CO2 CAN CAUSE COOLING!

A new paper makes the rounds, and at first glance it seems to offer yet another twist in the climate narrative: carbon dioxide, the molecule typically cast as the principal agent of warming, can apparently induce cooling—at least over India, at least in summer, and at least within the confines of a particular modeling framework.

 CO2 Causes Cooling? What Climate Models Show

THE DECOMMISSIONING TIME BOMB

Although most offshore windfarms are creating paper provisions neither they nor their parent companies are accumulating ring-fenced cash to fund decommissioning at the end of life. That analysis was based on wind farm companies’ own estimates of decommissioning liabilities. Now new data published by Scroby Sands windfarms indicates that estimates of the decommissioning costs are likely way too low, the bomb is much bigger than we thought and has the fuse has just been lit. 

Scroby Sands Lights the Fuse of the Decommissioning Timebomb

IS THE UK GOVERNMENT GUILTY OF TREASON?

 The question is discussed in the very interesting article below which comes from his substack Eigen Values, MPs Put Net Zero Above Energy Security - by David Turver

MPs Put Net Zero Above Energy Security

Parliamentary vote against more North Sea drilling is tantamount to treason.

David Turver Mar 29 Introduction Last week, there was an Opposition Day on Tuesday 24th March and the Conservatives took the opportunity to force a vote on the UK oil and gas industry. Their motion called on the Government to remove the Energy Profits Levy, end the ban on new oil and gas licences and approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields to increase secure domestic energy supply. Parliament decided to put Net Zero above the national interest and the motion was voted down by 297 votes to 108. Not a single Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform, Restore Britain or SNP MP voted in favour of the motion. Time to explore why this was a catastrophic error and tantamount to treason. Eigen Values is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Upgrade to paid Catalyst for the Oil and Gas Motion The UK’s energy policy has been a disaster for at least two decades, but the catalyst for the Tories to lay this motion was the disruption caused to global oil and gas supply caused by the war in Iran. As a reminder, in peaceful times, about 20% of the world’s oil supply transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the beginning of the war, traffic through the Strait has plunged by 95%. This disruption to supply has caused energy prices to rise significantly. Using the start of February as a baseline, Brent crude prices are up 45% to $96 per barrel on 25 March and UK gas prices are up over 60% to 130p/therm although both prices have dropped a little from their highs. Impact of War in Middle East Supply of oil and gas is likely to remain constrained and prices elevated for some time, even if there is a peace deal because so much infrastructure has been damaged. For instance, Qatar’s Ras Laffan Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) plant has been hit causing extensive damage that has knocked out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity and force majeure has been declared on some export contracts. Repairs will take 3-5 years to complete. Bahrain has declared force majeure after its Sitra oil refinery was attacked and Iraq has cut output from its southern oil fields. Other oil and gas facilities have been hit in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE. The Gulf region is a major global hub for nitrogen-based fertilisers. Qatar has halted production of urea and exports of have been disrupted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz which could lead to a global food crisis. Exports of Helium, critical for semi-conductor manufacture have also been hit. The supply of petrochemicals like polyethylene and polypropylene has been hit which will have downstream impacts on the global plastics industry. The Gulf also accounts nearly a quarter of global sulphur supplies. Sulphur is also used to make sulphuric acid, a critical chemical in making phosphate fertiliser and in refining critical metals like copper, nickel, cobalt and uranium. Aluminium production has also been disrupted, particularly in Bahrain and Qatar, where Norsk Hydro has declared for majeure. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned of the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. Sky News has warned the UK is facing the biggest economic hit from the Iran war of any major country. Some impact is already being felt as China has banned export of fuels like petrol, diesel and aviation spirit, while the CEO of Shell has warned of fuel shortages in Europe as soon as next month. Share UK Vulnerability The UK is vulnerable to events in the Middle East because our industry has been systematically degraded over several decades by misguided governments. We no longer make ammonia, used in downstream products like nitrate fertiliser. Jim Ratcliffe has warned that our chemical and petrochemicals industries are on their knees because of high energy prices and carbon taxes. The UK’s aluminium production has fallen from over 300,000 tonnes in the early 2000’s to less than 50,000 tonnes. Of course UK oil and gas production is down too, forcing us to rely more on imports. Labour Government Response Given that coal, oil and gas provide nearly three quarters of the UK’s energy we might hope that the Government would react decisively to secure energy supplies in the face of such an energy supply shock. But the actual response has been feeble. To protect consumers, there is a new fuel price checking website, called the Cheaper Fuel Finder to combat price gouging. Energy minister Michael Shanks has announced the plug-in solar panels will be available in supermarkets and new homes will be forced to have solar panels and heat pumps installed. This might be termed the chocolate teapot response. Despite the biggest ever oil supply shock and rising energy import dependency, the Government has not made any commitments to increase domestic hydrocarbon supply. At