Can Solar & Wind Fix Everything (e.g., Climate Change) with a battery break-through?

[aenyc]

Hurricanes - Climate Change.
No Hurricanes - Climate Change
Warm Winter - Climate Change
Cold Winter - Climate Change

When the only tool you have is the hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail.

LOL

 

[Sanwizard]

Right! They learn to communicate based on the communications preferences of their geographic location, which makes language a man made construct.. just as religion is a man made construct.

Thank you for that excellent example.. I hadn't considered that one before and will use it in the future.. that's a good one.



It means you learned a man made construct for the purposes of societal interaction in that region.

The difference between language and religion is that your language facilitates communication, which is beneficial to you.. your religion isn't beneficial to you, its beneficial to others who are on top of they pyramid.


That's government.. not relevant to the conversation.


I don't believe in the big bang theory.. I do not reject the theory either. I don't have irrational beliefs. However, in the case of your example using the Big Bang theory, its complicated.. Better to call it a "big bang hypothesis" because we do have strong evidence.. and not some mathematically inferred quasi theoretical evidence.. We can actually see the evidence.

I would explain it to you but one must have a basic concept of physics and space-time in order to comprehend something on that level, and that's just not a type of knowledge the average person has unless they're into cosmology.

Suffice it to say, we didn't just make it up.. it's based on observations. It's a bit like looking at the wrecked remains of two cars on the road in the middle of an intersection.. when you see such thing, do you assume those two cars were dropped out of an aircraft and crashed into the ground or do you think highway vehicle collision?

Your example of the big bang theory is a poor example.. but I don't fault you for that. Just so you know, we didn't just make it up, we have evidence, and not just one line of evidence but multiple paths that all lead to the same conclusion.

And don't be confused when cosmologist (or even hobbiest like me), argue about the big bang.. There are some good theories about a "big bounce" or other cyclical hypothesis, but they all have the big bang at their foundation. We can argue if an explosion was caused by Tannerite or C4 or Dynamite, or a 2000lb JDAM dropped by an plane, but no one is arguing an explosion didn't happen. The evidence for the big bang is so strong that we've moved past arguing about it to arguing its causes.

That said, there are some unexplained glitches such as the Lithium Abundance problem and a few others.. and cosmologist argue about these like the fruitcake knuckleheads in this forum argue politics.. But these cosmological uncertainties aren't make-or-break in nature (nor are they conspiratorial), they only hint at undiscovered physical processes.. I say "undiscovered" because the large hadron collider operates in the 5 to 10 Terra-electron volt range, and that's less than 1/1000 of what a common cosmic ray can have when it slams into our planet a hundred billion times a day.

So yeah, the big bang is a bad example.. and the fact is, you won't find any good examples in my kind of science because we don't work off wishful thinking and popularity. And that's the smoking gun when it comes to religion..

Religion changes as soon as you change location.. science does not. One is fake, the other is real.

Well, that was a word salad, cause you ended in the same place. Nobody can prove the big bang.

The geological and archaeological evidence exists for the bible also. Its not just made up. The first hand experiences of the apostles document what they heard and saw.
The archaeological evidence proves it happened. We tell time on the earth based on Jesus Birthday, so I would imagine he made quite an impression on the folks around him. ?
This may help you with the science part:

 

[Sanwizard]

Well, that was a word salad, cause you ended in the same place. Nobody can prove the big bang.

The geological and archaeological evidence exists for the bible also. Its not just made up. The first hand experiences of the apostles document what they heard and saw.
The archaeological evidence proves it happened. We tell time on the earth based on Jesus Birthday, so I would imagine he made quite an impression on the folks around him. ?
This may help you with the science part:

 

[Sanwizard]

 

[MurphyGuy]

Well, that was a word salad, cause you ended in the same place. Nobody can prove the big bang.

The geological and archaeological evidence exists for the bible also. Its not just made up. The first hand experiences of the apostles document what they heard and saw.
The archaeological evidence proves it happened. We tell time on the earth based on Jesus Birthday, so I would imagine he made quite an impression on the folks around him. ?
This may help you with the science part:

Dude, there are just no words to describe such ridiculousness.

Geological and natural events happen all the time.. If the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 had happened back then, they'd be writing about it as some divine act of god to wash away the sin.. Give me a break...

