Leading Activist Resigns, Blasts FFF: "Science Largely Manipulation, Fraud."..."Feel Like I'm Leaving A Cult"

Leading Activist Resigns, Blasts FFF: “Science Largely Manipulation, Fraud.”…”Feel Like I’m Leaving A Cult”

Hardcore German left-wing activist Tom Radke – citing selfish leaders, fraudulent science, psychological manipulation and a cult-like atmosphere within the German Greens – has had enough of the Fridays For Future (FFF) Germany movement and has announced his resignation.  

German left-wing activist, former FFF participant Tom Radke quits movement after experiencing its inner working. Image cropped from Tom Radke.de.

In a statement published at his site, Tom Radke wrote he wishes “to concentrate on left-wing patriotic politics: environmental protection, a strong welfare state and peace” instead of “Green voters and ‘green’ corporations”.

FFF not about the environment

Radke writes how he “found out through very negative practical experiences with Fridays for Future that many people never cared about environmental protection” and that he “misjudged the other ‘climate activists”.

He wrote: “Of all activists at FFF Hamburg, only a few were really interested in preserving our environment, clean air and healthy food.”

Radke blasts the FFF leader “Longhaul Luisa” Neubauer who he believes was “obviously in it for a career” and “her luxury life” while she called on others to save money.

Greta “taken advantage of”

Radke also had the impression that FFF movement leader Greta Thunberg was “being taken advantage of by her family but that she was “personally a nice person”.

Climate science “largely manipulation and fraud”

He recognized “the nonsensical and anti-people content of the climate movement” and that the movement’s “climate science is largely manipulation and fraud”.

Movement based on “pure emotions and blind faith”

Radke also explains how he came to realize that the FFF activists in fact had very little knowledge about climate science itself and that “their fanaticism is largely based on pure emotions and blind faith” and “also based on fear-mongering”.

“The young people are told that they, their families and everyone they love will die if we don’t act immediately.”

“Leaving the cult”

Radke accuses the German Green Party Using “a lot of psychological pressure” to coerce donations from followers despite the fact that “there are major donors in the background, who are completely unknown to the ordinary members.”

Radke also writes that the FFF movement “has nothing to to do with real environmental protection” and that “the CO2-tax serves to squeeze even more out of ordinary people.

He summarizes his departure as follows: “I feel a little like a person who is leaving the cult. It is a liberating feeling. Through my experience I will try to help other students to leave FFF and the climate religion.”





Clashing Climate Kiddies: Internal Strife Erupts, FFF Organizers Bicker Over Who Gets Spotlight

One highly visible person often seen at Greta Thunberg’s side at public Fridays For Future appearances is German 23-year old climate activist Luisa Neubauer of Hamburg.

Climate activist Luisa Neubauer at the center of infighting between FFF organizers. Image: Andol – own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Green Party member was a driving force behind the launch of the Fridays For Future movement in Germany and Europe. However, it appears other FFF organizers have had enough of Neubauer constantly hogging the spotlight amid signs of growing discord and infighting among FFF organizers.

MOPO.de here reports how Neubauer has been “disqualified as permanent speaker” by FFF organizers and “will also not speak at the controversial citizens’ meeting in Berlin in June.”

Moreover, according to MOPO: “Neubauer already was replaced” by 17-year-old schoolgirl Helena Marshall at the Siemens Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on February 5.

Jet-setting Greenie “Longhaul Luisa”

The problem, MOPO writes, is that “Neubauer is too much in the public eye” and that she may not be “suitable as a representative” because it was reported how she had flown often. Neubauer was recently dubbed “Longhaul Luisa” after having posted images of herself on foreign trips in social media.

Over the last years, climate activist Luisa made it around the world by plane several times, via Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, England, Scotland, France, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Morocco, Namibia, Tanzania, Indonesia, etc.

Once in a talk show, Luisa was asked what she personally would do to protect the climate. She answered: “Fly as little as possible”.

Open discord between Greta and Luisa

Evidence of open discord among the FFF movement organizers also surfaced in a video showing Greta Thunberg expressing her displeasure at comments made by Neubauer during the World Economic Forum earlier this year.

Strife is undeniable as Greta openly shakes her head as Neubauer speaks.

MOPO reports the “first trouble” began “already at the beginning of spring 2019” when co-organizers felt “the distribution of speeches and appearances was too one-sided.”

Greta skips France

Today Greta tweeted she was skipping appearances in the marches in Grenoble and Paris this Friday, citing “family reasons”.





