Tuesday 31 December 2013

SEVEN GW ALARMIST SETBACKS FOR 2013

Here they are. Perhaps someone could set them to music to make a festive jingle, though I'm sorry to say it won't be me. Even so, they make a fitting end to 2013 and give us hope that 2014 will bring forth a more balanced and rational debate over the climate and the issue of our collective CO2 emissions. I wish all my readers a happy and peaceful New Year.

Monday 30 December 2013

FRACKING MOB HEADS NORTH TO CAUSE DISRUPTION

Here is the latest instalment of the fracking story in the UK. It would seem to be sensible to carry out operations in say 10 sites at once and so split up the protestors, or at least confuse them. Even of they don't have enough equipment to actually carry out 10 operations at once they could send some lorries with dummy equipment and use diversionary tactics.

Sunday 29 December 2013

EU FIRE-HOSES £ MILLIONS AT GREEN LOBBY GROUPS

This report from the Telegraph gives the details of how £ millions of taxpayers money is being given to green lobbying groups such as WWF and FoE who use the money to "lobby" the EU to spend more money on global warming projects and put more directives in place to support their views. As the Taxpayers Alliance says it is simply a money go round carousel of waste.

Saturday 28 December 2013

OBLITERATING THE DECLINE

This piece shows how those producing a surface temperature data set, NCDC, have on several occasions altered the figures from the past downwards and those for the present upwards, the result of which is to transform a decline in temperatures into an increase.

On the same tack This post compares the temperature data from NCDC with that of satellite organisation RSS over the contiguous US. The comparison is very revealing in that the satellite figures are only two thirds of those from NCDC. What is going on? Which figures are the most accurate?

Friday 27 December 2013

"FREE SPEECH" WEBSITE BANS CLIMATE SCEPTICS FROM COMMENT

This article gives the details of the decision by a website called Reddit which claims to be "a haven of free speech", well not any more. I have known moderators at the Guardian take a similar stance, and it is quite common on alarmist sites such as Real Climate. Clearly some people of the alarmist persuasion are getting rattled by the power of truth and so resort to the only way to keep their faith going - complete censorship of any other facts. 

Thursday 26 December 2013

IPCC UNMASKED

This submission to the UK parliament by Donna Laframboise gives a detailed insight into the workings and failings of the IPCC. I hope it will have an impact on our MP's as well as the wider public.

Wednesday 25 December 2013

FRACKING REPORT ALTERED BY GREEN GROUPS

A report about the pro's and con's of fracking was altered negatively in response to input from green NGO's who were invited by the Minister for Climate Change, Ed Davey, to take part. He did not invite those in the fracking industry to take part. That is according to this article in the Telegraph. 

Tuesday 24 December 2013

GOODBYE TO THE UK CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ?

Here is an interesting piece from Paul Homewood. He looks at the work of the Tyndall Centre, which is a government funded think tank linked to global warming. Their thoughts seem to mean that the UK chemical industry just won't be viable in the future low carbon world that is mapped out by the Tyndall Centre. The problem for the government and the rest of us is that the chemical industry provides billions of pounds for the country as well as large numbers of jobs, many of them well paid.

Monday 23 December 2013

EARTH WAS WARMER IN ROMAN AND MEDIEVAL TIMES

This new research confirms once again that the present time is not unprecedented warmth. This idea that the world hasn't been warmer for thousands of years is just another piece of propaganda designed to make us all believe the AGW hype fed to us by the government.

Sunday 22 December 2013

HARNESSING THE TIDE, COULD IT BE THE FUTURE?

This article looks at this technology and how it is being applied in France. The big question is - how much will it cost, specially the maintenance in such a highly corrosive environment?

Saturday 21 December 2013

EU BACKS DOWN ON FRACKING RED TAPE

This piece on Bishop Hill updates the situation regarding fracking regulations being considered by the EU which some believed might be enough to stop fracking from being viable altogether.

NEW UK FRACKING SITES UNVEILED

This piece gives the details on a map of the UK. It seems to include a part of my own area the New Forest. I am sure there will be a great deal of controversy, but if we are to keep gas prices under control and improve fuel security the government must drive this through.

Friday 20 December 2013

TOP CLIMATE SCIENTIST CONS HIS BOSSES BY PRETENDING TO BE A SPY

Here is the story. It is an extraordinary tale of someone making up such a huge lie that everyone believed him until someone decided to check out the facts. It's a bit like some of the work done by the Environmental Protection Agency for whom he worked. They seem to be a gullible bunch. It was lucky he wasn't doing anything important and he would have been missed.

More on this here at the GWPF

Thursday 19 December 2013

INDEPENDENT CLIMATE EXPERT HIGHLIGHTS SERIOUS ERRORS IN IPCC REPORT

The sensitivity of the climate to increases in CO2 concentration lies right at the heart of the hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). In his evidence, independent climate scientist, Nic Lewis has reported a bias in the way the IPCC has calculated the value of TCS (Transient Climate Sensitivity) which, surprise, surprise, gives a much higher value for the temperature rise caused by a CO2 increase.

This report has been submitted to the UK parliament committee which is looking at the latest IPCC climate report. If you read his evidence, which is fairly easy to follow, though you have to accept some of his details of Bayesian statistics (unless you happen to be an expert), you will see that the IPCC appear to have over-looked some critical matters. It looks clear that they are either not up to the task, or, more likely, they are simply pulling the wool over the eyes of the public and, more importantly, the politicians. (Though the politicians are more than likely willing participants in this deception.) I wonder how the leading proponents in this charade will try to discredit Nic Lewis's evidence.

More on the submissions to the UK parliament can be found on Judith Curry's blog here  A list of all the submissions is available here on the UK parliament's website.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

CLIMATE EXTREMISTS BECOMING MAINSTREAM ACTIVISTS

This article is both annoying and also worrying for those of us who are rational. In it you will read of a supposedly mainstream conference, funded by our taxes, in which the speakers are promoting extremist anti-capitalist views, trying to reduce our standard of living. This is what we are up against - not a bunch of ageing hippies waving placards, but extremists in suits with well paid jobs warning us that our standard of living must fall. It's a crazy world.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

AXE THE CARBON TAX SAYS ENERGY COMPANY CHIEF

This article in the Telegraph gives the details. It is becoming ever clearer that the UK cannot impose crippling new taxes on its people and industry while other developed nations do not.

Monday 16 December 2013

UK MAY DITCH ITS CO2 REDUCTION TARGETS

This piece looks at the remarks made by Lord Deben when asked if the UK would go it alone if other developed nations don't match the UK's targets. His announcement, probably made through gritted teeth, is what any sane person would have to admit. The alternative, to carry on unilaterally, is just insane - though for a while that is what we will do (and indeed have been doing). What they will try to pretend is that others are continuing to match the UK, even though it seems clear that they are not and will not. 

Here is the true situation of what is happening in the real world where over 1200 coal-fired power plants are in the pipeline. So whatever the UK, or for that matter the EU, do, the world's emissions are only heading one way - up!

Sunday 15 December 2013

NEW CARBON TAX TO FORCE COAL-FIRED POWER STATIONS TO CLOSE EARLY

This article in the Telegraph looks at the warning given by a power company boss that the new government floor price on carbon will cause them to shut down their coal-fired power stations even earlier. This will bring the supply situation to a very fine margin before cuts could be seen. 

Saturday 14 December 2013

SCIENTISTS PREDICT GLOBAL COOLING THROUGHOUT THE 21ST CENTURY

This report refers to a scientific paper which concludes that a combination of cycles will lead to cooling throughout the rest of this century. If this were to happen it will be interesting to see at what point the governments will decide to ditch their emission reduction policies.

Friday 13 December 2013

WIND FARM NOISE LATEST

This article gives the evidence that wind turbines do create unacceptable noise, despite the attempts of the industry to conceal it.

