ROGER HELMER TELLS THE INDEPENDENT THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS GROSSLY EXAGGERATED

Here is the article in the Independent where the UKIP Energy spokesman pledged that a UKIP government would scrap the Climate Change Act. He also said that green subsidies were a waste of money. At last a politician who is prepared to speak the truth. However it is very unlikely that we will have a UKIP government, more likely we may end up with Labour, if current polls are to be believed.

UK GOVERNMENT CLAIMS ENERGY POLICY WILL BRING SAVINGS - BUT THE FACTS SAY THE OPPOSITE

This article gives a lot of facts left out by the government in its vain attempt to prove that putting on  a whole load of extra costs on energy will lead to savings. The Climate Change Minister, Ed Davey, is either deluded or a liar or both. 

THE ROCKY ROAD FROM LIMA TO PARIS AND BEYOND

This piece from the Times is reported in the GWPF. It is by Irwin Stelzer, who is a very shrewd and experienced diplomat. He assesses the likely outcomes of the protracted UN climate change negotiations. His predictions seem pretty sound. In a nutshell he is saying it will end in a fudge.

EVIDENCE THAT INCREASED SUNSHINE IS THE CAUSE OF A RISE IN SUMMER TEMPS IN THE UK

Here is the evidence taken directly from Met Office records, and yet the Met Office scientists seem strangely reluctant to follow this up.  It may be due to the Clean Air Act, as suggested, though it might be due to a reduction of cloud cover. Our atmosphere changes throughout the day and it is virtually impossible to know every change and so computer programmes can never be accurate.  

WHY THE USA SHALE BOOM IS A WORLD-WIDE REVOLUTION

This article considers the effect on world oil prices of the boom in shale oil production in the USA. What it concludes is that it has broken the stranglehold of OPEC and prevented price-fixing by the former Middle East oil giants. We now have a real free market with all the volatility that brings. The article looks at the possible winners and losers of this.

OZ REJECTED A CARBON TAX - WILL THE U.S.A. DO THE SAME?

This article considers the reasons why Tony Abbot, the Australian PM, decided to ditch the Carbon Tax, adopted by the previous Labour Government, and ponders on the possibility that the USA might consider putting their own Carbon Tax in place and the consequences for their economy of doing so. 

THE UTTER FUTILITY OF WESTERN CO2 REDUCTIONS

As you tuck into your Christmas pudding, consider this article which looks at the calculated temperature reductions for the proposed reductions made by various countries. If only these figures were widely available to the public.

A merry Christmas to all readers.

WHAT THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT REALLY MEANS FOR THE UK

This piece from Christopher Booker spells out the reality of the cuts still to come over the next 10 to 20 years, unless the government is forced to change course. No cooking or heating with gas, all of us forced to drive electric vehicles. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would be surprised if there is not a little bit of resistance from the inhabitants.

THE DIMINISHING INFLUENCE OF CO2 ON TEMPERATURE

This piece looks at the logarithmic relationship between the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and temperature. This is something that is often (deliberately) overlooked by organisations like the IPCC and governments.

THE LATEST CLIMATE CONFERENCE IN PERSPECTIVE

This article by Prof Tim Ball summarises the outcome from Lima and looks at the whole series of climate conferences and how they have changed over the years.

THE CLIMATE FUND MAFIA THAT ARE ABOVE THE LAW

This article looks at the shady world of the UN and its huge funds, the operators of which are putting deals in place to put them beyond the reach of national laws. Even their salaries will be paid tax-free. This is a clandestine world the likes of which you and I know very little, and they want to keep it that way. A kind of climate mafia.

UK BACK UP POWER TO COST USERS £1 BILLION

This report gives details of the auction for back up power for the intermittent renewables. Some were predicting an even higher cost, and other nations were looking at the idea of an auction to cover their own back up. This seems to be the future - very costly electricity.

AUSTERITY - "WHAT AUSTERITY?", SAYS UK CLIMATE CHANGE DEPARTMENT

This piece looks at the 35% increase in staff levels at the Department of energy and Climate Change. What are all these extra people needed for? Could it be for a propaganda offensive? 

WILL OBAMA PROMISE OF CLIMATE BILLIONS BE OVER-RULED?

This article looks at the problems the Obama administration faces in being able to honour his pledge to give $3 billion to the UN climate fund.

USA THE 21st CENTURY ENERGY POWERHOUSE

This article looks at the remarkable transformation of the USA as a result of fracking of oil and gas. It is about to become a leading exporter which will help to keep world prices low and undermine the motive for going to renewables. Far from running out of fossil fuels it seem we are awash with them despite the increasing demand from developing nations. 

THE TOOTHLESS CLIMATE DEAL REACHED IN LIMA

Here is the detail of what happened at the recent climate change meeting in Lima, Peru. As you will read it was not greatly significant, other than that it was very weak. Is it the beginning of the end for a deal to cut CO2 emissions? We will just have to wait and see. 

MORE BAD NEWS FOR ALARMISTS

This piece in the Financial Post encapsulates all the problems for the climate alarmists, even their forecast of 2014 being the hottest year (by one hundredth of a degree C) may have been premature. The recent cold weather may just push it down. The article by Lawrence Solomen makes happy reading for us climate realists - soon we may all have to join the realist camp. Who will be the deniers then?

"NOT A SINGLE PARAGRAPH" AGREED AT LIMA CLIMATE CONFERENCE

That is the happy state of play at the current climate change conference according to the Irish Times:

Second week COP ritual: Hopes for Lima climate conference unravel. As thousands of people took part in a colourful march through the centre of Lima demanding action to “save Mother Earth”, ministers and delegates from more than 190 countries were struggling to salvage the UN climate conference here. Earlier optimism about a successful conclusion this weekend is unravelling as the text being negotiated has “ballooned” out of control, with more and more amendments tabled by countries and blocs seeking to have their points of view reinforced. Miguel Arias Canete, the new European climate action and energy commissioner, conceded that “not a single paragraph has been agreed” in a text that had grown to 100 pages or more, making it “very difficult for ministers to reach agreement”. –Frank McDonald, The Irish Times, 11 December 2014

MATT RIDLEY POINTS OUT THE DECEIT BY ALARMISTS ON CLIMATE

Here is the latest article by Matt Ridley, and it is well worth reading, as usual. It is time more light was shed on the scientists who attempt to hide inconvenient facts and cherry-pick their data to reach a pre-conceived conclusion.

NEW REPORT FORECASTS EMISSIONS FROM DEVELOPING WORLD TO RISE 50%

Here is an article referring to the new report in which CO2 emissions from the developing world are forecast to increase by 50% by 2050, while the developed world is being urged to reduce theirs by around 80%. This would result in the world total emissions continuing to rise, which according to alarmists would mean a climate catastrophe for all.

UK PARLIAMENT TO RULE ON STREAMLINING FRACKING PERMITS

Here is the article giving details of the upcoming debate. It appears that the Labour opposition is likely to oppose the new legislation making it a close thing. If streamlining is not brought in it could make the whole industry a non-starter, losing the UK many billions of pounds in revenue as well as giving a much-needed boost to industry. In other words an insane decision.

FRACKING BANS STARTING TO COME IN THE USA

Here is a report which sets out the details. At the moment it is only a few isolated areas where green supporters are getting their way, but we will have to watch closely to see if this catches on. It will not help the cause of fracking here in the UK, where there is much less space and no widespread history of drilling as in the USA.

LATEST CLIMATE TALKS MAKING HOT AIR IN LIMA CONFERENCE CENTRE

Here is a report into the latest talks in which 190 countries are supposed to reach an agreement, which seems to be an impossible task when all the conflicting items are viewed. How would Western leaders be able to sell the idea of handing over huge sums of taxpayers' money to prevent global warming that has stopped 18 years ago. No doubt we will soon find out.

