climatedepot--2020-07-28--Be Worried. Be Very Worried: Al Gore launches ‘Climate TRACE’ – ‘The world’s first tool to trace all

Be Worried. Be Very Worried: Al Gore launches ‘Climate TRACE’ – ‘The world’s first tool to trace all human-caused pollution to the source in real time’

By Al Gore & Gavin McCormick , founder and executive director of WattTime Today , just like every day before it , humans collectively spewed 152 million tons of planet-warming pollution into our thin shell of atmosphere as if it were an open sewer .
The extra heat energy trapped in our atmosphere by these accumulated greenhouse gases ( GHGs ) is equal to what would be released by 500,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs detonating on Earth every single day .
The consequences of that extra heat energy are growing startlingly clearer .
2019 was the second hottest year on record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely to be the warmest ever .
Stronger cyclonic storms batter our coasts ; “ rain bombs ” lead to more destructive floods and mudslides ; deeper and longer droughts cut agricultural output ; devastating wildfires are the new norm ; sea levels are rising more rapidly as the ice of Greenland and Antarctica melts faster ; and the list goes on .
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , the world ’ s leading scientific body on the climate crisis , we need to cut global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reach net-zero emissions by 2050 to avoid the worst effects .
With our world in a moment of upheaval , this can feel like a daunting and overwhelming challenge .
How will we do it in time ?
Today , we are honored to announce that a powerful new tool will soon be joining the climate fight .
Along with us — Al Gore and Gavin McCormick of WattTime — we join leading organizations Blue Sky Analytics , CarbonPlan , Carbon Tracker , Earthrise Alliance , Hudson Carbon , Hypervine , OceanMind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members to unveil Climate TRACE , a coalition creating a high-tech solution to independently detect emissions and where they ’ re coming from , everywhere in the world , in real time .
It ’ s a feat that ’ s never before been possible — until now .
Climate TRACE — which stands for Tracking Real-time Atmospheric Carbon Emissions — comprises organizations from the tech sector that have pioneered some of the most-powerful software-based emissions-monitoring solutions in the world , in part using artificial intelligence ( AI ) and remote sensing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology advances , we felt the time was ripe to join together and put these resources to work in powerful new ways .
Our first-of-its-kind global coalition will leverage advanced AI , satellite image processing , machine learning , and land- and sea-based sensors to do what was previously thought to be nearly impossible : monitor GHG emissions from every sector and in every part of the world .
Our work will be extremely granular in focus — down to specific power plants , ships , factories , and more .
Our goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant human-caused GHG emissions worldwide with unprecedented levels of detail and speed .
Through Climate TRACE , we will equip business leaders and investors , NGOs and climate activists , as well as international , domestic , and local policy leaders with an essential tool to fully realize the economic and societal benefits of a clean energy future , while ensuring that no one — corporation , country , or otherwise — will ever again have the ability to hide or fake their emissions data .
Next year , every country in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to enhance their commitments to the Paris Agreement and raise collective ambition in line with what the world ’ s scientists tell us is necessary .
We at the Climate TRACE coalition hope to support these COP26 climate talks with the most thorough and reliable data on emissions the world has ever seen .
Why is global emissions monitoring necessary ?
To move faster on solutions to the climate crisis , we need a better system to track emissions ; we can only manage what we can measure .
And unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bottom-up system that relies heavily , no matter how well implemented , on infrequent self-reporting by countries and companies , using a patchwork variety of methods .
A lack of dependable , independent , third-party verification can create uncertainty on whether the data are reliable and accurate .
And the long time lags in reporting reduces the ability to make that information actionable .
Countless countries , companies , and leaders worldwide want to solve the climate crisis , but lack the tools to do so quickly and effectively .
Climate TRACE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ when , ” and “ who ” behind GHG emissions .
Why does that matter ?
It allows us to… ● Verify numbers and ensure everyone is getting the truth : Self-reported data can make it too easy for dishonest polluters to break the rules that more-honest players are following .
Others desire better data but lack the capacity to measure emissions , leaving some players with nothing but rough estimates .
But when monitored by global sensor networks including satellites and ground- and sea-based instruments , all connected to a purpose-built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hide .
This new machine learning/AI tool will make it possible for everyone — from scientists and regulators , to the news media and citizen activists , to investors and business leaders — to see exactly who is responsible for GHG pollution in real time , where it ’ s coming from , and whether the amounts from each significant source are increasing or decreasing .
We believe this can lead to a new era of transparency and accountability .
● Support the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement : Nearly every country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reductions to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius .
We know that better monitoring will help countries hold each other — and emitters within their own borders — accountable .
Independent , global monitoring available to all can help .
● Empower companies , consumers , and investors to do good : Despite a few government leaders denying the climate crisis , most understand and accept the science and the need to act , and thousands of corporate and subnational actors are already slashing their carbon footprints in line with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ select cleaner manufacturing suppliers , to investors seeking to divest from polluting industries , to consumers making choices about which businesses to patronize , one thing is clear : a reliable way to measure where emissions are coming from is necessary .
Climate TRACE will empower all of these actors .
● Spot opportunities to save money by going green : The majority of fossil-fuel plants around the world are already less profitable than wind or solar power , and companies and governments deserve to know which ones .
Additionally , companies interested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support sustainable forestry and regenerative agriculture need a way to verify that each project genuinely reduces carbon .
Even many oil and gas companies are actively seeking to reduce leakage of highly polluting methane emissions into the atmosphere , but they need better ways to detect those leaks .
Climate TRACE will make it all possible .
We ’ ve known for years that a project like Climate TRACE would make a massive difference in the fight against the climate crisis , and we ’ ve both been exploring the topic of global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But our announcement comes now because we ’ ve hit a crucial turning point : it ’ s finally possible .
Solving a scientific problem this complex requires many different advanced components .
For example , developing a smaller version of this project to measure power plant emissions required combining imagery from multiple satellite constellations ( like the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel 2 mission ) , AI algorithms from experts in computer vision ( such as Pixel Scientia Labs ) , data pipeline engineering ( Google.org ) , power plant databases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sensing ( Valence Strategic ) , power systems modeling ( WattTime ) , weather adjustments and power plant cooling systems ( Carbon Tracker ) , and many more features and collaborators .
And that was just one sector !
Recent years have seen an explosion of technological advancements at various organizations capable of individual pieces of the puzzle .
We ’ ve found the growing urgency of the climate crisis has inspired more and more organizations to collaborate more actively than ever before .
That ’ s already made it possible to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t expected to be possible until 2025 or later .
Now , we ’ re unveiling the project to the world in order to start moving even faster .
We envision a future in which low- and zero-carbon energy is the norm , where every company has the resources it needs to be successful without endangering the environment , and every leader has the tools to confidently make the best choices possible for both people and planet .
We believe Climate TRACE will be an integral part of making that future become reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work , with the goal of releasing our first full emissions report and real-time visualization well before the UN ’ s COP26 climate conference in 2021 .
Make no mistake , we know this is an ambitious effort with an aggressive timeline .
But our species can ’ t wait until 2030 to get this problem right , and we don ’ t have to .
If nine organizations working together can bring the climate action timeline forward by years , think about what dozens of organizations working together can achieve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRACE coalition today , we issue a call to action : If you ’ re working in a field that touches on emissions monitoring — whether you have AI expertise , satellite sensor networks , or other global sensor or emissions data networks — we want to hear from you .
We know that collaboration and participation are critical to getting this right .
The climate crisis threatens us all , and the scale of the problem demands more of us .
Let ’ s get to work .
Former US Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Generation Investment Management , and the founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project , a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis .
He is also a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a member of Apple Inc. ’ s board of directors .
He is the subject of the documentary movie An Inconvenient Truth , which won two Oscars in 2006 , and a second documentary in 2017 , An Inconvenient Sequel : Truth to Power .
In 2007 , Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Climate Change , for “ informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change.
” Gavin McCormick is the founder and executive director of WattTime , the nonprofit tech startup that first developed Automated Emissions Reduction ( AER ) technology and which launched an initiative in 2019 , with support from Google.org , to measure GHG emissions from all the world ’ s power plants .
WattTime ’ s mission is to make energy choice a reality for everyone everywhere — a charter Gavin and the team work hard every day to @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-28--World population in 2100 could be 2 billion below UN forecasts, study suggests