Thursday 12 December 2013

DESERTS GREENING DUE TO RISING CO2

This report gives the details of this little reported benefit of increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

THE TRUE HISTORY OF SEA LEVEL

This article describes how sea level has changed over the past 18,000 years since the coldest part of the last ice age. Even since the Roman optimum sea level has dropped so that places that were ports at the time of the Romans are now some miles from the sea.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

WE ARE ALL PAYING A HEAVY PRICE FOR THE UN WAR ON COAL

Here is an excellent piece by Donna Laframboise reminding us of the heavy cost of closing down perfectly good coal power stations, and all for a very tenuous reason.

Sunday 8 December 2013

WIND TURBINES SAVE LITTLE OR NO CO2 AT ALL

This study shows that there is no good reason for the mad dash for wind turbines in the UK, or anywhere else in order to halt global warming. It is simply a very expensive symbolic gesture.

Saturday 7 December 2013

IS CO2 SAVING US FROM A NEW ICE AGE?

This article explains a piece of research that is leading some scientists to think that it is human emissions of CO2 and methane that are keeping the next ice age at bay. They even suggest that human emissions started several thousand years ago, which is controversial.  

Friday 6 December 2013

JAPANESE TO DEVELOP METHANE HYDRATE

This piece confirms that the Japanese are intending to have a large scale extraction plant for collecting methane hydrates from the sea-bed within six years. Once this technology has been developed there is the potential to tap into the vast reserves of methane in sea beds across the world.

Thursday 5 December 2013

THE REAL REASON FOR HIGH ENERGY BILLS

This piece by Roger Helmer MEP explains why our energy bills are rising so steeply. He mentions the things that others choose to ignore.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

GREEN JOBS MYTH EXPOSED

This piece looks at the official government figures on green jobs and calculates the financial cost of each job. The results do not look very encouraging. 

Tuesday 3 December 2013

GOVERNMENT CUT OF £50 OFF ANNUAL ENERGY BILLS IS DWARFED BY FUTURE INCREASES

This article from the excellent David Rose in Sunday's Mail looks at the future energy price rises needed to comply with the emission reduction targets and compares it with the cut of £50 put forward by the government. There is no comparison.

Monday 2 December 2013

PEAK OIL STILL FAR OFF AS SHALE REVOLUTION MARCHES ON

Here is an interesting article from Matt Ridley describing the amazing new oil and gas reserves being taped using fracking of shale rock. Those who claim that we will see a steep rise in gas and oil prices must ignore the evidence in Matt Ridley's piece. We must hope Matt is right.

Alternatively Here is another slightly less optimistic view. What needs to be considered is, just how much new science and technology will change the future prediction - the unknown unknowns. 

Sunday 1 December 2013

EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS - NEW REPORT SHOWS NO INCREASE

This report gives a very thorough and readable account of the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events around the world over the past century and concludes that there is no clear evidence of any increase either in intensity or severity. Will someone please tell our political leaders who seem determined to believe the opposite? 

Saturday 30 November 2013

Friday 29 November 2013

PROF MURRY SALBY LECTURE

This video of Murry Salby's lecture is in part difficult math, but even if that part is accepted as read, the general principles are easy to grasp. The conclusion is clear - temperature drives CO2, not the other way round. What was new and interesting to me was his proof that CO2 in ice cores on long time scales can be as much as 10x too low. Also his energy balance diagram was interesting and showed how the climate models completely ignore the major natural energy transfers.

Thursday 28 November 2013

GERMANY'S IMPENDING INDUSTRY DISASTER, WITH UK TO FOLLOW

 This article by David Rose highlights the high cost of electricity in Germany and the serious effect it is having on German industry. Ironically the UK is shortly to reach the same plight, unless the government changes track (highly unlikely!)

Wednesday 27 November 2013

WARSAW CLIMATE TALKS END IN INDECISION AND FUDGE

This report gives the details. These talks have not been widely reported, as the public would be angry to think that their taxes were being fleeced by a load of greedy, opportunistic foreign governments. If their demands were conceded, it would not even go anywhere near to reducing CO2 emissions enough to satisfy the requirements of the high priests of global warming (the IPCC). The whole thing is now a farce - a very costly one!

Tuesday 26 November 2013

CLIMATE NEWS - DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY

This short video gives an upbeat message that contrasts with the usual gloom from the IPCC. There are also many other short videos on the same site - some well worth viewing.

Monday 25 November 2013

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT INTOLERENT TO THOSE WHO BREAK RANKS

This article by the Scientific Alliance looks at those leading environmentalists who have broken ranks on key issues such as nuclear energy and GM crops. The article argues that the intransigence of environmental activists to those that differ from their former colleagues is a serious weakness in the movement.

Sunday 24 November 2013

WE MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED TO KNOW THE IPCC's SECRETS

This article reveals the decision in the light of a FOI request from that deermined climate sceptic hero David Holland. He is the Poirot of climate science. A man who doggedly follows the trail and never gives up. How absurd that the deliberations of the IPCC scientists should be deemed so sensitive that they can never be made public.

Saturday 23 November 2013

CLIMATE TALKS IN DISARRAY

Here is an update to the latest goings on at the climate talks in Warsaw. You will have noticed that the main TV channels seem to be avoiding reporting on this event. When you read the report you will understand why.

Friday 22 November 2013

SEA LEVEL RISE IS FALLING

This report shows what is going on with sea level, and it doesn't back up those alarmists who claim that the 'missing' heat has gone into the oceans.

Thursday 21 November 2013

DEVELOPING NATIONS 'DISAPPOINTED' AS DEVELOPED WORLD GET TOUGH

This article gives the reaction of the developing nations as they see the funding they were hoping for is looking a little less certain. No doubt some form of words will be put together at the end of this to the effect that the developed nation aspire to achieve some sort of fund at some unspecified future time. Then in a couple of years after world temperatures decline they can quietly drop it.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

POOR NATIONS WALK OUT OVER COMPENSATION DELAYS

This article looks at the quite ridiculous demands of the developing nations. It is becoming clear now that the global warming saga is all about wealth transfer. This is what many sceptics have said all along. Now we will see just how weak the West really is. Any Western Government who gives its citizens money away to this kind of blackmail should get short order from the ballot box.

BBC LINKS PHILIPPINES TYPHOON TO GLOBAL WARMING

Tuesday 19 November 2013

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IS NOT A PROBLEM

This piece by Matt Ridley will calm any fears that the oceans will become devoid of life as CO2 dissolves. This is no more than scaremongering explains Ridley

Monday 18 November 2013

2013 A VERY LOW HURRICANE SEASON

This piece looks at the figures for hurricanes landing in the USA in the light of the recent hurricane that hit the Philippines. The conclusion is that far from increasing levels of activity the truth is that hurricanes are much less active. 

Sunday 17 November 2013

THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE MANAGE DECLINE

This piece from the Scientific Alliance looks at the work of the UK's Climate Change Committee in setting out the nation's CO2 reductions. Their work is already leading to a general disquiet from the public as energy prices keep rising  In the coming years this disquiet is likely to turn to anger as the policy leads to uncompetitive industry and job losses. 

Saturday 16 November 2013

ARE CLIMATE ACTIVISTS INFLUENCING THE IPCC?

This interview with Donna Laframboise answers a number of questions about the lack of independence of the IPCC. There is mounting evidence that the IPCC is nowhere near as independent as it would like the public to believe. In fact its reports simply cannot be trusted.

Friday 15 November 2013

AUSSIES SAY NO TO CLIMATE FUND

This piece from the Australian sets out the position of Tony Abbot's new government ahead of the latest climate talks in Poland. I wish our government in the UK would be of the same mind.

Thursday 14 November 2013

WARSAW CLIMATE TALKS FOCUS ON COMPENSATION FOR POOR COUNTRIES

This report in the Guardian claims to have learned that the USA is concerned that the poor nations are focusing on some sort of fund to compensate them for damage caused by extreme events such as hurricanes. Of course they are expecting the richer nations to simply cough up even though the IPCC has itself declared that any event cannot be attributed to global warming (which of course has paused for the past 16 years), let alone to CO2 emissions. However that won't stop some at the UN from deciding in their favour. What utter nonsense!

