Thursday, November 3, 2011

GLOBAL WARMING IS OVER, SAYS EXPERT

Even members on the same team cannot agree read more below. Aivars Lode

Story Image
Professors Judith Curry and Richard Muller don’t agree on the same set of results on climate change
Wednesday November 2,2011

 

By Julie Carpenter

IT'S one of the hottest feuds in science - climate chance zealots insist that we're still destroying the planet but now another scientist has warned the cast-iron evidence just isn't there.
FOR a minute there it seemed the global warming debate had finally been resolved.

While for years scientists and sceptics have raged against each other on the crucial topic, new research hailed “the most definitive study into temperature data gathered by weather stations over the past half-century” seemed to come to an authoritative conclusion.

Global warming IS real it said, strengthening the need for us all to reduce carbon emissions and boost efforts to try to save the planet.

And this research was headed by a physicist who had previously been a sceptic of global warming and an outspoken critic of the science underpinning it, lending the results even greater credibility.
ì
Global warming has stopped
î
Prof Judith Curry, a member of Prof Muller’s team

Prof Richard Muller had spent two years trying to discover if the mainstream scientists were wrong but concluded they were right. Temperatures are rising and his results, he concluded, “proved you should not be a sceptic, at least not any longer”. Case closed.

But is it? Not according to Prof Judith Curry, a member of Prof Muller’s team, who claims the same findings have shown that global warming has stopped – plunging the rest of us into a quandary of what and who to believe.

When Prof Curry heard that Prof Muller was saying that the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) findings would put an end to climate change scepticism for good she was horrified. “This isn’t the end of scepticism,” she exclaimed.


“To say that is the biggest mistake he has made. When I saw he was saying that I just thought, ‘Oh my God.’”


Prof Muller, of Berkeley University in California, and Prof Curry, who chairs the Department Of Earth And Atmospheric Sciences at America’s Georgia Institute of Technology, were part of the BEST project that carried
out analysis of more than 1.6 billion temperature recordings collected from more than 39,000 weather stations around the world.

Prof Muller appeared on Radio 4’s Today Programme last Friday where he described how BEST’s findings showed that since the Fifties global temperatures had risen by about 1 degree Celsius, a figure which is in line with estimates from Nasa and the Met Office.

When asked whether the rate had stopped over the last 10 years he said they had not. “We see no evidence of it having slowed down,” he replied and a graph issued by the BEST project suggests a continuing and steep increase.

But this last point is one which Prof Curry has furiously rebuttted. In a serious clash of scientific experts Prof Curry has accused Prof Muller of trying to “hide the decline in rates of global warming”.

She says that BEST’s research actually shows that there has been no increase in world temperatures for 13 years.

She has called Prof Muller’s comments “a huge mistake” and has said that she now plans to discuss her future on the project with him. “There is no scientific basis for saying that global warming hasn’t stopped,” she says.

“To say that there is detracts from the credibility of the data, which is very unfortunate.” New research also seems to back up Prof Curry rather than Prof Muller.

A report published by the Global Warming Foundation, which is based on BEST’s findings, includes a graph of world average temperatures over the past 10 years and it is absolutely flat, suggesting that temperatures have remained constant.

This issue is crucial because the levels of carbon dioxide in the air have continued to rise rapidly over the last decade and if temperatures have remained constant during that period it would suggest there is no direct link between carbon gas emissions and global warming.

Previously carbon dioxide emissions – from the burning of fossil fuels and from deforestation – have been considered one of the biggest causes of climate change, the most damaging effects of which are thought to be the melting of the polar ice caps and the rise in sea levels as well as an increase in extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.

“Whatever it is that is going on here it doesn’t look like it’s being dominated by carbon dioxide,” says Prof Curry.

Prof Muller has made it clear that the BEST study was not conducted in order to gauge the causes of global warming, saying the study “made no assessment on how much of this is due to humans and how much is natural”.

He and his scientists – who also included this year’s physics Nobel winner Saul Perlmutter – set out purely to determine once and for all whether climate change had occurred.

