The Carbon Sense Coalition has produced a submission to the Australian Government Enquiry into “The Enhanced Renewable Energy Target Scheme”, April 2010.

From the submission:

“The total justification for this massive upheaval of Australia’s industry and economy is the contention that man’s production of the colourless harmless gas, carbon dioxide, is likely to cause dangerous global warming. But never has the government conducted an open public enquiry to test the truth of this statement. Instead they have relied on an increasingly discredited political body, the UN’s IPCC, or on their own paid employees (who have learned the dangers of contradicting the message of powerful politicians.)”

Read the full submission: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/renewable-energy-targets.pdf [PDF, 83KB]

“We’ve all read global-warming scare stories. Though some scientists insist there is cause for alarm, evidence indicates otherwise. Global warming may be coming, but if it does, it won’t necessarily be extreme. And it might actually be a boon for the environment.”

This was written by Dennis Avery in 1999, twelve years ago. So even in those early heady days of global warming hysteria, not everyone had lost their senses.

See the full article (with acknowledgement to The Readers Digest) here: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/global-warming-1999.pdf [PDF, 1.1 MB]

My car operates on ethanol made from corn. My car produces CO2 but it is
“ethanol CO2” so that’s OK. The ethanol production is subsidised by the
government.

I have a cow. I feed it corn. But now I will have to pay tax on the
CO2/methane the cow produces from the corn.

Why are cows discriminated against?

Read more: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/cows-cars-and-ethanol.pdf [PDF, 142 KB]

The Carbon Sense Coalition today called on Global Warming Minister Combet to conserve carbon fuel by not attending the “Last Fling of the Thermophobics at Cancun”.

The Chairman of “Carbon Sense”, Mr Viv Forbes, said that to waste any more tax dollars or tonnes of carbon on this stupidity was an obscene extravagance.

“For 20 years now the thermophobics of the IPCC have been trying to shock us with dire threats of global warming.

“But if they are so scared of warmth why do they go to places like Cancun for their annual
office party?

“Cancun is a lovely tropical beach resort – warm weather, azure seas, white sugary beaches, great reefs and fish, amazing lagoons, a whole strip of massive resorts and cocktails by the pool. Definitely not a hardship location – perhaps they realize their party is coming to an end and want to have some fun before they are pushed off the gravy train?

“If they really want to cure their thermophobia they should have their next conclave in Archangel or Murmansk. And it should be supplied only with wind and solar power. Let them see and feel the deathly grip of darkness and ice.

“Maybe they would learn that life has nothing to fear from warmth or moist air richly laden with the gas of life, carbon dioxide.

“What we all need to fear is a frigid, dry and carbon deficient atmosphere and the remorseless advance of silent, sterile, life-extinguishing ice.”

More: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/last-fling-thermophobics.pdf [PDF, 218 KB]

Ethanol produces more carbon dioxide than petrol.

Both petrol and ethanol produce carbon dioxide when burnt. But to produce the same energy requires more ethanol than petrol, and it produces more carbon dioxide.

Moreover producing ethanol from corn by fermentation also produces more carbon dioxide during the fermentation process. And then the dilute ethanol produced by fermentation (about 12%) has to be concentrated using a distillation process which requires more energy and more emissions. Burning ethanol rather than petrol thus probably increases the production of carbon dioxide.

For detailed calculations by Professor Jim Barrante see: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/petroleum-v-ethanol.pdf [PDF, 38 KB]

James R. Barrante is an Emeritus Professor in the Chemistry Department at Southern Connecticut State University. He has devoted his last ten years to the study of the physical chemistry of greenhouse gases. He is the author of two textbooks, Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences (in Japanese) and Applied Mathematics for Physical Chemistry.

According to a new study by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Government support of biofuel production is costly, has a limited impact on reducing greenhouse gases and improving energy security, and has a significant impact on world crop prices… Current biofuel support measures alone are expected to increase the average prices for wheat by about 5 per cent, corn by around 7 per cent, and vegetable oil by about 19 per cent over the next ten years.

In the U.S., last year’s harvest was 10.5 billion bushels, the third-largest crop ever. But instead of going into the maws of pigs or cattle or people, an increasing slice of that supply is being transformed into fuel for cars. The roughly 5 billion gallons of ethanol made in 2006 by 112 U.S. plants consumed nearly one-fifth of the corn crop. If all the scores of factories under construction or planned go into operation, fuel will gobble up no less than half of the entire corn harvest by 2008.

