climatedepot--2020-03-12--Listen: Morano analyses silly study from Union of Concerned Scientists criticizing ride-sharing

Global warming skeptic Marc Morano of climatedepot.com says the study by the Union of Concerned Scientists isn ’ t honest about what they really want .
“ The agenda is to steer people away from private car ownership and from ride-sharing ; they ’ d rather they bike and walk and that ’ s actually in the study itself.
” [ SEE ALSO : No one should ever buy a car again .
Here ’ s why .
Morano says the media is helping the activists at the UCS .
“ The related articles when they do this is -quote- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy a car again — here ’ s why.
” I mean , this is the kind of agenda they have.
” Morano says the activists want publicly-owned electric cars on the road , but that won ’ t save as much in emissions as they claim .
“ The idea that they would promote electric vehicles as the savior here with emissions makes no sense when electric vehicles themselves are being charged chiefly from fossil fuels , depending on where your local grid is.
” Morano says the study ignores environmental factors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of people who choose not to buy cars because they use ride sharing .


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Listen: Morano talks Climate Hustle 2, Trump admin’s climate record & more! 34 minute podcast with T

Listen: Morano talks Climate Hustle 2, Trump admin’s climate record & more! 34 minute podcast with Tom Harris

March 11 , 2020 • 34 min Tom ’ s guest this week is Marc Morano who is about to release the movie Climate Hustle 2 ( https : //tinyurl.com/tnn7j9g ) .
Beginning in June 2006 , Marc served as the director of communications for Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma .
He was also communications director for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee under the George W. Bush administration .
In 2007 , Marc produced a landmark report ( https : //tinyurl.com/wedumwf ) listing hundreds of scientists whose work supports a realistic perspective on climate change .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive editor of www.ClimateDepot.com , the go-to website for millions of climate realists across the world .
In November 2009 , Morano was one of the first to break the ClimateGate story .
Marc is the author of the new book , The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change ( https : //amzn.to/2W6zDNG ) .
In 2016 Marc co-wrote and presented the documentary Climate Hustle ( https : //amzn.to/2TYmIuz ) and , on April 21 , 2020 Climate Hustle2 will be released in theatres across the US .
Climate Hustle 2 Trailer – @ @ @ @ @

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


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Meteorologist Joe D’Aleo rips NASA & NOAA’s ‘religiously’ proclaimed ‘warmest year on record’

`` There were just 26 stations in 1880 , only 4 in the southern hemisphere .
Even in 1900 , the 664 global stations was on 2.8 % of the number in 2000 .
Temperatures over oceans , which covered 71 % of the globe , were measured along shipping routes mainly in the Northern Hemisphere erratically and with varying measurement methods .
Despite these shortcomings and the fact that absolutely no credible grid level temperature data existed over the period from 1880 to 2000 in the Southern Hemisphere ’ s oceans ( covering 80.9 % of the Southern Hemisphere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimation and publication by NOAA and NASA began in the early 1990s . ''
On the fatal flaw of climate alarmism NOAA and NASA can be counted on virtually every month or year end to religiously and confidently proclaim that the latest global average surface temperature ( GAST ) is among the warmest on record .
Back in the 1970s when an assessment of a global temperature was first attempted , the scientists recognized that even land-only surface temperature data was a significant challenge given that most of the reliable data was limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe and eastern China with just spotty often intermittent data from vast land areas elsewhere .
There were just 26 stations in 1880 , only 4 in the southern hemisphere .
Even in 1900 , the 664 global stations was on 2.8 % of the number in 2000 .
Temperatures over oceans , which covered 71 % of the globe , were measured along shipping routes mainly in the Northern Hemisphere erratically and with varying measurement methods .
Despite these shortcomings and the fact that absolutely no credible grid level temperature data existed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Southern Hemisphere ’ s oceans ( covering 80.9 % of the Southern Hemisphere ) , global average surface temperature data estimation and publication by NOAA and NASA began in the early 1990s .
To illustrate the problem , on January 16 , 2020 , the WSJ published a lead article by Robert Lee Hotz stating : “ NASA , NOAA ranked 2019 as the second-hottest year in tracking data to 1880 .
The world experienced near-record global temperatures in 2019 , federal climate scientists said .
—.
” This claim was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credible temperature data exists over this period for more than 40 % of the planet ( 0.5*0.809 =0.4+ ) .
After 2000 , there were diving buoys .
But when the best technology designed specifically for the purpose , the ARGO buoys , disappointed by showing no upward trend , the data from the buoys was “ adjusted.
” John Bates , data quality officer with NOAA admitted “ They had good data from buoys…and “ corrected ” it by using the bad data from ships .
You never change good data to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what they did – so as to make it look as if the sea was warmer.
” He retired after that change was made .
That was just the latest example of data manipulation .
Initially , this global data had a cyclical pattern similar to previously reported Northern Hemisphere data ( high in the 1930s and 40s , low in the 70s ) .
Then , as time progressed , the previous officially reported GAST data history was modified , removing the cycle and creating a more and more strongly upward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical data set .
Peer reviewed , published and readily reproducible research has shown that : “ The conclusive findings were that the three GAST data sets are not a valid representation of reality.
” “ In fact , the magnitude of their historical data adjustments , which removed their cyclical temperature patterns are completely inconsistent with published and credible U.S. and other temperature data .
Thus , despite current assertions of record-setting warming , it is impossible to conclude from the NOAA and NASA data sets that recent years have been the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on these unreliable temperature records – threaten our economic and national security interests .
As the proposed climate policies grow more extreme , the consequences of allowing this record to remain unchallenged gravely threatens an onslaught of litigation based on the greenhouse gas endangerment finding .
Importantly , this litigation imposes significant impediments to the mineral land leasing and pipeline infrastructure build out necessary to maintain and enhance energy independence and economic prosperity .
Furthermore , the US financial sector has already dramatically curtailed its support of conventional energy source development in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for regulatory destruction of the fossil fuel industry based substantially on NOAA and NASA ’ s now invalidated global surface temperature records .
This situation is putting our Nation ’ s energy security at grave risk ‘ which means our economic and national security are also in great peril .
ADDENDUM to the Research Report entitled : On the Validity of NOAA , NASA and Hadley CRU Global Average Surface Temperature Data & The Validity of EPA ’ s CO2 Endangerment Finding , Abridged Research Report , Dr. James P. Wallace III , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Craig D. Idso , June 2017 The June 2017 Research Report provides ample evidence that the Global Average Surface Temperature ( GAST ) data was invalidated for use in climate modelling and for any other climate change policy analysis purpose .
However , there was one very critical science argument that this report did not make , which is made here .
This critical point involves whether or not it was even possible to compute a mathematically proper GAST data set over the period 1900-2000 in the first place .
Claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the three Lines of Evidence of the 2009 GHG/CO2 Endangerment Finding .
Another Line of Evidence purported that climate models , tuned to fit this GAST data , were adequate for policy analysis purposes .
The third Line of Evidence for validation required credible Surface Temperature data as well .
However , as stated in the aforementioned GAST Research Report : “ The conclusive findings of this research are that the three GAST data sets are not a valid representation of reality .
In fact , the magnitude of their historical data adjustments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are totally inconsistent with published and credible U.S. and other temperature data .
Thus , it is impossible to conclude from the three published GAST data sets that recent years have been the warmest ever – despite current claims of record setting warming .
Finally , since GAST data set validity is a necessary condition for EPA ’ s GHG/CO2 Endangerment Finding , it too is invalidated by these research findings ” ( 1 ) Thus , in this GAST report , ample evidence was provided that the current officially reported GAST @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invalidating the 2009 Endangerment Finding .
However , there is a proof that is far easier to understand .
Over the period 1900-2000 , there is virtually no credible surface temperature data available for at least 40 % of the surface of the Earth .
This follows from the fact that the Southern Hemisphere ’ s surface is over 80 % ocean ( .50*.80=40 ) , and essentially no credible temperature data was captured for these vast oceans over this time period .
( 2 ) Hence , it never made any sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data set over this time period unless the purpose was to construct a temperature data set that could be made to have virtually any pattern over that time period that the institutions involved desired to portray as reality .
In truth , with literally no credible temperature data available for well over 40 % of the Earth ’ s surface , these institutions were only limited by what was credible to the outside world .
( 3 ) Thus far , not knowing these facts , all relevant parties , e.g.
, regulators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been far too accepting of the GAST record as a valid global temperature database .
Since GAST data has now been separately proven to not be a valid representation of reality , it also means that the 2009 CO2 Endangerment Finding has been once again invalidated .
( 2 ) Southern Hemisphere “ The South Atlantic , the South Pacific , the Indian Ocean and several seas , including the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and the Weddell Sea next to Antarctica , constitute approximately 80.9 percent of the Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the Northern Hemisphere , on the other hand , most of the area is comprised of land masses.
” ( 3 ) “ According to overseers of the long-term instrumental temperature data , the Southern Hemisphere record is “ mostly made up ” .
This is due to an extremely limited number of available measurements both historically and even presently from the south pole to the equatorial regions .
In 1981 , NASA ’ s James Hansen et al reported that “ Problems in obtaining a global temperature history are due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , with the Southern Hemisphere and ocean areas poorly represented , ” – – – – ( Science , 28 August 1981 , Volume 213 , Number 4511 ) In 1978 , the New York Times reported there was too little temperature data from the Southern Hemisphere to draw any reliable conclusions .
The report , prepared by German , Japanese and American specialists , appeared in the Dec. 15 issue of Nature , the British journal and stated that “ Data from the Southern Hemisphere , particularly south of latitude 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conclusions are not possible , ” the report says .
“ Ships travel on well-established routes so that vast areas of ocean , are simply not traversed by ships at all , and even those that do , may not return weather data on route .
Attempting to compile a ‘ global mean temperature ’ for 70 % of the earth from such fragmentary , disorganized , error-ridden and geographically unbalanced data is more guesswork than science .
As to sea surface temperatures ( SST ) , this data is even more fragmentary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to around 1940 , SST was collected by throwing buckets over the side of a ship , hoisting it on deck and dipping a thermometer in it .
Bucket data is only useful for immediate weather prediction purposes , not for long-term statistical climatic analysis .
Any other data collected in such bizarre ways would be laughed out of any other scientific forum.
” “ Since the 1980s and 1990s we have satellites to measure SST [ 22 ] using infra-red sensors ( not to be confused with the MSU instruments which measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sensing SSTs in the infra-red can only see the immediate water surface , not the water even a few centimetres deeper .
This is because infra-red radiation at these wavebands ( around 10 microns ) can not penetrate water at all , and so the satellite can only ‘ see ’ that top millimetre .
This can result in both warm and cool errors .
On hot still days , the top centimetre of the ocean surface can be much warmer than waters a few centimetres deeper , similar to the same phenomenon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outdoor swimming pool .
On windy days , there is no such difference due to wave mixing .
There is also an intermittent ’ thermal skin effect where the top millimetre of water on calm seas can be up to 0.3C cooler than the water just beneath the ‘ skin ’ due to evaporation taking place on the surface .
For these reasons , SSTs taken from satellites are only accurate to within a few tenths of a degree , adequate for immediate meteorological purposes or detecting an El Nino , but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a few tenths of a degree.
” John Daly See the Superbowl of Data Tampering by Tony Heller :


