The Environment Thread

[Mark F]

A new assessment of NASA's record of global temperatures revealed that the agency's estimate of Earth's long-term temperature rise in recent decades is accurate to within less than a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit, providing confidence that past and future research is correctly capturing rising surface temperatures.

The most complete assessment ever of statistical uncertainty within the GISS Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP) data product shows that the annual values are likely accurate to within 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit (0.05 degrees Celsius) in recent decades, and 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit (0.15 degrees C) at the beginning of the nearly 140-year record.

This data record, maintained by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, is one of a handful kept by major science institutions around the world that track Earth's temperature and how it has risen in recent decades. This global temperature record has provided one of the most direct benchmarks of how our home planet's climate has changed as greenhouse gas concentrations rise.

The study also confirms what researchers have been saying for some time now: that Earth's global temperature increase since 1880—about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, or a little more than 1 degree Celsius—cannot be explained by any uncertainty or error in the data.

https://phys.org/news/2019-05-confidence-nasa-earth-temperature.html

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

59 minutes ago, Mark F said:

The study also confirms what researchers have been saying for some time now: that Earth's global temperature increase since 1880—about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, or a little more than 1 degree Celsius—cannot be explained by any uncertainty or error in the data.

You know that there are some people that will still talk about the uncertainty and/or error in the data. 

 

Any ways, thanks for posting this.

[Mark F]

20 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

You know that there are some people that will still talk about the uncertainty and/or error in the data. 

 

 

Of  course there are. 

That head in the sand thinking is  strongest where the Oil companies have the most influence and power.

North America is a haven for it.

 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

Deniers ALWAYS cherry pick data and point out what scientists get wrong while never acknowledging what it gets right.

Here is a nice article that sums things up.

 

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-s-long-term-climate-predictions-are-accurate-to-within-1-20th-of-a-degree/amp

 

"In this new study, NASA scientists analyzed the GISTEMP data to see if past predictions of rising temperatures were accurate. They needed to know that any uncertainty within their data was correctly accounted for.

The goal was to make sure that the models they use are robust enough to rely on in the future. The answer: Yes they are. Within 1/20th a degree Celsius. Kudos.

"Uncertainty is important to understand because we know that in the real world we don't know everything perfectly," said Gavin Schmidt, director of GISS and a co-author on the study.

"All science is based on knowing the limitations of the numbers that you come up with, and those uncertainties can determine whether what you're seeing is a shift or a change that is actually important."

This is scientific rigour at its finest. To a climate change denier, it may seem like ammo. But the reverse is true. NASA is determined to understand their GISTEMP data to the best of their capability, and they acknowledge, like all scientists should, any weakness in their own data and then seek to quantify it."

Edited May 29, 2019 by wanna-b-fanboy

[Mark F]

record precipitation over the winter results in endless flooding

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-05-28-arkansas-river-flooding-threatens-tulsa-oklahoma-fort-smith-arkansas

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

3 hours ago, Mark F said:

record precipitation over the winter results in endless flooding

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-05-28-arkansas-river-flooding-threatens-tulsa-oklahoma-fort-smith-arkansas

Every time I see more news of these water cycle phenomena, I keep recalling Jeremy Rifkin's quote:

"Ours is a watery planet. The Earth’s diverse ecosystems have evolved over geological time in direct relationship to precipitation patterns. Each rise in temperature of 1 degree Celsius results in a 7 percent increase in the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere. This causes a radical change in the way water is distributed, with more intense precipitation but a reduction in duration and frequency. The consequences are already being felt in ecosystems around the world. We are experiencing more bitter winter snows, more dramatic spring storms and floods, more prolonged summer droughts, more wildfires, more intense hurricanes (category 3, 4 and 5), a melting of the ice caps on the great mountain ranges and a rise in sea levels.

The Earth’s ecosystems cannot readjust to a disruptive change in the planet’s water cycle in such a brief moment in time and are under increasing stress, with some on the verge of collapse.'

 

Thanks for the link!

[Mark F]

17 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

Thanks for the link!

welcome, and here's another.... "Category 6 " blog, the one I think is the most comprehensive and accesible.
 

