Paul Krugman sticks pins into the Climate Denier VooDoo Doll

Excuse #101: Denying Climate Change is an Evil Depraved Sin so we don’t need to bother coming up with reasons anymore

Why is Krugman sticking pins into Denier Dolls? It makes him feel better.

He said it himself — if people disagree about climate change in good faith, it means climate believers need to be more persuasive. But if they are just evil, there’s nothing you can do. This is the end-days desperation. And after thirty years of propaganda, there’s nothing left in their communication toolbox. The awful truth is that in the muted, lopsided debate, they had all the money and institutions but they still lost.

When you can’t convince people with polite discussion all that’s left is to agree with your opponents or demonize them. So that’s what Krugman does. Change the goal-posts — he’s saying these evil people are not even worth talking to.

Humans are incredibly good at rationalizing stupid things. Pace Paul Krugman, who wrote this in the NY times last week. This week, the Sydney Morning Herald became the copy-paste late repeater of junk analysis and naked smear by a failed economist. Bravo.

Denying climate change is evil

Climate denial is rooted in greed, opportunism and ego. Opposing action for those reasons is a sin.

Paul Krugman

Denying climate change, no matter what the evidence, has become a core Republican principle. And it’s worth trying to understand both how that happened and the sheer depravity involved in being a denialist at this point.

Spot the projection. Believing climate change has become a core Labor-Democrat principle.

Next comes the bait and switch: Krugman pretends to be reasonable…

>Wait, isn’t depravity too strong a term? Aren’t people allowed to disagree with conventional wisdom, even if that wisdom is supported by overwhelming scientific consensus?

Then he ignores every argument any skeptic ever made:

Yes, they are – as long as their arguments are made in good faith. But there are almost no good-faith climate-change deniers. And denying science for profit, political advantage or ego satisfaction is not OK; when failure to act on the science may have terrible consequences, denial is, as I said, depraved.

But hey, his evidence is a pop-psychology book written by a climate scientist who invented a “trick” to “hide the decline”:

 The best recent book I’ve read on all this is The Madhouse Effect by Michael E. Mann…

As Mann explains, climate denial actually follows in the footsteps of earlier science denial, beginning with the long campaign by tobacco companies to confuse the public about the dangers of smoking.

With the difference that doctors could predict which group was more likely to get cancer, while climate scientists can do 3,000 model runs that are 98% wrong.

Why would anyone go along with such things? Money is still the main answer: almost all prominent climate deniers are on the fossil-fuel take. However, ideology is also a factor: if you take environmental issues seriously, you are led to the need for government regulation of some kind, so rigid free-market ideologues don’t want to believe that environmental concerns are real (although apparently forcing consumers to subsidise coal is fine).

More projection of his own ideology — if you are a collectivist, climate scares are the top excuse to “collect”. What could be better. Pay up or I’ll wreck the weather? Storms a’ coming, give me your super (your 401k). Feed me or there’ll be floods? This game of extortion is good to go as long as we don’t get perfect weather forever. Exactly. It’s such a good game it’s been going on for thousands of years, but now the druids wear lab coats.

As for the old smear that all prominent deniers are fossil funded, hello, where’s the evidence? Skeptics are the grassroots volunteers funded by mums and dads (thanks to all who keep me writing through donations here).  Believers get 3,500 times as much (and even more since then). Who are we kidding, if skeptics got the kind of money believers get, tens of thousands of skeptics could attend two-week-long international junkets — and for the next 24 years in a row. Will the SMH do some research, interview some “prominent climate deniers” (in their unscientific namecalling jargon). Will they give me right of reply?

Money is still the main answer:  let’s talk about how many prominent climate believers are or were on the government-take — totally dependent on government grants, salaries, or subsidies. Many fossil fuel companies are also on the take, lobbied for the climate scare, and even the “evil” Exxon spent more funding believers than skeptics.

Or forget them all, lets talk about Banker Believers and the Billions they want to make from carbon trading. As I said, bankers are everywhere:

Bank of America is spending $50 billion to save the world.  Citigroup committed $100 billion to “climate change”. DeutscheBank built giant clocks of doom and wrote 50 page scientific reports. And the list goes on…  in the end, climate change is potentially a $7 Trillion dollar money making venture for bankers.

You can see why they might be interested.

If you take environmental issues seriously, you look at the evidence, not for any excuse to call in Big Gov. That’s what a collectivist ideologue does.

Big Krug accidentally gives his motives for character assassination away

And these motives matter. If important players opposed climate action out of good-faith disagreement with the science, that would be a shame but not a sin, calling for better efforts at persuasion. As it is, however, climate denial is rooted in greed, opportunism, and ego. And opposing action for those reasons is a sin.

This is a fake national policy “debate” by character assassination. It might as well be neolithic witchcraft. How do we decide what generator to use in national energy grids? Obviously, use evidenceless smear, cast aspersions, do no research, and poke pins in a mythical anti-science denier doll. How many MegaWatts is that?

The intelligensia at the SMH are going to hate it when history shows they slavishly and gullibly sided with Big Money and Big Governments, acting as a propaganda tool …

h/t David B

9.8 out of 10 based on 97 ratings

211 comments to Paul Krugman sticks pins into the Climate Denier VooDoo Doll

  • #
    Another Ian

    Real pins, getting bigger

    “Delingpole: President Macron Is Heading for His Green Waterloo”

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/03/president-macron-green-policies-will-be-his-downfall/

    “But when it comes to the higher fuel taxes that sparked the gilets jaunes protests, all the proceeds – €5bn this year, €7-8bn next – are being used to subsidise wind and solar energy, which in turn means higher energy prices. Higher taxes, higher electricity costs, worsened business competitiveness is Macron’s triple whammy for nil social benefit.”

    Now that will work a treat.

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  • #
    Bruce of Newcastle

    So the kid who said the emperor has no clothes was doing so because of “greed, opportunism and ego”?

    There has been no actual global warming in the most reliable real world data for more than two decades, yet pCO2 has risen more than 10% in that time.

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      Greg in NZ

      Bruce – no no no, you unbelieving infidel sinner, you – it was that lovely fluffy save-the-planet-and-polar-bear-children Paris Agreement thingy which caused “no actual global warming” to occur this century. It caused the freezing snow in Tasmania yesterday. It caused the freezing snow blizzard which is hammering the South Island hills as I type. It also caused the massive high pressure over Siberia, where temps are hovering around -40˚C, which will soon push frigid air south to China where heavy snow is expected inland of Shanghai this weekend.

      Oh wait, silly me – the non-binding Paris Agreement was never signed and is in tatters. Shucks, I wonder what it could be then…

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  • #
    Another Ian

    In the same league

    “Brown-to-Green Report: “G20 nations still led by fossil fuel industry”… Because fossil fuels are good for people.”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/12/04/brown-to-green-report-g20-nations-still-led-by-fossil-fuel-industry-because-fossil-fuels-are-good-for-people/

    Sample

    “Ok… So we’re supposed to swallow a $240/gal tax on gasoline and spend $122 trillion to avoid 1.7 °C (3.2 minus 1.5) of warming over the next 80 years? Really? How can anyone even publish something like this and expect to be taken seriously?

    Particularly since we are already on a pathway to less than 2 °C of warming…”

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    • #
      Another Ian

      In comments

      ““The “exposure” is entirely qualitative (AKA useless, pointless, unverifiable, unaccountable, etc.) and many of the components are contradictory.”

      So my qualitative “feeling” it’s all worthless garbage is perfectly acceptable? I don’t even have to go quantitative like “99%” garbage? Love it!!!

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    Another Ian

    Must be a climate conference on somewhere?

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      Graeme No.3

      Yes, and I don’t suppose that any Greenie sees any irony in the decision by the Polish government to hold it in the “coal capital of Europe” and announce the start of a new coal mine in the weeks just before the start.

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  • #
    Mark M

    Again, I can only concur with The Terminator …

    Schwarzenegger to CNN’s Axelrod: Environmentalists doing a terrible job selling [Doomsday Global Warming] concerns

    https://thehill.com/homenews/media/414752-schwarzenegger-to-cnns-axelrod-environmentalists-doing-a-terrible-job-selling

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  • #
    pat

    Murpharoo is exultant!

    4 Dec: Guardian: Labor backs Greens plan to block Coalition from underwriting coal power
    Crossbenchers are being asked to support a bill preventing the signing of contracts before the next election
    by Katharine Murphy
    Labor and the Greens will attempt to prevent the Morrison government from underwriting new coal-fired power as the energy policy battle moves into its next phase.

    Labor on Tuesday resolved to support a Greens bill stopping the commonwealth from providing financial assistance to coal-fired power plants, and there is an effort to secure the requisite parliamentary numbers for an upset as the Morrison government moves ahead with its controversial energy package. Negotiations are under way with crossbenchers in both chambers…

    The government secured a rubber stamp from the Coalition party room on Tuesday for policy measures aimed to reduce power prices, including a contentious divestiture power, but Guardian Australia revealed on Monday night ministers had to rework the original proposal substantially to head off a backbench revolt…

    The former Liberal MP Julia Banks has already expressed strong reservations about the package, telling Guardian Australia on Monday night that divestiture powers were “totally counter to liberal values of free enterprise and small government”…

    (Chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Jennifer) Westacott said the proposed laws “represent an unprecedented shift in Australian law, and remain open to a misuse of power” and the government had not yet explained the rationale for the measures…

    The (Australian Energy Council’s) chief executive, Sarah McNamara, welcomed the movement, but she said the sector remained “alarmed at the government’s intention to legislate an onerous and unprecedented set of market interventions which ***will only increase risk to investors and ***costs for consumers”…

    The energy minister, Angus Taylor, who has signalled coal will be in the mix, with a possible indemnity against the risk of a future carbon price, declined to answer questions from journalists on Tuesday about whether the government would enter binding contracts with proponents before the next election, which would be difficult to unwind if the Morrison government loses next year…

    Greens MP Adam Bandt, who could be a crucial vote for the government on the divestiture package because the party is not opposed to the idea, warned the Coalition not to “rely on support from the Greens on energy issues while … trying to sign contracts for new coal-fired power stations”…

    The government’s difficulties on energy policy were also compounded earlier in the day when the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull publicly declaring his ongoing support for the national energy guarantee.
    Turnbull also mocked former colleagues pushing for coal-fired power stations as being driven by “ideology and idiocy”, saying they were bereft of the facts on the cost of coal generation compared with renewables.
    Turnbull’s comments emboldened Labor in question time to push Scott Morrison about his previous support for the national energy guarantee, which the opposition says it will seek to preserve with a higher emissions reduction target of 45%.

    FROM THE 600-PLUS COMMENTS:
    ToorakBanker: The other day Bloomberg reported that half the world’s coal minds are unprofitable.
    Bloomberg is where the smart money goes for its information and that information is clear
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/04/labor-backs-greens-plan-to-block-coalition-from-underwriting-coal-power

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    • #
      ColA

      Is there a glimmer of LNP conservative planning here??
      They must know the chance of getting a HELE plant through parliament has Buckley’s chance so why do it if they expect to loose?
      If Labor wins and they thrash unreliables – as the greens will drive them to, we will have higher power prices and power failures guaranteed + power company and green rorting and failing big business and a HUGE NATIONAL DEBUT (Labor is hopeless at managing money!)
      So Scomo, if he is still there, is able to flog Labor saying they stopped his HELE plant! All realities aside, it’s the type of Machiavellian maneuver they need to start using.

      Do you think this is possible or is there another reason?

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  • #
    Another Ian

    “UN Climate Summit To Emit More CO2 Than 8,200 American Homes Do In A Year”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/12/04/un-climate-summit-to-emit-more-co2-than-8200-american-homes-do-in-a-year/

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  • #
    PeterS

    The French are starting to revolt against the globalists and even the police are joining in the fight. French Police remove helmets to show solidarity with the people against Macron The fear now is the globalists will intensify their efforts to maintain the CAGW scam using other means. We booted out Turnbull. Unfortunately not only there are many of his ilk still left in the LNP but also Turnbull is still acting as though he is the leader and white anting the LNP to death. These globalists are the real evil.

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      OriginalSteve

      The globalists have a multitude of things at thier disposal to distract or punish when things are going bad – war, fabricated “terrorist” attack, financial upheaval, brutal suppression, news blackout, smearing the yellow hackets, organized mobs….take your pick.

      This will be interesting to watch – between Brexit, Trump and the yellow jackets, the globalists are in a vice right now. They just cant handle people saying “Non!”…….they are control freaks…..

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      • #
        MrGrimNasty

        The trouble is they are implementing the globalist agenda on so many fronts, seizing sovereignty bit by bit, they will succeed one way or another.

        e.g. You have to laugh at Gove/May saying that the Brexit capitulation gives back control of our borders – just as they are about to sign the UN Migration Compact without any noticeable publicity. In the name of bringing order to the irregular migration chaos caused by the EU/UN, migration will essentially become a human right, discussing it will be a hate crime, and the media and internet will be controlled. All non-binding of course, to evade democratic oversight, until it’s embedded and irrevocable.

        Obviously Australia/USA/Hungary/Austria are not signing (currently).

        This Krugman thing is just another attempt to put climate change beyond discussion – The Science is Settled, The Debate is Won/Over – we’ve heard it all before.

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      • #
        el gordo

        Macron has caved in and the yellow jackets are in the ascendency, but they will not settle for crumbs. Its important to keep in mind that this grass roots revolution has nothing to do with the left or right, its a people’s uprising over excessive green taxes.

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        • #
          Ava

          Won’t settle for crumbs.’They want the whole baguette’, is the best line I’ve seen for a while.

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        • #
          PeterS

          Indeed the uprising is more than just left versus right. In fact the moderates in the LNP are now turning against Turnbull for his despicable acts over the past few days. It really is time for Turnbull to be evicted from the party in toto. Anything less is a sign of ignorance and/or stupidity by Morrison and the rest of the party.

          As for the uprising we need to be cautious. Political parties around the world could be hijacked by the extreme right in much the same way the left hijacked many conservative parties, such as the LNP. Indeed we live in interesting times and things I believe things are about to become even more interesting.

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          • #
            Ava

            UKIP has just been seen to move so far to the Right that Nigel Farage, who used to run it & secured the vote for Brexit, has resigned his membership.

