Even With Massive Subsidies Sales Of Heat Pumps Not Doing So Well In UK

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 7:00 am

The UK government really, really, really, really is attempting to force the citizens to switch over to heat pumps. Using the taxpayer’s money, of course. Without showing that government is switching over at government buildings nor elected politicians and bureaucrats are switching at their own homes (via Dana Pico of The First Street Journal)

Another heat pump myth has just crumbled

Net Zero will, of course, eventually save us all a fortune. We know that must be true because the green lobby keeps telling us so. It is just that the journey there seems to be costing us ever more money in taxes and levies. The Government has decided to sting taxpayers for another £1.5 billion in order to encourage homeowners to switch from fossil fuel central heating to heat pumps.

At £7,500 a time, the original pot of money for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme would only have funded 60,000 installations. The additional pot will fund a further 200,000 – assuming, that is, that enough people want to take the bait. That is looking questionable at the moment. In the first 18 months that the scheme, only 27,443 homeowners had applied for the grants and only 16,096 installations had been completed. (snip through a paragraph about seriously dropping EV sales as subsidies are withdrawn)

Even with taxpayers forking out £7,500 to help you green your home a heat pump is still a pretty expensive piece of kit.   The median cost of heat pumps installed under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme so far has been £13,140. In other words, homeowners are still having to find around £6,000 – which is a lot of money, especially if you don’t actually need to replace your oil and gas boiler because it is working just fine as it is. And, of course, it comes with the risk that the heat pump won’t actually heat your house – while some people report a happy experience many others tell of ending up shivering in a lukewarm home. Moreover, a lot of the people who say they are happy turn out to have other forms of heating available: gas, wood-burners and so on.

One day heat pumps might be ready for primetime, but, they are not something mean to be run a lot. If it’s running quite a bit all year long it’s going to need to be replaced in half the time as separate units. If you only need it for, say, heat in the winter and never really need it much for cooling, you would be fine. If it can keep up with the heat. Vice versa in a place where you run a lot of AC but rarely need heat. And if you really do not need it, do you want to pony up what amounts to $7,600?

As with electric cars, it should be obvious by now that heat pumps are not going to sell themselves. If it wants to reach its targets, the Government is going to have to bully us with fines and cajole us with taxpayer-funded grants. Not that that will stop government ministers and the wider green lobby perpetuating the fib that going green is saving us money.

That median price is $17K. That might make sense for a top end AC/heating system for a large house, say, 2,000 square feet, which should last you 10-15 years. Not for a heat pump. But Green will totally save money, right?

Read: Even With Massive Subsidies Sales Of Heat Pumps Not Doing So Well In UK »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Energy, Global Warming | 17 Comments | Trackback URL

Colorado Supreme Court Says Trump Can’t Be On Presidential Ballot

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 6:45 am

Why do they make me defend Trump? Why do they not realize that this gives more ammunition to Trump and his die-hard supporters, plus, makes so many want to support Trump? Not that I do not want him to beat Biden like a rented mule if he is the GOP nominee, but, things like this can hurt Democrats

Colorado Supreme Court says Trump is ineligible to run again

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified by the Constitution from serving as president again because he stoked an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

The 4-3 ruling, which rests on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment, will almost certainly force the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve whether Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, is eligible to hold future public office.

The Colorado court ruled that Trump cannot appear on the state’s presidential ballot next year, but the ruling will not take effect immediately to give Trump time to appeal.

“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the Colorado majority opinion reads. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

The court, which consists entirely of Democratic appointees, is the first in the nation to side with activists and voters who have filed numerous lawsuits claiming that Trump is barred from office under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.” That clause states that anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking an oath of office to support the Constitution is forbidden from holding any public office.

He has never been convicted of anything, and even 3 of the 7 Democrats on the court thought ruling that way was a Bad Idea. What to they do when people write in Trump’s name? What happens if Coloradans stream to the polls and write in his name so he gets more votes than Biden? I don’t think that will happen, Colorado is a comfortably Democrat voting state, so, this could be a way of making the Trump team waste time filing suits.

