Critics of calls for rapid replacement of coal and natural gas with wind and solar to power the grid often argue that the intermittency of wind and solar destabilize the electrical power grid, making brownouts and blackouts, which are costly and often life threatening, more likely. The basic point is that simple to make, but its explanation and support are more difficult. A new post at Judith Curry's Climate Etc. blog, by a guest author identified simply as "Planning Engineer," develops the … [Read more...]
Immorality Pretending to Virtue
Climate alarm belongs to a class of issues characterized by a claim for which there is no evidence … [and which is] characterized by profound immorality pretending to virtue. Climate Scientist Richard Lindzen At the end of 2015, government leaders will once again gather, this time in Paris, to craft a global treaty that will commit governments to significantly reducing modern civilization’s dependence on fossil-fuel based energy. Billed as an effort to “save the planet” from the scourge of … [Read more...]
The News that Didn’t Fit—What I Told a New York Times “Reporter,” and He Didn’t Report
On June 16, 2015, I received an email from New York Times "reporter" Justin Gillis, who has written much highly critical of those who are skeptical of claims of catastrophic, anthropogenic global warming---people like me. Because I had taken the lead in producing An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Climate Change, Gillis posed some questions to me for an article he was working on about religious people’s reactions to Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. I wrote extensive replies, not … [Read more...]
Fuel Poverty: The Deadly Side of Renewable Energy
So climate alarmists want a rapid, mandatory shift from fossil fuels—chiefly coal and natural gas—to wind and solar to save us all from catastrophic global warming. What comes with that? The people of England and Wales have found out, and it isn't pretty. Over a decade ago, the United Kingdom began a rigorous policy of shutting down coal-fired power plants and replacing them with wind farms and solar arrays to feed its electricity grid. The direct result was skyrocketing electric rates across … [Read more...]
Anglican Bishop and Labour Leader Respond to Pope Francis on Climate Change
Anglican Bishop Peter Forster and Labour Party Leader Bernard Donoughue team up for a clear, concise, respectful, yet telling critique of Pope Francis's encyclical LAUDATO SI', published by the Global Warming Policy Foundation. They argue, as has the Cornwall Alliance, that: 1. The policies Pope Francis supports to reduce global warming will harm the world's poor. 2. Using fossil fuels has been and should continue to be a huge benefit to humanity, lifting billions of out poverty, but also to … [Read more...]
Europe’s Appetite for Wood Pellets Instead of Coal Threatens Forests
In its Quixotic quest to fight global warming, Europe is switching many coal-fired electric generating plants to wood pellets. Not a good idea. One of the most important advances for both humanity and the environment was our move from using wood as primary energy source to coal, natural gas, and oil. That led to a reversal of the deforestation that was happening all over the Northern Hemisphere as population rose. The higher-density fossil fuels allowed us to generate far more energy while … [Read more...]
Update on Trip to Rome Italy from Dr. E. Calvin Beisner
Today I'll be among 8 scholars speaking for a press conference in Rome to bring balance to a global warming alarmist biased conference at the Vatican tomorrow. We have outstanding climate scientists who can explain what's wrong with IPPC "science." My basic message? Policies to fight AGW will condemn the world's poor to more generations of misery and early death. Pope Francis claims to be on the side of the poor. Then he should be against the AGW alarmist bandwagon. … [Read more...]
Join Governors Urging Obama to Adopt Sane Energy and Environment Policy!
The governors of nine states recently wrote an excellent letter to President Barack Hussein Obama urging him to “pursue a pragmatic energy policy that balances our nation’s economic needs, energy security, and environmental quality objectives.” The Cornwall Alliance has been trumpeting this message for years. It’s great to see these governors embracing it. Pointing out that new breakthroughs in energy production in America have saved the average American household nearly $1,000 a year, the … [Read more...]
Hydraulic Fracturing: A Safe Way to Produce Abundant, Clean, And Affordable Energy
British scientists have declared hydraulic fracturing safe, and yet political opposition to shale and other fossil fuels rages. Ohio and New York have vigorously opposed shale drilling. Despite 2.6 quadrillion—that’s 2,600 trillion—cubic feet of natural gas that is buried under the U.S., which could easily solve many future energy concerns, many view hydraulic fracturing with fear. Natural gas now makes up about twenty-three percent of total global energy expenditure in BTUs, and it will become … [Read more...]