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          • #
            Graeme No.3

            PeterS:

            The populace is generally conservative in that they want to live with as little restrictions as possible and don’t like being disturbed by noisey ratbags nor those who want more money from them. Generally they put up with the major parties as they see little choice (or difference) but that support is dropping now with direct votes for them about 50%**.
            People are losing belief in ‘regular democracy’ and looking for alternatives (look in mirror for example) and that pushes them to parties not following the middle of the road. When the economy collapses then they will switch wholesale to anyone claiming to fix things e.g. Germany when in 1928 the NAZIs got 2.6% of the vote and 12 seats (down 2) to 1932 when they got 37.3% of the vote and 230 seats.
            The major parties are pushing policies that will result in a depression, so with records being broken for business closures and rising unemployment along with rising electricity bills (and others) the reaction will quite likely be to extremes. I cannot see the Greens gaining much from the turmoil because they are too closely aligned with the causes. Unfortunately the situation will probably result into the AntiFA becoming more violent as the Left try to wrest control.
            With luck The Australian Conservatives will be big gainers as despite the slurs of the ABC and the MSM they are democratic and non-violent.

            ** Allow for 5% informal and 5-8% non voting.

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            • #
              PeterS

              I’m looking in the mirror and I see a centre-right conservative and I for one will be voting for the ACP. It’s not perfect but then of course no party ever is. Voters will vote in different ways due to many factors but one thing is for sure. Most don’t give a damn about what is really happening because they are busy doing other things and prefer to treat politics like a joke. Well if they treat it like a joke when they whine about it they should look in the mirror.

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              • #
                el gordo

                if you want to get a high distinction in political science, you need to become dispassionate.

                The Coalition will win the next election because they’ll help fund Premier Gladys bullet train network and a promise to the other states to come on board. Cory should jump sides now, before its too late.

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          • #
            Kneel

            “Political parties around the world could be hijacked by the extreme right in much the same way the left hijacked many conservative parties,”

            Indeed that may happen.
            The blame can only go to radical leftists, who are never happy and always want to push for more.
            Guess what? You pushed too hard and now the pendulum will swing, as it always does… hopefully, not as much blood in the streets this time in France…

            20

        • #
          ivan

          The people in my village, preparing for the big push on Monday, want more than the 6 months delay they want all the green nonsense removing completely including the removal of the wind generators and the restoration and upgrading of the nuclear power plants.

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          • #

            Ivan, which village?

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            • #
              ivan

              A little one in the south of France (Catalan region, we fly both the Catalan and French flag).

              We can be rather radical. A village meeting turned down the install of smart meters and the building of a wind farm not far from the village itself.

              110

              • #
                Another Ian

                Years ago I got this explanation of regional characteristics in response to the voice of authority:-

                Anglo Saxon “Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir”

                Celtic “Of course I can – I’ve just done it”

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          • #
            Ava

            What big push? I was admiring how the protests at least began centered on weekends tending to avoid work/school days.

            20

      • #
        theRealUniverse

        And false flags.

        30

    • #
      el gordo

      ‘We booted out Turnbull.’

      Its disappointing when left wing commentators still ask why did the Party sack Turnbull.

      ‘Malcolm Turnbull re­ignites the Coalition’s energy wars amid revelations the former PM and Bill Shorten have held private phone talks on the NEG.’ Oz

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      • #
        Dennis

        They have been in consultation regularly, as Turnbull was on side with Rudd.

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        • #
          el gordo

          He was always one of them, the green slime brigade, but the ginger group managed to boot him out and clear the air.

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          • #
            AndyG55

            “managed to boot him out and clear the air.”

            Except he seems to be still running the show, and the air is thus, fetid. !

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        • #
          PeterS

          Turnbull has been exposed. He is on the side of Shorten on energy. Probably always has been. What more does Turnbull have to do before he is expelled from the LMP? Join the Greens? Come on Morrison wake up! You have an enemy within the LNP and it’s all now so clear it no longer can be ignored.

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          • #
            Kneel

            Two choices:
            1) kick him out very publicly as someone not aligned with LNP values – someone who is clearly not aligned with the majority of LNP members and therefore disruptive and distracting when the party needs neither distraction nor disruption;
            2) completely ignore him – if he is mentioned in a media question, divert with something like “Malcolm had his chance and blew it. It’s time for him to support the parties democratic decisions on policy or leave the party permanently. Next question?”

            Don’t take any crap from the master white-anter – hit back at him! He can have his opinion on where the party should go, but he is NOT either the leader of the party nor the sole provider of policy direction.

            Compare with Abbott – Tony quietly went to the back bench, kept trying to push internally for better policy, only makes statements to the media when asked, and always supports the duly selected PM (spills excepted – fair enough).

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      • #
        Another Ian

        Turnbull just missed another claim to fame. He just missed selection for final voting for “Prat of the Year”

        “It’s time to run the prat of the year 2018 contest.”

        List at the end of

        https://thepointman.wordpress.com/2018/11/21/its-time-to-run-the-prat-of-the-year-2018-contest/

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      • #
        theRealUniverse

        MT and BS must have a private hotline even though they yelled abuse at each other across the floor of parliament.

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    • #
      Sommer

      Take a look at what the CBC in Canada put out three days ago regarding the psychology behind the ‘deniers’.

      https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-change-psychology-1.4920872

      00

  • #
    AndyG55

    Two questions I have yet to have answered..

    Q1. What do we “deny” about “climate change™” that has been scientifically proven?

    Q2. In what way has the global climate changed in the last 40 years that can be empirically and scientifically put down to human influence.

    We have seen over the last few days, that they (the local low-end AGW trolls), cannot even come up with any empirical evidence that CO2 has any influence on climate whatsoever. !

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      • #
        AndyG55

        Its already gone up by 5C since I woke up this morning, a paltry 0.28C in the so-called global temperature above the average of once of the coldest periods since the LIA, really isn’t a problem.

        Thanks goodness the Sun is still working, even if only a little bit. 🙂

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        • #
          PeterS

          The sun is working but the CAGW scam is still working even better. All we need now to stop it is for people to rise up but not as they are starting to do in France but in a more peaceful and effective way – STOP VOTING for the major parties and vote for others until one of the majors comes to its senses! The violent way should be avoided and it can be so simply if enough people just wake up.

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          • #

            …if enough people just wake up.

            The problem, as I see it, Peter, is that in thousands upon thousands of classrooms in schools and universities around the planet sit millions of young and impressionable young people being indoctrinated into believing the CAGW fiction every day. For every 100,000 kids being indoctrinated every week there would only be a handful of people “waking up” to the scam. (The numbers I made up, just like Mann, Hansen, et al do, but those waking up would be a tiny fraction of those being indoctrinated)

            Therein lies the problem, it needs a colossal effort on the part of those of us that know that it’s a rort (and Joanne is certainly doing her share), or there has to be an undeniable and quite noticeable change in climate that will wake people up in droves, shivering under their blankets asking “What the hell’s happening to the weather?”, and; “Why’s the power gone off – again?”

            Perhaps if enough people could be persuaded to watch this (Dr Tim Ball), then some alarm bells might start to ring for the not yet fully indoctrinated climate panickers.

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        • #
          el gordo

          Yes sir but the authorities are preaching hell and damnation and I was hoping you could give me a time line which is not so catastrophic. For christ’s sake give us hope.

          30

          • #
            AndyG55

            My model says we will probably have a gradual cooling from now for a couple of decades, then a bit of warming, then some cooling.

            At some stage in the next several hundreds or thousands of years, the Earth will drop down into another major Ice Age.

            Nothing to worry about in your lifetime, or probably several generations after you.

            (Apart from political agendas and the threat of totalitarian socialism)

            Does that give you some hope?

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    • #
      theRealUniverse

      Q2, answer, absolutely nothing!.

      10

    • #
      OriginalSteve

      Q1. What do we “deny” about “climate change™” that has been scientifically proven?

      Q2. In what way has the global climate changed in the last 40 years that can be empirically and scientifically put down to human influence.

      OK – for Q1 – you cant reason with them. The left are sufficiently unhinged but sticking to the “trojan horse” story of climate change for as long as it takes to find and then throw any dissenters in jail under the flimsiest of pretences. The Leftists are growing weary of keeping up the CAGW charade, and you can expect to see the mask drop more and more as it becomes about the reality of thier overthrow of democracy. If the Left had its way, we’d all be in jail or been shot by now.

      For Q2 – they dont care. See above.

      40

  • #
    Another Ian

    “The Fundamental Difference Between Science And Engineering
    Posted on December 4, 2018 by tonyheller

    Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.

    Michael Crichton

    I have degrees and many years professional experience in both science and engineering.

    Scientists take comfort in long lists of prior research which supports their position. For most academics, it doesn’t matter if they are wrong or right. There are no consequences for being wrong, particularly if they have consensus to hide behind. There are no consequences for scientists who bring money into their university. Only for those who don’t.

    Engineers do the exact opposite. They assume that everyone before them was incompetent, until proven otherwise. Engineers have to, because lives depend on getting it right. There are no appeals to authority or excuses when a bridge falls down, or a product fails to work properly.

    Once a train wreck like climate science gets started, it is difficult to stop. Because the long list of worthless peer-reviewed references keeps getting longer, and the money supporting the junk science keeps increasing.”

    https://realclimatescience.com/2018/12/the-fundamental-difference-between-science-and-engineering/

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    • #
      AndyG55

      “They assume that everyone before them was incompetent,”

      I think the word “incompetent” is a big over the top..

      A good Engineer will look at the work of other Engineers, THEN THOUROUGHLY CHECK that work before using it.

      Does not imply that they think the person was incompetent or the prior work was badly done.

      If others had thoroughly checked the work of prior people in “climate science”, it would have died an early death, instead, they just keep building and doubling down on the errors of the prior work.

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      • #
        Another Ian

        “Assume” – the word that makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”

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      • #
        theRealUniverse

        “They assume that everyone before them was incompetent,” No wrong, they improve on previous designs, You as a professional engineer never accuse someone of being incompetent, even if there is evidence to support it. You just redesign it. Special cases where there is public safety involved may be different. But that is legal stuff.

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      • #
        Kneel

        ““They assume that everyone before them was incompetent,”

        I think the word “incompetent” is a big over the top..”

        Not at all.
        One assumes that there is/was incompetence and that absolutely everything must be checked. In most cases, everything is fine, as there were actual serious engineers doing it – but when your career is on the line based on your signature that states “everything is fine” and if it’s not, it’s you who are in trouble, what would you do?
        Exactly – check everything. Twice.
        Assume worst case scenarios and leave in a large margin of error, just in case.
        Be extremely conservative.
        Etc.

        And don’t forget – an assumption is NOT an accusation.

        00

    • #
      Analitik

      Sadly, there are incompetent engineers that are firmly on the side of the CAGW camp. As an example, let me present Dr Lachlan Blackhall of the ANU (surprise, surprise, surprise) who was the CTO of Reposit (the major peddlers of the mini-power station notion in Australia).

      He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers yet comes up with such as

      coal is no longer fit for purpose. It is simply not the cheapest, nor the cleanest, nor the most flexible form of generation.

      and

      there is already a plan in place that demonstrates how we can do it cheaper, cleaner and better with renewables and energy storage

      Green is the new black: how renewables and storage will replace coal

      Then again, with vested interests, he could simply be c0rrupt/frawdulent rather than incompetent

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        Analitik

        And here is the AEMO study that he refers to AEMO: Integrated System Plan 2018

        I’m going to try and work through this to see what bizarre notions are contained within its 100 pages but a Battery of the Nation proposal (basically loads of interconnection capacity up the east coast to use Tasmania’s hydro as a massive “battery”) already leaps out.

        Sadly, the AEMO has many electrical engineers on its staff so how stuff like this gets published shows institutional pandering to the greenwashed.

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        • #

          Sadly, the AEMO has many electrical engineers on its staff so how stuff like this gets published shows institutional pandering to the greenwashed.

          I have a sneaking suspicion about this.

          I’m sure that all the people at the very upper echelons of the AEMO are all of them economists etc, and people put there by either Political party which, when in power, gets to make these appointments, with people who are, umm, amenable to the party line of the people who appointed them to these really well paid positions, and will always say what they expect those politicians to hear.

          Your bog standard Electrical Engineers in this vast entity that is the AEMO just do their jobs, full stop, and they know implicitly that whatever they say to those at the top will have absolutely zero chance of being listened to, let alone actually implemented. so they just get on with doing their job. However, they ‘keep notes’, and when the time comes, their ‘fundaments’ will be Teflon coated.

          The system might crash eventually, when a politician takes it too far, even though all of these Engineers will do all they can to prevent it, and that can be seen on an almost daily basis, if you watch the data.

          Those engineers will then point to their notes and say the inevitable ….. “I told you so,” and it’ll be all over red rover. The bureaucrat at the top will then, umm, ‘be retired’ with their fabulous payout and pension, and it will then be the job of the politician to try and find a way to explain to the now furious masses that they were wrong all along.

          The fallout from that will be extensive.

          So many people will have so much egg on their faces, that there won’t be anywhere to hide. What I’m looking forward to is the look of utter bewilderment on their faces, blinking like a deer in the spotlight.

          Tony.

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            Another Ian

            Tony

            “then be the job of the politician to try and find a way to explain to the now furious masses that they were wrong all along.”

            Likely by appointing more “with their fabulous payout and pension”

            60

        • #
          Greebo

          I’m just a dumb Arts guy, but I thought our “battery of the nation” was that black, brown or yellow(cake) stuff that we dig out of the ground. At least for now. Seems to work for the multitudes we send it to.

          I know, but we MUST keep on saying it.

          60

  • #
    OriginalSteve

    Hmmmm…so they seem to now admit it is a religious war.

    Good. A bit of honesty at last.

    It seems to be a war between the Christian West and the godless occult New Age UN now….Communists are usually Godless, so no surprises there.

    140

    • #
      Hivemind

      “…Communists are usually Godless…”

      Not entirely accurate. Communists have their system of beliefs (Communism), their priestly heirarchy (the Communist party) and their method of punishing heretics (death). Ie, it is a religion, just without gods.

      50

      • #
        Mark D.

        just without gods

        so the difference is a capital G?

        20

        • #
          OriginalSteve

          Correct. As in the God of the Bible.

          30

          • #
            Greebo

            As opposed to the God of the Quran, or the Torah, or the uncountable Indian religions’ books? There are good, cogent arguments that the God of the Old Testament was not the same as the God of the New. Worms, a can of.

            30

  • #
    Mal

    Science is skepticism
    It is always challenging the current accepted norm
    Co2 as a driver of catastrophic climate change has been falsified by evidence
    The people who cling to AGW /Climate change agenda are purely cultists, or opporutists following there own agendas.
    These are normally power and/or money.
    Those who accuse others are generally guilty of the very thing they accuse others of.

