Energy Probe News

Alice in Climateland

Lisa — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:53:07 -0500

A debate over whether the science of climate change is 'settled' turned into an unsettling exchange.

It was a global warming debate hosted by a pillar of the American establishment and my opponent was a respected scientist representing one of the most authoritative organizations in the field. I was there to dispute the conventional wisdom that the science is settled on climate.

No sooner did the debate start than I felt as if I had stumbled onto a set for Alice in Wonderland. read more »

The world's leading climate scientists, in their own words

Lisa — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:01:03 -0500

Lawrence Solomon, a longtime environmental activist, began wondering a few years ago how it could be that some scientists were questioning the apparently solid consensus that humans are causing a global warming crisis. He began seeking them out, and interviewing them on the topic.

Before long, Solomon came to realize a substantial number of the world's leading scientists are making a very strong case that humans are not causing any sort of global warming crisis. read more »

James L. Jones' energy views worry some environmentalists

Lisa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:27:38 -0500

James L. Jones is Obama's new national security advisor. But he leads an institute that has challenged global warming.

Reporting from Washington — When President-elect Barack Obama introduced James L. Jones Jr. as his national security advisor Monday, he emphasized the retired Marine general's understanding of "the connection between energy and national security."

Obama sees that as a plus, but some environmental groups and global warming activists view Jones' environmental record with suspicion. read more »

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Author Series presents The Deniers

Lisa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:10:11 -0500

Lawrence Solomon
The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud**And those who are too fearful to do so

December 2nd
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Conference call only read more »

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Author Series presents The Deniers

Lisa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:00:16 -0500

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Blowing in the wind

Lisa — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:45:47 -0500

Reviews of The Deniers

Lisa — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:42:09 -0500

The Deniers: The world renowned scientists who stood up against global warming hysteria, political persecution and fraud

by Lawrence Solomon read more »

Good tolls, bad tolls

Lisa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:54:03 -0500

There are many reasons for road tolls, Metrolinx isn’t one of them.

The Greater Toronto Area needs a gazillion dollars to fund Metrolinx, a mega mega transportation system of light rail, commuter trains, subways, highways, roads, and bicycle paths designed to reach every ward in an 8,000 square kilometre operating region approaching six million people. It will cost more than governments can afford, say its government backers.

The answer, the backers say, is a toll road system that extends across the GTA and finances the transit megaproject. read more »

New ideas could stop reliance on foreign oil

Lisa — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:42:22 -0500

Whether you side with the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and attribute global warming largely to our burning of fossil fuels, or if you join Lawrence Solomon and the “deniers” and cite solar activities and cosmic radiation as the causes, you must accept that we are approaching an energy crisis.

Debate on the reasons for climate change is unfortunately diverting attention away from examination of energy security. read more »

Ontario's car pool embargo

Lisa — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:16:39 -0500

With governmental blessings, you can car pool from home to work, but only under certain conditions.

Governments want us to maximize car pooling to take excess cars off the road, to save energy, and to clean up the environment, right? read more »

China Dialogue review of global warming debate not objective, says author of environmental best seller

Lisa — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:43:18 -0500

China Dialogue fails to objectively review the scientific debate about global warming in the environmental best seller, The Deniers, by Lawrence Solomon of Energy Probe, Canada's top energy industry watchdog. Probe International calls the author's response a "must read" for Chinese environmentalists, lawmakers, and scholars.

Response to China Dialogue review read more »

Green market risk

Lisa — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:54:35 -0500

If you think the causes of the financial crisis are complicated, just wait until we start trading carbon. read more »

False hope for global unity

Lisa — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:21:34 -0500

My American friends believe that, after Barack Obama becomes president, America will once again be loved around the world. They are wishful thinkers.

