JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Statistics
A reminder about the future for wind turbine installations and owners;
https://stopthesethings.com/2017/03/13/born-lucky-stars-align-perfectly-for-pms-son-with-mammoth-bet-on-wind-power-outfit-infigen/
110
New onshore wind power is now illegal. We may have to convince FWS.
Wind power’s eagle-kill permits are a deadly failure so permitting must stop
By David Wojick
https://www.cfact.org/2025/05/05/wind-powers-eagle-kill-permits-are-a-deadly-failure-so-permitting-must-stop/
The beginning:
“About 15 years ago the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determined that the golden eagle population could not withstand an increase in human caused mortality. But there was a great queue of proposed wind projects that wanted FWS permits to kill these eagles under the Eagle Protection Act, which would certainly increase the kill rate.
In response the FWS created an offset program in which eagle deaths due to power pole electrocution would supposedly be reduced by an amount equal to the increased deaths due to wind turbines. We now know that this offset program has completely failed as there has been no reduction in electrocution deaths.
The likely cause of this failure is that the FWS uses an electrocution death rate that is extremely incorrect. As a result the number of power poles that have been made safe is just a tiny fraction of what it would take to create the desired offset.
The FWS should issue no more wind power eagle kill permits until this issue is resolved. Accurate power pole death rates need to be determined. Given there are over a hundred million poles in America the offset numbers may be so high that the program is not feasible. In that case wind development must stop.”
Lots more in the article including technical analysis. Please share this article.
Woohoo!
David
291
Excellent article David.
TRUMP the conservationist saves the eagles.
In contrast the Left were prepared to continue sacrificing eagles in pursuit of their nature-worshipping religion.
It’s interesting reading a Leftist “fact check” (sic) falsely claiming TRUMP’s earlier 2023 claim about eagles deaths was wrong. They play a lot of semantic and definitional games. See https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-are-thousands-bald-eagles-killed-wind-turbines-1778304
150
A thousand bald eagles a year might be high or it might not. The crime here is every found death is reported but the data is secret:
https://www.cfact.org/2025/04/02/the-feds-are-hiding-the-eagle-death-data/
I say “found death” because each facility permit says they only have to find 34%, as though that could be determined. It is all trickery.
221
The “Left” and the eco-nazis are conjoined DEATH CULTS.
Toss in the head-loppers and it gets really “interesting”.
The latter, of course, have 1400 years head-start in “field” politics.
150
Won’t more wind turbines mean an increase in transmission lines? Wouldn’t that be a double-whammy for eagle deaths?
171
Transmission lines are separately permitted and pay into the minuscule offset fund. They are not a source of electrocution. That comes from the two wire low voltage distribution lines that blanket America bringing power to every retail customer.
141
Trump is gradually righting so many wrongs. There movement on the testing on animals front.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/03/senate-confirming-bhattacharya-should-bring-end-cruel-wasteful/
Physicians Committee Praises NIH for Closing Its Last Beagle Lab
https://www.pcrm.org/news/news-releases/physicians-committee-praises-nih-closing-its-last-beagle-lab
More reading:
Kenya Airways says it will stop transporting monkeys used for research following Pennsylvania highway crash
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-02/airline-to-stop-monkey-shipments-after-pennsylvania-crash/100800332
00
Make Australian history great again. Captain Cook did nothing wrong. And neither did the other European explorers that came and explored.
1606 Willem Janszoon
1606 Luis Vaez de Torres
1616 Dirk Hartog
1619 Frederick de Houtman
1644 Abel Tasman
1696 Willem de Vlamingh
1699 William Dampier
1770 James Cook
1797–99 George Bass
1801–03 Matthew Flinders
200
Maybe we should add La Perouse 1788. He may have pioneered the concept of Uber Eats with the proviso that now we do not eat the driver.
110
Huh! You learn about these early explorers in Primary School, (well, I suppose they still do) and being still just a child at school, well all of those explorers were, umm, you know, really old guys, eh!
So here, let’s look at George Bass and Matthew Flinders.
It’s actually hard to believe how young they were, and then, what they actually did.
George Bass was ship’s Surgeon when he first arrived here. He was an amateur ‘yachtie’, so he got permission to strap his tiny little 8 foot boat to the back of the ship he was on, and when he did get here, he ‘tooled around’ Sydney Harbour in it.
A young Leiutenant on the same ship, Matthew Flinders, asked if he could join him in this tiny little boat.
