Another plank adopted at the state Republican Convention in Rock Springs on Saturday opposes any new laws or regulations related to the "hypothesis of man-made climate change."
The idea is bound to be controversial, with environmentalists seeing so-called technological solutions to global warming as undermining attempts to promote greener lifestyles and industries.
Falling temperatures will push up electricity demand across South Africa - and with it the real prospect of winter blackouts.
Dr. Don J. Easterbrook, Professor Emeritus Geology, Western Washington University is the author of 8 books, 150 journal publications with a focus on geomorphology; glacial geology; Pleistocene geochronology; environmental and engineering geology (for a summary of his impressive bio click here). He voted for Al Gore in 2000 but now can't forgive him for turning scientific debate in to outrageous propaganda. He has called NASA's James Hansen a "so-called climatologist" "who says things that are idiotic".
It would seem that Geologists who have spent a lifetime studying the long history of the earth have little time for people that don't know what they're talking about. But we've pointed out for sometime that geologists, and even paleontologists, are much less likely to believe in anthropogenic global warming than say a chemist or climatologist. Why? Because they've seen this type of climate change happen many times before, in the history of the rocks and fossils that they study. Dr. Easterbrook does an excellent job of pointing out how current climate conditions pale in comparison to even recent historical climatic events.
A cold, wet spring put crop planting weeks behind schedule across much of the U.S. Corn Belt and drastically slowed growth where corn is already in the ground.
...
The later corn is planted, the less it will yield. Corn planted in mid June in central Illinois, for instance, is likely to produce only about half what it would if planted in early May.
As a scientist who has studied the global warming issue extensively, I can say with high certainty that man's influence on global climate is at best minimal. The temperature data of the recent past does not support the theory of anthropogenic global warming.
Considering the possible economic impact of this legislation, you’d think the paper of record might spend a bit of time analyzing its costs and benefits. But all we get is the vague assurance that “studies” — and “serious” ones at that — make it clear that the bill is an economic winner.
...will we treat the CO2 issue like the ethanol issue and make a rash decision that, within a matter of months, turns out to be a complete bust?
Close your eyes and think of the worst disaster movie you’ve ever seen, OK, do you have it set in your mind’s eye? The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is releasing a report that shows the expected impacts of global warming on the Great Lakes – nearly 95 percent of this nation’s fresh surface water – are much more devastating than anything you could have imagined.From their perspective, it's a problem that we've already got actual data on Great Lakes water levels extending back to 1860 or so.
When asked whether they "believe that the media has overstated the threat of global warming," 86 percent of SBC pastors responded in the affirmative. Seventy-five percent of SBC pastors disagreed with the idea that "the government should take significant action to reduce carbon emissions to combat global warming, even if the action causes serious, negative economic impact on average Americans' living standards."
The carbon credit scam is in full advance around the world and that means there are trillions of dollars to be made. Finally the real reason for the new religion founded by Al Gore is becoming apparent even to those who have refused to see the truth and follow blindly into the man-made global warming abyss.
With the country in the grips of near-hysteria over soaring gasoline prices, Congress begins debate Monday on landmark climate legislation that critics say will substantially increase energy costs – and not produce any of the intended environmental benefits.
He said a team of University of Cape Town students had made a model of the envisaged farm after they had collected data which showed that winds in the area were suitable for driving the turbines.I see no evidence that the people of this "poor fishing community" actually understand the economics of the wind business.
Efforts to control global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, however, were rated at the bottom of the league table, as the economists considered the high costs of such action were not justified by the payoffs.
THE case for keeping petrol prices high can be summed up in two words: global warming.Let's see if voters worldwide buy this argument.
Environment groups have attacked the Government and the Opposition this week for trying to lower prices, saying people must drive less if there is any chance of averting dangerous levels of climate change.
