Two interesting global warming related articles

1) James Waterton on Samizdata thinks that 'If global warming is real, it is now inevitable' and backs this up with some observations from Beijing and about China & India:

'The fact is that if AGW is a genuine phenomenon, it is inevitable. There is absolutely no point in the rich world winding back its CO2 output, because China, India and the rest of the developing world will replace any first world CO2 reductions several times over. Despite the occasionally placatory noises about limiting CO2 emissions heard from the likes of the Chinese central government, the fact is that the Chinese, the Indians, the Russians, the Brazilians, nor anyone else from the developing world will ever stymy their nations' opportunity to develop by hobbling their industrial output via significant CO2 emissions controls. Nor are the leaders of these countries likely to do anything to incur the wrath of their citizens by curtailing their perfectly reasonable aspirations to own motorcars, motorcycles, air conditioners and enjoy the convenience of air travel - all enormous direct or indirect sources of CO2 emissions. If significant CO2 reduction could be achieved with minimal economic and social cost, then perhaps the developing world would cooperate. However, large-scale CO2 reduction is an extremely expensive and socially disruptive exercise, and this reality will persist for several decades.

And it is too late to roll back the clock - too many people in the developing world have tasted the fruits of development, and quite legitimately demand more. Those governing the aspirational billions are far more likely to be influenced by them than An Inconvenient Truth. Global CO2 emissions are going to continue to grow for many years, there is no doubt about it. The "global warmenists", as the mighty Tim Blair calls them, need to re-evaluate their positions, because what they propose at present is simply an exercise in developed-world wealth destruction on an epic scale. Those insisting on such a state of affairs appear little short of anti-human luddites, as detractors of the green movement have long asserted. Bjørn Lomborg is spot on - any resources allocated towards the AGW issue should be directed towards researching crisis management and developing an appropriate disaster-relief capacity under the circumstances of rapid climate change, even if only as an insurance policy. And the absolute last thing we in the developed world should be doing is hampering the wealth-creating organs of our societies in a futile effort to cut CO2 emissions. If AGW is truly the looming catastrophe that many predict, we need to be as wealthy as possible to plan and make provisions for its impending consequences, and thus deal with them when they start to unfold.'

He's quite right but the ecomentalists in much of the West just won't listen.


2) Frank Furedi at Spiked ponders the matter of 'competitive fearmongering' when it comes to climate change and nuclear power. A fascinating article and well worth a read. Here's a few extracts:

'After the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in tsunami-hit Japan, fear appeals based on the alleged threat from nuclear reactors successfully – at least for now – trumped the climate alarmists’ predictions of planetary apocalypse. The German shift shows that even in the midst of a titanic clash of competing calamities, scaremongering can be surprisingly pragmatic.

Historic experience tells us that the success or otherwise of competitive scaremongering has little to with the actual intensity of the alleged threat.

...

Competitive scaremongering is encouraged by a cultural imagination that is far more open to appeals based on fear than on faith in people and the future. That is why even sensible attempts to counteract scaremongering can sometimes get sidetracked by the temptation to respond in kind, with an alternative form of alarmism. This regrettable tendency is strikingly illustrated in the response of some experts to the anti-MMR crusade. The health scare and panic about a bogus association between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism shows that scaremongering can fundamentally alter the way we live our lives. Hundreds of thousands of parents have become needlessly worried about allowing their children to be vaccinated by what is a very safe vaccine. Immunisation rates have sharply declined, with potentially dangerous consequences for children who do not get the vaccine. With so much at stake, it is understandable why some opponents of the anti-MMR crusaders have responded with their own fear appeals, claiming that a measles epidemic could threaten the future health of children across the West.

...

However, the contemporary culture of fear is very selective in its attitude towards invisible contaminants. Official reports suggest that around 10,000 people may have died from cancer as a consequence of the world’s gravest nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986. But that’s a relatively small number compared with the thousands of deaths caused by coal-mining and its associated pollution. Although contaminants released by both technologies have caused death, coal-mining rarely provokes the kind of hysteria that nuclear energy does.'