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Former Obama climate adviser warns: ‘Unless coronavirus is quickly contained, another casualty will

Former Obama climate adviser warns: ‘Unless coronavirus is quickly contained, another casualty will be much-needed climate action in 2020’

`` Unless coronavirus is quickly contained , another casualty will be much-needed climate action in 2020 . ''
- KELLY SIMS GALLAGHER - Former Obama administration senior policy adviser in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & senior China adviser in the Special Envoy for Climate Change office at the U.S. State Department .
BY KELLY SIMS GALLAGHER – ( Former Obama administration senior policy adviser in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & senior China adviser in the Special Envoy for Climate Change office at the U.S. State Department . )
Excerpts : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for national policy but there is little evidence that the state and firm-level announcements are causing countries to increase their ambition .
Aside from the Marshall Islands , only Suriname has officially updated its commitment under the Paris Agreement so far .
The main culprit ?
Coronavirus .
With American leadership not only absent but working against global climate action , much responsibility rests with China .
Prior to the Paris Agreement , the U.S. and China were the first to stand up together to announce their targets .
The joint leadership of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired dozens of other presidents and prime ministers to announce their targets ahead of Paris .
Unless coronavirus is quickly contained , another casualty will be much-needed climate action in 2020 .


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Warmist at Grist Mag laments: ‘Coronavirus: The worst way to drive down emissions’ – ‘You can’t save

Warmist at Grist Mag laments: ‘Coronavirus: The worst way to drive down emissions’ – ‘You can’t save a world by destroying it’

Grist Mag : `` Moreover , in times of global stress , green projects often take a back burner to more pressing issues .
Distracted by the problem at hand , governments funnel political attention and subsidies into the pandemic or the economic meltdown .
The environment gets short shrift ...
These respites from fossil fuel pollution aren ’ t actually “ good for ” the climate .
For one thing , they rarely last ...
So , even if a Thanos-style reckoning might sound nice when you are depressed by species extinction , melting polar ice , etc.
, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by destroying it . ''
Excerpt : But how should we think about something as objectively terrible as the coronavirus — which has left more than 3,000 people dead — temporarily slowing climate change ?
The truth is that there are a lot of bad things in the world that also happen to ( temporarily ) lower carbon emissions .
Experts have attributed a 10 percent decrease in fossil fuel pollution in the United States between 2007 and 2009 to the global recession and financial crisis then gripping the country , putting millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese government ’ s one-child policy was widely decried as causing an epidemic of forced abortions and even infanticide .
But the government has boasted that it prevented 1.3 billion tons of carbon emissions .
These respites from fossil fuel pollution aren ’ t actually “ good for ” the climate .
For one thing , they rarely last .
In 2010 , post-recession , the U.S. economy resurged , and with it fossil fuel emissions that wiped away losses from the previous years .
The drop in Chinese emissions from the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been known to increase production dramatically in the aftermath of a crisis in order to make up for lost time .
Moreover , in times of global stress , green projects often take a back burner to more pressing issues .
Distracted by the problem at hand , governments funnel political attention and subsidies into the pandemic or the economic meltdown .
The environment gets short shrift .
The problem of climate change isn ’ t about how we save the earth ( the earth will be just fine without us ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrive , not just survive , in a greenhouse gas-constrained world .
So , even if a Thanos-style reckoning might sound nice when you are depressed by species extinction , melting polar ice , etc.
, you can ’ t save a world by destroying it .


climatedepot--2020-03-12--NYT’s ‘climate correspondent’ features professor claiming coronavirus is ‘climate change on warp spe

NYT’s ‘climate correspondent’ features professor claiming coronavirus is ‘climate change on warp speed’

“ Alarming levels of inaction.
” That is what the World Health Organization said Wednesday about the global response to @ @ @ @ @ familiar refrain to anyone who works on climate change , and it is why global @ @ @ @ @ offer a cautionary tale for the effort to slow down the pandemic .
“ Both @ @ @ @ @ minimize loss , ” said Kim Cobb , a climate scientist at the Georgia Institute @ @ @ @ @ classes remotely this week .
“ Only in hindsight will we really understand what we @ @ @ @ @ lost by not acting early enough.
” Scientists like Dr. Cobb have , for years @ @ @ @ @ bend the curve of planet-warming emissions .
Instead , emissions have raced upward .
Now @ @ @ @ @ : a three-month-long flood in the Florida Keys , wildfires across a record hot and @ @ @ @ @ waves in Europe .


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Canada set to declare plastic ‘toxic’: Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Moore calls plan ‘Orwellian & false

Canada set to declare plastic ‘toxic’: Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Moore calls plan ‘Orwellian & false’ – ‘Plastic is not toxic, it is used to keep our food safe. Wood, concrete & steel are more toxic than plastic’

THE CANADIAN PRESS : The federal government intends to designate plastics as toxic substances , a move industry stakeholders say is unduly aggressive and detrimental to the sector ’ s brand .
Listing plastics as toxic under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act ( CEPA ) will provide the government with the authority to regulate and limit certain products .
The Liberals campaigned during the fall election on a promise to ban some single-use plastics as early as 2021 , as part of a national strategy to reduce waste and pollution .
In a minority parliament , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the existing act than to curry multiparty support for new legislation regulating plastics .
In an e-mail , Environment and Climate Change Canada signalled that the government will , indeed , designate plastics as toxic .
“ In order to take concrete regulatory action to reduce plastic waste and pollution under CEPA , substances must first be added to Schedule 1 , ” the department said in an e-mail .
Bob Masterson , the president and CEO of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada , said he is disappointed the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Over the past several months , the association , whose members include petrochemical companies that produce plastics , has been urging federal officials to instead amend CEPA ’ s pollution-prevention provisions or introduce standalone legislation .
Special Report : Scientists Expose The Truth Behind the Plastic ‘ Crisis ’ – Greenpeace Co-Founder : The ‘ sea of plastic is a fiction .
The ultimate in Fake News ’ Trudeau ’ s ‘ plastic ban ’ won ’ t help the environment .
It could actually harm it instead


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Climate activists: Coronavirus response needs to be ‘a Global Green New Deal’ to ‘decarbonize the gl

Climate activists: Coronavirus response needs to be ‘a Global Green New Deal’ to ‘decarbonize the global economy as fast as is feasibly possible’

Open Democracy : `` Once the outbreak subsides , attention will inevitably turn to how the global economy can be rebooted .
Before we rush to reinstate ‘ business as usual ’ , we should pause to consider the impact this might have on human and environmental health ... governments could forge a different path by unleashing a vast program of investment to decarbonize the global economy as fast as is feasibly possible and bring our environmental footprint within fair and sustainable limits .
The effect would be to mobilize resources to transform our energy , transport , housing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption , and restore our natural ecosystems . ''
`` In 2008 we bailed out the banks – this time we should bail out the planet .
This plan has a name : a Global Green New Deal .
In the face of a growing environmental emergency , it ’ s the only game in town .
We simply can not afford a return to business a usual . ''
Excerpt : “ The pandemic is also causing a headache for global capital : trillions of dollars have been wiped off global stock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grow .
The IMF recently predicted that a recession half as severe as the global financial crisis would leave $ 19tn of corporate debt – nearly 40 % of all corporate debt in major economies – at risk of default .
This could trigger a potentially destabilizing cycle of events in the global banking system – a system that is still on life support from the global financial crisis .
Carbon emissions in China have also fallen by a quarter , mainly thanks to declining industrial production and energy demand .
If this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is possible this will lead to the first fall in global emissions since the 2008-09 financial crisis… But once the outbreak subsides , attention will inevitably turn to how the global economy can be rebooted .
Before we rush to reinstate ‘ business as usual ’ , we should pause to consider the impact this might have on human and environmental health .
…On top of all of this lies the small matter of the climate emergency .
Our economic system has pushed our environment beyond safe operating zones , threatening the foundations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that without “ rapid , far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society ” , the result will be devastating and irreversible damage to our climate and environment .
Restoring the status quo would not be a neutral act – it would be an active decision to deepen our environmental crisis .
If we really care about the health of people and planet , we should think twice before we decide to spend money on accelerating this destructive trajectory .
While it is essential that jobs are maintained and undue hardship is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not the only option available .
Instead , governments could forge a different path by unleashing a vast program of investment to decarbonize the global economy as fast as is feasibly possible and bring our environmental footprint within fair and sustainable limits .
The effect would be to mobilize resources to transform our energy , transport , housing and agriculture sectors , decarbonize production and consumption , and restore our natural ecosystems .
In 2008 we bailed out the banks – this time we should bail out the planet .
Countries that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a moral obligation to lead by example , and support other countries as part of a global just transition .
As well as placing the global economy on a more sustainable path , this would create a new wave of high-skilled , low carbon jobs .
This plan has a name : a Global Green New Deal .
In the face of a growing environmental emergency , it ’ s the only game in town .
We simply can not afford a return to business a usual .
Dems use Coronavirus panic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Dem Sen Markey : ‘ We should be working to pass a Green New Deal and deliver climate justice ’ Democrats don ’ t want to waste coronavirus panic : Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘ menu ’ included in economic aid package : ‘ We ’ d want a price on carbon ’