Such a fall would remove some of the projected strain on natural resources but would present governments with stark policy choices over migration and the economy .
The world ’ s population will peak at 9.7 billion in 2064 and decline to 8.8 billion by the end of the century , according to research led by the University of Washington in the US and published in the Lancet .
It says some countries , including Japan , Spain and Italy , will see their populations halve , while sub-Saharan Africa ’ s population will triple in the next 80 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will overtake the young , with 2.4 billion people over the age of 65 forecast by 2100 , compared with 1.7 billion under the age of 20 .
The major factors in shrinking the population are widening access to contraception and improvements in educating women and girls .
If those trends are curtailed , higher growth will ensue .
Global population growth may peak sooner than expected if the lot of women continues to improve , according to a study that says the world ’ s population could be 2 billion below UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Such a fall would remove some of the projected strain on natural resources but would present governments with stark policy choices over migration and the economy .
The world ’ s population will peak at 9.7 billion in 2064 and decline to 8.8 billion by the end of the century , according to research led by the University of Washington in the US and published in the Lancet .
It says some countries , including Japan , Spain and Italy , will see their populations halve , while sub-Saharan Africa ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
The number of older people will overtake the young , with 2.4 billion people over the age of 65 forecast by 2100 , compared with 1.7 billion under the age of 20 .
The major factors in shrinking the population are widening access to contraception and improvements in educating women and girls .
If those trends are curtailed , higher growth will ensue .
For instance , although sub-Saharan Africa ’ s population is projected to soar , its fertility rates are forecast to decline from 4.6 births per woman in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that decline in fertility should fail to materialise , the overall growth will be much greater .
Christopher Murray , the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation ( IHME ) at the University of Washington in Seattle , the lead author of the research , said this opened up the potential for negative consequences if governments chose coercive policies over embracing immigration .
“ The best solutions for sustaining current population levels , economic growth and geopolitical security are open immigration policies and social policies supportive of families having their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ However , a very real danger exists that , in the face of declining populations , some countries might consider policies that restrict access to reproductive health services , with potentially devastating consequences .
It is imperative that women ’ s freedom and rights are at the top of every government ’ s development agenda.
” Changes in the working-age population are likely to be particularly important for policymakers .
China ’ s working-age population will decline from 950 million in 2017 to about 360 million by 2100 , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s will come down from 762 million to about 580 million .
In Nigeria , the working-age population is forecast to increase from 86 million in 2017 to 460 million in 2100 .
Stein Emil Vollset , also of the IHME , and first author of the paper , said the changes to population structure would pose particular dilemmas .
“ While population decline is potentially good news for reducing carbon emissions and stress on food systems , with more old people and fewer young people , economic challenges will arise as societies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxpayers , and countries ’ abilities to generate the wealth needed to fund social support and healthcare for the elderly are reduced , ” he said .
Migration must be a large part of the future , the authors suggested , as without more liberal immigration policies the populations of 23 countries are forecast to halve , among them Japan , Thailand , Italy and Spain .
Standing still is not an option , according to Ibrahim Abubakar , a professor of epidemiology at University College London , who was not involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative of the value of ethnic cohesion to justify migration curbs will be challenged by deteriorating living standards , ” he warned in a comment also published in the Lancet .
“ Nations would have to cooperate at levels that have eluded us to date … the choice we face is whether we improve health and wealth by allowing planned population movement , or if end up with an underclass of imported labour and unstable societies.
” The standard estimate used by many countries comes from a report in 2017 by the UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 10 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100 .
The new study took a different model , with a much closer concentration on changes to the drivers of fertility , such as education levels and contraception availability , in contrast to traditional models that extrapolate in a simpler way from past trends .
The authors considered the impacts of the coronavirus crisis , and forecast that it would make no appreciable difference to population in the longer term .
Kevin McConway , emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research , praised the modelling but warned that much would depend on policy and behaviour .
“ Rather than simply making assumptions about how fertility will change in the future , this team has used data from past years to describe how fertility varies with the factors that determine it , particularly women ’ s access to education and to modern contraception , ” he explained .
“ Whether that provides a stronger basis for fertility forecasts does depend on how easy it is to make plausible assumptions about access to education and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depends on the extent to which the relationship between fertility on the one hand , and access to education and modern contraception on the other , works in a similar way in the future as it did in the past.
” The modellers were also unable to take detailed account of climate predictions , which could be a big factor in future , he added .
“ Some climate change models , for some countries at least , have predicted very major environmental change during the period covered by these population forecasts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this may have important effects on migration patterns that are not included in their results .
”

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climatedepot--2020-07-28--Kenyan Biologist: Nature Conservation Is ‘New Colonialism’ — Africa ‘A Place For White Elitists To E

Kenyan Biologist: Nature Conservation Is ‘New Colonialism’ — Africa ‘A Place For White Elitists To Enjoy’

Ogada also illustrates how western values are gravely out of whack , using the example of six poached gorillas at Virunga that made western headlines but not widescale killing and raping of women and children : “ But the worst thing about it was that at the same time Virunga was considered one of the world ’ s worst rape scenes .
Hundreds of women were raped every day , children were killed .
And none of it made the news .
Just the six dead gorillas .
And that is so fundamentally wrong.
” Dr. Ogada told GEO : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rules of colonial times : keep black people away from nature so that white people can enjoy it.
” ... “ Nature conservation organizations spend millions to bring their romantic message to the people : the story of white saviors who save the wildlife in Africa – from the Africans.
” A Kenyan biologist thinks white Europeans and Americans are using “ nature conservation ” for “ self promotion ” and have created nothing but failure in Africa .
He accuses NGOs and nature conservation organizations of creating a “ permanent crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Africa into a place for white people to enjoy ...
He also refers to nature conservation scientists as “ prostitutes ” and NGOs as “ pirates ” .
“ Nature conservation is the new colonialism , ” Kenyan ecologist Mordecai Ogada told German magazine GEO .
A Kenyan biologist thinks white Europeans and Americans are using “ nature conservation ” for “ self promotion ” and have created nothing but failure in Africa .
He accuses NGOs and nature conservation organizations of creating a “ permanent crisis ” to justify their work and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to enjoy .
Dr. Ogada , who is author of “ The Big Conservation Lie “ , called nature conservation in the GEO interview “ elitist , violent and often racist ” and that it is a “ right-wing agenda enforced with money from the left ” .
He also refers to nature conservation scientists as “ prostitutes ” and NGOs as “ pirates ” .
“ Environmental protection in Africa is above all a mendacious instrument of power for him , ” commented GEO .
In his book , Ogada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NGOs for more than 18 years , compared nature conservation in Africa to apartheid because “ projects are run by whites ” who make all the decisions and use black researchers as window dressing , adding : “ you suddenly realize that decisions are forced on you by people who are less qualified and often white.
” Dr. Ogada told GEO : “ Nature conservation in Africa still follows the rules of colonial times : keep black people away from nature so that white people can enjoy it.
” “ White saviors ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because of the religious nature conservation fervor by elitists , no crime is as grave as poaching and it is the only one that leads to an immediate death penalty.
” “ In Kenya , we arrest robbers , kidnappers , murderers and bring them to justice .
But we shoot poachers .
Sometimes it happens to someone who is just walking through a protected area , ” he told GEO .
“ Nature conservation organizations spend millions to bring their romantic message to the people : the story of white saviors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Africans.
” Six gorillas more important than hundreds of Africans Ogada also illustrates how western values are gravely out of whack , using the example of six poached gorillas at Virunga that made western headlines but not widescale killing and raping of women and children : “ But the worst thing about it was that at the same time Virunga was considered one of the world ’ s worst rape scenes .
Hundreds of women were raped every day , children were killed .
And none of it made the news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that is so fundamentally wrong.
” NGOs in it for money , power… ” no angels ” Ogada also doubts that the millions of dollars protect animals at all : “ No .
That money makes some people very rich .
These organizations pay high salaries .
They buy guns , ammunition , helicopters .
They build up a kind of parallel government , including security agencies.
” Dr. Ogada claims big nature conservation organisations create crisis to justify their work .
“ Nature conservation is the only area where we reward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wrong thing for 40 years.
” He tells GEO : “ Nature conservation is a business .
And environmentalists are no angels.
” Goodall , Fossey : In it for “ self-promotion ” Ogada also thinks very little of conservationists like Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey and that it ’ s about “ self-promotion above all else ” , adding : Dian Fossey ’ s militias killed people they suspected of being poachers .
She was murdered in revenge for violating other people ’ s rights .
”


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Walter Russell Mead: Snooze The Climate Alarms – New study predicts population will drop sharply as

Walter Russell Mead: Snooze The Climate Alarms – New study predicts population will drop sharply as developing economies grow