‘Widespread Cooling (Up To -1.0°C) In Western And Central Europe’ Has Swept Across The Continent Since 1992

A new study assesses a reduction in tree cover via urbanization or by clearing forests for cropland can warm up a locality by 1°C within 10 years. In contrast, transitions from croplands and urban centers to forests leads to cooling. Europe has been cooling recently (1992-2015) from land cover transitions to forests.

Image Source: Huang et al., 2020

Urbanization adds multiple degrees of warming over decades

A few years ago a compelling analysis (Levermore et al., 2018) found the urban heat island effect can reach intensities of 8°C warmer temperatures than nearby rural sites.

Further, reducing the green (trees and vegetated areas) in an urban center by as little as 11% can lead to a 0.21°C per decade (non-climatic) warming trend in the local thermometer record.

Image Source: Levermore et al., 2018

Global warming can be reversed via land cover changes

While forest losses can heat up local temperatures by as much as 1°C within 10 years (Alkama and Cescatti, 2016), a new study (Huang et al., 2020) has assessed the opposite can occur too.

From 1992 to 2015, there were about 70 million hectares (Mha) of land cover changes (LCCs) occurring across the European continent.

A substantial portion of these LCCs were “cropland-to-forest” transitions due to agricultural abandonment.

When a region returns to forest and tree cover, cooling ensues.

And with a growing percentage of European forested areas returning, a “predominant regional biophysical cooling” with “an average temperature change of −0.12 ± 0.20 °C, with widespread cooling (up to −1.0 °C) in western and central Europe in summer and spring” has swept across Europe due to LCCs in recent decades.

Image Source: Huang et al., 2020

The substantial impact of land cover changes

The implications of this study are profound.

First, the human effect on CO2 concentration changes appears to have minimal effect on local and regional temperatures relative to the much larger impact from land use changes.

More importantly, if reducing global warming is indeed the goal of policy makers, then denuding forests so as to install hundreds of steel-and-concrete wind turbines would appear to achieve the opposite of what it is claimed to do (reduce warming).

So why on Earth are we doing this?

Image Source: The Telegraph

Finnish Meteorological Institute Reports Northern Hemisphere Snow Mass “Highest Levels In Year”!

German broadcaster RTL here reported how Northern Hemisphere snow mass has reached the highest level in years.

Schneemenge auf der Nordhalbkugel: Die rote Kurve zeigt die Daten des Winters 2019/2020, die gestrichelte schwarze den Durchschnitt der Jahre 1982 bis 2012. (Stand 2. März 2020)

Image: Finnish Meteorological Institute

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reports the total amount of snow in the northern hemisphere this winter season has been well above the long-term average from 1982 to 2012.

This will come as a surprise to Europeans, who have seen one of the mildest winters on record. According to RTL, “In those places where it was cold enough for snow at all, there was a lot of snow. The snow is meters high, higher than usual.”

Snow cover trending upwards since 1990

Looking at the northern Hemisphere snow cover charts from Rutgers University Global Snow Lab, northern hemisphere snow cover (area) has been on the rise since reaching a low in 1990.

Chart: Rutgers University Snow Lab.

Record-breaking snow across Montana and South Dakota

Meanwhile weather site Electroverse reports of “record breaking February snowfall” burying Montana and South Dakota. According to Electroverse, “The cold times are returning” due to reversing natural cycles.

https://electroverse.net/record-breaking-february-snowfall-buries-montana-and-south-dakota/?fbclid=IwAR1kAPeFTH5iQUy3dWglm0wk4aYHKDuS5HOUSbufD7Nh-_gXhEDoTnEA2hY





Overwhelming Rejection! German Community Shoots Down Planned Wind Park By Vote Of 269 – 11

Onshore wind energy in Germany has long lost its luster as a “clean” way to produce electricity in Germany.

Currently green energy proponents are pushing to significantly ease restrictions against the construction of wind parks, and don’t want to hear any complaints from pesky local citizens. But resistance to projects has reached a massive scale.

Wind turbines welcome only by their developers and operators. German citizens no longer welcome them. Photo: Pierre Gosselin

Across the country people have come to realize that although the produced electricity from wind is CO2 emissions free, the massive environmental impacts the huge industrial contraptions are having on the landscape, regional environment and public health risks aren’t worth it.

Local citizens reject planned local wind park

Today we find another powerful example of how wind projects planned near communities are being overwhelmingly rejected.

Near the North German community of Ovelgönnes, citizens shot down plans to build a wind park comprising four 200-meter tall Vesta 126 wind turbines each with a rated capacity of 3.45 MW, reports the daily Nordwest Zeitung (NWZ).

