climatedepot--2020-12-30--When Obama made the UN Paris climate agreement end run

Doing so would restore the Senate ’ s role in our treaty process , and also protect Americans ’ economy and system of governance .
The U.S. Constitution vests both the president and the Senate with roles in making any treaty commitments .
Under Article II , Section 2 , it is clear that either a president or a Senate can declare an international agreement a treaty .
Until the Obama administration , with its Iran deal and Paris climate pact , the two institutions always worked together to avoid conflict on such matters .
Not only did both initiatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ducked on the former — pleading for a hybrid “ agreement ” on Iran to save face , ( or so it thought ) — it ensured the latter .
An attentive Mr. Obama soon brazenly declared that Paris agreement a treaty was simply “ not a treaty , ” daring the Senate to challenge him .
Although a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit has revealed that an attorney for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time of Mr. Obama ’ s Paris end-run decried this “ disturbing contempt for the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the body did nothing .
Failure to act on Paris , now , guarantees we will see more such unilateral adventurism in a Biden-Harris administration on Iran and a host of other matters where Mr. Biden ’ s position lacks popular support .
Declaring Paris to be a treaty not only would pre-empt a President Biden from credibly “ re-entering ” Paris , as he vows to do on his first day in office .
It also would smother in the crib the inevitable “ Paris II , ” with incoming “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proclaiming , “ Paris is not enough.
” It is incumbent upon Mr. Trump to declare Paris a treaty , transmit it to the Senate for its consideration , and shift the burden back to those who wish to claim Paris binds the U.S. somehow should Mr. Biden claim to “ re-join ” it .
Yes , this would be without precedent .
The claim is not only a tautology — undoing anything unprecedented will be unprecedented — it also proves too much .
Precedent and protocol were the first victims of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris to the Senate as a treaty awaiting ratification would impede very destructive designs for the deal that have always been planned .
Private litigants immediately invoked Mr. Obama ’ s Paris promise in court as reason to compel/uphold imposition of the “ climate ” /energy suppression agenda in federal policy .
That case was dismissed by the 9th Circuit on other grounds .
It won ’ t be the last .
In Europe litigants are invoking Paris , with some success , to block major infrastructure projects .
We know that progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of them , Massachusetts ’ Maura Healey , promised Michael Bloomberg ’ s climate litigation group that any attorneys it provided her office would “ be focused on ensuring that Massachusetts and neighboring states meet the long-term commitments set forth … in the Paris Agreement.
” Biden transition team member Joe Goffman of Harvard University stated on a recent Zoom call that the Biden administration will need to buy the U.S. ’ s way back in to Paris with a deeper five-year promise than Mr. Obama made , as the latter expires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires massive EPA regulations , which a Biden administration almost certainly also will invoke Paris to justify .
Longtime United Nations climate official Yvo de Boer acknowledged , “ [ t ] he only way that a 2015 agreement [ Paris ] can achieve a 2-degree goal is to shut down the whole global economy.
” That is why the Obama White House hailed Paris as more significant than all climate agreements that came before it – “ the most ambitious climate change agreement in history , ” more so than the Kyoto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reason for the audacious end-run around the Senate : The United States lacks popular support for , and indeed would never approve such commitments .
Presidential transmittal of Paris declaring it to be a treaty will undermine any claim that Paris compels U.S. action or inaction .
It creates a dispute that can not be undone by another president .
Only the Senate can finally resolve it , one way or the other .
And as French diplomat Laurent Fabius put it , “ Whether we like it or not , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will refuse.
” Lacking Senate consent and with express disagreement among concurrent administrations , there would be no doubt that any claimed U.S. commitment to Paris was anything but a political commitment .
Any U.S. promises would be deemed “ politically binding ” at most , with no hope that adventurous courts or commissions of any gravity will issue the desired and otherwise certain rulings against U.S. economic development grounded in a supposed Paris commitment .
Mr. Obama ’ s Paris dare was an outrageous , brazen one that the Senate even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The sole cure is for Mr. Obama ’ s successor to restore our process , and the Senate ’ s role , and transmit Paris as a treaty requiring “ advice and consent ” .
Failing to do so , and allowing the Obama “ climate coup ” to stand , would enable future presidents to unilaterally adopt any treaties they and foreign elites want , simply by deeming them “ not a treaty.
” Such abandonment of our balance of powers in turn imperils American self-governance , and leaves U.S. energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of foreign leaders , U.N. bureaucrats and international pressure groups .
• Chris Horner is a lawyer in Washington , D.C. , and member of the board of the public interest law firm Government Accountability & Oversight , P.C .


climatedepot--2020-12-30--UK Guardian laments lockdowns ‘too short’! –  ‘Could Covid lockdown have helped save the planet?’ —

UK Guardian laments lockdowns ‘too short’! –  ‘Could Covid lockdown have helped save the planet?’ — ‘The short answer is: not enough…the respite was too short’

When lockdown began , climate scientists were horrified at the unfolding tragedy , but also intrigued to observe what they called an “ inadvertent experiment ” on a global scale .
To what extent , they asked , would the Earth system respond to the steepest slowdown in human activity since the second world war ?
Environmental activists put the question more succinctly : how much would it help to save the planet ?
Almost one year on from the first reported Covid case , the short answer is : not enough .
In fact , experts say the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though there is still a narrow window of opportunity for something good to come from something bad if governments use their economic stimulus packages to promote a green recovery .
During the northern hemisphere spring , when restrictions were at their strictest , the human footprint softened to a level not seen in decades .
Flights halved , road traffic in the UK fell by more than 70 % .
Industrial emissions in China , the world ’ s biggest source of carbon , were down about 18 % between early February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tonnes .
Car use in the United States declined by 40 % .
So light was humankind ’ s touch on the Earth that seismologists were able to detect lower vibrations from “ cultural noise ” than before the pandemic .
The respite was too short to reverse decades of destruction , but it did provide a glimpse of what the world might feel like without fossil fuels and with more space for nature .
Wildlife did not have time to reclaim lost territory but it had scope for exploration .
Alongside apocalyptic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefly buzzed with heartwarming clips of sheep in a deserted playground in Monmouthshire , Wales , coyotes on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco , wild boar snuffling through the streets of Barcelona , and deer grazing not far from the White House in Washington DC .
Wildflowers flourished on roadsides because verges were cut less frequently .
In the global south , the picture was more mixed .
Rhino poaching declined in Tanzania due to disruption of supply chains and restrictions on cross-border movements , but bushmeat hunting , illegal firewood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in India , Nepal and Kenya because local communities lost tourist income and sought other ways to care for their families .
In Brazil , traditional guardians of the Amazon have been weakened .
The Xavante and Yanomami indigenous groups have been strongly impacted by the disease , and the lockdown has kept forest rangers at home .
Meanwhile , land grabbers , fire-starters and illegal miners were busier than ever .
Deforestation in Brazil hit a 12-year high .
That is a saving of 1.5 to 2.5bn metric tons of CO2 pollution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of carbon in the atmosphere , leaving the world on course for more than 3.2C of warming by the end of this century .
In its annual emissions gap report , the United Nations environment programme said the impact of the lockdown was “ negligible ” , equivalent to just 0.01Cdifference by 2030 .
On a more optimistic note , it said ambitious green recovery spending could put the world back on track for the Paris agreement target of less than 2C of warming .
There is scant sign of that so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK , Japan and South Korea have all recently announced carbon neutral targets by the mid-century , no nation is doing enough to achieve such a goal .
Most stimulus spending is going to fossil fuel industries that are making the climate worse rather than to renewables that could make it better .
These twisted priorities have raised concerns that the Covid lockdown may end up like the 2008-09 financial crisis , which led to a brief fall in emissions followed by a surge back to record highs .
“ Based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in stimulus spending has gone to green energy and clean tech , I think Covid will delay the transition to a carbon-free future , ” said Rob Jackson , the chair of Global Carbon Project .
In China , he said , emissions were already back to 2019 levels , while other governments were using the pandemic as an excuse to delay climate action in the aviation sector .
In the US , Donald Trump has gone further in his demonstration of crisis capitalism by rolling back a raft of environmental protections and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whether this is a blip or a turning point depends on action at the national and international level .
As the climate-limp stimulus packages have shown , national governments are reluctant to change direction alone .
Global cooperation is therefore essential .

