JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
Jo appreciates your support to help her keep doing what she does. This blog is funded by donations. Thanks!
Follow Jo's Tweets To report "lost" comments or defamatory and offensive remarks, email the moderators at: support.jonova AT proton.me
Statistics
I think American songwriter Stephen Foster (1826-1864) was born before his time. If he were alive today, he could have written the Warmunists’ anthem:
“It rained all day the night I left,
The climate it was dry,
The earth so hot I froze to death,
Suzuki don’t you cry.”
[For those of you across one or the other of the ponds, David Suzuki is Canada’s equivalent to Al Gore / Bill Nye.
With formal education in the study of fornicating fruit flies, Suzuki has come to imagine himself as the ultimate authority on “The Nature of Things” (the name of his TV show.)
And for an obscene speaker’s fee, the hypocritical Suzuki will leave one of his several mansions, jet across the country and lecture people on why THEY should reduce THEIR carbon footprint.]
371
He has visited Australia a couple of times to warn that environmental damage was so serious here that the end of life as we knew it was in sight.
In line with our home brand warmist’s warnings Suzuki’s have not eventuated.
232
He made a complete fool of himself on ABC the last time here.
212
Every time I see David Suzuki on TV I try very hard (and succeed) not to throw a brick at the TV. He is such a con artist.
192
I wonder if he is genetically related to Tom Foolery?
112
Yes, please resist throwing that brick. I’ve had that same temptation and all it would do is be a very expensive brick. Not even the worst TV set is worth destroying because of David Suzuki, the man who should have been a motorcycle instead.
60
There’s no point trying to tell these idiots they are wrong because they know they aren’t, and we know they aren’t. Their watches are just running awfully fast.
It might take another millenium but by then, life as we know it (now) will be very very different. Life as-we-know-it changes daily. Sometimes, that is what makes life so exciting and such fun. 🙂
30
In Suzuki’s case, as with Al Gore, I’m in no doubt that he knows he’s in over his head but doesn’t care. If I stuck my neck out as far beyond my qualification as those two men do I would surely realize it. The important question is, if I was making money beyond my wildest dream with my neck stuck out that far, would I admit it to myself and quit or would I keep going? And I would have even less incentive to stop once I had public recognition as an “expert”.
I’d like to believe I would never even start, much less continue. But if I’m correct about both men, they stunk in their own fields of expertise and were going nowhere. In fact, Al Gore doesn’t seem to have had a field of expertise to begin with. So what’s to lose if they go on sticking their necks out? The appearance, the buzzwords, the smug, “I know better than you do,” is what counts more than what they actually know.
Thus we have climate change.
60
Oh dear, I know the song you are playing with. That can’t be good. 🙁
90
Now there’s an award winning song. 🙂 It’s too bad there’s no award given for the best of the best of skeptical song writing. You would surely get it without trouble.
The best I can do is add to your green thumbs.
Suzuki, cry your rotten heart away as much as you please if you don’t like it.
50
Speaking as a Canadian.
Take Suzuki and Greenpeace, please.
I really hate admitting they both originate in Canada.
50
Greetings to all from Dubai. We had an amazing day today driving up to Jebel Jais in Ras Al Kaimah. It is wonderful to see; beautiful rugged mountain country and a great new well-engineered road. There is also a concerted effort to prevent visitors littering the area, with plastic rubbish bags handed out to each car on the way in. That contrasted with dreadful rubbish on the sides of the road in Sharjah and Umm Al Qawain.
I took photos of all the power lines and towers on the way back to Dubai, thinking particularly of Tony from Oz!
120
Contrast that with any Australian road or major highway.
51
Plastic bags – shock!! Horror!!!
I hope you told them you will only accept rapid biodegradable paper bags.
Go up the top of the needle and for the camel ride in the desert and go to the gold and spice markets.
Good time of the year to be there.
70
We carried our own rubbish bags so didn’t take one.
We probably won’t go up the Burj Khalifa…I get bad vertigo! (I did manage the L’Aiguille du Midi at Chamonix twice though). I saw enough camels in Egypt years ago! As for the gold and spice souks….the one time we went there I came away with spices to take back to England (and had to dispose of them before returning to live in Australia 🙁 ). We wandered around the gold souk without buying anything gold; went outside to find a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ and my lovely OH saw a plastic goods shop and bought an 18 dirham hank of blue rope!
Yesterday at Jebel Jais we saw people using the zip wire; declared the longest in the world apparently. It was in use until some poor body failed to make the end station and one of the operators was endeavouring to pull the person in; we were leaving for home by then. At the bottom of the mountain we met a convey of classic cars coming up.
We also saw goats, several types of birds and a rat!
20
What? Malcolm Turnbull and his cronies were there as well?
30
No…it was prettier!
30
I read somewhere vertigo can be from Menierres disease…a fungal infection basically, affecting the inner ears…
00
Nah…it’s just a very unpleasant jelly-legs feeling and a wish to keep well inboard.
10
“…and had to dispose of them before returning to Australia.”
Good idea, that, Annie. Australian border control is very strict on that kind of thing. Nasties are getting into New Zealand on a regular basis even with similarly strict controls here, and I can’t help but wonder that some of the nasties are smuggled in to deliberately damage our various plant based industries.
That said, however, Australian officials can be a tad officious and lacking in common sense when they destroy 200-year old plant Australian specimens in a move that shocked scientific circles around the world.
(There’s a better link somewhere, but I can’t find it.)
30
It’s a long stretch more control since Gallipoli, eh!
Soldiers who fought at that horrendous five day ‘feint’ at Lone Pine in early August of 1915 sent seeds of that Pine home in the mail, and some returning soldiers even brought back whole pine cones. (It was later determined that the cones and seeds brought back represented two genera of pines, so there must have been another Pine close by, Pinus brutia, and Pinus halepensis, with the brutia the actual tree at the site of Lone Pine)
Sometimes, history makes your jaw drop. Seven VC’s in those five days for Australians. Ordinary men did extraordinary things ….. without even thinking.
Tony.
60
Now that is a very interesting observation, Tony.
I just happen to be reading “March to the Sound of the Guns”, by Ray Grover – an exceptionally good read, drawn from inter alia over twenty years of research into soldiers’ diaries, letters and memoirs. If I may quote a paragraph from the book:
10
Annie might score a sit down by Bertie the Beagle with something like spices having been in the bag. I got pulled up once and the Customs lady was quite aggro and assertive about going through my cabin bag. Told her to go for it, its just the same old junk thats always in their. She seemed quite dissapointed I wasnt a miscreant.
00
Beagles have a tremendous sense of smell. Our son had cleaned out his food container with soap and checked that it was really clean before he entered Australia. He was pulled over for a search, thanks to a beagle, and there was absolutely nothing to be found!
00
I’m very careful and not had a problem wih Bertie. I have been pulled over for a ‘random’ bag check three times on consecutive international flights out of Perth. Dare I say that the third time it was a nice lady wearing special headgear. I think a tall old polite English grandmother helped to fill the targets for the day!
10
Very good article for those who might have missed it.
“Green Ideology’s Failed Energy Experiment”, Rupert Darwall at the Quadrant.
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2018/02/green-ideologys-failed-energy-experiment/
80
Thank you for that link, well worth reading;
“Between 2013 and 2017, AGL’s electricity volumes rose by 20.0%, but its revenue rose 50% faster, with a 29.5% increase, and its underlying profits climbed by 32.7%, whilst its total assets only rose by 8.2%.[8] Green energy policies have gifted AGL with a remarkable money-making machine at the expense of the Australian economy. Such market abuses could be cured and an optimal policy design adopted, but it wouldn’t overcome the destructive impact of having too much wind and solar on the grid. This is because their impact on electricity costs and grid reliability are inherent in wind and solar as generating technologies.”
Our governments allow profiteering, but aren’t they elected to represent voter’s best interests and the best interests of our nation?
240
Most Welcome, Dennis. 🙂
The article does, indeed, raise some thoughtful concepts.
Apparently, those elected and responsible for current situations, are less than thoughtful and very much less than honest.
40
No doubt about it.
Fooling the people is their aim.
20
What about this?
Tesla battery ‘taking straw off camel’s back’ for South Australia energy demand.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/23/tesla-battery-taking-straw-off-camels-back-for-sa-energy-demand
30
I understand that a Camel is a Horse designed by a Committee.
90
So was the battery they are using because it relies on a lot of diesel engines to be of any real use. Talk about stupid.
100
Supplied from multi tanker diesel road trains.
80
And don’t forget the diesel tankers from Singapore!
50
All we need to do to complete the cycle is send them our coal to convert to diesel 🙂
80
The diesel gensets take 5 minutes to get up to full output.
The Batteries supply 8 minutes of backup
The batteries are a UPS for the Generators
90
I’ve just looked at:
https://www.aemo.com.au/Electricity/National-Electricity-Market-NEM/Data-dashboard#nem-dispatch-overview
and it is (probably now was) showing SA getting just on 300 MW from Vic. So whatever the battery was doing when I looked, it wasn’t enough.
Cheers,
Dave B
80
How long would it take to spool up an open cycle RR RB 211 powered generator? They are pretty old by now of course.
10
Ask the operators of the one in Mackay in Qld. Twin RB211 auto start(controlled from Townsville). Can hardly be heard when in operation, less than 1 kilometer from the hospital, and no complaints..
10
For more info see Mackay gas turbine generator on Wikipedia.
10
One might ask why it was that the camel’s back was so close to collapse in the first place, if one had a brain, mightn’t one? Disqualifies all at the Guardian.
100
It was impacted by intermittent coal power. Praise be to the great battery!
30
Beowulf said:
Finest collection of the scientifically illiterate you could find anywhere.
For prospective journalists:
“Please select the item which describes your scientific education best:
1 – Can’t spell science.
2 – Failed School science
3 – Have an Eng-Lit degree
4 – Other:
If you checked other, please tell us about it in half a dozen (6) or fewer words of no more than three (3) syllables:
(eg: studied extinct or dead kangaroos) ”
As we have seen, time and time again, they’re employed if they check 1 – 3.
70
Until the most recent two, which were below par, Flannery’s many contributions to nybooks.com have been excellent highly literate expositions of material largely independent of CO2 cacodoxy.
That fella’s mojo may be ailing on account of the time he’s spent waiting for Labor to recall him…
00
I still suspect that the battery’s usage has more to do with ROI than providing any useful input to SA’s electrical system. I don’t believe that a battery storing only 5% of the state’s energy requirement will ever contribute anything substantial.
110
Not really about load is it, they will say its FCAS and stability, which they can certainly do with having demolished the prime reliable source.
60
The Hornsdale powerreserve home page has a graph that clearly shows the charge/discharge pattern relative to wholesale power price for the BB.
Im sure that its just coincidental that the FCAS duties coincide with favourable power pricing !
The Opennem widget for SA also records the total charge and discharge capacities and average pricing …again , very fortunate price correlation !…
The discharge pricing is always much higher than the charge pricing.
Luverly Jubberly !!
70
🙂 got to earn a living while you are waiting to do something useful
30
Any idea how much money they are making?
00
Return On Investment and political theatre.
10
Michael,
The days when “the elected were governing in the best interest of voters “has long since gone.That approach or philosophy left this country about the time of
the beginning of the great global warming scam 1990 ish.Since then western governments have galvanised this in to a world wide scare campaign-mind you
its the gift that keeps on giving-for both the left and right side of politics.Of course the MSM jumped onto the band wagon and then of course Krony capitalists
could see that Billions could be made out of Phony alternative energies-wind and solar.This has become the age where real problems are ignored energy poverty,
industries leaving the country, job losses the list goes on and on as we one of the most energy rich countries on earth is heading to at least to a recession “we have to have”.This is also the age of narcissism where “look at me” politicians distract the electorate with trivial money wasting referendums on same sex marriage issues.
The $100 million dollars(wasted) could have been spent on infrastructure, health or education-by the way everyone new the what result would be anyway .This
is the age of green virtue signalling (and both sides of politics love it) is more important any silly issue like the cost of the next energy bill gas or electric.Its easy
to ignore such a trivial issue like this when politicians incomes are three to four times that of your average Joe.This is especially guiding when average incomes are
now declining.Mind you this new carbon footprint age is being cheered on by the scientifically illiterate Greens who say such dumb arse things like certain foods have chemicals in them and carbon is bad(but isn’t thats whats on burnt toast) for you.I recently went to a Roger Waters(of Pink Floyd fame) concert ,its theme
or a at least a good part is about the Distopian state created by capitalism -sorry Roger missed you’ve the fact that it is current day politicians and elites that
cultivate and maintain this state.
Cheers Mike Reed
71
I’m hearing complaints from Perth they failed to reach 40 this summer and it’s very unusual. I suppose they can blame man-made global warming for that, right?
212
They might was well. After all, cooling is exactly what you have to expect with Global Warming, isn’t it?
131
As a Perthite I’m certainly not complaining about the lovely cool mornings and balmy days. Gone are those horrible hot morning easterlies that used to fry us. Our gardens and lawns are loving it. If we have another 100 years of this it will be fantastic.
But what I don’t understand is why the eastern states aren’t also experiencing cooler summers. Perhaps one of you (EG?) can explain this.
101
Its chaos Graeme, but if I was a betting man my money would go on a meandering jet stream causing blocking highs. As you know from my previous lectures its a global cooling signal.
50
‘But what I don’t understand is why the eastern states aren’t also experiencing cooler summers.’
In the south-east we are getting a few days of heatwave out of central Australia, followed by a cold air outbreak from the Southern Ocean. Its more than a southerly buster.
Imagine what is going to happen in the Austral winter with the subtropical ridge all over the place, we should expect extreme weather in midlatitudes.
10
Last two Perth winters seemed to be quite mild. Will be interesting to see what we have this winter.
10
No complaints here. Loving it in Perth. We have even had rain in January & some due later today. I have gone as far as putting some seeds into some seed mix this morning, 6 weeks earlier than usual, though I usually do it when we get consecutive days of these temperatures. Power bills down, water bills down. Garden still growing. Pumpkins much larger than usual with this cooler weather.
60
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-24/decline-in-insect-population-baffles-scientists/9481136
There can only be one reason really and no not a warming world despite the claim the rotten little blighters have made there way to my place .
40
“Add in to the mix climate change and sea level rise and it’s incredibly difficult to predict exactly what it is.”
SLR has had a big impact on bee numbers.
80
“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
― Yogi Berra
40
People in this article dont seem to have the bigger picture…or wider information…like being at the bottom of the well and looking up only….
