Tag: climate change

The Alarmist Talking Points Fueling Kids Climate Change Strikes

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by Michael Bastasch   Thousands of students will skip school Friday over global warming as part of an international movement backed by adult activists and based on a misreading of the latest United Nations climate report. In the U.S., strikers are calling “for the Green New Deal, for a fair and just transition to a 100% renewable economy, and for ending the creation of additional fossil fuel infrastructure,” according to the Youth Climate Strike website. Young activists say “inaction has left us with just 11 years to change the trajectory of the worst effects of climate change.” Isra Hirsi, the teenage daughter of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, is one of the protest leaders. Her mother joined the planned strike for Washington, D.C.and tweeted in support of the climate protests, “We need to listen to the wisdom of our kids!” Monied environmental organizations are supporting the strikers, and The New York Times said “grown-ups should listen” to children protesters. So, what exactly are these children saying? “The rest of my life is literally on the line,” 17-year-old activist Feliquan Charlemagne told The Washington Post. “I’m going to have to grow up in this if we don’t take action and don’t turn…

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Kids Around the World Are Using Climate Change as an Excuse to Skip School

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by Jason Hopkins   Young students across the world plan to skip class on Friday, claiming that they will devote the day to protesting man-made climate change. Students from more than 70 countries will skip class on Friday, March 15 to demand that their governments take more action on addressing climate change, according to #FridaysForFuture, a youth-led movement that is behind the strike. Tens of thousands of students will reportedly take part in the event. “We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and future victims of the climate crisis, and so we are rising up,” read an open letter that the activists published on the Guardian, claiming they would be protesting on “every continent” on Friday. “Thousands of us have taken to the streets in the past weeks all around the world. Now we will make our voices heard.” 350.org, an international environmental group, is helping bolster the strike with its own promotional video. Activists are hoping to closely mirror the youth-led March For Our Lives protests in Washington, D.C., which took place nearly a year ago following the fatal Parkland, Florida school shooting, and spark more debate among lawmakers about the dangers…

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Commentary: Here Are Five Hysterical Environmentalist Claims in Modern History

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by Jarret Stepman   Peddlers of the Green New Deal know that the only way for their radical agenda to become reality is if Americans buy into the wildest claims of climate extremists. It’s clear that some of the most enthusiastic supporters of this radical agenda are young people. This was on full display in the now viral video of a meeting between Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and a group of children from the Sunrise Movement. This is how @SenFeinstein reacted to children asking her to support the #GreenNewDeal resolution — with smugness + disrespect. This is a fight for our generation's survival. Her reaction is why young people desperately want new leadership in Congress. pic.twitter.com/0zAkaxruMI — Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@sunrisemvmt) February 22, 2019 Perhaps children and young Americans are more likely to buy into the extreme environmentalist doomsaying due to the fact that they weren’t around for the laughably wrong predictions of the past that never came true. Panics over looming environmental and climate apocalypse have been with us for a long time. Thomas Malthus famously predicted in his 1798 book “An Essay on the Principle of Population” that population growth would overtake food supply and mass starvation would…

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John Kasich Praises The Green New Deal, Says ‘It’s Asking The Right Question’

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by Michael Bastach   Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said that while the Green New Deal might not be the right answer to global warming, “it’s asking the right question.” “But for all those problems, the Green New Deal is serving an important purpose by provoking a more vigorous level of public debate,” Kasich wrote in a USA Today op-ed published Monday. “We’ve finally reached a tipping point.” The Green New Deal, introduced by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey in February, calls for sweeping changes that achieve “net-zero” emissions in 10 years. Some Democratic 2020 hopefuls endorse the bill, but many moderate Democrats are hesitant to embrace it on worries it’s not feasible to fundamentally transform society so quickly. Republicans oppose the bill’s massive government takeover of the economy. Kasich, who’s mulling a 2020 presidential run against President Donald Trump, wants moderates in both parties to come up with an alternative to the Green New Deal. “It’s time for free-market moderates on both sides of the aisle to come up with answers of their own,” Kasich wrote in his op-ed, embracing carbon pricing, fuel economy mandates and subsidies for electric vehicles. Kasich’s op-ed comes after the…

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Climate Skeptic Group ‘CO2 Coalition’ Invites Rep Ocasio-Cortez to Debate Green New Deal Policy Proposal

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by Michael Bastach   Skeptics of global warming “catastrophe” have an extended an offer for Green New Deal champion New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to come and debate them. Retired statistics professor Dr. Caleb Rossiter offered a standing invitation for Ocasio-Cortez, and others who have attacked the CO2 Coalition, to come and debate climate science and energy policy. Taking a page from his early anti-war activism days, Rossiter put a piece of paper with Ocasio-Cortez’s name, and the names of other “alarmists,” on an empty chair next to panelists during a Friday panel at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Rossiter said anti-war activists would have empty chairs at events reserved for Defense Department officials who, though invited, would never show up. Ocasio-Cortez and Maine Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree recently went after big tech companies for sponsoring an event at LibertyCon, a conference put on by a libertarian student group, at which the CO2 Coalition also sponsored an event. Ocasio-Cortez and Pingree said tech companies’ “implicit” support for the CO2 Coalition was “dangerous to our society” because it allegedly spread misinformation about climate science. However, NASA attributes much of the observed “global greening” in the past 30 years to elevated CO2 levels. Rossiter,…

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Presidential Hopeful Jay Inslee Goes National With a Climate Agenda He Failed to Implement in His Own State

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by Michael Bastasch   Democratic Washington Governor Jay Inslee has entered the 2020 presidential race as the candidate who has what it takes to unite Americans around one goal: fighting climate change. But while Inslee pushes for a Green New Deal-like economic plan, the Democratic governor has failed to implement major climate policies in his own state. “His climate policy has failed with the legislature, failed with the courts and failed with the voters,” said Todd Myers, environmental policy director at the free-market Washington Policy Center. “There’s not a single metric where Washington state is going the right direction on climate change,” Myers told The Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview. Inslee launched his presidential campaign Friday with a video making clear that fighting climate change would be the central focus of his campaign, though he’s also come out for abolishing the Senate filibuster and statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico. “So [climate change] can’t be on a laundry list,” Inslee told Vox in an interview published Friday. “It can’t be something that candidates check the box on. It has to be a full-blooded effort to mobilize the United States in all capacities.” To that end, Inslee’s campaign website…

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Jay Inslee, the ‘Climate Candidate,’ Announces 2020 Presidential Bid Friday

