Month: May 2017

Uncategorized 18 May 2017

NSW Deputy Premier proposes debate around nuclear power

via Errors in IPCC climate science
http://ift.tt/1F9oSq3

Just when you thought most politicians are way far GreenLeft – up pops an exception – The ABC says – Nuclear power on the agenda in NSW as Deputy Premier claims ‘we’ve been led by fear and mistruths’ – Surely he is misquoted re France – which has had a large fleet of nuclear power generators for decades. Any ideas for good practical sites around Sydney? Could Lucas Heights be enlarged?

via Errors in IPCC climate science http://ift.tt/1F9oSq3

May 18, 2017 at 11:34AM

Uncategorized 18 May 2017

Study: trees in cities actually make pollution worse during heat waves

via Watts Up With That?
http://ift.tt/1Viafi3

From the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY comes this counter-intuitive finding:

During heat waves, urban trees can increase ground-level ozone

Planting trees is a popular strategy to help make cities “greener,” both literally and figuratively. But scientists have found a counterintuitive effect of urban vegetation: During heat waves, it can increase air pollution levels and the formation of ozone. Their study appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Previous research has shown that planting trees in cities can have multiple benefits, including storing carbon, controlling storm water and cooling areas off by providing shade. This has spurred efforts in cities across the U.S. and Europe to encourage the practice. However, it’s also known that trees and other plants release volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that can interact with other substances and contribute to air pollution. And when it’s hot, plants release higher levels of VOCs. Galina Churkina and colleagues wanted to investigate what effects heat waves and urban vegetation might have on air pollution.

The researchers compared computer models of air pollutant concentrations in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area in Germany in the summer of 2006, when there was a heat wave, and the summer of 2014, which had more typical seasonal temperatures. The simulation showed that during the summer of 2006, VOCs from urban greenery contributed to about 6 to 20 percent of the ozone formation, and that during the heat wave period, the contribution spiked to up to 60 percent. The researchers suggest that in addition to tree-planting campaigns, efforts to improve cities’ environments should include other measures such as reducing vehicular traffic, a major source of nitrogen oxides that can react with VOCs and form ozone.

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The authors acknowledge funding from E.U. COST’s GreenInUrbs project.

The paper’s abstract is here: http://ift.tt/2pQIqUS.

via Watts Up With That? http://ift.tt/1Viafi3

May 18, 2017 at 10:00AM

Uncategorized 18 May 2017

Viv Forbes: Kill the Paris Climate Treaty and rip out its roots

via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
http://ift.tt/1WIzElD

clexit-header By Viv Forbes,
Secretary of the Clexit Coalition

The Clexit Coalition today called on President Trump to keep his election promise to withdraw from the Paris Climate Treaty and stop US payments to all UN global warming programs.

The Clexit (ClimateExit) Coalition, comprising over 175 representatives from 25 countries, aims to prevent ratification or local enforcement of the UN Paris climate treaty.
See: http://ift.tt/2aouJDx

The Secretary of Clexit, Mr Viv Forbes of Australia, said that all nations will suffer from the destructive energy policies being promoted in the UN’s war on cheap, reliable hydro-carbon fuels and the backbone industries that rely on them – mining and smelting, farming, fishing, forestry, processing and manufacturing.

He was supported by Professor Will Happer, Professor of Physics at Princeton University who said today:
“Americans never felt compelled to sign up to international folly in the past. I hope the United States once again shows the common sense of its people and walks away from the Paris Agreement.”

Dr Willie Soon of Clexit USA, an astro-physicist and climate author, added:
“There is no free energy in the real world. All world leaders, not only President Trump, should stop promoting the empty game of energy poverty and deaths.”

Dr Tim Ball, the Regional Director of Clexit Canada, said:
“President Trump knows he must keep the promises made at his public rallies. For example, he made the commitment to get out of Paris in his Harrisburg Pennsylvania speech:
http://ift.tt/2pYf7f1

“This includes deals like the one-sided Paris Climate Accord, where the United States pays billions of dollars while China, Russia and India have contributed nothing and will contribute nothing.”

Mr Forbes said that the war on natural hydro-carbon fuels is denying the poorest people and nations of the world the chance of better paying jobs, cheaper energy and more abundant food.

“There is no justification for the War on carbon dioxide – CO2 does not drive global temperature and Earth’s climate cannot be tweaked by erecting windmills or putting taxes on carbon dioxide. CO2 is naturally sequestered by oceans and the biosphere. Burning natural hydrocarbons merely recycles Earth’s carbonaceous nutrients vital to all life – already world food production and global forests have benefitted from the small increases in carbon dioxide plant food in Earth’s atmosphere.
See: World forests just grew 9%:
http://ift.tt/2rjGVhQ

“President Trump promised to exit the Paris Treaty, but he also needs to de-fund and exit all UN climate control bureaucracies.

“Tom Harris of the Canadian-based International Climate Science Coalition has said that the President needs to dig up the roots of Paris – the UN Framework on Climate Change signed by President H. W. Bush and others in Rio in 1992.
See: http://ift.tt/2qUfLeu

“The root mass of every weed is as big as its branches. Everyone knows that pruning weeds just encourages more growth from the energised roots. All people who value freedom and prosperity must eradicate the UN Climate weeds, roots and all.

“Clexit members around the world look to President Trump to add his weight to the growing momentum to withdraw from the Paris Climate Treaty and the Rio UN FCCC, and to de-fund all bodies responsible for planting these climate industry weeds.”

(Apologies to those who may oppose other policies of Donald Trump, but on climate and energy he is spot on and deserves support.)

Viv Forbes
vforbes@clexit.net
Rosevale Qld Australia