climatedepot--2020-03-27--COVID-19: Updated data implies that UK modelling hugely overestimates the expected death rates from

COVID-19: Updated data implies that UK modelling hugely overestimates the expected death rates from infection

There has been much media coverage about the danger to life posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic .
While it is clearly a serious threat , one should consider whether the best evidence supports the current degree of panic and hence government policy .
Much of the concern in the UK resulted from a non-peer reviewed study published by the COVID-19 Response Team from Imperial College ( Ferguson et al 2020 [ 1 ] ) .
In this article , I examine whether data from the Diamond Princess cruise ship – arguably the most useful data set available – support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study .
I find that it does not do so .
The likely fatality rates for age groups from 60 upwards , which account for the vast bulk of projected deaths , appear to be much lower than those in the Ferguson et al .
study .
Metrics for COVID-19 ’ s fatality rate and their estimation The fatality rate from infection ( IFR ) , by age group , is a key parameter in determining how serious a threat the COVID-19 pandemic represents .
Unfortunately , the IFR is difficult to determine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fatality rate for cases where the COVID-19 virus can be shown , by a standard test , to be present , whether or not there are any symptoms .
This is referred to as the true case fatality rate ( tCFR ) .
The tCFR will overestimate the IFR , since a proportion of people who actually have been infected may show no viral presence when tested , either because they have already fought off and cleared an infection without any noticeable symptoms , or perhaps because they have pre-existing immunity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a sample of people without regard to whether they show symptoms , the tCFR may provide a reasonable , albeit somewhat biased high , estimate of the IFR .
However , determining tCFR is not simple either , since in most cases infected people with no or mild symptoms will not be tested for COVID-19 .
Attempts have nevertheless been made to estimate tCFR by adjusting estimates of the CFR based on symptomatic cases only ( sCFR ) , by adjusting for the non-random nature of testing , and also for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being known for some time .
The Ferguson et al .
study used estimates of the IFR [ 2 ] from another paper from the same team , Verity et al .
( 2020 ) [ 3 ] , which had been published a few days earlier on 13 March .
Very helpfully , Verity et al.
, unlike Ferguson et al.
, published the computer code and data that they used .
The Verity et al .
CFR estimates were derived primarily from Chinese data , which reflected non-random testing .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality , tCFR estimates ) by adjusting their CFR estimates using infection prevalence data for expatriates evacuated from Wuhan , all of whom were tested for COVID-19 infection .
This approach involves very large uncertainties .
An alternative approach to estimating the tCFR , as a proxy for the IFR , is to use data from a large sample of people , all of whom were tested for the presence of the virus without regard to whether they showed any symptoms , with all who tested positive subsequently being isolated and the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While the sample of expatriates evacuated from Wuhan is too small for this purpose , [ 4 ] occupants of the Diamond Princess cruise ship do provide a suitable such sample .
[ 5 ] Moreover , the Diamond Princess sample has the advantage that it consists mainly of people from high income countries , and those requiring hospitalisation were treated in such countries .
The Diamond Princess sample may well represent the best available evidence regarding tCFR for older age groups , who are most at risk .
Verity et al @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Diamond Princess , but did not use sCFR or tCFR estimates from them for their main CFR and IFR estimates .
[ 6 ] When Verity et al .
was prepared , the final death toll was not known .
The data available only ran to 5 March 2020 , at which point 7 passengers had died .
The authors therefore used a fitted probability distribution for the delay from testing positive to dying to estimate that those deaths would represent 56 % of the eventual death toll .
They accordingly therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 12.5 deaths .
Here , I adopt the same death rate model and use the same data set , but brought up to date .
By 21 March the number of deaths had barely changed , increasing from 7 to 8 .
Of those 8 deaths , 3 are reported to have been in their 70s and 4 in their 80s .
I allocate the remaining , unknown age , person pro rata between those two age groups .
As at 21 March the Verity et al .
model estimates that 96 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred , so we can scale up to 100 % , giving an estimated ultimate death toll of 8.34 , allocated as to 3.58 to the 70-79 age group and 4.77 to the 80+ age group .
Accordingly , the Verity et al central estimate for the Diamond Princess death toll , of 12.5 eventual deaths , is 50 % too high .
This necessarily means that the estimates of tCFR and sCFR they derived from it are too high by the same proportion .
The Diamond Princess dataset was published by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NIID ) .
I use the second version published on 21 February [ 7 ] , which gives detailed data for 619 confirmed cases , updating it for subsequent test results .
[ 8 ] Verity used the original 19 February version of NIID , which gave data for 531 confirmed cases , although they did update it for subsequent test results .
The entire set of passengers and crew , totalling 3711 individuals , was tested for COVID-19 .
Some 706 ( 19.0 % ) ultimately had positive test results , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 619 of them ) 51 % were asymptomatic .
The infection rate varied between 10.0 % for ages under 30 years to 24.5 % for ages 60+ years .
The age-distribution was only known for cases included in the NIID data .
Verity et al .
assumed that the age distribution for the overall total of 706 confirmed cases was the same as for the 531 NIID reported cases that they used .
I do the same , but using the later NIID data , with 619 reported cases .
On that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in respectively the 60–69 , 70–79 and 80+ key age groups had positive test results .
Recall that tCFR is the eventual death toll divided by the total numbers testing positive .
My overall tCFR central estimates from the Diamond Princess 70+ age groups , where all the deaths are taken to have occurred , are 2.54 % overall ( 8.34/328.5 ) , [ 9 ] with a breakdown of 1.34 % for ages 70-79 ( 3.58/266.9 ) and 8.04 % ( 4.77/61.6 ) for ages 80+ .
For the 60–69 age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make a crude median estimate of the tCFR , by calculating what it would need to be for there to be a 50 % probability that no 60-69 year-old has died , as appears to have been the case .
The thus-implied tCFR is 0.34 % .
There were too few Diamond Princess occupants in age groups below 60 with positive test results to provide any useful information about the COVID-19 tCFR for those groups .
It appears that in about 30 % of symptomatic cases the standard RT-PCR test for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient is in fact infected .
[ 10 ] There is no evidence of any COVID-19 related deaths among Diamond Princess occupants who tested negative , which would be consistent with a lower viral load being associated with a lower probability both of a positive RT-PCR test result and of eventual death .
The false-negative rate may be slightly lower for Diamond Princess occupants , a few of whom may have been retested or tested by a more reliable method where they had typical COVID-19 symptoms but an initially negative RT-PCR test result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the proportion of asymptomatic infected cases that are not detected by a RT-PCR test will be somewhat higher than the 30 % estimated for symptomatic cases .
We accordingly adjust all the tCFR ratios estimated from Diamond Princess case data down by 30 % on account of false-negative test results .
The observed deaths of Diamond Princess occupants occurred over a 45 day period , during which a non-negligible percentage of old people would be expected to die from non-COVID-19 related causes .
I have accordingly deducted from the adjusted tCFR ratios an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups , based on UK age-stratified 2018 death rates , [ 11 ] to arrive at estimates of deaths caused by COVID-19 .
There are arguments for the non-COVID death rates being either higher or lower than those for the UK population of the same age , but using those death statistics appears to be a reasonable first approximation .
Comparing the Ferguson et al .
UK and Diamond Princess based fatality rate estimates The results of the foregoing analysis are set out in Table 1 .
The key finding is that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups , which must if anything overestimate their IFRs , are far lower than the corresponding IFR estimates used by Ferguson et al .
in the study adopted by the UK government .
[ 12 ] Those age groups account for the vast bulk of projected deaths .
For people aged 60–69 , the Ferguson et al IFR estimate is 19.4 times as high as the best tCFR estimate based on Diamond Princess data , for the 70–79 age group it is 8.3 times as high , and for the 80+ age group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Table 1 : True Case Fatality Rates estimated from the latest Diamond Princess data compared with Infection Fatality Rates per Ferguson et al .
2019 , used by the UK government Note : An all-causes tCFR of 0.34 % ( and hence 0.69 notional ultimate fatalities ) is assumed for age-group 60-69 despite there being no actual fatalities in that age group ( see text ) .
Expected non-COVID-19 fatalities are based on UK 2018 death rates by age group applied to the DP positive test cases , scaled by the 45 day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and divided by the same 0.96 factor used to scale up the 8 actual deaths .
DP= Diamond Princess .
Based on the Diamond Princess data , the COVID-19 fatality rates by age-group assumed by Ferguson et al .
appear to be far too pessimistic for all 60+ age groups , where the vast bulk of fatalities are projected to occur .
It is quite possible that they are also too pessimistic for younger age groups as well , but unfortunately the Diamond Princess data are uninformative about death rates below age 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 60+ age groups the projected excess death rates , based on Diamond Princess case data , caused by COVID-19 is substantially lower than the underlying non-COVID-19 annual death rate .
Even assuming , very pessimistically , that there is no overlap between the two , and that the same proportion of each age group becomes infected , projected COVID-19 related deaths from an epidemic in which the vast bulk of the population became infected with COVID-19 are only 9 % of expected annual non-COVID deaths for the 60–69 age group .
[ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the proportion is 20 % , and for the 80+ age group it is 26 % .
Relative to the expected non-COVID deaths over two years , the approximate period during which very onerous restrictions are projected to be in force in the UK , these COVID-19 excess death proportions would each be reduced by almost half .
In practice , a high proportion of people killed by COVID-19 will have serious underlying health conditions , and would be much more likely than average to die from non-COVID-19 causes .
Since writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people from the Diamond Princess have died , bringing the death toll to 10 .
Although , as one or two commenters have pointed out , the Worldometer website has for the last day or two been showing 10 deaths , it cites no source for that , the World Health Authority Situation Reports show no change in the number of deaths , and my original searching of the Japanese language Ministry of Health , Labor and Welfare reports showed deaths remaining at 8 .
However , I have now , using Japanese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 to 26 March , which show an increase from 8 to 10 deaths .
I have therefore updated my analysis to reflect that increase , as per the revised Table 1 below .
No information as to age at death was given , so I have allocated the 2 further deaths pro rata to the 70-79 and 80+ age groups .
I have not reduced the scaling up for possible future deaths to reflect the later date , as it appears that the probability distribution that Verity et al .
used may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a month after testing positive for COVID-19 .
I have also updated the total number of positive test results from 706 to 712 , in line with the latest Japanese report .
Although the tCFRs that I estimate for older age groups are now slightly higher , they are still far below the Ferguson et al .
estimates .
The projected excess COVID-19 deaths over annual UK deaths rates given in the final paragraph become 10 % , 27 % and 34 % for the 60-69 , 70-79 and 80+ age groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are qualitatively unchanged .
Table 1 ( revised ) : True Case Fatality Rates estimated from the latest Diamond Princess data compared with Infection Fatality Rates per Ferguson et al .
2019 , used by the UK government [ 1 ] Neil M Ferguson , Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions ( NPIs ) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand , Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team Report 9 , 16 March 2020 , https : //spiral.imperial.ac.uk:8443/handle/10044/1/77482 [ 2 ] Ferguson et al .
adjusted the Verity et al .
IFR estimates “ to account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without giving further information about the assumed attack rates .
They appear to have increased the Verity et al .
IFR estimates for all 60+ age groups by approximately 19 % , while making little or no changes to those for younger age groups .
It is unclear whether doing so was justified .
[ 3 ] Verity R , Okell LC , Dorigatti I , et al .
Estimates of the severity of COVID-19 disease .
medRxiv 13 March 2020 ; https : //www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033357v1 .
[ 4 ] Their sample of evacuated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 6 tested positive for COVID-19 , none of whom died .
[ 5 ] Russell et al.
, “ Estimating the infection and case fatality ratio for COVID-19 using age-adjusted data from the outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship ” , medRxiv preprint dated 9 March 2020 , did use exclusively Diamond Princess data .
However , the early data that they used was incomplete and their IFR ( actually tCFR ) estimates appear to be based on assuming 26 eventual deaths , and hence are far too high .
[ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that that figures derived from the Diamond Princess data set were “ consistent ” with their main estimates , meaning that they fell within their very wide main estimate uncertainty ranges .
[ 8 ] Using the same sources as given in Verity et al.
, for dates from 20 February on .
Doing so yields a total of 704 positive test results , which I adjust to equal the cumulative total of 706 results stated in the final , 2 March 2020 , update .
[ 9 ] A simple estimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 97.5 % upper uncertainty bound is approximately double this figure .
[ 12 ] Moreover , I am unable to reproduce the Ferguson et al .
estimate of 510,000 deaths in the ‘ Do nothing ’ case , based on their estimate of 81 % of the population being infected and using their IFRs .
Note that the Ferguson et al .
IFR estimates assume that , as was the case for the infected Diamond Princess occupants , health systems have not been overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases .
[ 13 ] Based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 81 % of the population eventually becomes infected .


