudden @ @ @ @ @ forecast for Beijing is even colder than the North Pole , ” a netizen on @ @ @ @ @ Weibo said early on Wednesday , posting screenshots of weather-tracking apps which read -13 C @ @ @ @ @ at the North Pole .
As a cold air mass swept across northern China and @ @ @ @ @ plunged from an average daily high of 2 C to maximum highs of -6 C @ @ @ @ @ , some of the coldest December days in a decade .
The post Beijing – @ @ @ @ @ years appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Residents astonished at the sudden temperature drop.
__________
30 Dec 2020 – Apart from the resurgence of the coronavirus that has confined many Beijingers at home, local residents now have another reason to stay indoors – the bitter wind and extreme cold as the city saw its coldest recorded December day in 42 years at -26 C (-14.8F).
Residents were astonished at the sudden temperature drop.
“The forecast for Beijing is even colder than the North Pole,” a netizen on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo said early on Wednesday, posting screenshots of weather-tracking apps which read -13 C in Beijing and -3 C at the North Pole.
As a cold air mass swept across northern China and Beijing since Tuesday, temperatures plunged from an average daily high of 2 C to maximum highs of -6 C and lows of -13 C, some of the coldest December days in a decade.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202012/1211414.shtml
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December 31, 2020 at 01:32PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Happy New Year! Start 2021 with renewed hope thanks to good climate-news stories

A list of positive climate stories from the last 12 months At the end of the year , in an annual ritual of apocalyptic doom-mongering , climate campaigners howl that the last 12 months saw unprecedented extreme weather events — from heat waves and wildfires to floods and hurricanes — claiming these natural disasters are proof that climate disasters are getting worse .
Of course natural disasters have been happening for millions of years and continue to hit one part of the globe or another almost on a daily basis .
What is really noteworthy , however , is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disasters has been declining dramatically for the last 100 years – and by 15 % in the last 20 years alone .
No wonder that weather disasters this year have already faded into memory as the Covid-19 pandemic has been dominating the news .
Here , we take a look at 12 encouraging climate news stories which our GWPF team covered during 2020 .
Globally , in 2019 , about 9,000 people lost their lives in natural catastrophes compared with 15,000 in 2018 .
This confirms the overall trend towards lower numbers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kilimanjaro has a habit of defying predictions .
Some climate scientists had forecast that all of its ice fields and glaciers would have completely melted by now .
Yet data suggests a number are stubbornly clinging on , albeit shrunken .
March : Sea level rise was a constant phenomenon even before industrialisation , new study finds A study by the University of York found evidence for a period of enhanced pre-industrial sea-level rise of about 2-3 millimetres per year in three locations — Nova Scotia , Maine and Connecticut , which were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or man-made factors .
April : Earth Day at 50 : None of its eco-doomsday predictions have come true From predicting ecological collapse and the end of civilization to warnings that the world is running out of oil , all environmental doomsday predictions of the first Earth Day in 1970 have turned out to be flat out wrong .
May : Scientists discover that coral reefs can adapt to warming ocean temperatures Some coral reefs are adapting to warming ocean temperatures by making their own sunscreen in the form of bright neon colors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to return to reefs and is seen as a critical adaptation to maintain healthy coral reefs around the world .
June : Instead of extinction , Antarctic penguins could experience ‘ population boom ’ due to global warming Antarctic penguins could experience a ‘ population boom ’ due to global warming as melting sea ice means they have to spend less time foraging for food .
July : Siberian heatwaves are fairly common : Hottest summer on record was in 1917 There was nothing remotely exceptional about the heatwave at Verhojansk , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1917 .
August : No trend in hurricane activity in 167 years , new empirical study shows Hurricane and major hurricane landfall counts exhibited no significant overall trend over 167 years of available data .
Most European citizens do not particularly care about climate change .
That ’ s the striking finding from new research on the views of 70,000 randomly sampled European men and women .
Only 5 % described themselves as “ extremely worried ” about climate change .
The climate and the environment ranked only fifth in people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new United Nations report on The Human Cost of Disasters has been described as “ an embarrassment ” and “ a catalogue of errors ” after it emerged its headline claim of a “ staggering rise in climate-related disasters ” was refuted by its own data .
