It's still global warming - by Richard... Tuesday, January 05, 2010

It's still global warming - by Richard... Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Been at it all day ... meanwhile, forecasters are warning that the snow and arctic conditions are set to continue into the weekend, while southern England is braced to be the “crucible” of the severe weather later today. The renewed wave of bitter weather comes as experts predicted that Britain is facing the coldest winter in 100 years.

The prolonged cold snap has also led to fears that Britain could be confronted with a shortage of gas after the National Grid warned supplies to reduce use of the fuel. It was the second time ever that the move has been taken and came after a 30 percent rise on normal seasonal demand.

This is not surprising, after the hammering that the electricity generators have been giving the gas supply. However, you can see from the latest update that they have eased back on gas and coal is taking a greater load (see below).


Thus, from a near 50-30 percent split yesterday, coal consumption has upped, giving an approximate 40-40 split, with coal currently the predominant fuel source. The greenies will perhaps be a little disconcerted that this global warming is er ... very bad for global warming, as they toast their little toes to the output of coal-fired power stations.

Wind output has crept up to a staggering 0.9 percent of production (0.7 percent on the 24 hours), increasing the load-factor to about seven percent. One thing for sure, the wind farmers will not be getting rich out of this cold snap. Wait for the weeping and gnashing of teeth as they demand more subsidies.

Needless to say though, The Independent is also trying to hold the line.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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Pachauri: the cover-up begins - by Richard...

While Dr R K Pachauri pens his attempt at self-justification, strange things are happening on the internet.

Picked up by an Indian specialist IT blogger Techgoss, it seems that some of the embarrassing evidence of Pachauri's commercial interests, that we reported earlier – and much more besides – is disappearing.

What we have "lost" is a particular page on a site owned by the Tendris Group group, with a subsidiary called Siderian ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm specialising in "sustainable technologies".

Siderian in 2007 appointed Pachauri to its senior advisory board, where he was expected to provide the Fund with "access, standing and industrial exposure at the highest level". How much Pachauri – or his institute – is paid for his services is not disclosed and the good doctor has been extremely reticent about even mentioning this association.

And, to spare his blushes, it appears that theoriginal page has been taken down by its owners – removing traces of Pachauri's appointment. However, the Google cache still survives and all the details (until recently) could be read there.

However, there is much more to this than just Pachauri. As Techgloss points out, not only has Siderian been snapping up the chairman of the IPCC for his "access, standing and industrial exposure at the highest level", it seems to have bought up some high level Indian politicians as well. 

Largely unknown to Western audiences, we have figures like Nandan Nilekani who, as an icon of the Indian tech industry, resigned his job in the private sector to join a government project with ministerial rank. But Mr Nilekani too is a Senior Advisor to Siderian, expected to provide the Fund with "access, standing and industrial exposure at the highest level". But, as Techgloss observes, no Indian Minister or senior government official can be an advisor to an American or European company.

Now Siderian has removed the incriminating evidence from its website, we can expect more of this as Pachauri and his cronies attempt to cover their tracks. But these are the actions of guilty men. If they had nothing to hide, their names would still be on the website and they would still be declaring their intent to provide "access, standing and industrial exposure at the highest level".

PACHAURI THREAD

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One journalist gets it - by Richard...

An interesting commentary on the Corus steel plant closure. It is good to see that some writers can put two and two together. She'll be getting a letter from Mishcon de Raya, no doubt.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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A use for al-Gore? - by Richard...

Hard-up pensioners have resorted to buying books from charity shops and burning them to keep warm, we are told. Volunteers have reported that "a large number" of elderly customers are snapping up hardbacks as cheap fuel for their fires and stoves. 

One assistant said: "Book burning seems terribly wrong but we have to get rid of unsold stock for pennies and some of the pensioners say the books make ideal slow-burning fuel for fires and stoves. A lot of them buy up large hardback volumes so they can stick them in the fire to last all night."

For those who think fuel poverty is simply an abstract concept, this is the reality. While the fat-cats are tucked up nice and warm. Real people are going cold and not a few will die of hypothermia while they stack on costs with their grandiose schemes for self-enrichment.

At least, though, it looks as if someone has finally found a use for al-Gore. Pity we can't burn the man rather than the book - he looks quite heavily blubbered so his calorific value should be reasonably high.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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The wages of sin - by Richard...

As the Met Office descends into the mire of its own corruption, its boss gets a pay rise. Why are we not surprised?

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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Greenie watch - by Richard...

A good site for a round-up of current stories. ALSO ... check out this story on Biased BBC about how the BBC spins the climate change story. There's a surprise, but this is an extremely good forensic analysis, to which I will return.

This site is also worth a look, with a well-constructed primer, debunking global warming myths. Even if you are up to speed, there are some very interesting points made. Then there is this piecewhich argues that the natural heat sink is the water in the oceans. The role of CO2 is irrelevant.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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Global bloody warming - by Richard...

The scene this morning as one toddles off to get the papers. Had a quick exchange with a plumber who was getting out of his van. He told me he'd just had a call from a "client": "We're completely snowed-in, which means I'm in all day ... could you call round while I'm in so I don't have to take any more time off work?" Expletives deleted. 

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

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Cry Havoc! - by Richard...

Let The Times do the talking for once. "Arctic freeze and snow wreak havoc across the planet," it reports.

"Arctic air and record snow falls gripped the northern hemisphere yesterday, inflicting hardship and havoc from China, across Russia to Western Europe and over the US plains," it tells us.

"There were few precedents for the global sweep of extreme cold and ice that killed dozens in India, paralysed life in Beijing and threatened the Florida orange crop. Chicagoans sheltered from a potentially killer freeze, Paris endured sunny Siberian cold, Italy dug itself out of snowdrifts and Poland counted at least 13 deaths in record low temperatures of about minus 25C (-13F)."

And so on it goes, but what is particularly amusing is all the warmists in the comments section, rushing in to claim that this is merely "weather" - don't mean nuffink!

The Guardian is trying its hardest as well. Many parts of the northern hemisphere are considerably warmer than usual at the moment. Alaska and much of northern Canada is unseasonably warm for instance, it says, with temperatures 5°C to 10°C warmer than expected. 

However, that still leaves the air a biting –30°C (–22°F) or so though. My guess is that will be enough for Met Office to declare that this is indeed the warmest winter since instrumental records began. You know it makes sense.