Climate Clips from CCNet

CCNet – 18 July 2012 The Climate Policy Network Germany's Green Energy Panic Government Fears Voter Anger About Electricity Prices Explosion Germany's revolutionary switch to renewable energies is stalling and the country's new environment minister has now admitted as much by casting doubt on the ambitious goals set last year. --Spiegel Online, 17 July 2012 Is the green energy transition crumbling? The German government fears the price explosion - and punishment by voters. Concern about rising electricity prices is politically understandable. Because with all due sympathy for nuclear phase-out and green energy - if their own money is involved, many citizens do not care much about their green principles anymore. And since the green energy transformation is one of the key projects of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the voters’ anger about price increases could also be expressed by withdrawing of support for those responsible in the general election in 2013. This is at least what many in the coalition government fear. Philipp Wittrock and Florian Gathmann, Spiegel Online, 17 July 2012 Ministers have delayed plans to axe Government subsidies for wind farms after another disagreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The Government was poised to announce a 25 per cent cut in wind farm subsidies today after warnings from George Osborne that the taxpayer support was too generous. Sources claim that Ed Davey, the Climate Change Secretary, agreed in principle with the cuts — far greater than the 10 per cent reduction initially proposed by a Government review. An announcement was due to be made today but Nick Clegg is thought to have removed Liberal Democrat support for the scheme yesterday. Another compromise deal is being negotiated, which will be announced in the autumn, along with a new gas strategy to replace some wind generation. --Robert Winnett and James Kirkup, The Daily Telegraph, 17 July 2012 Capitol Hill's most powerful Republicans say advocates who have been discussing a carbon tax behind closed doors are wasting their breath. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), speaking through aides, have stated their opposition to the concept in recent days. While their positions are no surprise, the categorical opposition underscores the hurdles facing an ad hoc, left-right coalition of activists and policy wonks who have held a series of meetings in private to discuss the idea. --Ben Geman, The Hill, 16 July 2012 The theory of global warming claims that a trivial warming from CO2 levels will result in more water vapor in the atmosphere and an alleged 'runaway greenhouse effect'. However, satellite observations published in a new paper show that global water vapor has instead declined over the past 12 years despite steadily rising concentrations of CO2. These observations provide further support that the positive water vapor feedback in IPCC models is overstated and therefore claims of future warming greatly exaggerated. --The Hockey Schtick, 16 July 2012 A new analysis of some of the statistical methods used in getting something out of temperature readings from weather stations carried out by Steirou and Koutsoyiannis of the National Technical University of Athens has been gaining some publicity as its conclusions are startling. The researchers say that the statistical manipulation of the data to correct errors often introduces even greater errors, as well as exaggerating positive trends. --David Whitehouse, The Global Warming Policy Foundation, 18 July 2012