climatedepot--2020-03-27--Earth Is Greening Due To Rising CO2…A Growing Greening Sink Offsets 17 Years Of Equivalent CO2 Emiss

Earth Is Greening Due To Rising CO2…A Growing Greening Sink Offsets 17 Years Of Equivalent CO2 Emissions By 2100

A new study finds rising CO2 concentrations ( and warming ) have driven the rapid increase in Earth ’ s photosynthesis processes , or greening .
CO2-induced planetary greening leads to an enormous expansion of Earth ’ s carbon sink .
By 2100 this greening-sink effect will offset 17 years of equivalent human CO2 emissions .
This easily supersedes the effect of Paris Agreement CO2 mitigation policies .
In a break from the deflating global news of viral infections and rising death rates , a groundbreaking new study ( Haverd et al.
, 2020 ) affirms the “ beneficial role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future excess anthropogneic CO2 consistent with the target of the Paris Agreement ” via the fertilization effect of rising CO2 .
There has been a 30 % rise in global greening since 1900 .
CO2 fertilization is the “ dominant driver ” of these greening trends , with an additional positive contribution from climate warming .
When CO2 levels double ( to 560 ppm ) , this CO2-fertilization-greening effect is expected to increase to 47 % .
Growth in the land ’ s carbon sink – absorbing excess CO2 emissions – will reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century .
This is the equivalent of eliminating 17 full years of human CO2 emissions .

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climatedepot--2020-03-27--New Study: Sea Level Changes Since 1993 Are ‘Dominated’ And ‘Heavily Influenced’ By Internal Variabi

New Study: Sea Level Changes Since 1993 Are ‘Dominated’ And ‘Heavily Influenced’ By Internal Variability

From 1993 to 2018 , the satellite altimetry sea level changes reveal both positive and negative accelerations , align with oscillatory patterns , and are dominated by internal variability ( e.g.
, PDO , ENSO ) .
The “ forced acceleration pattern ” assumed to be associated with anthropogenic global warming “ has not emerged ” .
Negative or negligible sea level accelerations both in recent years and in the long-term record .
For years scientists have been trying to detect an anthropogenic influence in sea level changes globe as manifested by an acceleration that rises out of the range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an acceleration in sea level rise trends from 1993 to 2003 , since 2004 negative accelerations ( -0.08 mm/year² ) have emerged in the global satellite record ( Chen et al.
, 2014 ; Dean and Houston , 2013 ) .
For the long-term trend , when cleared of multi-decadal oscillations , “ there is no sign of acceleration ” in sea level changes across the globe .
In the locations where the tide gauge record do evince acceleration , they are still “ remarkably close to zero ” ( Boretti , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sea level changes still “ too small ” to be detected The Pacific Ocean is where the largest sea level rise trends have emerged in recent years .
But even in locations where sea level rise is most pronounced , there have been positive as well as negative accelerations reminiscent of oscillatory patterns since the satellite altimetry era began in 1993 .
Consequently , scientists ( Palanisamy et al.
, 2015 ) have concluded that “ an anthropogenic sea level fingerprint…is still too small to be observable by satellite altimetry ” and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ variability “ .
A new study ( Hamlington et al.
, 2020 ) published last week in Geophysical Research Letters again affirms that recent sea level changes – including negative accelerations – indicate any trends in the 1993-2018 satellite altimetry era are dominated by internal variability ( e.g.
, PDO , ENSO ) .
The authors suggest the forced acceleration assumed to be connected to anthropogenic climate change “ has not emerged ” yet .
Further , “ most locations do not display a significant acceleration , ” and for those locations where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still mostly due to internal variability .
Perhaps there will be a point in the future when scientists can declare an anthropogenic influence has been spotted in sea level changes .
For now , though , internal variability “ masks ” a potential attribution .


climatedepot--2020-03-27--Green Madness: EU Sticks To Carbon Reporting Deadlines, Rejects Industry Calls For Coronavirus Delay

BRUSSELS – A European Union deadline of April 30 for firms to surrender emissions trading system ( ETS ) carbon allowances will stand , despite calls for extensions from some industry groups due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Industry , utilities and airlines running flights in Europe must report their ETS emissions for the previous calendar year by 31 March , and surrender enough carbon permits to cover these emissions by 30 April under the bloc ’ s ETS rules .
The European Commission said on Thursday it recognised that the coronavirus crisis might make it difficult for companies to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March , but the existing rules provide flexibility around this deadline .
National authorities can make a “ conservative estimate ” of emissions for firms that miss the March deadline , so long as this is done in time for the April compliance deadline , it said .
“ The Commission underlines the importance of the timely surrender of allowances by the mandatory deadline of 30 April 2020 , ” it added .
Some industrial lobbies had asked the Commission to delay this year ’ s carbon market compliance deadlines , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a verifier check their reported emissions matched actual production .
Firms that left this to the last minute face the problem that coronavirus has shut factories and kept staff at home .
“ Our members have flagged the need for flexibility with compliance deadlines under the ETS , ” European cement producers association Cembureau chief executive Koen Coppenholle said .
“ We support postponing the 31 March compliance deadline of the EU ETS , ” European steel association Eurofer said .
The UK steel association said it had asked the British @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deadlines , citing “ on-site disruptions ” amid the pandemic .


climatedepot--2020-03-26--Former UK PM Gordon Brown urges world leaders to create ‘a temporary form of global government’ to t

Former UK PM Gordon Brown urges world leaders to create ‘a temporary form of global government’ to tackle coronavirus

Now is the time for global leaders to create one world government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic , former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged on Thursday .
... “ This is not something that can be dealt with in one country , ” he said .
“ There has to be a coordinated global response.
” ... Gordon Brown has urged world leaders to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Gordon Brown has urged world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Now is the time for global leaders to create one-world government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic , former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged on Thursday .
The left-wing former Labour leader said there was a need for a taskforce involving world leaders , health experts and the heads of international organisations that would have supreme and unfettered executive powers to coordinate the response .
He gave no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders , ” how long they would serve for or just what their powers would involve , the Guardian reports .
Brown simply wants a new layer of global supra-government to force a solution to a crisis that began in Wuhan , China .
“ This is not something that can be dealt with in one country , ” he said .
“ There has to be a coordinated global response.
” Brown said the current crisis was different to the one he was involved in 2008 during the global financial crash .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had economic causes and had an economic solution .
“ This is first and foremost a medical emergency and there has to be joint action to deal with that .
But the more you intervene to deal with the medical emergency , the more you put economies at risk.
” Brown said his proposed global taskforce would fight the crisis on two fronts .
There would need to be a coordinated effort to find a vaccine , and to organise production , purchasing and prevent profiteering .
“ We need some sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If I were doing it again , I would make the G20 a broader organisation because in the current circumstances you need to listen to the countries that are most affected , the countries that are making a difference and countries where there is the potential for a massive number of people to be affected – such as those in Africa.
” The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund needed an increase in their financial firepower to cope with the impact of the crisis on low- and middle-income countries , he @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-26--Rolling Stone’s profile: ‘GRETA’S WORLD’ – ‘How one Swedish teenager armed with a homemade sign igni

