Real Climate Science

As we dig deeper in the green-energy crony corruption-story, it begins to sound more and more like the making of a big-budget Hollywood thriller. Today’s installment on First Solar includes billionaire investors, corporate welfare, favoritism, threats, exaggerations, lawsuits over inferior quality, layoffs and outsourcing, and even a romantic dalliance. The screenplay would be riveting. Too bad it is not fiction. The film would have to be a documentary.

The trailer would open: “What do Goldman Sachs, several Goldman executives, and quite a few billionaire investors have in common? Add in millions of campaign donations followed by billions doled out of the 2009-stimulus package along with a ‘who’s who’ list of high-powered energy connections. Throw in a lead lobbyist with frequent White House visits and an active, yet connected board member.” Dark clouds would roll in as the music comes to a crescendo. The narrator continues: “Along the way, drama and trouble emerge. The CEO sells his own stock, jobs are going overseas. Accusations of money laundering materialize, and inside investigations point to a shady scheme within a solar energy company. The firm in question is implicated—as well as the Department of Energy.” Bold text pops up on the screen: “The First Solar Swindle” Smaller text: “Opening in theaters nationwide…”

Yes, all of this drama can be found in one company with interconnected ties to the Obama White House!

The First Solar Swindle – Marita Noon – Townhall Finance 

h/t to Dave G

You can’t make this stuff up.

Unlike the droughts of the 1930s, this one is occurring in a much warmer climate, a byproduct of manmade global warming. Seager said that although it most likely didn’t trigger the drought, it’s possible that global warming is making this drought worse than it would otherwise be.

Drought Has Ties to La Niña, with Global Warming Assist | Climate Central

According to the daily average thermometer data reported by USHCN, four of the five hottest summers in US history occurred during the 1930s. The other one was 1901.

1936	75.2031
1934	74.8203
1901	74.5033
1933	73.8776
1931	73.8529

USHCN Daily Data

According to the monthly maximum thermometer data reported by USHCN, three of the five hottest summers in US history occurred during the 1930s. The other two were in 1901 and 1988.

1936	88.8689
1934	88.2747
1988	87.4309
1933	87.4006
1901	87.1846

USHCN Raw Monthly Data

The summer of 2012 has no chance of cracking the top five. It won’t even be close.

The US weather bureau maps from 1936 show the incredible heat that summer

http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/064/mwr-064-07-c1.pdf

http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/064/mwr-064-08-c1.pdf

In 1936, people were dying by the thousands from the heat.

http://news.google.com/newspapers

http://trove.nla.gov.au/

http://news.google.com/newspapers

http://trove.nla.gov.au/

http://trove.nla.gov.au/

http://news.google.com/newspapers

http://news.google.com/newspapers

http://news.google.com/newspapers

h/t to Marc Morano

Hansen pulled the same trick in Tokyo that he did in Phoenix. The black and white is his 1999 UHI adjusted graph, and the blue is his current graph. He cooled the past by about a degree in order to create a non-existent warming trend.

Data.GISS: GISS Surface Temperature Analysis

pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1999/1999_Hansen_etal.pdf

Last week the experts told us that the southwest fire season was just beginning.

Weather Street:Clouds and Precipitation Forecast Movie

The black and white image in the animation below is what Hansen said Phoenix should like after UHI adjustments – almost no trend.

The blue line is how Hansen currently shows Phoenix – a sharp warming trend. Apparently the UHI effect in Phoenix has disappeared since he wrote his 1999 paper. He cooled the past by about a degree and warmed the present by almost that much.

pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1999/1999_Hansen_etal.pdf

Data.GISS: GISS Surface Temperature Analysis

No doubt this is all first rate science, and has nothing to do with politics or funding.

This week will be remembered as the one when Jeff Mastercherrypicker and Bill McKitten became interested in the Greenland Summit Camp –  for about five minutes

summit:status:webcam

“Mitt Romney is launching a false attack,” the ad’s text states. But the weird thing is: The Obama campaign is purposefully trying to make it sound like Romney is misquoting the president, when the official White House transcript backs up Romney’s quotation.

In the ad, Romney says that Obama revealed his thoughts on business when he said this, “If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that.  Somebody else made that happen.”

And, in fact, according to official White House transcript that’s precisely what Obama said on July 13, 2012 in Roanoke, Virginia.

Obama Ad Accuses Romney of ‘Launching a False Attack’ for Quoting Obama | The Weekly Standard

This guy knew about Obama 200 years ago.

Yet Clare’s sharp questions must I shun
Must separate Constance from the nun
Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!
A Palmer too! No wonder why
I felt rebuked beneath his eye

Superheroes don’t always wear a cape

Environmental Justice Lisa is protecting Americans from mercury – by forcing them to put mercury light bulbs in their houses.

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Stand with Lisa | Superheroes don’t always wear a cape

h/t to Marc Morano

In Hansen’s 1999 paper, he claims that he lowers Phoenix temperatures by nearly 3C due to UHI adjustments.

pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/1999/1999_Hansen_etal.pdf

Sounds great – the only problem is that he doesn’t actually do what he says he does. Below is his current fully adjusted version of the Phoenix graph. It looks like he has actually been bumping temperatures up above what he was reporting as raw data in 1999.

It appears that he is ignoring the huge Urban Heat Island issue which he reported in 1999.

Data.GISS: GISS Surface Temperature Analysis

It is also curious how the raw data is higher now than it was 13 years ago. Perhaps Hansen went back in time and remeasured the temperatures.

Barrow has less than 5,000 residents, yet they have a very large Urban Heat Island Effect.

www.cas.umt.edu/geography/documents/Hinkel_etal_2003_winter_UHI.pdf