Your Sodom and Gomorrah region contains shocked quartz.. That's all I needed to read.. IE: an air burst space rock entering out atmosphere.

This is nothing more than something bad happening to someone and their enemies saying "god is punishing you".. its ridiculous at best.. and kind of predatory because it fools ignorant people into such thinking. People back then were not very smart you know...

Just because some huge event happens and then some idiot writes about it, does not mean divine action. Significantly sized air burst space rocks happen every hundred or so years.. The last one was in Russia 2014(?), but it was relatively smallish.. and before that, a bigger one in Siberia 1904(?) that took out almost 1000 square miles..

They happen frequently.. The bigger they are, the more evidence they leave behind.. You can see a good one in Arizona called Barringer Crater.. Barringer happened to be an iron rock so it didn't air burst and was able to punch through the atmosphere.

Don't go to church to ask them if god is real.. The popular quote is: Never ask a fox to guard the hen house"

I always find it comical when these fruitcakes sell you a bible story but leave out the important details. That kind of shocked quartz only happens from meters and underground nuclear weapons because of the pressures required to form it. And they didn't have nuclear weapons back then..

When you want to believe in magical invisible sky fairies, education is a bitch.. the more of it you have, the less you believe.. and for good reason.

 

[aenyc]

Ralph Schoellhammer, writing in Spiked, observes that the British have historically shown a distaste for theatrical political movements, as evidenced by their scepticism towards some of the dramatic antics of modern environmental activists. He holds little hope for such scepticism in Germany. Here’s an excerpt:

I have long been convinced that one of the reasons why fascism never had a chance in Britain was due to the predispositions of her people. If nothing else, the theatrics employed by Hitler and Mussolini just seemed too weird and downright ridiculous to the British.
P.G. Wodehouse captured this perfectly in an exchange between a British wannabe fascist, Roderick Spode, and Bertie Wooster: “The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you have succeeded in inducing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you’re someone.”
I don’t intend to liken fascists to environmentalists, but Brits have at least expressed a similar, visceral distaste for the theatrics of eco-activist groups in recent years. Marching in black ‘footer bags’, pretending to be the voice of the people, is just as ridiculous as holding up traffic in an orange ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirt.
The environmental movement becomes more absurd by the day. The Guardian’s George Monbiot, for instance, has just called for the reintroduction of deadly wolves and lynxes to Great Britain, in order to manage a surging deer population. One can only hope that this call to action will have about as much success as his campaign against meat, milk and eggs, which Monbiot is convinced are an ‘indulgence’ humanity can no longer afford.
Sadly, the same is not true in Germany, where the elites are all too keen to humour even the most extreme climate fanatics. German discount supermarket Penny recently decided to increase the prices of its meat and dairy products, to include the environmental costs incurred in their production, as part of a week-long experiment. The price of frankfurter sausages rose from €3.19 to €6.01. The price of mozzarella rose by 74%, to €1.55. And the price of fruit yoghurt rose by 31%, from €1.19 to €1.56.

While the usual suspects in the establishment are clearly excited by this idea that in the future even shopping at a discount shop might become the preserve of the rich, average Germans are less pleased. Germany’s public broadcaster, WDR, asked Penny customers what they thought about the price-hike experiment. Due to a lack of enthusiasm from shoppers, WDR decided to have one of its employees cosplay as a happy shopper. That taxpayer-funded broadcasters now have to resort to outright fraud in order to drum up support for idiotic climate action tells you everything you need to know.

 

[aenyc]

Are they stupid, malicious or incompetent? How about all 3!

Wind Turbines are causing climate change

Hat-tip: Klimanachrichten here

It’s ironic: Man is changing the environment and climate in order to prevent change.

Atmospheric wakes extending from the bottom to the top of the picture [contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (Sentinel 2A-MSI 29/03/2021), processed by ESA & Hereon/ Dr Martin Hieronymie]

Researchers from the Hereon Helmholtz-Zentrum have found shifts in airflows and sea currents, which are connected to offshore wind farms.

A team led by Nils Christiansen recently published a research paper about the impacts offshore wind farms have on the ocean dynamics, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Press release here.

