Mark Levin: Here’s Proof Obama 'admin' LIED To Us About Climate Change ‘To Advance An Ideology’.

Mark Levin: Here’s Proof Obama 'admin' LIED To Us About Climate Change ‘To Advance An Ideology’. (DailyWire).

On his radio program Thursday, constitutional lawyer and bestselling author Mark Levin slammed the Obama administration for manipulating data about climate change and “lying” to the American in order to advance its socialist ideology.

Levin was responding to a report by The Daily Caller‘s Chris White, who highlighted an admission by a former Obama Energy Department official earlier in the week that the administration deliberately presented “misleading” and “sometimes just wrong” climate data. Here’s an excerpt from the report (second hyperlink added):

Former Energy Department Undersecretary Steven Koonin told The Wall Street Journal Monday that bureaucrats within former President Barack Obama’s administration spun scientific data to manipulate public opinion.

“What you saw coming out of the press releases about climate data, climate analysis, was, I’d say, misleading, sometimes just wrong,” Koonin said, referring to elements within the Obama administration he said were responsible for manipulating climate data.

“What they forgot to tell you, and you don’t know until you read all the way into the fine print is that it actually decreased in the decades before that,” he said. 

Levin pointed to Koonin’s statement as yet more evidence that the Obama administration had let ideology trump the truth and outright “lied” to the American people.

“We were lied to. We were lied to in order to advance an ideology,” said the radio host. Read the full story here.

Obama 'Admin' Spends Millions $ on unproven startups to Give Africa “Clean” Energy.

Obama 'Admin' Spends Millions $ on unproven startups to Give Africa “Clean” Energy. HT: Judicial watch.

As part of a broad mission to end extreme poverty worldwide the Obama administration is giving unproven startups millions of dollars to create solar power in Africa.

It’s a multi-million-dollar U.S. initiative to inspire entrepreneurs and investors to help bring enough connections so households in sub-Saharan Africa have access to clean, modern and affordable electricity.

Uncle Sam will pitch in around $36 million and the money will flow through Power Africa, a program created by President Obama to increase the number of people with access to power in the world’s second-largest continent.

This comes with a hefty price tag and, though the United Kingdom and private foundations will also contribute, American taxpayers will dole out the largest chunks of cash for the African endeavor.


It appears to be the international version of the president’s disastrous—and costly—plan to create innovative clean technologies domestically by filling the coffers of fly-by-night companies that never delivered. Instead, they went bankrupt after getting billions of dollars from American taxpayers under a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative that doled out $16.1 billion for more than two dozen projects. Read the full story here.

Related:

Guardian: Obama's dirty secret: #FossilFuels projects the #US littered around the #world. Spent $34B on Dirty energy https://t.co/2WfBsEQNQ6 pic.twitter.com/3atNbzoKTe

— Michael Harris (@michaelharrisdr) December 1, 2016

Dutch government is discussing the possibility to stop sales of gas powered cars starting in 2025.

Dutch government is discussing the possibility to stop sales of gas powered cars starting in 2025. (Electric).

After India evaluating a scheme for all its fleet to be electric by 2030, now we learn that the Dutch government is discussing the possibility to ban gas-powered car sales and only allow electric vehicle sales starting in 2025.
Although the parliament is considering the possibility to implement such a drastic law, the house is divided and the liberal coalition in power does not see the rule being implemented any time soon.
Hmmm..... the nanny state on steroids. Read the full story here.

$13 million wasted on windy last day of March: Ontario pays to get rid of excess Hydro.

$13 million wasted on windy last day of March: Ontario taxpayer pays to get rid of excess Hydro. (WindconcernOntario) By Parker Gallant

These spring windy days are costing you: Ontario’s Wynne government  pays millions for power it can’t use including wind, produced exactly when we don’t need it.

                                   More than $13 million wasted on windy last day of March

March 2016 left like a lion with the wind roaring mightily. Wind on March 31^st could have generated over 90% of its IESO posted capacity of almost 3,900 MW— but it didn’t.

Demand  was relatively low in Ontario that day, with users requiring only 359,000 MWh. That meant the IESO folks were busy getting nuclear to steam off (about 26,000 MWh), spilling hydro, and actively curtailing wind.

