Quote of the Week:
Even then [18th century] it was clear to socially minded people that the openness of the possibilities was an opportunity, and that doubt and discussion were essential to progress into the unknown. If we want to solve a problem that we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar. Richard Feynman, Value of Science
Number of the Week: 11% v. 80%
PLEASE NOTE: The SEPP web site have been hit by hackers. These are similar to the hackings to web sites of some high fashion retailers and to the web site of the US Health and Human Services Department. Those going to the SEPP web site have been redirected to web sites of Chinese products. We are working diligently to correct this situation. If you experience any difficulties please e-mail ken@sepp.org
THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Federal Funding:The recent White House report on Federal Climate Changes Expenditures (budget authority) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, which ended on September 30, gave an opportunity for SEPP to update its calculations of total government expenditures since 1993 and to examine how these expenditures have changed during the 21 year period covered. These calculations are based on three government reports: 1) “Climate Change: Improvements Needed to Clarify National Priorities and better Align Them with Federal Funding Decisions” by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), May 2011, which covers the period from 1993 (calendar year) to FY 2010; 2) “Funding for Federal Climate Change Activities, FY 2008 to FY 2012, from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), April 26, 2012; and 3) Federal Climate Change Expenditures: Report to Congress by the White House, August 2013, which covers FY 2012 & 2013.
The GAO report gives both outlays by government agencies and special tax incentives to selected industries and activities. For ease of expression, the former can be considered hard expenditures, the latter can be considered soft expenditures, but they also include cash payments from the Treasury in lieu of tax credits and other tax preferences. The CRS report did not include the soft expenditures, and these were estimated previously from reports by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The White House report gives both types of expenditures and serves as a cross check for the prior estimates for FY 2012.
As reported in prior TWTW’s, the GAO report shows a total of $107 billion in hard expenditures, including about $31.5 billion on climate science. These sums includes expenditures under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Bill). The GAO report also shows . an additional $16 billion for soft expenditures. The CRS report shows $8.9 billion and $8.3 billion in hard expenditures in 2011 and 2012, respectively, of which $2.4 billion went to climate science each year. The White House report shows that in 2012 soft expenditures amounted to about $10.1 billion, roughly what was previously estimated. In 2013, total expenditures were $22.2 billion, of which $2.5 billion went to climate science, and about $13.1 billion were soft expenditures.
The total for the 21-year period are: $185 billion, with $133 billion for hard expenditures, of which about $39 billion went to science, and about $52 billion for soft expenditures. The growth in soft expenditures in recent years has been staggering.
In 1993, the US spent 54% of its climate change expenditures of $2.4 billion on climate science, or $1.3 billion; in 1999 it was 49% of $3.5 billion, or $1.7 billion; in 2009 it was 26% of 7.8 billion, or $2 billion; and in 2013 it was 11% of $22.2 billion, or $2.5 billion. In short, increasing US climate change expenditures have not gone, primarily, to expanding knowledge of climate, but to special interests groups that have a keen interest in promoting fear of global warming/climate change, even if the science demonstrates global warming is not a serious concern.
To understand the enormity of the diversion of funds away from addressing the global warming issue, it is useful to examine the principal components of 2013 funding. Of the total of $22.2 billion in expenditures; 11% ($2.5 billion) went to the US Global Change Research Program (the US science); 26% ($5.8 billion) to Clean Energy Technology (developing alternatives to fossil fuels, or zero CO2 emissions); 4% ($0.9 billion) to International Assistance, including funding of IPCC activities; 23% ($5 billion) to Energy Tax Provisions That May Reduce Greenhouse Gases (tax breaks for special interests and activities); and 36% ($8.1 billion) to Energy Payments in Lieu of Tax Provisions (cash payments to special groups such as developers of wind power). The last two categories account for the $13.1 billion in soft expenditures and are more than the $11 billion the National Institutes of Health spent on clinical research of known diseases and other human health issues. Clearly, there is something very wrong with the Federal government’s funding priorities.
The world is no longer warming, but it may begin at any time. However, there is a great, and growing, disparity between the warming projected by the climate models and what is being observed. If this disparity continues to grow, the public will eventually recognized that it has been misled about the dangers of global warming. Given their past performance, government-funded climate scientists will attempt to pass the blame onto others. Yet, these scientists expressed great certainty in their work, a certainty that was unsupported by the science, and failed to publicly disclose significant errors such as the missing “hot spot” and the discredited hockey-stick. They are responsible for laying the foundation of the fear of global warming that heavily-funded opportunists are exploiting. See links to the reports under Funding Issues.