Quote

 

Torrential rains in Oklahoma over the past two weeks have brought the Arkansas River in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma to its highest water level ever recorded. Near the Oklahoma border at Fort Smith, Arkansas (population 300,000), the river rose to two feet above its previous all-time high on Tuesday morning, and was predicted to rise at least another two feet before cresting on Wednesday. The river also hit a record high on Friday at Ponca City, Oklahoma, about 70 miles upriver from Tulsa.

 

 

 

Casino in Tulsa, a main employer, is under water.

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Historic-flooding-Arkansas-River-Oklahoma-and-Arkansas?cm_ven=cat6-widget

And the area North of this flooding, just went through a similar event... Nebraska, Missouri, S,Dakota. much destruction there just in the last few months. record snow, followed by sudden warming.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Mark F

[Mark F]

 Under Dr. Qu’s leadership, Canadian Solar Inc. became a publicly listed company on NASDAQ in 2006 and has grown into one of the largest photovoltaic solar product manufacturers and solar power project developers in the world. Canadian Solar Inc. now has delivered accumulatively more than 29GW of solar modules to thousands of customers in more than 100 countries. The Company and its subsidiaries have also connected accumulatively more than 3.8GW of solar power plants to the grid.

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN SOLAR SIGNS 1,800 MW MODULE SUPPLY AGREEMENT WITH EDF RENEWABLES NORTH AMERICA - LARGEST MODULE SUPPLY AGREEMENT IN THE COMPANY'S HISTORY

GUELPH, Ontario, May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that the Company has signed a multi-year module supply agreement with EDF Renewables North America to deliver 1,800 MW of high efficiency poly solar modules for projects in the US, Canada, and Mexico. 

http://investors.canadiansolar.com/news-releases/news-release-details/canadian-solar-signs-1800-mw-module-supply-agreement-edf

[Mark F]

Quote

The country's fastest-growing occupation is wind turbine technician, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — with numbers expected to more than double over the next decade. "Really, job placement takes care of itself. The dilemma that graduates have from these programs is that they've got to choose which company to take a job with. They're being fought over because the demand for properly trained technicians is very high.

USA. Boosts struggling farm and rural economy.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/01/31/wind-turbine-technician

Edited May 30, 2019 by Mark F

[Mark F]

Alberta today, wildfires cause this:

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Highway 1 is closed between Enterprise and the Alberta border. Highway 1 becomes Highway 35 in Alberta.

It is the only highway that links the N.W.T. with Alberta and is a vital route for residents and goods going to and from the north.

Simpson asked Schumann if there is a plan to escort traffic through the highway to get supplies into the North.

"The short answer is no," Schumann said.

"This fire is not under control at the present time. It's not safe to be able to escort people through there.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-residents-cut-off-alberta-highway-closed-1.5154243

 

Going to get worse, if nothing is done. Imagine what that'll be like.

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

57 minutes ago, Mark F said:

Alberta today, wildfires cause this:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-residents-cut-off-alberta-highway-closed-1.5154243

 

Going to get worse, if nothing is done. Imagine what that'll be like.

Uhm... not sure why this is in the CLimate change thread... 

This should be in the forest management thread. We should be talking about raking the forest floors, like they do in Finland, as that is what combats wildfires.

#MakeCanadaRakeAgain

 

Here, just in case people were wondering if I was off my meds again.

 

 

MCRA!

Edited May 30, 2019 by wanna-b-fanboy

[Mark F]

Quote

 

This summer, a Washington-based company will remove the motor of a iconic six-seat, single-propeller seaplane originally flown in 1947 and replace it with a 750 horsepower electric motor. It’s part of a (British Columbia) regional airline’s plan to ditch fossil fuel and switch to an entirely electric-powered fleet of aircraft.

The Canadian airline Harbour Air, which oversees 30,000 regional flights and serves 500,000 passengers per year, announced in March that it’s partnering with magniX, a Seattle-area engine company that builds electric propulsion for aircraft, to retrofit its 42 seaplanes with new electric motors.

Beside reducing emissions, there are other benefits as well. While a traditional engine costs $300 to $400 per hour to operate and requires lots of maintenance, Irfan reports that electric engines are projected to cost just $12 per hour to operate.

