Bjorn Lomborg: The Paris climate deal won’t even dent ‘global warming’ (Even if you accept their science claims)

A diplomatic triumph? More like a p.r. coup. The Paris Treaty is rich in rhetoric, but it’ll make little change in actual temperature rises.

Increasingly, that fact is being recognized, even by some of the biggest proponents of climate action.

Jim Hansen, a former NASA scientist and advisor to Al Gore who was the first to put global warming on the public radar in 1988, wasn’t fooled. “It’s a fraud really, a fake,” he said in December. “It’s just worthless words.”

And this month, 11 climate scientists signed a declaration stating that the Paris treaty is crippled by “deadly flaws.”

The problem with the deal is simple, and was obvious from before it was even signed. The Paris agreement talks a big game. It doesn’t just commit to capping the global temperature increase at the much-discussed level of 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It says that leaders commit to keeping the increase “well below 2°C,” with an effort to cap it at 1.5°C.

But this is all talk.

My own peer-reviewed research, published in the journal Global Policy, shows that all of the treaty’s 2016-2030 promises on cutting carbon-dioxide emissions will reduce temperatures by the year 2100 by just 0.05°C. Even if the promised emissions cuts continued unabated throughout the century, the Paris agreement would cut global temperature increases by just 0.17°C. Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reach a similar conclusion.

And that’s assuming countries actually live up to their promises: The treaty’s nonbinding.…

EPA forced to move climate hearings on coal plant restrictions due to ‘large scale power outage’

Climate Depot Exclusive

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being forced to relocate the agency’s Region 4 hearing on proposed climate regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants. (See: Obama advisor John Podesta claims EPA CO2 regs (which don’t impact global CO2 levels) are needed to combat extreme weather)

Opponents of the new EPA regulations say they will deal a devastating blow to the U.S. coal industry. Coal is in the cross-hairs of the Obama Administration’s battle to fight “global warming.” Already, the coal industry is reeling from the looming regulations. See: Coal Companies’ Pain Accelerates as Bankruptcy Cases Rise in part due to ‘tighter regulations’ – ‘pushing a number of companies to the brink of insolvency’

Climate Depot has obtained this July 25, 2014 email from Acting Congressional Liaison Dionne Delli-Gatti of US EPA’s Region 4 office. The email, sent at 2:33 PM is titled “Atlanta Clean Power Plan Public Hearing Location Changed.”

“Please be aware that as the result of a large scale power outage at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, EPA will hold the July 29 and 30, 2014, Atlanta Clean Power Plan public hearings at the Omni Hotel,” the EPA email alert reported. (See: Power Outage Closes Atlanta Federal Building Until Friday  & Electrical problem will keep Nunn federal building closed all week – Obama’s Promise Kept: “If somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it’s just that it will bankrupt them’)

The EPA email continued: “While repairs are underway at the Federal Center, there is no guarantee the facility will be fully operational in time for the hearings. This led to the agency’s decision to change locations.” [Full email below]

Reactions from energy insiders was swift.

One analyst quipped to Climate Depot: “EPA’s hearing session on their proposed guidelines to hammer existing coal plants has to be moved due to electrical outages.  Feels a bit like the ‘Gore effect’.  Perhaps a harbinger of things to come.”

(See: Is this coming to U.S. Via EPA regs? Britain ‘may be forced to use ‘last resort’ measures to avert blackouts in coming winters’)

(See: Watch Now: Morano in 3 against one Aljazeera TV debate over EPA Climate regs: ‘They are bastardizing science…demonizing carbon dioxide’)

Another wrote: “In case anyone’s looking for blog material this afternoon, EPA just announced that it has to move the location …