climatedepot--2020-07-23--Shellenberger: Going veggie? Almost pointless. Mass loss of species? A myth. The real climate change

Shellenberger: Going veggie? Almost pointless. Mass loss of species? A myth. The real climate change culprit? Poverty, not power stations

The vehemence may be understandable given his belief that this ‘ apocalyptic ’ view of climate change is an ‘ evangelical , fundamentalist religion ’ that doesn ’ t respond to rational arguments .
It satisfies a basic need for something to believe in , he says , and its followers can convince themselves they are serving a higher purpose [ saving the planet ] .
‘ These people are in the grip of a religion , ’ says Shellenberger , ‘ and they don ’ t know it.
’ When it comes to radical activism , there are few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Shellenberger .
At 16 , he threw his first fundraising party for a rainforest conservation group .
At 17 , he lived in Nicaragua to show ‘ solidarity ’ with the Sandinista socialist revolution .
By his early 20s , he was raising money for Guatemalan women ’ s co-operatives and small farmers to fight off corporations trying to take their land in the Amazon .
In 2008 , Time magazine named him its ‘ Hero of the Environment ’ .
His ideas to promote renewable energy led to the Obama administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trendy sector .
But far from being a ‘ hero ’ of the Green movement , he ’ s now become a heretic they ’ d happily burn at the stake — if that didn ’ t increase the global carbon footprint , of course .
For the American environmentalist has changed his mind .
Rather drasticall Distilling the contents of his new book , Apocalypse Never : Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All , he recently wrote an online opinion article for the business magazine Forbes entitled ‘ On Behalf of Environmentalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ .
He continued : ‘ Climate change is happening .
It ’ s just not the end of the world .
It ’ s not even our most serious environmental problem.
’ A few days later , Forbes took the story down without explanation , eventually claiming it had removed the article because it violated its editorial guidelines ‘ around self-promotion ’ .
( Shellenberger was plugging his book ) .
Shellenberger , 49 , claimed — understandably — that he had been censored after his article sent the Green lobby into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ censorship , it backfired spectacularly as his offending article was republished all over the internet and the uproar propelled his book into most bestseller lists ( rising to seventh in Amazon ’ s non-fiction list ) .
His essential message is not one his old comrades would want you to hear .
His thesis is that rabid Green alarmism is creating a raft of dangerous myths about climate change and blinding the public to real solutions that could address far more pressing global problems .
Having once campaigned for them , Shellenberger now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as solar and wind power are simply impractical for large scale use in much of the world .
They ’ re also damaging because they require huge amounts of land and harm wildlife .
Meanwhile , hysterical Green doom-mongers — he singles out Britain ’ s Extinction Rebellion group and 17-year-old Swedish eco-warrior Greta Thunberg — must stop saying the world is about to end due to climate change .
It isn ’ t even close , he says .
The humdinger of a row sparked by his extraordinary volte face comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documentary-making darling of the Left , created a similar stink with Planet Of The Humans , a new film that also claimed that Green energy can not possibly solve the world ’ s energy needs and isn ’ t nearly as ‘ renewable ’ as is claimed .
If the Greens felt annoyed by Moore — usually so reliable on liberal causes such as gun control and the awfulness of Republicans — they are incandescent at Shellenberger .
After all , he ’ s meant to be one of them , a veteran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 years as an environmentalist .
In his new book , he takes aim at a cornucopia of the Green movement ’ s treasured beliefs .
Man-made climate change is not causing a new ‘ mass extinction ’ of species as only 0.001 percent of the planet ’ s species go extinct annually ; the Amazon is not the ‘ lungs of the world ’ and carbon emissions are not soaring but declining in most rich countries , including Britain .
Contrary to what we are often led to believe , climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says : the greater use of wood fuel and the growing number of houses near forests are the real reasons why there are more severe fires in Australia and California .
Some of the statistics he brandishes are shocking to anyone remotely acquainted with the environmental movement , especially its claims that we need to become vegan and stop consuming meat to save the planet .
According to Shellenberger , the co-founder of a think tank called Environmental Progress , becoming a vegetarian actually reduces one ’ s emissions by less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ beef — usually claimed to be more eco-friendly than the intensively farmed variety — requires 20 times more land and produces 300 per cent more carbon emissions .
As for starvation fears , we produce 25 per cent more food than we need and food surpluses will continue to rise as the world gets hotter .
Meanwhile , switching to 100 per cent renewable energy is unfeasible — the U.S. would need to devote between 25 and 50 per cent of its total land to energy generation , compared with the 0.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He also attacks the ‘ myth ’ that plastics linger for thousands of years in the ocean , saying they ’ re broken down by sunlight and other forces .
As for the whales , they were saved not by Greenpeace as many believe , but by industry switching from whale oil to petroleum and palm oil , he says .
Again and again , says Shellenberger , the Greens have actually made things worse rather than better with their misguided views .
He maintains the world ’ s most pressing environmental problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning of wood as fuel by up to two billion people — a consequence , he says , of poverty .
‘ Environmentalists got it exactly wrong ’ , Shellenberger told me this week .
Motivated by left-wing , anti-capitalist , anti-growth ideas , they have pushed for a low energy , low consumption world — essentially ‘ a return to Elizabethan England ’ , he says — when what is needed is the opposite .
Industrialisation in the Third World ( where carbon emissions are rising the fastest ) may cause a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argues , but in the long term it benefits the environment as it pushes people out of the countryside and into cities .
Farmland can revert to nature and people get richer , allowing them to switch to cleaner forms of energy .
A critical way of saving the environment , says Shellenberger , is to produce more food , particularly meat , on less land .
He also argues Western banks and governments should stop forcing renewable energy technology such as batteries and solar panels on developing countries and let them build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stations .
Rich nations are trying to make poverty ‘ sustainable ’ rather than ‘ history ’ in the Third World , he says damningly .
He says his argument is particularly relevant in a world crippled by coronavirus , as it has laid bare how , in order to prevent pandemics ( a far greater threat than climate change , he notes ) , we need to reduce our exposure to wild animals .
That means creating more chicken , pork and beef in modern , safer facilities .
The news on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he says .
Every rich country ’ s carbon emissions are already down and in the UK , France and Germany , those emissions peaked in the 1970s .
It ’ s not hard to see why his old allies are so riled .
Shellenberger is putting a big red pen through pretty much everything the modern Green movement holds dear .
He takes particular aim at the UK ’ s Extinction Rebellion , whose celebrity supporters range from Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman to Ellie Goulding and Bob Geldof .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group ’ s protests in October last year , spokesmen made a raft of alarming claims — billions of people were going to perish from climate change , the Earth was dying and government was doing nothing .
Their apocalyptic predictions were echoed by Greta Thunberg .
‘ I don ’ t want you to be hopeful ’ about climate change , she said , ‘ I want you to panic.
’ Pointing out that the group ’ s popularity plunged after the protests , ( and in fact its spokesman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his group , Environmental Progress ) , Shellenberger says climate alarmism is self-defeating .
Not only is it unnecessarily scaring the wits out of people — he cites a poll showing one in five British children report having nightmares about climate change ( not surprising given Extinction Rebellion banners claimed ‘ Climate Change Kills Children ) —but it turns off working people who feel environmentalists don ’ t actually care about them .
‘ And they ’ re right , they don ’ t , ’ he adds .
‘ [ Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science and , right now , trust is everything.
’ He says he wrote Apocalypse Never ‘ because the conversation about climate change and the environment has , in the past few years , spiralled out of control .
‘ Much of what people are being told about the environment , including climate , is wrong , and we desperately need to get it right.
’ He ’ s ‘ fed up ’ , he adds .
‘ with the exaggeration , alarmism , and extremism that are the enemy of a positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The people ‘ most apocalyptic about environmental problems tend to oppose the best and most obvious solutions to solving them ’ .
He isn ’ t , however , calling for complacency and rejects accusations — fuelled by the fact that he ’ s now being lionised by some conservative groups — that he ’ s a shill for global warming deniers .
‘ It ’ s true that climate change is real and it does present some potential risks , ’ he told me .
‘ But it ’ s nothing like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the World , Crazy Town scenario that was painted by Extinction Rebellion and Greta last year.
’ We need to get our priorities right , he says .
Just think how much more useful it would have been if all those climate change protesters had marched instead for pandemic preparedness , he points out .
What message does he want the public to take from his book in altering their behaviour ?
‘ I want them to know what matters , ’ he replies .
They should feel happy buying cheap ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ liberates ’ the women who make the clothes in Third World factories by giving them jobs , but as it moves them from countryside to urban areas , it returns the land to nature as less is used for food production .
In fact , Shellenberger says climate change is intrinsically linked with poverty , and that if people in the Third World have more money , they can invest in cleaner energy , using gas and electricity , for example , rather than burning wood .
People should also eat farmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced now than they used to be , he says ) rather than wild ones because overfishing is a huge threat to the oceans .
Naturally the Green movement hasn ’ t taken all this lying down , challenging some of his claims as inaccurate .
In particular , they take issue with his assertions that global warming isn ’ t threatening a lot of species and that it hasn ’ t made natural disasters more frequent .
On the latter , Shellenberger counters that they ’ re conflating ‘ extreme weather events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires and hurricanes — with actual disasters which involve major damage and loss of life .
While he concedes that first category has become more severe and common , he says the opposite ’ s true of natural disasters .
Other scientists and academics , however , have praised his book for finally calling time on climate change alarmism .
Shellenberger isn ’ t surprised he ’ s drawn flak although the personal attacks — being threatened with castration on Twitter — have been a ‘ deeply unpleasant experience ’ .
The vehemence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this ‘ apocalyptic ’ view of climate change is an ‘ evangelical , fundamentalist religion ’ that doesn ’ t respond to rational arguments .
It satisfies a basic need for something to believe in , he says , and its followers can convince themselves they are serving a higher purpose [ saving the planet ] .
‘ These people are in the grip of a religion , ’ says Shellenberger , ‘ and they don ’ t know it .
’


climatedepot--2020-07-24--Statistician Dr. Matt Briggs: ‘Mask Madness — Our Latest Moral Panic’ – ‘Having healthy asymptomatic

