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ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY DIVISION NEWSLETTER
8 FEB. 2016
If you need older URLs contact George at [email protected]. Please
Note: “This newsletter contains articles that offer differing
points of view regarding climate change, energy and other
environmental issues. Any opinions expressed in this publication
are the responses of the editor alone and do not represent the
positions of the Environmental and Energy Engineering Division or
the ASME.”
George Holliday
A. ENVIRONMENT 1. GOSH, A NEW MODEL BASED STUDY ‘PUTS
TEMPERATURE INCREASES CAUSED BY CO2 EMISSIONS ON THE MAP’ From the
“linear thinking doesn’t follow reality” department, comes this
stunning revelation that sounds pretty much just like every other
press release about climate we’ve ever read. Plus, they’ve got a
map! A new study puts temperature increases caused by CO2 emissions
on the map Concordia research findings can be used to show the
impact…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/
2. DAVOS: CLIMATE NOT THE “TOP CONCERN” OF BUSINESS LEADERS
Guest essay by Eric Worrall Once again global business leaders at
Davos have gone off narrative, by failing to identify “climate
change” as their number one priority; instead voicing concerns
about “over regulation” and economic issues. Climate change fails
to top list of threats for business leaders at Davos Geopolitical
uncertainty, over-regulation and cyber attacks…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/davos-climate-not-the-top-concern-of-business-leaders/
3. GISS AND NOAA TO ANNOUNCE 2015 “RECORD HIGH” GLOBAL
TEMPERATURES IN JOINT MEDIA TELECONFERENCE TODAY Guest Post by Bob
Tisdale SEE UPDATE 1 AT END OF POST: I’ve provided a link to the
slides from the teleconference and updated monthly and annual
graphs. # # # On January 15th, NOAA Communications notified the
media Wednesday: NOAA, NASA to announce official analyses of 2015
global temperature, climate conditions. WHAT: NOAA, NASA…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/gosh-a-new-model-based-study-puts-temperature-increases-caused-by-co2-emissions-on-the-map/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/davos-climate-not-the-top-concern-of-business-leaders/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/davos-climate-not-the-top-concern-of-business-leaders/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/davos-climate-not-the-top-concern-of-business-leaders/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/
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http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/
4. THE ODDITIES IN NOAA’S NEW “PAUSE-BUSTER” SEA SURFACE
TEMPERATURE PRODUCT – AN OVERVIEW OF PAST POSTS Guest Post by Bob
Tisdale NOAA revised their global surface temperature product in
June 2015 to show more global warming during the post-1998 period.
Those data manipulations supposedly ended the slowdown in global
warming over that period. The changes to NOAA’s global ocean
surface temperature product were the primary cause of the NOAA’s
hiatus-disappearing act.…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/
5. HOW ACCURATE ARE FINDINGS FROM THE FRONTIERS OF CLIMATE
SCIENCE? FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT WARMING OF THE OCEANS. By Larry Kummer.
From the Fabius Maximus website. Summary: This post looks at an
often asked question about climate science — how accurate are its
findings, a key factor when we make decisions about trillions of
dollars (and affecting billions of people). Specifically, it
examines the oceans’ heat content, a vital metric since the oceans…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/
6. GOVERNMENT GISS CHANGES TO GHCN SINCE AUGUST 2005, NOT
SCIENCE Except for those who are blind to reality (or are color
blind), this graph clearly tells the story behind the temperature
adjustments by NOAA, etc. Does anyone believe the extensive
adjustments of cooling the past (blue) and warming adjustments to
the data (red) is real science?
Don Shaw
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/giss-and-noaa-to-announce-2015-record-high-global-temperatures-in-joint-media-teleconference-today/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/20/the-oddities-in-noaas-new-pause-buster-sea-surface-temperature-product-an-overview-of-past-posts/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/19/how-accurate-are-findings-from-the-frontiers-of-climate-science-for-example-about-warming-of-the-oceans/
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7. CALL FOR ASME PAPERS Track 8: Energy 2016 ASME International
Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition Phoenix, Arizona,
November 11-17, 2016 8-14 Carbon Capture and Storage Organized by
Dr. Chuanwei Zhuo, Cabot Corporation, [email protected]
PURPOSE AND SCOPE Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the
technologies expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Efficient, economic, and environmentally friendly solutions are
always being sought. This symposium brings together the work of
prominent researchers in the field with the emphasis on both CCS
fundamentals and applications. Main areas of interest are
engineering challenges of CCS, and progress made in recent years in
terms of novel materials, processes and applications. Papers,
extended abstracts and technical presentation are solicited in
areas including but not limited to: • CCS system - general
(control, behavior, response, interaction with power generation and
transmission systems, etc.) • Materials developed for CO2 capture,
separation, purification, transport, storage, and applications •
Gas capture (separation) from large point sources (power
generation, natural gas processing, heavy industries, hydrogen
production, etc.) • Gas compression/dehydration • CO2 transport and
transport system maintenance • Beneficial reuse of CO2 (e.g.
enhanced oil recovery (EOR), urea application, food industry,
beverage carbonation, carbonate/bicarbonate, biomass processing)
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 7, 2016 See Conference website for
detailed Publication Schedule
http://www.asmeconferences.org/IMECE2016/Author/NewAbstract.cfm
Sponsored by ASME Energy Division, Advances Energy Systems Division
and Environmental Engineering Division Email From: ASME, 2 Park
Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Arne Feldman
COMMENTS A. The Week That Was: 2016-01-30 (January 30, 2016) By
Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project
(SEPP) IPCC v. Nature: The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) is the self proclaimed body of experts on climate
change. As previously stated in TWTW, the independent
Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) comes
to drastically different conclusions regarding future climate
change. The IPCC claims that climate change since about 1950 is
largely human caused, with human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)
primarily responsible. Using research and data the IPCC largely
ignores, the NIPCC claims that recent global climate change (as
opposed to local and regional) is largely natural, and there is
little or no physical evidence that climate is changing beyond
natural occurrences.