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by Michael Bastasch   Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will seek the presidential nomination in 2020, adding to the growing field of Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump. “We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change. And we’re the last who can do something about it. We went to the moon and created technologies that have changed the world. Our country’s next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time — defeating climate change,” Inslee said in a video Friday announcing the run. “I’m running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation’s number one priority.” Inslee plans on making global warming the central issue of his campaign. The so-called “climate candidate” recently said “we’ve never had a president who’s said this is the number one priority of my administration.” “We have one administration left … to restrain this monster,” Inslee told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday. “When your house is on fire, you go grab the bucket and you fight the fire, even though your lawn needs mowing and you haven’t answered the mail. That’s the situation we’re in. This is a…

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Another Big Blue State Rejects a Major Pillar of Democrats’s Climate Agenda

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by Chris White   A Maine lawmaker is pulling his bill imposing a carbon tax on citizens as the state sought to be the first to adopt one of the key pillars of the Democratic Party. State Rep. Deane Rykerson, a Democrat from Kittery, Maine, announced Thursday that he is pulling a bill imposing the nation’s first statewide carbon tax. He intends instead on creating a “Carbon Pricing Study Group” that will explore the tax and recommend solutions. State Republicans are cheering the decision. “This is a middle- and low-income family crushing tax,” Nick Isgro, mayor of Waterville, told reporters Thursday, adding in a subsequent tweet to his followers that “the sponsor [Rykerson] now wants the tax bill replaced with a study. Thank you all…WIN!” Maine’s decision to ding the proposal comes amid a similarly crushing defeat in the state of Washington. Washington voters rejected two ballot measures imposing a carbon tax, one of which was designed to be revenue neutral. Initiative 1631 was the third attempt to impose a carbon tax in Washington state. Voters rejected a similar ballot measure in 2016, and carbon tax legislation failed earlier in 2018. Supporters of Washington’s November 2018 proposal pumped more than…

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REPORT: White House Convenes Panel To ‘Reassess’ Climate Change Risks

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by Tim Pearce   The Trump administration is enlisting government scientists to serve on a climate advisory panel that will reassess the risks of climate change, senior administration officials told The Washington Post. Top administration officials, including President Donald Trump and acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, discussed assembling a team of hand-picked federal scientists to review risks of climate change. The committee would provide evidence downplaying or contradicting alarmist views on climate change, such as is outlined in the Green New Deal championed by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The committee may also challenge findings in recent government reports such as the National Climate Assessment (NCA) released in November and used by Democrats to push for climate action. “The president wants people to be able to decide for themselves,” one official told WaPo. Discussions focused on creating a panel under the National Security Council that would not be subject to the regulations outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The act says official advisory committees must meet in public and are subject to open records laws. “I never thought I would live to see the day in the United States where our own White House is attacking the very science agencies that can help the president…

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Youth Activists Call for ‘Minnesota Green New Deal,’ Pressure Walz to Petition Line 3

Anthony Gockowski

Several youth activism organizations gathered at the Minnesota Capitol Monday to protest the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and call for a “Minnesota Green New Deal.” “We are changing the political landscape in Minnesota and although there is much more work to be done, we are so proud of what we have done. Youth voices matter, and we will continue to make that very clear to our state leaders this session,” a group called “Minnesota Can’t Wait” said in a statement. Video from Monday’s demonstration shows dozens of youth activists gathered in the State Capitol, holding signs that say, “We elected you, meet with us,” and “Minnesota Green New Deal.” “Even though they are not here right now, we’re going to make sure that they hear our message and that they hear our words, because they have to listen to us as public servants serving the state of Minnesota,” one speaker said during the event, referring to Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan (D-MN). The following morning, Walz announced that he would refile an appeal against the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project, as The Minnesota Sun reported. “We are extremely glad that the governor has acknowledged the importance…

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Walz Joins ‘Extreme Environmentalists’ in Petitioning Line 3 Project

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) announced Tuesday morning that he would refile an appeal against the controversial Enbridge Line 3 replacement project. Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously approved of granting Enbridge a certificate of need to move forward with the project last summer. But former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) made a last-minute appeal of the project through his Department of Commerce before leaving office. Dayton’s appeal was dismissed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals on February 5 because the court found that his petition was made “prematurely.” That decision granted Walz 20 days to decide between refiling the appeal or allowing the project to move forward. On Tuesday, Walz announced that he would follow his predecessor in petitioning the project. “Today, [Department of Commerce] will petition the PUC to reconsider its decision on the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project, continuing a process begun by the Dayton administration,” Walz said in a statement. “Projects that impact our environment and economy must follow the process, the law, and the science.” Walz went on to say that projects “like these don’t just need a building permit to go forward, they also need a social permit.” “Over the past month, my administration has…

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Klobuchar and McCollum Back Green New Deal, But Omar’s Missing from List of Sponsors

Anthony Gockowski

Two of Minnesota’s most prominent politicians, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), are backing the controversial Green New Deal, but Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is conspicuously missing from the list of House sponsors. The House version of the resolution currently has 67 co-sponsors, including McCollum, who has received $52,733 in campaign contributions from environmental groups over the course of her career, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Klobuchar, who is expected to declare candidacy for president Sunday, is one of 10 co-sponsors of the Senate resolution, which has the backing of other presidential hopefuls, such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ). The Center for Responsive Politics estimates that Klobuchar has received $220,463 from environmental groups throughout her career. Omar is a public ally of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), the resolution’s chief author, and was an early advocate of the Green New Deal. Omar, however, currently isn’t listed as a co-sponsor of the resolution. She addressed her support of the Green New Deal in a statement Thursday, but seemed to take issue with the fact that it is just a resolution rather than actual legislation. “We need to…

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North Carolina Governor Jets Off To D.C. To Testify On Climate Change

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper went to Washington, D.C. this week to testify before a House Committee on Natural Resources about the impact of ‘Climate Change’. The carbon footprint of an economy class direct, roundtrip flight from Raleigh-Durham to Dulles airport is approximately 0.10 metric tons. Cooper’s testimony included pushing for reducing greenhouse gases and remarks in reference to natural disasters in North Carolina such as mudslides and hurricanes. Scientists have found that climate change makes weather more erratic. It makes storms larger and more powerful and it intensifies heavy rainfalls and droughts. We've seen it here in North Carolina. The time to address climate change is now. pic.twitter.com/MvRzlz3kCZ — Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) February 7, 2019 This is not Governor Cooper’s first foray into Climate Change. On October 29 of 2018, Cooper issued Executive Order 80 for the purpose of addressing climate change and to “transition” North Carolina to a “clean energy economy.” Cooper’s order calls for a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and for at least 80,000 zero-emission vehicles in the state. Just 12 days prior to Cooper’s Executive Order, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions had dropped by…

