Moral Foundations of a Free Society

By Richard Ebeling -- April 20, 2017 2 Comments

Free-market capitalism is the ethical highroad to human dignity and mutual prosperity. If its moral and related foundations can be successfully articulated to students in a persuasive manner, the totalitarian progressives can be met and opposed through the power of reason and a basic understanding of the connections between economic liberty, social peace, and mutual well being for a better future for all of mankind.”

“In the marketplace of the free society individuals learn and practice the etiquette and manners of respect, politeness, honesty and tolerance. This naturally follows from the fact that if violence is ethically and legally abolished, or at least minimized, in all human relationships, then the only way any of us can get others to do things we would like them to do for us is through reason, argument, and persuasion.”

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Properly Representing Wind and Solar in Electric Systems: Generation Capacity (Part I)

By Kent Hawkins -- April 11, 2017 22 Comments

“The reality is that non-dispatchable generation technologies, (wind and solar) cannot be directly compared with dispatchable generation technologies (coal, natural gas, nuclear, biomass, and generally speaking, hydro). This is a common mistake.”

Unfortunately, unrealistic representations of wind and solar are alive and well in many publications. Even if mathematically correct, their ability to reflect reality should always be carefully assessed.

These are like maps that show only a few major features, such as coastlines, mountains, large rivers, and major roads, leaving out the likes of non-fordable smaller rivers, marshes, ravines, and steep slopes or cliffs.

Signs to watch out for:

  • Wind and solar are included in graphs comparing capacities or capital investments.
  • Representing that capacities, electricity production, and costs per watt-hour of electricity produced can be used to directly compare non-dispatchable wind and solar with reliable, controllable generation plants.
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RFF’s Climate Anger (intellectual pollution hazardous too)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 4, 2017 2 Comments

“America has a short list of truly shameful ‘days,’—among them the Dred Scott decision, the Trail of Tears, Japanese internment, and Abu Ghraib—most of them symbolic of a larger national moral failure. I hope I am wrong, but I fear that today will join that list.”

If all that [climate-policy-related] deregulation comes to pass, then I predict future generations will look back on today with particular scorn and shame.”

A single executive order might therefore seem unremarkable. But today’s action is significant….  At stake are the global economy, entire ecosystems, and the lives of millions—most of them not yet living. Those future generations will judge the authors of today’s policy harshly.”

– Nathan Richardson, “Trump’s Climate Executive Order Discards American Values.” Resources for the Future, March 28, 2017.

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On the Falsity of Climate Consensus: Judith Curry’s March 29, 2017, Testimony

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 3, 2017 7 Comments

I realized that the premature consensus on human-caused climate change was harming scientific progress because of the questions that don’t get asked and the investigations that aren’t made. We therefore lack the kinds of information to more broadly understand climate variability and societal vulnerabilities.”

Scientists who demonize their opponents are behaving in a way that is antithetical to the scientific process. These are the tactics of enforcing a premature theory for political purposes.”

Let’s make scientific debate about climate change great again.”

“Groupthink” … “sausage making” … “bullying” … “substantial uncertainties” … “premature consensus” … These terms were used by the scholarly Judith Curry in her important, the-future-will-note Congressional testimony last week against the neo-Malthusian, nature-is-optimal natural-science community.

And what has she endured by leaving the “consensus”? Among other things, she has been labeled “serial climate disinformer” … “anti-science” … “denier.”

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Climate Dereg: ‘Energy Independence AND Economic Growth’ (Trump’s EO of March 28, 2017)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 31, 2017 5 Comments Continue Reading

Mike Lynch on Peak Oil–Part 2

By -- March 30, 2017 4 Comments Continue Reading

Peak Oil: Not Just Wrong but Invalid

By -- March 29, 2017 9 Comments Continue Reading

Michael Lynch Interview (new book reviews, refutes ‘Peak Oil’ scare)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 28, 2017 4 Comments Continue Reading

Mitigation Math: Is Climate Activism Futile? (Judith Curry thinks so)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 27, 2017 5 Comments Continue Reading

On the Politicization of Electricity (intervention breeding intervention)

By Jim Clarkson -- March 23, 2017 5 Comments Continue Reading