The group had been suspicious of previous results which confirmed a rise in global temperatures , believing that their work may have been skewed by the “urban heat island effect” where increasing urbanisation around weather stations was causing the temperature increases recorded over the past 50 years.

But their exhaustive research discovered that the urban heat effect could not explain the global temperature increase of about one degree Celsius since 1950.

IT IS well to point out that Prof Curry is not disputing the one degree Celsius increase. She is disputing Prof Muller’s suggestion that temperatures haven’t levelled off in the last decade.

Indeed she says this global warming standstill since the end of the Nineties – which has been completely unexpected – has wide-reaching consequences for the causes of climate change and has already led many climate scientists to start looking at alternative factors that may have contributed to global warming,

other than carbon gas emissions. In particular she has mentioned the influence of clouds, natural temperature cycles and solar radiation.

What she also seems furious about is the way that Prof Muller went about publishing BEST’s results without consulting her and before a proper peer review could be carried out. “It is not how I would have played it,” she has said. “I was informed only when I got a group email. I think they have made errors and I distance myself from what they did. It would have been smart to consult me.”

This is, you can be sure, not the last we will hear on the debate.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Greek Referendum Plan Stuns Europe

Ok, why is everyone stunned? Detailed in This Time its Different, Eight Centuries of Financial folly by Reinhart and Rogoff the Greeks were serially in default of their sovereign debt from the beginning of the 1800's to the mid 1900's. I also detailed in my book This Time Its Different NOT, 2 years ago that it was difficult to justify the Euro being stronger than the USD, as the Europeans were not more efficient and that we did not know if they had more or less debt that the States. Aivars Lode


By WILLIAM BOSTON, NOEMIE BISSERBE and COSTAS PARISLONDON -- Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's decision to call a referendum on a freshly minted bailout package has shock waves across European governments and markets, sparking warnings that the move could push the country into a disorderly default and destabilize the entire euro zone.
The move also opened a rift within the ruling Socialist party, with one lawmaker resigning from the party in disagreement with the referendum and another one calling for early elections.
Mr. Papandreou announced late Monday a surprise referendum on Greece's bailout program, a move that could shore up support for his policies but risks undermining efforts to rescue the debt-laden country and stabilize the region.
Mr. Papandreou's decision was announced just days after European leaders in Brussels agreed on a set of measures to reduce Greece's debt burden and beef-up the firepower of the European Financial Stability Facility, a rescue fund, to make sure the continent can prop up other troubled nations in the currency area. If the Greek government survives a confidence vote expected Friday, the referendum on the aid deal is expected to take place in January.
The high stakes gamble by the Greek prime minister is unlikely to pay off says Costas Paris, senior correspondent for Dow Jones.
Fears that the euro-zone plan could unravel if the bailout program is rejected at a Greek referendum rattled financial markets with stocks and the euro plunging, and 10-year Italian bond yields rising perilously close to their highest levels since the euro's inception.
Meanwhile, Greece's euro-zone partners were slow to respond, appearing unprepared and stunned by the developments.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called an unscheduled meeting with key government ministers and the central bank governor for late Tuesday to discuss the potential fallout. Mr. Sarkozy has convened Prime Minister François Fillon, Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer, Finance Minister François Baroin, Budget Minister Valérie Pecresse and Foreign Minister Alain Juppé, a spokesman for Mr. Sarkozy said.
Mr. Sarkozy is set to discuss the situation by telephone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a spokesman said earlier.
Germany was groping for a credible a response as the government didn't appear to have been given much, if any, advance warning of Greece's plans. Rainer Brüderle, a senior member of the junior partner Free Democrats in Ms. Merkel's center-right coalition, called the Greek move "a little strange".
The finance ministry sought to play down the latest act in the Greek drama, calling it a local issue in the world of Greek politics, but Berlin seemed to have little insight into what was happening in Athens.
"The announcement of a possible referendum in Greece is a domestic development in Greece over which the German government until now has no official information and for that reason will not issue any comment," the German finance ministry said in a statement.
It said European leaders formulated clear expectations of Greece and other euro-zone members at last week's summit in Brussels.
"Based on this, the second aid package for Greece should be completed by the end of the year," the ministry said. "We are all working on this with great intensity."

