iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Paths to Victory — Contingent election or State Legislators picking Electors

Mark Landsbaum argues that Trumps main game was always a Contingent election — held in the House but with one representative from each state .
And the legal cases involved were always about the Court of Public Opinion , not about getting rushed judgments on legal cases that have almost no time to play out .
Cases usually need months or years to do full discovery and disclosure .
The only hope now — and it is as good , if not better , than any hope since voting ended — lies in the alternate electors for Trump sent Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Representatives is sure to ignore the Trump alternate electors , so Trump can ’ t win at this stage .
But the Republican-controlled Senate also will consider electors , and if they choose Trump ’ s over Biden ’ s , it ’ s a standoff : the House for electing Biden , the Senate for electing Trump .
The rules for choosing between competing electors are vague .
Congress may choose not to count states with two sets of electors , which automatically means neither candidate reaches the necessary 270 electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Mark Landsbaum argues that Trumps main game was always a Contingent election — held in the House but with one representative from each state. And the legal cases involved were always about the Court of Public Opinion, not about getting rushed judgments on legal cases that have almost no time to play out.
Cases usually need months or years to do full discovery and disclosure.
Trump’s End Game By Mark Landsbaum, American Thinker
The only hope now — and it is as good, if not better, than any hope since voting ended — lies in the alternate electors for Trump sent Monday by seven states. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is sure to ignore the Trump alternate electors, so Trump can’t win at this stage. But the Republican-controlled Senate also will consider electors, and if they choose Trump’s over Biden’s, it’s a standoff: the House for electing Biden, the Senate for electing Trump.
The rules for choosing between competing electors are vague. Congress may choose not to count states with two sets of electors, which automatically means neither candidate reaches the necessary 270 electoral votes. This is never-before-traveled terrain.
The resulting deadlock would […]
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December 17, 2020 at 01:07AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--RE Reckoning: Germans Suffer Europe’s Highest Power Prices – 300,000 Families Can’t Afford Electrici

RE Reckoning: Germans Suffer Europe’s Highest Power Prices – 300,000 Families Can’t Afford Electricity

If ever there was an example of what follows from an obsession with chaotically intermittent wind and solar , Germany has to be it .
No country went harder or faster than Germany did , when it came to carpeting its landscape with solar panels and wind turbines .
The results have been an unmitigated disaster .
In the retail power price stakes , Germany jockeys for position with equally wind power obsessed , Denmark and the UK .
At the minute , it ’ s a nose ahead of Denmark , with the UK bearing down on the leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That 300,000 households can no longer afford electricity , comes as no surprise .
That hundreds of thousands of people in Europe ’ s richest economy are forced to heat their homes using timber scavenged from forests is criminal .
But , that ’ s what the inevitable transition to an all wind and solar powered future looks like , for those forced to suffer it .
No Tricks Zone reports on the results of Germany ’ s self-inflicted renewable energy disaster below .
Unreliable , Most Expensive : Green Energies Make Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
No Tricks Zone Pierre Gosselin 28 November 2020 Why do so few countries in Europe follow Germany in green electricity ?
The answer could lie in electricity prices : Eurostat lists these for the first half of 2020 .
Of all countries , Germany , Denmark and the United Kingdom are the wind energy countries that are very far ahead in terms of consumer prices .
Wind , sun absent extended periods Not only has electricity gotten expensive in these countries , but the supply is highly unreliable .
Germany ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wind energy capacity produced next to nothing over a period of five days earlier this month , not even coming close to meeting the country ’ s demand : Or during the dead of winter , when power is in big demand , see below for a period two weeks : 300,000 households lose power Fortunately there were fossil and nuclear power plants available to keep the power grid from collapsing .
But there ’ s a problem : It ’ s very uneconomical to operate these conventional plants only part-time .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consumer .
And due to the high electricity rates , every year tens of thousands of German households see their power cut off due to unpaid electricity bills , read here and here .
No Tricks Zone

If ever there was an example of what follows from an obsession with chaotically intermittent wind and solar, Germany has to be it.
No country went harder or faster than Germany did, when it came to carpeting its landscape with solar panels and wind turbines. The results have been an unmitigated disaster.
In the retail power price stakes, Germany jockeys for position with equally wind power obsessed, Denmark and the UK. At the minute, it’s a nose ahead of Denmark, with the UK bearing down on the leaders as they reach the home straight.
That 300,000 households can no longer afford electricity, comes as no surprise. That hundreds of thousands of people in Europe’s richest economy are forced to heat their homes using timber scavenged from forests is criminal.
But, that’s what the inevitable transition to an all wind and solar powered future looks like, for those forced to suffer it.
No Tricks Zone reports on the results of Germany’s self-inflicted renewable energy disaster below.
Unreliable, Most Expensive: Green Energies Make Germany’s Electricity Prices Highest In Europe!
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
28 November 2020
Why do so few countries in Europe follow Germany in green electricity? The answer could lie in electricity prices:
Eurostat lists these for the first half of 2020. Of all countries, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom are the wind energy countries that are very far ahead in terms of consumer prices.
Wind, sun absent extended periods
Not only has electricity gotten expensive in these countries, but the supply is highly unreliable. Germany’s massive 110 GW of installed sun and wind energy capacity produced next to nothing over a period of five days earlier this month, not even coming close to meeting the country’s demand:
Or during the dead of winter, when power is in big demand, see below for a period two weeks:
Charts: Agora Energiewende
300,000 households lose power
Fortunately there were fossil and nuclear power plants available to keep the power grid from collapsing. But there’s a problem: It’s very uneconomical to operate these conventional plants only part-time. The added costs end up being borne by the consumer.
And due to the high electricity rates, every year tens of thousands of German households see their power cut off due to unpaid electricity bills, read here and here.
No Tricks Zone


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Modern Iceland’s Climate Is Colder With More Ice Than Any Other Time In The Last 8000 Years Except T

Modern Iceland’s Climate Is Colder With More Ice Than Any Other Time In The Last 8000 Years Except The 1800s

A wealth of new research in glacier and sea ice extent show modern Iceland is 2-4°C colder than all of the last 8000 years except for a slightly colder late 19th century .
Even the 1700s were warmer with less ice than today in and around Iceland .
A new study ( Geirsdóttir et al.
, 2020 ) now affirms peak Holocene warmth at least “ ∼3–4 °C above modern in Iceland ” prevailed throughout much of the last 8000 years .
Data from tree growth , glacier-induced soil erosion , algae productivity , sea ice biomarker proxies ( IP25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these conclusions .
Harning et al.
, 2020 report an overall 7°C Holocene cooling trend In Iceland ’ s surrounding sea surface temperatures ( SST ) .
“ In terms of foraminifera-reconstructed SST there is an overall trend of cooling throughout the last 8 ka from ~10 °C to ~3 °C.
” It is only in the last few centuries of the modern era that temperatures sharply plummeted to their lowest values of the last 10,000 years ( Geirsdóttir et al.
, 2020 ) .
“ The coolest climate of the last 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Consequent to the peak cooling , glaciers and sea ice reached their maximum extents of the Holocene just 150 years ago .
While Iceland ’ s glaciers and North Shelf sea ice extent did partially recover in the first half of the 20th century , the ice extents are still beyond what they were in the 1700s and earlier .
There is nothing to indicate modern warmth or ice recession in and around Iceland is unprecedented or even unusual .

Reposted from NoTricksZone
A wealth of new research in glacier and sea ice extent show modern Iceland is 2-4°C colder than all of the last 8000 years except for a slightly colder late 19th century. Even the 1700s were warmer with less ice than today in and around Iceland.
A new study (Geirsdóttir et al., 2020) now affirms peak Holocene warmth at least “∼3–4 °C above modern in Iceland” prevailed throughout much of the last 8000 years. Data from tree growth, glacier-induced soil erosion, algae productivity, sea ice biomarker proxies (IP25), and other climate indices affirm these conclusions.
Harning et al., 2020 report an overall 7°C Holocene cooling trend In Iceland’s surrounding sea surface temperatures (SST).
“In terms of foraminifera-reconstructed SST there is an overall trend of cooling throughout the last 8 ka from ~10 °C to ~3 °C.”
It is only in the last few centuries of the modern era that temperatures sharply plummeted to their lowest values of the last 10,000 years (Geirsdóttir et al., 2020).
“The coolest climate of the last 10 ka occurred in the late 1800s CE.”
Consequent to the peak cooling, glaciers and sea ice reached their maximum extents of the Holocene just 150 years ago.
While Iceland’s glaciers and North Shelf sea ice extent did partially recover in the first half of the 20th century, the ice extents are still beyond what they were in the 1700s and earlier.
There is nothing to indicate modern warmth or ice recession in and around Iceland is unprecedented or even unusual.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--The End of Big Cities? The Hill Blames Coronavirus for the Exodus

h/t Cautious Optimism ; According to The Hill contributor Kristin Tate , Coronavirus has ended the decades long growth trend of large cities , and created a population boom in medium size cities .
But some of the mid-size winners of the big exodus also have significant Coronavirus infection rates .
Is this the end of cities in America ?
BY KRISTIN TATE , OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 12/13/20 06:00 PM EST THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL What developed this year is a cascade of residents leaving large cities in blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , in terms of total population loss , were New York , San Francisco , Los Angeles , Chicago and the District of Columbia .
New York lost at least 300,000 residents this year .
San Francisco saw 90,000 postal changes of address out of the city , while its median apartment rent took a nosedive of 20 percent in 2020 .
Los Angeles recorded more than 25,000 moves out of the city , while Chicago logged over 20,000 .
Even the District of Columbia lost 15,000 residents .
Other cities that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also face severe drops in interest .
Residents who fled large cities in blue states overwhelmingly relocated to red-state cities , mostly in the Sun Belt or the West outside of California .
Phoenix , already booming before the coronavirus , retained its spot as the fastest growing city in the country ; its metro population now displaces Boston .
The other overall winners in the demographic game this year are Nashville , where home prices continue to surge while real estate inventory is down 40 percent ; Las Vegas , which tempted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Sin City ; Charlotte , which now has a larger population than San Francisco ; and the greater Charleston area , which is likely the home of Boeing ’ s next expansion and has benefitted from manufacturing jobs moving south .
The pandemic brought nightlife and culture to a near halt , and for many there is little desire to stay in a city that lost 1,000 restaurants and counting .
Combine these factors with a plethora of new taxes and regulatory schemes that soak middle- and high-income earners , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of population growth seem to have feet of clay .
The decline of liberal cities in blue states during a crisis is perhaps the clearest judgment on a raft of poor tax and regulatory policies .
It will also accelerate the demographic shift changing the political calculus in traditionally red states , as seen in Georgia and Arizona in the presidential race .