Anti-Americanism didn’t begin with George Bush and it won’t end with an Obama presidency. With rare exceptions, America has always inspired hatred and contempt, and for reasons that aren’t about to go away. Those who expect America’s haters to convert on November 4 need to get out more. read more »

Wal-Mart environmentalism

Lisa — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:22:01 -0400

The next commodity to collapse will be mass-marketed environmentalism, which will come to be disdained. read more »

Lawrence Solomon nominated for book award

Lisa — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:06:43 -0400

Energy Probe's Lawrence Solomon has been recognized by the Annual Heritage Toronto Awards with a nomination for his 2007 book, Toronto Sprawls. read more »

Wielding the carbon club

Lisa — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:19:30 -0400

'Cut back on carbon emissions," the Third World is lectured. "It's for the good of the planet and it's for your own good, too. Don't point fingers at the West's carbon emissions. Don't protest that you'd like your share of automobiles and air conditioners. Don't tell us that you know what's in your own self-interest. Just do as your told, or we'll punish you."

These threats are sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit, always arrogant. Carbon has become a club with which to discipline the Third World. read more »

Global cooling sign: Solar winds at 50-year-low

Lisa — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:03:09 -0400

In yet another sign that the Earth could be heading in to a period of global cooling, NASA reports that the solar wind is now at a 50-year low, the lowest that NASA has seen. This change in solar activity, which began to occur about a decade ago, coincides with the end of the climb in global temperatures that had been underway for decades.

"What we're seeing is a long term trend, a steady decrease in pressure that began sometime in the mid-1990s," explains Arik Posner, NASA's Ulysses Program Scientist in Washington DC. read more »

What to do about high energy prices

Lisa — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:34:47 -0400

With energy prices soaring, is this the right time to lock into a fixed-rate gas contract or should you stick with the floating rate offered by your utility? read more »

Oil sands cleanup

Lisa — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:10:28 -0400

The public debate on oil sands fails to recognize that restoration is possible and not that expensive. read more »

Sands of peace

Lisa — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:46:28 -0400

Russia's energy supplies enabled their aggression, Canada's supply could be the placating alternative.

"When it comes to action over Georgia, Russia has the European Union over a barrel. In fact, 1.2 million barrels. That's how much Russian crude is pumped westward every day down the Druzhba pipeline to fuel Europe's economies." read more »

Conservatives miss Wikipedia's threat

Lisa — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:11:50 -0400

Wikipedia, the community-edited encyclopedia that anyone can revise, is one of the Web's biggest success stories. What you may not know is that it also has become an important player in the political world.

Started in 2001 on a shoestring budget, Wikipedia now ranks as the ninth most popular Web site in the U.S., according to Internet ratings company Alexa.com, outpacing such "old media" stalwarts as CNN, ESPN and the New York Times. (It's even more popular worldwide, where it is currently the seventh most-read site.) read more »

Slim Pickens

Lisa — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:15:57 -0400

Oil imports are destroying the U. S., say a rising tide of alarmists in the U. S., chief among them T. Boone Pickens, the legendary oil man turned wind power developer. "It is a clear and growing threat to our national security, and our national economy," he testified to the U. S. Senate. "It has to be stopped. We are on the verge of losing our Super Power status." read more »

Solar radio waves could signal global cooling

Lisa — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:20:37 -0400

Those who view the Sun, and not CO2, as a driver of temperatures on Earth look to various measures of solar activity for explanations of climate change. For one such measure -- radio waves from the Sun, or solar flux -- they look to Canada's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in the Okanagan valley, near Penticton, British Columbia. What they find supports the view that another Little Ice Age could be coming. read more »

Radioactive part was missing at Bruce plant

Lisa — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:08:31 -0400

Ontario is delaying by three months a decision on which company will build a new nuclear plant at Darlington to give bidders -- including Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. -- more time.

A radioactive part was missing for almost two months at the Bruce nuclear plant before a worker walking through an area called "the vault" discovered the problem after his radiation detector went off. read more »

India rejects climate doom, pursues economic boom

rebecca — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:06:25 -0400

India loves the UN's climate change policies and so does India's representative at the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri.