AMS: Headed by Joseph D’Aleo of WeatherBell Analytics, a small group of Fellows of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) have been leading a quiet rebellion against the AMS leadership for issuing a statement that human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming and/or climate change. The statement was issued under the guise of contributing to the government policy process. It is rather strange for a science society to become involved in the policy process, unless it is to advocate solid, empirical science. Otherwise, the Society could be accused of participating in the misallocation of government funding presented above.
Some privately-funded advocacy groups, such as Forecast the Facts, are using the statement in an effort to force television meteorologists to accept the global warming orthodoxy and are calling for the de-certification or removal of television meteorologists who express skepticism of the dangers of CO2. These actions further illustrate the dangers to a science society that issues a view on a heavily debated issue, such as global warming, that is not embraced by all the members of the society.
Recently, the AMS announced a survey taken in January that clearly shows that there is no consensus. Supposedly, the survey went to all members, yet D’Aleo provided SEPP with a list of noted members, skeptics, who were not surveyed. Had they been surveyed the non-consensus would have been closer to 50-50.
The headline by Forecast the Facts was: “Weathercaster Survey Shows Need For Public Action Against Climate Denial.” Its press release states: “Join our ongoing campaign to end global-warming denial by our nation’s television weathercasters.” All this is part of the program of global warming advocates to communicate better with the public, whatever it takes.
Perhaps one big difference between broadcast meteorologists and climatologists is that, within a few days, broadcast meteorologists will be informed by nature, and the public, if their forecasts are very wrong. Insulated by government funding, climatologists have been ignoring that, for over a decade, nature has been informing them their forecasts are very wrong.
Let us hope that the team led by D’Aleo, and similar groups, continue in their efforts to persuade the leadership of the AMS that the path it has chosen is contrary to the best interests of science. See links under Seeking a Common Ground and for the press release by Forecast the Facts see link under Communicating Better with the PublicGo Personal.
Doubt: Judith Curry has an interesting post discussing uncertainty in science in general and climate science in particular. However, the lecture by Richard Feynman on the Value of Science, with its emphasis on the importance of doubt, is more provocative. Please see link under Seeking a Common Ground, the Quote of the Week and from the past few TWTWs.
Number of the Week: 11% v. 80% As stated in the Federal Funding section, in 2013 11% of Federal expenditures on climate change went to climate science. According to the National Institutes of Health, 80% of its budget went to research. The disparity further illustrates the distortions in funding that is occurring under the guise of climate change.
ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see this week’s TWTW at:
http://www.sepp.org…
The articles are at the end of the pdf.
1. New Zealand Court Rejects ‘Climate Change’ Refugee
Justice Calls Pacific Islander’s Claim ‘Novel’ but Insufficient
By Lucy Craymer, WSJ, Nov 26, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles…
2. Wind Power Is Brought to Justice
Duke Energy’s guilty plea for killing protected birds is an ominous sign for renewable energy
By Robert Bryce, WSJ, Nov 28, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles…
[SEPP Comment: When discussing cash payments to wind farms, the timing of the payment is when it is placed in service, rather than at the start of the project. Thus, even though starts were down in 2013, payments where high.]
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Science: Is the Sun Rising?
Grand Minimum of the Total Solar Irradiance Leads to the Little Ice Age
By Habibullo Abdussamatov, SPPI, Nov 25, 2013
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/o…
Link to report: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/grand_minimum.pdf
Commentary: Is the Sun Rising?
Calm solar cycle prompts questions about impact on Earth
By Staff Writers, Washington (AFP), Nov 25, 2013
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/C…
[SEPP Comment: Global warming will prevent any future ice age? If true, it would be a powerful argument for the social benefits of carbon.]
Climategate Continued
Bristlecone Addiction in Shi et al 2013
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Nov 28, 2013
http://climateaudit.org/2013/11/28/…
But the main problem is the longstanding one: if you take a small subpopulation of hockeystick shaped bristlecones and mix them with a population of “proxies” that are indistinguishable from white noise/red noise and apply typical multiproxy recipes, you will get back a HS-shaped reconstruction.
