Climate Bill ‘Radioactive’

But on Tuesday — the day before Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) are expected to unveil a climate change bill — moderate Democrats still appeared squishy on the issue.“I am not committed to [carbon] cap-and-trade under any circumstance,” Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said. “It’s a difficult issue,” added Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who hails from a manufacturing state. But moderates from Midwest and coal states have largely stayed mum on the issue. Many fear a Boxer-drafted climate change bill would seriously harm the manufacturing industry and thus be politically radioactive in a year in which moderates already face a difficult vote on health care. “The climate change debate is being driven by California and Massachusetts,” Murkowski spokesman Rob Dylan said. “People forget what life is in the middle of the country, and I think that’s what we’re trying to talk about.”

Britain will have mild winter – if you believe the Met Office - Telegraph

American forecaster Joe Bastardi of AccuWeather said winter would be cold across Europe. He added: “Though Britain’s temperatures are likely to be near normal there is a risk of very cold weather coming in from eastern Europe.”

Earlier this month Jonathan Powell of Positive Weather Solutions forecast a cold winter, with “potentially a big freeze in January and February”.

August '09: Alternative weather forecasting booms as Met Office fails - Telegraph

Are traditional means of weather forecasting more reliable than the Met Office, asks Peter Fieldsend.

Ronald Bailey > Senate Democrats Introduce Their Job Creating Cap-and-Trade Bill - Reason Magazine

...with all due respect to brilliance of Berkeley economists, the Berkeley findings are just not plausible. It's very hard to understand how increasing energy prices and deploying a plethora of new regulations will create more jobs than they destroy and boost incomes, to boot.

The new Berkeley study mirrors the findings of a similar 2008 study by the California Air Resources Board that reassured Californians that they can make money hand over fist selling each other wind turbines and electric cars. However, using the California Air Resources Board's own figures, a report commissioned by California Small Business Roundtable found that the annual implementation costs of California's own cap-and-trade scheme would likely result in a loss of $182 billion in gross state output and 1.1 million fewer jobs. Harvard University economist Robert Stavins later pointed out to the Wall Street Journal that if these types of activities are a net boon for businesses and the economy, "why would you need to impose regulations like cap and trade?"

Look, we may need to limit carbon dioxide emissions, but proponents must please stop pretending that cap-and-trade schemes are really jobs programs in disguise.