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Sep 25, 2023
Alarmists Turn Up Heat with Climate, Weather ‘Records’!

by Larry Bell, on Cornwall Alliance

Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “the hottest month [July] just ended. We witnessed scorching heat, extreme weather events, wildfires, and severe health consequences.”

He added, “It’s a stark reminder of the urgent need for collective action to address climate change. Let’s use this alarming milestone to fuel our determination for bold climate action.

“Together, we can turn up the heat on sustainable solutions and create a cooler, more resilient world for generations to come.”

Myron Ebel, director and senior fellow at the Center for Energy and Environment, notes that while June and July were hot in many locations, others - such as Los Angeles with the 10th coolest June on recent record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - experienced below-average temperatures.

On July 27, President Biden stated that “record temperatures - and I mean record - are now affecting more than 100 million Americans. Puerto Rico reached a 125-degree heat index last month. San Antonio hit an all-time heat index high of 117 last month.”

Rather than citing actual temperatures where, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), Puerto Rico on the day referenced was 95 degrees - not 125 - since index measurements combine temperature and relative humidity.

According to the NWS, San Antonio’s 117-degree heat index that month resulted from just three days of 105-degree temperatures from June 19-21.

And whereas Houston experienced 10-degree-higher-than-average July temperatures, some rural Texas towns such as Water Valley at 99.8 degrees compared with a prior 97-degree average reflected little change.

Climatologist and professor John Christy, director of the University of Alabama Huntsville Earth Science Center, points out that “regionally, the West has seen its largest number of hot summer records in the past 100 years, but the Ohio Valley and Upper Midwest are experiencing their fewest.”

As Dr. Christy, also a former NASA scientist, observes, “for the conterminous U.S. as a whole, the last 10 years have produced only an average number of records...The 1930s are still champs [for producing the most 100-plus temperature days in a year].

Conveniently omitted in alarmist reports is the U.S. Historical Climate Network (USHCN) temperature data for contiguous states, revealing that the number of days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), which peaked in the 1930s has been in an 80-year overall decline.

Bear in mind that this preceded the 1940s when World War II weapons industries released massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Nevertheless, global temperatures declined in fits-and-starts from the mid-1940s until the late 1970s, when most of the climate science establishment and media were predicting the beginning of the next Ice Age with galloping glaciers threatening Manhattan.

A decade later, abetted by then- Sen Al Gore’s feverish 1988 hearings in Congress in concert with the U.N.’s obsession with passing the Kyoto Protocol global wealth redistribution plan capping CO2 in developed countries - mainly the U.S. -its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared an opposite and imminent global warming emergency which continues to give a pass to China, the world’s largest emitter.

Whereas Christy and virtually all other informed climatologists fully recognize that climate obviously changes due to numerous complex natural factors and that a warming trend has ensued since the three-century-long so-called “Little Ice Age” ended in the mid-1800s, we shouldn’t confuse 30-year-long climate attributions with decadal and shorter regional weather patterns and occurrences.

Christy told the Epoch Times that global satellite readings he measured with meteorologist colleague Roy Spencer which go back only to 1979, show that while last July was the warmest by about a quarter of a degree, an “early and strong El Nino” was a “major factor” in the increase.

The term “El Nino” refers to entirely natural, relatively short multi-year periodic events in the Pacific Ocean leading to warmer temperatures in North and South America which are typically followed by La Nina’s that reverse results to cooler circumstances with trade winds that push warm water toward Asia.

All-in-all, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data does show that average global surface temperatures have increased by two degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) since the pre-industrial era (1880-1900), and few will argue that CO2 hasn’t had some (yet unmeasurable) contribution.

Confirming that recent satellite data shows global temperatures rising steadily at about 0.23 degrees Fahrenheit every decade, Christy nevertheless emphasizes that we should understand that this current trend is bouncing back from the 19th century, which was one of the coldest in the last 10,000 years.

The Roman Warm Period two thousand years ago was just as warm or warmer, as was the Medieval Warm Period a thousand years ago - long before mankind introduced smokestacks and SUVs

Let’s also be mindful that CO2 is essential to plant food that satellites reveal is making our world greener, extending growing seasons, feeding more people and other of God’s creatures, and fundamentally extending and improving our lives.