NO CLIMATE SCIENCE TV PROG IN THE UK IN PAST YEAR

This article explains that there has been no full length factual programme on UK TV on climate science in the past year. The article then goes on to give reasons why this is the case. Tellingly it then says - "Instead, creative ways need to be found of 'smuggling in' the issues".

I think the sort of 'smuggling in' they were referring to was the throw away remark made on my local news programme this week, when an item about volcanic ash clouds was being shown. The presenter stated that due to climate change we should expect more volcanic eruptions. So now climate change is responsible for geological changes! They simply made it up and smuggled it in. 

FOSSIL FUEL SHARES AND PENSION FUNDS - ARE THEY WORRIED?

This article refers to a letter written by some large pension funds to the major fossil fuel companies.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

LATEST STRATEGY BY CLIMATE ALARMISTS - DESTROY SHARE VALUE OF FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES

This video from an ABC programme shows what is happening. It is an attempt to frighten major shareholders, such as pension funds etc into selling their shares in companies involved in the fossil fuel industry. I think they will have a tough job, because their pitch is that governments may close these industries down, but to do that would not only bankrupt the companies but also put tens of thousands of workers out of a job, damaging the nations economy. Logically this is the result of the policies that countries like the UK are following. If we are to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, at some stage we will stop using coal altogether, and then oil. I have not heard a minister yet spell out the timetable, but it is a logical progression - unless before then the goal is abandoned, or at least postponed.   

A few days ago I put up this post which included links to similar things going on over here.

There can be no doubt that we do face some very extreme people indeed, and they are not the usual hoards of placard-waving die-hard extremists, these are people in very influential and well-funded organisations, often with access to the government itself - even funded by government! If these policies are pursued it will be interesting to see how ordinary people behave. At what point will the resistance take to the streets? Or will political parties look at opinion polls and change tack? Try not to miss the next few years, they will be interesting.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

WOODBURNING POWER STATIONS ARE THE WRONG WAY TO GO

This piece looks at the policy of subsidising wood burning in place of coal in places such as Drax power station in the UK. It is complete madness, but anything seems to be supported if it might save CO2 emissions. (even if it doesn't in practice)

Monday 11 November 2013

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE STERN REVIEW?

Here in the UK, Lord Stern is a man the government hold in great esteem and he has recently been holding forth to Parliamentary Committees on his great report into the economic benefits of acting to reduce CO2 emissions. So it is a very good time to review his report.

Here is a good article which highlights the errors in his thinking, and Here is another.

Sunday 10 November 2013

TAXES AND THE BBC FUNDS CLIMATE LOBBY GROUP

Here is an article from 2011 that I have just come across. It looks at the way a shadowy climate organisation called Globe International is funded and who is involved with it. What it reveals is a murky world in which the EU and the UK government push taxpayers money to this organisation in order for it to push the climate change policies that it wants.

Saturday 9 November 2013

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE CLIMATE SCEPTICS?

Here is an early piece on the Air Vent blog in which readers describe their background and qualifications. It is relevant to this piece on Bishop Hill. When you read through it becomes apparent that they seem to be a pretty well-qualified lot. The kind of people I am proud to be amongst.

Thursday 7 November 2013

LIB DEM MINISTER BACKS GREEN ZEALOTS

This report highlights the closeness of a Lib Dem government minister with a group of green activists who are aiming to coerce pension funds to remove their money from the fossil fuel industry. The methods they are likely to use seem to rather unpleasant.

Read more here

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Tuesday 5 November 2013

SEVERE WINTER FORECAST

This article looks at the forecast by some private firms. The Met Office are not forecasting this, though the others are claiming the severe cold will begin in November, so we shall not have to wait long to find out if they are right.

Monday 4 November 2013

NO STATISTICAL EVIDENCE FOR GLOBAL WARMING

That is the conclusion of this paper which investigated the statistical evidence for the global warming hypothesis. The paper is very clear that the statistical method used by climate scientists is not valid.

Sunday 3 November 2013

A NEW "LITTLE ICE AGE" IS A REAL THREAT

This BBC report looks at some research by a UK climate scientist which concludes that we could indeed be heading towards a new period of cooler weather in the UK and northern Europe generally, which could even bring down global temperatures.

Saturday 2 November 2013

Friday 1 November 2013

THE SHALE GAS WARS

This article looks at the way the EU is trying to destroy the nascent shale gas industry before it can get started. Here in the UK the government is trying hard to encourage the industry. It is yet another reason to get out of the EU.

Thursday 31 October 2013

LATEST LOOK AT COST OF GREEN POLICIES ON ELECTRICITY BILLS

This report calculates the price for a consumer in 2020 which is 33% more than the current price. Once this is clear to the consumer they will have no doubt as to who is to blame for price increases.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

ELECTRIC VEHICLE MADNESS ESSAY

This prize winning essay is a real insight into the fantasy world of green energy. A must read for those who think that electric vehicles are a solution to climate change.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

IS ROAD PRICING ON THE CARDS?

This article looks at the issue and warns that the Climate Change Committee are recommending it as an addition to road tax. This will not be a popular move and hopefully there will be strong opposition.

Monday 28 October 2013

SHOULD CLIMATE SCEPTICS BE KEPT OFF LETTERS PAGES?

This piece discusses the idea. As it is in the Guardian you may not be surprised that the conclusion is that, yes, they should be banned. Of course stupid letters, full of lies should not get published, but to ban letters that make a serious point is a form of censorship that has no place in a free country.

Jo Nova discusses the issue Here.

Sunday 27 October 2013

CHEVRON EXPOSES CORRUPT LEGAL CASE THAT COULD HAVE COST THEM $19 BILLION

This piece looks at the case in which the massive company was blamed for causing pollution on a huge scale in Ecuador, but it seems to have been blown apart by revelations that the charges were false and the case built on blackmail and corruption by the lawyers bringing the charges..

Saturday 26 October 2013

METHANOL FROM CO2 - A SUCCESSFUL LARGE SCALE PLANT

This article gives the details of a process which effectively recycles CO2. Is this the answer? It depends on the price.  

Friday 25 October 2013

MUSEUMS GIVE US CLIMATE CHANGE PROPAGANDA

This essay looks at what is happening in museums around the globe in respect of climate change information. You've probably deduced from the title of this piece that many museums appear to be providing climate alarmist propaganda, rather than objective, impartial information. This insidious one-sided stuff is particularly damaging as the public trust museums and so would not expect them to biased.

Thursday 24 October 2013

GRANGEMOUTH REFINERY UNDER THREAT

This article looks at the man behind Ineos, the firm that owns the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland. The refinery is in trouble due to strike threats as a result of proposals to reduce pay. All this is not helped by the increase in energy costs and the fact that the plant is losing about £10 million a month. There is over-capacity in European refinery capacity and the feedstock is much more expensive than that in the USA. Altogether this is not a good scenario and highlights the problems facing much of our chemical industry.

For more on this see here.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

MAINSTREAM POLITICIAN COMES OUT AS CLIMATE SCEPTIC

Here is the article in today's Telegraph by Jacob Rees-Mogg in which he lays the blame for our energy price increase squarely at the government climate change costs and charges. This is a significant step in confirming public awareness of this. It will very soon be impossible for anyone in government to be able to continue to deny this. So let's give three cheers to Jacob for saying the emperor has no clothes.