After a while, they said, hey, let’s go have a bit of a look.
So. in this tiny little boat they sailed ….. out through Sydney Heads, turned right, and headed off South, sometimes as far as what is now Woolongong.
George was 24, and Matthew was 21.
Governor Hunter, now ‘suitably impressed’, gave them a bigger boat, 18 foot, with six sailors, and said ….. “well off you go then, and try a little further South.”
George and Matthew sailed it down the Coast almost to the Heads of Port Phillip Bay.
George had this hunch.
So, Hunter gave then the first boat built here in Oz, the Norfolk, an 18 tonner, still only small, built on Norfolk Island from the famed Norfolk Island Pines found there.
He and Matthew set off again, found that ‘gap’ between (what is now) Victoria and then circumnavigated (and mapped) Van Diemens Land. (Now Tasmania)
This was important, as it saved weeks off the trip from South Africa to (what is now) Sydney.
George then got his own ship, headed off to South America, and was never seen again.
Matthew went back to England, was then tasked with, umm, mapping the coastline of (what is now) Australia, again, in a small boat, and his maps are still correct, to this day.
He recommended that ‘gap’ be called Bass Strait.
Matthew was also instrumental in the naming of Australia as well, something he fruitlessly pursued until his death at just 40, and it wasn’t till many years later, it actually became known as Australia.
Young Men In Boats, my own Post from 2008, when my home site’s owner asked me to write somthing about the early history of Australia, a five part series atthis link.
Tony
280
Very good Tony.
For the life of me I cannot understand the lives of the explorers. Nor in Australia can I understand the settlers who followed their paths only few years later.
As for circumnavigating Tasmania in any boat let alone the boats of the day, in the immortal words of John McEnroe you cannot be serious!
50
On that note:
Must link The Great White Whale
20
Have seen it. Out at Teralba or Booragul.
00
An addition to the list….
2025 China
30
Canada’s Leftist Carney Government has investigated (but not yet implemented) the idea of taxing the equity people have in their family home.
Canada is about as much of an economic basket case as Australia with similiar levels of Federal Government debt.
No doubt this is something the socialist Albanese regime will look at over the likely next ten years of Labor rule.
Three minute Canadian video:
https://x.com/JayGenXer/status/1919168609416327312
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Was Dutton misled about election polling?
80
Liberals looking in the wrong direction again!
Last minute polling, whether right or wrong ,had nothing to do with their election defeat.
30
Peta Credlin analysis with historical comparisons including fact that in 2022 the voter turn out was 89.82% whereas in 2025 only 77% of enrolled voters cast their vote.
21
I can not believe that 1/3 of Australia decided to pay a fine (of course it is not huge…) but still not to give their voice to anybody.
So what about the “cost of living ” crisis?
40
For not voting Federally the fine is $20.
https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/non-voters.htm
For Victoriastan, the fine is not trivial, it’s $99 for state elections.
https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/fines-and-reviews
20
Copied from The Australian site on Farcebook. Also see link at https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/ben-packham
PAYWALLED
Good to know where Labor’s loyalties lie.
140
“Good to know where Labor’s loyalties lie.”
Anything to get power..
70
It’s remarkable (or not) that the Lamestream Media aren’t making a big deal about this.
60
FWIW
“Canada: A Post-Election Autopsy”
https://pjmedia.com/david-solway-2/2025/05/05/canada-a-post-election-autopsy-n4939494
20
Peter Dutton at least promised to give Australia Nuclear Power. And he got a thump for his troubles.
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There’s nothing wrong with nuclear but it was the wrong approach for Dutton.
He only supported nuclear because he supported the Paris Accords and Net Zero and believed in anthropogenic global warming.
He still wanted to build more windmills.
The correct approach in the spirit of the Liberals not actually believing in anything in particular and having a bet both ways would have been for him to say that:
“there isn’t universal agreement on AGW and since wind, solar and batteries are extremely harmful to the economy, he will convene an impartial panel of experts to report within six months if AGW was real or not”.
If it was not real, then we could have returned our electricity grid to how it was before Howard started dismantling it.
If it was real, then things would continue under the present path including his nuclear plan but with no windmills, solar or batteries.
He could also have sold it as a massive reduction in power prices which would have had huge benefits for the domestic consumer and the economy as a whole.
Dutton and his advisors blew it.
