climatedepot--2020-05-13--USA Today ‘Fact check’: ‘The coronavirus pandemic isn’t slowing climate change’

Analyses are nearly universal in finding that global carbon emissions will decline from the record peak in 2019 .
The declines , largely driven by a steep reduction in vehicle emissions , have been so large that photographs from space reflected the change .
The International Energy Agency , a policy advisory group to 30 member countries , projects that global carbon emissions are set to fall by 8 % , or levels the world has n't seen for a decade .
Estimates of the full drop in carbon emissions vary as analysts adjust their models around the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a 5 % drop in emissions .
“ This may sound small at first , but it is the largest drop since World War II , as emissions have generally increased year-over-year , even during recessions , ” Ankur Desai , a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , told USA TODAY .
The claim : Drops in carbon emissions aren ’ t enough to significantly curb climate change With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down most global activity , a consequent crash in global carbon emissions has been widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdowns will significantly lower emissions , some environmentalists argue the drop is nowhere near enough .
“ Hey so it turns out that the people of earth accidentally did a global experiment to see if every individual could course correct climate change through mass personal change of habits , and it turns out , no !
We can ’ t !
, ” a Facebook post shared more than 4,000 times reads .
The post shares a screenshot of another post that links to a Scientific American article with the chatter , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ commentary global CO2 emissions have not considerably declined during the pandemic .
This suggests emissions levels relate less to individual behavior than larger structural factors only addressable through regulation.
” Analyses are nearly universal in finding that global carbon emissions will decline from the record peak in 2019 .
The declines , largely driven by a steep reduction in vehicle emissions , have been so large that photographs from space reflected the change .
The International Energy Agency , a policy advisory group to 30 member countries , projects that global carbon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , or levels the world hasn ’ t seen for a decade .
Estimates of the full drop in carbon emissions vary as analysts adjust their models around the coronavirus pandemic , but the lowest estimates still expect about a 5 % drop in emissions .
“ This may sound small at first , but it is the largest drop since World War II , as emissions have generally increased year-over-year , even during recessions , ” Ankur Desai , a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is attributable to commercial travel and business operations ; a larger decline wasn ’ t recorded because “ much of the economy is still going on , ” including manufacturing , shipping and food production .
Despite the drop , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said 2020 is already the second-warmest year on record and has a 75 % chance of being the hottest ever .
“ Our findings show that the annual average CO2 concentrations will still increase through this year , even though emissions are reducing , ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Weather Service said in a recent study , adding “ This means that , although global emissions are smaller , they are still continuing – just at a slower rate .
Additional CO2 is still accumulating in the atmosphere.
” “ The reported drops in carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases , while helpful , are insufficient to slow climate change , ” Alex Hall , a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA , told USA TODAY .
Because changes in the climate are the result of decades of accumulating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year of slightly falling emissions will not counter long-term effects , Hall said .
“ Those emissions took place over of the past several decades , ” he said .
“ To affect ongoing and future climate change , the recent emissions drop would have to be sustained over a much longer period than the likely duration of the coronavirus outbreak.
” The current drop in emissions is also not yet detectable in total carbon dioxide concentrations , according to Benjamin Houlton , a professor of environmental science at University of California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carbon dioxide has an average lifespan of around 100 years in the atmosphere , ” he told USA TODAY .
Emissions would need to drop by more than 25 % to see a total drop in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere , and thus slow an annual global rise in temperatures , Houlton explained .
“ There isn ’ t a scenario where global concentrations of CO2 do not increase this year , ” Rob Jackson , a professor of earth systems at Stanford University , told USA TODAY .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would stop all emissions from today forward , it would still take decades for the atmospheric concentrations to return to normal , ” he said .
“ That is why we need to focus on carbon capture efforts as well.
” Kenneth Gillingham , a climate economist at Yale University , also cautioned that current emissions reductions were not sustainable , because they ’ re the result of economic fallout rather a planned structural reduction in carbon emissions .
“ The positive environmental impacts from COVID-19 are a silver lining but not something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gillingham was optimistic that some people and businesses would keep new habits like reduced commuting and increased telework after the coronavirus was contained .
“ The only reason emissions dropped is that we ’ re all stuck at home , ” Jackson said .
“ As soon as lockdowns lift , they are likely to rise again.
” While falling emissions may not have significantly affected climate change , there have been some positive environmental outcomes from the pandemic .
Air quality in cities around the world has improved over the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ While this can ’ t be detected everywhere quite yet , there are signs in India and California , for example , that air quality improvements have been dramatic , ” said Desai , the UW-Madison climate scientist .
The case study in falling carbon emissions may also hold significant lessons for climate scientists and policymakers going forward .
“ Collective actions can have a real impact on emissions , rapidly , ” Houlton said .
“ On the downside , the enormity of the challenge has been brought into greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is what determines the magnitude of climate change , are very difficult to stabilize or reduce.
” While it is unclear how large carbon emission reductions will be for 2020 , it is certain that the overall amount of carbon in the atmosphere will increase this year .
Emissions have not fallen significantly enough to remedy any of the impacts on the climate , and current drops are unlikely to continue .
We rate this claim TRUE because it is supported by our research .
• USA TODAY , Will an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help limit climate change ?
• USA TODAY , 2020 expected to be Earth ’ s warmest year on record , scientists say • Carbon Brief , Analysis ; What impact will COVID-19 have on atmospheric CO2 ?
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climatedepot--2020-05-13--‘COVID-19 is a practice run for climate change’ – Claims: ‘There are four main ways’ COVID-19 & clim

‘COVID-19 is a practice run for climate change’ – Claims: ‘There are four main ways’ COVID-19 & climate ‘are similar’

Refrigerated trucks parked outside hospitals , being loaded up with bodies .
Nurses wearing garbage bags to protect themselves against a lethal virus .
Health systems in crisis in New York , Italy , and Brazil .
Gun-carrying protestors overrunning statehouses in the U.S. Nearly one out of five in the American workforce unemployed .
The economic future a complete unknown .
All these things seemed unimaginable , but they are happening right now because of COVID-19 .
In fact , these things were not in fact unimaginable .
They were imagined by epidemiologists , and tested in simulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet we were unprepared , because we didn ’ t listen , and didn ’ t do the expensive and complicated things needed to at least mitigate the situation .
When faced with an existential crisis , it ’ s a hard thing to be both motivated enough to take action and yet not be so frightened that one takes inappropriate action , or worse , be so frightened that one is paralyzed .
The challenge is even tougher when the crisis is remote , because ignoring or denying it feels even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 epidemic—and it is true for climate change .
There are four main ways the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are similar .
And if we learn from the first disaster , maybe we can spare ourselves from the worst consequences of the second .
The parallel that strikes me most viscerally and profoundly about the two threats is their inescapability .
Global warming .
Global pandemic .
You can ’ t escape either by traveling .
You are at risk no matter where you are .
More at risk in some places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both challenges threaten stability in every country .
The second parallel is the way that both problems evolve—exponentially and sometimes asymptomatically .
What this means in a practical sense is that by the time it is indisputable that you have a problem , the problem has become far more difficult ( or impossible ) to manage .
By ignoring epidemiologists ’ warnings and the risks posed by early cases of COVID-19 , the virus was allowed to spread and become a much larger problem .
By the time environmental changes become so extreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem , we won ’ t be able to turn it around in our lifetimes .
The third parallel is that the pandemic and climate change are both threat multipliers : They amplify existing problems and bring previously hidden vulnerabilities to the surface .
COVID-19 is wreaking havoc not just in the restaurant industry , but in the education system , pharmaceutical supply chains , global scientific research and more .
It is highlighting economic inequities and racism , from the lack of the option to work from home , to higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeper , since it also disrupts the natural systems on which we are entirely dependent .
It is a national security risk even when we ourselves don ’ t face famine .
Droughts in one country displace refugees , who cause political disruption and a rise in nationalist violence in others .
Natural and societal systems are deeply intertwined .
As one of the founders of Earth Day put it , “ We depend on six inches of soil and the fact that it rains now and then.
” The final parallel is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of both these challenges are almost inexpressible .
To describe them urgently is to be called alarmist .
To describe them calmly is to be ignored .
And that brings me back to the original challenge : How do we incite a response to an existential crisis when it is still early enough that we can actually do something about it ?
The COVID-19 pandemic took only weeks to balloon into a global crisis .
Right now , for climate change , we are probably in the same place we were for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were reported .
It ’ s too late to escape the impacts , but if we pull together , we can still do a lot to protect ourselves and mitigate the damage .
A good place to start is with a policy such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act , which puts a price on carbon .
And Rochester has an abundance of resources for those who want to take climate action : Rochester People ’ s Climate Coalition , Citizens Climate Lobby , The Pachamama Alliance/Project Drawdown , the REMADE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I hope that we can look at the difference in outcomes between those who prepared for COVID-19 and those who didn ’ t , and take that as a call to immediate action on climate change .
Kate Kressmann-Kehoe is a filmmaker who co-produced the documentary COMFORT ZONE about the effects of climate change in Western New York .
She also volunteers with Citizens Climate Lobby , a bipartisan volunteer organization .
All Rochester Beacon coronavirus articles are collected here .

Thank you for being patient. We are doing some work on the site and will be back shortly.


