A fool’s errand: Al Gore’s $15 trillion carbon tax to ‘re-engineer humanity’ to save us from global warming

by Fred Palmer | May 9, 2017, 5:00 AM

Al Gore wants to reverse modernity and save the world from itself through an elimination of its fossil-fuel-based energy system. During the final week of April, his newly created Energy Transitions Commission released a document setting forth a fool’s-errand pathway to “decarbonize” the world’s energy system.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Gore’s plan features a new, sophisticated, and expensive public-relations campaign, but it’s all based on his views on carbon dioxide first broached in his 1992 book Earth in the Balance, which he reissued in 2000 for his failed presidential campaign. The subsequent efforts made by Gore during the past 25 years have transformed little from their genesis, and he remains as tragically wrong today as he was when he first surfaced as an opponent of everything linked to carbon-dioxide.

A fool’s errand: Al Gore’s $15 trillion carbon tax
Washington Examiner
If you scroll through the verbiage surrounding the document, you will find the core policy recommendation is a massive, punishing carbon tax. Gore would start the tax at $50 per ton, which would increase to $100 per ton over time, essentially destroying the market for continued robust development of the world’s fossil-fuel base. Our economic growth and personal well-being depends on robust fossil-fuel use, so Gore’s plan would destroy these as well.

But, don’t worry! The all-in estimated cost to re-engineer humanity is only a mere $15 trillion—enough money to give every man, woman, and child in the United States more than $46,000.

Al Gore has been demonizing fossil fuels and attempting to marginalize all those involved in the traditional energy sector since 1988, the year the climate-change movement was rolled out in Washington, D.C., which happened to correspond with a nationwide heatwave and with Yellowstone in flames. Ever since, Gore’s pathway to political power and personal riches has been a successful one, to be sure, but his multi-trillion-dollar effort today is his most sophisticated effort to date. Unfortunately for him, it will also fail, because what he’s selling in his “new” proposal is bad for the people being asked to embrace it.…

Northern Hemisphere having a tough time shaking off winter

https://www.vencoreweather.com/blog/2017/5/9/1025-am-northern-hemisphere-having-a-tough-time-shaking-off-winter

By Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Vencore, Inc. – vencoreweather.com

Snow is running at well above normal levels across the Northern Hemisphere; courtesy Environment Canada

Snow is running at well above normal levels across the Northern Hemisphere; courtesy Environment Canada

Overview
Europe had an extended period of colder-than-normal weather in April accompanied by lots of snow and now much of the US is experiencing an extended period of colder-than-normal weather as we transition from early-to-mid May.  Snowfall has been running at above normal levels this winter across the Northern Hemisphere and continues at those higher-than-normal levels as we heads towards the middle of May.  In addition, temperatures in the Arctic region – which have been generally running at above-normal levels in recent weeks – have actually dropped to below-normal in recent days. One of the main factors contributing to this late season cold across much of the Northern Hemisphere is a blocking pattern in the upper part of the atmosphere centered over Greenland and Iceland and this tends to contribute to cold air outbreaks into the land mass areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Temperatures in the Arctic region (>80 degrees N) have fallen to below-normal levels (circled area) in recent days following several weeks at generally above-normal levels; map courtesy Weather Bell Analytics/Dr. Ryan Maue

Temperatures in the Arctic region (>80 degrees N) have fallen to below-normal levels (circled area) in recent days following several weeks at generally above-normal levels; map courtesy Weather Bell Analytics/Dr. Ryan Maue

Discussion
During the month of April, Europe experienced a persistent colder-than-normal pattern and significant snow piled up in the Alps across the central part of the continent.  The air was so cold, in fact, that many vineyards from England-to-Italy suffered serious losses as the battle with freezing conditions was relentless in many areas.  In the US, a colder-than-normal pattern has kicked in for much of the nation and should continue into the middle of the month and there has been some accumulating snow in the western US and across portions of the Northern Plains and interior Northeast.  In fact, the next ten days or so will see more in the way of accumulating snow in the western US and many ski resorts in that part of the country will have good conditions right into the month of June.  The Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California, for example, will get more substantial snowfall over the next ten days or so to add to the massive totals that they received this winter.

500 millibar height anomaly pattern with strong blocking (in red) over Greenland and Iceland and deep upper-level lows over the Northeast and Southwest US; map courtesy AER/Dr. Judah Cohen

500 millibar height anomaly pattern with strong blocking (in red) over Greenland and Iceland and deep upper-level lows over the Northeast and Southwest US; map courtesy AER/Dr. Judah

Oh noes! Global warming kills gut bacteria in lizards

From the UNIVERSITY OF EXETER and the department of “likely headed for Retraction Watch” comes this study that doesn’t seem to pass the smell test, because putting lizards in hot boxes isn’t the same as lizards in the wild, and the diurnal variation of temperature far exceeds 2-3°C. More likely, the lizards are reacting to stress from the environment, and have less bacteria because they’ve been isolated from their normal exposure to microorganisms.