Statistician Dr. Matt Briggs: ‘Mask Madness — Our Latest Moral Panic’ – ‘Having healthy asymptomatic people wear masks at what is clearly the end of a routine pandemic is asinine’

`` Forcing masks on people in “ passing encounters in public spaces ” has no medical justification .
None . ''
`` As said , it is probably not worth looking at the evidence of mask usefulness .
People ’ s minds are made up . ''
`` The AP , like our dear leaders , uses the term “ cases ” as if they were cases , i.e .
illness requiring treatment .
When what these foolish people mean is infections , symptomatic or not , past or present .
It is medical malpractice to mix the two up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Prohibition .
This time not against alcohol , but against breath .
Three-quarters of Americans falsely believe death is lurking in people ’ s breath . ''
Dr. Briggs : `` We might as well have a tinfoil hat mandate to protect from aliens .
It would , at this point , be just as useful . ''
We might as well have a tinfoil hat mandate to protect from aliens .
It would , at this point , be just as useful .
Should somebody tell him about the evidence about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nah .
Evidence and reason are now utterly useless .
When are leaders get into a purity spiral , there is nothing to stop them—except the next crisis .
According to one depressing poll , three-quarters of Americans agree with The Godmother .
The only part of this that makes any sense is the “ fresh alarm ” , which is real .
But caused entirely—and I mean entirely—by ignorance and politics .
How many times have we seen this official CDC picture of declining reported COVID deaths ( updated 23 July ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point at which reported deaths were much lower than , say , June , May , April , and most of March .
It was only in July , though , that the mask panic began .
Plus don ’ t forget these are reported deaths , which are almost surely larger than actual caused-by deaths ; but that ’ s another form of error , but with massive testing it can easily account for the bulk of the small increase in attributed deaths ( real deaths we won ’ t know for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we always must examine all-cause deaths , which shows no bump ) .
Leaders began shoving each other aside to see who could compose the strictest mandate .
DC is the winner so far : it ’ s a criminal offense not to wear a mask , with a penalty of $ 1,000 , the highest yet .
But we have weeks to go .
Here again—and I know we ’ re sick of this—is the DAILY number of tests , which is driving the “ surge ” and “ record ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ new cases ” are a medically garbage indicator , which any competent doctor whose mind is not lost to politics would have told you .
Before 2020 , that is .
It ’ s testing that has run amok .
Reporters are too stupid or too complicit in driving the panic to realize this .
Leaders don ’ t care : they just want to make it sting , because they ’ re frightened of being blamed , and for other obvious political reasons .
This moral panic is like Prohibition .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against breath .
Three quarters of Americans falsely believe death is lurking in people ’ s breath .
How long did Prohibition last ?
We won ’ t even have to change the name of Speakeasys .
We know this in political .
The same AP poll was broken down by political party .
Just under 90 % of Democrats and about 60 % of Republicans want to force people to wear masks everywhere .
The AP , like our dear leaders , uses the term “ cases ” as if they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When what these foolish people mean is infections , symptomatic or not , past or present .
It is medical malpractice to mix the two up .
But we ’ re doing it .
Stupidly in part , but also purposely , because it fits the political goals of our dear leaders .
How about this ?
What can you say about this picture—and another which shows a nauseating majority supports stay at home orders—except that propaganda works ?
As said , it is probably not worth looking at the evidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are made up .
An army of screeching Karens patrols the land looking to berate those without fear faces .
They are certain sure it is only a thin piece of material saving them from a gruesome end .
Here is the new paper “ Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures ” by Xiao et al .
in Emerging Infectious Diseases .
This picture ( of several ) is of a meta analysis of studies looking at mask use combined with hand hygiene ( if used by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shopping , walking ) .
Now you know my opinion of p-values and meta analysis : they ’ re almost always used to “ show ” what could not be simply demonstrated in single studies .
When even a meta analysis can ’ t find a signal , as this one could not , then it ’ s a good bet there is no signal to be found .
Xiao : “ Although mechanistic studies support the potential effect of hand hygiene or face masks , evidence from 14 randomized controlled trials of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
” In short : these studies found no effect at preventing disease spread .
Then there ’ s that NEJM study by Klompas et al.
, Universal masking in hospitals in the Covid-19 era .
It too said generic masks don ’ t do squat .
Yet these guys realized , after the fact , that this was a political conclusion on the wrong side of history .
They were forced to clarify .
They now say “ We did state in the article that ‘ wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little , if any , protection from infection , ’ but as the rest of the paragraph makes clear , we intended this statement to apply to passing encounters in public spaces , not sustained interactions within closed environments.
” In other words , masks on those who are sick , or those who with good reason to suspect are sick , in places like nursing homes is not a bad idea .
Forcing masks on people in “ passing encounters in public spaces ” has no medical justification .
None .
Having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly the end of a routine pandemic is asinine .
Do you know we get these once every twenty years or so ?
but we only went full gibbering raving panic for this one ?
Criminalizing lack of masks is like criminalizing alcohol , and for roughly the same reasons .
Testing shows no sign of slowing .
It ’ s being driven by media reports of more and more “ new ” “ cases ” .
Which causes more people to get tests .
Which causes more “ new ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m sick of saying it , you ’ re sick of hearing it .
Here is why if we don ’ t slow testing this madness will be with us for a very , very long time .
Black line is total reported “ new ” “ cases ” .
The light grey is the best guess of true number of cases , and the darker grey the best guess of the true number of infections .
Some 50 to 75 million , or whatever , have already been infected .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per day .
It ’ s going to take time for testing to reveal all the infections already present .
Only the Lord knows what form of punishment our dear leaders will have thought of by then to stop a bug that can ’ t be stopped and for which there is no cure ( save our own bodies ) .

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


climatedepot--2020-07-24--Mediterranean Sea was 3.6°F hotter during the Roman Empire, study claims – ‘Roman Empire coincided w

Mediterranean Sea was 3.6°F hotter during the Roman Empire, study claims – ‘Roman Empire coincided with warmest period of the last 2,000 years’

• Roman Empire coincided with warmest period of the last 2,000 years in the Med • But the climate later turned colder and likely ended the Empire ’ s golden period The Mediterranean Sea was 3.6°F ( 2°C ) hotter during the Roman Empire than other average temperatures at the time , a new study claims .
The Empire coincided with a 500-year period , from AD 1 to AD 500 , that was the warmest period of the last 2,000 years in the almost completely land-locked sea .
The climate later progressed towards colder and arid conditions that coincided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scientists claim .
Spanish and Italian researchers recorded ratios of magnesium to calcite taken from skeletonized amoebas in marine sediments , an indicator of sea water temperatures , in the Sicily Channel .
They say the warmer period may have also coincided with the shift from the Roman Republic to the great Empire founded by Octavius Augustus in 27 BC .
The study offers ‘ critical information ’ to identify past interactions between climate changes and evolution of human societies and ‘ their adaptive strategies ’ .
It meets requests from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) to assess the impact of historically warmer conditions between 2.7°F and 3.6°F ( 1.5°C to 2°C ) .


climatedepot--2020-07-24--Socialist warrior Greta Issues Latest Demands: Seeks to completely replace the West’s economic syste

Socialist warrior Greta Issues Latest Demands: Seeks to completely replace the West’s economic system – ‘It can no longer be ‘fixed’. We need a new system’

