May I shine your shoes sir? - by Richard... Friday, February 05, 2010

May I shine your shoes sir? - by Richard... Friday, February 05, 2010

The BBC interviews Rajendra Pachauri. When it comes to grovelling, the BBC really is world class. It even puts the Indian media to shame.

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Where our money goes - by Richard...

Talking of "powerful vested interests", it is interesting to see how much we, the taxpayers, are and have been paying those dedicated public servants at the Met Office to study climate change. 

Two entries in the DEFRA science database give some hint. The entry for 1990-2007 puts the sum at £146,275,582, while the next tranche for 2007-2012 stands at £72,536,724.

That is a cool £218,812,306, paid in addition to the basic overhead payments. And on top of that, there are many millions more paid for specific research projects.

These sums, themselves, are a tiny proportion of the overall money extracted from our pockets, to pay for the government's obsession with global warming. The problem is that the payments are spread between so many different groups, and made by so many different department, that it is very difficult to put an overall figure on it.

Of one thing, I am certain, however, the total – over term – runs to many billions. These sums here are just the tip of the iceberg. We could have bought our aircraft carriers, with change to spare, from the amount of money frittered away on climate change.

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A sad little figure - by Richard...

The Prince of Wales "spoke out" yesterday, according to The Scotsman, over his "dismay and alarm" at those who question the science behind climate change.

In his strongest comments yet attacking so-called climate sceptics, Charles said the evidence for manmade global warming was "utterly overwhelming". Anyone who refused to play a part in tackling global warming were playing "Russian roulette" with their children's futures. 

Charles said carbon dioxide levels are 40 percent higher now than they were before the Industrial Revolution and spoke of the "alarming messages" from explorers such as Pen Hadow about the melting polar regions of Earth. (my emphasis).

I don't think he can realise that anyone who takes Pen Hadow seriously simply is not worth listening to. Charles, therefore, makes for a sad little establishment figure, wrapped up in his bubble, totally oblivious to the real world – of which he has never been part.

Like so many establishment figures, he cannot even begin to countenance that he could be wrong and, surrounded by sycophants and courtiers, there is no-one to tell him that. His stance is that, because he believes something – and everyone around him tells him how clever he is – everyone else should believe it.

In a way, you can almost feel sorry for him, except that there is a strong core of arrogance here as well. And it does not matter how well motivated he is – pulling the "children's future" card is so low grade as to be despicable. How dare he presume that "sceptics" are any less concerned for their own children, or that their convictions are not a match of his?

Moreover, anyone who read the piece in Watts up with that yesterday, and understood the political implications (I will write about them later today), will realise that the global warming creed – in effect if not intent – is pure evil.

By focusing on carbon dioxide instead of real pollution (something of a refrain of mine) the warmists are diverting attention, funds and resources away from the problems that are killing people by the hundreds of thousands, and blighting millions of lives.

Further, as we run into the third severe winter in a row, with Watts telling us that the US is about to be hit by another major snowstorm, there is a very real possibility that we are entering, if not actually in, a period of cooling. And, as is evident to anyone who has evaluated the relative consequences, that – not warming – is the more immediate and far more serious danger.

Charles and his ilk, therefore, do themselves no service. They invite derision and contempt – and a deal of resentment. We can do without their preaching and do not recognise their right to take the moral high ground. Thus, while Charles may complain about facing "unbelievable abuse" every time he opens his mouth to speak his mind, there is a very obvious remedy.

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The killer blow - by Richard... Thursday, February 04, 2010

Pachauri is on the ropes but he ain't down yet. The view is it will take one more "killer blow" to fell him. We think we've found it! Under wraps at the moment, for obvious reasons, but all will be revealed.

R K Pachauri needs to be acquainted with the first rule of politics - DFWN ... since it is a family blog, you'll have to work it out for yourselves.

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Broken Trust - by Richard...

Another superb analysis of the BBC and climate change, over on Biased BBC.

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And the latest version is? - by Richard...

"You might find that difficult to believe, but that's a fact. I just don't know what my salary is." Rajendra Pachauri, interviewed by The Economist.

There's no answer to that.