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Dems use Coronavirus panic to tout passage of Green New Deal: Dem Sen Markey: ‘We should be working

Dems use Coronavirus panic to tout passage of Green New Deal: Dem Sen Markey: ‘We should be working to pass a Green New Deal and deliver climate justice’

Excerpt : He isn ’ t the only climate advocate who would use a new stimulus package to address global warming .
Sen. Ed Markey ( D-Mass . )
said now is the time to pass the Green New Deal , a sweeping climate policy he helped write .
“ The White House is proposing to bail out the fossil fuel industry .
We need more coronavirus testing , not more fracking .
We should be working to pass a # GreenNewDeal and deliver climate justice , not delivering an unjust payout to Trump ’ s billionaire oil and gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Sunrise Movement , a youth-led group that has championed the Green New Deal , took a similar stance .
“ Democrats can ’ t respond to this moment of crisis the same way we did in 2008 , by bailing out CEOs and leaving millions of people unemployed and homeless , ” said Aracely Jimenez , a Sunrise Movement spokeswoman , in a statement .
Jimenez added : “ The next President must instead respond to this moment of crisis by stimulating the economy through unprecedented investment in the Green New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revamp our public health infrastructure , guarantee federal jobs to all displaced workers , and employ millions to transform our energy , transportation , and food systems towards renewable energies that stabilize both our economy and our climate.
” Democrats don ’ t want to waste coronavirus panic : Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘ menu ’ included in economic aid package : ‘ We ’ d want a price on carbon ’ – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse .
The Rhode Island Democrat said airlines , in particular , must do more to address their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance… ” If they want to bail out the airline industry , then the airline industry better damn well be ready to clean up its act in terms of carbon emissions offsets , ” Whitehouse said .
“ It can be done , they can do it , and the taxpayer should make sure they ’ re performing it.
” Whitehouse said he would seek to include carbon offsets as part of any stimulus for carbon-intensive industries .
Another potential ask : a “ menu ” of other climate actions , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There would be a menu : We ’ d probably want a tax extender ; we ’ d want a price on carbon ; we ’ d have a long , long list — and don ’ t even get me started on the cruise ships , ” Whitehouse said .
Coronavirus just replaced # ClimateChange as the political theory of everything for the left : AOC says the answer to coronavirus is `` free '' income , `` free '' healthcare , `` paid leave '' for all , and of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ https : //t.co/YPS7kbPFmB @ climatedepot


climatedepot--2020-03-12--Democrats don’t want to waste coronavirus panic: Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘menu’ included in ec

Democrats don’t want to waste coronavirus panic: Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘menu’ included in economic aid package: ‘We’d want a price on carbon’

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse .
The Rhode Island Democrat said airlines , in particular , must do more to address their carbon footprint in return for federal financial assistance ... '' If they want to bail out the airline industry , then the airline industry better damn well be ready to clean up its act in terms of carbon emissions offsets , '' Whitehouse said .
`` It can be done , they can do it , and the taxpayer should make sure they 're performing it . ''
... Whitehouse said he would seek to include carbon offsets as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another potential ask : a `` menu '' of other climate actions , such as tax incentives for clean energy .
`` There would be a menu : We 'd probably want a tax extender ; we 'd want a price on carbon ; we 'd have a long , long list — and do n't even get me started on the cruise ships , '' Whitehouse said .
Dems use Coronavirus panic to tout passage of Green New Deal : Dem Sen Markey : ‘ We should be working to pass a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Excerpt : Federal policymakers should consider climate change as part of any economic aid package for the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus , say environmentalists and Democrats .
The demands follow talk by Trump administration officials and others of steering money toward several carbon-intensive industries that have been financially hurt by the global outbreak .
Those include airlines , cruise lines and the fossil fuel sector .
“ We ’ ve got to make sure we have a successful oil and gas industry , ” said Sen. Rick Scott ( R-Fla. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Senate Republicans discussed a bailout for the fossil fuel industry during a meeting Tuesday on Capitol Hill .
The discussions have prompted pushback from lawmakers such as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse .
The Rhode Island Democrat said airlines in particular must do more to address their carbon footprint in return for federal financial assistance .
Airplanes remain one of the most carbon-intensive forms of travel .
Aviation currently accounts for 2.5 % of global greenhouse gas emissions .
But that percentage is poised to shoot up in the coming decades , as airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2037 .
“ If they want to bail out the airline industry , then the airline industry better damn well be ready to clean up its act in terms of carbon emissions offsets , ” Whitehouse said .
“ It can be done , they can do it , and the taxpayer should make sure they ’ re performing it.
” Democrats this week said they are anticipating they ’ ll have some requests to insert into any aid package that comes before Congress — much in the same way that Republicans called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the $ 900 billion economic stimulus package pushed by the Obama administration .
Democrats used that same package to steer support toward green energy jobs and other economic incentives for the renewable energy industry .
It ’ s unclear , however , whether Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate even would consider climate as part of future stimulus negotiations .
Whitehouse said he would seek to include carbon offsets as part of any stimulus for carbon-intensive industries .
Another potential ask : a “ menu ” of other climate actions , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There would be a menu : We ’ d probably want a tax extender ; we ’ d want a price on carbon ; we ’ d have a long , long list — and don ’ t even get me started on the cruise ships , ” Whitehouse said .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--Greta Thunberg says climate protests should go online to reduce coronavirus risk

We can ’ t solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis and we must unite behind experts and @ @ @ @ @ goes for all crises .
Now the experts urge us to avoid big public gatherings @ @ @ @ @ and slow the spreading of the Coronavirus .
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climatedepot--2020-03-11--A duped Prince Harry says Trump has climate ‘blood on his hands’ in call with Russian hoaxers

ON TRUMP ‘ The mere fact that Donald Trump is pushing the coal industry is so big in America , he has blood on his hands .
But Trump will want to meet you to make him look better but he won ’ t want to have a discussion about climate change with you because you will outsmart him.
’ ON MEGXIT ‘ I can assure you , marrying a Prince or Princess is not all it ’ s made out to be !
But sometimes the right decision isn ’ t always the easy one .
And this decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it was the right decision for our family , the right decision to be able to protect my son .
And I think there ’ s a hell of a lot of people around the world that can identify and respect us for putting our family first.
’ ON CLIMATE ‘ Unfortunately , the world is being led by some very sick people , so people like yourselves and ( the ) younger generation are the ones that are going to make all the difference .
People need to be woken up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up from what effectively is a consciousness crisis is , I think , you need to be doing extreme things .
What you need to do is make real big changes that actually shock people , and it ’ s that shock factor that wakes people up.
’ ON PRINCE ANDREW ‘ I have very little to say on that .
But whatever he has done or hasn ’ t done , is completely separate from me and my wife .
We operate in a way of inclusivity and we are focusing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate from the majority of my family.
’ ON BORIS ‘ I think he is a good man , so you are one of few people who can reach into his soul and get him to feel and believe in you .
But you have to understand that because he has been around for so long like all of these other people , they are already set in their ways .
They believe what they want to believe , they believe what they have been told .
So that is what you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habits , as you know.
’ ON THE ELECTION ‘ The fact that our choice was between those two individuals in my mind , I think , probably creates more of an observation that the system itself might be broken .
There ’ s a lot that the leaders of today can learn and can listen to people like yourself.
’ ON PRIVATE JETS ‘ Unfortunately there is very few alternatives .
We have to fly on commercial planes all over the world .
Nowhere near as much as most people who do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Certainly for my family , to protect my family , from these people , as you can well understand .
I have to put protections and safety of my family first and these people are never-ending.
’ ON HIMSELF ‘ I was in the military for ten years so I ’ m more normal than my family would like to believe .
But certainly being in a different position now gives us the ability to say things and do things that we might not have been able to do .
And seeing as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 36 , seems to be carrying out an activist ’ s role , gives us the opportunity to try and make more of a difference without being criticised .
’


climatedepot--2020-03-11--Europe’s Green Suicide: 11 Million Jobs At Risk From EU Green Deal, Trade Unions Warn