mailto:[email protected]://www.asmeconferences.org/IMECE2016/Author/NewAbstract.cfm
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One of the most dramatic statements made by the IPCC appeared in
its Fourth Assessment Report (AR-4, 2007) which claimed the
glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains will disappear by 2035,
depriving hundreds of millions of people their primary source of
water, from the rivers that run off the Himalayas and the Tibetan
Plateau. Alarmed, the government of India, Ministry of Environment
and Forests had its glacial expert, Mr. V.K. Raina, Executive
Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) prepare a
report based on decades of on-the-ground observations. Fear of the
possible melting of the glaciers has been expressed for about 100
years resulting in scientific efforts to recognize and examine the
fluctuations at the front-snout of glaciers, starting in the early
part of the 20th century, although some studies go back 150 years.
Overall, there is a net decrease in mass balance in the 20th
century, though some glaciers are increasing in mass balance. This
net decrease in mass balance is within the boundaries of prior
interglacial warm periods over the last two million years, the
period identified as the Pleistocene (major ice age). According to
the report, some glaciologists believe that there may have been as
many as 21 glacial cycles during this period. In short, the net
decrease in mass balance appears to be part of a natural cycle, not
human caused global warming. Of course, the advance and retreat of
Himalayan glaciers need to be monitored, but there is no indication
that they will vanish by 2035. The report was independently
reviewed by glacial expert, Professor Cliff Ollier of Australia,
who reviewed the research for the Indian government. The
then-chairman of the IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri; dismissed this work,
based on empirical research, as “voodoo science”. See links under
Challenging the Orthodoxy – IPCC AR-4 ***************** IPCC v.
IPCC: Using 20 General Circulation Models used by the IPCC,
researchers from China, Sweden, and South Korea evaluated the
forecasts of these models for the Tibetan Plateau until 2070. The
plateau lies north of the Himalayan range and south of the
Takiamakan Desert. It is the headwaters for six major river basins:
Yellow, Yangtze, Salween, Mekong, Indus, and Brahmaputra, which
flows into the Ganges. The researchers found that the water supply
is unlikely to decline until at least 2070. The abstract states:
“The impacts of future climate change on water balance for the
headwater basins of six major rivers in the Tibetan Plateau are
assessed using the well-established VIC-glacier land surface
hydrological model driven by composite projections of 20 CMIP5 GCMs
under scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. At the plateau scale,
the annual precipitation is projected to increase by 5.0–10.0% in
the near term (2011–2040) and 10.0–20.0% in the long term (2041–
2070) relative to the reference period 1971–2000. The annual
temperature is projected to increase for all the scenarios with the
greatest warming in the northwest (2.0–4.0 °C) and least in the
southeast (1.2–2.8 °C). The total runoff of the study basins would
either remain stable or moderately increase in the near term, and
increase by 2.7–22.4% in the long term relative to the reference
period, as a result of increased rainfall-induced runoff for the
upstream of the Yellow, Yangtze, Salween, and Mekong and increased
glacier melt for the upper Indus. In the upper Brahmaputra, more
than 50.0% of the total runoff increase is attributed to the
increased glacier melt in the long run. The annual hydrograph
remains practically unchanged for all the monsoon dominated basins.
However, for the westerly-controlled basin (upper Indus), an
apparent earlier melt and a relatively large increase in spring
runoff is observed for all the scenarios, which would increase
water availability in the Indus Basin irrigation scheme during the
spring growing season.” Thus, we see that the dramatic assertion in
IPCC AR-4 that the glaciers of the Himalayan range will melt by
2035, causing severe hardships to those who depend on these rivers
is not even supported by the IPCC’s models. In general, TWTW
discounts long-term projections/forecasts from un-validated climate
models. But, this research underlines the great inconsistency
between the IPCC models and its assertions. Clearly, a rigorous
scientific audit of IPCC reports is needed, but unlikely to occur
in the near future. As reported in
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the January 9 TWTW, according to the web site of the US Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP), the US Department of State is the
largest financial contributor to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and to the IPCC. This
Administration has based its legacy, in part, on “fighting” climate
change, based on highly questionable science from the IPCC and the
USGCRP. In addition, two of the US EPA’s pillars of evidence of its
endangerment finding that human emissions of carbon dioxide
endanger human health and welfare are the science (questionable)
and the global climate models. These pillars conflict with
themselves. Thus, the EPA’s Endangerment Finding and the
Administration’s actions based on it, including its energy plan,
are self-contradicting. See links under Challenging the Orthodoxy –
IPCC AR-4 and http://www.globalchange.gov/agency/department-state
***************** Power Trap – UK: The UK Institute of Mechanical
Engineers has issued a report warning the government of a looming
electricity gap in the UK between electricity generated and that
required to satisfy consumption. The Institute estimates that this
gap may be between 40% and 55% of electricity demanded within 10
years, 2025. There are multiple causes for this potential gap, but
it can be summed as self-inflicted policy disasters. These
disasters can be politely described as fads. One should note, that
the report of the Institute refers to carbon dioxide as a
pollutant, which has not been empirically demonstrated. The primary
issue is the phase-out of coal-fired power plants, to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions, as required by the UK’s Climate Change Act of
2008 to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050, and a host of
associated policy actions. The 2008 act was prompted by the 2007
IPCC report using questionable science, as discussed above. This
effort has been complicated by a phasing out of nuclear power. To
its misfortune, the UK appeared to rely on wind as the substitute
