AWED Energy & Environmental Newsletter: November 18, 2013
By John Droz, Jr. -- November 18, 2013The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of more than 10,000 individuals and organizations interested in improving government energy & environmental policies. Our basic position is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science. It’s all spelled out at WiseEnergy.org, which is an exceptional collection of helpful resources.
A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every 3 weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and environmental matters. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.
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Greed Energy Economics:
A letter from 50+ US Congressional Members against the PTC
The Wind Production Tax Credit Should Not Be Extended
100+ Organizations Petition Congress to end the PTC
“Property values are the new front line in the war over wind turbines”
32 Lawsuits against wind developer — including property value loss
Another local wind project bites the dust
N.J. Offshore Wind Project Reveals True Cost to Taxpayer
Developer backing out of Offshore project — not enough handouts
Two US Senate bills advocating a national RPS
Europe’s Renewable Energy Push Has Completely Backfired
Fossil fuels now beat wind and solar on environmental as well as economic grounds
We will never reduce energy bills as long as we are in hock to the green lobby
Turbine Health Matters:
Maine law gives citizens new rights re wind energy
Proposed Wisconsin law itemizing legal claims citizens have against wind developers
Industrial Wind Turbines, Human Variability, and Adverse Health Effects
Study Shows Turbines Impact Sleep
Wind Turbine Noise, Sleep Quality, and Inner Ear Problems
Resident Seeks State Regulations on Turbine Shadow Flicker
Lawsuit for property 1.7 miles from turbines
Let’s Talk About Renewable Energy
Turbine Wildlife Matters:
Turbines killed 600,000 (possibly as many as 900,000) US bats in 2012
Wildlife concerns (esp bats) expressed
How Wind Turbines Kill Bats and Hurt Farmers
Bats at the centre of turbine row
Feds Consider West Virginia Wind Farm Permit to Kill Endangered Bats
Renowned International Wildlife Expert Joins Bird Organization
Bald and Golden Eagles Are Being Killed By Wind Turbines (short video)
Wind Farms Kill Many Rare Birds
Wind Turbines And The Double Standard: Slaughtering Endangered Species
The secret, dirty cost of Obama’s green power push
Environmentalists lead opposition to Vermont wind project
Scientists assess effects of offshore wind farm construction
Miscellaneous Energy News:
“US wind industry slows to a unprecedented crawl this year”
A Nuclear vs Wind Turbine video
Experts say nuclear power needed to slow global warming
Here is a fine collection of videos on wind energy
NOAA report on turbine radar interference
Why Solar makes very little sense
Town Supervisor Balks at Wind Project
Canada Praises Australia’s Repeal of Carbon Tax
Thousands object to proposed wind project
A letter to a neighbor with a turbine lease
Oregon initiative would recognize hydropower as renewable
The EPA and an energy (fracking) FOIA story
Manmade Global Warming Articles:
Peer-Reviewed Source: New Research Challenges Global Warming Theories
Climate Change denial is a Serious Sin
Green Religion: relying on opinions, not science (i.e. beliefs not facts)
Canadian Climate Predictions Fail by 590% Costing Consumers a Bundle
The Supreme Court eyes the EPA
A Sea Change for Climate Science?
Obama uses executive order in takeover of nation’s climate change policies
Global warming ‘pause’ may last for 20 more years
Political Science and the IPCC’s Forecasts
Scientific Critique of IPCC’s 2013 ‘Summary for Policymakers
A New Natural Temperature Cycle Says AGW Is Not So Much
Australia rejects “socialism masquerading as environmentalism”
Why Does the Global Warming Hoax Persist?
The Weird Rhetoric of Environmental “Holocaust”
Sea Level Rise has decelerated since 2004
Haiyan Won’t Hit The Top Ten Natural Disasters List
Climate Research: Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan
Our proposed national energy slogan is “All of the Sensible” (in contrast to the absurd “All of the Above”). Once legislators have grasped that concept, the foolishness of the “leveling the playing field” idea also becomes apparent. (Should the 18-wheeler trucks and golf cart playing field be leveled?) Additionally we should be using the term “unreliables” when speaking of renewables. Please pass these on. [US citizens should make sure to get up-to-speed with what is on our PTCFacts.Info pages, as the PTC is still a political issue.]