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


climatedepot--2020-12-30--Prince Charles: ‘We can learn so much from indigenous communities’ on living in balance with the nat

Prince Charles: ‘We can learn so much from indigenous communities’ on living in balance with the natural world –  ‘Mother Nature is our sustainer’

Prince Charles : `` It is high time we paid more attention to ... the wisdom of indigenous communities and First Nations people all around the world . ''
`` We can learn so much from them as to how we can re-right the balance , and start to rediscover a sense of the sacred , because ...
Mother Nature is our sustainer , '' Charles added .
Reality Check : The Myth of Noble Eco-savage - `` Native peoples can be as destructive to their environments as anyone else , & that historically aboriginal tribes often changed whole ecosystems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by hunting animal species to extinction . ''
Dec 29 ( Thomson Reuters Foundation ) – Humans should remember they are part of nature and stop exploiting it to avert environmental and climate catastrophe , Britain ’ s heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles said on Tuesday .
Interviewed by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood on BBC radio , he urged society to draw on how indigenous communities , such as Canada ’ s First Nations people , treat the natural world with respect and seek to preserve it for future generations .
“ It is high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wisdom of indigenous communities and First Nations people all around the world , ” Charles said .
“ We can learn so much from them as to how we can re-right the balance , and start to rediscover a sense of the sacred , because … Mother Nature is our sustainer.
” Human-beings are “ a microcosm of the macrocosm ” when it comes to nature , he added .
“ But we have forgotten that , or somehow been brainwashed into thinking that we have nothing to do with nature and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we go on exploiting the way we are , whatever we do to nature – however much we pollute her – we do to ourselves .
It is insanity , ” Charles said .
Reality Check : The Myth of Noble Eco-savage – “ Native peoples can be as destructive to their environments as anyone else , & that historically aboriginal tribes often changed whole ecosystems by the repeated burning of forests & by hunting animal species to extinction.
” MR. MORANO : And few environmentalists would argue that indigenous tribes should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Some scientists believe that the effect that indigenous people had on the forest was a positive one for biodiversity .
MR. MORANO : But the tribesmen idealized by environmentalists don ’ t tell the full story of early man ’ s relationship with the forest .
Great civilizations once inhabited Central and South America .
Newly discovered charcoal deposits and agricultural artifacts suggest that humans have repeatedly burned the rainforest .
PROFESSOR ROBERT WHELAN : Very large areas of the America , North and South , have been denuded of trees because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using fire to clear hunting land .
MR. MORANO : Robert Whelan is the author of the book , “ The Myth of the Noble Eco-Savage.
” PROFESSOR WHELAN : By the 18th century and the 19th century , we had romantic poets coming up with this idea that they were looking at the forest primeval , that this was how it had been since the dawn of time , and it was very wrong of us to disturb this .
But these forests were then only 100-200 years old .
They were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ noble eco-savage ’ debunked ?
‘ Reservoirs in heart of the ancient Maya city so polluted with mercury…that the water likely was undrinkable ’ Toxics traced to Mayans clayware


climatedepot--2020-12-30--Analysis: Wind and solar are losing ground to gas – USA ‘increased its fossil fuel generating capaci

Analysis: Wind and solar are losing ground to gas – USA ‘increased its fossil fuel generating capacity by 3 times as much as it did for renewables’

`` What is amusing is that gas-fired power generation , a fossil fuel with no subsidy , is still growing faster than wind and solar .
Far from taking over , wind and solar are actually losing ground to fossil fuels in the American power capacity mix .
...
Put another way , America increased its fossil fuel generating capacity by three times as much as it did for renewables .
Clearly renewables are falling behind fossil fuels , and by a lot .
Nor is 2018 unique .
Looking at the six years 2013 thru 2018 , in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CF ) added for gas fired generation has exceeded that for wind plus solar .
Renewables never gain ground over fossil fueled power , they always lose it .
... America is not moving toward wind and solar for power generation ; we are actually moving away from renewables . ''
The subsidies that never die — for wind and solar power — are back .
With Christmas coming on the Lame Duck Congress elected to throw untold additional billions at renewables .
What is amusing is that gas-fired power generation , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still growing faster than wind and solar .
Far from taking over , wind and solar are actually losing ground to fossil fuels in the American power capacity mix .
The last year we have comprehensive construction data for is 2018 , from the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
This was a good year to use because there was a bit of a race on to build renewables before the subsidies stopped , which they were then scheduled to do .
( Unfortunately , due to the Lame Ducks this is no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the basic numbers , followed by some interesting factors .
We are talking about what is called electric power generating capacity , which is measured in megawatts or MW for short .
This is the ability to generate a million watts of juice .
A large power plant may run around 600 MW .
For starters , in 2018 we built about 19,000 MW of gas fired generators , 9,000 MW of wind powered and 7,000 MW of utility scale solar .
( So-called “ behind the meter ” typically tiny solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away we built more gas , at 19,000 MW than the 16,000 MW of renewables .
Thus wind and solar ’ s fraction of America ’ s generating capacity actually went down , not up .
Renewables lost ground .
But this is just the tip of the difference .
These numbers are just what the generators can produce under ideal conditions , which is called “ nameplate capacity ” .
For solar these ideal conditions are basically a clear sky , with the sun overhead and no snow or dirt , etc.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are typically a sustained air flow exceeding 30 miles per hour or so .
Note that these crucial conditions do not occur all that often .
This is why wind and solar are called “ intermittent ” , because they frequently produce far less power than their nameplate capacity ; often they produce none at all .
In contrast , gas fired power runs most of the time , although it does need a certain amount of downtime for maintenance .
The difference between actual power generation and nameplate is called the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the generator .
The typical capacity factors for different generating technologies are pretty well known , although they can vary from machine to machine .
To be generous to renewables , let ’ s say that solar has a CF of 15 % and wind 40 % .
( The standard numbers are lower . )
Gas easily has 80 % .
Applying these factors to our construction numbers gives the following actual generating capacities : So our new gas capacity is around 15,200 MW while new renewables are just 4,650 MW , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third as much actual generating capacity .
Put another way , America increased its fossil fuel generating capacity by three times as much as it did for renewables .
Clearly renewables are falling behind fossil fuels , and by a lot .
Nor is 2018 unique .
Looking at the six years 2013 thru 2018 , in every case the actual generating capacity ( including CF ) added for gas fired generation has exceeded that for wind plus solar .
Renewables never gain ground over fossil fueled power , they always lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battery systems , which are supposed to someday provide our juice when the intermittent renewables do not do so .
Total capacity added in 2018 was around 200 MW , or basically nothing .
Same for the prior years .
At this point batteries are just a specialized tiny contrivance used to maintain grid stability .
Ironically this need has arisen because of the unpredictably erratic nature of wind and solar generation .
As actual power supply systems , batteries do not yet exist , and may never exist because they are very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wind and solar for power generation ; we are actually moving away from renewables .
You would never know this listening to the press and the politicians .


climatedepot--2020-12-31--Reset your diet! World Economic Forum touts eating bugs to save the planet! ‘Good grub: why we might

Reset your diet! World Economic Forum touts eating bugs to save the planet! ‘Good grub: why we might be eating insects soon’

World Economic Forum : `` The market research company predicts the global market for edible insects could grow to $ 1.18 billion by 2023 .
That ’ s almost triple its current level . ''
... `` Per kilo of live weight , bugs emit less harmful gas than more mainstream farm animals .
A cow , for example , produces 2.8 kg of greenhouse gas per kilo of live body weight .
Insects , on the other hand , produce just 2 grams . ''
... `` From the farmer ’ s point of view , raising insects is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheep , pigs , or cattle .
No more coping with mud , muck and filth .
An end to shifting heavy sacks of feed .
And forget about having to go outdoors in all weather to manhandle livestock . ''
... `` It may not be too long before we can all buy a bag of edible insects at our local grocery store . ''
The Great Diet Reset : World Economic Forum promotes fake meat from a printer in video – ‘ Machines can currently print up to 6kg of meat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your food can be a moment of horror that kills the mood and your appetite in one fell swoop .
But that might be about to change , according to Meticulous Research , who ’ ve crunched the numbers on why we ’ ll soon be voluntarily crunching insects .
So , what ’ s behind this anticipated increase in appetite for creepy-crawlies ?
There are a number of factors in play and the answer is wrapped up in an understanding of how insects compare with the production and farming of other food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an increasingly scarce resource in some parts of the world – and which is used liberally in intensive farming – offers another interesting comparison .
To produce a single gram of insect protein , you ’ d need 23 litres of water .
That might sound like a lot .
But to get that same gram of protein from cattle , you ’ d need 112 litres of water .
From the farmer ’ s point of view , raising insects is going to be radically different from raising sheep , pigs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mud , muck and filth .
An end to shifting heavy sacks of feed .
And forget about having to go outdoors in all weather to manhandle livestock .
The requirement for investment in equipment will be different too .
This will be farming on a much smaller scale , reducing the need for large and expensive machinery .
It may not be too long before we can all buy a bag of edible insects at our local grocery store .
Despite being eaten by 2 billion people globally , EU laws have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption .
In 2017 , Switzerland changed its food safety laws and became the first European country to allow the sale of insect-based food for humans .
And the same year , the Coop unveiled a range of mealworm burgers and balls in some of its Swiss supermarkets .
In March , IKEA ’ s external innovation lab SPACE10 revealed it is “ reimagining ” popular dishes at the retailer ’ s in-store restaurants .
In a blog post , the researchers explain that they are working on bug burgers and mealworm meatballs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being tested so customers won ’ t find them on IKEA menus .
As scarcity of resources and sustainability become increasingly important issues for food production and distribution , how long before you ’ re asking for insects in your food , rather than complaining if you find one ?
World Economic Forum : “ Weeds can be nutritious and tasty ” ( also see:2014 : Are Weeds the Future of Food ?
seen as ‘ part of the solution to boosting harvests in a warming world ’ ) A separate article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how people can be conditioned to enjoy consuming ‘ food ’ which on the surface sounds disgusting .
“ Responses involving culturally conditioned ideas of what is “ natural ” may be modified over time , ” states the piece , before asking why there is a revulsion against “ insect-based foods ” and “ drinks with ingredients reclaimed from sewage.
” The author concludes that “ desensitization ( repeated exposures ) ” may be effective in “ reducing disgust ( versus fear ) ” among the “ general population.
” World Economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a decade ago the residents of a drought-stricken Australian town voted against recycling sewage for drinking water .
Now the residents of an Australian city accept recycled sewage being pumped back into the city ’ s groundwater .
Given time , circumstance and a little nudging , a future meal at your favorite Thai restaurant may well involve ordering a plate of insects.
” Watch Morano on TV : Eating bugs , fake meat or cannibalism : Climate activists are limiting our choices in order to ‘ save ’ the planet Claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hungrier crop-eating bugs ’ Flashback 2013 : UN report touts eating insects to stabilize the global food supply in wake of ‘ climate change ’


climatedepot--2020-12-31--The Great Diet Reset: World Economic Forum promotes fake meat from a printer in video – ‘Machines ca