Climate change could threaten reptiles by reducing the number of bacteria living in their guts, new research suggests.

Scientists from the University of Exeter and the University of Toulouse found that warming of 2-3°C caused a 34% loss of microorganism diversity in the guts of common lizards (also known as viviparous lizards).

In the experiments, lizards were put in temperature-controlled enclosures and samples of their gut bacteria were tested to identify which bacteria were present.

The diversity of bacteria was lower for lizards living in warmed conditions, and the researchers found this had an impact on their survival chances.

By raising the temperature by 2-3°C in their experiment, the researchers reflected warming predicted by current climate change models.

“Our research shows that a relatively small rise in temperature can have a major impact on the gut bacteria in common lizards,” said Dr Elvire Bestion, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

GLOBAL WARMING: Eating INSECTS ‘could help tackle climate change’

Replacing half of the meat eaten worldwide with crickets and mealworms would cut farmland use by a third, substantially reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, researchers say.

While consumers’ reluctance to eat insects may limit their consumption, even a small increase would bring benefits, the team says.

This could potentially be achieved by using insects as ingredients in some pre-packaged foods.

eating insectsGETTY – STOCK IMAGE

Researchers say that replacing meat with crickets and mealworms could help tackle climate change

Using data collected primarily by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, scientists compared the environmental impacts of conventional meat production with those of alternative sources of food.

It is the first study to do so.

insects as food saladGETTY – STOCK IMAGE

They said it would cut farmland use which would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College considered a scenario in which half of the current mix of animal products is replaced by insects, lab-grown meat or imitation meat.

The environmental challenges facing the global agricultural industry are increasing

Dr Peter Alexander

They found that insects and imitation meat – such as soybean-based foods like tofu – are the most sustainable as they require the least land and energy to produce.

Beef is by far the least sustainable, the team says.

In contrast to previous studies, lab-grown meat was found to be no more sustainable than chicken or eggs, requiring an equivalent area of land but using more energy in production.

Inconvenient study concludes: warmer temperatures lead to a more stable climate

From RESEARCH ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION AND SYSTEMS and the “goodbye climate disruption” department, comes this study that might very well explain why we have less landfalling U.S. hurricanes, less tornadoes, and extreme weather of all kinds seems to be waning.

Climate instability over the past 720,000 years
Ice core analysis from Dome Fuji, Antarctica and climate simulation

A research group formed by 64 researchers from the National Institute of Polar Research, the University of Tokyo, and other organizations analyzed atmospheric temperatures and dust for the past 720,000 years using an ice core obtained at Dome Fuji in Antarctica. Results indicate that when intermediate temperatures occurred within a glacial period, the climate was highly unstable and fluctuated. A climate simulation was also performed based on the Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model, which revealed that the major cause of the observed climate instability was global cooling by a decline in the greenhouse effect.

Climate instability severely impacts both the Earth’s natural environment and human society. In the continued effort for understanding how global warming could affect climate instability, it is important to identify periods in the past that experienced climate instability. These periods need to be studied and modeled to clarify any potential causes of the observed instability. However, little progress has been made in improving our documenting and understanding of climate instability prior to the last glacial period.

The research groups of Dr. Kenji Kawamura and Dr. Hideaki Motoyama (National Institute of Polar Research) analyzed the Second Dome Fuji ice core (Fig. 1, left) that were obtained as part of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) between 2003 and 2007. Their team reproduced fluctuations in the air temperature and dust (solid particulate mat

‘Can California Cars Save the Climate?’ ‘There’s not a single automaker that makes money on an electric car’

Via: http://capitalandmain.com/can-california-cars-save-the-climate-0420

Co-published by Fast Company

Eric Noble works in the automobile industry, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t worry about climate change. When he and his two sons, 11 and 15 years old, travel south to surf on Baja’s Pacific Coast a few times a year, they can detect the impact greenhouse gases are having on the earth. “We can see the sea level rising,” he says. “Little coastal roads we used to be able to drive on are inundated now. This is happening.” He understands that transportation is responsible for more than a quarter of the greenhouse gases that linger in our atmosphere, and light-duty vehicles—passenger cars, mostly—emit close to two-thirds of that pollution.

And so Noble, who is president of the Orange County, California-based automotive consulting firm CarLab, also worries whether California’s strict zero-emissions vehicle strategy, which forces automakers to market exhaust-free hydrogen-fueled and battery-powered vehicles in the state, is really the most consumer-friendly, egalitarian way to go. Not just in California and the nine states that have followed its lead on emissions standards, but throughout the nation.