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Cautious Optimism; According to The Hill contributor Kristin Tate, Coronavirus has ended the decades long growth trend of large cities, and created a population boom in medium size cities. But some of the mid-size winners of the big exodus also have significant Coronavirus infection rates.
Is this the end of cities in America?
BY KRISTIN TATE, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 12/13/20 06:00 PM EST
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL
…
What developed this year is a cascade of residents leaving large cities in blue states. Among the biggest losers this year, in terms of total population loss, were New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and the District of Columbia. New York lost at least 300,000 residents this year. San Francisco saw 90,000 postal changes of address out of the city, while its median apartment rent took a nosedive of 20 percent in 2020. Los Angeles recorded more than 25,000 moves out of the city, while Chicago logged over 20,000. Even the District of Columbia lost 15,000 residents. Other cities that had sustained growth in the last decade also face severe drops in interest.
Residents who fled large cities in blue states overwhelmingly relocated to red-state cities, mostly in the Sun Belt or the West outside of California. Phoenix, already booming before the coronavirus, retained its spot as the fastest growing city in the country; its metro population now displaces Boston. The other overall winners in the demographic game this year are Nashville, where home prices continue to surge while real estate inventory is down 40 percent; Las Vegas, which tempted Bay Area techies to follow the Raiders to Sin City; Charlotte, which now has a larger population than San Francisco; and the greater Charleston area, which is likely the home of Boeing’s next expansion and has benefitted from manufacturing jobs moving south.
…
The pandemic brought nightlife and culture to a near halt, and for many there is little desire to stay in a city that lost 1,000 restaurants and counting. Combine these factors with a plethora of new taxes and regulatory schemes that soak middle- and high-income earners, and it’s obvious why the former titans of population growth seem to have feet of clay. The decline of liberal cities in blue states during a crisis is perhaps the clearest judgment on a raft of poor tax and regulatory policies. It will also accelerate the demographic shift changing the political calculus in traditionally red states, as seen in Georgia and Arizona in the presidential race.
…


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Google Deepmind AI Project to Improve Renewable Energy Reliability Quietly Disappeared

A Google project to use artificial intelligence to improve the predictability of wind energy appears to have failed .
Engineers who worked on the project have reportedly removed mention of their work from their linked in profiles .
Climate change falls down the agenda at A.I .
lab DeepMind after energy heads leave • The , which has attracted its fair share of attention over the years , has vanished and none of the company ’ s staff mention it on their LinkedIn profiles .
• At one point , DeepMind wanted to use its AI technology to optimize National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure that provides electricity to homes and businesses around Britain .
• The organizations spent a considerable amount of time working together , but there were many hurdles to overcome if anything was ever going to be implemented .
LONDON — Artificial intelligence ( AI ) lab DeepMind has shifted its focus from climate change to other areas of science and is pursuing its original mission of creating artificial general intelligence ( AGI ) , which is widely seen as the holy grail of the nascent technology , according to several people familiar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeepMind ’ s early and perhaps most successful projects involved slashing Google ’ s enormous electricity bill , instantly reducing the company ’ s carbon footprint .
The search giant , technically a sister company to DeepMind as they ’ re both run by Alphabet , announced in July 2016 that it had been able to reduce the energy consumption of its data center cooling units — used to stop Google ’ s servers from overheating — by as much as 40 % with the help of a DeepMind AI system .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it has yet to publicly confirm where and how its energy-saving AI has been applied beyond Google ’ s data centers and wind farms .
At one point , DeepMind wanted to use its AI technology to optimize National Grid , which owns and operates the infrastructure that provides electricity to homes and businesses around Britain .
“ We ’ re early stages talking to National Grid and other big providers about how we could look at the sorts of problems they have , ” DeepMind Chief Executive Demis Hassabis said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 2017 .
“ It would be amazing if you could save 10 % of the country ’ s energy usage without any new infrastructure , just from optimisation .
That ’ s pretty exciting.
” Last March , it emerged that talks had broken down between DeepMind and National Grid .
The organizations spent a considerable amount of time working together , sometimes at a National Grid facility near Reading , in the English county of Berkshire , but there were many hurdles to overcome if anything was ever going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ robotics company Robust AI , and co-author of “ Rebooting AI , ” which critically analyzes the industry and suggests how to advance it further , told CNBC that the technology may not have worked well enough for National Grid to justify the cost .
“ Their primary technique , deep reinforcement learning , works best in well-controlled environments , such as board games , and may struggle with the complexity and unpredictability of the real world , ” Marcus told CNBC .
Sheikh added : “ The technology might not have worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mature .
”

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
A Google project to use artificial intelligence to improve the predictability of wind energy appears to have failed. Engineers who worked on the project have reportedly removed mention of their work from their linked in profiles.
Climate change falls down the agenda at A.I. lab DeepMind after energy heads leave
PUBLISHED THU, DEC 17 2020 3:55 AM EST
Sam Shead@SAM_L_SHEAD
KEY POINTS
The DeepMind Energy unit , which has attracted its fair share of attention over the years, has vanished and none of the company’s staff mention it on their LinkedIn profiles.
, which has attracted its fair share of attention over the years, At one point, DeepMind wanted to use its AI technology to optimize National Grid, which owns and operates the infrastructure that provides electricity to homes and businesses around Britain.
The organizations spent a considerable amount of time working together, but there were many hurdles to overcome if anything was ever going to be implemented.
LONDON — Artificial intelligence (AI) lab DeepMind has shifted its focus from climate change to other areas of science and is pursuing its original mission of creating artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is widely seen as the holy grail of the nascent technology, according to several people familiar with the matter.
…
One of the DeepMind’s early and perhaps most successful projects involved slashing Google’s enormous electricity bill, instantly reducing the company’s carbon footprint. The search giant, technically a sister company to DeepMind as they’re both run by Alphabet, announced in July 2016 that it had been able to reduce the energy consumption of its data center cooling units — used to stop Google’s servers from overheating — by as much as 40% with the help of a DeepMind AI system.
…
While the company’s achievements are significant, it has yet to publicly confirm where and how its energy-saving AI has been applied beyond Google’s data centers and wind farms.
National Grid nightmare?
At one point, DeepMind wanted to use its AI technology to optimize National Grid, which owns and operates the infrastructure that provides electricity to homes and businesses around Britain.
“We’re early stages talking to National Grid and other big providers about how we could look at the sorts of problems they have,” DeepMind Chief Executive Demis Hassabis said in an interview with The Financial Times in March 2017. “It would be amazing if you could save 10% of the country’s energy usage without any new infrastructure, just from optimisation. That’s pretty exciting.”
Last March, it emerged that talks had broken down between DeepMind and National Grid. The organizations spent a considerable amount of time working together, sometimes at a National Grid facility near Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, but there were many hurdles to overcome if anything was ever going to be implemented.
…
Gary Marcus, CEO of robotics company Robust AI, and co-author of “Rebooting AI,” which critically analyzes the industry and suggests how to advance it further, told CNBC that the technology may not have worked well enough for National Grid to justify the cost.
“Their primary technique, deep reinforcement learning, works best in well-controlled environments, such as board games, and may struggle with the complexity and unpredictability of the real world,” Marcus told CNBC.
Sheikh added: “The technology might not have worked because it’s not really that mature.”
…


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Record snowfalls hits Japanese islands

Record snowfalls hits Japanese islands

17 Dec 2020 – In some places , snowdrifts have reached human height , up to 160 cm !
( more than five feet ! )
Three to four times higher than usual for this time of year .
Locals say it never happened in their memory .
Japan deployed the military on Thursday ( Dec 17 ) to help residents trapped by record snowfall that blanketed parts of the country , with 10,000 homes losing power in the north and west .
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency Cabinet meeting and urged the public to be cautious , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cars were stranded on an expressway connecting Tokyo to Niigata in the north .
Such climatic conditions caused a real collapse on the roads .
Stretches of roads up to 15 km were blocked .
Not all drivers were able to immediately find their own cars under the thick of snow .
In addition , the roads are very slippery .
Snowstorms also caused disruptions to air traffic .
More than 50 flights were canceled .
Over 72 hours , a record 2.17 metres of snow fell in Minakami , Gunma prefecture , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prefecture – famous for skiing – got a record 1.8 metres of snow on Thursday morning .
Snow also fell in the temple city of Kyoto , producing images of delicate pagodas and famed shrines dusted with flakes that delighted social media .
Members of Japan ’ s Self-Defense Forces were delivering blankets and food to homes suffering blackouts , local officials said .
Tsuyoshi Watanabe , a Niigata disaster management official , told AFP he had asked for soldiers to help around 460 vehicles stranded on a highway .
Victims in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention .
More snow is expected for the region over the weekend .
Thanks to Martin Siebert for these links The post Record snowfalls hits Japanese islands appeared first on Ice Age Now .