The Great Diet Reset: World Economic Forum promotes fake meat from a printer in video – ‘Machines can currently print up to 6kg of meat an hour’

Whether you ’ re a keen meat eater or not , there ’ s no ignoring that its production consumes a huge amount of natural resources : 15,000 litres of water to produce a single kilogram of beef .
‘ Machines can currently print up to 6kg of meat an hour ’ • The western diet is unhealthy – here ’ s what it ’ s doing to your body • Our taste for meat is endangering the planet • Good grub : why we might be eating insects soon It ’ s no surprise , then , that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in meat alternatives .
A start-up firm in Israel , Redefine Meat , is using industrial-scale 3D-printing to produce a plant-based ‘ alt-steak ’ that it says has a structure and texture similar to that of the real thing .
Eshchar Ben-Shitrit , the company ’ s chief executive and co-founder , told Reuters : “ We can do the entire cow , not only one part of the cow.
” In 2019 , his firm raised $ 6 million in funding – an indication of how seriously the non-meat meat market is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Vox , demand for meat alternatives in the US leapt by 264 % while the coronavirus pandemic was raging .
Redefine Meat says it expects the category to be worth $ 140 billion annually by 2030 .
Eating too much meat – red meat in particular – has been associated with a range of health problems for decades including heart disease and some forms of cancer .
It has been linked with obesity too .
In the US , over 70 % of people are overweight or obese .
In China , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has ushered in a series of societal changes .
Rapid urbanization and the adoption of so-called Western lifestyle habits , like eating more fast food and meat in general , are two of the more visible examples .
Under the surface , there are signs people ’ s health is starting to suffer .
A McKinsey report from 2019 sums it up by saying : “ Alas , as incomes have grown , so too have waistlines .
Diets high in protein and fat have taken hold in China , leading to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase to 25 % by 2030 if left unchecked .
Obesity is already costing the country more than $ 93 billion annually , or 1.1 % of GDP.
” What is meat anyway ?
Meatless meatballs , burgers , sausages and more have been available in supermarkets around the world for decades .
They tend to contain things like soy , rice , peas and other vegetables .
The challenge for such products has tended to be that no matter how they taste , their texture doesn ’ t resemble meat .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology could overcome , as it creates layers of interwoven fibres that more closely mimic the real thing .
In 2013 , meanwhile , a food scientist in the Netherlands hit upon a different approach .
Mark Post of the University of Maastricht unveiled a burger grown in a laboratory from cattle stem cells and muscle tissue .
At a biochemical level , his burger is made from the same stuff as a regular burger – meat tissues .
But it didn ’ t come from an animal .
Technically it isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any cow .
Whether or not that means it is meat may be a question for philosophers to ponder .
As well as consuming resources , the meat industry generated considerable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions .
Compared with the production of a regular meat burger , plant-based alternatives use up to 99 % less water , 95 % less land , and 90 % less emissions , according to the United Nations .
None of which gets us away from the rising global demand for meat .
But there are short- and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these concerns .
The UN cites a study undertaken by the University of Michigan , on behalf of the meat-substitute producer Beyond Meat .
It suggests that Americans eat , on average , three burgers per week but could “ save the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by 12 million cars , simply by swapping one of those weekly meals with a plant-based alternative.
” The UN ’ s Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) suggests a series of changes in consumers ’ attitude and behaviour will be required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These include raising awareness among the general public of the importance of tackling food waste : around the world one-third of all food produced ends up in the garbage .
The FAO also calls for a rebalancing of food prices to reflect the total cost of food production and supply .
That includes the loss of biodiversity from land-clearance , emissions and pollution , and the consumption of water .
And it suggests a reduction in per-capita meat consumption in affluent countries .


climatedepot--2020-12-31--‘There is no such thing as cruelty-free milk’ – NYT touts animal rights activists war on drinking mi

‘There is no such thing as cruelty-free milk’ – NYT touts animal rights activists war on drinking milk: ‘Is Dairy Farming Cruel to Cows?’

NYT : `` Animal rights activists have a markedly different take on farms like Mr. Chittenden ’ s that satiate the nation ’ s appetite for milk , cheese and yogurt .
To them , dairy farmers are cogs in an inhumane industrial food production system that consigns these docile ruminants to a lifetime of misery . ''
... `` Milk consumption has dropped by 40 percent since 1975 , a trend that is accelerating as more people embrace oat and almond milk .
Over the past decade , 20,000 dairy farms have gone out of business , representing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Agriculture .
And the coronavirus pandemic has forced some producers to dump unsold milk down the drain as demand from school lunch programs and restaurants dried up .
During his Academy Awards speech last February for best actor , Joaquin Phoenix drew rousing applause when he urged viewers to reject dairy products . ''
By Andrew Jacobs Dec. 29 , 2020 SCHODACK LANDING , N.Y. — The 1,500 Jersey cows that Nathan Chittenden and his family raise in upstate New York seem to lead carefree lives .
They spend their days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their fill from troughs .
Three times a day , they file into the milking parlor , where computer-calibrated vacuums drain several gallons of warm milk from their udders , a process that lasts about as long as a recitation of “ The Farmer in the Dell.
” Mr. Chittenden , 42 , a third-generation dairy farmer whose family bottle-feeds each newborn calf , expresses affection for his animals .
It ’ s a sentiment they appeared to return one recent afternoon as pregnant cows poked their heads through the enclosure to lick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in charge of this entire life from cradle to grave , and it ’ s important for me to know this animal went through its life without suffering , ” he said , stroking the head of one especially insistent cow .
“ I ’ m a bad person if I let it suffer.
” Animal rights activists have a markedly different take on farms like Mr. Chittenden ’ s that satiate the nation ’ s appetite for milk , cheese and yogurt .
To them , dairy farmers are cogs in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these docile ruminants to a lifetime of misery .
After years of successful campaigns that marshaled public opinion against other long-accepted farming practices , they have been taking sharp aim at the nation ’ s $ 620 billion dairy industry .
The typical dairy cow in the United States will spend its entire life inside a concrete-floored enclosure , and although they can live 20 years , most are sent to slaughter after four or five years when their milk production wanes .
“ People have this image of Old MacDonald ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green pastures , but that ’ s just so far from reality , ” said Erica Meier , the president of the activist organization Animal Outlook .
“ Some farms might be less cruel than others , but there is no such thing as cruelty-free milk.
” The effort to turn Americans against dairy is gaining traction at a time when many of the nation ’ s farms are struggling to turn a profit .
Milk consumption has dropped by 40 percent since 1975 , a trend that is accelerating as more people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past decade , 20,000 dairy farms have gone out of business , representing a 30 percent decline , according to the Department of Agriculture .
And the coronavirus pandemic has forced some producers to dump unsold milk down the drain as demand from school lunch programs and restaurants dried up .
During his Academy Awards speech last February for best actor , Joaquin Phoenix drew rousing applause when he urged viewers to reject dairy products .
“ We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anguish are unmistakable , ” he said , his voice cracking with emotion .
“ And then we take her milk that ’ s intended for the calf and we put it in our coffee and cereal .
”


climatedepot--2020-12-31--Watch: Morano discusses Climate Hustle 2 film & climate lockdowns on Asia Pacific TV

THE NARRATIVE .
MARC MORANO CLIMATE LOCKDOWN & THEN CONTROL THE NARRATIVE is an issues-oriented show that discusses and at @ @ @ @ @ the day .
Marc Morano is the publisher of the award-winning ClimateDepot.com , a global @ @ @ @ @ in 2009 .
Marc Morano has been described as one of the “ The Right @ @ @ @ @ ” who serves as a “ bombastic foe of the Greens.
” Marc Morano , @ @ @ @ @ and host of Climate Hustle and Executive Producer of recently released Climate Hustle 2 , @ @ @ @ @ profile voices of climate realism .
He is the author of 2018 best-selling book , @ @ @ @ @ Climate Change .
Marc currently serves as Director of Communications for the Committee For A @ @ @ @ @ founded to promote an alternative voice on issues of environment and development .
Marc , @ @ @ @ @ climate change , environmental , and energy issues , held both White House and Capitol @ @ @ @ @ a member of the Society of Professional Journalists .


climatedepot--2020-12-31--New Evidence That the Ancient Climate Was Warmer than Today’s – ‘Roman Warming was the warmest in th

New Evidence That the Ancient Climate Was Warmer than Today’s – ‘Roman Warming was the warmest in the last 2,000 years’

One study demonstrates that the period known as the Roman Warming was the warmest in the last 2,000 years .
The other study provides evidence that it was just as warm up to 6,000 years ago .
Both studies reinforce the occurrence of an even warmer period immediately following the end of the last ice age 11,000 years ago , known as the Holocene Thermal Maximum .
The first study , undertaken by a group of Italian and Spanish researchers , reconstructed sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea over the past 5,300 years .
Because temperature measurement using scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century , temperatures for earlier periods must be reconstructed from proxy data using indirect sources such as tree rings , ice cores , leaf fossils or boreholes .
This particular study utilized fossilized amoeba skeletons found in seabed sediments .
The ratio of magnesium to calcium in the skeletons is a measure of the seawater temperature at the time the sediment was deposited ; a timeline can be established by radiocarbon dating .
The researchers focused on the central part of the Mediterranean Sea , specifically the Sicily Channel as indicated by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The samples came from a depth of 475 meters ( 1,550 feet ) .