“Wind speed deficits spread up to 70 km behind the wind farms”

The turbines extract kinetic energy from the wind field to generate electricity. Downwind of the wind turbines, the so-called atmospheric wakes develop, and are characterized by reduced windspeed, specific pressure conditions and enhanced air turbulence. During stable atmospheric circumstances, the wind speed deficits spread up to 70 km behind the wind farms.

Using high-resolution hydrodynamic computer simulations, the team analyzed the effects on the southern North Sea for the summer of 2013 (May to September). The analysis shows a link between atmospheric wakes and transformation in the momentum-driven exchange between the atmosphere and water. As a consequence, the horizontal currents and the stratification of the water could be affected.

Redirecting existing currents

The wake effects are sufficiently potent to redirect the existing currents, and thus results in shifting mean temperatures and a changed salinity distribution in the wind farm areas.

“While the occurring changes remain within the range of interannual variability, they illustrate similar magnitudes as the presumed mean changes due to climate change or year-to-year variability,” says Nils Christiansen, from the Hereon Institute for Coastal Systems, who was lead author on the study.

Reduced water surface turbulence

Another wake effect is the reduction of shear-driven processes at the sea surface. In other words, the turbulent mixing of the water surface caused by shear wind is reduced dozens of kilometres around the wind farm. Water is usually stratified, thus a layer of warmer water may lie on top of a layer with cold water. Wind farms disturb this natural stratification. Due to reduced mixing, a stabilized stratification of the water is fostered. This phenomenon was particularly noticeable during the decline in summer stratification.

The natural stratification of the water is especially prominent in summer and decreases towards autumn. In the area of the wind farms, however, a stabilized stratification outside the seasonal variation was measured.

“The magnitude of the induced mean changes does not indicate severe local effects, however far-reaching structural changes in the system occur“, says Christiansen.

“Far-reaching structural changes in the system”

“The transformation concerning currents and mixing are likely to affect plankton production and the food web structure. As a result it may influence the function of protected areas. Hence it is important to consider these consequences while developing marine protection concepts“, says Hereon Institute Director Prof. Corinna Schrum.

Moreover, possible feedbacks on air-sea exchange potentially affects regional atmospheric conditions and ecosystem dynamics.

 

[Sanwizard]

Are they stupid, malicious or incompetent? How about all 3!

Wind Turbines are causing climate change

Hat-tip: Klimanachrichten here

It’s ironic: Man is changing the environment and climate in order to prevent change.

Atmospheric wakes extending from the bottom to the top of the picture [contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (Sentinel 2A-MSI 29/03/2021), processed by ESA & Hereon/ Dr Martin Hieronymie]

Researchers from the Hereon Helmholtz-Zentrum have found shifts in airflows and sea currents, which are connected to offshore wind farms.

A team led by Nils Christiansen recently published a research paper about the impacts offshore wind farms have on the ocean dynamics, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Press release here.

“Wind speed deficits spread up to 70 km behind the wind farms”

The turbines extract kinetic energy from the wind field to generate electricity. Downwind of the wind turbines, the so-called atmospheric wakes develop, and are characterized by reduced windspeed, specific pressure conditions and enhanced air turbulence. During stable atmospheric circumstances, the wind speed deficits spread up to 70 km behind the wind farms.

Using high-resolution hydrodynamic computer simulations, the team analyzed the effects on the southern North Sea for the summer of 2013 (May to September). The analysis shows a link between atmospheric wakes and transformation in the momentum-driven exchange between the atmosphere and water. As a consequence, the horizontal currents and the stratification of the water could be affected.

Redirecting existing currents

The wake effects are sufficiently potent to redirect the existing currents, and thus results in shifting mean temperatures and a changed salinity distribution in the wind farm areas.

“While the occurring changes remain within the range of interannual variability, they illustrate similar magnitudes as the presumed mean changes due to climate change or year-to-year variability,” says Nils Christiansen, from the Hereon Institute for Coastal Systems, who was lead author on the study.

Reduced water surface turbulence

Another wake effect is the reduction of shear-driven processes at the sea surface. In other words, the turbulent mixing of the water surface caused by shear wind is reduced dozens of kilometres around the wind farm. Water is usually stratified, thus a layer of warmer water may lie on top of a layer with cold water. Wind farms disturb this natural stratification. Due to reduced mixing, a stabilized stratification of the water is fostered. This phenomenon was particularly noticeable during the decline in summer stratification.