The UNDRR ’ s own data shows that climate-related disasters have actually been declining for 20 years .
A GWPF video provides new evidence that the 2019 Netflix documentary film series , ‘ Our Planet ’ , withheld facts behind the controversial walrus story it promoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team of researchers understands more about the melting of the Greenland ice sheet .
They discovered a flow of hot rocks , known as a mantle plume , rising from the core-mantle boundary beneath central Greenland that melts the ice from below .
The post Happy New Year !
Start 2021 with renewed hope thanks to good climate-news stories appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

A list of positive climate stories from the last 12 months
At the end of the year, in an annual ritual of apocalyptic doom-mongering, climate campaigners howl that the last 12 months saw unprecedented extreme weather events — from heat waves and wildfires to floods and hurricanes — claiming these natural disasters are proof that climate disasters are getting worse.
Of course natural disasters have been happening for millions of years and continue to hit one part of the globe or another almost on a daily basis. What is really noteworthy, however, is that the number of people killed by climate-related disasters has been declining dramatically for the last 100 years – and by 15% in the last 20 years alone.
No wonder that weather disasters this year have already faded into memory as the Covid-19 pandemic has been dominating the news.
Here, we take a look at 12 encouraging climate news stories which our GWPF team covered during 2020.
January: Global deaths from natural disasters drop to record low
Globally, in 2019, about 9,000 people lost their lives in natural catastrophes compared with 15,000 in 2018. This confirms the overall trend towards lower numbers of victims thanks to better prevention measures.
February: Staying power of Kilimanjaro snow defies Al Gore’s gloomy forecast
Kilimanjaro has a habit of defying predictions. Some climate scientists had forecast that all of its ice fields and glaciers would have completely melted by now. Yet data suggests a number are stubbornly clinging on, albeit shrunken.
March: Sea level rise was a constant phenomenon even before industrialisation, new study finds
A study by the University of York found evidence for a period of enhanced pre-industrial sea-level rise of about 2-3 millimetres per year in three locations — Nova Scotia, Maine and Connecticut, which were largely natural, without any human constructions or man-made factors.
April: Earth Day at 50: None of its eco-doomsday predictions have come true
From predicting ecological collapse and the end of civilization to warnings that the world is running out of oil, all environmental doomsday predictions of the first Earth Day in 1970 have turned out to be flat out wrong.
May: Scientists discover that coral reefs can adapt to warming ocean temperatures
Some coral reefs are adapting to warming ocean temperatures by making their own sunscreen in the form of bright neon colors — a strategy which invites coral animals to return to reefs and is seen as a critical adaptation to maintain healthy coral reefs around the world.
June: Instead of extinction, Antarctic penguins could experience ‘population boom’ due to global warming
Antarctic penguins could experience a ‘population boom’ due to global warming as melting sea ice means they have to spend less time foraging for food.
July: Siberian heatwaves are fairly common: Hottest summer on record was in 1917
There was nothing remotely exceptional about the heatwave at Verhojansk, with the hottest summer on record way back in 1917.
August: No trend in hurricane activity in 167 years, new empirical study shows
Hurricane and major hurricane landfall counts exhibited no significant overall trend over 167 years of available data.
September: Not scared: Research reveals “climate-complacency” across Europe
Most European citizens do not particularly care about climate change. That’s the striking finding from new research on the views of 70,000 randomly sampled European men and women. Only 5% described themselves as “extremely worried” about climate change. The climate and the environment ranked only fifth in people’s overall views about priorities.
October: UN disasters report reveals big decline in climate-related disasters since 2000
A new United Nations report on The Human Cost of Disasters has been described as “an embarrassment” and “a catalogue of errors” after it emerged its headline claim of a “staggering rise in climate-related disasters” was refuted by its own data. The UNDRR’s own data shows that climate-related disasters have actually been declining for 20 years.
November: New footage reveals Netflix faked walrus climate deaths
A GWPF video provides new evidence that the 2019 Netflix documentary film series, ‘Our Planet’, withheld facts behind the controversial walrus story it promoted as evidence of climate change.