LEFT WING REPORTERS JOIN THE "GAMECHANGER SALON"

 Have you ever wondered why so many news outlets push out the same line on issues such as climate change. If so read on and you may have one answer.
A prominent CNN commentator, the top two political reporters for The Huffington Post, a Reuters reporter, the editor of The Nation magazine, a producer for Al Jazeera America television, a U.S. News & World Report columnist, and approximately two dozen Huffington Post contributors are among the more than 1,000 members of "Gamechanger Salon".
Founded by leftwing activist Billy Wimsatt, the group is a secretive digital gathering of writers, opinion leaders, activists and political hands who share information, ideas and strategy via a closed Google group.
The group’s existence was discovered by Media Trackers through an open records request filed with a University of Wisconsin professor who happened to be a member of the network http://eagnews.org/1000-member-secretive-progressive-journalist-group-uncovered/
This is another link with more .” In addition to working at the left-leaning American Sustainable Business Council, David Brodwin writes an online column for U.S. News & World Report. Brodwin is a member of Gamechanger Salon, and on July 14 he published a column arguing that small business owners support a minimum wage increase. Fascinatingly, the Obama Administration’s U.S. Department of Labor relies on Brodwin’s American Sustainable Business Council to argue that very point in a recent “fact-sheet” advocating for a minimum wage hike.
Dozens of members of the leftwing network have contributed columns to The Huffington Post, and others have written opinion pieces for several other publications. The full extent of the network’s activity and effectiveness at amplifying and coordinating left-leaning messaging campaigns has yet to be fully explored. http://mediatrackers.org/national/2014/08/05/cnn-huffpo-reuters-contributors-reporters-part-leftwing-network

INDIA EXPECTS "COMPENSATION" FROM WEST FOR PAST EMISSIONS "DAMAGE"

What damage? Are the developing nations attributing every hurricane, flood, drought to CO2 emissions? If so where is the evidence for it? Even the IPCC report states that such attribution is not proved by the science. Read the article here. 

BIAS IN SCIENCE

This article looks at examples of the way that science has been subjected to undue influence by wrong-headed, though well-intentioned people. It reminds us of the frailty of us all, and how we can so easily dupe ourselves. 

UK SMART METER ROLL OUT DELAYED AGAIN FOR 12 MONTHS

If, like me you were wondering what happened to the UK's smart meter programme, then here is the answer. In a nutshell it is delay on delay as they discover the problems due to data protection issues etc. In tandem with this there are cost escalations. In fact it seems to be the classic massive government hot potato, rather like the NHS computer system. No wonder the national debt is growing by the day!

USA VOTERS TO DECIDE THE FATE OF THE CLIMATE TREATY

That is the message of this article. It appears that Obama wants to sign up to a kind of voluntary deal with nations free to decide how they reach their targets. It sounds like a fudge in which no one will get what they want. Here are some interesting extracts from the piece:

"For the developing world, however, the climate negotiations have always been about how much money they get. From the outset, the talks were predicated on massive aid transfers from north to south."

"Obama-style deep decarbonization of the global economy would require that developed countries pay twice over—once to decarbonize their own economies and a second time for developing ones."

It's well worth reading, and heartening in a way, as it points out that it won't work.

WHO IS GUILTY OF GROSS EXAGGERATION TO PROP UP CLIMATE ALARMISM

The WHO is not a question, but the World Health Organisation, another arm of the UN, which is caught out making outlandish claims as reported here. Yet another example of the desperate attempts of the warmist brigade to convince us all that there is a problem when there isn't. Don't they understand that all this does is undermine their own weak arguments even more? It's like "the boy who cried wolf" on steroids.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE PLANET (AGAIN, YAWN)

Here we are again as Donna Laframboise reminds us with just a few months left to save the planet by agreeing to spend eye-watering sums to reduce our CO2 emissions, except that some of the biggest emitters are being exempt, like China and India. Of course it's perfectly understandable that developing countries would want to continue to develop, but. if there really was a planetary emergency surely that would take precedence over everything else?

UPDATE: Paul Homewood has similar coverage.

CLIMATE GATE EMAILS, FIVE YEARS ON THEY ARE MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER

Here is a good round up of the main issues raised by the leak of the climate scientists emails. Despite a number of attempts by the Establishment to white-wash the issues, the deceit and exaggeration has stuck in the minds of the public. Indeed it has been re-enforced by the continued attempts of some cheer-leaders for climate alarm to exaggerate to try to create alarm, but the public on the whole do not buy it. Facts defeat hype.

HAS THE ROYAL SOCIETY GIVEN UP ON SCIENCE?

This report looks at the recent RS report into extreme weather and concludes that it has much more in common with propaganda than science. It is an extraordinary situation for a scientific institution of such historical importance to be reduced to this advocacy role. My hunch is that they have been " bought" by vested interests, in particular the government who supply the bulk of its funding.

UPDATE: More here.

WIND FARM AD USES SPIN AND DECEIT TO CLAIM 25% OF OUR ELECTRICITY COMES FROM RENEWABLES

This article by Christopher Booker looks at the facts behind a recent claim made by a wind farm operator in a huge advertisement in the Guardian newspaper. What he discovered was that though the claim could be technically shown to be true, in fact for all practical purposes it was nonsense.

2014 - "THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD" - DON'T BELIEVE THE SPIN

Here are the facts and they say that it may come out on top on some land based data sets, but only by an amount smaller than the margin of error. In other data sets including the satellite data sets it will not be so. Any attempt to use this as evidence of continuing global warming will be premature and unscientific. 

MP EXPOSES FLAWED IPCC SUMMARY IN UK PARLIAMENT DEBATE

Here is a link to the debate in which Peter Lilley exposed a number of serious weaknesses in the IPCC summary for policy makers. Here are a few extracts:

 "There has been a hiatus in warming, yet during that period since 1997, one third of all the carbon dioxide ever emitted by mankind has been pumped into the atmosphere. We have had 17 years to test the effect of a third of all the CO2 we have ever emitted, and there has been no increase in temperature"
"That does not seem to be evidence for being more certain; it seems to be evidence for being a little more qualified in stating that CO2 may be the dominant factor. It clearly was not dominant during that period. By definition, a period with record emissions but no warming cannot provide further evidence that emissions are the dominant cause of warming"
"For the first time, the authors of the IPCC report are unable to agree on a best estimate of how sensitive the climate is to increases in CO2. In previous reports, they have always been able to agree a best estimate, but this time, there has been so much disagreement among them that they have been unable to reach one".
"Nor does the summary mention that in the body of the report, the IPCC’s medium-term forecast for temperature increases to 2035 is below that given by the climate models. In other words, the experts used their judgment to say that in their opinion, the climate models are wrong. They came up with a forecast below the models, and they explain that the reason is that the models have been overheating"
"None of the models take into account the latest information on aerosols. Had they done so, they would have produced an even higher forecast for future warming, because the future warming forecast involves the warming created by CO2 less the cooling created by aerosols."

.

BIOMASS LIKELY TO INCREASE CO2 EMISSIONS

Here is the article that contains the details of a paper on this topic. It goes against the conventional wisdom which makes it all the more important. It seems that a lot of government efforts at reducing emissions may be counter-productive.

RENEWABLE ENERGY NOT THE ANSWER SAY TOP ENGINEERS

This article explains the findings of the experts, who even surprised themselves. It is yet more confirmation of how out of touch with reality our political leaders have become.

OBAMA INSULTS AUSSIE PM ON CLIMATE

2) Obama's Climate Fiasco Drives Aussies Closer To India & China
The Australian, 22 November 2014 (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/weird-speech-makes-obama-odd-man-out/story-e6frg76f-1227130149413)

Greg Sheridan

The United States embassy in Canberra advised President Barack Obama not to make the provocative, anti-Abbott speech on climate change which he made at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. That the President acted against the advice of his own embassy reveals a deeply divided and in part dysfunctional Obama administration, unable to reconcile its foreign policy objectives and its domestic imperatives.


The speech was not only damaging for Tony Abbott, as it will be used by all his opponents on climate change up until the next election, it was a disaster for US foreign policy, because the gratuitous climate change remarks completely overshadowed all the regional and security content which Obama's foreign policy team wanted to be the main point of his major address on his Asian tour.