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Walz Faces Big Decision on Pipeline Project as Both Sides Mount Pressure

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has less than 20 days to make a decision on the highly controversial Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. On February 5, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed a last-minute appeal of the project made by former Gov. Mark Dayton’s (D-MN) Department of Commerce. The court has given Walz a 20-day window to refile the appeal or allow the project move forward. The court’s decision was mostly based on procedural reasons, saying the appeal was filed “prematurely” since it was made before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a final order for the project. Now, groups on both sides of the issue are pleading with Walz to support their cause. A group of bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to Walz Friday morning urging him to support Line 3. “We strongly encourage you to support the project and direct state agencies to complete the permitting process that would allow this critically important project to move forward,” the letter states. “We believe after more than 3 ½ years of review and evaluation of the project by state and federal experts, 65 public meetings by state agencies, three weeks of evidentiary hearings by…

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First Climate Change Hearing in Years Relied on Testimony from Activists and Religious Leaders

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by Michael Bastasch   Top House Democrats finally got their wish to hold the first hearings on global warming in six years Wednesday, but both committee hearings meandered into discussions of civil rights, race and apocalyptic warnings without much talk about science. The House Committee on Natural Resources hearing started off with testimony from Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a Democrat, and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a Republican — both of whom support liberal climate policies. During that time, Utah Rep. Rob Bishop questioned whether or not the climate hearing broke committee rules. Bishop, the committee’s ranking Republican, also wondered why the committee held a hearing on an issue outside its jurisdiction. “Are these hearings simply for those of us around the horseshoe who are going to make legislation, or are these hearings designed for that group sitting at a table in the corner so they can write cute stories?” Bishop asked, pointing to where reporters sat in the hearing room. The committee chairman, Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, responded that global warming “significance and consequences over all our jurisdictions.” Bishop said he wanted a hearing “focused on solutions and not just empty rhetoric and fear mongering.” So,…

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Evidence Mounts Against Climate Prediction That Inspired ‘Day After Tomorrow’ Disaster Flick

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by Michael Bastasch   New evidence casts further doubt on model-based predictions that global warming could halt the Gulf Stream currents as part of an alarming scenario that inspired the 2004 disaster film, “The Day After Tomorrow.” For years, scientists warned global warming could halt the Atlantic’s “conveyor belt” and foment extreme weather and raise sea levels from North America to Europe. That prediction is based on climate models that, the new study found, may be analyzing the wrong thing. “Some of these models are producing five times the amount of Labrador Sea water they should be producing, based on observations,” lead author Susan Lozier, a professor at Duke University, told The Washington Post Friday. Lozier’s study found that climate models overestimate the role of the Labrador Sea west of Greenland in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The study found the Nordic Sea east of Greenland played a dominant role in the AMOC. Lozier led an international effort to measure AMOC in the North Atlantic. Scientists from 16 organizations launched the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) in 2014, and now released data collected during the first 21 months of operations. Some researchers cautioned that 21 months…

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Ilhan Omar Floats 90 Percent Tax Rate on America’s Wealthiest

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently floated the idea of taxing America’s wealthiest citizens up to 90 percent in an interview with Yahoo News. “So there are a few things that we could do. One of them is that we could increase the taxes that people are paying who are the extremely wealthy in our communities” Omar said. “Seventy percent, 80 percent, we’ve had it as high as 90 percent.” The comments came in the context of a discussion about Omar’s support for the Green New Deal, a progressive climate change proposal put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY-14). The proposal would convert the U.S. economy entirely to renewable sources of energy in 12 years and establish a universal basic income. It would, of course, require radical tax hikes on America’s wealthiest. During a recent 60 Minutes interview, Ocasio-Cortez welcomed the “radical” label, telling host Anderson Cooper that “if that’s what radical means, [then] call me a radical.” “There’s an element where, yeah, people are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes,” she said. “You know, you look at our tax rates back in the ‘60s, and when you have a progressive tax rate system, your…

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DC Think Tank Calls on NBC to Stop Blacking Out Climate Skeptics

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by Chris White   A Washington-based think tank published an ad Tuesday pressing NBC News to stop blacklisting climate skeptics from debating aspects of global warming on the channel’s broadcasts. The Competitive Enterprise Institute created an ad campaign pushing NBC’s Meet the Press to include climate skeptics in future broadcasts discussing aspects of global warming. NBC refused to run a televised version of the 30-second ad on its Jan. 20 episode, according to a CEI press statement. “NBC has made it perfectly clear they have no interest in hosting an open debate on climate change or policy alternatives for the environment, as evidenced by their decision to reject both guests on-air and paid ads during the program to give expert views shared by millions of Americans,” CEI President Kent Lassman noted in a press statement Tuesday morning. The ads, which will run in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, push back against Meet the Press host Chuck Todd’s decision to exclude so-called climate alarmists and calls for what CEI says is a real and open debate about the impacts of climate alarmism. Todd kicked off a Dec. 30 program with a promise to the audience: The show will…

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FAKE NEWS: Headline-Grabbing Ocean Warming Study is Full of ‘Factual Errors and Misleading Statements,’ Scientist Says

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by Michael Bastach   Another major headline-grabbing climate study suggesting oceans have warmed faster than previously thought is full of “factual errors and misleading statements,” according to independent scientist Nic Lewis. Lewis challenged the climate paper’s central arguments that more recent estimates of ocean heat content (OHC) are higher than those cited in the United Nations’ 2014 climate report which vindicated climate models thought to be showing too much warming. “It is therefore misleading to claim that the warming is larger over the 1971–2010 period than reported in [the U.N.’s 2014 climate report],” Lewis wrote in an article published Monday on climate scientist Judith Curry’s blog. Lewis claims the ocean warming paper gets its alarming results from an improper treatment of the U.N.’s 2014 report, and that ocean heat content trends were “significantly smaller” than climate model estimates from 2005 to 2017. Lewis’ post challenging the study also included a response from lead author Lijing Cheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Cheng argued the conclusions he and his co-authors came to were “sound.” “If the alternative analysis method proposed by Nic Lewis is used, the change is not quite as dramatic as implied in some of the associated press releases,” Cheng…

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The Climate Paper Most Widely Covered by the Media in 2018 was Actually a Call for Global Socialism

