climatedepot--2020-03-16--International Energy Agency Executive Dir: Coronavirus crisis an ‘excellent opportunity’ to speed gl

International Energy Agency Executive Dir: Coronavirus crisis an ‘excellent opportunity’ to speed global ‘clean energy’ transition – Include ‘large scale’ solar, wind spending in stimulus

The Coronavirus economic stimulus packages being drawn up by governments around the world should build-in “ large scale ” spending on clean energy technologies including wind , solar , green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage ( CCS ) , says Fatih Birol , executive director of the International Energy Agency ( IEA ) .
Investment in renewables , said Birol in a LinkedIn post , should be “ a central part ” of all national governments ’ plans as this would “ bring the twin benefits of stimulating economies and accelerating clean energy transitions ” .
“ These stimulus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the essential task of building a secure and sustainable energy future doesn ’ t get lost amid the flurry of immediate priorities , ” he said .
“ The Coronavirus is turning into an unprecedented international crisis , with serious repercussions for people ’ s health and economic activity .
Although they may be severe , the effects are likely to be temporary .
Meanwhile , the threat posed by climate change , which requires us to reduce global emissions significantly this decade will remain.
” Targeted spending on renewable energy would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ the progress this will achieve in transforming countries ’ energy infrastructure won ’ t be temporary – it can make a lasting difference to our future ” .
“ We should not allow today ’ s crisis to compromise our efforts to tackle the world ’ s inescapable challenge.
” “ Governments can use the current situation to step up their climate ambitions and launch sustainable stimulus packages focused on clean energy technologies , ” he said .
“ The Coronavirus crisis is already doing significant damage around the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to hinder clean energy transitions , we need to seize the opportunity to help accelerate them.
” Birol underlined that the costs of investing in wind and solar and storage technologies “ are far lower than during previous periods when governments launched stimulus packages ” .
And he noted that the large investments needed to bring hydrogen and carbon capture up to industrial speed “ could be helped by current interest rate levels , which were already low and are declining further , making the financing of big projects more affordable ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more attractive to private investors by providing guarantees and contracts to reduce financial risks , ” said Birol .
“ Taking these steps is extremely important because the combination of the Coronavirus and volatile market conditions will distract the attention of policy makers , business leaders and investors away from clean energy transitions .
“ This situation is a test of governments and companies ’ commitment .
Observers will quickly notice if their emphasis on clean energy transitions fades when market conditions become more challenging.
” Birol expressed the widely held concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could undermine the global energy transition “ by reducing the impetus for energy efficiency policies ” .
“ Without measures by governments , cheaper energy always leads consumers to use it less efficiently , ” said Birol .
“ It reduces the appeal of buying more efficient cars or retrofitting homes and offices to save energy .
This would be very bad news , since improvements in energy efficiency , a vital element for reaching international climate goals have already been weakening in recent years.
” Birol argued governments could head-off this possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proved successful previously ” , such as energy efficiency improvements to buildings , which “ create jobs , reduce energy bills and help the environment ” .
He said the precipitous drop in the oil price was also “ a great opportunity ” for countries to lower or remove fossil fuel consumption subsidies , a savings by IEA calculus of some $ 400bn that could channeled into the energy transition .
“ Many subsidies are inefficiently targeted , disproportionately benefiting wealthier segments of the population that use much more of the subsidised fuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice , the effect of most subsidies is to encourage consumers to waste energy , adding needlessly to emissions and straining government budgets that could otherwise be prioritising education or health care.
” He pointed to IEA figures that show governments “ directly or indirectly ” drive more than 70 % of global energy investments , meaning “ they have a historic opportunity today to steer those investments onto a more sustainable path ” .
Global energy-related CO emissions plateaued last year as the world economy expanded by nearly 3 % , Birol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure 2019 is remembered as the definitive peak in global emissions , and that means taking action now to put them into sustained decline this decade .
“ We may well see CO emissions fall this year as a result of the impact of the Coronavirus on economic activity , particularly transport .
But it is very important to understand that this would not be the result of governments and companies adopting new policies and strategies .
“ It would most likely be a short-term blip that could well be followed by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ramps back up , ” he said .
“ Real , sustained reductions in emissions will happen only if governments and companies fulfill the commitments that they have already announced – or that they will hopefully announce very soon.
” ( Copyright )


