UK weather: May 2018 hottest since records began in UK

You have to be alert to catch slippery Warmists out.  Just one word gives the game away below.  The con is that the figure quoted is the daily average MAXIMUM temperature which does not make "May 2018 hottest since records began". You need to know the MINIMUM daily figures as well to calculate the MEAN daily temperature.  Without knowing the minima, May could in fact have been unusually cool!

The provisional daily average maximum temperature for May 2018 was 17C. Last month was the warmest May since records began more than 100 years ago, the Met Office has said.

According to provisional figures, May 2018 saw an average daily maximum temperature of 17C (63F). It would beat the previous May record of 16.9C set in 1992.

The Met Office said spring 2018, which ran from March to May, had been "very dynamic with many fluctuations". But the period was 0.3C higher than the average between 1981 and 2010.

Across the UK, the average May temperature was 1.5C above the long-term 1981-2010 average at 11.9C.

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Congress helped create the domestic rare earth minerals shortage—and now it can fix it

Last week an unknown Chinese phone company, ZTE, was thrust into the spotlight because of ongoing trade negations and sanctions talk. Members of the Senate and House were up in arms because President Trump was in discussions to lift or modify the sanctions on the Chinese government-linked company. There is no doubt the company’s equipment poses a national security threat, but no one is asking the question how.

Last week, the Senate Banking Committee approved legislation 23-2 blocking the Trump administration from easing sanctions on ZTE, the aforementioned Chinese phone company, for national security reasons.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) stated, “Most members of Congress have come to understand the threat China poses. There’s a growing commitment in Congress to do something about what China is trying to do to the United States. And this is a good place to start.”

When asked about President Trump possibly making a deal with China and ZTE, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated, “This seems to be an area where Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate are coming together and telling the president, you’ve got to be tough on China, you have to have your actions match your rhetoric.”

What the Senate is ignoring or doesn’t know, is it played a rather large part in creating the problem with ZTE.

Not a peep about the reason China dominates the technology manufacturing industry from either side of the aisle in the Senate. It seems both Senators forget the core problem. Yes, communications equipment made in China is probably being used as spying devices and should not be trusted, but environmentalist regulators have made it next to impossible to mine the rare earth elements (REEs) needed to make the equipment in the U.S.

REEs are a group of 15 elements between atomic numbers 57 and 71 that have unusual physical and chemical properties, giving them multiple applications in the defense industry and civilian market.

The U.S. military is wholly dependent on rare earth minerals for a large assortment of weapons systems. The smart weapons that allow the military to use one bomb for one target while reducing collateral damage use guidance systems. The motors and fin actuators that steer the weapons use rare earth elements, specifically neodymium magnets.

Not only do REEs play a key role in national defense, but they also play an irreplaceable role in the modern communications industry. A single iPhone contains eight different rare-earth metals. The speakers, screen, and vibration feature would not work without rare earth elements. The elements are also used in televisions, computers, light bulbs, and catalytic converters. It is not a stretch to say rare earth elements are the foundation of our modern society.

China has used excessively harsh regulations in the U.S. to corner the rare earth market. China refuses to export the material, forcing the companies to relocate to the mainland for manufacture. This is how China came to dominate the electronics manufacturing market. The market for rare earth elements is only expected to reach $10.9 billion in 2020, and China turned it into a technology manufacturing industry valued at $4.8 trillion.

As the Senate rushes to the nearest TV crew to complain about something the President is doing, House of Representatives isn’t just standing by. There are several bills in the House dealing with the rare earth element issue, including Rep. Amoedi’s amendment to the recently passed House NDAA, H.Amdt. 647 to H.R. 5515.

Thankfully for the security and economic power of the nation, the Amodei amendment passed the NDAA in the House. The amendment tackles the rare earth problem by:

Requiring federal agencies to more efficiently develop domestic sources of strategic and critical minerals and mineral materials on federal lands;

Facilitating a timely permitting process for mineral exploration and mine development projects by clearly defining the responsibilities of a lead agency and reducing duplicative processes without compromising existing environmental standards; and

Streamlining the total review process for issuing permits to 30 months unless signatories to the permitting timeline agree to an extension.

The amendment passed with bipartisan support showing the House understands the problem. Now if the camera hogging Senate wanted to show it was truly serious about the danger of Chinese telecommunications equipment, it should easily pass the same amendment in the Senate version of the NDAA.

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Claim: London could run out of WATER in decades thanks to climate change and population rise

The basic point is that warming oceans would give off MORE rain -- so London should pray for global warming to happen.  There is no way that warming could produce more droughts

Another day, another climate scare. This time it’s not enough rain, or – believe it or not – ‘climate change’ bringing the wrong kind of rain, to London as the Evening Standard reports.

Millions of extra litres of drinking water must be sourced to stop parts of London running dry over the coming decades, Thames Water has warned.

It said that unless we change our consumption habits, some 250 million more litres will need to be pumped into the capital each day.

With London’s 8.8 million population due to hit 11 million by 2050, customers are being asked to “consider different ways they can reduce demand”, such as using water-reducing shower heads.

Thames Water said that without changing our lifestyles “there would be shortages, low pressure and more instances of people having no water”.

Climate change is predicted to bring shorter, heavier bursts of rain, which run off from the ground and are not as reliable for filling up rivers. Climate change is also expected to cause more droughts.

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Some Of The Loudest Backers Of Paris Climate Accords Are Bucking The Agreement

June 1 marks the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s having begun the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord.

Foreign leaders immediately criticized the decision. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the decision to leave “extremely regrettable,” while the prime minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, called the move “a sad day for the world.”