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by Michael Bastasch   The most popular climate paper of 2018 called for “collective human action” to keep global warming from turning Earth into a “hothouse,” according to media tracking data. The so-called “Hothouse Earth” paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August, sparked a wave of alarming media coverage the planet was “dangerously close” to reaching “unstoppable” warming. “The paper was the fifth most talked-about of all journal papers published last year,” and the most talked about paper related to global warming, according to the website Carbon Brief. “It was the subject of 460 news stories in 326 outlets, including the Guardian, BBC News, Sky News, New Scientist, Al Jazeera and the Sydney Morning Herald. Links to the paper were also included in 5,392 tweets and 34 Facebook posts,” Carbon Brief reported Tuesday. Carbon Brief ranked climate papers based on data from Altmetric, a group that tracks papers mentioned in “news articles and blogs and shared on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit.” The paper, co-authored by a group of prominent scientists, called for a “deep transformation based on a fundamental reorientation of human values, equity, behavior, institutions, economies, and…

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Tim Walz Confronted by Pipeline Protesters at Capitol Hours After Inauguration

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) faced his first test Monday just hours after being sworn in when protesters opposed to the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline project disrupted his reception at the State Capitol. This isn’t the first time anti-pipeline activists have caused a public disruption. In November, they shut down a performance in Minneapolis after the Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously in favor of approving the project to replace Line 3. Activists say that replacing the aging pipeline, which crosses through northern Minnesota, could present the risk of an oil spill in the Mississippi River, and will contribute to climate change by adding high rates of carbon to the atmosphere. Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-M) made a last minute appeal of the project in December through his Department of Commerce, which said that Enbridge “failed to provide a future demand forecast for its product.” On Monday, activists with Stop Line 3 and Cooperation Northfield disrupted Walz while he delivered a speech to a crowd gathered at the State Capitol after his inauguration. The protesters began by draping banners from the Capitol rotunda containing riffs on his campaign slogan of “One Minnesota.” “Hey, Tim. We only have one Minnesota. Stop Line…

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Blue Dog Dems Get Antsy as House Progressives Push the Green New Deal

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by Chris White   Blue-dog Democratic lawmakers are wincing as the leaders of their party continue adopting measures that some believe could be perceived as anti-business in states dominated by Republicans. Democrats are haggling over how far to push climate change policies at a time when President Donald Trump is dominating American politics. Liberals are wanting to push the envelope, but moderate Democrats are blanching. Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, who co-chairs the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, told reporters that he will talk with Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, about the direction and scale of climate legislation. Cuellar’s concerns come after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday a new panel to address climate change. “We must … face the existential threat of our time: the climate crisis,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said in her opening address to Congress. “The entire Congress must work to put an end to the inaction and denial of science that threaten the planet and the future.” The new panel is called the “Select Committee on the Climate Crisis” and focuses on ending fossil fuels. Cuellar is objecting. “We’ve got to find a way that we can accommodate our goals…

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Satellites Show 2018 Was the Sixth-Warmest Year on Record and Climate Models Are Still Off

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by Michael Bastasch   Satellite-derived global temperature data shows 2018 was the sixth warmest year on record in decades, according to the two prominent datasets. Satellite data compiled by the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH) scientists showed the global average temperature was 0.23 degrees Celsius above average compared to the past four decades. “The 2018 globally averaged temperature anomaly, adjusted for the number of days in each month, is +0.23 deg. [Celsius], making 2018 the 6th warmest year in the now-40 year satellite record of global lower tropospheric temperature variations,” UAH scientist Roy Spencer wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “The linear temperature trend of the global average lower tropospheric temperature anomalies from January 1979 through December 2018 remains” 0.13 degrees Celsius per decade, Spencer wrote. Satellite data compiled by the Santa Rosa, California-based Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) also showed 2018 was the sixth-warmest year on record going back to 1979. Satellites measure temperatures in the lower few miles of the atmosphere while weather stations and buoys are often used to measure temperatures at the Earth’s surface. Both satellite and surface temperature data shows warming trends at the low end of what climate models predicted. RSS data, for example, shows temperatures…

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Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Leading Protest to Ask Walz for Executive Order on Climate Change

Anthony Gockowski

Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) daughter helped organize an upcoming rally at the Minnesota Capitol to urge the incoming governor to “issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions.” In a recent tweet, Isra Hirsi announced that “young people from across the state” will protest on January 9 to ask Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) to support their climate proposals and “demonstrate to us that protecting our futures will be a top priority for his admin.” On Jan 9th at 4pm inside the MN capitol, young people from across the state will ask Gov. @Tim_Walz to issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions, & demonstrate to us that protecting our futures will be a top priority for his admin. This event is 100% youth led! pic.twitter.com/tbHdJGWt0x — isra hirsi (@israhirsi) December 31, 2018 Hirsi, Omar’s daughter, claims that the “event is 100 percent youth led,” and is sponsored by the MN Can’t Wait climate-change organization, a self-described “movement of youth activists from all over Minnesota pushing for bold, necessary changes in our state to protect our futures from the climate crisis.” According to an event description for next week’s protest, student protesters will “be going to Gov. Walz’s office to send…

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Bill Gates Reminds People Solar And Wind Alone Won’t Solve Climate Change

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Bill Gates

by Jason Hopkins   Bill Gates, writing in a year-end blog post, shot down the idea that renewable energy alone can sufficiently reduce carbon emissions and address the world’s fight against climate change. “Some people think we have all the tools we need, and that driving down the cost of renewables like solar and wind solves the problem,” the business magnate wrote Saturday in Gates Notes, his personal blog site. “But solar and wind are intermittent sources of energy, and we are unlikely to have super-cheap batteries anytime soon that would allow us to store sufficient energy for when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.” Instead, the founder of Microsoft touted the potential of nuclear technology. “Next year I will speak out more about how the U.S. needs to regain its leading role in nuclear power research,” he wrote. “Nuclear is ideal for dealing with climate change, because it is the only carbon-free, scalable energy source that’s available 24 hours a day.” The famous business magnate recognized the promise of nuclear energy for a long time. Gates is the founder of TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company. TerraPower is working on an advanced nuclear reactor that would help innovate industry.…

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Nancy Pelosi Announces Plans for a House ‘Climate Crisis’ Committee After Flying Thousands of Miles to a Hawaiian Resort

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by Michael Bastasch   House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that Democrats would create a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in 2019, which will be headed by Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor. However, Pelosi’s announcement isn’t placating the progressive wing of her party, including New York Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, supporting “Green New Deal” legislation. “This committee, if it turns out that the rumors about it are true, sound about as useful as a screen door on a submarine,” Ocasio-Cortez spokesman Corbin Trent, told The Hill. “As it’s portrayed it’s going to be completely incapable of solving the greatest threat to human kind,” Trent said. Pelosi, who’s expected to be elected House speaker in 2019, said there’s “tremendous pressure” for Democrats to make fighting global warming a central part of their agenda in the new year. Pelosi made her announcement amid a government shutdown after she flew thousands of miles to a luxurious Hawaiian hotel where she was spotted Thursday, according to reports. The creation of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is one way Pelosi plans on satisfying progressives without angering incoming committee chairs, like New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, who want to advance their…