THE OFF-SHORE WIND TURBINE NIGHTMARE

This article by Matt Ridley looks at the problems with off-shore wind turbines, which the UK government are so proud of and so reliant on to deliver our green future, and it doesn't seem very rosy.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

EVIDENCE FOR HUMAN INFLUENCE ON CLIMATE AS CERTAIN AS SMOKING LINK TO CANCER SAYS LORD DEBEN

This article gives the detail of comments made by Lord Deben. However he is, as usual, vastly overstating his case. The evidence of a link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer is much easier to prove with a huge number of cases. On the other hand the climate is a vast chaotic system with a huge number of variables and outcomes - nothing like as straight forward. Deben is using people's emotions to draw them in to comparing climate change with cancer when there is no comparison at all. There are millions of people in the third world suffering from chronic lung disease and many will develop cancer, through using smoky wood and dung fires to cook and keep warm. If they had access to cheap electricity, and that means fossil-fuelled power stations, their lives would be immeasurably richer and healthier.

Monday 21 October 2013

NEW ONSHORE WIND FARMS DOUBLES SINCE 2011

Here is the news that the number of planned new onshore wind farms has doubled in the UK since 2011. This is not good news for the price of electricity, but it is good news for the electricity generating companies who are making fat profits thanks to the subsidies.

Sunday 20 October 2013

SCEPTICS RALLY TO SUPPORT BOB CARTER

This link goes to the BBC Feedback blog where climate sceptics vent their anger at the treatment of leading climate sceptic scientist by some listeners dismissive comments. It seems extraordinary that the BBC appeared only to get negative comments about Prof Carter's appearance on The World at One, where he was invited to comment on the release of the latest IPCC report. The whole programme appears to be a contrived attempt to smear him, though looking at the comments it seems to have back-fired.

CLIMATE SCEPTIC SONGS FOR LIGHT RELIEF

Below are links to a couple of catchy songs with a climate sceptic theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwGdICfOqF4 (Beach House in Blue Mountain)

http://joannenova.com.au/2013/10/the-climate-brick-road-song-surrender-your-neurology-to-the-church-of-climatology/#more-31070  (The Climate Brick Road)

Humour is a powerful and much under-used weapon, used correctly.

Saturday 19 October 2013

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION GREATLY EXAGGERATED

This article reveals yet another false claim being made which exaggerates the effect of CO2, this time on ocean "acidification.  

Friday 18 October 2013

NIPCC SUMMARY JUST PUBLISHED

This is the summary of the Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Changeer a thousand.

Here is a 30 minute TV programme in which two of the lead authors are interviewed on the San Diego News Channel.

The job now is to ensure that politicians are aware of this document and they use it.

Thursday 17 October 2013

WHAT THE UK SHOULD DO ABOUT ENERGY POLICY

This piece has some excellent ideas, but I doubt that the major political parties are bold enough to adopt them.

This article looks at the Climate Change Act and its implications in more detail.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

UK ELECTICITY PRICES TO SKYROCKET

This piece looks at a report by a House of Commons committee in which the price increase figures are buried. A cynic might say that as it is a government report the increase is likely to err on the low side.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

MILIBANDS FREEZE ON ENERGY PRICES DAMAGES MARKET PROSPECTS

This article looks at the situation caused by the leader of the opposition promising to freeze energy prices from 2015 to 2017. It seems he has spooked the markets and frightened investors off, not a bad days work for a politician.

Monday 14 October 2013

UK TO DEPLOY DIESEL GENERATORS TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

This article from Christopher Booker takes a look at this little known aspect of the government's insane energy policy among other things. What I would like to know is whether any significant CO2 emissions savings will even be made at the end of all this expensive charade? 

Sunday 13 October 2013

CLIMATE CHANGE IS DOMINATED BY WATER NOT CO2

This article from the Washington Post makes a very reasonable suggestion that water has a much greater influence on the climate than CO2. A good and very readable piece.

Saturday 12 October 2013

CLIMATE PRAT OF THE YEAR

This website is asking for nominations, so if you have any suggestions just let them know.

SPAIN'S PROPOSED NEW SOLAR TAX KILLS SOLAR INDUSTRY

This report on the BBC website gives the details of the proposed new tax. Clearly the Spanish government is desperate to get out of it's foolish dash for solar which has left it in a financially disastrous position. It is the poor old citizen who must pay the price. 

Thursday 10 October 2013

WOE, THRICE WOE, WE ARE DOOMED AFTER ALL


Those of a nervous disposition should not read this article from the Mail. It warns of a rapid warming over the next two or three decades. After the 16 year pause in global warming the authors of this report are not afraid to announce that we have already passed the tipping point. They claim that even massive reductions in emissions of CO2 will only slow the onslaught by two or three decades, so we (or our descendants) are doomed.

"IPCC JUST A PRESSURE GROUP" - BOOKER

This piece by Christopher Booker sums up the way many people now perceive the IPCC - as simply another pressure group campaigning for their "cause".

Wednesday 9 October 2013

LORD DEBEN ANSWERS QUESTIONS

This link is to the video of the session in the UK Parliament where Lord Deben answered questions from the Energy and Climate Change Committee,  including Peter Lilley MP.

SIX QUESIONS TO ASK THE IPCC

This post by Bob Tisdale on Jo Nova's blog poses some important questions that the IPCC should be answering about why their computer models are not able to simulate the ocean currents or the downturns in surface temperatures. Their failure to address these important questions shows us how much they don't know. 

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Monday 7 October 2013

IPCC DRAFT REPORT PLAYS DOWN SCARY PREDICTIONS OF CLIMATE

This report on Bishop Hill is about a meeting at the Royal Society into the latest IPCC report. In the report there is a table which seems to have been overlooked, or at least very much under-reported.

Here are the main points from the table:

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the Gulf Stream is very unlikely to undergo a rapid transition. This prediction has "high confidence".

It is exceptionally unlikely that either the Greenland ice sheet or the West Antarctic ice sheet will suffer near complete disintegration. This also has "high confidence".

The possibility that permafrost will become a net source of greenhouse gases has "low confidence".

It is very unlikely that methane from clathrates will undergo catastrophic release - high confidence.

There is "low confidence" in collapse of large areas of tropical forest.

There is "low confidence" in collapse of large areas of boreal forest.

There is "low confidence" in projections of changes in the frequency or duration of magadroughts.

There is "low confidence" in projections of changes in monsoon circulations.

It is "likely" that the Arctic becomes nearly ice free in September by mid century under high emission scenarios. This prediction has "medium confidence".

As can be seen from the above the only item which is likely is the loss of ice in the Arctic. So where is the catastrophe?

   

Sunday 6 October 2013

ARGO BUOYS DO NOT FIND MISSING HEAT IN THE OCEANS

This post refers to a recent paper which has studied the data produced by the Argo Buoys. Its conclusion is that the ocean temperature is not increasing, and may even be decreasing slightly. This seems to fly in the face of the tentative proposition from those scientists trying to find a solution as to why the global surface temperature has been flat for the past 15 years.

Saturday 5 October 2013

UK GOVERNMENT TO PAY FIRMS GREEN ENERGY TAXES

This article explains the policy. It begs the question - just who is going to pay these green taxes? Of course it will be the poor citizen who is unable to move away quite so easily, and who is not that important to the economy. But one thing the citizen can do is vote and he is not going to be too happy when his energy bills keep rising.

Friday 4 October 2013

LORD LAWSON - A VOICE OF REASON ON THE IPCC REPORT

This article by Lord Lawson himself gives a very clear and concise summary of what is wrong with the IPCC report. 

Thursday 3 October 2013

IPCC IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION

This piece by climate scientist Judith Curry looks at what has gone wrong with climate science and how it can be made to function in a more useful way for the benefit of the world. Her conclusion is that the IPCC must go makes perfect sense, but those at the UN are unlikely to see it that way.

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Tuesday 1 October 2013

THE CONSENSUS CRACKS

This article by Roger Helmer MEP is an excellent summary of the failings of the IPCC report.

LIES, DAMNED LIES...........

The primary basis for global-warming alarmism is unfounded. The Met Office has been making false claims about the significance of climatic changes to Parliament—as well as to the government, the media, and others — claims which have seriously affected both policies and opinions. When questioned about those claims in Parliament, the Met Office did everything feasible to avoid telling the truth.