Greta and her chums have issued their latest demands : The letter to EU leaders comes from Greta and three other school strike leaders from Belgium and Germany , and contains the usual nonsense : But perhaps what is most is most significant is that it is only addressed to EU leaders , and no other countries .
The EU accounts for less than a fifth of worldwide emissions , so even eliminating emissions completely would only have a negligible effect .
The letter refers to the Paris Agreement : When you signed the Paris Agreement the EU nations committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the economic and political possibility to do so , therefore it is our moral responsibility .
And now you need to actually deliver on your promises .
In fact the EU is delivering on its pledge to cut emissions .
The reality is that most of the rest of the world got away without any cuts at all , as the letter admits : If all countries were to actually go through with the emission reductions they have set as goals , we would still be heading for a catastrophic global temperature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading the way ” made no difference at all .
As the list of demands makes clear , this all goes well beyond cutting down on fossil fuels and replacement with renewables : Net zero emissions by 2050 for the EU – as well as for other financially fortunate parts of the world – equals surrender .
This target is based on a carbon budget that only gives a 50 % percent chance of limiting the global heating below 1.5°C .
That is just a statistical flip of a coin which doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors , such as the global aspect of equity , most tipping points and feedback loops , as well as already built in additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution .
So in reality it is much less than a 50 % chance…..
The world ’ s planned fossil fuel production by the year 2030 accounts for 120 % more than what would be consistent with the 1.5° target .
It just doesn ’ t add up .
When you read the IPCC SR1.5 Report and the UNEP Production Gap Report , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for in the Paris Agreement , even a child can see that the climate and ecological crisis can not be solved within today ’ s system .
What Greta and her pals want is to completely replace the West ’ s economic system : Of course we welcome sustainable investments and policies , but you must not for one second believe that what you have discussed so far will be even close to enough .
We need to face the full picture .
We are facing an existential crisis , and this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy , build , or invest our way out of .
Aiming to ‘ recover ’ an economic system that inherently fuels the climate crisis in order to finance climate action is just as absurd as it sounds .
Our current system is not ‘ broken ’ – the system is doing exactly what it ’ s supposed and designed to be doing .
It can no longer be ‘ fixed ’ .
We need a new system .
The letter is signed by the usual collection of hypocrites and charlatans .
Names @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Michael Mann and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber tell you all you need to know .
One of the Greta ’ s co-writers , Luisa Neubauer , 24 , a central figure in Germany ’ s school strikes movement , said young people were becoming increasingly frustrated with politicians .
“ We are asking our leaders to take care of the most fundamental thing : the safety of us , the safety of people around the world , the safety of our futures , ” Neubauer said .
“ It is worrying on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial things , which seem so obvious , and yet you see how leaders are widely ignoring it , or not considering it to be as important as other things.
” She must have a strange idea of democracy , if she thinks governments should ignore the votes of millions , and instead kowtow to a tiny group of eco-loons !


climatedepot--2020-07-24--Study Finds Fossil Fuels Aren’t Subsidized; They’re Overtaxed – ‘Net effect of govt policies is to r

Study Finds Fossil Fuels Aren’t Subsidized; They’re Overtaxed – ‘Net effect of govt policies is to raise, rather than lower, the price of energy from fossil fuels’

Wind and solar power are held back by technology , not unfair competition Arlington , Va. , July 23 , 2020 .
The CO2 Coalition of 55 climate scientists and energy economists today released a detailed economic study of subsidies and taxes on fossil fuels in the United States , and internationally .
Written by international energy expert and Coalition member Dr. Bruce Everett , a professor of international business for 17 years at the Fletcher School of Tufts University , the 26-page White Paper is titled Do Government Policies Favoring Fossil Fuels Hamper the Development of Wind and Solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solar power often claim that these sources of power are disadvantaged by billions , even trillions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies , the Coalition White Paper finds that the net effect of government policies is to raise , rather than lower , the price of energy from fossil fuels.The study concludes that : “ Although most countries do offer some subsidies to fossil fuels , the massive taxes imposed by most governments are generally far higher , resulting in a net increase in the price of fossil fuels .
Taking into account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States are overtaxed $ 50 billion per year .
The 28 other largest industrial democracies are overtaxed $ 363 billion , and the BRIC countries ( Brazil , Russia , India , and China ) are overtaxed $ 104 billion .
The primary exceptions to this rule are found in oil-producing developing countries that offer their citizens heavily subsidized motor fuels but are not likely candidates for renewable energy.
” Dr. Caleb Stewart Rossiter , the CO2 Coalition ’ s executive director , said , “ Wind and solar power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internationally , are heavily subsidized by mandates for utilities to purchase their costly electricity , as well as tax credits and public financing .
It is renewables , not fossil fuels , that have the competitive advantage when it comes to government intervention in the energy markets .
Despite this advantage , wind and solar remain in the single digits as a share of American and global energy consumption .
As a previous CO2 Coalition White Paper , The Social Cost of Carbon and Carbon Taxes , showed , their true cost is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are not ready for prime time yet , but that ’ s because of technological challenges , not wildly-exaggerated fossil fuel subsidies.
” This White Paper and its related excel calculations can be found here .


climatedepot--2020-07-24--Do Government Policies Favoring Fossil Fuels Hamper the Development of Wind and Solar Power?

A number of studies claim that pervasive subsidies provide an unfair competitive advantage to fossil fuels over renewable energy .
Many estimates have been made of the value of direct and indirect subsidies provided to fossil fuels , the most extreme being the 2015 study by the International Monetary Fund estimating fossil fuels subsidies at $ 5 trillion annually .
On examination , many of the direct subsidies in this study turn out to be generally available to other businesses , and most of the value of the indirect subsidies is estimated from uncertain projections of future damages from fossil-fueled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail in a previous CO2 Coalition White Paper , The Social Cost of Carbon and Carbon Taxes : Pick a number , any number .
The most thoughtful and transparent evaluations of subsidies are those of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD ) , a European-based coalition of 36 market economies , and its International Energy Agency ( IEA ) .
Many of the roughly 2,200 items listed by the OECD as “ subsidies ” are debatable .
However , focusing on subsidies alone obscures the real policy issue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduces fossil fuel prices below their hypothetical market level and whether these distortions occur in markets where renewables are trying to compete .
To address this issue , this White Paper ( a ) distinguishes “ subsidies ” from “ externalities , ” ( b ) includes taxes in the calculation , and ( c ) makes proper geographic distinctions .
Taking these factors into account , the paper concludes that , even taking at full value the direct subsidies cited by the OECD and IEA , fossil fuels are significantly overtaxed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .
In fact , although most countries do offer some subsidies to fossil fuels , as outlined in the OECD data , the massive taxes imposed by most governments are generally far higher , resulting in a net increase in the price of fossil fuels .
Taking into account all taxes and subsidies , fossil fuels in the United States are overtaxed by an estimated $ 50 billion per year .
The 28 other largest industrial democracies ( most of the European countries , Canada , South Korea , New Zealand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 363 billion , and the BRIC countries ( Brazil , Russia , India , and China ) are overtaxed an estimated $ 104 billion .
The primary exceptions to this rule are found in oil-producing developing countries that offer their citizens heavily subsidized motor fuels but are not likely candidates for renewable energy .
The principal researcher for this White Paper is Bruce Everett , Ph.D. During his 45-year career in international energy , Dr. Everett was an economist with the U.S. Department of Energy and an executive with ExxonMobil .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School of Foreign Service and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of International Business at the Fletcher School of Tufts University .
Spreadsheets containing Dr. Everett ’ s detailed analysis are available at http : //co2coalition.org/2020/07/15/global-fuel-subsidies-2015/


climatedepot--2020-07-24--The Growing Desperation Of Greta Thunberg: ‘Her whole shtick is built off of being a kid who’s sacri

The Growing Desperation Of Greta Thunberg: ‘Her whole shtick is built off of being a kid who’s sacrificing her education…but that’s going to get old pretty quick once she stops being a kid

She ’ ll be 18 in a few months , and we ’ re not too far away from the pigtails being kind of creepy , but the attention of the public is focused elsewhere these past few months .
Her whole shtick is built off of being a kid who ’ s sacrificing her education to call attention to the supposedly disastrous effects of climate change , but that ’ s going to get old pretty quick once she stops being a kid .
So Greta ’ s understandably desperate to get her name back into the headlines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt when she signed on to a U.N. lawsuit against nations purportedly not doing enough to lower emissions .
Now she ’ s involved in an effort to get world leaders to — what else ?
— “ transform [ our ] whole economic system ” to combat the climate crisis .
Her approach , as usual , is to convince them by saying the word “ crisis ” a lot : We need to see it as , above all , an existential crisis .
And as long as it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can have as many of these climate change negotiations and talks , conferences as possible .
It won ’ t change a thing , ” Thunberg said… .
“ Above all , we are demanding that we need to treat this crisis as a crisis , because if we don ’ t do that , then we won ’ t be able to do anything .
The letter demands governments immediately divest from fossil fuels and for the E.U .
to impose a “ carbon budget ” specifying how much carbon they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , same old ; got ta play the hits for the fans .
But it did contain one thing I found interesting — a call for lefties to rally ’ round the red flag , you might say , specifying that the governments of the world adopt climate policies “ designed to protect workers and the most vulnerable and reduce economic , racial and gender inequalities , ” as well as moves to “ safeguard and protect democracy.
” Leaving aside whether democracies should be protected in their right to reject heavy-handed climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mark of desperation .
Identity politics has recently moved beyond its first-among-equals status to become the dominant theme of leftist discourse , leaving very little oxygen for anything else .
What ’ s left is necessarily subsumed by economic questions — you ’ re hearing increasing calls for the imposition of Universal Basic Income — because of our lockdown-related contractions .
The authors of this letter seem hopeful that environmentalism can piggyback on those causes , but I ’ m not sure that follows .
I ’ ve said before that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t afford , and it might be that the Left is beginning to realize that as well .
Notwithstanding the €1 million she was recently awarded for her activism , the same could increasingly be said for Greta herself .
Read more at The Pipeline


climatedepot--2020-07-24--UK Government Report: Lockdown may cost 200,000 lives – ‘Collateral damage from delays in healthcare