A new study predicts population will drop sharply as developing economies grow .
You won ’ t hear this from the professional climate alarmists , but an important study on global demographics has good news for the future of greenhouse emissions .
For some time , demographers have been scaling back forecasts of future population growth , but they may not have gone far enough .
A new University of Washington studypublished in the Lancet argues that conventional population statistics don ’ t account for ongoing and projected future improvements in health care and education for women around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information about contraception are , along with urbanization , associated with declining fertility rates as women gain better control of their reproductive lives .
Looking at the impact of these forces , the study predicts some startling changes over the course of the century .
Instead of the global population reaching between 9.4 billion and 12.7 billion by 2100 ( as estimated in the 2019 United Nations World Population Prospects report ) , the new study suggests it will peak at 9.7 billion in 2064 and then decrease to about 8.8 billion by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sustainable Development Goals for education and contraceptive use are met in full , the researchers estimate that population could be as low as 6.29 billion in 2100 .
That would be 33 % lower than the lowest current U.N. projection , and around 1.5 billion fewer than the Earth ’ s population today .
Even under the less aggressive scenario , the consequences would be far-reaching .
China , where the University of Washington study expects population to decline by 48 % to 732 million , would fall to third place , behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population ranking .
Population in 23 countries and territories , including Japan , South Korea , Italy , Portugal and Spain , would fall by 50 % or more from their peaks .
America , where continuing immigration is expected to offset declining fertility , would slip from third to fourth place with 336 million , barely more than today .
These shifts would lead to wrenching change .
Health-care and pension systems would come under great stress around the world as shrinking numbers of working people support large populations of older people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be much more benign .
These projections may not pan out ; 80 years is a long time horizon and predicting the reproductive choices of people not yet born is less science than art .
Nevertheless , the study points to a vital linkage between climate and progress that the green movement often overlooks .
Growth can be good .
Economic development brings better health care and more information to women around the world .
There are several lessons here for policy makers wrestling with the difficult issues surrounding climate change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ combating climate change are too narrowly conceived .
A focused global effort to ensure that the education and contraceptive SDG targets are fully met could have a significantly greater long-term impact on emissions than more-expensive and unpopular policy choices like carbon taxes or the mandated use of expensive renewables .
Reproduction isn ’ t the only human behavior that changes with greater wealth and more education .
Societies that are wealthy enough to provide education and health care also act to preserve and restore their natural surroundings .
Developing countries may hack down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and foul their air , but when they become rich they invest in repairing the damage and reducing their footprint .
The post Walter Russell Mead : Snooze The Climate Alarms appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .


climatedepot--2020-07-28--UK needs hydrogen, carbon capture to meet net zero goal, National Grid says

Aren ’ t they in effect spelling out why the target is unachievable , not to say ridiculous ?
Whichever way you look at it – cost , feasibility , technology , benefits ( lack of ? )
etc .
– it has failure written all over it .
– – – Britain ’ s goal of achieving net zero emissions by mid-century is achievable but immediate action is needed across a range of technologies including carbon capture and storage ( CCS ) , electricity grid operator National Grid said .
Last year Britain became the first major economy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas emissions to net zero by 2050 , compared with its previous target of at least an 80 % reduction from 1990 levels , says yahoo !
finance .
“ Reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is achievable .
However , it requires immediate action across all key technologies and policy areas , and full engagement across society and end consumers , ” National Grid said in its annual Future Energy Scenarios report .
“ Hydrogen and carbon capture and storage must be deployed for net zero , ” it added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ operational this decade.
” Hydrogen as a fuel has been gaining traction but the number of projects using “ green ” hydrogen – made from renewable energy – are quite few and costly .
CCS – which traps emissions and buries them underground – is also not at the commercialisation stage .
Last month , Norwegian oil firm Equinor said it planned to build a plant in Britain to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with CCS .


climatedepot--2020-07-28--BBC Revives #ExxonKnew Campaign Using Debunked Claims, Biased Sources

The BBC is the latest legacy media institution that ’ s done a deep dive into the “ Exxon Knew ” campaign and churned out a 10-part podcast series that features very little in the way of new reporting but includes plenty of biased voices looking to smear the energy industry .
Instead , the series merely rehashes prior reporting that ’ s existed for years to allege that ExxonMobil hid its knowledge about climate change , despite recent court rulings that cleared the company of any wrongdoing .
Like past reporting , the series ignores key documents from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ robust climate research in the 1970s and 1980s but was unable to reach definitive conclusions at the time , completely undercutting the “ Exxon Knew ” premise .
The Same Old News Considering the BBC appeared to spend considerable time and effort to produce a 10-part podcast series , listeners would have a reasonable expectation of hearing new reporting .
Yet for the BBC ’ s audience , it was more of the same .
The podcast series relies heavily on the same storylines and even includes documents and sources , published by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News ( ICN ) .
In 2015 , ICN published a series alleging that ExxonMobil knew about climate change for decades but did nothing to warn the public , accusations that featured in a nearly identicalinvestigation shortly thereafter in the Los Angeles Times .
The reporting done by ICN and the investigation published in the Los Angeles Times turned out to be tainted , subjective journalism .
ICN has received more than $ 1 million from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Family Fund – groups that have provided massive financial support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Exxon Knew ” campaign .
The investigation in the Los Angeles Timeswasn ’ t actually written by reporters from that newspaper , but rather the Columbia School of Journalism , through a program the Rockefellers later admitted to funding .
( Apparently having fulfilled its mission , the program was shuttered after just three years ) .
This news is so old , ExxonMobil posted a rebuttal to the Los Angeles Times in 2015 about how the newspaper purposely left out a key document on the company ’ s climate research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series : ICN even admitted after publication that ExxonMobil did not stop or suppress research .
The BBC series never acknowledges that the original “ Exxon Knew ” reporting was part of a campaign that sought to lay the groundwork for climate litigation against energy producers .
“ Exxon Knew ” proponents have cherry-picked company documents and ignored crucial context .
For example , an ExxonMobil memo from 1979 that activists point to as a smoking gun includes a key passage that reads : In addition to rehashing old , subjective reporting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any credence to their credibility .
The series features multiple accusations from Kert Davies that ExxonMobil lied to the public about climate change .
But Davies is clearly a biased voice as he ’ s been an active participant in the campaign against the company .
He ’ s the founder and director of the Climate Investigations Center ( CIC ) , which calls him a “ climate activist who has been conducting corporate accountability research and campaigns for more than 20 years ” and notes that Davies is a former Greenpeace official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flouting state laws and describing itself as a non-profit even though it ’ s not registered as such with the IRS and it has secretive arrangements with other organizations that help it hide its list of donors .
While pushing the “ Exxon Knew ” narrative , Davies has cherry-picked documents , aidedthe activist-run Drilled podcast , and serves on the board of the Climate Docket ( formerly called Climate Liability News ) , a dark-moneyactivist website promoting climate lawsuits .
The BBC also spoke with Jerry Taylor , president of the Niskanen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Miguel Counties in their lawsuit against ExxonMobil in Colorado .
The organization has also received financial support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fundand Rockefeller Family Fund – the groups behind the entire climate litigation campaign .
Harvard professor Naomi Oreskes is also interviewed for the series .
Oreskes is a key player in the campaign against ExxonMobil and had reviewed the company ’ s advertorials for a study published in 2017 .
Their study was reviewed by an expert in the field of data analysis and was found to be “ unreliable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not replicable.
” The BBC series features two former ExxonMobil employees who came out as whistleblowers , Martin Hoffert and Ed Garvey , both of whom worked at the company in the 1970s and 1980s .
Both employees say ExxonMobil made “ misleading statements ” to the public about climate change , and Garvey says the company missed an opportunity to develop alternative energy sources .
They originally came forward in 2015 as part of the ICN “ Exxon Knew ” series .
Like the entirety of the BBC series , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new , and the broadcaster couldn ’ t apparently find anyone else from ExxonMobil ’ s lengthy roster to substantiate the claims of these two former employees .
That ’ s most likely because ExxonMobil hasn ’ t engaged in the deception its opponents regularly accuse it of .
During the trial of the New York attorney general ’ s case against the company last year , multiple current and former employees and outside investors testified that they never engaged in or witnessed inappropriate behavior .
As New York Supreme Court Justice Barry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activists spending millions of dollars , and municipalities and state attorneys general filing numerous lawsuits , the campaign to tear down ExxonMobil has been a gigantic failure .
San Francisco , Oakland , and New York Cityintroduced public nuisance lawsuits that sought to make energy companies pay for damages related to climate change , which were later dismissed by federal judges .
Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman put together a group of state attorneys general that aimed to sue ExxonMobil , but most of them later backed out .
Schneiderman ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Exxon Knew ” and his office reviewed millions of documents but came up empty .
Over the course of four years , his office was forced to repeatedly revise the lawsuit downward before it eventually wound up as charges over accounting measures , which was eventually rejected by Justice Ostrager who clearedExxonMobil of all charges : The BBC series is just the latest reminder that the campaign against the company isn ’ t based on science or the law , but politics .
The Rockefellers even outlined this strategy in a secret meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ establish ] in the public ’ s mind that Exxon is a corrupt institution , ” and to “ delegitimize them as a political actor ” by using tactics for “ creating a scandal.
” Richard Ayres , an environmental attorney , even admitted that the public relations strategy was just as important as the legal outcomes , saying : “ getting attention of course from the press , and in some ways , we suspect that that outcome , that aspect of it might be more important even than winning the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the science from several decades was far from settled and has strongly criticized these political investigations as having a “ chilling effect ” on research – which hurts the fight against climate change .
“ Contrary to activists ’ claims , our company ’ s deliberations decades ago yielded no definitive conclusions .
As our scientists determined at the time , many important questions about climate science remained unanswered , and more research was required .
“ … It should come as no surprise that Exxon ’ s scientists discussed the available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build upon it through their own studies .
This free exchange of ideas is essential to productive scientific inquiry .
“ If such deliberations are subject to legal scrutiny through the lens of later baseless allegations , what incentive do companies have to pursue further research ?
The investigations targeting our company threaten to have a chilling effect on private sector research.
” ExxonMobil has repeatedly been cleared in the courtroom during this politically inspired campaign , and the BBC ’ s rehashing of old reporting doesn ’ t do a thing @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Climate Skeptic Peter Ridd Seeks High Court Appeal – Universities Face Government Review Of  Threat