    150

  • #
    Robber

    Some straight talking in The Australian: ‘Avalanche’ of clean energy may threaten power grid security
    “The Paris-based International Energy Agency says Australia needs to ensure an “avalanche” of clean energy supply is backed up by firm generation to keep the lights on,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol told The Australian.
    In other words, you need to invest twice – once for the intermittent wind/solar, and second to provide reliable coal/gas/hydro. $88 billion is forecast to be spent adding power capacity in Australia until 2040. Now how can that be lower cost then only investing once in reliable generators?
    “The best way to reduce emissions is to put a price on carbon, but this would put Australia out of step from a political and economic context” said International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol in Canberra.

    80

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      “The best way to reduce emissions is to put a price on carbon” as in France?

      50

    • #
      Analitik

      Straw poll. How many of us have a generator to help cover the blackouts that the AEMO is now stating as being distinct possibilities for NSW, SA and Vic, this summer?

      (raises hand)

      50

      • #
        Robber

        No generator, but city house and beach house in Vic, so hopefully power will be available at one of them.

        40

        • #
          Analitik

          If the beach house is down on the Morinington Peninsula, then it may have power available courtesy of the diesel generators being installed there. Be sure to thank Comrade Andrews if you happen to be down there during a blackout.

          40

      • #
        Another Ian

        Two here 7 and 7.5 kva, both petrol. Around 200 l fuel back-up

        30

      • #
        yarpos

        Yep, I purchased one before last summer and have had a changeover switch wired in. Primary purpose is blackout, additional benefit is keeping a pump alive during fires. We also have a petrol waterpump.

        20

        • #
          robert rosicka

          Yep two here one is 2000 watt and the other is 1300 watt , also have a 3000 watt sine wave inverter and five 110 amp gel cell batteries .
          If needed I have a 44 gallon drum I can fill up with fuel and have a hand pump , power outs here effect everything as we are out in the sticks .

          20

      • #
        Greebo

        I do, but it is not wired in. I use it to keep my fridge, heating if needed, and my internet connected.

        30

      • #
        Serp

        It’s a non-trivial purchase which I would not have countenanced until Victoria’s electorate granted Labor open slather at last month’s election so today I checked out a 6 KVA diesel unit at a nearby machinery supplier.

        Now I’m tossing up as to whether I will be buying a White Elephant to place beside the house or will minister d’Ambrosio actually unleash a plague of regular extended duration blackouts upon us which justifies such a purchase?

        The twenty-first century is now developed enough that it can be determined very clearly to be a Retrograde Era, a time to be endured by a new class of Stoics able to survive through the strident idiotic babble which has drowned out all rationality.

        50

        • #
          robert rosicka

          I have all my gear because of camping etc but if I wasn’t into going bush I would still have bought a generator as a backup for when the power goes out (not if) .
          Having access to water is vital during a fire or high fire danger days so on these days I setup generators and pumps ,test run and prime the pumps just to be sure .
          I don’t trust the electricity to stay on .

          20

        • #
          Analitik

          A 6kVA diesel unit would be going overboard IMO. I ran my entire household for 9 hours with a 2kW generator which cost me under $900 during a scheduled power outage this week.

          Granted, I didn’t run our oven, air conditioners or espresso machine during this period but the fridge and freezer, internet and even the pool pump (which I forgot to disconnect) ran just fine. I was intending to find how long the 5 litre tank would run for but as it turns out, it was still running when I got home.

          00

  • #
    MatrixTransform

    Pht, another Fire and Brimstone sermon from yet another Lay Preacher.

    interesting the Krugman gets paid for his opinion whereas nobody wants to even hear my mine.

    also interesting that my function in the labour force for 20 yrs has been either engineering in the Solar field or energy abatement and efficiency in multi-storey buildings.

    So, I dont believe it, yet I do it anyway. Krugman believes but won’t do a damned thing except pant more CO2.
    I can make a building sing with efficient glory. He crows The-End-Is-Nigh
    I curtail 10e6 x more CO2 every day than Krugman ever exhaled in lifetime
    I have skin in the game. He has a pulpit.

    Incidentally I had a discussion with a mate who is a journalist the other day.
    The gist of it was why my kids reckon Im a toxic white male, bigotted, sexist, climate denier.
    all I said was, “0.13 per decade…”

    then the sermon started.

    I sure did wish right then that I never mentioned it at all

    Honestly, I dont understand why I dont wrap myself in a Dogma Sandwich Board and preach as well … probably be better for business if I did

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    • #
      Another Ian

      Doesn’t have to be that way.

      In one of those Queensland bursts of publicity on “clearing football fields per minute” I got an email from Son No 2 with a link to such a video.

      The subject was

      “Hey Dad. Get a load of this bs”

      90

      • #
        Another Ian

        Son being at boarding school at the time

        60

      • #
        MatrixTransform

        omg, you may have poisoned the poor lad’s mind … or worse yet, he can possibly even think for himself.

        by god I’d be proud if my boy did that.

        Alas, he is a Primary Teacher and already knows everything

        40

        • #
          Another Ian

          Matrix Transform

          “he can possibly even think for himself” – all three can do that very well.

          We raised them to think and question. There was a TV and a video but no antenna. In answer to the question of “How did they get on” – three readers out of three.

          There were some interesting times. One broke a few bones and so, on the third, we told him that bad luck comes in threes and so he should be right. I was desilting a dam and had just unbogged the dozer for the second time. At dinner bright spark announced

          “Well Dad tomorrow you should bog it again and when you get it out that will be three and you’ll be right too”.

          All three make us very proud with what they’ve done and are doing. And they don’t skite about it.

          60

          • #
            Another Ian

            Also I haven’t as yet been told that I’m a silly old – – – – –

            30

            • #
              Mark D.

              Let me be of assistance Sir! Na you’re just old 🙂
              Congrats, I have 3 sons now above 21yo and functioning, paid regularly (by someone else) and mostly able to think for themselves. If us old people have anything to be proud of these things should be rated pretty high up.

              Cheers!

              10

    • #
      MatrixTransform

      behold !!!

      …look to the sky,

      the gods are angry indeed !!!

      40

  • #
    Greg Cavanagh

    A nice quote from him “Denying climate change, no matter what the evidence, has become a core Republican principle.” He got that right.

    But then he comes up with this one “Opposing action for those reasons is a sin.” He doesn’t know what a sin is. A sin is disobedience to God. Nothing less, nothing more.

    90

  • #

    So crimethink against Big Green would be a shame if it wasn’t thought on purpose. But because something as evil as crimethink is by definition criminal and thus almost certainly committed on purpose for lucre there is only a very small margin for mere shamefulness due to mere error…

    I hate it when the Inquisition comes to town. At confession there’s only a choice between mortal sin and venial sin. You have to really grovel to get off with venial. The sin is nearly always mortal and those indulgences are sooo expensive. We’re never allowed to quote scripture in our defense, not even the early scriptures by Mann himself. As for this…

    http://drtimball.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Greenland-Ice-Core-1024×768.jpg

    Just looking at such disturbing pictures could lead the most innocent into grave crimethink.

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  • #
    Robert

    Krugman possesses a unique talent, possibly shared only with Joy Behar, in that whenever he speaks or writes, he subtracts from the sum total of human knowledge.

    170

    • #
      Another Ian

      Robert

      You’ve probably seen that sequence that goes something like “act, assess, review, react”?

      I saw a co-worker using it one day and pointed out that I had been introduced to it in the form of the thread on a bolt – on the principle that you were supposed to have achieved something from “act” to “act” and the distance vs the cost measured the efficiency. His answer was that he “wasn’t into spirals”. I found a digitised one and produced it in spiral form.

      This was in a time of departmental chaotic reorganisation and fiend also realised that spirals could have a left hand thread. Which resulted in a series of how to lose corporate knowledge – shown with discression.

      20

  • #
    DMA

    The sin is in denying access to the truth that will set us free.

    In 2008 Macquaire University employed Murray Salby as Professor of Climate Risk with the stated goal of making their program internationally recognized. In 2011 he produced several independent analyses using first principles that showed the consensus climate scientists were erroneously blaming human CO2 emissions for the mostly natural increase of atmospheric CO2 content. Macquarie saw this as a threat to their funding, obstructed his work, reassigned him to non-climate classes, canceled his return flight from Europe and initiated employment hearings in his absence and confiscated all his personal records and data. Eventually they fired him. (https://mlsxmq.wixsite.com/salby-macquarie/page-1f ).
    In 2017 Professor Hermann Harde published a paper discussing Salby’s findings in the Journal Global and Planetary Change. A response challenging Harde’s paper prepared by Peter Kohler and seven coauthors was published later in 2017. I thought the Kohler response was poorly done and never addressed the main points of Harde’s paper. The Journal requested a reply from Harde to Kohler’s work which was duly submitted and showed errors of computation, logic, and understanding of atmospheric physics but it was denied publication. ( https://hhgpc0.wixsite.com/harde-2017-censored )
    Dr. Ed Berry of Big Fork, Montana prepared another paper covering much of the same analysis and conclusively demonstrating that human CO2 emissions hardly effect atmospheric content. It will be presented at the American Meteorological Society in January. (https://ams.confex.com/ams/2019Annual/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/349565)
    What does this have to do with you?Ask yourself “Why did these folks try to hide this information?” Shouldn’t the response have better been “Halleluiah now we know we are not causing global warming we can focus on other important problems and we don’t have to destroy economies and force millions into energy poverty.” ? The censoring, bullying, and deception are, in my opinion, clear signs of an ideological movement with no real defense against the allegations.

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    • #
      MatrixTransform

      the mind boggles …

      20

      • #
        Greebo

        Sadly, my mind just shrugs. Seriously, how long have we been seeing this?

        Michael Chrichton was correct when he compared this collective madness to the lunacy that was the embracing, often by high profile, self important people such as actors, of the “science” of Eugenics. Hopefully we won’t need another “holocaust” to wake people up, but I’m not sanguine.

        20

        • #
          Greebo

          Why on earth is my comment in moderation? I used two words; H0l0caust, and yougenics. was that it?

          10

          • #
            AndyG55

            probably the first one.

            The auto-mod can be very sensitive about these things. I think its a bit PC/SJW oriented. 😉

            Just above the “Statistics” label on the right-side frame is an email address.

            Copy the time stamp of your post and email asking politely for it to be released.

            🙂

            10

            • #
              Greebo

              Ahh, thanks, never noticed that.

              [it is the word and that word will always be moderated because of the potential for abuse.] ED

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    • #
      joseph

      yep . . . . mine was boggling along even before to DMA’s post and now it’s gone full on boggle . . . .

      40

  • #
    Sean

    Boy, talk about giving someone enough rope to hang themselves. Climate alarmism is being described more in religious terms than ever before. Krugman’s arguments indicates he’s up to his arm pits in this quagmire. How extensive are the regressive taxes justified by this alarmism and does that bother this zealot in any way because it sure does bother the people forced to pay tribute to it.

    The biggest error true believers in climate alarmism have made was to hang onto the “no debate” strategy past about 2010 when the Democrats lost their majority in the US House of Representative shortly after the passage of the Waxman-Markey bill. Doubling down on “no debate” has seen serious erosion of support for climate mitigation strategies, particularly as the costs start showing up in people’s fuel and energy bills. Rather than try to honestly understand people who don’t subscribe to costly but ineffective mitigation strategies, he makes no argument just shrill personal attacks against anyone who won’t agree with him.

    All I can say is, please don’t tell him to stop or calm down. He’s likely become an extraordinary advocate for people who are skeptics of climate change. No one like to follow a thought leader whose gone off the deep end.

    80

  • #
    Ruairi

    Many countries with warmist regimes,
    Bowed to U.N. and globalist dreams,
    Warning mankind must act,
    On the Paris/France pact,
    As all three come apart at the seams.

    160

  • #
    pat

    Queensland’s ‘abnormal’ bushfires linked to climate change
    ABC Weather By Kate Doyle and Lucy Murray
    2 Dec 2018
    Bureau of Meteorology Queensland manager Bruce Gunn said records had tumbled in a week of widespread and protracted heatwave conditions, combined with catastrophic fire danger.
    “On Wednesday, Rockhampton Airport recorded catastrophic [fire] conditions for approximately three-and-a-half hours,” Mr Gunn said…
    Fire ecologist Philip Stewart said Queensland’s fires of the past few days were historically unusual…
    Dr Stewart said the intensity and the extent of the fires was abnormal, as was the time of year that they were occurring.
    He said they were “absolutely” a result of climate change.
    “Climate is a driver of wildfire and of fire full stop,” Dr Stewart said…
    Will fires like these become more common in the future?
    Dr Stewart said he did not have a crystal ball…

    read all the following:

    3 Dec: North Qld Register: Land clearing laws in Queensland hamper fire response
    by Jessica Johnston
    HIGH fuel loads on government land have exacerbated the risk on fire grounds around Central and North Queensland, landholders say…READ ALL
    https://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/5790915/fires-fuel-veg-management-debate/

    30

    • #
      WXcycles

      ” … Fire ecologist Philip Stewart said Queensland’s fires of the past few days were historically unusual… Dr Stewart said the intensity and the extent of the fires was abnormal, as was the time of year that they were occurring. … ”

      The beauty of the modern world of independent learning is you no longer need to listen to the ABC, for any reason whatsoever. Or to get a weather forecast from BOM (especially cyclone forecasts). Or to listen to the warped rantings of self-appointed experts from universities (who are all 3-months away from being smelly unemployable bums sleeping rough). Or to the perverse NGOs who work for assorted socialist/communist creeps. Or to the disgusting creeps at the UN, who always want us to eat crickets or grubs for some reason. Or to the nonsense that continually spews from perpetually anti-capitalist media-big-mouth ‘Economists’, who like to pretend to be ‘scientists’, and to speak for science, and martyr themselves in its sacred defence.

      Freedom from mainstream liars has arrived at the station, and it isn’t going away because the dominant liars to our society don’t like it when we won’t listen to them any longer.

      60

    • #
      theRealUniverse

      They tried that one (fires = globull warming) in California, unfortunately (for the catastrophicists) the graphs dont wear any unusual fire occurrences out of the normal infact fewer fires than previous periods. (see icecap.us)

      OOPS! here in the https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/30/excess-winter-deaths-in-england-and-wales-highest-since-1976
      theguardian Admitting winter kills people..oh my I though hotter summers did that.

      40

  • #
    Peter Fitzroy

    So you are against the just published National Climate Assessment and your attacks are on the man and not the message. I suppose your best bile will be also directed at David Attenborough now that he is forecasting the collapse of civilisation. I you have any references that are of the same caliber as the Climate Assessment, please post the links.