The generator hub height is planned for 137 meters, close to 200 meters at the tip of the blade.

In mid January, local citizens gathered for an information evening aimed at explaining what the project was about. But as reported by the NWZ, the project proponents were met with “severe opposition” to their plans. The article described the information meeting as “charged with emotion”.

One local resident claimed: “Here personal effort for profits is being placed above the common good.” Another resident accused the project supporters of “putting public health at risk”.

Only 600 meters setback

A preliminary plan by wind park builder Windstrom shows that the turbines would be a mere 600 meters away from the nearest homes and only 1000 meters from the community of Großenmeer, east of the proposed park.

Image: Windstrom

Rejected 269 – 11

The project went to a vote earlier this week, reported the Nordwest Zeitung (NWZ). The result was devastating: only 11 (4%) were in favor of the park, 269 (94%) were against.
—————————————————————————
Hat-tip: Jens Schluter at FaceBook

“Drought-Stricken” Germany Sees 2nd Rainiest February On Record…Doom And Gloom Cancelled Again

The last two summers in Germany (2018 and 2019) were unusually dry and warm, and already alarmists began to screaming that this was just a preview of what’s in store for Europe’s crispy burnt future.

The following 2 charts show the ground moisture for Germany last September. The left image depicts the ground moisture at the depth of 25 cm, and the image on the right for a depth of 1.8 meters:

German indeed was unusually dry last September. Source: The drought monitor; Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ)

February 2020 second wettest since records began

But the precipitation pendulum has swung to the other side. The German DWD national weather service now reports that February 2020 was the second wettest since records began. Only 1946 was wetter. Last month some parts of Germany saw rainfall that was double of what is normal.

In some regions it was even the wettest February, e.g. in Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein. The reason was a series of lows from the Atlantic moving directly over Germany.

Ground in many areas now over-saturated

Now the ground is well soaked down to the middle and deeper layers. In some parts of  Lower Bavaria and parts of eastern Germany, however, there is still dryness in some places at a depth of just under 2 metres. Yet, the situation is expected to ease there as well.

Currently much of Germany is over-saturated for the 0-60 cm ground depth:

Source: DWD German national weather service:

More precipitation ahead

Moreover the 14-day forecast for Germany sees more precipitation ahead, which will further saturate the ground. Last year at this time, in the wake of the dry 2018 summer, the ground was much drier. So this year ground moisture levels will be in much better shape as summer approaches.

So, all the doom and gloom scenarios of severe drought and crop failures being the future of Germany have suddenly been washed away. Alarmists will have to go elsewhere to chase climate ambulances.

A ‘Nearly Zero’ Climate Sensitivity Paper Finds A 16-Fold CO2 Increase Cools Earth Below Pre-Industrial Temperatures

In yet another new paper (Drotos et al., 2020), scientists determine the climate sensitivity to CO2 is “practically zero” the more the concentration rises. A ~4450 ppm CO2 concentration has cooler climates than observed in the pre-industrial (278 ppm) era. Why? A self-amplifying cloud feedback mechanism cools the Earth by magnitudes “as large as 10 K” upon warming saturation.

Earlier this year, scientists published a paper using mesocosms (controlled outdoor experiments) to demonstrate CO2 concentrations of 3200, 7500, and 16,900 ppm are associated with colder temperatures than in outdoor environments with 480 ppm CO2 concentrations.

Now, in another new paper (Drotos et al., 2020), several more scientists are asserting the Earth system has an internal, self-amplifying negative cloud feedback mechanism so powerful that

“at CO2 concentrations beyond four times the preindustrial value, the climate sensitivity decreases to nearly zero as a result of episodic global cooling events as large as 10 K”.

The cooling events spawned by the high CO2 concentrations lead to temperature “drops below the coldest values of the control [278 ppm pre-industrial CO2]” such that the climate sensitivity to CO2 doublings is “practically zero” over time.

“In particular, the climatological mean value of the global mean surface temperature practically stops responding to an increase in the CO2 concentration. This practically zero climate sensitivity suggests that the effect of a feedback on the global mean surface temperature may turn out to be as strong as the radiative effect of CO2.”

In other words, scientists have found yet another way the claimed “runaway greenhouse” response of the climate system to elevated CO2 turns out to be a false alarm.

Image Source: Drotos et al., 2020

German Climate Panel Discussion Incites Violence: Climate Leftist Suggests “Shooting The 1% Rich”!

At a strategy conference in Kassel last weekend, German leftist/environmentalist party Die Linke (The Leftists) discussed its plans for social change. Major German story here on this scandal.