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Vincent Gray’s Comments to the IPCC WG1 AR5 Second Draft
By Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No 322, Nov 27, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blog…
Expert Reviewer Prof S. Fred Singer’s Comments on the Second-Order Draft of the Climate Science Working Group (WG1) to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5, 2013)
By Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No. 323, Nov 29, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blog…
Expert Reviewer Lord Christopher Monckton’s Comments on the Second-Order Draft of the Contribution of the Climate Science Working Group (WG1) to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5, 2013)
By Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No. 323, Nov 29, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blog…
New paper rules out volcanoes as the cause of the ‘pause’
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Nov 25, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.co.uk…
Link to Paper: The impact of volcanic eruptions in the period 20002013 on global mean temperature trends evaluated in the HadGEM2-ES climate model
By Haywood, Jones, and Jones, Atmospheric Science Letters, Nov 25, 2013
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…
Real pollution (not ‘carbon’ pollution) increases storm clouds
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 26, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
Defending the Orthodoxy
Bloomberg weighs 2014 climate battles
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Nov 26, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2…
The Coming Heat Age
Wu Changhua is Greater China Director of The Climate Group, Project Syndicate, Nov 28, 2013
http://www.project-syndicate.org/co…
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Darwin’s Mistakes
By Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No 321
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blog…
The Important Difference between Climatology and Climate Science
Why did the Royal Society need secret meetings?
By Tim Ball, WUWT, Nov 29, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
How to avoid the nine most terrifying words in the English language
By Anthony Sadar, Washington Examiner, Nov 29, 2013
http://washingtonexaminer.com/how-t…
A Climate of Fear, Cash and Correctitude
By Paul Driessen and Dennis Mitchell, Townhall, Nov 23, 2013
http://townhall.com/columnists/paul…
The UN Global Warming Hoax is Slowly Dying
By Alan Caruba, Warning Signs, Nov 25, 2013
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com…
Five Myths About the “Carbon Asset Bubble”
By Geoffrey Styles, Energy Outlook, Nov 22, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://energyoutlook.blogspot.co.uk…
Climate Circus
COP 19
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Nov 29, 2013
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2013/…
UN Climate Talks: Beyond Farce
By John Hinderaker, Power Line, Nov 23, 2013
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archiv…
Global Warming Activism: Another Year, Another U.N. Flop
By Patrick Michaels, Forbes, Nov 24, 2013
http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrick…
UN Climate Fanatics
According to Ban Ki-moon, the latest IPCC report vaporized climate skepticism.
By Donna Faframboise, NFC, Nov 239, 2013
http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2013…
UN climate delegates failing everyone
By Tom Harris and Madhav Khandekar, On Line Opinion, Nov 25, 2013
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/vie…
[SEPP Comment: Except those who profit from the circus.]
The Good Word from Warsaw
As Australia slept on Sunday morning, confident of an Ashes win, players in another game on the opposite side of the world were trying frantically to snatch victory from the ashes of defeat
By Michael Kile, Quadrant, Nov 25, 2013
http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doom…
Pollution Pact From China to India Shows Rift: Carbon & Climate
By Reed Landberg & Alex Morales, Bloomberg, Nov 24, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-…
Change of Wording Lets Emerging Nations Off the Hook Over CO2 Emissions
By Ben Webster, Times, Via GWPF, Nov 25, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/change-wordi…
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Staggering Concessions By Austria’s National Weather Service: “Natural Factors Substantial Models Inadequate”!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Nov 27, 2013
http://notrickszone.com/2013/11/27/…
China’s “Emission Cuts” Not What They Seem
By Paul Homewood, UWUT, Nov 24, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
Seeking a Common Ground
Meteorologists’ views about global warming: A survey of American Meteorological Society professional
By Staff Writer, ICECAP, Nov 26, 2013
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-…
Link to early release: Meteorologists’ views about global warming: A survey of American Meteorological Society professional members
By Neil Stenhouse, Edward Maibach, Sara Cobb, George Mason Univ. No Date
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf…
In a survey of American Meteorological Society members, perceived scientific consensus was the strongest predictor of global warming views, followed by political ideology, climate science expertise and perceived organizational conflict.
Warsaw Loss and Damage Mechanism: A climate for corruption?