UK Government Report: Lockdown may cost 200,000 lives – ‘Collateral damage from delays in healthcare’ & impact of massive economic downturn killing people

More than 200,000 people could die from the impact of lockdown and protecting the NHS , an official government report @ @ @ @ @ were imposed , experts from the Department of Health , the Office of National Statistics @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s Actuary Department and the Home Office forecast the collateral damage from delays @ @ @ @ @ of recession arising from the pandemic response .
It estimated that in a reasonable worst @ @ @ @ @ people would die from coronavirus in the first six months of the pandemic , with @ @ @ @ @ But in the report published in April they calculated that up to 25,000 could die @ @ @ @ @ the same period and a further 185,000 in the medium to long term – amounting @ @ @ @ @ of life lost… .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Climate Hysteria Has Killed Academic Freedom

2 ) Janet Albrechtsen : Censorship Universities Should No Longer Receive Funding By Taxpayers The Australian , 25 July 2020 3 ) Universities Must Tackle ‘ Cancel Culture ’ And ‘ Demonstrate Commitment To Free Speech ’ To Be Handed Emergency Loans , British Education Secretary Says Daily Mail , 18 July 2020 4 ) WSJ Editorial Board Says It Won ’ t ‘ Wilt Under Cancel-Culture Pressure ’ Fox News , 24 July 2020 5 ) WSJ : ‘ We ’ re Not The New York Times & Won ’ t Wilt Under Pressure ’ Editorial Board , The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 ) Cancelling ‘ Cancel Culture ’ : The Rise And Fall Of The ‘ Wokerati ’ Sky News Australia , 26 July 2020 7 ) Gerard Henderson : Academic Freedom Bows At The Altar Of Social Media The Australian , 25 July 2020 8 ) And Finally : Is The Demise Of Polar Bears being Exaggerated ?
Ross Clark , The Spectator , 23 July 2020 1 ) Jennifer Marohasy : Climate Hysteria Has Killed Academic Freedom The Spectator Australia , 23 July 2020 On 2 May 2018 , Professor Peter Ridd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious misconduct .
It all started when he called-out his colleague Terry Hughes for falsely claiming healthy inshore coral reefs were dead from climate change and deteriorating water quality .
Ignoring the first censure in April 2016 , Professor Ridd went on television in August 2017 and explained in an interview with Alan Jones and Peta Credlin why so much said and written about the Great Barrier Reef , including by scientists at the Australian Institution of Marine Science , is ‘ untrustworthy ’ .
The interview was to promote a book that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facts 2017 .
The book , published by the Institute of Public Affairs , begins with a chapter about the Great Barrier Reef in which the orthodoxy on Great Barrier Reef science is challenged , in particular reporting on coral calcification rates .
In that interview – that contributed directly to Peter Ridd ’ s sacking – the main argument was , and continues to be , for better quality assurance of coral reef science .
It is a fact that the Australian Institute of Marine Science refuses to release 15 years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the claims of high-profile activists that coral growth rates are in decline .
They are not .
But the false claims are central to their fundraising strategy .
Never mind the truth .
The first finding handed down by Judge Salvatore Vasta back in April last year case concerned the photographs taken in 1994 that Terry Hughes used to falsely claim Acropora corals that were alive in 1890 are now all dead .
Peter Ridd had photographs taken in 2015 showing live Acropora and the need for quality assurance of Hughes ’ claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter Ridd and ordered that the 17 findings made by the University , the two speech directions , the five confidentiality directions , the no satire direction , the censure and the final censure given by the University and the termination of employment of Professor Ridd by the University were all unlawful .
It was very significant that Peter Ridd won on the issue of academic freedom : that he did have a right to ignore the university administrators and continuing to speak out about the lack of quality assurance and explain how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so untrustworthy .
The University never accepted that decision by the Federal Circuit Court , and they have never conceded that Terry Hughes was wrong to suggest all the corals were dead , when a documentary has since been made showing them to be alive .
Further , they have never supported any calls for the coral growth data to be made public .
Instead , the University appealed , and today the University won in the Federal Court .
In the judgement , Peter Ridd ’ s academic freedom is portrayed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not Peter Ridd ’ s personal opinion that the corals are alive , and the Great Barrier Reef resilient to climate change .
It is fact .
I ’ ve seen the coral reefs whose health is contested with my own eyes : they are very much alive .
What is dead is academic freedom in Australia .
Universities should be understood by the judiciary as different from other workplaces because it is expected by the ordinary Australian that , on occasions , there will be vigorous debates on important and controversial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can engage in these debates without fearing that the use of plain and colloquial English could end their careers .
Yet today , the university ’ s appeal was upheld on the basis Peter Ridd was un-collegial in stating plainly that his own university and the Australian Institute of Marine Science are ‘ untrustworthy ’ because of systemic deficiencies in their quality assurance processes .
Further , it was mentioned that Peter Ridd did ‘ satirise ’ the university ’ s disciplinary processes in a personal email .
Today ’ s decision means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australian universities , will continue to crush dissent and sack academics who campaign for the truth .
2 ) Janet Albrechtsen : Censorship Universities Should No Longer Receive Funding By Taxpayers The Australian , 25 July 2020 The final joke at the centre of the scandal of Peter Ridd ’ s sacking is that James Cook University wants more of our tax dollars to get through the economic crisis .
It doesn ’ t deserve any , let alone more .
University life in the 21st century was confirmed by a court this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulation of behaviour and the advent of social media than with the promotion of intellectual freedom and the pursuit of truth .
That is the summary of the decision of the full court of the Federal Court of Australia , on appeal from the Federal Circuit Court , released on Wednesday , that found James Cook University had legally terminated professor of physics Peter Ridd after 27 years of employment .
The esteemed scientist was sacked by JCU after the university claimed that , in breach of the JCU code of conduct , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collegial ” manner and failed to treat a fellow staff member with “ respect and courtesy ” .
Ridd ’ s uncollegial , disrespectful and discourteous crime was to question the quality of science emanating from parts of JCU about coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef in an email to a journalist and during an interview on Sky News .
It is a close contest as to which institution should be more ashamed of itself .
A university that has spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend sacking an academic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has still shown zero interest in testing Ridd ’ s claims about the lack of quality assurance of science emanating from JCU ?
Or the full court of the Federal Court for endorsing Ridd ’ s termination ?
Upholding JCU ’ s appeal against an earlier decision that awarded $ 1.2m to Ridd because the university had unlawfully sacked him , the Federal Court has found that it is more important for a university to control behaviour under a code of conduct than to meet its commitment to academics in an enterprise agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three absurdities at the core of the joint judgment by justices Sarah Derrington and John Griffiths , both former academics , no less .
The nonsense starts with the fact the judges perform a convoluted and unseemly set of linguistic gymnastics to side with JCU .
In clause 14.1 of the enterprise agreement between JCU and its staff , JCU explicitly commits “ to act in a manner consistent with the protection and promotion of intellectual freedom ” .
The rest of clause 14 explains intellectual freedom .
Clause 13.3 of that enterprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct “ is not intended to detract from Clause 14 ” .
The farce gets worse when the majority of the court concede that JCU ’ s code of conduct is “ couched in vague and imprecise language ” .
In fact , the two judges go further , describing as “ an unfortunate consequence of the drafting , particularly given the very serious consequences ” that the code ’ s provisions “ do not readily provide clear guidance to staff as to whether particular conduct might breach the obligations outlined in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to misconduct , or indeed , serous misconduct .
Reasonable minds may differ about whether particular conduct in fact breaches the obligations on any given occasion.
” Given the ambiguity at the heart of the code of conduct , one might think that a university , of all places , should err on the side of intellectual freedom for its academics when applying its code .
It ’ s not hard to imagine an academic feeling peeved if another academic challenges their work .
It might not seem very collegial , let alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s part and parcel of the necessary rigours of academic life ; it ’ s how one set of claims is tested and confirmed or found wanting .
One might think that if a university failed to err on the side of intellectual freedom , at least a court would uphold the mission of a university when confronted with a hopelessly vague code of conduct .
After all , what is the point of providing for an intellectual freedom clause in an enterprise agreement if it can be rendered meaningless by a code @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything might subjectively be classed as uncollegial or lacking in respect and courtesy ?
Yet that is precisely what the Federal Court did in upholding JCU ’ s claim to sack Ridd .
The farcical nature of this decision gets worse .
The majority judges said : “ There is little to be gained in resorting to historical concepts and definitions of academic freedom .
Whatever the concept once meant , it has evolved to take into account contemporary circumstances which present a challenge to it , including the internet , social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the view of persons such as JS Mill , John Locke , Isaiah Berlin and others who have written on the topic.
” Citing “ a host of new challenges ” and “ changing norms ” and “ the rise of social media ” and “ student demands for accommodations such as content warnings and safe spaces ” , the judges suggest they are in “ uncharted waters ” when it comes to academic freedom .
Confused ?
So is the court as it tries to explain that the recent arrival of Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new demands for protection from ideas by some students , has led the Federal Court to allow a university to use a hopelessly vague code of conduct to sideline a centuries-old tradition of intellectual inquiry that is at the heart of human progress .
The court has used Twitter to kill intellectual exploration , innovation and open debate .
This is a judicial shout-out to the fans of cancel culture , an invitation to more safe spaces , trigger warnings to protect people from uncomfortable dissent .
Keep going , with our judicial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and these “ contemporary circumstances ” will help “ evolve ” the limits of acceptable intellectual inquiry .
The ramifications of this decision can not have been lost on the court .
This is a warning shot to every other academic who may want to raise doubts , questions or differing views that they might also fall foul of other vaguely drafted codes of conduct at any one of the country ’ s other universities .
No junior academic , no matter how brilliant , is going to risk getting sacked if Ridd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standing , can ’ t exercise intellectual freedom .
Remember that Ridd wasn ’ t querying the interpretation of Ovid ’ s Metamorphoses .
He was raising questions , in one particular area of his expertise , about the quality of climate change science .
One of the fundamental challenges of our generation is to get the science right so we can settle on the right climate change policies .
JCU told Ridd to keep quiet , then it sacked him .
And a court has endorsed its actions .
JCU ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision , has sent intellectual inquiry down the gurgler in the 21st century at an institution fundamental to Western civilisation .
Is that to be legacy of JCU ’ s vice-chancellor Sandra Harding ?
And what oversight has JCU ’ s governing council provided to this reputational damage , not to mention the waste of taxpayer dollars , in pursuing a distinguished scientist who was admired by his students ?
Following this decision , no academic can assume that an Australian university will allow the kind of robust debate held at Oxford University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Samuel Wilberforce , and Thomas Henry Huxley , a biologist and proponent of Darwin ’ s theory of evolution .
The Historical Journal records how this legendary encounter unfolded : “ The Bishop rose , and in a light scoffing tone , florid and fluent he assured us there was nothing in the idea of evolution : rock-pigeons were what rock-pigeons have always been .
Then , turning to his antagonist with a smiling insolence , he begged to know , was it through his grandfather or his grandmother that he claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this Mr Huxley slowly and deliberately arose .
A slight tall figure stern and pale , very quiet and very grave , he stood before us , and spoke those tremendous words … He was not ashamed to have a monkey for his ancestor , but he would be ashamed to be connected with a man who used his great gifts to obscure the truth.
” Not for nothing , Ridd ’ s lawyers submitted this example of intellectual freedom during the first trial .
In sacking Ridd , and to win in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the means that seeks the truth — intellectual freedom .
3 ) Universities Must Tackle ‘ Cancel Culture ’ And ‘ Demonstrate Commitment To Free Speech ’ To Be Handed Emergency Loans , British Education Secretary Says Daily Mail , 18 July 2020 Universities at risk of going bust and hoping to benefit from cash support from the government must demonstrate their commitment to free speech in order to be considered , Gavin Williamson has announced .
The Education Secretary said that institutions which are struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of the Higher Education Restructuring Regime to keep them afloat .
But in order to qualify for the new package of loans they must ‘ demonstrate their commitment to academic freedom and free speech ’ .
In recent years , universities have seen a rise in ‘ cancel culture ’ , including a no-platforming incident involving Amber Rudd at Oxford University in March .
The UN Women Oxford UK society sparked fury after its committee axed the former Home Secretary ’ s talk with just 30 minutes ’ notice following outcry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Windrush scandal .
In his announcement yesterday the Education Secretary , who has previously spoken out against ‘ cancel culture ’ and how Rudd was treated , said money given to the student unions should not be used for ‘ subsidising niche activism and campaigns ’ and instead to ensure it caters to the needs of the wider student population .
The Department of Education also warned universities and colleges in England will only be considered if they ‘ deliver high quality courses with strong graduate outcomes ’ .