Curtailed wind generation on that day exceeded both Ontario’s net exports of 31,400 MWh, and wind-generated electricity actually delivered to the grid.   Our exported surplus was sold at a negative average price of the HOEP (hourly Ontario energy price) as we paid New York, Michigan, Quebec, and others $1.71/MWh to take our excess power.

We also paid wind power generators in the neighbourhood of $120 per MWh to curtail an estimated 40,500 MWh.

Our production costs for the month of March are collectively estimated at $117/MWh, suggesting the Global Adjustment (GA) will average about $112/MWh and the HOEP will average around $5/MWh.
That means the cost of the day’s full generation of 400,224 MWh (Ontario Demand + exports) at an estimated $46.8 million. Included in that figure are costs for net exports,  steamed off nuclear, spilled hydro, curtailed wind, and idling gas plants, needed to back up wind and solar.

The one-day costs included in the $46.8 million are: an estimated $1.5 million for Bruce Power to steam off nuclear; $3 million to pay idling gas plants; $3.7 million to pay for our exported surplus; and about $4.8 million for curtailed wind.

Without including costs for spilled hydro, the total costs for energy not needed for just one day came to about $13 million.  We should be grateful the sun wasn’t shining too or we would have been paying for solar generation at even higher prices.

We also saved about $15/MWh or $600,000 March 31^st by curtailing wind generation or the $13 million daily cost would have been higher.

Now, try to imagine how that $13 million might have helped out our health care system, perhaps by retaining nurses at many hospitals such as Windsor, North Bay, etc., where recent staff reductions have occurred. No wonder an Ontario Health Coalition study a year ago stated:  “we have been deeply disturbed at the devastating cuts we are seeing to needed public hospital care all across Ontario.”

The money that should be earmarked for health care is finding its way into the pockets of the mainly foreign wind turbine and solar panel developers instead of actually helping out Ontarians.

Time to scrap the acquisition of more intermittent wind and solar generation and earmark the money where it belongs. Ontarians don’t want to see $13 million wasted daily, just to pretend wind and solar are better than emission-free nuclear and hydro.

Infrastructure spending OK, but that’s not what the Trudeau gov. proposes to do.

Infrastructure spending OK, but that’s not what the Trudeau gov. proposes to do. (FrazerInstitute).

Some of the details of the Liberal's budget, which ran almost 270 pages, are now emerging, resulting in serious questions about aspects of the budget.

As a number of researchers have already observed, the rhetoric of the Liberal budget simply doesn’t match their specific plans (see here, here, here). This gap between the rhetoric of the budget and its actual proposals is front and center in one of the budget’s signature sections: infrastructure spending.

Without debating the specific merits of any of these individual initiatives, it’s fairly clear that most of the “infrastructure” spending is not aimed at improving the core infrastructure of the country such as our roads, bridges and highways. In other words, simply calling the spending delineated above “infrastructure” doesn’t mean the spending is actually on infrastructure.

In addition, there are genuine questions about the “multipliers” included in the budget as a rationale for this spending.

The argument, rooted in Keynesian economics, is that governments can spend one dollar and generate more than one dollar’s worth of economic activity.

The narrative employed in the budget, which combines the concepts of both improving the long-term performance of the Canadian economy and the multiplier of infrastructure spending, is that such spending pays for itself.

The problems with this argument are twofold.

One, as outlined above, almost none of the spending referred to as infrastructure is actually on infrastructure. 

And two, the concept of multipliers has been rigorously debated in economics and there is genuine debate about their validity. Read the full story here. 

Switching off lights worldwide does more harm than good - expert.

Switching off lights worldwide does more harm than good - expert. (Tass).

Switching off the lights for the environmental campaign "Earth Hour" is doing more harm than good, because it makes electricity more expensive, according to professor of the department of nuclear and thermal power plants of the Institute of Power Engineering of the Tomsk Polytechnic University Valery Litvak, quoted by the university’s press service.

"Earth Hour" is an annual international environmental campaign of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), aimed at drawing attention to the problem of preserving the planet's resources. At the same time for one hour people around the world switch off the lights, and the buildings - symbols of certain countries - switch off exterior decorative lighting.