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Nov 24, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/11/24/w…
[SEPP Comment: Bangladesh provides a major example of rewarding countries for natural disasters. How much sea level rise is actual land subsidence rather than sea level rise from increasing temperatures? If temperatures do not increase, do the donor countries get the money back?]
Impact (?) of natural variability on Nebraska drought
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Nov 29, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/11/29/i…
[SEPP Comment: Curry suggesting she would take on a Nebraska study that climate scientists in Nebraska would not.]
Code Blue in the Greenhouse:
Darwall tells how it was conservative governments who were the first to raise the alarm.
By Bernie Lewin, Enthusiasm, Scepticism and Science, Nov 17, 2013
http://enthusiasmscepticismscience….
[SEPP Comment: A lengthy discussion on the origins of the global warming fears.]
Lowering Standards
Pacific faces big economic losses from climate change: ADB
By Staff Writers, Sydney (AFP), Nov 26, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/P…
[SEPP Comment: More non-science from the Asian Development Bank.]
Expanding the Orthodoxy
UN sounds alarm over ozone-damaging nitrous oxide
By Staff Writers, Warsaw (AFP), Nov 21, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/U…
[SEPP Comment: New fears as old ones are fading?]
Questioning European Green
A very slow motion car crash
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Nov 23, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/b…
[SEPP Comment: Time to emigrate?]
Energy-saving schemes ‘failing despite £8.4bn pricetag’
Energy efficiency schemes are failing despite their £8.4bn price-tag while take-up of Green Deal insulation programme is running at less than 1pc of target, according to studies.
By Emily Gosden, and Steve Hawkes, Telegraph, UK, Nov 27, 2013
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/…
Developers pull the plug on one of the world’s largest offshore windfarms
Plans for the Atlantic Array, just off the coast of North Devon, have been abandoned by German-owned developers RWE npower
By Hayley Dixon, Telegraph, UK, Nov 26, 2013
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/en…
UK Energy Doldrums Kill Massive Wind Farm
By Walter Russell Mead, Via Media, Nov 27, 2013
http://blogs.the-american-interest….
Union and SPD bury Germany’s energy transition
It is only one sentence in the coalition agreement, but it could mean the end of Germany’s green energy shift (Energiewende). The Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) want to force the renewable industry to pay for conventional back-up energy generation.
By Fritz Vorholz, Trans. Philipp Mueller, De Zeit, Nov 22, 2013
http://www.windaction.org/posts/391…
This [decisive statement] refers to the cardinal problem of solar and wind energy, the intermittency of power generation that depends on the weather. The year has 8,760 hours; wind turbines, however, only produce for 1,530 hours at full power, photovoltaic systems even just for 980 hours. To make matters worse, no one knows in advance when green electricity is fed into the grid, and when it’s not available.
[SEPP Comment: The above numbers work out to full power from wind 17% of the time and from solar 11% of the time and it is still unreliable.]
Behind the windfarm scenes
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Nov 26, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/b…
[SEPP Comment: A recording on the problems in maintenance of wind farms. In Northern Europe icing is a major problem. A 21 day ice-up forces questioning of investing in wind farms.]
Germany Sets Out Plan to Rein in Surging Energy Costs
By Henning Gloystein and Christoph Steitz, Reuters, Nov 27, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013…
German Auto Makers’ Finances Could Be Wrecked By Energy Policy
By Neil Winton, Forbes, Nov 25, 2013
http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwin…
Funding Issues
Climate Change: Improvements Needed to Clarify National Priorities and Better Align Them with Federal Funding Decisions
By Staff Writers, Summary, GAO-11-317, May 20, 2011 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-…
Funding for Federal Climate Change Activities FY 2008 to FY 2012
By Jane Leggett, CRS, Apr 26, 2013
http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/in…
Federal Climate Change Expenditures: Report to Congress
The White House, August 2013
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/def…
Britain’s Bill for Climate Aid Rises to £4.5 Billion
By Richard Gray, Daily Telegraph, Via GWPF, Nov 24, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/britains-bil…
Communicating Better to the Public Exaggerate, or be Vague?
Even if emissions stop, carbon dioxide could warm Earth for centuries
By Staff Writers, Princeton NJ (SPX), Nov 26, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/E…
Communicating Better to the Public Make things up.