220
I feel that, rather than devise policies and messaging based on polls or focus groups, pollies and political parties should stick to their PRINCIPLES and be open and honest about them. If this produces a win, that’s great, but if it means you lose the election, then just accept that your principles don’t match the electorate’s needs. Don’t swing this way and that just to get elected.
I think conservatives now, more than ever, can spot deception from afar. It’s a cynicism born out of many years’ disappointment.
160
I seriously doubt all these energy considerations played much part in the vote for the average Aussie. Its a big deal among the audience here, but just a side issue in the election easily dismissed by “models” and alleged vast costs. Government funded “free” stuff seemed to dominate.
To the average person nothimg is broken. The flick a switch and the lights come on like they always have and they grizzle about the cost. Until we become Spain or worse I dont think this awareness level will change.
70
To the average person nothimg is broken. The flick a switch and the lights come on like they always have and they grizzle about the cost.
rural and regional residents fully understand the fickleness of electrical powerlines and Australian weather (and associated vegetation)
Perhaps a plan on electricity generation is to say what is good enough for the Chinese power system is good enough for Australia. Maintaining and increasing non-renewalable generation in sufficient capacity to ensure a reliable network while trying to create and install “reliable renewables”.
Just highlight we are doing the same as the Chinese?
20
I live in a rural regional area and saw no groundswell of concern re energy. The only noise I have heard is more about the proliferation tranmission lines due to “renwables”
I was disappointed as for me it was the main issue. If they dont get that right the rest will matter very quickly
00
The big deal is not nuclear power per se but the problems of escalating electricity costs and grid instability arising from reliance on wind and solar.
Dutton and the Liberals failed to explain that and hence misse the opportunity for a really effective talking point during the campaign.
60
For those that may not have seen it yet Rick Will has an excellent post over at WUWT.
High Resolution Earth Orbital Precession relative to Climate & Weather.
I wonder if the changes are due to the larger planets
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/05/04/high-resolution-earth-orbital-precession-relative-to-climate-weather/
111
I note here that I did correct the typing errors David M found but there are still others to correct.
The Sun is like a hammer thrower but rather than the one big hammer, Jupiter, that it leans back to balance, it has other big hammers that move slower because they are further away and other small hammers that move faster. So the Sun dithers its way around the centre of the solar system in a complex path that sometimes bypasses the actual centre.
A fundamental error in analysing the motion of the sun on its surface forces is thinking it revolves around the barycentre. Its orbit changes dramatically from year-to-year. And that influences Earth’s weather. And orbit includes out of elliptical plane excursions. So determining solar intensity on Earth requires both apparent declination and distance in 3D not just the elliptical plane.
The JPL data analyses the objects in the solar system as point masses. I doubt that is a good approximation for the Sun because the gravitational forces can exert torque on the Sun so the spin of the Sun spin on its own axis is extracting energy from the gravitational field at times and giving it back at times meaning its rotational speed can change. Also the equator spins faster than the poles. The equatorial spin is presently slowing down.
50
Keep going RickWill – this is great research.
From your WUWT post…
The big change around 1890+ is more than interesting. What would be great is if this analysis can be extended out to ~2065-2075 to see if there is a similar “blip”.
20
Well done Rick.
While you are fixing things_ecliptic plane.
30
FWIW
“Refactoring Education: Focus on Achievement, Not Social Engineering”
https://pjmedia.com/charlie-martin/2025/05/05/refactoring-education-focus-on-achievement-not-social-engineering-n4939505
40
As Western Europe again falls under the domination of the Moors, there will be major changes in the geopolitical landscape, especially due to French and UK nuclear weapons.
At the same time Australia and Canada have fallen under Leftist regimes.
China is increasingly aggressive and expansionist and hostile to the US and West.
This leaves America with none of her traditional allies leaving only the possibility of Russia, Eastern Europe and Ukraine as allies who themselves don’t wish to fall under Moorish control.
140
Did you think all this up on your own David ?.
Since when did the ‘Moors’ regain dominance over Western Europe?, they didn’t the first time. You really should read more.
Trump has actively destroyed traditional alliances and praised authoritarians, that’s why he’s [snip] Ukraine.
116
“Since when did the ‘Moors’ regain dominance over Western Europe?, t”
Do you think they don’t have any? Right down to the no-go areas for Police or anyone white? Sharia law areas? Starting their own political parties? Flooding the countries of Europe and imposing their cultures in schools? and the big one, on current reproductive rates they will just vote themselves into power.