climatedepot--2020-12-31--No Evidence That 2020 Hurricane Season Was Record-Breaking

For 2020 , the Atlantic basin ACE index was 179.8 , which ranks 13th behind 2017 , 2005 , the peak in 1933 and nine other years .
For comparison , this year ’ s ACE index for the northwestern Pacific , where typhoons are common , was 148.5 .
The higher value for the Atlantic this year reflects the greater number of named storms .
NOAA attributes the enhanced number of atmospheric whirligigs in the Atlantic in recent years to the warm phase of the naturally occurring AMO ( Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation ) .
The AMO , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and alternates between warm and cool phases , governs many extremes , such as cyclonic storms in the Atlantic basin and major floods in eastern North America and western Europe .
The present warm phase began in 1995 , marking the beginning of a period when both named Atlantic storms and hurricanes have become more common on average – as seen in the first two figures above .
Another contribution to storm activity in the Atlantic comes from La Niña cycles in the Pacific .
Apart from a cooling effect , La Niñas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pacific and heightened activity in the Atlantic .
The current La Niña started several months ago and is expected to continue into 2021 .
Despite NOAA ’ s recognition of what has caused so many Atlantic storms in 2020 , activists continue to claim that climate change is making hurricanes stronger and more destructive and increasing the likelihood of more frequent major hurricanes .
Pontificates Michael “ hockey stick ” Mann : “ The impacts of climate change are no longer subtle .
We ’ re seeing them play out right now in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an unprecedented hurricane season back East.
” Clearly , there ’ s no evidence for such nonsensical , unscientific statements .


climatedepot--2020-03-30--Statistician rails on governments’ Coronavirus response: ‘Stay Inside Or Die!’ – ‘Ver are your paper

Statistician rails on governments’ Coronavirus response: ‘Stay Inside Or Die!’ – ‘Ver are your paperz! comes to the good ol’ USA’

Excerpt : “ We have reached the point where going out in the healthy germicidal fresh air for a stroll by yourself is a crime.
” “ This is hysterical effeminate overreaction , abusive overreach by power-hungry effeminate politicians anxious to be seen as saviors.
” Main coronavirus update on Tuesday , as usual .
To keep that a reasonable size , I ’ m moving material on the overreaction here , in our Week In Doom fashion .
Former UK Prime Minister Calls For Global Government to Fight Coronavirus Former Prime Minister of the UK Gordon Brown has called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temporary form of global government ” to fight the coronavirus outbreak .
Brown wants international organizations like the WHO and the UN to be given executive powers that would supersede national sovereignty as part of a new system overseen by world leaders and health experts .
“ This is not something that can be dealt with in one country , ” he said .
“ There has to be a coordinated global response.
” By “ temporary ” Brown likely meant “ in perpetuity.
” But seriously , who could have figured elites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase their power ?
Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an order giving California ’ s chief justice broad powers , including the right to suspend laws during the coronavirus crisis Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an order giving California ’ s chief justice broad powers , including the right to suspend laws during the coronavirus crisishttps : //ktla.com/news/california/gov-newsom-gives-chief-justice-broad-powers-during-coronavirus/ … Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an order Friday giving California ’ s chief justice broad powers , including the right to suspend laws during the coronavirus crisis .
California law is filled with deadli… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laws are for men .
Saftey-first martial law is for women .
De Blasio : churches and synagogues that hold worship services may be closed permanently 6,517 people are talking about this Only the State ’ s official religion shall be allowed .
De Blasio needn ’ t have worried .
Catholic bishops , at least , share the same worldly concerns as he does .
Despite posts yesterday highlighting issues of people still visiting the # PeakDistrict despite government guidance , the message is still not getting through .
@ DerPolDroneUnit have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county , and this footage was captured at # CurbarEdge last night .
10.7K people are talking about this The horror !
People are outside !
Send the police to arrest the sunshine scofflaws !
Let ’ s show them who has the real power , by not letting anybody outside for six month .
Britons will not get back to ‘ normal life ’ for SIX MONTHS or more , warns deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries Britons should not expect to get back to ‘ normal life ’ for six months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s deputy chief medical officer warned today .
Dr Jenny Harries told a Downing Street press conference that people should not be viewing the coronavirus crisis as something that will blow over soon .
She said it will not be clear whether the ‘ social distancing ’ lockdown is working for another two or three weeks – after Easter – with deaths set to rise further .
But even if the draconian restrictions do succeed in ‘ squashing ’ the peak of the outbreak , reverting to a ‘ normal way of life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disastrous new spike in infections .
Remember in one of the earlier coronavirus updates we predicted they ’ d have to do this , because after all , flu kills more in total than coronavirus .
A trembling feminine worst-case-scenario concern is spreading across the globe faster than the virus .
It isn ’ t only England .
Item Beck , Lightfoot On Stay At Home Order : Citations To Be Issued , Parks Could Be Shut Down Visibly frustrated with reports of gatherings throughout Chicago , Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered a stern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together during the COVID-19 pandemic : We will shut it down and you may be arrested .
“ Stay at home .
Only go out for essentials .
You have to readjust your thinking .
Be smart , ” Lightfoot said .
“ Not only will our police be deployed to shut them down if you are not abiding by these orders we will be forced to shut down the parks and lakefront .
The situation Is deadly serious and we need you take it deadly seriously.
” Lightfoot added that spending long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not allowed .
And neither is going into closed spaces , like playgrounds .
“ You can not go on long bike rides .
Playgrounds are shut down .
You must abide by the order .
Outside , is for a brief respite , not for 5Ks .
I can ’ t emphasize enough that we abide the rules.
” As I said elsewhere , We have reached the point where going out in the healthy germicidal fresh air for a stroll by yourself is a crime .
This is hysterical effeminate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicians anxious to be seen as saviors .
His executive orders defined the greater New York City area and Louisiana as areas with substantial community spread .
Individuals traveling from those regions must “ self-declare ” they came from a hot spot and agree to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival in Florida .
A violation could mean a 60-day jail sentence and fines of up to $ 500 .
Signs were erected along I-10 to direct eastbound drivers to a checkpoint where they were notified about the requirement .
DeSantis said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on I-95 to catch New York travelers .
Ver are your paperz !
comes to the good ol ’ USA .
Same thing in Rhode Island .
If New York has martial law lite , South Africa decided to go all the way : South Africa begins ‘ unprecedented ’ military-patrolled lockdown South Africa came under a nationwide military-patrolled lockdown on Friday , joining other African countries imposing strict curfews and shutdowns in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus across the continent .
Some 57 million people are to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s three-week total lockdown which began at midnight .
Kenya , Rwanda and Mali are some of the African countries that have imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus , which has been confirmed to have infected 3,203 people and killed 87 .
In virus fight , Singapore may jail people who stand close Singaporeans could be jailed for up to six months if they intentionally stand close to someone else , under tough new rules announced Friday to halt the spread of the coronavirus .
Six months imprisonment—for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Intentionally standing close .
Women have finally found a way to keep betas from hitting on them .
Indian police officers kindly telling people to respect the quarantine and go home # Coronavirus 951 people are talking about this At the time this video surfaced , India , a country with more than a billion souls , had fewer than 20 deaths attributed to coronavirus .
Donald Trump is murdering people in states whose governors he doesn ’ t like .
He ’ s systematically wiping out Americans based on their political leanings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must pay for it in every way possible .
# TrumpGenocide


climatedepot--2020-03-29--Claim: ‘We’ve been had, and Trump knows it’ – Trump ‘bullied by panic-obsessed virologists & epidemi

Claim: ‘We’ve been had, and Trump knows it’ – Trump ‘bullied by panic-obsessed virologists & epidemiologists — begging for attention and copying alarmist playbook from the climate/global warming extremists’

We ’ ve been had , and Trump knows it – “ He is not usually a slave to consensus .
He is Trump was elected because he is a contrarian .
His contrarian antennae have already sent signals that he must reset the economy , pronto.
” “ Health professionals overwhelmed Trump and his inner circle with doomsday scenarios , bullied by panic-obsessed virologists and epidemiologists — begging for attention and copying the alarmist playbook from the climate/global warming extremists , allied with the MSM Trump-haters.
” While President Trump closed the U.S. border against entry from China at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instinct was right .
The CCP virus was nasty , but no worse than a supercharged flu .
Health professionals overwhelmed Trump and his inner circle with doomsday scenarios , bullied by panic-obsessed virologists and epidemiologists — begging for attention and copying the alarmist playbook from the climate/global warming extremists , allied with the MSM Trump-haters .
And now the government has completely suffocated economic demand , creating a depression , an unnecessary calamity that is destroying lives , livelihoods , families , and fortunes for a generation .
It is becoming apparent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning of an apocalyptic black plague worldwide , are all wrong .
Those paying attention were warned that the worse-case scenarios were hysterical , by the likes of Stanford epidemiologist John P.A .
Ioannidis .
In dramatic fashion , U.K. Imperial College scientist Neil Ferguson published a doomsday scenario on March 16 .
Now , just ten days later , he has reversed his outlook , essentially settling on a prediction no worse than a bad flu season .
Most telling , the two U.S. public health icons , Drs Fauci and Birx @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that provoked extreme measures bear little resemblance to the actual data on the ground .
From the New England Journal of Medicine March 26 co-authored by Fauci : This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza ( which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1 % ) or a pandemic influenza ( similar to those in 1957 and 1968 ) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS , which have had case fatality rates of 9 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Birx , speaking at a White House press briefing , singled out a recent study on the United Kingdom that originally predicted 500,000 people would die from the virus and has since been revised down to predict 20,000 deaths in the U.K. She said the data the government has collected does not show that 20 percent of the U.S. population would be infected with COVID-19 , cautioning against predictions that say so .
“ When people start talking about 20 percent of a population getting infected , it is very scary but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matches that based on the experience , ” Birx said .
“ There ’ s no … reality on the ground where we can see that 60 to 70 percent of Americans are going to get infected in the next eight to 12 weeks , ” Birx later continued .
Perhaps Trump had no other option than to go with the flow when this crisis unfolded .
But he is not usually a slave to consensus .
He was elected because he is a contrarian .
His contrarian antennae have already sent signals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pronto .
Trump wants America to reopen by Easter .
Despite his ambition being ridiculed and criticized , he ’ s right to pivot from hysteria to rebound .