Obama's self-indulgent folly was in striking contrast to the masterful performances of China's President Xi Jinping and India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Xi and Modi have both achieved almost everything they wanted from Asia's season of summits. Obama has achieved almost nothing.

The other big winner from this summit season was Abbott. Despite the damage Obama inflicted on him, Abbott emerged from APEC, the East Asia Summit, the G20 summit which he hosted, and the separate bilateral visits of so many world leaders, with huge structural wins.

The free trade agreement with China has the potential to be transformative for Australia. It locks the two nations much more closely together. It contains a host of immensely important specifics, and was accompanied by numerous side agreements.

But the transformative potential lies in the door it opens for Australian business into China's future. Don't think for a moment that resources will cease to be at the centre of Australia/China trade. The anti-coal propaganda is fanciful nonsense, believed only by Green dreamers.

Coal will be at the heart of China's energy generation for decades ahead.

Nonetheless, China is transforming. Coal and iron ore are about building cities. China has now built its cities on a vast scale. Cities are occupied by middle class people. They need high-quality food and high-quality services. The China FTA opens up the services sector in an unprecedented way. That is the future.
The Indian visit also offers to be transformative. Modi likes Abbott. But of course such likes and dislikes are never the real engine of history.

Modi wants India to develop. Modi's closest friend and partner internationally is Japan's Shinzo Abe. Abe is Abbott's closest collaborator in Asia. It was Abe who advised Modi that Australia was a country to take seriously and that Abbott was a PM who could deliver.

Modi believes Australia can be a big part of India's development.

I attended a small business gathering with Modi in Melbourne. He made a few comments about the need for greener energy, but he also said: "India will have massive requirements for coal and iron ore." Just in case his interlocutors missed the point, he repeated it: "Whatever we do, we will still need massive amounts of coal and iron ore."

But Modi understands that India also needs foreign investment and expertise. Since the turn of the century, India has been the second fastest growing economy in the world. Tens, hundreds, of millions of Indians will enter the middle class over the next decade. They offer the same opportunities as the Chinese middle class. Trade Minister Andrew Robb describes the India relationship as being where the Chinese relationship was 15 years ago. Robb is right. The potential, like China 15 years ago, is enormous.

The ambition to complete a free trade agreement between India and Australia by the end of next year is heroic. But it is not impossible. Indeed, one FTA helps produce another. Australia's success in securing an FTA with South Korea helped motivate Japan. Canberra's success with Tokyo helped motivate Beijing. Part of India's motivation is not to be left out of the east Asian economic success story. So the string of north Asian FTAs Robb has concluded helps us with New Delhi.

Here we need a note of caution. Each one of these relationships - the US, China and India - is intensely complex, influenced by many factors beyond Australia's reach and there are many ways these ambitious plans could fall short, if not fall apart.

Take each in turn.

Obama's speech was deliberately designed to hurt Abbott. This may not have been its primary purpose, but it certainly was a significant effect. Historians of the relationship cannot cite a single similar example of a visiting president going out of his way to wound an Australian prime minister.

The speech was bizarre in many ways and deserves proper analysis as a pointer to the divisions and dysfunction within the Obama administration, features which will only get worse as power, and a sense of responsibility, ebb away from Obama in the less than two years he still has in office.

There was also an element of cowardice in the speech. Obama would never have given that speech at home before the congressional mid-term elections. There would have been some courage in such a speech delivered, say, in West Virginia, or Ohio, a week before the mid-terms.

What was Obama's purpose? Can one more celebrity orgasm really be more important to the President than maintaining his relationship with his closest ally in Asia? Was Obama preparing for his post-presidential life, as a new and improved Al Gore? [...]

Finally, other senior Americans put it to me that many high-level figures in the administration, in so far as they think about Asia at all, think only of China. They fail to understand that a successful China policy has to be embedded in a successful Asia policy. This contributes to their taking close allies for granted.

Virtually all senior Asia hands in Washington outside the administration agree that Obama has never really paid attention to managing alliances.

This was evident in the fact that the Obama team decided to do the speech at the last minute, insisted it be to a university audience, never gave their Australian hosts any hint of what the President was planning to say, and refused to offer the Australians either a text or a summary of the speech before it was delivered. All of that is truly a bizarre way to treat an ally.

Nonetheless, Obama's selfindulgence will not cause the Abbott government to back away from co-operation with the US. The alliance is much bigger than Obama and Australia participates in the alliance because it is in our interests and reflects our values.

The vacuum created by Obama in Asia is partly filled by Xi, although other formidable Asian leaders such as Abe and Modi also occupy important strategic space.

Xi, like most Chinese leaders, is a super hard head with little sentimentality. He is the most powerful leader in modern China since at least Deng Xiaoping. He offered an ambition to make China more democratic in his beautifully crafted speech to parliament, but in truth he has suppressed what little liberal space formerly existed in China.

Nonetheless, Xi is genuinely an economic reformer, which is one reason he undertook the FTA with Australia. Xi's climate deal with Obama is another masterstroke. It commits him to nothing of substance, nothing he was not doing anyway, but, with Obama's benediction, will help insulate Beijing from the type of criticism it suffered after Copenhagen.

Xi spent a lot of time in Australia and devoted a lot of attention to us. This speaks well of him, and of Abbott. But again, we have to be a bit careful of assessing Chinese policy, even Chinese policy towards us, in a narrow Australian framework.
This past few months, Xi has been on a charm offensive with everyone. He even kissed and made up with Abe. As well as his climate faux agreement with Obama, Xi agreed to various confidence-building and military consultation measures with the Americans, which Washington has wanted for years.

Nor is it quite true to say that Australia is the first advanced economy with which Beijing has done an FTA. Xi finalised an FTA with South Korea just before the one with Australia.

All of this is in stark contrast to the aggressiveness Beijing has displayed over the past few years in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Intelligence agencies in the US and Australia are flat out trying to work out whether this friendliness is the new paradigm for China, or, as one senior American put it to me, "a judo move", that is, moving back for a second in order to trip the opponent up.
China's b_ehaviour in the disputed maritime territories over the next few months will be critical in determining the answer to this question.

Abbott convened a trilateral leaders' dialogue with Obama and Abe. The official communique was full of concern over Russia, Islamic State etc. It didn't mention the main actual topic of conversation - China, or another topic of conversation, Canberra's ambition to buy Japanese submarines and install US weapon systems on them.

And finally Modi's India. Modi offers India its best hope in decades for breaking free from poverty and achieving sustained, socially transformative economic growth. But just as analysts are pondering Xi's true intentions so they are asking one central question about Modi - can he tame the Indian bureaucracy and produce results? This astonishing two weeks of summits has given Australia a great deal of benefit, but left huge and intriguing questions for the future.

Full analysis (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/weird-speech-makes-obama-odd-man-out/story-e6frg76f-1227130149413)

THE US-CHINA CLIMATE PACT SWINDLE

Here is a very good article that explains the complete one-sidedness of the recent "deal" between Obama and the Chinese Leader. Why on earth would the US President want to sign such a deal?  

UK PAYS TWICE ITS FAIR SHARE TO GREEN CLIMATE FUND, SAYS OXFAM

Yes, Oxfam (not known for admitting such things) has calculated that the UK has paid twice the amount that is expected. See here for the details. If only the government would  put a stop to this largesse by our Leader. It is so easy to be generous with other people's money.

AUSTRALIAN PM STANDS FIRM IN NOT SHELLING OUT MORE CLIMATE MONEY

Here are the details. He seems to have a good deal of courage to keep out of this and I admire him for it. It is only too easy to get out the nations cheque book and spend other peoples money to make him look good.

OBAMA STUMPS UP $3 BILLION TOWARDS CLIMATE FUND

Here is the details of President Obama's offer. It is by far the largest contribution so far, though it falls far short of the promised $100 billion per year that was apparently promised by the developed world from 2020. I cannot somehow see that sum, or anything like it, being achieved. It's time for world leaders to get real and stop making rash promises, and put all this nonsense behind them and tackle the real problems facing the world.  