for coal-fired power plants, but is discovering that wind power is
costly and unreliable. The government is reducing or ending
subsidies and tax relief for such activities. The Institute of
Mechanical Engineers proposes that about 30 combined-cycle gas
turbine (CCGT) plants are needed to fill the gap. CCGT plants are
highly efficient by combining gas-fired turbines with steam
turbines. However, the report suggests building 30 CCGT power
plants in ten years is unrealistic due to time and skilled-manpower
constraints. Among other things, the report recommends cutting
consumption, including increasing efficiency, and more research on
renewables, energy storage, combined heat and power and power
station design. The source of the natural gas is another matter,
particularly the hostility big green has demonstrated towards
hydraulic fracturing of dense shale in the UK. See links under
Energy Issues – Non-US ***************** Administration’s Plan: The
looming electricity crisis in the UK, coupled with the high costs
of electricity in Denmark and Germany, should give pause to any
endorsement of the US Administration’s power plan, which demands
the phase out of coal, and largely relies on wind and solar to fill
the needs of consumers. (In Germany, large subsidies are given to
companies that are threatening to move to avoid the high
electricity costs.). It is becoming clear that the chief executive,
and his appointed executives, are unmoved by any hardships their
policies cause. In Congress, Senator Inhofe, the chairman of the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has made it clear
that he considers climate goals of the agreement reached in Paris
are not legally binding and that the United States and other
countries have no reason to stick to their promises. It is unlikely
that the remainder of the President’s term will be graceful. See
links under Criticizing Paris! The Administration’s Plan, and The
Administration’s Plan – Push-Back and the January 23 TWTW Number of
the Week. *****************
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A New Nature Trick? Nature magazine published Mr. Michael Mann’s
famous hockey-stick. The paper contradicted a great deal of
existing information, relied upon a statistical method that
produced a hockey-stick shape from random noise, and required the
removal of the end of a time series of data that contradicted the
hypothesis. The removal of the data became known as Mann’s Nature
Trick from Phil Jones of the Climatic Research Unit, who supported
it. The hockey-stick was featured in the IPCC’s Third Assessment
Report. Eventually, it was demolished by statistical experts, but
has never been retracted. Mr. Mann and Nature are at it again,
publishing a statistical analysis on the likelihood of the recent
warming. His co-authors include Stephen Rahmstorf of the Potsdam
Institute for Climate Impact. According to the Abstract, they
attempt to calculate the probability of the recent warming without
human influence by examining it with data over the past 150 years.
In this they use: “a semi-empirical approach that combines the
latest (CMIP5) climate model simulations with observations of
global and hemispheric mean temperature.” Many scientists point out
that the 150 years of surface data record is far from complete and
it does not address past warming and cooling periods that can be
found in the geological and other historic records. As such, the
calculations have little meaning. Statistician William Briggs
writes that the paper has at least four errors: 1) Measurement
error, 2) probability has bearing on cause, 3) does not establish a
cause of the sequence, 4) it shows a fit to past data; not
prediction. This is also called “curve fitting.” The ability to
predict accurately is the central issue. Climate scientist Judith
Curry has a separate analysis produced for the Examiner newspaper.
Her analysis includes comments by Nicholas Lewis. She concludes
that the paper is a giant exercise in circular reasoning and gives
five assumptions that must be made: 1).Assume that the global
surface temperature estimates are accurate; ignore the differences
with the satellite atmospheric temperatures; 2) Assume that the
CMIP5 multi-model ensemble can be used to accurately portray
probabilities; 3) Assume that the CMIP5 models adequately simulate
internal variability; 4) Assume that external forcing data are
sufficiently certain; and 5) Assume that the climate models are
correct in explaining essentially 100% of the recent warming from
CO2. See links under Oh Mann! ***************** Genetic Fallacy:
Briggs presents a new term for a fallacy that can be considered
related to argumentum ad hominem – discrediting the person rather
than the argument. Briggs calls it the genetic fallacy, which is
committed when a proposition is accepted or rejected because of its
origin, history, who speaks it, or who paid for it to be spoken.
”This person works for the EPA, therefore, whatever he says is
biased by government. (or … whatever he says is true).” See link
under http://wmbriggs.com/post/7763/ ***************** Carbon Tax:
Robert Murthy of the Institute for Energy Research takes the New
York Times to task for its arguments supporting the proposed carbon
tax, which used British Columbia as an example of a successful tax.
He writes: “In light of writings such as these, it is quite
deceptive to claim that a revenue-neutral carbon tax would “work”
in the United States. Just look at what happened in California to
the “dedicated” uses of their cap-and-trade revenue. “The American
public is being sold a bill of goods regarding a carbon tax. On the
one hand, proponents tell progressive citizens about all the
“green” goodies that can be funded with the trillions in revenue
that such a tax will bring in. On the other hand, supporters assure
conservative citizens not to worry, that the tax will be revenue
neutral and will allow for huge cuts in the corporate income tax
rate.” Another example is the temporary telephone tax. In 1898 the
federal government implemented the “luxury” (excise) tax on
telephones to pay for the Spanish-American War, which ended in
1898. The tax was repealed in 1902, then reenacted for World War I.
It was partially repealed in 2006 but not fully repealed. See link
under Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes *****************
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Number of the Week: 17.8 inches – Maybe! Last weekend’s snow
storm produced strange results. Many measurements in the region
showed about 2 feet, 24 inches. But the official Washington, DC
measurement, taken at Reagan National Airport, showed 17.8 inches.