"Earth Hour" is the most popular campaign in the human history. In 2015 more than 2 bln people from 172 countries participated in the event, including 20 mln Russians.

Saving energy ends up more expensive

"This event, in my opinion, based on the conviction "switched off the lights - done something good". In fact - this is not the case. All people in the power industry know that. Electrical power systems work well with constant load. The more constant the load schedule, the more cost efficient production of power," the university’s press service quoted the scientist.

According to him, rapid decline of turbine load occurs during a power outage. Power system will have to adapt to this new regime - to reduce the production of electricity. If the drop is significant, only hydroelectric power stations will be able to pick up the process, all the other stations simply will not be able to cope with the drop.

"But this is not all - because in an hour the light everywhere will be turned on. Stations will need to increase the load. Meanwhile, it is difficult to do at nuclear power plants, thermal power plants pick it up but the pace is not very fast. Again, the entire burden falls on hydroelectric power stations.

So, we first unloaded generators and now load them again. To put it mildly, it is very stressful for the whole power complex. Hooking up turbo-generator into electrical network could be compared to such a complex process as childbirth," the professor said.

Therefore, according to him, there will be more harm than good from power outage around the world. "We just need to train ourselves to use energy more prudently. Turn off the lights leaving the house, not boiling a full kettle for just two cups of tea, not running washing machine for a pair of socks," Litvak said. Read the full story here.

Swedish town refuses to turn lights off to protect women from rape attacks. #Earthhour https://t.co/QklKiFz2bg

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) March 19, 2016

China - Shanghai coal imports jump in first two months to 1.94 million tonnes.

China - Shanghai coal imports jump in first two months to 1.94 million tonnes. (EyesOnChina)

 Imports of coal and lignite through Shanghai in January and February were up 150 percent year on year, the local customs authority announced on Tuesday.

Shanghai imported 1.94 million tonnes of coal and lignite in the first two months. The average price for a tonne of coal stood at 316 yuan (49 U.S. dollars), down 6.2 percent year on year, according to the customs.

During the period, coal imports from Australia more than doubled year on year to 566,000 tonnes, encouraged by tax cuts due to a China-Australia free trade agreement that took effect in December.

Shanghai coal imports from ASEAN countries reached 1.2 million tonnes in the first two months, up 90.5 percent year on year and accounting for 62 percent of its total imports.

Increased power demand and China's dropping domestic coal inventory contributed to the jump in imports, according to the customs. Hmmm........Will do wonders for the environment.     

GloBULLwarming - Experts admit Global Warming is on....a pause, but don't want you to know it.

'GloBULLwarming Myths' - Climate change helps slow, not quicken, rising sea levels – NASA.

@JohnnyThe6ix Sea level at the Marshall Islands is the same now as it was in 1950.https://t.co/vAMg6pjeVj pic.twitter.com/ye7eZKVTlq

— Steve Goddard (@SteveSGoddard) February 5, 2016

'GloBULLwarming Myths' - Climate change helps slow, not quicken, rising sea levels – NASA. (RT).

Glaciers are still melting, but climate change is having an unexpected effect on sea levels, NASA has found. Satellites show 3.2 trillion tons of water has been stored on land over the past decade, slowing the pace of rising sea levels by 20 percent.

Never before has the climate and weather-driven impact on water storage been so accurately studied. With the help of two satellites, the University of California at Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) determined that through lakes, aquifers, and other routes, land is practically soaking up the liquid like a giant sponge. The study is set to be published on Friday in the journal Science.

Enough water to fill Lake Huron, the seventh largest lake in the world, has been trapped, according to NASA. Before this study, researchers could only faintly guess at how the natural water cycle, or hydrologic cycle, would be impacted by climate change.

“We always assumed that people’s increased reliance on groundwater for irrigation and consumption was resulting in a net transfer of water from the land to the ocean,” the study’s lead author, J.T. Reager of JPL, said on NASA’s website. Reager started the research as a UC Irvine graduate student.