GERMANY SET TO ABANDON 2020 CO2 EMISSION TARGET

Here is the detail taken from a German newspaper article. This has to be very significant as the Green Party is part of the coalition government in Germany and if the Germans have to abandon their target then this must set a precedent for all other EU nations. It means that there is no prospect of any world agreement next December in Paris. If this target date is missed then according to some scientists we could be in a cooling world. If that happens then it is hard to see any agreement possible.

AN ALTERNATIVE CLIMATE MODEL PREDICTING COOLING TO START SOON

Here is a link to the climate model devised by David Evans in which he predicts that world temperatures will start to cool within the next decade, most likely within the next two or three years. David's work seems to link with that of Henrik Svensmark which was highlighted a few days ago. Both relate to a cooling effect of the sun. We will not have long to wait to see if he is correct. 

THE CONSENSUS IS - WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE OF NET BENEFIT TO THE WORLD!

Yes you did read that headline correctly - the consensus (ie the majority of experts) is that all the global warming we have had so far, plus any we are likely to get in the 21st century will be of net benefit to the world. Read it here for yourself with all the figures to back it up. Now let's hope that we don't get a cooling cycle.  

THE SUN AND THE CLOUDS CONTROL CLIMATE

This video explains the work of Henrik Svensmark into the role of cloud variation, caused by the variation of cosmic rays entering the lower atmosphere, into the temperature of the Earth's surface. The case presented is very compelling and sounds more plausible than change in CO2.

WHY COAL IS KING, AND WILL BE FOR DECADES TO COME

Some green climate alarmists are trying to stop any coal from being used and want to shut down the whole industry by various means, such as urging universities to sell their shares in the sector. If anyone believes that this will be likely to have any effect, then they should read this article. The facts speak for themselves.

SCHOOL TEXT BOOK PROMOTES FALSE SCIENCE ON GW

Here is the article that gives the details of a scientific paper on the behaviour of butterflies which has been debunked, and yet is in school text books as an example of the effect of climate change. The moral of the story is - don't believe everything in text books.

LATEST CLIMATE P.R. DEAL ANNOUNCED

China and the USA's new climate deal is just a PR stunt. Read the link to get the details of the unenforceable deal, designed to encourage others to make commitments in Paris in December 2015. I am putting my money on the global deal being equally vague.

UPDATE
For a good look at the way China is heading here is a good resume by Paul Homewood.

HOW THE GREEN LEVIES WILL RISE AND INCREASE OUR ENERGY BILLS

This article looks at the latest figures from the government which, laughably, try to claim that their policies will actually reduce the cost of our energy. To achieve this Orwellian claim they include the savings that we are supposed to make by buying new more efficient appliances as well as increasing the insulation on our homes.

SOCIETY RELIES ON CHEAP RELIABLE ELECTRICITY

This article highlights the vital importance of cheap reliable electricity for our economic success as well as the comfort of our people.  A well-argued piece, if only the government would see sense.

NEW CLIMATE CHANGE "PLAY" GETS PANNED BY CRITIC

This review does not make for comfortable reading for the author of this work who is a climate alarmist himself. It reminded me that a couple of years ago there was another climate change play; this one was from a sceptic view point, and here is the report on it, including reviews. I think the sceptic play would seem to offer the best entertainment.

REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED SENATE LIKELY TO STOP FUNDING TO THE IPCC

Here is the article giving the details. It would be a useful start, and maybe they will also rein in the EPA as well. This could be a very important election result which will have repercussions even beyond the USA. A new world climate deal has just got a little bit harder to achieve.

OIL TO DOMINATE WORLD FUEL USE UNTIL AT LEAST 2040 SAYS OPEC REPORT

Here is the article in the Telegraph with some details. So much for giving up fossil fuels! Some of our leading politicians are misleading us by suggesting that the world is following our lead. It is simply nonsense to make such claims.

ROW OVER HISTORIC TEMPERATURE DATA RAGES ON IN OZ

Here is a link to the discussion at Jo Nova's blog. It is now being raised in parliament. Well done to all those Australian sceptics who have held out for the truth. There is a lot more truth that needs to be told, and it will take similar action here in the UK to get it out.

PARLIAMENTARY MEETING ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Yesterday I set off for Westminster to hear Roger Helmer and Piers Corbyn give their presentations to the Climate Change Meeting, having booked a ticket, only to find that the parliamentary authorities claimed no knowledge of the meeting whatsoever. Having made the 3 hour coach journey I was not going to give up so easily, so I waited around to see if others would arrive. Eventually I met up with Roger Helmer who had travelled all the way from Brussels and was unaware of any change. Luckily I had a card with Piers Corbyn's mobile phone number and he was able to tell us of a last minute change of venue, though many others had already been turned away, being told it was cancelled. Was it  cock up or conspiracy? I am not sure, but at least I was able to attend a much reduced meeting of 18 determined souls who had persevered to the end. In some ways it was a better meeting for those who got there as it was much smaller and more intimate.

Roger Helmer gave a really excellent tour-de-force of the UKIP energy policy, which I must say is by far the most sensible energy policy I have heard from any political party. It's just a pity that it has very little chance of being implemented. Piers Corbyn explained his theories of climate forecasting based on looking at repeating patterns of the positions and behaviour of the sun and the moon. He claims to have had great success with this and tantalisingly left us with a prediction of cold weather during December due to the position of the jet stream, though he sadly predicted a "green Christmas". 

MET OFFICE NEW COMPUTER COSTING 97 MILLION STILL WON'T GIVE ACCURATE FORECASTS

Here's the details from Christopher Booker. As Booker points out, their computer is only as good as the information put in, and looking at the Met Office's recent record they seem to have some missing or incorrect data. In the same article Booker also explains the folly of our energy policy and why he expects the lights to stay on this winter, at a huge price, though they will go out eventually if the government continues to reduce our use of fossil fuels.

CLIMATE LESSONS FROM 2.7 MILLION YEARS AGO

This report looks at new evidence uncovered by scientists which shows that a sudden temperature change 2.7 million years ago was likely caused by both the atmosphere and a change in the circulation of the ocean currents. This is yet more evidence that shows how much we still have to learn.

UK ENERGY NETWORK SAID TO BE "INADEQUATE"

This article gives the details of the concerns of UK industry, who fear they are struggling at a serious disadvantage to their competitors. If the UK continues to follow the path set by the Climate Change Act then this disadvantage is set to get much worse, as our competitors are set to do no such thing. In particular China and India, who are building cheap coal-fired power station far faster than we are closing ours.

PUBLIC MEETING ON WEDNESDAY AT WESTMINSTER - A PRACTICAL ENERGY POLICY

I am coming to this meeting and hoping to meet up with like-minded people and see what the latest ways of getting out a positive message on sensible energy policy are. If any readers are able to come do let me know. I will report on the meeting later on in the week.

A public meeting open to all on Wednesday 5 November from 1pm to 3pm in room 9 at UK Parliament, Palace of Westminster, hosted by Repeal The Climate Change Act

Come via main - St Stephens (Cromwell Green) entrance

Ask for Sammy Wilson's (DUP MP) Meeting 

(Please allow 30 minutes for security)

Speakers include

* Roger Helmer UKIP MEP - A practical UK energy policy 

                - explaining what is needed and how the EU is driving the UK's energy crisis

(Find UKIP's Energy Policy Here)

Piers Corbyn WeatherAction 

Will the lights go out this winter?

- explaining the essential incredibility of the CO2 theory of Climate Change,

the latest advances is solar-based Long Range forecasts and spelling out what will happen this winter. 

* Sammy Wilson DUP MP and other MPs 

(Graham Stringer Labour MP and Peter Lilley Conservative MP invited)

The changing climate of Climate Change in Parliament and beyond. 

*Campaign Against the Climate Act News

Discussion and Questions, Literature   

 

Room booked by Sammy Wilson MP with our thanks.

