climatedepot--2020-10-14--New UN Climate Row: Alarming ‘Climate Disasters’ Report Contradicts Its Own Data

The row was triggered by the new report on “ Human Cost of Disasters ” .
The report announced a “ staggering rise in climate-related disasters over the last twenty years ” .
However , the same report contains a graph showing that the number of climate-related disasters has actually decreased by 15 percent since 2000 .
... “ This is a huge , embarrassing blunder , ” said Benny Peiser , director of the Global Warming Policy Forum , a British think tank .
“ The United Nations must immediately withdraw this report and apologise for misleading the public.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ American scientist in the field of natural disasters – and anything but climate denier – also regrets the sharp position by the UNDRR .
In an e-mail to De Telegraaf he says that the authors have drawn “ flawed conclusions ” New UN Climate Row : Alarming Report Contradicts Its Own Data Edwin Timmer , De Telegraaf , 14 October 2020 Amsterdam : The United Nations has become caught up in a new climate row over a recent UN report which claims to show an increase in climate disasters – but which seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The row was triggered by the new report on “ Human Cost of Disasters ” .
The report announced a “ staggering rise in climate-related disasters over the last twenty years ” .
However , the same report contains a graph showing that the number of climate-related disasters has actually decreased by 15 percent since 2000 .
It is not the only contentious element of the report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction ( UNDRR ) in Geneva .
Some of the data used is also said to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mizutori , Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR , seems to have been inspired by activist groups like Extinction Rebellion .
Due to the fuss , there is now an international call for at least rectification .
“ This is a huge , embarrassing blunder , ” said Benny Peiser , director of the Global Warming Policy Forum , a British think tank .
“ The United Nations must immediately withdraw this report and apologise for misleading the public.
” Roger Pielke Jr , a renowned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disasters – and anything but climate denier – also regrets the sharp position by the UNDRR .
In an e-mail to De Telegraaf he says that the authors have drawn “ flawed conclusions ” .
It is not the first time that the UN is accused of climate exaggeration .
UNICEF stated last year that hurricane disasters in the Caribbean is driving more and more children to flee .
“ Pure scare tactics , ” said a hurricane expert at the time .
And a report by the IPCC once predicted that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That also turned out to be a scientific mistake .
However , the UNDRR report substantiates its statement about increasing climate disasters with data from the renowned Belgian Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters ( CRED ) .
Between 1980 and 1999 , the Leuven database counted 4,212 disasters and 7,348 from the turn of the century to 2020 .
Ergo : the climate has gone wild .
“ This is clear evidence that in a world where the global average temperature in 2019 was 1.1˚C above the preindustrial period , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased frequency of extreme weather events including heatwaves , droughts , flooding , winter storms , hurricanes and wildfires.
” , according to the report , which also included CRED researcher Joris van Loenhout .
But here too , the report goes wrong , warns Pielke Jr .
The data on disasters from the last century are , as the CRED has repeatedly acknowledged , flawed – and therefore unreliable .
During the time before the internet existed , not every disaster was reported the way it is now .
British blogger Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the number of disasters the Belgian institute listed which suddenly rose in 1998 — exactly the year the CRED began to receive US funding to start publishing statistics .
The datasets about the two different periods are therefore too different in quality , says Pielke Jr. “ You should not draw any conclusions about a changing frequency in climatic extremes on the basis of this data set , ” says the researcher at the University of Colorado .
Van Loenhout disputes this criticism .
In an e-mail the researcher trained in Utrecht @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its own database , but claims that much of the data has been improved recently .
Of the dataset dating back to 1900 , only the first 60 years may not be reliable , he says .
“ Disasters will be missing.
” But that is not a problem for the current report , he claims .
“ From about 1960-1970 onward , the completeness of the data is much greater , and the share of missing disasters much smaller .
We are constantly working to improve completeness , and this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For this reason , statements made in 2004 and 2006 are now somewhat outdated , as the completeness of the database has since improved , ” says Van Loenhout .
Pielke Jr is surprised that , to his knowledge , this is the first time that the Belgian institute is suddenly so convinced of its older data .
The American also disagrees with Van Loenhout ’ s criticism that he should not deduce a downward trend in climate-related disasters over the past 20 years .
“ Nonsense .
Of course you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trend.
” The fierce clash can be explained by the significant deviation of the UNDRR findings with the research studies that Pielke Jr has published .
Time and again he has shown that despite an increase in financial damage from natural disasters , there has not been a change in the intensity of most weather extremes .
Increasing damage is due to the growth of population , real estate and properties in vulnerable areas .
The UN ’ s Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) has confirmed these findings : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in floods or hurricanes .
But until now this is barely detectable .
“ Everything I find is consistent with the IPCC , ” says Pielke Jr. One of the most telling trends the American scientist has highlighted is this : the number of fatalities from natural disasters in the past 100 years has fallen by 95 percent — despite a rapidly growing world population .
This makes the UNDRR report much more dogmatic about climate trends than its sibling the IPCC , both under the same UN umbrella .
This does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarmist tone .
She commends UN staff and volunteers who have saved countless lives in past natural disasters .
“ But it is being made more and more difficult for them , especially by industrialised countries that are terribly lacking in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to the level agreed in the Paris Agreement.
” GWPF director Benny Peiser is appalled by this political blame game .
As if residents of industrial countries are guilty of future deaths from natural disasters in other countries .
“ This is no longer science , but @ @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-10-14--Gov. Newsom: California’s Future is Out of Gas – ‘Once again punishing Californians to fight ‘climat

Gov. Newsom: California’s Future is Out of Gas – ‘Once again punishing Californians to fight ‘climate change’

Morano says that at some point California citizens will decide that environmentalism has gone too far : “ The San Francisco Chronicle reports that fewer than 6 % of cars sold in California in 2019 fall under the governor ’ s zero-emission standard .
So how does he plan to ban 94 % of the cars ?
Will Californians allow this ?
At what point will residents of California tell politicians to take their climate agenda and shove it ?
” Morano asks .
Marc Morano , producer of the documentary film “ Climate Hustle 2 ” www.ClimateHustle2.com , calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a public display of environmental faith : “ Gov .
Newsom is once again punishing Californians to fight ‘ climate change.
’ Newsom is going the route of executive order because the legislature would not support a ban on gas-powered cars .
All of Newsom ’ s virtue signaling will do nothing for the climate but will further hammer Californians already suffering from the state ’ s draconian COVID lockdowns .
Electric cars are in many ways more harmful to the environment than conventional cars , ” Morano told InsideSources in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office recently released a statement saying that his state will be making a “ just transition away from fossil fuels.
” And by “ just ” the governor does mean “ righteous.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced the phase out of gasoline-powered cars by the year 2035 — five years too late to save the earth according to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
“ Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he will aggressively move the state further away from its reliance on climate change-causing fossil fuels while retaining and creating jobs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035 and additional measures to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector , ” Newsom ’ s statement said .
“ This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change , ” Newsom said , but is it enough for the Democrat Party ’ s extreme environmentalist wing ?
According to fellow Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Newsom ’ s actions will be five years too late to save anything : “ Millennials , and Gen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come after us , are looking up and we ’ re like ‘ the world will end in 12 years if we don ’ t address climate change , and your biggest issue is how are we gon na pay for it ?
’ ” Ocasio-Cortez said nearly two years ago , putting her earth-ending timetable at approximately 2030 .
Marc Morano , producer of the documentary film “ Climate Hustle 2 ” www.ClimateHustle2.com , calls the governor ’ s actions nothing more than a public display of environmental faith : “ Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fight ‘ climate change.
’ Newsom is going the route of executive order because the legislature would not support a ban on gas-powered cars .
All of Newsom ’ s virtue signaling will do nothing for the climate but will further hammer Californians already suffering from the state ’ s draconian COVID lockdowns .
Electric cars are in many ways more harmful to the environment than conventional cars , ” Morano told InsideSources in an exclusive interview .
Morano says that at some point California citizens will decide that environmentalism has gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chronicle reports that fewer than 6 % of cars sold in California in 2019 fall under the governor ’ s zero-emission standard .
So how does he plan to ban 94 % of the cars ?
Will Californians allow this ?
At what point will residents of California tell politicians to take their climate agenda and shove it ?
” Morano asks .
Critics of doomsday climate predictions say that drastic claims such as that of Ocasio-Cortez create skepticism of their kind of science because deadlines come and go and the predicted doom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Al Gore predicted in 2008 that by 2013 the Arctic would be ice-free — it was not and , of course , still is not .
However , world leaders continue to tilt at windmills that critics say are imaginary .