Climate Skeptic Peter Ridd Seeks High Court Appeal – Universities Face Government Review Of  Threat To Academic Freedom

1 ) Peter Ridd Goes To High Court The Australian , 28 July 2020 2 ) Australian Government To Review Threat To Academic Freedom The Australian , 24 July 2020 1 ) Peter Ridd Goes To High Court The Australian , 28 July 2020 Sacked James Cook University professor Peter Ridd will go to the High Court over his controversial sacking for publicly criticising the institution and his colleagues over their climate change science .
￼ Former James Cook University professor Peter Ridd in Townsville last week .
Picture : Cameron Laird A week after the Federal Circuit Court overturned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.2m , the marine physicist has confirmed the next front in his legal battle that has already cost more than $ 1m .
Professor Ridd , who has personally spent $ 300,000 in his fight , has rallied his supporters in a fresh fundraising bid aimed at amassing $ 630,000 to bankroll his appeal to the highest court .
The Federal Circuit Court found the Townsville-based university had not acted unlawfullywhen it sacked their employee of 30 years in 2018 for breaching its code of conduct with his criticism and by breaking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process .
The court ruled that the code of conduct trumped the intellectual freedom provisions in the university ’ s enterprise agreement .
Professor Ridd told The Australian on Tuesday he had already spent $ 1.15m on his legal campaign , $ 860,000 of which came from donations .
For the scientist , 59 , the fight is about more than the loss of potential earnings from a stalled academic career .
“ This is about principle , ” Professor Ridd told The Australian .
“ We ’ ve got to have it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact is that because it was justified to fire me , any academic who wants to speak out about the Great Barrier Reef or any controversial issue will know it ’ s not worth the risk.
” Professor Ridd said his lawyers had convinced him of “ numerous strong grounds for appeal ” , which he had weighed against the exhaustive mental toll wrought by two years of legal action .
“ I don ’ t take the decision to appeal lightly , ” he said in a notice to be uploaded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the basis of his fundraising effort .
“ The financial and emotional costs are high and legal action is fraught with uncertainties.
” First , Professor Ridd would have to convince the High Court the case involved “ a question of law of public importance ” , to be granted special leave to appeal the Federal Circuit Court decision .
The court ’ s verdict has been praised by the university representative group , the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association , which said the verdict “ upholds the university ’ s right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those rights ” and rejected the premise that the sacking was an intellectual freedom issue .
Professor Ridd said the criticism of colleagues was integral to his argument that the university ’ s climate change science relating to the reef was untrustworthy , driven by emotion and lacking rigorous scrutiny .
“ I was fired for being critical of my colleagues … for an academic comment I made about quality assurance in science , ” he said .
Professor Ridd said he was “ quite encouraged ” by federal Education Minister Dan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review the new university model code , developed by former High Court chief justice Robert French , aimed at protecting freedom of speech on university campuses .
“ Anything he ( Tehan ) does has to be put into the ( enterprise ) agreement , ” Professor Ridd said .
“ As soon as there is any doubt , the university will win because the academic knows they can ’ t afford the legal battle.
” Policy director Gideon Rozner , of the Institute of Public Affairs , which funded some of Professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the appeal would be a “ historic ” test on the meaning of intellectual freedom .
2 ) Australian Government To Review Threat To Academic Freedom The Australian , 24 July 2020 Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan will consider strengthening a code aimed at protecting freedom of speech on campus in response to a court ’ s decision to uphold James Cook University ’ s sacking of professor Peter Ridd .
The model code of conduct for the higher education sector was developed by former High Court chief justice Robert French , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Australian universities in 2018 .
Intellectual freedom for academics would also be at the forefront of a campaign being considered by the National Tertiary Education Union in response to the court ’ s verdict .
The full bench of the Federal Circuit Court on Wednesday overturned an earlier decision and found JCU had lawfully dismissed Professor Ridd in 2018 after he publicly criticised it and claimed its Great Barrier Reef global warming science was misleading and not rigorously scrutinised .
Mr Tehan told The Australian on Thursday the government would consider adapting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arising .
“ Our government recognises that universities are autonomous institutions but we are also strongly committed to protecting freedom of speech and academic freedom at our universities , ” he said .
“ We are examining the court ’ s decision to ensure that we take into account any implications for the French model code , which all universities have agreed to implement to protect freedom of academic inquiry and freedom of speech.
” NTEU Queensland division secretary Michael McNally said the union was considering a campaign to ensure intellectual freedom covered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by codes of conduct .
“ The only place to protect academic freedom properly is through the enterprise agreements and we need to make sure they can ’ t be trumped by the university applying the code of conduct , ” Mr McNally said .
“ That might be our next big campaign in enterprise bargaining.
” Mr McNally said the court ’ s decision had sent a “ chilling ” message to academics .
“ We ’ re obviously disappointed by the decision in that it seems to suggest the code of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we say people need to have under any kind of definition of academic freedom , ” he said .
“ If they have control over the code of conduct , what does that mean for academic freedom in universities ?
” The court was scathing about the “ trivial ” nature of some allegations made against Professor Ridd and the “ unethical ” methods used to discipline him , including searching his emails and ordering him not to speak to his wife about disciplinary issues .
The union questioned how much JCU had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the appeal to be more than $ 600,000 — and whether it was worth it .
“ This has to be the classic Pyrrhic victory , ” Mr McNally said .
“ The university may have won on a technicality , but in doing so they ’ ve trampled all over the academic rights of their staff.
” We have had a setback , but my lawyers have carefully gone over the judgement , and believe there are numerous strong grounds for appeal to the High Court of Australia .
We are re-opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the legal action .
In the final analysis , I was fired for saying that , because of systemic problems with quality assurance , work from the JCU coral reef centre , which also publishes extensively on climate change , was untrustworthy .
I believe what I said was true and have given plenty of published evidence to support the statement .
After I was fired , it was proven beyond doubt that I was correct when a group of seven international scientists who audited eight of the major studies from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be 100 % wrong .
You can ’ t get much more scientifically untrustworthy than that .
https : //www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ex-judge-investigate-controversial-marine-research I don ’ t take the decision to appeal lightly .
The financial and emotional costs are high and legal action is fraught with uncertainties .
In addition to the $ 300K Cheryl and I have spent on this case , I have received from you , and about four thousand other people , over $ 800K .
It is matter that rests heavily on my conscience .
You have already done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appreciate if you could share this with other people .
I also thank you for your words of support to continue the fight .
We have an excellent chance , but we might lose .
There are , however , too many important principles at stake to walk away at this stage .
This case has already demonstrated a major problem with Academic Freedom of Speech at a university .
This ultimately affects what academics are prepared to say on controversial topics such as climate change , or the fate of the Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already signalled its intention to consider adapting the French Review Model Code to prevent a similar case .
This may be the most important long-term implication of the case .
Ironically , even if we lose in the High Court , it will demonstrate beyond doubt that the work contracts at universities have the effect of crushing free speech .
I have little doubt the Education Minister will have something to say about that once the legal action is over .
So even if we lose the High Court challenge , we still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks again for your support For those interested in the detailed 80 page judgement , this is the link .
Scientist Dr Peter Ridd has become widely known in recent years for his outspoken views on the quality of science used to underpin new water quality controls on agriculture in the Great Barrier Reef catchment .
He has worked on the Great Barrier Reef since 1984 at the Australian Institute of Marine Science ( AIMS ) and at James Cook University ( JCU ) , with his research appearing in over 100 publications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrier Reef and marine applications .
In 2018 he was fired by James Cook University after stating that the two GBR science institutions were producing results that are untrustworthy due to insufficient quality assurance protocols .
Last year the Federal Circuit Court of Australia found Dr Ridd ’ s sacking by JCU was unlawful and awarded him $ 1.2m .
But that decision was overturned on appeal by the full bench of the Federal Circuit Court last week which found JCU had acted lawfully in dismissing Dr Ridd .
The case has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over freedom of intellectual inquiry and freedom of speech .
Yesterday Dr Ridd appeared before a public hearing in Brisbane for a Senate Committee inquiry into the regulation of farm practices in Queensland impacting water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef .
The regulations affect cattle grazing , cane farming and dryland cropping business across 42.4 million hectares of Queensland and commit each industry to achieving minimum water quality targets by 2025 ( See map right ) The Queensland Department of Science and Energy in its submission told the inquiry a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality from the adjacent , predominately agriculture areas , on the Great Barrier Reef ( GBR ) .
“ Summaries of the thousands of peer reviewed , published scientific papers that provide this supporting evidence have been periodically undertaken since 2003 with bipartisan support , as the underpinning evidence base for the joint Reef Water Quality Protection Plans , now Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022 developed in collaboration between the Australian and Queensland Governments.
” It adds that its reef science is proven , supported by rigorous processes including peer review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The evidence is strong , the science robust , and the conclusions drawn from the science are sound , ” it says .
In his submission to the inquiry Dr Ridd maintains there is serious concern that much of the evidence claiming adverse effects of agriculture on the Great Barrier Reef “ is highly questionable ” .
