Jack Dini

Fracking Saves Money, Reduces Greenhouse Gases

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as 'fracking' is the process of extracting natural gas and oil situated several miles deep beneath the Earth's surface. Over the past decade, fracking has increased the output of these two vital energy sources by 40 percent and 95 percent, respectively, and the fracking industry now supports nearly three million US jobs. Thanks to fracking, energy prices have dropped by leaps and bounds, saving billions of dollars for consumers who use natural gas or oil to heat and fuel their homes, businesses, cars, and boats, spurring massive economic growth.¹

Humans Are Growing in Size

Humans in the industrialized world have undergone a form of evolution that is unique not only to humankind, but unique among the 7,000 or so generations of humans who have ever inhabited the earth, says Robert W. Fogel, Chicago professor and Nobel laureate. ¹ “Over the past 300 years, and particularly during the 20th century Human biology has changed,” Fogel says. People in the industrialized world are taller, heavier and stronger. They're more resistant to disease and more likely to overcome it when they do get sick. They live longer, their lives less fraught with chronic ailments. Along with colleague Dora Costa, Fogel has dubbed this process of improvement 'technophysio evolution'. ²

China Energy Issues

Nothing horrifies the intelligentsia more than President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change. But based on China's emissions, it increasingly looks like the president made the right call, notes Liz Peek. ¹ China is continuing its coal reliance in spades:

Sea Ice Coverage- Bad News For Alarmists

For the climate change cultists who have been banking on climate system collapse and a rescue by global scientists, these are indeed depressing times. What really has been frustrating the climate alarmists is the Arctic, which many 'experts' promised 10 years age that the late summer Arctic ice would be gone by now. Data from the Danish Meteorological Institute shows that nothing of this sort is happening. (1) Modern Arctic temperatures haven't risen in 80 years. They are no warmer today than they were in the 1930s. Greenland was actually much warmer during the 1920s and 1930s than in recent decades. (2)

Noise Pollution

Noise gets low billing as an environmental hazard.  Bianca Bosker notes, “There is no Michael Pollan of sound. When The New Yorker recently proposed noise pollution as the next public health crisis, the internet scoffed.   Noise is treated less as a health risk than an aesthetic nuisance, a cause for people who, in between rounds of golf and art openings, fuss over the leaf blowers outside their vacation homes. Complaining about noise elicits eye rolls. Nothing will get you labeled a crank faster.”  ¹

President Trump absolutely right when he says our air is as clean as it ever has been

“One of America's great but untold environmental success stories is that we have made and continue to make great improvements in our air quality, thanks largely to state and federal implementation of the Clean Air Act and innovation in the private sector,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. He added, “The US is a global leader in clean air progress, and we've proven that we can protect the environment while growing our economy.” ¹ The EPA announced nationwide concentrations of all measured air pollutants have dropped dramatically. From 1970 and 2017, the combined emissions of six key pollutants dropped by 73 percent, EPA reports. ²

Coal is Still King and Growing

China publicly demands the USA fulfill Obama's Paris Agreement pledges, and makes a big deal of their conversion to green energy. However, behind the scenes the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative is starting to look like a gigantic coal plant construction exercise. ¹ China is the world's largest producer and user of coal. It's helping to pay for and build power plants in at least a dozen countries, and though many are solar, wind, natural gas, and hydro projects, the bulk of the Chinese investment is in coal. This doesn't bode well for the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change in which almost 200 nations, including China pledged to take steps to limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 C. ²

Solar Road Setbacks

“Would you like to drive slower, add to noise pollution and waste money? Then solar roads are for you,” says Joanne Nova.¹ Solar power highways are hitting a roadblock. Nearly three years after France built a 0.6 mile stretch of photovoltaic road in Normandy, the government is deeming it a disappointing experiment. The reason: after nearly three years of use, Normandy's photovoltaic highway is delivering disappointing results. ²

Energy Poverty is a Killer

As renewable energy mandates are rising 'ecological' taxes have driven up electricity prices, and increases in energy poverty has become a problem in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. There are varying definitions for the term, but the newly launched European Union Energy Poverty Observatory defines energy poverty as not being able to afford adequate warmth, cooling, lighting, or the energy to power appliances that guarantee a decent standard of living and health. One shorthand rule is that a household is energy poor if it must spend more than 10 percent of its income on power. The Observatory estimates that 50 million European households now qualify. ¹

Cold Versus Heat Deaths

Usually when the media discusses climate change, there is a focus on the increased number of deaths that may be caused by heat waves and natural catastrophes. Some examples: • Killer heat waves responsible for deaths recorded across the US and Europe. ¹ • Heat waves are the deadliest form of extreme weather, responsible for more deaths in the US every year than the combined effects of hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods. ²