Rolling Stone’s profile: ‘GRETA’S WORLD’ – ‘How one Swedish teenager armed with a homemade sign ignited a crusade and became the leader of a movement’

ere is persona and there is reality in Greta Thunberg .
It is Valentine ’ s Day in her hometown of Stockholm , but there ’ s only wind , no hearts and flowers .
A few hundred kids mill about , with a smattering of adults .
If there were not signs reading “ Our Earth , We Only Have One , ” it could be mistaken for a field trip to the ABBA museum .
But where is Greta ?
I find a scrum of reporters interviewing a child in a purple puffer jacket , pink mittens , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes me a minute to realize that it ’ s Greta .
She is 17 , but could pass for 12 .
I can ’ t quite square the fiery speaker with the micro teen in front of me .
She seems in need of protection .
Of course , this is emphatically wrong .
Greta Thunberg has Asperger ’ s , which , she says , gives her pinpoint focus on climate minutiae while parrying and discarding even the smallest attempt at flattery .
We stand near the Swedish Parliament house , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started her Skolstrejk för klimatet , School Strike for Climate .
Back then , it was just Greta , a sign , and a lunch of bean pasta in a reusable glass jar .
Then it was two people , and then a dozen , and then an international movement .
I mention the bravery of her speeches , but she waves me away .
She wants to talk about the loss of will among the olds .
“ It seems like the people in power have given up , ” says Thunberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back her mussed up brown-blond hair .
She remains on message despite the tourists and teens taking her picture and mugging behind us .
“ They say it ’ s too hard — it ’ s too much of a challenge .
But that ’ s what we are doing here .
We have not given up because this is a matter of life and death for countless people.
” It was my second encounter with Greta in three weeks .
Back in January , before the Coronavirus brought the world to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday protests online , she was in Davos , Switzerland , for the annual conference of the World Economic Forum , where billionaires helo into the Swiss resort town and talk about solving the world ’ s problems without making their lives any harder .
Thunberg had appeared last year and made her now iconic “ Our House Is on Fire ” speech , in which she declared the climate crisis to be the mortal threat to our planet .
Solve it or all the other causes — feminism , human rights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Either we choose to go on as a civilization or we don ’ t , ” said Thunberg with cold precision .
“ That is as black or white as it gets .
There are no gray areas when it comes to survival.
” The speech made Thunberg the unlikely and reluctant hero of the climate crisis .
She crossed the ocean in a sailboat — she doesn ’ t fly for environmental reasons — to speak before the United Nations .
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Year , conjuring the manic jealousy of Donald Trump , who called the honor “ so ridiculous ” and suggested she go to the movies and chill out .
In Davos , the illuminati prattled on about planting a trillion trees , even as we are still clear-cutting actual trees from the Amazon all the way to Thunberg ’ s beloved Sweden .
This did not amuse nor placate the hoodie-wearing Greta .
She seemed irritated and perhaps a little sick ; she canceled an appearance the day before because she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in no mood for flattery and nonsense .
So when Time editor Edward Felsenthal asked her how she dealt with all the haters , Greta didn ’ t even try to answer diplomatically .
“ I would like to say something that I think people need to know more than how I deal with haters , ” she answered , before launching into details from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ’ s latest report .
She mentioned that if we are to have even a 67 percent chance of limiting global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point where catastrophic changes begin , we have less than 420 gigatons of CO2 that we can emit before we pass the no-going-back line .
Thunberg stated that , at the current rate , we have eight years to change everything .
Thunberg ’ s face was controlled fury .
This was the persona : an adolescent iron-willed truth teller .
The Davos one-percenters clapped and rattled their Rolexes .
It has become a disconcerting pattern for Thunberg appearances that would be repeated at the European Commission : Greta tells the adults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lame and shortsighted .
They still give her a standing ovation .
A few minutes later , she was gone and the audience dispersed into a fleet of black BMWs and Mercedes , belching diesel into the Alpine sky .
My Greta travels featured a Vancouver-Zurich round trip and then an L.A.-Stockholm trip .
In between , I fly from Vancouver to L.A. for another story .
It ’ s the job , but I take stock in horror and calculate that my three flights burn more carbon than the yearly usage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries .
I torch the atmosphere so I can hear others praise the girl who won ’ t fly .
“ The phrase ‘ A little child shall lead them ’ has come to mind more than once , ” Al Gore tells me in Davos , before sharing his favorite Greta moment .
It was at the U.N. summit last fall .
“ She said to the assembled world leaders , ‘ You say you understand the science , but I don ’ t believe you .
Because if you did and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do , that would mean you ’ re evil .
And I don ’ t believe that.
’ ” Gore shook his head in wonderment .
“ Wow.
” He then gives a history lesson : “ There have been other times in human history when the moment a morally-based social movement reached the tipping point was the moment when the younger generation made it their own .
Here we are.
” Activist-actress Jane Fonda was so inspired by Greta that she has been hosting a series of Fire Drill Fridays .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopelessness , and then I started reading about Greta , ” Fonda tells me one winter afternoon in Los Angeles .
“ She inspired me to get out there and do more.
” But in Stockholm , the world of presidential taunts , former vice presidents slathering praise , and Oscar winners rhapsodizing seems far away .
Outside of the Parliament building , Greta tells me she doesn ’ t worry about her safety despite Trump and others speaking cruelly about her on social media .
( According to her mother , locals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Later in February , she would march in Bristol , England , and be met by social media posts suggesting she deserved to be sexually assaulted .


climatedepot--2020-03-30--The coronavirus pandemic versus the ‘climate emergency’

Protecting public health was a core function of governments long before the expansion of the state in the 20th century .
“ Great fears of the sickenesses here in the City , it being said that two or three houses are already shut up , ” Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary on April 16 , 1665 .
“ God preserve us all.
” Londoners trying to flee the plague had to obtain a certificate of good health signed by the lord mayor , who also enforced a curfew and a lockdown of plague households .
A generation after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the quarantining of smallpox patients .
Nineteenth century urban Britain experienced a huge rise in deaths from infectious diseases .
In 1849 , more than 50,000 people died from a cholera epidemic that swept London .
The previous year , Parliament passed the landmark Public Health Act .
According to historians of the act , “ public health was not a party matter , nor was the need for comprehensive sanitary legislation controversial.
” That year , the physician John Snow made the first great epidemiological breakthrough with his discovery that fecal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health law and improved medical knowledge led to the construction of vast networks of clean piped water , high-velocity sewers and recycling of waste .
The Victorian sanitation revolution occurred during the zenith of classical liberalism , when public health was understood to mean measures that have to be applied to whole communities and not preventive activity , such as the campaign against the so-called epidemic of childhood obesity .
A genuine pandemic , spreading geometrically across the globe in a matter of weeks , shows the phoniness of that “ epidemic.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic puts into some perspective the climate emergency , which has been running for nigh on 32 years .
The climate emergency was first announced in June 1988 .
“ Humanity is conducting an unintended , uncontrolled , globally pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequences could be second only to a global nuclear war , ” the Toronto climate conference declared that month .
One way of assessing the reliability of a body of science with major policy implications is whether the experts in the field are prone to over-predicting the severity of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Richard Doll , one of the pioneer epidemiologists in discovering the link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer , predicted that , in 1973 , the number of deaths from lung cancer in Britain would be as high as 25,000 .
The actual number was 26,000 .
Doll ’ s prediction passed a hard test .
By contrast , the Toronto climate conference predicted global temperatures would increase by between 1.5 and 4.5°C ( 2.7°F and 8.1°F ) by the 2030s .
Since 1988 , average global temperature has risen at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade , less than one-half the 0.36°C ( 0.65°F ) per decade implied by a 1.5°C rise by 2030 and only one-sixth of the rate of a 4.5°C rise .
If there ’ s been a mainstream climate scientist who has under-predicted global warming , he or she must have taken the scientific equivalent of a Trappist vow of silence .
More recently , Myles Allen , an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) lead author , admitted that climate computer models are running too hot compared to the actual climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that rapid acceleration in warming after 2000 that we see in the models , ” Allen told the London Times in September 2017 .
The coronavirus pandemic shows what a genuine crisis looks like .
No one has to catastrophize it ; the facts speak for themselves .
Inducing fear and panic is counter-productive .
Global warming is different .
For more than three decades , climate change has been the catastrophe that ’ s always just over the horizon .
It moves with glacial speed ; there is plenty of time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most adaptive species on the planet – have been adapting to a changing climate ever since they first wore animal skins for warmth .
The idea that the generation born since 1988 has experienced anything approaching a global nuclear war is preposterous .
Even last year ’ s destructive Australian wildfires were fueled by green policies that prevented controlled fires .
One thing hasn ’ t changed and won ’ t change : Catastrophizing climate change for political ends .
At one of the secretive meetings in 1987 , limited to only 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the IPCC , it was recognized that climate change had to be catastrophized to persuade politicians that they should embark on damaging emissions cuts .
Earlier this month , United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres complained about the attention being given to COVID-19 : “ Whilst the disease is expected to be temporary , climate change has been a phenomenon for many years , and will remain with us for decades and require constant action.
” Congressional Democrats ’ failure to hold coronavirus relief legislation hostage in exchange for the Green New Deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to escape the conclusion that the inability to distinguish between a genuine crisis and an imagined one in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century is a manifestation of a collective psychological disorder .
Two lessons can be drawn .
The first is the importance of governments and responsible international bodies focusing on genuine threats that can rapidly overwhelm our capacity to handle them .
Something has gone very wrong when the World Health Organization , the lead institution coordinating the response to global pandemics , climbed on the climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially the strongest health agreement of this century ” and listed climate change as the No .
1 threat to global health .
The second is resilience .
Richer societies are better able to handle a pandemic than poorer ones .
After the 2003 SARS outbreak , Singapore invested in a purpose-built National Centre for Infectious Diseases .
Of larger economies , South Korea ’ s response has , so far , been the most successful ; like Singapore , it can afford preparedness because it has a strong economy , reflected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1992 , Korea ’ s carbon dioxide emissions have more than doubled and it is planning to grow them under the Paris Agreement .
Unlike House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) and her colleagues , South Korea has no intention of sacrificing its economy on the altar of climate change .
Nor should America .
Thanks to their collective obsession with climate change , Democrats are ensuring that that will be the choice on the ballot come November .
Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow at RealClear Foundation , a nonprofit affiliate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analyzes public policy and civic issues .
He is the author of “ Green Tyranny : Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex ” ( 2017 ) and “ The Age of Global Warming : A History ” ( 2013 ) .
A strategy consultant and policy analyst , he was a special adviser to the United Kingdom ’ s chancellor of the exchequer under Prime Minister John Major .