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/21/climate/changed-minds-americans.html?smid=tw-share&mtrref=t.co
“In 2002, the Rev. Richard Cizik would have described himself as “a faithful member of the religious right,” he said. So when the Rev. Jim Ball, a founder of the Evangelical Environmental Network, invited him to a climate change conference that year, Mr. Cizik was hesitant.
“I heard the evidence over four days, did a fist to the forehead and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, if this is true, everything has changed,’” said Mr. Cizik, who was then vice president for government affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals. “I liken it to a religious conversion, and not just because I saw something I’d never seen before — I felt a deep sense of repentance.”
But a few years later, when Mr. Cizik began encouraging his fellow evangelicals to learn more about climate change, he was ostracized. Dozens of community leaders signed a petition for his firing. “Ostensibly it was over my supporting civil unions, but the real reality was that the right didn’t like my position on climate change,” Mr. Cizik said. “The entire religious right just attacked me. It was pretty aggressive.”
Mr. Cizik and his wife sold a car, started recycling and modified parts of their home to be more environmentally friendly, he said. They began to do what they thought God was calling them to do: change their minds. “If you’ve never changed your mind about something, pinch yourself, you may be dead,” Mr. Cizik said. “If we don’t change our mind about this subject, we will die.”
More at the link…..
10
I have had much trouble with aphids and ants invading various trees and even a Lord Howe Island palm since late 2017, the aphids lay eggs in clusters and the ants give them protection in return for honey like drops the aphids deposit.
And the ants here are the worst I can remember, and this is a family property owned long before I was born.
Plenty of mosquito biters too.
50
There’s no decline in the wildlife around our place; it drives us nuts at times. We have all manner of insects, including lots of bees and dung beetles. We have lots of spiders. We have lots of birds, including those thuggish sulphur-crested horrors but we also see the lovely black cockatoos. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we don’t endlessly spray poisons around the place?
40
” In 90 minutes, enough sunlight strikes the earth to provide the entire planet’s energy needs for one year. ”
Where do you begin explaining to a decent but impressionable colleague this isn’t the answer to all our energy needs?
70
The ancient Egyptians and the Inca were wrong?
lol
40
the Aztecs were good at human sacrifgice to keep the plebs in line……kind of reminds me of the Warmists….create a fake priesthood, frighten the punters into line….keep the local pollies scared too…..humans sacrificed through energy poverty etc……very similar stuff…..
40
I can’t think of a more inane statement.
61
True. So all we need to do is to do is place enough solar panels in space to blot out the sun completely and use some of the electricity to create artificial light here on earth. Not what I would call thinking outside the box – more like thinking outside the sphere of their puny little brain contained in leftists’ heads.
40
One begins by explaining that nothing is free. Someone has to pay for gathering and converting that “free” energy into “useful energy”. When the cost of conversion is more than other means of providing “useful energy”, then such things belong in the dustbin, unless of course, Politics enters the scene and requires the enslavement of free people to an ideological fantasy, which under general scrutiny, would portend an ill outcome.
Fantasy is the trade good of Liars and Thieves. Equally so for purveyors of Solar and Wind.
Only Idiots think that intermittent energy production can sustain a 24/7 economy.
Those who think a 24/7 economy isn’t worth preservation ought to willingly die at hospital on a cloudy, windless, day.
Reliable energy is what makes modern society viable.
The alternative is shoveling horse droppings, dying early, living in poverty and hunger, and hoping to live long enough to find a way out of that horror.
Progressive Liberalism is a mental disease of the historically, willfully, factually and technologically ignorant.
Progressive Liberals ought be “liberated” unto North Korea, Venezuela, or Cuba, so they might not infect the normal world with stupidity.
That just about explains it. eh?
90
Are you trying to tell us that the purveyors of Solar and Wind aren’t Liars and Thieves?
20
Global annual final energy use is 110PWh. That equates to a steady production of 26TW. In reality there will be ups and down in both demand and supply so installed capacity would need to be of the order of 200TW allowing for a solar array capacity factor of 20% and load factor of 70%. It could be considerably higher if the solar arrays were not strategically located in places like Sahara Desert, Central Australia, Nevada, India, Chile etc where the is relatively high level of insolation and good continuity of power over a daily cycle such that there is minimal requirement for storage.
Solar panel installed cost is around USD1/W. So the solar arrays will cost around USD200tr. Now these arrays need to be interconnected to supply from those in sunlight to those areas not in sunlight. A rough estimate for the Interconnectors circling the globe and transmitting latitudinally to national networks is USD50tr. Then each location needs to have inverters to bring DC voltage to AC for ease of local transmission. Estimate for those is USD20tr. Then there are the project management costs and land acquisition of the order of USD100tr. There is some uncertainty about floating arrays needed across the Pacific to have longitudinal continuity.
So all up cost to get the basic backbone is USD370tr; equivalent to 5 years global production. That is to produce electricity that then needs to be converted to higher specific energy fuels for some transport needs such as airplanes. So there would be the cost to rebuild all those things using non-electrical energy to work on electricity or a fuel derived from it.
The nominal system life is 25 years. So the whole thing needs to be redone every 25 years or so. This is an unsustainably low return on effort to achieve such a short life. With amortisation of USD14tr/yr and financing cost of USD16tr/yr, the total cost works at USD30tr/yr or roughly half of global production.
I personally live in a location that is already economic for solar in combination with battery so I would not want to be saddled with the cost of such a system as it would be more expensive than what I can already do.
Fundamentally the cost and efficiency, in combination, for solar arrays need to improve by an order of magnitude to make this economically viable.
40
Just to add to the implausability of the idea Rick….
….i think you will find there may be a few issues with transmission of power over global scale distances !. Losses get pretty significant.
10
“your normal activity burns up enough calories in a week for you to lose weight rapidly”.
Of course there are a few other factors we need to discuss, like eating. But the statement, taken alone,
may let you feel good for a microsecond.
But that’s different.
OK, there is enough gold dissolved in to ocean to make everyone rich.
You’re not making any sense.
exactly
40
Thankyou all for your considered aporoaches to the problen.
The one that gets me is that most electricity grid collapses arise from use of airconditioners on sunny days.
If were using all that energy just to counter the natural energy then we havent a hope in hades of using it efficiently.
00
FREE SPEECH RALLY
I attended a rally for Free Speech in Melbourne yesterday afternoon. I was notified of the event by the Australian Taxpayers Alliance and made and give a notice on this blog on Friday night;
From the Australain Taxpayers Alliance:
It was a modest affair. 60 people gathered on the steps in front of the State Library in Swanston St, including the organisers. We were joined later by a group of Turkish nationalists (in national costume) but I did not count them as they were gathering for their own event to follow.
However we listened to some excellent speeches about speech itself; its importance to national debate and or democracy. There were six speeches in all, given by the 4 mentioned above and also Satyajeet Marar from the Australian Taxpayers Alliance and a young woman whose name I did not get.
The size of the rally was underwhelming and there was no press coverage at all. But I did admire the commitment of the organisers and attendees who are trying to make a change and resist the suppression of our democratic rights.
120
Peter,
I was there too. Free speech, it’s the bedrock thing.
Here Mark Steyn and Jordan Peterson discussion, ‘Is it
game over for free speech?’ Cunning ploy of social justice
politics to select some hypothetically vulnerable group to
use as a protective shield as they move politically correct
limits on free speech ever onward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6vYMg2KEM8
70
I enjoy both these gents. Odd that it is Canadians warning Yanks.
One Yank raising the alarm is Victor Davis Hansen. Worth listening to, especially anyone interested in big picture of wars over the centuries including WWII but he has a lot to say about politics as well.
20
My previous comments about the Aztecs…I should have included the SJWs ( Social Justice Warriors ) who are part of the warmist Priestly helpers, who throw people under the bus / volcanoe ( so to speak ) under the high priests directions…..
Their main function is as storm troopers for the Leftist cause du jour…..
Society doesnt change over the millenia, just the mechanisms…..now we use social media as the new volcano to throw “sacrifices” into, under Priestly direction…..
20
A further discussion by two stalwarts of free speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neZmvEo_TVI
00
Turnbull has stated we have a lot of shared values with the US while he was over there meeting with Trump. Does that mean when Turnbull comes back he will change his tune and scrap the Paris agreement as Trump did and remove all subsidies and support for renewables to promote the building of new coal fired power stations, or will he continue to excel at being a hypocrite and a con artist hell bent on destroying Australia’s economy by making sure we have much higher electricity prices to that of the US and others to lessen our competitiveness resulting eventually in an economic collapse the likes we’ve never seen? I suppose we will know for sure one way or the other in a few day or so as to his intentions. If nothing changes then we the people ought to alert Trump that the LNP and ALP have formed an alliance to destroy Australia and ask for assistance to defeat them, just like we would if we were threatened by an invasion force. I see very little difference.
170
I thought that he was speaking on behalf of our nation and Australians generally, and shared values, not his own.
sarc
40
Peter, the RET of 23 per cent created by Labor in government, and related subsidies, also the export agreement on natural gas that has damaged our economy too, impacted on top of a developing lack of being internationally competitive for many businesses here.
The Australian Financial Review reported, 2015 or 2016 from memory, that the total cost per skilled employee in Australia – that is all operating costs including wages but not wages in isolation – was 50 per cent higher in Australian dollars than United States costs.
Rounded off: A$600/day here compared to A$400/ day US.
Last week a UAV designer and manufacturer here announced the company is moving to the US, a growing future based industry taking off (no pun intended).
Several years ago a WA based luxury motor yacht designer and builder revealed a new model at the Sydney NSW Boat Show. Later it was announced that building was being moved to the US – made here base price A$1.5 million, imported into Australia from the US $900 thousand.
The economic vandalism is unbelievable.
Refuse to vote for these global players who are effectively handing our nation over to foreign control.
130
Let’s not forget who started the rot with the RET .
41
I never forget, it was the Howard Coalition government following them signing but not ratifying the UN IPCC Kyoto Agreement on climate change.
Howard’s government were misled by the presentations but PM Howard was somewhat wary and reluctant to do anything about “greenhouse gas emissions” that might damage our economy so with his cabinet ministers and advisors a plan was put together for sensible, common sense approach, practical to achieve emissions reduction.
One of many was to “trial” a renewable energy programme with a trial only target of 2%
Years later a Labor government raised the RET from 2% to 23%
The Abbott led government tried to abolish the RET completely but was blocked by Senate opposition and they reinforced the 23% RET at that time.
100
Sorry, 3% Trial RET
50
Howard introduced the RET (mandatory renewable energy target) as a sop to the global warming movement. Its a shame that it didn’t remain at the original insignificant 2%. It was envisaged at the time to grow to 5% by 2020, but then along came Kevin with his “greatest moral challenge”.
90
Howard introduced gun control – which is a key plank of Socialism…..
I never forgot Howard saying ” the times will suit me…”
And he was in NY when the twin towers came down, so had a ring side seat…..
Yeah, well……say what you like…..hmmmm….
20
John Howard left office in November 2007.
01
Was he not in Washington, at a hotel opposite the White House?
20
In the nine-eleven confusion he was being referred to in US news reports as Australian Prime Minister John Hunt.
00
Why? LFTRs!
LFTRs to the left of us
LFTRs to the right
Here we are!
LFTRs. Much more betterer! No radioactivity exhausted into the air from burning coal.
LFTRs 🙂
40
Although I agree in principle we should investigate LFTRs we need to be realistic. No Australian government will take a serious look at them let alone start developing them. The irony of it all is the Greens should in principle be pushing them, but of course they are just as clueless, and anything involving nuclear is banned in their up-side-down world regardless of how much safer it is to the environment compared to coal and gas, and even wind farms, which kill large numbers of birds.
40
LFTRs explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7eWqY93hpw
2 Hrs. History and function of LFTRs.
Worth a listen/watch.
10
Yes, seen it several times. It needs to be watched more than once. Sorensen’s presentation is very information dense.
00
Although as I said before I like the idea of LFTRs there are some problems with them that have not been solved. They can be in time and China is working on them, and once they are solved such reactors will probably become common place, unless of course something better comes along. Meanwhile Australia can’t use them for many years to decades even if a government decided today to go down that path. That leaves us with the only real alternatives for the meantime to generate base load, namely coal, gas and traditional nuclear plants. See this video for the pros and con of LFTRs:
Is Thorium Our Energy Future?
10
Ready when you (we ?) are ..?
http://thorconpower.com
00
Looks like Indonesia will get it first. Not surprised the poorest countries will go for it. How come then Australia isn’t 🙂
00
‘…..to lessen our competitiveness resulting eventually in an economic collapse the likes we’ve never seen?’
Peter the free market will come to our rescue, there won’t be an economic collapse, our biggest trading partner will make sure of that.
In reality Australia is on track to quit the American Alliance and embrace the new world order under a Labor government.
10
Yes after the crash and burn of the West we will be in a better position I think than most. However, it still won’t be pretty for us plebs.
30
It’ll be alright, living under the Communist yolk at arms length should give us the best of both worlds.
01
Here is a story for those with some electronics interest. As a young child I was given a multimeter. One day, I accidentally overloaded it and burned out a 7 ohm resistor. Such a size of resistor is not part of the standard series of resistors known as the E-series. A 7 ohm resistor has to be custom made or simulated with multiple resistors. In 1973 Dick Smith Electronics was staffed by genuine geeks and my mother took me and the meter to the Gore Hill (Sydney) store to see what could be done. A staff member devised and installed a parallel combination of three resistors that added up to the required 7 ohms according to the formula 1/Rt = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 +… In retrospect it was quite remarkable that he computed the desired value of resistors with pen and paper given a huge number of possible combinations possible from the E series. Today you would use an online calculator to work this out. E.g. Just using the E12 series (10% tolerance) you would have to search nearly 10,000 combinations. http://caffeineowl.com/electronics/calcs/rescomb/index.html Today 45 years after the event I checked the resistor combination to confirm that it was indeed 7 ohms. Here are some pictures of the meter and documentation of which resistors blow in a given overload scenario. In the picture of the inside of the meter the resistor combination I am talking about is at the lower left to the left of the one marked 10KF.
For pictures see my Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/david.maddison.758/posts/10157158326873082
91
Back in those days my place of employment had 24 Meg car to car to base radio communications installed by Dick Smith at Gore Hill, and Dick was running the workshop.