The Colorado decision is an extraordinary ruling that rests on Trump’s months-long campaign to sow doubt about the 2020 election results — even before votes were cast — and stoke disinformation about the outcome of the election even though his top advisers and government officials warned him there was no evidence of significant voter fraud.

But, it was OK when Democrats did this even before Trump won in 2016? And saying that Bush stole 2000? And would steal 2004 and then that he did steal it? Here’s the thing: it’s not just the general ballot, it’s the GOP primaries

And they may need to do so quickly. The Colorado court noted that election officials in the state must certify the primary ballot by Jan. 5, 2024 — 60 days ahead of the state’s planned Super Tuesday primary on March 5.

Will they attempt to deny the will of the voters if they write his name in? The same people who constantly say that Democracy Is In Peril?

Read: Colorado Supreme Court Says Trump Can’t Be On Presidential Ballot »

Posted in Donald Trump | 61 Comments | Trackback URL

California Climate Plaintiffs Drop Suit Against Big Oil

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 3:50 pm

It looks like they didn’t want to argue in front of a federal court, just a friendly state court. Or, perhaps they were expecting the fossil fuels companies to simply pay up out of court?

Major ‘climate deception’ lawsuit against Big Oil voluntarily dismissed

A major years-long lawsuit alleging that Big Oil companies have waged a disinformation campaign about the impacts of climate change was voluntarily dismissed by plaintiffs in a victory for the U.S. energy industry.

The California-based Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), the largest trade association of commercial fishermen on the West Coast, requested the dismissal in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The request came after Judge Vince Chhabria ruled on Nov. 1 that the case could be heard in federal court despite PCFFA’s argument for it to be tried in state court.

“Climate change is a global challenge that requires a coordinated international policy response, not a jumble of baseless local lawsuits,” said Bill Turenne, a spokesperson for U.S. oil company Chevron, one of several companies named as defendants in the case. “As the Second Circuit Court of Appeals put it when affirming dismissal of a similar case, ‘such a sprawling case is simply beyond the limits of state law.’”

PCFFA’s lawsuit dates back to November 2018 and was among the first “climate deception” cases filed nationwide. The lawsuit — which names Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP America, Shell and ConocoPhillips, among several other oil companies as defendants — sought to hold the industry accountable for its alleged “decades-long campaigns of deception about the science of climate change and the role their products play in causing it.”

And how much in the way of fossil fuels did all the fishing boats use? Engines, lubrication, motors for the nets, transportation to get the fish to market? You know they aren’t using sailboats. How much fossil fuel to make each of the boats?

These are all just shakedowns from groups and lawyers who themselves refuse to give up their own use of fossil fuels. If they really believed in their cause and had the facts they’d be able to argue and win at any level court.

Read: California Climate Plaintiffs Drop Suit Against Big Oil »

Posted in Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Pacific Pundit, with a post on the Capitol Police taking the sex in the Senate seriously.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Texas Governor Signs Law Allowing State To Arrest And Jail Illegal Border Crossers

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 10:30 am

This sets up an interesting showdown with Los Federales

Texas to arrest illegal migrants in challenge to federal govt

Texas has enacted a law that will make border crossings illegal and punishable with jail time, one of the toughest immigration laws passed by any US state in modern times.

Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said it would “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas”.

Immigration advocates have said the law will lead to racial profiling.

It comes amid rising illegal migration and public concern over US President Joe Biden’s handling of the border.

The new Texas measure is so controversial, in part, because US courts have previously ruled that only the federal government can enforce immigration laws.

Crossing the border illegally is already a federal crime, but violations are currently handled as civil cases by the immigration court system.

It’s an interesting dynamic: the federal government is tasked with securing the border from foreign invasion, however, it is not really performing that job. So, do border states which are the recipients of failed federal government policies and seeing thousands of illegals invade, damage property, hurt citizens, and have to spend lots of money have the right to enact measures to stop the flow?

Punishments range from misdemeanours to felonies that can lead to jail time or fines of up to $2,000 (£1,580).