climatedepot--2020-03-30--New Study: Coral Reefs Thrive Near Acidic Waters (pH ~6.0) Where Seafloor Vents Emit Up To 95,000 pp

New Study: Coral Reefs Thrive Near Acidic Waters (pH ~6.0) Where Seafloor Vents Emit Up To 95,000 ppm CO2B

Though it ’ s believed the 130 ppm increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration since 1750 has caused the ocean waters to “ acidify ” , on a daily basis 50-380°C metallic acid enriched by CO2 concentrations reaching 60,000 to 95,000 ppm pours through seafloor vents .
Nearby coral reefs “ thrive ” in these high-CO2 conditions .
50 times more CO2 in the oceans than in the atmosphere Though many believe humans are “ acidifying ” the oceans by burning fossil fuels and emitting CO2 , the ability of humans to impact the oceanic CO2 concentration is already compromised by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 50 times more CO2 ( 38,000 vs. 750 PgC ) than the atmosphere does ( North et al.
, 2014 ) .
What ’ s the source for the oceans ’ much higher CO2 concentrations ?
On a daily basis , “ numerous ” volcanic eruptions with “ astounding values ” of liquid CO2 pour through the oceanic seafloor .
The temperature of the acid spewing into the ocean reaches 103°C to 380°C ( Kelley , 2017 ) .
How much CO2 is spewed into the ocean by seafloor volcanism ?
Mid-ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to the CO2 flux from the Earth ’ s mantle to the sea surface .
It has previously been observed that the acid pouring into the abyssal ocean from seafloor volcanism may contain about 9,000 to 57,000 ppm CO2 concentrations ( Helo et al.
, 2011 ) .
But even 57,000 ppm CO2 concentrations may be an underestimate .
Scientists have found groundwater reaching temperatures of 50-55°C bubbling up from seafloor with CO2 concentrations ranging from 60,000 to 95,000 ppm ( Cardenas et al.
, 2020 ) .
These extremely high CO2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of below or slightly above 6.0 .
This means ocean “ acidification ” is occurring in these locations .
Nonetheless , nearby coral reef communities not only occupy these waters , they “ thrive ” in these warm , CO2-rich conditions .
None of these observations support the narrative that says human CO2 emissions are driving the “ acidification ” of the oceans .
Instead , it would appear nature provides its own internal variability without more than an even modest assist from humans .


climatedepot--2020-03-30--Sweden Glacier Melt Far More Rapid In Mid 20th Century Than Today. Arctic Sea Ice Now Stabilizing

A recent paper published in the Swedish journal Geografiska Annaler : Series A , Physical Geography authored by Holmlund and Holmlund , found that the strongest melts of the Storglaciären in Sweden occurred between the 1930s and 1960s .
The glacier mass then even increased from the early 1970s to the mid 1990s .
According to the authors , geodetic volume estimates of Storglaciären in Sweden suggest a 28 % loss in total ice mass between 1910 and 2015 , but the greatest part of the melt occurred in the mid 20th century – a time when CO2 levels were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The authors used terrestrial photographs of Tarfala valley , where Storglaciären is situated , from 1910 to allow an accurate reconstruction of the glacier ’ s surface , past volume and mass .
They found say that the likely start of a melting trend is supported by imagery from 1922 , which shows almost no snow was present on top of Storglaciären , and other glaciers showed tendencies of retreat .
76 % of the mass loss seen from 1910 to 2015 occurred between 1920 and 1970 , i.e .
in less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they estimate .
The mass change of Storglaciären stabilized and even contained periods of increases in mass after 1970 , their analysis shows .
It appears Arctic ice melt has slowed down over the recent decades , and has not accelerated like global warming alarmists like to claim .
Over the past 10 years , Arctic sea ice minimum has not fallen in over a decade :


climatedepot--2020-03-30--Vital Electricity: Just A 12% Drop In Power Consumption Leads To Painful Economic Downturn

A 12 % drop in German electricity consumption is the difference between economic pain and prosperity .
If you want to see a good example of how vital electricity and energy are to an economy , look no further than Germany .
Since the country has imposed strict restrictions on people gathering , large parts of industry have been harshly impacted .
The existence of millions of German people is now threatened .
Non-essential retailers , events and venues have been ordered closed .
The halted demand has led to a braking of the economy .
With the country already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new restrictions will now drive the country deep into recession territory .
This will also be the case with many countries around the world as they scramble to contain the COVID-19 virus spread .
Not surprisingly , the economic drop has been reflected by Germany ’ s electricity consumption since March 1 : German electricity consumption drops in the wake of economic restrictions .
Source : Agora .
The data show that under normal conditions , peak German electricity consumption hovers near 72 GW on a given workday But since the German @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , peak power consumption has fallen some 12 % , to 64 GW .
While environmentalists like preach the need to save on energy , it just goes to show that a 10 % drop is enough to break an economy and cause mass hardship for millions of people .
Without reliable , affordable energy , a healthy economy and high standard of living is simply not possible .
Activists pushing for a “ green economy ” should look seriously at the implications of what they are calling for .
In order for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to consume energy in order to work and produce more goods and services .
The last thing it should do is consume less .
Less energy means less work , which means lower living standards .
A green , unstable energy economy will not deliver prosperity , but rather will only bring hardship and pain .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Coronavirus ‘reveals radical climate idea’: ‘Opportunity’ for economic ‘degrowth’ – ‘A planned slowd

Coronavirus ‘reveals radical climate idea’: ‘Opportunity’ for economic ‘degrowth’ – ‘A planned slowdown of’ the economy to fight ‘climate change’

Flashback : Sierra Club Touts Economic ‘ De-Growth ’ : ‘ We have to de-grow our economy ’ to ‘ temper climate disruption , and foster a stable , equitable world economy ’ – ‘ WORK LESS TO LIVE MORE ’ Natasha Chassagne of the University of Tasmania : There are `` opportunities we can take away from the coronavirus emergency . ''
...
Some climate-focused economists see the COVID-19 pandemic as an unwitting experiment for a radical strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions .
The concept is called `` degrowth . ''
It involves a planned slowdown of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global carbon dioxide .
Those sectors would scale down until the broader economy meets `` sustainable emissions levels , '' advancing long-term health and environmental goals .
The concept is called “ degrowth.
” It involves a planned slowdown of economic sectors that emit large amounts of global carbon dioxide .
Those sectors would scale down until the broader economy meets “ sustainable emissions levels , ” advancing long-term health and environmental goals .
“ Stopping the spread of coronavirus is paramount , but climate action must also continue .
And we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current health crisis when tackling planetary warming , ” Natasha Chassagne of the University of Tasmania wrote in The Conversation , a publishing portal for academics .
“ The global response to the coronavirus crisis shows that governments can take immediate , radical emergency measures , which go beyond purely economic concerns to protect the well-being of all , ” Chassagne wrote , adding that there are “ practical lessons and opportunities we can take away from the coronavirus emergency.
” Proponents of the controversial idea , which has found traction mostly outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degrowth ” involves a purposeful contraction of high-emitting sectors while growing other sectors that produce low or zero emissions .
The COVID-19 pandemic , by contrast , is an unplanned crisis that has sent the entire global economy into a tailspin .
“ Nobody advocates for such unplanned economic contraction because that has all sorts of negative social effects , including rising unemployment , stress , and poverty .
So we must never confuse degrowth with recession , ” Samuel Alexander , co-director of the Simplicity Institute and a lecturer at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Programs , wrote in a column published by Resilience.org .
The current coronavirus outbreak , which by some estimates threatens to shrink the U.S. economy by 25 % in the second quarter of 2020 , has already resulted in a massive contraction of the energy , transportation and industrial sectors .
Steeply falling oil demand has cut U.S. refining by its largest margins since 1986 .
U.S. experts , while not promoting “ degrowth , ” acknowledge that one outcome of the coronavirus pandemic is a steep decline in emissions associated with industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important not to trivialize all the human suffering associated with this virus , but there are key lessons in the observed drop in pollution levels , ” said Jonathan Overpeck , a climate scientist and a dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan .
“ First and foremost is the fact that climate change action will by definition eliminate most of the pollution-causing fossil fuel burning .
This co-benefit of climate action will thus greatly reduce the significant health hazards associated with our worst source of air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
“ COVID-19 may deliver some short-term climate benefits by curbing energy use , or even longer-term benefits if economic stimulus is linked to climate goals — or if people get used to telecommuting and thus use less oil in the future , ” Jason Bordoff , a former climate adviser in the Obama administration and the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University , wrote in Foreign Policy last week .
“ Yet any climate benefits from the COVID-19 crisis are likely to be fleeting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rather , the pandemic is a reminder of just how wicked a problem climate change is because it requires collective action , public understanding and buy-in , and decarbonizing the energy mix while supporting economic growth and energy use around the world .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-31--‘Studies’ Indicate Disappearing Beaches. Markets Think Studies Idiotic

