environment

Patrick Moore, Ph.D. Ecology: This study looks at the positive environmental effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a topic which has been well established in the scientific literature but which is far too often ignored in current discussions about man-made climate change policy. All life is carbon based and the primary source of this carbon is CO2 in the atmosphere. The combustion of fossil fuels for energy to power human civilization has reversed the downward trend in CO2. It promises to bring CO2 back to levels that are likely to foster an increase in the growth rate and biomass of plants, including food crops and trees.

Kelvin Kemm, other scientists, nuclear engineers and leaders in South Africa are showing the world that plentiful electrical energy is one of the most important things for improving lives of people with less and maintaining the good life for people who already are doing well. Dr. Kemm travels the world from Russia to Vietnam to Bolivia and is leading efforts across the African Continent helping people learn about the importance of nuclear energy for the long term future.

CRC Press, Edited by Michael Poeschl and Leo M. L. Nollet: A comprehensive, fairly easy to read and understand treatise by 31 experts from around the world on the exciting topics of radionuclides, radiation, radioactivity and their presence and uses in the environment and food. Contributors and Editors are from Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Italy, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA. Topics: What are Radionuclides, Sources, Radioactivity in the Air, in Water, in Soils, Transport Processes and Modeling, in Foodstuffs and Food Raw Material, Radiation Detection Methods, Unmasking Illicit Trafficking of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials, Radiation Protection, Regulations, Food Irradiation.

Paul Driessen, Senior Policy Advisor for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow: This recaps testimony by four scientist witnesses at the recent House Science Committee hearings on assumptions, policy implications and scientific principles of climate change. Junk science is being used to justify demands that the United States and world eliminate the carbon-based fuels that provide 80% of the energy that makes modern industry, civilization and living standards possible – and that are needed to lift billions more people out of poverty and disease.

John Shanahan is a civil engineer and past president of Go Nuclear, Inc. and Environmentalists for Nuclear - USA: There is a titanic struggle over the topic of man-made global warming and man-made sea level rise. The struggle exists on five levels: a) among scientists who have a good knowledge of physics and chemistry related to carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and its role in the entire subject of atmospheric, ocean and land sciences, b) among politicians, c) among people who are determined to save the world from fossil fuels and man-made carbon dioxide, no matter the effects on humanity, d) among other scientists and engineers who claim to have the answers, d) among the public who have very little to no knowledge of atmospheric science, but nevertheless are sure they know the correct answers. A second important topic relates to advocates for nuclear energy who claim to have the answers. If they are wrong about man-made global warming, how can they be trusted with information about nuclear energy. The absolute truth will only come from nature in time. The question is, "How many big mistakes will humans make on this topic before the truth is fully known?

Judith Curry,Ph.D. Geophysical Sciences. President (co-owner) of Climate Forecast Applications Network (CFAN). Previously, Professor and Chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology: We have an opportunity to be proactive in preparing for weather disasters. Rather than focusing on recovery from extreme weather events, we can aim to reduce future vulnerability and increase thrivability by evolving our infrastructures, policies and practices.

Stewart Brand, the man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s has been rethinking his positions on biodiversity and mass extinctions. Whereas biodiversity may be surviving well at lower levels of the world food chain, more consideration should be given to protecting wildlife and their habitat at the top of the food chain.

Viv Forbes, Executive Director of The Saltbush Club, Australia: If a project can be stopped because it adds to carbon dioxide emissions every development of coal, oil or gas in Australia can be challenged. But the ominous implications go much further. The sports and tourism industries should be fearful. These industries encourage millions of competitors, visitors, tourists, officials and politicians to use cars, trains, buses, planes and ships to burn hydro-carbon fuels purely for entertainment. Car racing is out, as are new cruise terminals, stadiums, resorts, high rise hotels and fireworks. Moreover, any new road, rail or airport development will add emissions and must be stopped. But if they can stop the mining of coking coal this will also stop metal smelting, refining and steel making.

Ed Berry, Physicist - Four hundred years ago, from 1610 to 1633, the Roman Catholic Church thought it knew more about the solar system than Galileo Galilei. So it subjected Galileo to an Inquisition.

Now, in 2015, Pope Francis thinks he knows more about climate science than thousands of educated climate scientists. So the Pope wants a new Inquisition for those who tell you the truth about climate change.

Paul Driessen, Senior Policy Analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, www.cfact.org: But more than 1.2 billion people (more than the USA, Canada, Mexico and Europe combined) still do not have electricity; another 2 billion have electrical power only sporadically and unpredictably. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 700 million still cook and heat with “renewable” wood, charcoal and animal dung. Al Gore, the IPCC, alarmist modelers and researchers, and EPA’s “social cost of carbon” scheme and carbon dioxide “endangerment” decision have all depended on the climate bogeyman. Eternal vigilance, education and pushback by the rest of us will be needed for years to come.