4 ) WSJ Editorial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilt Under Cancel-Culture Pressure ’ Fox News , 24 July 2020 ‘ We are not The New York Times ’ , says note to readers The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board responded Friday to pushback from staffers about the paper ’ s opinion section and diversity in their newsroom , declaring that “ we are not the New York Times ” and that it will not succumb to “ cancel culture.
” In a note to readers , the editorial board sought to reassure readers that “ these pages won ’ t wilt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ outpouring of support ” from readers for the opinion pages .
“ It was probably inevitable that the wave of progressive cancel culture would arrive at the Journal , as it has at nearly every other cultural , business , academic , and journalistic institution .
But we are not the New York Times .
Most Journal reporters attempt to cover the news fairly and down the middle , and our opinion pages offer an alternative to the uniform progressive views that dominate nearly all of today ’ s media , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as our proprietors allow us the privilege to do so , the opinion pages will continue to publish contributors who speak their minds within the tradition of vigorous , reasoned discourse .
And these columns will continue to promote the principles of free people and free markets , which are more important than ever in what is a culture of growing progressive conformity and intolerance.
” In a June 23 letter to their editor-in-chief , Matt Murray , a group identifying itself only as “ members of the WSJ newsroom ” wrote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social inequities.
” The writers alleged that their colleagues in the opinion section were making their own jobs difficult , noting that some of them had been “ told by sources that they won ’ t talk to us because they don ’ t trust that the WSJ is independent of the editorial page.
” 5 ) WSJ : ‘ We ’ re Not The New York Times & Won ’ t Wilt Under Pressure ’ Editorial Board , The Wall Street Journal , 23 July 2020 We ’ ve been gratified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from readers after some 280 of our Wall Street Journal colleagues signed ( and someone leaked ) a letter to our publisher criticizing the opinion pages .
But the support has often been mixed with concern that perhaps the letter will cause us to change our principles and content .
On that point , reassurance is in order .
In the spirit of collegiality , we won ’ t respond in kind to the letter signers .
Their anxieties aren ’ t our responsibility in any case .
The signers report to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business , and the News and Opinion departments operate with separate staffs and editors .
Both report to Publisher Almar Latour .
This separation allows us to pursue stories and inform readers with independent judgment .
It was probably inevitable that the wave of progressive cancel culture would arrive at the Journal , as it has at nearly every other cultural , business , academic and journalistic institution .
But we are not the New York Times .
Most Journal reporters attempt to cover the news fairly and down the middle , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the uniform progressive views that dominate nearly all of today ’ s media .
As long as our proprietors allow us the privilege to do so , the opinion pages will continue to publish contributors who speak their minds within the tradition of vigorous , reasoned discourse .
And these columns will continue to promote the principles of free people and free markets , which are more important than ever in what is a culture of growing progressive conformity and intolerance .
6 ) Cancelling ‘ Cancel Culture ’ : The Rise And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Australia , 26 July 2020 Sky News host Rowan Dean presents Cancelling ‘ Cancel Culture ’ examining whether the cancel culture phenomenon is threatening freedom of speech in Australia and around the world .
click on image above to watch the programme The thought-provoking special explores the rise of ‘ cancel culture ’ and the impact it is having on people ’ s lives and livelihoods .
Rowan speaks to academics authors , entertainers and political commentators including Warren Mundine , Jacinta Price , Laurence Fox , Lauren Southern , Peter Ridd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Author Douglas Murray says in the fight against cancel culture , mainstream majority views can ’ t be silenced so people feel they can voice them other than at the ballot box where they give the “ wokerati a nasty surprise ” .
Cancel culture is not justice it is a “ lynch mob ” which doesn ’ t adhere to the standards of innocent until proven guilty , according to political activist Lauren Southern .
7 ) Gerard Henderson : Academic Freedom Bows At The Altar Of Social Media The Australian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with philosophers John Stuart Mill , John Locke and Isaiah Berlin and it ’ s in with “ the internet , social media and trolling ” .
According to the majority judgment of the Federal Court of Australia in James Cook University v Ridd handed down on Wednesday , that is .
Peter Ridd was employed by James Cook University for 27 years before his employment was terminated in May 2018 for serious misconduct .
At the time Ridd was a physics professor .
However , he was not dismissed on any academic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went down because JCU maintained that he had failed to act “ in the collegial and academic spirit ” required and had denigrated a fellow staff member by failing to act “ with respect and courtesy ” .
Oh yes , Ridd had also denigrated JCU , the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority .
In fact , Ridd disagreed on scientific grounds with the views of some fellow academics and some influential organisations about the long-term viability of the Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Great Barrier Reef are in good shape and that coral dies and is reborn as part of the reef ’ s life .
This is inconsistent with the scientific orthodoxy preached by JCU and like-minded organisations .
Announcing the termination in May 2018 , Iain Gordon , then JCU ’ s deputy vice-chancellor , referred not to the quality of Ridd ’ s teaching and research but to his “ manner ” and “ disrespect ” .
You see , he had been charged with having “ trivialised , satirised or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why , Ridd had even sent a private email to a friend dealing with JCU that was headed “ for your amusement ” .
How shocking is that ?
It is a long time since there was genuine academic and intellectual freedom in the groves of academe — if this ever existed .
The ideals pronounced by John Henry Newman ’ s 1875 The Idea of a University are essentially utopian .
What ’ s new about the current JCU case is that the curtailment of academic freedom that once prevailed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical sciences .
Take Australia , for example .
The two big cases of academic freedom in the past half-century involve philosopher Frank Knopfelmacher ( 1923-95 ) and physicist Ridd .
In 1965 Knopfelmacher , who was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne , was appointed to the position of senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Sydney .
The appointment was overturned by the university ’ s professorial board .
Knopfelmacher ’ s appointment was strongly supported by David Armstrong , one of Australia ’ s finest philosophers .
Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his irreverent manner and a tendency to criticise colleagues in addition to his unfashionable views .
An articulate and well-informed anti-communist , Knopfelmacher upset the leftist fashions of the time with his vehement criticism of the communist regimes in central and eastern Europe ( East Germany , the Soviet Union ) and Asia ( North Korea , China , North Vietnam ) , and their supporters in the West .
In 1964 Knopfelmacher wrote an article in Twentieth Century magazine criticising the leftist ideology that prevailed in many of Melbourne University ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left-wing academics discriminated against non-leftists and exercised significant veto powers “ in matters of academic preferments and sinecures ” .
This accurate comment was used against Knopfelmacher by his opponents on Sydney University ’ s professional board .
In the half-century since the Knopfelmacher affair , the attack on academic and intellectual freedom has moved into universities as a whole , including the physical sciences .
That is Ridd ’ s problem .
JCU appears to have a view that the Great Barrier Reef is dying fast and anyone who disagrees with this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , does not have a right to be heard , especially if they are irreverent and outspoken .
In one sense , the Federal Court ’ s decision in JCU v Ridd turns on the interpretation of the enterprise agreement under which the respondent was employed .
In September last year the Federal Circuit Court ( Judge Salvatore Vasta presiding ) found that JCU had contravened section 50 of the Fair Work Act by making findings against Ridd , giving him directions with respect to confidentiality and speech along with a “ no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court found , had led to an improper employment termination .
However , the current case is more important than mere industrial relations .
The majority — justices John Griffiths and Sarah Derrington — essentially dismissed “ historical concepts of academic freedom ” .
So the thoughts of Mill , Locke and Berlin are out of date .
Griffiths and Derrington instead cited the work of American philosopher Jennifer Lackey concerning the internet and social media .
They quoted favourably from the Illinois academic , who has written that the concept of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by no-platforming but also by student demands for “ content warnings and safe spaces ” that “ leave us in uncharted territory ” .
Newman , originally an Anglican who became a cardinal in the Catholic Church , was a deeply religious man who saw a role for an essentially secular university bestowed with intellectual freedom .
But many a modern campus has become an institution that acts in accordance with the notion that “ error has no rights ” .
This was once the teaching of extreme religious sects .
Now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrators , academics and students who believe that those with whom they disagree have no right to be heard .
In his dissent , Justice Darryl Rangiah placed much more emphasis on Ridd ’ s right to intellectual freedom .
Rangiah agreed with the majority that the decision of the primary judge contained material errors on industrial law .
However , he said that while the appeal should be allowed , the proceedings should not be dismissed but remitted for a further hearing .
Rangiah did not support the majority view that some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be characterised as an exercise in intellectual freedom .
While JCU v Ridd turns primarily on industrial law , it is likely to have the unintended consequence of discouraging academics who are at odds with prevailing fashions in the social and physical sciences from speaking out .
Australian universities need more Knopfelmachers and Ridds — not fewer .
Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute .
His Media Watch Dog blog can be found at www.theaustralian.com.au 8 ) And Finally : Is The Demise Of Polar Bears being Exaggerated ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 2020 Wouldn ’ t it be nice if we could debate climate change for five minutes without hearing about polar bears or being subjected to footage of them perched precariously on a melting ice floe ?
But that is a little too much to expect .
Polar bears have become the pin-ups of climate change , the poor creatures who are supposed to jolt us out of thinking about abstract concepts and make us weep that our own selfishness is condemning these magnificent animals to a painful and hungry end .
Needless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jumped on the opportunity for more polar bear coverage when a paper appeared in the journal Nature Climate Change , predicting that a high carbon emissions scenario ‘ will jeopardise the persistence of all but a few high-Arctic subpopulations by 2100.
’ The paper uses a new predictive model by Peter Molnar of the University of Toronto .
A BBC report , as usual , upgraded the claims made in the paper in order to state : ‘ Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study predicts.
’ Except that the paper doesn ’ t quite say that .
The high emissions scenario used in the study isn ’ t what would happen if the world continued on its current trajectory of fossil fuel use .
Instead it uses a worst-case scenario called ‘ RCP8.5 ’ dreamed up in 2014 , which envisages that coal-burning will globally increase fivefold between now and 2100 .
This could be a challenge , because it would mean burning through more coal than , according to some estimates , exists on Earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaked in 2013 .
Even Nature Climate Changes ’ mother journal Nature published a think piece in January calling for scientists and campaigners to stop using RCP8.5 as a ‘ business as usual ’ scenario , on the grounds that it is highly improbable .
But even if we were to jack up carbon emissions to the level envisaged by RCP8.5 , and Arctic sea ice was to melt in accordance with the models , would it really mean the end of most polar bear populations ?
Given that polar bears feed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice , this may seem a reasonable claim .
Yet the relationship between sea ice and polar bear population isn ’ t quite so simple .
A lot of the assumptions about polar bears and sea ice have been made on the back of the animals ’ decline in the Western Hudson Bay area of Canada .
Compared with the 1980s , sea ice there now breaks up on average two weeks earlier and refreezes a week later .
As a result , polar bears are spending five months on land – where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than four as before .
Their estimated numbers fell by 22 per cent between 1987 and 2004 , although this has levelled off since then .
Polar bear numbers have also been falling in Canada ’ s Southern Beaufort Sea .
Yet it is a very different story in the Barents Sea , which lies to the north of Scandinavia and European Russia .
There , the retreat of seasonal sea ice has been far more dramatic – it now hangs around , on average , 21 weeks less than it did 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are stable .
On Svalbard their numbers have increased by 40 percent – and the females seem to be in better physical condition now than they were 15 years ago .
It is a different story , too , in the Chukchi Sea , which lies to the north of Alaska and Russia ’ s far east .
There , sea ice forms for 41 days fewer than it did 40 years ago – yet the polar bear population seems to be stable , with no decline in the bears ’ physical condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ western Greenland , has lost 53 days ’ of sea ice in recent decades , yet the estimated number of polar bears more than doubled between 1997 and 2013 .
All of which seems to indicate that polar bears , like many other creatures , have proved rather adaptable to changes in their environment .
The assumption that they can only catch seals through sea ice , and will inevitably decline if their opportunities to do this disappear , seems simply to be wrong .
Somehow or other , most populations of polar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The end of polar bears has been predicted many times before .
Indeed , one of the authors of the Nature Climate Change paper , Steven Armstrup , claimed in 2007 that the decline of sea ice would lead to a two thirds reduction in polar bear numbers by the middle of this century .
The failure of overall polar bear populations to follow this downward trend , in spite of a decline is sea ice , was documented in a book The Polar Bear Catastrophe that Never Happened by anthropologist Susan Crockford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ familiar story for those who refuse to toe the line on climate change : shortly after publication last year she was relieved of the post of Adjunct Assistant Professor at Victoria University , which she had held for 15 years .
The Denial by Ross Clark will be published by Lume Books in September .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Climate Alarmist Claim Blown to Smithereens: Unlikely That Warm Arctic Leads To Cold Winters