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


climatedepot--2020-10-14--Australian Media Calls Out ‘Great Reset’ Agenda – Former Aussie Sen.: ‘COVID is the new excuse to us

Australian Media Calls Out ‘Great Reset’ Agenda – Former Aussie Sen.: ‘COVID is the new excuse to usher in the Green New Deal’

This week , Sky News Australia contributor and former Australian Senator Cory Bernardi , tore open the debate on COVID after calling out a globalist agenda which few in mainstream media have dared to mention so far .
Since lockdowns began in March of 2020 , few have challenged the government rationale for voluntarily imploding their economies and destroying communities and societies – based on a guess that coronavirus might kill tens of millions of citizens .
However , Bernardi believes that the COVID-19 pandemic hysteria is being used as the Trojan horse for a globalist agenda hatched out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s called The Great Reset , and its designed by elite billionaires supposedly to bring about ‘ social and economic change.
’ According to technocrat , Klaus Schwab , founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum , “ COVID 19 cases have shown us that our old systems are not fit anymore for the 21st century , it has laid bare a fundamental lack of social cohesion , fairness , inclusion and equality.
” “ ( Mr Schwab ) admits that COVID is the new excuse to usher in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profiteers and big government have been pushing for years , ” said Bernardi .
Bernardi cites the fact that coordinated government shutdown policies ( not COVID ) have brought down fuel consumption and canceled international travel and bankrupted scores of airlines and travel firms already .
In addition , governments are using the ‘ pandemic ’ to permanently curtail civil liberties and freedom of movement and assembly .
“ Why do you think the Australian Greens have been so quiet these past months … it ’ s because their policy agenda is coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ After decades of peddling climate change lies and propaganda to force government by the elites , the socialists have used a media induced hysteria over public health as their latest weapon of economic destruction.
” The end game of creating to illusion of a global pandemic emergency is to rapidly usher-in the introduction of a ‘ Green New Deal ‘ policy – where billionaires seek to restructure our capitalist system into a new ‘ green economy ’ – promising equality and “ climate justice ” along the way .
He also highlights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists and institutions involved in the fraudulent over-the-top modelling of COVID deaths – are also involved in IPCC computer modeled projections of supposed future climate change .
In this segment , Mr. Bernardi explains what ’ s actually behind the mass-panic being fomented by certain governments and mainstream media , hyping the idea that the world is in the midst of a “ deadly plague ” and public health crisis .


climatedepot--2020-10-14--Stanford doctors leading global anti-lockdown movement: ‘We have had people claiming to be ‘followin

Stanford doctors leading global anti-lockdown movement: ‘We have had people claiming to be ‘following the science & the data’ who are in fact merely imposing their opinions on us by fiat’

Doctors at Stanford University are at the forefront of a global movement of health experts who are criticizing lockdowns to control COVID-19 and say schools and businesses should reopen , but with a focus on protecting the elderly and infirm who are most vulnerable to the virus .
Called the Great Barrington Declaration after the western Massachusetts town where it was hatched this month at an economic policy think tank , their statement of purpose is the handiwork of three principal drafters who include Stanford medical professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya .
“ As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies , ” the declaration states .
“ The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection , while better protecting those who are at highest risk.
” Though the arguments are not new , with more than 18,000 medical , science and public health practitioners among its more than 191,000 worldwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public break among health experts from their peers ’ prevailing support for lockdowns since the pandemic began early this year .
But the declaration has drawn fire from other doctors and public health officials who say lifting lockdowns will only invite a new wave of COVID-19 infections and fatalities from the deadly virus .
More than 7.6 million people in the United States have contracted the virus , and 213,000 people have died .
“ Whose grandmother and grandfather and family members are you willing to sacrifice for this stupid idea ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose administration in March led the Bay Area in imposing the first U.S. lockdown in the pandemic and has since been criticized since for its slow pace of reopening .
The declaration ’ s signers are clearly frustrated with the dominant public health orthodoxy that indefinite and costly shutdowns are needed to keep the virus in check .
“ A number of scientists and non-scientists alike tried to raise questions about both the effectiveness and the potential harms of the lockdowns as long ago as March , ” said Laura Lazzeroni , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sciences specializing in biomedical data science , who also signed the declaration .
“ But honest and investigative scientific discussion has been difficult to achieve this year.
” Why ?
Dr. Rajiv Bhatia , a practicing physician , affiliated assistant professor of medicine at Stanford and former deputy health officer for San Francisco , who also signed the declaration , blames politics .
President Donald Trump , who has seen his administration ’ s economic gains and his re-election prospects upended by lockdowns , has urged reopening and questioned the evolving science around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is recovering from .
“ If you raise a critical perspective , people associate you with Trump , ” Bhatia said .
“ It ’ s hard for even me to speak to colleagues about this.
” Bhattacharya , who drafted the declaration with doctors Martin Kulldorff , a Harvard University medical professor , and Sunetra Gupta , an epidemiologist at Oxford University , has been at the center of the lockdown controversy from the start .
In March , he co-authored a Wall Street Journal opinion column suggesting the new coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe .
The following month , he co-authored a Stanford study that indicated the virus was far more prevalent than presumed and as a result , the death rate far lower .
That pre-peer-review study — which was later revised — drew withering criticism and even prompted Stanford to review the team ’ s work , which Bhattacharya said he was confident would be vindicated .
Bhattacharya , who was not available for comment , and the co-signers argue lockdowns haven ’ t been properly weighed against the ensuing harm .
Not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for workers and students , but the lockdowns have caused harm to their mental and physical health from prolonged isolation , lack of exercise and avoidance of routine vaccinations , medical checkups and other procedures , they say .
Paulette Altmaier , a former Cisco Systems vice president and philanthropist who criticized Santa Clara County ’ s slow reopening in a full-page newspaper ad in May , found it refreshing .
“ Science is about learning from new data and vigorous debate , ” Altmaier said .
“ Instead , for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be ‘ following the science and the data ’ who are in fact merely imposing their opinions on us by fiat , with catastrophic consequences for children ’ s education and people ’ s livelihoods.
” But Smith , who has a medical degree , and other health experts say the approach called for in the declaration hasn ’ t worked so well in countries that have taken it , such as Brazil and Sweden .
Brazil has the world ’ s fifth-highest per-capita COVID-19 fatality rate , according to Johns Hopkins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that of Peru , which has the second-highest rate despite having had one of the world ’ s longest and strictest lockdowns .
Sweden ’ s fatality rate is much higher than neighboring Norway , Finland , Denmark and Germany , though lower than that in the U.S. , United Kingdom and Italy .
“ There are a lot of communities around the world that have tried to take the approach of ‘ let it spread and we ’ ll do minimal separation and social distancing ’ and have seen bad outcomes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the restrictions are needed to protect the vulnerable because the virus can be spread by people who don ’ t know they ’ re infectious .
Experts like Dr. George Rutherford at UC San Francisco say the country is nowhere near reaching “ herd immunity , ” and loosening restrictions will only mean many more will have to get infected and die to reach that point .
“ It hinges on how many deaths we are going to tolerate before we get to a level of herd immunity where we stop transmission , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come down on the side of preventing mortality .
”


climatedepot--2020-10-15--VP nominee Kamala Harris asks about smoking/cancer & climate change in Q&A with Amy Coney Barrett

Excerpt : Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is in the middle of a four-day confirmation hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington .
In the first two days , she has been questioned by the Democrats and refrained from revealing her opinion on hot-button issues such as abortion and more .
However , on Wednesday , October 14 , Senator Kamala Harris had President Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee almost pushed into a corner with her questions on climate change .
… Speaking via teleconference , the Democratic senator and vice-presidential nominee asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious.
” “ I do accept that Covid-19 is infectious , ” the judge replied .
“ It ’ s an obvious fact , yes.
” Harris went on to ask Barrett whether she accepts that smoking causes cancer .
“ I ’ m not sure exactly where you ’ re going with this , ” she responded .
“ Yes , every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer.
” Finally , in her last question , Harris asked , “ And do you believe that climate change is happening and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the water we drink ?
” … To this , Barrett refused to answer .
“ You have asked me a series of questions that are completely uncontroversial , like whether Covid-19 is infectious , whether smoking causes cancer , and then trying to analogize that to eliciting an opinion from me that is a very contentious matter of public debate , ” the judge said .
“ And I will not do that , I will not express a view on a matter of public policy especially when it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the judicial role.
” Harris then replied , “ Thank you , Judge Barrett , you have made your point clear that you believe it is a debatable point.
” Harris later tweeted , “ Amy Coney Barrett will admit that COVID-19 is infectious .
She ’ ll admit that smoking causes cancer .
But whether climate change is real ?
Apparently , that ’ s up for debate.
” …


climatedepot--2020-10-15--Analysis: Claims of dramatic loss of Great Barrier Reef corals are false

Claims that Australia ’ s Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover between 1995 and 2017 have received global media coverage .
The stories were based on a new paper co-authored by controversial Australian researcher , Professor Terry Hughes of James Cook University .
But according to Professor Peter Ridd , a leading authority on the Great Barrier Reef , these claims are false .
According to Professor Ridd , the best data on coral cover is taken by the Australian Institute of Marine Science ( AIMS ) , who have been measuring over 100 reefs every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows that coral cover fluctuates dramatically with time but there is roughly the same amount of coral today as in 1995 .
There was a huge reduction in coral cover in 2011 which was caused by two major cyclones that halved coral cover .
Cyclones have always been the major cause of temporary coral loss on the Reef.
” This is not the first time that Professor Hughes has made such claims about coral loss .
His previous study was strongly criticised by the AIMS scientists responsible for collecting and publishing the coral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to make public the raw data upon which he made this claim , despite repeated requests .
“ This latest work by Prof Hughes needs a thorough quality-audit to test its veracity ” , says Ridd .
“ Prime-facie , there are excellent grounds to treat it with great scepticism .
”


climatedepot--2020-10-15--Introducing the ‘Heat Storm’: LA Times uses fictional term borrowed from Star Wars film series?! ‘He

Introducing the ‘Heat Storm’: LA Times uses fictional term borrowed from Star Wars film series?! ‘Heat Storms’ ravaging California or Beware of the ‘heat storms’ in a galaxy far, far away…