The natural stratification of the water is especially prominent in summer and decreases towards autumn. In the area of the wind farms, however, a stabilized stratification outside the seasonal variation was measured.

“The magnitude of the induced mean changes does not indicate severe local effects, however far-reaching structural changes in the system occur“, says Christiansen.

“Far-reaching structural changes in the system”

“The transformation concerning currents and mixing are likely to affect plankton production and the food web structure. As a result it may influence the function of protected areas. Hence it is important to consider these consequences while developing marine protection concepts“, says Hereon Institute Director Prof. Corinna Schrum.

Moreover, possible feedbacks on air-sea exchange potentially affects regional atmospheric conditions and ecosystem dynamics.

Not only all that, But it also looks like shit, and ruins the beauty of the once awesome wide open vista, ruining the "environment" for future generations.



I can hear the new poems now "

I must go down to the seas again, to the spinning sea and the sky,​

And all I ask is a tall ship and a bunch of propellers spinning in the air to steer her by;​

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white windmills shaking,​

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and that fucking blade breaking.​

 

[RussNM]

We call that FAITH.

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for,

Yes.. exactly.. its wishful thinking.

the EVIDENCE of things not seen.

No.. Faith is not evidence of anything other than irrational thoughts.

 

[Sanwizard]

Thread Recap​

This thread has been a journey. I started off as a skeptic/denier, but bad science is usually debunked after a decade and the whole topic of climate change had been around far too long not to give it a second look with an open mind. So I open Bill Gate’s book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and saw problems. Bill's book was not the type of book I was looking for, but it did raise questions.

The biggest issue I had with Bill's book is it seemed reasonable to me that an energy storage solution (e.g., a battery) could be tied with wind and solar to resolve the crisis and the rest of it was noise, so I started this thread to see what others thought. From the OP it seemed ESS could get us all but about 28%.

Mainly I've been a proponent of a low-cost ESS solution (which seems very feasible) because it would make wind and solar the lowest LCOE providers, and our natural capitalism steak could have the pro-climate people less concerned and reduce costs for everyone. That is a win-win.
But that lingering 28% was still a lot if climate change was something to worry about.

Planting more trees didn't seem like the answer (#8). So I went looking for other books and not finding anything started doing some research and posting the findings for discussion as I had a lot of questions in terms of the validity of the science. That starts at post #9, based on the half-life of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs), and recognizing the buildup I started changing my tune and seeing the value of net-zero. But I still had a lot of questions and the thread hit many subtopics:

@svetz , The summary seems kinda one sided, as I dont see any of the opposing arguments in the thread post list. Is that an ommision or done just leaving out differing opinions? Like Twitter did before he made it X.

Yes.. exactly.. its wishful thinking.


No.. Faith is not evidence of anything other than irrational thoughts.

Hey Murph, tell you what. We will let you be the athiest you are, and not judge you, as long as you agree to stay out of our belief system, ok?
We are all going to die, and you can have your last hurahh as you go off into nothing. We will keep our faith and belief system. Whether that is Allah, Yahwe, God, Jesus, Reincarnation, or judgement day. To each his own. You are free to live your life the way you want. Just stop with the put downs of something you obviously dont understand.
Unless your one of those who like to burn down Churches?

 

[MurphyGuy]

Hey Murph, tell you what. We will let you be the athiest you are, and not judge you,

I'm not an Atheist.. Now what?

as long as you agree to stay out of our belief system, ok?

Not even remotely okay since you will always force your belief system upon others.

We are all going to die, and you can have your last hurahh as you go off into nothing. We will keep our faith and belief system. Whether that is Allah, Yahwe, God, Jesus, Reincarnation, or judgement day. To each his own. You are free to live your life the way you want. Just stop with the put downs of something you obviously dont understand.

I understand your religion better than you do, and better than most Christians. It would be irrational to accept or reject something one doesn't understand.
But you don't think the same way I do..