Do you remember the wild story that cold winters in Central Europe are supposedly a consequence of the Arctic turbo-heating ?
A great sideshow hypothesis in those years when winters were suddenly colder than expected .
A study by Dai & Song 2020 has now brought the idea back to the realm of fable .
There ’ s nothing to it .
Abstract : Little influence of Arctic amplification on mid-latitude climate Observations1,2,3 and model simulations3,4 show enhanced warming in the Arctic under increasing greenhouse gases , a phenomenon known as the Arctic amplification ( AA ) 5 , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AA reduces meridional temperature gradients linked to circulation , thus mid-latitude weather and climate changes have been attributed to AA , often on the basis of regression analysis and atmospheric simulations6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 .
However , other modelling studies20,21,22 show only a weak link .
This inconsistency may result from deficiencies in separating the effects of AA from those of natural variability or background warming .
Here , using coupled model simulations with and without AA , we show that cold-season precipitation , snowfall and circulation changes over northern mid-latitudes come mostly from background warming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and snowfall above ~60° N and reduce meridional temperature gradients above ~45° N in the lower–mid troposphere .
However , minimal impact on the mean climate is seen below ~60° N , with weak reduction in zonal wind over 50°–70° N and 150–700 hPa , mainly over the North Atlantic and northern central Asia .
These results suggest that the climatic impacts of AA are probably small outside the high latitudes , thus caution is needed in attributing mid-latitude changes to AA and sea-ice loss on the basis of statistical analyses that can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other correlated changes .
”


