LOVELOCK GOES MAD FOR SHALE GAS

James Lovelock, the father of environmentalism and inventor of the "Gaia Theory" seems to have reached some new conclusions regarding wind turbines, shale gas and nuclear power among others. Read this article gives the details. It was passed to me and although it was written in June, I think it is still worth a read.

AUSSIE POLITICIAN TALKS SENSE ON WIND FARMS

This article highlights some good news from Australia, where a politician has made an excellent speech on the negative aspects of wind farms. Let's hope that it starts catching on.

US GW MEASUREMENTS EXAGERRATED BY 100%

Read the paper here on WUWT Blog. This is a ground-breaking study using the latest understanding of surface temperature measurement. I predict it will not appear in our TV news bulletins which will continue to be filled with the Olympics.

TIM YEO MP MAY HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

Overseas readers of this blog may at this point be asking who is Tim Yeo? He is the MP who chairs the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee and according to this article by James Delingpole he needs to declare a few interests that seem to be in conflict with his role.

BEING GREEN ISN'T ALWAYS AN EASY RIDE

This article in the Telegraph shows the pitfalls of relying on a battery-powered vehicle. In this case it was the mayor of Brighton, the only council in the country where the GreenParty has a share of power.

ALL SCIENTISTS RUN RISK OF BIAS

That is the gist of this article by the Scientific Alliance. A natural bias towards the hypothesese they have worked on leads to them ignoring things which don't support it.

UK TEMPERATURES FLATLINING FOR 300 YEARS

This piece looks in detail at the climate trends for the UK and despite the warmists dire warning of disruptive patterns emerging of heat waves, floods and drought, there is no such pattern in the actual record.  

UK GOVERNMENT SPLIT ON ENERGY POLICY

The UK Chancellor, George Osborne (Conservative), is at odds with the  Energy and Climate Minister, Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), according to this article on the BBC website. More splits in the coalition government.

WHICH CAME FIRST, CO2 OR TEMPERATURE?

The answer to that question is to be found in this research which shows it to be temperature by a short head of a few hundred years at most. Yet you will still find a number of scientists claiming that CO2 drives temperature. 

SEA WATER MAY CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE

Here is a summary of a new research paper that looks at the way sea water can suddenly change its content, in particular levels of sulphates. It is an intriguing hypothesis and worthy of consideration.

WATER VAPOUR NOT INCREASING IN LINE WITH CO2

This article from the GWPF explains new findings that contradict predictions made by computer climate models that as CO2 increases they expected the small warming to be amplified by an increase in water vapour. Yet another climate computer prediction that seems to proved wrong.

THE QUIET SUN

This article looks at the new book, "the Quiet Sun" written by a former promoter of Green policies. It is interesting to see his views, even though the translation is a little imprecise.

HAVE SCIENTISTS EXAGGERATED 20TH CENTURY TEMPERATURE RISE?

This paper looks at the way temperature records have been manipulated by statisticians. They have come up with a finding that they believe the temperature rise over the 20th century has been exaggerated. Interesting stuff!

"SCRAP THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT" SAY THINK TANKS

This article looks at a new report from influential UK think tanks calling on the government to change course on its energy policy. Among the suggestions they make is a call to repeal the climate change act, or to suspend it, as its aim will have adverse effects on the UK economy.

NEW COLD WAR OVER SHALE GAS

This article looks at how Russia is joining with environmental groups to suppress the development of shale gas in Europe in order to keep its own gas sales up.

CUT CO2 OR THE CORAL GETS IT

This is the latest scare story emerging from a conference in Australia of so-called coral experts. This report explains why they are crying wolf.

SCIENTISTS BLAME GW FOR US HEATWAVE BUT CAN'T BACK IT UP

Here's the article with the transcript of the questions and answers. Seems a case of mixing weather and climate, which both sides of the debate have been guilty of doing.

CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE CLAIM SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE

This BBC report looks at the report from the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) and the claims which seem to be based on some computer calculations made in the USA. Below is an excellent letter to the members of the CCC by Rev Philip Foster

 Dear MP

 I note what your committee has released about future dangers of flooding and droughts ”due to man-made climate change• according to the BBC [this morning], who prefaced it with the usual ”scientists say•. This last remark is of course just lazy journalism. Which scientists? What are their real qualifications and expertise? Who is paying them?

 Prof. Richard Lindzen (Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate at MIT) states: That the promotion of alarm does not follow from the science, is clearly illustrated by the following example. According to any textbook on dynamic meteorology, one may reasonably conclude that in a warmer world, extratropical storminess and weather variability will actually decrease.

 The reasoning is as follows. Judging by historical climate change, changes are greater in high latitudes than in the tropics. Thus, in a warmer world, we would expect that the temperature difference between high and low latitudes would diminish. However, it is precisely this difference that gives rise to extratropical large-scale weather disturbances. Moreover, when in Boston on a winter day we experience unusual warmth, it is because the wind is blowing from the south. Similarly, when we experience unusual cold, it is generally because the wind is blowing from the north.

 The possible extent of these extremes is, not surprisingly, determined by how warm low latitudes are and how cold high latitudes are. Given that we expect that high latitudes will warm much more than low latitudes in a warmer climate, the difference is expected to diminish, leading to less variance. Nevertheless, we are told by advocates and the media that exactly the opposite is the case, and that, moreover, the models predict this (which, to their credit, they do not) and that the basic agreement discussed earlier signifies scientific agreement on this matter as well.

 Clearly more storms and greater extremes are regarded as more alarming than the opposite. Thus, the opposite of our current understanding is invoked in order to promote public concern. Clearly your 'scientists' don't understand meteorology, which, sadly, would make sense if they are from the Met Office. They are advocates for the alarm about CO2. As has been observed, it is hard to make someone understand something when their job depends on them not understanding it.

 Yours sincerely,

 Rev Philip Foster MA

RECENT PAST TEMPERATURES WARMER THAN WE REALISED

That is according to this report from the excellent GWPF. Again we find evidence that our current climate is not unprecedented and if CO2 wasn't responsible for past warmer periods, why should it be causing any present warming?

SAVE THE BALD EAGLE!

Wind turbines are the villains and this article explains what you should to in the USA to save them. This should cause green activists a few headaches.

THE POLITICAL PERILS OF LOW OIL PRICES

You might think that low oil prices would be good news all round, but not of course for those nations producing it, who apparently according to this article have got so used to the high price that they will struggle to cope if it continues to drop. My answer to them would be - Tough, get used to falling wealth like the rest of us".

LETTER TO NEW BBC DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Senior Conservative MP, John Redwood, has written an open letter to the newly appointed Director General of the BBC. It is very encouraging to see a senior MP who is prepared to publically stand up for those who take an alternative view of the climate change/global warming issue.

BOOKER - UKs MAD ENERGY POLICY

Christopher Booker's weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph. The piece on energy is at the end of the article on the EU.

CLOUDS COOL THE EARTH - NEW PAPER

This article looks at a new paper which claims to prove that increased cloud cover will cool the earth. It seems a logical conclusion that accords with everyone's experience in every day life, and yet the climate alarmists claim the opposite. A very upside down view in my opinion.

SOLAR ACTIVITY POINTS TO NORMAL TEMPERATURES

This paper looks at solar activity, which some scientists claim points to a repeat of the Maunder Minimum, when frost fairs were held on the Thames. The conclusion in the paper points to a more normal kind of temperature for the globe. Neither warming nor cooling.

THIS YEAR'S UK WEATHER COMPARED

So how does this year's weather compare with the past in the UK? This article gives us the Met Office records and compares. From what it says I conclude it's definitely wet, but not unique by any means - we have a wide range of weather, which is why we spend so much time talking about it!

THE TRUTH ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS

This post by Donna Laframboise looks at the truth about electric vehicles compared to the myths invented by those with green tinted glasses.

UK SHALE GAS RESERVES KEEP GROWING

This article gives an up to date look at where the UK shale gas story has reached. While things are looking very encouraging on the ground (or rather under it) the political resolve seems to be lagging somewhat behind.