    417

    • #
    • #
      David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

      Same caliber as the Climate assessment?? I doubt anyone here would stoop so low.
      Sorry about the green thumb, I hesitated over a red, then headed to reply. I’m Cheers,
      Dave B

      61

    • #
      AndyG55

      Gees you are surely NEVER A SCIENTIST

      Just manic belief, despite ZERO EVIDENCE,

      Drink the AGW BS from people like Attenborough without a rational thought in your head.

      Do you REALLY “believe” everything he said, GULLIBLE !!!

      You really need to learn to recognise blatant propaganda when its shoved in your face.

      Some questions for…

      Q1. What do we “deny” about “climate change™” that has been scientifically proven?

      Q2. In what way has the global climate changed in the last 40 years that can be empirically and scientifically put down to human influence.

      Q3. Do you have any empirical evidence that atmospheric CO2 causes warming

      Do you have ANY REFERENCES AT ALL !!!

      It makes you look like a mindless idiot

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    • #
      AndyG55

      “So you are against the just published National Climate Assessment”

      Anyone with a functional mind MUST realise it is a load of over-the-top propaganda LIES, MISTRUTHS and is just a BRAIN-HOSED FANTASY, no science in it at all, just empty rhetoric.

      113

      • #
        OriginalSteve

        It occurs to me we have reached the stage now of being like your average Soviet citizen :

        They pretend to tell us the news, and we pretend to believe them…….

        50

    • #

      I’d just like to register my willingness to attack both man and message. We should not overlook the creepiness of the personalities of Big Green and just dwell on the globalist creepiness of their sinister eugenicist message.

      And a special mention for that test-pattern on legs, David Attenborough.

      80

    • #
      theRealUniverse

      @P Fitroy, Attenborough is either using or being used as a mouthpiece for the ‘agenda’ as he is internationally known for his documentary work on the natural world. Therefore he ‘must be right’ if he says so its TRUE!!!
      The calamity he talks about is TOTAL science bovine excreta!! PERIOD.

      82

    • #
      Mark D.

      NO Fitzroy! It’s because your G-damn made up “message” is making real people go BROKE. Real people die a COLD DEATH! YOU Fitzroy, have NO workable solution to the effects of your made up science and you insist that me and others pay UNFAIR taxes, unreal costs to STAY WARM.

      It’s MY RIGHT to live my life at about 98.6F and you Fitzroy are going to cause wars if you force me and others to go broke and live or die cold. Look at what is happening today in France! UK is possibly right behind with pensioners because they have no furniture left to burn up. You and your comments make you complicit in a farce that will cause people to die.

      Take that to the bank Fitzroy.

      63

  • #
    Jeff

    Krugman is an extremist fool who attributes all the world’s ills to the political right wing.

    Just five days after 9/11 terrorist attacks, Krugman argued in his column that calamity was “partly self-inflicted” due to transfer of responsibility for airport security from government to airlines.

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    • #
      toorightmate

      I am staggered by the fact that Paul Krugman has a job.
      On election night he pontificated loud and far that the DJIA would crash under Trump.
      Despite the market gymnastics of the last two weeks, the DJIA is way in excess of the level it was when Trump took the reins.
      If only that swamp was not so murky AND extensive.

      20

  • #
    pat

    COP24 moves from “green star power” to religious zeal:

    4 Dec: CruxNow: Cardinal tells COP24 climate needs present ‘challenge of civilization’
    by Jonathan Luxmoore, CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
    Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, addressed the conference, COP24, in Katowice, Poland, Dec. 3 and told participants, “We are standing before a challenge of civilization for the benefit of the common good.”…
    “We know what we can do, and what we have to do becomes an ethical imperative,” he told conference participants.

    The cardinal said COP24’s guidelines should have “a clear ethical foundation,” including “advancing the dignity of the human person, alleviating poverty and promoting integral human development,” with “transparent, efficient and dynamic” measures.
    “It is still possible to limit global warming, but to do so will require a clear, forward-looking and strong political will to promote as quickly as possible the process of transitioning to a model of development that is free from those technologies and behaviors that influence the over-production of greenhouse gas emissions,” Parolin said.

    Speaking at a Dec. 3 news conference, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said commitment to combat climate change was “felt in all religions,” and he praised the “very positive position” of Pope Francis on the issue.
    “If one is a believer and one believes the world is created by God, it must be terrible to see human beings destroying God’s creation,” Guterres added. “So, I think it’s perfectly normal that a religion that believes in the work of the Creator is totally against the destruction of the work of the Creator by human beings.”

    Josianne Gauthier, secretary-general of the Brussels-based CIDSE, a network of Catholic development agencies in Europe and North America, said Parolin’s statement had “set the tone” by echoing the hopes of Catholic groups…
    “Church representatives are meeting people constantly, lobbying decision-makers, and encouraging governments and states to have the courage of their convictions and push the agenda forward.”

    “After this very positive beginning, we now need everyone to step up with the kind of commitments public opinion is demanding and vulnerable countries (are) urgently needing, helped by the church’s moral leadership,” said Gauthier, a Canadian Catholic…

    Churches and religious groups are to stage a Dec. 8 climate march and joint “day of reflection, celebration and commitment renewal” Dec. 9 in Katowice’s Catholic cathedral, organized by the Katowice Archdiocese, CIDSE, Caritas Internationalis, Franciscans International and the Global Catholic Climate Movement…

    The Catholic Church in Poland, which has been criticized in news reports for relying for 80 percent of its energy on coal, circulated a special prayer for COP24 to all parishes and appealed to Catholics to offer spiritual support to climate change campaigners.
    https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2018/12/04/cardinal-tells-cop24-climate-needs-present-challenge-of-civilization/

    30

  • #
    Bill In Oz

    I saw the Krugman crap in the Age. Why in the name of hell is the Age publishing such stuff ? And it was publshied in the US. It is a disgrace to real journalism.

    Anyone disagreeing with him is evil ?
    No he is evil for writing such crap. The Age is complicit for reprinting such crap.

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    • #
      theRealUniverse

      Most ‘rags’ these days like the SMH and the Age and others are full of ‘cut and paste’ journos, no research needed , just basic education so you can drive word and a spell checker, then past articles from elsewhere, usually agendas pre-prepared.

      21

  • #
    pat

    COP24 – a mere 229 less attending than at Paris, according to “provisional lists”;
    Côte d’Ivoire has 284 less delegates this time, so that accounts for far more than the 229 drop in numbers:

    4 Dec: Carbon Brief: Analysis: Which countries have sent the most delegates to COP24?
    by Robert McSweeney
    At Paris, there was a provisional list of around 15,000 participants present on behalf of a particular country, or “party” – plus another 8,000 unofficial delegates – while at last year’s COP in Bonn, there were around 11,300 participants…

    According to the provisional list (pdf) published by the UNFCCC, there is a grand total of 22,771 registered participants at COP24. This includes 13,898 people representing specific parties, 7,331 from observer organisations – such as scientists, business groups and various non-governmental organisations – and 1,541 journalists.
    At just under 14,000, the total number of party delegates is smaller than in Paris, but larger than in Bonn last year.

    As in recent years, the largest delegations tend to be sent by African countries, with the Top 3 largest delegations from COP23 in Bonn also featuring in the Top 5 this year.
    Leading the table at COP24 is Guinea with 406 delegates. This is 86 fewer than they sent last year, but still puts it in first place with 169 more people than the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in second. In third are the hosts of this year’s COP – Poland – with 211 delegates.
    Making up the rest of the Top 5 is Côte d’Ivoire – whose delegation of 208 people rather than 492 last year sees it drop from first place to fourth – and Indonesia with 191.

    After Poland, the next largest European delegation is France, in sixth place with 188 people. Germany comes in 10th with 153 and the European Union (which is considered a party at COPs) is 25th with 83. The UK’s delegation of 52 people is the 40th largest in Katowice and seven more than it brought to COP23.

    The US delegation has 44 members – four fewer than in Bonn last year and less than half the number that went to the Paris COP. As for the rest of North America, both Canada and Mexico have reduced their delegations from last year – bringing 126 delegates rather than 161 and 33 rather than 60, respectively. Also seeing a reduction in delegation size is Brazil, with 107 delegates rather than 128…

    CHART: ALL COUNTRIES – DELEGATES BY GENDER

    On average, party delegations at COP24 are split 63% male to 37% female, which is almost identical to the 62%-38% split at COP23 in Bonn.
    https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-countries-sent-most-delegates-cop24

    30

  • #
    pat

    Krugman is not a reality-based reporter – he’s all ideological:

    4 Dec: Financial Times: Smoke clouds obscure India’s solar revolution
    Analysts warn that ambitious expansion drive is losing momentum
    by Simon Mundy in Mumbai
    The country, with a population exceeding 1.3bn and annual per capita income below $2,000, has become the world’s fastest-growing big economy…

    But while India’s annual economic growth — about 7 per cent over the past two years — promises to lift millions out of poverty, environmentalists have warned that unless the country changes its energy mix dramatically, it could have dire consequences for the global climate. Plentiful domestic coal reserves has meant India has long relied overwhelmingly on the highly polluting fossil fuel to power its economy…

    “For a while, everything was looking so good,” says Tim Buckley, director at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. “But the government policy has gone from very clear to very confused.”

    The conditions for Mr Modi’s bold pledge were created in China, where surging production of solar panels led to dramatic price falls — meaning solar power producers in India could compete on cost with coal-fired electricity…
    Optimism around India’s solar push has taken a hit over the past year, however…

    The government has imposed a two-year “safeguard duty” on solar panel imports, in an effort to boost local production. But this means potential producers would again face competition from low-cost imports after just two years — making it unlikely to jump-start domestic solar panel manufacturing, warns Ankur Agarwal of India Ratings & Research, a credit-rating agency.

    In fact, the past year has brought a sudden decline in bids for projects as investors respond to the higher cost of imported panels…
    “It’s really an own goal,” Mr Buckley says, estimating that there will be solar investments worth $7bn-$9bn in India this year, instead of the $20bn predicted before the safeguard duty was introduced…

    However, there is increasing scepticism about solar’s chances of hitting the 2022 target of 100,000MW, given that installed capacity is currently only a quarter of this…

    ***“India’s energy transition is well under way,” says Kanika Chawla, at New Delhi’s Council on Energy, Environment and Water. “But in terms of the government’s priorities, reducing energy poverty comes above cleaning up the energy system.”

    ***The sheer abundance of domestic coal, she adds — as well as continued limitations on storage of solar power — mean that coal-fired generation will remain a big part of India’s electricity mix for the foreseeable future…
    https://www.ft.com/content/d77ed284-e41f-11e8-a8a0-99b2e340ffeb

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    theRealUniverse

    Its a travesty (to the klimatraiate) that the climate ‘truthers’ might be right and possibly win (we all hope). So the tactic is to try to stick pins in us, hoping we will be denigrated like war criminals.

    Not to worry forces well beyond human control will show the truth.

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    pat

    3 Dec: CleanTechnica: COP24 Off To A Rocky Start As Previous Leaders Call For “Unequivocal Message”
    by Joshua S. Hill
    (Joshua S Hill bio – I’m a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we’re pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review.co.uk)

    Straight out of the gate, however, the opening plenary was delayed on Sunday in part because of a request from Turkey to downgrade its status to that of “developing country” — a move intended to soften Turkey’s responsibilities. Developed countries — those listed in the Convention as Annex I countries — are expected to contribute more to climate financing and emission reductions than developing nations. The COP presidency agreed to schedule consultations on Turkey’s proposal.

    Similarly distracting from the core purposes of the Conference is the position of host country Poland regarding its reliance upon coal for its electricity generation…
    According to the World Energy Council, Poland consumes 77 million tonnes of coal per year, making it the tenth-largest coal consumer in the world and the second-largest in the EU, after Germany, securing 92% of its electricity and 89% of its heat from coal.
    Unfortunately, it would appear Poland has arrived at the Conference fully intent on ensuring everyone knows it is not ashamed of its coal use, considering that its own pavilion design ethos is prioritizing coal: VIDEO
    TWEET: ***Pascoe Sabido: So Polish exhibition stand is literally made of coal. Points for authenticity.

    This comes after the United States continued to impose its gravity on the Conference, promising to put on a literal coal sideshow on the sidelines of the event only days after it was revealed that the US had been responsible for a dramatic watering-down of the joint communique (PDF) published at the end of last week’s 13th meeting of Group of Twenty (G20) held in Buenos Aires, Argentina…

    Similarly commenting on the necessary outcomes from COP24, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve explained that “We expect to see a way forward to upgrading action on climate prior to 2020, as our representatives promised in Paris. But the choice of fossil fuel companies to sponsor the conference casts a long-shadow over such hopes.”…

    “We’re on a fast road to suffering unless we act now. People are already dying from the impacts of climate change,” added Greenpeace’s head of delegation at COP24 Jens Mattias Clausen.
    “The window of opportunity is open – but only just. Climate science still provides hope, but the time for political talk has long gone. People are clamouring for action. Children are walking out of schools, the vulnerable are calling for justice or launching lawsuits and communities are standing up to defend their forests. Which leader will stand with them and deliver them reasons for hope?”
    https://cleantechnica.com/2018/12/03/cop24-off-to-a-rocky-start-as-previous-leaders-call-for-unequivocal-message/

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      pat

      ***Pascoe Sabido – whose tweet is in the Clean Technica piece – has a good Twitter feed to follow. he is hunting down fossil fuellers at COP24.

      Twitter: Pascoe Sabido, Exposing the power of corporate lobbying in the EU for Corporate Europe Observatory, but all diatribes my own

      3 Dec: The Heartland Institute, which includes some of the most strident #climatechange deniers, and which has been funded by Exxon Mobil and the Koch brothers, is holding a 4-hr webinar tomorrow near the @COP24 to present its findings on global warming.

      14h ago: Wow. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce is already serving wine and its not even midday!

