For climate realists, encouraging news from Minnesota

Legislators involved in energy policy are increasingly doubtful that Gov. Tim Pawlenty will push, or even support, the kind of "bold" energy initiatives that he urged of his fellow governors in national speeches just two years ago.

Meeting in St. Paul last week, legislators were surprised when administration officials suggested that further action may not be needed to reduce carbon emissions linked to climate change, as required in a law the governor signed in 2007. At the time Pawlenty had said, "… here in Minnesota we are kick-starting the future by increasing our nation-leading per capita renewable fuel use, boosting cost saving measures and tackling greenhouse gas emissions."

Green Jobs – In the Stimulus Bill, But Not In Reality » The Foundry

Among the promises made is that the energy and environmental measures in the stimulus- 43 billion in direct outlays and 20 billion in tax measures - will create many so-called green jobs, for example those who build and install the wind turbines and solar panels that are now being encouraged through generous tax credits. There is reason for doubt that this is a workable jobs program. For one thing, those billions in tax dollars needed to support energy alternatives cost jobs elsewhere. Add to that the fact that the energy from these sources is more expensive to produce and transmit, and high energy costs are also job killers.

Overall, the green jobs agenda could cost more jobs than are created. The real world evidence seems to prove this out. Those places that have done the most to push green jobs – California and western Europe – have higher unemployment and weaker economies than the U.S as a whole.

What caused these ancient droughts?

What the samples show are two lengthy droughts between the late 1300s early 1400s, around the time the vast and wealthy Angkor civilization in modern-day Cambodia collapsed.

"There was a very significant multi-decadal drought in the early 1400s with the worst drought year being 1417," said Brendan Buckley of the Tree Ring Laboratory at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in the United States.

Another major drought lasting at least 30 years hit in the mid-18th century, said Buckley, speaking by telephone from the sidelines of the conference in Dalat, southern Vietnam, that is focusing on climate variability along the Mekong River basin.