In the late 1990s , and after Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer had both left CAA ( the superagency that they created , and ran together ) respectively for Disney and Universal , the two Hollywood moguls got together .
At this point they were pretty much estranged , there was routine backtalk from both about one another , but in Ovitz ’ s recounting in his endlessly interesting memoir Who Is Michael Ovitz ?
, the Hollywood legend acknowledged that the estrangement was “ tougher on me than him.
” They had formerly talked at least 30 times a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since then communication had all but dried up .
Ovitz and Meyer met up only for Ovitz to suggest that they start up a management or production company together .
Meyer didn ’ t bite as his long tenure at Universal indicates , but he did relay to Ovitz his interest in Motown founder Berry Gordy ’ s Malibu house .
The only hold-up for Meyer was the price .
Ovitz recalls Meyer telling him that at $ 5.5 million , Gordy ’ s ask was too much .
Ovitz added in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gordy ’ s house , and “ thinking that Ron was priced out , ” he bought it .
When Meyer found out , he was incensed .
He was the one who ’ d told Ovitz about Gordy ’ s house being on the market , he called Ovitz to express his anger , and per Ovitz “ that was our last conversation for years.
” So while Ovitz paints his actions as somewhat innocent in the matter , time has a way of softening hardened feelings .
He admits now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he heard Meyer was telling others about him .
Better yet , a few weeks after their difficult phone call Ovitz sold the property to Meyer in a transaction brokered by their mutual business manager .
The all-too-Hollywood spat between Ovitz and Meyer rates mention for two reasons .
First is that in 2019 news accounts indicated that Meyer was in contract to sell the house .
Notable is that the market value of the house had gone up quite a bit since the late ‘ 90s when Meyer deemed $ 5.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , he sold the house for somewhere in the range of $ 120 million to a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur .
It ’ s quite a return for the entertainment mogul , and though Ovitz has since moved his genius to venture capital investing , one wonders if he wonders if he was perhaps too easy on Meyer way back when… But that ’ s a digression .
The other reason Meyer ’ s $ 100 million+ sale is notable is in consideration of continued alarmism on the part of climate scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world .
As USA Today recently reported , a new study from the European Union ’ s Joint Research Center warns that a global catastrophe looms due to “ the near-extinction of almost half of the world ’ s sandy beaches by the end of the century.
” Hmmmm .
Really ?
It seems the only individuals who never get the message about the “ near-extinction ” of beaches are those who actually live at those beaches , along with those who yearn to live at beaches .
Stop and think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Malibu , Laguna , La Jolla , the Hamptons , Martha ’ s Vineyard , Newport ( RI ) , Ibiza , St. Tropez and other glamorous coastal locales has something to do with these destinations existing essentially on the beach .
In other words , land and the housing that sits on said land is quite bit more valuable in Malibu than it is in the San Fernando Valley that is just over the hill from Malibu .
Malibu is on or near the beach , while San Fernando Valley is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inland .
Though houses are expensive in parts of the San Fernando Valley , they don ’ t fetch anywhere near the amount that “ shacks ” in Malibu do .
To the halfway awake , the previous sentence is a statement of the obvious .
Those of us in possession of passably sound mind understand that property on the beach or near the beach is quite a bit more desirable than cities and towns far from it .
Crucial is that what ’ s true in California is true around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monolithically dear relative to what ’ s inland from the water .
It ’ s almost a waste of words to write down what is so obvious .
Yet it ’ s worth writing down in consideration of all the alarmism on the part of climate scientists ( and those who aim to mimic them ) , and who claim that so much of the world ’ s beaches are set to disappear thanks to the theory that is global warming , or the tautology that ’ s climate change .
Don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies ” show us that the world ’ s beaches are set to disappear .
Ok , but if so , does anyone seriously think Meyer could have fetched so much for his Malibu compound , and does anyone think beach real estate globally would be so eye-wateringly expensive if the world ’ s beaches were set to disappear ?
Implicit in this dour , alarmist view is that markets are incredibly dense ; that the world ’ s richest don ’ t see what climate scientists see all-too-clearly .
To the above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too rich to care .
On its face the previous assertion is doubtful , plus haven ’ t the perpetually alarmed and offended told us for decades that the rich are “ greedy ” ?
If so , why would they place so much of their wealth in harm ’ s way ?
And what about insurance companies .
Why would they insure properties that are set to be washed away ?
And again , why did Meyer enjoy such an impressive return on his Malibu house ; one whose transfer in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff of Hollywood legend ?
More broadly , all the hand wringing by the climate alarmists must be considered in terms of what the world is enduring right now .
Getting into specifics , politicans around the world are overseeing the shutdown of the global economy based on a theory that millions will die if they get to close to one another .
The economic agony these actions have brought about is and will be massively cruel in terms of jobs lost , businesses shuttered , and dreams dashed .
Scary about all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believers view economic growth as a major threat to the planet , and similarly seek economic shutdown by political force to save the planet .
Readers might keep this in mind in consideration of how they feel now , and how they might feel in the future if the warming alarmists get their way .
Ideally before these climate religionists get the chance to commit major damage , the market signals provided by people like Ron Meyer will gain needed attention .
Indeed , just once it would be great for the climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if beaches are allegedly disappearing , beach houses are so expensive .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Obama links to ‘climate denial’ to coronavirus – Claims: ‘We can’t afford any more consequences of d

Obama links to ‘climate denial’ to coronavirus – Claims: ‘We can’t afford any more consequences of denial’

Former President Barack Obama : `` We 've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic .
We ca n't afford any more consequences of climate denial .
All of us , especially young people , have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall . ''
Former President Barack Obama dropped a political bombshell about coronavirus on Tuesday , claiming the global pandemic a result of denials about so-called man-made climate change .
“ We ’ ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We can ’ t afford any more consequences of climate denial.
” Obama also urged people to use this pandemic as another reason to vote in the upcoming election .
“ Who denied the warnings of a pandemic ?
” Asked Limbaugh .
“ Trump didn ’ t do it .
The Democrats did .
… There are pictures of [ Nancy ] Pelosi in Chinatown urging people to come out [ in public amid the coronavirus pandemic ] .
” “ In all of this , Obama ’ s worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t control , ” he continued .
“ It ’ s the weather .
People who tell you it ’ s not the weather are lying to you .
… We don ’ t have this kind of power.
” Limbaugh called Obama “ irresponsible ” for the tweet , lamenting how “ climate change is somehow a more pressing issue than something that is destroying the U.S. economy .
… We are letting this destruction of the U.S. economy happen.
” Learn astonishing Bible truth on a higher level than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Joe Kovacs Obama ’ s remarks also sparked a wide variety of reactions on Twitter , including : • “ Thank you Mr. President for your steadfastness and voice of reason during perilous times .
You are correct , the denial of warnings of a pandemic has had catastrophic consequences , among them , sickness and death .
Blood is on the hands of the POTUS and his inept administration.
” • “ Donald Trump knew in January dangers of Coronavirus .
Didn ’ t buy , produce mass tests .
Didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Used microphone to distort , distract severity of COVID19 to flu .
Continues to lie about treatments ; over factual , medical and scientific information.
” • “ Don ’ t use this opportunity to promote your Climate Change BS , the experts were all wrong on Covid-19 doomsday just like they were wrong about Climate Change doomsday.
” • “ Wow !
!
!
!
You really have short term memory loss .
2009 , H1N1 , over 1,000,000 cases in the first 3 months .
Over 12,000 deaths in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their failures on a person in politics for 3 years .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Capitalism: A Great Weapon against the Wuhan Virus

Capitalism leaves the U.S. better positioned to take on the coronavirus and win .
Thank goodness we have a president @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Al Jazeera: ‘Climate action should be central to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic’

Guest essay by Eric Worrall According to Al Jazeera , the solution to the Corona Virus pandemic is “ planned @ @ @ @ @ funding of renewables .
The coronavirus outbreak is part of the climate change crisis Therefore @ @ @ @ @ central to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
by Vijay Kolinjivadi The speed and @


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Meteorologist Joe Bastardi: Extra warm U.S. winter had nature’s thumbprint on it

Extra warm U.S. winter had nature ’ s thumbprint on it


climatedepot--2020-03-31--WHO Official Michael Marmot : Coronavirus Reveals What Is Possible for Climate Restrictions – ‘Revea

WHO Official Michael Marmot : Coronavirus Reveals What Is Possible for Climate Restrictions – ‘Revealed what governments are capable of doing’ – Will ‘socialize the economy’

In a stunning threat to individual freedom , a powerful international body is eying coronavirus restrictions as an instructive lesson for climate change restrictions .
In an address for Extinction Rebellion about coronavirus and climate change , Michael Marmot , a commission chairman at the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , praised massive government programs that will “ socialize the economy.
” According to Marmot , “ What the Covid crisis exposes is that we can do things differently .
We must not go back to the status quo , we can not do that , ” said Marmot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Independent .
According to the March 28 UK Guardian , Marmot said in his remarks that the coronavirus “ has revealed what governments are capable of doing ” responding to asserted crises like coronavirus and the asserted climate crisis .
Moreover , “ The urgency with which the government had acted showed that the response to an emergency could be swift and decisive.
” Marmot described government intervention in the economy as a means for socialism , asserting that government should maintain such a socialist model even after the coronavirus wanes .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differently , ” Marmot said .
“ We must not go back to the status quo ante.
” For most people , onerous government restrictions responding to the coronavirus and budget-busting plans to compensate for those restrictions are a necessary ( or not ) evil .
For climate activists and international bodies , onerous government restrictions and budget-busting plans are an inspirational guide for how to permanently transform society in the name of the so-called climate crisis .
The post WHO Official : Coronavirus Reveals What Is Possible for Climate Restrictionsappeared first on @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Guardian’s Latest Fake Greenland Meltdown Claims

