Tidbits

The Australian reports that as the “green energy transition” goes brown there too, “New gas projects will be forced to provide supply to the domestic market”. Why? Because “After the consumer watchdog warned the supply outlook for domestic gas supplies had deteriorated, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen unveiled a ‘holistic review of the policy mechanisms designed to ensure Australian gas is available to Australian users at reasonable prices’.” Also known as the policy mechanisms ensuring it’s not. But it’s how they talk, and think: “As Mr Bowen acknowledged the green hydrogen industry was facing difficulties after The Australian revealed another major project had been axed, the minister said securing more gas was crucial ‘as we transition to renewables’.” Or more precisely don’t transition.
There’s hope for the future. According to a zealot in The Conversation, “Only nine per cent of Canadian students learn about climate change often in school, while 42 per cent say it’s rarely or never discussed in the classroom.” She calls it “the concerning findings from the new 2025 national survey at the nonprofit Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF)”. We call it a rare sign of sanity. The item says “Our team surveyed over 4,200 people, including students, educators, parents and the general public.” Mostly the committed, though, right? Yes. “The message is clear: Canadians want schools to do more.” Canadians. Of whom “A strong majority of respondents (62 per cent) believe climate change should be a high priority in education. More than half (56 per cent) believe it should be taught by all teachers.” And if you believe that…
From the bulging “worse than we thought” file, the New York Times hollers: “The World Is Warming Up. And It’s Happening Faster. Human-caused global warming has been increasing faster and faster since the 1970s.” So global warming is happening faster than scientists thought, just as scientists thought and have since the 1970s? Zzzzzzz.
Hydro Ottawa tells one of us “At Hydro Ottawa, our commitment is simple: to deliver safe and reliable electricity to your homes and businesses, today and for generations to come.” OK then, no more green madness? Guess again: “As our vibrant city continues to grow and our energy needs evolve, so too must the vital infrastructure that powers our daily lives.” Vibrant being the word people use when they can’t think of anything specific to say. But here’s the real kicker: “The energy landscape is rapidly changing. The shift towards electrification, integration of new energy technologies and the impacts of climate change are reshaping the ways in which we deliver power.” But they’re not. Hydro Ottawa is doing the same stuff it always was in the same opaque, expensive and feeble way.
From the “nothing to see here, folks” file, Bloomberg emails “Climate leaders to watch” and profiles four people you never heard of and we dare say never will, including a “top methane diplomat”. Oh no. Wait. That’s the next item and he died. But you never heard of him or that job in which he allegedly played a pivotal role in something else you never heard of. As for some advisor to the Indian Ministry of Finance, a “Chief product officer” (whatever that is) and some random Arizona congressperson “calling out the fossil fuel industry’s influence in Washington” well, to borrow a phrase from Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, could a search party find them today?
From the “settled science” file, J. Budziszewski starts one of his “Underground Thomist” posts, “’The science is finally settled on this one,’ reads this magnificent specimen of reasoning”. On climate? No. Instead “’people who consistently make good decisions enjoy an undeniable and unfair advantage in life.’” To which he adds pointedly “No, it is not a satire.” After sundry equally acerbic remarks he wraps up “For the sake of equity, from now on I will try to make all my decisions foolishly. I’m so glad that “the science is finally settled on this one.” We know the feeling.

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