Please pass this information on to other open-minded, science-oriented people. If you know anyone who would like to periodically like to get AWED emailings, please email me.
Thank you for your support.
Prior issues of the AWED newsletter at MR:
John,
Man-made global warming is not a hoax. The temperatures in the Arctic have been going up rapidly over the last few decades, such that when you include the data from the Arctic, the hottest year on record was 2010.
See the latest data on global surface temperature (when including and when including the temperature in the Arctic.)
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/gaps-in-data-on-arctic-temperatures-account-for-the-pause-in-global-warming-8945597.html
The trend is 0.05 oC per decade if you ignore the data from the poles and the trend is 0.12oC per decade when you include the data from the poles.
I think that it’s disingenuous for you include links to articles that call Man-made Global Warming a hoax. Scientists are rightfully worried about man-made global warming because CO2 is a known greenhouse gas and there has been a steady increase in surface temperatures and sea levels over the last century.
While climate prediction is not a perfect science, it will only harm your reputation to include links to articles calling Climate Science a hoax. There is room to discuss and to debate the climate sensitivity to CO2, but there is no serious scientist who thinks that Climate Change is Hoax.
The real question is how best to limit the damage to those people who will be harmed by global warming and increasing sea levels. Do you have any real ideas for how to prevent harm to people who did nothing to deserve higher temperatures and sea levels? Or do you wish to just ignore what’s going on in the rest of the world?
My (libertarian) response is this problem is to remove gov’t subsidies to all energy products, to eliminate all mandates on energy products (ethanol, mpg, etc…) and to tax (or cap&trade) pollution such as NOx, SOx, particulates, and CO2. I think that this is the most viable way forward for the Libertarian party, (and for the Democratic and Republican parties if they were smart.)
Eddie:
I assume that you know that I do not say that AGW is a “hoax.”
My well-documented position is that the true scientific position about AGW is “the jury is out.”
A major objective of my newsletter is to put some balance into energy and environmental issues — by sharing with readers perspectives that they usually don’t see in the mainstream media.
Then, when they’ve heard from both sides, a reader will be in a much better position to make intelligent conclusions.
If you have a dispute with the author of any article in my newsletters, I’d recommend taking it up with them.
John,
The “true scientific position” is not that “the jury is out.”
Plus, given by the extreme bias in the articles you “choose” to include in your monthly news letters, you seem to have an extreme bias against the data supporting the theory that man-made CO2 emissions is causing high temperatures, higher sea levels and lower pH levels. Why do you seem to only pick articles that support your bias that nothing is happening or if it’s happening, then it’s no big deal?
The scientific jury has already left the court room and given their verdict. You might not like the verdict, but the conclusion made by 97% of climate scientists is that humans are causing the increase in CO2, the increase in temp, and the decrease in pH. The facts fit with the theory (not perfectly, but better than any other theory out there.)
Eddie:
The debate is wide open over climate sensitivity, with lower ranges being in the ‘positive externality’ range and the upper range being in ‘negative externality’ territory.
The scientific train is still in the station, but the government is wrecking trains in the name of CO2 policy.
BTW, regarding the 97%, there is no consensus about the consensus: See Judith Curry here: http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/28/climate-change-no-consensus-on-consensus/
Hope you are reading this stuff so you can be ‘libertarian’ on climate change policy.
Eddie:
Not sure of your scientific background, but what I told you is accurate. If you have proof that 97% of climatologists say that they can prove that almost all of the atmospheric warming is due to manmade causes, please forward it immediately.
In the meantime I’d politely recommend that you study ScienceUnderAssault.info to get a bigger picture idea of what is going on. [That is the presentation I gave that was sponsored by the House Science & Technology committee a few weeks ago.]
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