Why the love-in? The Indian government's new "National Action Plan on Climate Change," which Pachauri helped craft, plainly explains why: The UN formally establishes that global warming is a matter of secondary importance to India, allowing the world’s largest democracy to pursue its own best interests. read more »

You can't have your yellowcake and hide it

Lisa — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:12:03 -0400

"The international trade in nuclear materials and technology is inherently and uniquely fraught with long-term hazards to world peace and security." read more »

Medical firm sues AECL, Ottawa

Lisa — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:52:03 -0400

Life sciences company MDS Inc. has launched a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the federal government after a decision to cancel a 12-year-old project to build new nuclear reactors for producing medical isotopes.

Norm Rubin, director of nuclear research at Energy Probe, said any deal the federal government makes to privatize AECL will probably involve taxpayers taking on any potential liabilities from the lawsuit. read more »

Is Wikipedia promoting global warming hysteria?

rebecca — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:02:43 -0400

Two weeks ago, a parent-teacher council blamed the online research source Wikipedia for falling test scores in Scotland.

On Tuesday, Canadian columnist Lawrence Solomon blamed Wikipedia for helping to spread global warming hysteria around the world. read more »

Wikipropaganda - Spinning green

rebecca — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:59:13 -0400

Ever wonder how Al Gore, the United Nations, and company continue to get away with their claim of a "scientific consensus" confirming their doomsday view of global warming? Look no farther than Wikipedia for a stunning example of how the global-warming propaganda machine works. read more »

NOW for example

Lisa — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:32:08 -0400

May Warming warning

NOW magazine, May 15-21 read more »

Hysteria, persecution and fraud

Lisa — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:20:07 -0400

Lawrence Solomon: Airing the dubious science of global warming

What I told the Petroleum Club

rebecca — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:45:10 -0400

On a tour earlier this week for his new book on global warming, The Deniers, Lawrence Solomon made a presentation at the Petroleum Club in Calgary. His remarks, adapted, appear below. read more »

Despite their benefits, wind farms aren't without environmental baggage, say some experts

rebecca — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:38:37 -0400

Studies are being done to monitor the impacts of wind turbines on landscape ecology and wildlife, such as birds and bats.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources' Ontario Wind Atlas, winds off of Lake Superior blow more incessantly than anywhere else in the province.

As the province ramps up its supply of "green" energy, the 126 turbines spinning in Prince Township are likely a harbinger of more to come -- and a storm of debate over the pros and cons of harvesting power from the wind. read more »

Writer says fears of global warming unfounded

Lisa — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:37:40 -0400

Regina: Mother earth "is doing wonderfully,'' despite alarmist reports about global warming and unfounded warnings about pending environmental catastrophes, a Regina audience was told Wednesday.

Lawrence Solomon, an author and newspaper columnist who has long been involved in environmental issues and organizations, said there is no scientific proof global warming is caused by the burning of carbon-based fuels. read more »

Here comes the sun

Lisa — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:07:32 -0400

Nanosolar's breakthrough technology is 10 times more powerful than a nuclear reactor and cheaper, too. read more »

The Hydrogen Debate

Lisa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:57:38 -0400

The CBC Radio series, "The Hydrogen Solution," features a debate between Energy Probe's Norm Rubin and hydrogen expert David Sanborn Scott. This debate is now available for download online, via podcast.

To recap:

THE HYDROGEN SOLUTION

Ideas, CBC Radio One

Energy is not just a fuel. It’s an entire system that links our civilization together, says David Sanborn Scott, a hydrogen energy read more »

Behind the costs at Darlington

Lisa — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:37:05 -0400

Critics of the provincial government's decision to expand the Darlington nuclear station have zeroed in not on safety or environmental concerns but on potential cost overruns.

The original Darlington plant, completed in 1993, was "wildly overbudget," said Lawrence Solomon of the anti-nuclear Energy Probe, citing an original cost estimate of $2.5 billion and comparing it with the final bill of $14.4 billion. read more »

Energy Probe on Focus Ontario

Lisa — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:56 -0400

On Saturday, June 21, Norman Rubin of Energy Probe appeared on Global TV's "Focus Ontario" to discuss the proposed Darlington B new nuclear build with host Sean Mallen and Murray Elston of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA).