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Beyond parody: CNN taps Greta Thunberg for expert coronavirus panel

You literally can not make this stuff up .
This would be a masterful parody .
It could have been one of the Babylon Bee ’ s finest works .
Yet no , this is actually the reality of CNN in 2020 .
There are almost no words for how ridiculous this is .
Anchor Chris Cuomo has touted CNN as the “ facts first ” network .
Reliable Sources ( ironic ) host Brian Stelter regularly tut-tuts Fox News ( sometimes justifiably ) for having unqualified guests speaking on expert subjects .
But at least they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wisdom from 17-year-old , troubled teenagers .
The same liberal journalists who have scolded people for so much as questioning the wisdom of the federal government ’ s top coronavirus experts , such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx , are now literally telling people to get their scientific analysis from Greta Thunberg .
To be clear , you shouldn ’ t hold contempt for Thunberg — you should feel bad for her .
She is a deeply troubled young woman with a long history of struggles with depression , OCD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more .
Sadly , she has latched onto an alarmist ascientific doomsday tale of a pending climate apocalypse as a way of coping .
There ’ s nothing horribly wrong with this ; Thunberg is a young woman of admirable passion and should pursue her beliefs .
What ’ s disturbing is to see liberal journalists exploit such a young , ill-informed activist to push their political agenda even to her detriment .
Frankly , it ’ s ridiculous that liberal journalists include Thunberg in their climate change coverage , and she has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no expertise of any kind .
But at least that is actually her area of focus , one could say .
The idea that Thunberg is going to be made a star of CNN ’ s coronavirus coverage … it just boggles the mind .
The activist ’ s climate change views are ill-informed already , but no doubt she knows even less about infectious disease , economics , and public health .
This isn ’ t what you ’ re supposed to get from CNN , supposedly the “ facts first ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing you ’ re supposed to read in the Onion .
But increasingly , it ’ s hard to tell the two apart .


climatedepot--2020-05-13--The Coming Oil Boom: Covid lockdowns ‘unlikely to hasten the demise of oil’

If history is a guide , an oil price boom is coming after the pandemic-generated crash .
While the near-term demand picture is highly uncertain , as people reconsider their travel and work habits , this latest bust , the worst of them all , is unlikely to hasten the demise of oil .
“ The only way to get away from the boom-bust cycle is to get off of oil , ” said Bob McNally , president of Rapidan Energy Group and the author of a book on the topic called Crude Volatility.
“ That ’ s really tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As a result , we expect a thirstier world will collide into insufficient supply , and crude prices will have to rise sharply to balance the market.
” Oil supply will take longer to return than demand as drillers shut-in a record amount of production , companies cut spending on new investments , and the U.S. shale revolution slows .
“ As demand rises and it becomes clear that producers over-cut , a roaring oil market will develop , ” said Dan Eberhart , CEO of the drilling services company Canary and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expecting $ 100 per barrel oil , a level that was commonly reached during previous economic recoveries but hasn ’ t been met since summer 2014 .
Oil prices have increased in recent weeks , with the U.S. benchmark closing this week at $ 24.74 per barrel after briefly trading below zero last month for the first time .
Joe McMonigle , president of the Abraham Group , an international strategic consulting firm , said he expects oil prices to reach around $ 45 per barrel as early as the third quarter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay-at-home orders .
He noted oil prices approached $ 80 per barrel as recently as last year .
“ I hesitate to talk about $ 100 oil , ” said McMonigle , a former Energy Department chief of staff in the George W. Bush administration .
“ But when the economy comes back , you will eventually get to that bust to boom cycle.
” At first glance , the outlook for oil demand is cloudy , and there are countervailing factors that might determine its future .
China , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States , is back to rush-hour traffic levels after beating the worst of the virus .
Driving is picking up in the U.S. as nearly half of states have begun to open stores , beaches , and restaurants .
But flying remains risky and is discouraged .
For many , telecommuting is normal now and could become more routine in the future .
Mass transit , powered by electricity , not oil , could see a hit as people avoid tight spaces .
That means more cars on the roads .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand , and it ’ s anybody ’ s guess which way that pushes demand , ” said Jim Krane , energy geopolitics fellow at Rice University ’ s Baker Institute .
“ I have seen nothing that tells me there will be a permanent drop in oil demand.
” Global oil demand is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels before the end of the year , the International Energy Agency projected last month .
But after that , it expects oil demand to experience “ robust ” growth to 2025 , absent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing slower growth and reaching 106 million barrels per day in 2040 .
The world consumed 100 million barrels per day of oil before the pandemic .
“ Oil is still the only game in town when it comes to moving around the planet , and until that changes , we are going to be using it , ” Krane said .
The post The Coming Oil Boom appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Twisting the Knife: European lawmakers consider tougher climate law

From Reuters Kate Abnett ( Reuters ) – European Union lawmakers are considering toughening the bloc ’ s planned climate @ @ @ @ @ emission goals and a binding commitment for every member state to decarbonize by 2050 , @ @ @ @ @ seen by Reuters .
FILE PHOTO : European Union flags fly outside the European Commission @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Present day BBC blames any bad weather on ‘global warming’ – – Flashback 1973: Would BBC blame bad w

Present day BBC blames any bad weather on ‘global warming’ – – Flashback 1973: Would BBC blame bad weather on ‘global cooling’?!

As the BBC ’ s Ben Rich has not managed to find any bad weather to blame on global warming for two months running , I thought I ought to lend a hand and put him in a time machine back to 1973 !
Welcome to the BBC ’ s latest climate check , BBC Weather ’ s update on our changing climate .
America ’ s wretched weather this spring just keeps getting worse .
After an unusually cold and wet winter , extreme rainfall in March has brought the worst floods to the Mississippi since the great floods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early March upstream , and has affected every part of the river from Wisconsin to the coast .
50,000 people have had to be evacuated as a result .
With heavy snowmelt in the Rockies now taking place , flooding is expected to get worse before it gets better .
It is not only the Mississippi which is affected .
Most of the eastern half of the country has been hit , including severe flooding in the Northeast .
The West has not escaped either , with many states hit by floods as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rain in America , there has been a deadly shortage of rain across swathes of Africa and Asia .
The African Sahel is now in its 6th year of the worst drought in memory .
The drought has also been extending eastwards into Asia , with India badly affected .
Last year ’ s monsoon was the driest since 1918 .
Back in America , the extreme weather has also brought tornadoes , adding to the misery , with dozens of deaths so far this spring .
Scientists say that all of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Earth ’ s climate since the war .
Worryingly sea ice in the Arctic has been expanding substantially in the last few years .
Here in the UK , the growing season is already two weeks shorter than before 1950 .
Experts are now concerned that the world ’ s climate could return to the that of the Little Ice Age , an era of drought and famine .
Climate scientists are now monitoring the world ’ s weather to see if that really is the case .


climatedepot--2020-05-13--USA Today Pushes Climate Panic –  Hypes ‘3 Billion will live in extreme heat by 2070’

I recently described the all too often case where extreme computer modeling results feed the media into then feeding a @ @ @ @ @ of mindless fear .
See my https : //www.cfact.org/2020/04/27/tale-of-two-panics-covid-climate/ .
USA Today has now provided @ @ @ @ @ model based panic .
Here is their panicky title : “ Unsuitable for ‘ human @ @ @ @ @ Up to 3B will live in extreme heat by 2070 , study warns “ Three @ @ @ @ @ humans can not survive ?
Seriously ?
Will they become billions of climate refugees ?
@ @ @ @ @ , right ?
USA Today is a trusted source for many people , but here @ @ @ @ @ speculation as accepted fact .
Note that the headline does not say “ study suggests @ @ @ @ @ “ study warns ” as though this nonsense were real and something to act on @ @ @ @ @ lockdown is called for…


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Green-Energy Crime: Endangered Red Kite Bird Blocking Wind Farm Found Shot Dead

Red kites and wind power just do go well together .
These predatory birds can find good prey , especially where farmers mow meadows or plow fields .
Lethal are cases such as the one in Baden-Württemberg , where areas with green fodder have been planted in the immediate vicinity of a wind park .
When these fields are mowed , the red kites search for food within the hay .
It is ideal for them , but also possibly deadly because they cast their view downward when hunting , and not forward .
The Hilpensberg wind farm was even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now one of the beautiful animals has fallen victim again , as the Nature Conservation Initiative reports : According to biologist Immo Vollmer , the conclusion can only be that we should not build any more wind turbines in areas where red kites nest or where buzzards often seek food .
Otherwise the red kite , which has its largest distribution center in the world in Germany , will have no future here , because the loss rate is already almost in the same order of magnitude as the rate of offspring.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported in North Rhine-Westphalia .
A female , nesting red kite was shot dead near Paderborn .
In an earlier trial , a judge even gave the controversial wind project approval – precisely where the shot bird was found – under the condition that no protected species be proven to exist there .
Now that the animal has been executed , this condition has been met .
Probably just a coincidence , or maybe suicide , to make the wind turbines possible and to get out of the way ?
Nesting red kite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By Die kalte Sonne ( Text translated by P. Gosselin ) Read more at No Tricks Zone


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Survey: Most Firms ‘Care’ About Green Energy – Virtue signaling ‘delusions’ – 70% of businesses to s