Prime Minister’s questions, Keir Starmer steadfastly refused to overrule Ed Miliband and fast track Jackdaw and Rosebank into production. The Government’s lack of action flies in the face of the Tony Blair Institute, RenewableUK, Offshore Energies UK, Greg Jackson and even backbench Labour MP Henry Tufnell who have all called for more drilling in the North Sea. Upgrade to paid Benefits of North Sea Oil and Gas There are many stories circulating effectively saying that the North Sea is not worth bothering with because it is a mature basin in decline. However, the gas production forecasts from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) assume the current tax and regulatory regime that is discouraging investment remains in place. It is hardly surprising that production falls steeply when no new exploration drilling is allowed. Incidentally, part of NSTA’s mission is to “accelerate the move to net zero” so their pessimistic stance is unsurprising. Ed Conway from Sky has been effective in showing that if we move to a more benign environment production would fall much more slowly. This new scenario uses data from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) that assumes a more benign tax and regulatory regime, but does not include potential gas production from onshore fracking. OEUK has also produced analysis showing oil and gas reserves and resources could almost triple from their low case to a risked 7.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (26.6bn boe, unrisked) with a major shift in regulations and taxes. More domestic oil and gas production will deliver well paid jobs and tax revenue for the Exchequer. Lower tax rates will likely deliver a higher overall tax take. Domestic production will improve energy security through less reliance on imports and improve the trade deficit. Increased gas production will also likely reduce prices because it will displace expensive LNG imports. Ironically, domestic production will also lead to lower emissions of greenhouse gases because the energy intensive processes of cooling, liquefying and shipping LNG will be avoided. Policy Response In the light of the damage being caused by Net Zero and the disruption in the Middle East, a more rational policy response would include abolishing the windfall tax on UK oil and gas production because the marginal tax rate of 78% is discouraging investment. Capital allowances should also be restored. The regulations forcing developers to calculate Scope 3 emissions and electrify offshore installations should also be scrapped or reformed. Regulators like the NSTA should have their mission amended to maximise production. The government should also end the ban on new exploration drilling and lift the moratorium on onshore fracking. Carbon taxes should be abolished to bring down electricity prices and lift the threat to our remaining oil refineries. The most expensive subsidies for renewables, like the Renewables Obligation should also be abolished to further reduce electricity prices and pave the way for tax cuts. More than half the cost of petrol at the pump come from tax, so there should fuel duty should be cut too. Many of these tax cuts could be funded by removing subsidies for EVs, carbon capture, green hydrogen and heat pumps as well as the cuts to the Renewables Obligation. Upgrade to paid Voting Record The vote on the Conservative motion was useful to flush out the enemies of national security and prosperity. As might be expected, the 296 votes against the motion came from the Greens, Labour, Plaid Cymru and Labour-adjacent independents. Nearly 300 MPs voting for energy insecurity and industrial decline. The members recording no vote told their own story. Ed Davey, the Clown of Westminster and leader of the Liberal Democrats, led his MPs to the fence where he parked his ample derriere and rallied his colleagues to follow his determined indecision. Nine SNP MPs, three of them in Aberdeen constituencies including their leader in Parliament Stephen Flynn, could not bring themselves to register a vote. Aberdeen is losing 1,000 jobs per month and these MPs could not be bothered to vote to save their city. Fourteen Tories also registered their indifference to their own party’s motion with four of them, Karen Bradley, Aphra Brandreth, Caroline Dineage and Louie French being members of the green blob organisation, the Conservative Environment Network. At least as troubling was the refusal of Reform and Restore Britain MPs to vote for the Tory motion. Both parties are opposed to Net Zero and want to exploit our energy treasure. Refusing to vote for a motion they agree with smacks of petty infighting, not the principled leadership we need. Interestingly, 118 Labour members abstained too, perhaps indicating that support for Ed Miliband is starting to crumble. North Sea drilling supporter Henry Tufnell also abstained, unable to bring himself to stick to his principles and vote for the Tory motion. Of the 108 MPs voting for the motion, 98 were Tories backed up by Ulster Unionists and a few independents. This is a welcome volte face from the party that brought us Net Zero in the first place. Conclusions The UK is already suffering from high energy prices and deindustrialisation. The war in Iran has caused the largest oil-supply shock in history. As a result, energy prices have risen and the supply chains of many materials that are critical to modern economies have been disrupted. Labour’s response has been feeble. The Tory motion to support more drilling in the North Sea to enhance our energy security was well-timed and has flushed out those who would rather blindly follow Net Zero ideology than act in the best interests of the country. It is almost as worrying that parties who agree with the new Tory policy of abandoning Net Zero could not bring themselves to vote for the motion. We used to have a word for betraying your own country. In the limit, stupidity is indistinguishable from stupidity. But motives matter less than outcomes. Failing to act to secure domestic energy supplies is at best wilful negligence and at worst tantamount to treason. The end of this Parliament cannot come soon enough.