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The Humble Origins of Silent Night

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by Sarah Eyerly   One of the world’s most famous Christmas carols, “Silent Night,” celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. Over the centuries, hundreds of Christmas carols have been composed. Many fall quickly into obscurity. Not “Silent Night.” Translated into at least 300 languages, designated by UNESCO as a treasured item of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and arranged in dozens of different musical styles, from heavy metal to gospel, “Silent Night” has become a perennial part of the Christmas soundscape. Its origins – in a small Alpine town in the Austrian countryside – were far humbler. As a musicologist who studies historical traditions of song, the story of “Silent Night” and its meteoric rise to worldwide fame has always fascinated me. Fallout from war and famine The song’s lyrics were originally written in German just after the end of the Napoleonic Wars by a young Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr. In the fall of 1816, Mohr’s congregation in the town of Mariapfarr was reeling. Twelve years of war had decimated the country’s political and social infrastructure. Meanwhile, the previous year – one historians would later dub “The Year Without a Summer” – had been catastrophically cold. The eruption of Indonesia’s Mount…

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Report: Years of Bad Land Management Led to One of California’s Most Devastating Wildfires

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by Jason Hopkins   An in-depth investigation found that federal, state and local governments were aware of California’s vulnerability to wildfires, but failed to take the necessary steps to prevent its devastation. California residents have recently been forced to deal with some of the worst wildfires in the state’s history. Over the course of a 13-month period that began in October 2017, four major fires scorched California. The fires ultimately burned 700,000 acres of land, destroying nearly 27,000 properties and killing over 100 people. The devastation has left leaders wondering who — or what — is to blame. California and the Trump administration have sparred heavily over what was responsible for the fires. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and environmental activists have directed blame at climate change, claiming that rising temperatures make the fires more brutal. California officials are currently investigating whether a malfunction in an electric utility’s equipment may have caused one of the fires. Mounting evidence suggest the wildfires were in large part a result of regulatory failure. ProPublica, an investigative outlet based in New York, reviewed records and conducted dozens of interviews concerning one of these deadly fires: the Carr Fire. Its team ultimately concluded that “every level…

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The Paris Climate Agreement is ‘Dead,’ Declares Former Top UN Delegate

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by Michael Bastasch   Saudi Arabia’s former lead delegate to United Nations climate talks said the Paris agreement to fight global warming is “dead,” ending what he called a “big conspiracy the world created.” Mohammed Salim Al Sabban, also a former adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, celebrated what he called the unofficial “death” of the Paris accord. “Are you still following the dead Paris Agreement?” Al Sabban tweeted in response to former New York Times write Andrew Revkin. “They will go from one meeting to another forever till it’s officially announced its death. Don’t be selective when you attack the Saudi UNFCCC position. It is unfair,” Al Sabban wrote. Revkin was commenting on news that the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait refused to “welcome” the findings of a U.N. climate report released in October. The report said carbon dioxide emissions would need to decline 45 percent by 2030 to avoid warming greater than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Nice hearing from you Mr.Revkin. It has been long time.Are you still following the dead Paris Agreement?They will go from one meeting to another forever till it’s officially announced its death. Don’t be selective when you attack the…

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Chuck Schumer Demands Climate Concessions From Trump on Infrastructure Spending

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by Michael Bastach   Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told President Donald Trump that Democrats won’t cut a deal with him on infrastructure spending unless it includes a slew of policies aimed at fighting global warming. Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called for, among other things, making green energy and electric vehicle tax credits permanent, more research funding into green technology and funding to harden infrastructure against extreme weather. “The impacts will continue to worsen if we do not take decisive and immediate action to transition to a 100-percent clean energy economy,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Trump sent Thursday. Both Trump and Democrats proposed $1 trillion infrastructure packages, but Democrats also want to make an infrastructure build-up about fighting global warming. “A single infrastructure bill will not solve our climate problem in its entirety, but it is an important first step,” Schumer wrote to Trump, also giving a list of demands for any infrastructure plan. Schumer’s letter, and accompanying Washington Post op-ed, come as Democrats push for global warming to become a central focus of 2019. A small, but growing, cadre of Democrats led by Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York want “Green New Deal” legislation to rapidly force the U.S. to use…

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Commentary: The Green Agenda Burns to Ashes in Paris

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by Jarrett Stepman   A riot is an ugly thing. The anarchical mayhem in the streets of Paris in recent days paint a picture of a fractured society with deep-seated problems—a breakdown of the fragile yet essential rule of law. – 70% of French voters believe democracy doesn't work well in France– Only 11% trust political parties– 24% trust the media– 63% of young French were ready for a large-scale revolt The gilets jaunes protests were almost inevitable https://t.co/hGrlVTsnyJ pic.twitter.com/cPcaybyNfl — Bloomberg Opinion (@opinion) December 3, 2018 While we’ve come to expect such things in France, there are specific reasons why these protests have erupted in the last month. The “climate” agenda, peddled as a means to save the planet and reduce inequality, is being exposed in France as an agenda inherently at odds with the interests of middle- and working-class people. Last year, a wide range of American and international media, celebrities, and activists excoriated President Donald Trump for pulling the United States out of the international Paris climate agreement. Trump said in 2017 that he would put “no other consideration before the well-being of American citizens” and that he would reject an agreement that would force taxpayers to…

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Ocasio-Cortez Sees Global Warming as Way to Push Social and Racial Agenda

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by Michael Bastasch   Democratic Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said the “Green New Deal” plan she supports would be used to achieve liberal “economic, social and racial justice” goals along with fighting global warming. “We can use the transition to 100 percent energy as the vehicle to truly deliver and establish economic, social and racial justice in the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez said at a Tuesday panel discussion alongside Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and environmental activist Bill McKibben. The soon-to-be New York representative has spent her time in Washington, D.C. promoting a “Green New Deal” to transition the U.S. to 100 percent green energy. Ocasio-Cortez even joined protesters occupying House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office in support of the plan. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest person elected to Congress, is calling for a climate change revolution alongside potential 2020 presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders pic.twitter.com/0oxh0g0etl — The Guardian (@guardian) December 5, 2018 Pelosi wants to bring global warming to the forefront when Democrats take control of the House in 2018, but Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and a handful of other Democrats want to go even further. While light on details, proponents said the “Green New Deal” could create millions of jobs in…

