[Andrew] Dessler said anyone arguing that the science is too uncertain isn’t arguing from a legitimate position…. “[Koonin]’s a climate flat earther.” (Quoted in Benjamin Thorp, October 18, 2021).

“Dumb arguments” is too harsh? He’s just a old white dude whose vast experience in the halls of power gives him a unique ability to point out the errors that other people make? Nope. (Andrew Dessler, October 14, 2021)

Andrew Dessler, a climatologist at Texas A&M University, will have nothing to do with any critic of climate alarm. This activist has pure scorn toward his intellectual and scientific doubters. “Angry Andy” is certain that climate science is settled and drop-everything alarming.

A deep ecologist (nature is optimal and fragile; human interference cannot be good), Dessler has long concluded that we are headed for (or already in) a climate dystopia.…

“… the undisputed benefits of increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere because of its photosynthetic and growth effects (fertilization) on plants need to be considered in energy policy decisions as well.” (- Lars Schernikau and William Smith, below)

Today, a webcast Q&A — Climate Impacts of Fossil Fuels in Today’s Energy Systems — is being hosted by the American Coal Council (registration here).

“With increasing global energy demand projected over the mid to longer term,” ACC states, “the practical realities of energy supply include the continuing role of fossil fuels in global primary energy and for electricity generation.”

Coal is definitely in the mix, as today’s record production and usage confirms.

The webinar concern a new paper, “Climate Impacts of Fossil Fuels in Today’s Energy Systems,” by energy economist Lars Schernikau and climatologist William Smith.…

“Yet the methanol initiative is now largely forgotten. And of course, there’s always the problem that EPA regulations do not allow it to be used in automobiles. With natural-gas surpluses now at the point where a national oversupply is being predicted for 2017, however, it may be time to go back and give the California experience a second look.” (Arctic Leaf, 2013, below)

“The Alternative Motor Fuel Act, signed into law by President Reagan in 1988 … provided a waiver of EPA regulations to allow methanol to be used in cars. A year later, President George H.W. Bush became an enthusiast, promising to put 500,000 methanol cars on the road by 1996 and a million by 1998.“

The history of energy technology and policy is important for today’s debates. Again and again, historical research uncovers examples of government-engineered energy choices that start with great expectations and end up in failure.…

Ed. note: This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. The complete MBN for this post can be found here.

Of special interest to those who embrace Julian Simon’s vision of innovation’s unlimited potential is an article from the Max Planck Society annoucing a major advance in fusion technology.

Greed Energy Economics:
*** Cost and Reliability Implications of the Virginia Clean Economy Act
*** The high cost of the Virginia Clean Economy Act
Upstate Economy at Risk Under NYC Renewable Energy Plan
Virginia and Climate Change – Separating fact from fiction
High Electricity Prices Are Unavoidable with Solar and Wind!

Wind Energy:
*** Green energy cannot save us
Worthless Wind & Solar: Once Again Output Totally Collapses During Freezing Weather
Virginia Taking An Overdue Hard Look at Green Energy Scams
Turbine ‘torture’ for Greek islanders as wind turbines proliferate
Ohio residents challenge first-of-its kind wind farm on Lake Erie
The Sierra Club Loves Wind Turbines, Not Whales

Solar Energy:
*** Report: Solar Energy and the Threat to Food Security
Maine official warns community solar projects might not be as ‘clean’ as they suggest
Overwhelmed by Solar Projects, the Nation’s Largest Grid Operator Seeks a Two-Year Pause on Approvals
Tesla supply chain issues now extend to solar roof, stops scheduling new installation
California’s Solar-Power Welfare State
Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets a Sunburn
Homeowner calls utility on huge $1,247 bill — finds it maybe due to solar

Nuclear Energy:
*** Why nations are backing Nuclear and Gas
*** France announces a major buildup of its nuclear power program
*** TVA Unveils Major New Nuclear Program, First SMR
*** Fusion facility sets a new world energy record
Archives: Nuclear Cognition

Fossil Fuel Energy:
*** How Russia and green activists killed shale gas and paved the way for Putin’s energy war
*** Biden is disconnected from American’s reliance on fossil fuels
A Russia-Ukraine war would mean global energy shock
EU Unveils Controversial Green Label for Gas and Nuclear
Pennsylvania sent more electricity to neighboring states than any other state in 2020
Pennsylvania Power Plant Closures Would Cause Real Harm for Illusory Environmental Gains

Miscellaneous Energy News:
*** Energy is the most important issue in the world
*** Electric power reforms gain ground in Virginia
There’s a big supply problem in New York’s energy plan
How Green Energy Fantasies Can Amplify Civil Unrest
Wall Street’s Green Push Exposes New Conflicts of Interest
Are electric cars the new ‘diesel scandal’ waiting to happen?…