NOW THE MET OFFICE RAINFALL DATA IS SHOWN UP AS DODGY

Whenever the data is put under the spotlight it is found to be questionable. Every time a pronouncement is examined our faith in the Met Office is reduced. Read the latest dodgy data here: 

Record Rainfall In Worcestershire? | NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

TV CLIMATE SCEPTIC COMMENTS BEING INVESTIGATED BY AUTHORITIES

Orwellian activity by the TV watch-dog OFCOM as they go after climate sceptic comments on Talk TV. 

Ofcom accused of 'Orwellian' assault on free speech after launching probes into alleged climate-sceptic comments for first time in almost a decade | Daily Mail Online

CLIMATE ACTIVIST UNIT PUSHES PROPAGANDA TO THE MEDIA

Those of us who understand the difference between climate and weather know that a short spell of extreme weather has no relationship to climate, which is an average of at least thirty years of weather data. It is not credible to claim that "climate change" has affected the weather in terms of a particular event. This is pseudo-science which is developed for political purposes. 

 US Heatwave Brings CCN Lies | NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

CHINA BUILDING A LARGE NUMBER OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

For the last fifty years, the leaders of the world in nuclear power have been the US first and then France second, and by a long way, but China is about to change that global tally board. 

China aims to be the new global king of nuclear power, and no one is paying attention « JoNova

WIND TURBINES ACTUALLY USE ELECTRICITY ON WINDLESS DAYS

  I recently travelled from Southampton to Catterick and saw several wind turbines alongside the motorways. Some were stationary, which seemed as expected as the winds were very light, but some were turning slowly. I wondered where they got the power from. It seemed like they had an electric motor inside them. Apparently this actually is the case, because if they are allowed to remain stationary the heavy weight of the blades can cause the bearings to be deformed which is a very costly job to replace them.

So next time you see wind turbines going round on a day with little or no wind you will know that they are not generating electricity, but in fact using it!

UK LARGEST OIL FIELD WAITS FOR GOVERNMENT GO AHEAD

Britain's largest oil field could be producing millions of barrels a day by the autumn if Ed Miliband gives a green light to its plans, according to its owner.

The Energy Secretary must grant his approval for production to begin at the Rosebank site, which is off the coast of the Shetland Islands and is the North Sea's largest undeveloped site.

The project's owner, Ithaca Energy, said on Wednesday it is 'entering the final stages of development towards first production' - with the site forecast to generate up to 500million barrels of oil and gas.

Britain's largest oil field could be producing millions of barrels a day by autumn... if Ed Miliband says yes | Daily Mail Online

 

ENERGY SECURITY ESSENTIAL TO SURVIVE IN AN UNSTABLE WORLD

The article linked below illustrates perfectly why renewables do not protect against an energy crisis, because they are unreliable. A nations economy cannot function on unreliable energy, such as wind and solar. 

US Energy Strength Exposed by Iran Crisis

INVESTMENT COMPANIES FORCED TO ABANDON ACTIVIST INTERVENTION

Many of you will be aware that large investment companies such as Vanguard have been using their power to force companies to introduce policies which align with the views of their bosses in areas such as climate change. This has now resulted in these companies being taken to court by Republican lead authorities and stopped this oppressive practice.  The settlement draws a bright red line between passive investing and activist corporate governance, effectively removing proxy power from a small group of asset manager stewardship offices and returning it to actual investors.