Trump inherited a broke economy and realised the Americans started all their wars since WW2 themselves, so he is dropping the military side and emphasizing the economic growth. Not being a professional politician, he can see how slimy and maladjusted they are, so he probably admires authoritarians more. That’s not hard…
80
Quite an alternative history you’ve got there, Islamic domination of Europe and Trump as the great peace maker, applying his bankruptcy inspired business acumen.
You should write a book !.
010
applying his bankruptcy inspired business acumen.
Blame the laws regarding financial (and tax) transactions.
anyone who wants to successfully “play the game” will read the “rules of the game” very carefully. And will hire people who are expert in those rules(which include bankruptcy).
30
China is aggressive? Is that due to the hundreds of military bases they have scattered around the world? oh wait…
30
Ahhh..civilising Europe via invasion…
Maybe that’s what the “Moors” are doing right now?
I mean France is devoid of culture so the moors will sort that out. Too many fish & chips shops in the UK. Convert it all to African cuisine! Ireland? Soon to be teetotallers. 😆
30
Maybe the French will awaken when the laws require the removal of centries old grape vines?
10
Yes, what have the French ever contributed to culture?.
Oh, wait, all of the arts, cuisine, philosophy,science,etc
What losers.
00
Cheese, wine and white flags.
10
One thing the French share with the Moors is the contribution of heads.
00
So why did Labor lie about toxic W & S last election and now this 2025 election and why do people swallow these lies again and again although the cost will be horrendous for our budget and environment? Here Lomborg tries to wake us up to the true cost of these W & S disasters using proper data and evidence. Here’s a short quote and the article is full of accurate quotes to help us understand Labor’s lies and BS Ponzi scheme.
“For the world’s large, emerging industrial nations–like China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia– reliance on coal is an inescapable fact of life. Last year, China got more additional power from coal than it did from wind and solar. India got three times as much, whereas Bangladesh got 13 times more coal electricity than it did from green energy sources, and Indonesia an astonishing 90 times more. They’re not dragging their feet just to be difficult. Reliability matters—especially when you’re focused on growing your economy and helping millions of people to escape from poverty”.
LOMBORG: The True Cost of Wind and Solar Energy – NH Journal
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I’m sorry that Lomborg link is not active but if you highlight just my link and paste it into your browser it will take you to the NH Journal link.
My computer skills are very limited to put it mildly.
20
Searching brought up this actual rather than intended link https://nhjournal.com/lomborg-the-true-cost-of-wind-and-solar-energy/
10
The big question for the fake conservative Liberals is if they are now going to shift even further to the Left or are they going to become conservative?
Frankly, I don’t think they’re fixable.
I think the existing small freedom parties have to unite into a conservative force and make a new genuinely conservative party.
110
BTW here’s my comment about the true cost of W & S on Jo’s election day blog……
Here’s the revelation of the century dated today 3/5/25 and at last reveals their full cost of toxic, unreliable W & S.
This is from Melbourne Uni, Qld Uni and the Nous Group. And they estimate that the full cost would be up to 9 TRILLION $ by 2030.
BTW the full cost of the Coalition’s Nuclear policy is about 0.15 trillion and not the 0.6 trillion dollars claimed by the Labor liars and con merchants plus their mates in the MSM.
Please read this if you have the time.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/net-zero-study-finds-australia-needs-nearly-three-terawatts-of-wind-and-solar/#:~:text=Australia%20will%20need%20nearly%20three%20terrawatts%2C%20or%203%2C000,to%20%249%20trillion%2C%20according%20to%20a%20new%20study.
70
We shouldn’t forget that Australia’s total GDP is about 1.7 Trillion $ and yet we’re supposed to fund a cost of 9 trillion $ for toxic, unreliable W & S?
Why doesn’t the MSM or so called scientists etc call out their lies and fra-d?
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/AUS/australia/gdp-gross-domestic-product
80
“We shouldn’t forget that Australia’s total GDP is about 1.7 Trillion $ ”
Well, we’ve only borrowed a trillion against that, I’m sure Labor will borrow more to cover the ruinables. Will the lenders start demanding collateral on the main tax income industries, taking over the mining that way?
Should we insist on cash again, then print ‘DEBT’ in big red letters across each note in the correct ratio? Every person spending money would see how much debt they’re signed up for. We’re hitting $30K for every person, and tax freedom day is moving towards May now, but the plebs just don’t want to know.