Today we traveled through a forest, or at least the remains of a forest. In a time before the human race evolved there were great pine trees right here on Axle Heiberg thanks to a warmer world and the aid of a micro-climate system that sat above this location. Yes that's right, at one point in time it was warm enough for trees to grow in the high arctic, a place now covered with sparse tundra. Even more amazing is the fact that the trees are still here, in relatively good condition. After the forest died instead of decomposing it went through a process of extreme dryness and cold which mummified the wood, preventing it from rotting. Later it was buried beneath the ground and now as the land is eroding pockets of old wood are showing up.
Its an amazing feeling to be walking though the tundra and to come across tree stumps; the remains of what would have been towering giants, and to picture yourself in the past amongst the trunks of a mighty forest. Who knows, the future may not look that different either.
...no scientific study can show Lieberman-Warner will lower the Earth’s temperature by even .1 degrees. That is why Lieberman-Warner is a “lose-lose.” Not only will it cost the U.S. economy $4.8 trillion by 2030, but it will not affect the Earth’s climate at all.
LOS ANGELES -- While the three remaining presidential candidates have touted climate change as a central theme in their campaigns, all of them may miss next week's critical vote when the Senate considers a landmark bill imposing mandatory limits on greenhouse gases.(Via Benny Peiser)
More oil seems good to me. And somebody needs to pin down the critics on just what sources of energy are acceptable, given that they don't like oil, don't want nuclear, oppose gas drilling, are limiting oil shale, and even get in the way of wind power.
The freezing cold weather of the winter months is a main factor in why some roadkill will have to bake in the summer sun.
The Illinois Department of Transportation will limit the amount of dead animals it removes from the side of highways because of an expensive winter, District 9 operating engineer Kevin Grammer said.
The department had $40 million budgeted for snow and ice removal for the winter and ended up spending $86 million because of weather that coated the region in ice. With rising fuel costs, Grammer said the budget shortfalls are forcing IDOT to limit the number of carcasses it picks up.
I might not know that much about climatology, but I know what I don’t like. And the things that I don’t like include the undermining of free speech, the railroading of opinion, the exploitation of science for political purposes, doom-mongering and misanthropic prejudice. All of these are, to one degree or another, fixtures of the strident crusade around man-made global warming. That is why I have always been instinctively, non-scientifically but seriously sceptical about many of the claims and demands made by the climate change crusaders. It is good to know that others who definitely do know a lot of climatology share some of that scepticism.
BUENOS AIRES, May 29 (Reuters) - Argentina has ordered leading energy distributors to restrict natural gas supplies to industrial users and gas stations to ensure homes have enough gas-fueled heating during a cold spell, industry sources said on Thursday.
A day earlier, Argentina temporarily halted natural gas exports to neighboring Chile as near-freezing temperatures hit Buenos Aires during the southern hemisphere autumn.
Had these scientists found an increase in the total number of tropical cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere, they would need to hire press agents to handle the global coverage. Their work would be front page news all over the world, Time and Newsweek would be all over the story, and thousands of web pages would trumpet the results. However, they found no trends, or even downward trends, in total tropical cyclone frequency over a huge area of the planet – coverage at World Climate Report is about all they can expect.
In sum, Lieberman-Warner is a price-hiking, job-exporting gesture that, as in Europe, will do nothing regarding the climate and likely won’t yield any emissions reductions. Its goal instead is to demonstrate our seriousness of purpose, in the hope that doing so will prompt developing nations to follow suit — despite the fact that those nations have serially and adamantly stated that they have zero intention to do so.
At some point, the voting public will demand their policymakers stop being so frivolous with other people’s economic futures.
Mr. Blair may want to devote less time to convincing Americans how wonderful massive energy taxes will be for their economy, and more time defending the fast crumbling consensus for them in his home country.
In a press conference late Wednesday afternoon, McCain said he did not support the bill sponsored by two of his closest allies, Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) because it doesn't offer enough aid to the nuclear industry, and he would not come to the floor to vote on it.