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Bernie Sanders – Climate Hawk Spends Nearly $300K on Private Jet Travel in Month

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by Peter Hasson   Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s re-election campaign spent just under $300,000 on private jet use in October, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show. The Sanders campaign, which is funded primarily by small-dollar donors, paid Apollo Jets $297,685.50 on Oct. 10, FEC records reveal. The payment was marked for “transportation.” “This expense was for transportation for the senator’s 9-day, 9-state tour to support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot ahead of Election Day,” campaign spokeswoman Arianna Jones told local website VtDigger.com, which first reported on the jet expenses. “This cost covered the entirety of the tour from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, California, and back to Vermont,” Jones said. Sanders’s private jet use comes despite the senator’s hard-line stance on climate change, which he has consistently called “the single greatest threat facing our planet.” Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our planet. On Nov 6th, we must show up at the polls from coast to coast and stand with candidates who are willing and ready to accelerate our transition to clean energy, and finally put people before the profits of polluters. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 18, 2018 Because flying generates significantly more greenhouse gases than driving, climate hawks generally…

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Al Gore Combating Climate Change With 24-Hour Live-Stream

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by Michael Bastasch   Former Vice President Al Gore kicked off his live 24-hour broadcast calling for solutions to man-made global warming Monday as waves of protests against the very types of policies Gore champions rocked major French cities. “All of it is felt most keenly by the world’s most disadvantaged people,” Gore said during the live broadcast Tuesday from southern California’s Los Angeles State Historic Park. “It’s up to each and everyone of us now to demand that our leaders do more.” “A dramatic shift is underway, but it must be accelerated by new policies,” Gore said, pushing for policies to phase out fossil fuels and use more green energy. Gore noted this year’s 24-hour broadcast coincides with the United Nations climate summit in Poland, which is meant to further hash out the Paris climate accord agreed to at the 2015 conference. The theme of this year’s 24-hour broadcast is climate and health, Gore told the “Today Show” in an interview Tuesday. "The problem is still getting worse…this is a global emergency," – @algore talks climate change during a 24-hour livestream event to raise awareness. pic.twitter.com/1Flb4wAPaE — TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 4, 2018 But Gore’s concern for the Paris accord…

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US Leads the World in Cutting CO2 Emissions, But That’s Not Good Enough for the UN

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by Tim Pearce   The United Nations is urging countries to pursue more aggressive emissions-cutting policies to keep post-Industrial Revolution global warming under 2 degrees Celsius. The U.N. released a report Tuesday that says the world must revamp efforts several times what they are currently to avoid climate change’s worst effects. The United States leads developed countries in cutting emissions. President Donald Trump ignited a furor in the environmental community when he announced he would pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. The agreement outlined strategies and goals for combatting climate change, but the deal, without an enforcement mechanism, has done little to reduce the world’s carbon output. Most countries continue to increase their carbon emissions. China, the largest contributor to increasing emissions, has said it will continue to increase emissions for several more years before peaking and focusing on reducing emissions. India will continue to develop and increase its fossil fuel use. European countries increased emissions by 1.5 percent on average in 2017, according to an annual report by British Petroleum. Germany and France, both attempting to ratchet up environmental policies, increased emissions by 0.1 and 2 percent, respectively. “The science is clear; for all the…

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Commentary: Four Problems With the New Climate Change Report

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by Nicolas Loris   If you’re like me, you’re happy the White House released the latest version of the National Climate Assessment on Black Friday. Publishing the 1,700-page report the day after Thanksgiving saved me from unwanted dinner conversations about our planet’s impending climate doom. But if your aunt calls you up this week spouting claims of mass deaths, global food shortages, economic destruction, and national security risks resulting from climate change, here’s what you need to know about this report. 1. It wildly exaggerates economic costs. One statistic that media outlets have seized upon is that the worst climate scenario could cost the U.S. 10 percent of its gross domestic product by 2100.  The 10 percent loss projection is more than twice the percentage that was lost during the Great Recession. The study, funded in part by climate warrior Tom Steyer’s organization, calculates these costs on the assumption that the world will be 15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. That temperature projection is even higher than the worst-case scenario predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In other words, it is completely unrealistic. 2. It assumes the most extreme (and least likely) climate scenario. The scary projections in…

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Commentary: How the Greens Turned the Golden State Brown

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by Edward Ring   In October 2016, in a coordinated act of terrorism that received fleeting attention from the press, environmentalist activists broke into remote flow stations and turned off the valves on pipelines carrying crude oil from Canada into the United States. Working simultaneously in Washington, Montana, Minnesota, and North Dakota, the eco-terrorists disrupted pipelines that together transport 2.8 million barrels of oil per day, approximately 15 percent of U.S. consumption. The pretext for this action was to protest the alleged catastrophe of global warming. These are the foot soldiers of environmental extremism. These are the minions whose militancy receives nods and winks from opportunistic politicians and green investors who make climate alarmism the currency of their political and commercial success. More recently, and far more tragic, are the latest round of California wildfires that have consumed nearly a quarter million acres, killed at least 87 people, and caused damages estimated in excess of $10 billion. Opinions vary regarding how much of this disaster could have been avoided, but nobody disputes that more could have been done. Everyone agrees, for example, that overall, aggressive fire suppression has been a mistake. Most everyone agrees that good prevention measures include forest…

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Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse Says Climate Alarmists Don’t Offer Constructive Solutions

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by Jason Hopkins   Nebraska GOP Sen. Ben Sasse slammed climate alarmists during a Sunday interview on Fox News, suggesting they don’t offer constructive solutions for the future. “I think reasonable people can differ about how much and how rapidly, but I think it’s clear that the climate is changing and it’s clear that humans are a contributing factor. I think the real question though becomes: What do you do about it?” Sasse explained on Fox News Sunday. “Right now you don’t hear a lot of people who put climate as their No. 1 issue, you don’t hear a lot of them offering constructive, innovative solutions for the future, it’s usually just a lot of alarmism, but I think the report is important and it shows that the climate is changing,” he continued. Sasse’s comments follow a White House report, the National Climate Assessment (NCA), that was published on Friday. The NCA found that temperatures in the U.S. are 1.8 degrees higher than they were a century ago; sea levels about nine inches higher; natural disasters such as hurricanes, heat waves and wildfires are worsening; and climate change could slash U.S. GDP by 10 percent at the end of the…

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No ‘Green Wave’ This Election as Voters Reject Climate Change Ballot Measures