YET ANOTHER DOOMSDAY CLIMATE REPORT (YAWN)

Here are the details of another scary report that appears to fly in the face of the actual facts, which are of an eighteenth year with no statistically significant change in the world's average surface temperature. How many more scary reports can we expect? Each time the public become a little less inclined to believe the doom merchants.

EARTH'S TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED BY THE CLOUDS SAYS NEW PAPER

Here are the details. It seems a simple explanation, but it appears to fit the data very well.

IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN GLOBAL WARMING AND CONFLICT?

This article looks at the possibility of this and comes to the conclusion that it is unclear. My question is, how can we test this hypothesis when there has been no discernible global warming for the past 18 years? They actually used the term climate change in the article, but I am assuming they mean climate change based on human-caused global warming.

CLIMATE TALKS STALL AGAIN AS SOME START TO PANIC

"Don't panic", should be the advice to those attending the latest climate talks. Here is the report about this latest boondoggle in which no agreement was reached. Apparently there is only one more attempt before the long-awaited Paris meeting at the end of next year. It looks as though there will have to be a fudge with some sort of vague commitment which only the UK will actually take seriously.

"GOVERNMENT POLICY MAY HAVE SLOWED GLOBAL WARMING", SAYS GOVERNMENT MINISTER

Here's the article giving the details. I could hardly believe it when I read it. A government minister actually claiming that the paltry cuts in CO2 emissions, a tiny fraction of a percent of the world's total emissions, could have had any effect on global warming - what hubris. A short while ago this blog had this article which showed that the UK's efforts so far had prevented 0.0004 degrees of warming. Hardly an amount that could be noticed, or even measured by the most sensitive thermometer. 

BILLIONARES FUND GREEN GROUPS TO INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT POLICY ON EMISSIONS

Here's a good piece in the Mail on Sunday which highlights the huge sums of money being given to groups like WWF, Greenpeace and Friend of the Earth by very wealthy businessmen and their trust funds. Against this massive funding there is only one serious sceptic organisation, the Global Warming Policy Foundation, funded by a relatively modest £300,000. Of course the GWPF is supported by the facts, and that is worth more than all the millions stacked up against it.

CLIMATE TALKS KEEP THE GREEN BLOB HAPPY

This report explains the real purpose of climate negotiations, which is to appear to be making commitments, while in reality achieving very little. There is something in this, though even the feeble commitments can prove to be very costly.

EU AGREES TO CONDITIONAL TARGETS ON EMISSIONS AND RENEWABLES TO 2040

Here are the details of the EU deal. I suspect it will only be achieved if the economies continue to under-perform. This is looking quite likely at the moment. The sooner the UK can get a referendum and vote to leave the better!

HUGE FRACKING BOOST FOR LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST IN THE BALANCE

This article looks at the huge economic boost attainable from fracking in the south east UK. It also explores the things which are preventing the exploitation of the oil. Boris Johnson is being suggested as the leader of the charge to get the project going.

WELCH NHS SPENDS MONEY ON "CARBON MANAGERS" WHILE PATIENTS ARE LEFT TO DIE

Here is the story of the list of politically correct non-jobs being filled by the Welch NHS, currently part of a major story in the Daily Mail. Clearly this will undermine the Labour Party's claim to be the guardians of the NHS.

UK ON THE BRINK OF AN ENERGY CRISIS

This report in the Telegraph explains the situation that has just been made worse due to a fire in a large gas-powered power station. Whether the lights go out will now depend on how severe the winter is. An extended cold spell with little or no wind would be a nightmare for the government, specially with a General Election next spring. Mind you the alternative Prime Minister would be a much worse disaster for our energy policy - so it would be a bit of a catch 22 for the voters.

ABBOTT PUTS THE ECONOMY BEFORE GREEN ALARMISM

This article shows the attitude of the Australian Prime Minister towards jobs in the fossil fuel industry - he supports them and will not allow green ideology to sacrifice them in order to reduce CO2 emissions further than his 5% target. Meanwhile the UK government seems still to be set on its pathway towards an unachievable target of 80% reductions by 2050. By which time they will be a faint memory in the minds of the voters.

REST OF THE WORLD CARRIES ON INCREASING CO2 EMISSIONS AND IGNORES THE UK

Here's the bottom line which shows that the UK, the EU, and the USA are all being ignored, not only by China and India, but also by a whole lot of other medium- sized industrial nations. Not only will we not be likely to achieve our targets on CO2 reductions, but even if we did (while at the same time destroying our economy), it would make no noticeable difference to total emissions and so could not possibly affect climate.

MANN PROVED WRONG AGAIN!

This article refers to a new paper on tree rings as a proxy for past surface temperatures and the conclusion seems to be that the sensitivity of the climate to changes in CO2 is not as high as was previously predicted by Mann. After his hockey stick temperature graph was de-bunked this will come as another blow for Mann.

EX-ENVIRONMENT MINISTER'S SPEECH RATTLES CLIMATE ALARMISTS

This article looks at response of the UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC) to the recent speech by the government's former Environment Minister, Owen Paterson, in which the CCC try to deny that there is a serious problem over the government seeking to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. It is clear that they are unable to provide strong reasons why continuing along the path set by the CCC will not result in disaster.

LOONEY BOOK BY SO CALLED CLIMATE EXPERTS

Here is a link to a review of a book which purports to give a scientifically-based prediction of life in the future for a world affected by global warming. It is quite a long review, but considering it is given by a person who is a declared believer in serious problems associated with global warming, it is a damning review. The book's authors, Oreskes and Conway, are, supposedly, widely noted experts in the politics and intellectual history of the climate change controversy. They teach, respectively, at Harvard University and the Cal Tech, and the book in question was published by Columbia University Press, one of the world’s most esteemed academic presses. Such widely respected public figures as Elizabeth Kolbert and Timothy E. Wirth provide effusive endorsements on the back cover.

On reading the review you will learn just how foolish the book is. At only 52 pages, one wonders just who the book is aimed at. Could it be young impressionable children? You will also read a more sinister aim of the book, which is to denigrate the free democracies of the West and praise the harsh and repressive regime of China as somehow superior. I am not sure if the authors are totalitarians first and see climate change as a vehicle to reach that goal, or are they simply climate alarmists who see the only way to reverse their perceived Armageddon is by invoking totalitarianism. Either way, as the reviewer shows us, they are completely nutty in so many ways. Their thinking is superficial and incoherent. 

CARNEY - "OIL MUST REMAIN IN THE GROUND"

This article highlights a worrying concern, in that a man in a very senior position, Governor of the Bank of England, is actually talking down some of the UK's biggest companies. He is entitled to believe what he wants, but when his beliefs are contrary to the interests of our biggest companies it is surely better if he keeps quiet, or finds a better way to express them. Oil companies are in business to find and extract and refine oil and sell it. That is what they exist to do. If Carney believes they should not be doing it then he is not in the right job.

"SCRAP THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT", SAYS EX MINISTER WHO VOTED FOR IT

This article explains why Owen Paterson has changed his mind, and now realises what a disaster the 2008 Climate Change Act was. What a pity he and his fellow MP's did not give it a bit more thought before voting for it. It is a startling example of what can happen when groupthink takes over from individual rational thought. It is similar to a lynch mob mentality. Owen Paterson should nevertheless be congratulated for having the courage to admit he was wrong. What is now needed is for a lot of his colleagues to do the same.

THE GREEN JOBS MIRAGE

This report looks at the predictions by the government of 400,000 new green jobs made in 2009 and how this has worked out in practice. Yes, you've guessed it - the reality has been rather feeble, with the cost of each job an eye-watering sum of over £600,000 each. No wonder the public has lost trust in government predictions.

TIME TO RE-ADJUST CLIMATE POLICY TO MATCH REAL DATA - ROSS McKITRICK

Here is a link to the article. Surely governments will soon have to re-visit their policies in the light of the 18 year pause in global warming. If the West continues on its current path then its policies will become increasingly unpopular as fuel and energy costs rise ever higher.