Environmentalism has provided a convenient argument by which administrations have been able to distance themselves from their duty to provide public services.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The World Bank warned Thursday that an exceptionally high tide could inundate the Indonesian capital next week, forcing thousands of people to flee homes and cutting off the highway to the international airport.Since sea levels rose only about 7 inches in the 20th century, the "Jakarta sinking" problem seems to be about 30 times larger than the "sea rising" problem. Yet if you read the article, you'll see that the carbon dioxide angle gets major play.
The situation — exacerbated by global warming and the fact that Jakarta is sinking up to 2 inches a year — could mean flooding will exceed last November's roof-high levels in the hardest-hit areas, said Hongjoo Hahm, the bank's infrastructure expert.
...
Rising sea waters especially pose a threat to coastal cities like Jakarta, which has sunk at least 7 feet in the last three decades because of excessive ground water extraction, said Hahm.
Dr. Mitch Taylor, a Canadian polar bear expert who tracks polar bear populations, says bear populations will show increases, not decreases, in the 2009 census now underway.
SEOUL, South Korea -- Unseasonably low temperatures are seriously affecting crop growth in North Korea, the country's official news agency said Wednesday, adding to concerns the impoverished nation may face a food crisis.
North Korea's average high temperature in May has been about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit lower than in previous years, with temperatures in northern parts of the nation dipping below the freezing point, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
As part of our commitment to the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and demonstrating green building as a solution to global warming nationally, Global Green USA - in collaboration with Brad Pitt as jury chairman- sponsored an international design competition during the summer of 2006. More than 125 entries competed to design a net zero energy affordable housing and community center development in the Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower 9th Ward.2. From this page:
It was estimated that If 50,000 of the homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina were rebuilt according to the green standards of set by the design competition, residents of New Orleans would save $38 million to $56 million in energy bills every year and eliminate over 1⁄2 million total tons of CO2 – the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.
Parents-to-be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have just purchased a 1,000-acre estate for their growing family in the south of France for $60 million according to E!.
The estate contains 35 bedrooms, a vineyard, lake, forest, moat, swimming pool, billiards room, indoor pool, gym sauna, jacuzzi, and banquet hall. Looks like enough room for the family and then some!
The Bishop of Chester has come under after suggesting that humans might not to blame for global warming, which he said would happen “come what may”.
Friends of the Earth condemned the comments by Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, insisting scientists were united in their certainty that global temperatures were rising because of carbon dioxide emissions, reeports the Liverpool Daily Post.
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But Friends of the Earth said everyone had a responsibility to “wake up to the threat posed by climate change”, adding: “The debate is over. The alarm bells are ringing.”
Nielsen is an agronomist and corn specialist at Purdue. He says corn planted in late May or early June generally produce yields 15% to 20% lower than corn crops planted earlier in the season.
Bull said the tart cherry crop was already looking like it would come in at less than 50 percent of last year’s crop before this cold snap. He said a cold May prevented pollination from being as widespread as normal and earlier cold damaged many buds before they could form blossoms.
“I can state categorically that the cherries have been affected previously and last night may have finished off some of those blocks,” Bull said. “I hope guys have crop insurance.”
Over the past few years, the debate on climate change has shifted profoundly. The scientific consensus that human activity is causing global warming has become overwhelming. The effect of unabated climate change is shocking and, as was shown by the report of Sir Nicholas Stern -- the first authoritative study of the economics of climate change, commissioned by the British government in 2006 -- it is far riskier economically to ignore climate change than to act to abate it.
Developing countries would sell the climate bonds to investors, and the proceeds would finance carbon-cutting projects, said the U.N.'s top climate-change official, Yvo de Boer. Mature bonds could be converted into emissions credits, he said.
The Stevenson Screen housing the thermometer is about 5 feet away from each tank, while the concrete building in the background is some 50 feet away. You’d think that they could have placed the station a little further away. Again, as we’ve seen time and time again, the placement is not often about the best location, it is about convenience for the observer.