Initially, one may expect a lower amount due to the proximity to
the tidal Potomac River or to the Urban Heat Island Effect.
According to Patrick Michaels and Chip Knappenberger, the officials
at Reagan National, who measure snow depth, lost their measuring
device, called a “snow board”, during the storm. It was buried in
the snow. One could say they were out of their depth. See link
under Measurement Issues.
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B. DOE ANNOUNCES $220 MILLION IN GRID MODERNIZATION FUNDING Last
week, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz announced
the release of DOE’s comprehensive new Grid Modernization
Multi-Year Program Plan, a blueprint for modernizing the grid. The
Secretary also announced the award of up to $220 million over three
years, subject to Congressional appropriations, to DOE’s National
Laboratories and partners to support critical research and
development in advanced storage systems, clean energy integration,
standards and test procedures, and a number of other key grid
modernization areas. Additional programs, initiatives, and funding
opportunity announcements related to the Grid Modernization
Initiative will be announced in the coming days.
The Grid Modernization Initiative represents a comprehensive DOE
effort to help shape the
future of our nation’s grid and solve the challenges of
integrating conventional and renewable
sources with energy storage and smart buildings, while ensuring
that the grid is resilient and
secure to withstand growing cyber security and climate
challenges. The announcements fall
under the Grid Modernization Initiative’s framework:
The Grid Modernization Multi-Year Program was developed by DOE
in close
collaboration with a wide range of key external partners. The
program lays out a
blueprint for the Department’s research, development, and
demonstration agenda to
enable a modernized grid, building on concepts and
recommendations from DOE’s
recently released Quadrennial Energy Review and Quadrennial
Technology Review.
The up to $220 million in research and development funding falls
under the Grid
Modernization Laboratory Consortium. The consortium involves 14
DOE National
Laboratories and dozens of industry, academia, and state and
local government agency
partners across the country. These funds are being awarded in
response to a challenge to
the National Laboratories to establish a comprehensive
grid-related research and
development effort to address a range of emerging challenges and
opportunities in the
nation’s power grid. Find more information on the Grid
Modernization Initiative at Energy.gov and on the selected National
Laboratories partnership projects at:
http://energy.gov/doe-grid-modernization-laboratory-consortium-gmlc-awards
C. THE TROJAN HORSE OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT Posted on
January 20, 2016 | 147 comments by Judith Curry How multi-level,
non-hierarchical governance poses a threat to constitutional
government.
http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/#more-20951
http://lyris.asmestaff.org/t/294372/4399608/32325/19/http://lyris.asmestaff.org/t/294372/4399608/32325/19/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/#commentshttp://judithcurry.com/2016/01/20/the-trojan-horse-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/#more-20951
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D. IS NUCLEAR THE CHEAPEST WAY TO DECARBONIZE ELECTRICITY?
Posted on January 19, 2016 | 182 comments by Peter Lang The
cheapest way to decarbonize the British electricity system is with
all or mostly nuclear power.
http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/#more-20932
Judith Curry
E. UK MET OFFICE: WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING WITH OUR WEATHER Judith
Curry
http://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2015/12/31/whats-been-happening-to-our-weather/
F. PAUL RYAN: WATER RULES SHOW EPA’S OVERREACH Judith Curry
http://m.omaha.com/opinion/paul-ryan-water-rules-show-epa-s-overreach/article_79487f96-cca1-5afa-a194-4d63a398c2aa.html?mode=jqm
G. DISCOVERY: TECHNOLOGICAL GLOBAL WARMING KILLED ALL THE ALIENS
Guest essay by Eric Worrall Discovery has a theory as to why we
haven’t discovered evidence of intelligent alien civilizations;
According to Discovery, the handful of planets which have just the
right characteristics for life to thrive, are eventually destroyed
by a technological environmental cataclysm. Why Can’t We Find
Aliens? Climate Change Killed Them As…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/21/discovery-technological-global-warming-killed-all-the-aliens/
H. THE BLOB SEEMS TO BE DISAPPEARING AT THE SURFACE – BUT WILL
IT REEMERGE? Guest Post by Bob Tisdale Sad to say, I suspect it may
reemerge at the surface…maybe not as strong as in the past, but I
don’t think it’s going to disappear completely in 2016. I hope my
suspicions are wrong, though. NOTE: This post includes two gif
animations so it may take a while to…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/24/the-blob-seems-to-be-disappearing-at-the-surface-but-will-it-reemerge/
I. HISTORY AND THE LIMITS OF THE CLIMATE CONSENSUS Acknowledging
the science of global warming does not require accepting that it is
immune to criticism. By: Philip Jenkins • January 21, 2016 I began
my career as a historian of the century following 1660, an era of
harsh climatic conditions that often affected political and
cultural history. Some periods in particular, especially the years
around 1680 and 1740, stand out as uniquely stressful. Extreme cold
led to crop failures and revolts, social crises and
http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/#commentshttp://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/#more-20932http://judithcurry.com/2016/01/19/is-nuclear-the-cheapest-way-to-decarbonize-electricity/#more-20932http://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2015/12/31/whats-been-happening-to-our-weather/http://m.omaha.com/opinion/paul-ryan-water-rules-show-epa-s-overreach/article_79487f96-cca1-5afa-a194-4d63a398c2aa.html?mode=jqmhttp://m.omaha.com/opinion/paul-ryan-water-rules-show-epa-s-overreach/article_79487f96-cca1-5afa-a194-4d63a398c2aa.html?mode=jqmhttp://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/21/discovery-technological-global-warming-killed-all-the-aliens/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/21/discovery-technological-global-warming-killed-all-the-aliens/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/21/discovery-technological-global-warming-killed-all-the-aliens/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/24/the-blob-seems-to-be-disappearing-at-the-surface-but-will-it-reemerge/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/24/the-blob-seems-to-be-disappearing-at-the-surface-but-will-it-reemerge/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/24/the-blob-seems-to-be-disappearing-at-the-surface-but-will-it-reemerge/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/24/the-blob-seems-to-be-disappearing-at-the-surface-but-will-it-reemerge/http://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/philip-jenkinshttp://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/history-and-the-limits-of-the-climate-consensus/