Full report see: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/biofuels-or-food.pdf [PDF, 49 KB]

The Carbon Sense Coalition said today that to introduce a carbon tax would be to wage war on consumers for the benefit of vested interests.

The Chairman of “Carbon Sense”, Mr Viv Forbes, also accused Australian PM Gillard of deceptive advertising in her support of a carbon tax.

“When our PM says “we need a price on carbon”, she is just sprouting another misleading Wongism like “we must reduce carbon pollution”.

“Most forms of carbon already have a price – coal, oil, gas, petrol, diesel, beef, bread, butter, diamonds and whiskey – all have a price (which usually includes a few taxes).

“What Ms Gillard wants, but dares not say, is another tax on our usage of many carbon products.

“Who wants a tax on carbon?”

Read the full article for more: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/who-wants-carbon-tax.pdf [PDF, 105KB]

Also these topics are covered:

• Climate Fools Day
• Coal – Australia’s Industrial Heart
• A Few Facts about Wind Turbines

To reduce the number of dead ducks found in oils sands tailings ponds, I propose Syncrude construct an array of wind turbines around the margins of the tailings ponds.

Ducks would be humanely shredded by green-friendly blades and fall to the Earth where they would form neat piles that could be retrieved using carbon neutral electric vehicles. The carcasses would have less contamination and could be served in the Syncrude cafeteria in building 41-B, thus reusing the carbon that would have been released into the atmosphere had the ducks been left to decay in the wild. Electricity from the wind turbines could be used to cook the birds.

Boats for duck recovery would become unnecessary, the ducks would not be coated in oil and Greenpeace could feel happy that the collection vehicles are recharged by power supplied by the bird shredders.

For the entertainment of “greens” all over the world, web cameras could watch in awe as the ducks fly into the collection area. This would reduce the need for smug, self-satisfied hypocrites to burn oil sand-derived fuel up to Fort McMurray to protest for the benefit of jet-set fuel-wasters such as David Suzuki, Al Gore and James Cameron.

I am all for alternative energy, but to rely on the wind, for cities, is just plain stupid. Not a single fossil fuel plant has been made obsolete by the present subsidized wind power. As long as hospitals expect 24-hour power, we will need proper power plants.

Richard Haley
Edmonton
Canada

First Published:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/duck+death+proposal/3775063/story.html

Cuddly carbon keeps koalas & all animals, including us, alive.

CO2 is essential for life. More CO2 will do much good and no harm. If it is allowed to increase at the current rate it will feed the world’s coming peak population with NO more land, seed, cultivation or water.

For a beautifully illustrated article on the many benefits of carbon dioxide for the all life see: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/carbon-dioxide-feeds-the-world.pdf  [PDF, 2.7 MB] [Now updated 2^nd edition.]

By John Robertson 2010
Mount Tamborine, Queensland, Australia

John Robertson was born in Scotland. He was an Open Scholar at Cambridge and has a Masters degree in Engineering. He has spent his life in farming, as a fighter pilot and is now an Australian citizen living at Mount Tamborine. He and his wife are active in many community volunteer organisations.

He says “The note on CO2 is an extension of volunteering and my response to the ridiculous attacks on carbon dioxide by those who should know better. Pollutant indeed!

“This is all my own work (except where otherwise acknowledged in the text) with my own funds. I have no connection whatsoever with fossil fuel or other outside interests.” JR

Further reading:

The Positive Social Benefits of Carbon Dioxide
http://www.masterresource.org/2013/10/co2-positive-social-cost/

The Carbon Sense Coalition today said that Australia must not renew its Kyoto Agreement. The Chairman of “Carbon Sense”, Mr Viv Forbes, said that the current failing agreement was signed without due diligence by Kevin Rudd and should be referred to as “Rudd’s Folly”.

Forbes continued:

“Appropriately, the death notice for the Kyoto mis-adventure was posted by Japan, the birthplace of Kyoto, when their representative at Cancun Resort announced:

“Japan will not inscribe its target under the Kyoto protocol on any conditions or under any circumstances.”

“Thus the four biggest economies in our region (USA, China, Japan and India) will not sign; nor will Australia’s big competitors in Brazil (iron and beef), Indonesia (coal), Chile (copper) or Canada (wheat).

“If Australia is foolish enough to renew its Kyoto liabilities it will find itself isolated in the Pacific with only gullible Kiwis and faraway Europeans for company.

More, and these other topics:

• Wind Power Lessons from Germany
• No Warming for 15 years
• How Much More Global Warming?

are here: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/no-rerun-kyoto-folly.pdf [PDF, 58 KB]