17 Dec 2020 – In some places, snowdrifts have reached human height, up to 160 cm! (more than five feet!) Three to four times higher than usual for this time of year.
Locals say it never happened in their memory.
Japan deployed the military on Thursday (Dec 17) to help residents trapped by record snowfall that blanketed parts of the country, with 10,000 homes losing power in the north and west.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency Cabinet meeting and urged the public to be cautious, as local media reported more than 1,000 cars were stranded on an expressway connecting Tokyo to Niigata in the north.
Such climatic conditions caused a real collapse on the roads. Stretches of roads up to 15 km were blocked. Not all drivers were able to immediately find their own cars under the thick of snow.
In addition, the roads are very slippery.
Snowstorms also caused disruptions to air traffic. More than 50 flights were canceled.
Over 72 hours, a record 2.17 metres of snow fell in Minakami, Gunma prefecture, reports said, while Yuzawa in Niigata prefecture – famous for skiing – got a record 1.8 metres of snow on Thursday morning.
Snow also fell in the temple city of Kyoto, producing images of delicate pagodas and famed shrines dusted with flakes that delighted social media.
Members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces were delivering blankets and food to homes suffering blackouts, local officials said.
Tsuyoshi Watanabe, a Niigata disaster management official, told AFP he had asked for soldiers to help around 460 vehicles stranded on a highway.
Victims in the prefectures of Niigata and Akita sought medical attention.
More snow is expected for the region over the weekend.
http://www.meteo-tv.ru/news/Prirodnye-proisshestviya/YAponiya-v-snezhnom-plenu/
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/japan-snowfall-power-outages-army-deployed-13792444
Thanks to Martin Siebert for these links
The post Record snowfalls hits Japanese islands appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 17, 2020 at 03:12PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--It doesn’t take a majority to get results

It just takes a very determined minority .
______________ It doesn ’ t take a majority to get results “ If the people in the 13 colonies behaved like they do today they would be just like the British are today.
” To me , that statement implies that taking action may require a majority of citizens , and I don ’ t think that is true .
Many people today do actually act as the majority of colonists did then .
There was a very positive outcome despite this , however .
Some basic numbers and facts to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t take nearly a majority in order to initiate change ( Revolution then , Evolution ( ? )
now ) .
Historians have generally used the Adams ’ account of events , or the 1/3 observation : 1/3 of the population was for the Revolution , 1/3 were neutral , and 1/3 were Loyalists and , therefore , belligerent to revolution activities ( I would suggest that this is likely similar breakdown of today ’ s political landscape . )
The support for Revolution didn ’ t include a majority of citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a majority to fight to attain victory .
Adams , according to some accounts , may have actually overestimated the number of supporters of the Revolution .
Some historians have suggested that as much as 40-45 % of the population was against the Crown – this was likely , however , estimates of support when the fighting actually began and more likely represents support toward the end of hostilities .
Observations/statistics gaining more popularity are that only 20 % or so of the colonists were actually initially enthusiastic enough to join the cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s proof that it doesn ’ t take a majority to get results , it just takes a very determined minority .
Also , we see that all of this wasn ’ t/isn ’ t possible without a very determined leadership .
There were only 53 signatories to the Declaration of Independence .
Some were tortured and hung , many had their farms raided and burned to the ground , some lost sons to the war , and others went bankrupt .
But , they knew the consequences and accepted them anyway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and live free of English tyranny .
It will take real leadership/personalities , some group of men and women with the “ audacity ” to put everything on the line to lead the rest of us to action in order to retain our Republic .
Pence maybe in his role as President of the Senate on Jan 6 , Gen Flynn ?
!
Lt. Col .
West ?
!
We don ’ t need a majority of citizens , or even a majority of the ( likely ) 80M+ Trump voters to effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority led by an unselfish , patriotic leadership .
The post It doesn ’ t take a majority to get results appeared first on Ice Age Now .

It just takes a very determined minority.
______________
It doesn’t take a majority to get results
Keith C.
“If the people in the 13 colonies behaved like they do today they would be just like the British are today.” To me, that statement implies that taking action may require a majority of citizens, and I don’t think that is true.
Many people today do actually act as the majority of colonists did then. There was a very positive outcome despite this, however.
Some basic numbers and facts to make a point – i.e. it didn’t take nearly a majority in order to initiate change (Revolution then, Evolution(?) now).
Historians have generally used the Adams’ account of events, or the 1/3 observation: 1/3 of the population was for the Revolution, 1/3 were neutral, and 1/3 were Loyalists and, therefore, belligerent to revolution activities (I would suggest that this is likely similar breakdown of today’s political landscape.) The support for Revolution didn’t include a majority of citizens at all – nor did it include a majority to fight to attain victory.
Adams, according to some accounts, may have actually overestimated the number of supporters of the Revolution.
Some historians have suggested that as much as 40-45% of the population was against the Crown – this was likely, however, estimates of support when the fighting actually began and more likely represents support toward the end of hostilities.
Observations/statistics gaining more popularity are that only 20% or so of the colonists were actually initially enthusiastic enough to join the cause. Why is this important? It’s proof that it doesn’t take a majority to get results, it just takes a very determined minority.
Also, we see that all of this wasn’t/isn’t possible without a very determined leadership. There were only 53 signatories to the Declaration of Independence. Some were tortured and hung, many had their farms raided and burned to the ground, some lost sons to the war, and others went bankrupt. But, they knew the consequences and accepted them anyway so that we could gain our independence and live free of English tyranny.
It will take real leadership/personalities, some group of men and women with the “audacity” to put everything on the line to lead the rest of us to action in order to retain our Republic. Pence maybe in his role as President of the Senate on Jan 6 , Gen Flynn?! Lt. Col. West?!
We don’t need a majority of citizens, or even a majority of the (likely) 80M+ Trump voters to effect change. We just need that determined minority led by an unselfish, patriotic leadership.
The post It doesn’t take a majority to get results appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 17, 2020 at 02:43PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Claim: We’re Closer to 1.5C Global Warming than You Think

How close can scientists adjust us towards the 1.5C global warming bogeyman temperature without people noticing its just not that big a deal ?
Earth may be even closer to 1.5°C of global warming than we thought Global carbon emissions may have warmed Earth by 18 per cent more than previously thought , raising the prospect of the world having less time than expected to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change .
The global average temperature is thought to have climbed about 1.07°C since the industrial revolution , up from a previous estimate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the world ’ s key temperature data sets in line , suggesting the true temperature rise is at the upper end of previous ranges .
“ Climate change hasn ’ t suddenly got worse .
It ’ s just our estimate of how much warming has taken place has improved , ” says Tim Osborn at the University of East Anglia , UK , who today published a paper with Met Office colleagues on the fifth update to the data , known as the Hadley Centre Climatic Research Unit Temperature ( HadCRUT5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closer to the fire .
According to the CSIRO , Australia is even closer to the dreaded 1.5C climate apocalypse than the world in general ; The Bureau of Meteorology and other science agencies employ a range of atmospheric , terrestrial and marine sensors to track climatic trends .
For example , the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature dataset is based on a network of over 100 stations , with data for more than half starting in 1910 .
The following information is taken from the 2020 State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology .
Australia ’ s climate has warmed since national records began in 1910 , with most warming occurring since 1950 .
Australia ’ s mean surface air temperature has increased by more than 1.4°C since 1910 .
Since 1950 , every decade has been warmer than it ’ s predecessor .
Australia ’ s warmest year on record was 2019 , and the seven years from 2013 to 2019 all rank in the nine warmest years .
This long‑term warming trend means that most years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the 20th century .
When relatively cooler years do occur , it is because natural drivers that typically cool Australia ’ s climate , such as La Niña , act to partially offset the background warming trend .
All this presents a difficult dilemma for climate scientists .
If the adjusted temperatures keep rising at their current pace , pretty soon they ’ ll blow through the magic death line milestones , and people will start asking what the big deal was .
But if the adjusted temperature series begin to flatten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even mainstream media personalities might start talking about a new pause .
Thankfully there are a few years to go until crunch time , so the most senior scientists of today will all be safely retired long before this aspect of the global warming scare hits the fan .