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Natural Variability: The Northern Hemisphere Cooled And Warmed By 1°C In Decades ~1500 Years Ago

It is claimed Earth ’ s surface has warmed by 1°C in the last 140 years – which is a supposedly rapid climate change .
But a new study suggests the Northern Hemisphere surface naturally cooled by 1°C in 8 or 9 years , then warmed up again by 1°C within decades during the Late Antique Little Ice Age .
Scientists have determined there were “ catastrophic volcanic eruptions that took place in 536 , 540 and 547 A.D. ” Sulphate aerosols consequently scattered the Sun ’ s radiance , dramatically cooling the Earth ’ s surface for decades .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Late Antique Little Ice Age ( LALIA ) , resulted in crop failures , famines , disease epidemics , and societal unrest .
After the cooling event , Earth ’ s climate naturally returned to its previous warmth .
Using proxy records from 20 Northern Hemisphere ( NH ) locations , Peregrine , 2020specifies that it cooled by about 1°C in less than a decade in the 530s and 540s A.D. By the 570s , however , the NH climate had warmed back up again ( by 1°C ) .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of modern temperature changes ( about 1°C total warming since 1880 ) assumed to be of anthropogenic origin .
Extensive volcanism is also said to explain the Little Ice Age ( LIA ) centennial-scale global cooling ( McGregor et al.
, 2015 ) .
Modern warmth can thus be interpreted as a return to the climate “ normal ” – much like the abrupt return to pre-LALIA temperatures after that global cooling period ended .
Since the return to “ normal ” temperature after the LALIA cooling was necessarily a natural warming , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a natural event .
After all , this is the null hypothesis – and at no time has it been falsified using real-world scientific evidence .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Uncool Paris: Radical French Eco-Minister Bans Outside Heating In Cafes & Bars

France ’ s government has announced new environmental measures , including a ban on heated terraces for cafes and bars .
Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili said outside heating or air conditioning was an “ ecological aberration ” .
The ban will not come into force until after the winter as restaurants have been hard hit by Covid-19 , she added .
All heated or air-conditioned buildings open to the public will also have to keep their doors closed to avoid wasting energy .
Ms Pompili told reporters it was wrong for shops to “ air-condition the streets ” in summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spare customers from having to open them .
“ Neither should terraces be heated in winter so people can feel warm as they drink coffee , ” she said .
Trade groups say more than 75 % of restaurants and cafes in the Paris area have a heated terrace .
A few French cities have already banned them but Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo refused to do so , saying it would be too much of a blow to businesses .
Ms Pompili said officials would talks to owners about ways of implementing measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by new Prime Minister Jean Castex , who has pledged €20m ( $ 23m ; £18.2m ) for climate-related investment , as part of a €100m stimulus plan aimed at helping the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic .
The measures announced by Ms Pompili were proposed by the 150-member Citizens ’ Convention on Climate , set up by President Emmanuel Macron last year and randomly selected from members of the public .
The post Uncool Paris : Radical French Eco-Minister Bans Outside Heating In Cafes & Bars appeared first on The Global @ @ @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Britain’s Green Traffic Policy Creates ‘Ghost Towns’

Grant Shapps , the Transport Secretary , has been forced to lobby against his anti-car policy in his own constituency after barriers meant to aid social distancing turned a village high street into a “ ghost town ” .
Shopkeepers in Welwyn say businesses already struggling after the lockdown could be forced to close because visitor numbers plummeted when roads were transformed and a one-way system was introduced .
More than 1,300 people have signed a petition calling on Hertfordshire County Council to use “ common sense ” after the measures deterred shoppers and created “ another dead high street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were introduced in May as part of the Transport Secretary ’ s “ new era for cycling and walking ” , announced at a Downing Street coronavirus briefing at height of the lockdown ( see video below ) .
Mr Shapps invited local authorities to bid for £250 million of emergency funding to introduce greener traffic measures to relieve pressure on public transport during the pandemic .
But an email from his parliamentary office , seen by The Telegraph , reveals how , just weeks later , he contacted the council to complain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ not suited to the old layout of Welwyn ” , a village already suffering low visitor numbers .
It adds the barriers , meant to allow pedestrians to stay two metres apart , seemed an over-reaction because they were “ outside , so have reduced transmission risks ” and the two-metre rule was being reviewed by the Government .
Mr Shapps ’ scheme , intended to create a “ cycling revolution ” , has met widespread opposition as councils introduce road closures , new cycle lanes and wider pavements , often without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Green Traffic Policy Creates ‘ Ghost Towns ’ appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Reports Of The Demise Of Polar Bears Are Greatly Exaggerated – Bear Population up 33% since 2005

Wouldn ’ t it be nice if we could debate climate change for five minutes without hearing about polar bears or being subjected to footage of them perched precariously on a melting ice floe ?
But that is a little too much to expect .
Polar bears have become the pin-ups of climate change , the poor creatures who are supposed to jolt us out of thinking about abstract concepts and make us weep that our own selfishness is condemning these magnificent animals to a painful and hungry end .
Needless to say , the Guardian and BBC jumped on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when a paper appeared in the journal Nature Climate Change , predicting that a high carbon emissions scenario ‘ will jeopardise the persistence of all but a few high-Arctic subpopulations by 2100.
’ The paper uses a new predictive model by Peter Molnar of the University of Toronto .
A BBC report , as usual , upgraded the claims made in the paper in order to state : ‘ Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change , a study predicts.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t quite say that .
The high emissions scenario used in the study isn ’ t what would happen if the world continued on its current trajectory of fossil fuel use .
Instead it uses a worst-case scenario called ‘ RCP8.5 ’ dreamed up in 2014 , which envisages that coal-burning will globally increase fivefold between now and 2100 .
This could be a challenge , because it would mean burning through more coal than , according to some estimates , exists on Earth .
In fact , global coal-burning likely peaked in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother journal Nature published a think piece in January calling for scientists and campaigners to stop using RCP8.5 as a ‘ business as usual ’ scenario , on the grounds that it is highly improbable .
But even if we were to jack up carbon emissions to the level envisaged by RCP8.5 , and Arctic sea ice was to melt in accordance with the models , would it really mean the end of most polar bear populations ?
Given that polar bears feed on seals they catch by punching through sea ice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet the relationship between sea ice and polar bear population isn ’ t quite so simple .
A lot of the assumptions about polar bears and sea ice have been made on the back of the animals ’ decline in the Western Hudson Bay area of Canada .
Compared with the 1980s , sea ice there now breaks up on average two weeks earlier and refreezes a week later .
As a result , polar bears are spending five months on land – where they struggle to find food – rather than four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 22 per cent between 1987 and 2004 , although this has levelled off since then .
Polar bear numbers have also been falling in Canada ’ s Southern Beaufort Sea .
Yet it is a very different story in the Barents Sea , which lies to the north of Scandinavia and European Russia .
There , the retreat of seasonal sea ice has been far more dramatic – it now hangs around , on average , 21 weeks less than it did 40 years ago .
Yet polar bear numbers are stable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 40 percent – and the females seem to be in better physical condition now than they were 15 years ago .
It is a different story , too , in the Chukchi Sea , which lies to the north of Alaska and Russia ’ s far east .
There , sea ice forms for 41 days fewer than it did 40 years ago – yet the polar bear population seems to be stable , with no decline in the bears ’ physical condition .
The Kane Basin , off north western Greenland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sea ice in recent decades , yet the estimated number of polar bears more than doubled between 1997 and 2013 .
All of which seems to indicate that polar bears , like many other creatures , have proved rather adaptable to changes in their environment .
The assumption that they can only catch seals through sea ice , and will inevitably decline if their opportunities to do this disappear , seems simply to be wrong .
Somehow or other , most populations of polar bears are finding enough to eat .
The end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times before .
Indeed , one of the authors of the Nature Climate Change paper , Steven Armstrup , claimed in 2007 that the decline of sea ice would lead to a two thirds reduction in polar bear numbers by the middle of this century .
The failure of overall polar bear populations to follow this downward trend , in spite of a decline is sea ice , was documented in a book The Polar Bear Catastrophe that Never Happened by [ evolutionary biologist ] Susan Crockford .
The post Reports Of The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Enviros Ask Supreme Court To Block Border Wall — Again