Whereas President Biden claims, “I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of climate change anymore,” where “the No. 1 weather-related killer is heat - 600 people die annually from its effects,” he fails to mention that cold weather conditions kill far more each year.

According to the Breakthrough Institute, heat is responsible for about 500,000 annual deaths worldwide, while cold temperatures account for 4.6 million excess fatalities.

It’s also high time for Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus to come clean and set records straight on WHO’s botched information about COVID-19 before again misrepresenting facts about weather.

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See the years with the highest all-time state temperatures here.

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And see the all-time heat record history for stations with a long record.
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And here is the departures for the summer of 2023. Most states averaged near to even below normal this summer despite some July heat.

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Aug 31, 2023
Alleged climate extinction threat to Emperor Penguins

By Jim Steele, CO2 Coalition

More Climate Alarmists Misinformation about Emperor Penguin’s Breeding Failure!

The recently published paper by Peter Fretwell titled Record Low 2022 Antarctic Sea Ice led to Catastrophic Breeding Failure of Emperor Penguins, set off a wave of misinformed doomsday articles, as his introduction stated “Recent efforts to predict emperor penguin population trends from forecasts of sea ice loss have painted a bleak picture, showing that if present rates of warming persist over 90% of emperor colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of this century.

A sea ice physicist at the British Antarctic Survey added to the fearmongering stating “This paper dramatically reveals the connection between sea ice loss and ecosystem annihilation. Climate change is melting sea ice at an alarming rate.”

However, there was absolutely no evidence the lack of sea ice was due melting from global warming. All previous research has shown because of the extreme cold melt ponds are rarely observed in Antarctica. The annual loss of fast-ice (ice fastened to the shore) that Emperors often use for a breeding, is largely due to breakouts, not melting. And a careful examination of the 5 colonies that Fretwell analyzed, strongly suggest the paper’s claims were just promoting the climate crisis hoax.

Nonetheless, the dishonest doomsday internet activist GoGreen@ecowarriorss pounced on the misinformation and tweeted “Emperor penguins suffer ‘unprecedented’ breeding failure as sea ice disappears Ultimately, they cannot survive in an ever warming world and neither can we or most other species bar cockroaches and a few other hardy species. MSN.com fearmongered, “Emperor penguins are running out of ice to breed on.’

Click bait media like USA Today headlined, “Climate change hits emperor penguins: Chicks are dying and extinction looms, study finds ‘stating “due to the dramatic loss of sea ice, several colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica face “quasi-extinction” in the decades to come.  And as expected CNN wrote, “‘Catastrophic’loss: Huge colonies of emperor penguins saw no chicks survive last year as sea ice disappears.;

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But Fretwell’s 5 colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea (circled region) were NOT huge as illustrated by the small circles. Furthermore, climate scientists had determined that atmospheric circulation variability over the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Sea is larger than in any other region of the Southern Hemisphere, which is why the fast-ice extent is so variable there and so prone to the early breakouts that happened in 2022. The regions instability also suggests the 5 colonies were likely only temporary.

1. Satellites first discovered the Bryant Coast colony in 2014, but there were no penguins observed there in 2010.
2. The Pfrogner Point colony was only discovered in 2019. Its estimated population of 1200 pairs bred on a stable ice shelf, not on fast ice. Yet they still abandoned the colony in November.
3. There was no breeding failure on the Rothschild Island colony because there, fast-ice persisted as needed until the end of December.
4. Smyley Island colony was first discovered in 2009, and its populations vary wildly, between 1000 and 6500 breeding pairs.
5. The Verdi Inlet colony was first discovered by satellite in 2018 and its population also varied wildly.

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Tremendous sea ice variability in the Bellingshausen Sea is caused by the shifting location and strength of the quasi-permanent pressure system, known as the Amundsen Low. As seen in the illustration, the Amundsen Low’s clockwise circulation caused reduced sea ice (red) in the Bellingshausen Sea and above average sea ice (blue) in the Amundsen and Ross seas. Also notice there was no other loss of sea ice along the coast where Emperors breed. Low sea ice elsewhere (red) was caused when weaker winds did not extend the pack ice further away from the coast.

