Claim: aerosols prevented hurricanes from getting stronger, but will intensify now

Watts Up With That?

From THE EARTH INSTITUTE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Tropical cyclones on track to grow more intense as temperatures rise
Aerosols have compensated for greenhouse gases, but won’t in future

Powerful tropical cyclones like the super typhoon that lashed Taiwan with 150-mile-per-hour winds last week and then flooded parts of China are expected to become even stronger as the planet warms. That trend hasn’t become evident yet, but it will, scientists say.

NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of Super Typhoon Nepartak approaching Taiwan on July 7. CREDIT NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response/Jeff Schmaltz

So far, the warming effects of greenhouse gases on tropical cyclones have been masked, in part by air pollution.

Over the past century, tiny airborne particles called aerosols, which cool the climate by absorbing and reflecting sunlight, largely cancelled out the effects of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions when it came to tropical storm intensity, according to a new…

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$14,000 per MWh – the price South Australia Pays for Renewables Madness

Watts Up With That?

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

The South Australian Government been forced to beg fossil fuel operators to bring mothballed plants back online, to contain wild swings in electricity spot price caused by unstable renewable production, prices which last month peaked at $14,000 / MWh – up from more normal prices of $100 / MWh which prevailed before political favouritism towards renewables messed up the market.

South Australia intervenes in electricity market as prices hit $14,000MWh

Turmoil in South Australia’s heavily wind-reliant electricity market has forced the state government to plead with the owner of a mothballed gas-fired power station to turn it back on.

The emergency measures are needed to ease punishing costs for South Australian industry as National Electricity Market (NEM) prices in the state have frequently surged above $1000 a megawatt hour this month and at one point on Tuesday hit the $14,000MWh maximum price.

Complaints from…

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Union of Concerned Scientists makes shameless ploy for $2 million to protect #RICO 20

Watts Up With That?

From the “Kenji is not pleased” department. Can you imagine the wailing and caterwauling if say, Heartland or The Competitive Enterprise Institute tried something like this? In my opinion, the only thing related to “science” at UCS is their name, but clearly by their actions they are a political organization, and nothing else. After all, they welcomed a dog as a member, so they can’t be that picky about science credentials for members; anyone goes as long as they have a valid credit card. Even their mission statement is a ploy for money:

It is interesting that they don’t see their own hypocrisy about censorship, as they routinely say alternate viewpoints on climate science should be censored, siding with the “ExxonKnew” crowd.

This new ploy for money was sent to me today, all the “take action” links (code for Donate Now) have been removed:

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Stop attacks on science…

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US Funded World Bank “Climate Program” – Helping China put American Farmers Out of Work

Watts Up With That?

China can pay for its own infrastructure

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

The World Bank, to which the USA is by far the largest contributor, has launched a climate program in rural China, to help Chinese farmers improve infrastructure and productivity. This will in turn help the Chinese drive down the profits and job opportunities in rural America.

Project Helps Farmers Adapt to Climate Change in China

About 380,000 rural households in six Chinese provinces are benefiting from a project that helps build sustainable and climate-smart agriculture. The project is funded by the World Bank and the Government of China, with additional technical expertise from the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The $313.14 million Integrated Modern Agriculture Development (IMAD) Project, the largest World Bank- supported project of its kind in China, combines complementary investments in infrastructure, on-farm technologies, and institutional support…

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