New study suggests global warming could be mostly an urban problem
A new study published in the scientific peer-reviewed journal, Climate, by 37 researchers from 18 countries suggests that current estimates of global warming are contaminated by urban warming biases.
The study also suggests that the solar activity estimates considered in the most recent reports by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) likely underestimated the role of the Sun in global warming since the 19th century.
It is well-known that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside. While urban areas only account for less than 4% of the global land surface, many of the weather stations used for calculating global temperatures are located in urban areas. For this reason, some scientists have been concerned that the current global warming estimates may have been contaminated by urban heat island effects. In their latest report, the IPCC estimated that urban warming accounted for less than 10% of global warming. However, this new study suggests that urban warming might account for up to 40% of the warming since 1850.
The study also found that the IPCC’s chosen estimate of solar activity appeared to have prematurely ruled out a substantial role for the Sun in the observed warming.
When the authors analysed the temperature data only using the IPCC’s solar dataset, they could not explain any of the warming since the mid-20th century. That is, they replicated the IPCC’s iconic finding that global warming is mostly human-caused. However, when the authors repeated the analysis using a different estimate of solar activity – one that is often used by the scientific community – they found that most of the warming and cooling trends of the rural data could actually be explained in terms of changing solar activity.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Willie Soon, of the Center for Environmental Research and Earth Sciences (CERES-Science.com) described the implications of their findings,
“For many years, the general public has been assuming that the science on climate change is settled. This new study shows that this is not the case.”
Another author of the study, Prof. Ana Elias, the Director of the Laboratorio de Ionosfera, Atmósfera Neutra y Magnetosfera (LIANM) at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina, explained:
“This analysis opens the door to a proper scientific investigation into the causes of climate change.”
This study finds similar conclusions to another study that was recently published in a separate scientific peer-reviewed journal, Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. This other study involved many of the same co-authors (led by Dr. Ronan Connolly, also at the Center for Environmental Research and Earth Sciences). It took a different approach to analysing the causes of climate change – using an additional 25 estimates of solar activity and three extra temperature estimates.
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Why are greens making it so hard to grow plants in NYC
Under the city’s Million Trees program, which offers to plant free trees around the five boroughs, I put in a request for the city to entrust my block with a new tree.
“Your Service Request has been sent to the Department of Parks and Recreation,” the automated response read. “DPR will respond within 720 days.”
Considering trees literally eat carbon from the air (one tree averages 48 pounds a year, according to the Arbor Foundation), 720 days seems a long time to wait for a response during a “climate emergency.” That was 457 days ago and I’ve yet to receive my tree — or a response.
It’s incredible to watch people who claim to love the environment do so little to actually improve it. In fact, many seem openly hostile to the idea. No one more than big city Democrats, who ironically embrace ugliness and sterility in their pursuit of a greener planet.
Environmentalists were once called tree-huggers and wore “Save the Whales” t-shirts. Now, they desecrate priceless works of art while turning a blind eye to the mass killing of both trees and historically endangered marine mammals
In fact, the government of Scotland admitted this week it had downed 15.7 million trees since the year 2000 to make way for wind farms as a part of its “green energy” and “net-zero” carbon emission goals. That comes out to around 1,700 trees a day.
Closer to home, activists claim controversial wind farm development off the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island has contributed to a record number of dead whales washing ashore this year, including at least 14 humpbacks so far.
While New York City bans plastic straws, shopping bags, and wood-fired pizza ovens, why hasn’t it occurred to any of these climate warriors to incentivize gardening?
Gardens not only remove carbon and combat the heat island effect of big cities, but they also increase human happiness. How much more incentivizing do we need?
Gardens beautify our streets and lower crime — a block with well-maintained gardens, in the broken-windows mentality, is less likely to attract lawlessness. How much less? According to a 2022 study in crime-plagued South Africa, for every 1% increase in total green space, there is a 1.2% decrease in violent crime and a 1.3% decrease in property crime.
Gardening is also a much healthier hobby than doom-scrolling or binge-watching Netflix.
But gardening can get expensive, as anyone knows. And in New York City’s “green” crusade, trees and plants for your stoop, backyard, sidewalk bed, or window box are still charged sales tax. The same goes for soil, fertilizer, gardening tools, containers, and anything else you might need.
While produce in grocery stores is tax-free, in New York, Uncle Sam wants his cut if you plant your own tomatoes or grow a bit of basil on your windowsill.
And just imagine how much carbon it takes to ship those veggies to the store, not to mention the plastic packaging. If the city was serious about being greener, it would eliminate this tax while awarding tax credits to serious citizen-greenskeepers.
Funny enough, New York Democrats have made this very point through legislation, but — surprise, surprise — it only benefits rich people and developers, not average New Yorkers and renters. The city offers a “Green Roof” tax Abatement of up to $200,000 for developers who cover residential rooftops of new buildings in at least 50% green space
https://nypost.com/2023/09/02/green-pols-are-making-hard-to-grow-trees-in-nyc/
**********************************************Why wind and solar power are running out of juice
Green energy and the push to electrify everything have been in the news recently but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of the green energy nirvana politicians and green energy advocates have promised, economic and physical reality has begun to set in.