A judge can also order that those arrested be sent back across the border into Mexico, although it is unclear how Texas authorities plan to enforce that provision.

Penalties for illegal re-entry could go up to 20 years in jail, depending on a migrant’s immigration and criminal history.

Just stick them back across the border. The Biden regime is sure to sue over this law, as well as the other Abbott signed, which creates mandatory jail terms for human smugglers, but, how will they argue Texas has no standing to secure their border when the Biden regime is failing to do the job?

Read: Texas Governor Signs Law Allowing State To Arrest And Jail Illegal Border Crossers »

Posted in GOP, Illegal Immigration | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Climate Cult Really Wants Developing Countries To Not Develop

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 7:00 am

The Rockefeller Foundation thinks it’s a good idea to stop focusing so much on the carbon footprints of 1st World nations and, instead, look towards holding down those 3rd world nations (mostly made up of black and brown people, you know)

The Only Way To Prevent the Worst of Climate Change

The fight against climate change will be won or lost in less wealthy countries that will produce the most emissions in the future.

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, continues in Dubai, too many people are still looking in the wrong direction when it comes to fighting climate change. Just about everyone focuses on the United States and other advanced economies since they are most responsible for past and current greenhouse gas emissions causing the planet to warm. But fewer think about less wealthy countries that will produce the most emissions in the future.

A new report from The Rockefeller Foundation reveals that the fight against climate change will be won or lost in these latter countries. Wealthier countries have made major investments in greening their economies but emerging and developing economies have not had the same opportunity. If they continue to fuel their growth with fossil fuels, these countries will produce enough emissions by later this century to trigger catastrophic global results regardless of what the United States and others do. Though harrowing, this data makes clear it’s possible to not only prevent the worst but ensure a better future for some of the world’s poorest people by empowering these countries with renewable energy technologies.

In other words, those 3rd world nations should be stopped from benefiting from reliable, affordable, dependable fossil fuels like the 1st world did. So that the rich 1st world folks like those at the Rockefeller Foundation can continue living their big, fossil fueled lifestyles.

Read: Climate Cult Really Wants Developing Countries To Not Develop »

Posted in Climahypocrites, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Whiny Democrats Send Letter To Biden Complaining About How Israel Is Conducting War Against Hamas

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 6:45 am

One would expect the letter to come from the Israel and Jew hating contingent, primarily made up of members of The Squad. Not this time

House Democrats send letter to Biden criticizing Netanyahu’s military strategy

A group of House Democrats with national security backgrounds on Monday sent a letter to President Biden arguing that the military strategy of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not in the best interests of the U.S. nor Israel’s own security.

“We are deeply concerned by PM Netanyahu’s current military strategy in Gaza. The mounting civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis are unacceptable and not in line with American interests; nor do they advance the cause of security for our ally Israel,” the letter says. “We also believe it jeopardizes efforts to destroy the terrorist organization Hamas and secure the release of all hostages.”

The letter is signed by six lawmakers, including Reps. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA case officer, Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Mikie Sherrill, who served as a Navy helicopter pilot. The other signatories are Reps. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, Seth Moulton, a former Marine, and Chrissy Houlahan, a former Air Force officer.

“From our positions on the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs Committees, we have consistently pushed for Israel to shift its military strategy —there has been no significant change,” the letter says. “We have dedicated our lives to national security and believe our nation’s values are a source of credibility and power. Some of us also spent years fighting America’s war on terror. We know from personal and often painful experience that you can’t destroy a terror ideology with military force alone. And it can, in fact, make it worse.”

The letter concludes: “We urge you to continue to use all our leverage to achieve an immediate and significant shift of military strategy and tactics in Gaza.”

OK, so, they’re recommendations for that shift in strategy and tactics is what, exactly? You can see the whole thing on Crow’s webpage, and it doesn’t really offer any more than in the above CBS News article. A tweet from Crow is about as detailed as it gets

Crow’s commanding officer would have raked him over the coals for such a little plan. Your boss in your job would go ballistic of what amounts to writing a few ideas on a sticky note. Notice that was 11/20, and almost a month later there’s zero more detail from him and these supposed in the know folks.