The GISS graph of temperature over the station history shows a fairly strong warming trend from about 1980 to the present. The question is, how much of that is from increased throughput of the sewage treatment plant responding to population growth, and how much of it is climate change?
DALLAS -- Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest oil-and-gas company, came out swinging Wednesday against the environmental movement, arguing the science of climate change is far from settled and that his company views it as its "corporate social responsibility" to continue to supply the world with fossil fuels.
"We are witnessing an unprecedented rate of warming..."
Locals desperate to rid homes and commercial premises of mice are clearing traps and baits from shelves as fast as store staff can stack them.
The sales surge follows a massive invasion of pesky rodents seeking shelter indoors.
Although not officially in plague proportions, mice numbers are reported to be at their highest level for five years.
Pest controller Peter Green said good falls of rain prior to Christmas promoted the growth of grasses leading to a significant increase in the rodent population.
“Mice have thrived in ideal conditions but as temperatures drop they are trying to escape the cold by moving indoors,’’ he said.
Twenty-three percent of New Zealand consumers consider the economy their biggest concern over the next six months. Debt comes in second place at 16 percent, followed by work/life balance (14 percent). Just four percent cite job security and concerns about Global Warming rank near the bottom at two percent.
May 28, 2008 -- High-tech satellites combined with low-tech methods on the ground will soon be used to help understand how bees are responding to climate change, and to predict how far aggressive Africanized bees -- sometimes called "killer bees" -- will spread in North America.
The project combines two passions for leader Wayne Esaias of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Esaias is an oceanographer who specializes in remote sensing via craft such as satellites -- and a master amateur beekeeper.
Imagine this nightmarish scenario: Twenty years hence when the Church of Global Warming has secured carbon taxes and stifling controls on industry, adherents of environmental Armageddon announce that "climate change" isn't influenced by man-made factors after all.
DURANGO, CO (BRAIN)—Organizers of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race called off the event for the first time in 37 years as winter weather persisted over Memorial Day weekend in southwest Colorado.
“The race goes over two 11,000-foot mountain passes and there was a between a foot and 15 inches of snow on those passes and it was completely snowpacked,” said Ed Zink, owner of Durango’s Mountain Bike Specialists and chairman of the race committee. “There was absolutely no way to proceed.”
The 2,500-rider race was scheduled on Saturday morning, but with the snow and temperatures forecasted into the teens, the decision to call it off practically made itself, Zink said.
Record-keeping meteorologists at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say this spring’s tornado season is one of the deadliest in a decade and may be on pace to set a record for the most tornadoes. And flooding in the Midwest has been at 100-yr levels this spring.1. I'm not super-impressed with Gaffney's attempt to tie this spring's tornados to a warming climate.
Dr. Jeffrey Gaffney, UALR’s chair of chemistry, said there is growing evidence that climate change may be the reason.
"I haven't worked out what the price of carbon dioxide would have to be to encourage companies to start pumping it out of the oceans, but that is the way we need to move forward."
LONDON — After hundreds of angry drivers shut down highways in England Tuesday in protest against green automobile taxes, and drivers and fishermen in France and Spain paralyzed their ports and roads in a fuel-tax protest, politicians began to signal Europe's ambitious emission-control policies may soon have to be abandoned.
While Europe has led the way in using tax incentives to encourage people to buy low-emission cars and to build carbon-neutral houses in order to meet Kyoto targets, it has become increasingly apparent that inflation-battered voters are no longer willing to go along.
Political leaders in Britain and France are seeking the reversal of tax policies designed to make polluting vehicles more expensive, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and some British ministers calling on their own governments and the European Union to relax ecologically friendly taxes in order to give relief to citizens suffering from fast-rising food and fuel prices.
Polls show that 70% of gas-rattled British voters are now unwilling to pay higher taxes to combat climate change. That hasn't stopped some European leaders from taking the bitter pill approach, arguing that today's pain over surging gas prices should be used to encourage longer-term environmental gain. "We don't need one-shot measures," French secretary of state for the environment, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet told parliament following Sarkozy's proposal, "but rather to free ourselves from oil." True enough. But that's cold comfort indeed for truckdrivers, fishermen, and summer vacationers who can't afford to fill up in the meantime.