“What we didn’t realize until now is that over the past decade, changes in the global water cycle more than offset the losses that occurred from groundwater pumping, causing the land to act like a sponge – at least temporarily. These new data are vital for understanding decadal variations in sea level change. The information will be a critical complement to future long-term projections of sea level rise, which depend on melting ice and warming oceans,” Reager said.

The JPL-UC Irvine study contradicts a study from last year published in the journal Nature, which said the rising rate of sea levels was proceeding 2.5 times faster than it had been in 1990. Read the full story here.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks Obama's climate rule for power plants.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks Obama's climate rule for power plants. The Hill.

The Supreme Court has blocked President Obama's landmark climate rule for power plants, dealing a major blow to the president's climate agenda.

In an order released Tuesday night, the court said it is placing a stay on the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants while industry and state lawsuits move forward.

The court granted the request in a 5-4 vote on Tuesday night, saying the rule was on hold until the circuit court reviews it and Supreme Court appeals are exhausted. The court’s four liberal justices dissented from the decision.

The rule — the Clean Power Plan — is the main plank of Obama's climate change agenda. It’s designed to cut carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 32 percent over 2005 levels by 2030 by assigning states individual reduction targets based on their energy mix.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement that the administration disagrees with the order, but “we remain confident that we will prevail” when the rule is argued on its merits.

The stay means Obama will likely leave office with the fate of his premier climate policy undecided. Read the full story here.

'Analyze THIS'

Today, CO2 concentrations are barely at 380 ppm -- still CO2-impoverished. Many scientists strongly believe that we should be trying to produce more CO2, not less. And for good reason.

"Carbon is the building block for all life on earth. It provides all of the food and most the energy for the human race. Carbon dioxide is a tiny part of the atmosphere, yet it sustains all life on earth. It is NOT a pollutant. To be anti-carbon is to be anti-life and anti-human". - Viv Forbes, Pasture Manager, Soil Scientist and Geologist.

 CO2 levels in the atmosphere today are NOT at record high levels. Carbon Dioxide is such a small component of Earth's atmosphere (380 ppmv) that the "slice" it represents in charts is really only a "line" about 1/2 as thick as a line can be shown. Compared to former geologic times, Earth's atmosphere is "CO2 impoverished."

In the last 600 million years of Earth's history only the Carboniferous Period and our present age, the Quaternary Period, have witnessed CO2 levels less than 400 ppm, except during periods of glacial expansion during ice ages.

Late Carboniferous to Early Permian time (315 mya -- 270 mya) is the only time period in the last 600 million years when both atmospheric CO2 and temperatures were as low as they are today (Quaternary Period). Temperature after C.R. Scotese http://www.scotese.com/climate.htm.

Please visit www.CO2Science.org for even more information about wonderful CO2.

The facts must be told before Obama & Gore pull the wool over our eyes. Read the full story here.

Ontario’s skyrocketing electricity prices endanger domestic manufacturing.

Ontario’s skyrocketing electricity prices endanger domestic manufacturing. (GM). By Adam White.

As an advocate for some of Ontario’s largest manufacturers, we fear the province’s long-term electricity plan is placing too high a financial burden on industry.

Our manufacturers are currently paying excessively high electricity rates for power the system doesn’t need; this surplus energy is then sold to our competitors in neighbouring jurisdictions (Quebec, New York, Michigan, Illinois) for a heavily discounted price. The math just doesn’t make sense.

This trend results in two outcomes. They can close, further opening the door to suppliers south of the border. Or they can move to the United States or Mexico.

Electricity costs in Ontario are unlikely to ease.The cost, in multiple billions, will be borne by Ontario electricity customers.

As policy-makers in Ontario and elsewhere turn their attention to the energy sector, we need to make sure that they keep the interests of Canadians in mind.Read the full story here.

Adam White is the President of the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario

EU, US States And Can provinces push for 2050 ban on petrol and diesel cars.

EU, US States And Can provinces push for 2050 ban on petrol and diesel cars. (Caradvice).

The European Commission’s push to have conventional petrol and diesel vehicles banned from dense city areas is building steam, with news this week that more regions will work towards the same goal.

In 2011, the European Commission proposed a commitment to massively transform Europe’s transport networks and needs, in a bid to cut overall carbon emissions by around 60 per cent.