Arctic and Antarctica sea ice 7, ships of fools 0

Erofey Schkvarkin, clearly has a sense of humor. He says: “Something is very wrong with Arctic ice. Instead of melting as ordered by UN/IPCC, it captured the ship with Climate Change Warriors.” Arctic tours ship MS MALMO with 16 passengers on board got stuck in ice on Sept 3 off Longyearben, Svalbard Archipelago, halfway between Norway and the North Pole. The ship was on an Arctic tour with a climate change documentary film team, and tourists, concerned with climate change and melting Arctic ice. All 16 climate change warriors were evacuated by helicopter in challenging conditions, all are safe. Seven crew remain on board, waiting for Coast Guard assistance.¹

Species Extinction Overblown

Time magazine continues to promote the global warming cause with its alarmist reporting. One example, reported on August 16 on this site, was the 'sinking Pacific nations.' ¹ In its zeal to promote the catastrophe of global warming, Time ignored numerous reports that showed the island nations were not vanishing. One paper noted that 89% of islands assessed were stable or growing ², while another highlighted a net increase in land area of 2.9% in eight if nine atolls.³

Climate Computer Models Lacking in Accuracy

In the 60 years before 2010, China was reported to have warmed by 0.79 plus or minus 0.10. However, a recent report reveals that China could have experienced a real warming of only 0.46 plus or minus 0.13 C. Nicola Scafetta and colleagues compared what the top greenhouse models driven by CO2 predicted. And , lo the models were totally wrong. ¹ Somehow the combined might and supercomputers at NOAA, NASA, Hadley and the Bureau of Met experts all missed this. ²

Time magazine and 'sinking' Pacific nations

Time magazine is a strong proponent of the global warming cause. Three recent examples include their reports on 'sinking islands' ¹, species extinctions ², and climate change ³. Here let's look at what they say about 'sinking islands.' Constant turbulence has imperiled industry and choked off the food supply in Fiji; other island nations like Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands could face even worse in the coming century, scientists say, with sea level rise threatening to wipe them off the map entirely.

Once Again Arctic Stops An Icebreaker

Norway's most advanced polar research vessel ended its summer expedition to the Arctic early after thick ice prevented the Kronprins Haakon from reaching the North Pole. ¹ Thick one-year ice combined with large patches of multi-year ice have merged to form powerful helmets, and several of these are impenetrable to us, said Captain Johnny Peder Hansen. ²

Bambi's Relatives Are Killers

"Man killed by tiger at San Francisco Zoo." "Teenager mauled by shark off Hawaii beach." "Pit bull attacks neighbor." These types of incidents get massive media coverage but are very rare occurrences. Deer on the other hand don't get near the press, but are much more dangerous. If someone had asked you "What is the most dangerous creature you might encounter in the US, what would you answer? Without reading the title of this article, would you have guessed deer? I doubt it. Sharks? Snakes? Bees? Marc Siegel's comments are quite appropriate, "Media obsession not only misinforms but also diverts attention from the real danger." ¹

Wrong and Scary Alarmist Predictions

“The world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change and combat CO2,” Democrat firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated, explaining her views and those of “millennials and Gen Z and all these folks that come after us.”¹ She said this without laughing in January, earned a round of applause from the progressive audience, and then emphasized the point by calling the fight against climate change “our World War II.”

Sea Level Rise- Not Nearly As Alarming As Disaster Predictions Would Have You Believe

Contrary to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) statement that it is 'very likely' sea level rise is accelerating, the highest quality coastal tide gauges from around the world show no evidence of acceleration since the 1920s. Local and regional sea levels continue to exhibit typical natural variability, unrelated to changes in the global average sea level say a number of recent reports. A new policy brief from The Heartland Institute shows there is no evidence of acceleration in the rise of global sea levels since the 1920s and concludes the (IPCC) concerns over this issue is 'without merit.' ¹

Climate Myths Debunked: Antarctica, Arctic, Glacier National Park and Honolulu

Antarctica The Global Environment and Marine Department of the Japanese Meteorological Agency recently corrected the long term trend in the annual mean sea ice extent in the Antarctic area, reporting more than a 25% adjustment (15,000 sq km to 19,000 sq km). So while chunks the size of Manhattan may break off from time to time, about 300 Manhattans of new ice get added annually. Researchers also add that the annual maximum and annual mean sea ice extents have shown a long term trend of increase since 1979. (1)

Renewables Losing Traction

After nearly two decades of strong annual growth, renewables around the world added as much capacity in 2018 as they did in 2017 (about 180 GW), an unexpected flattening of growth trends that raises concerns about meeting long-term climate goals. It was the first time since 2001 that capacity failed to increase year on year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).¹