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apocalyptic movements, high mortality and epidemics, but it also
spawned religious revivals and experimentation. If you write
history without taking account of such extreme conditions, you are
missing a lot of the story. That background gives me an unusual
approach to current debates on climate change, and leads me to ask
some questions for which I genuinely do not have answers.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/history-and-the-limits-of-the-climate-consensus/
Judith Curry
J. YET ANOTHER PREDICTION OF DOOM OVER GREENLAND ICE MELT AND
THE AMOC THAT WE CAN IGNORE From the “fresh melt water will disrupt
the planet” department, except that this ongoing alarm has already
been debunked by NASA, see: NASA refutes Mann and Rahmstorf – Finds
Atlantic ‘Conveyor Belt’ Not Slowing Melting Greenland ice sheet
may affect global ocean circulation, future climate University of
South Florida and international scientists find influx of
freshwater… fellow with The Heartland Institute.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/
K. 82 MILLION TO SEE AT LEAST INCH OF SNOW IN EAST COAST
BLIZZARD: WHAT DOES HISTORY SAY? Before pundits and poor scientists
begin pronouncing the expected east coast winter “storm of the
century” to be a direct product of global warming/climate
change/climate disruption, one might take a lesson from historical
climatology. What Does the Peer-Reviewed Literature Say About
Trends in East Coast Winter Storms? Commentary by Dr. Roger Pielke
Jr. (reposted from…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/82-million-to-see-at-least-inch-of-snow-in-east-coast-blizzard-what-does-history-say/
L. SATURDAY SILLINESS – WIND TURBINE PHOTO OF THE YEAR From the
“fire and ice” department, Craig Kelly writes on Facebook The
entire rationale for wind turbines is to stop global warming by
reducing the amount of CO2 being returned to the atmosphere from
the burning of fossil fuels. In the attached picture, recently
taken in Sweden, freezing cold weather has caused the rotor blades…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/23/saturday-silliness-wind-turbine-photo-of-the-year/
M. PLACE YOUR BETS! ANOTHER HOTTED-UP MANN-TASTIC MODELING CLAIM
From PENN STATE and the department of overheated, tired, rhetoric
in an El Niño year, comes this ZOMG! press release from Michael
Mann and company. It’s just modeling sophistry, driven be the usual
agenda, because not only is he saying that much of the last century
was from AGW, he’s saying all the previous research is…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/place-your-bets-another-hotted-up-mann-tastic-modeling-claim/
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/history-and-the-limits-of-the-climate-consensus/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/yet-another-prediction-of-doom-over-greenland-ice-melt-and-the-amoc-that-we-can-ignore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/82-million-to-see-at-least-inch-of-snow-in-east-coast-blizzard-what-does-history-say/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/82-million-to-see-at-least-inch-of-snow-in-east-coast-blizzard-what-does-history-say/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/82-million-to-see-at-least-inch-of-snow-in-east-coast-blizzard-what-does-history-say/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/22/82-million-to-see-at-least-inch-of-snow-in-east-coast-blizzard-what-does-history-say/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/23/saturday-silliness-wind-turbine-photo-of-the-year/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/23/saturday-silliness-wind-turbine-photo-of-the-year/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/23/saturday-silliness-wind-turbine-photo-of-the-year/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/place-your-bets-another-hotted-up-mann-tastic-modeling-claim/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/place-your-bets-another-hotted-up-mann-tastic-modeling-claim/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/place-your-bets-another-hotted-up-mann-tastic-modeling-claim/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/place-your-bets-another-hotted-up-mann-tastic-modeling-claim/
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N. THE ABJECT FAILURE OF OFFICIAL GLOBAL-WARMING PREDICTIONS
Guest essay by Monckton of Brenchley The IPCC published its First
Assessment Report a quarter of a century ago, in 1990. The Second
Assessment Report came out 20 years ago, the Third 15 years ago.
Even 15 years is enough to test whether the models’ predictions
have proven prophetic. In 2008, NOAA’s report on the…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/13/the-abject-failure-of-official-global-warming-predictions/
O. 1001 REASONS WHY GLOBAL WARMING IS SO TOTALLY OVER IN 2016 By
JAMES DELINGPOLE 4 Jan 2016 Let’s start the New Year as we mean to
go on: by dancing joyfully and triumphantly on the grave of
man-made global warming. "Climate change is over. It’s a busted
flush. The alarmists now have all the credibility of bewildered
Harold Camping followers shivering on a mountaintop the morning
after the night before, looking all shifty and embarrassed as they
realize the Rapture their models so confidently promised just
aren’t going to happen… If you still doubt this, here are three
recent pieces which should put your mind at rest. The first –
modestly titled The Most Comprehensive Assault On Global Warming
Ever – was written by a US physics professor called Mike van
Biezen. It lists ten of the reasons (though there are many more)
why man-made global warming theory no longer has any credibility.
