An eclectic mix of energy and climate news stories from around the world compiled by Roger Andrews.
We lead off this week’s Blowout with Elon Musk’s impulsive tweet about how he can take Tesla private for $420/share with “funding secured”. We follow up with OPEC forecasts slower growth in oil while US refineries struggle to keep up with demand; the Permian Basin is either a major resource or it isn’t; yet another review of the Keystone XL pipeline; gas peakers in India; coal in Germany, the US and the EU; Chinese AP1000 reactor reaches full power; Australia’s NEG moves along; SMRs in UK; wood-burning at Drax; and how global warming will degrade law enforcement and cause more sewage leaks in Canada.
The CBC headline says “Climate change likely to cause more sewage leaks, McKenna says”
but reports that Climate Barbie “… said Tuesday that climate change is expected to bring about more frequent storms, like the flash flood rainfall in Toronto a week ago that left the harbourfront waters covered in debris from the toilets of millions of Toronto residents.
“This is a real problem,” McKenna said.
So Toronto is full of shite. Who knew? I like the emphasis insisting it was a “Real Problem”. This was the only actual quote. What DID Climate Barbie say?
Rio, a city with enormous problems with criminal gangs, is discussing whether to ban plastic drinking straws! Really, I just don’t understand this. Why is there suddenly a global war against drinking straws?
Absurd, isn’t it. It is a fixation that yields such bizarre outcomes as Starbuck’s replacing straws with a plastic sippy cup lid of greater weight in plastic.
Future generations will look back at this time and shake their heads in wonder.
Hint.
In UK we learn that the Autumn budget will include a new ‘plastic tax’.
I think that says all you need to know.
Effing morons.
Well it seems the enviromentalists have already made fire illegal.
I’m sure the reason why we have so many wildfires here in western Canada is because we use plastic drinking straws and don’t pay enough carbon tax. Our Minister of Weather, Climate Barbie, will, no doubt, confirm that.