The IPCC goes for video bling (and CGI enhanced doom)
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 23, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
[SEPP Comment: When you cannot make the scientific argument, resort to propaganda claiming you did. Invisible CO2 blackening the skies is black propaganda!]
One-Sided IPCC Alarmism Promotion Video Already Receiving Harsh Criticism
Scientists Purporting To Be Prophets
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Nov 23, 2013
http://notrickszone.com/2013/11/23/…
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above. Harsh criticism from members of the orthodoxy.]
Sea level rise could exceed one meter in this century
By Staff Writers, Potsdam, Germany (SPX), Nov 29, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/S…
Link to paper: Expert assessment of sea-level rise by AD 2100 and AD 2300
By Horton, Rahmstorf, Engelhart, and Kemp, Quaternary Science Reviews, Jan 15, 2013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc…
[SEPP Comment: All based on computer models no one has bothered to validate.]
Polar bear researchers are they protecting the bears or their own jobs?
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Nov 25, 2013
http://polarbearscience.com/2013/11…
Polar bear researchers still withholding Hudson Bay data
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Nov 28, 2013
http://polarbearscience.com/2013/11…
[SEPP Comment: May be the answer to the above link.]
Communicating Better to the Public – Go Personal.
Weathercaster Survey Shows Need For Public Action Against Climate Denial
By Staff Writer, Forecast the Facts, Nov 27, 2013
http://forecastthefacts.org/press/r…
Models Issues
Reflection on reliability of climate models
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Nov 25, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/11/25/r…
Social cost of carbon: Part II
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Nov 27, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/11/27/s…
Study: lack of cloud physics biased climate models high
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 29, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
New paper demonstrates inability to model clouds
By Staff Writer, Hockey Schtick, Nov 28, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.co.uk…
[SEPP Comment: Confirming what has been known.]
Measurement Issues
A Survey Of The Perceptions Of Climate Scientists 2013: No Consensus
By Matt Briggs, His Blog, Nov 25, 2013
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=10150…
GISS Ground Based Versus Satellite Temperatures
By Ed Caryl, No Tricks Zone, Nov 28, 2013
http://notrickszone.com/2013/11/28/…
GISS Data Confirm Winters Definitely Getting Colder Over Northern Hemisphere Continents Since 1995!
Are Winters Getting Colder?
By Ed Caryl, No Tricks Zone, Nov 24, 2013
http://notrickszone.com/2013/11/24/…
New study determines more accurate method to date tropical glacier moraines
By Staff Writers, Hanover NH (SPX), Nov 25, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/N…
Changing Weather
New Report Concludes that Extreme Weather Events Are Not Increasing
By Staff Writers, GWPF, Nov 27, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/report-concl…
Link to the report: The Global Warming-Extreme Weather Link
By Madhav Khandekar, GWPF, Nov 27, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/content/uplo…
2013: slowest Atlantic hurricane season in 30 years
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 25, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
Extreme Weather ‘Not Linked To Climate Change’
By Jared Owens, The Australian, Via GWPF, Nov 29, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/extreme-weat…
Philippines typhoon death toll feared to hit 7,000
By Staff Writers, Tacloban, Philippines (AFP) Nov 23, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/P…
Changing Climate
Greenland’s Shrunken Ice Sheet: We’ve Been Here Before
By Staff Writers, Science Daily, Nov 22, 2013 [H/t Anne Debeil]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release…
Changing Cryosphere Land / Sea Ice
Early-career investigator discovers current volcanic activity under West Antarctica
By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX), Nov 25, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/E…
The Strange “Global Warming” of the Antarctic Peninsula
By Sherwood, Keith and Craig Idso, CO2 Science, Nov 27, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.co2science.org/articles/…
[SEPP Comment: The low temperatures have become warmer but not the high temperatures.]
Lakes discovered beneath Greenland ice sheet
Posted by Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 27, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
Link to paper: Greenland subglacial lakes detected by radar
By Palmer, et al, GRL, Nov 25, 2013
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…
Study: Arctic seafloor methane releases double previous estimates
By Marmian Grimes, Univ of Alaska, Nov 24, 2013 [H/t WUWT]
http://uafcornerstone.net/ESAS2013/…
Changing Earth
Amber Provides New Insights Into the Evolution of the Earth’s Atmosphere
By Staff Writers, Innsbruck, Austria (SPX), Nov 22, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/A…
Link to paper: Stable carbon isotopes of C3 plant resins and ambers record changes in atmospheric oxygen since the Triassic
By Tappert, et al, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Nov 15, 2013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc…
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
World agricultural output continues to rise, despite predictions of decline
By Steve Goreham, Washington Times, Nov 26, 2013
http://communities.washingtontimes….