80
The first Volt/Ohm meter I ever used (it actually belonged to my father) was an old vacuum-tube based monstrosity. It worked fine as long as you remembered to let the vacuum tubes warm up sufficiently to be accurate. I had to make similar repairs to it when I accidently overloaded a resistor. I could usually get something close (within 10%) after a few tries. The modern digital Volt/Ohm meters are probably more accurate but they are not as much fun to use as the old analog ones.
30
Used to be considered almost a sackable offence if you wrapped the pointer of an Avo around the end stop. Lovely meter.
30
Yes rapid acceleration of the needle was an indication you were on the wrong range!
10
Like forgetting to change from Ohms to Volts. But the Avo was rugged, I never ruined any. Still the best meter for a quick diode/transistor check.
10
Last week a New Zealander asked me why the Aussie share market, ASX200, appears stuck at 6000. He pointed out that the NZX50 had doubled in the last 5 years, 4000 to 8000, whereas the ASX200 had crept from 5000 to 6000 over the same period and now seems stuck around 6000. That is still 10% below the 6700 peak over ten years ago.
One clear difference is the ease that NZ can achieve its CO2 targets. Power prices have risen over the past few years but nothing like the increases in Australia. This shows recent pricing comparisons:
https://seeker401.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/744156-power-prices-chart.jpg
Herald Sun has a article today based on a survey of light industry and commercial businesses in Melbourne south east. Some are trying to manage with power prices doubling in the last two years. It is tough for them. The article is paywalled so no link.
With Australian power prices now locked into expanding orbit with rising RET it is a tough time for Australian industry and will get tougher.
I remain surprised by how little understanding there is of the linkage between the RET and skyrocketing power prices. There is considerable misinformation about private ownership of generating assets and companies like AGL fleecing the consumers. There is little effort to connect the dots in a sensible way.
I have also been looking through some of the AEMO reports and data. It appears they have a reasonable handle on forecasting solar production at 30 minute billing intervals at least 2 days out. I cannot find any data on forecasts compared to actual for wind but I suspect it is not very accurate.
The linked AEMO report certainly demonstrates an appreciation of the demand destruction that rooftop solar can cause:
http://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/Files/Electricity/NEM/Planning_and_Forecasting/SA_Advisory/2017/South-Australian-Electricity-Report-2017.pdf
On page 23 it forecasts ZERO minimum demand in SA by 2024. This is the way that all Australia is heading. All grid dependent heavy industry will close down. Energy intensive industry and commercial businesses will close down. Any premisses with sun exposed areas will be generating electricity. Increasing connection fees will force battery installations and owners moving off grid. Those unable to get off the grid will be paying a high price. It is nuts but all the ingredients are now baked in. With the level of investments now involved the bankers would create hell if the RET was removed.
140
The bankers would, and so would the union super funds, and so would various former politicians and even families of serving politicians with shares directly or indirectly into so called renewable energy businesses.
I posted a day or two back a message to TdeF here on another subject providing two business names of interest.
70
without contect it doesnt mean much, a big percentage increase on not much is still not much.
small markets are also more likely to be dynamic, impacted by things (positive and negative) that just bounce of a larger market.
00
6,250 is a Gann 1/8th and the top of the current trading frame. That’s tough resistance.
00
How long before “Progressives” throw Justin under the bus?
60
Justin is becoming quite cringeworthy isnt he.
30
David Littleproud is firming in the betting, but the ABC Sunday talkfest don’t see him as an option.
20
The incredibly important Groupthink Link does not work Jo.
“””This paper begins by showing how strongly all these three symptoms were in evidence, right from the start…
Read the whole paper at GWPF, click the book image or go here… “””
20
In fact, from my end, the website does not work other than links to Wikipedia and some material by GWPF on other websites.
Cached google website snapshots and the PDF appear to work
10
Thinking out loud.
China Railway has plans to build high speed rail from Beijing to Melbourne, the 13,000 km trip will take about 48 hours.
The China Infrastructure Bank will provide financial support, a turnkey contract, and they reckon it will cost 460 billon US dollars. Passenger numbers have been mooted at 200 million annually.
The Timor gap might pose an engineering problem.
50
Powered by electricity?
Have they explained it to the Commonwealth of Australia government yet?
50
‘Powered by electricity?’
Yes, but we are at the end of the line so Oz politics is not important right now.
20
what’ a gap or two? http://balance10.blogspot.com/2018/02/this-peaceful-world.html
00
What is your impression of Donald?
00
donald is in a tough position. http://balance10.blogspot.com/2018/02/kaspersky-labs-reported-chinese-hacking.html
00
watchdog investigated190 cases alleged retaliation against whistleblowers—found intell bureaucrats only once ruled in favor of whistleblower https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-intelligence-shut-downs-damning-report-on-whistleblower-retaliation
00
China building roads in Eastern Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChadTLvkbxw (China Uncensored)
00
I still see recent articles proclaiming the positive feedback associated with loss of sea ice and lower reflectivity of the water accelerating heating:
http://www.themillbrookindependent.com/content/sea-ice-blues
The CERES TOA net radiation data is a useful means of debunking this misunderstanding. In January 2018 the highest average net flux of 173.6W/sq.m outgoing occurred at 78 degrees north latitude. The average at the pole was 167.5W/sq.m. Within the 78 degree latitude the lowest loss was 136W/sq.m over Greenland and the highest loss was 187W/sq.m over the Bearing Sea. These are to be expected given Greenland Summit is around -25C and the Bearing Sea is around 3C.
It becomes quite clear that sea ice indeed acts like an iris that exposes the oceans to increased heat loss. Hence reduced sea ice is a negative feedback mechanism that increases heat loss to make the globe cooler, eventually causing increased sea ice.
82
In the 50’s the cold war protaganists use to surface submarines at the North Pole.
10
Thanks Rick,
Combine the negative heat loss at the poles with the tropical Clouds/thunderstorms response at the tropics that Willis Eschenbach writes about and it seems that some powerful negative feedback mechanisms have been identified, both based on the change of state of water.
10
At least WA is going to have fresh drinking water into the future despite climate change .
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-25/how-alll-perth-sewage-could-be-turned-into-drinking-water/9472046
20
it’s only weather, but…
22 Feb: BozemanDailyChronicle: Cold temps set records in Bozeman, West Yellowstone
By Lewis Kendall
On Monday, the temperature at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport never climbed above 4 degrees, beating out the old record coldest maximum temperature of 10 set back in 1969. A day later, the mercury dipped to 20 below zero, tying a record set in 1952.
West Yellowstone also set a record with a frosty low of minus 34 on Wednesday morning. The previous record was 32 below zero set in 1953.
And temperatures aren’t expected to warm much anytime soon…
The normal highs for this time of year are in the 40s, with lows in the teens…
“It could be that we keep cooler than normal and wetter than normal going into March,” (Roger Martin, meteorologist,, National Weather Service) said…
20 Feb: GreatFallsTriune: David Murray: Record breaking cold grips Montana
Montanans woke this morning to some of the coldest temperatures in the nation, including bone-chilling lows in some locations that dropped below -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Living up to its reputation as one of the coldest cities in the lower 48 states, Cut Bank recorded a low temperature of -33.5 degrees early Tuesday morning, breaking the old low-temperature mark for Feb. 20 of -30 degrees set back in 1936…
Dillon (-24), Ennis (-20) and the tiny community of Valentine (-31) all broke low-temperature records set decades ago…
21 Feb: Denver Post: Denver shatters record low temperature; cold front lingers
DIA hits minus 7 just after 5:30 a.m.
By Elizabeth Hernandez
Denver International Airport hit minus 7 degrees just after 5:30 a.m., beating the minus 2 degrees Denver residents shivered through more than 60 years ago…
Expect frigid overnight temperatures the next few days across the state…
20 Feb: Shivering Denver heads toward century-old cold-weather record Tuesday
Denver’s high temperature on Tuesday reached a frigid 13 degrees, making the mark a record low maximum temperature for the date
By Kieran Nicholson
Denver’s high temperature on Tuesday reached a frigid 13 degrees, making the mark a record low maximum temperature for the date. The previous lowest maximum temperature for Denver on Feb. 20 was 16 degrees, posted way back in 1911, according to the National Weather Service. The impending record will not be official until midnight…
10
it’s only weather, but…pt2…pt1 in moderation:
24 Feb: BBC: UK weather: Spring ‘postponed’ as big freeze hits UK
Britain is set for the coldest February week in five years as freezing air arrives from Russia.
On Saturday temperatures fell as low as -5.5C in Anglesey, north Wales and the cold spell is expected to intensify from Sunday night into Monday.
The Met Office has issued an amber cold weather alert, which warns of increased health risks to vulnerable and elderly people.
It has also issued two yellow weather warnings for snow.
Snow showers are expected in large parts of the UK on Monday and Tuesday, which could cause travel delays and cancellations, power cuts and problems with mobile phone services…
The Met Office also issued a separate amber cold weather alert – the second most serious – warning that icy conditions and snow could disrupt the delivery of services and increase health risks to vulnerable patients.
The alert, issued for 09:00 on Friday until 08:00 on 1 March, warns the cold can be dangerous especially for the very young, very old or those with chronic diseases…
‘Spring postponed’
The Met Office said temperatures are set to be 1C in most urban areas on Monday – although other parts will not reach 0C. The cold weather could last for one or even two weeks.
Minimum temperatures next week are forecast for between -5C to -8C but it is expected to feel much colder.
Met Office meteorologist Martin Bowles said: “The feels-like temperature will be 5C lower than what we see on the thermometer because of a strong easterly wind chill.”
The meteorological start of spring is Thursday, 1 March, when average temperatures are usually 10C in the south east and 9C in Manchester…
(Met Office meteorologist Martin) Bowles said: “It’s expected to stay cold all of next week. Spring will come eventually but it will be postponed.
“We haven’t had temperatures that low in late February since 2013. It’s not unheard of. There are records that are lower than that.
“But it is quite unusual, particularly as it’s quite late in the season.”…
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43167583
30
The Met seem to be a warmist outpost….
00
24 Feb: Eastern Daily Press: Day time temperatures to feel like -5C in East Anglia as the ‘Beast from the East’ brings sub-zero conditions
East Anglia is forecast to face the brunt of a weather front coined as ‘The Beast from the East’.
Ordinarily, the UK’s weather fronts come from a westerly direction from over the Atlantic, bringing moisture from the sea with them. These fronts normally deposit the majority of the moisture over the Welsh hills and the Peak District and peter out by the time they reach East Anglia, hence the region is one of the driest in the country.
However, the unusual easterly means East Anglia is likely to be one of the hardest hit areas of the country next week.
Adam Dury, forecaster at Weatherquest, said: “We have high pressure developing over the Arctic and there’s a lot of cold air that has developed over eastern Scandinavia, western Russia and the Siberia area. We’ve also got an area of low pressure across the Mediterranean and that brings quite a strong easterly across most of northern Europe.
“Norfolk and into Lincolnshire will be the most affected by it due to the fact it will be the first land it hits after its picked up any moisture from the North Sea.”
Mr Dury said: “For the north and the east of East Anglia snow will be the biggest problem, whereas for the west it will probably be the cold temperatures which are the biggest issue…
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/weather/coldest-week-of-winter-coming-to-east-anglia-1-5407884
24 Feb: MetroUK: The big freeze is coming to UK and it could ‘feel colder than North Pole’
by Adam Smith
The Met Office confirmed the cold snap will be so bad ‘it will stick in people’s minds’ like other famous UK weather moments including the boiling hot summer of 1976. The wind chill figure will plummet to between -10C and -15C as freezing eastern winds will make the temperature feel a lot lower than it actually is…
Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell told Metro.co.uk: ‘Across the UK it will be pretty severe and nasty this week, we are looking at the coming cold spell as something which could stick in peoples minds. ‘It is going to be uncomfortable, people will need to wrap up warm and watch out for chapped lips and take notice of the weather warnings which are in place up and down the country.’…
‘There is the potential for travel delays on roads, with some stranded vehicles and passengers, as well as delays or cancellations to rail and air travel.
‘Some rural communities could become cut off. Power cuts may also occur and other services, such as mobile phones, may be affected.’…
24 Feb: UK Express: UK weather forecast: SHOCK chart shows UK set to be BURIED in snow as Siberian freeze hits
BRITAIN is set to see “prolonged” snow next week as Arctic gales from Siberia cause widespread frost throughout the country, with health officials warning people to take extra care amid the freezing temperatures.
By Charlotte Davis
According to the chart, it is to begin snowing on Sunday night and continue on until Friday night, with the East of England set to withstand the worst of the frosty conditions.
BBC weather has warned of “significant snow” as the “Beast from the East” – a cold air blast from Russia – heads to the UK on Sunday night.
BBC weather forecaster Phil Avery said: “It’s beginning to look a bit like winter. Three, four, five as only a maximum.”…
Further warnings on Tuesday and Wednesday highlight a risk of snow across all of the British Isles.
The East Midlands; Eastern England; Grampian; The Highlands; London and the southeast; northeast England; northwest England; the southwest; Wales; The West Midlands; Yorkshire and Humber are all on alert…
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/923480/UK-BBC-weather-snow-forecast-latest-Met-Office-cold-Siberia-frost-report
30
‘The Met Office confirmed the cold snap will be so bad ‘it will stick in people’s minds’ like other famous UK weather moments including the boiling hot summer of 1976.’
The great climate shift of 1976 was memorable, also the cold of the early 1960s when the Beatles were in the Tavern and the English Channel began to freeze.
20
Cavern
10
Thanks JWM.
00
Pat
Re freezing easterly winds out of Russia, cagw etc
About 60 years ago we had a Dutch mechanic repairing a tractor.
One of his pronouncements was “Nothing good comes out of Russia: not even the wind”
30
24 Feb: OffalyExpress: 40cm of snow and -10 degrees predicted for Offaly next week
The weather is set to turn extremely wintry
by Justin Kelly
An Offaly based weather forecaster has predicted the worst wintry weather in Ireland since 1982 to hit the Midlands next week.
Qualified meteorologist from the Midland Weather Channel, Cathal Nolan has said he thinks the national forecaster will issue a red warning on Wednesday of next week with the worst weather expected to arrive on Thursday and Friday.
“Having further assessed the latest run of weather models and carefully pieced together the likely physical makeup of the weather event it now looks increasingly likely that Ireland will be impacted by one of the worst spells of wintry weather since 1982,” he warned…
He predicts that schools, businesses and public transporr will grind to a halt next week.
