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Archive for November 30th, 2012

Nov 30

earth
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It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood as 125+ scientists tell the UN Secretary-General to knock it off.

Financial Post — Open Letter to the UN Secretary-General — November 30, 2012

Policy actions that aim to reduce CO2 emissions are unlikely to influence future climate. Policies need to focus on preparation for, and adaptation to, all dangerous climatic events, however caused.

Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
First Avenue and East 44th Street, New York, New York, U.S.A.
November 29, 2012

Mr. Secretary-General:

On November 9 this year you told the General Assembly: “Extreme weather due to climate change is the new normal … Our challenge remains, clear and urgent: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to strengthen adaptation to … even larger climate shocks … and to reach a legally binding climate agreement by 2015 … This should be one of the main lessons of Hurricane Sandy.”

On November 13 you said at Yale: “The science is clear; we should waste no more time on that debate.”

The following day, in Al Gore’s “Dirty Weather” Webcast, you spoke of “more severe storms, harsher droughts, greater floods”, concluding: “Two weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern seaboard of the United States. A nation saw the reality of climate change. The recovery will cost tens of billions of dollars. The cost of inaction will be even higher. We must reduce our dependence on carbon emissions.”

We the undersigned, qualified in climate-related matters, wish to state that current scientific knowledge does not substantiate your assertions.

(To continue reading, click here)

Nov 30

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Half of Europe’s renewable energy comes from wood according to Eurostat statistics office

Special Report — Euractiv.com — November 30, 2012

SPECIAL REPORT / Practically half of the EU’s renewable energy currently comes from wood and wood waste, according to the EU statistics office Eurostat, but a lack of sustainability criteria for measuring its environmental impact is stoking fears of a hidden carbon debt mountain.

The new Eurostat numbers were issued in conjunction with the UN’s Year of Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL), which sets ambitious renewables, energy efficiency and universal energy access targets.

According to the Eurostat statistics, on average, 49% of renewable energy in the EU 27 states came from wood and wood waste for 2010, and most EU states met the majority of their renewable energy obligations this way.

Forest products were most popular in the Baltics, accounting for 96% of Estonia’s renewable energy and 88% of Lithuania’s. At the other end of the table, Norway and Cyprus only used wood materials for 11% and 13% of their renewable energy needs respectively.

“The bad news behind these figures is that the carbon debt from much of this wood means that CO2 emissions in the real world will actually go up,” Faustine Defossez the bioenergy policy officer for the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), told EurActiv.

EU states must source a fifth of their energy mix to renewables by 2020 and because wood is cheap, easily accessible and considered ‘carbon neutral’, it is quite literally a ‘low hanging fruit’.

 (To continue reading, click here)

Nov 30

Wind-turbine-effects-to-be-measured

WARWICK: Mayor upset with lack of communication and common sense in planning

Paul Morden — Sarnia Observer — November 29, 2012

Plans for up to a dozen wind turbines in Warwick Township have Mayor Todd Case feeling frustrated.

Nextera Energy is holding the first of three public meetings about its 150-MW Jericho Wind project at Centennial Hall in Watford Feb. 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The community hall sits a few kilometres south from where the mostly Lambton Shores-based Jericho project spills over the border into Warwick.

Case said there has been a serious lack of communication from both Nextera Energy, and from the Ontario government.

Warwick’s council voted earlier in November to call on the province to deal with a list of the township’s concerns and objections about its Green Energy initiative.

“The common sense in this whole equation seems to have gone out the window, quite some time ago,” Case said.

“It seems here in Ontario we’re just going to keep marching forward and we’re not going to consider all the facts.”

Nextera released a map earlier this month showing 97 proposed sites for up to 92 Jericho Wind project turbines it wants to begin operating in 2014.

Warwick has joined other Ontario municipalities calling for a moratorium on wind farms until a federal health study can be completed.

“We also have huge grid issues here,” Case said.

(To continue reading, click here)

Nov 30

moneysign
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Ontario sets record for daily wind production – pays to export it

Scott Luft — Cold Air — November 25, 2012

Friday November 23rd saw a record 36,423MWh of production from the industrial wind turbines on the IESO controlled grid.
The day ended with a weighted average Hourly Ontario Energy  Price (HOEP) a negative $5.76 (estimated) – which would value the loss on exporting at ~$279 thousand.

The wind output on the 23rd was 16 times greater than the wind production 3 days earlier, on the 20th.

We didn’t pay to export power on the 20th.

Nov 30

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Carmen Krogh speaks to Cape Breton residents about wind turbines

Erin Pottie — Cape Breton Post — November 29, 2012

LITTLE BRAS D’OR — The photograph of a tent in the backyard of a home drew gasps of concern during a meeting to discuss adverse health affects related to wind turbines.

Carmen Krogh, an Ontario-based retired pharmacist with more than 40 years of experience in the health field, spoke to a group of about 200 people gathered at the Bras d’Or Parish Hall.

The Hillside Boularderie and Area Concerned Citizens Group arranged to have Krogh give a presentation as wind developer Natural Forces Inc. is seeking environment approval to construct three wind turbines in the area.

Krogh said one Canadian community that has experienced problems in health related to large scale turbines is  the Township of Melancthon in Ontario.

“It had a lot of turbines,” said Krogh. “But they’re interspersed among family homes and that’s like putting an industrial facility among all the different residents. And Melancton has had a lot of issues.”

Krogh said low-frequency noise associated with the turbines is considered an annoyance or irritant to humans, and if a person is exposed to chronic and long-term exposure it can cause psychological and physiological damage.

She said it’s her belief that industrial turbines should be located a minimum of two kilometres from nearby residences.

(To continue reading, click here)

Nov 30

12 Days of Christmas

12 days of Christmas for Wind turbine Neighbours

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …. Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ….. Full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … Flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …. Property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … Falling hydro rates, property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …. Turbines for Toronto, falling hydro rates, property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … Democratic rights, turbines for Toronto, falling hydro rates, property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … FIT contracts cancelled, democratic rights, turbines for Toronto, falling hydro rates, property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me … No more subsidies, FIT contracts cancelled, democratic rights, turbines for Toronto, falling hydro rates, property values rising, flicker free days, full nights of sleep, Liberals behind bars, King testifying, Chris Bentley cornered and McGuinty spinning on a windmill