The appearance in full is captured at the Focus Ontario website, listed here:
www.canada.com/globaltv/ontario/features/focus_ontario/video.html

Skeptics on climate are worth a listen

Lisa — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:49:04 -0400

We've done a disservice. I'm talking about the media, in the aggregate, about global warming.

We skim over uncertainty inherent in predictions. The perils we face, not from potential catastrophes, but from over reach, we discount. If we did the same for hurricanes, tourism would be harmed every time a storm formed off Africa.

We would be placed in a "cone of uncertainty" for weeks at a time, scaring off potential visitors. read more »

Darlington reactors are not really new

Lisa — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:21:55 -0400

Ontario's Liberal government will soon announce the construction of new nuclear reactors, likely at the site of the existing reactors at the Darlington A station near Toronto. If history is any judge, the construction of those reactors will not be smooth, and may not happen at all. read more »

In praise of carbon dioxide

rebecca — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:44:28 -0400

With less heat and less carbon dioxide, the planet could become less hospitable and less green.

Planet Earth is on a roll! read more »

Selective precaution

Lisa — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:26:07 -0400

How does the third world insure itself against Lieberman-Warner?

Senators Joseph Lieberman (I., Conn.) and John Warner (R., Va.) base their proposed Climate Security Act legislation on two fundamental premises: That there is a scientific consensus on global warming and that, even if the scientists are wrong and the global-warming risk never materializes, we will at least have aided the environment. read more »

Riding the rails means parking the cars

Lisa — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:24:32 -0400

The World Madness Institute's Transportation Division recently released a report claiming that most North American commuters are huge supporters of public transit -- for others, not themselves.

Riding the rails means parking the cars

Lisa — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:53:57 -0400

The World Madness Institute's Transportation Division recently released a report claiming that most North American commuters are huge supporters of public transit -- for others, not themselves.

The surveyors interviewed 10,000 people and discovered that 77 per cent of Americans and 89 per cent of Canadians wanted their municipal governments to either introduce or expand their local light rail transit system. They were almost unanimous in wanting to get everyone else's cars off the road to cut their own travel times. read more »

The Deniers: Our spotless sun

Lisa — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

You probably haven’t heard much of Solar Cycle 24, the current cycle that our sun has entered, and I hope you don’t. If Solar Cycle 24 becomes a household term, your lifestyle could be taking a dramatic turn for the worse. read more »

Thou shalt not ask awkward questions (review of The Deniers)

Lisa — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:39:56 -0400

"Scepticism and the questioning of orthodoxies must be an integral part of the scientific process."

A new book shows that some of those labelled ‘the deniers’ of global warming, and depicted as oil-funded crooks, are in fact sensible, respectable scientists. Why have they been made into heretics? read more »

The Deniers: Global Warming advocate rethinks position

Lisa — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:41:20 -0400

Lawrence Solomon works for Energy Probe, a Canadian environmentalist group dedicated to opposing the nuclear-power industry. Mr. Solomon also writes a weekly column for Toronto's National Post and is aligned to the Urban Renaissance Institute. One, therefore, might consider him a tried-and-true believer in the concept of man-made global warming. And yes, he was. read more »

McCain's French Romance

Lisa — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:45:37 -0400

Carbo-charged nuclear

rebecca — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:27 -0400

Nuclear power has been an economic failure, despite being larded with subsidies and shorn of liabilities that face its competitors. Oil price hikes have not made it economic, either. read more »

Unconventional wisdom

Lisa — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:24:32 -0400

The Deniers received special mention on the "Political Grapevine" segment of "Special Report with Brit Hume":

"A man described as an anti-nuclear, 1970s peace activist who opposes subsidies to the oil industry has written a book challenging conventional wisdom about global warming. Lawrence Solomon lays out arguments on both sides -- including information that often goes unreported in the mainstream media. read more »

Global warming hysteria challenged (review)

rebecca — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:39:03 -0400

An anti-nuclear, Toronto-based, urban-loving, 1970s peace activist who opposes subsidies to the oil industry might be the last person expected to detail cracks in the science of global warming.