climatedepot--2020-03-29--World Ends, Global Warming Research Hardest Hit: Coronavirus impact – climate ‘research budgets coul

World Ends, Global Warming Research Hardest Hit: Coronavirus impact – climate ‘research budgets could take a hit’

Coronavirus Already Hindering Climate Science , But the Worst Disruptions Are Likely Yet to Come Along with temporarily reducing greenhouse gas emissions and forcing climate activists to rethink how to sustain a movement built on street protests , the global response to the coronavirus pandemic is also disrupting climate science .
Many research missions and conferences scheduled for the next few months have been canceled , while the work of scientists already in the field has been complicated by travel restrictions , quarantines and other efforts to protect field researchers and remote indigenous populations from the pandemic .
The field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which normally starts ramping up this time of year , has been particularly hard hit .
Last week , leaders of MOSAiC , the largest polar research expedition in history , were forced to cancel research flights scheduled for the coming month after Norway imposed travel restrictions that could have quarantined the flights ’ crews and prevented them from using airfields in the Arctic islands of Svalbard .
Border closures are also hindering scheduled rotations of scientists on and off the expedition ’ s centerpiece , a research icebreaker that has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the North Pole for six months and will be drifting with it for six more .


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Peter Hitchens rails: Prof. Ferguson & Imperial College have now dropped their coronavirus death pre

Peter Hitchens rails: Prof. Ferguson & Imperial College have now dropped their coronavirus death predictions from 500,00 to 20,000 to today’s 5,700 – ‘Could *anyone* else have shifted so totally, so fast, and still be taken seriously? It makes Monty Python look serious’

Professor Ferguson and Imperial College have now dropped their coronavirus death predictions from 500,00 to 20,000 to today 's 5,700 @ @ @ @ @ Could *anyone* else have shifted so totally , so fast , and still be taken @ @ @ @ @ Python look serious .


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Why are doomsaying experts, who always get it wrong, still the media’s favorites?

A couple of weeks ago we saw media outlets report that “ experts ” predicted that 500,000 would die in Great Britain and two million in the U.S. Now those wild made-up predictions have been lowered to 20,000 or below in Britain and to 80,000 in the U.S .
So those predictions of less than two weeks ago , used to spread panic and depression and used to justify shutting down much of the economy , were at least 96 % off .
Why would anyone think the new estimates are any closer , and continue to call these people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by almost 100 % ?
Andrew Cuomo and others just make up that the rest of the country will soon look like New York City and the media treats him as if he is an expert , too .
Yet President Trump is lectured continuously by the press puppets , who just repeat what they are told , that he should never question experts .
The media is so scared that the public will like what Trump is doing they are censoring him as they pretend they are for transparency and the truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in the U.S in perspective .
In an average year , around 2.4 million people die from all causes in the U.S. and 80,000 would be a little over 3 % .
Also , most of the people who are dying from this virus are elderly people with other severe medical conditions .
How many people will get sick or die from other conditions because of the tunnel-vision focus on the Chinese virus ?
How many people will get extremely ill , mentally and physically , and panic because they are constantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
But Trump is the problem because he is being optimistic and wants to open the economy back up in areas where the threat is manageable .
Worse still , Much of the radical media outlets no longer want the public to see Trump .
Instead they want to continue to scare them .
Community health clinics are going broke because of this continuous panic-mongering .
I have always had trouble with the media calling people “ experts ” who are frequently spectacularly wrong and are pushing agendas , most often radical left-wing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less freedom for the people .
In 1970 , to push a left-wing agenda , on the first Earth day scientists and others intentionally scared the public by saying billions would die soon because of a coming ice age , starvation and said we would soon be out of oil and other natural resources .
The media just went along with these made up predictions that were 100 % wrong .
In 1989 , the experts at the UN intentionally scared the public when they said we only had ten years left to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the media , along with entertainers and other Democrats , just repeated the warnings that were 100 % wrong because of the radical left-wing agenda they support .
In 2005 , after Hurricane Katrina , we got an over-the-top prediction that hurricanes would be stronger and more frequent than ever .
Again , most of the media just repeated this made up crap with no questions asked .
The predictions were 100 % wrong as we had an extremely mild ten years after Katrina .
In 2008 , ABC ran a dire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantially under water by 2015 because of warming , the melting ice caps and rising sea levels .
These made up predictions , with no evidence , were 100 % wrong .
In 2019 , the UN essentially regurgitated their 100 % wrong predictions from 1989 and again most of the media , entertainers , and other Democrats just repeat the garbage predictions to push their agenda to destroy thousands of industries and tens of millions of jobs .
They pretend that politicians and bureaucrats can control the climate forever if we , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of our hard-earned dollars .
Over the years , we have intentionally been lied to that we would have snowless winters , droughts , floods and storms are worse than ever and this is unprecedented warming .
A story that never gets much play is when exceptionally cold winter weather causes excess deaths .
For example , in Great Britain , in 2016-2017 , that country had an estimated 34,300 excess deaths due to a cold winter .
That is 70 % higher than the current estimate of deaths from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get wide coverage because it doesn ’ t fit the radical left-wing agenda .
Instead of asking questions and pointing out all the made-up false predictions and obvious lies , pretend journalists just repeat the talking points and say the science is settled .
They call President Trump and others , who truthfully say that the climate has always changed cyclically and naturally stupid and climate change deniers to denigrate them and shut off debate .
Climate change denier , fascist , dictator and racist are terms the media always uses to denigrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are pushing .
Other examples of supposed experts just making crap up : In 2009 , President Obama and other Democrats continually lied about everything when they were seeking to get Obamacare passed .
The “ experts ” at the supposedly non-partisan CBO went along with the obvious lies that Obamacare would reduce the deficit and that the government taking over student loans would make the government a profit to help pay for Obamacare .
In 2017 , at the beginning of Trump ’ s term CBO predicted that 1.8 million jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of Trump .
Instead there were over six million .
They underestimated by over 200 % .
So why does the media treat CBO as if their numbers are gospel when they report them ?
In 2016 , Mark Zandi of Moody ’ s and Paul Krugman of the NY Times predicted a recession and millions of job losses if Trump was elected and his policies were enacted .
Why are these partisan hacks treated as experts ?
For the past three years , most of the media along with other Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predicting and rooting for a recession for the sole purpose of destroying Trump and electing Democrats to push the radical left-wing agenda .
They clearly would rather have people being dependent on government instead of giving everyone , especially minorities , the opportunity to move up the economic ladder .
It is sad that most of the media are so partisan that they don ’ t want the economy to come back to life early .
They are so scared that it will help Trump that they would rather have people suffer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ masquerading as journalists , who are willing to destroy civilization as we know it and threaten lives through poverty and depression , not Trump .
I mistakenly thought that once the sycophant journalists and other Democrats were caught intentionally lying for years about Russian collusion that they would be embarrassed and do their job .
Sadly , that looks like it will never occur .
Power is all they care about .


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Professor writes NBC News OpEd: ‘Coronavirus and climate change: The pandemic is a fire drill for ou

Professor writes NBC News OpEd: ‘Coronavirus and climate change: The pandemic is a fire drill for our planet’s future’

