References to climate change almost guarantee funding, even for research topics of little interest beyond academia and eco-activists. Polls reveal that most people worry most about energy and food prices, crime, living standards, Putin’s war on Ukraine, and increasing efforts to control their lives. A recent study by Rutgers University scientists sought to determine how much diversity is required among bee species to sustain wild plant populations. They concluded that ecosystems rely … [Read more...]
Renewable Energy’s China Problem
This past week as I was preparing to publish a webcast, Are Renewable Energy Mandates Effective, news dropped from the Wall Street Journal that the Biden Administration is pursuing a “BackDoor” Climate Plan that would bypass Congress. About the same time, on March 18, Annie Grayer of CNN tweeted that AOC is preparing to “re-rollout” the Green New Deal. When you control Congress and the White House, why do you need to use a backdoor to begin with? With so much zealotry behind net-zero by 2050, it … [Read more...]
Clean Renewable? There Is No Wind Energy Without Fossil Fuels
Many people today praise wind and solar energy as clean energy and trust them as the power sources of the future, the sources that will replace fossil fuels. President Joe Biden has announced his intent to force the transition. With a couple of executive orders that curtailed fossil fuel use, he is marching towards his intensive plan to increase dependency on renewables. Last week, Biden’s newly appointed White House climate czar Gina McCarthy said, “Biden has committed to 100% clean power … [Read more...]
The Myth of Glorious Renewables
We all love energy solutions that make life better. It is an undeniable fact that coal propelled the Industrial Revolution and led to the alleviation of poverty in the West. More recently, the oil reserves in the Middle East have made it one of the most economically developed regions in the world. Despite their continuous support to the global economy, these fossil fuel sources have now become unpopular among the climate-sensitive, anti-fossil fuel, green lobbyists and environmental … [Read more...]
Wind turbines take a terrible toll on birds
There is a narrative on wind turbines that we hear so often: wind turbines are clean and green, and they help us tackle climate change through emission-free energy generation. Anything contrary to that narrative might seem untrue, especially after mainstream media’s relentless promotion of the narrative for the past one decade or so. As a young field ecologist, I’ve witnessed and studied about bird collision mortalities in the most serene Special Protected Area for bird conservation at … [Read more...]
Wind Turbines Generate Mountains of Waste
Environmentalists and wind energy opportunists (entrepreneurs who take advantage of overly generous tax credits and multiple other subsidies) want you to believe wind energy is as pure “green” as newly driven snow is white, and as cheap as Taco Bell. They never tell you about the costs – or the environmental destruction – that they have hidden from you for decades. But neither do most governments, news media or social media. Ars Technica science editor John Timmer says wind … [Read more...]
The Giga and Terra Scam of Offshore Wind Energy
Can anti-fossil fuel policies based on climate crisis alarmism possibly get any more insane than this? In what might be described as a pre-Halloween trick of ginormous proportions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) now asserts that “renewable, sustainable” energy output will explode over the next two decades. Certainly for onshore wind and solar energy – but especially for offshore wind, says the IEA. “Offshore wind currently provides just 0.3% of global power generation,” IEA … [Read more...]
How Do You Make Sea Level Rise When and Where It Doesn’t?
Atmospheric temperature is rising at less than half the rate predicted by the computer models. Even the predicted rate isn't particularly disturbing so far as its effects on ecosystems or human wellbeing are concerned. That's because, as the models predict, most of the increase is toward the poles, in winter, at night, little toward the equator, in summer, in daytime. I.e., it serves mostly to raise the coldest temperatures and does little to the warmest temperatures. The main results are … [Read more...]
Silent Spring: Then and Now
Thoughts on environmental hypocrisy In 1962 Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring. This is one of the most important science books ever written and is the foundation of the modern environmental movement. Ms. Carson, a scientist employed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, allegedly initiated her inquiry into the possible adverse effects of insecticides on wildlife (including birds) due to a letter received detailing large bird kills post crop application of such chemicals. Silent … [Read more...]
For Three Billion People, Coal Looks Pretty Good
Ask a typical college student about “environmentally friendly” energy sources, and the student will usually respond with comments on wind energy, solar energy, or at least “renewable fuels.” Coal would never make the list. But as an economist, I’m always teaching students about trade-offs. There is no energy source that is costless, either financially or in terms of environmental degradation. Wind energy, for example, requires metals that have to be mined, access roads and transmission lines … [Read more...]
