Tom Nelson

Now on the Huffingon Post: Extended rant by James Hansen on the "monstrous absurdity" of Waxman-Markey

2009-07-09T17:17:00.001-05:00

Dr. James Hansen: G-8 Failure Reflects U.S. Failure on Climate Change

...it looks as if the delegates from other nations may have done what 219 U.S. House members who voted up Waxman-Markey last month did not: critically read the 1,400-page American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 and deduce that it's no more fit to rescue our climate than a V-2 rocket was to land a man on the moon.

I share that conclusion, and have explained why to members of Congress before and will again at a Capitol Hill briefing on July 13. Science has exposed the climate threat and revealed this inconvenient truth: If we burn even half of Earth's remaining fossil fuels we will destroy the planet as humanity knows it. The added emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide will set our Earth irreversibly onto a course toward an ice-free state, a course that will initiate a chain reaction of irreversible and catastrophic climate changes.
...Burning just the oil and gas sitting in known fields will drive atmospheric CO2 well over 400 ppm and ignite a devil's cauldron of melted icecaps, bubbling permafrost, and combustible forests from which there will be no turning back. But if we cut off the largest source of carbon dioxide, coal, we have a chance to bring CO2 back to 350 ppm and still lower through agricultural and forestry practices that increase carbon storage in trees and soil.
...
Alas, we won't get there with the Waxman-Markey bill, a monstrous absurdity hatched in Washington after energetic insemination by special interests.

For all its "green" aura, Waxman-Markey locks in fossil fuel business-as-usual and garlands it with a Ponzi-like "cap-and-trade" scheme. Here are a few of the bill's egregious flaws:
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* Its cap-and-trade system, reports former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Robert Shapiro, "has no provisions to prevent insider trading by utilities and energy companies or a financial meltdown from speculators trading frantically in the permits and their derivatives."
...
The fact is that the climate course set by Waxman-Markey is a disaster course. Their bill is an astoundingly inefficient way to get a tiny reduction of emissions. It's less than worthless, because it will delay by at least a decade starting on a path that is fundamentally sound from the standpoints of both economics and climate preservation.

2006: Al Gore on Jim Hansen - Dow Chemical - TIME.com

When the history of the climate crisis is written, Hansen will be seen as the scientist with the most powerful and consistent voice calling for intelligent action to preserve our planet's environment.

Chicago has its coolest July 8 in 118 years

2009-07-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

Here

For the 12th time this meteorological summer (since June 1), daytime highs failed to reach 70 degrees Wednesday. Only one other year in the past half century has hosted so many sub-70-degree days up to this point in a summer season -- 1969, when 14 such days occurred.

Wednesday's paltry 65-degree high at O'Hare International Airport (an early-May-level temperature and a reading 18 degrees below normal) was also the city's coolest July 8 high in 118 years -- since a 61-degree high on the date in 1891.

2009-07-09T15:48:00.000-05:00

Global warming bill stalled in Senate | Washington Examiner

The chair of a Senate committee in charge of writing a global warming bill said there would be no effort to draft the legislation until September because the chamber is too busy grappling with how to write a massive health care reform bill.
...
The Senate has already drafted a separate energy bill that calls for more domestic oil drilling.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the two bills would be combined for a Senate vote some time in the fall, but the climate bill delay could jeopardize that effort.
Part of the problem for Democrats is the push by some to include in the climate bill a cap and trade proposal that would require polluters to buy and trade costly permits. Such a bill passed narrowly in the House last month. But many Senate Democrats are opposed to cap and trade which guarantees Boxer would have a difficult time writing a bill that would pass the Senate.

2009-07-09T15:29:00.001-05:00

T. Boone Pickens' Epic Wind Fail -- Seeking Alpha

It's all over the headlines: T. Boone Pickens' huge wind farm has been scrapped - or at least postponed. After warning last year that he was having difficulty securing financing for the project, and was terminating land leases in March, this week's announcement isn't a huge shock, but it does bring up some things to think about, and for Pickens' detractors, an opportunity for schadenfreude. After all, Pickens reportedly spent nearly $60 million last fall just advertising how awesome his plan was.

Obama, Reid Don't Have 60 Senate Votes for Global Warming "Cap and Trade" Bill - Peter Roff (usnews.com)

The House-passed Waxman-Markey global anti-climate change bill is an obvious job killer. So much so that, as written here previously, it authorizes (but doesn't appropriate) more than $4 billion to pay laid-off workers in the energy sector up to 70 percent of their weekly salary for a period of three years if their jobs go away because of the carbon caps.