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by Michael Bastasch   Not only did a Democratic “blue wave” fail to materialize on Tuesday night, the “green wave” of major global warming and energy-related ballot measures largely failed to get voter approval as well. Voters in Arizona, Colorado and Washington rejected measures aimed at fighting global warming, despite two of those states being in Democratic hands. The “Green New Deal” pundits gushed over in Washington state went down in flames, with voters overwhelmingly rejecting a state ballot measure to tax carbon dioxide emissions, despite its support from Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. Washingtonians voted against the carbon tax initiative 56 percent to 43 percent, according to state election officials. “The voters have spoken,” Tom Pyle, president of the free market American Energy Alliance, said in an emailed statement. “It’s time to listen to them and focus on policies that expand the availability, affordability, and reliability of energy, rather than on policies that makes energy more scarce, more expensive, and less reliable,” said Pyle, a former Trump transition team leader opposed to carbon taxes. Environmentalists argue the oil industry’s $30 million cash influx into the ballot measure campaign tipped the scales, compared to the more than $15 million spent by…

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SCOTUS Puts the Brakes on Kids’ Climate Lawsuit Against the Government

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by Chris White   Supreme Court Justice John Roberts granted the Trump administration a stay Friday night in a climate lawsuit several young people leveled against the government. The Trump administration repeatedly asked both the SCOTUS and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the trial through a writ of mandamus, a rarely used judicial tool allowing a higher court to overrule a lower court before a verdict is made. Roberts granted mandamus after the 9th Circuit twice turned down the writ. The 21 plaintiffs, all between the ages of 11 and 22, are arguing that federal officials violated their due process rights by allowing the fossil fuel industry to release greenhouse gas emissions, despite knowing for years that such emissions can cause climate change. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order requiring the federal government to implement an “enforceable national remedial plan” phasing out carbon emissions in an effort to stabilize the climate and protect the environment. Their case — Juliana v. United States — has survived several attempts by the government to torpedo the case after it was originally filed in 2015. Attorneys for the defendants said they believe the case will eventually move forward. “We are confident once Chief Justice Roberts and the full…

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Trump Called Out the ‘Political Agenda’ Surrounding Global Warming; Scientists and the Media Aren’t Happy

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by Michael Bastasch   President Donald Trump pushed back on suggestions from “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl that Hurricane Michael was somehow proof of man-made global warming, also claiming that climate scientists have a political agenda. Early in the interview, Stahl said he’s fantasized “the hurricane situations” changed Trump’s mind on man-made global warming. “What an impact that would make,” Stahl said. Trump responded, “They say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with Michael.” Stahl pressed Trump on what he mean by “they,” and the president responded with “people.” “60 Minutes” put its interview of Trump in the context of Hurricane Michael, which they claimed “comes on the heels of a series of super storms: Florence in the Carolinas, Maria in Puerto Rico, Harvey in Texas.” Yet, Trump’s point is correct — the U.S. has seen more powerful, destructive storms than Hurricane Michael, which hit the Florida panhandle on Wednesday. Michael made landfall just below Category 5 strength, putting it in the top four strongest storms to hit the continental U.S. Meteorologist Philip Klotzbach noted in The Washington Post that Michael’s strength ranked “behind only the three Category 5 hurricane landfalls in the…

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Court Memos Shed Light on Michael Bloomberg’s Role in NYC’s Climate Crusade

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by Chris White   One of the attorneys attached to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s environmental nonprofit was heavily involved in litigation targeting ExxonMobil, according to a document obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Gavin McCabe, a lawyer connected to Bloomberg Philanthropies, signed an amicus brief in June supporting New York City’s yearlong climate lawsuit against Exxon and Chevron. He’s one of at least eight attorneys hired by attorneys general across the country to work on environmental litigation. Bloomberg founded Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2017 in part to provide attorney general (AG) offices with attorneys to help push green energy policies. McCabe’s involvement suggests Bloomberg’s money is playing a role in the anti-Exxon campaign. He made himself a part of the lawsuit demanding energy companies compensate the city for the alleged damages from man-made global warming. U.S. District Judge John Keenan dismissed the case in July after months of arguments. The city’s lawsuit is the third such claim brought against oil companies Exxon, Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Conoco Phillips. Another judge in Northern California struck down identical lawsuits in June brought by the cities of San Francisco and Oakland. The legal maneuvers are a boon for trial lawyers as…

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Announces a Changed Standard for Carbon Limits, Demands ‘Urgent Action’

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by Julie Kelly   A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change offers a timely reminder that much of the Left’s doomsday hysteria can be traced to the modern-day environmental movement. Like Democrats’ dire warnings that everything from tax cuts to net neutrality will result in mass casualties, the climate cabal’s Grim Reaper estimates are not just wrong and constantly changing—they defy reality. Ever since Donald Trump wisely scuttled the meaningless Paris Climate Accord last year, climate alarmists have been desperate to revive the public’s interest in this once-dominant political issue. As concern about climate change has waned, the activists who are determined to use it as leverage to exert more state control over our lives have downgraded the planet’s prognosis once again. The IPCC now warns that if the rise in global temperatures is not limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial estimates, millions of humans will suffer a horrific fate beginning in 2040. Most scientific agencies that track climate change insist the Earth’s temperature has already increased just shy of 1 degree C since the late 1800s and blame human activity for most of the rise. That means, according to the IPCC, we only have another…

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A New Report Details How Nonprofits Are Funneling Millions To Democratic Governors To Further Their Global Warming Agenda

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by Michael Bastach   California Governor Jerry Brown’s upcoming global warming activist summit is part of an effort to funnels millions of dollars from nonprofits to state politicians to advance a liberal climate agenda, according to a new report. Brown’s so-called “Global Climate Action Summit” begins on Wednesday, and is sure to garner media attention. Its list of speakers includes former Vice President Al Gore, actor Alec Baldwin and former Secretary of State John Kerry. Indeed, the whole point of the summit is to give politicians and activists a platform on global warming ahead of the November elections. However, Competitive Enterprise senior fellow Chris Horner wants people to remember one thing about the summit: “this is what activist government for hire looks like, and how it is brought about.” “Open record productions reveal that this summit is part of a major climate industry that funnels donor money through nonprofit organizations to staff up politicians’ offices,” Horner wrote in a new report published Tuesday. And what an industry it is, Horner’s report reveals. Democratic state governors hope to mobilize $50 million by 2020 from nonprofits towards promoting liberal climate policies, including meeting the goals of the Paris climate accord. This is…

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Thousands March Through The Streets To Protest ‘Climate Crisis’