The Los Angelos Times employed a new phrase designed to gin up climate fear among the public — the rise of the “ heat storm.
” LA Times staff writer Sammy Roth , used a term associated with the fictional Star Wars film series three times in his article titled “ Boiling Point.
” See : LA Times : Boiling Point : Climate change is wreaking havoc on the power grid in ways you never knew Roth reported , that “ the state experienced hotter days and higher overall peak electricity demand during a July 2006 heat storm that did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition , Roth also cited the Sustainability officer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as using the “ heat storm ” phrase as well .
The term “ heat storm ” is a relatively new term in the climate debate .
Wikipedia defines a ‘ heat storm ’ this way : “ A heat storm is a Californian term for an extended heat wave .
Heat storms occur when the temperature reaches 100 °F ( 37.8 °C ) for three or more consecutive days over a wide area ( tens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Other news outlets have also sparingly used the term “ heat storm ” recently .
See , here , here , here , and here .
The term “ heat storm ” also derives from the Star Wars movie series .
The website Starwars.fandom.com defines the fictional term “ heat storm ” as a “ natural occurrence ” that raged across the fictional planet Ryloth in the Star Wars film series .
“ Heat storms consisted of furious cyclonic winds reaching speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour and temperatures upwards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If anyone was caught in one , they would be incinerated.
” This sounds horrible for Californians !
According to the Los Angeles Times , these ( fictional ) “ heat storms ” are now impacting California .
The LA Times did not explain when people would be “ incinerated ” by these fictional Star Wars-inspired “ heat storms.
” Full definition of the Star Wars fictional “ heat storm ” definition from Starwars.fandom.com is as follows : “ A heat storm was a natural occurrence that frequently raged across Ryloth ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Ryloth was a planet in the Ryloth system of the Outer Rim Territories , and the homeworld of the Twi ’ lek species.
” ] Brought about due to Ryloth ’ s rotational axis being roughly parallel to its plane of orbit , heat storms consisted of furious cyclonic winds reaching speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour and temperatures upwards of 300 degrees Celsius as they raged across Ryloth ’ s Bright Lands , searing everything in their path before eventually dying out on the planet ’ s night side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they would be incinerated.
” “ It is always folly to run from a heat storm .
Even a Jedi has no way to fight it.
“ ―Tott Doneeta [ src ] The question looms : Is LA Times staff writer Sammy Roth a news reporter or an aspiring Hollywood scriptwriter ?
In Roth ’ s LA Times bio , he brags that he is a climate activist who ’ s “ focus ” is on helping “ reduce planet-warming emission more quickly.
” “ For six years , I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and energy companies to reduce planet-warming emissions more quickly , ” Roth explains .
This isn ’ t just a job for me , ” he wrote , adding , “ Like many people , I want to contribute to a more sustainable future.
” Excerpts of LA Times introducing the term “ heat storms ” in their October 15 , 2020 article .
See : LA Times : Boiling Point : Climate change is wreaking havoc on the power grid in ways you never knew There ’ s been a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change is actually to blame .
Officials pointed out that four of California ’ s five hottest August days in the last 35 years came this past August ; others have noted that the state experienced hotter days and higher overall peak electricity demand during a July 2006 heat storm that did not lead to rolling blackouts .
… The nonprofit research organization Climate Central analyzed federal data and released a report last month finding that hurricanes , wildfires , heat storms and other extreme weather events caused 67 % more power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade ending in 2019 than they did during the previous decade .
[ Climate Depot note : Climate Central did not use the term “ heat storm ” in its report . ]
“ What happened during both of these heat storms was it didn ’ t cool down at night , ” Nancy Sutley , chief sustainability officer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power , told me .
“ When it cools down at night — even when it ’ s really hot during the day — the equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it will be OK .
But the nighttime temperatures — when it was 111 downtown , it wasn ’ t 70 at night .
It was 80 or 90 at night.
” Warmists recycling ‘ warmest year ’ claims again for 2020 – Don ’ t be Conned


climatedepot--2020-10-15--Warmists recycling ‘warmest year’ claims again for 2020 – Don’t be Conned