He believes a full audit of the evidence relating to the potential effect of agriculture on the GBR should be carried out by a group of independent scientists not attached to government institutions working on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence , stating in his submission he has not received any salary from the oil , coal , sugar , beef or tobacco interests , despite being often accused of having done so .
His submission states that while he worked at JCU and AIMS , all of his salary and research funding was directed through those institutions , and he did not receive anything but his regular institutional salary .
It notes that since his sacking from JCU in 2018 he is now working , without payment , to improve Quality Assurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is a physicist , said science should be based on a higher standard of quality assurance than currently exists , referring to experts who have spoken more broadly about similar concerns with existing scientific standards around the world .
This included Richard Horton , editor of The Lancet , who in 2015 wrote that “ The case against science is straightforward : much of the scientific literature , perhaps half , may simply be untrue .
Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes , tiny effects , invalid exploratory analyses , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance , science has taken a turn towards darkness ” .
A 2017 study in Britain suggested science is facing a “ reproducibility crisis ” where more than two-thirds of researchers have tried and failed to reproduce another scientist ’ s experiments .
Last year Australia ’ s Chief Scientist Professor Alan Finkel lamented the “ significant number of papers that are of poor quality , and should never have made it through to publication ” .
Dr Ridd said the peer review system on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
‘ Dissent , scepticism , replication , testing and checking ’ were essential to science , but didn ’ t happen anywhere near as much as they should , he said .
“ That is why I am suggesting we need some sort of extra quality assurance mechanism to check the reef science .
“ And , I ask , why would you not want to do that ?
” Scientific principles such as Newtons Law of Motion were “ five-star science ” , “ something you can rely on with your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massively checked , tested and replicated.
” Peer review was closer to “ two star science ” , he said .
There was need to get the level of replication “ as high as we can ” .
In his 36-year-career of work in the Great Barrier Reef , Dr Ridd co-invented the first instruments capable of taking long-term measurements of sediment on the reef .
His submission states his group “ has done more measurements of sediment ( mud ) concentrations near reefs than any other group ” .
During 30 minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several examples of his concerns with existing scientific consensus on reef science .
While these are discussed in detail in his submission , some of the concerns he discussed included : Coral growth rate data : Dr Ridd said he has raised concerns with the Australian Institute of Marine Science ( AIMS ) about its claim there has been a halving of GBR coral cover since the 1960s .
He said this is “ the only bit of data ” that supposedly shows this halving of coral , but said AIMS has refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be scrutinised .
Sediment from farms on the reef : “ If you look at sediments , there is no sediment out on the Great Barrier Reef .
I can take you to the GBR , I ’ d love to take you to the GBR , you name the reef , and we will go there and I will demonstrate there is no sediment from farms on the great barrier reef .
That is it , right , that is the data and that decides whether it is right or wrong.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the main pollutant in the reef : “ In my view there is no proof that agriculture has any significant effect on the reef whatsoever , ” Dr Ridd said .
He said agricultural pesticides were “ in such low concentrations ” that on 97 percent of the GBR “ they don ’ t even bother measuring it , because the concentrations are so low ” .
He said concentrations of pesticides in shore and in the rivers and wetlands “ can undoubtedly get to high levels ” .
However , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for one on the round top island on the mouth of the Pioneer River , except for that one example , there have been no measurements on the GBR of pesticides that reach anywhere near a harmful level , so we know that pesticides are not damaging the coral.
” Fertiliser produces algal blooms : “ The farmers are accused of all the fertiliser producing algal blooms , but what is ignored and you won ’ t see it in the consensus statement is that there is 100 times more nutrients that cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rivers in total , so it is a drop in the bucket the effect of the farmers on the GBR .
Now that is not my work , that is by Miles Furness from the AIMS .
20 years of his life was devoted ultimately to that conclusion.
” Cyclone impacts : “ A cyclone like cyclone Yasi probably re-suspended 500 million cubic metres of mud , this is hundreds of times more than what is going to come down from the rivers… .
Cyclones kill more coral than anything else , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 30cm deep 100km across and 50km wide , they ’ re like bulldozers that go through.
” Muddy bottom reefs : Questioned by Qld LNP Senator Gerard Rennick about “ muddy bottom reefs ” , Dr Ridd said these are specifically to do with inshore reefs .
“ We have a huge number of measurements on the muddy reef , we know from the geological evidence that these have been muddy for thousands of years because the mud around them has been laid down by rivers over thousands of years… the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they never tell the public we ’ re only talking about a very small fraction of the coral that are even muddy at all.
” 40-50 percent coral loss across the entire reef : LNP Senator Susan McDonald said evidence given earlier in the morning referred to “ 40-50pc coral loss across the entire reef ” .
Dr Ridd said that referred to a 2016-17 bleaching event .
“ In those surveys , they have largely done very shallow corals .
They have totally ignored the deep coral .
The last data I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost in this very shallow area , 0-2 metres deep .
The coral goes down to 50m deep .
The surveys on the deep coral show almost zero loss of coral from bleaching which is what you would expect , and therefore when you aggregated it there was probably an 8pc reduction if you look at the whole thing .
“ Now an 8pc reduction in coral still sounds serious , but when you consider there was a 250pc increase in coral between 2011 when a huge cyclone wiped out most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , an 8pc decrease is not much , it will recover from that within a few years.
” Is coral on the GBR dying ?
Asked by Senator Rennick if , in his opinion as someone who had spent his life examining the GBR , coral on the GBR is dying , Dr Ridd said he did not believe it was .
“ I don ’ t think there is any evidence that it is dying , ” he said .
“ I have a slight reservation about the direct effect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slight change there is some evidence that they may cause some problems , that does concern me .
“ But the actual data on coral calcification , shows if anything an increase in coral calcification , and there is no data that suggests the coral cover is reducing .
It fluctuates massively , and there has been a reduction in 2016-17 , but it is basically the same as it was when records began.
” ‘ I never accuse scientists of doing things for the wrong thing reason ’ Questioned by One Nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive distortions of science , Dr Ridd went to lengths to explain his view that “ there is no conspiracy ” .
“ I never accuse scientists of doing things for the wrong thing reason , I think they genuinely believe.. All of the marine scientists that I know who disagree with me , they believe , they are not doing it fraudulently or anything like that , but they come to what I believe are often the wrong conclusions , sometimes because they are very emotional about the reef , but essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality assurance systems.
” Science driving regulations must be held to higher standards Dr Ridd said that if the science was wrong , farmers will pay for it , and then people in the city .
“ You know the fact is , the new regulations , even the old regulations , are putting costs up for the farmers , ” he said .
“ Alright , that is not my business , I am a scientist , I am just saying that before you go ahead and do that , you really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure it is fair dinkum and we have actually got it as correct as it should be.
” Dr Ridd acknowledged he was “ in the minority ” on the question of whether or not the reef is being damaged by farms .
However , he said he was not in the minority when talking about quality assurance problems with science .
“ I am in the majority , I am with the mainstream , when we talk about there is a quality assurance problem in science , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we need some sort of body which takes a piece of information , ie AIMS coral growth rate data , and actually subjects it to real scrutiny and actually does the experiments again and see whether we can get the same result and then we can have a look at that and see how we go .
“ And by having some sort of quality assurance system just like auditors in financial systems , what it would do is it would make the scientists be much more careful about the work they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going ?
’ Given his stances on reef science “ have come at enormous personal cost , both to his reputation and financially ” , LNP Senator Susan McDonald asked Dr Ridd , why did he keep going ?
“ Wouldn ’ t it be easier to go home ?
” she asked .
“ Because I get very grumpy when I see stuff that is wrong , ” he replied .
“ That is what made me 15 years ago start this quality assurance work , I could see stuff that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work was being misquoted or ignored .
Not just mine , peers , my whole group , was being ignored .
“ This whole , you know , our work has been totally ignored , you just go on and on and you don ’ t like to see that .
Eventually you say something and bad things happen .
“ Anyway… I just go on , I can ’ t say why.
” Dr Ridd said he understood that being in the ‘ significant minority ’ would mean people would believe he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have been wrong on so many things on my life , I am sure that some of the things I have written down in that report are wrong .
“ But the basic question ‘ is there enough quality assurance ’ , I am certain that is not wrong .
“ I am not asking you to believe everything that I have said on a scientific basis , but I think there is more than enough evidence to say we need to do a bit better checking than what it is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important thing of my submission.
” He told the senators that if independent authority was established to check reef science , it was essential it be truly independent .
“ Such an organisation , if it was captured by the primary science organisation , would be Caesar judging Caesar and would be an absolute disaster .
“ That is why I think if it is done it needs to be run through the audit office , you need to have people who understand what happens when the consensus group takes over , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care would have to be taken .
“ But it would have the effect that scientists would be much more careful about making statements and publishing results where there was a likelihood they haven ’ t been careful , as careful as they should have been .
”