climatedepot--2020-03-16--Four Lessons From A Century of Pandemics

“ Scientists can fall into the trap of thinking that once we have a certain amount of knowledge , we really understand how things work , we don ’ t need to question it anymore .
But the lesson of these epidemics is that , as much as we ’ ve learned and as much as we know , there were always these unknowns out there , or these partial understandings , and we only learned what we ’ re missing when the next epidemic comes along.
” –Mark Honigsbaum , WCAI Public Radio , April 2019 6 ) The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Diesel and the Dawn of Carbon Taxation Dr John Constable , GWPF Energy Editor , 16 March 2020 7 ) And Finally : What Pepys ’ s Plague Diaries Can Teach Us About Coronavirus Gavin Mortimer , The Spectator , 16 March 2020 1 ) Four Lessons From A Century of Pandemics WCAI Public Radio , April 2019 “ Scientists can fall into the trap of thinking that once we have a certain amount of knowledge , we really understand how things work , we don ’ t need to question it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemics is that , as much as we ’ ve learned and as much as we know , there were always these unknowns out there , or these partial understandings , and we only learned what we ’ re missing when the next epidemic comes along.
” The Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide , and killed tens of millions .
A century later , we have vaccines , antibiotics , advanced life support , and high-tech monitoring networks .
And , yet , disease outbreaks – from Ebola , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to surprise even experts .
Medical historian Mark Honigsbaum has chronicled the outbreaks and epidemics of the twentieth century in his new book , The Pandemic Century : One Hundred Years of Panic , Hysteria , and Hubris .
He says there are four lessons we should have learned , but haven ’ t , necessarily .
Biomedical advances are only part of the story : “ I don ’ t think we should necessarily be reassured by the fact that we have medical technologies that weren ’ t available in 1918 because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spanish Flu tell them this was an unusually virulent virus and we might find that it ’ s just as hard to contain it now as it was then.
” Think big picture : “ If you narrowly focus on the pathogen or the epidemiology of the disease and don ’ t take sufficient time to understand the wider ecology – the interactions between people , microbes , and other animals in which those microbes might be harbored – you really miss a chance to understand the complexities of these epidemics.
” Question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – not the scientists , anyone – can fall into the trap of thinking that once we have a certain amount of knowledge , we really understand how things work , we don ’ t need to question it anymore .
But the lesson of these epidemics is that , as much as we ’ ve learned and as much as we know , there were always these unknowns out there , or these partial understandings , and we only learned what we ’ re missing when the next epidemic comes along.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s too easy to just blame the media for hyping something that turns out not to be as fearful as people thought .
But the reason why the media reports things that way is they pick up those messages from health professionals , from scientists , themselves .
And often [ that ’ s ] because there are these gaps in our knowledge and there is often a level of uncertainty .
It always comes back to this idea of how much we know and how much more there is to know.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Technology , Ingenuity And Cooperation Will Defeat The Pandemic Chelsea Follett , Human Progress , 13 March 2020 The threat from COVID-19 should be taken seriously , but there are reasons for rational optimism even during a pandemic .
The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) from Wuhan , China , is now a serious and global problem .
And that problem has been made even worse by a culture of constant alarmism making it hard to distinguish real threats from exaggerated claims , as the well‐known science writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even when faced with the genuine threat of a pandemic , there are reasons to take heart and think that humanity will rise to the challenges ahead .
First , humanity has never been better prepared technologically to deal with a pandemic .
We are fortunate to live in an age of drive‐through diagnostic test stations , advanced computer modeling that can help predict where and how fast the virus will spread , real‐time interactive online outbreak‐tracking maps , and medical supplies delivered by self‐driving cars .
An AI epidemiologist sent the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the virus is able to travel faster than the virus itself , arming individuals with knowledgeabout how to slow the disease ’ s spread .
There is currently no vaccine and no cure for the disease .
However , medical research is faster and of higher quality than at any other time in history .
The amount of time that it takes to successfully create a vaccine for a disease has come down thanks to scientific advances , better communications technology , and more extensive cooperation among scientists across the globe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 outbreak got underway within just hours of the virus being identified .
Animal testing of the vaccine has shown promise .
Human trials are now just weeks away , with a vaccine expected to be ready for public use within the next 12 to 18 months .
That means that a vaccine could become available within two years of the virus ’ s emergence .
For comparison , it took 48 years to create a successful vaccine for the polio virus .
In addition to progress toward a vaccine , several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected are currently being tested .
Potential treatments under evaluation range from repurposed HIV‐fighting drugs , such as lopinavir and ritonavir , as well as chloroquine phosphate , which is normally used to treat malaria and certain liver infections .
Second , human beings have an incredible capacity for voluntary cooperation , particularly in times of adversity .
In South Korea , the damage of the outbreak has so far been successfully minimized by widespread and mostly voluntary cooperation .
The vast majority of the country ’ s mostly healthy people have opted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to self‐quarantine ) .
Moreover , the Koreans are avoiding travel and large gatherings .
While those who have tested positive for COVID-19 are under mandatory quarantine , the vast majority of “ social distancing ” measures in the country are voluntary .
Similarly , in the United States , where the outbreak is still in an early phase , private actors are swiftly choosing to take thorough action to slow the virus ’ s spread .
Many U.S. companies and organizations are helping to safeguard the health of their employees by intensifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanitizer dispensers throughout their workspaces , and promoting social distancing by conducting meetings over the phone , canceling events and offering employees the option of working remotely when possible .
While some localities have banned large gatherings , purely voluntary social distancing measures are now widespread throughout the country .
And technology is allowing society to keep running .
To name just a few examples : digital technology is enabling numerous universities to switch to online classes during the pandemic , letting churches empty their pews and broadcast sermons online , giving individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family gatherings , and allowing think tanks to host online‐only events .
Speaking of the think tanks , please consider registering for HumanProgress.org ’ s upcoming online event to launch the 3rd annual Simon Abundance Index on April 22nd , the 50th anniversary of Earth Day .
Human beings , when left to their own devices , are not only cooperative but generous .
Numerous individuals are now offering to deliver groceries for elderly or immunocompromised neighbors who are at greater risk of severe complications from the virus .
Private charity is stepping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s all the more important considering that the U.S. Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) has come up short by refusing to test many potential cases and only recently lifting a ban on allowing private labs to test for the virus despite the severe shortage in the government ’ s own testing capacity .
3 ) Too Good To Be True ?
Australian Researchers Claim They Have Found Cure For Covid-19 News.com.au , 16 March 2020 A team of Australian researchers say they ’ ve found a cure for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enrolled in a nationwide trial by the end of the month .
University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research director Professor David Paterson told news.com.au today they have seen two drugs used to treat other conditions wipe out the virus in test tubes .
He said one of the medications , given to some of the first people to test positive for COVID-19 in Australia , had already resulted in “ disappearance of the virus ” and complete recovery from the infection .
Prof Paterson , who is also an infectious disease physician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Hospital , said it wasn ’ t a stretch to label the drugs “ a treatment or a cure ” .
“ Patients would end up with no viable coronavirus in their system at all after the end of therapy.
” The drugs are both already registered and available in Australia .
“ What we want to do at the moment is a large clinical trial across Australia , looking at 50 hospitals , and what we ’ re going to compare is one drug , versus another drug , versus the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prof Paterson said .
Given their history , researchers have a “ long experience of them being very well tolerated ” and there are no unexpected side effects .
“ We ’ re not on a flat foot , we can sort of move ahead very rapidly with enrolling Australians in this trial , ” Prof Paterson said .
“ It ’ s the question we all have – we know it ’ s coming now , what is the best way to treat it ?
” Prof Paterson said positive experiences in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recorded overseas , citing China and Singapore .
His research team are confident they can start getting the drugs to patients in a very safe way on home soil .
“ We want to give Australians the absolute best treatment rather than just someone ’ s guesses or someone ’ s anecdotal experiences from a few people , ” Prof Paterson told news.com.au .
He said they hope to be enrolling patients by the end of March .
Gaia Fawkes , 16 March 2020 This morning photographers arrived at No .
10 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Pause the System ‘ , turning up in hazmat outfits to demand the Government do more to fight Coronavirus .
The group ’ s demands include ‘ pausing the system ’ to respond to the ‘ health emergency ’ , as well as demanding the Government “ provide universal basic income and full statutory sick pay for all people , pause all mortgages and rents ” .
Isn ’ t it a coincidence that every time there ’ s a ‘ crisis ’ the only solution is Marxism ?
The group ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemics ” gives the game away : “ Both the climate emergency and the factory farming and trade of animals bring strong threats of future pandemics .
The government must act to reduce emissions to net zero , halt biodiversity loss , as well as ban factory farming and the trade of animals.
” There is little information about who is behind the shady group given , however the two press officer names – Steph Zupan and Dan Kidby – are , not to Guido ’ s surprise , Extinction Rebellion organisers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ‘ Veggie Swarm Action ’ last October , calling on the need “ to engage in strategic direct action ” .
She also wrote that “ scientists have warned us for decades now about our fate if we don ’ t make serious changes ” .
She doesn ’ t seem so keen on scientific advice these days… Dan Kidby is also a spokesman for Animal Rebellion , who wrote “ Animal Rebellion is a movement of people from all walks of life who have come together because the evidence is clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system is critical to avert climate breakdown and mass extinction ” helping to organise last year ’ s shut down of Smithfield Market .
The climate communists will hijack any cause to push their absurd agenda… 5 ) New Carbon Tax Will Cost Local Councils And House Buyers £1.6 Billion Global Warming Policy Forum , 16 March 2020 London , 16 March : Local councils and house buyers have been warned that they are the first to feel the £1.6 billion cost of the Chancellor ’ s new carbon tax which was buried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to a cost analysis by the Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) , the Budget shows clear signs that the UK government is now moving towards general carbon taxation .
As a taste of things to come , government is increasing fuel tax on diesel to the parts of the construction industry , amongst others , by 400 % , from the currently discounted level of 11.14 pence per litre to the standard 57.95 pence per litre , resulting in an increase in annual fuel costs to the UK of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this burden will fall on the construction industry , and particularly on Local Authorities through the costs of road maintenance contractors , and also the cost of running gritters and snow clearers , formerly exempted but now required to pay full fuel duty .
Housebuyers will also be affected .
The construction industry is reported as estimating that the new carbon tax will increase the cost of house building by £5000 per house .
Further impacts on the costs of national infrastructure projects , such as HS2 , are inevitable .
Dr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : “ Increasing tax on diesel fuel used by the construction sector , and others , has far-reaching consequences for Local Authorities , the cost of national infrastructure projects such as HS2 and for house buyers .
But that ’ s carbon taxation for you.
” “ Carbon taxes reveal the true and rising cost of climate policies , making everything more expensive and will become politically toxic.
” 6 ) The UK ’ s March 2020 Budget : Red Diesel and the Dawn of Carbon Taxation Dr John Constable , GWPF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chancellor ’ s Budget shows clear signs that the UK government is now moving towards general carbon taxation .
As a taste of things to come , government is increase fuel tax on diesel for parts of the construction industry , amongst others , by 400 % , from the currently discounted level of 11.14 pence per litre to the standard 57.95 pence per litre , resulting in an increase in annual fuel costs to the UK of about £1.6 billion per year .
Much of this burden will fall on local authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintenance Framework contractors with the construction industry .
It is inevitable that there will be further impacts on the costs of national infrastructure projects such as HS2 .
It is almost impossible for a modern Chancellor to approach the despatch box with a Budget that is anything other than ostensibly committed to the mitigation of climate change , and in spite of the extraordinary measures announced to buffer the economy against the effects of Covid-19 , Rishi Sunak ’ s debut is no exception , the first page of his Budget telling us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK hosts the COP26 UN climate summit , the Budget takes steps to decarbonise the economy and protect the UK ’ s natural habitats , ensuring that every part of the UK economy is ready for the challenges of decarbonisation , and ready to capitalise on the opportunities to become leaders in the green markets of the future.
” ( Budget , p. 1 ) So far so anodyne .
But that doesn ’ t mean that the document is empty , and that the reader can safely ignore it .
Green lobbyists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but overall they will be satisfied that the ratchet has been turned a few clicks further on , in spite of the almost overwhelming distractions of a genuine crisis in public health .
Not only are the gestures green , but the few bigger ticket items in climate policy that are actually costed are indicative of the direction of travel , which is towards general carbon taxation .
This has long been the preferred instrument of the Treasury , and they are now reaffirming extant promises and beginning to provide details .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK will continue to apply an ambitious carbon price from 1 January 2021 to support progress towards reaching net zero .
The government will legislate at Finance Bill 2020 to prepare for a UK Emissions Trading System ( ETS ) , which could be linked to the EU ETS .
The government will also legislate for a carbon emissions tax as an alternative carbon pricing policy and consult on the design of a tax in spring 2020.
” ( para 2.219 ) The possibility of synchronisation with the EU ETS will presumably be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but since this would put the UK behind the EU ’ s emerging carbon tariff barrier , a Customs Union in all but name , it seems unlikely that the UK will agree to it .
The Chancellor ’ s decision to freeze Carbon Price Support at £18/tCO2e ( para 2.218 ) is not only an entirely understandable relief for businesses when facing severe economic difficulties as the result of Covid-19 , but a fairly clear hint that the UK is willing to dispense with emissions trading , whether synchronised with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of January 2021 .
7 ) And Finally : What Pepys ’ s Plague Diaries Can Teach Us About Coronavirus Gavin Mortimer , The Spectator , 16 March 2020 I ’ ve been writing a diary for 26 years and 2020 is shaping up to be a vintage one .
I thought 2019 would be hard to beat , what with Brexit , Greta and Labour ’ s implosion , but this year I ’ ve been feeling like Samuel Pepys as the 21st century answer to the bubonic plague sweeps the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention on January 24 , when I mentioned in passing ‘ the spread in China of something called “ coronavirus ” .
’ But it wasn ’ t until February 9 that I informed my diary that the arrival in Britain of Storm Clara has ‘ given the media something else to panic about other than coronavirus .
Seven people now infected in the UK and 800 deaths in China.
’ At 32 , Pepys was younger than me when the plague ravaged London in 1665 , which may have been a factor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the estimated 100,000 fatalities ( around 20 per cent of London ’ s population ) of the disease , which was transmitted by fleas that lived on rats .
Once infected , the chances of surviving the plague were terrifyingly slim ; most people , as Daniel Defoe recorded ‘ were immediately overwhelmed with it , and it came to violent fevers , vomitings , insufferable headaches , pains in the back , and so up to ravings and ragings with those pains.
’ Of more significance , however , was that Pepys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in the squalor that passed for housing where the plague flourished .
In terms of lethality coronavirus bears no comparison with the more deadly bubonic plague , but re-reading Pepys ’ diary it is fascinating to see the parallels between 1665 and 2020 .
The first handful of recorded Plague deaths in London were in March but of more interest to Pepys that spring was England ’ s fight with her European neighbours ( specifically , in this instance , the Dutch ) for control of the seas and trade routes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of April and then on May 24 wrote : ‘ To the coffee-house , where all the news is of the Dutch being gone out , and the plague growing upon us in this town ; and some of the remedies against it : some saying one thing and some another.
’ Despite the continued presence of the plague , Pepys remained unconcerned , dining out most evenings and , as he noted on 1 June , trying on his new camelott ( camel or goat hair ) suit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my life ’ .
Six days later Pepys saw for himself for the first time the effects of the plague while strolling through Drury Lane , writing in his diary that evening ‘ two or three houses marked with a red cross upon the doors , and “ Lord have mercy upon us !
” writ there ; which was a sad sight to me ’ .
The melancholy was gone within a day as news reached London of victory over the Dutch in an engagement off Lowestoft .
Pepys ’ heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the news .
Pepys continued his ‘ business as normal ’ approach , even in August , when the Bills of Mortality were recording more than 6,000 burials each week ( a figure that rose to 8,000 the following month ) .
In fact Pepys worked so hard , he complained to his diary on 9 August , that he went to bed early because he was ‘ disturbed with over-much business today ’ .
While Pepys chronicled the contagion , many of his peers sought the safety of the countryside .
‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lawyers and merchants , fled the city , ’ records the National Archives .
‘ Charles II and his courtiers left in July for Hampton Court and then Oxford .
Parliament was postponed and had to sit in October.
’ Theatres and courts were closed , all sport shut down and trade with other cities at home and abroad was suspended .
The Council of Scotland closed its border with England and , according to the Museum of London , ‘ people ’ s lives and businesses suffered terribly because so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] many were forced to beg or steal food and money because the plague had such a bad effect on trade.
’ ‘ Lord !
’ wrote Pepys on August 16 .
‘ How sad a sight it is to see the streets so empty of people.
’ But again the dejection was brief .
The next day Pepys went boating on the Thames with four friends , dropping anchor near Gravesend , ‘ to supper mighty merry ’ .
The ability to carry on regardless was a defining characteristic of Pepys , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Physical pain of some sort or another had been his constant companion since childhood , imbuing in him a stoicism and a determination to make the most of life .
‘ You see it again , later , in his elated response to the plague year , when , ’ wrote Tomalin , ‘ with death all around , he grabbed at whatever there was to enjoy ’ .
Pepys wasn ’ t blasé about the plague .
He was afraid to wear a new wig in case it became infected but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
I am not for a moment being flippant or diminishing what is a global tragedy but it will be far better for our morale to read Pepys than it will today ’ s newspapers , which seem hell-bent on panicking people with their alarmist and speculative headlines .