Media and scientists hyping temperature changes year-to-year so small as to be within the margin of error .
Retired MIT climate scientist Richard Lindzen has ridiculed “ hottest year ” claims .
“ The uncertainty here is tenths of a degree .
When someone points to this and says this is the warmest temperature on record , what are they talking about ?
It ’ s just nonsense .
This is a very tiny change period , ” Lindzen said .
“ If you can adjust temperatures to 2/10ths of a degree , it means it wasn ’ t certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed out , “ We ’ re talking about less than a tenth of degree with an uncertainty of about a quarter of a degree .
Moreover , such small fluctuations—even if real—don ’ t change the fact that the trend for the past 20 years has been much less than models have predicted.
” Editor ’ s Note : The following is an excerpt from author Marc Morano ’ s new best-selling book , The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change .
Morano book Excerpt : USA Today blared that “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warm year in 2016.
” Former vice president Al Gore also touted 2016 as “ the hottest year on record—confirmed by NASA and NOAA [ the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ] .
” The New York Times claimed that the 2016 heat “ record ” was “ trouncing ” previous years ’ temperatures .
The Times used phrases like “ blown past ” to describe the alleged heat record .
Curiously , though , the actual numbers for the for the “ hottest year ” claim did not appear in the Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science report claiming that 2016 was the hottest year on record , you might expect that you will get numbers .
And you would be wrong , ” wrote Robert Tracinski of The Federalist .
“ We are not told what the average global temperature was , how much higher this is than last year ’ s record or any previous records , or what the margin of error is supposed to be on those measurements.
” Why did the New York Times omit the actual temperature data ?
While such years as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 were declared the hottest years by global warming proponents , a closer examination revealed that the claims were based on year-to-year temperature data that differs by only a few hundredths of a degree to up to a few tenths of a degree—differences that were within the margin of error in the surface data .
And the satellite data disagreed with the surface datasets .
When an El Niño–fueled 2016 was declared “ hottest year , ” the temperature rise from 2015 also failed to exceed the margin of error , or exceeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple temperature datasets were reporting .
A 2017 analysis by astrophysicist David Whitehouse of the Global Warming Policy Foundation , said , “ According to NOAA , 2016 was 0.07°F warmer than 2015 , which is 0.04°C .
Considering the error in the annual temperature is +/- 0.1°C this makes 2016 statistically indistinguishable from 2015 , making any claim of a record using NOAA data specious.
” James Varney , writing at Real Clear Investigations , noted , “ NOAA fixed the 2016 increase at 0.04 degrees Celsius .
The British Met Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.01C .
Both increases are well within the margin of error for such calculations , approximately 0.1 degrees , and therefore are dismissed by many scientists as meaningless.
” Physicist Steven E. Koonin , a former Obama administration official , mocked the “ hottest year ” claims , offering the media what he considered a more accurate way to present the temperature data headlines .
“ Global Temperatures Up 0.0X for 2016 ; Within Margin of Error for Last N Years , ” Koonin , who served as undersecretary for science in Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 .
In other words , global temperatures are holding basically steady .
The media and climate activists are hyping supposed “ record ” temperatures that are not even outside the margin of error of the dataset as somehow meaningful .
It is a fancy way of saying the “ pause ” or “ slowdown , ” “ hiatus ” or “ standstill ” in temperatures is continuing .
Even former NASA climatologist James Hansen has admitted that “ hottest year ” declarations are “ not particularly important.
” When 2014 was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on surface data , the claim , which was within the margin of error from previous “ hottest years , ” did not impress climatologist Judith Curry .
“ With 2014 essentially tied with 2005 and 2010 for hottest year , this implies that there has been essentially no trend in warming over the past decade .
This ‘ almost ’ record year does not help the growing discrepancy between the climate model projections and the surface temperature observations , ” Curry told the Washington Post .
Retired MIT climate scientist Richard Lindzen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The uncertainty here is tenths of a degree .
When someone points to this and says this is the warmest temperature on record , what are they talking about ?
It ’ s just nonsense .
This is a very tiny change period , ” Lindzen said .
“ If you can adjust temperatures to 2/10ths of a degree , it means it wasn ’ t certain to 2/10ths of a degree.
” Lindzen pointed out , “ We ’ re talking about less than a tenth of degree with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree .
Moreover , such small fluctuations—even if real—don ’ t change the fact that the trend for the past 20 years has been much less than models have predicted.
” The former MIT professor believes the “ hottest year ” claims are returning us to a bygone era .
“ To imply that a rise of temperature of a tenth of a degree is proof that the world is coming to an end—has to take one back to the dark ages , ” he explained in 2017.13 “ As long as you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s a tenth of a degree warmer or cooler , then you don ’ t have to think , you can assume everyone who is listening to you is an idiot .
The whole point is so crazy because the temperature is always going up or down a little .
What is astonishing is that in the last 20 years it hasn ’ t done much of anything , ” he added .
“ What they don ’ t mention is there has been a big El Nino in 2016 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropping back into a zero trend level.
” The satellite temperature data is considered more accurate than surface measurements , but the climate campaigners prefer surface data .
Climate data analyst Paul Homewood observed that “ both UAH [ University of Alabama at Huntsville satellite data ] and RSS [ Remote Sensing Systems satellite measurements ] say that atmospheric temperatures for 2016 statistically tied with 1998 , at just 0.02C higher.16 Neither 2014 or 2015 were anywhere near being a record.
” Homewood , who publishes the website Not a Lot of People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Satellite measurements of global temperatures are regarded as much more comprehensive , accurate and unaffected by UHI [ Urban Heat Island ] , as climatologist Roy Spencer explained in 2014.
” While the media ignores satellite data in favor of surface data potentially distorted by the heat from the urban environments where many of the temperatures are measured , NASA has acknowledged that satellites are more accurate .
A 1990 NASA Report found that “ satellite analysis of upper atmosphere is more accurate , and should be adopted as the standard way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surface temperature analysis contains several uncertainties and systematic biases when used to diagnose global warming , ” as former University of Colorado climatologist Roger Pielke Sr. explained in the Washington Post .
“ One of them is with respect to land minimum temperatures over land .
Rather than measuring changes in heat content through depth in the atmosphere , even slight changes in vertical mixing of heat ( even with no net heating ) can produce warmer minimum temperatures.
” NASA ’ s temperature trends are “ almost 20 times larger than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Motl in 2017 .
“ Both satellite-based teams quantifying the global mean temperature [ University of Alabama at Huntsville and Remote Sensing Systems ] concluded that 2016 was 0.02 °C warmer than 1998 .
These were otherwise very similar ‘ end of a strong El Niño years ’ separated by 18 years .
According to these numbers and nothing else , one could estimate that the warming per century is some 0.11 °C , a negligible amount.
” But satellite data is also subject to “ adjustments.
” Tampering with the temperature record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate era has been jokingly called the “ Adjustocene ” Era .
One of the key satellite data sets , RSS , had basically showed a zero trend in global temperatures for over eighteen years , but in 2016 , not only did a big warm El Niño impact temperatures , the dataset was also “ adjusted , ” and hey , presto , the “ pause ” in global warming disappeared .
This satellite temperature data was revised with “ improved adjustments ” and somehow “ found ” the missing warming.20 AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a mouthpiece for the climate change narrative , asked giddily , “ Are satellites now contradicting the climate doubter community ?
” Christopher Monckton , a former science advisor to UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , was livid at the RSS “ adjustments , ” writing an analysis titled , “ How They Airbrushed Out the Inconvenient Pause.
” “ All gone !
Vanished into thick air !
Just like that !
Amazing !
Zowee !
Look !
A quarter of a degree of global warming where there was none before !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ RSS now shows a warming almost 50 % greater than the UAH warming , ” he explained .
“ On most of the global-temperature datasets , much of the warming of recent decades was not evident in the raw data and has been created by ex-post-facto manipulation of the data—whether for good reasons or bad , ” he added .
Other temperature datasets have also seen revisions .
“ Temperature records have been altered considerably particularly the US Historical Climate Network .
The alterations in general result in a cooler past and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted.23 Analysis by meteorologist Anthony Watts has revealed , “ The temperature record has essentially doubled in trend over the last 30 years due to adjustments and citing issues .
So if we look at the best stations in the network we have about half of the warming.
” And a 2015 analysis by Tony Heller of Real Climate Science accused NASA of reversing a post-1940 U.S. cooling trend by data adjustments or what he termed “ tampering.
” ★★★★★ Not So Scary Extreme weather expert Roger Pielke Jr. noted that the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply not working : “ It doesn ’ t scare people.
” The World Is Not Burning Al Gore has likened the Earth to a sick child .
“ The Earth has a fever that is growing more , and more intense , ” the former vice president insisted .
The Earth does not have a “ fever.
” Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore explains , “ I do not believe the earth has a fever because it ’ s colder now it has been through most of the history of life.
” As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ .8 degrees is what we ’ re discussing in global warming .
.8 degrees .
If you ask people in general what it is they think—it ’ s 4 or 5 degrees .
They don ’ t know it is so little.
” And climatologist Pat Michaels explained that in any case the world ’ s “ temperature should be near the top of the record given the record only begins in the late 19th century when the surface temperature was still reverberating from the Little Ice Age.
” The late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I call this sort of stuff kindergarten science… .
The fact that the temperature was warmer at the end of the 20th century than it was in the preceding hundred years , is such a piece of kindergarten science .
It ’ s true , and it is completely meaningless in telling you anything about climate change.
” Climatologist John Christy ’ s research on the United States has found that “ about 75 % of the states recorded their hottest temperature prior to 1955 , and over 50 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1940.
” Data from the Environmental Protection Agency agrees with Christy : the EPA website features a 2016 chart labeled “ the U.S. Heat Wave Index from 1895 to 2015 , ” and it reveals that the worst U.S. heatwaves by far happened in the 1930s .
EPA : “ This figure shows the annual values of the U.S. Heat Wave Index from 1895 to 2015.
” 57 “ We are creating great anxiety without it being justified .
.
.there are no indications that the warming is so severe that we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warming we have had the last 100 years is so small that if we didn ’ t have meteorologists and climatologists to measure it we wouldn ’ t have noticed it at all.
” —Lennart Bengtsson , award-winning climate scientist .
Ivy League geologist Robert Giegengack , former chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania , has noted that “ for most of Earth ’ s history , the globe has been warmer than it has been for the last 200 years .
It has rarely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him for my film Climate Hustle , Giegengack said , “ I ’ m impressed by the fact that the present climate , from the perspective of a geologist , is very close to the coldest it ’ s ever been.
” He also said , “ The concentration CO2 in the atmosphere today is the close to the lowest it has ever been.
” Giegengack has authored two hundred peer-reviewed studies and spent much of his academic career in the doing field research on the history of climate on almost every continent @


climatedepot--2020-10-15--CDC Now Admits ‘At No Time Has CDC Guidance Suggested that Masks Were Intended to Protect the Wearer

CDC Now Admits ‘At No Time Has CDC Guidance Suggested that Masks Were Intended to Protect the Wearers’

Huh ?
CDC Director Robert Redfield MD - September 14 , 2020 : `` I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine , because it may be 70 % .
And if I do n't get an immune response , the vaccine is not going to protect me , '' Redfield said .
`` This face mask will . ''
CDC October 14 , 2020 : `` At No Time Has CDC Guidance Suggested that Masks Were Intended to Protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carlson opened his show by questioning the CDC rules and data on mask-wearing and the COVID-19 .
Here is his partial transcript , via Breitbart : In California , citizens rebelled .
In January 1919 , five thousand members of the newly formed Anti-Mask League of San Francisco gathered to call for the mayor ’ s resignation if he didn ’ t repeal his mask order .
Five days later , the mayor complied .
Science vindicated that decision in the end .
A year later , a study found that compulsory mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Spanish flu .
We live in a very different time .
American society , of course , is far less cohesive than it was a hundred years ago and Americans seemed far more passive than they did .
Those who disagree with the prevailing orthodoxy have less power than they ’ ve ever had .
Mass communications are now controlled by a tiny number of people , all of whom have identical agendas .
There is no modern Anti-Mask League , there couldn ’ t be a modern Anti-Mask League .
Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first day .
The governors of Michigan and New Jersey would indict its leaders .
Dissent used to be a defining feature of American life , but no more .
Now , we have mandatory consensus .
Masks are good .
Anyone who questions the utter goodness of masks is bad… …So what is the science on masks ?
Well , as it happened , we have the latest for you tonight .
And the science comes interestingly from the CDC whose Director has told you that masks were magic , more effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC suggests otherwise .
A new study conducted by 11 medical institutions analyzed a group of people who tested positive for COVID during the month of July .
Here ’ s the interesting part .
Among those who were infected , more than 70 % reported they had quote , “ always worn a mask ” for the preceding 14 days .
Another 14.4 % said they had quote , “ often worn a mask.
” In other words , almost everyone , 85 % who got the coronavirus in July was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyway .
So clearly this doesn ’ t work the way they tell us it works .
Clearly , someone has been lying to us , many people actually .
How did this happen ?
Well , the short answer is we ’ re not sure how so many people got the coronavirus were wearing masks , but there are clues , clues that our leaders appear to be ignoring .


climatedepot--2020-10-16--UN Contradicts Its Own Data to Promote Weather Disaster Alarm