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
How close can scientists adjust us towards the 1.5C global warming bogeyman temperature without people noticing its just not that big a deal?
Earth may be even closer to 1.5°C of global warming than we thought ENVIRONMENT 15 December 2020
By Adam Vaughan Global carbon emissions may have warmed Earth by 18 per cent more than previously thought, raising the prospect of the world having less time than expected to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change. The global average temperature is thought to have climbed about 1.07°C since the industrial revolution, up from a previous estimate of 0.91°C. This update brings all three of the world’s key temperature data sets in line, suggesting the true temperature rise is at the upper end of previous ranges. … “Climate change hasn’t suddenly got worse. It’s just our estimate of how much warming has taken place has improved,” says Tim Osborn at the University of East Anglia, UK, who today published a paper with Met Office colleagues on the fifth update to the data, known as the Hadley Centre Climatic Research Unit Temperature (HadCRUT5). … Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2262953-earth-may-be-even-closer-to-1-5c-of-global-warming-than-we-thought/
The CSIRO is playing even closer to the fire. According to the CSIRO, Australia is even closer to the dreaded 1.5C climate apocalypse than the world in general;
AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE TRENDS The Bureau of Meteorology and other science agencies employ a range of atmospheric, terrestrial and marine sensors to track climatic trends. For example, the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature dataset is based on a network of over 100 stations, with data for more than half starting in 1910. The following information is taken from the 2020 State of the Climate report, produced every two years by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology. Australia’s climate has warmed since national records began in 1910, with most warming occurring since 1950. Australia’s mean surface air temperature has increased by more than 1.4°C since 1910. Since 1950, every decade has been warmer than it’s predecessor. Australia’s warmest year on record was 2019, and the seven years from 2013 to 2019 all rank in the nine warmest years. This long‑term warming trend means that most years are now warmer than almost any observed during the 20th century. When relatively cooler years do occur, it is because natural drivers that typically cool Australia’s climate, such as La Niña, act to partially offset the background warming trend. … Read more: https://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/en/climate-campus/australian-climate-change/australian-trends/
All this presents a difficult dilemma for climate scientists.
If the adjusted temperatures keep rising at their current pace, pretty soon they’ll blow through the magic death line milestones, and people will start asking what the big deal was.
But if the adjusted temperature series begin to flatten, skeptics will point and laugh, and even mainstream media personalities might start talking about a new pause.
Thankfully there are a few years to go until crunch time, so the most senior scientists of today will all be safely retired long before this aspect of the global warming scare hits the fan.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Record Snowfall – More Snow in Parts of Northeast than All Last Season

Large parts of the eastern United States woke this morning to more than 3 feet of snow as a major winter storm hit parts of New York and Pennsylvania , led to hundreds of accidents and travel disruptions , airport delays , power outages , and left at least four people dead .
Many looked out their windows this morning and saw utter hell , like those in Endicott , New York , and Litchfield , Pennsylvania , which received upwards of 40 inches .
The NWS office in Binghamton , New York , tallied nearly 40 inches of snow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1951 , while Albany , New York , was hit with 19 inches of snow .
More than ten inches of snow and sleet covered New York ’ s Central Park , exceeding the measly 4.8 inches recorded all last winter , the National Weather Service said .
By Wednesday night , parts of central Pennsylvania received upwards of a foot .
The NWS in State College measured 12.5 inches at its office around midnight , almost surpassing the 13.5 inches recorded in all of last season .
A foot of snow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 9 p.m. Wednesday , and spotters reported 13 inches in parts of Centre County , the weather service said .
NWS Eastern Region tweeted up-to-date snowfall readings for the Northeast .
Absolutely mind-boggling totals for areas around the New York–Pennsylvania border .
“ Snowfall reports received as of 8:30 am .
An intense snow band set up overnight around the Binghamton NY area , producing snowfall rates of 4-5″ per hour .
Among the highest snowfall totals thus far : Newark Valley NY 44″ , Litchfield PA 43″ , and Binghamton NY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people remained without power and tens of millions of Americans were under winter weather alerts .
And it ’ s not over yet .
Boston could receive around a foot of snow , with the heaviest hitting Thursday morning , Torry Gaucher , a meteorologist with NWS , told NBC News .
Several more inches of heavy wet snow ( 2 to 5 inches ) are forecast for portions of New York and all six New England states , according to the NWS , warning that “ travel could be very difficult to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning ` s commute .
Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
” Near blizzard conditons are forecast for some areas .
Thanks to Bill Sellers for these links

Large parts of the eastern United States woke this morning to more than 3 feet of snow as a major winter storm hit parts of New York and Pennsylvania, led to hundreds of accidents and travel disruptions, airport delays, power outages, and left at least four people dead.
Many looked out their windows this morning and saw utter hell, like those in Endicott, New York, and Litchfield, Pennsylvania, which received upwards of 40 inches.
The NWS office in Binghamton, New York, tallied nearly 40 inches of snow, their largest total since records began in 1951, while Albany, New York, was hit with 19 inches of snow.
More than ten inches of snow and sleet covered New York’s Central Park, exceeding the measly 4.8 inches recorded all last winter, the National Weather Service said.
By Wednesday night, parts of central Pennsylvania received upwards of a foot. The NWS in State College measured 12.5 inches at its office around midnight, almost surpassing the 13.5 inches recorded in all of last season.
A foot of snow had been recorded in Lock Haven as of 9 p.m. Wednesday, and spotters reported 13 inches in parts of Centre County, the weather service said.
NWS Eastern Region tweeted up-to-date snowfall readings for the Northeast. Absolutely mind-boggling totals for areas around the New York–Pennsylvania border.
Snowfall rates of 4-5″ per hour!
“Snowfall reports received as of 8:30 am. An intense snow band set up overnight around the Binghamton NY area, producing snowfall rates of 4-5″ per hour. Among the highest snowfall totals thus far: Newark Valley NY 44″, Litchfield PA 43″, and Binghamton NY and Vestal NY 41″.”
Thousands of people remained without power and tens of millions of Americans were under winter weather alerts.
And it’s not over yet.
Boston could receive around a foot of snow, with the heaviest hitting Thursday morning, Torry Gaucher, a meteorologist with NWS, told NBC News.
Several more inches of heavy wet snow(2 to 5 inches) are forecast for portions of New York and all six New England states, according to the NWS, warning that “travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact this morning`s commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.”
Near blizzard conditons are forecast for some areas.
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/winter-blast-dumps-more-snow-some-parts-northeast-all-last-season
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/four-dead-as-winter-storm-hits-northeast-with-3-feet-of-snow/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/weather/east-coast-snow-storm-thursday/
Thanks to Bill Sellers for these links


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--Conservative Woman & Britain’s Wild Weather

As you know , I have run a few pieces on the Panorama “ documentary ” , Britain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ wrote a shortened version for the Conservative Woman website , which is worth a read @ @ @ @ @ A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
As you know, I have run a few pieces on the Panorama “documentary”, Britain’s Wild Weather.
I also wrote a shortened version for the Conservative Woman website, which is worth a read as well:
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/on-panorama-it-never-rains-but-it-pours-bogus-facts/
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December 17, 2020 at 10:24AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-17--GAO Asks Court to Compel New Mexico AG to Stop Stonewalling in Discovery, Provide Answers to Questio

GAO Asks Court to Compel New Mexico AG to Stop Stonewalling in Discovery, Provide Answers to Questions About Work with Activists and Activist AGs

EPA reveals AGO ’ s claim that records are shielded by “ pending litigation , ” secrecy pact directly contradicted by New York Attorney General claim to WSJ Albuquerque , NM , December 8 , 2020 – The public interest law firm Government Accountability & Oversight , P.C .
( GAO ) and local counsel Pat Rogers have filed a Motion to Compel answers in litigation discovery against a stonewalling New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas , in a lawsuit filed under the Inspection of Public Records Act ( IPRA ) on behalf of the government-transparency group Energy Policy Advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end six months of AG Office obstructionism , hiding records relating to its work with outside parties to , as one document sent to a Michael Bloomberg-funded activist group that placed attorneys in Balderas ’ s Office puts it , “ identify ‘ pressure points ’ on which litigation can be used to most effectively influence policy.
” AG Balderas has extended his refusal to release public documents and information , keeping secret his work and even contracts with outside activists , the tort bar and other state AGs to advance private ideological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EPA ’ s Motion notes , the AG ’ s Office has refused to provide good faith answers and an adequate privilege log , explaining why to EPA ’ s lawyers in one call : “ This is a very confidential matter.
” This claim is irrelevant , if telling , and EPA now seeks compelled responses and sanctions against Balderas ’ s Office .
The [ IPRA ] requests relate to a multi-state campaign by certain offices of state attorneys general to coordinate the advancement of a sweeping private policy agenda .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with outside activists and other parties , these AG offices are obscuring their involvement under so-called common interest agreements .
These common interest agreements themselves are being withheld , now in discovery , so that the Plaintiff , the public and the Court are expected to simply trust OAG that the details of these common interest agreements—which in turn are used to justify the withholding of volumes of public documents—do represent valid common interest agreements , and are legally privileged .
Although Balderas ’ s Office claims that the records detailing this coordination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to file , the Motion notes “ The author , ringleader and lead signatory of the effort to shield discussions about suing to obtain federal “ climate ” regulations [ New York Attorney General Letitia James ] has just publicly denied that the parties have moved beyond such theoretical discussions , and flatly admitted that there is no reasonably anticipated litigation Defendant can point to supporting the claim that a preposterously broad purported common interest agreement shields the records Plaintiff seeks ” .
This admission by New York ’ s James was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by reporter Tim Puko that ran just last week , seeking to dismiss the reporter ’ s interest in these same machinations .
The Defendant has invoked these secret common interest agreements to withhold correspondence to and from outside parties , and at least one Power Point presentation prepared by an outside activist , while also withholding the very agreements themselves .
Both the purported common interest agreements at issue in this case and certainly the correspondence with outside parties that the Defendant continues to withhold are of enormous public interest and importance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of a critical public office and public funds to pursue and keep secret a private agenda , the actual work of the “ quasi-public employees ” involved and the details of the collaboration between plaintiffs ’ attorneys , private partisan political donors , ideological activists and states ’ attorneys general .
In New Mexico the AGO is specifically commanded by law to enforce the Inspection of Public Records Act but is now holding itself above the law it is obligated to enforce .
In so doing , AGO attempts to avoid New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public disclosure by entering self-serving agreements to keep the secret operations hidden from disclosure to the public .
As EPA informed the Court , “ Defendant also changed its practice of releasing the identities of outside parties to responsive correspondence , and began reflexively , automatically and improperly withholding the names and identities of all individuals from outside of the New Mexico Attorney General ’ s Office who were copied on correspondence the Plaintiff requested.
” This unlawful behavior is being undertaken in fealty to several secrecy pacts one of which , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AGOs to serve a supporting role for private tort firms pursuing municipalities in “ climate nuisance ” litigation .
This suggests the prospect that the records ’ details have also been shared with the tort bar , and others .
Other records obtained by EPA and hidden by AGO reveal a campaign with outside activists to impose the equivalent of the “ Green New Deal ” on the country through the courts , “ purport [ ing ] to memorialize an agreement to take judicial or administrative action to require the Federal Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defend the right to take action to reduce or limit greenhouse gases .
More concisely , it is an agreement to share information that may be used to do something against some public or private entity or entities , under some authority and maybe the Clean Air Act or not , at some point in time , but most definitely regarding greenhouse gases .
As such it is not only a parody of a common interest agreement but also a clumsy effort at a secrecy pact , implemented in this case as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a plausible means to delay or refuse releasing public records… This is not a common interest agreement ; this is an attempt to shield the workings of the New Mexico Attorney General from public scrutiny in violation of public policy .
“ The public has a right to know how public dollars and the Attorney General ’ s Office are being used to advance private political agendas , and what contracts it enters in the public ’ s name , ” said GAO ’ s Chris Horner .
“ New Mexico ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often clumsy behavior to hide precisely what they are up to , which stonewalling today ’ s Motion seeks to finally end.
” Government Accountability & Oversight is a 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to transparency in public officials ’ dealings on matters of energy , environment and law enforcement