      16h ago: PIC: Activists call for an immediate moratorium on fossil fuel investments at #COP24 – People’s Demands being heard inside the halls of power. They’re incompatible with the current demands of Big Polluters who are writing the #ParisRulebook

      3 Dec: PIC: You couldn’t make this stuff up… #coal soap. How to make coal clean. Or not.

      3 Dec: re-tweets UKYCC TWEET: PIC: When we say the influence of coal and corporate sponsorship at #COP24 is all around us. We also mean literally! The Katowice Pavillion features genuine coal. What a symbol to send to the world…

      3 Dec: Side event happening right now in the #EU pavilion on “emissions-free coal-based power plant with a component for grid energy storage and energy recovery in the LNG regasification process”. The thing screaaaaams #falsesolution #dangerousdistraction #COP24

      2 Dec: PIC: For a full list of IETA #COP24 business hub events check out their programme (PDF):
      ***Surprising to see @climatehome also partnering, and having a whole morning of side events there – interested to know what the deal was exactly? 3/

      followup:
      2 Dec: .@IETA care to explain? using someone’s logo without their permission AND including them in your programme…
      TWEET: Climate Home: Thanks for pointing this out. Our logo is being used without permission and we are not holding any events in their pavilion

      PIC: IETA members supporting the #COP24 business hub include @Shell @GasNaturally @Chevron @GlobalCCS – and they’re all putting on events pushing false solutions like failed carbon markets and the unproven and extortionately expensive carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) 2/

      PIC: SPOTTED: The International Emissions Trading Association business hub @ #COP24. A lounge area PLUS conference rooms!
      Bigger than most country pavilions! 1/

      2 Dec: PIC: FOUND IT! After a day searching high and low, I’ve found the the other list of #COP24 sponsors (this time called ‘partners’).

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    Mark D.

    Gowaaaad do I Have to say how MUCH I HATE despise THE DUMBASS Krugman?

    Useless POTrash

    Never been right; check.
    Never been thoughtful; check.
    Never known much at all about anything except how to gain “sustainable employment” check
    Never been able to make sense of complicated economic situations (i.e. been wrong) check

    Never been Right. check, chad, check again.

    Yes I think Australia should avoid all things Krugmon ALL! THINGS PAUL KRUGMAN!

    PS Caps brought to you by my pal Andy. 🙂

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    pat

    4 Dec: WaPo: France’s protesters are part of a global backlash against climate change taxes
    by Steven Mufson and James McAuley (McAuley reported from Paris)
    The single most effective weapon in the fight against climate change is the tax code — imposing costs on those who emit greenhouse gases, economists say. But as French President Emmanuel Macron learned over the past three weeks, implementing such taxes can be politically explosive.
    On Tuesday, France delayed for six months a plan to raise already steep taxes on diesel fuel by 24 cents a gallon and gasoline by about 12 cents a gallon. Macron argued that the taxes were needed to curb climate change by weaning motorists off petroleum products, but violent demonstrations in the streets of Paris and other French cities forced him to backtrack — at least for now.
    “No tax is worth putting in danger the unity of the nation,” said Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, who was trotted out to announce the concession…

    It was a setback for the French president, who has been trying to carry the torch of climate action in the wake of the Paris accords of December 2015. “When we talk about the actions of the nation in response to the challenges of climate change, we have to say that we have done little,” he said last week.
    Macron is hardly alone in his frustration. Leaders in the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere have found their carbon pricing efforts running into fierce opposition. But the French reversal was particularly disheartening for climate-policy experts, because it came just as delegates from around the world were gathering in Katowice, Poland, for a major conference designed to advance climate measures.

    “Like everywhere else, the question in France is how to find a way of combining ecology and equality,” said Bruno Cautrès, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. “Citizens mostly see punitive public policies when it comes to the environment: taxes, more taxes and more taxes after that. No one has the solution, and we can only see the disaster that’s just occurred in France on this question.”
    “Higher taxes on energy have always been a hard sell, politically,” said N. Gregory Mankiw, an economics professor at Harvard University and advocate of carbon taxes. “The members of the American Economic Association are convinced of their virtue. But the median citizen is not.”…

    President Bill Clinton proposed a tax on the heat content of fuels as part of his first budget in 1993. Known as the BTU tax, for British thermal unit, it would have raised $70 billion over five years while increasing gasoline prices no more than 7.5 cents a gallon.
    But Clinton was forced to retreat in the face of a rebellion in his own party. “I’m not going to vote for a BTU tax in committee or on the floor, ever, anywhere. Period. Exclamation point,” said then-Sen. David L. Boren (D-Okla.)…
    The state of Washington has also tried — and failed twice — to win support for a carbon tax or carbon “fee.” …

    To be sure, ***some climate-conscious countries have adopted carbon taxes, including Chile, Spain, Ukraine, Ireland and nations in Scandinavia…
    Only around 12 percent of global emissions are covered by pricing programs such as taxes on the carbon content of fossil fuels or permit trading programs that put a price on emissions, according to the International Monetary Fund…

    Policy experts say that to some extent the prospects of carbon taxes may depend on what happens to the money raised.
    Using the revenue ***for deficit reduction, as was planned in France, is a no-no…
    Paul Bledsoe, a former Senate Finance Committee staffer and Clinton White House climate adviser: “Macron’s approach put the money toward deficit reduction, stoking already simmering class grievances.”…

    Last year, a group of economists and policy experts — including former treasury secretaries James A. Baker III and Lawrence H. Summers and former secretary of state George P. Shultz — advocated a tax-and-dividend approach…The revenue would be used to pay dividends to households. Progressive tax rates would mean more money for lower- and middle-income earners…
    So far the group, called the Climate Leadership Council, has not been able to generate much support from members of Congress…

    Climate policy doesn’t only suffer from lack of enthusiasm. It also arouses the ire of right-wing populist movements. Many of the people most angry at Macron’s tax come from right-wing rural areas. The German right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany has called climate change a hoax. And in Brazil, a new populist president had indicated he will develop, not preserve, the Amazon forests that pull CO2 out of the air and pump out oxygen…

    President Trump, who has said he does not believe climate science, also took to Twitter to say Macron’s setback showed Trump was right to spurn the Paris climate agreement.

    “I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago. The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters in the world,” he wrote. “American taxpayers — and American workers — shouldn’t pay to clean up others countries’ pollution.”…

    A member of Trump’s beachhead transition team at the Energy Department also took to Twitter to celebrate the collapse of Macron’s fuel tax plan.

    “It’s easy for politicians like #Macron to lecture us about #ClimateChange because the elites don’t notice the economic hit. Working class people do. Working class French people are ANGRY about unnecessarily higher fuel taxes that are only a #virtuesignal,” wrote Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research — a group funded in the past by Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute and Exxon Mobil.

    Jason Bordoff, director of the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, said the celebration “would be reading too much into what’s happening in France.” That’s because Macron was already seen as favoring the rich over the working class, he said…

    On the heels of the French government’s abrupt reversal on fuel taxes Tuesday, (popular climate change activist and Macron’s former environment minister Nicholas) Hulot praised what he couched as a necessary political maneuver, albeit one that was not good for the environment.
    “I welcome a necessary, inescapable, courageous and common sense decision in the current context, which saddens everyone,” he said, speaking on France’s RTL radio. But, he added, there would probably be consequences from the popular uprisings against the diesel taxes, which the government has now suspended for six months.
    “All that is not good news for the climate,” he said.
    The key, said Hulot, is not to impose action on climate change in a technocratic way, in a way that ordinary people do not understand. “The ecological challenge shouldn’t be against the French,” he said.
    (???)“We need every Frenchwoman and Frenchman. On that, there is obviously a huge amount of misperceptions and misunderstandings.”
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/frances-protesters-are-part-of-a-global-backlash-against-climate-change-taxes/2018/12/04/08365882-f723-11e8-863c-9e2f864d47e7_story.html?utm_term=.3b50a4a6d893

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      el gordo

      Policy experts say they are drips under pressure.

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      RickWill

      The French government are just silly levelling a tax on fuel. They need to take a leaf out of Australia’s song book. No tax, rather a government sanctioned massive scam of taking money from the financially disadvantaged and handing it over to those with financial resources.

      My suggestion is to create CFTCs (Carbon Free Transport Certificate) that petrol retailers need to buy in proportion to the petrol they sell. Each CFTC is the equivalent of 1 tonne of unburned carbon and initially priced to transfer 10% of all petrol and diesel sales to buyers of electric cars but gradually increasing by 1% per year to reach 20% by 2030. Like Australia’s RET it could be wrapped up as an effective way to reduce carbon although it won’t of course. The benefit to the purchaser of the electric car would be to roughly cut the cost by 40%. So you get the influential cashed up group in society, taking government sanctioned payments from those without resources, to benefit from the scheme.

      Government orchestrated transfer (theft) from poor to wealthy is far more palatable than levelling a broad based tax on fuel that goes to government.

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    pat

    still trying to grab the money:

    4 Dec: WaPo: ‘A kind of dark realism’: Why the climate change problem is starting to look too big to solve
    By Steven Mufson
    Solar panels are being nailed to rooftops, colossal wind turbines bestride the plains and oceans, and a million electric vehicles are on U.S. roads — and it isn’t enough. Even if the world did an unlikely series of about-faces — halting deforestation, going vegetarian, paying $50 a ton carbon taxes, boosting energy efficiency, doubling car mileage, and more — it would not be enough.
    “There’s no silver bullet,” said Andrew Jones, co-founder of the modeling firm Climate Interactive. “There’s silver buckshot: many actions in many domains.”…

    William Nordhaus, the Yale University professor who just won the Nobel Prize for his work on the economics of climate change, recently described his outlook like this: “I never use the word ‘pessimism’; I always use the word ‘realism,’ but I’d say it’s a kind of dark realism today.”…

    It’s not that corporations and governments haven’t attacked the problem or made breathtaking advances in energy technology. The cost of solar has plunged 78 percent for utility-scale projects since 2010. Over the same period, the cost of wind electricity fell nearly a quarter; the biggest turbines offshore now have arms weighing roughly 35 tons each that stretch nearly two football fields across.

    Even China is making some progress…
    Nordhaus advocates a whopping carbon tax, which the Climate Interactive model shows would kill off most coal, sharply reduce driving and boost purchases of more fuel efficient vehicles.
    Getting such a carbon tax adopted in the United States, however, is hard to imagine…

    In France, President Emmanuel Macron has ignited protests by proposing fuel taxes he says are needed to fight climate change. “One cannot be on Monday for the environment,” Macron said, “and on Tuesday against the increase of fuel prices.”…

    ***In an email, Nordhaus said that hitting the 2-degree target would require global carbon dioxide prices of about $250 a ton in 2020, and rising rapidly after that. “This assumes that all major countries are onboard and that economies can handle a large fiscal and trade shock in which energy expenditures rise by about $2 trillion in a few years.”…

    There’s lots of carbon to absorb. The world will need to sustain consumers’ habits and living standards while replacing the energy industry’s massive infrastructure. Every day, the world burns about 100 million barrels, or 4.2 billion gallons, of oil — up about 2 percent from the year before.

    Most of that goes into the gasoline tanks of cars and trucks; there are nearly 270 million on the road in the United States alone. The average age of those cars is 11.6 years, according to the Transportation Department, meaning that replacing the fleet with more-efficient or electric vehicles would take a long time…
    In November, the number of electric vehicles in the United States hit the 1 million mark. But that was three years later than President Barack Obama’s target, first issued in 2009…

    The math on coal is just as grim. Global coal consumption is running at more than 5 billion tons annually. In the United States alone, coal fills 4.4 million rail cars every year. Closing down U.S. and European coal-fired power plants, which are 40 years old on average, could happen, but the average age of coal plants in Asia is just 11 years.
    “Most emissions linked to energy infrastructure are already essentially locked-in,” the International Energy Agency said in its November World Energy Outlook…

    In November, Vestas, the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, and MHI, a unit of Mitsubishi, announced it would provide 23 of its new biggest turbines to a project in the Belgian North Sea. The massive turbines can power 137,471 German homes, the company said.
    Yet the number of German dwellings grew by 245,000 in 2017.

    Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden noted in 2014 that solar and wind provide about 1 percent of the world’s energy. “How on earth do we think that 1 percent is going to become 90 percent of a system twice as big as what it is by the middle of the century?” he asked. “Whether you like it or not, it won’t happen.”…
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-kind-of-dark-realism-why-the-climate-change-problem-is-starting-to-look-too-big-to-solve/2018/12/03/378e49e4-e75d-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html?utm_term=.72efebe03ad0

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      David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

      G!day Pat,
      “It’s not enough”…
      Just as well there’s no problem anyway.
      Cheers,
      Dave B

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    pat

    time to start all over again!

    4 Dec: Financial Times: The answer to climate change lies in technology and engineering
    It should be scientists, not politicians, who gather to combat carbon emissions
    by Nick Butler
    Plan A has failed — there is no effective global deal to manage the risks of climate change. So what is Plan B?

    Twenty years of conferences, reports, intergovernmental meetings, public debate and most important mounting evidence of the early effects of climate change have failed to control or seriously mitigate the risks. It is time to go back to the Paris climate change agreement and think again.

    The reality is simple and undisputed — hydrocarbons continue to supply about 80 per cent of global energy needs each day, just as they did 10 or 20 years ago. The only difference is that the absolute amounts behind this percentage have grown. As a result the amount of carbon emitted continues to rise — CO2 emissions are more than 40 per cent higher than they were in 2000, according to figures produced by the International Energy Agency…
    The situation is serious and getting worse. There is no world government and nationalism is the strongest political force of our times — and so there is no viable collaborative mechanism for tackling global problems…

    Historically, political co-operation has not been the source of all or even most of the answers to the world’s great challenges. Medical science rather than politics has largely eradicated polio or other diseases. Nor did politics produce the technologies that led to the “green revolution” in agricultural productivity which has made food available to more of the world’s 7.2bn citizens.
    The answer to climate change will come, if it comes at all, from science, technology and engineering. That should be the subject of the discussion now — it should be scientists rather than politicians who regularly gather to formulate solutions to the challenge…

    The first question for them to address is how to focus the numerous efforts being made. Everyone has a favourite priority and the world’s scientific academies should organise the debate and make the choices…

    If some states decline to participate, too bad. A coalition of the willing is better than no coalition at all. The exercise should not repeat the mistakes of the political debate over the past 20 years by always waiting for the slowest to catch up.