Obama Makes a Rare Strong Stand on Global Warming, Without Result - Bonnie Erbe (usnews.com)

Still, there's no evidence that any of the leaders' discussions address the primary driver of climate change: population growth and the development it produces. President Obama cannot go near that issue, as the United States is one of the quickest-growing nations in the world, in terms of our rate of population growth. Our population has nearly doubled in my lifetime and our rate of increase is gaining, not winding down—-that due largely to mass immigration.

[Now with 100+ comments] A thought experiment for the global-warming deniers | Jay Bookman

I want to try to take the temperature, so to speak, of the global-warming deniers on this blog and elsewhere. To do so, let’s run a little thought experiment:

It seems to me that from a policy angle, the climate-change debate comes down to a risk/benefit analysis. And in such an analysis, you first ask yourself two questions:

How bad is the projected outcome?

How likely is that outcome to become reality?

2009-07-09T14:53:00.001-05:00

Murdock: The chills of Global Cooling | ScrippsNews

For Earth's temperatures to sink while CO2 rises contradicts global warming as thoroughly as learning that firefighters can battle blazes by spraying them with gasoline.

So, to defeat so-called "global warming," there is no need for the $864 billion Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, the Kyoto Protocols, elaborate new regulations, or United Nations guidelines. Instead, let the cold times roll.

It is one thing to have a national debate about a serious problem, with adults differing over which solution might work best. Reasonable people, for instance, can dispute whether growing federal involvement would heal or inflame our healthcare system's serious maladies.

But as so-called "global warming" proves fictional, those who would shackle the economy with taxes and regulations to fight mythology increasingly resemble deinstitutionalized derelicts on an urban street corner, wildly swatting at their own imaginary monsters.

Heliogenic Climate Change: If AGW fanatics ban Canadian oilsands oil China will be happy to take it

CALGARY - Exports of oilsands via tanker ships off the West Coast hit an all-time high this spring, the head of the only pipeline company to cross the Rocky Mountains said in Calgary Wednesday.

2009-07-09T14:50:00.001-05:00

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: The Waffle House

The NRCC would like to challenge Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA) to a debate on cap-and-trade with … Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA). Nye sent letters to two different constituents this week, taking two different positions on the House bill that narrowly passed almost two weeks ago. Nye attempted to both take credit for its passage and highlight his vote against it:

Un-chartered Territory - Chris Horner - Planet Gore on National Review Online

That the IPCC seeks to steer clear of politics is as plausible a notion as that a question of atmospheric concentrations of GHGs and dangerous influence with natural processes is not a scientific question.

John Holdren unleashed - Can Barack Obama save us from hell? - Telegraph

This was all the more surprising because Prof John Holdren – Assistant to the President for Science and Technology – is no spin doctor, but an award-laden scientist who has long been one of the United States' foremost authorities on global warming. A former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has a lifetime's reputation riding on getting it right.

Yet he was saying that he would "bet" that the US would legislate to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by the beginning of December, making it possible to get "a degree of agreement that will surprise people" at a crucial international negotiating meeting which then opens in Copenhagen.

I – like almost everyone I have spoken to over the past months – remain sceptical. After all, as we spoke, leaders of rich and poor countries were failing to make much progress at a special climate summit held in Italy alongside the annual G8 jamboree.
...
Prof Holdren and – he makes clear – President Obama share the Prince's sense of urgency. He says it is already too late for the world to stop "dangerous" climate change and can now only hope to avoid "catastrophic, unmanageable change" where global warming runs out of control.
...
So if we are committed to an increase of 1.2C and more, what is the maximum before the world is condemned to become the Prince's "living hell"? The scientists' best estimate is 2C – and over the past two days both the G8 leaders and the climate summit recognised it should not be exceeded.

Intrade Prediction Markets

CAP.TRADE.DEC2009
A cap and trade system for emissions trading to be established before midnight ET on 31 Dec 2009 [For a quarter, you can currently buy a contract that pays $1 if Holdren is right about CO2 legislation passing by Dec.]

2009-07-09T14:42:00.001-05:00

[Climate Fraud Promotion] by President Obama, July 9, 2009

We had a candid and open discussion about the growing threat of climate change and what our nations must do -- both individually and collectively -- to address it. And while we don't expect to solve this problem in one meeting or one summit, I believe we've made some important strides forward as we move towards Copenhagen.