Reposted from Government Accountability and Oversight.
CHRIS HORNER GAO, In The News
EPA reveals AGO’s claim that records are shielded by “pending litigation,” secrecy pact directly contradicted by New York Attorney General claim to WSJ
Albuquerque, NM, December 8, 2020 – The public interest law firm Government Accountability & Oversight, P.C. (GAO) and local counsel Pat Rogers have filed a Motion to Compel answers in litigation discovery against a stonewalling New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, in a lawsuit filed under the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) on behalf of the government-transparency group Energy Policy Advocates (EPA). GAO seeks to end six months of AG Office obstructionism, hiding records relating to its work with outside parties to, as one document sent to a Michael Bloomberg-funded activist group that placed attorneys in Balderas’s Office puts it, “identify ‘pressure points’ on which litigation can be used to most effectively influence policy.”
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AG Balderas has extended his refusal to release public documents and information, keeping secret his work and even contracts with outside activists, the tort bar and other state AGs to advance private ideological, political and financial agendas. As EPA’s Motion notes, the AG’s Office has refused to provide good faith answers and an adequate privilege log, explaining why to EPA’s lawyers in one call: “This is a very confidential matter.” This claim is irrelevant, if telling, and EPA now seeks compelled responses and sanctions against Balderas’s Office.
As the Motion notes:
The [IPRA] requests relate to a multi-state campaign by certain offices of state attorneys general to coordinate the advancement of a sweeping private policy agenda. Although this campaign was undertaken in consultation with outside activists and other parties, these AG offices are obscuring their involvement under so-called common interest agreements. These common interest agreements themselves are being withheld, now in discovery, so that the Plaintiff, the public and the Court are expected to simply trust OAG that the details of these common interest agreements—which in turn are used to justify the withholding of volumes of public documents—do represent valid common interest agreements, and are legally privileged.
Although Balderas’s Office claims that the records detailing this coordination are privileged because of imminent litigation it plans to file, the Motion notes “The author, ringleader and lead signatory of the effort to shield discussions about suing to obtain federal “climate” regulations [New York Attorney General Letitia James] has just publicly denied that the parties have moved beyond such theoretical discussions, and flatly admitted that there is no reasonably anticipated litigation Defendant can point to supporting the claim that a preposterously broad purported common interest agreement shields the records Plaintiff seeks”. This admission by New York’s James was reported in a Wall Street Journal story by reporter Tim Puko that ran just last week, seeking to dismiss the reporter’s interest in these same machinations.
The Motion also notes:
The Defendant has invoked these secret common interest agreements to withhold correspondence to and from outside parties, and at least one Power Point presentation prepared by an outside activist, while also withholding the very agreements themselves. Both the purported common interest agreements at issue in this case and certainly the correspondence with outside parties that the Defendant continues to withhold are of enormous public interest and importance for the light they shed on the use of a critical public office and public funds to pursue and keep secret a private agenda, the actual work of the “quasi-public employees” involved and the details of the collaboration between plaintiffs’ attorneys, private partisan political donors, ideological activists and states’ attorneys general.
In New Mexico the AGO is specifically commanded by law to enforce the Inspection of Public Records Act but is now holding itself above the law it is obligated to enforce. In so doing, AGO attempts to avoid New Mexico citizens’ right to the sunlight of public disclosure by entering self-serving agreements to keep the secret operations hidden from disclosure to the public.
As EPA informed the Court, “Defendant also changed its practice of releasing the identities of outside parties to responsive correspondence, and began reflexively, automatically and improperly withholding the names and identities of all individuals from outside of the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office who were copied on correspondence the Plaintiff requested.”
This unlawful behavior is being undertaken in fealty to several secrecy pacts one of which, EPA has learned, arranges for state AGOs to serve a supporting role for private tort firms pursuing municipalities in “climate nuisance” litigation. This suggests the prospect that the records’ details have also been shared with the tort bar, and others.
Other records obtained by EPA and hidden by AGO reveal a campaign with outside activists to impose the equivalent of the “Green New Deal” on the country through the courts, “purport[ing] to memorialize an agreement to take judicial or administrative action to require the Federal Government or private parties to take action or defend the right to take action to reduce or limit greenhouse gases. More concisely, it is an agreement to share information that may be used to do something against some public or private entity or entities, under some authority and maybe the Clean Air Act or not, at some point in time, but most definitely regarding greenhouse gases. As such it is not only a parody of a common interest agreement but also a clumsy effort at a secrecy pact, implemented in this case as an instrument to provide allies notice of requests and a plausible means to delay or refuse releasing public records… This is not a common interest agreement; this is an attempt to shield the workings of the New Mexico Attorney General from public scrutiny in violation of public policy.
“The public has a right to know how public dollars and the Attorney General’s Office are being used to advance private political agendas, and what contracts it enters in the public’s name,” said GAO’s Chris Horner. “New Mexico’s AGO has engaged in unlawful and often clumsy behavior to hide precisely what they are up to, which stonewalling today’s Motion seeks to finally end.”
Government Accountability & Oversight is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to transparency in public officials’ dealings on matters of energy, environment and law enforcement
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Crystal ball time as the BBC and Met Office unveil their climate postcode lottery

Brits can get their fix of climate doom here .
All based on greenhouse gas theory , even though the @ @ @ @ @ What could possibly go wrong ?
Just ‘ Enter your postcode above to reveal how @ @ @ @ @ you ’ , says the BBC .
Will you be roasted , flooded or maybe @ @ @ @ @ How high might temperatures climb where you live – and is it likely to rain @ @ @ @ @ the Met Office have looked at the UK ’ s changing climate in detail to @ @ @ @ @ Office climate projections cover different levels of global warming .
When , or if , @ @ @ @ @ depend on the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere .
The data is measured @ @ @ @ @ grids across the UK .
The results for your postcode represent an average for the @ @ @ @ @ the mid-point of a range of future possibilities .
How could the climate change near @ @

Brits can get their fix of climate doom here. All based on greenhouse gas theory, even though the greenhouse itself is mythical. What could possibly go wrong? Just ‘Enter your postcode above to reveal how hot it could get near you’, says the BBC. Will you be roasted, flooded or maybe both?
– – –
How high might temperatures climb where you live – and is it likely to rain more?
The BBC and the Met Office have looked at the UK’s changing climate in detail to find out.
The Met Office climate projections cover different levels of global warming.
When, or if, these levels are reached will depend on the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
The data is measured in 12km-square (7.5-mile-square) grids across the UK. The results for your postcode represent an average for the grids closest to you and the mid-point of a range of future possibilities.
How could the climate change near you?
Enter a full UK postcode to find out
Continued here.
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December 18, 2020 at 05:45AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--North Face refuses to supply jackets with company logo to oil & gas producer — even though the jacke

North Face refuses to supply jackets with company logo to oil & gas producer — even though the jackets are made from oil & gas

Here We Go Looby-Loo Edition !
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
Here We Go Looby-Loo Edition!
https://www.climatedepot.com/2020/12/17/cant-make-this-up-north-face-refuses-to-supply-jackets-with-company-logo-to-oil-gas-producer-even-though-jackets-are-made-from-oil-gas/
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December 18, 2020 at 04:24AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Preventing Ecosystem Collapse: Caribbean Coral Reefs