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climatedepot--2020-03-17--First anniversary for ‘The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened’

On this first anniversary of the publication of The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened , it ’ s a day of celebration for me .
The book has informed thousands about how and why the scary stories about the imminent demise of polar bears due to human-caused global warming failed so miserably .
It is a story of the triumph of facts over assumptions and a perfect example of why scientific observations trump model predictions .
It is also a study of science at its worst : how a close-knit community of scientists groomed by a few senior researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who refused to tow the line on their climate change agenda – and mobilized mobs to attack outsiders who questioned their authority .
If you haven ’ t read it , now may be the perfect time .
Many of you will be forced or encouraged to stay at home because of Covid-19 concerns , so here is one way to put the time to good use .
Ebooks are perfect for this situation .
If you don ’ t like Amazon , Smashwords has an ebook version here .
Smashwords also has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EATEN .
This polar bear attack thriller is a timely read for a number of reasons but primarily because it ’ s the story of an animal epidemic with horrific consequences quite different from the one we are facing at the moment .
My polar bear science book for kids , Polar Bear Facts and Myths in ebook form might be the perfect diversion for kids at home who need interesting educational material .
You ’ ll find links to all of my books , in all countries and all outlets , at @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-17--Former Harvard U. Prof. Rips Coronavirus response: ‘The enthusiasm with which the West commits suici

Former Harvard U. Prof. Rips Coronavirus response: ‘The enthusiasm with which the West commits suicide is staggering’

The globalist media have brainwashed billions of people into believing that this kind of instinctive yet hysterical behavior is needed , natural , useful , rational , and probably ethical , too .
It ’ s neither .
The economic and otherwise societal losses will be exponentially larger than the damages to the public health .
I would even argue that that the economic damages that have already taken place are larger than even the worst case scenario damages to health and lives that could materialize in a hypothetical future .
Yes , even the desire “ not to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a “ fringe ” political opinion , according to the number of prominent advocates There ’ s really a near consensus among the pundits in the West that we must commit the economic suicide as a civilization .
And I think that Trump is weak , too .
Maybe it is not even such a big difference whether he or the overt Bolshevik Sanders will continue in the White House.eanwhile , all these suicidal policies lack any real planning .
Nobody knows : when a 2-week-long shut down or national quarantine reduces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 % , will it be enough ?
If the unrestricted economy produces a growing number of infections – by the same rate with the opposite sign as the martial law that hypothetically reduces the cases – then it clearly means that we need to shut down the civilization for half a time just to keep the cases stable .
Is it really what we want ?
As the Conservative Woman Laura Perrins wrote today , ‘ Whatever It Takes ’ is too much .
‘ Whatever It Takes ’ is really a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should never have a place in an intelligent society .


climatedepot--2020-03-17--BIDEN GOES EXTREME: Give Oil Industry ‘No Ability’ To ‘Continue To Drill’, Take ‘Millions’ Of Cars O

BIDEN GOES EXTREME: Give Oil Industry ‘No Ability’ To ‘Continue To Drill’, Take ‘Millions’ Of Cars Off The Road

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made extreme remarks during CNN ’ s presidential debate on Sunday night , suggesting that he would end the oil industry ’ s ability to drill , would ban new fracking projects , and would take millions of cars off the road .
“ No more subsidies for fossil fuel industry , no more drilling on federal lands , no more drilling including offshore , no ability for the oil industry to continue to drill , ” Biden said .
“ Period .
Ends.
” “ No new fracking and , by the way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to make sure we invested $ 90 billion in making sure we brought down the price of solar and wind that is lower than the price of coal , that ’ s why not another new coal plant will be built , ” Biden continued .
“ We in fact have the ability to lay down the tracks where no one can change , change the dynamic , and that ’ s why we should be talking about things like I ’ ve been talking about for years : high speed rail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ road.
” Biden has embraced far-left positions championed by socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , praising her “ Green New Deal , ” which includes a government takeover of some private industries .
Joe Biden is embracing the framework of the Green New Deal in his bid for the White House , calling on the United States to eliminate climate-warming emissions by no later than the middle of the century while creating millions of new jobs and rallying the rest of the world to forestall dangerous rising temperatures .


climatedepot--2020-03-17--Former UN Env. Director approvingly cites activist’s message: ‘If we can shut the world down to stop

Former UN Env. Director approvingly cites activist’s message: ‘If we can shut the world down to stop a virus, that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change’