More alarmist Greenland nonsense , courtesy of the Guardian : Last year ’ s summer was so warm that it helped trigger the loss of 600bn tons of ice fromGreenland – enough to raise global sea levels by 2.2mm in just two months , new research has found .
The analysis of satellite data has revealed the astounding loss of ice in just a few months of abnormally high temperatures around the northern pole .
Last year was the hottest on record for the Arctic , with the annual minimum extent of sea ice in the region its second-loweston record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the loss of land-based glaciers directly causes the seas to rise , imperilling coastal cities and towns around the world .
Scientists have calculated that Greenland ’ s enormous ice sheet lost an average of 268bn tons of ice between 2002 and 2019 – less than half of what was shed last summer .
By contrast , Los Angeles county , which has more than 10 million residents , consumes 1bn tons of water a year .
“ We knew this past summer had been particularly warm in Greenland , melting every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numbers are enormous , ” said Isabella Velicogna , a professor of Earth system science at University of California Irvine and lead author of the new study , which drew upon measurements taken by Nasa ’ s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment ( Grace ) satellite mission and its upgraded successor , Grace Follow-On .
Glaciers are melting away around the world due to global heating caused by the human-induced climate crisis .
Ice is reflective of sunlight so as it retreats the dark surfaces underneath absorb yet more heat , causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being lost from Greenland seven times faster than it was in the 1990s , scientistsrevealed last year , pushing up previous estimates of global sea level rise and putting 400 million people at risk of flooding every year by the end of the century .
It ’ s hard to know where to start with this drivel !
Let ’ s start with the claim that 600bn tonnes of ice was lost last summer .
In reality , the Greenland ice sheet gains about 600bn tonnes of ice during winter in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer , either directly on the ice sheet ( as measured by the Surface Mass Balance – SMB- below ) and or via glacier calving .
[ For those not familiar with the SMB , see my post here . ]
It is true that the SMB lost around 200Gt more than average last year , though this was in part to a drier winter , with less snowfall .
However , the SMB gained much more ice than usual in the two previous summers , which the study referred to by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it gets even worse !
According to NOAA ’ s Arctic Report card , also linked to by the Guardian , the ice loss from glaciers has virtually been at a standstill since 2012 ( Fig C ) ( c ) Cumulative annual net glacier area change ( km2 ) at seven major marine-terminating glacier outlets of the Greenland ice sheet from 1999/2000 to 2018/19 As a result , the total ice mass loss from Greenland ’ s ice sheet has slowed considerably in the last few years : But what about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hottest on record ” ?
So much hot air , I am afraid .
At Nuuk , for instance , in SW Greenland where most of the ice melt occurred , temperatures last summer were not exceptionally high .
Indeed Nuuk was just as warm in 1888 !
As for the Arctic as a whole , temperatures were close to average all summer : The Guardian gets over more hysterical , in a sign of its desperation : Glaciers are melting away around the world due to global heating caused by the human-induced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sunlight so as it retreats the dark surfaces underneath absorb yet more heat , causing a further acceleration in melting If that was true , perhaps they would care to explain how Greenland could be as warm as now in the 1930s , without triggering further warming ?
Instead Greenland ’ s temperatures plummeted between the 1960s and 90s :


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Lancet Editor’s Backing For Extinction Rebellion

had caught the Lancet ’ s editor , Richard Horton , red handed after lying about the coronavirus on Question Time .
This occurred during a rant attacking the government ’ s handling of the crisis , despite the fact that they were actually following the Lancet ’ s own recommendations at the time .
It turns out however that Horton is not the impartial expert we were led to believe .
Last October he wrote this comment piece for the Lancet , praising Extinction Rebellion and calling for health workers to campaign for its far left policies : An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take place .
Nothing like it will have been seen for a generation .
The outcome could be transformational .
Or it could be met with indifference .
Remember the antiglobalisation protests in Genoa in 2001 ?
Or the marches against the Iraq war in 2003 ?
The outcomes of October , 2019 , depend on the intensity of resistance .
What part should health workers play in one of the greatest social movements of our time ?
The occasion before us is 2 weeks of non-violent direct political action , beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ International Rebellion ” , millions of people will gather in cities around the world .
They will “ continue to rebel against the world ’ s governments for their criminal inaction on the climate and ecological crisis ” .
Citizens are encouraged to take as much time off work as possible .
Extinction Rebellion puts it like this : “ Because time is running out .
We ’ re almost at the point of no return .
The governments are doing nothing .
Businesses are doing nothing .
The situation is urgent.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the truth ; second , act now ; third , go beyond politics to create a citizens ’ assembly .
A citizens ’ assembly will reclaim control from a paralysed political process .
To challenge corporate lobbyists .
To explore the complexity of our shared predicaments .
And to agree solutions .
In sum , to break the political deadlock .
What does any of this have to do with medicine ?
The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats to the health of humanity today .
A 2·0°C or higher rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels is an acute danger to human and natural systems .
We are presently living in a period of accelerating risk .
The world needs to see a deepening commitment from governments to stabilise temperatures at 1·5°C above the pre-industrial period .
Many health workers feel marginal to the mainstream political debate about this civilisational crisis .
As one public health worker wrote recently , “ I can be a booster for the field , but often I ’ m discouraged.
” She went on : “ Science in the traditional patterns and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
Old-school conference [ s ] …are bad for the world…universities continue business as usual .
Are we reinventing anything ?
The world is waking up to climate change as an issue .
Is science ?
” Indeed , is medicine ?
Here is a paradox .
It is the robust evidence gathered by scientists that has provided the political force for the growing public awareness about the climate emergency .
And yet science itself is strangely reticent .
The Royal Society is the UK ’ s leading scientific academy .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But its activities to scale up political action to address the climate crisis are anaemic .
The Royal Society has projects on low carbon energy and greenhouse gas removal .
Its policy initiatives include work on energy , environment , and climate .
But the Royal Society ’ s actions are empty of passion , devoid of campaigning , and seemingly disengaged from politics .
Contrast the UK ’ s response to the threat of mass extinction with the US .
This week , Margaret Hamburg , Chair of the Board of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Advancement of Science ( AAAS ) , wrote to scientists under the headline , “ Our Moment to Combat Climate Change is Now ” .
In sharp words , she invited scientists to donate to AAAS ’ s campaign for political action : “ We have a narrow window of time to take decisive steps to address climate change…we must activate the science community to speak up in new ways to address the impacts of climate change at the local , state , national , and global level .
And we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific community , along with scientists in most high-income countries , is simply doing too little to engage civil society and politicians in the struggle for climate justice .
This failure of scientists to rise to the challenge of the current environmental crisis must be challenged .
The health community is at least injecting moral force into the political debate about climate action .
In London , Doctors for Extinction Rebellion is “ a collective of health professionals who agree with Extinction Rebellion ’ s call for urgency and non-violent direct action ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they will play a prominent part in the forthcoming protests .
It might be an exaggeration to say health workers have 14 days to change the world .
But not much .
He is entitled to his political views , but should not be allowed to get away with conflating them with science .
Perhaps the biggest irony of his commentary is that the vast majority of climate scientists do not agree with the apocalyptic views of XR .
Meanwhile , given his extremist opinions , it is little surprise that Horton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time on the BBC .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Coronavirus & CO2 Rules Create Perfect Storm For European Auto Industry

As the European automotive crisis deepens , with plants closing temporarily and demand likely to fall by up to 20 % this year , the industry needs the EU to step in , concede its rules are going to cause irreparable harm to the business and its huge , highly skilled workforce , and either dilute the demands , or delay them for a while .
Instead , the EU is currently working on actually making the rules even more stringent .
The industry seems too fearful of offending politicians to plead for some protection against the malign impact of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an average 92 miles per U.S. gallon by 2030 .
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association , known by its French acronym ACEA , was asked if it planned to seek protection from the impact of the rules because of the crisis .
In response , ACEA issued a statement seeking national government and EU financial support for the industry , which supports about 14 million jobs , unspecified measures to avoid undermining the industry , and a general stimulus to Europe ’ s economy .
The fuel economy rules didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) regime insists carmakers raise average fuel efficiency from the equivalent of about 57 miles per U.S. gallon in 2020/2021 , from 41.9 mpg in 2015 , rising again by 15 % in 2025 , and hitting 92 mpg by 2030 .
That compares with current U.S. draft legislation calling for a 40.5 mpg fleet average by 2030 .
According to a report from investment researcher Jefferies last year , if the auto industry makes no progress in curbing CO2 from 2018 towards meeting the EU ’ s 2020/21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equivalent of $ 36 billion , twice its estimated profits , and could be forced to raise prices up to 10 % .
Latest data suggests in 2019 , the industry went backwards not forwards in production of CO2 thanks to the popularity of SUVs and the demise of diesel .
The industry is also spending vast sums investing in research and development of electric cars , and at the same time withdrawing big profit margin gas guzzling top of the range sedans and SUVs to help beat fuel economy fines , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small cars .
It appears that the European car industry is being hit by a perfect storm .
The ludicrous CO2 emission targets were always going to be damaging to the industry , going against customers were demanding .
Added to that is the soon to come phasing out of all conventional engine cars , which will only benefit Asian manufacturers , while costing European companies a fortune in developing EVs .
And now Coronavirus could leave the European car industry on its knees even sooner than expected .
If Europe is serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term future , it has no alternative but to ditch its climate targets .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Dutch Govt Says Coronavirus More Important Than Climate Ruling

The Dutch cabinet will not come up with new measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions before April 1 as planned @ @ @ @ @ Wiebes said after Friday ’ s cabinet meeting .
‘ A lot of people , @ @ @ @ @ things to do at the moment , ’ Wiebes said .
‘ The Urgenda court @ @ @ @ @ there are other priorities.
’ Last December the Dutch Supreme Court ruled the state is @ @ @ @ @ emissions to protect the health of its people , under the European treaty of human @ @ @ @ @ year legal process .
The ruling means that the government must now reduce greenhouse gas @ @ @ @ @ the end of this year when compared with 1990 .
The plans should have been @ @ @ @ @ post Dutch Govt Says Coronavirus More Important Than Climate Ruling appeared first on The Global @ @ @ @ @ ) .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Goodbye, Green New Deal – Good riddance