But Lawrence Solomon has done just that in a short book with a long subtitle: The Deniers: The World-Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, And Fraud (And Those Who Are Too Fearful To Do So). read more »

A flirtation with Chicken Little

Lisa — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:33:05 -0400

In an opinion piece for the Washington Times, columnist Wesley Pruden looks at new Republican converts to "global-warming hysteria," including President Bush and John McCain. read more »

Brr! The climate cools for reality-deniers

Lisa — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:02:07 -0400

32,000 Deniers

Lisa — Sat, 17 May 2008 15:39:19 -0400

Freeman Dyson is one of the world’s most eminent physicists. Please click on above image for an enlarged picture.

That’s the number of scientists who are outraged by the Kyoto Protocol’s corruption of science read more »

Americans cooling to global warming

Lisa — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:23:39 -0400

All three U.S. presidential hopefuls have made global warming a high-profile issue in their campaigns. In this they are out of step with the broad electorate, which ranks global warming well down the scale of important issues. The public's increasing skepticism is particularly surprising given the overwhelming air time that the press has given to the notion that global warming spells doom. read more »

The Daily Denier

Lisa — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:50:32 -0400

Political blog runs quotes from The Deniers.

The Orange County political blog, Orange Punch, has launched its very own Deniers series, featuring extracts from the Lawrence Solomon book, “The Deniers The world-renowned scientists who stood up against global warming hysteria, political persecution and fraud”.

Orange Punch is currently running an ongoing series of quotes from scientists Solomon features in his book.

The limits to nuclear: McCain shouldn’t try to follow French disaster

Lisa — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:14:48 -0400

The U.S. doesn’t have a market for the nighttime power surplus that nuclear inevitably produces.

"If France can produce 80% of its electricity with nuclear power, why can’t we?,” asks U.S. presidential candidate John McCain. Nuclear power is a cornerstone of Senator McCain’s plan to combat climate change, which he is unveiling this week. read more »

Green consumers turn red

rebecca — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:25:29 -0400

US presidential candidates John McCain and Hilary Clinton vow to combat man-made climate change by curbing America's CO2 emissions. They also vow to give American drivers a tax holiday this summer by suspending the federal gas tax. Voters are upset at the price they must pay at the pump. read more »

Public intellectuals

rebecca — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:41:25 -0400

Foreign Policy/Prospect lists the world's top 100 public intellectuals, "the thinkers who are shaping the tenor of our time," as it describes them. Now it's up to us to select the best from among them, by choosing our five favourites.

Most of the intellectuals on offer, I confess, are unknown to me. The rest I divide into those I admire, or not. read more »

The real climate Martians

rebecca — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:24:51 -0400

Fred Singer, one of the world’s renowned scientists, believes in Martians. I discovered this several weeks ago while reading his biography on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. “Do you really believe in Martians?” I asked him last week, at a chance meeting at a Washington event. The answer was “No.” read more »

Europe's Coal Renaissance

rebecca — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:27:33 -0400

Coal is back, despite -- and perhaps also because of -- attempts to beat it back.

Britain abandoned coal big time after Maggie Thatcher privatized the energy industry system in the 1980s. With the energy industry forced to meet market tests, coal fields were shut down, coal-fired power plants were shut down, and coal-related emissions plummeted. Economic efficiency worked wonders for both the economy and the environment. read more »

Don’t Deny Yourself

rebecca — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:27:01 -0400

Lawrence Solomon is author of a new book from the new Richard Vigilante Books. The Book is The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution and Fraud *And those who are too fearful to do so. And that about tells you everything you need to know. In The Deniers, Solomon focuses on profiling the scientists Al Gore conveniently doesn’t engage. In the run-up to the hottest holiday of the year, Earth Day, he took questions from National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez. read more »

Climate change not a done deal

rebecca — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:07:02 -0400

For the past 18 months, National Post journalist Lawrence Solomon has been profiling scientists who disagree with the UN panel's position on climate change. read more »

Hide your name on Wicked Pedia

rebecca — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:24:29 -0400

Capitol Hill Book Forum with Lawrence Solomon

rebecca — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:49:10 -0400

Thank you, Richard (Vigilante) and Myron (Ebell), for those introductions and thank you all for coming to this book forum. I am especially grateful to CEI and the Cooler Heads Coalition, to Myron, and to Fred Smith, for the integrity and tenacity that he and they have shown during this entire global warming debate. read more »

Capitol Hill Book Forum with Lawrence Solomon, Author of the Deniers

Lisa — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:49:30 -0400

On Friday, April 18, Lawrence Solomon will make an appearance as guest speaker of the Capitol Hill Book Forum, at the invitation of The Cooler Heads Coalition. Program information.