`` The pandemic has awakened us from our slumber .
It is letting us see the real consequences of denial .
That may be its most important lesson — allowing us the insight , strength and compassion to build a resilient and robust future . ''
Prof. Adam Frank University of Rochester : `` It 's time to wake up .
Like this pandemic , climate change is also going to push on the networks that make up our civilization .
Unlike the pandemic , its effects will be long term .
The international COVID-19 pandemic is many things , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recognition that this machine of civilization that we built is a whole lot more fragile than we thought .
And that is why , in the long term , the coronavirus will one day be seen as a fire drill for climate change . ''
... We ’ ve been living in a dream .
We climb into jet planes and fly across continents , never giving the accomplishment a second thought .
We drive to grocery stores , assuming the shelves will be stocked with endless boxes of food .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wall , sure that electricity will flow from the outlet .
Other than the occasional hurricane or earthquake , we have lived our whole lives taking for granted that this thing we call “ civilization ” was a machine that could never fail .
The international COVID-19 pandemic is many things , but its deepest impact may be fostering a recognition that this machine of civilization that we built is a whole lot more fragile than we thought .
And that is why , in the long term , the coronavirus will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drill for climate change .
To understand the powerful connection between this pandemic and climate change , we must understand exactly what “ modern civilization ” means from a scientific point of view .
For researchers , the global high-tech society we ’ ve built over the last 100 years is actually a series of networks laid on top of one another .
Thanks to Facebook , we ’ re all familiar with what “ social networks ” look like : the links we have to our friends and then their friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vast spider ’ s web of connections .
Modern civilization is a delicate layer cake of such networks , one stacked on top of each other .
The transportation network — roads , trains , ships and airplanes — moves our goods around .
Energy networks — electric grids , oil and natural gas pipelines — deliver power where and when it ’ s needed .
Economic networks — banks , investment firms and brokers — keep money for trade circulating .
And , as we are coming to see in stark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care network — doctors , nurses and hospitals — that manages the endless stream of sickness and injury .
So how robust or resilient are these networks ?
If you kick them hard , will they still function ?
COVID-19 is exposing just how complacent we ’ ve been in answering that question .
Health officials across the country are watching in horror and desperation as their network gets overwhelmed .
The fear the pandemic has caused is already pushing on the food distribution and economic networks .
Suddenly all of these systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are standing in front of us in sharp relief .
Some are even blinking red with warning .
The warnings must be taken seriously , as studies of multilayered networks show they can be fragile : Breaking links in one network cascades through the others like a fragmenting bullet ripping through a complex machine .
So what does any of this have to do with climate change ?
Like this pandemic , climate change is also going to push on the networks that make up our civilization .
Unlike the pandemic , its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there won ’ t be a vaccine that can save us .
When most of us think about climate change , we visualize changes to the planet : soaring temperatures , rising oceans , melting ice caps .
That ’ s hard enough to imagine on a global scale .
But where our imaginations really fail is in asking what will happen to us , to daily human life , and that is a question about the invisible civilization networks .
Climate change will mean one emergency after another , year after year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire and storms blow cascades of failures through our systems .
If I asked you just a few weeks ago to imagine what that would look like , what it would feel like , to see those networks stressed , you ’ d probably point to some Hollywood science fiction movie .
Today , you just have to turn on the news .
Now we know firsthand the dread that follows when these systems are threatened .
For all its uncertainty , the pandemic comes as no surprise to those who study infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their science to map out the effect of a novel virus ’ appearance .
For years , they warned us that we needed to be prepared .
The magnitude of that warning was not heeded , and now we are all paying the price .
As with the threat of a pandemic , scientists who study climate change have been warning for decades that we are unprepared for what lies just over the horizon .
Using the same kinds of mathematical tools deployed by epidemiologists , they have predicted the course of global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the networks that make up civilization and told us what needs to be done to avoid calamity .
Examples of threats these scientists worry about range from the disruption of global supply chains due to increasingly extreme weather , to failures of food production and distribution networks as climate patterns shift , to failure of investment networks as risk assessment and getting insurance become more difficult .
But in response , these warnings have been politicized .
Those who deny the science claim it ’ s specious and there ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s what many of them said about COVID-19 just a few weeks ago .
But our government had enough warning that it could have begun stockpiling essential equipment and preparing the health care system for the shock that was sure to come .
In the same way , we ’ ve had decades of warnings about what is needed to deal with climate change , such as by shifting investments in the energy networks away from fossil fuels .
And , as with the pandemic , we ’ re ignoring all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe climate change is coming ignore the warnings and continue to live in areas where fires and floods will increase .
The good news about the pandemic is that we ’ ll make it through this .
It will take a few months , but we will emerge with our networks intact , and we will be wiser for the experience .
The good news is also that there is still time to deal with climate change .
Now that we have seen what breaking the networks — the machine — of civilization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretending that everything will be OK and that we can just go back to business as usual when the threat of the coronavirus subsides .
The pandemic has awakened us from our slumber .
It is letting us see the real consequences of denial .
That may be its most important lesson — allowing us the insight , strength and compassion to build a resilient and robust future .
Adam Frank Adam Frank , a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester , is the author of “ Light of the Stars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Earth .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Trump pins coronavirus hope on a climate skeptic – Prez turns to ‘a French virologist with a history

Trump pins coronavirus hope on a climate skeptic – Prez turns to ‘a French virologist with a history of criticizing climate science to offer the world hope’

President Trump has turned to a French virologist with a history of criticizing climate science to offer the world hope amid the novel coronavirus pandemic .
Last week , Trump tweeted that the combination of two medicines could dramatically alter the often deadly course of COVID-19 .
“ HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN , taken together , have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine , ” Trump wrote .
He then cited a study published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents that afforded little time for peer review .
Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of about 40 COVID-19 patients in France , though it wasn ’ t immediately clear how it came to the president ’ s attention .
The study was conducted by Didier Raoult , a virologist at Aix-Marseille University in France .
Raoult has a history of challenging science outside of his field of expertise , including claims that Darwin ’ s theory of evolution was wrong and that climate models are overblown .
“ Climate predictions are absurd , ” he wrote in a 2013 piece for a French publication , Le Point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hates climate forecasts.
” According to a French-to-English translation , he wrote that those who take action against climate change — as well as those who do the research to examine it — have taken “ more of a religious approach than a science.
” “ Our sense of guilt explains the transformation of the debate into something of an unscientific nature , ” he wrote .
While Raoult has no climate credentials , he is an influential virologist who has discovered dozens of bacteria .
Raoult also has been critical of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he published a book this month called “ Epidemics , Real Dangers and False Alarms.
” In it , he blames the media for instilling fear about COVID-19 .
“ This panic is largely due to the exaggerations of the press , which knows that fear ‘ sells , ' ” he wrote .
It remains to be seen if Raoult has discovered a useful — and potentially lifesaving — drug regime to combat the coronavirus , health experts caution .
They include Dr. Anthony Fauci , a member of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers don ’ t know yet if the drugs are safe for people with the coronavirus .
Health ethicists say Raoult ’ s work , and other small studies , should not be reflexively touted as a cure — particularly by politicians looking to give people an unverified sense of hope .
Hydroxychloroquine is a derivative of an anti-malaria drug , and azithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial pneumonia .
Raoult , an influential virologist who has received funding from the French government , published a video in February called “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he explored Chinese experiments with hydroxychloroquine .


climatedepot--2020-03-28--BBC: The ‘climate doomers’ preparing for society to fall apart –  Forget Coronavirus — ‘We’re all go

BBC: The ‘climate doomers’ preparing for society to fall apart –  Forget Coronavirus — ‘We’re all going to die’ from ‘climate change’!