Do read the whole article and remember it the next time the BBC or Daily Mail are running a scare story based on dodgy science - now why am I thinking about the mobile phones cause cancer stories?

Is the global warming propaganda not working?

I think this graphic speaks for itself, but for more detail take a read of Watts Up With That.

It looks as though the public are seeing through the Man Made climate Change propaganda. Take a read of this recent post of mine for another example, this time from the UK.

The BBC explaining miracles

The BBC happily explain how

'New computer simulations have shown how the parting of the Red Sea, as described in the Bible, could have been a phenomenon caused by strong winds.

The account in the Book of Exodus describes how the waters of the sea parted, allowing the Israelites to flee their Egyptian pursuers.

Simulations by US scientists show how the movement of wind could have opened up a land bridge at one location.

This would have enabled people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety.'

I am sure in the past I have read BBC articles eagerly explaining how some Christian miracle, I think they have done the resurrection but I am not 100%, could be explained by science. However I have no recollection of the BBC ever reporting on any scientific challenges to any tenents of Islam.

In fact of the three monotheitstic religions whilst the BBC is ready and indeed eager to challenge and find fault in Christianity & Judaism and its modern day practitioners, the BBC is somewhat less willing to pas any negative comments on the religion of islam.

2012 is not looking like a good year

Yahoo News report something that could be the biggest story of the coming few years. Read the article below but the headline effects could be massive interference or even destruction of electronic communications systems, the internet and power transmission.

Melbourne, Aug 26 (ANI): Astronomers are predicting that a massive solar storm, much bigger in potential than the one that caused spectacular light shows on Earth earlier this month, is to strike our planet in 2012 with a force of 100 million hydrogen bombs.

Several US media outlets have reported that NASA was warning the massive flare this month was just a precursor to a massive solar storm building that had the potential to wipe out the entire planet's power grid.

Despite its rebuttal, NASA's been watching out for this storm since 2006 and reports from the US this week claim the storms could hit on that most Hollywood of disaster dates - 2012.

Similar storms back in 1859 and 1921 caused worldwide chaos, wiping out telegraph wires on a massive scale. The 2012 storm has the potential to be even more disruptive.

"The general consensus among general astronomers (and certainly solar astronomers) is that this coming Solar maximum (2012 but possibly later into 2013) will be the most violent in 100 years," News.com.au quoted astronomy lecturer and columnist Dave Reneke as saying.

"A bold statement and one taken seriously by those it will affect most, namely airline companies, communications companies and anyone working with modern GPS systems.

"They can even trip circuit breakers and knock out orbiting satellites, as has already been done this year," added Reneke.

No one really knows what effect the 2012-2013 Solar Max will have on today's digital-reliant society.

Dr Richard Fisher, director of NASA's Heliophysics division, told Reneke the super storm would hit like "a bolt of lightning", causing catastrophic consequences for the world's health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.

NASA said that a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause "1 to 2 trillion dollars in damages to society's high-tech infrastructure and require four to 10 years for complete recovery".

The reason for the concern comes as the sun enters a phase known as Solar Cycle 24.

Most experts agree, although those who put the date of Solar Max in 2012 are getting the most press.

They claim satellites will be aged by 50 years, rendering GPS even more useless than ever, and the blast will have the equivalent energy of 100 million hydrogen bombs.

"We know it is coming but we don't know how bad it is going to be," Fisher told Reneke.

"Systems will just not work. The flares change the magnetic field on the Earth and it's rapid, just like a lightning bolt. That's the solar effect," he added.

The findings are published in the most recent issue of Australasian Science. (ANI)'

Plotting the march of Swine Flu via Google maps

Google does it all, including mapping the new swine fever pandemic... Isn't technology marvellous, we can spot all the deaths and see where they are as we sit huddled in our houses awaiting our own deaths.


Thanks to Dizzy Thinks for the spot.