Survey: Most Firms ‘Care’ About Green Energy – Virtue signaling ‘delusions’ – 70% of businesses to shun ‘non-green’ suppliers

Not A Lot Of People Know That / by Paul Homewood / 1d I was sent this survey by an outfit called EnergyBillKill , essentially an energy broker like uSwitch .
￼ https : //www.energybillkill.com/energy-switch-survey-2020/ The most revealing section was this : There are two distinct elements : 1 ) The first is that 70 % of businesses believe that within the next 10 years , businesses will not give business to ‘ non-green ’ suppliers .
This is how mass delusion begins .
Just because a company signs up with a so-called green energy supplier does not mean it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even contributing to a national increase in such .
As we have seen so often before , the amount of renewable energy generated within the national system is fixed , determined by the capacity available .
Just because Company X signs a deal with Green Energy Company Y does not alter that fact .
It simply means that Company Y sells meaningless bits of paper to Company X , to “ prove ” that it only buys renewable energy .
Many firms probably realise all of this , but still worry that other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they refuse to virtue signal too .
They have no interest in “ being green ” .
They are just scared of being seen “ not to be green ” .
Will somebody have the courage to stand up and tell the emperor he has no clothes on ?
2 ) 44 % also apparently believe that green energy is actually cheaper .
Obviously nobody has told them that they , and every other consumer in the UK , are paying through the teeth to subsidise the billions sent to renewable energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get from Good Energy , or whoever , don ’ t reflect the actual costs of wind or solar energy .
Ironically , as I have found myself , small “ green ” suppliers can often undercut the bigger suppliers because they have not got the extra cost of smart meter rollout and other green impositions .
Be careful what you wish for , the saying goes .
When the nation has gone 100 % renewable , don ’ t say you were not warned !
!


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Trump Admin Approves 11-Square-Mile Solar Array, Largest In US

The Trump administration approved a proposal Monday to construct and operate the largest solar power project in U.S. history , issuing a final permit for a massive facility just north of Las Vegas .
The $ 1 billion Gemini project would be the eighth-largest solar facility in the world , the Interior Department said , generating 690-megawatts of power , enough electricity for 260,000 homes in the Las Vegas area and potential markets in Southern California .
Nevada utility NV Energy , a subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett ’ s Berkshire Hathaway , is providing financial backing to the project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 2022 .
It will generate more than $ 3 million annually in federal revenues , the Interior Department said .
The Trump administration cast the decision as representative of its “ all of the above ” approach to increasing U.S. energy production on public lands , which critics say has been mostly focused on fossil fuels .
President Trump has frequently criticized renewable power , questioning its reliability .
The administration also touted the project as a job-creator for an area hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic .
The Interior Department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7,100 acres ( 11 square miles ) of federal land , would create 500 to 700 temporary jobs , along with 1,100 support jobs during that time .
When the facility is built , it will support 19 permanent jobs , said Casey Hammond , principal deputy assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management .
“ Our economic resurgence will rely on getting America back to work , and this project delivers on that objective , ” said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt .
The Solar Energy Industries Association , the main industry lobbying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group ’ s endorsement is notable given it has had disagreements with other Trump administration policies , including its use of tariffs on imported solar panels .
“ The solar industry is resilient and a project like this one will bring jobs and private investment to the state when we need it most , ” said Abigail Ross Hopper , president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association .
“ We appreciate the work that the Trump Administration has done to make this historic project a reality .
”


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Soon-To-Be-Published Study Finds Oceanic, Atmospheric And Solar Cycles Drive Europe Climate Variabil

Soon-To-Be-Published Study Finds Oceanic, Atmospheric And Solar Cycles Drive Europe Climate Variability

Elsevier has accepted a new paper by Lüdecke et al , 2020 , showing natural oceanic and solar cycles play a large role in modulating Europe ’ s climate .
Offers new chances for robust midterm temperature prognoses .
The paper , in press , journal pre-proof , analyzes natural variability in European monthly temperatures on decadal and multidecadal timescales and their possible drivers .
The authors claim to have established characteristic correlations of temperature with ocean cycles , here NAO and AMO , and solar activity for many regions and seasons .
This means it is likely that NAO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actual drivers of a lot of the temperature variability .
Figure 1 of the soon-to-be-published paper follows : Image : Decadal and multidecadal natural variability in European temperature , Lüdecke et al , Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics ( journal pre-proof ) .
The authors did NOT look at the anthropogenic component of the long term warming of the past 150 years and its attribution but feel the results will hopefully help to better attribute shorter-term temperature changes and their typical patterns .
This is important because efforts by the scientific community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMO for months and a few years in advance , This opens up new chances for more robust mid term temperature prognoses that also includes natural climate variability which the paper documents .


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to co-chair Biden campaign climate task force (only 10.69 years left)

( CNN ) Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will co-chair a task force for Joe Biden ’ s campaign on climate @ @ @ @ @ direct knowledge of the planning tells CNN , a move that adds progressive credentials to @ @ @ @ @ s effort to unify the party ahead of the general election .
The group is @ @ @ @ @ being formed to bridge the divide between the polices of Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie @ @ @ @ @ White House bid last month .
“ I ’ m working with Bernie and with @ @ @ @ @ , and we ’ ve made some changes .
We ’ ve listened to Bernie @


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Debunking Claims that Climate Change Spreads Viruses

Google News and the Climate Left are promoting a ridiculous article by Pro Publicaarguing that climate change , rather than wind and solar power , causes deforestation that makes the spread of infectious diseases like coronavirus more likely .
Yesterday , I showed how solar and wind power require massive land development and deforestation to produce just a small amount of power .
Today , let ’ s debunk the false assertion that climate change also causes deforestation .
No study has ever directly linked any single species loss to anthropogenic climate change , despite many efforts to try and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele demonstrates this in his book , Landscapes & Cycles .
Climate change is not causing humanity ’ s conversion of land from forests to farms .
As detailed in Climate Change Reconsidered II : Fossil Fuels , modern agriculture , built upon and entirely dependent upon fossil fuels , is allowing farmers to produce more food than ever on less and less land .
This allows former croplands to be reclaimed by forests .
In addition , as detailed by CO2Science.org , the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the earth that , among other effects , is creating denser forests and turning desert into savanna , expanding wildlife habitat .
Contrary to the vast body of scientific literature detailed in Chapter Four of Climate Change Reconsidered II : Fossil Fuels , Pro Publica ’ s article also falsely claims , “ vector-borne diseases — those carried by insects like mosquitoes and ticks and transferred in the blood of infected people — are also on the rise as warming weather and erratic precipitation vastly expand the geographic regions vulnerable to contagion.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific evidence for this wild assertion .
By contrast , in a peer-reviewed 2010 study in Nature , scientists compared historical and contemporary maps of the range and incidence of malaria and found endemic/stable malaria is likely to have covered 58 % of the world ’ s land surface around 1900 but only 30 % by 2007 .
They report , “ even more marked has been the decrease in prevalence within this greatly reduced range , with endemicity falling by one or more classes in over two-thirds of the current range of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they write , “ widespread claims that rising mean temperatures have already led to increases in worldwide malaria morbidity and mortality are largely at odds with observed decreasing global trends in both its endemicity and geographic extent.
’ ” Also , research by vector-borne disease expert Paul Reiter , a professor of medical entomology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris , and a member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Committee on Vector Biology and Control , reveals no links between climate change and vector-borne diseases .
In a 2008 article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Simplistic reasoning on the future prevalence of malaria is ill-founded ; malaria is not limited by climate in most temperate regions , nor in the tropics , and in nearly all cases , ‘ new ’ malaria at high altitudes is well below the maximum altitudinal limits for transmission , [ continuing ] future changes in climate may alter the prevalence and incidence of the disease , but obsessive emphasis on ‘ global warming ’ as a dominant parameter is indefensible ; the principal determinants are linked to ecological and societal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 pandemic is scary enough without agenda-driven rags like Pro Publicahyping unwarranted fears of a climate change/infection disease link , or Google News heavily promoting such garbage as “ news.
” The post Debunking Pro Publica ’ s Claims that Climate Change Spreads Viruses appeared first on Climate Realism .


climatedepot--2020-05-13--Biden Goes Far-Left: AOC Gets Top Campaign Spot To Push Radical ‘Green New Deal’ After She Cheered J

Biden Goes Far-Left: AOC Gets Top Campaign Spot To Push Radical ‘Green New Deal’ After She Cheered Job Losses Last Month

Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday night that democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) was working with his campaign to promote her radical $ 93 trillion “ Green New Deal , ” which gives the government far more control over the economy and imposes a complete takeover of some private industries .
The move comes after Ocasio-Cortez cheeredAmerican job losses last month that happened in the energy industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Ocasio-Cortez will co-chair a task force for Joe Biden ’ s campaign on climate change , a source with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a move that adds progressive credentials to the former vice president ’ s effort to unify the party ahead of the general election , ” CNN reported .
“ The group is one of several task forces being formed to bridge the divide between the polices of Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , who ended his White House bid last month.
” An aide for Ocasio-Cortez said that she made the decision in conjunction with far-left climate change activists .
Biden later confirmed the news during an interview with News8 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeared to falsely suggest that the coronavirus pandemic was only impacting Democrats .
“ Well , the good news is that Bernie has robustly endorsed me , we ’ ve set up joint committees together to deal with how we would deal with everything from , from the virus all the way down to education , the criminal justice system , the New Green Deal , etc , ” Biden said .
“ And we ’ ve got overwhelming support .
I mean we ’ re more united today than almost every , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary is now wholeheartedly endorsed me , campaigned around the country for me using their digital media to promote our campaign , and I ’ m working with Bernie and with his people.
” Looking down at his notes , Biden continued , “ And so we ’ ve made some changes , we ’ ve listened to Bernie supporters and , you know , for example , we have , uh , you know , uh , congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez , she is on one of the panels as well and so I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very united party and my message to all , and what they ’ re finding out now that the nomination process is de facto over , they ’ re finding out the positions I had on an awful lot of things were not accurately characterized and , uh , they ’ re feeling more comfortable with it .
But I ’ m listening , I ’ m here , I need them and I hope they all will join us.
” Biden has shown a great affinity for far-left members of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign , including toward failed presidential and Senate candidate Beto O ’ Rourke , who went on to back other Democratic candidates who failed to win their elections .
Biden embraced O ’ Rourke in March , declaring that he wanted O ’ Rourke to head up his efforts on gun control , saying that O ’ Rourke was “ going to take care of the gun problem with me ” and that O ’ Rourke was going to “ lead ” the effort .
Biden is all over the map when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that firearms have killed 150,000,000 ( not a typo ) Americans since 2007 to saying that a “ rational policy ” on guns means not having “ 20 , 30 , 40 , 50 clips in a weapon.
” Biden has also called for effectively banning nearly all firearms and has said that it is “ totally irrational ” to let church-goers arm themselves so they can protect themselves and others from potential harm .
The Daily Wire , headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro , is a leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mainstream media ’ s rhetoric to provide readers the most important , relevant , and engaging stories of the day .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming amember .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Former NYT Reporter: History Will Look At COVID-19 Lockdowns As A ‘Colossal Mistake’

Former New York Times report Alex Berenson , a staunch critic of the governmental measures implemented to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic , declared that history will look at the lockdown orders “ as a colossal mistake.
” Speaking with Fox Nation , Berenson said that the evidence increasingly shows that the COVID-19 projections were based on questionable science that has been proven false .
“ The virus appears to be less dangerous than we thought it was a month ago , ” he told “ Fox Nation 101 : COVID Contrarian.
” “ The economic devastation and the societal devastation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than even the worst projections were a month ago.
” Berenson then argued that politicians and public health officials put themselves in a difficult situation by implementing such harsh measures without having the evidence to back it up .
“ What I think is that people took a very , very aggressive action a month ago without necessarily thinking through what the economic or societal consequences were going to be , ” said Bereson .
“ Now more and more evidence is coming out that we responded too harshly , that maybe we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happened before we went to the place we went .
And it seems to me very , very hard , both for politicians and for the public health establishment , to acknowledge this and to walk us back in a reasonable way.
” Berenson became a staunch critic of the lockdowns back in April when U.K. Imperial College professor Neil Ferguson began revising his original model , which predicted up to 500,000 deaths in the U.K. and 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. without COVID-19 mitigations .
“ I ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been watching the models , both the Imperial College and now more recently , the major U.S. model , which is the University of Washington model , fail on a daily basis , fail to predict what is happening now , what is going to happen in months or years or even in a week , ” said Berenson .
“ I think most scientists agree it is more dangerous than the flu , but it doesn ’ t seem to be 10 or 20 or 30 times as dangerous as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spectrum of the flu .
That ’ s what the data is now suggesting.
” Going forward , Berenson stressed the importance of public health officials protecting vulnerable communities while allowing the economy to recover .
“ There will be plenty of time to sort out the blame for the mistakes that were made and try to make sure we do a better job next time , ” said Berenson .
“ Right now , every day that goes by , the economy gets a little bit worse .
Every day that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who can ’ t pay their bills , every day that goes by kids are being stuck at home sometimes with abusive parents.
” “ Every day that goes by our society frays a little bit more , ” he continued .
“ Let ’ s worry about fixing this now and then we can try to sort out what went wrong in the coming weeks and months .
”


climatedepot--2020-05-14--We need an antidote to Covid hysteria: The destruction of freedom is a greater threat than the virus

We need an antidote to Covid hysteria: The destruction of freedom is a greater threat than the virus itself

Brendan O ’ Neill : `` The liberal elite ’ s fury over Boris ’ s mild easing of the lockdown confirms how much they distrust the public .
They view us as children who require constant guidance from on high .
They need to back off and let us get on with our lives . ''
`` If the government had confidence in the people and our capacity for good sense , it would not have engaged in such a tiny , insignificant easing of the lockdown ; it would not be publishing 50 pages of guidance today on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; it would not kowtow every time the Covid hysterics in the media elite say : ‘ You ’ re giving us too much freedom and people will die as a result.
’ The government ’ s uber-caution sends the message that it doesn ’ t trust us to behave sensibly in a pandemic , and that ’ s a very bad message to send in a democracy . ''
Witness the craven spectacle yesterday in the run-up and aftermath to Boris Johnson ’ s address to the nation .
No sooner had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lockdown than the cultural elites and liberal media were out in force to say : ‘ Your new messaging is too vague !
You haven ’ t told us in minute detail what we can and can not do !
Please instruct us more firmly !
’ It was one of the most abject displays of subservience to authority and doubt in one ’ s own mental and moral faculties that I can remember .
What the events of yesterday really highlighted is that virtually no one in the political and cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even .
So on one side we had Boris and his spectacularly disappointing ‘ easing ’ of the lockdown .
It is testament to the lack of clear leadership in Downing Street that ministers had spent days briefing about a new era of ‘ freedom ’ when Boris would dramatically announce an easing of the lockdown ’ s burdens , but in the end all we got was the right to exercise more than once a day , the right to sit on a park bench , and the right to meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long as you stay two metres away from them .
If all of that sounds familiar , that ’ s because it is : we already had the right to do those things .
And loads of people have been doing them .
There was no real restriction on outdoor exercise .
People have been sitting on benches throughout the lockdown .
( I ’ ve even seen people sit down very firmly on those benches in central London that have been wrapped in yellow tape by some council jobsworth , using their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions . )
And every day , whether in the supermarket , in the park or at work ( if you still go to work ) , we ’ ve been engaging with people who aren ’ t members of our households while observing the ( scientifically unproven ) two-metre rule .
So Boris offered nothing new .
Oh , except a hike in fines for anyone who breaks the rules – an utterly unnecessary and spiteful little measure that suggests this government is not the nanny-state buster it claims to be – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which , as some people have pointed out , looks like the peri-peri spiciness chart at Nando ’ s .
The generous side of me thinks Boris was hinting to the public that they should exercise their own judgement in relation to going outside and going to work .
The foreign secretary , Dominic Raab , almost got there this morning , when he said people should ‘ use common sense ’ when it comes to meeting up with others .
And the new Covid-19 messaging that the chattering classes loathe so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NHS , Save Lives ’ has been replaced by ‘ Stay Alert , Control the Virus , Save Lives ’ – does point towards the necessity for a greater degree of personal judgement on matters of work and play .
In that sense , its alleged ‘ vagueness ’ is a virtue , not a problem .
But the realistic side of me doubts very much that this is the case .
If the government had confidence in the people and our capacity for good sense , it would not have engaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the lockdown ; it would not be publishing 50 pages of guidance today on what we can and can not do ; it would not kowtow every time the Covid hysterics in the media elite say : ‘ You ’ re giving us too much freedom and people will die as a result.
’ The government ’ s uber-caution sends the message that it doesn ’ t trust us to behave sensibly in a pandemic , and that ’ s a very bad message to send in a democracy .
But then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they are worse .
These are the government ’ s critics , legion in the media , noisy on Twitter .
From Nicola Sturgeon to Labour Party MPs to virtually the entire cultural elite , their response to Boris ’ s address was the same .
You ’ re being too vague , they said .
You must give us clearer instructions , they cried .
People will die if we all just go back to normal , they insisted , having been so consumed by the nihilistic urge to depict Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has mishandled that they now spout Revelations-style warnings with no consideration at all as to their accuracy or usefulness .
This section of society distrusts the public to an extraordinary degree .
They now seem to view us as little more than carriers of disease , who will sicken and even kill each other the minute we ’ re granted a bit more freedom and the right to go back to work .
Their frenzied response to Boris ’ s new messaging – ‘ It ’ s not clear enough !
Tell us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how thoroughly they have lost faith in the public ’ s , and their own , ability to judge how to behave .
What they ’ re really saying is : ‘ We can not be trusted with freedom , so please rule over us more firmly.
’ They seem to want minutely observed , written-down guidance for every facet of life and every eventuality in a pandemic .
There is something genuinely dispiriting about this .
The great problem we face right now is not that the government is arrogantly stealing freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , especially among the middle classes and the more influential sections of society , seem so cravenly keen to sacrifice their freedom .
‘ Take liberty away from us ’ , they ’ re essentially saying , ‘ we can not be trusted with it ’ .
This is a consequence of the culture of fear and safetyism that has gripped Western societies in recent decades .
The insulation of people from risk and even from offence has given rise to a situation in which some seem incapable of exercising any kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Safe Space and the echo chamber , and in a world where protecting people from harm has taken precedence over celebrating their autonomy and unleashing their potential , has led to this – to this situation in which the government hints at giving people some of their freedom and discretion back , and the cultural elites cry in unison : ‘ No .
Don ’ t .
It ’ s too dangerous.
’ These people need to grow up .
Their lack of self-respect is staggering .
The government can not write the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic .
We must decide as individuals and communities how to deal with crisis and how to live freely and productively even under the threat of illness .
We absolutely must Stay Alert – alert to the deadening illiberalism of the new elites , and alert to all new opportunities for us to think for ourselves , decide for ourselves , and work together as communities to get Britain up and running again .
The vaccine for Covid-19 hasn ’ t been discovered yet , but the antidote to Covid hysteria is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called free will .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Report: COVID-19 lockdowns significantly impacting global air quality