30
FWIW
“STEVE MILLOY: Congress Must Repeal All Green New Scam Subsidies”
BUT
“The problem is that, while all Republicans seem to want to pass some sort of Big Beautiful Bill, not all want that bill to repeal the Green New Scam.”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/05/05/steve-milloy-congress-must-repeal-all-green-new-scam-subsidies/
30
All politicians should read and understand:
160
“There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism – by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.”
– Ayn Rand
The voting is done. Reality awaits.
50
140
Wikipedia still shows Aussie capacity factor for wind at 30% and solar at 15%, so why would anyone waste 9 TRILLION $ on Labor’s BS and con trick?
Again why doesn’t the MSM or so called scientists or journalists warn the public about the horrendous costs and all for a guaranteed zero return by 2050 or 2100?
We’ve been yapping about climate change since 1990, so will we still be yapping about this fra-dulent nonsense for another 35 years?
And why do China, India and the NON OECD countries continue to build more coal, nuclear and gas plants?
70
Maybe those countries are not interested in the ten to fifteen year life cycle of wind and solar facilities when all installation costs will fall due again.
Why don’t we hear about this recurrent expense from Giles Parkinson and Mike Cannon-Brookes?
20
Do you hear any generation source discussing recurrent expenses and replacement costs?
I doubt 10-15 year life is typical, sounds more like worst case. In any case its way shorter coal,gas,nuclear allowed to operate normally. I think we hurt our own credibility when we exaggerate their shortcomings.
00
My final word on the events of Saturday. Shared same spot with a Labor HTV card distributor, 20yr old just completed second of 4-year uni course still living at home. She was “armed” with statements such as “protect Medicare” and, when her demographic came down the path, “reduce your hecs debt”.
In the course of discussion discovered this first-generation Australian lass had a central Europe father and Asian mother, had worked out her hecs debt would be around $40k, believed Malcolm Turnbull was well liked by the LNP and had been a good PM, that nuclear for Australia would cost $600b, that the French submarine project should have been kept, and AUKUS was a mistake. Also believed that renewables were the only way to go because all the coal powered stations were past their use by date, were breaking down and were too expensive to fix/replace. Showed some genuine surprise when told the real life of Malcolm story.
The medicare/hecs slogan catch calls suggested an element of coaching which was further confirmed by her evaluation of Turnbull – he was PM 2015-18 when she was 11-14yrs old and highly unlikely to be formulating an opinion on any politicians’ level of performance/acceptance let alone take the time to reflect on the subject some 6 years later. Turnbull’s raised profile during the election – interview on ABC Afternoon briefing and address to national press club etc – claiming Dutton was close to Trump and being Trump like and critical of the LNP nuclear option would have made a powerful training package wrapping i.e. even a well-respected former leader of the party is against its current leader, so Labor is the only way to go.
I’m sure there are plenty of insights available from other volunteers that could illustrate how the views of those embarking on a 40+ year journey of voting in elections are being molded, but no one has mentioned any formal debrief or even suggested that feedback would be accepted. No, instead just leave it all up to the party elite who already know that the uniparty, labor-light strategy IS still the only way to go. There are going to be 3 vacant chairs available when/if ever the LNP do get around to presenting their echo chamber-based report.
50
The last few years school leavers come preprogrammed to vote left, they don’t know to ask questions, they are just believers.
10
Trump signs EO ending GOF research locally and abroad
https://x.com/thackerpd/status/1919498221698605487/
40
Key phrase is ‘last decade’ essentially the same as Fauci’s pardon from 2014.
Right from Trump’s election in 2016 he was handed a pandemic to deal with.
There was a bad flu season in 2017 winter in Australia. ABS figures
20
FWIW – the one hand or the other?
“Sea Level: NASA Versus NOAA”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/05/05/sea-level-nasa-versus-noaa/
and comments
00
FWIW
“Oh, the Latest News Out of Antarctica Is a Huge Blow to the Global Warming Crowd”
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/05/05/oh-the-latest-news-out-of-antarctica-is-a-huge-blow-to-the-global-warming-crowd-n2656533
00
FWIW
“Nazis Fight Back – Ukraine Launches Offensive into Russia in Advance of Ceasefire to Honor Victory Day, May 8th
May 5, 2025 | Sundance | 109 Comments”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/05/05/nazis-fight-back-ukraine-launches-offensive-into-russia-in-advance-of-ceasefire-to-honor-victory-day-may-8th/
10