Jem Bendell , a professor in sustainable leadership at the University of Cumbria , is the author of an academic article , Deep Adaptation : A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy , which has become the closest thing to a manifesto for a generation of self-described `` climate doomers '' .
In it , he argues that it is too late for us to avoid `` the inevitability of societal collapse '' caused by climate change .
Instead , we are facing a `` near-term '' breakdown of civilisation - near-term meaning within about a decade .
Within the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , climate change is going to cause it to fall apart .
“ I don ’ t see things lasting any longer than that.
” Rachel is unsure about how much to tell her three daughters .
“ I don ’ t say to them that in five years we won ’ t be here , ” she tells me .
“ But they do accept that food will be difficult to find.
” Every six weeks , she takes her two youngest daughters on an 450-mile round trip from their home in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wales , where they learn how to forage for food .
It ’ s vital for them to learn “ skills we ’ ll be able to use in the natural world when all our systems have broken down , ” she says .
… Around a year ago , a video of a talk by a British professor called Jem Bendell appeared on Rachel ’ s Twitter feed .
“ As soon as I saw it , everything seemed to make sense in a terrifying way , ” Rachel says .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue : ‘ We ’ re all going to die.
’ I felt it in my bones that we are at the beginning of the end.
” Bendell , a professor in sustainable leadership at the University of Cumbria , is the author of an academic article , Deep Adaptation : A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy , which has become the closest thing to a manifesto for a generation of self-described “ climate doomers ” .
In it , he argues that it is too late for us to avoid “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change .
Instead , we are facing a “ near-term ” breakdown of civilisation – near-term meaning within about a decade .
The paper was rejected for publication by a peer-reviewed journal , whose reviewers said its language was “ not appropriate for an academic article ” .
It is certainly unconventional , with its disturbing descriptions of what ’ s to come .
“ You won ’ t know whether to stay or go .
You will fear being violently killed before starving to death , ” Bendell writes .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 2018 Bendell self-published the 34-page article online .
It soon went viral .
It has now been downloaded over half a million times , translated into a dozen languages , and sparked a global movement with thousands of followers – called Deep Adaptation , because Bendell calls on people to adapt their lifestyle to cope with the harsh conditions in his vision of the future .
But Bendell ’ s stark predictions have been dismissed by prominent climate scientists .
Prof Michael Mann , one of the world ’ s most renowned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ pseudo-scientific nonsense ” .
“ To me , the Bendell paper is a perfect storm of misguidedness and wrongheadedness , ” Mann says .
“ It is wrong on the science and its impacts .
There is no credible evidence that we face ‘ inevitable near-term collapse ’ .
” What ’ s more , Mann claims , Bendell ’ s “ doomist framing ” is “ disabling ” and will “ lead us down the very same path of inaction as outright climate change denial .
Fossil fuel interests love this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ a poster child for the dangerous new strain of crypto-denialism ” .
Myles Allen , professor of Geosystem Science at the University of Oxford , is just as critical .
“ Predictions of societal collapse in the next few years as a result of climate change seem very far-fetched , ” he tells me .
“ So far , the system ’ s responded to greenhouse gas emissions almost exactly as predicted .
So to say it ’ s about to change and become much worse is speculation .
“ Honestly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of science of the anti-vax campaign.
” Allen agrees with Mann that the paper ’ s pessimism is liable to make people feel powerless .
“ Lots of people are using this kind of catastrophism to argue that there ’ s no point in reducing emissions , ” he says .
Bendell rejects the scientists ’ claims and says people have been inspired by his paper to demand radical government measures to tackle climate change .
“ I hope Michael Mann gets to meet some more climate activists on the streets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fearless people taking peaceful direct action after being moved by uncompromising assessments of our situation , ” he says .
“ Many of the leaders of Extinction Rebellion read my paper and quit their jobs to go full time to try to reduce harm and save what we can.
” Other climate scientists say they have more time for Bendell .
“ With global emissions continuing to rise , and no signs that the Paris targets will be respected , Jem Bendell has some justification in taking the strong position that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d better prepare to deal with the collapse of the globalised economic system , ” says Prof Will Steffen , from Australia ’ s Climate Change Council .
“ Jem may , in fact , be ‘ ahead of the game ’ in warning us about what we might need to prepare for.
” He adds that there is a “ credible risk ” that even a 2C rise in global average temperatures above pre-industrial levels could initiate a “ a tipping cascade… taking our climate system out of our control and on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I can ’ t say for sure that Jem Bendell is right… but we certainly can ’ t rule it out.
” In its bleak forecasts and direct language , Bendell ’ s paper has had an electrifying effect on many who have read it .
Almost 10,000 people have joined a “ Positive Deep Adaptation ” Facebook group and about 3,000 are members of an online forum .
Here , the movement ’ s followers exchange ideas about how they can adapt their lives , businesses and communities in accordance with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bendell proposes a “ Deep Adaptation Agenda ” – a conceptual roadmap for how to cope with the economic , political and environmental shocks he believes are coming our way .
He urges people to think about the aspects of our current way of life we will be able to hold on to and those we will have to let go of , referring to these two ideas as Resilience and Relinquishment .
He also talks about a third R , Restoration , which refers to old skills and habits that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some , such as Rachel , “ restoration ” means rewilding their gardens and local neighbourhoods , learning foraging skills and imagining how to survive in a world without electricity .
For others it ’ s about leaving the city or heavily populated areas of the country and heading for the hills .
Lionel Kirbyshire , a 60-year-old former chemicals engineer , says he began getting deeply worried about the climate a few years ago .
He read , among other things , some of the writings of Guy MacPherson , a controversial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who predicts humans will be extinct by 2030 .
His head was soon “ boiling with all this information that no-one wants to know ” .
“ There was a moment about a year ago when it hit me and I thought , ‘ We ’ re in big trouble , ' ” he says .
“ When you look at the whole picture it ’ s terrifying .
I think we ’ ve got 10 years , but we ’ ll be lucky to make it.
” A few months after reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife , Jill , decided to move north .
They sold their house in densely populated Bedfordshire and relocated to a three-bedroom terraced house in the small town of Cupar , Fife .
“ In the back of my mind , [ I think ] when the crunch comes , there ’ ll be a lot of people in a small area and it ’ s going to be mayhem – and we ’ ll be safer if we move further north because it ’ s colder.
” They expect their grown-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
In the meantime Lionel is investing in some growing boxes , in order to create raised vegetable beds in his garden , a foraging manual and water purification tablets .
“ We ’ re not stockpiling food but as the years go on I can ’ t see us having much left.
” Another Deep Adaptation follower , who didn ’ t want his name to be published , told me he was planning to relocate from the South-East to the Welsh countryside .
“ The basic things we ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelter , ” he says .
He plans to live off-grid , either joining an existing eco-community or “ going it alone ” with like-minded friends in a house clad with straw bales for insulation .
“ Deep Adaptation isn ’ t a bunker mentality of doing it yourself .
You want a mix of people with different skills , ” he says .
But he also says he has been taking crossbow lessons , “ because you never know ” .
“ It seems like a pretty useful weapon to have around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate the thought I ’ d ever have to use it but the thought of standing by and not being able to protect the ones I love is pretty horrifying.
” Jem Bendell says Deep Adaptation advocates non-violence .
Its online platforms ban members from discussing “ fascistic or violent approaches to the situation ” .
Though it didn ’ t appear in Bendell ’ s first paper he later added a fourth R , Reconciliation , which is all about living in peace .
And when I finally get through to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and conversations with his colleagues in the Deep Adaptation “ core team ” , he puts a big emphasis on love .
“ People are rising up in love in response to their despair and fear , ” he tells me .
“ [ Deep Adaptation ] seems to have reached people in all walks of life , at least in the West – heads of banks , UN agencies , European Commission divisions , political parties , religious leaders… ” His message , he says , is one of “ putting love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the professor ’ s followers often feel that their truth they believe in is ignored and dismissed by the rest of society .
Lionel says that among people he meets “ no-one wants to talk about it ” .
He ’ s joined several online groups – with names like Near-Term Human Extinction Support Group and Collapse Chronicles – where he can share his despair .
“ Sometimes I say that I ’ m feeling quite low and someone will say they ’ re feeling the same , ” he tells me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not in it alone.
” Rachel tells me that she also sometimes feels isolated .
Her attempts to get her neighbours to collaborate in a community compost heap have mostly fallen on deaf ears , so she turns to Deep Adaptation ’ s online forums to find support .
“ It ’ s much easier when you have a group to face the tragedy unfolding before us .
If I am feeling anxious , hopeless or full of grief I can go on there and tell them how I ’ m feeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the world , so you can post on there in the middle of the night and get support .
I post ideas about my compost bin and get lots of messages back with people being encouraging.
” However , she thinks there will be a day when the electricity is cut off , so she is learning to recite poems by heart , in case she finds herself alone , with no internet or possessions .
“ At least I ’ ll have something to carry with me.
” All photographs by @ @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-28--‘Career staff is sabotaging’ Trump administration’s efforts to reform Obama era environmental rules

`` It ’ s been obvious since the beginning of the Trump administration that the career staff is sabotaging the @ @ @ @ @ with numbers that can help the enviros sue.
” https : //t.co/z0dWl1HjUd


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Delingpole: Fear of the Coronavirus Is Worse Than the Disease

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for Coronavirus , making him the first world leader known to have contracted the disease .
I ’ m glad that he has it — not because I wish him ill but because as I explain here you usually feel so much better once you have recovered , which I certainly hope and expect he will .
I had my own brush with Covid-19 at the beginning of February .
Everyone ’ s experience is different , of course , but I ’ d say that as a rule the fear it engenders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Before you get it , it ’ s quite nerve-wracking .
“ Will I be one of the unlucky ones who needs hospital treatment ?
What if I get it really badly and there are no ventilators ?
” Afterwards you feel more relaxed , smug almost , because you ’ ve developed a degree of immunity .
Because we live in such hysterical times , fuelled by a mainstream media with an insatiable appetite for “ This is worse than the Black Death ” anecdotage , lots of armchair experts become indignant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquired immunity .
“ Ah , but what about the Japanese man who was re-infected ?
You can get it more than once !
” they insist , as if totally affronted by the outrageous notion that this pandemic will ever end .
Perhaps that Japanese man — and the other small number of cited cases — really was re-infected .
But that still more likely makes him an outlier than it makes him terrifying proof that we ’ re all going to catch this terrible disease again and again until we die @


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Statistician Dr Matt Briggs: ‘Coronavirus Update — Calm Yourselves’ – ‘Raise your hand if you’re tir

Statistician Dr Matt Briggs: ‘Coronavirus Update — Calm Yourselves’ – ‘Raise your hand if you’re tired of hearing from ‘experts’

Shut down the world for eight months !
Hey , if in Cuomo ’ s words it “ saves just one life ” , let alone 5.34 million , it will have been worth it .
Week ending 14 March , “ CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 38 million flu illnesses , 390,000 hospitalizations and 23,000 deaths from flu.
” Thirty-eight million cases !
Nearly 400 thousand supply-chain ICU-stressing hospitalizations !
Twenty-three thousand dead bodies !
How many more were left permanently scarred from this horrible disease with reduced lung function and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the USA !
… Ever notice how ebola comes and goes in waves ?
What happened to all the other diseases that were going to kill us all ?
Who stopped them ?
Rather , what stopped them ?
What ’ s that ?
I didn ’ t catch what you said .
The CNBC , always a reliable source , said “ The coronavirus could kill millions of Americans : ‘ Do the math , ’ immunization specialist says “ .
Here ’ s another : “ A report that helped convince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.2 million people could die in the US if we don ’ t act “ .
America is about 5 % of the world ’ s population .
If we extrapolate these numbers to the world , we get at least 40 million dead .
That ’ s a lot of bodies .
Where are they ?
We ’ re three or four months into this thing and we only have 16,448 .
China , the locus in quo , only had about 3,300 deaths .
The virus is going to really get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to achieve its potential !
Japan was also supposed to be whacked .
They ’ re further along than the USA , infection-timing wise .
“ A Coronavirus Explosion Was Expected in Japan .
Where Is It ?
” Japan was one of the first countries outside of China hit by the coronavirus and now it ’ s one of the least-affected among developed nations .
That ’ s puzzling health experts .
Raise your hand if you ’ re tired of hearing from “ experts ” .
Japan did not engage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people under martial law lite .
They carried on much as usual , encouraged wearing masks , washing hands , and not freaking out .
Japan did not do minimax .
Yet they survived .
Germany , you ask ?
“ Germany ’ s low coronavirus mortality rate intrigues experts.
” More experts !
We , on the other hand , minimaxed the hell out of the situation .
We did our best WHAT-ABOUT-THE-CHILDREN !
maximum death scenario , and then moved an entire country to war footing to avoid this worst case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : any cost is worth it if we save just one life .