California is moving rapidly toward low-carbon electricity generation. But even with a cleaner grid, or solar charging stations in home garages, it’s not enough for car makers to sell a handful of clean cars to do-gooder early adopters. People have to buy them in sufficient numbers to make a difference. Even with substantial perks for drivers—a $7,500 federal tax credit for a pure electric vehicle, carpool lane privileges, the quiet power of an electric motor—manufacturers still lease their cars cheap, and at a loss.

“There’s not a single automaker that makes money on an electric car,” Noble says. Tesla, with its rising stock shares and fame, turned a slim profit in the third quarter of 2016, but likely because of $139 million in ZEV credits it sold to less-green manufacturers. General Motors expects to lose money on every unit it sells of its new Chevrolet Bolt, the all-electric car pitched as an answer to “range anxiety,” because, if you’re careful not to drive it too hard, it can last for 238 miles on a charge.

Raw Emotion, Not Science, on Display at People’s Climate March

By WILLIAM M BRIGGS Published on April 29, 20171 Comment

… and the worst are full of passionate intensity.

Madness. Last week came March for Science spokesmodel Bill Nye and his perversions passing for “science.” Now comes shifty George Soros with his tens of millions injected into the populace to stir up heated feelings of “science.”

We resist, they say. We build, they claim. We rise, they threaten.

These declarations are from the homepage of the People’s Climate March, as brave and as forthright as any communist slogan.

Did they say climate march? Not quite. Instead, a mob gathered for, in their words, “climate, jobs, and justice.” Jobs? Justice?

What happened, you might ask, to global warming? Forgotten. Well, it’s impolite to mention it because, of course, it has gone missing. The planet’s top scientists, having spent billions in the search, are more than a little embarrassed about not being able to find it. It’s gauche to mention it, so let’s leave them in peace and maybe, at long last, and after spending a few billion more, they’ll surprise us all.

Let’s instead talk about these marchers. Why do they say they “rise”? Well, they want to “immediately stop attacks on immigrants, communities of color, indigenous and tribal people and lands and workers.”

Global warming has been attacking immigrants?

Up to 2 Foot Snow Blast Putting ‘Global Warming’ Protests On Ice In Colorado

BY STAFF APRIL 28, 2017 – Western Wire

The threat of a major snowstorm is already putting Denver-area climate marches on ice. With the Washington Post reporting on how the “sweltering heat” in our nation’s capital is providing a relevant backdrop for the “People’s Climate March” tomorrow, the foot of snow expected in Colorado tomorrow has already postponed one of the several planned protests in the state.

Organized by groups seeking to ban the production of oil, natural gas, and coal, including 350.org, Sierra Club, and NextGen Climate, the “People’s Climate March” is occurring tomorrow in Washington, D.C., and cities across the country to protest the Trump administration’s environmental policies.

With the Washington protest reportedly expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees, hundreds of “sister marches” are planned for cities across the country. But one out of the twelve protests in Colorado has already been postponed due to an impending snowstorm. The National Weather Service’s winter storm warning projects six to 12 inches of snow, but there is potential for up to two feet in the Denver Metro Area.…

Analysis: It’s not just droughts, but nearly all extreme weather is declining or at or near record lows

Climate Depot Special Report

The federal government has just released yet another key piece of scientific data that counters the man-made global warming narrative. The federal U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that droughts in the U.S. are at record lows in 2017. See: Feds: U.S. drought reaches record low in 2017 as rain reigns – Sees lowest levels of drought ever monitored

Former Vice President Al Gore has made extreme weather warnings a staple of his climate change activist. See: Al Gore on the Weather: ‘Every night on the news now, practically, is like a nature hike through the book of Revelations’

Below is a complete rundown of the very latest on extreme weather conditions: Update data from the 2016 Climate Depot report: Skeptics Deliver Consensus Busting ‘State of the Climate Report’ to UN Summit

Extreme Weather: Scientist to Congress in 2017: ‘No evidence’ that hurricanes, floods, droughts, tornadoes are increasing – Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. of University of Colorado

Tornadoes: NOAA Tornado data revealing 2016 as ‘one of the quietest years since records began in 1954’ and below average for 5th year in a row

Hurricanes: 1) Inconvenient NOAA report: ‘It is premature to conclude (AGW has) already had a detectable impact on’ hurricanes & 2) NOAA: U.S. Completes Record 11 Straight Years Without Major (Cat 3+) Hurricane Strike & 3) 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers reveal the lack of connection between hurricanes & ‘global warming’

Floods: ‘Floods are not increasing’: Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. slams ‘global warming’ link to floods & extreme weather – How does media ‘get away with this?’ – Pielke Jr. on how extreme weather is NOT getting worse: ‘Flood