The European Green Deal risks deepening economic and social divisions between east and western EU countries , trade unions say , warning the 27-member bloc risks imploding before it reaches its 2050 climate neutrality goal .
11 million jobs in extractive industries , energy intensive industries and in the automotive industry are potentially directly affected by the EU ’ s new climate targets , said Luc Triangle , secretary general of IndustriAll , a federation of trade unions .
Trade unions have stepped up warnings that the Green Deal put forward by the European Commission in December last year will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without any assurances that workers in affected industries will have a future .
“ We are talking about almost 11 million jobs directly affected in extractive industries , energy intensive industries and in the automotive industry , ” said Luc Triangle , secretary general of IndustriAll , a federation of trade unions .
“ Those jobs won ’ t necessarily disappear , ” Triangle told EURACTIV in an interview .
“ But there needs to be a future perspective for jobs in these industries , ” which is currently not clear , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission tabled a groundbreaking EU Climate Law , aimed at putting into hard legislation the EU ’ s goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050 .
The EU executive is now expected to follow-up with an industrial strategy on Tuesday ( 10 March ) , outlining new growth areas for Europe as it moves towards a greener and more connected future .
But while the draft strategy places great focus on digitalisation , it contains little for traditional manufacturing sectors like steelmaking , automotive and chemicals , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the transition to net-zero emissions .
“ It ’ s easy to say we need to reach ambitious climate targets by 2050 and 2030 , ” Triangle said .
“ But the industrial strategy should give the answer on the ‘ how ’ we will get there .
And at the moment , we don ’ t have those answers yet ” .
The European Union will need to “ re-orient most , if not all ” of its policies in order to protect vulnerable regions and workers in industries affected by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU Commission ’ s vice-president Frans Timmermans has said .
Trade unions are particularly worried about the social and economic divisions that the green agenda risks creating between poorer eastern EU countries and their richer western neighbours .
According to Triangle , the green transformation “ will be much easier in Nordic or western European countries ” than in poorer EU member states like Poland , Bulgaria and Romania , where employment in some regions can be entirely dependent on a single , heavily-polluting industry .
“ This could have a major impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Triangle pointed out , saying “ close to 22 million people ” have already left Eastern Europe to find work in richer western and Nordic countries over the last 20 years .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--MAG: What would happen if the world reacted to climate change like it’s reacting to the coronavirus?

Fast Company Mag : “ We ’ ve seen that governments can act , and people can change their behavior , in a very short amount of time , ” says May Boeve , executive director of the climate advocacy group 350.org .
“ And that ’ s exactly what the climate movement has been asking governments and people to do for years in the face of a different kind of threat—the climate crisis—and we don ’ t see commensurate action .
On the one hand , it shows that it ’ s possible to do this , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobilization of resources to take place in a short amount of time .
In that sense , that ’ s encouraging .
But we were never in doubt of that aspect.
” Instead , she says , it was a question of whether there was political will for rapid change .
The scale of the response raises another question : What would it look like if the world responded to the climate crisis with a similar sense of urgency ?
The coronavirus response might not have been as fast as it should have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acted faster , the virus might not have spread to other countries .
And the Chinese government ’ s authoritarian tactics shouldn ’ t—and couldn ’ t—be emulated in large parts of the rest of the world .
But in countries around the world , governments and citizens have been quick to change daily habits .
The same hasn ’ t happened for the climate crisis .
“ We ’ ve seen that governments can act , and people can change their behavior , in a very short amount of time , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the climate advocacy group 350.org .
“ And that ’ s exactly what the climate movement has been asking governments and people to do for years in the face of a different kind of threat—the climate crisis—and we don ’ t see commensurate action .
On the one hand , it shows that it ’ s possible to do this , and it ’ s possible for this kind of mobilization of resources to take place in a short amount of time .
In that sense , that ’ s encouraging .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspect.
” Instead , she says , it was a question of whether there was political will for rapid change .
If the world was responding to climate change like it ’ s responding to the coronavirus—the level of urgency that the science says is necessary—things would look dramatically different .
“ We would see a lot of different things happening all at the same time , ” says Boeve .
Governments would come up with the funds to build the infrastructure needed to fully roll out renewable energy .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regulatory systems that would enable people everywhere to get clean energy would require massive government investment , ” she says .
“ We would see these kinds of emergency packages that would get people off of the fossil fuel grid and onto a clean grid right away.
” After wildfires and extreme floods , relief packages would acknowledge the role of climate .
In cities , development rules would change to require low-carbon construction .
Farms would shift to regenerative agriculture .
Just as the airline industry is struggling because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacts .
“ We probably wouldn ’ t still have an oil and coal and gas industry that was thriving in our economy , ” says Boeve .
We would have to find ways to support the workers from those industries , as well .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--Time Mag. cites ‘worried experts’ who fear Coronavirus ‘has the potential to totally derail climate

Time Mag. cites ‘worried experts’ who fear Coronavirus ‘has the potential to totally derail climate talks’ – ‘Could derail the UN Paris Agreement’

his year was supposed to be a big one in the international fight against climate change .
But the fast spreading new coronavirus disease , COVID-19 , is posing a triple-threat to action that could derail the Paris Agreement effort to combat global warming , worried experts say .
The disease is a challenge for climate change action on multiple fronts .
COVID-19 has already disrupted crucial negotiations ahead of a November conference in Glasgow that could determine the Paris Agreement ’ s success in reducing emissions .
The outbreak may supplant climate concerns in the minds of the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment .
And it may encourage burning fossil fuels in hopes of restarting the global economy .
“ Everybody ’ s going to be putting safety first right now , ” says Matthew McKinnon , an advisor to a group of countries especially vulnerable to climate change .
“ And whether or not safety first aligns with climate first is going to vary from place to place.
” Under the Paris Agreement , countries are supposed to announce new pledges to reduce emissions this year ahead of a the Glasgow summit .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , climate policymakers will need to depart from a decades-long cycle of important conferences , or accept that the world will blow past targets to limit temperature rise .
To lay the ground for the Glasgow summit , international climate and environmental policymakers planned to hop between a series of important meetings and conferences that would set the stage and , they hoped , allow the world to finally bend the curve on emissions .
But , as international travel has ground to a halt , the important work of climate diplomacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impossible and a series of important conferences have been canceled , from the World Oceans Summit in Japan to CERAWeek , perhaps the most important energy conference , in Houston .
The United Nations ’ climate body has called off all meetings through the end of April , citing health and safety of attendees as well as the inability to muster a quorum .
Rescheduling meetings has proven hazardous .
The Convention on Biological Diversity , which is trying to broker a landmark deal to protect nature by October , moved a meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to escape the coronavirus .
But as the meeting progressed delegates were slowly recalled as news spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Italy .
“ We left around the middle of the week , ” says Lina Barrera , vice president of international policy at Conservation International .
“ Some people didn ’ t come at all.
” The cancellation of meetings may sound dull , but it has the potential to totally derail climate talks at a delicate time .
The last major international breakthrough on climate came at the 2015 Paris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scenes maneuvering from diplomats around the world .
China and the U.S. made a joint commitment to work together to reduce emissions , a tone-setting statement from the world ’ s largest emitters .
Countries vulnerable to climate change banded together to form a formidable alliance .
And France coordinated the myriad demands from the nearly countries that would gather in Paris .
Such a schedule is widely seen as a necessity for big breakthroughs on the issue , and not being able to meet face to face has left climate policymakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been unable to come up with previous comparisons or analogs , ” says Nathaniel Keohane , a senior vice president at Environmental Defense Fund who served as an environmental policy advisor to President Obama , of the pause in meetings .
The window to achieve that is closing with temperatures having already risen more than 1°C .
Coronavirus — and all the related fallout — may close that window a little more , the latest setback in a series of challenges that have for decades held back efforts to tackle climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political conditions are not conducive to a strengthening of climate action , ” says a former senior climate negotiator .
“ Coronavirus will make a bad situation worse .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-11--UK Guardian: Coronavirus ‘health crisis is reducing carbon emissions more than any policy’ – Could c

UK Guardian: Coronavirus ‘health crisis is reducing carbon emissions more than any policy’ – Could cause fall in global CO2 emissions’

Excerpt : Governments should act with the same urgency on climate as on the coronavirus , leading campaigners say , as evidence mounts that the health crisis is reducing carbon emissions more than any policy… In China – the source of the disease and the world ’ s largest carbon emitter – the actions taken by authorities have inadvertently demonstrated that hefty 25 % carbon dioxide cuts can bring less traffic and cleaner air with only a small reduction in economic growth , according to a study by Carbon Brief.If this trend continues , analysts say it is possible this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global emissions since the 2008-09 financial crisis .
Even a slowdown in CO2 could buy time for climate action and , more importantly , inspire long-term behavioural changes – particularly in travel .
On the advice of health authorities , millions of people are avoiding school journeys , shopping runs and office commutes .
Tens of thousands of flights have been cancelled .
Italian bishops are not conducting mass .
Across much of central China , factories have been closed , with knock-on effects around the world .
The virus has disrupted several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the past few weeks , the Geneva Motor Show was cancelled , after Switzerland banned all public gatherings of more than 1,000 people .
In Houston , the giant annual CeraWeek gathering of oil and gas executives was called off , as was the Formula One grand prix in Shanghai .
More carbon savings will come from the cancellations of international conferences .
Donald Trump has postponed a 14 March summit with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations .
The London Book Fair , the Mobile World Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in San Francisco , Adobe ’ s annual live summit and even South by Southwest , the huge annual film , music and media conference in Austin , Texas , have all been called off , which means thousands of tonnes less CO2 from flights taken by international delegates .
Global air traffic decreased by 4.3 % in February with cancellations of tens of thousands of flights to affected areas .
But Rob Jackson , the chair of Global Carbon Project , said this would only be meaningful if it led to long-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is one of the fastest growing source of emissions .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--Coronavirus is curbing carbon dioxide emissions: ‘Falls in economic activity will reduce greenhouse

Coronavirus is curbing carbon dioxide emissions: ‘Falls in economic activity will reduce greenhouse gas emissions’

