Author: cne4h

not many people know Paul Homewood h/t Philip Bratby Who would have thought! By the middle of this century, global food demand may grow by 60%. A core challenge is to use less land to meet this demand in a changing climate. Almost all carbon in crops is absorbed through Rubisco, which catalyzes slowly, reacts with oxygen, and is the main component of leaf nitrogen. Develop a more efficient form of Rubisco, or Engineering CO2 Centralize mechanisms into C3 Competitive suppression of oxygenation in crops is a major effort that can significantly increase photosynthetic productivity (≥60%). New technologies bring this…

The state's squirrels have been spotted hunting and decapitating voles (another member of the rodent family). The study's leaders cited human-caused “climate change” while praising the flexibility of this adaptive diet. from legal riots Posted by Leslie Eastman Recent biological research reveals alarming changes in the eating habits of California ground squirrels. Ground squirrels, which traditionally eat fruit and nuts, have now been found actively hunting and eating voles, another member of the rodent family. This is a previously undocumented behavior for this species. The findings are part of a long-term study conducted at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa…

What happens when ideology hijacks science? You will get articles like Scientific American's A recent gem, “How Feminism Can Guide Action on Climate Change.” Spoiler alert: This is another attempt to inject a political narrative into a field already overrun by bad policy, shaky science, and unworkable solutions. Feminism is the latest entrant into the climate drama, but the real show here is not how feminism saves the planet, but that the planet doesn’t need saving at all. Premise: Climate meets gender ideology The article argues that feminism has the tools to guide action on climate change because—wait for it—the…

A recent article in seattle timesTitled “From water damage to deadly heat: AP photographers capture climate change in 2024,” it presents a series of photos depicting various natural disasters and extreme weather events since 2024 and attributing them to climate change change. While the Associated Press (AP) image is compelling, it is a false narrative because the article does not distinguish between short-term weather events and long-term climate trends. Instead, the article conflates two completely separate natural processes. Climate Overview, The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defines climate as “the average weather conditions at a specific location over an extended period…

Article by Eric Worrell “…participants who felt angry at others’ inaction and indifference had more symptoms of depression and anxiety. …” Climate anger can lead to action or despair: researchers find out why By Samantha Stanley, Ian Walker, Teagan Hogg and Zoe Leviston, The Conversation … Our new research surveyed 5,000 Australians and found nearly half (49 per cent) are angry about our warming world. So how do people respond to climate anger? … 13 types of climate outrage Clearly, the most common types of anger are directed at the inaction and indifference of others. About 60% of angry participants…

There is growing evidence that rising carbon dioxide levels lead to insignificant warming. [emphasis, links added] In a new study, seven Viennese Researchers provide more evidence that carbon dioxide absorption band is saturated at today's concentrations (over 400 ppm). Therefore, rising CO2 concentrations will not cause severe global warming: “Data from ground-based measurements indicate that downward (backwards) radiation from the atmosphere does show complete saturation of the infrared CO2 band and does not support significant additional thermal forcing (TF) by increasing CO2 in the lower atmosphere.” “…We can expect complete saturation at current concentrations.” As shown in Table 2 of…

Bottom line: The local easterly thermal air dropped below freezing. There are light winds on the south Pacific side of Baja, but strong winds on Punta San Carlos, the north side of Baja. A Christmas story: Uh oh! Someone messed up Santa's naughty or nice equation. This was probably a windsurfer as they had a lump of coal in their windsock at Christmas. Even wingers and kiteboarders encountered only sparse winds. Wind recipe: 1. High pressure drifts into Idaho, so winds are concentrated in the Great Basin. 2. Low pressure, usually south of Cabo, with balloons over the entire Sea…

Volkswagen Group will spend $69 million to acquire a 9.9% stake in lithium miner Patriot Battery Metals Inc. to secure raw materials for electric vehicles. The investment marks the European carmaker's first investment in the mining industry. [emphasis, links added] This includes an agreement to supply 100,000 tons of lithium material to Volkswagen over 10 years, This represents a quarter of Patriot Battery Metals Canada's phase one production, according to the miner. Patriot Battery Metals said the material will supply Volkswagen's battery plants in North America and Europe. The investment shows Volkswagen is pushing ahead with electric vehicles despite falling…

Science, at its best, is a self-correcting process—a continual pursuit of truth through rigorous evidence, transparent methodology, and open debate. But what happens when errors are introduced, perpetuated, and defended? Roger Pielke Jr. uncovers the story of the so-called “Frankenstein dataset” in hurricane damage research, which illustrates how flawed data practices distort public perception and policy. The Frankenstein Sourcebook, born out of undocumented changes to a rigorous, peer-reviewed sourcebook, highlights a crisis in scientific integrity. Its story is not only a cautionary tale about bad data, but also a case study in how the scientific process can fail when institutional…

California Democrats have written to outgoing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking for more than $500 million in funding for the troubled high-speed rail project, as President-elect Donald Trump Funding for the program was canceled in 2019. [emphasis, links added] According to Breitbart News, Trump withheld $1 billion in funding for the project after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) canceled the original project. Newsom explained to the state Legislature that the original plan for a Los Angeles to San Francisco “bullet train” would “cost too much and take too long.” Trump then demanded the state return federal taxpayer funds — Adopt the…