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by Jason Hopkins   Thousands of environmental activists participated in marches around the world Saturday, calling on their governments to end fossil fuel production and embrace renewable energy. Dubbed the “Rise for Climate” movement, thousands of environmentalists took to the streets to demand an end to the fossil fuel industry, claiming it is fueling a “climate crisis.” Around 820 demonstrations took place in 91 different counties, according to the Rise for Climate website. Led in large part by 350.0rg, the worldwide marches were orchestrated by other environmental groups, including the World Wildlife Fund, Climate Action Network and GreenFaith. Protest organizers are demanding a “swift” and “just” transition to 100 percent renewable energy, which would include solar and wind technology. “Climate change is the defining issue of our time, it is a crisis of democracy, justice and human rights,” May Boeve, the executive director of 350.org, said in a prepared statement. “The climate movement is made stronger by its sister movements: for human rights, economic justice, democracy, and much more. This weekend Rise for Climate will demonstrate the growing strength and diversity of the climate movement.” Demonstrations took place in San Francisco; Paris; Sydney; Bogota, Colombia and numerous other cities around the world. "The people gonna…

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A New Report Shows Paris Climate Accord Backers Are Just ‘Outsourcing’ CO2 Emissions To China

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by Michael Bastach   When President Donald Trump unveiled plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord last year, he voiced his concern the Obama-era deal would amount to an international wealth transfer. Trump pointed out the Paris accord “doesn’t eliminate coal jobs, it just transfers those jobs out of America, and ships them to other countries,” he said in a Rose Garden speech last year. A new report shows Trump’s broader argument that emissions-intensive activities would not be eliminated, but moved overseas was probably correct. Industries have been moving operations overseas to poorer countries with fewer regulations. The report, funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation, found that countries are increasingly “outsourcing” their emissions to other countries, like China and India. Indeed, it’s a problem conservatives have warned about for years when it comes to climate policies — regulations emissions in, say, the U.S. will only encourage carbon dioxide-heavy industries to relocate overseas. That’s exactly what’s been happening, according to the new report. If those outsourced emissions were included “many promising climate trends would be negated or reversed,” reads the report by researchers with KGM & Associates and Global Eciency Intelligence LLC. “It is estimated that 20-30% of global CO2 emissions are part…

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Analysis: Why NYT’s Latest Attempt To Scare Readers About Global Warming Is A ‘Waste Of Time’

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by Michael Bastasch  – The New York Times teamed up with climate scientists to produce a graphic purporting to show an increase in hot days.  – However, it’s not actually showing that, but instead TheNYT’s graphic shows an average based on climate models.  – When compared to the observed temperature record, TheNYT’s graphic doesn’t match up. Another week, another New York Times feature trying to get its readers worried about how much the world could warm in the future. This time TheNYT partnered with the Climate Impact Lab, which is “a group of climate scientists, economists and data analysts from the Rhodium Group, the University of Chicago, Rutgers University and the University of California, Berkeley,” the paper noted. TheNYT and Climate Impact Lab created a graphic that’s supposed to show readers how many more days at or above 90 degrees they could expect today in their home town from when they were born — their data only goes back to 1960, though. The question is: how accurate is TheNYT’s representation of the change in days at of above 90 degrees? Well, at least for U.S. cities, it seems to be misleading. “This is [a] waste of time,” quipped Dr. Ryan Maue, a Cato…

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The LA Times Inadvertently Admits Trump Is Right About What’s Causing California’s Massive Wildfires

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by Tim Pierce   Adopting more active forest management policies such as increased thinning of trees and conducting controlled burns will help mitigate damage from future wildfires, the Los Angeles Times editorial board writes. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke began advocating similar policy prescriptions earlier in 2018 after President Donald Trump blamed California’s “bad environmental laws” for creating a wildfire-prone environment. California forests have grown drier and less healthy from overcrowded trees, infestations of bark beetles and the effects of climate change, the LA Times writes. California’s restrictions on active forest management have contributed to the poor and worsening conditions of the forests, allowing them to grow uninhibited while suppressing fires that would normally naturally control the forests’ growth. “Fire is not necessarily bad for forests. California used to burn with regularity, and low-intensity fires are vital in some ecosystems to clear excess brush and small trees from the landscape,” the editorial board writes. “But there’s been a change in fire behavior over the last century, as the state and federal government began dousing the blazes. Decades of fire suppression have allowed forests to grow dense with trees.” “Combined with drought, insect infestations and the stress of a warming climate, those management…

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Insecticide Ban, Not Global Warming, Is More Likely the Cause of Disease-Carrying Insect Outbreaks

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by James D. Agresti and Rachel McCutcheon   Politico claims that deadly insect-borne diseases are “on the rise” in the U.S. due to “warming global temperatures.” Although disease-carrying insect populations have increased greatly over the past several decades, there is no reliable evidence that climate change is the reason. Instead, the surge of these insects corresponds to the banning of a highly effective insecticide. Misrepresenting Its Source For a special issue of Politico about “planetary health,” reporter Christina Animashaun created a graphic on “climate change and human disease” that states: Warming global temperatures are changing the range and behavior of disease-carrying insects like mosquitos and ticks and extending the seasons in which they are active. As a result, incidence of the diseases they carry—including Lyme, spotted fever, West Nile and malaria—are all on the rise, despite yearly fluctuations. To support that statement, she cites the “U.S. Global Change Resource Program’s Climate Health Assessment” but fails to provide a link to it. This is convenient given that the actual assessment does not support her claim. First, with regard to ticks, it states: Though there are links between climate and tick distribution, studies that look for links between weather and geographical differences in human infection rates do not show a…

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Watchdog Group Launches Website Exposing Intimate Aspects Of Enviro-Led Climate Litigation

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by Chris White   A Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group is launching an online archive giving the public a sneak-peek at how state attorneys general and activists conspired to engage in climate litigation against energy companies. ClimateLitigationWatch will publish documents involving court cases against the energy industry. The group’s website also offers the first searchable database of records showing activists and politicians working hand-in-glove on litigation aimed at throttling oil producers. The project, which the Government Accountability & Oversight (GAO) kick-started, will also release profiles of the people involved in the litigation, along with trading cards detailing their role in current cases. AGs Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Eric Schneiderman of News York will almost certainly be included in the profiles — both of whom are at the center of the lawsuits. Schneiderman’s decision to resign Monday following reports he physically abused four women could diminish New York’s involvement in the cases. His successor could potentially continue where Schneiderman left off or lead the probes into a different direction. “We’re not going to get into the science debate and other arguments. We’ll just show the public the documents, so you can decide,” Christopher Horner, one of the key figures spearheading the ClimateLitigationWatch project, told The…

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