Years when the Amundsen Low is stronger, the winds in the Bellingshausen Sea that blow towards the coast prevent sea ice expansion. Those stronger winds also carry more moisture and cause some of Antarctica’s most intense snowfalls. Heavy snowfall insulates the fast-ice and prevents warmer ocean heat from ventilating. That trapped heat then reduces the normal thickening of the fast-ice, making fast-ice in this region more vulnerable to breakouts.

Finally, the Amundsen Low is very sensitive to El Nino and La Nina events that shift the winds location and strength. The fast ice breakouts of the 5 colonies had nothing to do with a climate crisis but were driven by natural atmospheric circulation patterns unique to the Bellingshausen Sea.

Shame on all the alarmists that weaponized weather and natural penguin migrations to push a climate crisis!

See the story by David Siegel Jim highlighted here.

Aug 22, 2023
Another disaster, another FEMA scandal.

Mike Smith

Another disaster, another FEMA scandal.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an utter disgrace. I have been following its antics since Katrina. It’s #1 priority in disasters seems to be photo-ops.

The full Daily Mail story is here. Kathleen and I have merely toured the Grand Wailea beach resort as we can’t afford to stay there! I just went to their website to get the current price of a room. See for yourself. Rooms start at $900/night.

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Meanwhile, the people of Lahaina had to listen to President Biden drone on yesterday about a kitchen fire (no one hurt) at his home that threatened his prized Corvette.

Local government officials in Hawaii continue to stonewall residents of Lahaina as to the number of deaths. The current death toll is an awful 114; there are indirect indications the total number of deaths may be significantly higher. When residents press the mayor for answers, this is what they get.

Lahaina is hardly the only time FEMA has been accused of being unresponsive. Read this letter from the mayor of Lake Charles to FEMA in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura.

In the strongest possible manner, please contact your congressional delegation and urge them to work together to create a National Disaster Review Board modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

How Will the National Disaster Review Board Function?

When there is, for example, a commercial airline crash, the NTSB takes over the scene and the press relations. Their investigators, who are experts—while they work with the local authorities—and take the lead. There is none of the game-playing that goes on such as at the red link above. With a National Disaster Review Board, we would know how many have been identified as perished and how many are missing.

The NTSB has a lab where they analyze evidence gathered during a plane crash. They same lab recovers the data from an airliners’ cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (the “black boxes” on every airliner). What I really like about the NTSB is they invite all interested parties to the investigation. For example, if Boeing manufactured the plane, they have a representative to participate and lend their expertise.

That’s how I got acquainted with the NTSB--we were participants in investigations in railroad derailments and plane crashes. In the case below, it was clear when they walked in that they had one impression as to what had occurred. We presented the evidence and they changed their minds --they were open-minded and wanted to get things right.

While it is not a perfect comparison, the National Disaster Review Board would take over the site of the Lahaina fire and invite local fire, emergency management, National Weather Service, Hawaii Electric and the others involved to participate. Then, like the NTSB, there would be a public hearing (for this case in Maui) where local residents could offer their input as to what occurred, vent their frustrations, et cetera. After about 9-12 months, a full report with findings of fact and recommendations for improving safety, would be issued. In some cases, like the NTSB, it would offer recommendations to Congress and the Administration where changes in policy are needed.

I am a Reagan (small government) conservative and it goes against my political grain to advocate increasing the size of government. But, all evidence seems to be that our disaster responses are getting worse, not better. That is why it is essential for a National Disaster Review Board to be created at the earliest possible time.

Aug 17, 2023
Renewables Mania And Woke Dogma Behind Hawaii Fire, Not Climate Change!

Michael Schellenberger

Climate change caused the fire that ravaged Hawaii, according to the New York Times. “Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into A Tinderbox,” it reported. “The explanation is as straightforward as it is sobering: As the planet heats up, no place is protected from disasters.”

But the cause of the strong winds, which pushed the wildfires into the city of Lahaina, was Hurricane Dora, and the best available science shows no increase in hurricanes at global or national levels.

It’s true that there’s been a 31% decline in average yearly rainfall in Hawaii since 1990, according to researchers. The La Nina weather pattern, which usually leads to significant rainfall, has brought less precipitation over the last 40 years.