Link to report: World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
By Staff Writers, Office of the Chief Economist, USDA, Nov 8, 2013
http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/u…
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see
http://www.NIPCCreport.org…
Responses of Marine Benthic Microalgae to Declining pH Values
Reference: Johnson, V.R., Brownlee, C., Rickaby, R.E.M., Graziano, M., Milazzo, M. and Hall-Spencer, J.M. 2013. Responses of marine benthic microalgae to elevated CO2. Marine Biology 160: 1813-1824.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/201…
stimulation of biomass in benthic assemblages was found to increase fivefold along a natural gradient of CO2 ranging from 419 to 1611 ppm
Fine-Tuning the Spatial Distributions of Species’ Thermal Habitats
Reference: Lenoir, J., Graae, B.J., Aarrestad, P.A., Alsos, I.G., Armbruster, W.S., Austrheim, G., Bergendorff, C., Birks, H.J.B., Brathen, K.A., Brunet, J.O., Bruun, H.H., Dahlberg, C.J., Decocq, G., Diekmann, M., Dynesius, M., Aes, R.E., Grytnes, J.-A., Hylander, K., Anderud, K., Luoto, M., Milbau, A., Moora, M., Nygaard, B., Odland, A., Ravolainen, V.T., Reinhardt, S., Sandvik, S.M., Schei, F.H., Speed, J.D.M., Tveraabak, L.U., Vandvik, V., Velle, L.G., Virtanen, R., Zobel, M. and Svenning, J.-C. 2013. Local temperatures inferred from plant communities suggest strong spatial buffering of climate warming across Northern Europe. Global Change Biology 19: 1470-1481.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/201…
Elevated CO2 Reduces Ceratocystis Wilt in Two Eucalyptus Clones
Reference: Dos Santos, M. de S., Ghini, R., Fernandes, B.V. and Silva, C.A. 2013. Increased carbon dioxide concentration in the air reduces the severity of Ceratocystis wilt in Eucalyptus clonal plantlets. Australasian Plant Pathology 42: 595-599.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/201…
Modeling the West African Monsoon
Reference: Roehrig, R., Bouniol, D., Guichard, F., Hourdin, F. and Redelsperger, J.-L. 2013. The present and future of the West African Monsoon: A process-oriented assessment of CMIP5 simulations along the AMMA transect. Journal of Climate 26: 6471-6505.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/201…
The Political Games Continue
Property rights and climate change
By Anthony Flint, Virginia Pilot, Nov 24, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/11/pro…
[SEPP Comment: More reason to be leery about government-funded climate science.]
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Typhoons & Carbon Taxes; Tragic, but not our fault.
By Viv Forbes & Helpers, The Carbon Sense Coalition, Nov 25, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blog…
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA taps green group scientist for ‘integrity’ position
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Nov 25, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2…
In the mood for some nice government-speak? EPA appoints new “Scientific Integrity Official”
By Staff Writers, ACSH, Nov 27, 2013
http://acsh.org/2013/11/mood-nice-g…
House GOP: Last Laugh on “Carbon Pollution Rule”?
By Marlo Lewis, Global Warming.org, Nov 22, 2013 [H/t Jim Wallace]
http://www.globalwarming.org/2013/1…
[SEPP Comment: According to the report, in stating a technology is commercially available, regulators cannot use facilities built with Federal funds. If true, the commercially questionable carbon capture and storage facilities the EPA cited do not qualify.]
Feds reveal data behind ‘social cost of carbon’
By Julian Hattem, The Hill, Nov 25, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/e…
Link to Technical Support Document as revised in November 2013
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/def…
[SEPP Comment: Fails to identify a climate model with predictive capability. Without one, the products of all three integrated assessment models (IAM) are nothing but speculation. Comment period ends 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.]