Above is the concluding paragraph of this article which relates an attempt to get the UK government to answer a simple question on the statistical method used to assess the temperature record. Finally at the sixth attempt the answer is given, leading to the conclusion above.

Now The question is being asked again of the Chief Scientist at the Met Office, Julia Slingo. This question of statistics is quite hard to follow and will never be likely to fill the pages of a national newspaper, but it is fascinating nevertheless.

On a lighter note try googling "Senna the Soothsayer" and see what comes up first! (for the benefit of those who wonder who she was, she was a character in a popular TV comedy show from the 1970's called "Up Pompeii" and her main dialogue always began "Woe, thrice woe" 

Monday 30 September 2013

Sunday 29 September 2013

PACHAURI IN DENIAL OVER GW SLOW DOWN

This piece on the BBC website is an interview of Rajendra Pachauri (IPCC chairman) by science correspondent Roger Harrabin. Pachauri says "I don't think there is a slowdown (in the rate of temperature increase). I would like to draw your attention to the World Meteorological Organization which clearly stated on the basis of observations that the first decade of this century has been the warmest in recorded history".  To which Harrabin might have replied "yes, but the annual differences are so small that rate of warming has definitely slowed". But alas Harrabin is much too in awe of the "great man" to dare to question him.

A graph is displayed in the article which has been the subject of some controversy. However he does not seem bothered by that as long as it "proves" his point. More on the graph here.

IPCC PREDICTS DROP IN GULF STREAM WILL COUNTERACT GW IN UK

This report in the Telegraph looks at the prediction in the latest IPCC report. What it seems to suggest is that the UK will retain its present temperature due to the reduced warming from the Gulf Stream cancelling out the effects of CO2. They also seem to suggest that our weather patterns will be "disrupted", as if we had some sort of reliable weather now. So the lucky old UK will carry on unaffected, so why are we spending billions of pounds reducing our CO2 emissions? It must be to help those Chinese and Indians who are building hundreds of coal-fired power stations. You couldn't make up a story as daft as that. 

Saturday 28 September 2013

WHAT DOES 95% CONFIDENCE MEAN?

Below is an excerpt from Judith Curry's blog, "Climate Etc" 
 
Reporter:  I’m hoping you can answer a question about the upcoming IPCC report. When the report states that scientists are “95%  certain” that human activities are largely the cause of global warming, what does that mean? How is 95% calculated? What is the basis for it? And if the certainty rate has risen from 90% in 2007 to 95% now, does that mean that the likelihood of something is greater? Or that scientists are just more certain? And is there a difference?
.
JC:  The 95% is basically expert judgment, it is a negotiated figure among the authors.  The increase from 90-95% means that they are more certain.  How they can justify this is beyond me.
.
Reporter:  You mean they sit around and say, “How certain are you?” ”Oh, I feel about 95% certain. Michael over there at Penn State feels a little more certain. And Judy at Georgia Tech feels a little less. So, yeah, overall I’d say we’re about 95% certain.”  Please tell me it’s more rigorous than that.
.
JC:  Well I wasn’t in the room, but last report they said 90%, and perhaps they felt it was appropriate or politic that they show progress and up it to 95%.
.
Reporter:  So it really is as subjective as that?
.
JC:  As far as I know, this is what goes on.  All this has never been documented.

Friday 27 September 2013

GWPF CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF FLAWED MET OFFICE PROJECTIONS

Here is the press release by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) with links to the report by Andrew Montford into the methods used by the UK Met Office to make their projections of future climate change here in the UK.

This report in the Mail refers to the GWPF report.

Thursday 26 September 2013

CLIMATE SCARE GOES ON AND ON

Booker's column considers why it will be so difficult to dismantle all the government schemes set up to tackle the "global warming crisis".

Booker is always worth reading. Here is an excerpt: "the IPCC itself, as the main driver of the scare, has been more comprehensively discredited than ever as no more than a one-sided pressure group, essentially run by a clique of scientific activists committed to their belief that rising CO2 levels threaten the world with an overheating which is not taking place". Great stuff!

As long as the population is prepared to go along with the expensive energy and the blight of wind turbines, then the government will not change course. However if more jobs are lost as industries migrate and if power cuts become a reality then the backtracking will be worth watching. 

POWER SHARES FALL AS UK LABOUR LEADER PROMISES FREEZE ON ENERGY PRICES

This article in the Mail gives the details. Power bosses claimed the policy could lead to power cuts and lower investment. Some suggest a parallel with the Californian power cuts of 2000.

Wednesday 25 September 2013

BBC PUTS OUT PRO WARMING PROPAGANDA AHEAD OF IPCC REPORT

This piece on Bishop Hill blog contains a link to the Newsnight piece which interviewed a number of pro-warmist scientists and Lord Stern, and one token slight sceptic to give an impression of balance. Paxman was a pale shadow of Andrew Neil in his  recent grilling of Ed Davey

GOVERNMENTS ROW OVER LATEST IPCC REPORT

This report in the Telegraph refers to the meeting of nation states to discuss the content of the latest IPCC report due out in a few weeks. Apparently some states are arguing that there should be no reference to the 16 year pause in global temperature rise, while others want a strong explanation put forward to explain it. What they fear, of course, is that sceptics will ridicule any attempt to state that they are more certain of the hypothesis of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming (CAGW), yet that is, apparently, what they intend to report. I wonder what the increasingly sceptical media will make of it. 

Tuesday 24 September 2013

ENERGY POLICY CAN BE REVERSED

This article shows how the CO2 madness on energy policy can be reversed. It happens when the population wake up and start demanding it. That will start when the people realise how much it is costing them. It is only when the people feel the effect of price increases and collectively put the blame on the government policy. It requires a number of clear simple articles in the press, which is happening now in the UK.

Monday 23 September 2013

NIPCC REPORT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED - IPCC HIDES THE TRUTH

Here is a press release with links to the very extensive report. Like the IPCC report hardly anyone will read this right through due to its great length and complexity, but the press release contains the gist.

Sunday 22 September 2013

IPCC MUST THINK WE ARE FOOLS

This article by Ross McKitrick in the Financial Post gives a good account of the current situation between the computer climate models and the data which are growing farther apart as each year passes. As Ross puts it: "The IPCC must take everybody for fools. Its own graph shows that observed temperatures are not within the uncertainty range of projections; they have fallen below the bottom of the entire span. Nor do models simulate surface warming trends accurately; instead they grossly exaggerate them".

Saturday 21 September 2013

CLIMATE MODELS FAIL

Here is a link to a video introduction to a new book by Bob Tisdale on the subject. Well worth a look.

Friday 20 September 2013

EU CLIMATE MINISTER - "ENERGY POLICY IS RIGHT EVEN IF GW SCIENCE IS WRONG"

This article in the Telegraph quotes the words of the woman in charge of EU energy policy. So that's it - whatever the science turns out to be we are destined for high energy policies. The future looks bleak, time to leave!

Thursday 19 September 2013

GLOBAL WARMING IS ONLY HALF AS MUCH AS PREDICTED

This Mail article again pre-empts the upcoming IPCC report by looking at a leaked draft of it and picks out the inconsistencies. This is but the latest in a long line of articles on the same lines. I almost feel sorry for the IPCC who must be frantically trying to keep the wheels on the climate change bandwagon, and trying to sound credible at the same time.   

Wednesday 18 September 2013

OUR FOSSIL FUELED FUTURE

This article gives a thorough summary of the world's future energy demands and how they are predicted to be fuelled. The vast majority of it is likely to come from fossil fuels says the report by the experts at the USA's Department of Energy. Of course any prediction can be wrong, but it's all we can do without a crystal ball. The writer of the article is obviously a climate alarmist, but if you disbelieve all that stuff the facts and figures in the report are very interesting. If one conclusion emerges from it, it is the fact that reducing CO2 emissions is an impossibility, and the UK is spitting in the wind with its current energy policy. Either the climate sensitivity to CO2 is low or we are in for alarming warming.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

THE COST OF CLIMATE ALARMISM

Here is a good summary of the cost of extreme climate alarmism versus the reality of how the climate is currently behaving. It is the climate alarmists who should be made to account for their behaviour, not those using fossil fuels. 