In the Corn Belt, widespread frost was reported this morning across the Great Lakes region, including much of Wisconsin and Michigan. In isolated locations, hard freezes (temperatures at or below 28 degrees F) may have posed a threat to fruit crops—such as cherries—and emerged corn and soybeans. Elsewhere in the Midwest, crop development remains slow due to below-normal temperatures, while isolated showers dot areas west of the Mississippi River.
"I think by the end of Year One, if my projections turn out to be right, I think I will have generated around 5,000 kilowatt hours," says Jeremy.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warmer temperatures brought on by climate change could trim output of some U.S. crops like corn in coming decades, but increase yields from other crops like soybeans, government scientists said on Tuesday.
Johnson said if the season is shorter because of poor weather conditions, there might not be enough heat to mature the corn.
SEOUL, May 28 (Reuters) - North Korea's farm sector will take a hit due to cold weather and low precipitation this planting season, its official media said on Wednesday, after experts had warned the destitute state could be heading toward famine.
"The fact is, we're seeing lots of effects and impacts right now. These effects appear to be happening faster than expected, and the magnitude is bigger than expected. That's a surprise," says Anthony Janetos, an ecologist who directs the Joint Global Change Research Institute in College Park, Maryland, and one of the lead authors on the report.
For example, climate change has already brought forward the start of spring growing seasons by as much as two weeks, and similar changes have occurred in the timing of bird migrations, says Janetos. Warmer conditions have also resulted in many plants and animals extending their geographic range further northward and higher up mountains.
Invited speakers from Manila were one in saying that global warming is the greatest challenge confronting the world today and that it is caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide and methane which trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere thereby increasing the temperature.
...current soil temperatures have recovered to near 60 degrees F at the 4-inch depth and will likely continue warming.
This is suitable for corn and soybean planting and growth this time of year. Mid-Iowa soil temperatures seldom fall below 50 degrees F after the first of May. This year soil temperature seems to be about 3 weeks behind normal. Both corn and soybean grow best at a soil temperature near 80 degrees F.
iPhones are remarkably advanced devices that are small but consume considerable amounts of power. According to Filler’s calculations, it would take 250,000 to 1 million solar-powered wrist watches to generate the energy needed to power one iPhone (and keep the watches ticking). In other words, “the rate of energy consumption of the iPhone is about 250,000 to 1 million times larger than a standard sports wrist watch.” Filler’s calculation is for power consumption rates when both are being used, and take into account that the watch is used 24/7 while the iPhone is used for periods of time and then stored.
'It could be even true that we are now at a stage where mere facts, reason and truths are powerless in the face of the global warming propaganda,' he said.
Klaus alleged that the global warming was being championed by scientists and other environmentalists whose careers and funding requires selling the public on global warming.
'It is in the hands of climatologists and other related scientists who are highly motivated to look in one direction only,' Klaus said.
So with, with an atmosphere [on Mars] that's 95% carbon dioxide, folks, with an atmosphere that's 95% carbon dioxide, the outside air temperature is minus 100 degrees at the polar region here...Well, I'm telling you, if 95% of their atmosphere is carbon dioxide, then why the hell isn't that place boiling?From this page:
The average recorded temperature on Mars is -63° C (-81° F) with a maximum temperature of 20° C (68° F) and a minimum of -140° C (-220° F).
Carbon Dioxide Enrichment:
Normal atmospheric CO2 concentration is ~370 ppm, however, experience indicates that some plants prefer up to 2000 ppm CO2 (approximately five times normal). In the Perpetual Harvest system this increased level is maintained for only 3 hours in the mid morning. During this 3 hour period, the plants store CO2 that will be used to boost plant growth later in the day after CO2 level has returned to normal. CO2 is primarily produced by a flame (propane or natural gas) CO2 generator. The flame can serve as a ‘peaking CO2 generator’ and baseline CO2 levels could be provided by decomposing compost or other continuous low producing sources. A digital CO2 monitor determines when CO2 generators will cycle, and also serves as an alarm for humans to take precaution when in the greenhouse during the high CO2 period .