The plan had initially been rejected by the UK, but this month’s international climate conference in Paris has seen 13 international members – including the UK – commit to accelerating the global adoption of zero-emission vehicles.

“The UK already has the largest market for ultra-low emission vehicles in the EU, and the fourth largest in the world and today’s pledge reaffirms our commitment to ensuring almost every car and van is a zero emission vehicle by 2050,” UK transport minister Andrew Jones said.

Members of the new International Zero Emissions Vehicle Alliance include The Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom in Europe; Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont in the United States; and Québec in Canada.

Jens Frølich Holthe, Political Advisor to Norway’s Minister for Environment, described the multi-region commitment as a positive step towards climate change control.

“We see working together with other proactive governments as a key to a global transition to an electric fleet. The problem of climate change is clearly global, and we see electric vehicles as one of the important global climate solutions.”   Hmmmm.....I presume Ontario is also included in this 'madness' since Wynne follows the California Model.Good luck with developing Electric trucks to transport all goods. Read the full story here.

Video - Mark Steyn rebukes democrats in climate hearing: ‘You’re effectively enforcing a state ideology’

HT And Source: Wattsupwiththat.

China’s top climate change negotiator says keeping leaders away is key to climate talk success.

China’s top climate change negotiator says keeping leaders away is key to climate talk success. (ET).

Keeping state leaders away from the negotiations will play a major role in ensuring that crucial talks on a new global climate deal in Paris next week proceed smoothly, China’s top climate change negotiator said in an interview on Monday.

Representatives from nearly 200 countries will gather in the French capital to begin talks aimed at thrashing out a new global deal to cut climate-warming greenhouse gases.

Xie Zhenhua, China’s veteran climate chief, told Reuters in an interview that he was confident there was now sufficient “political will” to secure a new deal, and that changes to the “design” of the talks would help avoid the failures of Copenhagen in 2009.

“No country wants the situation in Copenhagen to be repeated,” he said. “Letting heads of state try to resolve the problems rather than leaving it to the negotiators was an error in the design and it led to an error in the result.”

Xie said China proposed to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at an early stage to try to restrict the involvement of state leaders in order to ease the political pressures on negotiators.

“They can speak at the opening ceremony, express hope about how the meeting should go, and make requests to their delegations, but afterwards, the specifics need to be resolved by the delegations,” he said.

China has pushed rich nations to meet their commitments to mobilise $100 billion of financing per year to help poorer countries mitigate and adapt to rising temperatures, and the issue remained a fundamental part of upcoming negotiations, Xie said.

While some have urged China to contribute to the fund, Beijing remains adamant that the obligations lie with rich nations. Xie said China was “willing to help developing countries in accordance with our abilities” and had already set up mechanisms to help poorer countries finance their fight against global warming.

China, already believed to be the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases, pledged last year to bring its emissions to a peak by “around 2030″.

But the country, which currently depends on coal for nearly two thirds of its total energy needs, has come under pressure after approving large numbers of new coal mines and coal-fired power plants this year. Hmmmm............Made in China thanks the 'Useful idiots' for their cooperation in killing their own economies.

Related: 

“It is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist.” Source.

New Alberta climate-change plans include carbon taxes for individual Albertans.

New Alberta climate-change plans include carbon taxes for individual Albertans. (NAPO).

While the plan doesn’t set greenhouse gas emission targets with dates, the entire climate-change policy puts Alberta on track to reduce emissions by approximately 20 megatonnes in 2020 compared to what would be the case if no changes were made, and 50 megatonnes by 2030.

It will also cut methane emissions from flaring and leakage by 45 per cent from 2014 levels by 2025. Methane is roughly 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas.

The plan was hailed by energy and environmental leaders as a “game changer” that will make Alberta a global leader in fighting climate change. But it will also require Albertans to pay 4.7-cents more per litre of gas at the pumps in 2017, and 5.5 cents more per litre of diesel, plus an extra $320 to heat their homes in 2017, rising to $470 by 2018. 

The $3 billion raised by these carbon taxes won’t go into government coffers, but will go back to Albertans through a rebate program and by building green infrastructure and public transit, the premier said.