Former UN environmental director Svein T veitdal supported the comments by a climate activist claiming that if we can “ shut the world down ” to battle coronavirus , “ it means it is possible to do the same for climate change.
” Svein T veitdal , a former United Nations adviser to the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ) and a UNEP division director , tweeted climate activist Jamie Margolin ’ s video where she silently declared : “ If we can shut the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all emergencies like emergencies !
” Teen Vogue Op-Ed : ‘ Coronavirus Response Should Be a Model for How We Address Climate Change ’ Teen activist JAMIE MARGOLIN : “ If we can shut the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change .
Treat all emergencies like emergencies !
” Margolin in Teen Vogue : “ The way the world has been able to mobilize itself and shut down in the blink of an eye to properly respond to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do have the ability to make rapid change happen if they want .
So where is that rapid response for the climate crisis ?
… For years , climate justice activists like myself have been calling for immediate action on our climate emergency .
And for years , that action has not taken place….Why have there not been coronavirus levels of shutting down and completely rewiring our society ?
Every time I meet with lawmakers and tell them that we need rapid transformation to halt climate change , they tell me “ change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But the COVID-19 world response has proven that rapid change and disruption of business as usual is possible !
… What would it look like when the world actually decides to take on the climate crisis ?
It would look like what we ’ re seeing right now .
Media coverage of the issue 24/7 .
Consistent headlines about updated death tolls .
Experts appearing on the news daily to update the public on the crisis .
Everyone stopping everything and putting the world on pause to deal with the immediate crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply trying to mitigate a disaster , while urgent climate response is not only mitigating disaster , but actively creating a better world.
” MAG : What would happen if the world reacted to climate change like it ’ s reacting to the coronavirus ?
Climate activists celebrate ‘ the benefits of coronavirus ’ : ‘ It is fantastic for the environment ’ – Economic slowdown is ‘ good news for the ecologists ’ Former UN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres : Slower economic growth from coronavirus ‘ may be good for climate ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less travel , less commerce ’


climatedepot--2020-03-17--Teen Vogue Op-Ed: ‘Coronavirus Response Should Be a Model for How We Address Climate Change’

Teen activist JAMIE MARGOLIN : `` If we can shut the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change .
Treat all emergencies like emergencies ! ''
( Also see : Former UN Env .
Director approvingly cites activist ’ s message : ‘ If we can shut the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change ’ ) Margolin in Teen Vogue : `` The way the world has been able to mobilize itself and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eye to properly respond to the coronavirus is proof that political leaders actually do have the ability to make rapid change happen if they want .
So where is that rapid response for the climate crisis ?
... For years , climate justice activists like myself have been calling for immediate action on our climate emergency .
And for years , that action has not taken place ... .
Why have there not been coronavirus levels of shutting down and completely rewiring our society ?
Every time I meet with lawmakers and tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ halt climate change , they tell me “ change that fast just isn ’ t possible.
” But the COVID-19 world response has proven that rapid change and disruption of business as usual is possible !
... What would it look like when the world actually decides to take on the climate crisis ?
It would look like what we ’ re seeing right now .
Media coverage of the issue 24/7 .
Consistent headlines about updated death tolls .
Experts appearing on the news daily to update the public on the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world on pause to deal with the immediate crisis at hand .
... Pandemic response is simply trying to mitigate a disaster , while urgent climate response is not only mitigating disaster , but actively creating a better world . ''
You know that gnawing feeling of “ oh , God , we ’ re in the midst of something horrible ” you have because of the coronavirus ?
Are you looking around at this crisis sweeping across the world and feeling helpless because you have limited power to stop it ?
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long been feeling about the climate crisis .
The way the world has been able to mobilize itself and shut down in the blink of an eye to properly respond to the coronavirus is proof that political leaders actually do have the ability to make rapid change happen if they want .
So where is that rapid response for the climate crisis ?
For years , climate justice activists like myself have been calling for immediate action on our climate emergency .
And for years , that action has not taken place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a decade to completely transform how our entire economy and world runs , transitioning over to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture .
Yet we continue to plow ahead with business as usual , paving the way toward a future of extreme weather events , mass displacement , disease , famine , and death .
That ’ s not hyperbole ; those are the predictions and findings of experts who have devoted their careers to this issue .
So when we ’ re in the middle of such an existential crisis , why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutting down and completely rewiring our society ?
Every time I meet with lawmakers and tell them that we need rapid transformation to halt climate change , they tell me “ change that fast just isn ’ t possible.
” But the COVID-19 world response has proven that rapid change and disruption of business as usual is possible !
What would it look like when the world actually decides to take on the climate crisis ?
It would look like what we ’ re seeing right now .
Media coverage of the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tolls .
Experts appearing on the news daily to update the public on the crisis .
Everyone stopping everything and putting the world on pause to deal with the immediate crisis at hand .
The coronavirus response is showing us how people can mobilize and do their part when it is properly communicated to them that we are indeed in an urgent crisis .
Pandemic response is simply trying to mitigate a disaster , while urgent climate response is not only mitigating disaster , but actively creating a better world .
So where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus gets under control , the world can not exhale and go back to normal .
We need to move on to tackling the other deadly crisis that can not wait .
Seattle teen testifies to Congress : Our ‘ planet that is collapsing ’ – ‘ Solving the climate crisis goes against ’ what America was ‘ built on ’ : ‘ Colonialism , slavery & natural resource extraction ’ Jamie Margolin : “ Solving the climate crisis goes against everything that our country was unfortunately built on , colonialism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want the entirety of Congress , in fact the whole US government , to remember the fear and despair that my generation lives with every day , and I want you to hold onto it .
How do I even begin to convey to you what it feels like to know that within my lifetime the destruction that we have already seen from the climate crisis will only get worse ?
” “ Everyone who will walk up to me after this testimony saying I have such a bright future ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face .
It doesn ’ t matter how talented we are , how much work we put in , how many dreams we have , the reality is , my generation has been committed to a planet that is collapsing.
” “ You have heard of the Reagan era ; The New Deal era .
Well , the youth are bringing about the era of the Green New Deal.
” She demanded “ urgent climate action ” in order to “ salvage life on earth ” and begin “ climate recovery .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-17--Coronavirus: What’s the endgame? What is the ‘exit strategy’? – ‘Our economy can’t survive on minima

Coronavirus: What’s the endgame? What is the ‘exit strategy’? – ‘Our economy can’t survive on minimal activity forever.  Entire industries will buckle’

Precautions such as travel bans , personal hygiene , closures and social distancing are designed to “ flatten ” the virus growth curve and allow the healthcare system to cope .
What is the plan to return to normal ?
What does success look like ?
Every dollar you spend , no matter how trivial , has an economic multiplier effect .
In a free market economy that power is tremendous .
When we withdraw from the marketplace , a reverse multiplier takes hold with a strangling grip .
Our economy can ’ t survive on minimal activity forever .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be bankruptcies and job loss .
As it has in other countries , no doubt the virus news will get worse before it gets better .
Could be much worse .
We don ’ t have to guess , we ’ ll follow the precautions and watch the numbers .
Whatever the course of the virus , the experts who told us to close human gathering places down , have said nothing about plans to open them back up .
• What milestones in the virus data will tell us to alter our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become ineffective ?
• What precautions can be taken to safely resume some activities before the overall threat has abated ?
• Which activities can resume first ?
• Can we be more precise than one-size-fits-all closures ?
• Is there a hierarchy of activities based on their risk and necessity ?
• Which human gatherings are more essential than others ?
• Which human gatherings entail lower risk of transmitting the virus than others ?
• If the virus numbers go down over the summer , what will be the risk when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Can we return to normal in stages ?
• When can children return to school ?
• When can stadiums and theme parks reopen ?
• When does the economic harm exceed the harm from the virus ?
• How do we know we ’ ve won ?
It will likely be a long time until the risk from the coronavirus approaches zero .
The Center for Disease Control estimates that influenza resulted in between 9 million to 45 million illnesses , between 140,000 to 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 to 61,000 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time we enjoyed an economic expansion .
Life went on .
In short , our leaders need to plan not just how they will conduct the war against this virus , but an “ exit strategy ” on how to pull out when the mission has been achieved .


climatedepot--2020-03-17--John Kerry and His Climate Clown-Science – Seeks ‘new cabinet position devoted to climate’ if Biden

John Kerry and His Climate Clown-Science – Seeks ‘new cabinet position devoted to climate’ if Biden wins