As for the derogatory comments.. you Christians spent 2000 years persecuting others, and now, when you get a taste of your own medicine, you want it to stop?
I tell you what.. when you Christians STOP persecuting others, I'll stop the derogatory comments.. deal? The most obvious first steps would be to get off the white supremacist pedestal, stop persecuting the sexuality of those who are different than you, and stop trying to pass laws to force your beliefs upon others.

We both know you won't stop.. so why waste your time with such postings? Oh, that's right, its because you don't think things through..

Unless your one of those who like to burn down Churches?

You know I have a bible? Those thin meaningless pages make great wood stove starter.. I go through one about every three years or so.

I served my country to protect your right to believe in whatever ridiculous magical invisible sky fairy you want to believe in.. The difference between people like you and people like me is that I understand that I don't have to agree or endorse your choices in order to protect your right to them.

 

[Sanwizard]

I'm not an Atheist.. Now what?

Not even remotely okay since you will always force your belief system upon others.


I understand your religion better than you do, and better than most Christians. It would be irrational to accept or reject something one doesn't understand.
But you don't think the same way I do..

As for the derogatory comments.. you Christians spent 2000 years persecuting others, and now, when you get a taste of your own medicine, you want it to stop?
I tell you what.. when you Christians STOP persecuting others, I'll stop the derogatory comments.. deal? The most obvious first steps would be to get off the white supremacist pedestal, stop persecuting the sexuality of those who are different than you, and stop trying to pass laws to force your beliefs upon others.

We both know you won't stop.. so why waste your time with such postings? Oh, that's right, its because you don't think things through..


You know I have a bible? Those thin meaningless pages make great wood stove starter.. I go through one about every three years or so.

I served my country to protect your right to believe in whatever ridiculous magical invisible sky fairy you want to believe in.. The difference between people like you and people like me is that I understand that I don't have to agree or endorse your choices in order to protect your right to them.

Yeah, I think I understand you now. No sense in discussing. It was a fun back and forth though.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Yeah, I think I understand you now. No sense in discussing. It was a fun back and forth though.

In all seriousness, I doubt you understand me or how I think. And to be honest, I don't know if its a capacity deficit or just an unwillingness.. You're not the dumbass moron that a few others here are, but that religion is a serious crutch and limitation on rational thought...

Let me leave you with this.. Try thinking through your religion.. Consider what you've been taught and explore it to the ends. Do what I did and read that bible page for page from start to finish and question everything. You know what's strange? I've never met a Christian who's read their ENTIRE bible.. Its a tough read..

In science, we look at the extremes to find answers.. From the very very small to the very very big.. and when something doesn't add up, it means something is wrong with our models. Try doing the same with your religion and see what you find..

Peace!

 

[svetz]

@svetz , The summary seems kinda one sided,

That's because Global Warming is as real as it gets, there is no other reasonable side to it. It would be disingenuous for anyone to suggest anything different. Let's look at observed measured data:

Yep, Global temperature is going up and the IPCC predictions match reality (red dots) within range of accuracy

Ice Caps warming faster than the rest of the planet, just as predicted

Sea Ice melting faster than before​

...I dont see any of the opposing arguments in the thread ... Is that an ommision or done just leaving out differing opinions?

There's relly nothing scientifically that can be opposed really, global warming is real. But that doesn't mean people won't argue, it's a forum after all. If you're not seeing opposing posts you probably have them all on /IGNORE. Good for you!

 

[svetz]

Should Tangiers Island be Saved?​

The Island is home to less than 500 people and the first settlers were probably from 1686. A new report suggests it will be submerged by 2060 and uninhabitable by 2040. Congress is considering $25M to remediate the problem, although $350M is what's expected to be needed. An alternative is to abandon the land to migrate everyone off the island, similar to the way cities have been abandoned for dam projects. What do you think? refs

Let the island sink, or the residents build a wall.

Didn't see anyone opposed to letting Tangiers slip away, and at ~$0.7 million per person I can see that. So, what about Vermont? They don't just live there, they produce food.

Vermont farmers say they need help​

The town of Johnson faced the wrath of the raging Lamoille River in early July as floodwaters swept through the state....In Vermont alone, over 200 farms and 17,000 acres of farmland were affected by the floods, totaling over $12 million.