I don't think I have to emphasize that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. The science is clear and conclusive, and the impacts can no longer be ignored. Ice sheets are melting. Sea levels are rising. Our oceans are becoming more acidic. And we've already seen its effects on weather patterns, our food and water sources, our health and our habitats.
...
One of my highest priorities as President is to drive a clean energy transformation of our economy, and over the past six months, the United States has taken steps towards this goal.

We've made historic investments in the billions of dollars in developing clean energy technologies. We're on track to create thousands [what?! not millions?] of new jobs across America -- on solar initiatives and wind projects and biofuel projects, trying to show that there is no contradiction between environmentally sustainable growth and robust economic growth.

We've also for the first time created a national policy raising our fuel-efficiency standards that will result in savings of 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of vehicles sold in the next five years alone. And we just passed in our House of Representatives the first climate change legislation that would [not "will"?] cut carbon pollution by more than 80 percent by 2050.
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We can fall back on the stale debates and old divisions, or we can decide to move forward and meet this challenge together.

2009-07-09T14:14:00.001-05:00

BBC - Climate Change: The Blog of Bloom: Did Al Gore and the IPCC deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? Discuss.

According to the eponymous Alfie, a Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded 'to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses'.

So what's it doing in the hands of Al Gore and the IPCC, wonders Dr Jon Barnett in the latest edition of the journal Climatic Change.

Fantastic High Resolution Video of Sea Ice « the Air Vent

The advantage of these videos over my own is a much higher resolution which really reveals the flow patterns of the sea ice. You can see the currents in the Arctic push in through the Bearing strait melting away the ice in the summer.

Worrying About the Amazon | Climate Skeptic

Over the last 30 years, the area has seen a temperature trend of about a half degree C (less than one degree F) per century. I included the more recent trend in green because the first thing I always hear back is “well, the trend may have been low in the past, but it is accelerating!” In fact, most of this warming trend was in the first half of the period — since 1995 the trend has been negative more than a degree per century.

2009-07-09T14:08:00.001-05:00

North Sea Oil: Norway’s Pumping, Britain’s Lagging - Environmental Capital - WSJ

Norway’s fiscal system encourages companies to drill, baby, drill, because they get tax breaks on their exploration costs.

The Two-Degree Solution - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com

Kenneth Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University says that implying, as many do, that the 2-degree threshold is defined by science and not politics and values is unwise at best

Note that in the post above, Andy Revkin says "I’m going to try to go offline through next Tuesday", linking here: The Times Plans Temporary Pay Cuts - Blogrunner

Facing a steep drop in revenue, The New York Times Company plans to cut the pay of most employees by 5 percent for nine months, in return for 10 days' leave, and will lay off 100 people and make other budget cuts.

2009-07-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

Some Particles Cool Climate, Others Add To Global Warming

ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) — There is large scientific agreement that human made emissions of CO2 and other gasses give global warming. But human activity doesn’t just cause gas emissions. Burning of fossil fuels and biomass also causes emissions of the particle black carbon. Other kinds of particles are formed in the atmosphere as a cause of human made emissions.

Particles, also named aerosols, are today one of the main reasons for the uncertainty about how humans affect the global climate. Aerosols like sulfur, nitrate, and organic carbon are formed in the atmosphere and cause global cooling. Thereby they contribute to mask parts of the human induced global warming. On the other hand, black carbon absorbs radiation and thereby has a warming effect on the earth’s climate.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Breaking: Senate postpones cap-and-trade

Two weeks ago, when the House barely pushed this through a vote, Barack Obama’s poll numbers still looked good enough to imply that there may not be consequences for hobbling the economy with ludicrous taxes, fees, and penalties for energy production. With his poll numbers eroding quickly and the electorate losing patience with high unemployment and Porkulus’ failure, that doesn’t seem like a safe bet any more. As the economy continues to drag, cap-and-trade will look more like a disaster than the mythical one it purports to avoid.

The Democrats simply don’t have the votes now on cap-and-trade, and unless the economy suddenly lurches back to life, the political situation will be worse in September. That doesn’t mean we can let up on the pressure, as Michelle says. Keep calling your Senators to tell them that a vote for cap-and-trade means adding to the unemployment lines — starting with themselves.