 Vanguard’s Texas settlement matters far beyond coal – CFACT

YET MORE RESEARCH TO CONFOUND CLIMATE SCIENCE

 New Research: South Australia’s Mid-Holocene Sea Surface Temperatures Were 4°C Warmer Than Today

NEW ANCIENT ICE CORE EVIDENCE CONFOUNDS CLIMATE RESEARCHERS

 BIG NEWS: 3 million year old ice cores flummox researchers — CO2 is irrelevant « JoNova

US RESTORES OIL OPERATIONS OFF CALIFORNIA

The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,” Wright said in a statement. “Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security. Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense.

 U.S. Energy secretary directs Texas oil company to restore operations off California – Climate Depot

UK DEFENCE WEAKENED BY WIND FARMS

Britain is a 'sitting duck' in the face of drone attacks because Ed Miliband's wind farms interfere with radar-based defensive domes, senior defence sources have claimed.

Ministers have been warned the UK lacks any equivalent to Israel's famous 'Iron Dome', which gives it the capability to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitude from 40 miles away. 

Ed Miliband's wind farms could cripple UK 'Iron Dome' anti-missile systems and leave Britain a 'sitting duck', defence experts warn | Daily Mail Online

BATTERY STORAGE - THE FACTS SHOW IT IS A PIPE-DREAM

To achieve just 10 hours of buffer, a capacity of 600 GWh would be required – 24 times the current inventory and representing a material weight of approx. 3 million tonnes. 

Storing Green Energy To Last Germany 10 Days Would Require A 60-Million Tonne Battery

THE ENERGY CRISIS EXPLAINED

Kathryn Porter explains how the electricity system relies on keeping the grid stable and how this is  achieved in practice. It is much more difficult with renewables and the chance of having a blackout is greatly increased compared with traditional power stations using coal or gas. It is a long explanation, but worth reading as Kathryn is very clear with her explanation. 

 Scotland’s energy crisis

OCEAN HEAT CONTENT ESTIMATES MEANINGLESS, SAYS NEW RESEARCH

The paper, published in Science of Climate Change, demonstrates that ocean heat content (OHC) estimates, which underpin the IPCC climate assessments, are based on physically meaningless calculations that violate basic 150-year-old principles of thermodynamics and fail to meet the standards of the scientific method. 

Their findings reveal that the widely cited figure in IPCC AR6 showing Earth accumulating energy at a rate of 0.7 ± 0.2 watts per square meter has an actual uncertainty roughly ten times larger than what the IPCC claims, making the central value “statistically indistinguishable from zero.”

 IPCC Primary Global Warming Metric Is “Scientifically Invalid”

UK GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE SAYS "NET ZERO WILL SAVE MONEY"

The UK climate Change Committee, a government quango set up to advise the government on how to reach net zero has issued a new report.

Net Zero Will Save Money, Says CCC | NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

This is pure 1984 Double Speak propaganda which Paul Homewood easily shows is nonsense in the article above on his website. How long can they get away with this fantasy, when bills go on rising?

EU CARBON CREDITS NOW FLOWING TO NUCLEAR POWER

It is a sign that the end is near for the renewables fantasy — it never made any sense that nuclear power couldn’t earn credits for low emission electricity, unless of course, it accidentally ‘solved’ the climate crisis.

In a sign of the EU’s increasing acceptance of the technology, European Commission chief von der Leyen said the executive Commission would offer a 200-million-euro guarantee for private investments in innovative nuclear technologies.

She said the money would come from the EU’s carbon market. 

It’s a crisis (for renewables): The EU finally start throwing carbon credits at nuclear power « JoNova

USING CAUSTIC SODA TO TRY TO COMBAT GLOBAL WARMING

The geoengineering method known as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) aims to speed up this natural process by resetting the ocean's pH.

Over four days, scientists added vast quantities of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) – an alkaline chemical tagged with a red dye – to the waters off the coast of Boston. 