Goodbye, Green New Deal – Good riddance

What will happen next with the coronavirus epidemic is unknown , but it seems certain to claim one very high-profile victim : the so-called Green New Deal .
The current crisis in the U.S. economy is , in miniature but concentrated form , precisely what the Left has in mind in response to climate change : shutting down large sectors of the domestic and global economies through official writ , social pressure , and indirect means , in response to a crisis with potentially devastating and wide-ranging consequences for human life and human flourishing .
What is under way right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in substance much like the Green New Deal and lesser versions of the same climate-change agenda : massive new government spending , political control of critical industries , emergency protocols modeled on wartime practice , etc .
But the characters of the two crises are basically different .
Set aside , for the moment , any reservations you might have about the coronavirus-emergency regime , and set aside your views on climate change , too , whatever they may be .
Instead , ask yourself this : If Americans are this resistant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures meant to prevent a public-health catastrophe in the here and now — one that threatens the lives of people they know and love — then how much less likely are they to bear not weeks or months but decades of disruption and economic dislocation and a permanently diminished standard of living in order to prevent possibly severe consequences to people in Bangladesh or Indonesia 80 or 100 years from now ?
For years , we ’ ve been hearing , “ This is climate change ” and “ That is climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flood or a storm .
If that ’ s the fact , then climate change is , relatively speaking , manageable .
There is no way Americans—or people around the world—are going to agree to endure anything like the current economic downturn in order to prevent problems of that nature .
Without failing to appreciate the severe immediate economic consequences being felt by Americans in this episode , asking retail and service-industry workers to forfeit their incomes for a few months until their establishments can reopen is a relatively manageable thing even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we should be ) very liberal in doing what we can to protect them financially in the meantime .
Telling everybody who works in coal , oil , natural gas , petrochemicals , plastics , and refineries — and a great many people who work in automobiles , aviation , shipping , utilities , construction , agriculture , manufacturing , food processing , utilities , and dozens of other fields — that their companies and their jobs are going away forever is a much larger thing .
Telling everybody who does business with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to consult Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for solvents and industrial polymers — and , you know , lights — would send waves of chaos rippling around the world hard and so fast that you ’ d need Tom Araya to properly give voice to them .
“ Oh , but we ’ ll find them jobs in the new green economy !
” comes the response .
“ It ’ ll be a net positive !
” As though petroleum engineers were lumps of labor that could be reshaped at will by a committee of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave them the power .
Nobody is buying that .
Not many people are that stupid .
The post Goodbye , Green New Deal appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--Covid-19 Shows Why There Won’t Be Global Action on Climate Change – ‘Pace of climate ambition wanes

Covid-19 Shows Why There Won’t Be Global Action on Climate Change – ‘Pace of climate ambition wanes during times of economic hardship’

Sorry , but the Virus Shows Why There Won ’ t Be Global Action on Climate Change Here are some highlights .
To slow the spread of COVID-19 , governments are clamping down to force collective action when individuals fail to follow guidelines .
Cities across the world are shutting down businesses and events , at great cost .
Yet the effectiveness of any one government ’ s action is limited if there are weak links in the global effort to curb the pandemic—such as from states with conflict or poor governance—even if the world is in agreement that eradicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s best interest .
Climate change is even harder to solve because it results from the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions and thus requires aggregate effort , a problem particularly vulnerable to free-riding , as my Columbia University colleague Scott Barrett explains in his excellent book Why Cooperate ?
The Incentive to Supply Global Public Goods .
And whereas governments can force people to stay home , there is no global institution with the enforcement power to require that nations curb emissions.… While public concern with climate change is rising , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only half of Americans believe climate change should be a top priority for the federal government , and the figure is far lower on the Republican side of the aisle .
Indeed , COVID-19 itself may actually erode public support for stronger climate action , as the pace of climate ambition wanes during times of economic hardship.… A huge hit to economic growth would likely mean carbon emissions will fall in 2020 for the first time since the Great Recession of 2008 .
That may seem like good news , but it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contractions are not a desirable or sustainable way to curb emissions ; emissions rebounded sharply after 2009 .
More importantly , the fact that it takes severe economic slowdowns like the Great Recession or COVID-19 to bring emissions down serves as a reminder of just how strongly tied emissions remain to economic growth—and thus how hard it is to lower them .
That is why energy from renewable sources can grow as rapidly as it has over the past decade and yet fossil fuel use can keep rising at the same time as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially in fast-growing economies like China and India.… Policymakers have spent trillions of dollars and passed countless regulations , standards , and mandates to spur clean energy .
That it takes a pandemic-induced economic standstill to actually bring emissions down should be a sobering reminder of just how hard addressing climate change will be .
COVID-19 may deliver some short-term climate benefits by curbing energy use , or even longer-term benefits if economic stimulus is linked to climate goals—or if people get used to telecommuting and thus use less oil in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 crisis are likely to be fleeting and negligible .
Rather , the pandemic is a reminder of just how wicked a problem climate change is because it requires collective action , public understanding and buy-in , and decarbonizing the energy mix while supporting economic growth and energy use around the world .


climatedepot--2020-03-31--National Geographic: ‘Why we won’t avoid a climate catastrophe’

Guest essay by Eric Worrall Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert thinks a climate catastrophe is inevitable , but seems even more worried @ @ @ @ @ engineering humans will find a way to escape the consequences .
Why we won ’ @ @ @ @ @ By not doing enough to fight global warming , we ’ re trashing the planet @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-31--FP: The Covid-19 Lockdown Will Not be Extended to Address Climate Change

Guest essay by Eric Worrall According to FP it is a false hope to expect that “ similarly ambitious ” @ @ @ @ @ to stop the spread of the Chinese Coronavirus will be implemented to address climate change @ @ @ @ @ short term .
Sorry , but the Virus Shows Why There Won ’ t Be @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-31--New Trump auto mileage standards to gut Obama ‘climate’ effort

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is expected to relax ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on damaging @ @ @ @ @ to come , gutting one of the United States ’ single-biggest efforts against climate change @ @ @ @ @ expected to release a final rule Tuesday on mileage standards through 2026 , watering down @ @ @ @ @ that would have encouraged automakers globally to ramp up production of electric vehicles and more @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Cabinet heads have continued a push to public health and environment regulations despite @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s…


climatedepot--2020-04-01--‘Buy American!’: Trump Announces ‘More Affordable’ Car Rule; Hits Obama, ‘Politically Correct’ Compa

‘Buy American!’: Trump Announces ‘More Affordable’ Car Rule; Hits Obama, ‘Politically Correct’ Companies

Like all of social media , President Trump ’ s Twitter feed has been dominated by coronavirus-related posts , but on Tuesday he took a moment to announce some “ great news ” about his administration ’ s new automobile rule , which eases up on Obama-era emissions standards and which Trump says will offer Americans the chance to buy American-made vehicles that are both “ safer ” and “ more affordable.
” “ Great news !
American families will now be able to buy safer , more affordable , and environmentally friendly cars with our new SAFE VEHICLES RULE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below ) .
“ Get rid of those old , unsafe clunkers .
Build better and safer American cars and create American jobs .
Buy American !
” While the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient ( SAFE ) Vehicles Rule relaxes some of the “ impossible to satisfy ” emissions standards set by the Obama administration , the president wrote , his revised emissions rule will have a “ positive impact on the environment.
” “ My Administration is helping U.S. auto workers by replacing the failed Obama Emissions Rule .
Impossible to satisfy its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unnecessary and expensive penalties to car buyers !
” he wrote .
In a follow-up post , the president took a swipe at “ politically correct ” car companies and “ foolish executives ” who might push back on the new standards .
“ My proposal to the politically correct Automobile Companies would lower the average price of a car to consumers by more than $ 3500 , while at the same time making the cars substantially safer .
Engines would run smoother .
Positive impact on the environment !
Foolish executives !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ NPR , the SAFE Vehicles Rule will increase carbon dioxide emissions standards for the nation ’ s automakers by 1.5 % a year — rather than the 5 % required by the Obama-era policy — through model-year 2026 .
“ Following a request from the auto industry , the Trump administration originally proposed freezing the standards altogether without any increase , ” NPR notes .
“ It modified the rule after pushback from not only environmental groups , but also some of those same automakers , who worried that a drastic change would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global marketplace increasingly geared toward lower-emission cars and trucks.
” In a statement Tuesday , U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao echoed Trump ’ s “ safer ” and environmentally friendly comments .
“ By making newer , safer , and cleaner vehicles more accessible for American families , more lives will be saved and more jobs will be created , ” said Chao , as reported by NPR .
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler described the new policy as helping “ correct ” the Obama-imposed standards , which he suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strikes the right regulatory balance that protects our environment , and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry , ” he said .
On Tuesday , Trump also highlighted what he presented as another one of his proposals that he says could be positive for the country amid the ongoing , economy-crippling crisis .
“ With interest rates for the United States being at ZERO , this is the time to do our decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill , ” he wrote .
“ It should be VERY BIG & BOLD , Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country !
Phase 4 [ . ]
”


climatedepot--2020-04-01--Climate Crisis RIP: People Will Be In No Mood To Stay In Panic Mode After COVID-19 Scare Ends