This possibility is emblematic of sorry state of climate policy .
John Kerry has proven he is totally ignorant of the basics of climate science .
Nevertheless , while he ridicules those who know more , he is aided and abetted by the media .
In a widely covered speech in Jakarta in 2014 , Kerry asserted that climate change is “ the world ’ s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction.
” He also went to some lengths to lay out the basics of climate science .
After invoking the requisite “ 97 percent of scientists ” cliché , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can hope it was off script ) to explain how simple it is to understand climate science : “ But this is not tough .
This is simple .
Kids at the earliest age can understand this.
” It is worth watching the video just to get a sense of the condescension and derision toward skeptics .
Here is his description of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas : “ Try and picture a very thin layer of gases – a quarter-inch , half an inch , somewhere in that vicinity – that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s in our atmosphere .
It ’ s way up there at the edge of the atmosphere.
” Don ’ t bother going outside to look for it .
Kerry ’ s is an absolutely cockamamie description of greenhouse gasses in general and CO2 in particular .
CO2 is not “ way up there at the edge.
” It is all through the atmosphere .
It is not a quarter or half an inch thick—it is part of the many-miles thick atmosphere .
It seems he may have been using talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ozone is mostly “ way up there ” and if isolated and compressed to right-down-here pressures would form a layer 3 mm thick .
If so , Kerry confused an abstract description of ozone ( O3 ) for the reality of CO2 .
More notable than his confusion is his confidence in his ignorance .
He asserted that those who did not have his level of understanding were flat-Earthers with less comprehension than small children .
After misinforming the audience about the thin layer , way up there , he immediately adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – literally millions of years – we know that layer has acted like a thermal blanket for the planet – trapping the sun ’ s heat and warming the surface of the Earth to the ideal , life-sustaining temperature .
Average temperature of the Earth has been about 57 degrees Fahrenheit , which keeps life going.
” Kerry ’ s implication that the Earth ’ s climate has been coddled by a steady 57-degree “ Ideal , life-sustaining temperature ” for “ literally millions of years ” is also cockamamie .
Below is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperature fluctuation for just the past one million years .
There was a lot of temperature fluctuation before central heating , air conditioning , and SUVs came into existence .
Ice ages will do that .
Those who disagree with Kerry ’ s clown-science are “ a tiny minority of shoddy scientists… and extreme ideologues.
” Everybody else , then , must think that CO2 is a half-inch layer “ way up there at the edge of the atmosphere ” and the Earth ’ s average temperature has been maintained for “ millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the program , everybody , you don ’ t want to be in the loser group of shoddy scientists and ideologues .
These assertions were so ludicrous that the reporters had a field day pointing out these outrageous errors .
Ha-ha , just joking .
None of the major news organizations said anything about Kerry ’ s blatant misunderstanding and misrepresentation of climate science .
Instead they focused on Kerry ’ s line about weapon of mass destruction and his equating climate skeptics to Flat-Earth Society members .
Googling “ John Kerry climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.4 million results with virtually every news organization covering that quote and not saying anything about “ a very thin layer , ” “ way up there.
” Googling “ John Kerry climate science ” turns up nearly 8 million results .
Judging from the first several pages of hits , they are primarily about a climate group he helped form in 2019 or about his interaction with MIT-educated engineer , Rep. Thomas Massie .
Massie wondered what were Kerry ’ s scientific qualifications that allowed him to dismiss a climate advisory group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kerry called it a “ kangaroo committee.
” The media coverage was sometimes de facto cheerleading for Kerry ( here , for instance ) .
Some skeptics and bloggers pointed out Kerry ’ s Jakarta stupidity , but it got no coverage at the time .
Bonus points for anybody who finds mainstream media coverage of his error .
Put it in the “ Comments ” section , please .
What would the future for the Secretary of Climate look like ?
The media response when Kerry gave as embarrassing a description of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was total silence .
Instead the media focused on soundbite-worthy , but unsubstantiated , quotes .
It seems the media are either so unsure of fundamental science as to be easily fooled , or they are climate activists .
So , if Kerry ( or anybody else ) gets a cabinet-level , climate-change appointment in a new administration , we can be sure the Fourth Estate will provide no reality check on the First .


climatedepot--2020-03-17--Climate Campaign ‘At Risk of Stalling’ — Loses Momentum As World Fights Coronavirus

The climate campaign is at risk of stalling as the pandemic and global economic crisis deepens .
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde once spent more time talking about climate change than inflation .
It happened during a press conference in Frankfurt less than two months ago , but already feels like something from another century—or planet .
In the days since , the novel coronavirus and an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia have rocked financial markets and brought the world to the brink of an economic crisis .
Understandably , these two extraordinary events have grabbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerning climate news has not slowed… The United Nations won ’ t hold any face-to-face climate change talks until at least the end of April , as part of the effort to contain the coronavirus , according to Climate Change News .
An EU-China climate summit due to take place at the end of the month has also been postponed .
Such events are essential for governments to draft agreements in advance of the UN ’ s next global climate meeting , scheduled to take place in Glasgow in November .
The COP26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signatories are supposed to present even more ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions than called for under the 2015 Paris Agreement .
So far , only the Marshall Islands , Suriname , Norway and Moldova have presented such plans , according to the World Resources Institute .
The climate policy push is at risk of stalling on a national level as well .
The U.K. scaled back plans to put environment at the center of its budget last week .
Spain , which has made climate change a central part of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for at least two weeks and declared a state of emergency over the weekend .
Despite the temporary setbacks , European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen said last week that the European Union remains committed to its Green Deal , a moonshot plan to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050 .
“ Clearly we can not ignore what ’ s going on globally , ” said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on Bloomberg TV .
The global “ climate emergency didn ’ t go anywhere .
But transforming the economy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pieces to move in perfect coordination over an extended period of time .
Until now , public policy and private investment have pushed each other to advance climate goals .
Whether all the stakeholders involved can deal with the immediate shocks while keeping long-term goals in sight remains to be seen .
“ Now we have coronavirus and every three or four years there will be a significant shock that governments will need to focus on over the short term , ” said John Ferguson , director of macroeconomics at the Economist Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one ’ s fault , but that can throw certain countries off course .
Let ’ s remember this is a goal about 2050 .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-18--MSNBC Anchor: Proposed $800 Billion Stimulus Is Proof U.S. Can Afford Green New Deal – Chris Hayes:

MSNBC Anchor: Proposed $800 Billion Stimulus Is Proof U.S. Can Afford Green New Deal – Chris Hayes: ‘We can, of course, afford a Green New Deal’

MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes cited a potential $ 800 billion in proposed economic stimulus money as proof the United States could afford a Green New Deal that would cost tens of trillions of dollars .
“ BREAKING : We can , of course , afford a Green New Deal .
That ’ s been true all along , ” Hayes tweeted , linking to a report that President Donald Trump will ask Congress for an $ 800 billion stimulus package to respond to the coronavirus .
BREAKING : We can , of course , afford a Green New Deal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
https : //twitter.com/johnrobertsFox/status/1239901548580425728 … [ email protected ] has learned that @ realDonaldTrump will ask Congress for more than $ 800 billion in economic stimulus : $ 500 bil in payroll tax cut , $ 250 bil in Small Business Association loans , $ 58 billion for the airlines , and a smattering of other items .
19.6K people are talking about this What would constitute a Green New Deal varies among Democratic politicians and pundits , but it generally refers to a proposed package of legislation for combating climate change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D. , N.Y. ) and Sen. Ed Markey ( D. , Mass . )
last year carried one estimated price tag of $ 94 trillion and called for an “ economic transformation , ” a complete overhaul of transportation systems , and retrofitting every building in the United States .
In comparison , an $ 800 billion economic stimulus would account for 0.85 percent of the cost of Ocasio-Cortez and Markey ’ s proposed legislation .
Various Democratic presidential candidates have proposed their own version of the Green New Deal .
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went on Hayes ’ s show in August to discuss his Green New Deal , which calls for $ 16.3 trillion in spending to move the United States to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 and completely decarbonize by 2050 .
Primary rival Joe Biden ’ s plan would cost $ 1.7 trillion .
MSNBC was the home of another recent misadventure in math .
On March 5 , the 11th Hour with Brian Williams aired a tweet claiming former Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg ’ s $ 500 million in campaign spending could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million apiece .
In reality , he could have given them less than two dollars each , but anchor Brian Williams and New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay marveled at the false statistic .
“ It ’ s an incredible way of putting it , ” Gay said .
“ It ’ s true .
It ’ s disturbing .
”


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Watch: The Green New Deal Has Arrived – Coronavirus achieves many of the GND’s objectives


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Climate activist rejects proposal for UN climate summit to be held by video conference

Their sacrifice is indeed admirable .
I ’ ve covered/attended numerous of these confabs including this austere affair pic.twitter.com/MJ212YKa0F Climate @ @ @ @ @ climate summit to be held by video conference https : //t.co/Hhchgd9FFQ


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Delingpole: Coronavirus is Going to Make Big Government Even Bigger