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Al Gore’s Ted Talk on the ‘new urgency of climate change’: On meeting UN emission targets: ‘The annu

Al Gore’s Ted Talk on the ‘new urgency of climate change’: On meeting UN emission targets: ‘The annual reductions would be significant, on the order of what we’ve seen with the pandemic’

Gore on what is needed to meet UN emission goals : `` The annual reductions would be significant , on @ @ @ @ @ 've seen with the pandemic .
And yes , that does seem daunting .
However @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to make some fairly dramatic changes . ''
Gore praises governments banning car engines @ @ @ @ @ 45 jurisdictions around the world -- national , regional and municipal -- where laws have @ @ @ @ @ of internal combustion engines .
Even India said that by 2030 , less than 10 @ @ @ @ @ will be illegal to sell any new internal combustion engines in India .
There are @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Democrats see ‘climate change’ as ‘political weapon’ for picking off key Trump 2016 voters – ‘People

Democrats see ‘climate change’ as ‘political weapon’ for picking off key Trump 2016 voters – ‘People have moved on this issue…they are wanting the government to do more’

Over the last few months , Baumann has surveyed voters ’ attitudes on climate change for environmental and Democratic political groups , including Climate Power 2020 , the League of Conservation Voters , and the Center for American Progress .
What he has found is climate change has “ now become a real political weapon for Democrats , '' he told the Washington Examiner .
In fact , polls are telling Democrats they can pick up voters by pressing hard on climate change and drawing a stark contrast with Trump .
Some of those , such as independents in swing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump desperately needs to keep .
Democrats want to use climate change to build a winning coalition in 2020 , not just to energize the party ’ s left-wing base but also to pick off center-right voters fed up with President Trump .
The strategy bucks conventional election wisdom .
Typically , candidates veer toward the center heading into a general election , tempering any rhetoric around polarizing issues such as climate change .
But climate change politics have in the last few years .
Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election just beginning to kick into high gear .
“ The assumption has always been , incorrectly , that climate is a dangerous place for Democrats , ” said Andrew Baumann , vice president of research for pollster Global Strategy Group .
Over the last few months , Baumann has surveyed voters ’ attitudes on climate change for environmental and Democratic political groups , including , the League of Conservation Voters , and the Center for American Progress .
What he has found is climate change has “ now become a real political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Examiner .
In fact , polls are telling Democrats they can pick up voters by pressing hard on climate change and drawing a stark contrast with Trump .
Some of those , such as independents in swing states and center-right women , are voters Trump desperately needs to keep .
Baumann , citing he conducted recently for Climate Power 2020 , said when the ballot was framed as a choice between a Democrat supporting “ bold climate action ” and a Republican opposing it , the ballot shifted from a 10-point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That included significant gains for Democrats among younger voters , Hispanics , independents in swing states , and center-right white women , he said .
The survey also found people question Trump ’ s credibility on climate change and aren ’ t convinced by some of Republicans ’ attacks on the Green New Deal .
“ When [ Trump ’ s ] trying to attack the Green New Deal and talk about airplanes and banning hamburgers and cows , that ’ s good for us .
We want to have that fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of Climate Power 2020 .
“ We know how much people have moved on this issue , ” added Lodes , a veteran of the Hillary Clinton campaign and Obama administration .
“ They are wanting the government to do more.
” That ’ s a particular threat to Trump because he needs to keep as many voters as he can , pollsters say .
Trump rose to victory in 2016 by winning the key swing states of Pennsylvania , Michigan , and Wisconsin , but he won those states by roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the total votes cast , said Anthony Leiserowitz , director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication .
That ’ s a “ razor thin ” margin of victory , he said .
Trump “ can ’ t afford to lose anybody.
” Overall , the Climate Power 2020 survey found 71 % of people support “ bold ” climate policies from the federal government .
“ Democrats can go too far on climate , but the room they have is so much larger than conventional wisdom suggests , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part because old arguments that climate policies would hurt the economy aren ’ t resonating as much beyond the Republicans ’ base .
Democrats are also shaping their climate policies around creating jobs , arguing climate policy is “ good economics , ” said Narayan Subramanian , a fellow for Data for Progress .
The timing is ripe for that argument , too , as pandemic-induced recession has prompted discussions of an economic stimulus .
Synergies between climate and economic policy have focused attention on a “ robust clean energy platform , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also starting to see the clear benefits of clean energy policy , ” he added .
In fact , Richard Trumka , head of the AFL-CIO , the country ’ s largest labor union , praised Biden ’ s more aggressive climate plan .
“ Quality jobs and labor rights are key to rebuilding our infrastructure — and America ’ s middle class , ” Trumka said in a , calling Biden ’ s plan “ strong on all these.
” Fossil fuel-heavy unions aren ’ t as convinced , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs .
Nonetheless , Democratic pollsters and environmentalists see bigger gains than losses for Biden if he leans into climate change , especially since Trump isn ’ t .
It might also be a bigger risk for Biden not to campaign aggressively on climate change .
Today ’ s highly polarized U.S. politics mean presidential elections are increasingly about turning out as much of a party ’ s base as possible , rather than trying to woo “ mythical swing voters ” who are “ increasingly unicorns , ” Leiserowitz said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ case to his progressive base .
He was not their first choice , ” he added .
“ Many of them , even many of the people in the climate movement , were not entirely sold on him as a climate warrior.
” That ’ s likely why Biden established a unity task force with former left-wing rival Bernie Sanders on climate change , staffed with several Sanders surrogates , Leiserowitz said .
One of the leaders of that task force was Green New Deal author Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of its recommendations , including a goal to eliminate power sector carbon emissions by 2035 .
So , too , does the Democratic National Committee ’ s .
Democrats ’ concern for climate change has steadily grown in the last few years , putting the issue on par with perennial election issues for the party , such as healthcare costs .
In November , liberal Democrats ranked climate change as their number one voting priority , according to a from the Yale Program on Climate Communication and the George Mason University Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s unprecedented in American political history , ” Leiserowitz said .
“ You ’ ve never seen climate change be at the very top of the list.
” In an April , even as the pandemic raged and unemployment surged , that prioritization didn ’ t change , he said .
If anything , public concerns about climate change increased slightly , he added .
Pew Research Center from April , too , found 88 % of Democrats consider climate change a major threat .
A June found strong majorities of both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive climate policies , including a carbon tax , stricter emissions limits for power plants , and more stringent fuel efficiency standards for cars .
“ It ’ s clear from our data that Democrats want to hear about climate change from their candidate in the general election , ” said Alec Tyson , an associate director of science research at Pew .


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Environmentalism’s Radical Next Generation

This past week , a new group calling itself Beyond Politics ( BP ) threw buckets of bright-pink paint at the entrances to the London offices of four global NGOs , including Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace .
“ We have no words to describe our disgust , ” messages left at the scene told their targets .
“ We accuse you of appeasing radical evil.
” BP accuses NGOs of not taking the issue of climate change seriously enough .
“ In the face of this monstrosity , what have you done ?
Fuck all that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has yielded little media attention , but it illustrates the global environmental movement ’ s bizarre and longstanding contradictions .
BP and its petty vandalism were the brainchild of Extinction Rebellion ( XR ) co-founder Roger Hallam , who got himself excommunicated from his own movement after he told German newspaper DieZeit that the Holocaust had been “ almost a normal event .
.
.
just another fuckery in human history.
” Hallam ’ s confidence was not dented by exile and charges of anti-Semitism , however .
After all , he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standing start to a global concern in just a matter of months .
Motivated by “ the indescribable suffering and death of billions of people , ” Hallam now demands that big NGOs either “ drive your organisations into a final battle with this genocidal regime ” or “ disband yourselves.
” Though Hallam is credited with co-founding XR , he forgets the role of money in its ascendancy .
It was through the generosity of , among others , billionaire hedge-fund manager Christopher Hohn that XR could afford offices , legal costs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diems .
Though populated by self-identifying system-crashing anti-capitalists , XR suited Hohn ’ s £30 billion portfolio , which he uses to threaten companies such as BlackRock and Moodies with “ divestment ” should they fail to conform to green diktats .
Hallam is right about one thing .
Green NGOs have developed cozy relationships with the establishment .
Even XR , which managed to bring only a few thousand people out into London ’ s streets , nonetheless succeeded in shutting down those streets , thanks to the nearly full cooperation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncritical support of London mayor Sadiq Khan .
Within a year , XR was invited by MPs to give evidence to committees at the very government departments that its protests had shut down .
Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Gove held a conference with the group to discuss its demands .
Parliament declared a “ climate emergency ” and convened a “ Citizens Assembly ” to hasten the government on a path toward its newly stated “ net zero ” ambition .
All as XR had demanded .
How was this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cash in the bank , but it is an organization with just a few thousand members , with unpopular aims—bringing down governments and dismantling industrial , democratic , capitalist society .
It is the close relationship between radical environmentalism and the government that better accounts for XR ’ s success than any power XR generated for itself .
XR succeeded not because it had mobilized the British public but because it used cash from philanthropic funds to reanimate a small army of surplus activists as an off-the-shelf PR outfit , with well-established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to media and government .
It was ever thus .
Environmentalism has long been lucrative for the well-connected , who are able to tap into streams of cash from philanthropic foundations to service corporate social-responsibility virtue-signalling PR and government propaganda—big business , in other words .
Very big .
The blueprint for this pact was established in the 1980s , when the United Nations appointed Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland to the World Commission on Environment and Development ( WCED ) .
Brundtland ’ s 1987 report , Our Common Future , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sustainable ” global political order .
In Brundtland ’ s schema , ordinary voters have no role in the body politic of the global ecological Utopia .
In place of the democratic competencies of national governments , NGOs will serve as the real intermediaries between supranational governance , industry , finance , and science on the one hand , and the hoi polloi on the other .
Thus , whereas green NGOs were once seen as single-issue campaigns or charities , they are today recast as “ civil society.
” The quid pro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspects .
First , they must act like dignified members of global society , able to mingle politely with royalty , corporations , billionaires , dignitaries , and despots .
Second , street-level environmentalists need to act as would a popular movement – a task which , despite the green movement ’ s half-century of history , it has not yet achieved .
Hence , green activism is better characterized by high-profile , media-friendly stunts and shrill , alarmist rhetoric than by representative membership organizations with coherent constitutions and founding objectives .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created a tension and a liability for the movement : the believers created by the unchallenged narrative of imminent doom are themselves left out of the cozy insiders ’ compact .
Earlier this year , Michael Moore and director Geoff Gibbs ’ s film , Planet of the Humans , blew the green movement ’ s cover in the political mainstream .
The film argued that , as radical as high-profile greens pretend to be , they are in fact the placemen of billionaires and corporate interests .
Moreover , green energy turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destructive as any other extractive industry , and it requires the public—rather than the venture-capitalist backers of radical environmental movements—to provide subsidies for the demolition of forests and natural landscapes .
It is because the coordinates of the climate change debate are so easily turned upside-down that the green movement turns on its own with an aggression usually reserved for its putative enemies .
Moore and Gibbs ’ s film was swiftly denounced as an abomination—a work of “ far-right , ” “ white supremacist ” fossil-fuel propaganda that must be censored .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , environmentalism has spawned a growing movement of those whom it can not accommodate and can not answer : fire-and-brimstone ecological zealots that no policy will ever satisfy .
Fearmongering , it turns out , is a Pandora ’ s box .
Pink paint is just the start .
Coming over the horizon are Greta Thunberg ’ s contemporaries : an entire generation whose sense of the future is being shaped by ecological propaganda .
What will this next generation do ?
They can ’ t all be bought off , as many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with jobs in eco-consultancies or NGOs to service the interests of hedge-fund managers .
But they have learned from that generation ’ s teachers , scientists , and governments to despise democracy .
And they have learned that the way to assert themselves is to take to the streets—not to give voice to carefully articulated grievances but to perform infantile tantrums .


