what is wrong with Republicans?
17 Dec: Axios: Amy Harder: Exclusive: Oil giant ConocoPhillips backs carbon tax push
In the latest sign of a global oil industry shifting on climate change, ConocoPhillips is now helping fund a multi-million dollar political advocacy campaign that’s lobbying Congress for a tax on carbon emissions...
Given the industry’s deep-pocketed influence with Republicans, this backing increases the odds Congress could eventually back the controversial policy...
•Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of House members recently introduced a carbon tax bill that’s broadly similar to the plan Conoco just endorsed. They plan to re-introduce it next year...
Houston-based ConocoPhillips has committed $2 million over two years to a political advocacy group called Americans for Carbon Dividends...
https://www.axios.com/conocophillips-backs-carbon-tax-push-a0c47c65-7a0e-4ec6-85c6
17 Dec: The Hill: ConocoPhillips backs carbon tax plan
By Timothy Cama
The company is pledging $2 million over the next two years to Americans for Carbon Dividends, an advocacy group that pushes a carbon tax, starting at $40 and rising thereafter, as part of a plan developed by the Climate Leadership Council (CLC) and its leaders, former Republican secretaries of State James Baker III and George Shultz...
“We are delighted to welcome ConocoPhillips into Americans for Carbon Dividends and commend their leadership in supporting this important initiative,” said Trent Lott (R-Miss.), former Senate majority leader and a co-chairman of Americans for Carbon Dividends...
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/421700-conocophillips-backs-carbon-tax-plan
brilliant article:
16 Dec: WSJ: The Yellow Jackets Are Right About Green Policies
They have distinguished company in questioning the science behind climate-change dogma.
By George Melloan
(Mr. Melloan is a former deputy editor of the Journal editorial page. His book about the costs of bogus science will soon be published by Lyons Press)
Seek out the most basic cause of the French riots and you’ll come to a bizarre answer: carbon dioxide. More specifically, the demonization by political activists of that vital element of the earth’s atmosphere...
The rebellion is global. Green measures that caused energy prices to soar damaged Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany’s 2017 election. Green energy plans were repudiated by voters in Australia and helped cause a political upheaval in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Voters in Washington state and Arizona rejected November ballot measures aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. The Journal’s William McGurn reported last week that 200 prominent civil-rights leaders have filed suit against the California Air Resources Board. Green policies, they argue, are saddling the poor with higher living costs.
The voter rebellion is on solid scientific ground...
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-yellow-jackets-are-right-about-green-policies-11544991717
17 Dec: S&P Global: French coal plant workers extend action against 2022 closure plan
by Andreas Franke
London — France’s five coal-fired power plants remained offline Monday as workers protested against state plans to close them by 2022...
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/coal/121818-french-coal-plant-strike-at-cordemais-extended-to-december-21
18 Dec: IEA: Coal 2018: Analysis and forecasts to 2023
After two years of decline, global coal demand grew by 1% in 2017 to 7585 Mt as stronger global economic growth increased both industrial output and electricity use. Driven by strong coal power generation in China and India, coal demand is expected to grow again in 2018...
In particular, global coal power generation increased by over 250 TWh, or around 3%, and accounted for about 40% of the additional power generation worldwide. Coal kept its share in the power mix at 38% after some years of decline.
Global coal demand is forecast to be stable through 2023...
Meanwhile, the unmatched period of coal power generation growth in India is set to continue, having grown continuously since 1974. With the Indian economy expected to grow over 8% per year to 2023 and the electrification process continuing, power demand is forecast to rise by more than 5% per year over the period...
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and Vietnam have more than 800 million people combined, yet their average annual per capita electricity consumption is just one seventh of that in Europe. Increasing coal power generation, supported by new coal plants under construction, will be the main driver of coal demand growth in those countries...READ ON
https://www.iea.org/coal2018/