The disease is temporarily reducing carbon emissions in China and elsewhere as many factories remain shuttered and fuel consumption goes down .
`` The most immediate impact of coronavirus is falls in economic activity , which will reduce greenhouse gas [ GHG ] emissions , '' Faith Ward , chief responsible investment officer at Brunel Pension Partnership , told Al Jazeera .
Excerpt : While global warming may not make the coronavirus go away , the outbreak is temporarily curbing carbon emissions .
And financial experts say new sustainability criteria for assessing investment risks could help governments and the private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreaks .
More than 4,000 people have died of COVID-19 , with 113 confirmed cases across 109 countries and territories , according to WHO .
Regardless of how climate change might impact the dissemination of the coronavirus droplets , the disease is temporarily reducing carbon emissions in China and elsewhere as many factories remain shuttered and fuel consumption goes down .
“ The most immediate impact of coronavirus is falls in economic activity , which will reduce greenhouse gas [ GHG ] emissions , ” Faith Ward , chief responsible investment officer at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And as the spread of COVID-19 slows in China , some experts have called attention to major environmental improvements around Wuhan , the city where the outbreak began .
“ There do seem to be good data supporting the conclusion that emissions of GHGs and conventional air pollutants have gone down in China , ” said Michael Gerrard , director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University .
He told Al Jazeera that the airline industry is the best current example of such a decline in emissions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily flights went down from over 15,000 to barely 2,000 , according to tracking firm Flightradar24 .
With Italy and other nations likely to copy aspects of China ’ s lockdown model , demand for air travel , oil and electricity could keep declining .
Automobile use , manufacturing and industrial production have clearly dipped , causing fewer emissions .
Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide , a pollutant that is released when fossil fuels are burned , have decreased some 40 percent in China – according to Washington Post analysis of data from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any guide , reductions in greenhouse gas emissions may not last .
The 1918 Spanish influenza outbreak , oil shocks of the 1970s , and the 2008 financial crisis caused ephemeral drops in polluting activities – before the economy fell back into high-emissions mode .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--Warmist: Coronavirus could be ‘turning point in global efforts to fight climate change’ – More Effec

Warmist: Coronavirus could be ‘turning point in global efforts to fight climate change’ – More Effective Than The Green Deal

It may be that future generations look back at Coronavirus as the turning point in global efforts to fight climate change .
And they may ask , “ what was the Green Deal ?
” .
The International Energy Agency predicts that oil demand will fall at least to levels not seen since the 2009 economic crisis , as economic activity slows across the world .
Air travel , the fastest-growing source of emissions , has fallen off a cliff , with Lufthansa ’ s recent statement that it is halting 50 % of flights sparking major concern for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus has become both the biggest threat to businesses and potentially the most consequential factor in reducing emissions in the short-term .
China , the first country to suffer from the Coronavirus , has already seen greenhouse gas emissions fall by 25 % in recent weeks as industrial installations have shut down ... Last week ’ s unveiling of a landmark climate law in the European Union has come with a variety of new obligations for European companies .
Each will have to do their part to meet the EU ’ s goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses are worried about what that will mean for their bottom line , as they face competition from global companies in places like the United States and China that do not have the same stringent climate legislation .
The European Commission , the EU ’ s executive , today unveiled a new industrial strategy designed in part to address these concerns .
One of the ideas being considered is a ‘ carbon border tax ’ that would apply to imports from more-polluting countries outside Europe .
But the strategy is being unveiled as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economic damage from the Coronavirus .
The aviation and tourism sectors have been hit the hardest so far .
As travel restrictions spread from Italy to other countries , the economic impact on businesses is expected to be severe as employees work from home and shoppers stay out of stores .
Today ’ s strategy suffers from unfortunate timing , coming as economic circumstances are suddenly and drastically changing .
It is both too early to react , and too late to pretend the problems raised in December at the time of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the same that are being faced at this moment .
The strategy adopted today contains several measures to fight climate change while also safeguarding European industry from unfair global competition , such as decarbonizing energy-intensive industries , promoting energy efficiency , strengthening current carbon leakage tools , increasing Europe ’ s strategic autonomy by securing its supply of critical raw materials and accelerate the use of hydrogen to replace fossil fuels .
“ Managing the green and digital transitions and avoiding external dependencies in a new geopolitical context requires radical change – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton .
But the most radical changes are likely to be the ones governments can not control .
The Coronavirus has become both the biggest threat to businesses and potentially the most consequential factor in reducing emissions in the short-term .
China , the first country to suffer from the Coronavirus , has already seen greenhouse gas emissions fall by 25 % in recent weeks as industrial installations have shut down .
Air pollution has also decreased dramatically as factories stop polluting and people stop driving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maps .
The International Energy Agency predicts that oil demand will fall at least to levels not seen since the 2009 economic crisis , as economic activity slows across the world .
Air travel , the fastest-growing source of emissions , has fallen off a cliff , with Lufthansa ’ s recent statement that it is halting 50 % of flights sparking major concern for the aviation industry .
Since 1900 , Earth ’ s greenhouse gas emissions have risen both dramatically and consistently .
The only slow-downs that have been witnessed have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War II , depressions and recessions , and the collapse of the Soviet Union .
In other words , historically the most effective development in fighting climate change has been a halt to economic growth , and so far that has always been by accident rather than by design .
However these uncontrollable developments are not an effective way to fight climate change , say experts .
The danger is that policymakers will say , ‘ oh we don ’ t need to act , the virus is taking care of climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rare instances when worldwide carbon pollution dipped in the past , driven by earlier economic shocks , diseases , and wars , emissions are likely to rise again as soon as the economy bounces back , ” says James Temple from the MIT Technology Review .
“ In the meantime , if the virus leads to a full-blown global pandemic and economic crash , it could easily drain money and political will from climate efforts.
” “ In fact , we absolutely should dedicate the bulk of our international attention and resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given the grave and immediate public health dangers .
Still , the fear is that the highly contagious coronavirus could complicate the challenges of climate change—which presents serious , if longer-term , threats of its own—at a point when it was crucial to make rapid strides.
” The full economic effects of the Coronavirus are not yet known , which is why the European Commission couldn ’ t factor them into today ’ s industrial strategy .
Until those effects are known , the impacts on global emissions will also be unpredictable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ look back at Coronavirus as the turning point in global efforts to fight climate change .
And they may ask , “ what was the Green Deal ?
” .


climatedepot--2020-03-11--EU official exploits coronavirus to push awful climate change legislation

We ’ ve been just waiting for the panic over coronavirus to somehow end up involving global warming .
The Guardian finally delivered , courtesy of the ridiculous bureaucrats at the European Union .
Here ’ s the March 4 : “ Focus on coronavirus shows need for climate law , says EU official.
” He ’ s touting the new EU climate law draft unveiled on March 4 , its version of the “ Green New Deal , ” which will have to be approved by the European Parliament .
It will be a heavier-than-normal lift to obtain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law mandates that EU carbon dioxide emissions reach net-zero by 2050 , a radical goal , and it ’ s legally binding .
As the Guardian reports : Suppose bankrupt Greece isn ’ t reducing its emissions fast enough to meet the 2050 goal .
Then the EU will throw “ hefty ” fines at it .
Because Greece won ’ t be able to pay — being bankrupt , you know — the rest of the EU ( read : Germany ) effectively will have to pay .
The proposed law is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will increasingly rely on Germany to rescue other EU nations .
Back to the headline .
What Timmermans is saying is that the European Parliament needs to pass its new climate law in short order so that it can be used to shape everything else .
The draft legislation actually specifies that all subsequent legislation , say , on farming , labor , or coronavirus , will have to be consistent with the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target .
Meanwhile , the new commission president , Ursula Von der Leyen , flanked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greta Thunberg , elaborated : The new law “ will be our compass for the next 30 years and it will guide us every step.
” Of course , there is no way that any developed economy will emit net-zero carbon dioxide in less than 30 years unless it turns to nuclear power , a path which European nations seem adamantly opposed to .
After all , Germany shut down its perfectly good nuclear reactors because of a one-off disaster in which a tsunami hit a Japanese nuclear plant where the emergency power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idiocy only led to increased German reliance upon coal-fired electricity , something that will be simply forbidden under the proposed law .
Alas , the EU ’ s mandated economic suicide still isn ’ t good enough for Thunberg , who calls it “ a surrender ” because it doesn ’ t ensure global temperatures will not rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above early 19th century values , a benchmark that is simply silly .
are around one degree above where they were in 1900 , and it ’ s easy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that rise happened before we had put enough carbon dioxide in the air to cause it .
Since 1900 , in the developed world , life expectancy has In the United States , per capita constant-dollar wealth increased drastically over that same time period .
Anyone who thinks that raising the surface temperature a mere half-degree further will wipe out all of this and more is abandoning logic .
In reality , economically vibrant societies are increasingly immune to the vagaries of severe weather events .
As convincingly shown by the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , weather damages are going down , not up .
Sure , dollar-cost damages are increasing , but only because we have more and more stuff to get hit .
Make no mistake : The proposed EU climate law will reverse a lot more progress and a lot more economic and environmental resilience than any probable climate change or , for that matter , coronavirus .
Patrick Michaels is a senior fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute , a free market public policy organization in Washington , D.C .


climatedepot--2020-03-10--New Study: ‘Methane emissions have a negligible impact’ on climate

