AT LEAST 20% OF THE ENTIRE EU BUDGET WILL BE SPENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Check it out here and then wonder, like me, what all this is about. Who is benefitting from all this tax being siphoned off in a completely non-transparent way.

ANTARCTIC GLACIER MELTED AT THE SAME RATE 8000 YEARS AGO

This article gives more evidence that this glacier's melt rate is not necessarily a cause for concern as it has happened in the past, like a lot of things to do with the climate.

BAIT AND SWITCH IN THE CLIMATE DEBATE

Here is a great article which I recently came across. It is a thoughtful piece which explains how alarmists try to twist the arguments on to ground where they have stronger arguments, rather than debating the actual issues raised by sceptics. Warren Meyer is a very perceptive man.

SHORT VIDEO OF MET OFFICE GUESSING THE CLIMATE

This video is very embarrassing for the Met Office, in particular, Dame Julia Slingo, as it witnesses her "forecasting" drier winters only two years ago, following two very dry winters. She then, of course blames these dry winters on global warming. It is priceless stuff and reduces her credibility to zero. Who could now take anything she forecasts any more seriously than someone with a handful of damp seaweed. No wonder they nick-name her "Senna the Soothsayer".

TESTIMONY FOM TOP CLIMATE SCIENTIST - "WE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH"

This article explains what Judith Curry told the USA senate recently. It has attracted little publicity, but nevertheless it is important as so few working scientists of her seniority are prepared to speak out frankly. Her words are damning for the alarmists.

COUNCILLOR BLAMES WEATHER ON CO2 EMISSIONS

In my local district council the following question has been tabled for this evening's meeting by one of the small band of Liberal Democrat members:

COUNCIL MEETING – MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2014

PORTFOLIO HOLDER QUESTIONS UNDER STANDING ORDER 22A

From:  Cllr D Harrison (Liberal Democrat)

To:  Cllr E Heron, Environment Portfolio Holder

“On the 24 October 2011, Conservative Councillor Derek Tipp submitted a motion to Council, seconded by Conservative Councillor Allan Glass, on Climate Change. During the debate, Conservative Councillors supported the motion and indeed voted it through. It called on the Government, urging it not to make commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions further or faster than other major industrialised nations.

How many more extreme weather events, causing hardship to businesses and communities all around the country and a great deal of extra work for our staff, will it take to make your fellow Conservative Councillors think again about trying to influence government policy in the wrong direction?”

 

As you can see it refers to a motion I submitted back in 2011 which was passed by an overwhelming majority. I am sure Cllr. Heron will have no difficulty in explaining to Cllr. Harrison that extreme weather events occur randomly and do not herald a change in the climate. The inference of his question is that Harrison welcomes radical and costly measures to increase the rate of reduction in CO2 emissions. He may find this is not the most popular stance.

 

I will update this post after the meeting

UPDATE - Poor Cllr. Harrison had difficulty being heard above the laughter as he attempted to convince a sceptical council that he seriously believed that CO2 was responsible for the recent flooding. Cllr. Heron gently mocked his naivety. His follow-up question was lost amidst further hilarity. Oh dear!

MET OFFICE MADE ANOTHER DUD FORECAST

This report in the Mail reveals that the Met office computer was of no use again in predicting a long range forecast of a few months. They have stopped giving out these forecasts to the public. The question is - why do they bother at all?

More on this here.

UK INDUSTRY IN THIRD WORLD-STYLE SHUTDOWNS

This piece describes the situation where factories are having to shut down to avoid massive energy bills, with staff sitting in the cold.

BURNING BIOMASS SOME PERTINENT FACTS

Here is another excellent piece from Matt Ridley which looks at the facts about burning wood as is being done in the UK's Drax power station. It is not nearly as environmentally friendly as the alarmists would believe.

EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON UK STORMS FROM MATT RIDLEY

Here Matt Ridley explains how the insults being hurled at climate sceptics are misplaced and unnecessary as the alarmists still hold nearly all the cards. Only the facts are on the side of sceptics.

THE HOCKEY STICK STORY

The hockey stick is central to the climate alarmist case and its credibility has been completely demolished by statisticians Steve McIntyre and Ross McKittrick. The problem is that understanding the issue is very difficult for non-statisticians and so despite the fact that the hockey stick is not credible it is still being used. Here is an excellent readable account of the rise and fall of the hockey stick.