Wikipedia's Zealots

rebecca — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:50:57 -0400

As I'm writing this column for the Post, I am simultaneously editing a page on Wikipedia. I am confident that just about everything I write for my column will be available for you to read. I am equally confident that you will be able to read just about nothing that I write for the page on Wikipedia. read more »

Europe's Banana Republic

rebecca — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:55:06 -0400

Iceland wants to be the world's first carbon neutral nation, an honour that will be bestowed on it by the United Nations' Environment Program if it bests rivals Costa Rica, New Zealand and Norway. If Iceland wins, credit will rest in part with the country's banana industry, the most vibrant in Europe. read more »

Why I wrote Deniers

rebecca — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:15:37 -0400

Global warming has become a question for citizens, and not only scientists. Citizens must decide how serious the threat is and what to do about it, which cures make sense, and which might be worse than the disease. Alas, the answers to these questions depend on scientific issues of fierce complexity that few laymen are capable of confronting directly. So what are we to do? read more »

Ontario's Energy Crunch

rebecca — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:41:43 -0400

Good morning. I have some good news for you this morning. The good news is that Ontario has an easy and painless way out of the energy fix that we're in. I have some bad news for you, too. Our government doesn't know it, and, I am certain, neither do most of you in this room. Because of what you don't know, we face a future in which we all may freeze in the dark. read more »

Apocalypse now?

Lisa — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:44:33 -0400

To most of us, the consequences of a meltdown or some other catastrophic accident at a nuclear reactor are unimaginable.

To the companies in the worldwide nuclear industry, and to insurance companies, the consequences are all too imaginable -- they would be wiped out if held responsible for a malfunction that caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Because reactors were not a commercial proposition, decades ago, the corporate world refused to back nuclear power. read more »

Kyoto's latest victim

rebecca — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:55:32 -0400

Climate change continues to wreak havoc throughout the world, Egypt being the most recent example. In the last year, bread prices have climbed 36%, leading to rioting by the hungry. Bread riots are also occurring Yemen and Pakistan, as they have in other countries over the last year, while in other nations food protests have taken other forms. read more »

Burning in the dark

Lisa — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:59:51 -0400

Nuclear runs all night, can't be ramped up in day.

After scores of bankruptcies and bailouts, many if not most energy analysts recognize nuclear electricity for what it has been: the single biggest business disaster in history.

But nuclear power's failings extend beyond the red ink on the balance sheets to the limitations in the technology. The nuclear reactor, though efficient in medical and military applications, is ill-suited for the production of electricity in a sophisticated power market of diverse customers with diverse needs read more »

Nuclear giant plans 4 reactors; Bruce Power proposes $10B

Lisa — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:14:07 -0400

The only private operator of nuclear plants in Canada, Bruce Power LP, plans to bring nuclear power to Alberta, saying Thursday it hopes to build a $10-billion-plus generating complex near Peace River.

But experts on nuclear power were quick to note that even though nuclear generation has massive capital costs, it has a dismal track record at meeting cost estimates and construction schedules and that, once operational, the reliability of nuclear stations has been spotty, at best. read more »

The Polluter Overpay Principle

rebecca — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:11:17 -0400

The UK is clobbering well-engineered automobiles in a move to re-engineer society. A Land Rover will soon face a tax of £950 when purchased, and then an additional £455 per year. Saab owners are hit less hard (£425 in year one, then £270) and Audi owners even less (£155 and £155). To escape these taxes, dubbed "showroom taxes" because they tend to hit hardest at the time of purchase), car-buyers need to think very small, such as the VW Polo Bluemotion, a diesel vehicle. read more »

Warmed-over nukes

Lisa — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:25:16 -0400

The world is whooshing to nuclear energy. Just this week, Britain announced 18 new nuclear reactor sites in its bid to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on a Mid-East nuclear-selling spree, to cash in on interest in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Libya. read more »

Nuke sector on upswing?

rebecca — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:08:50 -0400

Two Canadian mega-projects in works, but critics still battling

CALGARY — With two nuclear mega-projects planned for Alberta and Ontario, the sector is showing signs of growth for the first time in decades, but critics warn those sorts of major projects are fraught with risk.