A new report issued by the United Nations World Meteorological Agency ( WMA ) , “ titled The Human Cost of Disasters , ” says climate change is causing more frequent and severe weather disasters each year .
PBS and other mainstream media outlets uncritically reported on the WMA report .
The U.N. ’ s own data , however , show the claims in the report are false .
According to PBS ’ s story , “ UN report : Climate change means more weather disasters every year , ” the WMA claims , “ more disasters attributed to weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular WMA says drought , floods , hurricanes , and wildfires have increased in number and severity in recent decades as “ global warming , ” has made the weather more extreme .
Figure 5 of the WMA ’ s own report ( reprinted below ) refutes the assertion that weather disasters are increasing WMA ’ s data show the number of weather related disasters has declined by 15 percent since 2000 , as the earth has modestly warmed .
Indeed , as reported in Climate at a Glance : Drought , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( IPCC ) reports with “ high confidence ” that precipitation has increased over mid-latitude land areas of the Northern Hemisphere ( including the United States ) during the past 70 years .
IPCC also has “ low confidence ” about any negative precipitation trends occurring globally .
Moreover , the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports America is currently is undergoing its longest period in recorded history with less than 40 percent of the country experiencing “ very dry ” conditions .
Also , the United States in 2017 – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smallest percentage of land area experiencing drought .
Figure 1 : Percentage of United States experiencing “ very wet ” ( in green ) and “ very dry ” ( in yellow ) conditions .
Source : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : https : //www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/uspa/wet-dry/0 .
Because drought is a primary climate component that would affect wildfires , it is not surprising to find real-world data show the number of wildfires and acres burned have fallen in recent decades , as well .
As reported in Climate at a Glance : Wildfires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interagency Fire Center ( NIFC ) show wildfires have dramatically declined in number and severity in recent decades .
Reporting data on U.S. wildfires from as far back as 1926 , NIFC documents that the number of acres annually burned recently is only1/4th to 1/5th of the annual acres burned in the 1930s .
Globally , the data on wildfires are just as clear .
In his book False Alarm , Bjorn Lomborg observes : “ There is plenty of evidence for a reduction in the level of devastation caused by fire , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globally in burned area just over the past 18 years … In total , the global amount of area burned as declined by more than 540,000 square miles , from 1.9 million square miles in the early part of last century to 1.4 million square miles today.
” It is easy for the U.N. ’ s WMA and mainstream media outlets like PBS to make false , alarmist climate change claims .
We at Climate Realism , however , will continue to document and report the truth .


climatedepot--2020-10-16--Climate activists blame ‘petro-masculinity’ for being ‘a driving force behind climate denial’

Climate activist Emily Atkin : In her 2018 paper on the subject , Daggett argues that traditional masculine identity is inherently tied to the fossil fuel economy .
“ The narrative of righteous fossil democracy is crucial not only to American identity writ large , but to its hegemonic white masculinities , ” she writes .
When the narrative of righteous fossil fuel democracy is challenged , it thus becomes interpreted as a challenge to those masculinities .
“ Through the rosy nostalgia afforded by petro-masculine identity , ” Daggett writes , “ the affront of global warming or environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dangers posed by feminists and queer movements seeking to leach energy and power from the state/traditional family.
” Excerpt : Do you ever wonder what the planet might look like if men didn ’ t control the world ?
I ’ m not talking about all biological men .
I ’ m not even talking about the entirety of the male gender .
Really , I ’ m just talking about people who believe that because they have penises , they are required to act in a traditionally , almost performatively masculine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never showing weakness ” and “ not ordering sauvignon blanc.
” I ’ m talking about the men described in this 2015 Esquire article .
I remember the first time I wondered .
It was about a year ago , when a study came out about why men avoid recycling .
The gist was that men perceive environmentalism as “ feminine.
” The researchers suggested men might reject green behaviors like recycling and carrying reusable grocery bags because they don ’ t want people to think they ’ re gay .
The next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing the demographic makeup of climate deniers .
Turns out they ’ re overwhelmingly conservative white males .
Researchers attributed this in part to their desire to “ protect their cultural identity ” —big , strong , fearless men .
Researchers also attributed it to their desire to maintain the economic system that disproportionately benefits them .
“ Perhaps white males see less risk in the world because they create , manage , control , and benefit from so much of it , ” the study said .
“ Perhaps women and nonwhite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because in many ways they are more vulnerable , because they benefit less from many of its technologies and institutions , and because they have less power and control.
” I wondered about masculinity ’ s role in the climate crisis again when The New Republic published an article called “ The Misogyny of Climate Deniers.
” It cited research showing that climate deniers are not worried about the loss of a livable planet—they are worried about the loss of “ a certain kind of modern industrial society built and dominated by their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s author , Martin Hultman , explained : There is a package of values and behaviors connected to a form of masculinity that I call “ industrial breadwinner masculinity.
” They see the world as separated between humans and nature .
They believe humans are obliged to use nature and its resources to make products out of them .
And they have a risk perception that nature will tolerate all types of waste .
It ’ s a risk perception that doesn ’ t think of nature as vulnerable and as something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , economic growth is more important than the environment .
If that ideology sounds familiar , it ’ s because it is derived from the exact same type of masculinity that researchers have repeatedly shown to be a driving force behind climate denial .
Cara Daggett , an assistant professor of political science at Virginia Tech , calls this petro-masculinity .
In her 2018 paper on the subject , Daggett argues that traditional masculine identity is inherently tied to the fossil fuel economy .
“ The narrative of righteous fossil democracy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large , but to its hegemonic white masculinities , ” she writes .
When the narrative of righteous fossil fuel democracy is challenged , it thus becomes interpreted as a challenge to those masculinities .
“ Through the rosy nostalgia afforded by petro-masculine identity , ” Daggett writes , “ the affront of global warming or environmental regulations appear as insurgents on par with the dangers posed by feminists and queer movements seeking to leach energy and power from the state/traditional family .
”


climatedepot--2020-10-16--Exposing the Eco-Activists’ ‘Greening’ of Pennsylvania in 2020