DOE proposes new efficiency standards for electric motors
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Nov 25, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2…
Link to the announcement: Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation: Standards for Commercial and Industrial Electric Motors
By Staff Writers, DOE, No date
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin…
[SEPP Comment: The estimate for the monetary benefit of CO2 reduction is between $2.5 and $36.6 billion, pp 18, 19, 246-252]
Park Service withdraws its objection to fracking; used op-ed instead of scientific evidence
By Stephen Dian, Washington Times, Nov 26, 2013
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news…
have cited a New York Times op-ed as scientific evidence.
White House climate ‘resilience’ group gets rolling
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Nov 25, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2…
Energy Issues Non-US
Counting the cost
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Nov 29, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/b…
[SEPP Comment: Arguing who will benefit from the development of gas from shale in the UK even before successful wells have been drilled!]
Big Oil, Big-Gas lobby against coal. Shell leans on World Bank to nobble the competition
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Nov 29, 2013
http://joannenova.com.au/2013/11/bi…
Oil Sands and the Environment Part I
By: Robert Rapier, Energy Tribune, Nov 25, 2013
http://www.energytribune.com/79801/…
[SEPP Comment: A wordy report with two major points. One, the loss of caribou may be more to wolves taking advantage of paths cleared for seismic surveying equipment rather than from any other cause. Two, the withdrawal of water during periods of low flow is more important than the annual withdrawal.]
Energy Issues — US
Price of Electricity Hit Record for October; Up 42% in Decade
By Terence Jeffrey, CNS News, Nov 22, 2013
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article…
From Consumer Price Index-Average Price Data
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveym…
Report: Methane emissions 50 percent higher than EPA estimates
By Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill, Nov 25, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2…
Oil and Natural Gas the Future or the Past?
Hydraulic Fracturing: Mature Technology, Modern Marvel
By Mark Crawford, ASME, Nov 2013
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics…
Shale predicted to add £3 trillion to Europe’s economies
Study says fracking would dramatically reduce reliance on expensive energy imports and create a million new jobs.
By Bruno Waterfield, Telegraph, UK, Nov 25, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/…
The Frackers
Review of a book on the people who made the shale gas revolution
By Matt Ridley, His Blog, Nov 25, 2013
http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blo…
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Construction underway of second Vogtle AP1000
By Staff Writers WNN, Nov 22, 2013
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/N…
[SEPP Comment: Four AP1000 reactors are being built in the US and four in China. It would be interesting to compare time to complete and costs, should they ever become available.]
More on Radiation
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Nov 26, 2013
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2013/…
Reviving Yucca Mountain
The US nuclear regulator has directed its staff to complete work on the safety evaluation report (SER) for the Yucca Mountain geologic repository. Meanwhile, a court has awarded over $235 million of damages to three utilities affected by federal failure to fulfil used fuel disposal commitments.
By Staff Writers, WNN, Nov 19, 2013
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/W…
Health, Energy, and Climate
UK sees steep increase in winter deaths
By Emily Cadman, Financial Times, Nov 26, 2013
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/763f…
[SEPP Comment: Since 1970, overall, winter deaths are generally down, but with an increase over the past few years. The deaths are generally linked to strokes, heart and respiratory diseases.]
Environmental Industry
Why greens love high fuel bills
By James Heartfield, Spiked, Nov 25, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsit…
Other Scientific News
Biodiversity higher in the tropics, but species more likely to arise at higher latitudes
By Staff WritersDurham NC (SPX) Nov 26, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/B…
Link to paper: “Environmental harshness is positively correlated with intraspecific divergence in mammals and birds.”
By Botero, Dor, McCain and Safran, Molecular Ecology, Oct 28, 2013
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…
[SEPP Comment: Will global warming cause less species diversity?]
Science self-corrects: bogus study claiming Roundup tolerant GMO corn causes cancer to be retracted
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 28, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
Other News that May Be of Interest
Japanese firm plans 250 mile-wide solar panel belt around Moon
A Japanese firm announces its innovative solution to the nation’s energy problems – a 250 mile-wide belt of solar panels on the moon
By Julian Ryall, Telegraph, UK, Nov 28, 2013
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor…
[SEPP Comment: Imagine the comments from the greens for such a plan!]
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Are the ‘climate will affect sports stadiums’ claims of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse the dumbest ever?
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Nov 24, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/…
[SEPP Comment: Maybe not! See link below.]
Hiroshima, global warming, and wakalixes
By Lubos Motl, Reference Frame, Nov 26, 2013
http://motls.blogspot.com/2013/11/h…