Of course, many Republicans will make the mistake of voting for a bill they oppose because they know it will lose. That would set them up for a beating next year, as this exercise is one part gesture and one part move-the-center-to-the-Left. The Congressional GOP might think it clever to support Lieberman-Warner now, biding their time until they think they can safely get away with possibly opposing it. But that didn’t work for John Kerry, and it isn't smart here.
To summarize, the IPCC claim they are not making predictions when the public think they are and their own words betray them. These predictions fail to meet scientific standards for forecasting, but the models fail to meet standards for modeling. Consider this statement on the Yahoo group site Climatesceptics by a financial modeler. Any model with dozens of assumptions, the interactions between which are not even understood is useless, or worse dangerous, if future actions are taken based upon it. The GCM’s can’t even get the sign right in many cases, they are worthless. The fact that the IPCC allows them to look at the data each year, and then go back and make unscientific adjustments to force the output to conform to observational data tells any objective observer everything they need to know about the provenance of GCM’s.
Although it will be a long haul, I think this is the beginning of the end for self-indulgent, 'Green' politics, and the sooner MPs grasp this, the better for everyone...
The Laval study, titled “The potential impact of climate change on annual and seasonal mortality for three cities in Quebec, Canada,” found no benefit from warmer winters. Quebecers, they concluded, are already equipped to handle the cold, so bad winter weather doesn’t have the same negative health consequences there.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume—very unrealistically—that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, “our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities.” For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6°F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that “global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases.”
Charles, who arrived in a Jaguar and was accompanied by officials who travelled in a second Jaguar and a Range Rover, was told how Antarctic ice acted as a barometer for global planet change.
The speculative harms done to the polar bears will be deemed to outweigh the actual harms done to you and your children in their name.
It has now got to the point where the politicians have got to make hard decisions to back their big Greenie talk but they can't face it, knowing how the voters will respond to the costs involved. So they are just waffling. Nettles are remain ungrasped. The recent huge turn by the voters against the very Green British government is no doubt top of mind for many. Amusing, though, that the British government is being blamed for something it didn't do (increased fuel prices) rather than things it did do (increased electricity costs, for instance). Three recent reports below[...]
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's whirlwind trip aimed at swaying European leaders to his climate change agenda has drawn scorn from environmentalists who give it little chance of success.
You must believe in the full package. If you do, you are blessed, free from sin and allowed the pious smugness you find in the worst sort of religious believers. It's not enough to believe in these things yourself; you must condemn others for not sharing your belief.
STATE FORECAST FOR MINNESOTA...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 433 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 ...FREEZE WARNING FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA TONIGHT... ...FROST ADVISORY FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...CLEARING. WIDESPREAD FROST AFTER MIDNIGHT NORTH. LOWS IN THE MIDDLE 20S NORTHEAST TO THE LOWER 40S SOUTHWEST. .TUESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A AFTERNOON SHOWER FAR SOUTHWEST. HIGHS IN THE MIDDLE 50S TO MIDDLE 60S. .TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. WIDESPREAD FROST AFTER MIDNIGHT NORTH.
The minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Shamsa Mwangunga, says contrary to reports that the ice caps were decreasing owing to effects of global warming, indications were that the snow cover on Africa's highest mountain were now increasing.
The Boxer version of the bill lists specific payoffs to different segments from the bill’s revenues, which will come from auction of credits:
• $911 billion for consumers for help with increased energy costs and energy efficiency projects. Most ($850B) would help with energy costs.
• $231B in assistance to steel, glass, aluminum, rubber and paper companies to make needed changes -- they're seen as the industries that will have the most trouble adjusting.
