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Because apparently we can't have a website anymore without a blog


The blah-blah-blog

As time permits, I'm going to put the esoterica I encounter related to climate change here rather than trying to update the various pages. So this will be in reverse chronological rather than logically organized within the structure of the rest of this website. Please don't rely on this as a consistent and current source for climate change information updates. Sadly, we cannot rely on our corporate-controlled mass media for good information on this, and my time is limited.

Past blog pages:
2019: May    June    July    August    September    October    November    December   
2020:
January    February    March    April    May    June    July [COVID gap]
2021: [COVID gap] October-December
2022: January-February    March    April    May-August    September    October    November-December
2023: January    February    March-April    May-July    August-September    October-November    December
2024: January    February    March    April    May    June    July    August    September    October    November   

2024.11.27 Climate is complicated. Who knew that what covers 75% of the planet would matter so much? /s

Oceans emit sulfur and cool the climate more than previously thought (University of East Anglia)


2024.11.25 Real story is ALL car production in the U.K. (not U.S.) was down due; headline only mentions EVs.

This is how U.S. mainstream media 'works'.
Electric car production drops as firms under 'pressure' (MSN)


2024.11.25 N.B. this information does not come from Canada, but some info in it could be of value.

I haven't turned on my heating for three years- how I stay warm over winter (i)


2024.11.22 Initially enthusiastic about the prospect of humans living on Mars, the authors said their research turned them into space settlement skeptics. "Leaving a 2 (degree Celsius) warmer Earth for Mars would be like leaving a messy room so you can live in a toxic waste dump," they wrote in the book's introduction.

Elon Musk has pledged to settle Mars. A prize-winning book offers a reality check (CNN Science)
Sadly, Musk's narcissitic track record suggests he has too much money and too little native intelligence. Tesla is an amazing story, and we should thank Martin Eberhart and the others that created it. Musk's contribution is the CyberTruck. He understands showmanship. Even if math and science are beyond his ken, he does know how to leverage the passion and abilities of others to do better.
In short, it would be much less expensive and provide much greater benefit to fix Planet A than even imagine Mars is a solution for our species.


2024.11.20 ZEVs Canadian market share was 16.5% for Q3 2024; up from 13.4%. If the inventory is available, Canadians will buy EVs.

Automotive Insights - Q3 2024 Canadian EV Information and Analysis (S&P Global Mobility)


2024.11.14 COP29 is showing that fossil fuels owns the process, and that the current carbon credits market is mostly sham.

COP29: Canada needs to start a real conversation about international carbon markets (The Conversation)


2024.11.14 It took a single mow for one homeowner to ditch their gas-powered lawn mower for good.

If you have to mow a lawn, one easy switch to cleaner air is by ditching your raucous gasoline small engine for electric. (TCD)
I have used corded and cordless electric mowers. Cordless (battery-powered) units give you more freedom of movement, which may be important if you have a lot of obstacles to mow around. Today, my goto grass cutter is a basic corded machine. It's got more oomph, doesn't run out of charge, and never requires a battery replacement. It does take a couple of sessions to figure out how to manage the cord, but a basic rule is to start from close to the plug, and then mow away from it until the section is complete. If you have the choice, I recommmend using a bright orange or red cord, so it's always obvious so you don't run over it. No tune-ups, no gas can, no oil changes, no exhaust fumes, no deafening roar. Just years of reliable service at the flick of a switch.


2024.11.13 Finally, this message is penetrating. I have been pointing this out since the 1980s, and did so again last week in a presentation to the Ottawa Renewable Energy Coop.

Less powerful chargers could be enough for many EV drivers, U of C study says (CBC)


2024.11.13 Government won't release results from taxpayer-funded survey. Perhaps the results don't support their energy policy and practice.

Alberta withholds results of public survey on renewable energy and agriculture (Edmonton Journal)


2024.11.13 Despite nations' pledges at Cop28 a year ago, the burning of coal, oil and gas continued to rise in 2024

'No sign' of promised fossil fuel transition as emissions hit new high (The Guardian)


2024.11.13 Plankton are one of the base species in the ocean food chain.

"Our data shows that planktonic foraminifera, which play a crucial role in the ocean's carbon cycle, are struggling to survive in a rapidly changing climate."
Ocean warming and acidification threaten key ocean plankton groups, study warns (Phys.org)


2024.11.13 These exported emissions are double the GHG emissions Canada reports on its own activities.

Canada's fossil fuel exported emissions leapt to more than a billion tonnes last year (National Observer)


2024.11.13 Amid Earth's heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions.

'We clearly are not doing enough': Global carbon emissions head for record high in 2024 (euronews)


2024.11.12 This seems like a rational approach to making sustainable, ammonnia-based agricultural fertilizer.

NitroVolt is helping farmers make their own fertilizer using renewable power (TechCrunch)
Two big drawbacks to ammonia-based fertilizer today are that it is sourced from fossil methane (aka 'natural gas') and that ammonia is a hazardous material so transporting it creates risks for people along the transport corridor.
This sustainable approach produces the ammonia on-site where required, which eliminates the transportation hazard. Using electrolysis powered by renewable energy eliminates the CO2 emissions from cracking methane, and the fugitive methane emissions.
The potential for pairing this with agrivoltaics, which provides additional benefits to the farming operation seems like a natural combination.
Then, imagine pairing this with vertical farming near population centres, to provide local, year-round food production as a measure of food security. This would also eliminate phosphorus and nitrogen pollution of waterways from run-off from farm fields due to overapplication of industrial fertilizer. Waste biomass from the food production can be biogested or composted to create green biogas or soil amendment material.


