- On the subjects of the longstanding problem of the politicization of science and the recent eruption of war in the Middle East, Scientific Communism emails on March 3 [again no link] “The fate of Iran’s partly enriched uranium – a big reason for the U.S.-Israel attacks – is unlikely to be settled by the conflict, nuclear nonproliferation experts say.” Yeah. Experts say. But by what definition is that a science story? Is nuclear nonproliferation a science at all, let alone a reliable one?
- As for the war vindicating alternatives, here’s that radical right denier outfit Heatmap saying not so fast: “it’s not just hydrocarbons that come out of the Strait of Hormuz. It’s also metals, and specifically metals found in solar modules, like aluminum… Unlike with oil, there has been no extensive effort to set up alternative transit routes for aluminum on the high seas. Also unlike other fossil fuels, there are few other transport methods available for aluminum (it’s tough to get metal through a 48-inch pipeline).” Of course they also insist that “countries like Pakistan that embraced solar power to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel imports can expect to save $7 billion on their import bills this year” so if modeling your economy on Pakistan’s appeals, there is that. But still, “While a renewables-based energy system may be able to depend on its own sunshine, at least for now, it still depends on the same energy system it’s trying to transcend.” Indeed.
- From the department of transparent propaganda, the New York Times “Climate Forward” has the feeble gall to say “The effects of the war in Iran are rippling around the globe as fuel prices jump and countries roll out energy conservation plans, including one nation that has started mandatory energy holidays.” Energy holidays? Oh joy. A vacation from all that tedious food, shelter, transportation and so forth. They’re having one in Cuba, all right.
- Recalling Alexander Pope’s “The secret to each fool, that he’s an ass”, the Times of London “Briefing” email for March 17 features, in 2nd and 3rd spot respectively, “President Trump has said that it is ‘terrible’ that Britain is refusing to send warships to the Middle East to defend the Strait of Hormuz” and “Britain faces a ‘significant shortfall of supply’ in oil and gas within the next two months, industry experts have warned”. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presumably read them and thought they were utterly unconnected, and that his green new deal is the best.
- Slow news day? The Science X newsletter peddles a Phys.org item “Models warn Thwaites Glacier could rival entire Antarctic ice loss by 2067”. Oh. And was there nothing on, say, AMOC could collapse unless it doesn’t for your mental blue bin? So you went with settled science worse than thought? (“The future of one of Antarctica’s most iconic glaciers could be far more dramatic than scientists previously thought.”) Our own take is “Thwaites Glacier warns model collapse could rival entire climate scare by 2067”.
- Climate ate my maple syrup: Boston 25 NEWS says “UNH students savor chance to make maple syrup as this tradition is challenged by climate change”. The basic thrust of the story being that students went out into the woods, collected a bunch of sap, made lovely maple syrup and connected with their heritage. Terrible. Mind you one of them “thinks the overall industry would benefit from diversification, particularly if weather becomes a bigger and bigger factor.” If. So basically there’s nothing to see here… except the usual maple syrup. And the usual climate guff.
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25 Mar 2026 | News Roundup
And wouldn't you know it, related to the Iran war, La Presse earlier this week featured a story about the incredible amounts of "greenhouse gases" released by all these bombs... as if this was the main issue at play.