STUDENTS ATTACK FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY

Here is the latest attempt by student activists to get their universities to sell their shares in the fossil fuel industry. In this case the students of Glasgow University have persuaded the Board to go along with it, and more universities are to follow, according to the article. But is this in the best interests of the fund? Surely the fund should have the best investments if the university is to balance its budget and keep the cost of tuition down. Maybe some more rational students ought to mount a challenge in the courts to reverse this?

SEA LEVEL RISE SLOWING DOWN SAYS NEW STUDY

This report looks at a recent study into sea level rise. Its findings show that the rate of rise is slowing down, which is the opposite of what climate alarmists keep saying. Here we see, once again, a situation where there is controversy and clearly no settled science. It just shows how difficult it is to measure the tiny changes in sea level which are being measured against the massive movements of the oceans due to currents, wind and other factors.

CARBON STORAGE AND CAPTURE - WORKING PLANT REVEALS THE HUGE COST

Here are the facts fully exposed by Richard North. I hope that this gets an airing in the MSM, as it is scary stuff. Surely our government would never allow this to happen in the UK, or the USA, Would they? 

MORE CLIMATE DATA FIDDLING IN AUSTRALIA

This piece explains what is happening. It looks as though the government weather agency, or Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is now under strong pressure to respond to the evidence that some very intrepid sceptic scientists have found. This story is worth watching.

See our earlier report here.

LIB DEM MINISTER, VINCE CABLE, ADMITS GREEN TAXES ARE HURTING INDUSTRY

This article relates comments made by the UK Minister for Business that higher green taxes in the UK are causing difficulties for energy intensive businesses, making them less competitive than other EU nations. Finally the government are getting the message, but will they act? 

WILD FIRES ARE NOT LINKED TO CO2 OR GLOBAL WARMING SAYS EXPERT

This article contains a lot of facts about large wild fires in the USA which categorically show that there is no link between the fires and CO2. Many of the biggest fires were in the past before CO2 levels had increased by much.

DRAX, BIOMASS AND CO2

Here is an interesting article on the value of changing from coal to wood chips as a fuel for the Drax power station in the UK. The quantities of fuel are staggering and the logistics also deserve a lot of thought. In the end is it worth it? The answer is - only because of the government subsidy.

"GREENHOUSE GASES" ARE BENEFICIAL TO OUR CLIMATE SAYS REPORT

This article makes a powerful case for CO2 and H2O being beneficial to climate and not a likely cause of global warming. It is a plea for us to look at the actual results as opposed to theoretical calculations. With such a complex thing as climate this is a very valid point.

MEDICAL JOURNAL SAYS CLIMATE CHANGE IS MORE URGENT THAN EBOLA

If you thought that the medical profession should focus on healing the sick, then you ought to read this article published by the BMJ (British Medical Journal). My reaction was to wonder why on earth the BMJ would be focusing its attention on the climate change debate instead of informing its members about the latest research into the world of medicine. When I visit a doctor I do not want to be lectured about global warming, but perhaps I am old-fashioned.

WHAT A WONDERFUL CLIMATE WE HAD IN THE PAST!

Here's another excellent post from Paul Homewood. He shows just how "wonderful" the climate used to be, in this case in China. He has looked at other examples in previous posts. His point is well made, there never has been a perfect climate. We simply have to accept the climate we have and learn to adapt to it.

ANTARCTIC ICE - RECORD HIGH CONTINUES

Here is a story that seems to have escaped the mainstream media. I have not seen it mentioned once on the TV news bulletins. I wonder why? Could it be that it might make the public ask a few awkward questions about the global warming narrative? Perhaps we will be told that it is caused by global warming, ah but there hasn't been any for 17 years someone might reply. "Oh, yes there has," an alarmist would reply. "Oh, no there hasn't," say the records!

REPORT ON THE LATEST CLIMATE SUMMIT

This report in the Telegraph by Christopher Booker shows that the nations of the world are still a very long way from agreeing about what to do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In fact Booker seems doubtful that any useful agreement will be reached at all. It is the expected response in light of the fact that reducing CO2 by any meaningful amount would cause severe negative economic consequences, and no political leader really believes otherwise. When you add on the proposed wealth transfer from richer nations to poorer ones the consequences are simply nuts. Booker has summed it up very well.

TEN WAYS TO TELL THE CLIMATE SUMMIT ISN'T ABOUT CLIMATE

This piece by Roy Spencer neatly makes the point that the latest climate summit, like all the others, is simply a front for political action. The climate is merely a convenient cover story, an excuse. Roy is one of the senior scientists behind the UAH satellite temperature data set, and he has a wealth of experience on which to base his opinion.

NEW MOLTEN SALT-COOLED NUCLEAR REACTOR COULD REVOLUTIONISE ENERGY PROVISION

Here is the article which explains the new technology which appears to have exciting possibilities for cheap, plentiful, safe electricity. This looks like a much better future than relying on thousands of wind turbines with all the problems of intermittent, unreliable electricity.

CLIMATE CHANGE "DENIERS" SHOULD BE TRIED FOR TREASON AND JAILED - ROBERT KENNEDY ET AL

This article gives all the details, though I could not get the brief video clip of Kennedy to work. Hopefully all this talk is just that, but when it comes from prominent politicians it does make you wonder if such totalitarian ideas could ever be enacted.

AUSTRALIAN MET OFFICE FORCED TO PUBLISH DETAILS OF TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENTS

The article below explains the details. It has only happened because of the determined efforts of Jennifer Marohasy and Joanne Nova. Well done, and also credit to the Australian for having he courage to publish it. The climate change lobby is very powerful.

     The Australian
     September 11, 2014 12:00AM

Graham Lloyd
Environment Editor
Sydney

THE Bureau of Meteorology has been forced to publish details of all
changes made to historic temperature records as part of its
homogenisation process to establish the nation's climate change trend.

Publication of the reasons for all data adjustments was a key
recommendation of the bureau's independent peer review panel which
approved the bureau's ACORN SAT methodology.

BoM posted a new site on its ACORN SAT website on Monday, two weeks
after being questioned by The Australian about the transparency of
its homogenisation process.

Independent researchers had been calling for publication of BoM's
methodology for more than two years.

They described publication of the data as a "big win".

A spokesman for BoM said "publication of this table meets the Bureau
of Meteorology response to the recommendations of the Independent
Peer Review Panel".

The peer review panel commended BoM's homogenisation process but said
the bureau should be more open and transparent.

It said "a list of adjustments made as a result of the process of
homogenisation should be assembled and maintained and made publicly
available, along with the adjusted temperature series".

"Such a list will include the rationale for each adjustment," the
peer review panel said.

BoM has been under fire over changes to individual temperature
records where cooling trends had been changed to warming trends.

The bureau has said changes were necessary to compensate for
non-climatic factors such as a site move or change in measuring
equipment or in comparison with nearby sites.

Defenders of BoM have accused detractors of cherrypicking examples to
question the bureau's methodology and concentrating on "a few
potential errors in the data".

BoM was unable to provide The Australian with details to substantiate
their claim of a site move at Rutherglen in Victoria where the
minimum temperature trend had been changed from a cooling trend of
0.35C in the raw data to 1.73C warming after homogenisation. The
official station record said there had been no site move at Rutherglen.

ENERGY RETURNED ON ENERGY INVESTED (EROEI)

This article explains the meaning of this important concept. It is not something that has been mentioned in the media, but I think when you read about it you will think it should be. What it means is that most of the renewable energy systems that are currently being adopted are simply not viable to serve a modern society. Has anyone told our political leaders about this?  

ARCTIC ICE - WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MELTING?

This piece from "Not a lot of people know that" blog by Paul Homewood looks at the recent report that the Arctic ice is making a come back, and discusses the real reasons for the recent past when it has been melting. The truth the piece reveals is that there are several factors at work including ocean currents that have had a warming effect. These ocean currents have a warming phase for a period of years followed by a cooling phase. Reliable data on the Arctic just hasn't been long enough to  really show us what is happening.