The aim of the conference was to discuss how the leftist Die Linke could successfully intervene in fundamental social issues, “change the country for a social-ecological system change” and to protect the climate.

During a panel discussion, a Die Linke member woman in the front row, identified as Sandra L, took the floor. At the end of her ranting presentation, she felt it was important to emphasize that “a transition to renewable energies is also necessary after a revolution, and that after shooting the 1% rich people. we still want to heat.”

Some in attendance could be heard chuckling and applauding in response. But others could be heard murmuring in shock, and so Sandra L doubled down: “Well, it’s like this! We need to get off this meta-level.”

In attendance was also Die Linke leader Bernd Riexinger, who responded to the woman directly, saying: “I want to say,we don’t shoot them. We can use them for useful work!” For this he also received applause and laughter from the audience!

Just a misunderstanding, “taken out of context”

Soon the video of the incident was posted on Twitter and quickly went viral. German Twitter followers were aghast at the suggestion of shooting dead the 1% rich in the country. Before long the pressure mounted on party leader Riexinger to take back the comments, who shortly later claimed on Twitter that Sandra L’s comments were “completely taken out of context”.

“It was and is unacceptable. I regret that I did not immediately reject it unequivocally,” Riexinger commented.

“Abhor violence against people”

By evening, desperate to control the image damage to Die Linke, a party with about 10% of the vote in Germany, Sandra L was forced to tell the DPA German Press Agency: “I apologize for this statement, which I made in the excitement and thoughtlessness. It completely contradicts my political views, I abhor violence against people.”

“We need an active social and environmental energy policy. My statement did not serve this purpose,” she added.

Thuringia’s Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke) sharply denounced Sandra L’s comments on Twitter: “Anyone who wants to shoot people and rant about a revolution with or through violence has nothing in common with my set of values. The statement was unacceptable and should never have been passed over with a smile”.

It is unclear whether and which office Sandra L has in the extreme German Die Linke party.

German story/commentary here and here.

Most Despised (Older) Generation In Fact Cleaned Up The Atmosphere, Left It In Far Better Shape!

By Kirye
and Pierre Gosselin

We know people die prematurely of air pollution and it is a major issue, especially in developing countries. But it is essential to understand the difference between air pollution and CO2 emissions.

CO2 is essential to all forms of life and it is difficult for many people to believe the gloomy versions of the AGW theory. So climate alarmists often criticize Japan for using coal-fired thermal power, insisting it is very dirty.  But in fact Japan’s coal-fired smoke emissions are not dirty because they have been properly cleaned using technology.

Japanese climate alarmists don’t like to mention that SOx and NOx emissions from coal-burning plants in Japan are quite low. In Japan, coal power is good and if the world used the same technology, the air pollution problem would be solved in many countries.

Reality to Greta! Do you read?

What follows are charts showing how much sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions have improved over the recent decades. First we look at nitrogen oxides, NOx:

Data source: OECD

You’ll note that a number of countries have greatly reduced nitrogen oxide emissions in terms of unit GDP.

Even Greta Thunberg’s home country of Sweden has substantially reduced air pollution. Thanks to the earlier efforts of the now older generation, the developed world is far cleaner today, and thus supports the notion that more wealth leads to much cleaner environments. Those who realize this appreciate it and thank you!

Next we present a chart depicting sulfur oxide emissions. The results are very similar:

Data source: OECD

Above we see how industry was much dirtier 30 years ago and how it’s much cleaner today. But does the generation who worked hard to produce this excellent result get a thank you from the younger inheriting generation? Unfortunately not.

Instead the older generation only hear insults from the usual ignorant and petulant ingrates.

Finally we see a comparison chart of the OECD countries for the year 2017:

Data source: OECD

Europeans promoting wood burning!

So what does the younger generation demand we do? For starters they want to stop heating of homes using natural gas. Instead they are pushing for a return of the stinky wood-burning stoves – which they claim are better for the environment!

New Study Asserts Cloud Cover Changes Drove The Post-1980s Solar Radiation Increase Important To Recent Warming

Using NASA’s MERRA-2 radiation data, scientists find shortwave radiation (SW) has been rising since the 1980s. The SW increase has been larger and faster than longwave radiation (LW) changes during this same timespan. Cloud variability has been the “main driver” of these trends.

Image Source: Delgado-Bonal et al, 2020

In a new Nature journal paper (Delgado-Bonal et al, 2020) published in Scientific Reports, scientists use radiation records from NASA to conclude shortwave (SW) changes are “mainly determined” by cloud modulation.