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy said they "took note" of the Greek prime minister's intention to hold a referendum. Messrs. Barroso and Van Rompuy said in a statement they had spoken to Mr. Papandreou on the telephone.
The decision by Mr. Papandreou fanned concerns among some investors that Greece could leave the euro zone.
Fitch Ratings Tuesday said a public referendum in Greece could push the highly-indebted country into a disorderly default or even an exit from the euro, putting the financial stability of the whole euro zone at risk.
A rejection of the EU and International Monetary Fund program "negotiated by the Greek government would increase the risk of a forced and disorderly sovereign default and—whilst not Fitch's central rating case—potentially a Greek exit from the euro," Fitch said.
Both scenarios would have severe financial implications for the financial stability and viability of the euro zone, it added.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he had "no doubt" that Greece's surprise decision was disturbing capital markets.
The Greek decision "was unexpected and triggers uncertainty after the recent European Council meeting and on the eve of the G-20 summit in Cannes," Mr. Berlusconi said in a statement. The Group of 20 industrial and developing nations meets in Cannes this Thursday and Friday.
Italy remained firmly in the market's firing line as concerns it could suffer a Greek-style debt meltdown have intensified in recent weeks.
Yields on Italian bonds rose sharply with the 10-year Italian bond yield increasing by 0.13 percentage points to 6.21%, while the yield on the five-year bond hit a euro-era high of 6.07%, 0.19 percentage points higher on the day despite continued buying of bonds by the European Central Bank.
Mr. Papandreou, in his announcement Monday, also called for a confidence vote on his government, which is expected on Friday. If the government survives the vote, the referendum on the aid deal is expected to take place in January.
But his survival appeared to be at stake Tuesday after Milena Apostolaki resigned as a member of his socialist Pasok party, leaving the government with just a two-seat majority in the 300-seat parliament.
Ms. Apostolaki, who became an independent deputy with her defection, said she strongly disagrees with Mr. Papandreou's decision to call a referendum on whether Greece should go along with austerity measures in return for European loans.
The move also prompted Vasso Papandreou, a leading Greek socialist lawmaker not related to the prime minister, to call for the creation of a unity government followed by early elections to safeguard the bailout deal.
"The party is in major turmoil," a senior socialist party official said. "I can't exclude more desertions today, which will lead to early elections."
—Matina Stevis in Brussels, Christopher Emsden in Rome and Neelabh Chatuverdi, Art Patnaude and Alexandra Fletcher in London contributed to this article. Write to William Boston at william.boston@dowjones.com and Costas Paris at costas.paris@dowjones.com

Monday, October 31, 2011

How much oil is there in the USA?

I saw my first drilling project in the Bakken just 9 years ago from a Blackfoot Indian Chief and published author.

He was prescient on this field’s potential.

Best, Bud.
 
 
This formation extends into Canada and is about the size of Texas.

Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 7:47:25 AM
Subject: FW: make sure your sitting down
OIL - You  better be sitting down when you read  this  !!!!!!

As you may  know, Cruz Construction started a division in  North Dakota 
just 6 months ago.

They sent  every Kenworth (9 trucks) we had here in Alaska  to North Dakota 
and several drivers.

They  just bought two new Kenworth's to add to that  fleet; one being a Tri 
Drive tractor and a new  65 ton lowboy to go with it.

They also  bought two new cranes (one crawler & one  rubber tired) for that 
division.

Dave  Cruz said they have moved more rigs in the last  6 months in ND than 
Cruz Construction moved in  Alaska in the last 6 years.

Williston is  like a gold rush town; they moved one of our 40  man camps 
down there since there are no rooms  available.

