Once upon a time the job of the PJM Interconnection — operator of the nation’s largest electricity grid — was reasonably straightforward: Keep the lights on. The organization’s mission statement still identifies PJM’s “primary task” as ensuring the power grid’s “safety, reliability and security.” However, today’s PJM is post-modern. Focused management of transmitting electricity is muddled by notions of carbon dioxide as a toxin and sophomoric visions of pristine energy from the zephyrs and … [Read more...]
Jordan Peterson Knows Psychology, Including ‘Global Warming’ Groupthink
Five days before the recent snowstorm rocked the Mid-Atlantic region, the ECMWF weather model had forecast more than 30 inches for portions of Delaware, coastal Maryland, and southern New Jersey. The model had overestimated snowfall by up to a factor of three.My criticism of the model will likely not anger many in the political arena. Why not? Because, as we are often told, weather is not climate. Weather is very difficult to forecast because it is highly variable, and weather models can … [Read more...]
More Snow Hits the Fan this Week: Climate Change Alarmists Still Want it Both Ways
As I predicted, climate change has been blamed for the recent New England blizzard (e.g. from Bloomberg here). During that storm, Boston tied its 24-hr snowfall record at 23.6 inches.Yet, as recently as January 6, we were told by USAToday that Boston’s lengthy 316-day streak *without* one inch of snowfall as of January 1st was caused by global warming.So, which is it? Does global warming cause less snow or more snow?When science produces contradictory claims, is it really … [Read more...]
The Dangers of Challenging the Climate Change Consensus
One of the easiest things to do is to go along to get along. This is true in so many areas of life, including knowledge of science topics. If you don't have an in-depth knowledge of a particular area of science, the "easiest thing" kicks in rather effortlessly. Alternatively, if you have a depth of knowledge on a particular science topic, things can get a whole lot harder, especially if you challenge the prevailing view on that topic. We find ourselves in … [Read more...]
Being a Climate Alarmist Means Never Having to Admit You’re Wrong
A mountain of evidence shows climate alarmists never learn from their mistakes, be they clear misstatements of facts or repeatedly failed prognostications.Why should they? The press lets climate alarmists get away with making more false claims than any other group on any other topic, including the efficacy of the COVID vaccines in keeping people from catching the disease or requiring hospitalization. Climate alarmists have nothing to fear from so-called fact-checkers in corporate or social media … [Read more...]
Cornwall Alliance Scholar Demonetized by Google
DrRoySpencer.com has been demonetized by Google for “unreliable and harmful claims.” This means I can no longer generate revenue to support the website using the Google Adsense program.From a monetary standpoint, it’s not a big deal because what I make off of Google ads is in the noise level of my family’s monthly budget. It barely made more than I pay in hosting fees and an (increasingly expensive) comment spam screener.I’ve been getting Google warnings for a couple of months now about “policy … [Read more...]
Science is in Trouble
Will 2022 be another year when scientists lament the public’s continued lack of trust in science?Editorials abound about the pushback scientists are experiencing when it comes to proposed science-oriented solutions to serious societal challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Yet, science communicators can be their own worst enemy when they go on the offense with loutish language. Their offense becomes offensive and seen as arrogance.Labeling as “conspiracy theorists” … [Read more...]
Environmentalism has lost its way
Driven by climate madness, the environmental movement has become the greatest advocate of destructive industrial development in history.As Kant said: “To will the end is to will the means”. In this case, the means to the phantom end of climate control have led environmentalists to abandon all of their principles. Solar and wind require environmental destruction on an unprecedented scale. Electrification requires the use of toxic chemicals on a similar scale. The hazardous waste stream is … [Read more...]
United States Not Big Bad Plastics Polluter
In a report just released, the National Academy of Sciences takes America to task as being “the country” most responsible for polluting its rivers and estuaries with plastic waste that eventually winds up floating on the surface of the oceans. But the basis for the suspect claim needs to be carefully examined. Prior reports on the same issue estimate, on a country by country basis, the flux of packaging materials: plastic bottles, shopping bags, single-use eating and drinking … [Read more...]
You May Want to Wish for Coal in Your Christmas Stocking
Adding to already rough and rising winter energy prices, Santa may have little choice but to pass along inflationary gift delivery reindeer flatulence fees.Yes, if he and his formerly merry elves didn’t already have problems enough with sky-high supply chain costs and delays, Democrat grinches are pushing a penalty tax on methane producers, Rudolph presumably included.To this end, a recently passed U.S. House bill would impose an escalating “fee” on oil and gas industry methane emission releases … [Read more...]