‘Put Nothing in Writing’ - Greg Pollowitz - Planet Gore on National Review Online

Via Yid with Lid, Mark Tapscott reports in yesterday's Washington Examiner on how hope-n-change actually works:
Carol Browner, former Clinton administration EPA head and current Obama White House climate czar, instructed auto industry execs "to put nothing in writing, ever" regarding secret negotiations she orchestrated regarding a deal to increase federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

2009-07-09T13:54:00.001-05:00

Independents begin to edge away from President Obama - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

“This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican.

“They’re saying, ‘Costing too much, no results, see the downside, not sure of the upside,’” he said.
...
“A lot of issues, such as cap and trade and card check, are really resonating with Virginia voters, and what they see is Bob McDonnell clearly articulating his opposition to them, and Creigh Deeds is silent, which is basically supporting them,” said McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin.

[Will Obama ever deliver a prime time global warming fraud speech?]

I’m not certain why the debate needs to be held by October. Probably the most important thing is that Obama announced some sort of China deal first and do some major barnstorming including a prime time speech.

Duke to boost rates as part of [climate swindle] » Evansville Courier & Press

Duke Energy is planning to finance at least part of the cost to study a proposed carbon dioxide storage project by increasing its customers' electric rates.

Customers would see an average rate increase of 1 percent spread across the three-year period of the study, beginning in 2010, according to the company.

The increase would be a rider added on customer bills and could fluctuate, depending on the company's needs, said Angeline Protogere, a company spokeswoman. It would not be an increase of the base rate.

Duke is planning to spend $121 million to study permanent underground storage of carbon dioxide from its Edwardsport, Ind., coal-gasification power plant in Knox County. It has filed plans for the project with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

2009-07-09T13:41:00.001-05:00

Warning Signs: The Sierra Club versus Electricity

At what point will Americans begin to realize that the giant Green organizations like the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and others stand in opposition to the very thing they most desperately need, energy?

Congressional Testimony- Climate Change Legislation: International Trade Considerations | Pew Center on Global Climate Change

Based on our assessment of the available options, the Pew Center believes that the Senate should seek to address competitiveness concerns by:

1) strongly encouraging the executive branch to negotiate a new multilateral climate agreement establishing strong, equitable, and verifiable commitments by all major economies;

Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: Only 6% of Scientists Self-Identify as Republicans

Thanks to Matt Nisbet for pointing me to a new Pew Report on opinions about and of scientists. He has a nice overview of broader take home messages here. In taking a quick look at the report I was surprised to see that only 6% of scientists identify themselves as Republicans, see below. It puts an interesting twist on the conflicts between the Bush Administration and the scientific community.

Silly stuff from Slim Allagui

2009-07-09T13:36:00.001-05:00

Global warming impacting Greenlanders' daily lives

Heilmann, in his 60s with a craggy, rugged face from years of work in the outdoors, says he and his colleagues can no longer take their dogsleds out to the edge of the ice floes to fish because the ice isn't thick enough to carry the weight.

And yet the freezing waters with large chunks of ice are too difficult to navigate in their small fishing boats, making fishing near impossible.
...
"And the melting ice is worrying, especially for the residents of isolated villages in the north and the east who only have sleds and no boats to hunt, fish and survive," he adds.

That has forced some hunters to let their sleddogs starve to death, since they can't provide them with the seals and fish they need to eat.
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They recall a snowstorm that took place on June 20 -- rare even for Greenland.

Moeller says he is "worried" about the changes, but admits that he doesn't think about it every day.

"I don't know if it's warmer than before, since winter after all lasts until May here," he says.
...
Temperatures are warmer now, with the mercury sometimes rising above 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) in summer, he says.

"If global warming continues, we will be able to grow even more kinds of vegetables during a longer season," he adds.

2009-07-09T13:32:00.001-05:00

Twitter / Ron Ferrucci

Back-to-back ABC Radio news stories: "Global warming worse than ever" and "Cold June temps crush clothing sales." LMAO!! Idiots.

The Associated Press: Obama urges poorer nations to fight global warming

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday the global recession makes it harder to strike an international agreement to battle dangerous temperature increases, but he urged the poor emerging economies that rejected specific clean-energy goals to "fight the temptation toward cynicism" and embrace them soon.

"There is no contradiction between environmentally sustainable growth and robust economic growth," Obama said at the conclusion of a forum of the world's 17 major economies, which account for about 80 percent of emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming. "We can either shape our future or we can let events shape it for us."