“This truly has the potential to become an extreme weather event and with that in mind I have taken the precautionary measure of issuing a Red Weather Warning,” Cathal said.
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/298941/40cm-of-snow-and-10-degrees-predicted-for-offaly-next-week.html
20
Mashable bio: Andrew Freedman
Andrew Freedman is Mashable’s Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the “Capital Weather Gang” blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
23 Feb: Mashable: ‘Beast from the East’ to plunge UK, rest of Europe into historic deep freeze
By Andrew Freedman
Even colder conditions are expected in the European mainland, with heavy snowfall possible in the mountains of northern Spain, the Italian and French Alps, mountains of Croatia, and vast areas of southeastern Europe. Across Europe as a whole, this will be one of the coldest outbreaks of the last decade, potentially setting records for the coldest air seen so late in the season…
By the end of this long-lasting cold snap, much of Europe will be blanketed in a deep snow cover just as spring begins to set in.
The coldest air is projected to affect eastern Europe and Scandinavia, where temperature departures from average could reach nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average for this time of year. The cold snap won’t just be noteworthy for its severity, however, but also for its duration — lasting at least 10 days and possibly even longer.
The frigid weather will make headlines for bringing stinging cold to popular tourist destinations such as Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin. Those with ski vacations may find it difficult to impossible to reach their destinations due to the sheer amount of snow, with skiing made more challenging due to frigid air temperatures and strong winds.
***The weather pattern behind the cold snap is a remarkable one that is causing meteorologists to take notice. First, it’s related to a recent sudden stratospheric ***warming event and subsequent split in the polar vortex. The split sent one part of the vortex, which is associated with some of the coldest air in all of the Northern Hemisphere, spinning its way above Eurasia.
Next, a pattern of air pressure known as the North Atlantic Oscillation, or NAO, is shifting into an extreme configuration that meteorologists have never before witnessed during December, January, or February, which are the months considered to be meteorological winter.
The NAO will shift into a record negative phase, with an unusually intense area of high pressure located over southwest Greenland, and low pressure across the North Atlantic and into Europe.
Negative phases of the NAO are typically associated with colder and snowier-than-average conditions on both sides of the Atlantic, but in this case it’s mainly going to affect Europe, at least at first.
The high pressure area over Greenland, however, may favor a significant winter storm along the East Coast of the U.S. sometime in early March, though the uncertainty in this forecast is higher than average…
Arctic sea ice is at a record low, and temperatures have soared to above freezing at the northernmost land-based weather observing station in Greenland, just 400 miles from the Pole.
It’s as if someone opened the freezer door in North America’s kitchen, and let all the cold air drain out toward the midlatitudes. The Arctic is unusually warm, from Alaska to Norway, while Europe and parts of North America freeze.
This setup should persist for at least the next two weeks, making it quite likely that the Arctic will set another record for the smallest peak in wintertime sea ice…
https://mashable.com/2018/02/23/uk-europe-freeze-beast-from-the-east/#zpkva61hXkq9
30
A lovely PR story that renewable energy advocates ought to read (use translate.google.com if you can’t read German)
Synopsis:
If Swedish regulations are similar to those now affirmed by courts in Germany where only the top half metre or so of soil has to be reinstated after wind turbine removal; most of those foundations will remain in the ground long after the wind power folly has been forgotten.
100
Any vapers using IQOS?
Bloody brilliant.
00
6 Telling Stats on the iQOS Electronic Cigarette
I’m sold, based on experience.
00
The butts need to be quarantined. They stink.
00
North Canberra has many flooded areas today due very heavy rainfall.
30
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-25/heavy-rain-wreaks-havoc-in-canberra/9482470
30
I know it’s cliched, but I still think of Tim Flannery whenever we have flooding rains.
71
I prefer thinking of Dorothea and her ” …of droughts and flooding rains…”
Cheers,
Dave B
80
rollo
How many flannerys in that downpour?
21
Flannery is but one of many drips.
41
An interesting and promising cancer immunization. Inexpensive, lifetime, immunity.
Stanford University Medical Center.
Injecting 1 microgram of 2 substances into a tumor caused T cells to destroy all tumors even ones that metastasized.
87 of 90 mice cured in one treatment. Other 3 needed one more shot.
It is a general treatment. Works on all solid tumors. No need for patient specific immunotherapy.
Inexpensive.
“When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumors all over the body,” said Ronald Levy, MD, professor of oncology. “This approach bypasses the need to identify tumor-specific immune targets and doesn’t require wholesale activation of the immune system or customization of a patient’s immune cells.”
“Our approach uses a one-time application of very small amounts of two agents to stimulate the immune cells only within the tumor itself. In the mice, we saw amazing, bodywide effects, including the elimination of tumors all over the animal.”
See article at:
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/01/cancer-vaccine-eliminates-tumors-in-mice.html
60
24 Feb: JapanToday: After snowfall, Tokyo barely dodged a power blackout
Except for the Yomiuri newspaper, it wasn’t played up in the media and probably for this reason didn’t have much of an impact on society. But even though things are just as potentially dangerous as before, in my view for people not to take in the information poses a huge problem.
Speaking to Shukan Shincho (March 1), associate professor Tetsuo Sawada of Tokyo Institute of Technology was referring to the heavy snowfall that struck East Japan on Jan 22. For four days, from the 23rd to the 26th, and again on Feb 1 and 2, Tokyo’s demand for power surged, spurring utility firm Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) to issue urgent requests for surplus power — totaling 3 million kilowatts from utilities in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Chubu and Kansai and a small number of minor players able to sell back their surplus — thereby barely avoiding overload.
So strained was the demand that the capital’s power utility felt obliged to disenable some of the elevators at its corporate headquarters.
At one point, total power demand reached 49.6 billion kilowatts, just short of the maximum capacity of 50 billion…
As demand soared, problems cropped up in all kinds of unexpected places. According to a TEPCO spokesperson, on Jan 23, low temperatures led to anticipation for more hydroelectric power from dams. These dams, however, require additional power to pump water to the spillway that feeds the generators, and in the end turned out to be useless.
What’s more, while the unusually heavy snowfall — said to be in the category of perhaps one that occurs perhaps every two or three decades — may have caused people to turn up the heat on their electric blankets or kotatsu (table with a foot warmer built into its underside), but another worrisome cause for the close shave was the failure to anticipate how renewable or sustainable forms of energy can be affected by a major snowfall…
“On a sunny day, our company is able to generate some 8 million kilowatts from solar energy farms — equivalent to 15% of the total peak demand,” the TEPCO spokesperson told the magazine. “The problem was, snow remained piled up on the solar panels and didn’t melt for several days, so they couldn’t generate any electricity. Then we put hydroelectric stations on full operation, but by the next day their water was depleted, and that left us needing to buy power from other companies.
“To make matters worse, two thermal generators in Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures malfunctioned at the worst possible time,” he added…
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan is said to have worked out the new system for solar energy supply at the time with SoftBank head Masayoshi Son. Professor Tadashi Narabayashi of Hokkaido University referred to it as “the worst plan in the world.”
“Initially Son was counting on earning 42 yen per kilowatt hour,” Narabayashi is quoted as saying. “Now it’s down to 28 yen, but in other world markets it’s already 10 yen or less. Inexpensive panels from China have appeared, and the costs to operators continue to go down. So it’s great for investors but disadvantageous to the public who must bear the costs.”…
https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/after-snowfall-tokyo-barely-dodged-a-power-blackout
50
So, solar panels don’t work under a blanket of snow. Who’d a thunk it!
40
expressing things in millions and billions of kilowatts makes my head hurt. Is that a power industry thing?
00
Finally had a chance to break out my Christmas present copy of Climate Change – The Facts 2017 today, while I sat buy a car I am selling at a car show/display.
I have only read a few chapters , but found Peter Ridd’s story on the reef, peer review and the state of Science both compelling and educational. It’s easy to see why he is in trouble with the defenders of the status quo.
70
The Value of Petroleum Fuels.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/12/26/the-value-of-petroleum-fuels/
Diesel and Gasoline fuels produce a Value some 100 to 200 times their market cost.
Wind and solar produce an unsubsidized Value somewhat less. Very much less. Laughably less.
30
Many, many years ago [it might have been the year I spent at Ag College] I was told that the extra green tinge in your lawn after a thunder storm was not an illusion. It was because the lightning fixed atmospheric nitrogen which dissolved in the rain.
Can anyone expand on this? We have had thunderstorms all week, some doozies.
30
Plays havoc with the pool PH , always mucking around to get it right after a good thunderstorm and the pool shop said it was because of the nitrogen .
10
Milk will often sour after a thunderstorm. Something about nitrogen fertilization of microfauna. Apparently lightning ionizes the nitrogen in the air and the rain washes it into the soil in a form that plants can use. this is a similar explanation “The enormous energy of lightning breaks nitrogen molecules and enables their atoms to combine with oxygen in the air forming nitrogen oxides. These dissolve in rain, forming nitrates, that are carried to the earth.” http://www.biology-pages.info/N/NitrogenCycle.html
10
This pretty much says it all wrt taxes: Canada Taxes & Dependents
The numbers of course vary from one Western country to another but the point is the same.
10
Its no coincidence that SLR is showing critical signs in the Western Pacific, the Marianas Trench comes to mind.
https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/sea-level-rise-rate-western-pacific1.png
00
This is not about climate change, but it’s highly salient. It’s about the Google Memo, which most of you-all will have heard of, and the reaction to it.
Dr. Debra Soh explains how she had to leave science to defend the science of sex differences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grNAjsb4yX8&t=4m38s
What is the connection between the corruption of human biology, sociology and psychology by the p.c. left and the global warming movement?
40
Actually that’s what I’ve been saying about scientists wrt CAGW. As she said, those who are silent are almost being complicit, except I would remove the word “almost”.
30
It was the Western evolution to democracy, (and the scientific
revolution,)that released serfs from slavery and women from necessary dependency and now that we have opportunity to compete, let’s not push
for sociology-quota-systems and deny, biology-wise, that some women
may not choose to be steered into engineering but prefer nursing or…
never let it be said, motherhood! So long as western selection processes
are open, who cares a, well you know…
30
It was the discovery of a black rock and a black liquid that burned that freed the slaves and even the serfs. Why have slaves when you could have steam propulsion and later, a bluddy big V8 engine?
It is odd that the SJWs rail against racism and blame whites today for slavery for which they fought and died to outlaw, but they also demonise fossil fuel which makes slave labour obsolete. Excepting Asian sweat shops, today’s slavery is pore evil and endemic in the developed world. Trump has made many hundreds of arrests and he should be applauded for that.
70
True but now we are in reverse gear and democracy is being smothered to death, or committing suicide depending on your point of view.
30
Democracy has become dysfunctional is some countries, the Westminster system may have reached its used by date.
Which of the three tiers of government is expendable: Federal, State or Local Councils?
00
Federal, see Switzerland
20
The Fedral govt is alive and well in Switzerland even if the role is different. There is a mandatory eye roll when they talk about Bern, just like Canberra here or DC in the US.
20
Maybe we should retain the three, Beijing is more than happy to let us keep our democracy, but ultimately Federal politics would have to go.
10
All three must go since the voting system is broken and a new citizens initiated intellectual democracy should be established. That means people will have to be tested for their intelligence, criminal and mental statue before they can have a say. True democracy is by sensible people that excludes the rabble and low life. Under any condition, be it an emergency or during normal operation, would you allow an Airbus A380 to be flown by any passenger or only by those suitably trained and certified to fly a plane even if their only experience is on a much smaller one, such as a Cessna? As we all know a large proportion of voters don’t even think or think stupidly and vote for a party they know will advantage themselves but disadvantage the nation because they don’t give a toss. As far as I’m concerned they lose their privilege to vote. If we are to say it’s a right for every individual to vote then we need to take another course to all of the above and add responsibility. That would mean a record of the names of the voters have to be recorded and when the elected government fails to deliver then those who voted for said government are fined. The amount fined is proportional to the degree of damage caused by the government. One way is to use the national debt as the metric. The higher the debt the higher the fine. Why should my taxes go to pay off the debt when I didn’t agree with the government’s decisions and policies? I would rather have my taxes only be spent on the likes of infrastructure, defense and sensible social welfare. Those who support failed policies should pay more by way of the fine. There are other ideas but that’s enough. In any case, it’s all pie in the sky stuff because we all know things will not change until the crash and burn scenario plays out.
20
Just to emphasise my point, rights without responsibility can and is often a recipe for disaster.
50
‘…. when the elected government fails to deliver then those who voted for said government are fined.’
I always vote informally these days, so won’t have any trouble making the transition.
00
I didn’t think of that. It would even discourage people to vote at all. I suppose then we would have to fine those too. Then voting becomes virtually mandatory, which is fine as it will force people to think harder. I can see the sale of headache tablets skyrocketing. Anyway it’s all hypothetical so such a system will never be implemented.
00
‘Then voting becomes virtually mandatory…’
In Australia its compulsory … Vote Informal
01
Local councils were done away with in Kennett’s Victoria and replaced by quasi principalities.
00
Tsk! I meself have a problem with Word Press line jumping tho’
I come from a long line of engineers, even including a computah scientist.
30
Relying on an extension cord for your electricity is never going end well if your a state that is !
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-25/basslink-cable-design-inadequate-legal-fight-brewing/9482916
40
Tassie had a problem when they let their dams run dry, but Vic is now the one relying on the extension cord, along with SA.
30
During tonight’s piece on Augustus, Emperor of Rome, SBS broadcast a distastefull ad showing an aged lady with 1950’s hair curlers
and an obese aged man in bed accompanied with their British Bulldog.
Not that the dog did not look too bad compared to the other actors.
They were condescendingly told by the wonderful voice over that all they have to do is cut their
electricity by 10% and we will reach the 2020 Paris Accords.
A ‘sciencey’block graph was flashed on the screen.
Not sure which demographic they are after.
Are they inviting derision of old people and dogs or saying, ‘don’t be like them, look down on them, those ignorant people’?
Another ad sandwiched in brought things to earth about cancer, another had a young
athletic man breaking some pieces of wood because he had sorted his mortgage to the satisfaction of the crooning voice over.
So now we know who it is that is stopping us from reaching the magical Accord.
Its old people and dogs.
Once we close our manufacturing and base load power, these will be the deplorables who stole the Accord.
A scapegoat, like the Grinch that stole Christmas.
SBS must be test marketing this ad as it is yet to appear anywhere else.
I see no need for this ad in the current electricity crisis.
It is the aged who need cheap, despatchable, reliable power to stay alive in hot spells.