WASHINGTON–Levels of two major air pollutants have been drastically reduced since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , but a secondary pollutant – ground-level ozone – has increased in China , according to new research .
Two new studies in AGU ’ s journal Geophysical Research Letters find nitrogen dioxide pollution over northern China , Western Europe and the U.S. decreased by as much as 60 percent in early 2020 as compared to the same time last year .
Nitrogen dioxide is a highly reactive gas produced during combustion that has many harmful effects on the lungs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ emissions from vehicles , power plants and industrial activities .
In addition to nitrogen dioxide , one of the new studies finds particulate matter pollution ( particles smaller than 2.5 microns ) has decreased by 35 percent in northern China .
Particulate matter is composed of solid particles and liquid droplets that are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause damage .
The two new papers are part of an ongoing special collection of research in AGU journals related to the current pandemic .
Such a significant drop in emissions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satellites began in the 1990s , said Jenny Stavrakou , an atmospheric scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy in Brussels and co-author of one of the papers .
The only other comparable events are short-term reductions in China ’ s emissions due to strict regulations during events like the 2008 Beijing Olympics .
The improvements in air quality will likely be temporary , but the findings give scientists a glimpse into what air quality could be like in the future as emissions regulations become more stringent , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be used to understand better the emission regulations , ” Stavrakou said .
“ It is some positive news among a very tragic situation.
” However , the drop in nitrogen dioxide pollution has caused an increase in surface ozone levels in China , according to one of the new studies .
Ozone is a secondary pollutant formed when sunlight and high temperature catalyze chemical reactions in the lower atmosphere .
Ozone is harmful to humans at ground-level , causing pulmonary and heart disease .
In highly polluted areas , particularly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by nitrogen oxides , so ozone levels can increase when nitrogen dioxide pollution goes down .
As a result , although air quality has largely improved in many regions , surface ozone can still be a problem , according to Guy Brasseur , an atmospheric scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg , Germany , and lead author of one of the new studies .
“ It means that by just reducing the [ nitrogen dioxide ] and the particles , you won ’ t solve the ozone problem , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues used satellite measurements of air quality to estimate the changes in nitrogen dioxide pollution over the major epicenters of the outbreak : China , South Korea , Italy , Spain , France , Germany , Iran and the United States .
They found that nitrogen dioxide pollution decreased by an average of 40 percent over Chinese cities and by 20 to 38 percent over Western Europe and the United States during the 2020 lockdown , as compared to the same time in 2019 .
However , the study found nitrogen dioxide pollution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the earliest and hardest-hit countries .
The authors suspect this is because complete lockdowns weren ’ t in place until late March and before that , stay-at-home orders were largely ignored .
The authors did see a dip in emissions during the Iranian New Year holiday after March 20 , but this dip is observed during the celebration every year .
The second study looked at air quality changes in northern China where the virus was first reported and where lockdowns have been most strict .
Brasseur analyzed levels of nitrogen dioxide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measured by 800 ground-level air quality monitoring stations in northern China .
Brasseur and his colleague found particulate matter pollution decreased by an average of 35 percent and nitrogen dioxide decreased by an average of 60 percent after the lockdowns began on January 23 .
However , they found the average surface ozone concentration increased by a factor of 1.5-2 over the same time period .
At ground level , ozone forms from complex reactions involving nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) , gases emitted by a variety of household @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can also be affected by weather conditions and other factors .
AGU is an international association of more than 60,000 advocates and experts in Earth and space science .
Through our initiatives , such as mentoring , professional development and awards , AGU members uphold and foster an inclusive and diverse scientific community .
AGU also hosts numerous conferences , including the largest international Earth and space science meeting as well as serving as the leading publisher of the highest quality journals .
Fundamental to our mission since our founding in 1919 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do through our net zero energy building in Washington , D.C. and making the scientific discoveries and research accessible and engaging to all to help protect society and prepare global citizens for the challenges and opportunities ahead .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Before ‘global warming’ caused droughts – – Global Cooling Led To Widespread Droughts In The 1970s

In October 1974 , the NOAA Magazine published this piece by Patrick Hughes about the detrimental effects of 30 years @ @ @ @ @ , the cooling that warmists insist never happened ! )


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Greening the planet and slouching towards Paris? ‘Paper predicts Earth is going to gain nearly three

Greening the planet and slouching towards Paris? ‘Paper predicts Earth is going to gain nearly three times as much green matter as was predicted by UN IPCC’

A new paper finds higher than expected CO fertilization inferred from leaf to global observations .
The paper predicts that the Earth is going to gain nearly three times as much green matter as was predicted by the IPCC AR5 .
Earlier this month , I posted a short pieceabout an explosive paper on planetary greening that appeared in the journal Global Change Biology .
I ’ ve since mused that it deserves a considerably longer , more contextual post .
The innocuously titled paper , “ Higher than expected CO fertilization inferred from leaf to global observations ” , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s CSIRO ) and eight coauthors uses a biophysical model and observed climate to back-calculate global primary productivity ( GPP ; the net change in standing vegetation per year ) , and to forward-calculate it using climate model forecasts .
Abstract .
“ Several lines of evidence point to an increase in the activity of the terrestrial biosphere over recent decades , impacting the global net land carbon sink ( NLS ) and its control on the growth of atmospheric carbon dioxide ( c ) .
Global terrestrial gross primary production ( GPP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photosynthesis—is estimated to have risen by ( 31 ± 5 ) % since 1900 , but the relative contributions of different putative drivers to this increase are not well known .
Here we identify the rising atmospheric CO concentration as the dominant driver .
We reconcile leaf‐level and global atmospheric constraints on trends in modeled biospheric activity to reveal a global CO fertilization effect on photosynthesis of 30 % since 1900 , or 47 % for a doubling of c above the pre‐industrial level .
Our historic value is nearly twice as high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) % that do not use the full range of available constraints .
Consequently , under a future low‐emission scenario , we project a land carbon sink ( 174 PgC , 2006–2099 ) that is 57 PgC larger than if a lower CO fertilization effect comparable with current estimates is assumed .
These findings suggest a larger beneficial role of the land carbon sink in modulating future excess anthropogenic CO consistent with the target of the Paris Agreement to stay below 2°C warming , and underscore the importance of preserving terrestrial carbon sinks.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to gain nearly three times as much green matter as was forecast in the last ( 2013 ) IPCC report .
It is noteworthy that Haverd ’ s model very faithfully reproduced the satellite-sensed changes in leaf area index shown by Zhu et al .
( 2016 ) , which found the greatest greenings to be in the world ’ s semiarid tropics , tropical forests , and a smaller ( but significant ) increase in temperate latitudes .
( I noted that paper here in 2018 ) .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ methods—satellite sensing ( Zhu ) and a biophysical model ( Haverd ) come up with pretty much the same answer : we are greening up the earth fast , especially in critical tropical ecosystems .
Under a plausible emissions pathway , this will pull so much carbon dioxide out of the air that we could meet the Paris Accord of keeping surface warming below 2⁰C .
Specifically , the authors wrote , “ [ t ] hese findings suggest a larger beneficial role of the land carbon sink in modulating future excess anthropogenic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris Agreement to stay below 2°C warming… ” But they leave it the reader to do the math to see just how much their findings move the world toward Paris ( which of course I will do later in this post ) .
Here are the amounts and causes of changes in past GPP : Figure 1 .
Historical annual GPP according Haverd et al .
Plotted here are the effects of leaf-level physiological changes directly stimulated by carbon dioxide ( dark green ) , the overall increase in leaf matter i ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of climate change ( tan ) —i.e .
the increase in temperature since 1900 .
Haverd et al .
give the previously accepted 1900-2006 increase in GPP as 17 % +/- 4 % .
They used a model with land use , observed climate , and an interaction between changing CO and climate and found GPP likely increased 31 % +/- 4 % , or statistically speaking , roughly twice the increase in planetary green-ness that was previously accepted .
Figure 2 .
The left-hand image is Haverd et al ’ s map @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( the units are grams of carbon per meter squared per year ) , for 1980-2016 .
The right figures break down the causes : direct carbon dioxide effect ( C ) , temperature effect ( T ) , the interaction between the two ( CxT ) , precipitation ( P ) and land use change ( LUC ) .
Of most interest here is the left-hand image which is very similar to Zhu et al ’ s satellite greening .
Obviously , if increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide caused so much planetary greening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it stands to reason that there ’ s going to be a much bigger change during the remainder of this century .
Using a similar approach to what they applied to the past ( but now climate forecasts are substituted for observations ) , they estimated the increase in green-ness that would result from either doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide from its preindustrial background , or putting the world on a low-emission pathway in which its concentration peaks at 440 parts per million ( ppm ) around 2050 .
( For reference , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be around 410ppm ) .
The emissions scenario in Haverd is the UN ’ s Representative Concentration Pathway ( RCP ) 2.6 , their lowest one .
University of Guelph Economist Ross McKitrick recently demonstrated that global carbon dioxide concentrations have been below every UN scenario generated from the 1990s onward , so the lower-peaking scenario isn ’ t just fantasy .
( My own opinion , consistent with many others , is that we are currently running around RCP 6.0 . )
In the doubling scenario ( from a nominal 300 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % increase in green biomass from 2006-2099 .
That ’ s over and above the 37 % increase already observed since 1900 ( Figure 1 ) .
So we are going to come darned close to doubling the earth ’ s green vegetation since 1900 with no particular conservation effort .
Doubling of the CO concentration ( relative to preindustrial ) will likely occur sometime around 2070 or so .
The changes in green matter increase projected for 2006-2099 using RCP 2.6 are still huge .
Read their words ( and I hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimate a cumulative biophysical sink…equivalent to 17 years of anthropogenic emissions at current rates [ emphasis added ] .
RCP 2.6 is associated with 2.4⁰C of warming ( since preindustrial ) by 2100 .
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to hold warming to two degrees or below .
The reduction in warming from the equivalent of 17 years of zero emissions is , of course , spread through the century , but if it took place now ( according to the UN ’ s models ) it would reduce 0.5⁰C of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have us warming at roughly 0.3⁰C/decade in the near term , but Haverd et al .
tell us we will effectively have 1.7 decades of zero emissions thanks to greening .
A little math : 2.4⁰ ( the UN ’ s expected RCP 2.6 warming to 2100 ) minus 0.5⁰ ( the reduction in warming from 17 years of zero emissions ) = 1.9⁰C of warming .
Thanks to the wonders of photosynthesis on God ’ s getting-greener earth , we meet the Paris Accord .
That should have been front-page news .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there hasn ’ t been one story about this astounding paper .
Moderation note : As with all guest posts , please keep your comments civil and relevant .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Several New Papers Indicate Sea Levels Were 1 – 3 Meters Higher Than Today A Few Thousand Years Ago

