The Big Story For The Day -- Saudi Doubles Down On Fossil Fuel -- July 21, 2016

In the big scheme of things, this is probably not a big deal. I doubt most folks will think much about the announcement today that Saudi Aramco has signed off on a $14 billion gas processing plant for the kingdom. After all, it's what they do. Fossil fuel.

For me, that announcement has many, many story lines.

When oil was selling for $100/bbl and Saudi Arabia was building cash reserves, the kingdom was getting ready to move into solar energy. From a post on June 14, 2015:

Saudi Arabia recently announced a $109 billion solar energy program to run their desalination plants.

But then, out of the blue, on May 22, 2015, the Guardian reports in passing that Saudi has decided to delay that program for eight years. (If that link is broken, see this post.)

Now that Saudi's cash reserves are tanking, the kingdom needs to face reality.

Solar is not one of Saudi Arabia's core competencies. And won't be for the foreseeable future.

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The Hockey Schtick 

The Hockey Schtick has recently posted two great posts. The first one has to do with "arguably the most widely debunked piece of research in the history of science," Michael Mann's infamous "hockey stick" global temperature reconstruction.

The second post: "How the West got healthy and prosperous." I remember seeing this quite some time ago. I don't recall if I posted it. It's the kind of article that needs to be reviewed in elementary, middle, and high schools.

I've moved "The Hockey Schtick" blog link to the top of the sidebar at the right.

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UN Begins To Panic

Rushing To Ram Through "Climate Agreement" Even As Countries Drop Out

Link here.

Australia, of course, has dropped out.

Great Britain: Brexit and Clexit. It didn't get much "play" but the UK's new PM scrapped the country's "Department of Energy and Climate Change" within hours of assuming her new duties.

Philippines: UN climate accord? No way, Jose.

Germany: has backtracked.

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Global Temperatures Are Mostly Fake -- Real Climate Science

Link here.

I've always said global temperature reporting depends on where you place the thermometers.

NOAA claims global temperatures are the hottest ever, based on some rather spectacular junk science. NOAA doesn’t actually have any temperature data over most of the land surface.

No serious scientist would make claims based on fake data, which is why NOAA does it. Their climate people are propagandists, not scientists.