Summary : The Keystone State , an oil and natural gas powerhouse , is under siege by an alliance of well-organized , well-funded “ green ” activists .
From cap-and-trade schemes meant to bleed ratepayers dry to fracking bans on one of Pennsylvania ’ s most vital industries , the environmental Left is fighting an all-out war to blanket the commonwealth with its antihuman ideology .
If successful , the activists will transform one of the country ’ s most important energy-producing states into the professional Left ’ s latest conquest—and Pennsylvanians will pay the price .
Pennsylvania is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. , and its great success has made it a target of professional left-wing activists .
These environmentalists are waging a nationwide war on cheap , abundant energy from coal , oil , and natural gas .
They want to force the country to arbitrarily shift to unreliable and expensive sources such as wind turbines and solar plants .
If any state understands oil , coal , and gas , it ’ s Pennsylvania .
America ’ s oil industry—and its first oil boom—started in Titusville in 1859 .
Drillers and investors such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oil flocked to the commonwealth , turning backwater towns into thriving metropolises .
At its peak , Pennsylvania was producing one-third of the world ’ s annual oil output , driving the construction of railroads and the rise of American manufacturing well into the 20th century .
More than a century after its golden age ended , Pennsylvania is again the energy powerhouse of the East .
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , the Keystone State is the nation ’ s second-largest producer of natural gas , third-largest producer of coal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and third-largest producer of electricity in general .
Pennsylvania is also the largest net exporter of electricity in the U.S. , delivering an average of 58 million megawatt-hours annually between 2013 and 2017 .
Pennsylvanians enjoy electricity prices below the national average—largely thanks to the fracking boom of the mid-2000s , which reinvigorated the state ’ s natural gas industry and helped much of western Pennsylvania stave off the worst effects of the Great Recession .
But all of that could change in an instant .
Pennsylvania ’ s great success has made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who subscribe to a rigid ideology that demonizes carbon dioxide—a naturally occurring gas vital to life on earth .
These environmentalists are waging a nationwide war on cheap , abundant energy from coal , oil , and natural gas , forcing the country to arbitrarily shift to unreliable and expensive sources such as wind turbines and solar plants .
With backing from ultraliberal foundations and mega-donors , they ’ ve made huge gains in the Northeast , instituting a cap-and-trade system ( the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative ) designed to snuff out traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the activists ’ choosing .
Many are lobbying for a statewide ban on fracking , which would cost Pennsylvania hundreds of thousands of jobs and spike household electricity prices .
It ’ s a war that the Keystone State can ’ t afford to lose .
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative ( RGGI ; pronounced “ Reggie ” ) is a multistate cap-and-trade system created in 2009 .
RGGI is a carbon pricing program—that is , it aims to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide ( the leading “ greenhouse gas ” ) to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the planet by taxing it into oblivion .
As famed economist Milton Friedman would put it : “ If we tax something , we get less of it.
” Eleven states—Maine , Connecticut , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island , Vermont , New York , New Jersey , Delaware , Maryland , and Virginia—are signatories .
Virginia , the most recent addition , is scheduled to join RGGI in January 2021 .
Naturally , proponents are pressuring Pennsylvania , the second-largest energy producer in the U.S. and a neighbor to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In October 2019 , Governor Tom Wolf ( D ) issued an executive order instructing the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ( DEP ) to begin formulating regulations for eventually joining RGGI .
The agency moved to develop a plan for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under RGGI by September 15 , 2020 .
Whether Wolf has the authority to join the compact is a heated question .
Environmentalist groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council ( NRDC ) argue that he does , under Pennsylvania ’ s Air Pollution Control Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carbon dioxide emissions from power plants ) and the state ’ s constitution ( which requires that the agency regulate “ climate pollution ” ) .
But some legal experts disagree .
Joining RGGI requires the state to sign RGGI ’ s memorandum of understanding , the contract controlling the multistate operation , but the Pennsylvania constitution delegates the power to enter into interstate agreements to the Pennsylvania General Assembly , not the governor .
Further , the DEP is authorized to “ formulate interstate air pollution control compacts ” —not execute them— @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General Assembly ” for consideration .
Republicans in the state legislature largely agree .
In June 2020 , the House Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy voted 16–8 to advance a measure blocking Pennsylvania from entering RGGI ( HB 2025 ) , almost entirely along partisan lines ( one Democrat , Representative Pam Snyder , supported the bill ) .
In July , the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the bill , which was cosponsored by seven Democrats , by 130–71—six votes shy of a veto-proof majority .
In early September , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bipartisan support , by 33–17 , one vote shy of a veto-proof majority .
Governor Wolf vetoed the bill on September 24 , 2020 .
Cap-and-trade is phony “ market ” economics at its worst .
Cap-and-trade programs cap the annual amount of greenhouse gases—mostly carbon dioxide and methane—that companies are permitted to emit .
Producers can then trade a limited number of emission permits in an auction , in order to emit more without being fined ; but the cap and total number of permits shrink each year , making it more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Supporters tout cap-and-trade as a more market-friendly alternative to other command-and-control global warming policies , but it ’ s entirely artificial and very expensive .
In 2019 , California ’ s cap-and-trade system amounted to a $ 600 million tax on producers in the form of emission auction revenues , which are passed along to consumers .
California ’ s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst ’ s Office estimates that cap-and-trade will raise gas prices by 15–63 cents per gallon by 2021 in a state where retail electricity prices are already 53 percent higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also deeply unpopular ; it was at the heart of congressional Democrats ’ climate plan in 2009—the American Clean Energy and Security Act ( better known as “ Waxman-Markey ” ) —which proved so unpopular and politically risky that even the new Democratic majority soon dropped the program , declaring it dead .
Numerous states have attempted to create regional cap-and-trade systems like RGGI , only to withdraw after a few years .
More than a decade ago , the Western Climate Initiative ( WCI ) looked set to dominate the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet by 2011 , every state except California had withdrawn from the compact , with some Canadian provinces calling the WCI a “ cash grab ” by their richer neighbors .
And the carbon offset “ benefits ” aren ’ t impressive .
In 2009 , Thomas Crocker—the father of cap-and-trade theory—explained to The Wall Street Journal that he doubts the system can even accomplish what it sets out to do : lower greenhouse gas emissions .
He stated : “ I ’ m skeptical that cap-and-trade is the most effective way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he favors a direct tax on emissions ( a “ carbon tax ” ) .
Ironically , some of the most vociferous opponents of cap-and-trade are liberal carbon tax groups .
The Carbon Tax Center—which supports the radical Green New Deal , despite the bill ’ s rejection of carbon taxes—criticizes cap-and-trade as opaque and unhelpful , creating volatility in energy pricing and acting as a “ hidden tax ” on consumers .
( It ’ s worth pointing out that carbon taxes are a terrible idea : Canada ’ s national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typical household up to CA $ 1,120 in extra energy bills each year by the time it reaches its peak in 2022 . )
Pennsylvanians enjoy low electricity rates , particularly compared with their RGGI neighbors , whose rates averaged 15.08 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2018—5 cents above Pennsylvania ’ s .
Imposing RGGI ’ s strict cap-and-trade system on Pennsylvania would certainly raise electricity prices , but for what gain ?
The DEP estimates that under RGGI , the state ’ s annual greenhouse gas emissions could fall by 25 percent between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also reports that the state ’ s emissions naturally fell by nearly 19 percent from 2005 to 2016 , without any such framework .
That ’ s largely due to Pennsylvania ’ s dramatic shift from coal to natural gas production and modest increase in nuclear power production .
( Natural gas emits roughly half as much carbon dioxide when burned as coal , and nuclear produces none . )
The DEP estimates that joining RGGI will add 27,000 jobs and $ 1.9 billion to the state economy , as well as save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although even sympathetic observers note that the agency didn ’ t provide details as to how it reached those figures .
State Representative Jim Struzzi ( R ) , who authored the bill blocking RGGI membership , called the DEP report a “ ridiculous piece of propaganda.
” But the DEP ’ s own reports show that the annual cost—passed through to taxpayers—could reach $ 320 million as early as 2022 , using proceeds from the annual RGGI emission auction .
The Industrial Energy Consumers of Pennsylvania , a major manufacturers ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of RGGI at $ 275 million per year as an added cost to energy producers , not counting the expense of purchasing cap-and-trade emission permits—much of which will be passed along to households and other consumers .
Unlike some global warming policies , RGGI has a wealth of data to examine .
A 2018 study by the libertarian Cato Institute found that the program “ resulted in a 12 percent drop in [ overall ] goods production , ” compared with a 20 percent gain in non-RGGI comparison states .
Critically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 percent to 17 percent and “ shifted jobs to other states.
” In Delaware alone , RGGI emission allowance costs added $ 11 million to the state ’ s electricity bills .
One independent analysis of how RGGI invested its revenues in 2018 found that the program resulted in a nearly $ 900 cost per metric ton of carbon dioxide reduced , vastly higher than the “ social cost of carbon ” —that is , the measure of the economic impact of emissions used to justify carbon pricing schemes—that the far-left Environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per metric ton .
But here ’ s the kicker : Cato ’ s study found “ no added emissions reductions or associated health benefits from the RGGI program.
” Carbon dioxide emissions fell more rapidly as a percentage in RGGI states , given their mandated shift away from so-called fossil fuels , but non-RGGI states slashed more than twice the volume of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions than did RGGI states between 2007 and 2015 ( 57 million vs. 125 million metric tons ) .
As in Pennsylvania , that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from burning coal to natural gas , a product of the ongoing fracking revolution .
Some on the Left agree .
Food and Water Watch ( FWW ) , an ultraliberal environmentalist group that campaigns against natural gas and supports a ban on fracking , called RGGI a “ flawed and ineffective program that does not meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
” Of course , FWW doesn ’ t believe that RGGI goes far enough and demands a statewide fracking ban .
The fight to expand RGGI hasn ’ t been fought in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by environmental activist groups for years , since victory in the Keystone State would almost certainly lead to a ban on fracking—dealing an enormous blow to traditional energy sources such as coal , natural gas , and petroleum in the state that begat the American oil industry .
Many of these environmental organizations are headquartered in California and Washington , DC , and all of them operate with huge funding from ultra-wealthy liberal foundations and Democratic mega-donors .
While RGGI doesn ’ t specifically target fracking—it levies taxes on coal and natural gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statewide ban on fracking for years .
Fracking , or hydraulic fracturing , is a method of extracting crude oil and natural gas by injecting a solution of sand , water , and chemicals ( about 0.5 percent–2 percent of the mixture ) into bedrock under intense pressure , fracturing rock formations to increase oil and gas flow .
Contrary to popular opinion , fracking isn ’ t new—it has been widely used since the 1950s—but it experienced a boom , starting in the mid-2000s .
America owes its energy independence to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the world ’ s third-largest oil producer behind Russia and Saudi Arabia .
In 2019 , it led the globe in oil and natural gas output , more than doubling oil production and increasing gas production by two-thirds in a decade—producing 12.3 million barrels of crude oil per day .
And in 2019 , America became a net energy exporter for the first time in 67 years , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
Pennsylvania sits firmly atop the Marcellus Shale , an enormous formation that runs from upstate New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geologists have known about the Marcellus Shale since the 1830s , but not until the mid-2000s—when drillers applied modern fracking techniques pioneered in Texas—did they discover just how blessed with resources Pennsylvania really is .