Fear of Flying

The news that: "Experts have warned there is a "high probability" that a fault which caused a British Airways jet to crash-land at Heathrow could hit other Boeing 777s." does not reassure a nervous flyer like myself. The additional information that: "US air accident investigators called for a component to be redesigned after a Delta Air Lines plane reportedly encountered a similar problem. Manufacturers Rolls-Royce say the new part should be ready within the year." does not help; ready within the year does not help when I take four flights on 777s most years. I have never liked the idea of two engined planes flying the Atlantic, I would say three or four engines should be the minimum - a 747 would be my favourite or bring back the Tristar.

The BBC try to reassure us passengers with

"Aviation expert David Gleave said he would have no concerns about flying on a Boeing 777 as new "operating procedures", such as boosting the engine on approach to landing to keep the heat up, had been implemented.

"All the regulatory authorities are satisfied the new procedures which they will adopt or already have adopted will cure the problem as a temporary measure," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Then new components will be fitted in time which will remove the need for the new operation procedure."

A Boeing spokeswoman said it had issued a set of guidelines for pilots to prevent long-term build-up of ice and these procedures had been approved by the regulatory bodies."

But have to admit that:

"the NTSB report said: "While the procedures may reduce the risk of a rollback in one or both engines due to ice blockage, they add complexity to flight crew operations, and the level of risk reduction is not well established.""

Alex Masterley has a take on this story that has me ven more worried, but it is a nice risk/reward comparison:

"It is good to see that in these difficult times, there are still people willing to take a measured risk. I refer of course to the world's airlines who will continue to fly Boeing 777's despite a known fault that has led to one crash and one near incident.

Our aviation correspondent reports:

The cause of the crash at Heathrow of BA 038 in January 2008 has been identified as fuel starvation or what engineers call "no fuel getting to the engine". Investigators have identified the primary factor leading to this problem, which they has been described by leading technical experts as "a big lump of ice in the fuel tank", which arose from an adverse thermodynamic environment at high altitudes. The effect of the blockage was to limit the flow of fuel to both engines.

With over 750 planes put in service in the last 15 years, that works out at about 2 incidents in 2.8 million flights, or about 10 times the probability of winning the national lottery.

The Boeing 777 is widely used on transatlantic and intercontinental flights. Industry experts say that in the event of a similar mid-flight incident, where ice accumulating in the tanks might be dislodged by turbulence or other activity, then the pilot would be unlikely to be able to manoeuvre the plane in the same manner as Capt. Sully Sullenberger, who recently landed an aircraft in the Hudson River shortly after take off from LaGuardia Airport.

The most likely manoeuvre after a total loss of power, including failure avionics and controls, would be a 35,000 ft "plummet", putting down on the surface of the sea at a velocity above industry norms, causing likely damage to the aircraft fuselage, after which the aircraft would probably "sink like a stone", industry sources commented."

I don't normally drink on planes, far too dehydrating, but I can envisage my hitting the alcohol just a tad on my next few flights.

One year down, four more to go before the North Pole ice caps disappear in the summer months

One year ago it was reported that:

in "a January 24 Agence France Press news story out of the Davos meeting of business and political elite. Gore asserted that, “the North Pole ice caps may disappear entirely during summer months within five years…”"

How did the North Pole ice caps fare last summer?

I have read that:
"Sea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979"
Alaska experienced "a net increase or advance in glaciers"
"Sea Ice Growing at Fastest Pace on Record"
"Antarctica Ice Cap Growth Reaches Record High Levels "
"The Disappearing Arctic Ice Is Back And It's Thick"
"Record cold wave blasts Mumbai"
"China Suffers Coldest Winter in 100 Years"
But those are facts and we know that the Man Made Climate Change industry hate facts.

Just like most, if not all, of the environmentalist lobby's predictions, this one will slip away or be revised back a few years. The reality is of no importance, what matters is fear and using that fear to gain control.

Being a Jewish Londoner in 2009

This article is reproduced from Melanie Phillips' Spectator piece for today. It is the work of a reader of her blog about his experiences this week:

"It was shocking to hear on Radio 4 at about 7:15am a Muslim woman called Fatima supposedly representing some 'moderate' Muslim organisation who basically said that the threat of Muslim radicalisation should force Britain to shift its foreign policy direction in the Middle East. This was followed by a poor rabbi in Paris speaking about the awful situation with attacks on Jews and their property. What shocks me most is that the BBC is prepared to recognise that these things are happening in European cities but not right here at home! They report on their website about a synagogue in Toulouse being fire-bombed, but what about the similar incident that happened this week in Brondesbury? [The attempted fire-bombing of a London synagogue].