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Oxford history prof Peter Frankopan :  ‘One beneficiary [of coronavirus] will be the climate: after

Oxford history prof Peter Frankopan :  ‘One beneficiary [of coronavirus] will be the climate: after all, the world’s lungs are already breathing more easily thanks to the collapse of industrial production’

`` One beneficiary [ of the pandemic ] will be the climate : after all , the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ easily thanks to the collapse of industrial production . ''


climatedepot--2020-03-28--Analysis Claims: Anthony Fauci, the NIH’s face of the coronavirus, is a ‘deeply embedded administrat

Analysis Claims: Anthony Fauci, the NIH’s face of the coronavirus, is a ‘deeply embedded administrative state hack’

Anthony Fauci , the NIH ’ s face of the coronavirus Anthony Fauci , M.D.
, the 79-year old head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) , has become the # 1 point man on the government ’ s role in the coronavirus crisis .
Fauci has worked for the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) his entire professional life .
In the past , for more than two decades starting in the mid-1980s , he was the medical establishment ’ s face of HIV-AIDS — omnipresent on television when AIDS was hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well into the 21st century .
Always , he was an enthusiastic advocate of throwing more federal money at the problem of AIDS .
He ’ s widely praised in the press .
He ’ s also held in high esteem by his medical peers .
In 2008 , President George W. Bush honored Fauci with the nation ’ s highest civilian award , the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
A look back at what Fauci and his colleagues did during their decades of pushing fear and the spending of billions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As an independent journalist , I covered the “ war ” on HIV-AIDS extensively starting in 1986 — just as the massive effort to combat the condition was gearing up .
Eventually , the government ’ s spending on HIV-AIDS came to eclipse what was spent on the failed war on cancer that began in 1971 , which is where my reporting on the politics of medicine and cancer had started .
After seeing a March 9 , 2020 tweet by Shiva Ayyadurai , Ph.D. , who has four degrees from MIT , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to try to put Fauci ’ s current work on the coronavirus into some perspective .
One of the first things I found about Dr. Fauci , at the WikiLeaks Clinton email trove , was a gushing 2013 email that Fauci had sent to Cheryl Mills , one of Hillary Clinton ; s top aides , praising the then–secretary of state for her congressional testimony on Benghazi .
Cheryl : Anyone who had any doubts about the Secretary ’ s stamina and capability following her illness had those doubts washed away by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the House .
She faced extremely difficult circumstances at the Hearings and still she hit it right out of the park .
Please tell her that we all love her and are very proud to know her .
OK , fine .
So Fauci ’ s a typical , deeply embedded administrative state hack who can be expected to be obsequious to his political bosses like Mrs. Clinton .
But there ’ s more to it than that .
Careful observers have noted that after the almost daily White House news conferences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus Task Force , Fauci , a regular attendee and the task force ’ s chief medical spokesman , often runs to Trump-hating media like CNN to contradict — usually with a degree of nuance that gives him plausible deniability — what the president has just said .
The Daily Mail of London noted this behavior in a March 20 article , “ Dr Anthony Fauci caught rolling his eyes and smirking as President Trump rants about the ‘ deep state ’ during coronavirus press conference.
” That ’ s Fauci now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back then ?
Anthony Fauci , M.D .
has been the director of the NIAID since 1984 , and for the next two-plus decades , when HIV-AIDS was the ticket , Fauci was the cheerleading team captain of the effort .
In 2006 , for a PBS documentary on AIDS , Fauci gave a long interview boasting about his role in the AIDS war , the full transcript of which is still online here .
One of Fauci ’ s fondest memories of his frontline scientific work on AIDS is this gem .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a conversation late into the middle of the night in my home with Bono as we were eating pasta that I cooked for him in my back porch talking about what the best way to go about this thing is .
You have a rock star talking to me who is helping to put together something for the president , and we ’ re getting bipartisan support , which is sometimes unusual in this city .
We are clearly getting bipartisan support for this .
It was really a wonderful thing that happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article about Live 8 , a now-forgotten international series of rock concerts to raise awareness about AIDS in Africa that was the handiwork of the rock band U2 ’ s front man Bono ( real name Paul Hewson ) and former Boomtown Rats singer Sir Bob Geldof .
As I noted at the time : While most politicians and virtually all of the media are swooning over the Live 8 event and the opinions , recommendations , and demands of Bono , Geldof , and their compatriots , some observers are not impressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ What Do Rock Stars Know About the World ?
, ” published June 28 [ 2005 ] on the BBC ’ s Web site , Brendan O ’ Neill observes that “ World leaders seek an audience with Bono in the way they might once have sought an audience with the Pope.
” O ’ Neill mentions James Panton , a lecturer in politics at Oxford University .
Panton , according to O ’ Neill , “ thinks it is the ‘ exhaustion of political vision ’ that has allowed ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limited arguments to take center stage .
And that ’ s a bad thing , ’ he argues .
Panton says , ‘ It is a frightening indictment of the state of politics to see people like Gordon Brown [ the heir apparent to British Prime Minister Tony Blair ] kowtowing to people like Geldof . '
” The real bottom line of what Fauci and his colleagues achieved over two decades was much more serious than hanging out with “ petty ” celebrities .
It was the achievement of a near-total preoccupation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more serious diseases — most of them conditions for which the causes were not known and not the result of personal lifestyle choices ( primarily unprotected sex among homosexuals and injecting illegal drugs ) .
In The AIDS Epidemic : Social Dimensions Of An Infectious Disease , author William Rushing takes note of “ alarming statements ” about the potential of AIDS that were being made by “ medical professionals and scientists ” — many of them like Fauci in policy-making positions .
These statements were the basis of high profile exaggerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Winfrey on her number one afternoon TV talk show on Feb. 18 , 1987 that “ one in five heterosexuals could be dead from AIDS in the next three years.
” Thirty-three years ago now , that fear-mongering never panned out and it did not lead to country-wide shut downs of almost everything — rather a boondoggle of spending on HIV-AIDS research that dwarfed all other medical spending .
This chart below clearly illustrates the results of the efforts by Fauci and his colleagues :


climatedepot--2020-03-27--Rush Limbaugh: ‘We didn’t elect a president to defer to a bunch of health experts that we don’t know

Rush Limbaugh: ‘We didn’t elect a president to defer to a bunch of health experts that we don’t know’

Rush Limbaugh : `` The deep state extends very deeply .
And the American people did not elect a bunch of health experts that we don ’ t know .
We didn ’ t elect a president to defer to a bunch of health experts that we don ’ t know . ''
`` This country is shut down .
It ’ s just incredible .
And I ’ ll tell you , folks , it has been scary to me , it has been frightening to me to see how easy it has been to do this ... it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same country . ''
On coronavirus stimulus package : `` Why even have budgets ?
We don ’ t have $ 2 trillion to be giving away to people ... We don ’ t have the money .
We have a national debt of 22 , $ 23 trillion .
We don ’ t have this money .
We ’ re printing this money . ''
`` You remember how everybody was fit to be tied when Obama had a $ 787 billion stimulus ?
That wasn ’ t even $ 1 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tea Party . ''
And the bigger question that I have , which we ’ ll address in much greater detail next week , is what kind of country are we going to have when this is over ?
Because it isn ’ t gon na be the same country .
I mean , why even have budgets ?
We don ’ t have $ 2 trillion to be giving away to people .
I ’ m not objecting to doing it , don ’ t misunderstand .
We don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national debt of 22 , $ 23 trillion .
We don ’ t have this money .
We ’ re printing this money .
Even if it takes $ 2 trillion infusions , $ 3 trillion infusions to bring this country back , then so be it .
We can do the postmortem when this is all done and taken care of .
We still have obstacles .
We still have obstacles to overcome in getting back to normal .
Look , very quickly , there ’ s a U.K. epidemiologist who got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in the U.K. from coronavirus .
He just had to correct himself ’ cause his models were wrong .
Just like the climate change models are wrong , this guy admits that his models are wrong , and now we may not have more than 20,000 deaths in the U.K .
The same thing is gon na be the case in the United States .
I ’ m out of time , folks .
It ’ s been great being with you .
I appreciate the opportunity so much to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question that I have , which we ’ ll address in much greater detail next week , is what kind of country are we going to have when this is over ?
Because it isn ’ t gon na be the same country .
I mean , why even have budgets ?
We don ’ t have $ 2 trillion to be giving away to people .
I ’ m not objecting to doing it , don ’ t misunderstand .
We don ’ t have the money .
We have a national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We don ’ t have this money .
We ’ re printing this money .


climatedepot--2020-03-27--EPA announces sweeping relaxation of environmental rules in response to the coronavirus

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced a sweeping relaxation of environmental rules in response to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ , factories and other facilities to determine for themselves if they are able to meet @ @ @ @ @ and water pollution .
The move comes amid an influx of requests from businesses for @ @ @ @ @ they face layoffs , personnel restrictions and other problems related to the coronavirus outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ s top compliance official , Susan P. Bodine , the policy sets new guidelines for @ @ @ @ @ an undetermined period of time during the outbreak and says that the agency will not @ @ @ @ @ certain air , water and hazardous-waste-reporting requirements .
Companies are normally required to report when @ @ @ @ @ of pollution into the air or water .