Derailed: Is There A Better Way to Tackle Climate Change? - Environmental Capital - WSJ

So all the “Gs” gathered in Italy this week appear to be floundering in their efforts to craft some sort of meaningful deal on climate change.

Rich countries agreed to far-off, ambitious targets on emissions reductions, but shuddered at any more immediate commitments. Developing countries basically punted altogether. None of that bodes well at all for the year-end climate confab in Denmark.

Commentaries » Blog Archive » G8 climate goals a distant mirage | Blogs |

Are such carefully-hedged words worth the paper they are printed on? What are these politicians committing themselves to do during their own term of office? Most will be dead and buried by 2050.

Imagine for a moment that world leaders meeting in 1909 had adopted emissions targets to be met by 2050. How likely would those have been to be achieved? Might not one or two minor developments in the intervening years have rendered them meaningless – the mass production of automobiles, the advent of air travel, two world wars, the rise of communism and of fascism?

2009-07-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

Obama Says U.S. Should Help Lead Move Toward Cleaner Energy - Forex TV

(RTTNews) - President Barack Obama said the United States is doing its part to reduce greenhouse gases, calling a move toward a clean energy economy one of the priorities of his presidency.

Obama made the comments at a G-8 summit in Italy, where leaders of the world's largest economic powers have gathered to discuss a variety of subjects, including the impact of global warming.

Arguing that the "science is clear" about the affects of pollutants on the environment, Obama said that the U.S. has a historic responsibility to help lead a move toward cleaner energy.

He stated that the U.S. has "fallen short" of its environmental responsibility in the past, but said that "those days are over."

Waxman Climate Bill is California Dreamin

Historically, California’s eco-groups have contrived legal and regulatory processes that provide its wealthy an opportunity to act out their desire to "make a difference" -- often without any concern for fiscal impacts. Environmentalism then becomes a theater in which the privileged act out their narcissism to gain green redemption. (Kotkin, 2008) The result is a maze of costly and often redundant environmental regulations that punish innovation and prosperity, and impose increased costs of living upon those among us who can least afford them. Environmentalists sell you on the rhetoric of virtue, but are never held accountable for their destructive impacts under critical criteria of economics, national security and scientific rigor. Chronic eco-group obstructions have reached a tipping point in the hysterics of global climate change as the global economic recession deepens.

The Associated Press: Pelosi: Resolution on Michael Jackson unnecessary

Even before Pelosi's comments, some Democrats said privately they did not support the resolution and a divisive debate would hurt House efforts to muster the votes for priorities such as health care and climate change.

2009-07-09T11:33:00.001-05:00

Congress Sticks It to the Taxpayer by Supporting No-Strings-Attached Green Energy Loans | GlobalWarming.org

Earlier this week the House Appropriations Committee passed a $27 billion budget for the Department of Energy. You might think that the DOE already has enough trouble trying to spend the $39 billion it received in the federal stimulus act enacted earlier this year (that’s almost twice the DOE’s entire budget for 2007), but you’d be wrong-when it comes to taxpayer dollars, the money pit otherwise known as the DOE can’t get enough.

Obama On Mount Rushmore? - Minnesotans For Global Warming

I say let's put his mug on there because he already has stopped Global Warming.

Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: Media Gatekeepers Protecting You From Dangerous Ideas

Whew, thank goodness's we avoided the "danger" of "radical new ideas." Nothing could be more harmful to bad ideas than radical new ideas. Tollefson provides no counter-arguments to our arguments that the current approach is fatally flawed or that a more direct approach would have a better chance of success, simply preferring to dismiss our proposals as suggesting a "danger."

2009-07-09T11:22:00.001-05:00

Democrats Feel the Heat From the Heartland, Push Back Timeline on Global Warming Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today commented on the announcement that Senate Democrats will push back their timeline on climate legislation.

"A firestorm of opposition arose from across the country this week as Democrats kicked-off debate on global warming legislation," Senator Inhofe said. "There is no question that the American public flatly rejected the House ramming through legislation that would have devastating impacts on American consumers. And, as EPA Administrator Jackson admitted this week, cap-and-trade without China and India will do nothing to affect climate-it will, however, ship jobs to China and India, which this week unequivocally rejected carbon controls on their economies."