The greenhouse effect makes this planet more hospitable .
Greenhouse gas molecules in the atmosphere keep the planet warmer than it would otherwise be by re-radiating some of the energy back toward the earth – in a process called back radiation .
Water vapor is by far the most important greenhouse gas .
Much of the discussion of the greenhouse effect has been rooted in an incorrect picture of the atmosphere : nearly all climate models begin by assuming “ dry air ” as the gas .
As shown in Figure 1 , that assumption yields this picture of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in an asterisk is definitely not the right way to go about it .
Dry air does not exist in nature , but must be created in the laboratory with specialized equipment .
Therefore , the above picture seriously misrepresents the reality of air and the reality of the greenhouse effect .
In reality , the greenhouse gases ( GHGs ) comprise a small finite fraction of the atmosphere , and H2O is by far the most important of them .
In the pie-chart shown in Figure 2 below , we illustrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divvied up ” in the real world , unlike the imaginary world of dry air .
Figure 2 : Breakdown of the “ natural ” greenhouse effect by contributing gas .
IPCC ReportAR-1 .
1992 .
( Because halocarbons are industrial gases they are not represented here ) .
However , to draw even this graph , it was necessary to choose some specific amount of water vapor in a representative atmospheric model .
That ’ s not a very reliable way to guess ( given the forecast reliability of climate models ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than guessing zero , which is the case with “ dry air.
” In Figure 2 , 28 % of the greenhouse effect is attributed to “ other gases ” which are almost entirely CO2 .
That percentage is very likely way too high .
The magnitude of CO2 ’ s influence is now being challenged worldwide 1 , 2 .
However , the point we wish to make herein is about methane ( CH 4 ) and its actual greenhouse impact , not that of CO 2 .
In the U.S. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is currently being debated .
Currently , this debate is not at all about the scientific basis for regulation , but rather totally about the costs involved with regulating various sources .
However , contrary to the common assertions , the GHG temperature impact of methane is negligible 3 .
Thus , water vapor and clouds are primarily responsible for the greenhouse gas ( GHG ) effect .
Climate modelers have tried to model this highly complex thermodynamic process by starting with dry air and then introducing H2O as a “ feedback ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work as shown below .
1 See Data Research Report 2 See : EF DATA Comment on Christy et al Paper Press Release V5 3 See : GREENHOUSE GASES – A MORE REALISTIC VIEW at this LINK , pg .
7-9 & Methane and Climate , By W. A. van Wijngaarden and W. Happer , CO2 Coalition , 2020 ( Link ) There is a huge difference between methane as a confined gas inside laboratory equipment and methane as it is found in normal air .
In the real world of real air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CH4 are utterly swamped by the prominent absorption-lines of H 2 O at the very same wavelengths .
Any photon that might be captured by CH 4 has long since been captured by H 2 O .
Add to that the fact that there is very little energy in the CH 4 region of the infrared spectrum ( 7.65 microns ) , because the radiation emanating from earth is centered around 15 microns and spread from about 9 microns to 30 microns .
Also , add to that the fact that CH 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while H2O is about 15,000 parts per million .
As it turns out , H2O ’ s impacts , including its phase-change-related impacts , overwhelm everything else in the entire “ greenhouse ” game .
The entire furor over methane ( and the “ cow farts ” which are good for some giggles ) is simply a result of imagining an atmosphere having an idealized chemical-laboratory setting instead of thinking of the earth ’ s actual atmosphere , made up of real air , which contains H20 – lots of it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to evaporate more H2O upon warming .
The mechanism by which methane goes away is this : being far lighter than air ( atomic weight 16 ) , CH 4 drifts from the surface ( where its origin is termites , wetlands , rice paddies and a little from human and animal activities , etc . )
up through the troposphere into the stratosphere .
There it is soon oxidized to H2O and CO2 .
That happens in the daytime , aided by solar photons .
( CH4 and O2 molecules don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and infrared photons are too weak to energize the reaction . )
The amount of H2O in the stratosphere is about 4 or 5 ppm .
Why not zero ?
H2O was supposed to have all frozen out and turned into clouds in the upper troposphere , was it not ?
It seems very likely that virtually all the H 2 O molecules in the stratosphere are what is produced via the oxidation of CH4 .
But these H2O molecules are of such low density that the H2O-to-H2O collisions ( required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrequently .
People guess that the lifetime of CH4 in the atmosphere might be around 5 years .
That ’ s a guess because it hasn ’ t been measured well .
The many different emission sources of CH4 are ‘ ubiquitous ” , i.e .
“ all over the place ” and there ’ s no current way to track atmospheric CH4 concentration .
Moreover , there is more being originated every day .
But , once again , since CH4 is lighter than air , it gradually heads for the stratosphere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispenses with it !
Hence the hand-waving guess of 5 years still stands .
But , nobody cares , because CH4 goes away on its own with negligible impact on the Earth ’ s temperature .
There is no place akin to Mauna Loa where CH4 atmospheric concentration has been measured over a large fraction of the past century ; thus , unlike for CO2 , any claim that a century ago CH4 concentration was half its value today is specious .
Rather the entire fear of CH4 is based entirely on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being a “ factor of 28 stronger ” than CO2 .
But that concept is rooted in thinking about “ dry air ” in the laboratory , not about “ real air ” in nature .
Water vapor and clouds totally dominate the greenhouse gas impact on the Earth ’ s temperature .
Methane emissions have a negligible impact and there is no need whatsoever for their regulation .
In fact , the cost/benefit ratio associated with any attempt at regulation to reduce methane emissions would be infinite , since the “ global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to mention the costs being huge !
Related Links : Green New Deal ’ s false scientific premise exposed : Physicist rips cow farting climate fears : ‘ Worrying about methane emissions is the greatest waste of time ’ Canceled : Permafrost Apocalypse – Study in Science finds : Even if methane is released from large natural stores , very little actually reaches the atmosphere Princeton Physicist Dr. Will Happer has new study : Methane has ‘ immeasurably small ’ impact on climate Another climate scare fades away : Warmist Michael Mann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pseudo-science ’ of the Arctic ‘ methane bomb ’


climatedepot--2020-03-10--Finnish Meteorological Institute Reports Northern Hemisphere Snow Mass ‘Highest Levels In Years’

German broadcaster RTL here reportedhow Northern Hemisphere snow mass has reached the highest level in years .
The Finnish Meteorological @ @ @ @ @ the total amount of snow in the northern hemisphere this winter season has been well @ @ @ @ @ 1982 to 2012 .
This will come as a surprise to Europeans , who have @ @ @ @ @ winters on record .
According to RTL , “ In those places where it was @ @ @ @ @ all , there was a lot of snow .
The snow is meters high , @ @ @ @ @ at the northern Hemisphere snow cover charts from Rutgers University Global Snow Lab , northern @ @ @ @ @ ) has been on the rise since reaching a low in 1990 .
Meanwhile weather @ @ @ @ @ record breaking February snowfall ” burying Montana and South Dakota .
According to Electroverse , @ @ @ @ @ returning ” due to reversing natural cycles .


climatedepot--2020-03-10--UK Environment Agency Blame Floods On ‘Climate Emergency’ – Reality check: Claims are ‘a damning ver

UK Environment Agency Blame Floods On ‘Climate Emergency’ – Reality check: Claims are ‘a damning verdict on the Agency’s incompetence’

John Curtin , Executive Director at the Environment Agency , gleefully posted this on Twitter last week .
It was intended to persuade us that there is a “ climate emergency ” .
Instead , it serves as a damning verdict on the Environment Agency ’ s incompetence , as we shall now see .
The claim that last month ’ s were made worse by climate change has been made many times , and hinted at in this latest EA press release : According to new Met Office statistics , February 2020 has been the wettest February on record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fifth wettest of any calendar month since 1862 .
Provisional figures show that 15 rivers in the Midlands , Yorkshire and Lancashire recorded their highest ever levels during or triggered by Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis .
In fact , as I pointed out the other day , last month ’ s rainfall was a long way from being unprecedented , even though it was a record for February .
In England , it was not the fifth wettest of any calendar month , as the EA wrongly claim , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record was all the way back in 1903 .
Similarly in Wales , where heavy rainfall has led to flooding on the Severn and Wye , it was only 14th wettest , with the record month long ago in 1929 .
Whilst the England figure could disguise ups and downs across the country , the Wales graph is particularly relevant , as rain over the Brecons caused bad flooding in the S Wales valleys , and long the River Wye .
At the same time rain in the north of Wales fed down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words , pretty much the whole of Wales took the brunt of Storm Dennis that day .
This leads us to the question of why the floods were so bad that they set so many records .
The first thing to note is that December and January were pretty much average for rainfall in the regions most badly affected by the floods , notably South Wales , the Severn Valley and NW England .
So the severity of the flooding was not due to cumulative rainfall over the winter as a whole .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rainfall in February does not appear to have been that unusual .
Even in the NW of England & N Wales , where rainfall was the worst of all in terms of average , Feb 2020 was well down the list of wettest months : But what about extreme daily rainfall ?
Has this led to record flooding ?
To answer this question , we will need to look at the two main storms individually : It was Ciara , of course , which led to the flooding in the Calder Valley .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ one month ’ s rainfall in a day ” variety , these were based on high altitude sites in the Pennines , against which we have no comparative data .
We do , however , have regionally averaged daily rainfall from the Met Office ’ s HADUKP database .
The Calder floods would have been largely the result of rainfall in the North West , which would include most of the moorland which feeds that river .
According to HADUKP , rainfall in the North West averaged 32.6mm on the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before and after was insignificant ) : Since 1931 alone , there have been thirteen days which have exceeded this figure .
Given what we know about heavy rainfall months prior to 1931 , there will certainly be many other such days previously .
I do , by the way , accept that localised rainfall may have been heavier in the Calder Valley area , but that would be weather , not climate change .
Again with the proviso that Wales received the brunt of Storm Dennis , the daily rainfall for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extraordinary at all that day .
Average rainfall that day was 33.84mm , but there have been 13 wetter days since 1931 .
As I showed in a post at the time , 48-hour rainfall totals S Wales during Storm Dennis peaked at 157mm , but it is easy to find examples of higher rainfalls in that same area .
Wild claims have been made by the EA and Met Office that the floods last month are linked to climate change , yet neither has provided any detailed data to back up this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about “ wettest February on record ” , “ a month ’ s rain in 24 hours ” , and so on .
If they have the data to back up their assertions , then let them publish .
But unless they can , we can only assume that the record floods are in fact due to poor river maintenance , and not record rainfall .
At the last count , I understand about 3300 homes have been flooded .
To have your home flooded is a terrible experience , but in overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high number .
In the summer of 2007 , for instance , 55000 homes were flooded .
Secondly , as the Met Office explain , the wet weather was due to the jet stream : There is no evidence to link this phenomenon with climate change .
And given the fact that there have been many wetter months a long time ago in both England and Wales , it is evident that this sort of weather has occurred before .
Which of course brings us back to the question of why so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It clearly suits the Environment Agency to blame “ climate change ” , rather than admit to their own shortcomings and incompetence .