Most nations that signed the Paris climate accords will soon fail to meet their agreement-defined deadlines for fossil fuel reduction. (Photo: baona/Getty Images)

Trump justified the withdrawal by calling the situation “the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries.”

Trump was wrong. The climate accord is not just a bad deal for the U.S., but for all of the developed countries that have committed to higher energy prices for minimal climate benefit.

It’s a bad deal for the developing world if these countries choose to deny their citizens affordable, reliable energy sources. Sure, some of these countries may receive money to build new renewable-energy generation, but mandating a shift away from natural resources that power 80 percent of the world is going to make them worse off.

Despite arguments to the contrary, Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is not about prioritizing the economy over the planet. Rather, the administration recognized that the climate accord is a costly non-solution, regardless of one’s position on climate change.

It’s no surprise that many countries are talking the climate talk, but not walking the walk. The true nature of the agreement has been revealed by the contradictory actions of other nations.

The wishful platitudes and ambitious goals of the Paris climate agreement have begun to meet the realities of a complex, energy-dependent world.

The stark reality is that healthier economies mean more energy use, and consequently, rising emissions (though not always).  When economies were in a slump, it was easier to commit to emissions reductions. When countries’ economies began to grow, many saw emissions rise.

Overall, global coal demand rose about 1 percent in 2017, largely because of Asian countries building more coal-fired electricity generation.

In fact, the Berlin-based organization Urgewald projects that 1,600 new coal-fired generating plants under construction or planned will result in 840,000 megawatts of new capacity.

Smaller, less developed countries have not been the only countries that have struggled to meet their emissions goals. Some nations, such as Turkey and Indonesia, have even expanded their use of coal power to satisfy growing energy needs.

Pakistan, in its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, quite bluntly stated, “Given the future economic growth and associated growth in the energy sector, the peaking of emissions in Pakistan is expected to take place much beyond the year 2030. An exponential increase of [greenhouse gas] emissions for many decades is likely to occur before any decrease in emissions can be expected.”

Even some of the most climate progressive nations on earth have struggled as well.

Germany, a world leader on climate action, has failed to cut emissions and has actually seen emissions rise during the past two years. Germany may even have to buy its way out of a binding European Union agreement to lower emissions in the coming years.

In Brazil, emissions in most sectors are expected to rise at least until 2030. In Japan, political issues with nuclear energy will likely cause the use of coal for energy to increase by 2030. Poland and South Korea also have plans for coal expansions.

Compliance with the Paris Agreement globally has been nothing short of dismal. In fact, most nations will soon fail to meet their agreement-defined deadlines.

Without enforcement, however, the agreement and any promises made by countries are meaningless. This is not a new revelation. While the Paris talks were first occurring in 2015, former NASA scientist and prominent climate activist James Hansen called the talks “a fraud,” contending: “There is no action, just promises.”

Many argue that Paris is just the first step. It seems as though much of the developed and developing worlds can’t even get the first step right.

The supposition that countries will stick with their respective targets leading up to 2030 and that post-Paris negotiations will lead to deep global de-carbonization of energy is a rather large and very generous assumption, if not purely wishful thinking.

The reality is that the Paris climate agreement is fundamentally flawed. This global commitment is nothing more than broken and empty promises.

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Chevron Wins $38M From Enviros Behaving Badly: Extortion, Fraud, Corruption

Score 1 for Chevron

In 2011, environmentalists won the world’s largest judgment against Chevron (holy moly $18 billion), but it turned out it was all based on fraud, fake witnesses and telling lies.

Who would think people who say they like trees and human rights would be so self-serving? The award has since been overturned — indeed the tables have turned, and last week Chevron was awarded $38 million in damages.

Strangely, bad behavior of planet-saving-people doesn’t appear to rate highly in the news. Hands up who thinks the BBC/ABC/CBC would fail to mention it if environmentalists won a $38m suit against a money-laundering-witness-tampering oil company?

Gibraltar Supreme Court Awards Chevron $38 Million Against Ecuadorian Conspirators:

The Supreme Court of Gibraltar has issued a judgment against Pablo Fajardo, Luis Yanza, Ermel Chavez, Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia (the “Front”) and Servicios Fromboliere for their role in a conspiracy to procure and attempt to enforce a fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron.

The court awarded Chevron Corporation$38 million in damages and interest and issued a permanent injunction against the defendants, preventing them from assisting or supporting the case against Chevron in any way.

Donziger and Fajardo, an Ecuadorian lawyer, were found by a U.S. Federal Court to have engaged in extortion, money laundering, wire fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The Front, which has long been involved in peddling a dishonest public relations campaign against Chevron aimed at extorting a settlement from the company, and Servicios Fromboliere, an Ecuadorian law firm established by Fajardo, are both shareholders in Amazonia and part of the extensive web of obscure entities established by the participants in the fraud against Chevron to attempt to hide their misconduct and profit from it.

The backstory –thanks to The Daily Caller, and Tim Pearce

An Ecuador court issued an $18 billion judgement against Chevron in February 2011 for environmental and social harm the company allegedly caused to the Amazon. The amount was later reduced to $9.5 billion, but a U.S. district court in New York nullified the judgement due to fraudulent and illegal activities by Steven Donziger, the lead American lawyer behind the lawsuit, according to the district court ruling.

The New York district court found that while Donziger had initiated the case with good intentions, he corrupted the process through telling half-truths, outright lies, and using fake evidence and witnesses.

“If ever there were a case warranting equitable relief with respect to a judgment procured by fraud, this is it,” the district court ruling said.

SOURCE 

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