But other changes are more difficult to tie to rising global temperatures, such as the fact that larger storms have been moving northward, resulting in less rainfall. And only 16% of Maui County, where most of the wildfires were burning, has been in severe drought, with another 20% in moderate drought.

What’s more, it’s been human-made changes to the landscape, including the reversion of former sugar cane farms, which had been irrigated, to invasive grasses, which are quick to ignite. “The landscape is just covered with flammable stuff,” one expert told the Times. “All of the conditions just came together.”

Analysts found that drops to power line voltage, which means that the lines were likely spraying sparks onto dry grasses. “It is unambiguous that Hawaiian Electric’s grid experienced immense stress for a prolonged time,” said one analyst. “There were dozens and dozens of major faults on the grid and any one of those could have been the ignition source for a fire.”

Hawaiian Electric failed to clear flammable grasses from around electric wires. Over the last three years, the electric utility spent less than $250,000 into wildfire prevention. It had a plan, but failed to implement it, noted Lee Fang. The state utility commission dragged its feet on upgrades to Lahaina’s fire protection, “with a time estimate for wildfire protection upgrades starting this year and completed in 2027.”

“I was already fighting with the electric company because they never maintain the lines,” said a fifth-generation Hawaii resident who lives on a family farm. “We were very concerned that these high-voltage lines were running through our property and going to our neighbors because they’d been on the ground, buried in trees, or lying so low.

And it’s now clear that a Hawaii state water official, named M. Kaleo Manuel, delayed the release of water to landowners, who wanted it to prevent fires. “The water standoff played out over much of the day,” reported Stewart Yerton of Honolulu City Beat, “and the water didn’t come until too late”.

Why is that? Why did Hawaiian Electric fail to implement its wildfire mitigation plan? And why did Manuel refuse to release the water?

Renewables Mania And Woke Dogma

Aug 14, 2023
Hawaii Fires

By Roger Pielke Jr.

More than 100 deaths have now been associated with the Maui fire last week, a horrific tragedy. Writing at the Washington Examiner, Nicholas Clairmont calls out the awful reporting that has followed, lazily attributing the fire to climate change:

“It would be so ugly to use the disaster as a talking point, especially a talking point that is factually wrong or not supported by the available research and evidence”.

Here are some facts:

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Maui County was not experiencing unusual drought conditions last week, as you can see in the figure above. The U.S. Drought Monitor has drought intensity data for Maui County from January 2000, that’s 1232 weeks 690 of those weeks (or 56%) had greater drought conditions (D0-D4) than the week of 8 Aug 2023 There have been no D3-D4 drought conditions in Maui County since 3 Jan 2023,

Hawaii has seen multi-decadal climate variability and changes, including a drier period in recent decades (during Nov-Apr), however these changes have not been attributed to climate change by those researchers who have explicitly researched the topic. A 2022 paper concludes, “For all the model precipitation change signals described above, their magnitudes are considerably less than their simulated internal variability of climate on centennial time scales.”

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The single best thing I have seen written on fires in Maui comes not from a journalist, but from a BYU Hawaii undergrad, Kemana Ka’anapu, who has written a fascinating paper on Maui’s fire vulnerability. Ka’anapu shares the figure above and explains:

In the past two centuries, Hawaii has undergone an immense societal, economic, and environmental transformation that has resulted in a devastating wildfire problem. On examination of Hawaii’s history, we can see exactly how this development has occurred. In 1848, a feudal system of watershed-based land stewardship was replaced with an allodial system of land tenure that opened up the privatization of land.

From 1848 to 1937, over half of the land in Hawaii was transformed into pasture grazing land and plantation agriculture land. From 1937 to 2015, that amount of land decreased by over 62 percent, and over 90 percent of the remaining land suitable for ranching agriculture lands turned fallow and unmanaged. This land perfectly welcomed invasive grass and shrub plant species that have dominated and transformed Hawaiian ecosystems into fire- prone environments. These grasses and shrubs are the perfect fuel for fires and cover one-quarter of all Hawaiian lands. These grasses fuel a wildfire and fuel cycle with the help of high temperatures, dry climates, and human error.

Dan Sarewitz wrote almost a decade ago that “in addition to all the other things that climate change may be doing, it is also making us stupid”. Judged by climate journalism in 2023, he was not wrong.

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