Very few Vermonters have [flood] insurance

 

[aenyc]

Climate Change is a scam. These guys know it, this is why they exempt themselves from all these things, starting from not wearing masks and not getting "safe and effective jabs" (all of congress and all politicians at all levels all over the world) and all the way to simply ignoring all the climate bs that they are touting for everyone else.

Bloomberg Finances and Coopts State Attorneys General​

State AGs aid Bloomberg quest for ‘green’ energy that threatens planet, wildlife and people

When you’ve built a financial information and media empire and become the world’s seventh richest person, you get to say dumb things, like suggesting that farming is easy: “You dig a hole, put a seed in, put dirt on top, add water – and up comes the corn.”

Being ultra-wealthy also shields Michael Bloomberg from any fallout from the climate and energy policies he pursues so zealously. He will doubtless be able to afford electricity at any price for his multiple mansions, from any source, backed up by thousands of battery modules to cover the repeated blackouts his policies will unleash. The other 99.9% won’t be so fortunate.

Mr. Bloomberg bankrolls campaigns against coal and natural gas; supports efforts to populate the Biden Administration with rogue regulators equally intent on “transforming” America’s energy system, society and living standards; and champions ESG principles for financial firms, companies and investors. His company even has Sustainability and ESG & Climate divisions. Mr. Bloomberg serves as UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, enabling him to advance his agendas internationally.

ESG (Environmental Social Governance) helps unelected asset managers use their control over trillions of investment dollars to pressure companies, lenders and consumers to embrace far-left activist versions of public welfare and justice, even if it causes clients’ portfolio values to decline. ESG is a subversive way to bypass legislatures, voters and democratic processes, to impose unpopular political and ideological agendas, often in violation of fiduciary obligations.

ESG opposes fossil fuels, insisting they are causing climate cataclysms. Any company in that business, or offering to finance a drilling project, gets blackballed. But companies building or financing “clean, green” energy score in the ESG stratosphere – even though most such projects destroy vast swaths of wildlife habitats, involve slave and child labor, and leave widespread toxic pollution in their wake. ESG human rights, ecological and climate justice principles are duplicitous and hypocritical.

It’s thus puzzling that he now wants to banish reliable, affordable gas heat and coal- and gas-generated electricity for heating and air conditioning – in favor of pricey, weather-dependent wind and solar power, backed up by outrageously expensive batteries. Those policies shorten lives.

Even if manmade or natural climate change causes average global temperatures to climb 2-3 degrees, modern technologies would keep us safely comfortable. But if laws, policies and ESG pressures make heating and AC inaccessible or unaffordable, indoor temperatures can soar 15-25 degrees in summertime and drop as precipitously in wintertime. People die – and cold is far deadlier than heat.

When people, especially the elderly, cannot heat their homes properly, they can perish from hypothermia or illnesses they would likely survive if they weren’t so cold. The Economist calculated that expensive energy may have killed 68,000 more Europeans than Covid did last winter.

LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) will help the poorest families – until the subsidy money runs out – but not middle/working classes, and not small businesses.

Even worse, three billion people worldwide still do not have access to reliable, affordable electricity. Message to climate zealots like Mr. Bloomberg: Access to intermittent, unpredictable wind/solar electricity doesn’t count, especially if it’s only enough to charge a cell phone or power a lightbulb or one-cubic-foot refrigerator. Lack of access to sustained, affordable energy kills.

 

[aenyc]

The billionaire’s legal power grab is even more insidious and dangerous to democracy.

In 2017 he began covertly funding New York University Law School’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center, which provides grants to progressive (Democrat) state attorneys general, enabling them to hire “special assistant” AGs or “fellows.”

The Center’s mission is to provide “direct legal assistance” to interested AGs “on specific administrative, judicial or legislative matters involving clean energy, climate change and environmental interests of regional and national significance,” when AGs say they lack sufficient public funds to hire such help.

NYU now says “the fellows’ sole duty of loyalty is to the attorney general in whose office they serve.” However, these partisan Bloomberg grants pay salaries and “generous benefits packages” to “special assistants” whose functions are dictated by the Center; address specified “regional and national” issues normally beyond the purview of state AGs; are routinely coordinated with energy and climate activists and donors to those causes; and often launch “public nuisance” or RICO litigation against oil companies, to the detriment of targeted industries and the consumers and ratepayers who depend on their products, within the AGs’ home states and in distant states and communities.