Here is the kind of terrifying piece we ’ re going to see a lot more of in the coming weeks and months .
It ’ s published today in an allegedly conservative newspaper , the Daily Telegraph and the headline is : ‘ There is no alternative : we are all socialists now in the fight against coronavirus.
’ Really ?
Says who , exactly ?
Oh , guess what .
Turns out that the author Tom Harris is a former Labour MP .
Isn ’ t it extraordinary how handy the coronavirus is proving towards those of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they claim — the pandemic is just so obviously a problem that can only be solved by massive state intervention that it justifies their entire leftist belief system and forces the rest of us to do so too .
Here is a taste of Harris ’ s drivel : But in the words of one of Mr Johnson ’ s predecessors , there is no alternative .
Yes , he will suffer criticism for loosening the purse strings after the fashion of Gordon Brown in 2008 .
But Johnson has already proved himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ born-again Keynesian : spending on capital projects to create jobs and boost the economy in targeted regions may be , at first glance , a Labour policy .
But Johnson doesn ’ t care so long as the policy works .
Don ’ t you just love the arrogance of that ‘ so long as the policy works ’ ?
Harris is not even attempting to persuade us — just stating ex cathedra – that a successful outcome for a massive Keynesian spending splurge is a given , something we no longer need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And it ’ s not just leftists who are coming up with this statist guff .
Oh well , if you say it like that , guess it must be .
Here is another egregious example , this time from a notionally Conservative commentator .
Nick Timothy was , of course , the chief advisor to the Theresa May government .
( And remember how well that turned out… ) This paragraph made me particularly nauseous .
It ’ s essentially a riff on Barack Obama ’ s similarly revolting , disingenuous , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build that ’ slogan on the 2012 campaign trail .
From a leftist like Obama it was bad enough .
But from someone wearing the conservative label — what was Timothy thinking when he wrote this bilge ?


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Americans Now Begging For Totalitarianism?!: ‘Ceded control of every aspect of their lives’ ‘A prece

Americans Now Begging For Totalitarianism?!: ‘Ceded control of every aspect of their lives’ ‘A precedent has been set for every future virus’

Over the course of just a few days , the American people have ceded control of their schools , their sports , their freedom to travel , their concerts , their meetings , their ability to purchase essential goods at the store , and every other aspect of their lives – all the while imagining that this somehow makes them safer .
And even worse , a precedent has been set for every future virus .
It was so easy for the powers that be to get Americans to voluntarily give up their rights – permanently .
The government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of international travelers into small spaces for hours at airport immigration , thus guaranteeing the spread of the disease .
Large numbers of people die from the flu every year .
It would easy to create a panic every year with these frightening statistics .
Compare these numbers with ~4,000 COVID deaths in China and 61 in Korea .
Obviously people need to use caution to prevent infecting themselves and others , from COVID and other infectious diseases .
But we can ’ t shut everything down every time a virus comes @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Creating A Worldwide Depression over Coronavirus: ‘Something very seriously wrong is going on here’

Millions of Americans are already out of work due to COVID panic shutdowns , and COVID alarmists want that number to increase that number sharply .
There have been 68 COVID-19 deaths in the US , and almost half of them were at one nursing home in Washington .
Compare this to the 12,000 to 30,000 flu deaths which had already occurred in the US by February 1 .
Flu season is hitting its stride right now in the US .
So far , the CDC has estimated ( based on weekly influenza surveillance data ) that at least 12,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , 2019 through Feb. 1 , 2020 , and the number of deaths may be as high as 30,000 .
This Is How Many People Die From the Flu Each Year , According to the CDC | Health.com There have been 7,000 COVID-19 deaths globally , compared to far more flu deaths .
This Is How Many People Die From the Flu Each Year , According to the CDC | Health.com • COVID-19 is much more transmissible than flu • Death rates are much higher than flu The total number of deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death rates , yet the total number of global deaths from flu is 40-100X higher .
You can ’ t have higher transmissibility and death rates , and come up with a much lower total number of deaths .
The mathematics don ’ t work .
Every single one of the 12,000-30,000 flu deaths in the US this year has involved a person becoming critically ill before they died .
Why didn ’ t that large number of critically ill flu patients , or the comparable number of automobile accident deaths overwhelm the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of people on the street with no shelter and no health care .
How many people would die from that ?
How many tens of millions of people would be killed by a worldwide depression ?
Something very seriously wrong is going on here .


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Coronavirus impact: ‘Expect more governments to abandon climate and emission targets to save their e

Coronavirus impact: ‘Expect more governments to abandon climate and emission targets to save their economies’

Expect more governments to abandon climate and emission targets to save their economies : China is exploring relaxing emissions curbs @ @ @ @ @ //t.co/rcfbFsyoxT via @ technology


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Jenkins, Jr. in WSJ: ‘Questioning the Clampdown: Will people lose faith when they find out they are

Jenkins, Jr. in WSJ: ‘Questioning the Clampdown: Will people lose faith when they find out they are expected to get the virus anyway?’

Experts now agree the virus ’ s spread can be slowed but not contained .
It will take its place among mostly seasonal respiratory infections .
After a time , recurrent outbreaks will be moderated by a large number of potential carriers who have immunity from their last infection .
And then we can ask some questions .
The cost to Americans of the economic shutdown is vast .
What are they getting for their money ?
Essentially less excess demand for respiratory ventilators and other emergency care than can currently be supplied .
… Some number of respiratory deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we all die ) but we ’ ll be spending a lot more than we ’ ve ever been willing to spend before to avoid flu deaths .
Eighty-three percent of our economy will be suppressed to relieve pressure on the 17 % represented by health care .
This will have to last months , not weeks , to modulate the rate at which a critical mass of 330 million get infected and acquire natural immunity .
Will people put up with it once they realize they are still expected to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more sense to pour resources into isolating the vulnerable rather than isolating everyone ?
Basically aren ’ t we really just praying that summer will naturally suppress transmission and get us off the hook of an untenable policy ?
… There ’ s a vast gap between people washing their hands , avoiding crowds , shielding the old and using good judgment , and sweeping lockdowns and curfews .
Anything government spends now will be a good investment if it prepares the economy quickly to resume its growth and healthy functioning .


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Dennis Prager: Why the Coronavirus Remedy May Be Worse Than the Disease – Warns future Prez could ‘a

Dennis Prager: Why the Coronavirus Remedy May Be Worse Than the Disease – Warns future Prez could ‘assert authoritarian rule’ to combat ‘global warming’

Prager : `` But here is a prediction : If the government can order society to cease functioning , from restaurants and other businesses to schools , due to a possible health disaster , it is highly likely that a Democratic president and Congress will similarly declare emergency and assert authoritarian rule in order to prevent what they consider the even greater “ existential threat ” to human life posed by global warming . ''
As former CBS correspondent Sharyl Attkisson further explained : “ Italy has the oldest population in Europe and more elderly per capita than the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in patients in their 80s and 90s ... .
`` We can only be certain that shutting down virtually every part of society will result in a large number of people economically ruined , life savings depleted , decades of work building a restaurant or some other small business destroyed .
As if that were not bad enough , the ancillary effects would include increased depression and divorce and other personal tragedies . ''
As of this writing , 6,400 people all over the world have died from the coronavirus .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chinese deaths ( 3,217 ) account for half of the worldwide total .
If you add Italy ( 1,441 ) and Iran ( 724 ) , two countries where many Chinese were allowed in until recently , that totals another 2,165 .
In other words , outside of China , Italy and Iran—with 5,382 deaths collectively—1,018 people have died .
There are 7.8 billion people in the world .
Regarding Italy , the Jerusalem Post of March 16 reported that according to Nobel Prize-winning chemist Michael Levitt , “ Italy ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that elderly people make up a greater percentage of the population than they do in other countries such as China or France.
” As former CBS correspondent Sharyl Attkisson further explained : “ Italy has the oldest population in Europe and more elderly per capita than the U.S .
Most of the Italian deaths are in patients in their 80s and 90s .
In addition , Italy has a great number of direct China contacts .
Italy was the first to join China ’ s ‘ silk road ’ economic partnership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths are out of a population of 60 million people.
” Regarding Iran , the Wall Street Journal reported on March 11 : “ Iranian officials trace the origins of the country ’ s coronavirus epidemic to the holy city of Qom , home to … a number of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects built by scores of workers and technicians from China … ‘ ( China has ) turned into a very toxic bomb , ’ said Sanam Vakil , deputy Middle East director at Chatham House , a think tank in London.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban on flights from China on Jan. 31—for which he was denounced by leading Democrats and throughout the left .
The very next day , presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden declared , “ This is no time for Donald Trump ’ s record of hysteria and xenophobia—hysterical xenophobia—and fearmongering.
” On Feb. 2 , the American Civil Liberties Union announced , “ These measures are extraordinary incursions on liberty and fly in the face of considerable evidence that travel bans and quarantines can do more harm than good.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or “ social distancing , ” as it is now called .
The thinking is that we must shut down the Western world to prevent the exponential growth of the virus .
If we don ’ t , our hospital systems will be overwhelmed .
Many thousands , maybe more , would die , as doctors have to make grisly triage decisions as to who gets care and who doesn ’ t .
This latter scenario is reported to have already happened in Italy .
Though there is no longer an exponential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may otherwise be right .
Is this thinking correct ?
The truth is we don ’ t know .
We have no idea how many people carry the COVID-19 coronavirus .
Therefore , the rates of either critical illness or death are completely unknown .
Perhaps millions of people have the virus and nothing serious develops , in which case we would have rates of death similar to ( or even below ) the flu virus .
On the other hand , perhaps not many people carry the virus , but the rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death are much greater than those of the flu .
We can only be certain that shutting down virtually every part of society will result in a large number of people economically ruined , life savings depleted , decades of work building a restaurant or some other small business destroyed .
As if that were not bad enough , the ancillary effects would include increased depression and divorce and other personal tragedies .
The effects of closing schools for weeks or months will include family chaos , vast numbers of bored young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay home and more .
Yet young people are the least likely people to become ill from the virus .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this statement regarding closing schools : “ Available modeling data indicate … that other mitigation efforts ( e.g.
, handwashing , home isolation ) have more impact on both spread of disease and health care measures .
In other countries , those places who ( sic ) closed school ( e.g.
, Hong Kong ) have not had more success in reducing spread than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Singapore ) .
” But the longer-term ripple effects are potentially far worse .
Economic disasters rarely remain only economic disasters .
To give a particularly dramatic example , the Nazis came to power because of economics more than any other single reason , including Germany ’ s defeat in World War I , the Versailles Treaty or anti-Semitism .
Nazi success at the polls was almost entirely related to the Weimar economy .
Communist parties don ’ t fare well in robust economies , but they ’ re very tempting when people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God knows what economic dislocation the shutting down of American and other Western economies will lead to .
I am not predicting a Nazi or communist ascendancy , but economic and political disaster may be as likely , or even more likely , than a health disaster .
But here is a prediction : If the government can order society to cease functioning , from restaurants and other businesses to schools , due to a possible health disaster , it is highly likely that a Democratic president and Congress will similarly declare emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent what they consider the even greater “ existential threat ” to human life posed by global warming .
The dam has been broken .
Maybe it was necessary .
But when dams break , flooding follows .