December: Scientists discover Arctic warming of Greenland ice sheet driven by geothermal activity
A team of researchers understands more about the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. They discovered a flow of hot rocks, known as a mantle plume, rising from the core-mantle boundary beneath central Greenland that melts the ice from below.
The post Happy New Year! Start 2021 with renewed hope thanks to good climate-news stories appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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December 31, 2020 at 12:25PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--New Evidence That the Ancient Climate Was Warmer than Today’s

Two recently published studies confirm that the climate thousands of years ago was as warm or warmer than today ’ s – a fact disputed by some believers in the narrative of largely human-caused global warming .
That was an era when CO levels were much lower than now , long before industrialization and SUVs .
One study demonstrates that the period known as the Roman Warming was the warmest in the last 2,000 years .
The other study provides evidence that it was just as warm up to 6,000 years ago .
Both studies reinforce the occurrence of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the last ice age 11,000 years ago , known as the Holocene Thermal Maximum .
The first study , undertaken by a group of Italian and Spanish researchers , reconstructed sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea over the past 5,300 years .
Because temperature measurement using scientific thermometers goes back only to the 18th century , temperatures for earlier periods must be reconstructed from proxy data using indirect sources such as tree rings , ice cores , leaf fossils or boreholes .
This particular study utilized fossilized amoeba skeletons found in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to calcium in the skeletons is a measure of the seawater temperature at the time the sediment was deposited ; a timeline can be established by radiocarbon dating .
The researchers focused on the central part of the Mediterranean Sea , specifically the Sicily Channel as indicated by the red arrow in the figure below .
The samples came from a depth of 475 meters ( 1,550 feet ) .
Analysis of the data found that ancient sea surface temperatures in the Sicily Channel ranged from 16.4 degrees Celsius ( 61.5 degrees Fahrenheit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degrees Fahrenheit ) over the period from 3300 BCE to July 2014 .
This is illustrated in the next figure , in which the dark blue dashed line represents the Sicily Channel raw temperature data and the thick dark blue solid line shows smoothed values .
The other lines are Mediterranean temperatures reconstructed by other research groups .
With the exception of the Aegean data , the results all show distinct warming during the Roman period from 0 CE to 500 CE , when temperatures were about 2 degrees Celsius ( 3.6 degrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sicily and western Mediterranean regions in later centuries , and much higher than present-day Sicilian temperatures .
The high temperatures in the Aegean Sea result from its land-locked nature .
During the 500 years of the Roman Warming , the Roman Empire flourished and reached its zenith .
Subsequent cooling , seen in the figure above , led to the Empire ’ s collapse prior to the Medieval Warm Period , say the researchers .
The second study was conducted by archaeologists in Norway , who discovered a treasure trove of arrows , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unearthed by receding ice in a mountainous region of the country .
Because the artifacts would have been deposited when no ice covered the ground , and are only being exposed now due to global warming , temperatures must have been at least as high as today during the many periods when the artifacts were cast aside .

From Science Under Attack
Two recently published studies confirm that the climate thousands of years ago was as warm or warmer than today’s – a fact disputed by some believers in the narrative of largely human-caused global warming. That was an era when CO 2 levels were much lower than now, long before industrialization and SUVs.
One study demonstrates that the period known as the Roman Warming was the warmest in the last 2,000 years. The other study provides evidence that it was just as warm up to 6,000 years ago. Both studies reinforce the occurrence of an even warmer period immediately following the end of the last ice age 11,000 years ago, known as the Holocene Thermal Maximum.
The first study, undertaken by a group of Italian and Spanish researchers, reconstructed sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea over the past 5,300 years. Because temperature measurement using scientific thermometers goes back only to the 18th century, temperatures for earlier periods must be reconstructed from proxy data using indirect sources such as tree rings, ice cores, leaf fossils or boreholes.
This particular study utilized fossilized amoeba skeletons found in seabed sediments. The ratio of magnesium to calcium in the skeletons is a measure of the seawater temperature at the time the sediment was deposited; a timeline can be established by radiocarbon dating. The researchers focused on the central part of the Mediterranean Sea, specifically the Sicily Channel as indicated by the red arrow in the figure below. The samples came from a depth of 475 meters (1,550 feet).