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British Council spends £3.5 million on climate change propaganda - by Richard...

In the space of two years, the British Council has spent more that £3.5 million of British taxpayers' money on climate change propaganda – according to information released to this blog under the Freedom of Information Act.

It has been spent on recruiting young people in 60 countries to pressurise world leaders to "to take action on climate change". This included funding groups to attend the December Copenhagen summit in order to take part in demonstrations.

Founded in 1934 to promote Britain's international cultural relations, and funded heavily by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), this body until recently chaired by Lord Kinnock has become one of Britain's lead bodies overseas, in promoting the climate change agenda.

The £3.5 million expenditure has been incurred on two initiatives. The first, and most expensive, costing £2.5 million, is the "International Climate Champions" programme. which "engages young people around the world as communicators who will help to influence and educate their peers and the general public on the urgency of climate change".

This is matched by the European element known as "Challenge Europe", which has cost hard-pressed British taxpayers £1.1 million to date. The British Council describes it as a three year project "that aspires to make a definite and lasting impact on the climate change debate, and is ambitious in its aim to accelerate change to a low carbon future." 

The second year of the project started this month and aims to select "15-20 young influencers" to become British taxpayer-funded "Climate Advocates". They are drawn from 17 countries across Europe: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, UK and Ukraine.

Norway and Denmark have been amongst the biggest recipients, each getting £36,000 in the financial year 2009/10 and, although the British Council has an international remit, £35,000.00 was spent in Great Britain to recruit "Climate Advocates", with another £37,000.00 being spent in Ireland. Sweden received £34,500.00 and money even went to the Ukraine, with £2,050.16 being spent there.

As regards the flagship programme, the "International Climate Champions", this was launched in 2008 in 13 countries (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) and then grew to encompass more than 800 in 29 countries.

Last year, this was expanded to 60 countries across the globe, recruiting over 1,300 young people "who are passionate about and committed to taking action on climate change." The British Council describes their "champions" as "not only leaders in their communities" but young people who "are also participating in international peer networks, both in person and online, to share ideas, projects and experiences."

Of the recipients, in 2008/9 £50,000 was spent in the United States, £30,775 in Mexico, £49,831.74 in Brazil and even £3,406.43 in China. South Africa received £48,211.45 but, in a programme that reflects the underlying tensions between the British Council and Russia, only £10.34 was spent in that country (on what?). Canada was paid £54,861.05 and despite the parallel European programme, Germany got £43,280.93, Italy £40,416.40 and France £44,392.54. Japan was given £50,258.13 while £245,382.93 was spent in the UK.

This expenditure totalled £660,827.83 but in 2009/10 – with not all funds disbursed, spending went up to £1,852,010.28. This time, the largest recipient was China, which was given a massive £303,093.24.

Other big recipients were India, which was given £70,132.88 – including over £11,000 to Dr Pachaur's institute, TERI. Brazil got £71,262.91 and oil-rich Qatar was awarded £77,587.89. A clutch of European countries were again funded, with £30,347.77 going to Germany, £13,955.23 to Italy and £9,952.69 to France. Canada was given £29,384.74 and the United States got £21,115.88. Mexico was given £3,417.57, Greece £5,867.41 and Turkey £3,890.91.

Bangladesh was given £43,306.34, Nepal £45,642.89 and Uzbekistan £13,202.03. Indonesia gained £38,992.36, Japan £55,006.25 and Korea £13,379.84. Even Singapore was not left out. It got £693.56 while Thailand got £24,327.37 and Vietnam was awarded £15,264.68.

Over £120,000 went to a raft of 12 African counties, with £21,620.88 going to famine-torn Sudan and another £14,286.31 to Mr Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Zambia got 29,486.00 and Tanzania £10,542.47, while poverty-stricken Sierra Leone was given £69.47. However, the British Council kept £810,788.14 which was spent in the UK.

Nevertheless, taxpayers will be pleased to learn that the money is in good hands. Head of the programme is the famous Dr Viner, formerly of the East Anglian Climatic Research Unit. It was he who in 2001 was telling The Independent that within a few years winter snowfall would become "a very rare and exciting event".