    ***The next question is how the science should be funded. The best answer is to pool resources. Why not establish an investment fund open to subscriptions from both the public and the private sector?…
    If additional funds are needed, why not offer individuals and companies a tax deduction of 110 per cent against income for investments in such a fund?…

    No one can predict the results of scientific work, but it is surely better to do something more instead of simply ploughing on with a strategy which has failed. The UN-backed Conference of the Parties, as it gathers this week for the COP 24 in Poland, should start by accepting that reality…
    As the clock ticks and the risks grow, it is time to try a different tack.
    https://www.ft.com/content/73e78812-f309-11e8-938a-543765795f99

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      David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

      G’day again Pat,
      It’s amazing that they can speak such truth!
      ” The situation is serious and getting worse. ” True.
      We are getting too many people indoctrinated in this global warming garbage, and/or profiteering from it.
      Cheers,
      Dave B

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    pat

    by Nigel Lawson’s son, Dominic:

    4 Dec: Daily Mail: DOMINIC LAWSON: Why it’s hard not to gloat at the travails of the strutting French president who called Brexiteers liars
    By Dominic Lawson
    We mustn’t gloat about the public uprising in Paris. Some of it has involved setting fire to buildings. And there are some pretty unpleasant types among the demonstrators.
    But when I consider how much of a blow this might be to President Macron’s plans to exploit Brexit at the UK’s expense, I can’t help but feel a frisson of schadenfreude

    Macron, a former banker, had set out to persuade the British financial sector to move en masse from London to Paris, partly on the argument that the French capital would be a much more congenial place to live, after the City of London had been cut out of the regulatory embrace and privileges of the European single market.
    He had been having some success. The latest annual survey by Wealth-X showed Paris beating London for the first time in the number of ‘ultra-high net worth’ people choosing to move there: ‘London lost ground mainly as a result of the growth of 17.7 per cent in the ultra-wealthy population of Paris.’…

    This is chiefly the result of Macron scrapping France’s wealth tax on all items apart from property assets and abolishing the top marginal band of payroll tax.
    The editor of the French financial daily, Les Echos, observed that ‘Macron has effectively halved the tax paid by the very wealthy’ and had been ‘doing a belly dance to attract wealthy Londoners to Paris’.
    No wonder so many French people call him ‘The President of the Rich’…

    Macron has made himself the hero of the international green lobby by denouncing President Trump’s abrogation of the Paris Accord on climate change (declaring ‘We have no Planet B’) and by introducing swingeing increases in fuel taxes.
    Over the past 12 months the price of diesel in France has risen by almost 25 per cent…
    For all the chaos in British politics as a result of the struggle to get Brexit through Parliament, Theresa May is more popular in Britain than Macron is in France…

    He has, more than any other European leader, expressed his own political vision as a direct rebuke to the idea of national self-assertion (making him a hero to British anti Brexit campaigners).
    At the Salzburg EU summit in September, Macron denounced the British politicians behind Brexit as ‘liars’ — a most unusual intervention in a gathering where leaders are not meant to take sides in the debates of neighbouring countries.
    The point is, however, that, especially in rural France, for which the president has such apparent contempt, the EU is not at all popular, and Frexit would have mass support.
    I got a sense of this from my father, Nigel Lawson, who has for many years lived in South West France…
    Macron understands this very well. When interviewed by the BBC’s Andrew Marr in January, and asked if the French people would also have voted to leave the EU if given the chance in a referendum, Macron replied: ‘Yes. Probably.’…
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-6452607/DOMINIC-LAWSON-hard-not-gloat-travails-pompous-French-president.html

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      pat

      uhoh, what bad timing:

      2 Dec: WSJ Op-ed: Mobilize the Private Sector to Avert a Climate Crash
      Government leadership is crucial. But companies must accelerate investment in green solutions.
      By ***Emmanuel Macron and Andrew Holness (Prime Minister of Jamaica)
      The 24th annual United Nations Climate Change conference begins Monday in Katowice, Poland. We have a formidable task before us. New data show that climate change may be even worse than we thought when the Paris Climate Agreement was ratified three years ago. Our objective is to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and down to zero by 2050.

      The world only has a few years to change course. The planet is on track to heat up 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. This could raise sea levels by more than a meter and — coupled with increased coral bleaching events — render some islands unlivable. Extreme droughts, floods, wildfires and famine will occur with increasing frequency across the globe, threatening population centers like San Francisco, Bombay, Ho Chi Minh City and Abidjan. Climate change could also cause the migration of more than 140 million people worldwide.

      In September, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres gave our two countries a mandate to accelerate “climate finance” — investments that will promote green energy, mitigate the impact of climate change, and help the most vulnerable countries adapt. Our aim is to mobilize public and private actors to provide additional funding and develop solutions to the climate crisis.

      While government leadership on climate is essential, 70% of world economic activity is in the private sector. Humanity’s ability to correct course depends on how quickly companies adapt. The ones that will thrive in the long run are those that innovate green solutions and create jobs for a low-carbon future.

      The One Planet Summit initiative, launched December 2017 in Paris, shows how a coalition of state and nonstate actors can build more-resilient societies. An example of its success: the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, which has gathered 27 countries and 40 global companies to help fund renewable energy projects in the Caribbean.

      In July, the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund Initiative also made significant progress. Six of the world’s largest asset owners, representing more than 3% of financial markets, published a set of principles they are using to factor climate issues into their investment decisions. This has increased demand for a commercial response to climate change across the investment chain.

      In the coming months, we call on governments, the global business community and financial executives to work with us to help build on these successes with three objectives in mind: First, mobilize public investments in combination with private capital flows to support vulnerable countries and communities. Second, ask companies how they manage climate risks while anticipating the opportunities of a low-carbon future. Third, promote standardized methods for climate-related disclosure and investment decision-making.

      The private sector must be prepared to get in the front seat with world governments to avert a climate crash. In September 2019, major government and corporate leaders will convene for another U.N.-sponsored climate conference in New York. Let’s seize this opportunity to help land planet Earth safely.
      https://www.wsj.com/articles/mobilize-the-private-sector-to-avert-a-climate-crash-1543786196

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        AndyG55

        “This could raise sea levels by more than a meter and — coupled with increased coral bleaching events “

        WOW, the stupid it BURNS.

        Bleaching comes from over-exposure to sunlight.

        Raised sea level will REDUCE that.

        DOH !!!

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          Serp

          Logic has no traction in the realm inhabited by wishful thinkers and if you keep this up they’ll mark you down for shipping off to a re-education facility for smartarses.

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    Tides of Mudgee

    Just in case anyone was in any doubt about the bias in some of this country’s newspapers, this reply to an email to the Letters department of the Sydney Morning Herald questioning why all their printed Letters to the Editor were supportive of the warmist ideal, never any from an opposing standpoint.

    “The Herald does not support the views of climate change denialists, because most of the world’s scientists support the evidence that shows climate change is real.

    “Our policy in the letters pages is not to publish the views of people who claim climate change is not occurring. This is a policy we announced last year and published in the Herald with the support of the editor-in-chief.”

    This is from May 2015 and apologies for the passage of time, but am only new to posting on this site, having been a reader and a sceptic, denier, non-gullible for some long time, but have had this email filed ready to reveal. ToM

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      theRealUniverse

      “The Herald does not support the views of climate change denialists, because most of the world’s scientists support the evidence that shows climate change is real…”

      How stupid, climate always changes, its human caused ‘globull warmung’ that is total BS.
      So that statement is meaningless.

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      the adorable Gee Ayeeee

      With the like of the banned from this site D*** Co***n it is perfectly understandable. Imagine the quality of the “debate” if his or AndyG’s comments were published unfettered. Basically you’ve soiled your own reputation by tolerating nonsense and abuse just because the abuser is on your “side”. Great team mates.

      Ray from time cube was banned too

      In 1884, meridian time personnel met
      in Washington to change Earth time.
      First words said was that only 1 day
      could be used on Earth to not change
      the 1 day marshmallow.

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      • #
        el gordo

        Andy has a robust style, but he chooses his words judicially. Oh wait, look over there, Anthony Albanese …

        “There isn’t a gathering place where people have a drink after work,” Albanese says. “They can get pretty isolated in these corridors.

        “I think, quite often, this can reinforce a sense that people believe things to be true that aren’t necessarily the case.”

        Guardian

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      • #
        robert rosicka

        Gee a clone or the real thing ? Going by your scribble making no sense I’m thinking the former but the question remains why have two personalities? Ahh Gee and then it strikes me that you haven’t been taking your meds have you ?

        44

        • #
          the adorable Gee Ayeeee

          Robert. Whenever you write, “making no sense”. I know you mean, “it’s too complicated”.

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          • #
            philthegeek

            Robert. Whenever you write, “making no sense”. I know you mean, “it’s too complicated”.

            Oh dear…AngryG55 will trigger into rapid fire abusive post mode in 5.4.3…2……

            🙂

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          • #
            el gordo

            I had a look at the conference in 1884 and it was pretty ordinary, and I fail to see what time has to do with global warming.

            Whereas the origin of language is definitely a climate change story.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_language

            My guess is that it first developed through sing songs, what do you reckon?

            10

            • #
              Another Ian

              el gordo

              ” and I fail to see what time has to do with global warming.”

              Easy – its time is running out

              40

          • #
            AndyG55

            “I know you mean, “it’s too complicated”.”

            Its all too complicated for you, that is for certain, little GeeUp !

            73

      • #
        AndyG55

        I have never been rude to anyone that doesn’t deserve it..

        You come here purely to troll and make mindless comments, but can’t take it when someone gives a bit back and draws attention to your waste-of-space.

        So hilariously pathetic. Your reputation was already mud, you have just made it worse.

        The AGW agenda that you and your fellow trolls are an apologists for, threatens to bring down society as we know it, and you expect people to be polite ??? Really !!

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      • #
        AndyG55

        Yep, imagine what would happen on an AGW site if these 3 questions were posted

        (although they would never be allowed.. too complicated.) 😉

        Q1. What do we “deny” about “climate change™” that has been scientifically proven?

        Q2. In what way has the global climate changed in the last 40 years that can be empirically and scientifically put down to human influence.

        Q3. Do you have any empirical evidence that atmospheric CO2 causes warming

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      • #
        philthegeek

        See..the countdown didn’t even get properly past 3. 🙂

        53

        • #
          robert rosicka

          I think it’s high time we ignore the rantings of the brainwashed believers unless of course they want to cough up some evidence to back up their claims .
          Of course that’s not going to happen because faith needs no proof .

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        • #
          AndyG55

          Sweet dreams… OF ME, you poor little child..

          42

    • #
      Greebo

      So much for “Independent Always”. Or is it only the Guardian on the Yarra that espouses that? That ‘indictment’ ( I’m sure they’d object ) should be shouted from the rooftops.

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  • #
    WXcycles

    “… Why is Krugman sticking pins into Denier Dolls? It makes him feel better. …”

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob Bovine spongiform encephalopathy?

    Or just garden-variety chronic relevance-deprivation disorder?

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  • #
    theRealUniverse

    But there are almost no good-faith climate-change deniersalarmists.
    Krugman is a small minded idiot, that follows the Malthusian humans must be eliminated to ‘save’ the planet mantra.

    30

  • #
    dp

    You know they are out of intellectual arguments when they cave in like this and refuse to engage. Krugman’s empty head is exposed for the world to see. The intellectual emperor has no ideas.

    70

  • #
    pat

    only by ditching Paris will this nonsense stop. all these NGOs need to crawl into a cave and take a rest:

    3 Dec: DeSmogUK: UK Credit Agency Investigated Over Fossil Fuel Investments
    By Mat Hope and Chloe Farand
    A government credit agency tasked with bolstering the UK’s export opportunities is to be investigated by parliament over its ongoing support of fossil fuel projects.
    The House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), chaired by Labour MP Mary Creagh, is launching an inquiry into the UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) activities in light of the UK’s climate commitments under the government’s Clean Growth Strategy…

    UKEF has made a number of controversial investments in recent years.
    Just two days after scientists warned that immediate and drastic action was needed to curb emissions to prevent global warming of more than 1.5 degrees, UKEF announced its support for a multi-billion pound oil refinery in Bahrain. And earlier this year, UKEF announced plans to support a “high risk” multi-billion pound oil refinery in Oman…

    A joint investigation by Greenpeace’s investigation unit Unearthed and Private Eye found that UKEF had provided fossil fuel companies with £4.8 billion in financial support between 2010 and 2017.

    The Labour Party last month adopted a new policy regarding UKEF’s strategy (LINK) and pledged to “promote UK Export Finance support for the energy sector towards low-carbon projects in place of its overwhelming support for fossil fuel projects in previous years”…

    Adam McGibbon, climate change campaigner at NGO Global Witness welcomed the inquiry. He said:
    “A parliamentary inquiry into UK Export Finance’s sky-high fossil fuel support is long overdue. The UK government’s support for fossil fuels is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and with physical science.”
    “At least 80 percent of all proven fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground in order to stop genocidal climate breakdown. There is no case for continued export finance support for fossil fuels, and we are confident that Members of Parliament will see that when they look at the evidence.”…

    A UKEF spokesperson said:
    “The UK’s priority, at home and abroad, is to encourage international opportunities for UK businesses – ensuring they can build fruitful relationships with overseas partners.”…ETC
    https://www.desmog.co.uk/2018/12/03/uk-credit-agency-investigated-over-fossil-fuel-investments

    back at home:

    4 Dec: Daily Mail: Making North Sea oil last additional generation `key to climate change targets´
    By Press Association
    The research into the future of the offshore oil and gas sector argues the UK’s “comparative advantage in offshore technology” should help form part of a long-term energy strategy, along with carbon capture projects and a focus on hydrogen power.
    A combination of reduced energy demand and the changing energy sources mean the UK has already met its carbon emission reduction target for 2020, according to the report.
    But setting out a longer term strategy, it highlights the need for the industry to embrace innovation and says “developing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS) and the hydrogen economy based on oil and gas industry expertise has the potential to make the UK a global leader.”…

    The findings of the report will be presented by its author Will Webster, energy policy manager at Oil & Gas UK, on Tuesday morning…
    Ahead of the speech, Mr Webster said: “This report demonstrates industry’s key role in the energy transition and reinforces that Vision 2035, industry’s ambition to add a generation of production to the UK North Sea and double the export opportunity for the supply chain, is critical in achieving the balance between delivering our climate change targets and ensuring security of energy supply.
    “As the report shows, despite the rapid advances in lower carbon technologies there is ongoing demand for oil and gas in several key areas including transport and domestic heating.
    “A total of 80% of the UK’s 27 million homes are heated by gas, demonstrating the long-term importance of our industry in ensuring security of energy supply.
    “A lower carbon future will still require large scale energy distribution networks, undersea engineering and the mass movement and storage of gases and liquids…

    Welcoming the findings of the report, Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “Despite the rapid growth of renewable energy, hydrocarbons still provide for around three quarters of Scotland’s primary energy needs. This means the oil and gas sector remains a key component of the Scottish energy system and economy.
    “With up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent remaining, the sector could continue production for the next 20 years, which will ensure continued security of supply to meet domestic demand…
    “Maintaining domestic oil and gas production can lead to lower net global emissions than under a scenario where Scotland depends increasingly on imports.
    “Scotland’s oil and gas industry is highly regulated with some of the most advanced and comparatively least polluting production methods in the World. For these reasons we are committed to supporting both Scotland’s sector and its supply chain.”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-6454571/Making-North-Sea-oil-additional-generation-key-climate-change-targets.html

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    • #
      theRealUniverse

      ‘Making North Sea oil last additional generation’ Oil wont run out, thats a myth (peak oil) which is conveniently pushed to fix the price.