climatedepot--2020-07-29--BBC Climate Documentary: ‘How they (skeptics) Made Us Doubt Everything’

I ’ ve just listened to the entire BBC radio series “ How They Made Us Doubt Everything ” , which compares climate skepticism to rejecting the link between tobacco and cancer .
Episodes 1-5 , all I heard was details of how the tobacco industry sowed doubt about lung cancer – interesting but largely irrelevant to the climate debate .
Episode 6 starts with a few details of Ben Santer ’ s custody battle for his son , then segues straight into saying how his life is also tough because he is a climate scientist .
The episode then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the Kyoto Protocol , claiming Ebell ’ s plan to oppose Kyoto was just like the “ white coat ” campaign against tobacco regulation .
It is worth pausing for a moment to reflect on some of the reasons why Ben Santer has encountered a few frustrations in his career .
Ben Santer became a Climategate star because of his email fantasy of perpetrating violent assault against Pat Michaels , but this is not all that Santer did .
Ben Santer also seems to have spent a fair bit of time thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data referenced by his published papers , while writing angry emails to colleagues about the persecution he was enduring .
“ Can any competitor simply request such datasets via the US FOIA before we have completed full scientific analysis of those datasets ?
” ( Climategate Email 1231257056.txt ) .
Stephen McKintyre describes Santer refusing a polite request for data on the Climate Audit website .
Of course none of this was mentioned by the BBC .
Episode 7 contains a quote from science communicator Susan Hassol , who seems to think ordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ uncertainty ” .
Episode 8 talks about Jerry Taylor .
Jerry used to be a climate skeptic , but changed his mind after talking to Joe Romm in the changing room after a live debate about James Hansen ’ s work .
Jerry discussed what Joe Romm said with Pat Michaels , about Hansen producing more than one scenario , but was unsatisfied with Pat ’ s response ; Jerry left with the impression he had been “ duped ” by climate skeptics .
I ’ m not sure why Jerry feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Willis , Hansen ’ s Scenario A underestimated CO2 emissions by 25 % , but predicted double the observed global warming .
The other Hansen scenarios were a better fit for the observed temperature trend , but drastically underestimated CO2 emissions .
Hansen got it wrong .
Episode 8 also mentions the BBC advising their journalists “ we do not need a denier to balance the debate “ .
Episode 9 focuses on smearing Dr. Willie Soon .
In my opinion the BBC attempted to make funding for Soon ’ s research look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollar bribe from the fossil fuel industry .
The part the BBC leaves out of this grossly misleading attack is the grant was paid over a period of ten years .
Lord Monckton estimates Willie Soon received less than $ 60,000 / year after the Smithsonian took their cut – not exactly life changing money .
WUWT published Willie Soon ’ s excellent response to the BBC ’ s biased questions , which Soon received from BBC producer Phoebe Keane a few weeks ago .
Episode 10 , “ Leaving the Tribe ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being dumped by his district after he embraced climate alarmism , though looking at other sources it is unclear whether climate alarmism was the primary reason Inglis was dumped – Inglis did plenty of other things which likely upset his supporters .
Producer Phoebe Keane then complains in episode 10 that when Willie Soon responded to her biased questions , she also received angry emails from other people Dr .
Soon copied into his response .
Keane then wastes listeners time discussing her disdain for the people who wrote to her , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Soon said in his response .
What can I say – this is not the BBC I grew up listening to and watching .
In my opinion “ how they made us doubt everything ” is an innuendo heavy smear , rather than a genuine attempt to enlighten BBC listeners .
The BBC “ How they made us doubt everything ” series spent two episodes of their 10 episode series vilifying Dr. Willie Soon , then failed to present Dr.
Soon ’ s response to their attacks .
Regardless of whether you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong , Dr. Willie Soon deserves better than this one sided gutter press assault on his reputation from the BBC .
Even dictators and murderers are often given an opportunity to argue their case on the BBC .
But this is a courtesy the BBC “ How they made us doubt everything ” series has so far failed to extend to a mild mannered law abiding climate scientist , who was unfortunate enough to be a prime target of their latest ugly smear campaign .
Update ( EW ) : h/t Dr .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hassol ’ s name .
Naomi Oreskes has expressed her support for the BBC series .


climatedepot--2020-07-29--What Greta missed from skipping school: Climate Presentation by Astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon

Camp Constitution is an all volunteer association of Americanists .
We run a week-long family camp , man information tables @ @ @ @ @ a book publishing arm , and post videos from our camp and others that we @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-29--Michael Shellenberger: I Was Invited to Testify to Congress on Energy Policy. Then Democrats Didn’t

Michael Shellenberger: I Was Invited to Testify to Congress on Energy Policy. Then Democrats Didn’t Let Me Speak – ‘I had the startling experience of being smeared by sitting members’ of House

Shellenberger : `` Late in the hearing , Representatives Sean Casten of Illinois and Jared Huffman of California , both Democrats , used the whole of their allotted time to claim that I am not a real environmentalist , that I am not a qualified expert , and that I am motivated by money .
Had I been given a chance to respond , I would have noted that : I have been a climate activist for 20 years ; my new book , Apocalypse Never , has received strong praise from leading environmental scientists and scholars ; the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invited me to serve as an expert reviewer ; and that I have always been financially independent of industry interests .
But I wasn ’ t given the chance to say any of that .
After Casten and Huffman lied about me , Rep. Garret Graves asked the committee ’ s chairperson , Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida , to let me respond .
She refused and abruptly ended the hearing . ''
Today , shortly after giving expert testimony to Congress about energy policy , I had the startling experience of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States House of Representatives .
The context was a special House Committee hearing to evaluate a Democratic proposal similar to the one proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , which would spend $ 2 trillion over four years on renewables and other climate programs .
Congressional interest in my testimony stems in part from the fact that I advocated for a Democratic energy proposal very similar to Biden ’ s between 2002 and 2009 .
Back then , the Obama administration justified the $ 90 billion it was spending on renewables as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s campaign is doing today .
But then , late in the hearing , Representatives Sean Casten of Illinois and Jared Huffman of California , both Democrats , used the whole of their allotted time to claim that I am not a real environmentalist , that I am not a qualified expert , and that I am motivated by money .
Had I been given a chance to respond , I would have noted that : I have been a climate activist for 20 years ; my new book , Apocalypse Never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental scientists and scholars ; the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently invited me to serve as an expert reviewer ; and that I have always been financially independent of industry interests .
But I wasn ’ t given the chance to say any of that .
After Casten and Huffman lied about me , Rep. Garret Graves asked the committee ’ s chairperson , Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida , to let me respond .
She refused and abruptly ended the hearing .
What , exactly , had I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats to engage in character assassination and undermine liberal democratic norms ?
Nothing I hadn ’ t already said last January when I testified before Congress about climate change and energy .
Back then , I testified that climate change is real but isn ’ t the end of the world nor even our most important environmental problem .
I pointed to the inherent physical reasons renewables can ’ t power a high energy industrial civilization .
And I noted that cheap and abundant natural gas and nuclear , not industrial solar and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of emissions reductions .