Clouds are “showing a declining trend” from 1984-2014. Fewer clouds means less SW radiation is reflected to space and more is absorbed by the Earth’s surface.

Figures 1 (SW) and 2 (LW) suggest post-1980 radiative forcing trend lines reach ~3.5 W/m² (rising from approximately 103.5 to 107 W/m²) and slightly less than 1 W/m² (approximately 237.5 to 238.3 W/m²) for SW and LW, respectively.

Image Source: Delgado-Bonal et al, 2020

Therefore, because (a) the SW radiation trend has been more pronounced than the LW radiation changes, and (b) the cloud variability is the main driver of SW radiation (that is of “great importance to recent climate change”), the recent positive energy imbalance – and warming – can mainly be attributed to cloud modulation.

The “argued” dominance of a human and/or LW (greenhouse effect) domination in recent climate change therefore becomes a question that is “still open”.


Delgado-Bonal et al, 2020

When reaching the Earth, part of the incoming solar radiation is reflected off clouds and the surface as shortwave radiation (SW). Changes in cloud distribution or the surface albedo affect this flux and change the energy balance. In the last four decades, changes in cloud distribution in low-level clouds such as subtropical stratocumulus have been of great importance since they have the ability to reflect large amounts of radiation back to space but do not reduce significantly the outgoing terrestrial radiation.”
[S]hortwave radiation is the main driver in the dynamics and plays a major role in the energy balance by affecting the longwave radiation field”
“[C]hanges in cloud fraction for example would be rapidly manifested in the shortwave field and would influence the longwave radiation field since the available energy for being absorbed would be different.”
The existence of reflective surfaces such as clouds or the ground determines directly the amount of SW radiation and, thus, the available energy for being absorbed and reemitted as LW.”
Our research supports the idea that clouds and albedo, which ultimately determine the SW radiation, are variables of the utmost importance for current climate change, in agreement with previous research about the changes in stratocumulus or energy imbalance in the last four decades for example. An increase in cloud coverage of 0.1 would, on average, lead to a 7% increase in spectrally integrated global average reflectance of shortwave radiation.”

Berlin 300-Year Station Shows Temperatures Were Just As Warm In The Mid 1700s – No CO2 Fingerprint

One of Europe’s oldest temperature series goes back 300 years: Berlin-Dahlem.

Cyclic behavior. Source: Free University of Berlin/Wikipedia

Readers will note the mean temperatures were warmer than they are today. The 1990s and 2000s were similarly warm as they were in the mid 1700s.

Moreover, the long-term trend was downward from 1760 to 1990, despite atmospheric CO2 having risen since 1850.

Hat-tip: Klima.Wissen.

US Leads In Preventing Spread Of COVID-19 …Europe, Other Continents Faring Far Worse!

Lately we’ve been hearing lots from desperate politicians suggesting that the US response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus has not been adequate.

Far worse in Europe

Here in Europe we’ve been hearing a lot about new cases arising on a daily basis, and when I compare the number of U.S.cases (February 29, 2020) to those reported here and in other countries, it’s hard to understand what all the commotion in the US is about. Things are far worse in Europe.

So far the US has reported 66 cases among a population of over 330 million. That translates to about 0.2 cases per million, despite the huge volume of travel between the US and Asia. In France and Germany the rate is 5 times higher (though they are doing a pretty good job fighting the spread). In Italy it’s 75 times greater!

Early travel restriction from China paying precious dividends

What follows is a table showing the top 20 countries reporting COVID-19 cases. They are listed according to the number of cases per one million inhabitants. The list starts with the countries with the lowest rates:

The U.S. and the U.K. lead the pack. The high success rate likely is in large part due to President Trump’s early decision to restrict air travel from China – a move for which he was loudly criticized not long ago. Now that decision has turned to to have been wise and has paid off.

South Korea, Bahrain and Singapore have a real problem along with China, where the virus is said to have originated.

Of course lots of factors are at play, and so the statistics above should be viewed merely as indicators. One local outbreak can change the stats fast.

The next challenge for the U.S. remains containing the pockets of infections that have been arising, some in not very well run places – like California. In these places it would be a wise idea to rapidly cancel public events, close schools and force workplaces to implement strict hygiene practices. I would even consider restricting interstate air travel from California for awhile under they get their house in order.

There’s no reason to panic as the death rate from COVID-19 is nothing like Ebola, SARS, or H5N1.

For those with a greater interest in pandemics, etc, I highly recommend the following book:

The Great Influenza

 

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