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vancouver-airline-plans-become-all-electric-180972301/

😃 operating cost twelve dollars an hour. Lower maintenance costs. more torque. faster acceleration.

bye bye ice.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Mark F

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

33 minutes ago, Mark F said:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vancouver-airline-plans-become-all-electric-180972301/

😃 operating cost twelve dollars an hour. Lower maintenance costs. more torque. faster acceleration.

bye bye ice.

See that is how things are going to change. $$$ 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/30/18646486/british-columbia-zero-emissions-vehicles-act-ban-gas-powered-cars-climate-change

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

I chuckled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HARDCORE FREEEEEDOM!!!!

Edited May 31, 2019 by wanna-b-fanboy

[Mark F]

Quote

 

Xcel, based in Minneapolis, serves 3.6 million customers across eight states — Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Its CEO, Ben Fowke, is part of the leadership at the Edison Electric Institute, the main utility trade group.

It is the first major US utility to pledge to go completely carbon-free. And this week, the company announced it will be fast-tracking the retirement of its two remaining coal-burning power plants, which are in Minnesota, by 2030.

So make no mistake: This is industry-shaking news. Here’s our explainer, 

 

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/5/18126920/xcel-energy-100-percent-clean-carbon-free

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

7 hours ago, Mark F said:

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/5/18126920/xcel-energy-100-percent-clean-carbon-free

Great article- thanks for sharing. 

 

That is huge news. 

 

[Fatty Liver]

How long could it take to clean up Alberta’s oilpatch? 2,800 years, Alberta Energy Regulator official warns

CALGARY—It may take more than 2,800 years to clean up some of the decommissioned oil and gas wells currently dotting Alberta’s landscape, internal regulatory documents say.

That means the burden of returning the land to a natural state — called reclamation — could fall on the next 93 generations. The estimates were outlined by an Alberta Energy Regulator official in a September 2018 presentation to oil and gas professionals as he made the case for stronger regulations.

While industry and government officials have long touted Alberta’s oversight as world-class and ahead of other jurisdictions, Rob Wadsworth, vice-president of closure and liability for the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) warned in the presentation that the province’s oilpatch was facing a financial and ecological catastrophe due to weak regulations.

It’s unlikely that well-owning companies will be around to clean up the mess in a few hundred years, said Blake Shaffer, a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University who has studied well liabilities in Alberta.

https://www.thestar.com/calgary/2019/06/03/how-long-could-it-take-to-clean-up-albertas-oilpatch-2800-years-alberta-energy-regulator-official-warns.html

 

 

[Mark F]

7 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

It’s unlikely that well-owning companies will be around to clean up the mess in a few hundred fifteen years,

 

"facing a financial and ecological catastrophe due to weak regulations. "

 

The consequences of the Conservative mantra " We pledge to get rid of troublesome government red tape and let business go ahead and create good jobs!!!"

 

Combine the ruined aquifers, with the disappearing glaciers, and Alberta will be a water free area in fifty years.

Other Not good new for eggs in one basket Alberta
 

Quote

 

A Chinese company's $817-million investment in a northern Alberta heavy oil project nine years ago has collapsed in value to less than $80 million, based on the price its Canadian partner has negotiated for the sale of its majority stake.

 

Canada's National Observer

Edited June 5, 2019 by Mark F

[Mark F]

Don't understand this but it's interesting
 

Quote

 

June 4, 2019 (Sightline/IEEFA) – The North American fracking sector once again spent more on drilling than it realized from sales of oil and gas, according to a briefing note released today by Sightline Institute and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

From 2010 through early 2019, the companies in our sample racked up aggregate negative cash flows of $184 billion, hemorrhaging cash every single year,” said Williams-Derry.

 

 

 

http://ieefa.org/sightline-ieefa-update-u-s-fracking-sector-bleeds-red-ink-in-q1/

and Did some reading, at desmog blog, apparently the frackers have never made any money. I read that years ago, guess I forgot about it. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by Mark F

[Mark F]

Remarkable.
 