It is the Bloomberg agenda that is being served, by grants that effectively conscript and coopt the public authority and power of the attorney general’s offices.

As a 2022 report by the American Tort Reform Foundation notes, “These SAAGs are private attorneys placed in public positions to exercise government authority. Yet, they are not independent or impartial because their mandate is to carry out an overtly political agenda funded by wealthy private donors.”

This “unique” arrangement, the Foundation continues, “allows well-heeled individuals and organizations to commandeer state and local police powers to target opponents with whom they disagree, raising the specter of corruption and fundamental unfairness in what should be public enforcement of the law.”

Those same considerations also appear to raise fundamental ethical, legal and constitutional issues. They certainly raise questions about laws governing gifts, campaign contributions and bribes – and where Bloomberg-funded lawyers are involved in prosecutions, serious due-process concerns.

And yet the NYU Center has already placed at least 11 special assistants in eight state attorney general offices, which have filed at least 20 lawsuits against a few selected oil companies, charging them with “climate denial” or causing planetary warming, rising seas, more frequent and intense hurricanes and tornadoes, and other “offenses.”

This litigation ignores the actions of hundreds of other oil and gas companies across the globe; steadily rising emissions from China, India and other rapidly developing nations; the role of natural forces and emissions from wind turbine, solar panel and battery mining, processing and manufacturing; the lack of evidence to support claims of a climate “crisis” or more frequent and violent storms; and the fact that these issues should be litigated in federal courts or relegated to a democratic political process.

The US Supreme Court recently had an opportunity to quash this rampant litigation, but it chose not to review the state and local cases and send them to federal courts. The seemingly endless lawsuits and acrimony are creating a legal, constitutional, scientific and public policy nightmare for businesses, consumers, courts, states and the nation.

Rest assured, billionaires like Bloomberg, Gates, Kerry, Zuckerberg and Soros – who demand that we commoners give up our cars, gas stoves and furnaces, steaks, air travel and suburban homes – don’t intend to give up anything.

Let’s hope the pro-America governors, AGs, legislators, judges and business groups battling ESG and other woke campaigns tackle this NYU Impact Center hornets nest as well..

 

[svetz]

California, Arizona, and Nevada agree to take about 13% less water from the Colorado River​

Without a deal, it was feared that the water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell would fall so much that the hydroelectric turbines they powered would fail, risking the power supply to millions of people.... the enormous extraction of water, mainly for farming, coupled with the climate crisis, which has increased the evaporation of water and reduced the snowpack that feeds the river, has caused a crisis point for the river and the US west. The region is experiencing its worst drought in 1,200 years, with this year’s bumper rain and snowfall not expected to fully release the grip of a two-decade “megadrought”...

Given that some are religious based on conversations (keep in mind I'm not an expert), here's what the top couple of churches seem to be saying:

• Catholic God (via Pope) calls bishops to action against Climate Change​

• Islam is a religion that emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship​

• It is a “dharmic duty we have a functioning, abundant, and bountiful planet​

 

[aenyc]

Carnage of Child Labor and Ecological Destruction “Elsewhere” acceptable to Wealthy Countries​

Because they are not interested in actually saving the Earth. All they care about is control. Over you.

Wealthy countries’ actions, to meet their emission goals, show little concern for the humanity atrocities and the environment degradation in “other” countries.
Ronald Stein is an engineer, senior policy advisor on energy literacy for the Heartland Institute and CFACT, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book “Clean Energy Exploitations.”

Global cobalt demand soared with the advent of cell phones and laptop computers. Cobalt improves battery performance, extends driving range and reduces fire risks. Now, cobalt, lithium, and other materials are exploding with the arrival of electric vehicles in tandem with government EV mandates and subsidies.

All that electrical transformation equipment will require billions of tons of cobalt, lithium, copper, nickel, graphite, iron, aluminum, rare earths, and other raw materials at scales unprecedented in human history. That will necessitate mining, ore processing, manufacturing, land disruption and pollution at equally unprecedented levels.