climatedepot--2020-07-29--ALERT: Warmist Eric Holthaus admits it: ‘The climate emergency isn’t about science, it’s about justi

ALERT: Warmist Eric Holthaus admits it: ‘The climate emergency isn’t about science, it’s about justice’

Climate activist & Meteorologist Eric Holthaus has now joined a long line of climate players now fully admitting that the climate “ crisis ” or “ emergency ” is not about the science after all .
“ The climate emergency isn ’ t about science , it ’ s about justice , ” Holthaus wrote on July 28 , 2020 .
Holthaus is also revealing how identity politics has taken over the climate debate .
See : NASA scientist Dr. Kate Marvel links ‘ climate change ’ to ‘ white supremacy ’ – ‘ We ’ ll never head off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Calls for climate & racial ‘ justice ’ Holthaus , a long time prominent climate activist has praised the UN IPCC reports .
See : Warmist Eric Holthaus : New IPCC report calls for ‘ rigorous backing to systematically dismantle capitalism ’ Holthaus has also injected his full emotions into his climate activism .
See : ‘ I lose sleep over climate change ’ – Warmist Meteorologist Eric Holthaus admits to ‘ soul-crushing despair ’ – ‘ I confess : I need help ’ Warmist Eric Holthaus — who publicly vowed never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again !
Climate expert Eric Holthaus ‘ failed out of ’ degree in meteorology at college – ‘ Realized it was a whole of math and computer sh*t ’ & ‘ upper-level-math ’ Climate activist Eric Holthaus likes COVID lockdown impact on car travel : ‘ Cars are the problem , not the answer ’ – Rips ‘ monstrous highway systems ’ – Envisions ‘ car-free era ’ in cities Holthaus has joined other prominent climate campaigners in admitting that climate change activism is not about climate science .
Architects of Green New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate AOC ’ s staff has bragged that the Green New Deal is about wealth redistribution , not climate .
Former Ocasio-Cortez campaign aide Waleed Shahid admitted that Ocasio-Cortez ’ s GND was a “ proposal to redistribute wealth and power from the people on top to the people on the bottom.
” In addition , AOC ’ s Chief-Of-Staff Saikat Chakrabarti also revealed that the Green New Deal was not about climate change .
The Washington Post reported in 2019 : Chakrabarti had an unexpected disclosure .
“ The interesting thing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ is it wasn ’ t originally a climate thing at all.
” “ Do you guys think of it as a climate thing ?
” Chakrabarti continued .
“ Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing.
” The UN and EPA regulations are simply a vehicle to put politicians and bureaucrats in charge of our energy economy and “ save ” us from bad weather and “ climate change.
” UN official Ottmar Edenhofer , co-chair of the IPCC Working Group III , admitted what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world ’ s wealth by climate policy … One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy .
This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore.
” In 2009 , former Vice President Al Gore touted U.S. cap-and-trade legislation as a method to help bring about “ global governance.
” UN climate chief Christiana Figueres declared in 2012 that she is seeking a “ centralized transformation ” that is “ going to make the life of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greta Thunberg explained in 2019 : “ The climate crisis is not just about the environment .
It is a crisis of human rights , of justice , and of political will .
Colonial , racist , and patriarchal systems of oppression have created and fueled it .
We need to dismantle them all .
Our political leaders can no longer shirk their responsibilities.
” Thunberg ’ s advisor , environmentalist George Monbiot explained in 2019 that in order to prevent “ climate breakdown , ” a complete change to our way of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve got to go straight to the heart of capitalism and overthrow it , ” Monbiot explained .
Outgoing UN IPCC Chief reveals global warming ‘ is my religion and my dharma ’ EU Commissioner : Global Warming Policy Is Right Even If Science Is Wrong – ‘ Regardless of whether or not scientists are wrong on global warming , the European Union is pursuing the correct energy policies even if they lead to higher prices , Europe ’ s climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard ’ s has said .
’


climatedepot--2020-07-29--Warmists lament media coverage: The curse of ‘both-sidesism’: ‘How climate denial skewed media cover

Warmists lament media coverage: The curse of ‘both-sidesism’: ‘How climate denial skewed media coverage for 30 years’

Ever wonder why Americans have been so slow to support climate action ?
A new study lays some of the blame on media bias —for 30 years , three of the country ’ s most influential sources of news gave too much credence to arguments that the world shouldn ’ t take decisive action to mitigate climate change .
“ Opponents of climate action have been given an outsize opportunity to sway this debate , ” said Rachel Wetts , the author of the study .
Her results were published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business , government , and social advocacy organizations from 1985 to 2013 , categorizing them by their stance on climate action .
She then ran the press releases through plagiarism detection software to see how often they were featured in the country ’ s largest-circulation newspapers : The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , and USA Today .
She found that even though 10 percent of the press releases contained messaging against climate action — arguments like , “ It would be too expensive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in print .
By contrast , the more prevalent press releases arguing for personal , corporate , or political action to tackle climate change were only covered 7 percent of the time .
And the least-covered press releases came from groups with the most expertise on science and technology , such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and IBM .
Edward Mailbach , director of the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communications , called these conclusions unsettling .
“ Rather than marginalize self-interested voices and give prominence to expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposite , ” he said .


climatedepot--2020-07-29--Activists Convinced Minnesota Attorney General To File Climate Lawsuit

A Minnesota activist group completely blew the cover of the entire climate litigation campaign by acknowledging how closely private individuals and organizations have coordinated with state attorneys general to promote lawsuits against fossil fuel companies .
For years , these activists have operated mostly in the shadows , attempting to shield their conversations and connections with government officials from public view .
So , it came as a surprise that during a webinar that was available for anyone to watch , the leader of Minnesota-based activist group Fresh Energy acknowledged to the entire world that his organization teamed up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to personally pitch Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to file a climate lawsuit , which he did against ExxonMobil , the American Petroleum Institute , and Koch Industries in June 2020 .
The news came from Michael Noble , the Executive Director of Fresh Energy , who said : Noble then acknowledged that two Special Assistant Attorneys General placed in Ellison ’ s office from the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center ( SEEIC ) had dedicated most of their time in that to the case : Activists Have Gone To Great Lengths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admission might earn him a slap on the wrist from the national leaders of the climate litigation campaign who have taken great pains to hide nearly every aspect of their work including legal strategy , funding , and fake news .
The group of state attorneys general , including Minnesota , that banded together to pursue climate lawsuits were briefed by plaintiffs ’ lawyer Matt Pawa right before their big press conference back in 2016 with former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and former Vice President Al Gore .
After news of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office took great pains to cover their tracks .
To support the litigation campaign financially , a constellation of Rockefeller groups have provided the money and logistical support including a secretive conference in La Jolla , Calif. in 2012 , lawyers to develop legal theories and coordinate with state attorneys general , and academics to gin up flawed scientific research .
The Rockefellers and others were also behind bought and paid for media meant to support the litigation campaign narrative while attempting to hide their role .
InsideClimate News published its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with a nearly identical investigation done by students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism .
Leading Rockefeller officials later admitted they funded the Columbia work while InsideClimateNews received the original seed funding and continued support from the Rockefellers .
The other big admission from Noble reveals even more information about SEEIC , which is funded by Michael Bloomberg through the NYU Law School .
The SEEIC developed a Fellow Program that placed Special Assistant Attorneys General ( SAAG ) into state attorneys general offices to work on environmental legal matters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SAAG , and the website states that “ the fellows ’ sole duty of loyalty is to the attorney general in whose office he or she serves , ” and they will work on “ clean energy , climate and environmental matters.
” Yet Noble ’ s admissions that the two Minnesota SAAGs “ have basically been working on this full-time over the last few months ” indicates they were placed into Ellison ’ s office for the express purpose of supporting the climate litigation campaign .
This type of “ law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal , ethical , and political criticisms , which has led the SEEIC to deemphasize the fellow program and state attorneys general to stop touting their association with the SEEIC .
The Minnesota Attorney General ’ s office even blocked open records requests seeking more information about its relationships with the SEEIC .
But thanks to Mr. Noble , we see that the SEEIC Fellow Program is still alive and well .
The webinar where Noble revealed this information had plenty of other well-known faces in attendance .
Both Fresh Energy and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Rockefeller groups – who have been behind the entire climate litigation campaign .
Later Noble said that “ many of the groups on this call are being supported by the Center for Climate Integrity , ” and another participant on the webinar was Sam Grant , the executive director for Minnesota 350 , who was featured in Ellison ’ s press release announcing the lawsuit .
Both the comments from Noble and the wide range of participants on the webinar shows just how extensive the coordination is between government officials and private @ @ @