Free Republic

In a nutshell * Rice malt could help the brewing industry adapt to climate change, yielding twice as much extract per hectare as barley while requiring 50-67% less land * While rice malt costs 20% more to produce than barley malt, it offers significant advantages for gluten-free brewing and can reduce costs when used as an adjunct * As climate change threatens barley production, rice provides a more resilient alternative that’s already grown abundantly in warmer regions worldwide ****************************************************************** FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Beer prices might soon rise as climate change threatens barley crops, but an unexpected savior is emerging from...

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday on MSNBC’s “Chris Jansing Reports” that Pope Francis was not “living in some alternative world,” so he understood the climate crisis. Kerry said, “He boldly stood up in front of Congress despite the fact there were some denialists there. He spoke the truth. And the climate crisis presents us, ironically, with one of the great economic opportunities of all time. And I think that, you know, the Holy Father knew that there were jobs there, but also the people who get most affected by the downside of what’s happening are the...

Fighting against the wishes of their voters is a classic Republican pastime — and this week is no different.When they apparently thought nobody was looking, a cabal of GOP senators comprised of Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Utah’s John Curtis, Kansas’ Jerry Moran, and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis — who’s up for reelection next year — quietly sent a letter on Wednesday to Senate Majority Leader John Thune regarding ongoing negotiations over the party’s reconciliation package.Their concern? That the final version of the legislation containing priorities backed by President Trump (tax cuts and border security) will also include provisions fully repealing President...

Climate Depot Publisher Marc Morano says the National Environmental Museum and Education Center, located at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., is the most “propagandized” government site you can imagine. “$4 million to build, $600,000 to operate annually, less than 2,000 visitors per year—and I guarantee you they’re either EPA staff or maybe some other Biden staffers. The public didn’t even know about it,” he says.

A natural cyclone devastated the reef in 2009. Climate activists blamed CO2. Now that the reef has recovered, they’ve moved the goalposts. The coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef is as expansive now as it has ever been recorded, with coverage nearing 40%. In fact, the coral cover has nearly tripled in the past dozen years. Despite this record expanse of coral off the coast of Australia, the climate community and mainstream media outlets unrelentingly push the narrative that the Great Barrier Reef is dying. For example, CBS News ran one of its periodic pieces on the reef a...

Authorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country’s worst ever natural fire disaster. At least 27 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the “harsh reality” of global heating. Pointing to ultra-dry conditions and strong winds that have worsened the damage, Lee Han-kyung, disaster and safety division chief, said: “This wildfire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climate crisis unlike anything we’ve experienced before.” The affected areas have seen...

The amount of water stored on lands across Earth’s continents has declined at such staggering levels that changes are likely irreversible while humans are alive, a study published Thursday found. The losses in soil moisture — a result of the planet’s climate conditions and prolonged droughts — already pose issues for farming, irrigation systems and critical water resources for humans. But it also affects sea-level rise and Earth’s rotation — datasets the research team used to better track water storage for decades longer than previous studies. “What we were looking for was evidence of changing hydrology around the world,” said...

Cities looking to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings have notched a decisive court victory. Last week, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by plumbing and building trade groups against a New York City ban on natural gas in new buildings. The decision is the first to explicitly disagree with a previous ruling that struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban. That order, issued by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2023 and upheld again last year, prompted cities across the country to withdraw or delay laws modeled after the Berkeley ordinance. While New York City’s law functions...

We now have more information on the corruption involved in the pause in LNG exports. Joe Biden approved the pause but didn’t know he did. When questioned by Speaker Johnson, Biden said he wouldn’t do that. During the Houthi attacks and the Ukraine crisis, Biden paused all LNG shipments to Europe. He halted the approval process for export licenses and facilities being built/planned to save the climate. A Louisiana judge granted a stay. It turns out that Secretary Granholm, a wholly unprincipled agent for the hard left, buried a report with data and conclusions refuting the premise they used to...

Way back in the ancient year of 2012 — before this blog had even been started — Penn State climate “scientist” Michael Mann brought a lawsuit for defamation against Mark Steyn and Rand Simberg, as well as against two websites (National Review and CEI) that had hosted the blog posts of those two individuals. Mann asserted that his reputation had been damaged by the Steyn and Simberg posts, which had compared Mann to fellow Penn Stater Jerry Sandusky. The point of comparison was that Penn State had investigated and cleared both men around the same time over allegations of misconduct...