The Administration is laser-focused on ending the “climate crisis” by switching to “clean” electricity. It has few qualms about importing the critically needed materials from foreign countries, primarily China – regardless of economic, defense, national security, ecological or human rights implications. It just wants the dirty aspects of “clean” electricity far away and out of sight.

Cobalt mining involves unimaginable horrors that are never discussed by environmentalists nor by government leaders. However, the Biden Administration opposes mining in the United States even under stringent US pollution, workplace safety and mined-land reclamation regulations.

An educational and entertaining 45-minute discussion between Stu Turley of Sandstone Media’s Energy News Beat and Ronald Stein about “Clean Energy Exploitations” brings transparency to the humanity exploitations and environmental degradation in the developing countries that are mining for the exotic minerals and metals required to create the batteries needed to store “green electricity”. Just a few minutes into the video I provide an explanation of the exploitations that should be considered in the buying process for an EV that should be viewed by all environmentalists and government leaders.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has been vocal about his commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state. However, some of his recent actions of “leaking” emissions to other countries violate many sections of the written legal framework of The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32).

We hear much about reparations for descendants of American slaves, but little about reparations for Native Americans, and zilch about compensating these modern-day slaves in developing countries like those in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa that holds 72 percent of the world’s known supplies of cobalt.

The silence is deafening from billionaires like Bill Gates, John Kerry, Mark Zuckerberg, George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, and President Biden. Through the encouragement of tax incentives and subsidies to go to EV’s and electricity from wind and solar, they are providing financial incentives to China, who already controls the supply chain for the minerals and metals to go green, furthering our total dependence on China to achieve the green goals of America.

With demographics of EV owners predominantly middle-aged white men earning more than $100,000 per year, Social Security shows that the national average wage index for 2021 is only $60,575 ($40,000 less than the average EV owner). US News recently reported that more than 60 percent of adults are living from paycheck to paycheck and that 48 percent of Americans with annual incomes over $100,000 are also living paycheck to paycheck. As U.S. consumers struggle to afford their day-to-day lifestyle, many are relying on credit cards or dipping into savings, making them financially vulnerable.

Besides the affordability of ANY new car, ICE or EV, is it ethical and morally responsible to purchase an EV knowing where the supply chain of EV battery materials originates?

Those that are less fortunate in poorer developing countries are the ones mining for exotic minerals and metals to support the movement in wealthy countries to EV’s and intermittent electricity from wind and solar.

The wealthy country elites continue to demonstrate their lack of ethical, moral, and social responsibilities, by using subsidies that encourage the continued exploitations of people with yellow, brown, and black skin and the environmental degradation occurring “elsewhere”, out of view of those living in wealthy countries.

 

[aenyc]

Looks like Svetz is definitely loosing the argument posting the same graph and making the same false statement over and over again ("There is global warming and there is no denying it") while not being able to disprove anything being posted to counter.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Looks like Svetz is definitely loosing the argument posting the same graph and making the same false statement over and over again ("There is global warming and there is no denying it") while not being able to disprove anything being posted to counter.

Bullshit.
We just quit bothering with your garbage because YOU simply aren't worth arguing with.

 

[aenyc]

 

[Sanwizard]

That's because Global Warming is as real as it gets, there is no other reasonable side to it. It would be disingenuous for anyone to suggest anything different. Let's look at observed measured data:

Yep, Global temperature is going up and the IPCC predictions match reality (red dots) within range of accuracy

Ice Caps warming faster than the rest of the planet, just as predicted

Sea Ice melting faster than before​

There's really nothing scientifically that can be opposed really, global warming is real. But that doesn't mean people won't argue, it's a forum after all. If you're not seeing opposing posts you probably have them all on /IGNORE. Good for you!

Interesting data, but to tell you the truth, I would be more concerned with global cooling more than global warming.

The mini ice age in Europe made it much harder to farm and feed the population.
Global warming makes it easier, as it causes more rain from storms, makes more useable farmland, and the rising oceans wipes out all the rich politicians homes on the beach, forcing biden to actually work vs nap and vacation.

So i say BRING IT ON!

 

[aenyc]

Not to mention that 2013 IPCC report (and all of the subsequent one) have been shown by REAL scientists and curious people alike to be built on completely bogus, cherry picked data.
It has zero credibility on data.
It has zero credibility on corruption within IPCC that was exposed all over the place.