Monday 16 September 2013

CZECHS SCRAP SUBSIDIES ON NEW SOLAR ENERGY SCHEMES

Here is the latest report on the elimination of subsidies for new solar energy. Following on from the new Australian government scrapping their carbon trading scheme and the Spanish having already scrapped the subsidies on their new solar schemes it is looking bleak for the future of uncompetitive forms of renewable energy. How long can the UK continue to buck the trend?

Sunday 15 September 2013

MATT RIDLEY ON CLIMATE ALARM

This piece in the Wall Street Journal looks at the massive problem for the IPCC in trying to keep up the alarm, while recognising the reality of the data. Having seen a leak of the draft report Matt concludes "the new report is effectively saying (based on the middle of the range of the IPCC's emissions scenarios) that there is a better than 50-50 chance that by 2083, the benefits of climate change will still outweigh the harm", but I doubt if you will find those actual words in the report.

Friday 13 September 2013

UK PARLIAMENT DEBATES THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT

Here is a transcript of the debate, and you can see a number of MP's are prepared to put on the record their opposition to the current UK policy. The tide is definitely turning, though there is still some way to go.

Thursday 12 September 2013

HAS STERN FINALLY BEEN DEBUNKED?

This article looks at the way Stern's economics is not being accepted in the USA. It appears that his analysis of the cost of the "damage" caused by climate change vastly overestimates what most businesses believe is realistic. Stern has been savaged many times before, but in these times when financial constraints are much tighter and the degree of warming is much lower he seems to be more out of touch than ever.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

NEW AUSSIE PM TO SCRAP CARBON TRADING SCHEME

This article confirms that Tony Abbott, the new Australian PM intends to deliver on his election pledge to scrap the carbon trading scheme, recently introduced by the previous Labour government (having promised not to do so). This is yet another sign that the world is ready to ditch costly schemes to reduce CO2 emissions. It is an implicit admission that fears of global warming are receding, fears which have not materialised in real data.

Monday 9 September 2013

GLOBAL COOLING GOES MAINSTREAM

This piece in the Mail on Sunday confirms that fears of global warming are now hotly contested in the mainstream media. This is deeply embarrassing just a few weeks before the new IPCC report is due to come out. What will they say? Can they possibly stick with the reported "95% confidence" in the hypothesis of man made global warming, which the public will treat with derision, or do they downgrade a bit to say 70%? Such an admission would be unthinkable, wouldn't it?

Sunday 8 September 2013

UK REFINERY MAY CLOSE

This report relates to Grangemouth Refinery, and the reason for the possible closure is mainly due to increased energy costs. So reality is now being felt and real jobs being affected.

Saturday 7 September 2013

EU ENERGY MINISTER WAKES UP TO REALITY OVER SHALE FRACKING

This article gives the news that the EU minister in charge of energy seems to be shifting his position, becoming more favourable to shale gas, and less inclined to go for rapid decarbonisation. As reality dawns the UK's position of going for rapid decarbonisation is getting more and more isolated. I expect it will soften in practice even if they talk the talk.

Friday 6 September 2013

50 TO 1 PROJECT IS UP AND RUNNING

Here is a link to their website. The idea is to demonstrate using the figures given by the IPCC that it is 50 times more expensive to try to prevent global warming than to mitigate the effects of it if they appear. Although this approach has the drawback of accepting the biased reporting of the IPCC, it nevertheless shows that the carbon trading and taxing schemes are completely pointless, which is well worth making.

Thursday 5 September 2013

HOW MUCH OF RECYCLING IS RUBBISH?

by Penn and Teller uses some fruity language to make its point, but at 20 minutes in length it packs a strong punch against much of the trendy but very costly recycling industry, heavily subsidised by the government (in this case the US government). The points made in the film will be equally applicable here in the UK, or anywhere else. It does not decry all recycling, even singling out aluminium cans as a profitable and useful item to recycle.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

HERE'S WHY CHINA DIDN'T SIGN UP TO KYOTO

This article shows why the Chinese didn't sign, and this is why no developing nation will sign in the future. And this is why it is pointless for the developed world to sign up to any successor to Kyoto - because it won't work, and will simply cripple our own industry while giving the likes of China and India a free pass. Either the world is really facing disaster and everyone must stop using fossil fuels, or it is simply a lot of pointless political posturing. I suspect most, if not all, governments really believe it to be the second while pretending it's the first.

I wonder what would happen if the world's temperature really did start to rise alarmingly, with a corresponding increase in severe droughts and floods. Do we think that the Chinese and the Indians etc would then shut down all their coal and oil fired power stations? Somehow I doubt it. Just as well it's not happening. 

Tuesday 3 September 2013

UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER IN SOUTH AMERICA

This article reveals the unusually snowy weather in South America which has not figured at all in the main stream media here in the UK. Of course this weather is not the same as the climate, in the same way as hot spells causing forest fires in California or Australia. While the hot spells are prominently displayed on our news programmes, the cold ones seem to get missed off. Strange isn't it?

Monday 2 September 2013

ENVIRONMENTALISTS TRY TO GET USA UNIVERSITIES TO STOP INVESTING IN FOSSIL FUELS

Here's a great letter signed by many prominent scientists and industrialists urging the American universities to resist the pressure being applied by environmentalists to remove their investments in fossil fuel companies. As the letter states, we need education, not indoctrination.  

Sunday 1 September 2013

POLAND'S SUCCESSFUL FRACKING OPERATION

This piece hails the good news from Poland that a well has been successfully fracked to extract promising amounts of gas.

Saturday 31 August 2013

PRESSURE ON UK GOVERNMENT TO SCRAP CLIMATE TARGETS

This piece looks at the situation regarding the Climate Change Act's emission reduction targets, and how some members of the government are now beginning to realise that the EU (and the rest of the world) are not following the UK's example - leaving the UK saddled with hopelessly unrealistic targets which, if met, would lead to financial suicide.  However there are still some who refuse to admit to what is now beginning to be obvious, and still trying to cling to the purity of the Act, including the Lib Dems. The real damage of the Climate Change Act was always going to bite more deeply over the passage of time. The worst is still to come over the next few years - unless they ditch it soon. This will cause the green movement to make a lot of fuss, but if it isn't done the public will soon demand it, as their energy bills go on rising and their industry moves away.

In fact my district council were urging the government to re-think this back in 2011 as This article explains.

Friday 30 August 2013

GLACIER RETREATS TO REVEAL 400 YEAR OLD WOODLAND

This piece explains how a retreating glacier has revealed the existence of woodland about 400 years ago. In other words the climate there must have been warmer at that time, before the little ice age.

Thursday 29 August 2013

LIB DEMS ANNOUNCE THEIR NEW ENERGY POLICY

Here is an article setting out some of the policies. If you suspected they would be a bit wacky, then you're not far wrong. Surely these policies will keep them out of power. Unfortunately in today's crazy politics this may not be the case. The lunatics are quite possibly going to be partly in charge. 

Wednesday 28 August 2013

LOOK AT HOW LITTLE WIND FARMS REALLY PRODUCE

This article in the Telegraph looks at what some wind farms actually produce, and it is a real eye-opener, showing just how unreliable wind energy can be in practice. I hope our politicians are taking note. If the lights do go out, whoever is in power will get the blame.

Tuesday 27 August 2013

ESTONIA ALREADY ENERGY INDEPENDENT ON SHALE GAS

This report from the Telegraph goes into details of how the Baltic state has gone ahead with customary zeal. Their situation is a fait accompli, and they will not be shackled by the the EU, of which they are a member, though their extraction does not involve fracking as the article explains. Compare Estonia's attitude with that of the UK, which already appears hide-bound in red tape, some home-grown, but much emanating from the EU - see yesterday's post below. 

