Free Republic

No need to make a stink: Controlling bovine flatulence could be key to helping curb global warming. New research suggests that breeding dairy cows to fart less — and, therefore, release less methane — could cut down on greenhouse gases. The team from Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute in Australia combed through 27 reports, drawing conclusions about various ways to curb methane emissions in the dairy and beef sectors in the country. Food production is one of the leading causes of climate change — livestock farming accounts for about 10% of greenhouse gas emissions — with one 2020 study finding...

Scientists have created an interactive map that shows how parts of Illinois may be swallowed up by Lake Michigan as climate change bites. The Great Lakes in the Midwest comprise the largest unfrozen freshwater stores on Earth, but experts have forecast that rising water levels could have serious consequences. More than 30 million people live along the lakes' roughly 4,500 miles of coastline, which stretches across the U.S. and Canada, and touches upon the cities of Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, New York. That means millions of families could be hit hard by new, higher water levels, which could potentially wash...

The Senate on Wednesday afternoon voted in favor of passing a bill reversing the Biden administration's actions mandating states to track and set reduction goals for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on highways. The chamber approved the resolution in a 53-47 vote in which Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined every Republican voting in the affirmative. The bill was introduced in February by Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; and Manchin. "Few things are more frustrating in government than un-elected bureaucrats asserting authority they don’t have and foisting federal...

Nicaragua has asked the UN's highest court to halt German weapons sales to Israel at the start of a landmark case. Germany is accused of breaching the UN genocide convention by sending military hardware to Israel and ceasing funding of the UN's aid agency. Berlin rejects the claims and will present a defence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday. In 2023 some 30% of Israel's military equipment purchases came from Germany, totalling €300m ($326m; £257m). The allegations build on a separate case taken by South Africa in January, where judges in the Hague ordered Israel to take...

Senate Democrats were left red-faced at a hearing on climate change as their 'expert witness' proved to be anything but when faced by veteran senator John Kennedy. Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse invited Olympic skier Gus Schumacher to give his perspective as the committee considered the impact of climate change on the recreation industry. But it was all downhill for the 23-year-old as he struggled to answer basic questions and could not remember his tweets claiming the war on drugs was designed to jail black people, and calling for the police to be abolished. The excruciating exchange continued with Schumacher insisting...

President Biden began his remarks during a Thursday visit to the southern border in Texas by addressing a devastating wildfire in the state’s panhandle and Oklahoma before calling climate change deniers “neanderthals.” Speaking in the border city of Brownsville, Biden first addressed the ongoing wildfire that has ravaged a portion of Texas and destroyed more than one million acres. “I’ve flown over a lot of these wildfires since I’ve been president,” Biden said. “Flown over more land burned to the ground. All the vegetation gone more than the entire state of Maryland in square footage.” “The idea there’s no such...

A military enthusiast bought a tank on eBay recently and discovered $2.5 million of gold bars hidden inside in one of the most unexpected and intriguing places where gold has been found. Nick Mead discovered the five gold bars stashed inside the diesel tank of the ex-Iraqi Army Type 69, a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-55, back in 2017. It’s believed the bullion was looted by plundering Iraqi soldiers during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait but forgotten about inside the 36.7-ton tank. Man regrets handing in the gold found in the tank from eBay Stunned by the discovery, Mead...

Moderate Senate Democrats were silent this week when Fox News Digital asked for a comment on President Biden's decision to appoint climate czar John Kerry's replacement without Senate confirmation. **SNIP** While Kerry will step down as special presidential envoy for climate (SPEC), Biden will not nominate a direct replacement, and Kerry's staff will report to another State Department official while Podesta coordinates policy with the SPEC office from the White House. The arrangement allows Podesta to sidestep a congressionally mandated Senate confirmation since the SPEC role will technically be left vacant. "Upon Secretary Kerry’s departure, the existing SPEC state team...

Multinational energy developer Orsted unexpectedly withdrew from agreements with the State of Maryland to develop two offshore wind projects, citing worsening economic conditions. Orsted announced that it had pulled out of orders which the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) issued years ago greenlighting the so-called Skipjack Wind 1 and Skipjack Wind 2 projects, and selecting the projects for a 20-year Offshore Renewable Energy Credit (OREC). Maryland Democrats repeatedly pointed to the Skipjack Wind development as a key part of the state's aggressive decarbonization agenda. "Today’s announcement affirms our commitment to developing value creating projects and represents an opportunity to reposition...

A recent study conducted by scientists at the University of Surrey suggests that climate change could be linked to increased prevalence of the common diarrhea illness campylobacteriosis in humans, as reported in MedicalXpress. Campylobacteriosis is caused by bacteria from the Campylobacter genus, with the species C. jejuni and C. coli posing a significant risk to human health. Transmission of Campylobacteriosis The research focused on investigating the impact of elevated temperatures, longer days, and increased humidity - consequences of ongoing climate change - on the transmission of campylobacteriosis. The study's findings indicate a notable association between the warming planet and the...