      20

  • #
    pat

    4 Dec: Radio Poland: Int’l leaders agree in Poland to safeguard jobs while protecting climate
    Leaders from 45 countries gathered at a UN climate change conference have adopted a Polish-drafted declaration to protect the climate while ensuring economic growth and maintaining jobs, a news agency reported.
    The “Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration” was adopted by acclamation after thousands of decision makers from around the world flocked to the southern Polish city of Katowice to discuss ways of tackling global warming and climate change at the United Nations’ COP24 conference, Poland’s PAP news agency reported on Tuesday.

    The declaration, drafted by Poland’s government and signed by its President Andrzej Duda, aims to ensure a fair transformation based on solidarity amid efforts to protect the climate while maintaining economic development and jobs, according to PAP.
    The declaration stresses “the social aspect of the transition towards a low-carbon economy,” defining it as “crucial for gaining social approval for the changes taking place,” according to the cop24.gov.pl website.

    ***The declaration also says that public policies to reduce emissions will face social resistance and significant political risks for governments unless accompanied by social security programmes for workers whose jobs will be lost or transformed, according to the website…
    http://thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/395448,Intl-leaders-agree-in-Poland-to-safeguard-jobs-while-protecting-climate

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    • #
      TdeF

      From James Delingpole on the love in of Climate Change players at Katowice, Poland, there are 22,771 of them! The news is that China is sending minor players,effectively withdrawing.

      The numbers of people attending are simply astounding.
      Parties and Observer states 13898
      Non Government organizations 6046
      Media 1541

      So how many of the NGOs are skeptical? Where are the skeptics? Especially those funded by Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Gas? How many of the 6,046 NGOs earn their living from Climate Change?

      What in fact is the point of flying so many thousands of people in for this event?

      Now China is out. The biggest coal producer and consumer in the world, more CO2 than the US and Europe together.

      Where is the communique about how 30 years of this and over 350,000 giant windmills have reduced the world’s CO2. How have the meetings in Rio, Durban, Paris, Copenhagen,… changed the levels of CO2?

      And then most importantly, who is paying for 22,771 people to attend? Why?

      40

  • #
    WXcycles

    Krugman and his ilk are making toothless attacks like this in big-fake news-media because they’ve already lost. It’s just an act of desperation at this point, they think maybe an old fashioned 1980-90s talking-head approach might make a dent on the public.

    Not a chance.

    They’ll keep mouthing talking-points (“… stay on target! …”) from the audio-vis hook-ups, but their target audience both doesn’t care and doesn’t believe any part of their proxy-religion and hysteria (they’re too busy trying to stay warm). The majority of the public think it’s nothing and that majority is increasing, so no traction. And fake-media hysterics about every weather event simply isn’t working for them. Again, no traction.

    They’re just amping fear-freak-out language in ‘major reports’, while preaching to the converted in the pews. But still shrinking, because normal-people already changed the channel to watch the movie at 11, or surfed to the ‘Ken-and-Barbie’ gossip page, or clicked on the commercial with the gratuitous shot of girl in a one size too-small blue bikini who is spruiking a dating site.

    30

  • #
    robert rosicka

    OT but related , the ABC proudly announce the end of Donald Trumps presidency.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-05/donald-trump-twitter-presidency-pelosi-kushner-mueller/10583798

    There is always hope watermelons there is always hope .

    20

    • #
      pat

      robert rosicka –

      theirABC, who are also funded by the millions of Australian taxpayers who do not vote Labor or Greens, announce his demise almost daily.

      re Micheline Maynard who wrote the one you posted:

      Twitter: Micheline Maynard: Journalist, author, professor. Find me @forbes @abcaustralia @medium and elsewhere. Occasional royal commentator. Loves history. Proud alum @nytimes @npr.
      ABC: Micheline Maynard: She lectures at the University of Michigan.

      shocking that taxpayers pay for Zoe Daniel to live in the US – imagine her perks – yet she is incapable of straight reporting. she has this American co-writer now – Emily Olson:

      30 Nov: ABC: Michael Cohen’s guilty plea and Donald Trump’s good reasons to be antsy
      By Washington bureau chief Zoe Daniel and Emily Olson
      https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/michael-cohen-guilty-plea-and-trumps-reasons-to-be-antsy/10570016

      16 Nov: ABC: A bad trip to France, a CNN lawsuit and a looming Mueller report means Donald Trump is grumpy
      By Washington bureau chief Zoe Daniel and Emily Olson
      https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-16/why-is-donald-trump-so-darn-grumpy/10503140

      how come this tripe is put out by theirABC constantly and no-one puts a stop to it? the US is a top ally of Australia’s, so it is truly shocking it’s allowed to continue more than 2 years after the election.

      50

      • #
        pat

        Robert rosicka –

        compare:

        5 Dec: ABC: Late cooperation could see Michael Flynn avoid jail despite lying to investigators over Russia ties
        By Washington bureau chief Zoe Daniel
        https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-05/michael-flynn-could-avoid-jail-despite-lying-to-investigators/10585786

        4 Dec: Fox News: Gregg Jarrett: Mueller strikes out trying to nail Trump – Flynn sentencing memo is a big nothing
        The memo isn’t a “smoking gun” showing President Trump colluded with Russians to win the 2016 presidential election or did anything else illegal. In fact, the memo isn’t even a squirt gun. In terms of President Trump’s conduct, it amounts to nothing of any significance…

        The documents filed in court Tuesday make a passing reference to the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from interfering in diplomatic disputes with foreign governments. But no one has ever been convicted under the act, passed in 1799. Lawyers, judges, and constitutional scholars regard the law as unconstitutional.

        Nevertheless, this long dormant law does not apply to members of presidential transition teams who are acting not as private citizens, but as incoming government representatives of the person about to assume the presidency. They would therefore be constitutionally authorized to conduct foreign affairs. Every president-elect has his transition members engage with foreign governments to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead…
        Not even Mueller would be foolish enough to bring a case under the Logan Act, especially since Flynn did not interfere in a diplomatic dispute under the meaning of the act…

        Flynn should never have been prosecuted. The FBI agents who interviewed him concluded that he was telling the truth. This was confirmed by both former FBI Director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe, when they testified before congressional investigators. Had Mueller been forced to prove his case in court, he would have lost…

        As I explained in my book, “The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump,” Flynn pleaded guilty not because he lied, but because Mueller crushed him financially and threatened to take legal action against the retired Army general’s son…

        On Tuesday night Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani likened the offenses Flynn pleaded guilty to committing to “spitting on the sidewalk, with major repercussions for many.”

        The former New York City mayor said nothing in the Flynn sentencing memo even suggested Trump presidential campaign or candidate Trump colluded with Russia, and said Mueller’s team was made up of “overzealous media inspired prosecutors. They are sick puppies.”

        Giuliani was right. But, of course, that won’t stop the anti-Trump media frenzy of demonizing President Trump on a daily basis and trying to convince the American people – without evidence – that he is an illegitimate president put into the Oval Office by Russia.
        https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/mueller-strikes-out-trying-to-nail-trump-flynn-sentencing-memo-is-a-big-nothing

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        • #
          robert rosicka

          Yes they will keep up the two year (so far) dummy spit as long as they can , Trump was elected by the Deplorables not the Russians .
          Going to be hilarious when he gets elected for a second term I think .

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          • #
            pat

            robert rosicka –

            in the ABC/Maynard article u posted, she writes:

            Brett Kavanaugh back in the crosshairs…
            In addition, some Democrats want to bring back Brett Kavanaugh, the newly confirmed Supreme Court justice, for questioning about whether he lied in his testimony before the US Senate…

            not sure Dems will go down that route again. voting against the Kavanaugh appointment wasn’t a vote winner:

            3 Dec: Daily Wire: Outgoing Democrat Senator: Democrats Mishandled Brett Kavanaugh Accusations
            by Ashe Schow
            Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) lost her re-election bid in November, and now blames her loss in part on how Democrats tried to destroy now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life over thin and uncorroborated allegations of sexual assault…READ ON
            https://www.dailywire.com/news/38987/outgoing-democrat-senator-democrats-mishandled-ashe-schow

            7 Nov: CNBC: Republicans credit the ‘Kavanaugh effect’ for Senate wins against red-state Democrats
            •Republicans credit the ‘Kavanaugh effect’ for Senate wins against red-state Democrats
            •Senior GOP lawmakers say that the politically fraught road to then-nominee Kavanaugh’s confirmation galvanized Republicans to show up at the polls for the midterm elections.
            •Multiple Democratic senators in purple or red states who voted against confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court lost their seats Tuesday night.
            •Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the so-called Kavanaugh effect was “very helpful.”
            by Kevin Breuninger
            https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/gop-credits-kavanaugh-effect-for-senate-wins-against-red-state-democrats.html

            30

          • #
            Greebo

            There was once a description, despicable in my view, of John Howard. It had to do with lavatories and the flushing of them. It’s only a matter of time before it gets trotted out against Trump. JWH stared it down. So will The Don.

            30

  • #
    pat

    ***ABC reluctant to call it student climate strike!

    VIDEO: 5 Dec: ABC: Liberal John Pesutto concedes defeat, says party must be ‘inclusive’ in rebuild
    ABC Radio Melbourne
    Outgoing Victorian Liberal MP John Pesutto has urged the party to renew itself by recruiting more women and candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds, as he concedes defeat in the previously safe seat of Hawthorn…

    In a series of media events today, Mr Pesutto said the party needed to make its language, policies and culture “more inclusive” so that socially progressive but economically conservative voters would feel welcome after the “rebuild”.

    ***Mr Pesutto cited his 17-year-old daughter, who went to the climate change protest in the city on Friday, as an example of the kind of Liberal supporter who wanted the party to take action on that issue…
    “I’m concerned that there are conservative people, conservative-leaning people, and even moderate-leaning people who just want our party to do something on that front.
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-05/john-pesutto-concedes-defeat-in-hawthorn/10583608

    5 Dec: Age: Liberals must reconcile conservative and moderate sides, John Pesutto says
    By Adam Carey, Robyn Grace & Sumeyya Ilanbey
    Mr Pesutto lost his own previously safe seat of Hawthorn after suffering a 9.1 per cent swing -the seat falling into Labor hands for only the second time in the electorate’s history…
    He conceded on Wednesday that Labor had won the seat in Melbourne’s affluent inner-east…
    Voters punished the Liberal Party in Hawthorn over issues including federal leadership instability, its stance on climate change, the promise to shut down the safe injecting centre and the same-sex marriage debate, Mr Pesutto said…

    He said the party needed to resolve tensions between its moderate and right-wing factions and put forward compelling policies on climate and energy.
    “They need to deal with it because no one picked the scale of this [loss], they’ve got very little time but they can do it,”Mr Pesutto said…

    He also revealed that his 17-year-old daughter attended last week’s student-led rallies for action on climate change.
    “I can see there are conservative people, conservative-leaning people, who just want our party to do something on that front,” he said…
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/liberals-must-reconcile-conservative-and-moderate-sides-john-pesutto-says-20181205-p50kff.html

    so much advice from a man who couldn’t beat his rival, who lives in a retirement village:

    5 Dec: 9News: Time for change as Vic Libs seek leader
    Incoming Hawthorn MP John Kennedy, a retirement village resident and former teacher, admitted he was surprised by the win, but attributed his success to Labor’s infrastructure plans and being at early polling booths daily to meet constituents…

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  • #
    Phoenix 44

    Who cares what Krugman thinks? He is neither a climate scientist nor a moral philosopher. He is an economist. Why does he think he is qualified to judge either the science of why people are sceptical of that science in a way that is authorative?

    50

  • #
    pat

    France’s wholly state-owned France24 not too convincing in their attempt to debunk the videos and claims of some yellow vests. can’t see any attribution:

    4 Dec: France24 The Observers: Analysis of a rumour: Did undercover police try to discredit the ‘Yellow Vests’?
    According to some protesters and social media users, police officers masqueraded as protesters and took part in acts of vandalism during demonstrations in Paris with the goal of discrediting the movement. However, while the videos show police officers or intelligence officers that are dressed as civilians – which is legal and common during protests in France – nothing in the footage proves that they took part in any acts of vandalism…

    Here are the four videos being shared on social networks purporting to be proof that police officers infiltrated the protest and participated in violence…VIDEOS ETC

    While there is no proof (as of publication) that any undercover police officers acted like casseurs during the Yellow Vest protests, there have been such cases in France in the past…READ ON
    https://observers.france24.com/en/20181204-analysis-rumour-undercover-police-france-yellow-vests

    30

  • #
    John Watt

    Yellow vests and Macron’s back flip = Paris rejecting Paris. So what’s stopping Oz?

    60

    • #
      robert rosicka

      What’s stopping OZ ? , Morrison.

      20

    • #
      yarpos

      We simply dont have the courage of the cheese eating surrender monkeys. So what does that make us?

      50

      • #
        Greebo

        People who waste time watching yellow animations on TV?

        I’m serious, BTW. “Multiculturalism” has eroded ours until it hardly exists. The French, however, have always stood up for France, something Macron appears to have overlooked. Therese May might soon find that ‘her’ people have a similar spirit.

        As for Australia, where’s Nino Culotta when we need him?

        30

    • #
      Ava

      French pollies are quickly reminded when their delusions step out of line and begin affecting their peuple, while Oz pollies are afraid of upsetting their delusional voters?

      20

  • #
    pat

    4 Dec: AP: Billionaires eyeing White House visit early primary states
    By JUANA SUMMERSandTHOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press
    CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in Iowa on Tuesday that he would do everything he can to make climate change the defining issue of the 2020 Democratic presidential nominating campaign, despite resistance in regions of the country that his party would likely need to recapture the White House.

    More than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away in Charleston, South Carolina, fellow billionaire Tom Steyer — who, like Bloomberg, is weighing a 2020 Democratic presidential bid— held a roundtable discussion focused on voting rights in the nation’s first Southern primary state…
    Bloomberg recently told The Associated Press that he would have to be close to a decision by mid-January. While traveling in Iowa on Tuesday, he said that, in the meantime, “I get to go around and to ask people in Iowa, ‘What’s on your mind?'”…

    Steyer said he is closely watching the decisions made by other Democrats, joking, “I assume there are going to be more Democrats running than there are going to be voters.”…

    While both men have put the climate atop their agendas, and spent millions promoting awareness and solutions, they could face skepticism in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, where President Donald Trump won in 2016 by promising to protect the coal industry.