— Alberta will phase out all pollution created by burning coal by 2030, and transition to more renewable energy and natural-gas generation. The province promises the plan will provide reasonable electricity prices for consumers and businesses.

— Within the next months, the government will set up a facilitator and negotiator to work with coal-plant operators to figure out how best to move forward, since the province’s 18 coal-fired electricity plants currently create 55 per cent of the province’s electricity.

— Two-thirds of coal-generated electricity will be replaced by renewables, mostly wind power.

— Renewable-energy sources will comprise up to 30 per cent of Alberta’s electricity production by 2030.

“Obviously, if I was the owner of a coal company, I would prefer that this announcement hadn’t been made, but we’re very committed to working with them in a collaborative way to ensure that they do not unduly bear the burden of the benefits that all Albertans will enjoy as a result of us phasing out coal,” Premier Rachel Notley said.

Meanwhile......In Germany

Coal resurgence darkens Germans’ green image

Germany generated 44 per cent of its electricity from coal last year, more than any other EU member state. That compares with 26 per cent from renewables and 16 per cent from its eight remaining nuclear plants.

Ms Merkel’s government had not reckoned with the power of the coal lobby. Plans this year to slap a levy on emissions from the dirtiest plants powered by lignite had to be abandoned after they met opposition from industry, unions and local politicians. This coalition, led by RWE, Germany’s second biggest power provider and the operator of most of the country’s lignite plants, said the levy would threaten 100,000 jobs in industrial regions and would push up costs to industry and consumers.

Meanwhile......In China.

China is building one coal-fired power plant every 7 to 10 days, while Japan plans to build 43 coal-fired power projects to replace its shuttered nuclear units.

Japan is financing $1 billion in loans for coal-fired plants in Indonesia and $630 million in loans for coal-fired plants in India and Bangladesh.[iii]

Japan is using climate finance funds for the projects since these new coal-fired plants are less polluting than older coal-fired plants and therefore qualify as clean energy. Japan believes that the promotion of high-efficiency coal-fired power plants is one of the “realistic, pragmatic and effective approaches” to deal with climate change.

China added 39 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity in 2014 — 3 gigawatts more than it added in 2013. That is equivalent to three 1,000 megawatt units every four weeks.[v] At the peak, from 2005 through 2011, China added about two 600-megawatt coal plants a week, for 7 straight years.

And, China is expected to add the equivalent of a new 600-megawatt plant every 10 days for the next 10 years. These new coal plants that China is constructing are more efficient and cleaner than their old coal-fired plants.[vi]

China consumes more than 4 billion tons of coal each year, compared to less than 1 billion tons in the United States and 600 million tons in the European Union. China surpassed the United States to become the largest global carbon dioxide emitter in 2007, and it is on track to double annual U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 2017. By 2040, China’s coal power fleet is expected to be 50 percent larger than it is today and these power plants typically operate for 40 years or more.[vii] Hmmmm.......I'm sure these failed now 'Canadian liberal' policies will stop 'Global warming' (Sarc).

Related: 

“It is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist.” Source.

Video - 'Real Change' - The Soros connection: Anti-oil activist Marlo Raynolds now Trudeau's Environment Min. chief of staff.

Read the full story here.

China uses four billion tons of coal every year, 'tough battle ahead against smog'.

SOURCE.

China uses four billion tons of coal every year, 'tough battle ahead against smog'. (icrosschina).

Burning coal and industrial emissions,exacerbated by burning crops, have covered northern Chinese cities in heavy smog, prompting experts to warn of the tough battle ahead as heating season starts.

Smog shrouded Beijing starting on Monday and did not disappear until dispersed by rain on Thursday. Environment authorities have issued repeated health warnings, advising people to stay indoors.

Neighboring Tianjin municipality and several cities in Hebei province have also been cloaked by smog this week.

Beijing environment statistics show the October-to-December quarter suffers the worst pollution, with smog once every four days on average. Experts say the main culprit is still pollutants discharged by heavy industry, though burning crop residue and lack of wind also contribute.