Particularly here in the west of Sydney.
Not that shutting down all our electricity would make any difference to world temperatures.
It would seem those on the diminishing consevative rump of the Lib Nats have a new publically funded
advertiser to contend with.
Lets see what leadership emerges from their present political crisis.
This is a good defining issue.
We may be lucky, for crisis and the smell of defeat often brings out real leadership.
50
Cory Bernardi at his best ( if only he could stick to this sort of electioneering) .
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-25/cory-bernardi-conservatives-back-nuclear-dump-for-sa/9482870
30
Corgi is entertaining. Be interesting to see how his first electoral test without the support of the Liberal machine shapes up.
21
There isn’t much “Liberal machine” left anyway. .. so same applies to Turncoat. 🙂
20
First test is the Batman by election in Melbourne next month. No Lib candidate, just Greens Labour and Aussie Cons.
I said I would help People a polling booth.
20
philthegeek:
And nothing wrong with Cory’s analysis: People don’t want Weatherill, they don’t trust Xenophon, and they don’t know what Marshell stands for.
It will be interesting to see how he goes in an election where the major parties are boring people. Weatherill is attacking Xenophon, and I see the ABC is predicting Xenophon may not get a single seat. As for the Conservatives I think they have started too late but I think Cory’s strategy is to wait for the next election after whoever is in proves to be a flop. Federally the same applies, Liberals get voted out, Labor makes things worse and the Conservative are the only hope.
I don’t think they have any hope of winning the local electorate, but I will be handing out cards at the local polling booth just in case.
00
Yes he is definitely to way to go but much of the public couldn’t give a toss or are so stuck in their ways they will not change their voting pattern. That’s why I hold very little hope for even a half decent government. The best we can hope for is a hung parliament at the next election whereby one of the major parties has to form an alliance with AC to form government. However, this won’t be enough to stop the crash and burn scenario to eventuate simply because AC will not be in the drivers seat. It might slow it down or soften the crash landing but I even doubt that.
20
Three people died last night due to tornadoes in Arkansas and Kentucky. According to the NOAA Storm Prediction center WCM page http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/
relative to the number of storms reported, more people die in the SE states than in the plains states to the west. The state of Mississippi is the worst in this regard. I suspect the reason for this is that were talking far hillier and more forested land and because the most powerful storms tend to hit in that region during the hours of darkness. People just can’t see them coming like they can in the plains states.
Despite the fact that as of right now were running well below average in the number of reported storms so far this year, it’s looking to me like conditions are setting up for the coming tornado season in the US to be a bad one. Though the height of the season will have a relatively late start due to extended cold through March, I suspect there will be a tremendous spike in the number of strong EF-3 and higher storms. The killers. This is dependent on the water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. If they remain very warm by the Gulf Coast as they are now, we’re in for some outbreaks of powerful storms.
40
Correction: Alabama not Mississippi is the worst state for deaths relative to the number of tornadoes.
10
A detailed article claiming to link mass deaths within certain species and AGW:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/25/mass-mortality-events-animal-conservation-climate-change
10
good spot Rod. A text book example of modern advocacy journalism. A ten minute excursion on background;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiga_antelope
would have clearly explained WHY this species is endangered and that building windmills in the USA, Australia and Western Europe will exacerbate the problem as it was subsistence living and primitive practice (Chinese medicine)that decimated the species in the first place and, if not addressed, will guarantee extinction.
If the author did no research he obviously knows nothing of has subject, and if he did, is clearly a lying knave.
30
P.s. Its worth reading the comments on this Gruaniad article.
They are highly sceptical of the contents! From this I conclude that either;
1; The guardian is taking options on ACGW or,
2: (more likely) their financial distress means they can no longer afford the moderators to police all of their articles but only their “headlines”.
The rot has definitely set in to the alarmist edifice.
20
Just like temperature i.e. what is the supposed ideal temperature? , does anybody know what the target number and type of species that must be preserved is? what is the objective? has a decision been made ? if so how? or is it just OK to save everything? no evolution allowed.
00
not only NOT worried about sea level rise, but determined to lock others out:
25 Feb: Daily Mail: Jessica Finn: Silicon Valley billionaire fights to block the public from accessing the beach his $32m mansion sits along because he says it’s a violation of his constitutional right
Billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla, is in a battle to permanently block the public from accessing a stretch of beach
His $32.5M property sits along Martins Beach in California where the last owners allowed the public to access it for 70-years
Khosla’s attorneys have argued in several courts that it is his right to fence out the public but so far the courts have disagreed
His legal team is now trying to get the case heard in the US Supreme Court
‘No property right is more fundamental than the right to exclude,’ lawyers for Khosla said Thursday in asking for the case the be reviewed, according to SFGate…
flashback:
2010: UK Telegraph: Tony Blair hired by US billionaire Vinod Khosla for climate change advice
Tony Blair has been hired as an adviser on climate change by Californian billionaire Vinod Khosla, the latest in a string of jobs the former prime minister has taken…
(Blair) already has a £2m lobbying post with JP Morgan Chase and a £500,000 job with Zurich Financial.
Mr Blair also charges tens of thousands of pounds for public speaking, received a £4.5m advance for his memoirs and set up Tony Blair Associates to advise foreign countries including Kuwait. In total, he is estimated to have earned at least £15 million since leaving office two and a half years ago.
Mr Blair said that he believes “entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond will have a tremendous impact on our environmental future.”…
laughs:
29 Jan: Devex: Impossible Foods: On the menu in Davos, on a mission to scale globally
By Catherine Cheney
DAVOS, Switzerland — Traci Des Jardins, the San Francisco-based restaurateur, was the chef behind the menu at 10 different events at the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos last week. She and her team prepared meals as varied as Italian meatballs, French beef tartare, and Mexican tostadas. They were all made without meat, something that seemed to shock many first timers as they tried what was marketed as “a taste of tomorrow.”
Impossible Foods — who supplied the “meat” for the meals — is a Silicon Valley-based company known for the plant-based Impossible Burger. Its key ingredient is soy leghemoglobin, which releases a protein called heme when it breaks down, making the product taste and even bleed like real meat. Investors include Bill Gates and Vinod Khosla, just two examples of a growing putting their money behind so called “alt meat companies.”
Devex sat down with Pat Brown, the Stanford University biochemist and founder and CEO of the company, who talked about his mission to make the global food system more sustainable…
Compared to burgers made from cows, the Impossible Burger uses a quarter of the water, produces an eighth of the greenhouse gas emissions, and takes up a twentieth of the land…
https://www.devex.com/news/impossible-foods-on-the-menu-in-davos-on-a-mission-to-scale-globally-91973
00
more laughs; and unusual for Time/Bloomberg to even carry the story:
22 Feb: Time: Math Teacher With Ties to French Mob on Trial for $478 Million Tax Scam
By Gaspard Sebag, Bloomberg
An ex-math teacher turned Marseilles piano-bar manager who claimed links to Corsica’s underworld allegedly spearheaded a 385 million-euro ($478 million) tax scam and spent part of the proceeds on Beverly Hills real estate.
A day before the cross-examination of Christiane Melgrani, 59, was set to begin at her trial in Paris investigators admitted that they’ve lost track of nearly half the money. She denies the charge of being a ringleader in the biggest part of scams involving taxes on carbon-emissions permits that’s cost the French about $2 billion, blaming two dead men instead…
Investigators say in the indictment that they weren’t able to trace the final beneficiaries of 154 million euros from the scam that went to a Hong Kong account at Standard Chartered Plc because they were unable to obtain any data from the bank before April 1, 2009. Standard Chartered didn’t respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The EU emissions-trading system was undercut in the last decade by the so-called carousel fraud. CO2-permit sellers known as “missing traders” siphoned off the value-added tax due on the trades and then disappeared…
Several people have been convicted in France for roles in the crime, which investigators say cost the government 1.6 billion euros. In Germany, seven former Deutsche Bank AG managers were also found guilty by a court of participating in a parallel conspiracy to cheat on VAT refunds for carbon-emissions trading.
Melgrani, who holds a master’s degree in information technology, denied being in on the VAT fraud but admitted helping to launder the gains.
“I was OK with the whole money laundering but not the VAT part, I did it knowingly,” she told the court in a statement late on Monday before the day’s hearing wrapped up. “I didn’t want to take part directly in the carbon scam in France because I had just gotten out of a VAT case.”…
She claims to have made less than 10 million euros for her part.
“I benefited from it and made my family benefit from it — nothing extraordinary,” Melgrani said…
In the indictment, investigators questioned her story. They said that Melgrani invested more than 10 million euros in Marseilles real-estate and is also linked to a $7 million property located on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, and a four-apartment building in Beverly Hills.
Melgrani also organized a lavish birthday party that cost as much as 300,000 euros for her twin nephews who were turning 18 where Charles Aznavour, sometimes described as “the French Frank Sinatra,” gave a private performance, according to the indictment…
Over the years, Melgrani has earned a reputation for extortion, corruption and inspiring fear, according to the indictment. She left teaching to become a telematics engineer in the 1980s. She ended up in charge of a Marseilles piano-bar in the nineties, entering the cellphone industry, and being convicted four times since.
During the course of the carbon-fraud probe, Melgrani was caught on tape several times even though she used a U.K. cellphone to avoid detection. She was wiretapped boasting about information she had obtained from the police about one of her Marseilles associates also facing trial, Gerard Chetrit, 48.
According to the indictment, Melgrani was also recorded saying that, for a price, she could get rid of a key piece of evidence — a tape of Chetrit making a carbon trade under an alias…
In February 2016, Chetrit contacted Melgrani to tell her he could give her 900,000 euros in cash in Paris. A day after the money was handed over at a restaurant, other associates of Melgrani, also facing a trial, collected 375,000 euros at the Marseilles restaurant run by her female partner…
http://time.com/5171376/christiane-melgrani-tax-scheme-trial/
20
So heartwarming to see that ‘Carbon Credit’ revenues were put to a useful cause. Hopefully it will happen more often.
20
a good read:
21 Feb: TheNewAmerican: Creepy “World Government Summit” Targets America, Freedom
by Alex Newman
More than a few speakers made clear that liberty, self-government, and the “America First” agenda were in the crosshairs.
On the other hand, Big Government, trans-humanism, and globalism were presented as the solution to basically everything, from alleged man-made “global warming” and health problems to unemployment and even hate…
The truth was plain to see. In an official press release put out by the World Government Summit, the organizers said the event ended with “a plea for institutions to realign with the new world order.” And the speakers made that clear, too. Among those quoted in the press release, one claimed that people’s expectations “need governments to develop progressive policies that can accommodate the global transition.”…
The World Government confab received almost no coverage in establishment media outlets in the United States, despite the attendance and support of multiple prominent “journalists” and media organs. But lest the summit be dismissed as a fringe gathering of irrelevant kooks, a brief look at the 130 speakers reveals strong establishment support for the World Government agenda. Indeed, among the summit speakers was a virtual who’s who of the globalist establishment and its leading shills and useful idiots.
The list included World Bank President Jim Kim; World Economic Forum (WEF) boss Klaus Schwab; International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss Christine Lagarde; UN Educational, Cultural, and Scientific chief Audrey Azoulay, a well-known socialist; World Trade Organization boss Roberto Azevedo; former Obama regulatory czar and fringe totalitarian Cass Sunstein, who infamously called for a ban on conspiracy theories; far-left Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington; executives from Google and Facebook; pseudo-journalists and globalist propagandists such as Kenneth Cukier of The Economist and Becky Anderson of CNN; OECD boss Angel Gurria; a Chinese Communist agent serving as UN under-secretary general; education ministers, bureaucrats, CEOs, and more…READ ALL
https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/28339-creepy-world-government-summit-targets-america-freedom
21
Another great article from https://theconservativetreehouse.com/
“Tying All The Loose Threads Together – DOJ, FBI, DoS, White House: “Operation Latitude”…”
All of the stuff the deep state was up to can be difficult for me to follow as a US citizen that pays attention to this kind of stuff. It has to be mind boggling for some of you folks down under. But the above is a best explanation of a portion of it that I have come across. As I have said before. There is more, much more to follow.
30
what did we do to deserve this?
25 Feb: SBS Australia: AAP: Obama to deliver speech at Art Gallery of NSW in March
The former US president Barack Obama will visit Australia next month as part of a trip that will also see him speak in New Zealand.
The New Zealand United States Council announced on Sunday it would host Mr Obama at speaking events in Auckland and Sydney on March 22 and March 23 respectively.
“President Obama’s presidency had an extraordinary impact on the world and during his service both Australia’s and New Zealand’s deep relationships with the United States were strengthened politically, culturally, in trade and investment, innovation and security,” council chairman Leon Grice said in a statement.
News Corp Australia reports the Sydney event will be held at Art Gallery of NSW.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/obama-to-deliver-speech-at-art-gallery-of-nsw-in-march
19 Feb: NewsTalkZB New Zealand: AAP: Hillary Clinton coming to New Zealand
Clinton is expected to give a candid account of the presidential election and share stories from her New York Times bestseller, What Happened.
Tickets for An Evening with Hillary start at $195. Her tour kicks off in New Zealand on May 7 followed by Melbourne on May 10 and a final show in Sydney on May 11.
She will be coming only a few months after her former boss, Barack Obama, is expected to visit to promote a new Air New Zealand route to Chicago.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/entertainment/hillary-clinton-coming-to-new-zealand/
10
I was unaware that HRC’s book was a bestseller? When did that happen?
40
Snowflakes are avid readers.
Totally devoid of brains, but avid readers.
40
I doubt it, it would be coffee table virtue signalling/club membership material
00
I am not going to have to sell my shack on Longboat Key. Thank you Kiwi’s!
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/ross-ice-shelf-bore-antarctica-freezing/
“It blew our minds,” says Christina Hulbe, a glaciologist from the University of Otago in New Zealand, who co-led the expedition. The Ross Ice Shelf is considered more stable, at present, than many of West Antarctica’s other floating shelves—”
30
Thank you, fascinating story …
“The surprises began almost as soon as a camera was lowered into the first borehole, around December 1. The undersides of ice shelves are usually smooth due to gradual melting. But as the camera passed through the bottom of the hole, it showed the underside of the ice adorned with a glittering layer of flat ice crystals—like a jumble of snowflakes—evidence that in this particular place, sea water is actually freezing onto the base of the ice instead of melting it.