They are: 1.Temperature records from around the world do not
support the assumption that today’s temperatures are unusual 2.
Satellite temperature data does not support the assumption that
temperatures are rising rapidly 3. Current temperatures are always
compared to the temperatures of the 1980’s, but for many parts of
the world the 1980’s was the coldest decade of the last 100+ years
4. The world experienced a significant cooling trend between 1940
and 1980 5. Urban heat island effect skews the temperature data of
a significant number of weather stations 6. There is a natural
inverse relationship between global temperatures and atmospheric
CO2 levels 7. The CO2 cannot, from a scientific perspective, be the
cause of significant global temperature changes 8. There have been
many periods during our recent history that a warmer climate was
prevalent long before the industrial revolution 9. Glaciers have
been melting for more than 150 years 10. “Data adjustment” is used
to continue the perception of global warming Then there are two
pieces on what, for me, is the single most persuasive argument
against man-made global warming theory: the (considerably more
dramatic) fluctuations of climate long before mankind was in any
position to influence it. Here are the key points of an essay on
the subject by Ed Hoskins:
Our current beneficial, warm Holocene interglacial has been the
enabler of mankind’s civilization for the last 10,000 years. The
congenial climate of the Holocene epoch spans from mankind’s
earliest farming to the scientific and technological advances of
the last 100 years. However all the Northern Hemisphere Ice Core
records from Greenland show:
the last millennium 1000AD – 2000AD has been the coldest
millennium of the entire Holocene interglacial.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/13/the-abject-failure-of-official-global-warming-predictions/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/13/the-abject-failure-of-official-global-warming-predictions/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/13/the-abject-failure-of-official-global-warming-predictions/http://www.breitbart.com/author/james-delingpole/http://www.dailywire.com/news/2071/most-comprehensive-assault-global-warming-ever-mike-van-biezenhttps://edmhdotme.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/the-holocene-context-for-anthropogenic-global-warming-2/
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each of the notable high points in the Holocene temperature
record, (Holocene Climate Optimum – Minoan – Roman – Medieval –
Modern), have been progressively colder than the previous high
point.
for its first 7-8000 years the early Holocene, including its
high point “climate optimum”, had virtually flat temperatures, an
average drop of only ~0.007 °C per millennium.
But, the more recent Holocene, since a ”tipping point” at
~1000BC, has seen a temperature diminution at more than 20 times
that earlier rate at about 0.14 °C per millennium.
the Holocene interglacial is already 10 – 11,000 years old and
judging from the length of previous interglacial the Holocene epoch
should be drawing to its close: in this century, the next century
or this millennium.
The beneficial warming at the end of the 20th century to the
Modern high point has been responsible the “Great Man-made Global
Warming Scare”.
eventually this late 20th century temperature blip will come to
be seen as just noise in the system in the longer term progress of
comparatively rapid cooling over the last 3000+ years.
other published Greenland Ice Core records as well as GISP2,
(NGRIP1, GRIP) corroborate this finding. They also exhibit the same
pattern of a prolonged relatively stable early Holocene period
followed by a subsequent much more rapid decline in the more recent
past.
When considering the scale of temperature changes that alarmists
anticipate because of Man-made Global Warming and their view of the
disastrous effects of additional Man-made Carbon Dioxide emissions
in this century, it is useful to look at climate change from a
longer term, century by century and even on a millennial
perspective. The much vaunted and much feared “fatal” tipping point
of +2°C would only bring Global temperatures close to the level of
the very congenial climate of “the Roman warm period”. If it were
possible to reach the “horrendous” level of +4°C postulated by
Warmists, that extreme level of warming would still only bring
temperatures to about the level of the previous Eemian maximum, a
warm and abundant epoch, when hippopotami thrived in the Rhine
delta. Finally, a study by another amateur enthusiast, JWR
Whitfield, examining the relationship between CO2 and climate on an
even longer term scale (400,000 years plus). This represents a
fairly recent development in our understanding of climate. Back in
1998, for example, when Michael Mann et al presented their hugely
influential paper “Observed Climate Variability & Change”, the
ice-core data available to scientists went back only 100,000 years
(thus covering only one of the planet’s glaciation periods). Since
then, thanks to two enlarged time scale Antarctica ice cores –
Vostok and Epica – we can go back much further, covering at least
four Glacial (cold) and Interglacial (warm) periods. Two key things
become clear from this data. The first is that, on a longer-term
scale, Earth’s climate has fluctuated far more dramatically than
the puny and inconsequential 0.8 degrees C rise in global mean
temperature we’ve experienced since 1850. And the second is that
rises and falls in CO2 lag rises and falls in temperature: that is,
it’s temperature which pushes CO2 levels, not the other way round.