Quote

 

June 6, 2019 (IEEFA U.S.) – Investors lost billions when the (once) most valuable company in the world, General Electric Company (GE) and its largest shareholders – BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street and Fidelity – misjudged the pace of the global energy transition and subsequent collapse of the gas turbine and thermal power construction market, a new IEEFA report finds.

“GE lost investors an almost unprecedented and simply staggering US$193 billion in just three years to 2018, 74% of its market capitalization,” said Buckley.

From an all-time high of US$600 billion in 2000, the total market value of GE’s outstanding shares has fallen to US$87 billion,

AND YET, IN 2019,( GE Investor)  BLACKROCK REMAINS LARGELY UNPREPARED AND UNRESPONSIVE TO THE STRANDED ASSET RISKS related to the climate crisis, according to the report.

“Unless investors want to cop a repeat hiding similar to GE’s, BlackRock needs to urgently divest from fossil fuels and invest in zero-emission industries of the future,” said Buckley.

 

 

http://ieefa.org/ieefa-report-ge-made-a-massive-bet-on-the-future-of-natural-gas-and-thermal-coal-and-lost/

Also East coast US investing seventy billion dollars in offshore wind.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-05/connecticut-set-to-join-in-70-billion-offshore-wind-expansion.

Very interesting to live in the time of transition from an existin fuel source to a newer better one.

 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Mark F

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

8 minutes ago, Mark F said:

Remarkable.
 

 

http://ieefa.org/ieefa-report-ge-made-a-massive-bet-on-the-future-of-natural-gas-and-thermal-coal-and-lost/

Also East coast US investing seventy billion dollars in offshore wind.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-05/connecticut-set-to-join-in-70-billion-offshore-wind-expansion.

Very interesting to live in the time of transition from an existin fuel source to a newer better one.

 

Wow- it's actually happening. 20 years too late, but better now than 30 years from now.

[JCon]

14 minutes ago, Mark F said:

Remarkable.
 

 

http://ieefa.org/ieefa-report-ge-made-a-massive-bet-on-the-future-of-natural-gas-and-thermal-coal-and-lost/

Also East coast US investing seventy billion dollars in offshore wind.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-05/connecticut-set-to-join-in-70-billion-offshore-wind-expansion.

Very interesting to live in the time of transition from an existin fuel source to a newer better one.

 

What happens when the wind stops blowing and everyone gets cancer? Won't be able to watch TV, especially Hannity, and will have to face death-panels at the Obama Death Centers (formerly known as "hospitals"). 

[Mark F]

Quote

Conservatives for Clean Energy (CCE) recently conducted its fifth annual statewide survey of 600 voters in North Carolina to learn about public attitudes on energy issues. The results found 85% of voters, including 76% of Republicans, are more likely to support candidates for public office who support renewable energy options. It also found 77% of voters, including 66% of Republicans and 71% of unaffiliated voters, believe solar and wind energy represent technological advances in energy production and should be expanded to help meet North Carolina’s future energy needs.

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2019/06/solar-support-growing-increasingly-bipartisan/
 

Quote

 

In the United States, producers generated 275 million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity from wind power in 2018. Of that, more than half came from just four states: Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Kansas.

 

 

 

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39772

four right wings states, that have the most wind power.

In other words, stop arguing about climate change, just plan and build more renewable.

"climate change is not caused by burning fossil fuels, now excuse me I have to go cash my cheque from the wind turbine on my land, hope to get a few more"

Edited June 8, 2019 by Mark F

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, Mark F said:

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2019/06/solar-support-growing-increasingly-bipartisan/
 

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39772

four right wings states, that have the most wind power.

In other words, stop arguing about climate change, just plan and build more renewable.

"climate change is not caused by burning fossil fuels, now excuse me I have to go cash my cheque from the wind turbine on my land, hope to get a few more"

If you will pardon the interruption - how are you planning to safely dispose of or recycle the fibre glass when your windmill blades are at the end of their life?

Solar panels: silicon and aluminum are more recyclable

I 100% agree that climate change needs to be dealt with.  But the oil industry has an 'orphan well' problem - how long until renewables have an orphan windmill blade and/or a solar panel problem?

Check out this article on fibre glass boats - windmill blades will wear our much quicker than a fibre glass boat.

https://earth911.com/eco-tech/recycle-boats/