COVID-19 has not only been a nightmare for the public worldwide , but especially for “ climate crisis ” alarmists who have seen their agenda disappear from the media radar .
And it ’ s going to stay off the radar for quite some time .
People can take only so much panic and restriction .
Once the COVID-19 crisis subsides , and it will in a few months , the global citizenry will be in no mood to keep on panicking .
They ’ ll want to go back to the prosperity that they previously enjoyed .
“ Enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll be saying .
There are several reasons the climate crisis isn ’ t going to come back soon .
First it ’ s human nature to address only dangers that are truly present .
Though many believe there ’ s a climate crisis , it ’ s one that is perceived to be years , even decades , into the future .
So there ’ s no sense of real urgency like the sort we ’ ve been seeing with COVID-19 .
So what if sea level rises 2 feet by 2100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – long before it ever gets here !
People will be sick and tired of panic Secondly , by the time COVID-19 passes , citizens will be sick and tired of panicking , and they aren ’ t going to be in the mood for a continued high level panic over something far , far less urgent .
They ’ ll have had enough of lock downs and sacrificing and aren ’ t going to be very open to sacrificing for the weather .
Too many people aren ’ t buying the flaky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason is that the climate crisis is still highly uncertain and increasingly hotly disputed .
Much of the science behind it is flimsy .
While it has been crystal clear that COVID-19 is urgent , especially for the elderly , the climate crisis is fraught with huge uncertainties and flaky science .
Too many people just aren ’ t buying it .
The media aren ’ t going to


climatedepot--2020-04-02--UN punts annual climate summit to next year – COP26 Postponed amid Coronavirus

Bonn , 1 April 2020 – The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed due to COVID-19 .
This decision has been taken by the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC ( United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ) , with the UK and its Italian partners .
Dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021 , hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy , will be set out in due course following further discussion with parties .
In light of the ongoing , worldwide effects of COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 2020 is no longer possible .
Rescheduling will ensure all parties can focus on the issues to be discussed at this vital conference and allow more time for the necessary preparations to take place .
We will continue to work with all involved to increase climate ambition , build resilience and lower emissions .
COP26 President-Designate and Secretary of State for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma said : “ The world is currently facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have decided to reschedule COP26 .
“ We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference.
” “ COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today , but we can not forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term .
“ Soon , economies will restart .
This is a chance for nations to recover better , to include the most vulnerable in those plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21st century economy in ways that are clean , green , healthy , just , safe and more resilient .
“ In the meantime , we continue to support and to urge nations to significantly boost climate ambition in line with the Paris Agreement.
” Italian Minister for the Environment , Land and Sea Protection , Sergio Costa , said : “ Whilst we have decided to postpone COP26 , including the Pre-COP and ‘ Youth for the Climate ’ event , we remain fully committed to meeting the challenge of climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , global and ambitious action .
Participation from the younger generations is imperative , and we are determined to host the ‘ Youth for the Climate ’ event , together with the Pre-COP and outreach events .
“ We will continue to work with our British partners to deliver a successful COP26.
” “ The decision of the Bureau on the postponement of COP26 is unfortunately a needed measure to protect all delegates and observers .
“ Our determination is to make sure that the momentum for climate ambition will continue , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NDCs this year ” .


climatedepot--2020-04-01--Flashback 2018: World Health Organization: ‘Climate change is the greatest health challenge of the 2

Flashback 2018: World Health Organization: ‘Climate change is the greatest health challenge of the 21st century, and threatens all aspects of the society in which we live’

As the Covid-19 coronavirus response envelopes the world in April 2020 , it is worth a look back to see @ @ @ @ @ had to say about the risks civilzation faces .
2018 WHO report for the UN @ @ @ @ @ “ Health and Climate Change.
” “ Climate change is the greatest health challenge of @ @ @ @ @ threatens all aspects of the society in which we live.
” The report was said @ @ @ @ @ report is a contribution from the public health community to support the negotiations of the @ @ @ @ @ Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) .
It was written at the request of the President @ @ @ @ @ the Parties to the UNFCCC ( COP23 ) , Prime Minister Bainimarama of Fiji , @ @ @ @ @ ( WHO ) to prepare a report on health and climate change , to be @ @ @ @ @ : ‘ Has Your Doctor Talked To You About Climate Change ?
’ – Doctors @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Health Effects With Patients


climatedepot--2020-04-02--San Francisco reverses ban on plastic bags, now bans reusable totes due to coronavirus

San Francisco has reversed its 13-year ban on plastic bags and will now prohibit the reusable bags city leaders once championed because of the coronavirus .
The liberal city announced the switch this week as part of its plan to curb the spread of coronavirus .
Barring customers from bringing reusable bags , mugs and other household items into stores was adopted as a measure “ to prevent unnecessary contact ” among the public .
San Francisco is not the only place that has reversed its reusable bag policy , but it is certainly the most surprising .
The city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastic bags in 2007 .
At that time , San Francisco ’ s board of supervisors linked plastic bags to a litany of scourges , including litter , global warming , big oil and endangering sea life .
But the coronavirus has changed all that .
As of Thursday afternoon , California was one of the states most ravaged by the virus reporting 10,000 cases and 200 deaths .
Coffee shops in the states , including Starbucks , are refusing to fill up customers ’ reusable mugs .
Other states have also moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In New Hampshire , Gov .
Chris Sununu issued an executive order on March 21 directing every store to only use new paper or plastic bags they provide , and to refuse to allow reusables .
“ With identified community transmission , it is important that shoppers keep their reusable bags at home given the potential risk to baggers , grocers and customers , ” he said .
Illinois , Massachusetts and Maine have imposed similar bans , or in some cases suspended their own state laws encouraging reusable bags .
Retailers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Target has halted the sale of reusable bags asking customers who bring bags from home to fill them at checkout .
Target , Trader Joe ’ s and other retailers are also temporary waiving paper bag fees amid the pandemic .
One environmental group , Californians Against Waste , said it remains committed to reducing single-use plastic bags , but acknowledged the coronavirus does require lifestyle changes .
The group said on its website that single-use and reusable bags should be treated with just as much caution when it comes to washing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn more coronavirus transmission and lifespan , we will learn more about how we can reduce waste while protecting ourselves , ” the group said .
Stephen Dinan and Shen Wu Tan contributed to this story


climatedepot--2020-04-02--CLAIM: ‘The coronavirus outbreak is part of the climate crisis’

Claim : The two emergencies are in fact quite similar .
Both have their roots in the world 's current economic model - that of the pursuit of infinite growth at the expense of the environment on which our survival depends - and both are deadly and disruptive .
In fact , one may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change and therefore , our response to it should not be limited to containing the spread of the virus .
What we thought was `` normal '' before the pandemic was already a crisis and so returning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ...
The rapid response to COVID-19 around the world illustrates the remarkable capacity of society to put the emergency brake on `` business-as-usual '' simply by acting in the moment .
It shows that we can take radical action if we want to .
by Vijay Kolinjivadi – Vijay Kolinjivadi is a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Development Policy at the University of Antwerp .
These sweeping and unprecedented measures taken by the government and international institutions could not but make some of us wonder about another global emergency that needs urgent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergencies are in fact quite similar .
Both have their roots in the world ’ s current economic model – that of the pursuit of infinite growth at the expense of the environment on which our survival depends – and both are deadly and disruptive .
In fact , one may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change and therefore , our response to it should not be limited to containing the spread of the virus .
What we thought was “ normal ” before the pandemic was already a crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be an option .
The common roots of COVID-19 and climate change This same process is also responsible for COVID-19 and other outbreaks .
The need for more natural resources has forced humans to encroach on various natural habitats and expose themselves to yet unknown pathogens .
At the same time , the growth of mass production of food has created large-scale farms , where massive numbers of livestock and poultry packed into megabarns .
As socialist biologist Rob Wallace argues in his book Big Farms Make Big Flu , this has created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergence of new diseases such as hepatitis E , Nipah virus , Q fever , and others .
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) estimates that three out of four new infectious diseases come from human-animal contact .
The outbreaks of Ebola and other coronaviruses such as MERS , for instance , were triggered by a jump from animal to human in disturbed natural habitats .
In the case of COVID-19 , it is suspected that the virus was transmitted to humans at a “ wet market ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife was being sold .
Although both COVID-19 and climate change are rooted in the same abusive economic behaviour and both have proven to be deadly for humans , governments have seen them as separate and unconnected phenomena and have therefore responded rather differently to them .
The rapid response to COVID-19 around the world illustrates the remarkable capacity of society to put the emergency brake on “ business-as-usual ” simply by acting in the moment .
It shows that we can take radical action if we want to .
Lockdowns across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drop in greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants .
In China , for instance , the lockdown caused carbon dioxide to drop by at least 25 percent and nitrogen dioxide by 37 percent .
Yet , this temporary decrease in greenhouse gases should not be a cause for celebration .
The fact is that as a result of the lockdowns , millions of people have already lost their jobs and billions will probably struggle amid the economic downturn the outbreak is causing .
While some have called for climate change to be just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the COVID-19 pandemic , it should not be .
We need a just climate transition which ensures the protection of the poor and most vulnerable and which is integrated into our pandemic response .
This would not only reverse the climate disaster we are already living in but also minimise the risk of new pandemics like the current one breaking out .
The just climate transition should involve economic reforms to introduce “ planned degrowth ” that puts the wellbeing of people over profit margins .
The first step towards that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcing across the world are not wasted on bailing out corporations .
We must avoid at all costs a situation where unscrupulous big businesses and state actors are allowed free reign to reinforce appalling global inequality while the rest of civil society is quarantined at home .
We should demand that government funds are instead allocated to decentralised renewable energy production in order to start implementing the Green New Deal and create new meaningful jobs amid the post-COVID-19 economic crisis .
In parallel , we should ensure the provision of universal healthcare and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection for all vulnerable populations and the prioritisation of affordable housing .
The current response to COVID-19 could help usher in some of these changes .
It could get us accustomed to lifestyles and work patterns that minimise consumption .
It could encourage us to commute and travel less , reduce household waste , have shorter work weeks , and rely more on local supply chains – i.e .
actions that do not hurt the livelihoods of the working classes but shift economic activity from a globalised to a more localised pattern .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not ideal , but the rapid and urgent actions in response to the virus and the inspiring examples of mutual aid also illustrate that society is more than capable of acting collectively in the face of grave danger to the whole of humanity .