Whitfield goes on to examine the influence of the sun and of the
oceans on climate which, he demonstrates, is much stronger than the
small-to-non-existent influence of the trace gas CO2. Not that any
of this stuff is new, of course. But it’s useful information to
keep handy every time you come upon another of those of smug,
sanctimonious types who has been taught by the New York Times, the
Guardian, the BBC, HuffPo or whoever that “deniers” are motivated
solely by money or ideology and have no scientific arguments to
support their case. Actually, this is a classic case of what
psychologists call “projection”. The climate alarmists were
abandoned by scientific reality long ago – and the only reason they
keep on trying to prop up their bankrupt cause is either because it
pays the mortgage or because it suits their left-liberal
Weltanschauung – or both.
https://2020globalsciencereviewuk.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/global-temperature-variability-reviewed.pdf
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The good news for those on the sceptical side of the argument is
that we won it long ago – as will become increasingly clear over
the months and years. The bad news is that there won’t be what our
friend Greg Garrison likes to call on his WIBC talk radio show a
“blue dress moment” where some killer scientific fact emerges that
decides the issue once and for all. That’s because the whole global
warming scare isn’t really about “the science” and never was about
“the science.” Always, but always, it has been about the cynical
exploitation of mass crowd hysteria and about the sly manipulation
by activists and crony capitalists of the political system in order
to advance the cause of global governance. None of the people
involved in this scam deserve the merest scintilla of respect. They
are pure scum. They have not a single redeeming quality and
everything they do is worthless – as I shall not hesitate to remind
them from now on. It strikes me that in the past that I have been
far too kind and generous to this bunch of parasites and tinpot
tyrants. My New Year’s resolution is to take the gloves off and
take the fight to the enemy. Join me, why don’t you? It could be
fun." Don Shaw
P. INOCULATION THEORY: STEPPING UP THE CLIMATE BRAINWASHING
Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Our old friend John Cook thinks climate skeptics have to be
psychologically “inoculated”, to
help reeducate us into accepting climate science, without
triggering a reflexive “denial”
response. The science for climate change only feeds the denial:
how do you beat that? As the
scientific consensus for climate change has strengthened…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/inoculation-theory-stepping-up-the-climate-brainwashing/
Q. BRITAIN FACES ENERGY CRISIS, ENGINEERS WARN – GREEN ISN’T
WORKING Via The GWPF Energy bills will soar as green policies shut
coal-fired power stations and cause an “electricity supply crisis”,
experts say. Prices will be forced up as the UK has to import more
power, according to a report by the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers today. –Craig Woodhouse, The Sun, 26 January 2016 The UK…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/
R. STATE OF THE CLIMATE: 10 YEARS AFTER AL GORE DECLARED A
‘PLANETARY EMERGENCY’ – TOP 10 REASONS GORE WAS WRONG As I pointed
out a couple of weeks ago, ten years ago today, Al Gore said we had
only a decade left to save the planet from global warming. But
Earth and humanity has been doing just fine since then. People that
know money over at Investor’s Business Daily, said that “We Know Al
Gore’s…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/
http://www.greggarrison.com/greg.asphttp://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/inoculation-theory-stepping-up-the-climate-brainwashing/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/inoculation-theory-stepping-up-the-climate-brainwashing/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/inoculation-theory-stepping-up-the-climate-brainwashing/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/state-of-the-climate-10-years-after-al-gore-declared-a-planetary-emergency-top-10-reasons-gore-was-wrong/
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S. FLOODING AND PLANNING: WE DON’T NEED TO LIVE NEAR RIVERS
ANYMORE Guest Opinion: Dr. Tim Ball Petula Clark sang, “Don’t sleep
in the subway, darling. Don’t stand in the pouring rain.” More
helpful advice would urge, “Don’t live in the floodplain, darling.
Don’t you know its pouring rain?” It’s called a floodplain for a
reason. The dangers of flooding mostly involve people living in
dangerous places.…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/flooding-and-planning-we-dont-need-to-live-near-rivers-anymore/
T. WHAT OBAMA DIDN’T SAY: ‘DIRTY ENERGY’ IS IMPROVING AIR
QUALITY By Bernard L. Weinstein
Last week, President Barack Obama delivered his final State of
the Union address. His hour long speech touted his administration’s
accomplishments and challenged the nation to defeat both ISIS and
cancer. Surprisingly, only four paragraphs of the address were
devoted to energy and climate change. But parsing the president’s
words reveals a clear “anti-hydrocarbon” message. Obama did mention
that we’ve reduced imports of foreign oil nearly 60 percent during
his two terms. But he failed to acknowledge the “shale revolution”
that doubled U.S. production in six years and allowed the big drop
in imports to happen. What’s more, he refused to lift the ban on
oil exports until his hand was forced by his own party, which
agreed to support repeal in exchange for an extension of wind and
solar tax credits as part of this year’s budget deal. In his
speech, he went on to say: “I’m going to push to change the way we
manage our oil and coal resources,” meaning he’s going to oppose
all leasing of federal lands, onshore and offshore, for energy
development. Because of the dramatic drop in prices over the past
year, the president didn’t rail against the “obscene” profits being
earned by the oil and gas industry, as he has in all of his
previous State of the Union speeches. Instead, he argued we need to
“accelerate the transition away from dirty energy” — i.e., fossil
fuels. But he failed to mention that one of his “dirty fuels,”
clean-burning natural gas, which is increasingly used for electric
power generation, was primarily responsible for “cutting carbon
pollution more than any other country on Earth.” In fact, the
president didn’t mention natural gas at all during his speech.