Analysis of the data found that ancient sea surface temperatures in the Sicily Channel ranged from 16.4 degrees Celsius (61.5 degrees Fahrenheit) to 22.7 degrees Celsius (72.9 degrees Fahrenheit) over the period from 3300 BCE to July 2014. This is illustrated in the next figure, in which the dark blue dashed line represents the Sicily Channel raw temperature data and the thick dark blue solid line shows smoothed values. The other lines are Mediterranean temperatures reconstructed by other research groups.
With the exception of the Aegean data, the results all show distinct warming during the Roman period from 0 CE to 500 CE, when temperatures were about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average for Sicily and western Mediterranean regions in later centuries, and much higher than present-day Sicilian temperatures. The high temperatures in the Aegean Sea result from its land-locked nature. During the 500 years of the Roman Warming, the Roman Empire flourished and reached its zenith. Subsequent cooling, seen in the figure above, led to the Empire’s collapse prior to the Medieval Warm Period, say the researchers.
The second study was conducted by archaeologists in Norway, who discovered a treasure trove of arrows, arrowheads, clothing and other artifacts, unearthed by receding ice in a mountainous region of the country. Because the artifacts would have been deposited when no ice covered the ground, and are only being exposed now due to global warming, temperatures must have been at least as high as today during the many periods when the artifacts were cast aside.
Read the full article here.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-31--Antarctica Hit by unprecedented 50,000 earthquakes in 3 months

“ The area already is under scrutiny for its melting ice cap , and some have suggested buried volcanoes could be a reason.
” Spot on !
I ’ ve been saying this for years .
____________ 25 Dec 2020 – Scientists at the University of Chile ’ s Seismological Center say that Antarctica , normally a stable region of the world , has been hit by thousands of earthquakes in just the last three months , “ more than a thousand earthquakes a day.
” The estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000 , some measuring less than 1 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 , reported Israel365 News .
The spot is the Bransfield Strait , a 60-mile-wide body of water extending for some 300 miles .
The report explained that before the quakes , the strait was expanding by about one-third of an inch per year .
Now it ’ s moving at six inches annually .
If there are volcanoes , they also could explain the seismic activity and the huge chunks of ice falling off of ice floes into the ocean .
“ It is also possible that the shaking is being caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , a team of researchers with Oregon State University has confirmed the first active leak of sea-bed methane discovered at McMurdo Sound situated in the Ross Sea .
Scientists believe that there is a large amount of methane sealed beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Antarctica , ” the report said .
Do you suppose this increase in activity has anything to do with the recent conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn ?
How about the Grand Solar Minimum ?
Thanks to Andrea Rendon for this link The post Antarctica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months appeared first on Ice Age Now .

“The area already is under scrutiny for its melting ice cap, and some have suggested buried volcanoes could be a reason.”
Spot on! I’ve been saying this for years.
____________
25 Dec 2020 – Scientists at the University of Chile’s Seismological Center say that Antarctica, normally a stable region of the world, has been hit by thousands of earthquakes in just the last three months, “more than a thousand earthquakes a day.”
The estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000, some measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale, others up to 6, reported Israel365 News.
“…an unprecedented 30,000-50,000 tremors shaking the Antarctic in the past three months, all concentrated in one spot.”
The spot is the Bransfield Strait, a 60-mile-wide body of water extending for some 300 miles.
The report explained that before the quakes, the strait was expanding by about one-third of an inch per year. Now it’s moving at six inches annually.
The area already is under scrutiny for its melting ice cap, and some have suggested buried volcanoes could be a reason.
If there are volcanoes, they also could explain the seismic activity and the huge chunks of ice falling off of ice floes into the ocean.
“It is also possible that the shaking is being caused by methane vents opening up. Earlier this year, a team of researchers with Oregon State University has confirmed the first active leak of sea-bed methane discovered at McMurdo Sound situated in the Ross Sea. Scientists believe that there is a large amount of methane sealed beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Antarctica,” the report said.
Do you suppose this increase in activity has anything to do with the recent conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn? How about the Grand Solar Minimum?
See entire article by Bob Unruh:
Thanks to Andrea Rendon for this link
The post Antarctica Hit by unprecedented 50,000 earthquakes in 3 months appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 31, 2020 at 12:00PM