NoTricksZone : Not here to worship what i… NoTricksZone : Not here to worship what i… / by Kenneth Richard @ @ @ @ @ Sea Levels Were 1 – 3 Meters Higher Than Today A Few Thousand Years Ago


climatedepot--2020-05-14--More On That Billion-Dollar Solar Boondoggle In Vegas

On May 12 the Interior Department gave approval for the largest solar power project in the U.S. to be built by Warren Buffett ’ s NV Energy company on 7100 acres of Federal lands in the Mohave Desert .
At a cost of one billion dollars , it pales into insignificance on the days we read of the trillions of dollars being spent battling the coronavirus economic destruction .
But a boondoggle by any other name remains a boondoggle .
The plan for this three-year project is very specific and quite ambitious and will never fulfill even close to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will power 260,000 homes , provide 900 jobs , with a massive battery backup to replace the solar system at night , and emit no carbon dioxide .
Had the government seen Michael Moore ’ s brilliant new movie Planet For The Humansbefore approving the project they may not have approved it .
The film illustrates on the ground at various sites , how and why every major solar project in the country has failed miserably .
In just a few sentences we can explain the futility of this mammoth project that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the curtain down on the futility of attempting to obtain dependable power from the sun unless it is on your rooftop .
We have been lying to ourselves about this potential for over three decades .
In a new book lightheartedly titled The Hitchhikers Journey Through Climate Change , one discovers that the renewable energy debate can be summed up with a simple Rule of Thumb .
It states “ in every communities ’ electric grid , an excess amount of fossil fuel or nuclear power must be available at the ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equal to the potential output of all intermittent solar energy considered a portion of the grids electric capacity.
” No batteries exist on earth that could take up the load when the sun is not shining .
If they could it would likely only be for a single night for how would then recharge them .
This is a fairy tale of absurdity being sold to Las Vegas just as the snake oil salesmen of the old west plied their trade .
When you digest this simple rule , you will wonder that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone on for so long without facing the only reality that can ever allow solar energy to be an important part of our energy portfolio .
It must have 100 % backed up with fossil fuel or nuclear power to ensure that the communities ’ electric grid can not let them down .
Las Vegas of all places can not afford a blackout .
Thinking that some special new battery is going to maintain as much power as the absent sun , has been and will be an impossibility for the foreseeable future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must stand by running near full out and emitting carbon dioxide and producing no electricity until the sun can not fill the bill and it must step in .
The excess cost for the excess backup power will show up in the electric bills of the residents of Las Vegas as sure as night shall follow day .
CFACT Senior Science Analyst Jay Lehr has authored more than 1,000 magazine and journal articles and 36 books .
Jay ’ s new book A Hitchhikers Journey Through Climate Changewritten with Teri Ciccone is now @ @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Does Greta Thunberg Have The Answer To The Wuhan Virus?

COVID-19 is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma and hidden within a Chinese wet market , or possibly a CCP laboratory .
World leaders are baffled by how to respond .
The science keeps contradicting itself .
The world ’ s greatest mathematicians can ’ t keep up with the ever-changing data sets .
Who can the poor and frightened public turn to for help ?
Never fear , Greta ’ s here .
That ’ s right .
Little Miss Thunberg , a 17-year-old Swedish girl who dropped out of high school to sound the climate change alarm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just when we need her most .
On Thursday evening , CNN will host a live town hall called ‘ Coronavirus : Facts and Fears ’ , featuring former acting CDC director Richard Besser , former HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius , and Miss Thunberg .
Of course , while Greta understands that COVID-19 is important , she will be eager to stress that it should not distract us from that more urgent challenge of climate change — even if , thanks to the lockdown , global CO2 emissions have been reduced by more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to remember that if the virus doesn ’ t get us , the global warming will .
During an Earth Day event on April 22 , she asserted that the world must tackle the climate crisis and the coronavirus at the same time .
‘ Today is Earth Day , and that reminds us that the climate and the environmental emergency is still ongoing , ’ said Thunberg .
‘ We need to tackle both the corona pandemic , this crisis , at the same time as we tackle the climate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to tackle two crises at once.
’ Her co-panelist gently nodded , meekly going along with the charade that this high school dropout ’ s comments actually added value to the discussion .
Eco-celebrities like Thunberg have been not-so-quietly rejoicing over the pandemic ’ s effect on carbon emissions and other environmental variables — never mind the poor souls choking their lungs out all over the planet .
Some climate change activists believe that stay-at-home orders offer ‘ clues ’ for the fight against climate change .
Others are adopting talk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions .
One New York Times opinion piece recently expressed a hope that lockdowns would make us mend our anti-planet ways : ‘ Maybe , as you hunker down with cabinets full of essentials , your sense of what consumer goods you need will shrink , ’ wrote the author , Meehan Crist .
‘ Maybe , even after the acute phase of the coronavirus crisis has passed , you will be more likely to telecommute… Maybe among the relatively wealthy , jumping on a plane for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wedding will come to seem unthinkable.
’ Economic destruction is good , you see .
It helps Mother Nature .
Cockburn observes that one force ties together the coronavirus pandemic and the issue of climate change .
In recent years , the media has come to fetishize particular apocalyptic voices — Thunberg , AOC , Bill Nye , Gov .
Cuomo , Dr. Fauci — and turn them into cultural idols .
They elevate these people and demonize those who dare to dissent .
It doesn ’ t matter that Greta clearly knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To CNN , she feels right .
Besides , does COVID-19 really matter when the world is doomed by climate change anyway ?


climatedepot--2020-05-14--No, The Coronavirus Lockdown Hasn’t Made The Air Cleaner: According to EPA’s air-quality monitors