THE MEDIEVAL WARM PERIOD - WORLD-WIDE EVIDENCE

Supporters of climate alarmism always tell us that the medieval warm period was not a world-wide phenomenon, but that it only occurred in northern Europe. That was the line taken in the climate course I have been doing. If they were to admit that the medieval warm period occurred world wide, then they would have to explain why no catastrophic consequences took place. This article/a> shows that studies all over the world have revealed a medieval warm period. It appears to be one of the best kept secrets in climate science 

More evidence Here

POLITICIANS CLAIM "FLOODS ARE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE"

This BBC news item highlights both Labour and Conservatives falling over themselves to claim that climate change was a factor in the recent floods, despite he fact that "mainstream" climate scientists have claimed this is not so. See this article. When politicians start to claim they know more than the experts you know politics is leading the science.

THE THINGS THE COMPUTER CLIMATE MODELS LEAVE OUT

This piece from the Watts Up With That blog looks at the phenomenon of "dust devils" and the important part they play in cooling the surface. They may seem to be a small part of our climate, but they are, apparently not included in the computer models which are claimed to predict our future climate. In fact they are just one out of many things that cannot be modelled, which is why the predictions are so inaccurate. Without them the whole climate scare falls flat.

VOTE GREEN, GO TOTALITARIAN

This piece on the BBC refers to an announcement from the (tiny) UK Green Party that all ministers and senior civil servants who do not share their view of global warming should be sacked. I wonder how they would go about finding the views of all these people. Maybe they will have to sign a statement or even swear an oath. The mind boggles.

UK FLOODS NOT CAUSED BY GLOBAL WARMING

This article reports on Lord Lawson's comments on the issue. It is nonsense that some alarmists try to blame global warming (aka climate change) on the current floods. As Lawson says, there is no scientific evidence for this.

LATEST ON SEA LEVEL RISE

This report give the tide gauge data for the UK south coast and compares this with the forecast rise made by the Met Office. I know readers will be surprised to find that the forecast is way higher than the data. This kind of thing is so common that some people think it may be deliberate.

BACK TO WORK

I am now getting back to normal after my holiday. On returning I have gone through all the emails and letters, and caught up with all the back-log. In particular I have covered the missing weeks of my online climate course. As I expected the course is heavily biased towards an alarmist point of view. My aim is to put forward comments to try to show that there is more than on side, but of course I am seriously outnumbered. Nevertheless I hope to make a few students read something they would never look at and read otherwise.  

NO BLOGGING UNTIL 11 FEB.

I am putting up my carbon footprint by flying to the Canary Islands and will not have time to blog. For the benefit of readers in the UK I can report that is hot and sunny. Just the sort of weather to be out doors and to relax in.

FINAL FIGURES FOR GLOBAL SURFACE TEMPERATURE DATA SETS

Here is a good summary of the 2013 global temperatures from the four leading data sets. The conclusion is that the pause continues.

FRACKING PROTESTORS TURNING UP THE HEAT

This piece describes the recent goings on here in the UK where anti-frackers are trying to intimidate the firm that is trying to assess the potential for gas underneath us.

ONLINE CLIMATE COURSE UPDATE

Regular readers may recall that I signed up to take part in an online climate change course. I am now in the third week and a few controversial matters have cropped up as you can see if you look at the clip here. At ten minutes in there is a piece on the residence time of CO2, where Prof Lenton asserts that CO2 could remain in the atmosphere for up to "hundreds of thousands" of years, and at twelve minutes the infamous Mann Hockey Stick graph was pushed forward. I believe the majority of students are firmly in the alarmist camp, but I still try to gently point out the fact that, although I accept that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, there are many points, like those pointed out in the clip, where there is fierce genuine disagreement on the science.    

MEDIEVAL WARM PERIOD - HOW WARM AND HOW EXTENSIVE WAS IT?

The debate on the extent of global warming often leads to a discussion on the Medieval Warm Period and so it is useful to look at the evidence for its extent and warmth This piece looks at this and shows that it was in fact very widespread, in contradiction to the IPCC which states it to be confined to northern Europe.