CLIMATE SCIENCE IS NOT SETTLED

This essay by a prominent USA politician and scientist spells out the flaws in the "science [of climate change] is settled" mantra. As the article points out, there is plenty of disagreement on the details.

SCIENTISTS CALCULATE A "FAIR" SYSTEM TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE

This Guardian piece gives some of the ideas from the report. The "solutions" they come up with are completely off the wall and no democratically elected government could accept the kind of payment suggested for the USA to come up with. It is nothing short of a massive wealth transfer scheme based on the increasingly dodgy science that climate alarmists are coming up with. All this in the face of a pause in surface temperature that has now lasted for 17 years or more. 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA VOTES NOT TO SELL ITS FOSSIL FUEL SHARES

This report shows that it is not easy to persuade universities to divest themselves of their fossil fuel stocks. In the real world universities want their funds to perform well and are not minded to be too dogmatic about which companies they hold. Common sense trumps dogma - this is something that idealists find hard to understand.

CAN WIND AND SOLAR REALLY COMPETE WITH GAS?

This piece on Bishop Hill looks at an article in the Financial Times which appears to claim that wind and solar can compete on price in some favourable locations with gas. It seems unlikely and after a little probing by the Bishop it looks as though there is at least some fudging going on. One has to wonder why these claims are made when they are so easily shot down after a bit of digging.

GREEN TAXES THREATEN NORTH EAST INDUSTRIES

This article explains how a coalition of all three main UK political parties has come together to plead for less imposed taxes on energy. If not, they say that many companies cannot survive against international competition from countries that do not impose such taxes.

At last our politicians are waking up. Read their debate here with some words of wisdom from those who realise that their constituents jobs are on the line. 

ANNOUNCING THE OZONE HOLE RECOVERY WAS POLITICAL PROPAGANDA

That is, according to this article by Matt Ridley. He makes a very convincing case, as usual. We must all be aware that we are being manipulated by some very cunning people who are very determined to get their way.

UPDATE ON THE DATA-FIDDLING IN OZ

The story of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) being found to have altered (homogenised) the temperature data has been reported in a major newspaper, resulting in some admissions by the BoM, see here. Of course many of the main media, both in Australia and here in the UK have failed to report the story at all.  

STOP PEOPLE OWNING THEIR OWN CAR SAYS LABOUR MP

This article explains how Alan Whitehead MP for Southampton Test has suggested that private car ownership should be a thing of the past, in order to "beat climate change". To think that this man was elected by the citizens of Southampton, my nearest city, and he repays their trust by wishing to take away their cars.

MAJORITY OF CONSERVATIVE MP's DO NOT BELIEVE IN CAGW

This article refers to a recent survey of UK politicians and finds that almost half of them are climate sceptics. It is even higher among Conservatives with around 70%. Of course this was an anonymous survey and it is still a big step for any politician to come out as a sceptic. Most would think that this will alienate a section of their voters and so they will keep quiet. 

SHALE REVOLUTION TO BRING DOWN WORLD FOOD PRICES

The Financial Express, 19 August 2014 (http://www.financialexpress.com/news/shale-gas-to-drag-world-agro-prices-lower/1280505/0)

Tejinder Narang

Diminishing ethanol demand will trigger a fall in corn prices and also lead to lower wheat & rice values.

The "gale of shale" is hitting the US and the world with surplus energy. In 2000, shale was 2% of natural gas supply; in 2012, it was about 37%; and will be about 65% within the next two decades. The US is poised for shipping out shale gas in liquefied form as net exporter of energy. According to some analysts, crude oil prices may be clipped by 30% (say, from $100 to $70 per barrel) in the foreseeable future. American motorists are consuming less gasoline, thereby limiting the blend of biofuels like ethanol. The "energy security" lobby of the US is no longer supportive of biofuels.

Ethanol is produced from corn in the US. (Brazil and India produce ethanol from sugarcane.) Apart from human consumption, corn is extensively consumed by livestock as animal feed. About 970 million tonnes of corn is produced worldwide-the largest single crop in the world. Wheat is around 700 million tonnes, rice is 470 million tonnes and soybean about 300 million tonnes.

The US's maize output, the highest among all countries, is about 360 million tonnes. Out of this, 36% (130 million tonnes) of corn is consumed for ethanol. With sufficiency and viability of shale gas, the future demand of ethanol will shrink, resulting into demand compression of corn, especially in the US, and its price will move southwards in the coming years.

SHALE REVOLUTION TRANSFORMING THE WORLD

 Wells sunk as little as three years ago are being fracked again, the latest innovation in the technology-driven shale oil revolution. Thanks to the dual-deployment of horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing, oil and gas firms have unlocked massive new reserves across the United States, completely transforming America's energy fortunes in just a matter of years. It's a common but very serious mistake to predict the future based on what holds true today. In this case, those who have predicted the demise of the shale revolution may soon be forced to eat their words. The pace of technological change is accelerating, redefining possibilities along the way. --Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest, 20 August 2014 (http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2014/08/20/refracking-ready-to-rejuvenate-shale-revolution/)

CLIMATE CHANGE IN ANCIENT EGYPT WITH NO CHANGE IN CO2

This piece on the climate changes in ancient Egypt show how dramatic changes in climate are nothing new and do not require any change in CO2 levels in order to occur.

GLOBAL WARMING POLICIES HAVE LED TO WAR AND TERRORISM

This article explains the reasoning behind the headline. It is clear that by not exploiting fossil fuels fully, the West has become reliant on unsavoury regimes, and pushed up the price of them. It's a disaster of their own making and all too avoidable.

BIAS AND FRAUD FROM THE WARMIST PROPAGANDIST MOVEMENT

This report describes in clear language just what was wrong with the paper by Cook et al which received such wide coverage by an uncritical media. It was cited by several very prominent politicians, and yet now its reputation lies in tatters. It has been completely discredited in the brief report linked above. Not only is their own reputation discredited, but it has discredited the whole warmist cause that it was designed to support. 

UK MET OFFICE DIVERSIFY INTO WIND ENERGY

This report explains how the Met Office are now in business to promote wind energy as well as their weather forecasting. Some might say there is a conflict of interest between their role of advising the government on climate change science and offering services in the field of wind turbines. If their climate change forecasts turn out to be wrong then the wind turbines may also turn out to be a bad deal.

UN HAS COMPETITION TO FIND CLIMATE ACTIVIST TO LOBBY ITSELF

This news story at the BBC tells us a lot about how the UN works. It seems that the UN are not content to wait and see what the public thinks, they are intent on grooming activists to come to their meeting and "persuade" the delegates to act in the way they want them to. Isn't this the ultimate circular argument?

MATT RIDLEY - "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING?"

Here is a good article by Matt Ridley that just about sums up the current state of play regarding this long-running scare. The more the alarmists bluster, the more foolish they look, as the real world unveils the shortcomings of their precious computer models.

PAUL NURSE ATTACKS CLIMATE SCEPTICS USING THREATENING LANGUAGE

This piece describes the views of Sir Paul Nurse the current chairman of the British Science Association. His outburst shows contempt for those who don't agree with his views. He seems blinkered to any other interpretation of the data and models.

JONATHAN PORRITT - LET POOR COUNTRIES CUT DOWN THEIR FORESTS

Here is the article containing the extraordinary view of Prince Charles's advisor.

GLOBAL WARMING HAS BEEN ON HOLD FOR 19 YEARS - NEW PAPER

Here is an article in the Mail which explains the new paper. We are now witnessing a very prolonged pause indeed and those advocating catastrophic warming will have to come up with something convincing pretty soon. People are often too trusting, but most are not stupid.

UK GRID ASKS FOR EXTRA ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIES ASAP

This item gives the details. It appears that due to some power stations going down the fine line between supply and demand is getting rather thin and power cuts are a possibility.

ARCTIC MELTDOWN MYTH EXPOSED

This article in the Mail simply exposes the exaggeration that has been going on. While there is no doubt that the Arctic has been warming in the recent past, this has happened in the past and could easily be largely due to natural causes.