Just about every day , someone claims that the air is cleaner .
That , we are told , is a small benefit of the coronavirus-induced economic lockdowns .
By reducing traffic on our roads , we are polluting the air less , providing a visible example of the supposed benefits of imposing more environmental regulation .
In my hometown of Seattle , one environmental activist told the local paperthat people can “ physically see that difference in the cleaner air.
” The air-quality data tell a different story .
According to the EPA ’ s air-quality monitors , levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 — are not lower now and have , in fact , been higher recently than the median level of the last five years .
Consisting of particles smaller than 2.5 microns , PM 2.5 includes natural sources such as smoke or sea salt , as well as human-caused pollution from combustion .
In Philadelphia , a city health commissioner said , “ I would expect our air pollution levels will probably go down because the number of vehicles in the streets are [ sic ] less.
” Recent particulate-matter levels , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average .
In Dallas , the levels of PM 2.5 are higher than average .
In Boston , they are slightly lower .
This counterintuitive result could be due to a number of influences , including weather .
The key factor , however , is that in most places , human-caused pollution is small relative to natural sources .
Even a significant reduction in human contribution makes only a small difference .
So , why do so many activists claim the air is ‘ physically cleaner ’ in the United States ?
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Opposition to cars is a major theme in left-wing environmental politics , and it is simply assumed , without looking at the data , that less driving equals cleaner air .
The large gap between political rhetoric and scientific reality is a reminder that costly environmental regulations should be based on real-world data , not ideologically driven assumptions .
Many of the stories focus on faraway cities such as Beijing or Delhi where there is , in fact , cleaner air .
Those examples may be interesting , but they say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
Additionally , they highlight that pollution often goes hand in hand with poverty .
If the assumption is that shutting down the economy is good for the environment , the fact that poor countries see the biggest improvements is a counterpoint .
There is also some sleight-of-hand in these claims .
Articles that cite data focus not on particulate matter , but on NO2 , a pollutant associated with driving .
They show satellite photos of reductions in NO2 as evidence that air quality is improving .
The satellite photos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of calculating NO2 levels during the shutdown .
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts , which operates these satellites , has pointed out that these media reports are based on a flawed analysis , “ by comparing too short time periods and/or insufficient filtering of the data ” and that , when used correctly , “ no marked trend is detected , for example , over the USA for the first three weeks of March.
” Dan Goldberg , an atmospheric researcher at Argonne National Laboratory , recently explained that media claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. since COVID-19 have been incorrect , and are driven mostly by the influence of clouds and routine seasonal changes in the angle of the sun .
While exposure to high levels of NO2 can present health effects , all parts of the U.S. attain the most recent national NO2 standards , which were set at a safe level by the Obama administration in 2010 , a standard retained by the Trump administration in 2018 .
Although it can be harmful , NO2 is a concern primarily because it is a precursor to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at just NO2 , we should track the actual pollutant that concerns us .
Ironically , many of the misleading articles specifically leave out PM 2.5 , perhaps because the data tell the wrong story .
One such article in National Geographic notes that NO2 levels in Dallas declined by three percent between March 1 and April 5 .
Particulate-matter levels , however , were 24 percent higher than the five-year median .
In Seattle , NO2 levels fell in March , but the level of particulate matter increased .
National Geographic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 but left out the relevant data .
Many factors over time influence air quality .
Looking only at one or two months , or only one factor is not enough to draw true conclusions .
Some may argue that short-term increases in air pollution do not prove anything .
That is fine .
But it has not stopped political activists from claiming that the air is cleaner — even when it isn ’ t — and that reducing car travel caused it .
Scientific rigor must go in both directions .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
First , the economic lockdown has provided a painful , but useful , natural experiment to test the potential benefits of future air-quality regulations .
If a policy claims to reduce PM 2.5 by more than we are seeing currently , under a drastic reduction of car travel , we should be very skeptical .
Second , it is a reminder that despite mindlessly repeating the word “ science , ” politicians and activists do not always check the real-world data , or they cherry-pick the data they think are useful , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative .
People assume they can use common sense , but the scientific process is designed specifically to identify where reality conflicts with popular assumptions .
Science means following the data , especially when it conflicts with your most cherished assumptions .
Finally , even those ( or most of those ) claiming our air quality is better admit that shutting down the economy is not a good approach .
Considering the painful economic impacts of environmental policy is important , not just for our prosperity , but for the environment .
Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be spent wisely , to yield the greatest environmental benefit , because the recent economic collapse shows us those dollars may not always be there .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Virginia’s ‘Clean’ power plan just shifts pollution

May 13 , 2020 : Joining the clean electric car smoke-and-mirrors , emission-elsewhere scheme is the newly adopted Virginia Clean Economy Act , which Dominion Virginia Power now says would require importing energy from out-of-state , pollution-intensive sources .
The price tag for this legislated decree — imposed via politically virtuous green posturing , environmental sloganeering , and pandering to climate activists — now comes to light .
Get ready for acres of environmentally destructive solar panel installations , which probably will fail to meet energy demands in the midst of winter , while decimating native habitat on site and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the soil .
Hope that the air conditioner comes on during a summer lull in ocean breezes when those European-built off-shore wind turbines produce little electricity .
Hope that the Atlantic hurricane season does not cause them to shut down in a self-preservation safety mode just when you need electric power .
Hope that servicing those giga-monsters in a hostile , saltwater-corrosive environment does not take them off-line too often .
Hope for those envisioned giga-battery storage complexes for when the sun doesn ’ t shine and the wind doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Dominion , they can pass on these costs to their captive consumers .
Virginia is vying with California for the title of creator of the most destructive and unreliable energy policy at the highest cost to its citizens and industry by embracing radical environmentalism , and rejecting objective science .
Out-of-sight , out-of-mind pollution is now the law of the land , and — just like that — we Virginians are all carbon free , at the expense of pollution elsewhere .
Never mind that there will be a virtually undetectable effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carbon dioxide is an essential trace gas upon which plants depend for life .
Never mind that each one of us exhales carbon dioxide with each breath , since we are carbon-based life forms .
Do not embarrass legislators by asking how much the climate will be saved by this Clean Economy Act .
By the target date of 2045 , our governor and legislators who foisted this on the public will be out of office and forgotten , and have no fear of facing recriminations , unfortunately .
This article appeared on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) website at https : //www.dailyprogress.com/opinion/opinion-letter-clean-power-plan-just-shifts-pollution/article_9b506be3-c15a-598d-a5b0-33fe9e3ba64c.html


climatedepot--2020-05-14--Climate Scientists Try to Rescue Renewable Energies from ‘Planet of the Humans’

“ The film [ Planet of the Humans ] presents a distorted and outdated depiction of the renewable energy industry in an effort to malign renewable energy , thus ironically promoting the agenda of the fossil fuel industry.
” If Big Environmentalism loses wind , the supply-side ruse is over , and people will reconsider climate science given that the “ cure ” is not there .
Hence Michael Mann versus Michael Moore .
“ The cause ” of climate alarmism and forced energy transformation has been pushed backward by a very long overdue hard look at renewable energy as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Being dilute and intermittent , renewables have more bad secrets than any closet could hold .
Small wonder ; renewable energies chew up the earth ’ s surface and creatures in a way that leads to the joke : Q .
“ When is an environmentalist not an environmentalist ?
” A .
“ When it comes to industrial wind turbines and solar farms.
” Moore ’ s Planet of the Humans all but ensures that DC-based Big Environmentalism will frontally reject biomass/biofuels , their loss-leader to try to prop up wind and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ green ” portfolios and it gets a little skinnier for the business cronies .
And if Big Environmentalism loses wind , the supply-side ruse is over , and people will reconsider climate science given that the ‘ cure ’ is gone .
Hence Michael Mann versus Michael Moore ’ s Planet of the Humans , the gist of Maxime Joselow ’ s “ Michael Moore ’ s documentary irks climate scientists ” ( May 5 , 2020 ) .
Although Moore et al .
do not understand this yet , the problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence of stored energy density ( think mineral energies ; think Vaclav Smil and Bill Gates ) .
Think of the energy stock created by the sun over the ages versus a very dilute , unreliable flow of energy from solar directly or indirectly ( wind ) .
This harks back to W. S. Jevons , The Coal Question , published in 1865 , who said this about windpower : “ The first great requisite of motive power is , that it shall be wholly at our command , to be exerted when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree we desire .
The wind , for instance , as a direct motive power , is wholly inapplicable to a system of machine labour , for during a calm season the whole business of the country would be thrown out of gear ” ( p. 122 ) .
“ Civilization … is the economy of power , and consists in withdrawing and using our small fraction of force in a happy mode and moment ” ( p. 122 ) .
“ No possible concentration of windmills … would supply the force required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An ordinary windmill has the power of about thirty-four men , or at most seven horses .
Many ordinary factories would therefore require ten windmills to drive them , and the great Dowlais Ironworks , employing a total engine power of 7,308 horses , would require no less than 1,000 large windmills !
” ( p. 123 ) If one retorts that modern wind turbines make the above obsolete , note that modern conventional power generation facilities , dramatically and ingeniously , have improved also and easily beat wind-generated electricity in a variety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stored density argument to date , consider Peter Huber ’ s insight in Hard Green : Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists ( New York : Basic Books , 1999 ) , pp .
105 , 108 : The greenest fuels are the ones that contain the most energy per pound of material that must be mined , trucked , pumped , piped , and burnt .
… [ In contrast ] , extracting comparable amounts of energy from the surface would entail truly monstrous environmental disruption… .
The greenest possible strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fly and to tunnel , to search high and low , where the life mostly isn ’ t , and so to leave the edge , the space in the middle , living and green .
Back to Planet of the Humans… .
An article in E & E News , a mainstream enviro ( subscription only ) report , titled “ Michael Moore ’ s documentary irks climate scientists ” inspired the present post .
Author Maxine Joselowbegins : Then comes the criticism from the perturbed Big Green–including the above quotation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mann .
( It is very suspicious that Mann is the chosen one to weigh in on energy issues ; is he the front for a PR firm wed to wind/solar cronyism ? )
But what about all those ‘ climate scientists and environmentalists ’ that would agree with the film ?
How about climate scientist James Hansen , the father of the climate alarm , who said : Wait , wait–a lot of us do not “ reject the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is heating the planet.
” Moderate warming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life , has distinct positives that dilutes , if not refutes , the cause of climate alarmism .
But this is another story .
Author Joselow then exposes the predicament of climate alarmists who fear that losing renewables leaves them naked on energy policy .
And adding to the predicament : Okay , so does this standard apply for in-the-tank environmentalist reporters who , for example , I have never heard from , despite authoring a 1997 piece ( “ Renewable Energy : Not Cheap , Not ‘ Green ’ ) that basically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncovered decades later ?
Planet of the Humans stands on its own .
The main point is sound and damaging to the “ Green ” case for renewable energies .
But critics of the film have some points ( such as the need to update the analysis ) .
So let ’ s have a Planet of the Humans 2 to look closely at wind and solar as mass substitutes for mineral energies .
Let ’ s take a look at the politics of crony energies .
Let ’ s look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the environmental mess called renewable energy .