Media headlines have been promoting unrealistic fears of ecosystem collapse due to climate change .
Such fears get supported when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) designates some ecosystems as endangered , such as Caribbean Coral Reefs .
But reefs are resilient and the human factors threatening individual reefs can be remedied .
The Caribbean reef ecosystem consists of thousands of individual reefs spanning from the east coast of Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas and south to the coast of Venezuela .
Fifteen thousand years ago these reefs did not exist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feet during the ice age .
Modern reefs became established 8,000 years ago by colonizing newly flooded coastlines .
Based on one IUCN criterion the Caribbean reef ecosystem was designated “ Least Concern ” due to the widespread occurrence of individual reefs .
In contrast , the loss of 59 % of total coral cover between 1971 and 2006 prompted the IUCN to designate the reef system as “ Endangered ” .
Coral cover naturally fluctuates with seaweeds ( macro-algae ) .
Coral are killed by hurricanes , disease or bleaching , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The seaweed is gradually reduced by algae-eating animals which allows coral to return to their former dominance .
Coral usually recover within 15 to 20 years , but recently their recovery has been extremely limited thus reducing coral cover .
Unlike the demonized sea urchins that threaten Alaska ’ s kelp forest , algae-eating urchins are vitally important in maintaining the balance between seaweeds and Caribbean coral .
The recent lack of coral recovery is largely attributed to a new disease that devastated urchin populations in the 1980s and minimized the urchins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been decimated in the 1980s by the novel White Band disease .
However , that disease only affected two coral species from the genus Acropora – staghorn and elkhorn coral .
Those species are now considered endangered .
Acropora ’ s evolutionary strategy was to quickly colonize vacated shores produced by natural disturbances like hurricanes .
These coral species thus dedicated their energy to rapid growth to out compete the seaweeds .
That adaptation allowed staghorn and elkhorn coral to rapidly colonize flooded coasts as sea level recovered from the last Ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But that strategy required diverting energy from building stronger reefs or resisting disease .
Because Acropora require shallow habitat they ’ re vulnerable to storm damage .
So , they evolved a reproductive strategy that produced new colonies by cloning new coral from storm damaged fragments .
However , cloning reduces genetic diversity which also made them more vulnerable to new diseases .
Mortality from bleaching also reduced coral cover .
Bleaching from unusually warm temperatures during summer 2005 and the 1998 El Nino is often highlighted .
Surprisingly , fatal cold weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 2010 along the Florida Keys , cold weather killed 11.5 percent of the coral , which was 20 times worse than the 2005 warm weather mortality .
Understanding why both warm and cold weather causes bleaching provides insight into how coral have successfully adapted to ever changing climates over the past 220 million years .
Shallow water corals depend on photosynthesizing symbiotic algae ( aka symbionts ) that provide over 90 % of the coral ’ s energy .
However , those corals will remove one symbiont species and acquire a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing weather conditions .
During the winter , colder temperatures and less light reduce photosynthesis .
So , coral increase their density of symbiotic algae to counteract reduced productivity .
But if it is too cold , the symbionts keep their energy supply for themselves .
As a result , coral remove the “ freeloaders ” causing bleaching .
A more productive cold‑tolerant symbiont must then be acquired , or the coral die .
In contrast during the summer , more light and higher temperatures produce so much energy , coral reduce their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produces potentially harmful chemical by-products , coral remove symbionts to reduce the production of harmful chemicals .
That too causes coral to bleach , and unless a better adapted symbiont is acquired , the coral will die .
Despite that mortality risk , research now shows by switching their symbionts , coral can quickly adapt to warmer or cooler climates and enhance the species survival .
Studying fossil reefs , scientists determined that Caribbean corals had been declining decades before widespread bleaching and disease outbreaks occurred .
Growing human populations cleared the land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Resulting soil runoff reduced water clarity required for efficient photosynthesis .
Increased sewage also reduced clarity and introduced pathogens .
Those stressors made coral more susceptible to subsequent bleaching and disease .
Soil runoff also added nutrients that tipped the ecological balance to favor seaweed growth , while overfishing removed seaweed‑eating fish that once restricted seaweed dominance .
We can , and are controlling soil runoff and treating sewage .
Fishing regulations are restoring the ecosystem that had balanced seaweeds and coral .
And with those protections , naturally resilient coral will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : An Environmentalist ’ s Journey to Climate Skepticism , and a member of the CO Coalition

What’s Natural ?
Guest post by Jim Steele
Media headlines have been promoting unrealistic fears of ecosystem collapse due to climate change. Such fears get supported when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) designates some ecosystems as endangered, such as Caribbean Coral Reefs. But reefs are resilient and the human factors threatening individual reefs can be remedied.
The Caribbean reef ecosystem consists of thousands of individual reefs spanning from the east coast of Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas and south to the coast of Venezuela. Fifteen thousand years ago these reefs did not exist because sea level had fallen by 400 feet during the ice age. Modern reefs became established 8,000 years ago by colonizing newly flooded coastlines.
Based on one IUCN criterion the Caribbean reef ecosystem was designated “Least Concern” due to the widespread occurrence of individual reefs. In contrast, the loss of 59% of total coral cover between 1971 and 2006 prompted the IUCN to designate the reef system as “Endangered”.
Coral cover naturally fluctuates with seaweeds (macro-algae). Coral are killed by hurricanes, disease or bleaching, which allows seaweeds too colonize the vacated space. The seaweed is gradually reduced by algae-eating animals which allows coral to return to their former dominance. Coral usually recover within 15 to 20 years, but recently their recovery has been extremely limited thus reducing coral cover. Unlike the demonized sea urchins that threaten Alaska’s kelp forest, algae-eating urchins are vitally important in maintaining the balance between seaweeds and Caribbean coral. The recent lack of coral recovery is largely attributed to a new disease that devastated urchin populations in the 1980s and minimized the urchins’ consumption of seaweeds.
Caribbean corals had been decimated in the 1980s by the novel White Band disease. However, that disease only affected two coral species from the genus Acropora – staghorn and elkhorn coral. Those species are now considered endangered. Acropora’s evolutionary strategy was to quickly colonize vacated shores produced by natural disturbances like hurricanes. These coral species thus dedicated their energy to rapid growth to out compete the seaweeds. That adaptation allowed staghorn and elkhorn coral to rapidly colonize flooded coasts as sea level recovered from the last Ice Age and dominate modern Caribbean reefs. But that strategy required diverting energy from building stronger reefs or resisting disease.
Because Acropora require shallow habitat they’re vulnerable to storm damage. So, they evolved a reproductive strategy that produced new colonies by cloning new coral from storm damaged fragments. However, cloning reduces genetic diversity which also made them more vulnerable to new diseases.
Mortality from bleaching also reduced coral cover. Bleaching from unusually warm temperatures during summer 2005 and the 1998 El Nino is often highlighted. Surprisingly, fatal cold weather bleaching is rarely mentioned. Yet in January 2010 along the Florida Keys, cold weather killed 11.5 percent of the coral, which was 20 times worse than the 2005 warm weather mortality. Understanding why both warm and cold weather causes bleaching provides insight into how coral have successfully adapted to ever changing climates over the past 220 million years.
Shallow water corals depend on photosynthesizing symbiotic algae (aka symbionts) that provide over 90% of the coral’s energy. However, those corals will remove one symbiont species and acquire a new symbiont that is better adapted to the changing weather conditions. During the winter, colder temperatures and less light reduce photosynthesis. So, coral increase their density of symbiotic algae to counteract reduced productivity. But if it is too cold, the symbionts keep their energy supply for themselves. As a result, coral remove the “freeloaders” causing bleaching. A more productive cold‑tolerant symbiont must then be acquired, or the coral die.
In contrast during the summer, more light and higher temperatures produce so much energy, coral reduce their number of symbionts. Because photosynthesis also produces potentially harmful chemical by-products, coral remove symbionts to reduce the production of harmful chemicals. That too causes coral to bleach, and unless a better adapted symbiont is acquired, the coral will die. Despite that mortality risk, research now shows by switching their symbionts, coral can quickly adapt to warmer or cooler climates and enhance the species survival.
Studying fossil reefs, scientists determined that Caribbean corals had been declining decades before widespread bleaching and disease outbreaks occurred. Growing human populations cleared the land for farms, sugarcane and banana plantations. Resulting soil runoff reduced water clarity required for efficient photosynthesis. Increased sewage also reduced clarity and introduced pathogens. Those stressors made coral more susceptible to subsequent bleaching and disease. Soil runoff also added nutrients that tipped the ecological balance to favor seaweed growth, while overfishing removed seaweed‑eating fish that once restricted seaweed dominance.
We can, and are controlling soil runoff and treating sewage. Fishing regulations are restoring the ecosystem that had balanced seaweeds and coral. And with those protections, naturally resilient coral will steadily recover.
Jim Steele is Director emeritus of San Francisco State’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus,
authored Landscapes and Cycles: An Environmentalist’s Journey to Climate Skepticism,
and a member of the CO 2 Coalition
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--No, Climate Change Is Not ‘Pushing Birds North’

James Taylor debunks the latest rubbish from the Guardian : Among the top Google News search results today under “ climate change , the UK Guardian and other media outlets are claiming a new atlas of bird habitats shows global warming is “ pushing ” birds further north .
The atlas itself , however , tells a completely different story .
Rather than “ pushing ” birds out of their normal ranges and forcing them north , birds are benefiting from a warming climate by expanding their overall ranges , thriving in new , northern regions while still thriving in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of climate change is not a negative “ pushing ” of birds out of their habitat , but rather birds enjoying larger habitat ranges , while adding to biological diversity in their new ranges .
The Guardian story is titled , “ Atlas reveals birds pushed further north amid climate crisis.
” The title leads casual readers to belief birds are being stressed by climate change , consistent with the notion of a climate crisis .
If you dig deeper into the story , however , the Guardian admits , “ Overall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ range , 25 % contracted their breeding range and the rest did not show any change , or the trend is unknown.
” That is , of course , a positive development .
Indeed , even the Guardian admits , “ Generally , if a species is present in more areas it is less likely to go extinct….
” So , if you come across one of the “ news ” articles claiming the climate crisis is forcing birds to flee north , remember the facts – birds are taking advantage of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habitat ranges .
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By Paul Homewood
James Taylor debunks the latest rubbish from the Guardian:
Among the top Google News search results today under “climate change, the UK Guardian and other media outlets are claiming a new atlas of bird habitats shows global warming is “pushing” birds further north. The atlas itself, however, tells a completely different story. Rather than “pushing” birds out of their normal ranges and forcing them north, birds are benefiting from a warming climate by expanding their overall ranges, thriving in new, northern regions while still thriving in southern regions as well. The result of climate change is not a negative “pushing” of birds out of their habitat, but rather birds enjoying larger habitat ranges, while adding to biological diversity in their new ranges.
The Guardian story is titled, “Atlas reveals birds pushed further north amid climate crisis.” The title leads casual readers to belief birds are being stressed by climate change, consistent with the notion of a climate crisis. If you dig deeper into the story, however, the Guardian admits, “Overall, 35% of birds increased their breeding range, 25% contracted their breeding range and the rest did not show any change, or the trend is unknown.” That is, of course, a positive development. Indeed, even the Guardian admits, “Generally, if a species is present in more areas it is less likely to go extinct….”
So, if you come across one of the “news” articles claiming the climate crisis is forcing birds to flee north, remember the facts – birds are taking advantage of a warmer climate by adding to their overall habitat ranges.
https://climaterealism.com/2020/12/no-climate-change-is-not-pushing-birds-north/
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December 18, 2020 at 04:12AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Electric cars will leave hole in tax revenues, says Treasury

