Archive for July, 2008
Anchorage Alaska has Record Cold Summer
Jul 25th
Anchorage Alaska is set to break the record of days under 65 degrees.
From the Anchorage Daily News:
Right now the so-called summer of ’08 is on pace to produce the fewest days ever recorded in which the temperature in Anchorage managed to reach 65 degrees.
That unhappy record was set in 1970, when we only made it to the 65-degree mark, which many Alaskans consider a nice temperature, 16 days out of 365.
This year, however — with the summer more than half over — there have been only seven 65-degree days so far. And that’s with just a month of potential “balmy” days remaining and the forecast looking gloomy.
They do note however that:
Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that it’s “unequivocal” the world is warming, considering how 11 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the past 13 years.
They must not have corrected their numbers to account for the whole “10 year break” thing.
Climate Activest Unable to Superglue Something
Jul 22nd
To solve the climate crisis rationally, follow the leed of Dan Glass (From the climate change group ‘Plane Stupid’) and superglue yourself to someone.
Climate Change activist (and apparent idiot) Dan Glass attempted to superglue himself to Gordon Brown (Prime minister of the United Kingtom). After this attempt failed, he attempted to superglue himself to the Downing Street gates.
With great minds like these, they are sure to rationally solve the “climate crisis” with as little harm to the economy as possible.
Everyone Pays Higher Taxes, Except DNC
Jul 22nd
In relation to the Democratic National Convention (which bosts to be carbon neutral), While they fight for carbon offsets and Cap-and-Trade carbon taxes for us all, they themselves do not have to pay gas taxes at the convention.
From the Rockey Mountain News:
The issue came up during the council’s weekly meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper when the Public Works Department requested authorization to be reimbursed by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for use of “fueling facilities, fuel and car washes.”
“By doing it this way, by running it through our Fleet Maintenance, that means that that fuel does not pay state or federal highway taxes,” Faatz said.
So, they don’t have to pay taxes on Fuel or Car Washes, but they expect us to pay extra for every bit of energy we use to help mother Earth. That ammounts to a $0.404 cheeper gallon of gas if you are a Democratic flunkie.
Two questions:
- If you fight for carbon offset fees and a Cap-and-Trade system for us all, why not at least pay the regular taxes we all have to pay?
- How the crap do Car Washes help mother Earth?
Anyone?
Gore – Carbon-free Electricity in 10 Years
Jul 20th
Al Gore thinks we should be completly free of carbon-based energy in 10 years. Oh yea, and Nuclear Power doesn’t count.
From the Associated Press and My Way News.
To quote the Associated Press:
To speed up the transition to new energy sources, Gore said the single most important policy change would be to “tax what we burn, not what we earn,” advocating a tax on carbon dioxide pollution.
This is my favorite part:
“Even coal has a role to play if the carbon dioxide is captured and safely buried … but clean coal does not exist right now,” Gore said.
Right. Here’s what I say:
Even renewables have a role to play in the United State’s energy Production… but magic-pill-renewable-energy-that-we-all-can-switch-to-so-we-can-brake-our-addaction-to-oil does not exist right now.
Nucler is Carbon Free… but… you know… environmentalists have been fighting nuclear for 30 years, so… well… they can’t stop fighting it now.
Car and Truck emissions reduced up to 95 Percent!
Jul 20th
Shhhh! Don’t Tell Anyone! People need to think things are getting worse!
According to the US Department of Transportation, as of 2002:
These comparisons show estimated in-use emissions rates, in grams/mile, for cars and heavy-duty diesel trucks with 2002 control technology versus 1967 vehicles (before significant controls). Car emissions rates have declined by 80 percent to 95 percent depending on pollutant, while heavy-duty diesel truck emissions rates have declined by 82 percent for VOC, 42 percent for NOx, and 63 percent for CO.
If anyone has more updated figures, I would love to post them. Call me crazy, but the amount of energy it takes to move a car around is peanuts compaired to the amout of energy to power a city… so why not focus on power plants by producing more hydroelectric, wind, nuclear, etc?
I have a feeling it has something to do with the inability for a person to purchase a powerplant and drive it around as a status symbol to show off to the Jones’s.
**CAUGH-CAUGH-prius-CAUGH**
Wisconson Global Warming Taskforce Close Mindedness
Jul 10th
Wisconsin’s Global Warming Task Force is looking at facts, but only the ones that will help them bring about sweaping taxes and legislation in the name of Mother Earth.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Predictably, the climate scientists on the Journal Sentinel Editorial Board endorsed the recommendations of Gov. Jim Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force (“Making it happen,” July 29).
But the Editorial Board — and the task force — left out important facts you should know:
The task force was charged by the governor at the outset to assume that human use of fossil fuels is a major contributor to global warming. The fact that a significant number of climate scientists do not share this view or have serious reservations was ignored. The Editorial Board forgot to mention that there have been many dramatic natural climate variations in the past that are not fully understood, such as the “Little Ice Age” that affected Europe for several centuries.
Jim Ott (the writer of this article) is being introduced to something we here at the Church of Global Warming like to call… Dogma. The facts don’t matter Jim. Only the facts that fit will make it into News.
Higher CO2 Might be Good for Plants? Duha.
Jul 8th
German scientist Hans-Joachim Weigel says when a plant increases its exposure to carbon dioxide; it appears to boost crop yields.
Carbon Dioxide in the air can help plants grow according to super-smart science people:
“Output increased by about 10 percent for barley, beets and wheat” when the plants were subjected to higher levels of carbon dioxide, Weigel said.
Its a good thing we have these scientists to tell us what would appear to be common sense… or to be fair, not common sense but basic 4th grade science. Plants Eat CO2 and sunlight (as well as water and some nutrients found in the soil) then output sugar and Oxygen. More CO2 means more photosynthesis. Duha.
But before you think that higher CO2 would be good, he is quick to say:
“This research is not intended as an argument for doing nothing to curb the rise of CO2 levels,” he said. “It is to find out what the effects would be.”
Phiew. I’m glad he said that. For a second there I almost thought Global Warming wasn’t anything to worry about. Sorry Ethiopia, looks like growing more crops is a bad thing after all.
California Requires New Cars to Have a “Global Warming Score”
Jul 7th
Sources: Greenbiz.com, AccuWeather.com
A law requiring labels to be put on a new car’s window sticker will go into effect at the start of next year for all 2009 model cars. This “global warming score” will display a scale from one to 10 to show how clean a car’s emissions are in comparison to other cars sold that year. Higher score = cleaner car.
I wonder if this score will be put on Hydrogen powered cars that emit water vapor (which accounts for 30-90% of the greenhouse effect depending on who you ask)… Or the manufacturing energy needed to create the car and ship it from Japan? No, that wouldn’t be nearly as stylish, now would it?
Kids – When You Should Die to be Green!
Jul 7th
The Australian Government has a website that helps to educate children as to when they should die so they get their fair share of energy on the Earth. This site lets you calculate how much you use (with the amount of money you make as the number one deciding factor by the way) before your little piggy blows up and you die. Then it calculates the age you should live to.
I should have only made it to 1.3 years old. Apparently I am living on borrowed time. A LOT of borrowed time.