climatedepot--2020-03-10--Overwhelming Rejection: German Community Shoots Down Planned Wind Park By Vote Of 269 – 11

Onshore wind energy in Germany has long lost its luster as a “ clean ” way to produce electricity in Germany .
Currently green energy proponents are pushing to significantly ease restrictions against the construction of wind parks , and don ’ t want to hear any complaints from pesky local citizens .
But resistance to projects has reached a massive scale .
Wind turbines welcome only by their developers and operators .
German citizens no longer welcome them .
Photo : Pierre Gosselin Across the country people have come to realize that although the produced electricity from wind is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacts the huge industrial contraptions are having on the landscape , regional environment and public health risks aren ’ t worth it .
Today we find another powerful example of how wind projects planned near communities are being overwhelmingly rejected .
Near the North German community of Ovelgönnes , citizens shot down plans to build a wind park comprising four 200-meter tall Vesta 126 wind turbines each with a rated capacity of 3.45 MW , reports the daily Nordwest Zeitung ( NWZ ) .
The generator hub height is planned for 137 meters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tip of the blade .
In mid January , local citizens gathered for an information evening aimed at explaining what the project was about .
But as reported by the NWZ , the project proponents were met with “ severe opposition ” to their plans .
The article described the information meeting as “ charged with emotion ” .
One local resident claimed : “ Here personal effort for profits is being placed above the common good.
” Another resident accused the project supporters of “ putting public health at risk ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Windstrom shows that the turbines would be a mere 600 meters away from the nearest homes and only 1000 meters from the community of Großenmeer , east of the proposed park .
The project went to a vote earlier this week , reported the Nordwest Zeitung ( NWZ ) .
The result was devastating : only 11 ( 4 % ) were in favor of the park , 269 ( 94 % ) were against .
————————————————————————— Hat-tip : Jens Schluter at FaceBook .


climatedepot--2020-03-10--More On Earth’s Meaningless Global Temperature, Now And Before

Is planet Earth warming , cooling , or staying the same ?
I often challenge advocates for climate alarmism : what is the temperature of the planet today ?
Or we can use any specific day in recent years for which data are available .
We can not know the temperature of the planet thousands or millions of years ago if we can not even measure it today .
Yes , the question is one single temperature of the entire planet .
Not the temperature in Nome , Alaska , or Dallas , Texas , or Sydney , Australia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperature reading for the entire globe .
To put it that way immediately sounds strange .
But if we don ’ t have a single temperature reading for the entire planet for today , how can we say if the planet is getting warmer or cooler or not changing at all ?
We can not talk about the temperature in , say , Geneva or London or New York City only .
The question is whether the entire planet is getting warmer , not isolated cities .
Some of us have forgotten basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But most of us are vaguely familiar with the random samplingprocess used in public opinion surveys .
We see opinion polls in the news all the time .
If we want to know how the USA ’ s estimated 153 million registered voters are going to vote on Election Day , but we don ’ t want to actually ask all 153 million of them , we have to follow ( not violate ) strict statistical methodologies for taking samples that are smaller than the entire “ universe ” or total population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the same 1,000 people every year — whom they are planning to vote for , the results will be meaningless hogwash .
To be statistically valid , the sample must be random .
Each time .
Not a random sample one time that is repeated year after year .
Each sample subset must be truly , honestly random .
No games .
No phony adjustments .
Every time .
( It might be interesting to follow a subset over time to investigate why people decide whom to vote for .
But that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire population . )
We also know that when people actually vote , the survey predictions are almost always wrong .
For one thing , when we survey people , we are not measuring how they are going to vote .
We are sampling what they are telling us , which is not the same thing .
The Earth is 196.9 million square miles of surface area .
It is a sphere 24,901 miles in circumference .
The vast majority of the Earth ’ s surface is ocean , and in particular , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pacific and Southern Atlantic and the Arctic Sea .
The Earth is just unimaginably , stupendously big .
Most of planet Earth never sees any human presence , much less a weather station .
Another fatal flaw in climate alarmism is the failure to understand that air moves .
Air is made of gases , which by definition are not fixed in place or shape , but flow freely .
Alarmists try to evoke the image of carbon dioxide as like a blanket .
But carbon dioxide is not nailed in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When warmed , all gases move upward towards outer space .
Convection transports heat from the surface up to the thin air , where jet airplanes cruise .
Heat is radiated from there out into space .
Air masses travel horizontally across the Earth .
Remember the polar vortex ?
Extremely cold air sitting over the Arctic Circle is sometimes dislodged by air currents and moved south into Canada or even the northern United States .
The weather gets extremely cold .
But the Earth did not change .
Very cold air simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Earth is still the same temperature .
The Arctic got warmer , while North America got colder .
The air moved .
But overall , the Earth did not change .
Probably all of us have experienced , as this author has watched , the temperature drop 10 to 20 degrees within hours as a strong cold front moves in .
Even in the Bahamas , I have watched the temperature drop from the 90s to the 70s in only three or four hours .
For some reason , cold fronts when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a return to warmer weather .
Because the air is in constant motion , even a truly random sample of Earth ’ s 196.9 million square miles of surface area would have to be taken on the same day at the same time of day .
Note that even in one location , the swing from daytime temperatures to overnight temperatures can be a 20- to 40-degree swing on the same day .
So why can ’ t we just measure certain cities and average their changes ?
Because we are measuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure the entire Earth we are just measuring air masses moving around , changing temperatures .
We are told scientists have adjusted for these concerns ( in some mysterious magic way ) .
But actual rocket scientists accidentally crashed a lander into the planet Mars due to a mathematics mistake .
So forgive us if we would just like to look over their math .
The reader can find attempts to measure the Earth ’ s single temperature .
For example , Carbon Brief ’ s “ Explainer : How do scientists measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The hand is quicker than the eye .
One with science education , not indoctrinated , will blow a gasket at the house of cards .
To measure the Earth ’ s surface area of 196.9 million square miles , there are about 10,000 weather stations on the planet , plus about 2,000 ships , airplanes , and ocean buoys .
Remember : Those stations were designed to measure local weather , not the planet .
The alarmists explain : “ The temperature at each land and ocean station is compared daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that location and time , typically the long-term average over a 30-year period.
” But there is no normal .
Local anomalies are driven by weather patterns , such as El Niño and the Polar Vortex .
Many weather stations are at airports for good reason .
But aviation has changed over time from occasional propeller planes to jet airplanes every few minutes .
The expansion of cities causes the heat island effect to artificially raise temperatures at airports no longer out in the countryside .
So “ [ d ] aily anomalies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These are , in turn , used to work out temperature anomalies from season-to-season and year-to-year.
” This is nonsense .
Then : “ After working out the annual temperature anomalies for each land or ocean station , the next job for scientists is to divide the earth up into grid boxes.
” NASA , they say , divides the world up into boxes of 2 degrees longitude by 2 degrees latitude .
That is a gigantic area — over 19,000 square miles — with enormous temperature variations within that box .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 5 degrees or over 119,000 square miles each .
There is vastly different weather occurring within each 119,000-square-mile box .
Again , there are only 12,000 weather stations , including part-time ones on mobile craft for the entire planet , unevenly focused too much on the “ First World.
” From the time the thermometer was invented with a scientifically valid scale comparable from one thermometer to another around 1850 , other than use as a novelty or hobbyist ’ s toy , and meticulous records started ( every day , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were concentrated in Northwestern Europe and the Northeastern United States .
Gradually , decade by decade , driven largely by the rise of airstrips in World War I , the locations , geographic diversity , quantity , and quality of weather stations changed over time .
So even the temperature records we have are not comparable across decades .
In short , you can claim to be able to measure the world ’ s temperature .
But if you want to really do it — good luck .


climatedepot--2020-03-10--Study: Ancient shell shows days were half-hour shorter 70 million years ago

