Green-Scam

Over the last decade, climate activists have successfully pressured governments, banks, and corporations to divest from oil and natural gas companies. At first such efforts appeared to be strictly symbolic. But in recent years years climate activists succeeded in driving public and private investment away from oil and gas exploration and toward renewables. The result is the worst energy crisis in 50 years.

Under-investment in oil and gas exploration is not the only cause of today’s energy crisis. The economic comeback from the covid pandemic has pushed up demand. Lack of wind in Europe meant higher demand for both natural gas and coal. And a drought in Brazil meant it had to import natural gas.

But the main cause of energy shortages is the half-decade-long under-investment in oil and gas driven by climate concerns.

The world has squandered the opportunity to “build back better” from the Covid-19 pandemic, and faces disastrous temperature rises of at least 2.7C if countries fail to strengthen their climate pledges, according to a report from the UN.

Tuesday’s publication warns that countries’ current pledges would reduce carbon by only about 7.5% by 2030, far less than the 45% cut scientists say is needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, the aim of the Cop26 summit that opens in Glasgow this Sunday.

Does anyone believe the UN on any matter?

Will world leaders use lockdown policies to lower climate emissions?

Our international political class is set to descend on Glasgow this November for the United Nations climate change summit, COP26. A swarm seems to be an apt comparison given that 1,500 waste disposal staff are set to strike for the duration of the event, leaving the unnecessary trash produced by environmental devotees flowing out of bags and bins for all to see. And, like flies, the bad ideas proposed to revolutionize everyone’s lives for the worst are bound to be in abundance.

When the United Nations’ 26th giant, carbon-dioxide spewing conference on climate change begins Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland, let’s be clear about its message.

It will be that to save the planet from catastrophic warming, you will have to pay much more for driving your car, heating your home, buying your food and living your life than you already are.

Just west of the Pacific Coast Highway in the Paradise Cove area of Malibu, a major construction project is underway. Every day, at least 20 pickup trucks full of workers, earthmovers and multiple cranes belching black smoke crowd onto the lot, power up and get to work building Laurene Powell Jobs’ dream beach compound.

To date, Steve Jobs’ widow has spent more than $80 million on three oceanfront lots — tearing down the existing houses and, according to one person in the know, now building a “massive 20,000-square-foot home for her and her two grown daughters and two smaller ‘cottages’ that are around 4,000 square feet a piece for guests.” 

Everyone’s attention is turning to the energy crisis in Europe and Asia and the increasing cost of petroleum products, with record-high natural gas prices and oil at $80 a barrel and rising. As a Tsimshian from northwest British Columbia, when I look at what’s happening in the markets, I wonder how much better off our communities would be if all the cancelled pipeline projects had gone ahead and B.C. was exporting LNG at these record prices.

Climate crisis plus energy crisis does not equal a good path to net-zero emissions. Policy wonks at the upcoming COP26 conference in Glasgow later this month will have a tough time with this calculus.

It’s been a while since the phrase energy crisis has been thrown around. When I hear it, I have déjà vu to the 1970s, the late-2000s and other lesser episodes in between. I reflect on societal hardship, ugly politics and uncertain outcomes.

Replacing coal-fired electricity with renewable energy will cost Canadian taxpayers and hydro ratepayers up to $33.7 billion annually, with only minor reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, according to a new study by the Fraser Institute.

The scientific consensus that humans are altering the climate has passed 99.9%, according to research that strengthens the case for global action at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

The degree of scientific certainty about the impact of greenhouse gases is now similar to the level of agreement on evolution and plate tectonics, the authors say, based on a survey of nearly 90,000 climate-related studies. This means there is practically no doubt among experts that burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, coal, peat and trees, is heating the planet and causing more extreme weather.

… “This puts the likes of Facebook and Twitter in a quandary. It is pretty similar to vaccine misinformation; they both lack a basis in science and they both have a destructive impact on society. Social networks that allow climate misinformation to spread need to look at their algorithms and policies or to be forced to do so by regulators.”

Gee whiz, pandemic like censorship. What a coincidence!