They ’ re just stating the obvious , but now a few people have made the switch away from fuel-burning cars their warnings will no doubt become louder .
Non-car owners can ’ t be penalised with an electricity surcharge , and EV subsidies can ’ t be handed out to everyone forever .
They add a free dollop of climate alarm miserablism to their mutterings .
– – – Taxes must increase or services be cut to compensate for the loss of fuel tax income thanks to the advent of electric cars , the Treasury has admitted .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss of more than £30bn in revenue from drivers , says BBC News .
In a new review the Treasury has acknowledged the problem in a way that will spark a debate about how driving should be taxed in the future .
One idea would be to charge motorists for every mile they drive .
But the AA says such road pricing will be tough to sell politically .
Instead , the motoring organisation is proposing a system of “ Road Miles ” in which motorists are allowed to drive free of charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas ) before they start paying .
The Treasury review offers another striking conclusion from a government department traditionally worried about harm to the economy from cleaning up the UK ’ s emissions .
The latest message is the opposite – that tackling climate change might even benefit the economy by giving the UK a lead in clean technologies .
It says : “ Overall , in the context of the rest of the world decarbonising , the net impact of the transition on growth to 2050 is likely to be small compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It could be slightly positive or slightly negative.
” The document continues : “ Climate change is an existential threat to humanity .
Without global action to limit greenhouse gas emissions , the climate will change catastrophically with almost unimaginable consequences for societies across the world .
”

They’re just stating the obvious, but now a few people have made the switch away from fuel-burning cars their warnings will no doubt become louder. Non-car owners can’t be penalised with an electricity surcharge, and EV subsidies can’t be handed out to everyone forever. They add a free dollop of climate alarm miserablism to their mutterings.
– – –
Taxes must increase or services be cut to compensate for the loss of fuel tax income thanks to the advent of electric cars, the Treasury has admitted.
Officials have been long concerned about the future loss of more than £30bn in revenue from drivers, says BBC News.
In a new review the Treasury has acknowledged the problem in a way that will spark a debate about how driving should be taxed in the future.
One idea would be to charge motorists for every mile they drive.
But the AA says such road pricing will be tough to sell politically.
Instead, the motoring organisation is proposing a system of “Road Miles” in which motorists are allowed to drive free of charge for 3,000 miles (4,000 in rural areas) before they start paying.
The Treasury review offers another striking conclusion from a government department traditionally worried about harm to the economy from cleaning up the UK’s emissions.
The latest message is the opposite – that tackling climate change might even benefit the economy by giving the UK a lead in clean technologies.
It says: “Overall, in the context of the rest of the world decarbonising, the net impact of the transition on growth to 2050 is likely to be small compared to total growth over that period.
“It could be slightly positive or slightly negative.”
The document continues: “Climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Without global action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the climate will change catastrophically with almost unimaginable consequences for societies across the world.”
Full report here.
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December 18, 2020 at 03:09AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Mass blackouts after China cuts Australian coal imports

China is suffering mass power cuts in the south , prompting cities to dim street lights , suspend factory production and tell office blocks to turn off heating unless the temperature falls below 3C .
The electricity crisis appears to have been prompted by a shortage of coal after Beijing banned imports from Australia .
China imposed trade bans against Australia after Canberra demanded an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus and criticised Beijing ’ s treatment of the people of Hong Kong .
In another sign of Beijing ’ s dependence on Australian raw materials , the China Iron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Anglo-Australian iron ore supplier , yesterday that the rising price of the commodity was unreasonable .
It has almost doubled this year .
The association has demanded a new pricing system and questioned whether Australian miners have deliberately restricted supplies .
Rio Tinto insists that it has increased shipments to China .
China imports 80 per cent of its iron , mainly from Australia and Brazil , to produce steel .
Last year , the country bought more than a billion tonnes of iron ore , more than 60 per cent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far less on Australian coal , which accounted for about a quarter of its imports last year .
This year , since Beijing sought to punish Canberra , the amount it imported fell to 1.8 million tonnes in November from 9.4 million tonnes in May .
China has insisted it is trying to reduce its dependence on coal .
However , the combined effect of a surge in demand for electricity prompted by a colder than usual winter and the economic rebound following lockdown suggests that the country may not be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The post Mass blackouts after China cuts Australian coal imports appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

China is suffering mass power cuts in the south, prompting cities to dim street lights, suspend factory production and tell office blocks to turn off heating unless the temperature falls below 3C.
The electricity crisis appears to have been prompted by a shortage of coal after Beijing banned imports from Australia. China imposed trade bans against Australia after Canberra demanded an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus and criticised Beijing’s treatment of the people of Hong Kong.
In another sign of Beijing’s dependence on Australian raw materials, the China Iron and Steel Association told Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian iron ore supplier, yesterday that the rising price of the commodity was unreasonable. It has almost doubled this year.
The association has demanded a new pricing system and questioned whether Australian miners have deliberately restricted supplies. Rio Tinto insists that it has increased shipments to China.
China imports 80 per cent of its iron, mainly from Australia and Brazil, to produce steel. Last year, the country bought more than a billion tonnes of iron ore, more than 60 per cent of which came from Australia.
China relies far less on Australian coal, which accounted for about a quarter of its imports last year. This year, since Beijing sought to punish Canberra, the amount it imported fell to 1.8 million tonnes in November from 9.4 million tonnes in May.
China has insisted it is trying to reduce its dependence on coal. However, the combined effect of a surge in demand for electricity prompted by a colder than usual winter and the economic rebound following lockdown suggests that the country may not be able to wean itself off Australian coal so rapidly.
The post Mass blackouts after China cuts Australian coal imports appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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December 18, 2020 at 02:29AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--New Bog Standard: Irish Wind Industry Turning Emerald Isle Into Filthy Quagmire

The wind industry is relentlessly ploughing up Irish fields and peat bogs , leaving a filthy wake of destruction in its path .
The Irish government ( read ‘ taxpayer ’ ) was whacked with a €5 million fine when a mudslide caused by one wind power outfit ’ s construction operations unleashed a filthy torrent into a nearby river , wiping out tens of thousands of fish : Irish Government Slammed with €5m Fine Over Wind Farm ’ s Environmental Disaster The purported justification for all the wanton destruction is , of course , the claim that wind power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the planet ’ .
But only if you ignore the fact that the peat bogs that are being drained , ploughed up and ruined to make way for these things operate as natural carbon dioxide sinks and have done for millennia : For Peat ’ s Sake : CO2 Emissions Rise as Wind Turbines Destroy Europe ’ s Ancient Bog Lands Here ’ s yet another example of how the Irish wind industry is committed to saving the planet , one ruined peat bog , at a time .
DAERA Minister Edwin Poots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meenbog , Ballybofey , which is within the site of a wind farm that is under construction .
The wind farm developer has suspended all works at the site with the exception of those that relate to mitigating the impact of the bog slide and reducing the risk of further slides .
Minister Poots also visited the Corgary Trout Farm which has been seriously impacted by the pollution incident and continues to experience ongoing losses as the water is still heavily contaminated with peaty sediments .
Speaking after the visit , Minister Poots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage is shocking , the devastation caused by the peat slide to the local river systems is very serious and there is substantial ongoing damage inflicted on the Corgary Trout Farm .
It is clear that this peat slide has had an immediate impact on fish and the ecosystems upon which they rely but until conditions permit , it is not possible to quantify that impact .
Our immediate priority is to try to prevent any further slippage or pollution entering the waterways .
“ There has been a large-scale , cross-border and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am encouraged that all agencies involved are moving at pace to limit the risk of further damage , and will then be working together on restorative actions to remediate the affected rivers and the wider ecosystems.
” A cross border multi-agency group has been set up to investigate the slippage and address the resulting significant and ongoing pollution that is impacting the Mourne Beg and Derg Rivers .
Representatives from the Loughs Agency , Northern Ireland Environment Agency , National Parks and Wildlife Service , the Environmental Protection Agency , Donegal County Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met for the second time on Thursday 19 November and will continue to meet , to keep the situation under review and further co-ordinate the response .
Minister McConalogue TD commented : “ This has been a really worthwhile joint visit with Minister Poots , which has allowed us both to see the damage on the ground for ourselves and to hear about the steps being undertaken by the windfarm developer to prevent further pollution .
I was also pleased to see the speed with which the cross-border multi agency group was established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was helpful to get a briefing from them on the work they are doing collaboratively to support efforts to mitigate against any further pollution.
” The rivers Mourne Beg and Derg all form part of a large river system flowing into the River Foyle and then Lough Foyle .
This river system is important not only for important species it contains and supports , notably Atlantic salmon , species of Lamprey and Otter , but also because of the range of river and associated habitats , such as woodland .
The system is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interest ( ASSI ) and also is recognised internationally as a Special Area of Conservation ( SAC ) .
The Meenbog landslide will have a significant impact on the Source to Tap project which has been ongoing in the area since 2017 .
The €4.9m INTERREG VA funded project on the Erne and Derg , was designed to pilot sustainable catchment management activities to improve raw water abstracted for drinking water quality .
NI Water Project Manager , Source to Tap , Diane Foster , explains : “ This incident has caused tonnes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enter the rivers we have been working with local landowners and stakeholders to improve .
Any improvements in terms of reductions on colour and turbidity results from the installation of measures by farmers will be unlikely to be evident in the monitoring results due to the huge amounts of sediment from the landslide .
“ The INTERREG partners and the local community , particularly local farmers , have all worked so hard on this project – it is devastating that their efforts won ’ t now be captured in the way we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is vital to continue with the work we were doing , as the improvements to date were extremely positive and we were confident of some excellent results .
We must remember that the project initiative will have benefits long into the future , and not just over the next few years .
“ This environmental disaster is a timely reminder of how intertwined our systems are and how we must all act as guardians to protect our peatland and rivers.
” NI Water moved quickly to reassure the public water quality has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by staff to protect the Derg Water Treatment Works at the time of the incident by utilising an alternative supply .
Further information on the INTERREG project can be found at https : //www.sourcetotap.eu/ Farming Life