“It blew our minds,” says Christina Hulbe, a glaciologist from the University of Otago in New Zealand, who co-led the expedition. The Ross Ice Shelf is considered more stable, at present, than many of West Antarctica’s other floating shelves—and this observation could help explain that: if a few inches of sea water periodically freezes onto the bottom of its ice, this could buffer it from thinning more rapidly.”
50
How about this from “http://www.drroyspencer.com/2018/02/a-1d-model-of-global-temperature-changes-1880-2017-low-climate-sensitivity-and-more”
The 1D model fit to the HadCRUT4 data is quite good, despite the simplicity of the model. The model climate sensitivity of only 1.54 deg. C is just within the IPCC’s likely ECS range of 1.5 to 4.5 deg. C, and well below the AR5 model average ECS of 3.4 deg. C.
20
‘ENSO is accompanied by its own radiative forcing, a controversial claim, which allows it to cause multi-decadal climate change.’
This is huge because it explains (in my mind at least) why La Nina was more common during the LIA.
10
Hottest Year. Evah! Update:
COLD Summer Western Australia
A lot of my friends are from the industry and they’re hurting so bad from this cooler summer,” he said.
“They can’t believe the slowdown in the amount of pools they’re selling.”
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/cooler-summer-hurts-big-perth-industry-ng-b88747355z
20
Not too many days of total fire ban in Victoriastan this year either , may have been a couple in the south west but don’t think we’ve had one in the north east of the state .
20
Yes it has been, thankfully, quiet on the bushfire front. It was last year also , with far less instances of the beloved tourists setting fire to the countryside around Lake Eildon. I am hoping the cooling trend we talk about here kicks firmly in, summer bushfire season is my least favourite time of the year. But if you dont want to live in the city, its not a voting opportunity! you get it whether you like it or not
10
And so far the BOM haven’t attempted to explain why Perth is again experiencing another cool summer.
30
The heat is still rising but it’s not global warming. See FISTS OF MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE FEDERAL COUNCIL FURY. All we need now is the other side to raise their hands in similar fashion but with the hands open instead of closed. I wonder who will win – extreme socialism or extreme nationalism? To be honest I’m not sure but in the end it makes very little difference. Both are extremely evil.
30
The letter comes from OUP New York, so we’re talking about US law. The defamatory material is in the retracted paper “Recursive Fury.” As I suggest in my letter to OUP above, their probable fallback position will be to suppress all references to the defamatory “Recursive Fury” and replace them with references to “Recurrent Fury” which is not defamatory, since it eliminates any references to statements made by beings in the known universe, and replaces them with quotes invented by Lewandowsky himself.
00
Just looked at the Met Office weather forecast for the UK (note last week of Feb):- disruptive Snow, Strong Winds, and Bitterly Cold!
So what’s happened to that Global Warming / Climate Change for UK?
Well the forecaster blamed cold air again from . . you guessed it . . Russia. So it’s the Russians once again! Damned Russians ha, ha.
When will these ‘twits’ wake up to the fact that the UK is never gonna’ get ‘global warming’. Climate change yes, but warming just isn’t on the menu. Now is as good as it will ever get.
My suggestion for the day; drain out those garden swimming pools (you built 10-15 years ago) and convert them to heated underground shelters. You know like your ancestors used long ago in the dark, cold middle ages.
If the government had at any sense it would be offering subsides to home owners to do just that. Keep Warm . .
GeoffW
10
Top tip.
00
22 Feb: WeeklyTimesNow: PETER HUNT: Rethink on solar farms in Goulburn Valley’s irrigation district
FOUR controversial solar farm developments in the heart of the Goulburn Valley’s irrigation districts have been called in by Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne at the request of Shepparton Council.
Mr Wynne said he would convene an independent planning panel to consider the merits of the proposals, take submissions from objectors and then provide advice for him to consider.
“We’ll ensure all objectors have their say and their concerns are addressed where appropriate,” Mr Wynne said.
Orchardists, dairy and other irrigators have opposed the industrial solar developments near farms at Congupna, Lemnos, Tallygaroopna and Tatura East.
Fruit Growers Victoria services manager Michael Crisera said farmers were very concerned about the effect large solar farms might have on fruit production.
“Many of our growers are worried about an increase in reflective UV from solar panels affecting sensitive orchard environments in proximity to these developments,” Mr Crisera said.
US research, recently published in the journal Nature, has shown solar industrialdevelopments act as heat banks, raising surrounding temperatures by 3-4C…
Dairy farmers have also weighed into the debate, arguing solar farms should be placed off Goulburn Murray Water’s irrigation network, especially given it was undergoing a $2.2 billion upgrade…
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/rethink-on-solar-farms-in-goulburn-valleys-irrigation-district/news-story/767baf2a291224ece08402a94307c28c
6 Feb: Transcontinental Port Augusta: Amy Grant: Fed-up residents reject proposal
When Paul and Chloe purchased their land almost 11 years ago, halfway between the majestic Flinders Ranges and the ocean, they never imagined a solar farm could be built only a stones throw away from their kitchen window.
Port Augusta City Council has received a development application for a 5MW fixed tilt solar PV farm on Spear Creek Road, just 80 metres from Paul and Chloe’s property…
An article published in the science journal Nature reported larger solar power plants have been found to increase local temperatures by up to 4 degrees.
The report stated that, “transitions to PV plants alter the way that incoming energy is reflected back to the atmosphere or absorbed, stored, and reradiated because PV plants change the vegetation, and structure of the terrain.”
In a climate where temperatures soar into the mid 40’s regularly, the 4 degree increase in temperature is unthinkable for the residents close by…
A similar development proposal in the Goulburn Valley caused concern amongst fruit growers in the region.
They called for clear guidelines on the design and placement of solar developments following the research that solar farms not only increase day time temperatures, but they also act as heat sinks that delay cooling at night across all seasons…
https://www.transcontinental.com.au/story/5212809/stirling-north-solar-farm-too-close-for-comfort/
presumably the articles are referring to the following, from Oct 2016:
Nature: The Photovoltaic Heat Island Effect: Larger solar power plants increase local temperatures
Published online:13 October 2016
We found temperatures over a PV plant were regularly 3–4 °C warmer than wildlands at night, which is in direct contrast to other studies based on models that suggested that PV systems should decrease ambient temperatures…
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep35070
20
Who knew? (besides deniers)
20
“[H]alfway between the majestic Flinders Ranges and the ocean”. Which ocean is that then? More South Australian pretensions built on the most simple ignorance.
00
Quite a reaction, you certainly have it in for SA. Guessing that an SA media outlet, doing an SA story , would be talking about the ocean that SA fronts on to. The Southern Ocean I guess.
00
Solar ‘farm’ developments are a means for lazy landowners to make a quick buck. These things should be built in the desert away from animals and orchards etc and not be allowed to impinge upon honest hard working farmers.
GeoffW
20
Geoff don’t frack my land and put in a few pipes but you can cover a few hundred acres in solar panels though .
01
What a waste of good land . .
GeoffW
00
BBC credits DiCaprio & The Nature Conservancy, but stays quiet on the other investors (mind you, The Nature Conservancy has been a hotbed of Goldman Sachs alumni for decades – Hank Paulson, David Blood, current Pres/CEO Mark Tercek etc):
22 Feb: BBC: Seychelles protects an area ‘as big as Britain’ in Indian Ocean
In exchange for getting some of its national debt paid off, the island nation has agreed to protect 210,000 sq km (81,000 sq miles) of ocean.
The reserves will limit tourism and fishing activities in the Seychelles to halt further damage to aquatic life.
A foundation set up by actor Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the investors that worked on the deal.
The Oscar winner said: “This effort will help the people of Seychelles protect their ocean for future generations, and will serve as a model for future marine conservation projects worldwide.”…
The Seychelles government agreed the debt swap with the Nature Conservancy, a US charity, and a number of investors back in 2016.
Under the terms of the $21m (£15m) deal, the charity and the investors – including the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation – paid for a portion of the Seychelles national debt.
The country will then direct future national debt payments into a new trust, the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT)…
The Seychelles is raising the percentage of its protected waters from 0.04% to 30% by 2020 as part of the agreement…
“This is a critical accomplishment in our mission to bring conservation to scale across the globe,” said Nature Conservancy CEO Mark Tercek.
“What you see today in Seychelles is what we expect to introduce in the Caribbean and other ocean regions facing the threats of climate change.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43154686
21 Feb: Nature: Seychelles’ Conservation Commitment Comes to Life
Seychelles has announced two new Marine Protected Areas covering 210,000 square kilometers of biodiverse ocean waters
On Feb. 21, 2018, Seychelles announced two new Marine Protected Areas covering 210,000 square kilometers (81,000 square miles) created as part of the ground-breaking debt-for-conservation deal designed by The Nature Conservancy…
The areas now fully protected — restricting almost all human activities — include 74,400 square kilometers (29,000 square miles) of waters around the remote islands of the Aldabra Group…
The second Marine Protected Area covers 136,000 square kilometers (52,000 square miles) of deep waters stretching between the Amirantes Group and Fortune Bank, a swath of Seychelles’ central ocean that includes areas important to both the tourism and fishing industries. Here, some economic activities are allowed but under strict new conditions.
Seychelles’ commitment to increase the protected area of its ocean from 0.04 percent to 30 percent came out of a groundbreaking debt refinancing it designed with TNC and key stakeholders in 2015. Seychelles was able to pay off an outstanding sovereign debt with $21 million TNC raised. The transaction, structured by TNC’s conservation investing unit, NatureVest, means a portion of Seychelles’ debt repayments will now fund innovative marine protection and climate adaptation projects.
he debt swap was made possible by private funders, including the China Global Conservation Fund of The Nature Conservancy, The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Lyda Hill Foundation, Oak Foundation, Oceans 5, Turnbull Burnstein Family Charitable Fund, and Waitt Foundation. Collaborators on the initiative include the governments of Belgium, France, Italy, the Republic of South Africa, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Nations Development Program, Global Environment Facility, and Global Island Partnership…
This incredible achievement in Seychelles is a great model for how TNC can use science, innovative financing, and multi-stakeholder negotiations to sustain ***blue economies and protect high-priority marine habitats in the Western Indian Ocean. By replicating and leveraging our success here, we can move forward with plans to deliver ocean planning and protection at national and regional scales and become a model for the world.
About NatureVest:
In 2010, the Conservancy launched its impact capital strategy with support from the Robertson Foundation which continues today, and built a global network with subsequent support from the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust. In early 2014, with founding sponsorship from JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Conservancy launched NatureVest as a concerted effort to change the way we invest in nature. JPMorgan Chase provides strategic input to NatureVest research, investor outreach, market analysis and structuring conservation investments.
https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/africa/explore/seychelles-conservation-commitment-comes-to-life.xml
more to come.
10
it seems the deal doesn’t spell out precisely what plans the stakeholders have in mind, but RE is no doubt one part of the story:
Seychelles Investment Board: Energy
Seychelles depends as high as 99.5% of its primary energy consumption on imported oil. The existing energy policy (Seychelles Energy Policy 2010-2030) focuses on the need to reduce this dependency through increased Energy Efficiency, promotion of Renewable Energy with targets of 5% and 15% in national electricity production by 2020 and 2030. With plan to further increase the use of RE beyond the set targets to 100% by 2050, the energy sector is expected to experience excessive growth in the coming years.
Although there are no official stand on the new RE targets, this indicates the direction the new energy policy is going to be. Such ambitious targets will require a progressive but profound change of the power system and infrastructure such as the introduction of large scale RE plants (large scale solar PV plants, large scale offshore wind farm, marine RE, biomass plants), distributed generation, grid stabilising technology such as battery and pump storage, the introduction of smart grid and smart meters, etc. This will be Seychelles energy transition to a low carbon energy sector.
Other than large RE projects, companies can also explore possibility of setting up here in Seychelles to supply local market with RETs or set up an assembly plant for RETs and use Seychelles as a gateway to the larger market in the region (Indian Ocean and African Continent)…
http://www.sib.gov.sc/index.php/sectors/energy
22 Feb: Reuters: Seychelles preserves swathes of marine territory in debt-for-nature deal
by George Thande; Additional reporting and writing by Katharine Houreld
The Seychelles deal builds on 20 years’ worth of similar debt-for-nature swaps that have preserved vast tracts of tropical forests in Latin America and the Caribbean.
But it’s the first time the financing technique has been used to secure a marine environment, said Rob Weary, the head of NatureVest, which funds the group’s conservation deals…
(Head of NatureVest, which funds the group’s conservation deals Rob) Weary said the Seychelles deal — which will also help fund climate-change projects — could pave the way for other, larger deals where conservationists buy a country’s sovereign debt in return for policy changes designed to help the environment.
With an annual operating budget of $650 million per year, The Nature Conservancy’s funds dwarf many other, better-known charities such as Oxfam or the World Wildlife Foundation…
“Never before has there been so much funds available to support marine-based economic activities, the conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity and adaptation to climate change,” said Vice President Vincent Meriton when announcing the project…
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-seychelles-environment/seychelles-preserves-swathes-of-marine-territory-in-debt-for-nature-deal-idUKKCN1G61M9
do a search on the following headline, for a PDF file, which has more info, if you are interested:
July 2017: UN-GGIM: Blue Economy, conservation and marine planning in Seychelles
Ambassador Ronny Jumeau Seychelles Permanent Representative to the United Nations
10
Do we have enough government bureaucracies studying electricity prices?
AEMC Mission: “To improve consumer outcomes from the strategic development of energy markets, through rules and advice.” A big fail on consumer outcomes.
AEMC invites consultation on ways to deliver a reliable supply of energy at the lowest cost. An interim report and submissions have been published. “There will be further opportunity to provide input when we publish a directions paper in March 2018.” “The final report, including recommended actions, will be published in mid 2018 for consideration by the COAG Energy Council.”
“Retailers must provide customers with notices containing basic information from 1 February 2018. These notices will include the date on which the customer’s benefits will change and a reference to the energy comparison website Energy Made Easy, among other things.”
“The annual review of the economic regulatory framework for electricity networks is part of the AEMC’s work to support the continual evolution of the energy sector. In light of the significant growth in decentralised energy resources, the review will examine whether the economic regulatory framework is robust, flexible and continues to support the efficient operation of the energy market in the long term interest of consumers. We will be seeking stakeholders’ views through stakeholder workshops in March/April 2018. The workshops will focus on the areas of NSPs’ financial incentives and network access and connection arrangements for distributed energy resources.” But nothing about the impact on consumer electricity prices?