Environmentalists asked the Supreme Court to stop the Trump administration from building parts of the U.S.-Mexico border wall after a federal appeals court determined in June that tapping $ 2.5 billion in military funding for the project was unlawful .
The motion , part of complex litigation , filed with the high court July 22 in Trump v. Sierra Club , asks to lift a stay imposed by the court on July 26 , 2019 .
That order froze a permanent injunction granted by the trial court against the use of the funds until the government ’ s appeal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Appeals for the 9th Circuit was dealt with .
In other words , the Supreme Court ’ s ruling a year ago allowed the Trump administration to use the disputed funds for wall construction .
Environmentalists are fighting President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to use funding from the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2019 to build the wall along the Mexican border in California , New Mexico , and Arizona .
Providing border security and cracking down on illegal immigration was Trump ’ s signature promise during his 2016 campaign for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled against the government last month in the long-running dispute .
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled June 26 that the Trump administration ’ s attempt to transfer $ 2.5 billion in military pay and pension funds for border wall construction was unlawful .
The ruling , which affirmed a U.S. District Court decision , came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition ( SBCC ) .
“ The Trump administration has lost in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete the president ’ s border wall before the Supreme Court can review the merits of this case .
If the administration succeeds , there will be no border wall construction left to stop by the time the Supreme Court hears this case , ” Dror Ladin , a staff attorney with the ACLU ’ s National Security Project , told The Hill newspaper .
Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice didn ’ t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment .
In the June 26 decision , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ transfers were not authorized and that plaintiffs have a cause of action , ” and affirmed the decision of the district court .
“ These funds were appropriated for other purposes , and the transfer amounted to ‘ drawing funds from the Treasury without authorization by statute and thus violating the Appropriations Clause , ’ ” the appeals court stated , referencing case law .
“ Therefore , the transfer of funds here was unlawful.
” The interests of the members of the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trump national security concerns , the court ruled .
The Sierra Club alleged that government actions “ will cause particularized and concrete injuries to its members , and SBCC has shown that it has suffered a concrete injury itself , ” the appeals court noted .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Greenpeace Cofounder: ‘There Is No Climate Catastrophe – It’s A Lie’

Power Hour host Alex Epstein ( pictured ) discusses the alleged ‘ climate catastrophe ’ with Dr. Patrick Moore , ecologist and co-founder of Greenpeace .
Power Hour host Alex Epstein ( pictured ) discusses the alleged ‘ climate catastrophe ’ with Dr. Patrick Moore , ecologist and co-founder of Greenpeace .
Incredibly , Moore completely eviscerates the concept of “ climate catastrophism , ” and dismantles the claim that man-made CO2 levels are warming the planet beyond a tipping point of human survival .
Moore makes a number of strong arguments that debunk the IPCC ’ s increasingly problematic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parroted by climate change activists and the likes of Greta Thunberg .
• None The beginnings of the climate catastrophe movement .
• None Why Moore believes human beings would not only survive but survive better at far higher average temperatures ( which would be concentrated toward the poles ) .
• None Why Moore believes that contrary to being in a Sixth Extinction , we are actually at an unprecedented time of biodiversity with no end in sight .
• None The commonality among the opposition to plastics , GMOs , nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None Moore ’ s unrefuted theory that human beings actually saved life on Earth from a terminal decline in CO2 levels .


climatedepot--2020-07-27--Today’s Fake Crisis: ‘Climate Change’ Harming Marriage Prospects in India

Among the top results today in a Google News search for “ climate crisis ” is an article published by The News Minute claiming climate change is causing a marriage crisis in India .
The theory is that climate change is reducing crop output , which makes farmers less desirable for arranged marriages .
However , assuming greater crop output results in better marriage prospects for Indian farmers , the objective scientific evidence shows Indian bachelor farmers have never had it better .
The News Minute article , titled “ Marriage crisis for farmers in Andhra as climate crisis looms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000 farmers in India reveal global warming is causing poor crop production and a resultant lack of marriage prospects for bachelor farmers .
Based on these subjective bachelor farmer complaints , The News Minute claims , “ they are becoming ever less attractive grooms due to mounting uncertainties in farm incomes.
” “ Increasing temperatures , changes in rainfall trends and more extreme natural hazards are negatively affecting incomes from agriculture .
Climate change is leading to loss of crops , reductions in productivity , depletion of biodiversity , even the complete devastation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minute claims .
As a result , “ this precarity is affecting marriage patterns .
Worsening climatic conditions , we found , are leading to a marriage crisis … because of the increasing uncertainty of farmers ’ incomes , most parents no longer want farmers as their son-in-law.
” Curiously , The News Minute does not provide any objective data on Indian crop production to support its asserted marriage crisis .
Fortunately for people who believe in facts and science , and unfortunately for The News Minute , the United Nations Food and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records of each country ’ s agricultural production .
So , one would expect FAO to report dramatic recent declines in Indian crop production , given the News Minute ’ s claims .
Let ’ s take a look at the FAO data for overall cereal production ( the Big Three of rice , corn , and wheat ) in India : Rice is the primary crop in the Andhra area of India .
Let ’ s take a look at FAO data for Indian rice production : Now we know why The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or facts to support its theory – because there are no facts or data to support its theory .
The reality is rice production and overall cereal production are improving consistently and dramatically throughout India ( and globally ) as the Earth continues its modest warming .
Indeed , new records are being set every year .
The News Minute story is similar to a plethora of media articles about farmers in various countries allegedly no longer being able to make a living because of global warming .
So-called news reporters go searching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well .
Even in a time when crop production sets new records virtually every year , some farmers will not do well because they have been unlucky or they not very good farmers .
Or , in this case , many bachelors remain bachelors because they are unpleasant people , or are unattractive in other ways , rather than because of global warming .
Rather than acknowledge their own shortcomings or other non-climate factors that cause their failures , it is easy and convenient for unsuccessful farmers to blame global warming .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create a fictitious climate crisis , it is easy and convenient for them to play along with the clearly false climate-change narrative .


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Watch: Bjorn Lomborg on Fox discussing his new climate book ‘False Alarm’

On July 15 , Danish political scientist Lomborg appeared on Fox Business ’ Varney & Co. to discuss Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ to promote his new book , False Alarm : How Climate Change Panic Costs Us @ @ @ @ @ , and Fails to Fix the Planet .
He called Biden ’ s plan “ @ @ @ @ @ that is “ phenomenally expensive , ” stated that “ we need to get out @ @ @ @ @ s the end of the world ’ sense ” on climate change , and promoted @ @ @ @ @ development of new energy technologies as the sensible solution to climate change .
On July @ @ @ @ @ Fox Business ’ Making Money with Charles Payne .
He referred to Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ phenomenally large cost for not very much benefit ” and dismissed dire climate claims , @ @ @ @ @ ve been so force-fed with all these stories that are a little true and a @ @ @ @ @


climatedepot--2020-07-28--Watch: Michael Shellenberger on Fox News discussing his reversal on ‘climate change’

On July 14 , Environmental Progress founder Shellenberger appeared on Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ With his recent book Apocalypse Never : Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All .


climatedepot--2020-07-28--BBC: Fertility rate: ‘Jaw-dropping’ global crash in children being born – ‘Nearly every country coul

BBC: Fertility rate: ‘Jaw-dropping’ global crash in children being born – ‘Nearly every country could have shrinking populations by the end of the century’

The world is ill-prepared for the global crash in children being born which is set to have a “ jaw-dropping ” impact on societies , say researchers .
Falling fertility rates mean nearly every country could have shrinking populations by the end of the century .
And 23 nations – including Spain and Japan – are expected to see their populations halve by 2100 .
Countries will also age dramatically , with as many people turning 80 as there are being born .
What is going on ?
The fertility rate – the average number of children a woman gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number falls below approximately 2.1 , then the size of the population starts to fall .
In 1950 , women were having an average of 4.7 children in their lifetime .
Researchers at the University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation showed the global fertility rate nearly halved to 2.4 in 2017 – and their study , published in the Lancet , projects it will fall below 1.7 by 2100 .
As a result , the researchers expect the number of people on the planet to peak at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to 8.8 billion by the end of the century .
“ That ’ s a pretty big thing ; most of the world is transitioning into natural population decline , ” researcher Prof Christopher Murray told the BBC .
“ I think it ’ s incredibly hard to think this through and recognise how big a thing this is ; it ’ s extraordinary , we ’ ll have to reorganise societies.
” It has nothing to do with sperm counts or the usual things that come to mind when discussing fertility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more women in education and work , as well as greater access to contraception , leading to women choosing to have fewer children .
In many ways , falling fertility rates are a success story .
Which countries will be most affected ?
Japan ’ s population is projected to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century .
Italy is expected to see an equally dramatic population crash from 61 million to 28 million over the same timeframe .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also include Spain , Portugal , Thailand and South Korea – expected to see their population more than halve .
China , currently the most populous nation in the world , is expected to peak at 1.4 billion in four years ’ time before nearly halving to 732 million by 2100 .
India will take its place .
The UK is predicted to peak at 75 million in 2063 , and fall to 71 million by 2100 .
However , this will be a truly global issue , with 183 out of 195 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replacement level .
Why is this a problem ?
You might think this is great for the environment .
A smaller population would reduce carbon emissions as well as deforestation for farmland .
“ That would be true except for the inverted age structure ( more old people than young people ) and all the uniformly negative consequences of an inverted age structure , ” says Prof Murray .
• The number of under-fives will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401 million in 2100 .
• The number of over 80-year-olds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 866 million in 2100 .
Prof Murray adds : “ It will create enormous social change .
It makes me worried because I have an eight-year-old daughter and I wonder what the world will be like.
” Who pays tax in a massively aged world ?
Who pays for healthcare for the elderly ?
Who looks after the elderly ?
Will people still be able to retire from work ?