• $566B for states to deal with GHG cuts.
• $307B for electric utilities to revamp.
• $150B for renewable energy companies.
• $68B to the auto industry to retool for hybrids, plug-ins, electric and fuel-cell vehicles.
• $250B for adaptation to climate change, largely for coastal states.
• $288B for wildlife adaptation.
• $560B for a fund states can access if they switch over from their own emissions programs to the federal one.
(All these amounts are spread over 40 years)
The sun undergoes cyclical changes on multiple time scales that appear to correlate very well with temperatures. Long and relatively quiet solar cycles historically have been associated with cold global temperatures, short and very active cycles, warm periods. The current cycle 23 appears to be the longest in at least a century and may project to quieter subsequent cycles and cooling temperatures ahead.
Opening the conference the previous night, Gore said: "Why should not Israel play the leading role in this historic shift to renewable energy? Israel can, and Israel should. The people of Israel stand in my moral imagination as guardians of the proposition that we as human beings are answerable to moral duties, that there are ethical laws that should guide our decisions and choices.
The fact is, radical environmentalism is not science -- it's religion. It is based on faith, not fact. "Mother Earth" is this religion's god, the Kyoto Treaty is its bible and Al Gore is its prophet. Like religious people, some people simply believe in global warming and humanity's culpability for it, regardless of any facts and statistics.
SAN CARLOS — Adopting a plan to fight climate change is one thing, but agreeing on whether it even exists has proven a tougher challenge for the City Council in San Carlos, where one council member recently called global warming "a lie."
"I am not buying the science, [I] think [it] is a total lie," said councilmember Matt Grocott, in the context of a May 12 discussion about whether to set concrete goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within San Carlos or to wait and find out what the state will mandate.
The Oregon chemist [Dr. Arthur Robinson] warns that "no other major scientific problem has ever been tackled the way the UN has approached global warming." The UN hosted a big meeting of scientists, he says, and then a small group of "authors" summarized the discussions into a global action plan. But the UN has never produced any evidence that humans are warming our climate. The UN panel says CO2 became the culprit "by the process of elimination" but such a process is neither scientific nor admissible in a court of law.
In fact, in the first week of June, these same interests will be asking the American public to consider cap-and-trade climate legislation, which, aside from its overarching bad policy, would have the effect of increasing the cost of gas by 41 cents to $1 a gallon. You can be assured I will lead the fight against this disastrous legislation, and Americans nationwide should be outraged and encourage their elected officials to do the same.
At a time when our ice caps are melting and our oceans are rising, we need you to help lead a green revolution. We still have time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change if we get serious about investing in renewable sources of energy, and if we get a generation of volunteers to work on renewable energy projects, and teach folks about conservation, and help clean up polluted areas; if we send talented engineers and scientists abroad to help developing countries promote clean energy.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Monday that “we have to get used to the idea that we can’t keep our houses at 72, drive our SUVs and eat all we want.” Arthur B. Robinson, president and professor of chemistry at the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, has a different response.
“I don’t want to give up eating all I want because of a failed hypothesis,” said Robinson at the National Press Club here on May 19. Robinson said global warming is not a threat to America. He said that the global temperature increased by just .5 degrees in the last century.
Robinson spoke about his petition signed by 31,000 U.S. scientists who reject the claims that “human release of greenhouse gases is damaging our climate.”
For Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of the Renault Nissan partnership, the stakes could not be higher: "We must have zero-emission vehicles. Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding".
Such a conflagration for the planet, and presumably for his company, is to be avoided by a rapid and expensive programme of investment in green vehicles.
Today it is the West that foists an apocalyptic imagination on the rest of the world. The best antidote to the doom merchants is skepticism. We must be willing to take uncertainty seriously. Climate change is a fact. But apocalyptic thinking distorts the scientific debate and makes it harder to explain the causes and consequences of this fact, which in turn makes it harder to know how to deal with it.
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