Monday 26 August 2013

EU SEEMS TO BE SET TO STOP SHALE GAS FRACKING

This article in the Sunday Telegraph from Christopher Booker looks at the inner working of the EU. If true, and there is no reason to doubt it, it is yet another reason for us to leave this bureaucratic institution.

Sunday 25 August 2013

WILL UK ENERGY POLICY MEAN GOODBYE TO THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY?

This piece looks at a new report by the Tyndall Centre, which basically says that the chemical industry in the UK will struggle to survive. Yet it makes no sensible recommendations to save it. This is a government funded organisation that seems to be a waste of money.

Saturday 24 August 2013

DAILY MAIL REPORTS IPCC LEAKED DOCUMENT GIVES 95% CERTAINTY OF AGW

Here is the Mail's report which contains good coverage of the new uncertainty over the lack of warming over the past 16 years. As this gets repeated over and over to an ever wider audience it can only lead to increased scepticism of the whole global warming CO2 hypothesis. 

Friday 23 August 2013

PROTESTORS QUIT BALCOMBE DRILLING SITE

This piece in the Mail gives the latest update on the attempts by green activists to halt drilling at the exploratory site near Balcombe in South England. Extraordinarily, the protestors, who a few days ago were claiming success as the drilling was stopped by the police over safety fears. However after the police finally got tough with the protestors and arrested a few dozen, the whole thing has turned around. It appears that these protestors don't have the stomach for a real fight. When the going got tough the protestors got going (home).

Thursday 22 August 2013

IPCC CLAIM 95% CONFIDENCE IN AGW, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

This article looks into the scientific meaning of "95% confidence", and surprisingly this level is far from being as strong as a layman might think. Most of the general public would conclude that 95% was extremely high - up from 90% in the previous IPCC report. However in the article in the link you can see that in fact it is a weak level. Obviously this is not something that the IPCC want to become widely known, but it is deception by the IPCC.  

Wednesday 21 August 2013

OCEAN TEMPERATURES - AN OVERVIEW

Here is an excellent and very readable overview of the issue of ocean temperature changes. Climate alarmists often try to persuade us that though the surface temperature of the Earth has stopped warming, the heat has instead been going into the oceans. This hypothesis is discussed fully in the article. 

Tuesday 20 August 2013

LATEST DATA SUGGEST THE ARCTIC MAY BE COOLING

This article gives the latest sea-ice extent in the Arctic and it shows that at this stage in the year the ice cover is well above the area of recent years.

Monday 19 August 2013

UK FRACKING IN ACTION FOR PAST 50 YEARS

This article in the Mail on Sunday looks at a well in Nottingham which has been fracked for around 50 years with no complaints from the local residents and no adverse effect on the environment. 

Sunday 18 August 2013

GREEN ACTIVISTS BRING DRILLING TO A HALT AT BALCOMBE

This piece from the Daily Mail rightly criticises the police for not standing firm against green activists who threatened direct action against the firm drilling a test well near Balcombe in the South of England. While I would not want us to descend into the heavy-handed reaction of the Egyptian military I do think we should be prepared to control numbers of protestors descending on Balcombe. For god's sake this is simple common sense.  

Saturday 17 August 2013

NEW IPCC REPORT 95% CERTAIN OF AGW

This report takes a peek at the report, due out in September. It looks as though the alarmists are getting increasingly desperate, putting forward a whole raft of excuses as to why the warming has stalled. It looks to me that they have far less confidence than they are ready to admit. I am sure that once the report is out it will rapidly unravel as sceptics pick over it like carnivorous beasts at a dead antelope.  

Friday 16 August 2013

CHURCH OF ENGLAND FLIRTS WITH FRACKING

This article looks at the way the C of E is asserting its ancient mineral rights to try to cash in on the shale gas beneath much of its historic land holdings. Some might say they were 'supping with the devil'.

Thursday 15 August 2013

CAN THE OCEANS CONTROL CLIMATE?

The following links are to four parts of a paper by a scientist called David Coe which has been put on Bishop Hill blog over recent weeks, though each part was put on separately. It is quite long and contains some maths which non-scientists, or indeed those who are not specialists in the field may omit, but this paper is a fascinating piece of work which contains some real insights into the behaviour of the oceans. The conclusions are far-reaching and if it passes peer-review would change the whole science of climate alarm.
Part one Part two Part three Part four

Tuesday 13 August 2013

CAMERON TRIES TO CUT RED TAPE ON FRACKING

This piece in the Telegraph looks at the stages in the process set out by the Environment Agency, which could take up to 6 months to complete. If the Prime Minister is serious then he will need to act to speed up the process. He might be in a fight if he does. The "green" organisation know every trick in the book to frustrate the process, using the massive amount of legislation there is.

Sunday 11 August 2013

WHY THE CLIMATE MODELS ARE WRONG

This piece contains a short 12 minute lecture on the shortcomings of climate models put in a clear understandable way. The comments below it are also worth reading.

Saturday 10 August 2013

IS THE WIND CHANGING ON CLIMATE POLICY?

This article looks at the possibilities. I, of course hope it is true, but I suspect there is a lot of pressure on ministers to cling to their green policies, most of it coming from the Liberal Democrats as well as vested inerests. There is a lot of money riding on it.

Friday 9 August 2013

IPCC CHAIRMAN EXPOSED

This article exposes the many failings of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change chairman, Rajendra Pachauri. All in all it is probably a good thing for sceptics that he is still in charge. What a publicity disaster for climate alarmism. 

Thursday 8 August 2013

BURNING TREES TO SAVE EMISSIONS - WILL IT WORK?

This BBC article looks at the issue. The conclusion seem to be that it is far from clear that emissions will actually be saved, so complex is the issue. It seems to be a case of the government meeting a target for renewables rather than thinking it through.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

SPANISH GOVERNMENT TAXES THE SUN'S RAYS

Here is the article giving the details. This is the modern version of the old window tax. Have they learnt nothing? At least the UK government wouldn't do that.

Tuesday 6 August 2013

DIY CLIMATE CALCULATOR - FIND OUT HOW MUCH WARMING YOU SAVE

Here is a handy calculator for you to decide how much of global warming can be averted by reducing emission of CO2 by the industrial nations. You decide hat reduction level to have and what climate sensitivity to employ. If you are a sceptic I doubt if you will be surprised by the result. So much pain for so little gain. 

Monday 5 August 2013

CLIMATE SENSITIVITY - IS IT LOWER THAN IPCC FORECAST?

This article in the Economist looks at the evidence for lower sensitivity, which is getting stronger as the pause in warming enters a seventeenth year.

Sunday 4 August 2013

HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEMES KILL FISH

This piece gives the details of how thousands of new hydro-electricity schemes are being proposed for UK rivers, in order for owners to profit from the subsidies available for green energy. However there is a dark side to this superficially attractive-sounding scheme which has received little publicity so far.

Saturday 3 August 2013

THE RISE AND FALL OF ARCTIC ICE

This article looks at the change in ice cover in the Arctic since 1971, and you can see that it is not simply a decline. In fact ice was increasing year on year through the 1970's, followed by the recent decline.

Friday 2 August 2013

TWO LORDS LOCK HORNS OVER CLIMATE CHANGE

This piece shows the correspondence between Lord Deben and Lord Ridley over the evidence for the value of climate sensitivity. What it shows is the mass of evidence produced by Ridley, a sceptic, versus the rather feeble evidence from Deben, an alarmist.  

Thursday 1 August 2013

WHAT IS THE TRUE SENSITIVITY OF THE CLIMATE?