Nuclear energy, another clean energy source that currently accounts
for 19 percent of our electricity, also went unmentioned. Extolling
the virtues of renewable energy, the president stated that “wind
power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power.” This may be
true in some states, but only because of a combination of subsidies
and renewable portfolio mandates. If I’m a wind producer receiving
a 2.3 cent federal tax credit for every kilowatt-hour I generate, I
can sell into the grid at a negative rate and still realize a
positive cash flow. This increasingly common practice not only
drives up the costs of the subsidies but also imperils the
integrity of the power grid. The same is true with heavily
subsidized rooftop solar, implicit in Obama’s promise to “give
homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy.” The
president also touted the economic-development benefits from
investing in renewable energy, claiming that the “solar industry
employs more Americans than coal” while neglecting to mention that
the shale revolution created tens of thousands of high-wage jobs
and helped pull us out of the Great Recession without any
government subsidies. He also suggested we should capture the
“social costs (fossil fuels) impose on taxpayers” and use those
resources to build a “21st-century transportation system.” Does he
mean electric cars or high-speed rail, two other areas with huge
federal subsidies? Clearly, renewables have an important role to
play in America’s energy future. But energy and environmental
policies should be based on reality, not ideology. Here are some
facts: Carbon emissions
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/flooding-and-planning-we-dont-need-to-live-near-rivers-anymore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/flooding-and-planning-we-dont-need-to-live-near-rivers-anymore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/flooding-and-planning-we-dont-need-to-live-near-rivers-anymore/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/25/flooding-and-planning-we-dont-need-to-live-near-rivers-anymore/
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are lower today than they were 20 years ago with an economy
that’s 50 percent bigger. Methane releases have plunged 79 percent
over the past decade while natural gas production has soared.
Wholesale electricity prices have dropped 30 percent over the past
year. Taxpayer subsidies amount to more than $150 billion during
the Obama years, wind and solar account for less than 5 percent of
America’s electric-power generation. In short, President Obama
appears to have ditched the “all of the above” energy strategy he
enunciated several years ago in favor of more subsidies,
regulations and mandates. This is unfortunate because market-driven
policies have done more to improve the nation’s air quality than
all of the past and proposed interventions by the Obama
administration. Weinstein is associate director of the Maguire
Energy Institute and an adjunct professor of business economics in
the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.
Houston Chronicle
U. EUROPE ELECTRICITY PRICEDRAMATIC INCREASE DUE TO RENEWABLES
Does anyone need more evidence than these data to know that
renewables are expensive as well as insufficient? Are our leaders
ignorant of the facts as they push wind and solar to replace
fossil? Don Shaw
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U. BRITAIN FACES ENERGY CRISIS, ENGINEERS WARN – GREEN ISN’T
WORKING Anthony Watts / 2 days ago January 26, 2016 Via The
GWPF
Energy bills will soar as green policies shut coal-fired power
stations and cause an “electricity supply crisis”, experts say.
Prices will be forced up as the UK has to import more power,
according to a report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
today. –Craig Woodhouse, The Sun, 26 January 2016 The UK is heading
for a severe electricity supply crisis by 2025, the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers (IME) is warning today. IME, which has more
than 112,000 members in 140 countries says the closure of coal and
nuclear plants would lead to a 40-55% shortfall amid growing
demand. And the group’s new report – Engineering the UK Electricity
Gap – also says plans to plug the gap by building combined cycle
gas turbine (CCGT) plants are unrealistic as the UK would need
about 30 of them in less than 10 years. IME head of energy and
environment Jenifercorr Baxter, lead author of the document, said:
“The UK is facing an electricity supply crisis. As the UK
population rises and with the greater use of electricity use in
transport and heating, it looks almost certain that electricity
demand is going to rise.” –Keith Findlay, Energy Voice, 26 January
2016 Don Shaw
V. NAVY SECRETARY DEFENDS SPENDING $510M ON DEVELOPMENT OF
BIOFUELS NORFOLK, Va. – Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is defending the
service's spending on the development of biofuels. Mabus addressed
recent criticism by some members of Congress while he was in
Norfolk on Monday for a U.S. Senate Energy subcommittee on water
and power meeting.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/author/wattsupwiththat/http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/01/26/britain-faces-energy-crisis-engineers-warn-green-isnt-working/http://thegwpf.com/http://thegwpf.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c920274f2a364603849bbb505&id=b2df46e2b0&e=c1a146df99http://thegwpf.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c920274f2a364603849bbb505&id=ced35042c0&e=c1a146df99http://thegwpf.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c920274f2a364603849bbb505&id=7c8b44e3fd&e=c1a146df99
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Some Republicans have said the Navy should spend its limited
resources on building new ships instead of developing fuel
alternatives. The Navy, Department of Energy and Agriculture
Department are spending $510 million to jump start commercial
development of the advanced alternative fuels industry. Mabus said
that if the U.S. doesn't develop home-grown alternative energies,
it might not be able to afford to fuel any ships it builds. Mabus
made the comments aboard the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault
ship that has won numerous Navy awards for its energy programs.
************ Is global warming/climate change more important than
our defense? This is happening while our military capability is at
an all time low in the number of ships, etc due to cuts in defense
spending and the Iranians and others are challenging or capturing
our military. Meanwhile our troops have to pay for their uniforms
and food while others get rich selling expensive biofuel's to the
military! I don't think the quoted subsidy noted includes the
actual purchase cost of biofuel from the industries it subsidizes
(Over $25 a gallon and up to $424 per gallon).
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-greenfleet-idUSKCN0UY2U4
Also the secretary of the Navy makes this false claim while the US
industry production of fossil fuels due to fracking on private
lands is at an all time high and fuel prices at a recent all time
low. "Mabus said that if the U.S. doesn't develop home-grown
alternative energies, it might not be able to afford to fuel any
ships it builds." Is his statement believable? Don Shaw Regards
George
http://www.foxnews.com/topics/politics/uss-kearsarge.htm#r_src=ramphttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-greenfleet-idUSKCN0UY2U4