New laser technology delves into Earth ’ s history .
– – – Earth turned faster at the end of the time of the dinosaurs than it does today , reports Phys.org , rotating 372 times a year compared to the current 365 , according to a new study of fossil mollusk shells from the late Cretaceous .
This means a day lasted only 23 and a half hours , according to the new study in AGU ’ s journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology .
The ancient mollusk , from an extinct and wildly diverse group known as rudist clams , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rings .
The new study used lasers to sample minute slices of shell and count the growth rings more accurately than human researchers with microscopes .
The growth rings allowed the researchers to determine the number of days in a year and more accurately calculate the length of a day 70 million years ago .
The new measurement informs models of how the Moon formed and how close to Earth it has been over the 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth-Moon gravitational dance .
The new study also found corroborating evidence that the mollusks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reef-building on the scale of modern-day corals .
The high resolution obtained in the new study combined with the fast growth rate of the ancient bivalves revealed unprecedented detail about how the animal lived and the water conditions it grew in , down to a fraction of a day .
“ We have about four to five datapoints per day , and this is something that you almost never get in geological history .
We can basically look at a day 70 million years ago .
It ’ s pretty amazing , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geochemist at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the lead author of the new study .
Climate reconstructions of the deep past typically describe long term changes that occur on the scale of tens of thousands of years .
Studies like this one give a glimpse of change on the timescale of living things and have the potential to bridge the gap between climate and weather models .
Chemical analysis of the shell indicates ocean temperatures were warmer in the Late Cretaceous than previously appreciated , reaching 40 degrees Celsius ( 104 degrees Fahrenheit ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 86 degrees Fahrenheit ) in winter .
The summer high temperatures likely approached the physiological limits for mollusks , de Winter said .


climatedepot--2020-03-16--DEBUNKED: Read the FACTCHECK on Greenland & Antarctica ice loss claims

Greenland : `` Most of the ice loss is the result of receding glacier fronts , but the DMI confirmed in Nov 2018 that glaciers have more or less maintained their area since 2012 .
There is therefore no evidence of accelerating ice loss since 2003 .
The claim that the Greenland icecap has been losing ice at a faster rate than in the 1990s is true , but it is also a red herring and has no bearing on future rates of loss .
In 2003 , scientists reported that Greenland had cooled significantly between 1958 and 2001 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss slowed markedly .
Since 2001 , temperatures have recovered to levels generally seen in the 1930s and 40s ( Fig 2 ) , with a resultant increase in ice loss . ''
`` Globally , sea levels have been rising steadily at a rate of about 2mm a year since the late 19thC , with a slow down between the 1960s and 90s .
And , as the IPCC ’ s latest Assessment Report pointed out , the recent rate of rise has been similar to that between 1920 and 1950 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Greenland and Antarctica , are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions .
A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends , say scientists .
Between them , Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice in the period from 1992 to 2017 .
This was sufficient to push up global sea-levels by 17.8mm .
Of that combined 17.8mm contribution to sea-level rise , 10.6mm ( 60 % ) was due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % ) was due to Antarctica .
The combined rate of ice loss for the pair was running at about 81 billion tonnes per year in the 1990s .
By the 2010s , it had climbed to 475 billion tonnes per year .
According to the IPCC , its mid-range simulations ( RCP4.5 ) suggested global sea-levels might rise by 53cm by 2100 .
But the Imbie team ’ s studies show that ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland are actually heading to much more pessimistic outcomes , and will likely add another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Danish Meteorological Institute ( DMI ) , melting of the Greenland ice cap contributed about 0.6mm/yr to global sea level rise between 2003 and 2017 ( Fig 1 ) .
This rise has been largely at a constant rate , except between 2010 and 2012 .
Figure 1 – Changes in the Greenland Ice Cap Mass Most of the ice loss is the result of receding glacier fronts , but the DMI confirmed in Nov 2018 that glaciers have more or less maintained their area since 2012 .
( 1 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice loss since 2003 .
The claim that the Greenland icecap has been losing ice at a faster rate than in the 1990s is true , but it is also a red herring and has no bearing on future rates of loss .
In 2003 , scientists reported that Greenland had cooled significantly between 1958 and 2001 ( 2 ) .
Unsurprisingly during this period of cooling ice loss slowed markedly .
Since 2001 , temperatures have recovered to levels generally seen in the 1930s and 40s ( Fig 2 ) , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The rise and fall in Greenland temperatures is linked to natural cycles , including the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation , which runs on a 50 to 60 year pattern , meaning that a colder climate will likely return in the next decade or so .
Ice cores prove that Greenland was colder during the 19thC than any era since the end of the ice age .
( 4 ) .
It is therefore highly likely then that the Greenland icecap will continue to lose mass for the rest of this century at least .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to extrapolate future trends from only the upward part of a cycle .
It is even worse when it is used to project accelerating trends .
Far from ice loss increasing in the Antarctic , scientists can not even agree whether the ice cap is even shrinking at all .
According to a recent NASA study , the ice sheet has actually been growing , with snowfall in East Antarctica exceeding ice loss in West Antarctica .
( 5 ) .
The NASA study shows that Antarctica gained 82 billion tons of ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ultimately of course we have tide gauges to tell us what is happening with sea levels , and the picture is consistently clear .
Globally , sea levels have been rising steadily at a rate of about 2mm a year since the late 19thC , with a slow down between the 1960s and 90s .
And , as the IPCC ’ s latest Assessment Report pointed out , the recent rate of rise has been similar to that between 1920 and 1950 .
( 6 ) Sea levels provide no evidence that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate than in the first half of the 20thC .
They certainly do not support the theory that ice loss will significantly accelerate in the rest of the 21stC .


climatedepot--2020-03-16--Harvard U. environmental ‘expert’ links coronavirus to ‘climate change’

Reporter Questions : `` Did habitat loss , driven in part by climate change , make it easier for pathogens to spread among wildlife and for the virus to jump to humans ?
We asked him about the ways that climate change might have played a role in the emergence of COVID-19 , about any parallels between `` virus denial '' and climate denial Dr. Aaron Bernstein , a pediatrician and Interim Director of The Center for Climate , Health , and the Global Environment at Harvard 's T.H .
Chan School of Public Health : Excerpt : `` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are having a massive effect on how the relationships between all life on Earth operate and also with ourselves .
We should n't be surprised that these emerging diseases pop up . ''
... `` Climate change is a destabilizing force when it comes to the spread of infection through several potential pathways . ''
... `` Climate is a part of what is fundamentally reshaping our relationship with the natural world . ''
Q & A : A Harvard Expert on Environment and Health Discusses Possible Ties Between COVID and Climate Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections ; climate change brings people in closer contact with animals that can spread disease .
Doctors and public health researchers are getting an increasingly accurate and nuanced picture of the many ways climate change damages human health .
Now , questions have arisen about whether climate change contributed to the outbreak of COVID-19 , whose spread the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on Wednesday .
For example , did habitat loss , driven in part by climate change , make it easier for pathogens to spread among wildlife and for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air pollution , mainly from the burning of fossil fuels , make some people more vulnerable to contracting the illness ?
We spoke to Dr. Aaron Bernstein , a pediatrician and Interim Director of The Center for Climate , Health , and the Global Environment at Harvard ’ s T.H .
Chan School of Public Health ( Harvard C-CHANGE ) , who has seen firsthand how climate change can harm children , mostly through the burning of fossil fuels .
We asked him about the ways that climate change might have played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about any parallels between “ virus denial ” and climate denial and about how to prepare for the inevitable next pandemic .
A lightly-edited version of our conversation follows .
A connection between COVID-19 and climate change doesn ’ t seem obvious at first glance , at least to lay people , so could you explain the links that you see ?
I think the strongest links I see are actually related , first of all , to air pollution , and fossil fuels as a source of air pollution , and fossil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major cause of climate change .
The other connections I see are that the way we think about the environment as it pertains to health has gotten us into a rut with the emergence of infections like COVID and climate change .
Let me explain a little bit more of what I mean by that .
You look at climate change , we have transformed the nature of the Earth .
We have fundamentally changed the composition of the atmosphere , and as such , we shouldn ’ t be surprised that that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a species , grown up in partnership with the planet and life we live with .
So , when we change the rules of the game , we shouldn ’ t expect that it wouldn ’ t affect our health , for better or worse .
That ’ s true of the climate .
And the same principle holds for the emergence of infections .
If you look at the emerging infectious diseases that have moved into people from animals or other sources over the last several decades , the vast majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the majority of those are coming from wild animals .
We have transformed life on Earth .
We are having a massive effect on how the relationships between all life on Earth operate and also with ourselves .
We shouldn ’ t be surprised that these emerging diseases pop up .
The principle is that we ’ re really changing how we relate to other species on Earth and that matters to our risk for infections .
I ’ d like to drill down into the two points that you made .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and climate change .
There are a lot of things that lead to habitat loss for species and bring them into closer proximity to human communities .
Bulldozing a jungle can do that .
But how does climate change play a role in decreasing the distance between wildlife and people ?
To be clear , we don ’ t know with COVID , what role if any the climate effects that we ’ re already seeing in species around the world may have had on the risk of this disease emerging .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a market in which animals were commingled , the bats and , potentially , pangolins .
But it ’ s not clear , for instance , whether bat migration patterns , which have been influenced by climate , have played a role .
But we have other examples .
We see this extraordinary migration to the poles .
We ’ re watching all kinds of life forms run away from the heat , and that has led to the spread of pathogens , because animals that carry pathogens came in contact with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those pathogens and there was transmission .
The constraints upon animal migration because of habitat loss may force animals into closer proximity .
The bottom line here is that if you wanted to prevent the spread of pathogens , the emergence of pathogens , as we see not just with people and COVID , but as well with wildlife , you wouldn ’ t transform the climate .
Because that forces species to come into contact with other species that may be vulnerable to infections .
There are lots of forces , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Neela Banerjee is a Washington-based reporter for InsideClimate News .
She led the investigation into Exxon ’ s early climate research , which was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service reporting and the recipient of nearly a dozen other journalism awards .
Before joining ICN , she spent four years as the energy and environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times ’ Washington bureau .
Banerjee covered global energy , the Iraq War and other issues with The New York Times .
She also served as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Banerjee grew up in southeast Louisiana and graduated from Yale University .
You can reach her by email at [ email protected ] For encrypted communication , use [ email protected ]