Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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Less carbon dioxide means less nutrients for plants

The exaggerated climate crisis

Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi harbors the misconception that atmospheric carbon dioxide threatens the Earth's climate, when in fact it is carbon dioxide, along with sunlight and water, that feeds plants through photosynthesis.

Published 17 July 2023
– By Tege Tornvall
Photo: Stockholm Exergi
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi boasts in large advertisements that they can “suck” carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. They will do this in a new plant that will be able to suck 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per year.

The company lives in the mistaken belief that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a dangerous threat to the Earth’s climate. In fact, carbon dioxide, along with sunlight and water, is the food of plants through photosynthesis. More carbon dioxide means more vegetation.

But Stockholm Exergi wants to reduce plants’ access to this vital nutrient, at great expense. In the grand scheme of things, however, the 800,000 tons target is only .001 percent of the atmosphere’s CO2 content, which, according to the calculated global carbon cycle, is 880 gigatons (billion tons).

It is not yet clear how much this will cost. But the EU will contribute EUR 180 million, just over SEK 2 billion of European taxpayers’ money. In addition, there will be Swedish government subsidies and income from the sale of carbon certificates, which give the right to add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The way it works is that by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, companies can sell the right for others to add an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. A great double game!

 

Tege Tornvall

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Comment: Sanctioned environmental destruction

The exaggerated climate crisis

Environmental considerations don't seem to apply to wind and solar power if one listens to the conflicting messages of Swedish environmental policy.

Published 8 January 2025
– By Tege Tornvall
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Swedish environmental policy sends mixed messages. The main rule is not to spread toxins or pollute. The main exception is that no environmental considerations may prevent wind and solar power.

These energy sources are advocated by the EU, and as we know, EU law takes precedence over Swedish law. If EU law requires us to hang from trees upside down, then we shall hang from trees upside down.

Since the EU wants us to switch to unsafe wind and solar power from reliable nuclear power, those who oppose this must be convinced – or forced. That also applies to regions and municipalities and their veto power.

The previous government tasked Centre Party politician Ulrika Liljeberg with proposing ways to persuade municipalities to approve wind power projects. Her proposal can be summarized in a single word: bribes.

They should be bought. But it will be expensive. So now comes a new proposal. The new investigator Magnus Hermansson simply proposes that regions and municipalities should lose their right of veto.

He is acting on behalf of the Moderate-led government. This government is so eager to dance to the EU’s tune that it is prepared to override regions and municipalities.

It has no mandate for that whatsoever. But it was not an election issue, neither in the 2022 parliamentary elections nor in the 2024 EU elections. There, such thoughts were discreetly swept under the carpet.

Swedish environmental policy sends mixed messages

But in practical terms, this means that the Moderate-led government may approve and endorse (sanction) energy policies that result in outright environmental destruction. A red-green government with the Green Party would likely do the same.

Both would cite the threat of global warming from more carbon dioxide from human activities as an excuse. But the IPCC’s Scientific Working Group WG1 provides arguments both for and against that more carbon dioxide from human activities would dangerously warm the atmosphere.

WG1 presents the facts of the climate debate, but they are distorted by working groups WG2 and WG3, which study the possible effects of alleged warming and how these should be addressed and managed. This is then summarized in an overly alarmist way for policy makers in the SPM report, which politicians and media take for a scientific report.

The alleged climate threat has become the new Swedish state religion, with the disoriented Church of Sweden and all political parties as eager supporters.

The only way to stop this is for it to go completely off the rails. And that seems to be happening, with massive green losses and an impending energy crisis on the horizon.

Nothing to be happy about but still to be welcomed. Back to Reality!

 

Tege Tornvall

Majority of Swedish children suffer from climate anxiety

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published 16 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Swedish psychologists claim that climate anxiety can actually be a positive thing.

Most children and adults in Sweden today are said to suffer from climate anxiety – often to the extent that it interferes with their daily lives.