The wind industry is relentlessly ploughing up Irish fields and peat bogs, leaving a filthy wake of destruction in its path.
The Irish government (read ‘taxpayer’) was whacked with a €5 million fine when a mudslide caused by one wind power outfit’s construction operations unleashed a filthy torrent into a nearby river, wiping out tens of thousands of fish: Irish Government Slammed with €5m Fine Over Wind Farm’s Environmental Disaster
The purported justification for all the wanton destruction is, of course, the claim that wind power reduces CO2 emissions, thereby ‘saving the planet’. But only if you ignore the fact that the peat bogs that are being drained, ploughed up and ruined to make way for these things operate as natural carbon dioxide sinks and have done for millennia: For Peat’s Sake: CO2 Emissions Rise as Wind Turbines Destroy Europe’s Ancient Bog Lands
Here’s yet another example of how the Irish wind industry is committed to saving the planet, one ruined peat bog, at a time.
Ministers left shocked at peat slide devastation
Farming Life
8 December 2020
DAERA Minister Edwin Poots and DAFM Minister Charlie McConalogue TD visited Meenbog, Ballybofey, which is within the site of a wind farm that is under construction.
The wind farm developer has suspended all works at the site with the exception of those that relate to mitigating the impact of the bog slide and reducing the risk of further slides.
Minister Poots also visited the Corgary Trout Farm which has been seriously impacted by the pollution incident and continues to experience ongoing losses as the water is still heavily contaminated with peaty sediments.
Speaking after the visit, Minister Poots said: “The scale of the damage is shocking, the devastation caused by the peat slide to the local river systems is very serious and there is substantial ongoing damage inflicted on the Corgary Trout Farm. It is clear that this peat slide has had an immediate impact on fish and the ecosystems upon which they rely but until conditions permit, it is not possible to quantify that impact. Our immediate priority is to try to prevent any further slippage or pollution entering the waterways.
“There has been a large-scale, cross-border and multi-agency reaction to this incident and I am encouraged that all agencies involved are moving at pace to limit the risk of further damage, and will then be working together on restorative actions to remediate the affected rivers and the wider ecosystems.”
A cross border multi-agency group has been set up to investigate the slippage and address the resulting significant and ongoing pollution that is impacting the Mourne Beg and Derg Rivers. Representatives from the Loughs Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council met for the second time on Thursday 19 November and will continue to meet, to keep the situation under review and further co-ordinate the response.
Minister McConalogue TD commented: “This has been a really worthwhile joint visit with Minister Poots, which has allowed us both to see the damage on the ground for ourselves and to hear about the steps being undertaken by the windfarm developer to prevent further pollution. I was also pleased to see the speed with which the cross-border multi agency group was established in response to this incident and it was helpful to get a briefing from them on the work they are doing collaboratively to support efforts to mitigate against any further pollution.”
The rivers Mourne Beg and Derg all form part of a large river system flowing into the River Foyle and then Lough Foyle. This river system is important not only for important species it contains and supports, notably Atlantic salmon, species of Lamprey and Otter, but also because of the range of river and associated habitats, such as woodland. The system is protected as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and also is recognised internationally as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
The Meenbog landslide will have a significant impact on the Source to Tap project which has been ongoing in the area since 2017. The €4.9m INTERREG VA funded project on the Erne and Derg, was designed to pilot sustainable catchment management activities to improve raw water abstracted for drinking water quality.
NI Water Project Manager, Source to Tap, Diane Foster, explains: “This incident has caused tonnes and tonnes of sediment from a landslide to enter the rivers we have been working with local landowners and stakeholders to improve. Any improvements in terms of reductions on colour and turbidity results from the installation of measures by farmers will be unlikely to be evident in the monitoring results due to the huge amounts of sediment from the landslide.
“The INTERREG partners and the local community, particularly local farmers, have all worked so hard on this project – it is devastating that their efforts won’t now be captured in the way we originally planned.
“However, it is vital to continue with the work we were doing, as the improvements to date were extremely positive and we were confident of some excellent results. We must remember that the project initiative will have benefits long into the future, and not just over the next few years.
“This environmental disaster is a timely reminder of how intertwined our systems are and how we must all act as guardians to protect our peatland and rivers.”
NI Water moved quickly to reassure the public water quality has not been impacted as significant actions were taken by staff to protect the Derg Water Treatment Works at the time of the incident by utilising an alternative supply.
Further information on the INTERREG project can be found at https://www.sourcetotap.eu/
Farming Life


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Corruption is like acid to democracy: the phase change a High Trust Nation risks?

Corruption is like acid to a High Trust Democracy .
When cheating becomes naked , obvious and there is no pushback , no justice , it unleashes a corrosive force .
The circles of cheating spread like ripples on a pond and cheating-feedback waves grow until turbulence consumes everything , and there is no peace or clarity left .
Under the surface , the acid spreads , changing the chemistry for every reaction .
First the politicians who were tempted to cheat , but feared exposure , realize they can get away with it ( or certain flavours of it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t play the game realize they need to toss some money in the pot .
Then the intrinsically honest politicians watching them start to wonder if there is much point in being honest .
The honest businessmen realize they will be left behind if they don ’ t put hot cash in the right hand .
Trust is the grease that makes Western economies the powerhouses of the world .
There will never be enough police , enough auditors or enough spies to catch all the cheaters if everyone breaks the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from High Trust to Banana-Republic flips the mostly good to the mostly self-serving like a domino race .
Trust is [ … ]

Corruption is like acid to a High Trust Democracy. When cheating becomes naked, obvious and there is no pushback, no justice, it unleashes a corrosive force. The circles of cheating spread like ripples on a pond and cheating-feedback waves grow until turbulence consumes everything, and there is no peace or clarity left. Under the surface, the acid spreads, changing the chemistry for every reaction.
First the politicians who were tempted to cheat, but feared exposure, realize they can get away with it (or certain flavours of it). Billionaires and corporate powers who didn’t play the game realize they need to toss some money in the pot.
Then the intrinsically honest politicians watching them start to wonder if there is much point in being honest. The honest businessmen realize they will be left behind if they don’t put hot cash in the right hand.
Trust is the grease that makes Western economies the powerhouses of the world. There will never be enough police, enough auditors or enough spies to catch all the cheaters if everyone breaks the rules.
Quickly, the phase change from High Trust to Banana-Republic flips the mostly good to the mostly self-serving like a domino race. Trust is […]
Rating: 10.0/10 (5 votes cast)
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December 18, 2020 at 12:21AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-18--Australia: Chinese Embargo of High Quality Aussie Coal is Increasing CO2 Emissions

According to the Australian Government , the Chinese Embargo of Australian Coal is increasing CO2 emissions , because the coal China is burning instead is lower quality .
But there is a much better way for Australia to get China ’ s attention .
‘ Bad outcome ’ : Australia to use coal strike to challenge China on emissions China and Australia ’ s trade dispute over coal threatens to escalate into a wider spat over climate change and net-zero emissions targets .
The Morrison government will use China ’ s indefinite ban on Australian coal to accuse Beijing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it responds to a major trade strike on Australia ’ s second largest export .
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said that coal imports from other countries “ have 50 per cent higher emissions ” than Australian coal .
“ As a result , that would be a bad outcome for the environment , ” he said .
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said China would have to increase its local production and imports from other countries , including Indonesia , Russia and Mongolia , whose thermal coal produces emissions higher than Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday confirmed a formal ban on thermal coal imports after months of Australian exports being stranded offshore .
The strike on thermal coal , which is used to generate electricity , is the latest in half-a-dozen trade hits on Australian products after a year of rising tension over human rights and national security policies .

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to the Australian Government, the Chinese Embargo of Australian Coal is increasing CO2 emissions, because the coal China is burning instead is lower quality. But there is a much better way for Australia to get China’s attention.
‘Bad outcome’: Australia to use coal strike to challenge China on emissions
By Eryk Bagshaw and Mike Foley
December 15, 2020 — 6.22pm
China and Australia’s trade dispute over coal threatens to escalate into a wider spat over climate change and net-zero emissions targets.
The Morrison government will use China’s indefinite ban on Australian coal to accuse Beijing of skirting its climate change commitments, as it responds to a major trade strike on Australia’s second largest export.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said that coal imports from other countries “have 50 per cent higher emissions” than Australian coal. “As a result, that would be a bad outcome for the environment,” he said.
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said China would have to increase its local production and imports from other countries, including Indonesia, Russia and Mongolia, whose thermal coal produces emissions higher than Australia’s.
Chinese state media on Monday confirmed a formal ban on thermal coal imports after months of Australian exports being stranded offshore. The strike on thermal coal, which is used to generate electricity, is the latest in half-a-dozen trade hits on Australian products after a year of rising tension over human rights and national security policies.
…