A CNN analyst issued a grim warning for President Biden on Friday, suggesting the 2024 candidate may lose the upcoming election if he cannot change Americans' minds regarding the economy. During an appearance on "CNN This Morning," analyst and Spectrum News political anchor Errol Louis said the president has tried to use "Bidenomics" as a campaign slogan because the economy is typically the No. 1 issue for voters. He noted that recent polls suggest Biden's handling of the economy may not necessarily be going over very well with people, partly because of inflation, as well as "misperceptions about some other...

A group of scientists has proposed building a giant space curtain to reduce global warming and shield Earth from solar radiation. Spanning as much as 4 million square kilometers, this megastructure aimed to fight “climate change” would be located about 1 million miles from Earth, in an area known as the Sun-Earth Lagrange-1 point, according to The Messenger, a news website launched in May. The point marks the area between the sun and the Earth where the combined gravitational forces of the star and planet create equilibrium that allows a spacecraft to be “parked,” according to Space.com. Upon installation, the...

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/island-canaries-attempts-100-renewable-grid-doesnt-meet-it-more-25-year Since January 2022, Francis Menton has proposed on his “Manhattan Contrarian” blog an interesting idea regarding the concept of transitioning the electric grid to run entirely without fossil fuels: It might be a good idea that if nations across the world are committing so much money on this transition, it might be a good idea to demonstrate with a pilot project somewhere on Earth that it will actually work. The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, estimates that global spending on clean energy transition away from fossil fuels to be $1.2 trillion since the start of the...

FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers want to know why the Social Security Administration has reportedly erroneously overpaid benefits to millions of Americans and then hit beneficiaries with demands for repayment to the tune of thousands of dollars. A bipartisan letter sent by House members in the Ohio delegation presses Dr. Kilolo Kijakazi, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), for answers on its efforts to claw back overpayments from Americans, many of whom did nothing wrong. Those affected are elderly or disabled people on a fixed income who may have their benefits frozen or cut until their debt is...

The ongoing United Nations COP28 climate summit in Dubai is offering a wide variety of gourmet food options from vendors who serve beef, even as it prepares a report that is expected to call for the West to reduce consumption of beef. According to the summit's online portal, its food offerings include "juicy beef," "slabs of succulent meat," smoked wagyu burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and "melt-in-your-mouth BBQ" in addition to African street BBQ, fast casual Mexican fare and an Asian option that has a "touch of French flair." The revelation comes as the U.N. faces criticism for preparing a first-of-its-kind report...

Fourteen Hawaiian school students are suing the transport department for infringing on their right to grow up in a healthy environment by polluting it with greenhouse gases. Ranging in age from 10 to 19, the plaintiffs claim they have been 'seriously injured' due to the government violating constitutional pledges to decarbonize the transport sector by 2045. Their complaint says global warming is threatening age-old agricultural industries in Hawaii, while rising sea levels are projected to wipe out entire communities within the plaintiffs' lifetimes. It also laments the emotional distress suffered by the young Pacific islanders - sparked by 'climate anxiety'...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traded barbs with the leader of the Conservative Party on Wednesday, branding the opposition climate change deniers who are 'putting future white Christmases at risk.' The spirited exchange prompted laughter from both sides of the House of Commons during question period on Wednesday, where the two politicians laid out their opposing views on climate policy. Pierre Poilievre, the Tory leader who hopes to replace Trudeau in the next elections, fired a holiday salvo at the Liberal PM, saying that all he had to offer Canadians for Christmas was a 'carbon tax lump of coal.' 'I'm...

The Biden administration was roasted this week after it unveiled an initiative offering Americans the chance to win thousands of dollars for submitting a video showcasing their electric vehicle (EV). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - which has pursued a regulatory regime that experts say will force more EV purchases in the coming years - announced the so-called "EV Video Challenge" on Tuesday, offering a total of $13,500 to Americans. Almost immediately after the announcement, the agency was hit with criticism and accused of hypocrisy. "How is the Biden Administration's push to mandate Progressive Lifestyle Choices working out?" the Alliance...

Weather across the United States will make drastic shifts this week as cities from Arizona to New York are forecast for above-average temperatures in the coming days before chilly air brings back the winter feeling. More than 235 million Americans will experience temperatures 5 to 20 degrees higher than average for early November on Tuesday, reported FOX Weather. That is an extreme change from last week's record snowfall in the Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes and New England. According to The Weather Channel, a zonal upper level pattern, which when weather systems move parallel to the latitude lines, will keep temperatures...

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) filed a lawsuit against the Manhattan District Attorney‘s office on Thurday over the earlier seizure of a headless bronze statue, estimated to be worth $20 million. The museum stated in its lawsuit that it “does not question that the New York district attorney sometimes gets it right and returns true stolen items to foreign nations. Based on the evidence adduced thus far and the opinions of experts available to the museum, this is not one of those times.” The court filing says the CMA lawfully purchased the “Draped Male Figure” for $1.85 million from...