2024.11.12 Fossil fuel subsidies are a gift from taxpayers to fossil fuel businesses (making record profits) to hasten our global suicide pact.

Countries spend huge sums on fossil fuel subsidies - why they're so hard to eliminate (The Conversation)


2024.11.12 It would not be popular with the provincial government, but even small measures on implementing renewables and incenting electric vehicles could happen within a couple of years at relatively low cost.

Edmonton fails to meet climate targets 2 years after launching carbon budget (CBC)


2024.11.12 This is hardly news anymore, but regular reminders of fossil fuel sector deception and ongoing disnformation are necessary.

Big oil firms knew of dire effects of fossil fuels as early as 1950s, memos show (The Guardian)


2024.11.12 This is hardly news anymore, but regular reminders of fossil fuel sector deception and ongoing disnformation are necessary.

Big oil firms knew of dire effects of fossil fuels as early as 1950s, memos show (The Guardian)


2024.11.11 Fake and questionable carbon credits are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Companies are buying up cheap carbon offsets - data suggest it's more about greenwashing than helping the climate (The Conversation)


2024.11.08 Let's start by educating regular people how to spot and ignore fossil fuel disinformation.

Tom Steyer's Take On How We'll (Still) Win The Climate War (CleanTechnica)


2024.11.07 At this point, don't tell me any of this comes as a surprise.

Q&A: How a Former ExxonMobil Employee Confronted the Climate Disinformation Machine (DeSmog)


2024.11.06 A sobering conversation on state of climate change with Paul Beckwith

2024 on track to be the warmest year on record (CTV News - 6 minute video)


2024.11.06 If the AI hypesters had faith in their product, they would be building their own zero-emissions power plants.

Tesla unveils plans for incredible new Supercharger concept with its own power source: 'Solar is a no-brainer these days' (TCD)


2024.11.05 Battery technology continues to improve, with announcements almost daily.

This is why EVs will dominate within a few years; they're just a better and less expensive (total cost of ownership) than internal combustion and fossil fuels.
90% in 15 mins: US firm's new EV battery achieves higher charge with silicon anode (Interesting Engineering)


2024.11.04 Once again, it's the methane, folks. Industry's plan: kill the fines for emissions, not reduce the emissions.

Trump donor fined for pollution leads a fight to end methane emission penalties (The Guardian)


2024.11.03 Will the fossil fuels sector ever be held accountable for their lies, deception and massively increasing GHG emissions?

Greenwashing Case Against Santos Could Set Global Precedent (OilPrice.com)


2024.11.03 It's the methanne, folks. Still. Finally, we're spotting the plumes, and sort of measuring them. But not reducing them.

The World Promised to Tame Methane. Emissions Are Still Rising. (Bloomberg)


2024.11.03 Can the COP annual gatherings ever succeed if the fossil fuel sector attends en masse and drives the agenda?

Cop16 ends in disarray and indecision despite biodiversity breakthroughs (The Guardian)


2024.11.02 Battery technology continues to improve; internal combustion and hydrogen fuel not os much

1,000 cycles, 99.2% coulombic efficiency: Li batteries hit milestone for aviation (Interesting Engineering)


2024.11.02 RNG (Renewable Natural Gas) is technically feasible, but to date is a greenwashing smokescreen for the fossil methane industry.

Dear Enbridge, if you want a credible bulk source of real, low-cost, 'green' biogas (RNG), get in touch, I have a big idea for you.
Enbridge Renewable Natural Gas A 1% Greenwashing Rounding Error (CleanTechnica)


2024.11.02 It's a fundamental mismatch problem; for a politician, anything beyond 2 years is indefinite long-term, and there's no photo-op for doing anything real.

And if there are any penalties, those are paid by taxpayers and citizen injuries and fatalities, not politicians. That's why this is a people issue, not appropriate to treat as a partisan political issue.
Politicians not ambitious enough to save nature, say scientists (BBC)


2024.11.02 "Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents will keep happening because of climate change."

B.C. deluge shows why cities struggle to keep up with extreme rain (Global News)


2024.11.01 If we discount IESO and predecessors' consistent overestimates on demand forecasts, there is no looming demand crisis for Ontarians.

And we have time to implement renewables and storage for a sufficient and reliable grid.
How Confident Should We be in Ontario's Electricity Demand Forecasts? (LinkedIn)


2024.11.01 The electrical generation and distribution industry still perceives EVs as a threat (big mistake, huge), so with that mindset, this could be the end of their business model.

But it doesn't have to be, if they pivot now. If the path isn't clear, I can help - business and technology consultant for hire.
Light trick helps super-thin solar panels absorb energy 10,000 times better (Interesting Engineering)


Past blog pages:
2019: May    June    July    August    September    October    November    December   
2020:
January    February    March    April    May    June    July [COVID gap]
2021: [COVID gap] October-December
2022: January-February    March    April    May-August    September    October    November-December
2023: January    February    March-April    May-July    August-September    October-November    December
2024: January    February    March    April    May    June    July    August    September    October    November   

You can find many earlier postings (going back to year 2000) related to climate change at:
Keith's List Archive and
the Sustainable Biofuel List Mail Archive.

I present a lot of information in this blog and on this website. If you need some help sorting through the noise level and getting a forward-looking, proactive approach to climate change for your business, I can do that work for you via my consulting business. Contact

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