Hebei issued a broad ban on coal burning and industrial discharge from late August to early September to ensure air quality for the parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Zhang Liang, an environment engineer in Hebei Provincial Environment Emergency and Heavy Pollution Warning Center, said pollution was cut by 60 percent during the period.

Air quality has improved in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area compared to last year thanks to consistent effort by the government. In October last year, northern China was hit by four heavy pollution outbreaks, while the number was reduced to two this year.

However, experts said reducing smog is getting harder as Hebei still relies heavily on industry, including steel, chemical, construction material and glass industries.

In 2015, Hebei required 9.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas for its industrial plants, but was still 3.3 billion cubic meters short. The gap in demand will expand to 10.7 billion in 2017, statistics show.

Several city environment chiefs told Xinhua that money is needed to fund coal-to-electricity and coal-to-gas switches at local plants. In addition, technological support is also in heavy demand.

"We have invested heavily to contain sulphuric emissions from steel plants, but even after upgrading, the emissions can not be sufficiently controlled," said Chen Enhui, environment chief of Chengde city.

China uses four billion tons of coal every year, half of which are used by power plants and others by metallurgy, cement and industrial furnaces, said Lu Guangjie, an expert of China Association of Environmental Protection Industry (CAEPI).

"Most of the emissions by power plants have reached national emission standards, but it is difficult for other coal-burning facilities to reach such standards, and thus they should switch to gas," he said. Enditem.

Video - Canada - Green energy plan to reduce traffic congestion? It's really "a tax on driving a car"

They think the reason far too many people continue to drive is because it doesn't cost enough and they're prepared to do something about it.

But, it already costs us plenty to drive as I explain in my report.

Those pushing a green agenda don't really care though because it costs them nothing to test out their useless theories even if it costs you everything.

Britain & EU facing 'longest winter in 50 years' as Siberian swan arrives earliest since 1963?

                     1963 One of the Roughest Winters in Europe - History Newsreel

Britain & EU facing 'longest winter in 50 years' as Siberian swan arrives earliest since 1963? (AOL).

A Siberian swan has flown to the UK nearly a month early - and the earliest since 1963 - sparking fears Britain could be facing the longest and coldest winter in 50 years.

The arrival of the Bewick's swans at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, usually heralds the start of winter, with around 300 of the animals migrating every year.

The first bird arrived on Sunday 11 October, a month earlier than last year and the earliest for 50 years since records began in 1963.

Unusually cold weather is currently sweeping parts of western Russia and eastern Europe, with temperatures are 5C to 10C below average.

The low temperatures, snowfall and north easterly winds have encouraged Bewick's swans to press on with their westwards migration through Europe.

El Niño is underway in the tropical Pacific, prompting speculation that Europe is in for a long, cold winter.

And the early migration of Bewick's swans reflects that winter has kicked off earlier than usual in many countries, says WWT.

WWT's expert Julia Newth said: "Apparently there's a Russian saying that 'the swan brings snow on its bill', because they tend to move just ahead of the cold weather.

"Of course, we can't infer much from the arrival of a single swan but it's certainly exciting this bird has arrived so early.

Temperatures are currently five to 10 degrees below average in parts of western Russia and eastern Europe and are expected to drop to the minus 30s.

Spurred on by bitter north easterly winds, many of the swans are currently gathering in the Netherlands, with 45 on Lake Gooimeer and 80 on Lake Lauwersmeer.


Related: Blob of cold water in North Atlantic has scientists worried.

The last two years have seen record cold and ice on the Great Lakes, as fraudsters at @NOAA & @NASA claim they were the hottest years ever.

— Steve Goddard (@SteveSGoddard) October 13, 2015

I cant figure out why brilliant minds, ( there were over 9k PHDS, 30k scientists that signed petition against Kyoto) are so darn stupid

— Joe Bastardi (@BigJoeBastardi) October 13, 2015

http://t.co/c8fsTUhc5T lunacy.No one denies the climate changes,We question co2 linkage based on factual records pic.twitter.com/qtPanSPQsb

— Joe Bastardi (@BigJoeBastardi) October 13, 2015

1947

1963

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1963

1963 Thames

1963 beach The Netherlands 

1963 Zurich see