Remember, these are the same folks who want to give tons of material and money, most of which is unaccounted for, to Ukraine.

Read: Whiny Democrats Send Letter To Biden Complaining About How Israel Is Conducting War Against Hamas »

Posted in Democrats, Dhimmitude, Israel | 14 Comments | Trackback URL

Skynet, Er, Artificial Intelligence, Could Now Be The Savior For Climate Doom

By William Teach December 18, 2023 – 3:43 pm

We’ve gone from AI being Bad for ‘climate change’ to being a savior

AI could be humanity’s last chance to meet climate goals. Here’s why

The world must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to meet Paris Agreement goals. Yet based on current trajectories, emissions are set to rise by 10% over the next eight years. This will only accelerate widespread droughts, flooding, extreme heat, and other devastating impacts across the globe.

Against this challenging backdrop, it is clear that acceleration is needed across all fronts of climate action. One of those opportunities lies in artificial intelligence (AI). Research shows that by scaling currently proven applications and technology, AI could mitigate 5 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030–the equivalent of the total annual emissions of the European Union. For the first time, AI was highlighted at COP28 as one of the key potential solutions to tackle climate change, with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) announcing the AI Innovation Grand Challenge at the conference to identify and support the development of AI-powered solutions for climate action in developing countries.

Reversing the emissions trajectory will take everyone involved–government officials, business leaders, and technologists–all rowing the boat in the same direction. Policymakers have a central role to play, with three critical priority areas that will allow AI to contribute to its full potential.

Here’s a suggestion: all the Believers should make their own lives carbon neutral and leave the rest out of their cult games.

First, policies must enable AI innovation and adoption for climate-positive applications. Data sharing frameworks, investment in research, affordable technology access, and education initiatives are needed to drive development and deployment. Government has a key role to play as an end-user. In the absence of clear community, national, or sector-specific objectives for climate action, AI-driven innovation could go off in disjointed directions. Resource allocation would be inefficient. Establishing priority innovation domains where AI could most immediately and effectively advance climate action–such as leveraging AI for flood-resilient farming, climate change adaptation, and accelerating the energy transition–can unlock resources and focus minds.

Second, policymakers should accelerate AI’s climate impact by prioritizing high-potential use cases and embedding efficiency and optimization requirements into industrial regulation. Existing processes and legacy infrastructure in high-emission sectors like aviation, manufacturing, electricity production, and construction, could be more immediately optimized with AI, not just with wholesale reconstruction, which could be costly and take too much time. Long-term transformative investments still need to be made, but more immediate impact should be encouraged.

Is anyone else getting a creepy “put the computers in charge” vibe?

Read: Skynet, Er, Artificial Intelligence, Could Now Be The Savior For Climate Doom »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 18, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible high energy usage ferris wheel, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Lid, with a post on the difference between Florida and DC on auto theft.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 12 Comments | Trackback URL

Even Though There’s No Migrant Crisis, Biden Regime Closes Two Bridges

By William Teach December 18, 2023 – 10:30 am

It’s strange, because we’ve been told that there is no crisis

US closes two rail bridges to Mexico amid migrant surge

U.S. border officials on Sunday closed two rail bridges that move freight between Texas and Mexico after detecting a surge in the smuggling of migrants through Mexico by train.

The move by U.S. Customs and Border Protection was the latest in a series of similar closures along the border in order to redeploy enforcement resources elsewhere in response to large numbers of migrants.

The international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso were closed “in order to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody,” CBP said in a statement.

“After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities,” the statement said.

CBP has imposed similar temporary closures in recent weeks, shutting the Lukeville port of entry in Arizona, a pedestrian entrance in San Diego, and a vehicle crossing in Eagle Pass.

One big problem here is “what did they do with the illegals? Did they put them back across the border, or put them in detainment, which will result in them being released into the U.S. while awaiting their hearing?”

Read: Even Though There’s No Migrant Crisis, Biden Regime Closes Two Bridges »

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Joe Biden | 3 Comments | Trackback URL
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