"So with this delay, the public should expect more arm-twisting and backroom deals - or, in other words, more business as usual in Washington. The American public can rest assured that I will be here, as I have done over the past 10 years, to expose the details of this devastating bill every step of the way."

Senate panel delays action on climate change bill - washingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The primary U.S. Senate committee responsible for writing climate change legislation will delay its work until September, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer said on Thursday.

Boxer, who earlier this week said she wanted her committee to finish writing its portion of legislation mandating reductions in carbon dioxide emissions before an early August recess, told reporters that instead, "We'll do it as soon as we get back" in September.

The delay could be a setback to President Barack Obama, who wants quick congressional action on a climate change bill.

Sen. Reid Pushes Back Deadline for Committee Action on Climate to Sept. 28 - NYTimes.com

Senate Democrats also must deal with Republicans who are itching for a fight on the climate bill, especially if it sticks closely to the House-passed measure.

"A 1,400-page monstrosity," was how Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a longtime supporter of cap-and-trade legislation, described the House bill yesterday.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who supported a nationwide renewable electricity standard in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he would not support a larger climate bill. "Absolutely and adamantly opposed to cap and trade," he said. "It's one of the worst ideas I can imagine you can force on the economy at this point in time."

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said that Reid should pull back on his plans for a fall debate on global warming. "I think he'll probably find the public reaction to this will be very bad," Kyl said. "He may want to rethink bringing it up in the Senate."

2009-07-09T11:20:00.001-05:00

Al Gore Channels Winston Churchill - Hannity - FOXNews.com

The vanquished former vice president made an appearance in the U.K. Tuesday to talk about the folk science of global warming.
...
You know, Al, I think that if you fine-tuned that message, you could really have something there.

The Blackboard » El Niño watch: July

This month, NOAA, whose staff write with somewhat less emotion than Romm updated their forecast:
Model forecasts of SST anomalies for the Niño-3.4 region (Fig. 5) reflect a growing consensus for the continued development of El Niño (+0.5°C or greater in the Niño-3.4 region). However, the spread of the models indicates disagreement over the eventual strength of El Niño (+0.5°C to +2.0°C). Current conditions and recent trends favor the continued development of a weak-to-moderate strength El Niño into the Northern Hemisphere Fall 2009, with further strengthening possible thereafter.

Won't we all get kidney stones if it's over .5 degree C?

2009-07-09T11:13:00.001-05:00

Cap and Trade Hurting Already

Read the whole thing here, but if this thing collapses in the Senate, as many expect it will, there will be a lot of Dems left twisting in the wind. Leadership will have forced them to take a tough vote for no reason, and they might not be quite so willing to do the same the next time around, on health care for example.

Daily Kos: Climate Change Apologists on Thin Ice

Talented, industry funded shills like Marc Morano will challenge viewers to believe him and not their lying eyes.

Group Seeks 1% of Cap and Trade [Swindle] Proceeds for Green "Education"

cap-and-gownIf the education community has its way, it would get $1 billion in proceeds from U.S. carbon-emissions allowances to put toward education in clean energy, environmental literacy, and sustainability.

Democrat Dan Boren: Calls against Waxman-Markey ran 4,000:1

2009-07-09T11:03:00.001-05:00

McAlester, OK - [Democrat] Boren: Cap and trade worst bill he has seen

...
District 2 U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, voted “no” on the controversial measure, which will next be considered by the U.S. Senate.
...
“This is probably the worst piece of legislation I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress,” Boren said.

Apparently, many of Boren’s constituents agreed, based on the calls he received about the measure.

“We recorded about 4,000 calls against the bill,” Boren said.

“We had only one person call in support of it — and they were from out-of-state.”

Boren remained adamant in opposing the bill, despite a push from his party’s heavy hitters.

“There was a lot of pressure from the president and from the speaker,” Boren said.

2009-07-09T10:54:00.001-05:00

Senate version of Waxman-Markey imminent « Green Hell Blog

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is “days” away from releasing a Senate version of the Waxman-Markey bill that just passed the House, according to Carbon Control News.

Twitter / Olivia Zaleski [throws "global warming" under the bus]

@bradgross "Global warming" is actually misnomer. Correct is Global Climate Change, referencing extreme and unnatural temp fluctuations.