The ACCC. On 27 March 2017 the Treasurer, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, directed the ACCC to hold an inquiry into the supply of retail electricity and the competitiveness of retail electricity prices. A final report is due to the Treasurer by 30 June 2018. So no rush, take your time. Meanwhile the average residential bill was made up of: network costs (48 per cent); wholesale costs (22 per cent); environmental costs (7 per cent); retail and other costs (16 per cent); retail margins (8 per cent).
AER. The AER monitors the performance of wholesale electricity and gas markets and publishes data from that monitoring in reports such as the annual State of the Energy Market. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) works to make all Australian energy consumers better off, now and in the future. So they monitor, but do they regulate? No sign of any actions to make energy consumers better off. Another big fail.
AEMO. AEMO’s vision, mission, and values focus on the best interests of our stakeholders and communities, now and into the future. A big tick from generators, a big fail for communities. “Consumption met by grid-supplied electricity is forecast to remain flat for the next 20 years, despite projected 30% growth in population and assumed average growth in the Australian economy.” But no projection of prices that is clearly driving this forecast?
The Federal Government. The federal government is able to directly influence only a small part of price outcomes. Intergovernmental agreements and action by state and territory governments are the most important policy levers to curb future price increases. Electricity and gas prices for manufacturing businesses and households have increased sharply in recent years and indications are that prices will continue to increase. Responsibility for regulating the electricity and gas supply industries is shared between the Australian and state and territory governments. The Australian Government can only directly influence price outcomes in a small way. Its key role is in coordinating and incentivising action by state and territory governments. So it’s not us, it’s them. However, Australian Government intervention to directly affect retail price outcomes is largely confined to the impact of the carbon price as well as other renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Changes to energy prices from amending these measures (which would require legislative action) should flow through, to some extent, to end users. Abolish the RET now.
40
The ACCC percentages should ring alarm bells, to the casual observer.
“network costs (48 per cent); wholesale costs (22 per cent); environmental costs (7 per cent); retail and other costs (16 per cent); retail margins (8 per cent).”
How is it possible that wholesale costs 22% (generating power and making a profit) is less than the total cost of retailing 24%. On the surface of it the gravy train appears weighed down with passengers rather than those actually making it move.
10
the most thorough analysis of the Schiff memo I’ve seen so far:
25 Feb: National Review: The Schiff Memo Harms Democrats More Than It Helps Them
By Andrew C. McCarthy
It confirms that the FBI and the DOJ relied heavily on uncorroborated, third-hand, anonymous sources in their FISA application…
Heavy Reliance on Steele Dossier Confirmed
The FBI and the Justice Department heavily relied on the Steele dossier’s uncorroborated allegations. You know this is true because, notwithstanding the claim that “only narrow use” was made “of information from Steele’s sources,” the Democrats end up acknowledging that “only narrow use” actually means significant use — as in, the dossier was the sine qua non of the warrant application.
The memo concedes that the FISA-warrant application relied on allegations by Steele’s anonymous Russian hearsay sources that…READ ON
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/schiff-memo-russia-investigation-harms-democrats-more-than-helps-them/
10
So Perth and Canberra had unusual thunderstorms! Really is that what the watermelons are reduced to nowadays!
21
unusually destructive. That makes them a news item.
The ANU – with specific reference to the lend lease construction site – got caught with its pants down and excavators in the bottom of a pit.
20
So you seen the news item about the mine in WA that lost millions of dollars when an open cut flooded and all the heavy machinery was ten foot under water ?
10
replied below
00
This is priceless.
Michael Wolff caught out.
00
Interesting read with satirical bent.
https://cliscep.com/2016/05/28/forecasting-the-facts-the-dark-history-future-of-the-climate-debate/
00
I just looked and no… there was one in Koolan last year. Did something go unreported?
00
Well if you never heard about it and I can assure you it did I suppose things like this just were not newsworthy a few years ago .
10
are you making a point?
“Did you hear about”, being a proxy for the state of the media? Or maybe I just didn’t pay attention. I hope I didn’t miss anything important in April last year while I was OS at a funeral. Better not quiz me on January this year.
00
I mentioned in an earlier comment up thread about how History sometimes makes your jaw drop, and how sometimes we can be literally surrounded by it and not take any notice.
Having a background of 25 years in the RAAF, it gave me some insight into the Military. (naturally)
Sometimes, we weren’t all that keen on ANZAC Day, as it entailed a very early rise, and more often than not, we usually didn’t sleep the night before if we got selected for Dawn Services in our local area. For the Morning March, we had to be up early, breakfasted early, in our Uniforms, and then down to the Armoury to pick up SLR’s, and then onto the buses to take us into Newcastle. the prep, setup, and then the March itself, and even though we often grumbled, just the marching amongst the crowds was an immense source of pride for all of us. The real (and full) meaning, although partly in place from just being a member of the Military didn’t sink in (fully) until years later when I was selected for the RAAF Interservice Cricket team, when I was at Amberley, and that year the series of games spread over a full week was played at the Enoggera Army Base.
After each game, we would adjourn to one of the Unit’s clubs, and I actually think it was named ‘The Gallipoli Club’. While the Army guys sat around having a few, some of us Air Force guys just wandered around the room, looking in virtual dumbstruck awe at the History set down there with images, profiles, Standards, news articles etc, and there was hardly a vacant space on the walls.
It gave me insight into the way that people’s attitudes have changed across the years. This was from a time when hundreds and sometimes thousands of soldiers died almost on a daily basis. These days, they beam images from the front into our homes, and if even if just one soldier is killed, there are calls to bring them all home.
Some of the things those soldiers did without even thinking is incomprehensible these days.
I’m no military historian, just someone who appreciates what was done in our name in a time now long gone, and in most cases also long forgotten.
It seems to me that these days lip service is paid to the Military, because it is not PC to be seen or heard thinking or speaking badly of them.
In the 90s, I did get hold of a book, and I still think it’s only available from the War Memorial, They Dared Mightily by Lionel Wigmore, which details the ‘deeds’ of every Australian VC winner since the Boer War, and that is an insight as well.
Later I also got hold of the Monash book by Roland Perry, and even though he’s on the $100 Note, very few people know what he did.
His influence was right at the very start of the close relationship between the US and Australia, especially the Military closeness, and I mentioned that in a Post at my site about the genesis of that, on the July 4th 1918, if any of you wish to read it.
Monash virtually put his career on the line to include the Americans when Pershing wanted them removed. That Battle (Hamel) lasted 93 minutes, a decisive victory, which made everyone sit up and take notice of Monash. There were 2 VCs awarded to Australians, and although the Americans could not qualify for the VC, 4 DCM’s (the second highest bravery award) were awarded, along with 4 Military Crosses, and 6 Military Medals, (both the third highest)
One of those DCMs was awarded to Thomas Pope, and the King actually presented it to him. Pershing (and the Americans) were now willing to bask in the reflected glory of such a famous victory, and Thomas Pope was then awarded the Medal Of Honor. (the American equal of our VC)
Monash was not your typical English General, coming from a background as an Engineer, and Field Marshall Montgomery said that Monash was the best General (of any side) in World War One.
American And Australian Military – A 99 Year Relationship (Part Two)
History, you’re standing in it.
Tony.
80
I think Monash was the first general that genuinely cared for the lives of his men and used tactics and technology to minimise casualties. He did not treat them as cannon fodder as was common at the time.
He also was responsible for building much of Victoriastan’s electricity supply and would be horrified at what has become of it.
He is buried near me at Brighton General Cemetery in Melbourne. He is buried in the Jewish section and Judaism has a tradition of modest rather than monumental graves as everyone is considered equal in death. Every so often the Government approaches the Jewish community offering to build something more monumental befitting of this great general but is politely declined.
Here is a picture of his grave.
https://www.facebook.com/david.maddison.758/posts/10156124040298082
31
Incidentally, by his request the only words he wanted on his headstone were “John Monash” although there is the standard formulaic Hebrew and I think the words “to the memory of” were added and birth and death dates.
31
You hear of them or come across them don’t you, the right stuff,
put-in true humanists, Sir John Monash, Weary Dunlop, George C Marshall, Norman Borlaug? Lest-we-forget, and while we’re permitted to remember.
20
There are now numerous claims that anesthetic gases used in surgery contribute to global warming. I find this utterly implausible. Comments?
http://www.natureworldnews.com/amp/articles/13927/20150408/anesthetic-gases-raise-earths-temperature.htm
31
whoops..posted in the wrong place earlier.
If they could somehow make the gases less aesthetic, the medical profession would not find them as attractive to use. There should be more work done to find unaesthetic gases.
30
Thats a new one. I am surprised that we are still allowed cabonated beverages and recharge bottles for Sodastreams. Evil, just evil.
50
If they could somehow make the gases less aesthetic, the medical profession would not find them as attractive to use. There should be more work done to find unaesthetic gases.
20
links to earlier pieces:
24 Feb: US Spectator: Jed Babbin: Worse Than Watergate: Part 3 — The Schiff Memo
https://spectator.org/worse-than-watergate-part-3-the-schiff-memo/
20
25 Feb: Sara A. Carter: Republicans Refute ‘Point by Point’ Democratic Memo on Dossier
Nunes: the FBI used political dirt paid for by the Democratic Party to spy on an American
https://saraacarter.com/republicans-refute-point-point-democratic-memo-dossier/
30
The US politics that we are witnessing today must be as divisive as it was before the Civil War. What we have is not really Dems V Reps,[they have been a una party since ’66] but something more akin to the cobra V mongoose – Trump V the swamp, winner take all.
Killary is quoted as saying “If Trump wins we all hang” or words to that effect. If the dems can’t “take out” Trump soon [two months?] they will be exposed and facing charges. Had Clinton and Obama ridden off into the sunset in ’16 Trump may have granted clemency but I reckon that they will face serious charges. Depending on the charge Trump may later pardon them out of courtesy, I doubt the US is ready for the jailing of an ex-president.
Note: I’m new to these boards and may be overstepping the limits. Let me know. But there aren’t many places one can talk about these things. 🙂
51
Opposing opinion: The US electorate (of the people) are not only ready, but much in favor of ‘death by firing squad’ for such traitorous behavior; and the same for each every one of his appointee accomplices!!!
01
26 Feb: 2GB: Ross Greenwood: Rising energy prices threaten Aussie steel manufacturers
Australia’s largest steelmaker, BlueScope, have been hit with a $17 million increase in their energy costs over this half-year.
BlueScope CEO, Mark Vassella, tells Ross Greenwood the company’s energy costs have doubled over the last couple of years and increasing power prices could drive businesses overseas.
“Energy costs are still an issue for us.
“We do need to solve the energy cost problem in Australia to make sure manufacturing jobs and manufacturing businesses can remain in the country.
“We have a steel mill in North America and our North American energy costs are about a third of what we pay in Australia.”
Mr Vassella says he believes Australia is moving in the right direction with renewable energy but more needs to be done in the “transition period”.
“We believe in the renewable story.
“The technology and the transition we need to manage through or we will drive jobs and businesses offshore.”
AUDIO: 6mins58secs: Click PLAY below for the full interview
https://www.2gb.com/rising-energy-prices-threaten-aussie-steel-manufacturers/
““We believe in the renewable story”??? why even say that:
26 Feb: Reuters: Japanese firms in consortium to bring LNG to Australia’s east coast
by Sonali Paul; additional reporting by Osamu Tsukimori and Yuka Obayashi in TOKYO and Jessica Jaganathan in SINGAPORE
A consortium including Japan’s JERA and Marubeni Corp is aiming to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Australia’s east coast, looking to supply industrial gas users and possibly a new power plant, the group said on Monday.
This is the second proposed LNG import terminal for Australia, the world’s no.2 LNG exporter, as the country grapples with a supply gap at a time when its gas producers have locked in long-term contracts to sell LNG to Japan, China and South Korea…
The LNG receiving terminal would be able to meet up to three-quarters of the gas needs of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, where manufacturers like BlueScope Steel and Orica have major operations…
Australia’s top power generator, AGL Energy, is also considering building an LNG import terminal off neighboring state of Victoria, to bring in up to 2.5 million tonnes a year, but that would mostly meet its own needs, supplying its gas-fired power stations and households…
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-lng-japan/japanese-firms-in-consortium-to-bring-lng-to-australias-east-coast-idUSKCN1GA08Y
00
Building LNG receiving terminals makes sense to me.
Santos et al needed “take or pay” contracts to finance $billion + export trains. It seems that AGL was unwilling to commit so the gas is exported.
You can’t demand that exporters in NW West Aus renege on their contracts and build a pipe to Vic. Even if they had the gas to spare to load ships, coastal shipping here is ridiculously expensive. The simple solution is to not interfere with our exporters and to buy on the Singapore market [shipping a fraction of the cost] as we do our refined petroleum.
We are part of the international market, or we are not. We can’t demand a cheap ride for gas if we were too short-sighted to commit years ago.
10
Building LNG terminals while also enforcing a ban on drilling for gas (onshore)…? madness to say the least.
00
comment in moderation re: 26 Feb: 2GB: Ross Greenwood: Rising energy prices threaten Aussie steel manufacturers
Australia’s largest steelmaker, BlueScope, have been hit with a $17 million increase in their energy costs over this half-year. (2GB INTERVIEW, AUDIO)
10
Another OT post about WW II. Am reading Humble Heroes a history of the Light Cruiser USS Nashville by Steven George Bustin. The ship went into service before the war (1938) and against all odds, seeing heavy combat in the Pacific theater, survived the war. How heavy were those odds? I imagine about everyone knows at least something about the famous Doolittle raid early in the war where sixteen US Army Air Corp B-25 Mitchel bombers were launched off the deck of the USS Hornet on 18 April, 1942 and bombed Tokyo and a couple of other major Japanese cities. Here is the list of the ships that made up the task force that took those bombers to their launching point with their fates noted.
Aircraft Carriers
USS Hornet CV-8 sunk 27 Oct, 1942 Battle of Santa Cruz Guadalcanal campaign
USS Enterprise CV-6 Survived the war as the most decorated ship in US Naval history. Decommissioned in Feb 1947 and was sold for scrap to the Lipsett Corporation of New York City.
Heavy Cruisers
USS Salt Lake City CA-25 Survived the war, target ship for atomic bomb tests, sunk as gunnery target off California 25 May, 1948
USS Northhampton CA-26 Sunk 1 December, 1942 by two Japanese torpedoes, Battle of Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal Campaign
USS Vincennes CA-44 Sunk 9 Aug, 1942 by two Japanese torpedoes and gun fire, Battle of Savo Island, Guadalcanal Campaign
Light Cruiser
USS Nashville CL-43 Survived the war, 24 June, 1946 decommissioned, sold to the Chilean Navy 1951.