The Marcellus Shale contains an estimated 84 trillion cubic feet of natural gas , making it perhaps the largest natural gas field in the country .
Some experts estimate that it contains up to 500 trillion cubic feet , making it the second-largest natural gas field in the world .
Utica Shale , another massive formation , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drillers to reach the gas trapped in shale—thin layers of fine-grained rock—quickly and cheaply .
Fracking helped much of western Pennsylvania escape the worst of the 2009 Great Recession .
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that between 2007 and 2012 , the average annual pay in Pennsylvania ’ s oil and gas industry grew faster ( by $ 13,624 , or 14.6 percent ) than pay in the rest of the nation .
Between 2008 and 2012 , employment in the Keystone State ’ s oil and gas industry went from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sixth largest .
The American Petroleum Institute , an industry trade association , reported that Pennsylvania ’ s natural gas industry contributes nearly $ 35 billion to the state ’ s economy .
Combined with its oil industry , the natural gas industry supports about 340,000 local jobs .
And the industry hasn ’ t let up—in 2016 , Shell began construction on a $ 5 billion plant outside Pittsburgh that will use ethane produced from the Marcellus and Utica fields to produce polyethylene , a plastic widely used in commercial products and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create as many as 20,000 local jobs .
One Allegheny County executive , Rich Fitzgerald , put it this way : No city in America has benefited more from the shale revolution in the last dozen years than Pittsburgh .
We were one of the only regions in the country that did not experience the Great Recession back in 2008 , because that ’ s when we discovered the Marcellus Shale .
Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto ( D ) told The New York Times in January that the far Left ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates Senators Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) and Bernie Sanders ( D-VT ) would “ absolutely devastate communities throughout the Rust Belt.
” And Pennsylvania lieutenant governor John Fetterman ( D ) agreed , adding that a fracking ban would leave “ hundreds of thousands of [ people in ] related jobs .
.
.
unemployed overnight.
” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has waffled on a fracking ban , but his running mate , Senator Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) , supports the far-left Green New Deal and a national fracking ban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban in Pennsylvania come from the professional Left , headquartered in California and Washington , DC .
While a fracking ban is supported by virtually every environmentalist group , a few national groups are noteworthy for driving the far Left ’ s anti-fracking agenda and take-no-prisoners tone .
Sierra Club .
The Sierra Club ( based in Oakland , CA ) has lobbied the commonwealth for a fracking ban and supports a blanket ban on fracking across the country as part of its goal of “ eliminating the use of fossil fuels .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There are no ‘ clean ’ fossil fuels , ” the group contends .
The Sierra Club represents the extreme tip of the activist Left and attracts hardline environmentalists .
Among its board members is Paul Watson , founder of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and a cofounder of Greenpeace , infamous for using steel-hulled ships to ram and sink whaling vessels .
The group opposes all extraction , transportation , and use of oil , natural gas , and coal , as well as nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sierra Club accepted $ 25 million from the natural gas industry between 2007 and 2010 as part of its Beyond Coal campaign , most of which came from the CEO of Chesapeake Energy , a company involved in fracking .
However , most of its significant funding ( nearly $ 250 million in 2018 revenues , including its fund-raising arm ) comes from ultra-wealthy liberal foundations such as Tom Steyer ’ s TomKat Charitable Trust , New Venture Fund , Sea Change Foundation , Energy Foundation , and Rockefeller Brothers Fund .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so-called environmental justice .
In June 2020 , the group announced that it was disowning its founder , famed conservationist John Muir , for his friendship with fellow conservationist Henry Fairfield Osborn , who cofounded the American Eugenics Society after Muir ’ s death .
Greenpeace .
Tied with the Sierra Club on the far Left is Greenpeace , born from the antinuclear activism of the 1960s .
Greenpeace opposes all use and extraction of fossil fuels , organizing stunts such as dangling protesters from a bridge in Portland , Oregon , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ en route to the Arctic , where the company planned to drill for oil .
Greenpeace was one of the earliest groups to demand the absolute transition to renewables by 2050 , now an issue supported by the broader Left—albeit for the entire planet , not just the country , at the bargain-basement price of $ 48 trillion ( more than twice the GDP of the U.S. ) .
Greenpeace ’ s anti-fracking crusade is largely built on lies and deception .
Its website contains numerous images of bronze-colored water supposedly “ contaminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the claim that “ fracking causes earthquakes.
” The group also spreads the claim that fracking creates “ explosive water ” —tap water so contaminated with methane that it ’ s flammable—popularized by the 2010 propaganda documentary Gasland .
( In reality , according to The New York Times , the methane-laced water depicted in the film was due to gas migration caused by poor cement well casings and not fracking .
Methane , while potentially asphyxiating in high concentrations , is not harmful to drink . )
Pennsylvania is ground zero for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Did you know that 1,359 people die each year .
.
.
as a result of coal pollution in Pennsylvania ?
” its website asks , citing the now-debunked theory that coal-burning power plants contribute to acid rain ( the big environmental scare of the 1970s and 1980s ) .
Like other eco-activist groups , Greenpeace receives huge grants ( $ 53 million in 2018 , between its two national arms ) from liberal foundations such as the Hewlett Foundation , Packard Foundation , and Ford Foundation .
League of Conservation Voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LCV ) is even more politically active than Greenpeace or the Sierra Club , serving as little more than an advocacy group for the Democratic Party ’ s left wing .
LCV publishes a scorecard in which it rates the “ pro-environment ” vote on bills passing through the Pennsylvania legislature .
It regularly lobbies for legislation that would expand the scope of government regulation and hamper the oil and gas industry .
The group also endorses environmentalist politicians for Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly , ranking each politician on a personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , LCV endorsed Josh Shapiro ’ s successful bid for Pennsylvania attorney general , lauding his efforts to enact a fracking ban and for seeking “ criminal penalties for those who poison our air and water.
” LCV receives funding from the same bevy of liberal foundations ( $ 99 million in 2018 revenues , including its fund-raising arm ) and major political groups , including the Service Employees International Union ( SEIU ) and “ dark money ” Sixteen Thirty Fund , as well as the Hewlett Foundation , Sea Change Foundation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which once had Senator Barack Obama on its board .
Pennsylvania is also replete with homegrown eco-activists—unsurprising , given the commonwealth ’ s importance to the war on fossil fuels and fracking .
These groups operate with funding from outside donors and ultraliberal foundations based in Pennsylvania .
PennFuture ( formerly Citizens for Pennsylvania ’ s Future ) is one of the leading homegrown “ green ” groups championing a shutdown of “ dirty fuels ” in Pennsylvania .
PennFuture also lobbies for a severance tax on natural gas—that is , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground—that it ( misleadingly ) claims will be “ borne by the producers instead of taxpayers.
” The group envisions reducing Pennsylvania ’ s carbon dioxide emissions by a whopping 50 percent over the next five years , mostly by implementing President Obama ’ s 2015 Clean Power Plan , which would have hiked household energy prices by some 250 percent while reducing global temperatures by only 0.02 of a degree by the end of the century .
( Obama himself said on the campaign trail that under his plan , “ electricity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clean Power Plan—axed by Donald Trump early in his presidency—was supposed to be the culmination of the Left ’ s decades-long war on coal after congressional Democrats failed to pass the 2010 Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill , leaving President Obama to enact the 460-page behemoth by executive order rather than legislation .
The group ’ s board of directors includes prominent global warming advocate Michael Mann .
PennFuture has hosted at least one gala attended by climate alarmist Al Gore and Teresa Heinz , heiress to the Heinz family ’ s food fortune and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kerry .
This is not surprising , given where PennFuture receives its funding .
Heinz Endowments , the $ 1.2 billion mega-foundation in Pittsburgh chaired by Teresa Heinz , has given PennFuture $ 15 million since 2002 .
Heinz—who married Senator John Heinz ( R-PA ) and inherited his family fortune after his death in a 1991 plane crash—is a global warming devotee .
In 1990 , she met Kerry at an Earth Day event ; two years later , she was made a delegate to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Convention on Climate Change , which governs the UN global warming agenda .
PennFuture also receives substantial funding from the William Penn Foundation— $ 5.5 million since 2001—a little-known Philadelphia-based foundation that poured out $ 136 million in grants in 2018 .
The Penn Foundation also funds left-wing environmentalist groups , including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation , Sierra Club Foundation , League of Conservation Voters Education Fund , and Nature Conservancy .
The San Francisco–based Energy Foundation has given $ 2.1 million to PennFuture since 2003 .
The Energy Foundation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1991 as a $ 20 million collaborative by the Pew Charitable Trusts , Rockefeller Foundation , and MacArthur Foundation to move hundreds of millions of dollars to far-left political groups .
The Delaware River Basin , the huge watershed running from upstate New York to the Delaware Bay south of New Jersey , is a favorite target of leftist groups trying to ban fracking in Pennsylvania piecemeal .
President John F. Kennedy founded the Delaware River Basin Commission ( DRBC ) in 1961 to monitor local water quality , but it has since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use to stymie development of traditional energy sources .
In 2010 , the New Jersey–based commission imposed a de facto ban on fracking natural gas in parts of Pennsylvania and New York , citing three concerns related to water quality .
Predictably , the ban wasn ’ t enough for environmental activists , who submitted thousands of comments to the commission and have sought a moratorium on all natural gas development in the commonwealth .
The DRBC is closely tied to Delaware Riverkeeper , an activist group based in Bristol , Pennsylvania .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come .
The group ’ s CEO , Maya van Rossum , authored The Green Amendment : Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment , which argues for adding “ inalienable rights to pure water , clean air , a stable climate and healthy environments ” to the U.S. Constitution .
It regularly sues the government on environmental issues .
In April 2020 , it sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after it approved construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Delaware River .
According to testimony by Tom Shepstone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of his research firm , the DRBC “ has stacked almost all its committees with representatives of the Delaware Riverkeeper , a special interest anti-gas advocacy group that sued it over gas drilling issues.
” Shepstone has called the DRBC and Riverkeeper “ allies ” in their funding and agenda : The fact the DRBC saw no conflict of interest in taking money from a foundation that also financed the Riverkeeper , which was suing the agency at the same time over gas issues , tells anyone with half a brain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The foundation funded DRBC studies of gas drilling impacts were a sham effort to delay forever having to take a vote , killing fracking without taking responsibility as the Riverkeeper provided the opposition to justify the studies .
The DRBC and Delaware Riverkeeper are both funded by the William Penn Foundation , which has given grants totaling at least $ 2 million to the DRBC and close to $ 3 million to Riverkeeper .
Many of the grants are marked for “ advocacy ” against natural gas development—that is , fracking .
PennFuture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , supports a “ permanent ban on natural gas extraction ” in the Delaware River Basin .
But the biggest donor to the Delaware Riverkeeper is the Woodtiger Fund , a foundation based in Bucks County , Pennsylvania , operated by the descendants of Henry Wallace—vice president to Franklin D. Roosevelt and widely considered a far-left radical sympathetic to the Soviet Union .
Woodtiger has gifted $ 4 million to the Riverkeeper in recent years .
This year could prove one of the most important in Pennsylvania ’ s history .
Pennsylvanians have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the road toward growth , prosperity , and affordable energy , or they could succumb to the designs of the far Left .
It ’ s no exaggeration to say that the very future of the commonwealth hangs in the balance .
The consequences of the decisions that Pennsylvanians make this year will ring through the ages .
Hayden Ludwig is an Investigative Researcher at Capital Research Center .
Kevin Mooney is an investigative reporter who writes about energy policy and environmental issues .