climatedepot--2020-05-14--UN vs UN: ‘COVID-19 is disrupting a food industry already thrown into turmoil by climate change’

UN Environment claims Covid-19 is disrupting food production which has already been battered by climate adversity .
But just last November , the UN Agriculture body said “ reserves held by the five major exporting countries could rise to a five-year high , primarily on the back of another foreseen build-up in India.
” UN Environment claims Covid-19 is disrupting food production which has already been battered by climate adversity .
But just last November , the UN Agriculture body said “ reserves held by the five major exporting countries could rise to a five-year high , primarily on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” COVID-19 is disrupting a food industry already thrown into turmoil by climate change Today ’ s COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the critical role of rice in ensuring global food security while combating climate change .
The world eats a lot of rice .
Over 3.5 billion people rely on it as a staple part of their diet .
The little grain is fundamental to global food security .
Of the 820 million people who today go hungry , almost 60 per cent of them live in areas where rice consumption accounts for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cereal diet .
Paradoxically , it is often those who grow food who are among the world ’ s most food-insecure .
For over 100 million rice smallholders , rice is all that stands between them and hunger .
Before COVID-19 , the expansive industry that provides this life-giving food to half of the global population was already struggling to cope with the impacts of climate change .
Now , the pandemic is ravaging the rice sector , further threatening lives and livelihoods .
Rice production , prices and international trade are all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread droughts .
Panic buying prompted rice-exporting countries to impose limits or bans on exports , while domestic price caps imposed by some importing countries have led to reduced import volumes .
Coupled with logistical stoppages resulting from nationwide lockdowns , over half of global rice supply – originating in five key countries – is now at risk .
Currently , price surges disproportionately harm poorer households for whom rice is a staple , and where rice can account for almost half of monthly spending .
Meanwhile , lockdowns also make it harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as seeds , fertilizers and field labor .
Crops already planted are at risk due to a lack of labor as quarantines have forced migrant workers to return home .
Missed windows for planting and harvest will devastate yields .
“ Because of the coronavirus outbreak we are not allowed to gather around , unable to call for any meetings with cooperative members to prepare for the next crop or enter into new agreements with buyers of the rice we will produce ” , said Nguyen Phu Cuong , the Director of Vong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Viet Nam .
Additionally , with the elderly more susceptible to COVID-19 , productivity is also under threat , considering the increasing average age of rice farmers today .
COVID-19 comes at a time when underlying climate change impacts are already compromising food and water security .
Southeast Asia , which supplies 50 per cent of the world ’ s rice exports , is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years .
“ The adversities in the rice trade triggered by COVID-19 are an acute preview of what climate change has in store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Director of the Sustainable Rice Platform .
“ But instead of a temporary threat to farmers and food value chains , climate change impacts will be lasting , likely for generations .
This pandemic shows us how devastating the consequences of inaction could be and how climate change can intensify existing crises.
” Climate change will exacerbate the vulnerabilities of food systems and human health .
The United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) is working closely with partners , particularly through the Sustainable Rice Platform , to strengthen smallholder capacity and resilience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sustainable Rice Platform , initiated by UNEP and the International Rice Research Institute in 2011 , is a multi-stakeholder alliance comprising over 100 institutional members , whose Secretariat is hosted by UNEP ’ s Regional Office for Asia and Pacific in Bangkok .
SRP is working to transform the global rice sector by promoting resource efficiency and climate-smart best practice among rice farmers and throughout value chains .
SRP is developing sustainable production standards , indicators , incentives and outreach to boost wide-scale adoption of sustainable best practices in rice production , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rice farms .
SRP members are also actively helping with the COVID-19 response .
Some SRP members are reversing their supply chains to deliver personal protective equipment and hand soap to farmers .
The crisis response is also providing valuable lessons in how to deal with climate change impacts on rice .
For example , farmers , particularly women , have been leading initiatives against COVID-19 by championing hygienic practices , which is leading the Platform to adapt from knowledge sharing to knowledge co-creation .
As we aim to build back better , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prevent far-reaching environmental , social and economic blows of global crises .
3.5 billion people depend on it .
For more information , please contact Niklas Hagelberg : [ email protected ] Nature is in crisis , threatened by biodiversity and habitat loss , global heating and toxic pollution .
Failure to act is failing humanity .
Addressing the current coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic and protecting ourselves against future global threats requires sound management of hazardous medical and chemical waste ; strong and global stewardship of nature and biodiversity ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better ” , creating green jobs and facilitating the transition to carbon neutral economies .
Humanity depends on action now for a resilient and sustainable future


climatedepot--2020-05-14--‘Moderate’ Biden Names AOC As A Co-Chair Of His Climate Change Task Force

Remember when commentators said that Joe Biden grabbed the moderate wing of the Democratic Party ?
And they thought we ’ d all buy it ?
That ’ s adorable .
The truth is that the Democrats have gotten so radically leftist , a moderate is still a left-wing extremist .
As if to prove that point to team Bernie , the “ moderate ” Joe Biden has added proclaimed socialist AOC to his Dream Team .
Biden names AOC Yes , the Big-Time Bernie surrogate from The Squad has joined Biden .
No , not Ilhan Omar , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the other one .
The one who popped off about how she and Biden shouldn ’ t even be in the same party ?
That ’ s right .
Alexandria Occasional Use-of-Cortex .
So deep are her personal convictions that she ’ s being picked for a role on Joe ’ s team , even though a short four months ago she made headlines by saying : Asked for a profile by New York Magazine about what role she might play as a member of Congress should Biden capture the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York responded with a groan .
“ Oh God , ” she said .
“ In any other country , Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party , but in America , we are.
” For someone who bleats so loudly about everyone else being in somebody ’ s pocket , she sure sells out easily given a whiff of a chance at wielding real political power .
Can you guess what her role will be ?
If you guessed ‘ New Green Deal Advocate , ’ you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ocasio-Cortez will co-chair a panel advising Joe Biden on climate policy as the apparent Democratic nominee takes steps to unify the party , it was announced on Wednesday .
Biden said that Ocasio-Cortez is on one of the six policy panels in comments to Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV on Tuesday , when the former vice president was asked what he was doing to bring supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders into the fold .
“ We ’ ve made some changes , we ’ ve listened to the Bernie supporters and , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez , she is on one of the panels as well , ” Biden said .
“ And so I think we ’ re going to have a very united party.
” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s “ Green New Deal ” is more like a socialist manifesto .
She calls for everything from the elimination of air travel , an almost complete rebuilding of every structure currently standing in the United States today , to redistribution of income , and money for people who don ’ t want to work ( and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of AOC ’ s “ Green New Deal ” is her attack on cows and their farts .
She wants to get rid of farting cows–no more steaks .
My first thought was great , we ’ re all going to have a huge barbecue .
I might even invite PETA .
It is true that on average , every cow releases 30 to 50 gallons of methane a day via farting and belching .
But growing up , I shared a bedroom with my brother , and I can promise you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wild burrito much more than the average cow ( he might blame me , but that wouldn ’ t be honest ) .
One point AOC doesn ’ t understand is that everyone and everything farts .
Even Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ cuts the proverbial cheese ( but I doubt she admits it ) .
In fact , the average human butt toots its own horn 10 to 20 times a day .
Along with ruining our family barbeques by killing all cows and removing of beef hamburgers , hot dogs , and steaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal won ’ t work .
Along with killing all cows , the environmental pipe dream brought to you by creepy Joe ’ s new advisor , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , would abolish fossil fuels , eliminate millions of jobs , cost households $ 600,000 annually at an overall price tag of $ 93 trillion , and do nothing to stem the tide of climate change .
A report published by the American Enterprise Institute ( AEI ) says the Green New Deal would not have any effect on the environment , concluding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ve seen what a ‘ united party ’ looks like to a Bernie Supporter , haven ’ t we ?
After all , AOC has refused to pay party dues and has threatened her own party members with being Primaried for not being sufficiently Leftist .
A United Party means that they bow and kiss the Democrat Socialist ring .
This is a serious red flag that the supposedly ‘ moderate ’ Democrat alternative to Bernie is ACTUALLY a false face on a movement that has been ideologically hijacked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that America could ill afford the crushing costs of the ‘ Democratic Socialist ’ utopian vision BEFORE the Wuhan Chinese Coronavirus gutted our economy , how much STRONGER does that objection become now that the cupboard is bare ?
If her vision of tomorrow was fully implemented , the comparisons to a Venezuelan economic future would be anything but hypothetical .
If you think COVID was disruptive to the supply chain , just wait until she unveils her Green New Deal .