Destroyers
USS Balch DD-363 Survived the war, decommissioned 19 Oct, 1945
USS Fanning DD-385 Survived the war, decommissioned 14 Dec, 1945
USS Benham DD-397 Sunk 15 Nov, 1942 by a Japanese torpedo, Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal campaign
USS Ellet DD-398 Survived the war, decommissioned 29 Oct, 1945 (This ship rescued the majority of the crew of the of the HMAS Canberra at Savo Island)
USS Gwin DD-433 Sunk 13 July, 1943 by a Japanese torpedo, Battle of Kolombangara, Solomon Islands Campaign.
USS Meredith DD-434 Sunk 15 Oct, 1942 by Japanese Naval aircraft in a “do or die” mission to deliver aviation supplies to the Marines on Guadalcanal only 64 of her crew survived.
USS Grayson DD-435 Survived the war, decommissioned 4 Feb., 1947 and eventually sold for scrap. 14 Battle stars.
USS Monessen DD-436 Sunk 13, Nov, 1942 by Japanese naval gun fire, including 3 hits by Battleship caliber ordinance. Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal Campaign.
Oilers
USS Sabine AO-25 Survived the war, decommissioned on 20 February 1969. 10 battle stars
USS Cimaron AO-22 Survived the war. Saw service in the Korean and Vietnam wars also with a total of 17 battle stars and four campaign stars. Decommissioned Oct, 1968
Submarines
USS Thresher SS-200 Survived the war. 15 war patrols. Credited with sinking 17 ships totaling 66,172 tons. Decommissioned 12 July 1946. Sold for scrap 1948
USS Trout SS-202 Sunk with the loss of all 88 hands during 11th war patrol Cause unknown. Declared missing 7 April, 1944. Credited with sinking 12 ships totaling 37,144 lb.
So out of 18 ships that took part in the Doolittle Raid 8 were sunk later in the war and 5 of those 8 were lost during the Guadalcanal campaign.
30
From wiki:
Look up the deeds of the USS Johnston in the Battle off Samar. The yanks were pretty scrappy at the start of the war and ’42 was a dangerous year but they were fast learners and this was their finest hour.
To see how strong their navy was by war’s end do an image search on Ulithi Is. and “murder’s row”.
10
I miss counted. Actually 6 of the ships were lost during the Guadalcanal campaign.
IMO it was a travesty that the USS Enterprise was scrapped. It should be docked right now at Boston Harbor next to the USS Constitution and kept on the rolls as a commissioned warship as that historic frigate is. A floating museum maintained for posterity.
As one can infer the cruiser classes took it particularly tough during the Guadalcanal campaign and that trend continued through the whole Solomon Islands Campaign. Despite their importance not a single WW II cruiser remains as a museum.
Of all the US ships that took part in the Guadalcanal Campaign, which was the most sustained battle with more surface actions than any other in US naval history, to my knowledge only the fast battleships USS North Carolina BB-55 has been maintained as a museum piece. I visited her years ago.
At the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, a desperate night action that saw US Cruisers and Destroyers taking on a Japanese fleet headed by two IJN Battleships the USS Laffeyy DD 459 took on the Japanese Battleship Hiei head on with the two ships passing within 20 feet of each other. The Laffey was sunk but not until causing severe damage to the battlewagon and wounding Admiral Abe there by effecting the outcome of the whole battle. On 8 February 1944 another USS Laffey DD-724 was commissioned. After winning honors for outstanding close support and breaking up a German E-boat attack during the invasion of France, she went to the Pacific. 16 April 1945 found the Laffey at Picket station 1 off Okinawa screening the fleet from Kamikaze attack. Picket station was the worst of them all since it was between the fleet and Home islands where the Japanese attackers were coming from. She miraculously survived the most sustained Kamikaze attack during WW II there when 22 different Japanese aircraft, most of them Kamikazes, tried to take her out and failed. She was the only US Destroyer to receive Presidential unit citations for actions in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during WW II. She went on to serve with distinction during the Korean war. She is now an Historic landmark docked at Patriots Point, Charleston, SC.
10
The Enterprise was a lucky ship. I think it was at Santa Cruz when the Hornet was sunk, she was hidden by a rain squall and escaped. That’s not me saying she was a lucky ship, that was the sailors.
20
Here is part something I wrote on the Battle of Friday the Thirteenth several years ago. I’m quoting myself but since I posted this somewhere on the net I’ll block quote it:
10
The hard left turn by Cushing brought the American lead destroyers head on into the Japanese heavy ships. Cushing was soon passing by the Hiei side by side less than 150 yards apart.
The Japanese initiated a wild mêlée when flag ship Hiei and destroyer Akatsuki switched on their search lights. By doing so they brought the wrath of almost all the American warships. Akatsuki was so overwhelmed by incoming rounds that it soon blew up and sank. However, Akatsuki was illuminating the Atlanta for light cruiser Nagara which began punishing Scott’s flagship with 5.5-inch gunfire as it turned right and then down the back side of the increasingly chaotic American line. Hiei was taking hits on the superstructure as it followed Nagara. Its turn brought a near collision with American destroyer Laffey. Laffey pumped out as many rounds as it could. The two opponents were so close that Hiei could not depress its 6” secondary battery guns far enough to fire back.
Callaghan realizing he was virtually surrounded by Japanese warships shouted:
“Odd ships fire to starboard and even ships fire to port!” over the TBS. Followed by: “Give em hell!”
The American destroyers were trying to do just that. After Cushing’s close encounter with Hiei it turned to launch a load of torpedoes at Hiei. It claimed two hits, but so did 5 other American warships during this battle, and Hiei eventually did take two torpedo hits. Cushing soon found itself being assailed by shell fire from every direction. And by both American and Japanese shell fire at that. The source of the 5-inch friendly fire was probably several American warships. Many of the USN warships now sought targets from the various radar contacts to the “left” of Akatsuki. That was most likely USS Cushing in most cases. With a bearing resolution of 15*, when lobing, for most of the 40cm gunnery radars, it was very difficult to resolve targets amid the chaos and absolutely impossible to identify friend from foe.
The 8-inch tracer rounds coming at Cushing were likely those from Portland. Portland had lost all of its forward radars and only had the aft 40cm on the aft director working. The captain had originally ordered to target visually off of dead ahead, but the radar could not bear and so he then ordered to find a target opposite-likely Cushing as it turned to fire torpedoes at Hiei. Then more disaster struck.
There were many torpedoes from both Japanese and American sources coursing through the waves everywhere and from all directions, and the lead protagonists for both American and Japanese were in a deadly crossfire of torpedoes. The first torpedo to strike home hit Atlanta almost dead center and it was devastating. It brought Atlanta’s fighting to an abrupt end. All power was lost. It would ultimately prove fatal. Nevertheless it would be a long lingering and painful death lasting the rest of night and most of the next day. It was not the end of Atlanta’s woes for the time being.
When Atlanta lost power it drifted out of line just when San Francisco was seeking to find a new target. It found Atlanta with tragic results. Several 8-inch rounds cut down Atlanta’s top side personal among them Adm. Scott. Callaghan realized be-lately what was happening (he also may have noticed Cushing’s plight) and shouted over the TBS: “Cease fire! – Own ships!” Most American commands never heard the order, but some did reluctantly comply. Portland’s skipper replied: “What’s the dope, do you want us to cease fire?” Callaghan replied: “Yes!”
Portland’s troubles were just about to get very much more complex. As Portland resumed fire on a new target it was staggered by a torpedo that struck well aft with such force that it not only jammed the rudders and stripped off half the screws, it bent the after part of the heavy cruiser into a L shape- giving it a permanent right full rudder. All it could do was turning in circles the rest of the night and would require 23 hours and the help of a tug to progress the 11 miles to Tulagi Harbor.
When Hiei followed Nagara’s turn, it chooses the San Francisco as its next victim. After, ceasing fire at Atlanta the forward battery of San Francisco opened up on the warship that was clobbering it from the starboard- the Hiei. Meanwhile, the aft battery had opened open on a group of IJN destroyers that were high tailing past San Francisco’s starboard quarter on toward Portland and Juneau. Callaghan did not want to waste efforts on mere destroyers and broke over the intercom: “The big ones! We want the big ones!” Then he came to the realization that his flagship was not squared up against another cruiser, but against a capital ship. One of the few survivors’ topside reported Callaghan say to the navigator: “Get us out of here.” Those were the last words Callaghan would say in this life. Hiei was firing special 14” bombardment rounds and had not switched ammunition types. These had virtually no penetrative power against steel warships, but were deadly effective against human flesh. Only one junior officer survived topside. (There was one other of the fleet staff buried under the gruesome piles of bodies found later) The highest ranking officer left alive was the damage control officer below decks but his hands were full with the damage caused by the numerous 6-inch rounds boring their way through the cruiser’s sides. The damage control officer told the junior to retain command topside as he tried to save the ship from sinking.
10
I forgot to block quote the second installment but it is my own work.
10
Admiral Halsey who was commander of the S. Pacific command ordered the US Naval forces under Vice Admiral Daniel Callaghan and Norman Scott into that battle. He had to. Both Callaghan and Scott were killed in that action, the only two US Admirals to die in a surface action during WWII. Shortly there after Halsey received his promotion to Admiral of the Fleet (4 stars). Halsey sent his a set of his old stars to each of the widows of those Admirals with a note telling them that by their sacrifice he had been promoted.
Another story about Halsey and about a difference between the US Navy and the Navies of the British commonwealth. Large Capital Ships in the US Navy in WW II had a soda fountain complete with ice cream. They were known as “Gedunk bars”. Usually the Gedunk bar, given the right conditions, was open only at certain times during the week and always on Sunday. Admiral Halsey was at the Gedunk bar on the battleship North Carolina standing in line waiting his turn with all the other sailors when he saw an ensign try to pull rank to jump the line and dressed him down right there in front of the sailors.
While ships of the British and commonwealth Navies did not have a Gedunk bar, they did allow alcohol on board unlike US Navy ships which have been dry since about the Spanish American war. The only alcohol allowed on a US Navy ship for consumption is for medical purposes where it is a tradition for the crews of the ship of the commonwealth to get their ration of grogg daily and officers can have what ever type of alcohol they desire onboard. So no matter what the theater, when ships of the US Navy and any Navy of the Commonwealth docked together in a secure port the US officers would go over to have drinks and sometimes dinner (other times they would go to the US ship to eat) with the officers on the Commonwealth ship. Then the bunch of officers would go over to a US ship to hit the Gedunk bar and then watch what ever movie was playing that night (Another thing US ships had that the Commonwealth ships did not generally.)
I don’t know how it is with the other Armed forces of the world but of all the US Services the Navy has long been considered to have the best food. In fact many a US sailor during WW II when asked why they joined the Navy instead of one of the other services replied “3 hots and a cot”. IOW three hot meals to eat a day in and a bed or hammock to sleep in.
10
German capital ships had a bier bar.
One has to think that that the USN warships were more comfortable than the common wealth warships during WWII, at least in the Pacific. One big advantage was air conditioning-standard on most USN warships of WW2. For example, it was a sweltering hot house on the HMS Prince of Wales when it got sent to Singapore. Much of the water tight integrity had been compromised prior to its sinking by the crew below decks trying to get some ventilation going.
It may have been safer on board a warship than for an infantry man, before it took damage, but it could get pretty horrific and gruesome on a WW2 warship during combat. Most of the U-boat men didn’t survive the war.
00
Funny you should mention this.
My brother was a Clearance Diver (the same as a USN SEAL) with the Royal Australian Navy. (RAN)
We would visit each other often during our respective military careers.
He always loved eating in our ‘Mess’, as he said that the food was always a quantum level better than they had in the Navy. Whenever he referred to meals served, wherever he was with the Navy, they were always referred to as SCRAN. ($hit cooked by RAN)
One of his early postings before joining one of ‘The Teams’ was as the Ships Diver on HMAS Melbourne, our Aircraft Carrier, when we had those Skyhawks and Trackers. While it was at GI in Sydney one time, he took me on a tour of that ship.
Man, I was never so happy to be in the RAAF, rather than in the Navy. That was positively archaic.
He was still with Melbourne for RIMPAC ’75, and when they steamed into ‘Pearl’ they parked alongside Kitty Hawk. The Naval Aviators aboard Kitty Hawk look down, (literally) from their deck at our Carrier and were horrified, asking our pilots how they actually ‘landed on’ that tiny deck of the Melbourne, and when they saw the ‘jet chucker’ (steam catapult) they were even more horrified, the shortest catapult of any Carrier at that time.
My brother was amazed when touring Kitty Hawk, and said it made the Melbourne look like a canoe in every respect.
Kitty Hawk was the last of the huge oil burning Carriers, and he also told me it was similar when he toured the Enterprise, the next step up from Kitty Hawk.
Tony.
10
Ever wondered about the life of a dam? I have.
I just found this:
So, long after we have gone the BFD will silt up. But there are so many variables. What if thorium reactors have proven themselves and electricity is too cheap to meter?[OK, you know what I mean] At the same time feeding the masses will have become a problem [Surely there are limits] so arable land is at a premium. The Burdekin valley there is scrubby country, doesn’t run many cattle/hectare so the dam can be dredged and poor land made furtile with the spoil. Of course the graziers may stop overgrazing their land and limit erosion. I won’t hold my breath on that.
Just musing. 🙂
10
Global warming is back they say …
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/scientists-flock-to-twitter-highlighting-weird-and-wacky-weather-event-in-the-arctic/news-story/777283b09abeff2bfe223703b5fe7640
10
In The Age Hannam has this as a hysterical “scientists aghast” article.
20
The Bourke story and all mention of it has disappeared when I turned the iPad on , weird .
20
Victoria seems to have optimised doublethink…
Drilling for gas is bad, but building LNG terminals to import it is OK
Burning coal is bad, but burning rubbish is OK.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-26/waste-for-energy-plant-for-melbourne-proposed/9482850?section=environment
10
Will Stephan from the warmista council says we need to reduce our gas consumption and opening new gas wells by six percent a year so we can comply with the Paris accord.
00
It’s snowing in Rome .
10
Cue the air raid sirens .
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-27/fracking-ban-in-nt-should-stay-say-leading-climate-scientists/9486380
10