Unemployment in ND is the  lowest in the nation at 3.4 percent last I  
checked.

See anything in the national  news about how the oil industry is fueling 
North  Dakota's economy?

Here's an  astonishing read. Important and verifiable  information:

About 6  months ago, the writer was watching a news  program on oil and one 
of the Forbes Bros. was  the guest. 

The host  said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct  question and I 
would like a direct answer;  

how much oil  does the U.S. have in the ground?" Forbes did  not miss a 
beat, he said, "more than all the  Middle East put  together.."

The U. S..  Geological Service issued a report in April 2008  that only 
scientists and oil men knew was  coming, but man was it big.

It was a  revised report (hadn't been updated since 1995)  on how much oil 
was in this area of the western  2/3 of North Dakota,

western South  Dakota, and extreme eastern  Montana.

Check THIS  out:

The Bakken is the largest  domestic oil discovery since Alaska's Prudhoe  
Bay, and has the potential to

eliminate  all American dependence on foreign oil. The  Energy Information 
Administration (EIA)  estimates

it at 503 billion barrels. Even  if just 10% of the oil is recoverable( 5 
billion  barrels), at $107 a barrel,

we're looking  at a resource base worth more than $5.3  trillion.

"When I first briefed  legislators on this, you could practically see  
their jaws hit the floor.

They had no  idea.." says Terry Johnson, the Montana  Legislature's 
financial analyst.

"This  sizable find is now the highest-producing  onshore oil field found 
in the past 56  years,"  reportsThe Pittsburgh Post  Gazette.

It's a  formation known as the Williston Basin, but is  more commonly 
referred to as the  'Bakken.'

It stretches from Northern  Montana, through North Dakota and into  Canada.

For years, U. S. oil exploration  has been considered a dead end.

Even the  'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major  oil wells 
decades ago.

However, a recent  technological breakthrough has opened up the  Bakken's 
massive reserves,

and we now  have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And  because this is 
light, sweet oil,

those  billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16  PER BARREL !!!!!!

That's enough crude to  fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years  
straight.

And if THAT didn't throw you on  the floor, then this next one should - 
because  it's from 2006 !!!!!!

U.. S. Oil  Discovery - Largest Reserve in the  World

Stansberry  Report Online -  4/20/2006

Hidden  1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky  Mountains lies the 
largest untapped oil reserve  in the world.

It is more than 2 TRILLION  barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush  
mandated its extraction.

In three and a  half years of high oil prices none has been  extracted.

With this motherload of oil  why are we still fighting over off-shore  
drilling?

They  reported this stunning news:  

We have more  oil inside our borders, than all the other  proven reserves 
on earth.  

Here are the  official estimates:

8 times as  much oil as Saudi Arabia

18 times as much  oil as Iraq

21 times as much oil as  Kuwait

22 times as much oil as  Iran

500 times as much oil as  Yemen

and it's all  right here in the Western United States  !!!!!!

HOW can  this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this?  Because the 
environmentalists and others have  blocked all efforts to help America become  
independent of foreign oil! Again, we are  letting a small group of people dictate 
our  lives and our economy. WHY?

James Bartis,  lead researcher with the study says we've got  more oil in 
this very compact area than the  entire Middle East, more than 2 TRILLION 
barrels  untapped.. That's more  than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil 
in  the world today, reports The Denver  Post.

Don't  think 'OPEC' will drop its price even with this  find? Think again! 
It's all about the  competitive marketplace, it has to.  

Think OPEC  just might be funding the  environmentalists?

Got your  attention yet? Now, while you're thinking about  it, do this:

Pass this  along. If you don't take a little time to do  this, then you 
should stifle yourself the next  time you complain  about gas prices, 
by doing NOTHING, you forfeit  your right to complain.

Now I just  wonder what would happen in this country if  every one of you 
sent this to every one in your  address book.



By the way,  this can be verified. Check it out at the link  below !!!!!!

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911 ) >  

Curz  Construction:
http://www.cruzconstruct.com/services..php