climatedepot--2020-03-18--Stanford U. Prof. of Medicine & Epidemiology: Covid-19 is ‘evidence fiasco’ – ‘Official 3.4% [fatali

Stanford U. Prof. of Medicine & Epidemiology: Covid-19 is ‘evidence fiasco’ – ‘Official 3.4% [fatality] rate from WHO’ is ‘meaningless’ – ‘We are making decisions without reliable data’

John P.A .
Ioannidis is professor of medicine , of epidemiology and population health , of biomedical data science , and of statistics at Stanford University and co-director of Stanford ’ s Meta-Research Innovation Center .
`` How long , though , should measures like these be continued if the pandemic churns across the globe unabated ?
How can policymakers tell if they are doing more good than harm ? ''
... `` The data collected so far on how many people are infected and how the epidemic is evolving are utterly unreliable .
Given the limited testing to date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of infections due to SARS-CoV-2 are being missed .
We don ’ t know if we are failing to capture infections by a factor of three or 300 . ''
... `` This evidence fiasco creates tremendous uncertainty about the risk of dying from Covid-19 .
Reported case fatality rates , like the official 3.4 % rate from the World Health Organization , cause horror — and are meaningless .
Patients who have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 are disproportionately those with severe symptoms and bad outcomes .
As most health systems have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even worsen in the near future . ''
... `` That huge range markedly affects how severe the pandemic is and what should be done .
A population-wide case fatality rate of 0.05 % is lower than seasonal influenza .
If that is the true rate , locking down the world with potentially tremendous social and financial consequences may be totally irrational .
It ’ s like an elephant being attacked by a house cat .
Frustrated and trying to avoid the cat , the elephant accidentally jumps off a cliff and dies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a professor of medicine , of epidemiology and population health , of biomedical data science , and of statistics at Stanford University and co-director of Stanford ’ s Meta-Research Innovation Center .
A fiasco in the making ?
As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold , we are making decisions without reliable data The current coronavirus disease , Covid-19 , has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic .
But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco .
… At a time when everyone needs better information , from disease modelers and governments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who continue to become infected .
Better information is needed to guide decisions and actions of monumental significance and to monitor their impact .
Draconian countermeasures have been adopted in many countries .
If the pandemic dissipates — either on its own or because of these measures — short-term extreme social distancing and lockdowns may be bearable .
How long , though , should measures like these be continued if the pandemic churns across the globe unabated ?
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more good than harm ?
The data collected so far on how many people are infected and how the epidemic is evolving are utterly unreliable .
Given the limited testing to date , some deaths and probably the vast majority of infections due to SARS-CoV-2 are being missed .
We don ’ t know if we are failing to capture infections by a factor of three or 300 .
This evidence fiasco creates tremendous uncertainty about the risk of dying from Covid-19 .
Reported case fatality rates , like the official 3.4 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause horror — and are meaningless .
Patients who have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 are disproportionately those with severe symptoms and bad outcomes .
As most health systems have limited testing capacity , selection bias may even worsen in the near future .
Reported case-fatality rates , like the official 3.4 % rate from the World Health Organization , cause horror — and are meaningless…the real death rate could stretch from five times lower ( 0.025 % ) to five times higher ( 0.625 % ) .
That huge range markedly affects how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be done .
A population-wide case fatality rate of 0.05 % is lower than seasonal influenza .
If that is the true rate , locking down the world with potentially tremendous social and financial consequences may be totally irrational .
It ’ s like an elephant being attacked by a house cat .
Frustrated and trying to avoid the cat , the elephant accidentally jumps off a cliff and dies .
A positive test for coronavirus does not mean necessarily that this virus is always primarily responsible for a patient ’ s demise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children socialize anyhow , if school closure leads children to spend more time with susceptible elderly family members , if children at home disrupt their parents ability to work , and more .
School closures may also diminish the chances of developing herd immunity in an age group that is spared serious disease .
One can only hope that , much like in 1918 , life will continue .
Conversely , with lockdowns of months , if not years , life largely stops , short-term and long-term consequences are entirely unknown , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives may be eventually at stake .
If we decide to jump off the cliff , we need some data to inform us about the rationale of such an action and the chances of landing somewhere safe .
John P.A .
Ioannidis is professor of medicine , of epidemiology and population health , of biomedical data science , and of statistics at Stanford University and co-director of Stanford ’ s Meta-Research Innovation Center .


climatedepot--2020-03-19--MIKE CHURCH slams ‘tyrannical herd-think’ on Coronavirus shutdown: “This ‘assault on the virus’ is j

MIKE CHURCH slams ‘tyrannical herd-think’ on Coronavirus shutdown: “This ‘assault on the virus’ is just as easily, nay more easily, seen as an assault on reason, and on their liberties.

These souls had done no wrong save choose to work in Louisiana ’ s top industry : making visitors and regular folks feel at home and loved in our famous restaurants , taverns and music houses .
Edwards , along with a dozen other spineless governors , characterized their decision as “ necessary…to save lives , ” yet what consideration was given to the 233,000 and their freedom to responsibly pursue their “ lives ?
” What of the impact this action would have on them and their families , including tens of thousands of children who were fed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service industry-working parents ?
Thus , this “ assault on the virus ” is just as easily , nay more easily , seen as an assault on reason , and on their liberties .
The political class has all but admitted this by doing what they do best : propose to throw money at the problem .
The Trump Administration is contemplating an incomprehensibly gargantuan , $ 1.2 TRILLION “ stimulus ” act , ostensibly to undo the fiscal damage wrought by the panicked reaction to the COVID-19 “ pandemic.
” Damage that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-inflicted by a cowardly elite ruling class and an “ if it bleeds it leads ” media .
“ As we wait for the [ Coronavirus ] epidemic to abate , social distancing , hand-washing , covering our mouths when we cough , and staying home when we are sick are all important , low-tech measures that we can take to reduce the chances of spreading the infection—and the fear that increases its damage.
” “ There are many compelling reasons to conclude that SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared .
But COVID-19 panic has set in nonetheless.
” There are dozens of other , less than alarming and certainly not apocalyptic , stories that help flesh my first point out : the cause of the current hysteria was known 2 weeks , heck 2 months ago , yet the panic had not yet been “ triggered.
” This means that every governor in the United States had plenty of time to draft some reasonable rules that could protect endangered age groups and vocational fields , like the restaurant and service industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing save for dabble in presidential politics by either basking in President Trump ’ s triumphs or stumping for Joe Biden .
Prior to Governor Bel Edwards foolishly closing all restaurants , bars and hospitality venues in Louisiana , Governor Mike Dewine of Ohio had gone completely knee-jerk authoritarian by locking down nearly the whole state .
Again , this is an irresponsible assault on the liberty of those practicing these public vocations .
In fact , the National Restaurant Association tracks the impact that restaurants have on each state , let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dewine ’ s lack of preparation will do to Ohio .
585,000 Restaurant and foodservice jobs in Ohio in 2019 = 10 % of employment in the state .
22,547 Eating and drinking place locations in Ohio in 2018 .
“ OK , Church , that was then this is now , we are now in a full blown , zombie apocalypse pandemic and must take every measure humanly possible to defeat this virus !
Without complete quarantine , our gooses are cooked , you ’ re going to get us all killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not because we have an obligation , in our practice of Christian solidarity , to protect the vocations of the living and productive who are the primary providers of the elderly endangered as well !
So what ’ s my solution ?
Simple , practical prudence such as asking for voluntary cooperation from businesses to shorten business hours , limit seating to no more than 50 , discourage the elderly from dining out and enforcing bar curfews , which could be moved to 9 or 10:00 p.m .
These simple rules , easily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applied to nearly any place of public compliance and will save tens of millions of vocations and seriously dilute the need for a $ 1.2 trillion “ bailout.
” The actions of far too many governors and big city mayors is lazy , imagination-free , tyrannical herd-think , and citizens should reject it as such .
They can and must do better .