Start with the economic realities.
Wind turbine manufacturers like Siemens and General Electric have reported huge losses for the first half of this year, almost $5 billion for the former and $1 billion for the latter.
Among other problems, turbine quality control has suffered, forcing manufacturers such as Siemens and Vestas to incur costly warranty repairs.
In Europe, offshore wind output has been less than promised, while operating costs have been much higher than advertised.
Offshore wind developers in Europe and the US are canceling projects because of higher materials and construction costs.
In Massachusetts, Avangrid, the developer of the 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind project paid $48 million to get out of its existing contract to sell power to ratepayers.
That way, the company can rebid the project next year at an even higher price.
Close by, the developers of the 1,200 MW SouthCoast Wind Project off Martha’s Vineyard will pay about $60 million to exit their existing contract.
Rhode Island Energy, the state’s main electric utility, recently rejected the second Revolution Wind Project because the contract price was too high.
And Ørsted, the Danish government-owned company that is developing the Southfork Wind and Sunrise Wind projects off Long Island — as well as the Ocean Wind project off the New Jersey coast — last week announced that, without additional subsidies and higher contract prices, it will have to write-off billions of dollars in potential losses.
The result: Even though Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch insists that “energy transition without wind energy does not work,” 2022 saw 16% less new wind-power capacity than in 2021, according to the American Clean Power Association.
In New Jersey, the legislature passed a law in July, which is likely unconstitutional, to bail out Ørsted.
The legislation will award the company with several billion dollars of investment tax credits that were supposed to go to consumers.
Back on dry land, opposition to siting land-gobbling wind and solar projects continues to grow.
Local governments in Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio have all rejected or restricted projects.
Rural communities, it seems, do not want to host massive turbine farms — nor the high-voltage transmission lines needed to deliver electricity to power-hungry cities.
According to the New York Climate Action Committee’s Final Scoping Plan, New York will meet that increased demand by building almost 15,000 MW of offshore wind, like the Southfork Wind and Sunrise Wind projects, and over 40,000 MW of solar panels. (By comparison, the emissions-free Indian Point Nuclear Plant, which former Governor Cuomo forced to close, had a capacity of just over 1,000 MW.)
This “reserve margin” – basically, the amount of generating capacity available to step in and meet electric demand – will need to increase from the current 20% to over 100%.
In other words, for every MW of generating capacity in 2040, there will have to be an equal amount or more in reserve.
That’s like having to buy a second car and keep it idling all the time in case the first one won’t start.
The Scoping Plan claims this will be accomplished by building over 20,000 MW of so-called “dispatchable emissions-free generating resources” (DEFRs) and installing over 12,000 MW of battery storage.
Those claims are fantasy.
Start with DEFRs, which are generators that burn pure hydrogen manufactured from surplus wind and solar power.
They have yet to be invented (we repeat – they do not yet exist). Nor do any large-scale commercial plants to manufacture green hydrogen exist either.
Hydrogen cannot be transported in existing natural gas pipelines.
An entirely new infrastructure will need to be built.
Assuming a new technology will be invented by whatever date politicians decree is foolish.
That’s not how technology works.
https://nypost.com/2023/09/02/why-the-promise-of-green-energy-has-yet-to-deliver/
*******************************************Australia: Tyre Extinguishers target Toorak SUVs as part of environmental protest
An extremist environmental group has targeted one of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs, with SUV owners waking to find their tyres slashed and their cars undriveable.
Residents of Toorak in Melbourne woke on Friday to find the vandalised cars and an explanation note left on their windscreens detailing why SUVs are toxic to the environment.
The environmental group, Tyre Extinguishers, left those affected with a note alerting them: “Your gas guzzler kills.”
“We have deflated one or more of your tires,” the note reads.
“You’ll be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car. “We did this because driving around urban areas in your massive vehicle has huge consequences for others.
“SUVs and 4x4s are a disaster for our climate. SUVs are the second-largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade – more than the entire aviation industry.
“Even if you don’t care about the impacts on people far away from you, perhaps think about the impacts around your neighbourhood. SUVs cause far more air pollution than smaller cars.
“While the impacts on you so far have probably been minimal, every day millions of people are directly affected. Emergency action is needed to reduce emissions immediately.”
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said there had been several reports made following the group’s antics. “At least 10 four-wheel drive and sports utility vehicles in the vicinity of Tintern Ave were tampered with,” she said.
“Notes were also left on the vehicles describing the environmental impact of these types of vehicles. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Tintern Avenue was once home to Dame Nellie Melba, and Toorak is home to more members of The Australian’s Richest 250 list than anywhere else in the country.
Anyone who witnessed anything or with CCTV or other footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The group is well known in the UK and the US, yet it’s understood this is the first time the group have targeted Melbourne.
It lists instructions on its website about the best way to deflate an SUV tyre.
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My other blogs. Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM )
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Jim Hansen and his twin
1 comment:
New study? We were trying to get the fools screaming AGW to look at the facts about urban heat islands having surrounded weather stations back when the AGW crowd shifted from being Ice Age alarmists.
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