Electric Vehicles (EV) have been much in the headlines recently, from stories detailing the difficulties with charging them to losses suffered by major automakers pushing them at the behest of the Biden administration, to EV fires, the dependence on China for critical components used in EVs including their batteries, range and function issues, and beyond.I have discussed the myriad problems with EVs on multiple occasions in recent months. For instance, I addressed a range of concerns in detail … [Read more...]
Ninety-Nine Percent Consensus? Not so, Says New Analysis
A new study published in the journal Climate by a group of researchers from various universities and research institutes in Israel (Dentelski, et al.) debunks a study in another journal that claimed support for the theory humans are causing dangerous climate change “anthropogenic global warming” (AGW) tops 99 percent.A 2021 study (Lynas et al.) claimed a review of a random sample of 3,000 publications discussing climate change, out of “a dataset of 88125 climate-related papers published since … [Read more...]
Models Can’t Agree on Climate Sensitivity
Image: Created Commons under UnsplashFor decades, the public has been told climate researchers understand and have accurately modeled “climate sensitivity,” defined as the average global temperature rise we should expect following a doubling of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere compared to pre-industrial levels. Yet, climate models routinely run too hot, both hindcasting (unless their outputs or the measured data is adjusted to conform) and forecasting far more warming than is actually … [Read more...]
Pope’s Climate Harangue Shows that He Should Stick to Theology and Leave Climate Policy to Those Who Follow Facts
Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashIn late December 2014, the Vatican announced the Pope would be issuing an encyclical in 2015 concerning the need to battle climate change. In late April 2015, Francis hosted a one-day conference, “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development.” Despite being described as a workshop to come to an understanding and agreement about a common path forward on climate change, the Vatican’s official closing … [Read more...]
Hot Summer Due to Many Factors—Carbon Dioxide Emissions Are Not One of Them
Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashLet’s state the obvious and get it out of the way. It’s hot out there. Yeah, it’s summer, and summer is typically hot, but it has, as a matter of fact, been “hotter than [usual in] July” (hat tip to Stevie Wonder) across much of the globe.Hundreds, if not thousands, of daily temperature records in cities and towns around the world have been set during the present heatwaves, which, in some locations, have persisted for an extended period. The heat waves are … [Read more...]
New Claims of Record-Setting Temperatures Are Nothing but Hot Air
Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashRecently headlines in mainstream media such as the BBC, CNN, Forbes, and The Washington Post blared the consistent message that July 4, 2023 was the hottest day in history, or at least in the past 125,000 years. The headlines and stories show just how gullible the media is, or alternatively, that they are so wedded to the climate crisis narrative that they would publish a story they know is impossible to verify and is probably untrue.The Washington … [Read more...]
The Truth About Canada’s Wildfires
Canada’s wildfires continue to burn, and with smoke from those fires darkening the skies in the United States, the mainstream media are covering it extensively. A common underlying theme in almost every report is that climate change is partly to blame for the size of Canada’s wildfires this season and that such fires and the heat contributing to them are a portent of things to come if we don’t stop using fossil fuels.Image: Creative Commons under Unsplash“With over 120 million U.S. residents … [Read more...]
Why Can’t Renewables Power Modern Economies? Physics
Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashTo understand why wind and solar power, even with battery backup, will not be sufficient in the near future to supply the electric power needs of any modern industrial economy, much less an economy the size of the United States, one must first understand how the electric power system works.Note: I’m not talking about costs. Although the media regularly reports demonstrably false claims that wind and solar power are cheaper than traditional power sources such … [Read more...]
Bad Climate Assumptions, Worse Climate Predictions
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” So begins Elizabeth Barret Browning’s famous Sonnet 43. What does that have to do with climate change, you ask? Browning’s poem has parallels to our understanding of the myriad physical mechanisms that drive climate change. “What affects the climate? Let me count the factors. …” Some people just don’t want to do that.Recent research published in the International Journal of Climatology, a peer-reviewed scientific publication of the Royal … [Read more...]
Economic Realities Dash Biden’s Offshore Wind Plans
President Joe Biden’s plans for offshore industrial wind facilities lining the nation’s coasts have more than a few hurdles to clear before they can become reality.As part of his plan to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, Biden has initiated efforts to build 30,000 megawatts of traditional offshore wind facilities (with structures attached to the ocean floor) in federal waters by 2030, and an additional 15,000 megawatts of floating industrial offshore wind … [Read more...]