Olivia Zaleski (OliviaZaleski) on Twitter

Bio host CNN, Fortune Mag's Business of Green series, CNNmoney.com environmental correspondent, eco reporter, green living enthusiast, promoting others doing good

2009-07-09T10:44:00.001-05:00

The Gaggle : WH Still [Blaming Bush]

Asked this morning about the failure to get an accord, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs repeated a line of argument he used earlier this week: that the administration is more concerned with getting something through Congress before turning to the world stage. “I'm not entirely sure that we expected to come here and have eight to 10 years of disagreement wash away in a couple of days in July in Italy,” Gibbs said.

KELOLAND.COM - Mt. Rushmore Climbers Led Away In Handcuffs

We're getting a better look at the aftermath of a political stunt at South Dakota's most famous landmark.

Mount Rushmore visitor Jesse Stay captured these photos as a dozen Greenpeace protestors were led away in handcuffs. Their t-shirts and climbing gear made it easy for authorities to identify who was involved.
...
The group was hoping to send a message to world leaders about global warming. And just hours later, they had their first federal court appearance.

Eleven of pleaded not guilty to trespassing. The twelfth person was released without being charged.

Pickens Plan: It’s a Gas, Naturally - Environmental Capital - WSJ

T. Boone Pickens was in Washington yesterday, driving around in a natural-gas-powered Honda to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his “Pickens Plan” to reduce American dependence on foreign oil.

So how’s that going?

“Great” says Mr. Pickens, who told the Dallas Morning News over the weekend that he had “gotten everything we went after.”

Others are less convinced, noting the U.S. is still importing around 60% of its oil and that Mr. Pickens’ own wind farm project in Texas has been pushed back and scaled down.

Leading trade lawyer: real problems with carbon [swindle] tariffs | GlobalWarming.org

Talk about creating chaos in the world trading system!

Still more brazen climate fraud from R. K. Pachauri

2009-07-09T10:11:00.001-05:00

The climate imperative

The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reiterates why action is needed – and the positive side-effects of action.
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Today, international action on climate change is urgent and essential. Indeed, there can no longer be any debate about the need to act, because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), of which I am chairman, has established climate change as an unequivocal reality beyond scientific doubt.

For instance, changes are taking place in precipitation patterns, with a trend toward higher precipitation levels in the world's upper latitudes and lower precipitation in some sub-tropical and tropical regions, as well as in the Mediterranean area. The number of extreme precipitation events is also increasing – and are increasingly widespread. Moreover, the frequency and intensity of heat waves, floods, and droughts are on the rise.

2009-07-09T10:07:00.001-05:00

Summer Institute for Climate Change [Fraud] - 2009 - The Will Steger Foundation

This year we will focus on the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen and unveil a brand new curriculum on international climate solutions for grades 9-12. Keynote speakers include renowned author and climate activist, Bill McKibben , along with our own Will Steger.

Overview - Summer Institute for Climate
Change Education

The institute will highlight the critical need for international cooperation on climate change solutions, and equip educators with the tools necessary to empower student learning and leadership on the topic.

Climate Depot Factsheet on the 'Gore Effect' Phenomenon | Climate Depot

The “Gore Effect” has a long and storied history. What follows is a sampling of how Mother Nature enjoys mocking global warming fear promoters.

2009-07-09T09:42:00.001-05:00

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? - Iain Murray - The Corner on National Review Online

George "Moonbat" Monbiot is outraged at the number of climate skeptics
who have the affrontery to comment negatively on his articles. Now,
reasons the Moonbat, because most of them use pseudonyms, they must be stooges for evil energy corporations and astroturf groups.
So he demands they say who they are, on the grounds that they have
nothing to fear from him. Why not go the whole hog and ask for their
addresses, too, George? There are very good reasons why people, especially in Britain, choose anonymity.

Canada, Russia backtrack from G8 emissions targets

L'AQUILA, Italy — Climate change "bad boys" Canada and Russia were distancing themselves Thursday from an ambitious declaration at the G8 summit here that developed countries will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice indicated there were no plans to adjust Canada's goals that currently project cuts of up to 60 to 70 per cent by mid-century over 2006 levels.

Wyoming gov joins delegation against climate bill - News Wires - CNBC.com

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Gov. Dave Freudenthal has joined Wyoming's congressional delegation in opposing a bill that would attempt to limit climate change by regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill should do more to recognize that fossil fuels will provide much of the nation's energy for decades to come, Freudenthal said Wednesday.

"This bill has some real biases built in that interestingly enough, from my point of view, are negative for fossil energy," he said in his regular news conference.