From my own experience as an identifiably Orthodox Jew, since the beginning of the operation in Gaza I have had things shouted at me like ‘death to the Jews’, ‘Hamas should finish where Hitler left off’ along with the usual spitting and angry looks which I've become accustomed to. However, yesterday it went a bit further. I attended the demo in Kensington High Street. Walking back to Gloucester Rd tube as was suggested by the Community Security Trust and Metropolitan Police, there was visibly high security on the route. I saw two friends to the tube station and decided I would walk to a friend's house a mere 3 or 4 minute walk away since he had told me to stop by to say hello to him and his wife.

As usual, I wasn't holding any kind of political symbol, flag, banner or placard and was just wearing my yarmulka. As I was about to ring on the doorbell I was set upon by two Asian youths (one wearing a keffiya and one wearing a badge with the Palestinian flag on his jacket) who punched me in the head, threw me to the ground and continued to kick and punch me in the head and other parts of my body until I managed to shout loud enough causing them to flee. I bashed on the door of my friend’s house, sat on the kitchen floor with blood coming out of my head and badly bruised elsewhere. Thank G-d, my injuries were not serious and the paramedics were happy for me to go and stay at a friend's house until the morning so someone would be able to keep an eye on me. As for my friend who is living with his wife and 10-month old baby, the police have suggested that they go away for a couple of days since there are lots of 'unknown' people in the area who could make the place unsafe.

Anyhow... this is what it is like to be Jewish in Britain today. The BBC wants to portray that it is only places like France or Belgium that have problems with crazy Muslims attacking Jews. In classic BBC myopia, they can't see that London is no different."

The "backlash" againt British Jews has already started, a "backlash" because of the "crimes" of Israel. The "crimes" are happily "reported" by the vile BBC and spread throughout the UK by a media that mostly varies in its anti-Semitism only by degree.

Jews in Britain live in fear and danger and as I have said before:

"It is odd how the Muslim community cry out that "not all Muslims are terrorists" but seem happy to let their community associate all Jews with the actions of Israel."

Mexican Playboy show a near nude image of the Virgin Mary and thousands of Christians riot as a result

Well half true, "Playboy magazine was forced to issue an apology after it put a nude model resembling the Virgin Mary on the cover of the Mexican edition of the publication only days before a major festival dedicated to the mother of Jesus." but there was no rioting. However can you imagine the rioting if the cover had been an image of Muhammad's mother Amina or one of his thirteen wives or concubines. But then of course no magazine would show such an image of a Muslim icon for fear of the violent response.

FTSE heading for 3,000 or lower?

Can I just put on record that I am scared shitless by what is happening in the financial markets. This crash has happened far faster than I imagined was possible and I fear that we are all going to have live in a degree of poverty for 10 years or more.

Flying

Following my recent post about the dangers of flying, I see from Last of the Few that the air crew are not always so stressed...

Air Hostess
Uploaded by wellywanger

I believe this is an Air France crew but

Something else to worrry about when flying

This is not a reassuring story to follow last week's 777 crash landing at Heathrow comes this story from the Standard - "The co-pilot of a Heathrow-bound plane was dragged kicking and screaming from the cockpit after suffering a mental breakdown while in control of the flight.

He began yelling and "invoking God" as the Air Canada 767 flew at 37,000 feet over the Atlantic. He was held down by other crew members and a passenger, a member of the Canadian armed forces.

The co-pilot then had restraints fastened to his wrists and ankles and was handcuffed to a seat. The flight from Toronto made an emergency landing in Shannon and the co-pilot, who had been crying and screaming according to witnesses, was taken off the plane.

He was taken by ambulance to a psychiatric ward where he is being treated for a suspected nervous breakdown."


Excellent, just what I need to have in the back of my mind the next time I fly.