Here is an interesting article on the subject - how much will temperature rise for a doubling of CO2? The pre-industrial level of CO2 is taken as 280ppm, so a doubling would be 560ppm. The current level is around 400ppm, so we still have some way to go. The world average rise in temperature is around 0.8 degrees Celsius. If the figure for doubling, as the article suggests, is around 2 C, then we are almost halfway there, and there is no cause for alarm. Since the relationship is a logarithmic one a second doubling, from 560ppm to 1120ppm will also only give rise to 2 C and that will take a very long time indeed.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

97% OF SCIENTISTS AGREE

This article refers to comments on a recent paper purporting to show that 97% of scientists agree with the GW hypothesis. The comments were made by a senior climate scientist, Mike Hulme, who was highly critical of the paper, and the reference to it being made by the UK Climate Change minister, Ed Davey.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Hulme is a believer in climate alarmism.

Tuesday 30 July 2013

DAVID WHITEHOUSE OF THE GWPF LOOKS AT THE MET OFFICE EXPLANATION FOR THE PAUSE IN WARMING

<This article looks at the excuses put forward by warmists for the pause in warming. We are all going to hear the latest propaganda from the various government ministers and others, so it is important to know how weak they are.

Monday 29 July 2013

NO GW, SO HERE ARE THE EXCUSES

Here is a recent article from the Daily Mail which offers "explanations" why the earth's surface has failed to follow the trajectory predicted by the climate models. (1) It's due to volcanoes putting up dust and sulphur dioxide which acts as an aerosol to reflect some of the heat away, and or (2) the heat is going into the deep ocean where we cannot detect it as the increase in temperature would be too small to measure. If it is (1) then why are we not detecting a significant increase in volcanic activity, and surely this volcanic activity would also be producing a lot of extra CO2 which should be increasing the warming. These arguments seem unconvincing to me, yet they were exactly what Ed Davey gave when asked by Andrew Neil to explain the warming. 

Sunday 28 July 2013

THE PRECAUTIONARY POLICY

There has been quite a lot of interest in a recent interview by Andrew Neil with the UK Climate Change Minister, Ed Davey who replaced Chris Huhne when he was sent to prison for falsely claiming his wife was driving when he was caught speeding. Here is a link to the interview along with an article by Neil justifying his robust questioning. Davey several times tried to justify his policies by saying that, even if the climate sceptics were right the cost of his policies was like an insurance policy. Neil pointed out that 400 billion pounds (being the government's estimate of the cost of the Climate Change Act) was a very expensive policy.  

I often think that we need to ask these ministers to look at other examples of risk that are faced by large numbers of people such as those living above or alongside earthquake fault lines. The San Andreas fault is a good example. The probability of a serious earthquake in the next 30 years is calculated as 70%, and yet there is no attempt to take any costly precautions to move people away from risk. 

Saturday 27 July 2013

BIG BROTHER IS ON HIS WAY VIA YOUR METER

Here is the story about how smart meters are going to be put in every home in the UK by 2020. Most of the public are totally unaware of this and have no idea about the implications, such as privacy or health issues.

Friday 26 July 2013

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROPAGANDA BEING USED TO MAKE US ACCEPT COSTLY FUEL PRICES

This article will open your eyes to what is happening "behind the curtain" to ensure that we cannot easily see why our energy costs have risen, and continue to rise. Blog readers here will know it is due to the government - how long before the rest of the public find out?

Thursday 25 July 2013

UK MET OFFICE MASSIVE COMPUTER SYSTEM GETS IT WRONG AGAIN

The Met Office seem to be addicted to trying to make longer-term predictions of the weather in spite of their atrocious record. They recently forecast that July would be wetter than usual according to this report and as usual they got it spectacularly wrong. Every time they do this their credibility goes down a bit further and so fewer people will take their warnings of global warming doom seriously. 

Wednesday 24 July 2013

RICHARD LNDZEN IN CLIMATE DEBATE AT THE OXFORD UNIONI

This debate was on Al Jazeera, but can be seen via the link. Dr Lindzen is a very laid-back performer whose style does not appeal to everyone, but he is a recognised expert in the field, which gives him a certain gravitas which even Lord Monckton cannot replicate. However Monckton is a much more dynamic debater. In the debate at the Oxford Union several other "experts" were also able to give their opinion, including journalist David Rose, who has written some very prominent pieces with a sceptical perspective in the Daily Mail. At 46 minutes in length, this debate is worth viewing.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

PROF CHRISTY SHOWS HOW PATHETIC MUCH OF THE POLITICAL RESPONSE TO GW IS

There are many decent people who go along with the government's attempts to cut CO2 simply because they accept the thesis that there must be a problem (even though the evidence is weak and contradictory) and so they are willing to put up with higher prices for fuel etc. Here is a video of a lecture by Prof. John Christy. The whole lecture is well worth watching, but a section beginning at about 26 minutes in is relevant to this post. Christy tells us about his testimony in a court case about imposing strict new emission standards on automobiles. In it he demonstrates that even if the standards were imposed across the whole of the USA, the change in temperatures would be so small as to be undetectable. And yet the state governments still wished to go ahead.

Monday 22 July 2013

CLIMATE SCIENTISTS TESTIFY TO US SENATE

Here is a link to the testimony for those who like to see these events. It does give us an idea of the mind-set of politicians.

PHASING OUT ENERGY SUBSIDIES

This article by the Scientific Alliance (SA) explains what is going on in Europe. It seems that political leaders are finally waking up to the reality that they may have over-backed the wrong energy source (wind) some are now putting money on to shale gas. However they are saddled with a lot of excess cost already contracted to the wind as well as solar panels. 

Sunday 21 July 2013

EU LOOKING AT CHANGING OUR DIET

This report reveals a document produced by the EU in which they look at the various obstacles to be overcome in order to change our diet away from meat and dairy products. No doubt a few extra taxes are coming our way to "help" us to make the right choices.

Saturday 20 July 2013

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE ARCTIC?

This article looks at the behaviour of ice in the Arctic and it concludes that most of the changes are cyclical. The paper referred to in the article has been translated from the German which gives us a look at what European scientists are working on.

Friday 19 July 2013

BISHOP HILL GIVES EVIDENCE TO GOVERNMENT SCIENCE COMMITTEE

Hereis a link to the UK Parliament archive video of the session in which MP's were looking at the role of the media in reporting climate science. Bishop Hill (real name Andrew Montford) is in the second half of the session. I thought Andrew gave a very assured performance and upheld the good name of climate scepticism. As he is one of very few sceptic voices that MP's will hear that is very important. From the tenor of the questions It would seem that very few of the committee are sceptical themselves, though we know that Graham Stringer MP is.

Thursday 18 July 2013

DELINGPOLE AND HELMER SHOW THE FOLLY OF UK ENERGY POLICY

This piece is a must for those who want a brilliant summary of the foolish policy followed by the present government. Sadly it is almost certainly the same policy that would be followed by the opposition - which leaves us in a somewhat difficult position.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

UK PLAN TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON - AT A PRICE

This article exposes the sheer lunacy of the government's desperate attempts to cover the weak link of wind turbines by using diesel generators as back up. As this story gains more traction in the press, including Christopher Booker covering it in the Telegraph, the public will become increasingly exasperated. Time to scrap the Climate Change Act.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

CLIMATE SCIENTISTS ACCUSED OF FRAUD

This article gives all the details, including a long letter listing all the items in which they made fraudulent claims, backed up with other data and graphs which contradicts them.

Monday 15 July 2013

COUNTER-INTUITIVE INFO ON GW

Here's some basic information about the sun and its orbit that may surprise you. The explanation is straight forward, though it is not immediately obvious to those who have not heard it.

Sunday 14 July 2013

LATEST UK RAINFALL PREDICTIONS - IT COULD GET DRIER, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND........

When I read this article I could hardly stop laughing. These people at the Met Office might just as well be writing astrology predictions for all the use they are. What earthly use is a forecast with a range of between -20% to +30%? As Bishop Hill points out, the final conclusion is always one of alarm, whereas the computer projections could equally well lead to a conclusion that our rainfall will continue much as it is now. But that would not grab any scary headlines.