climatedepot--2020-10-16--Biden Can’t Have it Both Ways on Paris Climate Accord – Pact is ‘one of primary tools with which Chi

Biden Can’t Have it Both Ways on Paris Climate Accord – Pact is ‘one of primary tools with which China is gaming the system’

`` Under the 2015 agreement , the U.S. committed to reduce its greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions ( about 81 % of which is carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) ) by between 26 % and 28 % below its 2005 levels by 2025 .
China committed to stop increasing CO2 emissions by 2030 .
This asymmetry makes no sense , of course .
Allowing China , which now emits about twice as much as America , to increase emissions over this period , while restricting the U.S. , would result in even more industries moving to China .
Total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even faster . ''
... `` So , Biden has to decide—will he really work to prevent China from gaming the system or will he cave in to a treaty that institutionalizes it ?
He can ’ t have it both ways . ''
In his climate change plan Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden says that the United States will “ re-enter the Paris Agreement on day one of the Biden Administration.
” The former vice-president reassures readers in his “ Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice ” that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including China , to game the system by becoming destination economies for polluters… ” Biden is apparently unaware that the Paris Agreement is one of the primary tools with which China is gaming the system .
This is because the treaty gives huge benefits to China , still considered a developing country under UN rules , that do not apply to us .
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement for exactly that reason .
Here ’ s what Joe seems to not know about Paris .
Under the 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions ( about 81 % of which is carbon dioxide ( CO ) ) by between 26 % and 28 % below its 2005 levels by 2025 .
China committed to stop increasing CO emissions by 2030 .
This asymmetry makes no sense , of course .
Allowing China , which now emits about twice as much as America , to increase emissions over this period , while restricting the U.S. , would result in even more industries moving to China .
Total global CO emissions would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that problem pales in comparison with the fact that , unknown to most observers , China and other developing nations need not ever curtail emissions under Paris .
Its all in the fine print .
All UN climate change agreements , including Paris , are based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) .
The Paris treaty says , “ The Parties to this Agreement , … In pursuit of the objective of the Convention [ UNFCCC ] , and being guided by its principles… ” And UNFCCC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The extent to which developing country Parties will effectively implement their commitments under the Convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed country Parties of their commitments under the Convention related to financial resources and transfer of technology and will take fully into account that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing country Parties.
” In other words , under the Paris Agreement and other treaties based on the UNFCCC , any commitments developing nations make to reduce their GHG emissions are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money and technology .
Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt confirmed this in a Fox News interview on October 17 , 2017 , saying , “ India conditioned all of the responsibilities on receiving $ 2.5 trillion of aid.
” But even if developed countries give developing countries everything promised , under the UNFCCC developing countries may apparently still ignore their commitments to restrict emissions if such actions would interfere with their “ first and overriding priorities ” [ of ] “ economic and social development and poverty eradication.
” We , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our emission reduction commitments no matter how it damages our economy .
UN bureaucrats have not hidden this inequality .
They repeatedly explain “ development and poverty eradication ” are the most important issues for developing countries .
Climate change clearly takes a back seat .
Restricting CO emissions in developing nations would almost certainly involve significantly reducing the use of coal , the source of well over half of China ’ s electricity , for example .
As coal is the cheapest source of power in most of the world , restricting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obviously interfere with development priorities .
So , no matter what emission reductions they promise , China and many other developing countries are unlikely to follow their commitments , citing UNFCCC Article 4 as their excuse .
This is unlikely to change even as developing countries become more prosperous .
Chinese negotiator Su Wei stated at the Peru UN climate conference in 2014 that the purpose of the Paris Agreement is to “ reinforce and enhance ” the UNFCCC , not rewrite it .
So , Biden has to decide—will he really work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or will he cave in to a treaty that institutionalizes it ?
He can ’ t have it both ways .
Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa , Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition .


climatedepot--2020-10-16--The Great Energy Non-Transition: Fossil fuels still more than 80% of global energy despite Trillions

The Great Energy Non-Transition: Fossil fuels still more than 80% of global energy despite Trillions spent on expensive, unreliable energy

`` The world may someday transition away from fossil fuels , but it ’ s not happening yet .
All we have so far are predictions , wishful thinking and the waste of large amounts of money for a small impact on a non-problem . ''
`` The US private vehicle fleet is currently on the order of 250 million vehicles , of which approximately 1 million or 0.4 % are battery electric vehicles .
Electric cars are at present about twice as expensive to produce as comparable gasoline models , and , like renewable power generation , depend on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... '' In 2019 , despite forty years and trillions of dollars of subsidies , wind energy contributes about 2 % of total global energy use and solar just over 1 % .
Fossil fuels accounted for 84 % , down just two percentage points over the last 20 years . ''
... Bruce M. Everett : `` The last hundred years have seen increasing emissions of carbon dioxide – a benign gas .
In reality , this slight increase in atmospheric CO2concentrations ( from 0.03 % in the nineteenth century to 0.04 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beneficial effects , including increased crop yields and greater drought resistance . ''
... One of the troubling characteristics of today ’ s civic discourse is the tendency to confuse predictions with reality .
Nowhere is this problem more severe than in the debate over climate and its associated issues .
The last hundred years have seen increasing emissions of carbon dioxide – a benign gas .
In reality , this slight increase in atmospheric CO concentrations ( from 0.03 % in the nineteenth century to 0.04 % today ) has brought nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yields and greater drought resistance .
Nonetheless , climate alarmists argue that rising temperatures are bringing catastrophic storms , flooding , disease , inundation , extinction and general misery .
Unlike the benefits of CO which are clear and measurable , climate catastrophe remains nothing more than a prediction generated by computer models which have never produced meaningful forecasts of climate impacts .
A frequent corollary of climate alarmism is that the world has undertaken a radical transformation of the global energy system away from fossil fuels toward zero-carbon , renewable energy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy transition ” yields over 5 million hits , many accompanied by terms such as “ unstoppable ” and “ irreversible ” .
But is this transition actually taking place ?
Three arguments are generally offered – none of them valid .
First , “ energy transition ” supporters point to the high growth rates for renewable energy sources with wind increasing at over 20 % annually since 2000 and solar at over 40 % per year , compared to less than 2 % for fossil fuels .
Sounds great , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2019 , despite forty years and trillions of dollars of subsidies , wind energy contributes about 2 % of total global energy use and solar just over 1 % .
Fossil fuels accounted for 84 % , down just two percentage points over the last 20 years .
Second , even highly respected publications such as the Financial Times run articles questioning whether oil companies can survive the tidal wave of renewables .
The oil industry is indeed in serious financial trouble today as a result of the pandemic-driven collapse of oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technological production advances such as fracking .
But oil is a transportation fuel with very few points of competition with renewables , which are primarily used to generate electricity .
Renewables may be profitable today , but only because their profitability is supported by captive markets and massive subsidies , while oil companies live or die by the market .
It remains to be seen what will happen with oil company profits when the pandemic ends , but the issue will be oil supply and demand , not renewables .
Finally , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the death of oil .
The US private vehicle fleet is currently on the order of 250 million vehicles , of which approximately 1 million or 0.4 % are battery electric vehicles .
Electric cars are at present about twice as expensive to produce as comparable gasoline models , and , like renewable power generation , depend on massive subsidies for their viability .
Take Tesla , for example , which is currently the darling of the auto industry .
In addition to direct subsidies for manufacturing facilities and purchase credits ranging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sells emissions credits to other car companies to meet California regulatory requirements .
These credits have totaled over $ 1 billion over the last year and account for Tesla ’ s entire free cash flow over this period .
Tesla loses money on each car it manufactures .
California Governor Gavin Newsome has banned the sale of new gasoline cars beginning in 2035 .
As with many such political promises , this “ ban ” is simply a goal , not a policy .
Governor Newsome is 53 years old and will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the media will lose interest in whether his objective was met or not .
For the moment , however , the Governor can bask in the glory of his signaled virtue .
The world may someday transition away from fossil fuels , but it ’ s not happening yet .
All we have so far are predictions , wishful thinking and the waste of large amounts of money for a small impact on a non-problem .
I predict that the public will grow tired .
Bruce M. Everett , PhD , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 years .
He holds an A.B .
from Princeton University and an MA , MALD and PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts .
His career includes service in the U.S. Department of Energy and on the faculty at the Fletcher School and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service .
He was an executive for the ExxonMobil Corporation and now sits on the Board of Directors of the CO2 Coalition .
This article appeared on the BizPakReview website at https : //www.bizpacreview.com/2020/10/15/the-great-energy-non-transition-984910


climatedepot--2020-10-16--Watch: Aussie Scientist Dr. Jennifer Marohasy: ‘Experts can’t see anything ‘unusual about current ra

Watch: Aussie Scientist Dr. Jennifer Marohasy: ‘Experts can’t see anything ‘unusual about current rate or magnitude’ of climate change’

Video featuring Jennifer Marohasy : `` Experts ca n't see anything 'unusual about current rate or magnitude ' of climate @ @ @ @ @ Biologist Jennifer Marohasy says natural disasters such as Australia ’ s recent bushfires are not @ @ @ @ @ or drier it ’ s because “ we ’ ve changed how we manage the @ @ @ @ @ is the editor of ‘ Climate Change : The Facts 2020 ’ which details the @ @ @ @ @ dissecting the major myths propagated by climate alarmists .
The book features works from leading @ @ @ @ @ chemists who discuss the technical side of climate change .
She told Sky News , @ @ @ @ @ the book “ can ’ t see catastrophes , they see cycles ” .
“ @ @ @ @ @ anything unusual about the current rate or magnitude of climate change .
”