 Controversial geoengineering project sees scientists pump 65,000 litres of chemicals into the ocean to stop global warming | Daily Mail Online

AFRICA HELD BACK BY HYPOCRITICAL WESTERN NET ZERO ZEALOTS

 The political leadership in Africa knows what is required. Leaders across the continent have shown a willingness to tap domestic gas reserves, develop coal resources, and attract investment in refining and petrochemicals. Western‑based organizations and public development banks have spent years rewriting their lending rules to restrict support for coal projects and, increasingly, for oil and gas infrastructure. Large European and American financial institutions have adopted policies that discourage financing of fossil fuel projects in Africa. 

Poverty in Africa: without fossil fuels growth is impossible

MODERN WARMING "UNREMARKABLE" SAYS NEW ICE CORE STUDY

A new statistical probability analysis (Hatton, 2026) using Vostok temperature data indicates the reported 1.1°C global warming over the last century (since the 1920s) is “not even unusual” within the context of the last 20,000 years, as “16% of the centuries since the end of the last Ice Age show a rise at least as big [1.1°C] as the current century.”

 New Study: Ice Core Data Shows Modern Warming Is Statistically Unremarkable - Climate Change Dispatch

TEN COMMON ARGUMENTS AGAINST CLIMATE SCEPTIC VIEWS DEBATED

A Swiss TV programme was aired to refute 10 common arguments put forward by climate sceptics. The link below goes through them and gives a commentary on the arguments put forward. 

SRF Meteo and Climate Sceptics: A Fact-Check That Falls Apart

WOMEN WHO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE CLIMATE AGENDA

The article linked below lists a number of women including some well known, such as Judith Curry and Jo Nova, but also some that are less well known like  Linnea Lueken, a young woman in her late twenties, who gradually became skeptical during her studies, has been working at The Heartland Institute for several years, and Lucy Biggers who was deeply involved in the climate movement. She even hung out with Greta Thunberg and worked with the pro climate Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (better known as AOC). Also Danielle Carl, a woman who until recently worked in Netflix’s sustainability department, recently spoke at an online event organized by Heartland in Zurich. Finall British banker Desiree Fixler. She worked for years on Environmental Social Governance (ESG).

 Women against climate agenda: from Judith Curry to Lucy Biggers

WHY WE PRETEND CHINA ARE CLIMATE GOOD GUYS

  China’s new five year plans are out, and no matter what they are, the media has to pretend China is a good little carbon player like everyone else.  No one can admit the truth, that China’s emissions are so big everyone else is irrelevant. That China breaks all the rules while cornering the market selling junk wind-and-solar-generators to an audience that doesn’t need them. 

China: the worlds biggest “polluter” misses target, aims lower, wants to govern everyone, and the crowd cheers? « JoNova

UK WINTER NOWHERE NEAR A RECORD BREAKER, SAYS BBC

Provisional statistics from the Met Office show that is not the case, with rainfall so far this season just 9% above average for the UK as a whole - wet, but far from the wettest.

However those national figures mask huge regional variations. Some counties in southern England are on course for their second-wettest winter on record, while much of north-west Scotland has been significantly drier than normal.

 UK winter nowhere near a record breaker despite relentless rain and storms - BBC Weather

NATURE IS DRIVING THE CLIMATE SAYS NEW RESEARCH

Warming across Germany in the last 3 decades can be explained by declining cloud and aerosol albedo and consequent rising solar radiation. Not CO2.

 New Research Reaffirms Clouds, Aerosols, And Surface Solar Radiation Are ‘Driving The Climate System’

FREEDOM OF CHOICE SPELLS DISASTER FOR GERMAN GREENS

Germany  still relies on oil and gas for 80% of its heating needs. The mandate to force people to switch to at least 65% renewables for heating came into place in 2023.

People disliked heat pumps so much they just stopped building new homes. 

“It’s a disaster”: Germans allowed to use oil and gas to heat their homes again « JoNova

TRUMP RE-OPENS RICH FISHING GROUNDS

One of the nation’s richest fishing grounds — put off-limits to commercial use by the Obama and Biden administrations — is once again open for business, courtesy of a proclamation issued by the Trump White House.

 Trump reopens vast swath of waters off northeastern coast to commercial fishing – CFACT

"STOP SUPPORTING NET ZERO GOALS, OR WE QUIT FUNDING YOU"

PARIS: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright gave the International Energy Agency on Thursday a one-year deadline to scrap its support of goals to reduce energy emissions to net zero or risk losing the United States as a member.

 US to West’s energy watchdog: scrap net zero focus or we’ll quit - Markets - Business Recorder