On Thursday, Ontario power firm Bruce Power said it wants to build Western Canada’s first nuclear power plant near Peace River, Alta. The proposed $10-billion facility could produce enough electricity to power two million homes by 2017. read more »

Grantmakers Against Global Warming

rebecca — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:52:40 -0400

The $200-million per year currently spent fighting global warming isn't enough, says "Design to Win: Philanthropy's Role in the Fight Against Global Warming," a report funded by six philanthropies. To get the job done, at least $800-million per year is needed. read more »

Power Unplugged in China

rebecca — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:31:56 -0400

What is going on in China's electricity sector?

A month ago, power failures during China's coldest, snowiest winter in decades left millions without heat or running water. The government responded by ordering ports to stop loading coal for exports, ordered railways and other transport networks to make hauling coal a priority over coming weeks, ordered ocean shippers to divert shipments when needed for domestic requirements, and warned of "severe" consequences for those failing to comply.

Worst polluters still get breaks

rebecca — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:01:03 -0500

The B.C. government this week introduced what it hails as North America's first carbon tax, but many will see it mostly as just another hike in the gas tax, and for good reason. The gas tax, rising to 7.24¢ per litre over four years, will do next to nothing apart from increasing the provincial take – Europe with its sky-high gas taxes and ever-increasing auto use demonstrates the ineffectiveness of gas taxes in curbing the car. read more »

The Carbon Harvest

rebecca — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:12:45 -0400

Global warming is the biggest threat that farmers face, and not because carbon dioxide threatens their crops -- carbon dioxide is actually a boon to crops, and increases yields. Thanks to increased carbon dioxide emissions, in fact, the world's biosphere is on an upswing, the terrestrial NPP (net primary production) growing by more than 6% in the last two decades of the century. read more »

Extreme competition, but not extreme enough

rebecca — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:22:06 -0400

Since Maggie Thatcher broke up the United Kingdom's s dysfunctional energy monopolies two decades ago, costs plummeted, as did prices for consumers, as a wave of new entrants into the energy business led to a textbook example of the benefits of competition. Today, the typical household has several thousand options in purchasing power that come to it courtesy of six dozen different licensed merchants. Compare that to the choices your local power monopolist provides you.
read more »

Extreme competition, but not extreme enough

rebecca — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:05:14 -0500

Since Maggie Thatcher broke up the United Kingdom's dysfunctional energy monopolies two decades ago, costs plummeted, as did prices for consumers, as a wave of new entrants into the energy business led to a textbook example of the benefits of competition. Today, the typical household has several thousand options in purchasing power that come to it courtesy of six dozen different licensed merchants. Compare that to the choices your local power monopolist provides you.

Spreading sprawl

rebecca — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:07:12 -0500

Canadians are becoming more and more dependent on the automobile, Stats-Can told us last week, citing figures showing that 74% of Canadians are full-time drivers, up from 70% in 1998 and 68% in 1992. This trend, a natural consequence of suburban sprawl, is only to be expected. Our governments spend billions to promote the use of suburbs. read more »

Geo-pipe dreams

rebecca — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:34:45 -0400

With climate change threatening us with extinction, many of the best minds going are working on methods to save us from oblivion. Here they are, and how they propose to save us from ourselves: read more »

The Deniers, Part XLI: Geo-pipe dreams

rebecca — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:17:05 -0500

With climate change threatening us with extinction, many of the best minds going are working on methods to save usfrom oblivion. Here they are, and how they propose to save us from ourselves: read more »