CLIMATE SCIENTISTS TO APPORTION BLAME TO CO2 FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

Remember in the latest IPCC report that they admitted that it was not possible to attribute blame for individual extreme weather events to increases in CO2. Well now it appears that some climate scientists want to go to that extra stage. This article on Joanne Nova's blog has all the details including a link to an article in New Scientist which had the original article. The repercussions of this, as the article says, are potentially massive as they suggest that it could lead to weather forecasts telling us that some extreme event was made worse by CO2. Whether they can get away with such outrageous exaggeration is something else.  As this is not (yet) mainstream science I expect a number of climate scientist will speak out against it. We will just have to wait and see. 

JUDGE GRANTS INJUNCTION AGAINST ANTI-FRACK PROTESTORS IN UK

This article explains how fracking company Cuadrilla has helped local farmers obtain an injunction preventing anti-fracking people from setting up an encampment on their land. At least it is a small victory for the law-abiding people who just want to get on with their lives without being disrupted by rent-a-mob groups. Well done that judge!

GREENPEACE IN PANIC OVER EUROPE NEW COAL- FIRED POWER STATIONS

This article looks at the way Germany and other EU states are building new coal-fired power stations. Greenpeace are panicking that we are all doomed as reported in the Guardian. Apparently the increased CO2 emissions across the EU will almost wipe out the UK's savings. So why are we bothering, you may ask?

OBAMA ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO BYPASS SENATE OVER NEW CLIMATE DEAL

This article has the details. It would be very difficult for Obama to get a climate change treaty through the senate, so some suspect he will try and by-pass them. In doing so he would also be ignoring the voters, but he does not need to face them in a third presidential election, so he may not care.

NOW EU TO BAN HIGH POWER VACUUM CLEANERS

First they banned incandescent light bulbs, now they are to ban powerful vacuum cleaners as set out here. Clearly this will only make a miniscule difference to CO2 emissions, but it is still an imposition on the public. Unless there is a show of resistance our leaders will take it as a green light to take more radical measures. If they are to keep to their plan to de-carbonise the country there will be much more stringent measures to come. I wonder what might come next, patio heaters, Christmas decorations?

UPDATE:
Here as expected is an article containing a list of other appliances being considered for the same treatment.

HUNDREDS OF METHANE VENTS DISCOVERED OFF THE USA COAST

This report gives the details of the new discovery. It is not being suggested that the gas is entering the atmosphere, but nevertheless it is yet another example of how much we have still to learn about what is happening on our planet. It is also an opportunity for new technology to use this as a new fuel source.

USA METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY SPLIT ON GLOBAL WARMING

This post gives the lie to all those attempts to maintain that scientists are "97% certain" that humans are causing the climate to change. It refers to a recent survey of members of the USA Meteorological Society, the result of which shows that only just over half of them are in that category. That is the reality.

AUSTRALIAN MET. BUREAU FIDDLING THE DATA

This paper looks at the evidence which is quite compelling. This needs to be much more widely known. How can computer-altered data be better than the original? Such alterations are being made without the public being even aware of it. There are very few scientists who are prepared to speak out. Jennifer Marohasy deserves great credit for doing so.

SUNSPOT CYCLE LATEST UPDATES

Here is an article to keep us updated on what is happening on the surface of our nearest star. Many scientists believe that it is the sun which controls our climate. 

ARE SOLAR PANELS GOING TO BECOME THE MAJOR ELECTRICITY SOURCE OF THE FUTURE OR NOT?

This article says they will, whereas this one says it is unlikely, and this new book says it has been a financial disaster in Spain. I am in no position to forecast what will happen, but even if new types of solar panels become much more efficient, I find it hard to see that battery storage will solve the issue of night time storage.

WIND FARM NEEDS 700 TIMES MORE LAND THAN FRACKING SITE

This article gives the details that show that in order to produce the same amount of energy, a wind farm needs 700 times as much land as a site for fracking. This neatly compares the two energy sources and shows their intensity. 

37 HOURS SAVED BY GERMANY AT A COST OF $110 BILLION

This article explains that the Germans are spending these eye-watering sums on wind and solar energy to delay the doubling of CO2 by just 37 hours . It includes an interview with Bjorn Lomborg who makes the claim. Yet more arguments that show how the developed world is getting very poor value for money.

1.5 MILLION UK JOBS AT RISK FROM EU GREEN POLICIES

Green policies imposed by Brussels are endangering 1.5m UK jobs by saddling manufacturers with high energy costs, an influential group of business leaders has warned. A report published on Wednesday by Business for Britain (BfB), a Eurosceptic lobby group, says that EU policies are to blame for up to 9 per cent of costs on energy bills for industrial companies and warns this could rise to 16 per cent by 2030. Manufacturers are now considering moving their operations to countries where energy is cheaper, risking "devastating" job losses in the UK, it warns. --Emily Gosden, The Daily Telegraph, 13 August 2014 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/11029681/EU-green-energy-laws-put-1.5m-UK-manufacturing-jobs-at-risk.html)

UK HEATWAVE PREDICTION NOW OFFICIALLY DROPPED

In previous posts I have referred to a prediction made by Piers Corbyn of Weather Action that the UK would be experiencing a heat wave in August. After the colder than usual weather at the start of the month, due to ex-hurricane Bertha, it was looking unlikely. I have now heard from Piers that he no longer expects a heat wave. His forecast did not allow for the track taken by Bertha which has moved the hot air out of the way.

CALIFORNIANS SPLIT OVER REFINERY'S FUTURE

 Essentially, you have on one side overwhelmingly white, often very-affluent greens, allied with powerful Democratic politicians, arrayed to obstruct the refinery. On the other side, you have minorities, many of them union members, whose livelihoods and high-paying jobs depend on the refinery. Many of today's progressives not only are determined to protect their privileges, but seek to limit the opportunities for pretty much everyone else. --Joel Kotkin, New Geography, 4 August 2014
(http://www.newgeography.com/content/004455-democrats-risk-blue-collar-rebellion)

MOST AMERICANS ARE CLIMATE SCEPTICS - NEW SURVEY

Only 41 percent of Americans believe that 'most scientists agree that climate change is happening now caused mainly by human activities.' --James P. O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 August 2014 (http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-nation/2014/08/10/Survey-Climate-Change-Impact/stories/201408100110)

USA CLIMATE POLICY ON COAL NOT EFFECTIVE

This report looks at the policy of the Obama administration to stop lending money for the building of new coal-fired power stations around the world. The idea was to set an example for other nations and international organisations to follow, and so stop the building of them. But, as the article explains, this has not worked and hundreds of new plants are being built using other sources of finance. A good example of a free market working.

MURRY SALBY - OSTRACISED FOR DARING TO PRESENT A PAPER WITH A CONCLUSION THAT CONTRADICTS THE GLOBAL WARMING HYPOTHESIS

This piece gives a good account of the problems faced by scientist Murry Salby when he tried to publish a paper which gave an alternative explanation of the change in atmospheric CO2 concentration. His story reveals a lot about the unhealthy way that climate science is carried out.

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE SEEMS TO BE GONE WITH THE WIND (TURBINES)

This article from Christopher Booker looks at the dream of Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, of supplying all their electricity from wind turbines. It is this policy, as well as his insistence that he will share the pound, that is causing his independence dream to be dashed on the rocks. Personally I would love to see Scotland go its own way, as it exerts far too much influence on the UK Parliament, as well as costing us a disproportionate amount of money. However it will not happen as the scots are far too canny to let go.

UK GOVERNMENT WINS APPEAL TO REDUCE SUBSIDY TO COAL POWER STATION CONVERTING TO BIO-MASS

The UK government has successfully appealed against a court ruling which would have meant that the owners of the coal-fired Drax power station would have qualified for a higher subsidy.

This report gives the details. It appears that the government has reneged on an earlier agreement to grant the higher subsidy. What does this mean for other companies who think about agreeing to accept the government's bribes?