    “I will do everything for sure to try to make it the issue,” Bloomberg told reporters after visiting a solar-electric panel installation company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Every place I have gone, people always want to talk about the climate. They always want to bring up the fact that I’ve been very active in closing coal-fired power plants.”…
    In the Des Moines area, Bloomberg was visiting a community college’s wind-energy program…
    https://www.apnews.com/bacce76099b24348a64d9859f2aac1b6

    5 Dec: Bloomberg: Trump to Lift Key Barrier for New Coal Plants, Source Says
    By Jennifer A Dlouhy
    The Trump administration will propose scrapping an Obama-era mandate that new coal-fired power plants use carbon-capture technology, removing a major barrier to constructing the facilities, according to a person familiar with the plans.
    The Environmental Protection Agency is slated to unveil the measure on Thursday, during an event at its headquarters in Washington, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss the proposal before the formal announcement…
    The EPA proposal will be subject to public comment and could be finalized next year.
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-05/trump-said-to-lift-carbon-capture-mandate-for-new-coal-plants

    00

    • #
      pat

      4 Dec: Fox Business: Michael Bloomberg for president in 2020? Iowa climate panel fuels rumors
      by Thomas Barrabi
      Michael Bloomberg traveled to Iowa on Tuesday for a screening and panel discussion of his new climate change documentary “Paris to Pittsburgh,” fueling rumors that the billionaire business mogul is eyeing a challenge to President Trump in 2020.
      Set to debut Dec. 12 on National Geographic, the documentary details how Americans are battling the effects of climate change by implementing “green” energy practices…

      The billionaire said the documentary’s title, “Paris to Pittsburgh,” is a play on Trump’s remark explaining his decision to withdraw from the climate accords in 2017.
      Trump said he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
      https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/michael-bloomberg-for-president-in-2020-iowa-climate-panel-fuels-rumors

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      • #
        pat

        ***saw a TV clip somewhere today about Bloomberg getting booed in Iowa because he wasn’t doing enough about CAGW. NYT reports on it here, but uses the word “interrupted”! how the FakeNewsMSM protects their good billionaires:

        4 Dec: NYT: Bloomberg, Focusing on Climate Change, Says He Would Battle the Coal Industry
        by Trip Gabriel
        PIC: Michael R. Bloomberg, center, viewed solar panels at an electric company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday.
        CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — On a wintry day, Michael R. Bloomberg stood in black tassel loafers ***in melting snow while he inspected solar panels on a rooftop, then said he would make climate change “the issue” of the 2020 presidential race…

        “I’ve been very active in closing coal-fired power plants,” Mr. Bloomberg boasted when asked whether a candidate whose top concern is climate change could appeal to voters in the regions like eastern Ohio who helped put President Trump in the White House.
        While praising Iowa’s corn-based ethanol as an intermediary fuel needed in the short run, Mr. Bloomberg said it was well past time to cut coal entirely from the energy picture.
        “One thing that shouldn’t be part of the mix at all now is coal,” he said.

        It was reminiscent of a comment that came to haunt Hillary Clinton in 2016, when she said her policies would put many coal miners out of work — a stance diametrically opposed to that of Mr. Trump, who made reinvigorating the coal industry a centerpiece of his economic message…

        While touring a company that installs solar panels in Cedar Rapids, Mr. Bloomberg, 76, attacked President Trump’s rejection of his administration’s own report about the dire economic costs from climate change.
        “If you don’t believe in science, I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “I guess when you need a doctor, you go to a witch doctor or something.”…

        With the state’s caucuses still 14 months away, the website Iowa Starting Line has tracked more than two dozen potential Democratic contenders who have already visited…

        ***Before he spoke at the screening (of a climate change movie he bankrolled, “Paris to Pittsburgh”) Mr. Bloomberg was interrupted by a dozen or so protesters from the Democratic Socialists of America, who accused him of being “Donald Trump lite” and insufficiently green because he supports fracking as a transitional option on the road to clean energy.
        As the protesters were led out by the police, Mr. Bloomberg joked that it was like being back in New York, and said he would meet with them. “People want recognition and respect,” he said. “I’m happy to give them that.”…
        https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/us/politics/bloomberg-iowa-2020.html

        4 Dec: NYT: E.P.A. to Roll Back a Restriction on New Coal-Burning Plants
        By Lisa Friedman
        “This says we’re expecting more coal-fired power plants in the future, and we’re going to make it easier to get there,” said Richard J. Lazarus, a professor of environmental law at Harvard University…

        Allison D. Wood, a partner at the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth who represents several electric utilities, called the forthcoming E.P.A. proposal “a correction of an error.” Requiring new plants to be equipped with carbon capture and storage abilities is an undue burden, she said, since the technology has been not adequately demonstrated at commercial scale and is not readily available. The new rule, she said, “preserves the ability, should someone want to construct a coal-fired power plant, that they can.”

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    pat

    4 Dec: Politico: France’s fuel tax retreat dismays COP24 climate talks
    The suspension of a fuel tax increase ‘sends a very bad signal,’ warn campaigners.
    By Paola Tamma and Kalina Oroschakoff
    KATOWICE, Poland — France’s sudden U-turn over an unpopular fuel tax in the face of violent anti-government protests sent shivers through the COP24 climate summit.
    That’s because the sight of one of Europe’s most climate ambitious countries beating a hasty retreat over a proposal that would have hiked gasoline tax by 4 cents, or just under 3 percent, highlighted the difficulty of imposing any economic pain in the name of tackling climate change…

    “The way forward is not easy, is not straightforward,” European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said at the talks in Katowice. “In the end it will be the people’s decision how much they’re ready to change the way they behave, how they live.”
    France’s troubles were seized upon by climate skeptics to underline the unpopularity of costly decarbonization efforts…

    “If France is putting a brake on the carbon tax, it puts a brake on energy transition and sends a very bad signal to economies that rely on coal, on fossil fuels, and shows that every nation is just slowing down,” said Pierre Cannet, head of climate and energy policy at WWF France…

    International Energy Agency said on Tuesday that carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise in 2018 for the first time in five years.
    “It is particularly worrisome for global efforts to meet the Paris Agreement,” the agency noted (LINK)…

    Coal “will not disappear. We have to remember about the economic and social costs for the economy,” said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
    Germany, another self-declared climate leader, has also run into decarbonization headwinds. A government commission aiming to figure out how the country should phase out the coal that still generates nearly 40 percent of its power was forced to delay issuing its final report by a couple of months thanks to pushback from coal-using eastern German states…

    ***Climate advocates argue that politicians have to steel themselves and push through such measures even if they create short-term unemployment and unrest because the alternative is even grimmer.
    “At the end of the day the reason we need to take action is because the social and economic costs of climate impacts are far worse,” said Camilla Born of E3G, an NGO.
    https://www.politico.eu/article/france-fuel-tax-retreat-dismays-cop24-climate-change-summit/?utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=RSS_Feed

    4 Dec: E&E News: Trump admin claims other countries questioning Paris deal
    by Scott Waldman and Jean Chemnick
    During a briefing at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this past weekend, a senior Trump administration official told reporters that the last issue to close at the meeting was a climate provision. That is because a few countries were “second-guessing” the language around climate change, the official said.

    “The countries who typically might agree couldn’t agree with each other,” the official said. “And what you’re starting to see is you’re seeing a little bit of the coalition fraying. Countries like Turkey, like Saudi Arabia, like Russia, might be second-guessing some of that.”…
    France and China insisted on including the language, though the Trump administration suggested that Paris was a sticking point for other countries behind closed doors.

    After reporters pressed the White House on what that might mean for the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration official suggested that it was because those countries were waffling on whether or not they would stay committed to the agreement.
    “I think our message was resonating in the room, because that was the last issue to close, and there were other countries who are thinking long and hard about whether they still wanted to remain committed to that paradigm,” the official said…
    https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060108661

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      pat

      4 Dec: Daily Caller: Peter Hasson: Bernie Sanders, Climate Hawk, Spends Nearly $300K On Private Jet Travel In Month
      Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s re-election campaign spent just under $300,000 on private jet use in October, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.
      The Sanders campaign, which is funded primarily by small-dollar donors, paid Apollo Jets $297,685.50 on Oct. 10, FEC records reveal. The payment was marked for “transportation.”…
      Sanders’s private jet use comes despite the senator’s hard-line stance on climate change, which he has consistently called “the single greatest threat facing our planet.”…
      The same day his campaign cut a check to the private jet company, Sanders called climate change a “planetary crisis.”…
      https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/04/bernie-sanders-private-jet-climate-change/

      4 Dec: Daily Caller: France Is Scrapping Global Warming Taxes That The UN Thinks Should Be Doubled
      by Michael Bastasch
      The UN calls for carbon taxes to be twice as high as those that sparked riots across France.
      UN reports call for carbon taxes as high as $27,000 per ton of emissions to limit global warming…
      The UN’s special climate report released in October found a carbon tax would need to be as high as $5,500 per ton by 2030 to limit future warming — that’s equivalent to a $49 per gallon gas tax.
      A carbon tax would need to rise to as high as $27,000 per ton by end of the century to meet the 1.5-degree goal. That’s the same as a $240 per gallon tax on gasoline in the year 2100.

      If the French rose up against a carbon tax that’s a fraction of what the UN calls for to meet its 1.5-degree goal, it’s unlikely any government would ever enact a tax that high.
      Taxes already make up about 60 percent of the price of fuel in France. The average cost to fill up your tank in France runs just under $7 per gallon.
      http://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2018/12/04/france-is-scrapping-global-warming-taxes-that-the-un-thinks-should-be-doubled/

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    pat

    behind paywall:

    4 Dec: UK Telegraph: Preening Macron is learning to his cost that you can’t save the planet on the back of the poor
    by Ross Clark
    What a wonderful irony that, as the world’s great and good gathered in Poland on Monday to discuss climate change, the city where they met for the same purpose just three years ago was aflame – set alight by protesters aggrieved by President Macron’s efforts to meet his carbon-reduction targets.

    I am not going to defend the activities of the so-called gilets jaunes, who are the latest manifestation of France’s over-enthusiasm for insurrection, which dates back to at least 1789. Yet they stand as a warning to any government which attempts to tackle climate change by making people poorer. They are not going to stand for it – especially when they can see it is ordinary folk who are paying the price…
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/04/preening-macron-learning-cost-cant-save-planet-back-poor/

    4 Dec: ClimateChangeNews: by staff: Katowice Brief: The first test
    At the end of two weeks of talks in Poland, countries are aiming to produce a written set of rules for the Paris Agreement.
    A draft carried into this conference was a mess of unresolved options. A new version began being released in segments (LINK) overnight on Tuesday and negotiators were nervously awaiting the full drop.
    Which parts will have been cut or massaged? And which countries will see their preferences ignored?

    Science, meet politics
    Leading scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presented the findings of their latest report on the 1.5C global warming threshold to negotiators on Tuesday afternoon…
    “The author is reluctant to tell us whether or not it [holding warming to 1.5C] is feasible,” said China in one of the pithiest interventions, asking for a direct answer.
    Jim Skea responded that the IPCC deliberately avoided a yes/no conclusion. Because it’s complicated. It depends on things like whether policymakers are prepared to close coal plants before the end of their technical lifespans. In other words, the ball’s in your court, China.

    Go go Guterres
    The Polish presidency here may not be interested in revving up ambition, but UN secretary general Antonio Guterres is.
    At a press conference, he trailed a climate summit to be held in New York at next September’s general assembly. This has the explicit aim of encouraging world leaders to submit stronger climate pledges to the UN process by 2020…

    Tracking the money
    Another goal of the NY shindig is to show progress towards the 2020 target of channeling $100 billion a year to the developing world for climate action.
    The Green Climate Fund is part of that but “far from being the totality,” said Guterres…
    “There has been a meaningful improvement of the GCF” to resolve some “dysfunctionalities”, Guterres added. “The GCF needs improved management to be more effective, but it also needs funds.”…

    The whole baguette
    The French government has suspended the diesel tax hike that had inspired the gilets jaunes’ protests…
    The Polish hosts of Cop24 may be feeling vindicated. They have called for a ‘just transition’ that incorporates social planning with the green shift. The French have provided an object lesson in the dangers of ploughing on with ecological policy without enrolling the community.
    Now, it has gone beyond diesel. A spokesperson for the French protesters downplayed the gesture as “a crumb” in response to demands that have since widened to living costs and social inequality. They want the “whole baguette,” he says…

    St Barbara
    Tuesday was St Barbara’s day, a celebration of the patron saint of miners.
    It is a bittersweet occasion in Zabrze, 20 kilometres from Katowice, since the Makoszowy coal mine – their major employer – closed in 2016. Climate Home News met the handful of remaining trade unionists, who see no justice in the Polish government’s “just transition”.

    Pressure from Brazil
    The chief climate negotiator for Brazil’s outgoing government called on developed countries to deliver on their commitments to raise financial aid and reduce emissions even before the Paris Agreement takes effect in 2020.
    “These financial commitments were not mere ornaments to the Paris Agreement,” J Antonio Marcondes said in a statement sent to CHN on Tuesday. “They were fundamental elements in the balance of the agreement, which must be fully delivered for developed countries to meet their historical responsibilities, and for developing countries to reach an even higher gear.”
    Further delay, both in mobilising the money and lowering greenhouse gases, will put the accord’s goals for limiting global warming out of reach, he added. “Emission reductions are like credit card debt – the longer they are put off, the more expensive and painful they become.”
    http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/12/04/katowice-brief-first-test/

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    Roy Hogue

    Paul Krugman sticks pins into the Climate Denier VooDoo Doll

    That’s Krugman all the way.

    If I didn’t already know better than to pay attention to him this would certainly turn me away from him. How can one man who calls himself an economist be so wrong so much of the time? I’m a better economist than Krugman. The rabbits running around the neighborhood in the middle of the night are better economists than krugman.

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    Robber

    Heard the defeated former Liberal member for Hawthorn in Victoria, John Pesutto being interviewed about listening to the voters. Hawthorn has been a Liberal seat almost for ever, but this time he got 46%, Labor 38%, and the Greens 16% with almost all Green preferences going to Labor. He said that his 17 year old daughter had joined the student climate change protest. Brainwashed by his own brainwashed child. When will they ever learn?

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    Casey

    Well, he basically said it correctly, just got a word or two mixed up

    “Climate denial is rooted in greed, opportunism and ego.” is the falsehood. (As an aside, who the hell denies that the planet has a climate?)

    The reality?

    Climate change belief is rooted in greed, opportunism and ego.

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