A Free-Market Energy Blog

Challenging Alarmism: John Maddox (1925–2009), RIP

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 21, 2009

It was nice to see John Tierney in his blog post, The Skeptical Prophet, pay tribute to John Maddox, the scientist and revered long-time editor of Nature. “He debunked the catastrophists, most notably in his 1972 book, The Doomsday Syndrome,” noted Tierney, “in which he argued that Spaceship Earth had more carrying capacity and ecological resilience than environmentalists realized.”

Tierney adds: “His book was denounced at the time by John P. Holdren, who is today the White House science advisor. In a 1972 article in the Times of London, Dr. Holdren and his frequent collaborator, the ecologist Paul Ehrlich, dismissed Dr. Maddox as ‘uninformed’ and clearly unable to understand ‘simple concepts’ of population theory.” Stated Ehrlich/Holdren (as quoted by Tierney):…

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Will Global Warming Make Future Generations Worse Off? (No, according to realistic analysis)

By Indur Goklany -- April 20, 2009

Some people argue that we are morally obliged to reduce greenhouse gases aggressively because otherwise the world’s current development path would be unsustainable, and our descendants will be worse off than we are.

But will a warmer world be unsustainable, and leave our descendants worse off?

I have examined these claims out to the year 2200, using the IPCC’s own assumptions regarding future economic development and results generated by the Stern Review on the economics of climate change. Note that both the IPCC and Stern are viewed quite favorably by proponents of drastic GHG reductions (see, e.g., here).

The first figure (see below)…

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“New York’s Thousand Islands Are Being Ruined” (Letter to Sen. Schumer on the blight of government-dependent windpower)

By -- April 19, 2009

ALBERT H. BOWERS III
NAVAL ARCHITECT & MARITIME CONSULTANT
P.O. BOX 177 – 11891 ACADEMY STREET
CHAUMONT, NY 13622
BERTNA@TWCNY.RR.COM

April 17, 2009

Senator Charles E. Schumer
Washington, D.C.

New York’s Thousand Islands are being Ruined

Dear Senator Schumer:

We need your help. We and many neighbors in surrounding communities have been concerned for the past several years about the arrival in northern New York of very aggressive developers seeking to build large industrial wind turbine facilities in our small communities. In neighboring Ontario, these large wind turbines have recently been installed on Wolfe Island, just across the river from Cape Vincent, New York. Below is a photo, taken previously, of the Tibbits Point lighthouse in Cape VIncent, marking the point where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River:

 

Schumer1

 

Unfortunately, this beautiful scene will not be visible in this form again due to the construction of large wind turbines, visible in the following photo,…

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“EPA Recognizes Peril of Greenhouse Gases” (Houston Chronicle headline on endangerment finding indicative of alarmist bias)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 18, 2009
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Endangerment Finding: Legislative Hammer or Suicide Note?

By -- April 17, 2009
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Speaking Truth to Wind Power (Testifying against Ontario’s Green Energy Act)

By Michael Trebilcock -- April 16, 2009
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Costa Rica’s Energy Paradise: Comment on Tom Friedman (Not everywhere can be a playground for the rich)

By Donald Hertzmark -- April 15, 2009
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The Cato Climate Ad, Joe Romm, and Swanson & Tsonis

By Chip Knappenberger -- April 14, 2009
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George Will and the Sea-Ice Controversy: Was He More Correct Than Thought?

By Robert Murphy -- April 13, 2009
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‘Climate and Agriculture: We’re Not Dumb’ Follow-Up

By Chip Knappenberger -- April 11, 2009
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