John Shanahan, Civil Engineer, President of Environmentalists for Nuclear - USA: Plentiful energy from fossil fuels, hydro and nuclear brought tremendous benefits to many countries in the last 120 years. Many other countries lack sufficient amounts of these essential energy sources, have ineffective or corrupt governments, weak economies and poor policies about the environment, nature, wilderness, and biodiversity. This article offers ideas about sound moderate government and respect for the environment.

Mpiyakhe Dhlamini is a data science researcher at the Free Market Foundation in South Africa: The people of Africa have been subjected to multiple injustices, slights, and violence. The list of things inflicted on Africans is endless and has no modern equivalent, except for Asia in geographical terms and the Jews in ethnic terms. These multiple injustices have been inflicted by both outsiders and Africans themselves against one another.

Rob Jeffrey, Independent Economic Risk Consultant: South Africa is now (2018) in a recession, the fact is that South Africa does not have the financial resources to revitalise itself. The country suffers from a low savings rate and the government has no money to undertake the task of renewal and development itself. The only means to forge ahead is to make the country attractive to both domestic and foreign investment. Yet there are wild calls for expropriation without compensation, nationalisation of various industries, including one of the most damaging of the lot nationalising the SA reserve bank or using it as a pot of gold. These calls if they are implemented or gather in strength will drive South Africa into an economic death spiral similar to Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

One of South Africa’s key electricity technology energy advisors is a German renewable energy expert and supplier of German wind turbine equipment. Unbelievable. That highlights the desperate situation South African energy is in. German national energy programs based on wind and solar are only one natural crisis away from being in a disastrous situation.

Douglas Lightfoot, Mechanical Engineer, Founder, Lightfoot Institute, http://www.thelightfootinstitute.ca: A new study by H. Douglas Lightfoot and Orval A. Mamer finds that the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) on atmospheric temperature and climate is so small it is negligible. The study titled Back radiation versus carbon dioxide as the cause of climate change presents an original graph by the authors showing the concentration of water vapor plotted against back radiation. This is an important contribution to the discussion about CO2 because it allows an accurate comparison of the warming effect of water vapor with the known warming effect of CO2.

Survey by John Shanahan, civil engineer, Environmentalists for Nuclear - USA, EFN-USA, website: efn-usa.org and John Droz, physicist, Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions, website: wiseenergy.org: This survey has ten questions about fossil fuels, man-made global warming, and nuclear energy. Understanding the roles of fossil fuels and nuclear and the debate about man-made global warming are essential to making a better world. It was sent only to the Board of Advisors for EFN-USA. There were 13 responses from members in Chile, France, India, New Zealand and the United States. While the number of responses is very small, they come from people, most of whom have lots of experience in these fields. The survey presents their answers and most importantly their comments - all anonymously. Finally, one respondent offered an additional comment, beyond the scope of the survey. We considered it very valuable and posted it on the last page of this report.

Gregory Wrightstone, geologist has been investigating the Earth’s processes for more than 35 years. He is author of the newly published book Inconvenient Facts: The Science That Al Gore Doesn’t Want You to Know. On September 23, 2019 an irate 16-year-old Swedish girl told the United Nations General Assembly that her elders are failing to address the supposed dangers of climate change. While it is easy to poke fun at the blatant virtue signaling of this whole affair, more dangerous is her vitriolic message that was accepted uncritically by the world’s media as factual. It turns out that very little of what she said is supported by science.

Kerry Sheridan, AFP: Dr. James Hansen addresses the topic of catastrophic man-made global warming. He considers it so urgent as to publish it before it is peer reviewed. He claims it is urgently necessary to tax fossil fuels (in the United States) and greatly reduce their use or (American) kids will suffer from man-made extremes in the climate/weather. Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA presents their photographic evidence. People around the world, who depend on fossil fuels, disagree with Dr. Hansen about taxing and stopping use of fossil fuels.

Diego Ortiz, writer for the BBC: He describes "ten simple changes to help save the planet." Most people understand that the world is much better off with fossil fuels than without them. There are some who absolutely want to get rid of fossil fuels. They (from Rome and Potsdam to Hollywood and Sacramento) say that the world can be saved with a few simple changes. For the sake of people everywhere, lets hope that clearer, smarter heads will prevail.

Bruno Comby, Nuclear Engineer, Environmentalist, Founder-President of Environmentalists For Nuclear - International, EFN, with affiliate organizations in Canada, Poland, the UK, and the USA: This is an update of an article written some years ago about the benefits of nuclear energy. It has been updated with respect to new environmental knowledge and developments with fossil fuel technology. These updates are consistent with recent updated messages by leading environmentalists James Lovelock and Stewart Brand.

Kelvin Kemm, CEO of Nuclear Africa, is dedicated to promoting nuclear energy throughout Africa and he is working with countries in Asia who are looking to nuclear power also. This article is published at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/the-case-for-nuclear-2015-11-13/searchString:the+case+for+nuclear