climatedepot--2020-03-19--Climate Hustle 2 Postponed Due to Coronavirus Theater Closings

Climate Hustle 2 : Rise of the Climate Monarchy has been postponed .
With the excitement building , and CFACT ’ s climate-shattering film needed now more than ever , we were really looking forward to our coast to coast April movie date with you .
When AMC , Regal , Cinemark and others announced that their theaters were going dark for six to twelve weeks to combat the coronavirus , CFACT met with our distribution partner , Fathom Events , and agreed that we had no choice but to postpone .
This movie is too important to permit anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to love Climate Hustle 2 .
CFACT is very proud of it .
CH2 exposes the tricks and scams of the climate trade like nothing has before .
Kevin Sorbo ( TV ’ s Hercules ) is brilliant as narrator .
Marc Morano may well be the world ’ s number one debunker of climate hype .
Marc brings the full weight of his knowledge to bear .
The climate elite won ’ t know what hit them !
Thank you to everyone who continues to chip in to bring this vital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchased advance tickets .
We ’ ll know more soon and will keep you fully updated .
Climate Hustle 2 is coming .
It ’ s coming big , it ’ s coming strong , and it ’ s coming soon .
We can ’ t wait to see you at the movies .


climatedepot--2020-03-20--Watch: Michael Shellenberger on how climate change alarmists see hope in coronavirus


climatedepot--2020-03-20--CNN: The world is coming together to fight coronavirus. It can do the same for the climate crisis

While the coronavirus pandemic and climate change are inherently different issues , they share two important characteristics : both are @ @ @ @ @ lives of millions of people .


climatedepot--2020-03-20--NBC News: Coronavirus shutdowns have unintended climate benefits

In Venice , the often murky canals recently began to get clearer , with fish visible in the water below .
Italy ’ s efforts to limit the coronavirus meant an absence of boat traffic on the city ’ s famous waterways .
And the changes happened quickly .
Countries that have been under stringent lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus have experienced an unintended benefit .
The outbreak has , at least in part , contributed to a noticeable drop in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in some countries .
Although grim , it ’ s something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to prepare — and ideally avoid — the most destructive impacts of climate change .
“ If we can think about how to prepare for climate change like a pandemic , maybe there will be a positive outcome to all of this , ” said Christopher Jones , lead developer of the CoolClimate Network , an applied research consortium at the University of California , Berkeley .
“ We can help prevent crises in the future if we are prepared .
I think there are some big-picture lessons here that could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sickened more than 180,000 people and killed more than 7,100 worldwide since early January .
Some countries , most notably China and Italy , have been forced to seal their borders and restrict residents ’ movements to control the rates of infection .
Satellite observations have shown that the temporary measures have also driven significant decreases in harmful emissions .
“ Carbon dioxide is tied to industrial activity , electricity production and transportation , so anything that affects those sectors will impact greenhouse gases , as well , ” Jones said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan , China .
As it rapidly spilled into neighboring regions , the Chinese government locked down the city , quarantining 11 million people in Wuhan .
Eventually , the lockdown would include almost 60 million people in the province of Hubei .
Industrial operations in the coronavirus hot spot ground to a halt , and travel restrictions within China meant that air , rail and road traffic were paused or scaled back across some regions .
According to Lauri Myllyvirta , an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a 25 percent drop in China ’ s carbon dioxide emissions over four weeks beginning in late January , compared to the same time last year .
Myllyvirta ’ s analysis also found that industrial operations were reduced by 15 percent to 40 percent in some sectors and that coal consumption at power plants fell by 36 percent .
Pollution-monitoring satellites operated by NASA and the European Space Agency observed drastic decreases in air pollution over China over two weeks in February when the quarantine was in effect .
The satellites measured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released by cars , power plants and industrial facilities , from Jan. 1 to Jan. 20 and again from Feb. 10 to Feb. 25 .
The difference was unmistakable .


climatedepot--2020-03-20--Elon Musk downplays coronavirus as Tesla factory stays open amid crisis

Excerpt : Tesla chief executive has used his massive platform to cast doubt upon the danger of the virus Elon @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus epidemic , tweeted false information about the disease ’ s effect on @ @ @ @ @ northern California factory open despite a local “ shelter-in-place ” order , but the billionaire @ @ @ @ @ s willing to help .
On Thursday , the Tesla chief executive inserted himself into @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus crisis , tweeting that his companies “ will make ventilators if there is a @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-03-20--Stanford U. epidemiologist: Data Indicates We’re Severely Overreacting To Coronavirus

In an analysis published Tuesday , Stanford ’ s John P.A .
Ioannidis — co-director of the university ’ s Meta-Research Innovation Center and professor of medicine , biomedical data science , statistics , and epidemiology and population health — suggests that the response to the coronavirus pandemic may be “ a fiasco in the making ” because we are making seismic decisions based on “ utterly unreliable ” data .
The data we do have , Ioannidis explains , indicates that we are likely severely overreacting .
“ The current coronavirus disease , Covid-19 , has been called a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco , ” Ioannidis writes in an opinion piece published by STAT on Tuesday .
“ Draconian countermeasures have been adopted in many countries .
If the pandemic dissipates — either on its own or because of these measures — short-term extreme social distancing and lockdowns may be bearable , ” the statistician writes .
“ How long , though , should measures like these be continued if the pandemic churns across the globe unabated ?
How can policymakers tell if they are doing more good than harm ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far , the meta-research specialist argues , indicates that the extreme measures taken by many countries are likely way out of line and may result in ultimately unnecessary and catastrophic consequences .
Due to extremely limited testing , we are likely missing “ the vast majority of infections ” from COVID-19 , he states , thus making reported fatality rates from the World Health Organization “ meaningless.
” “ Patients who have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 are disproportionately those with severe symptoms and bad outcomes , ” Ioannidis explains .
With very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he suggests , that “ selection bias ” may only get worse going forward .
Ioannidis then zooms in on the “ one situation ” where “ an entire , closed population was tested ” : the Diamond Princess cruise ship ’ s quarantined passengers .
While the fatality rate was 1.0 % , he points out , the population was largely elderly , the most at-risk demographic .
Projected out onto the age structure of the U.S. population , he calculates , the death rate is more like 0.125 % , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % based on the sample size : Projecting the Diamond Princess mortality rate onto the age structure of the U.S. population , the death rate among people infected with Covid-19 would be 0.125 % .
But since this estimate is based on extremely thin data — there were just seven deaths among the 700 infected passengers and crew — the real death rate could stretch from five times lower ( 0.025 % ) to five times higher ( 0.625 % ) .
It is also possible that some of the passengers who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourists may have different frequencies of chronic diseases — a risk factor for worse outcomes with SARS-CoV-2 infection — than the general population .
Adding these extra sources of uncertainty , reasonable estimates for the case fatality ratio in the general U.S. population vary from 0.05 % to 1 % .
“ That huge range markedly affects how severe the pandemic is and what should be done , ” Ioannidis stresses .
“ A population-wide case fatality rate of 0.05 % is lower than seasonal influenza .
If that is the true rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tremendous social and financial consequences may be totally irrational .
It ’ s like an elephant being attacked by a house cat .
Frustrated and trying to avoid the cat , the elephant accidentally jumps off a cliff and dies.
” For those who argue that the high fatality rate among elderly people indicates that the death rate can not be as low as 0.05 % , the professor notes that “ even some so-called mild or common-cold-type coronaviruses that have been known for decades can have case fatality rates as high as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in nursing homes.
” ( Read the full opinion piece here . )