As the Pentagon and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency set their sights on climate-related programs at the Defense Department, officials and experts are warning that slashing them could put US troops and military operations at risk, both in the near and long term. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior Pentagon officials have pointed to climate programs as a prime example of wasteful spending in the military. Hegseth told reporters in Germany in February that the Pentagon is “not in the business of climate change.” Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses also made it clear that funding would...

A recent discovery in the Rocky Mountains has given scientists an extraordinary look into the past, but it comes with an unsettling reminder of the effects of climate change. A 5,900-year-old forest was found preserved under ice at Wyoming’s Beartooth Plateau, offering valuable insight into ancient ecosystems. This remarkable find, detailed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underscores the impact of warming temperatures. The forest was uncovered as ice patches melted, further highlighting the growing threat of rising global temperatures to high-elevation ecosystems. Ancient Trees Uncovered After Millennia During an archaeological survey, scientists...

The Trump administration has directed nonprofits involved in a $20 billion Biden-era climate initiative to turn over records to the FBI and appear in federal court later this month, according to two people who were granted anonymity for fear of reprisal. The move marks an escalation in the administration's effort to claw back the climate money following its assertions that the Environmental Protection Agency had sought to evade oversight by depositing the $20 billion in Citibank accounts in the waning days of President Joe Biden's term. The fight is part of a larger power struggle kicked off by President Donald...

Today, the Washington Post is reporting the EPA Administrator is considering recommending to the White House that the EPA’s 2009 CO2 Endangerment Finding be rescinded. Let’s look at a few of the reasons why this might be a good thing to consider. The Science The science of human-caused climate change is much more uncertain that you have been led to believe. The globally-averaged surface temperature of Earth seems to have warmed by 1 deg. C or so in the last century. The magnitude of the warming remains uncertain with a 30% range in different thermometer-based datasets, and considerably weaker warming...

Gavin Newsom just appeared on CNN and explained that people ‘can’t rebuild the same.’ Newsom suggests that there is a new reality due to the ‘science’ and climate change, and that all of that has to be taken into account as people rebuild. In other words, Adam Carolla was right. Newsom and other authorities in California may be handing out building permits, but it’s pretty clear that there will still be red tape and new rules for rebuilding. Watch:

Consent for two new Scottish oil and gas fields was granted unlawfully - an Edinburgh court has ruled - after a case brought by environmental campaigners.

On November 12, 2024 — a week after the election — I had a post titled “Ideas For An Incoming Trump Administration: Climate And Energy Edition.” The first subject covered in that post was “Communications.” I stated there: [C]hanging the communications of the prior administration should be an easy and obvious first priority. However, the Trump people notably did a poor job on this subject the first time out. The subject of climate and energy is pervasive through the websites of dozens of federal agencies.I had followed the EPA website in particular during the first Trump term, and it had...

Oil and gas companies would be liable for damages caused by climate change -related disasters in California under legislation introduced Monday by two Democratic lawmakers. The proposal claims that the oil industry intentionally deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels on climate change that now have intensified storms and wildfires and caused billions of dollars in damage in California. Such disasters have also driven the state insurance market to a crisis where companies are raising rates, limiting coverage or pulling out completely from regions susceptible to wildfires and other natural disasters, supporters of the bill said. Under state...

‘We can and we must protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy,’ Zeldin told senators.In a confirmation hearing on Thursday, Democrat senators bombarded Lee Zeldin with “gotcha” environmental questions and pressured him to embrace their radical climate agenda.Zeldin, 44, is an attorney, a former congressman from New York, a one-time candidate for New York governor, and a frequent, funny guest on “Gutfeld!” on Fox News. His background also includes four years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including time as a military intelligence officer. His next gig may be administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Zeldin’s congressional...

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — As Californians grapple with the aftermath of devastating wildfires, a pressing question looms: Who will bear the financial burden of rebuilding the Los Angeles area? While some point to politicians, others are calling for fossil fuel producers to be held accountable. Christina Scaringe, California Climate Policy Director for the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute based in Sacramento, said they are working on a climate superfund bill aimed at holding major fossil fuel companies responsible for their climate impacts.... ...Scaringe emphasized that the bill is about fairness and affordability for Californians. ....The proposed climate superfund...