However, Swedish psychologists argue that climate anxiety does not have to be a negative thing at all – on the contrary, it should be considered “a reasonable and adequate reaction”.

Climate alarmist reporting, with its recurring message that the world is becoming uninhabitable or ending due to human impact and emissions, has by all accounts had very negative effects on people’s and especially children’s mental health.

6 out of 10 Swedish children say they are worried about the climate and feel that adults have “let them down”. At the same time, roughly half of adults report experiencing climate anxiety so severe it affects their daily lives.

However, psychologist Fabian Lenhard believes that the widespread and very strong climate anxiety is both reasonable and logical and thinks that more people should go around feeling this anxiety.

– It is a reasonable and adequate reaction. We are concerned that something is not right, and that we need to solve a problem that we are facing. In that sense, concern is exactly the emotion we should and need to feel in relation to the climate crisis, he argues.

“Concern alone is not enough”

Many Swedes have trouble sleeping, are restless or feel tense because they are constantly walking around worrying about the climate, and this is also something that affects their everyday lives and social interactions with others.

– We do not yet know why these situations are perceived as difficult, but it may have something to do with the fact that climate is still perceived as a taboo topic in some social contexts. At the same time, we know that it is very important to be able to have open, constructive conversations about the climate, as this is a prerequisite for finding common solutions, Lenhard speculates.

Many Swedes also ask for help in dealing with their climate anxiety, but the psychologist insists that in many ways this is actually a positive thing.

– In the past, people have wondered whether there is such a thing as “eco paralysis”, i.e. being paralyzed by climate anxiety. But the opposite seems to be the case. But we also know that concern alone is not enough – guidance and support are needed to make meaningful and sustainable changes.

“Reasonable response”

Around six out of ten children feel sick or anxious about real or perceived climate change, but a large proportion of the adult population also suffers from climate anxiety.

In 2012, 39% of Swedish adults said they were “very worried” about alleged climate change a figure that rose to 51% in 2023. If you also include the proportion of people who say they are “quite worried”, the figure rises to 84% of the population.

However, the researchers do not question the media’s often apocalyptic reporting and its impact on Swedes’ perceptions of the situation. Instead, the message is that both children’s and adults’ fears about the climate should be seen as something natural and good.

– Anxiety is a reasonable response to climate change, and under the right conditions it can lead to action. The important thing is to validate it, says psychologist and researcher Maria Ojala, from Örebro University.

Arla cows given “methane-reducing supplements” – Brits call for boycott

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published 3 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Arla considers its own dairy cows to be major "environmental culprits".

After Arla began boasting that it feeds British dairy cows the supplement Boaver to help them fart and belch less, and thus release less methane into the atmosphere, tens of thousands of Britons and people from other countries have called for a boycott of the dairy giant’s products.

Notably, supplements similar to Boaver have been developed with funding from ultra-globalist and multi-billionaire Bill Gates and it is reported that the long-term health effects of the supplement are unknown – and that it may even be directly harmful to health.

On social media, huge numbers of people have joined calls to boycott the dairy giant’s products, loudly declaring that they will not support a company that feeds its animals what they say are experimental and unnatural supplements and claims that cows or other animals pose a threat to the climate.

Arla, in turn, claims that the disgruntled consumers are spreading “misinformation” and that the data on possible health risks to animals or humans is “completely false”.

The information spreading online surrounding our link to Bill Gates is completely false and claims relating to his involvement in our products is inaccurate”, they defend, pointing out that Gates does not appear to have any direct connection to Boaver in particular, but has funded the development of another and very similar methane-reducing feed additive through the company Rumin8.

The fact that Gates does not seem to be personally involved in this particular scandal does not seem to reassure the outraged British, with many stressing that they will never buy Arla products again, and urging those around them to take the same stance.

“Climate change requires urgent action”

It is noteworthy that Arla has long taken a peculiar view of its own operations in Sweden, describing “methane emissions from animals as one of the dairy industry’s biggest climate challenges”. As early as 2022, it also announced that it will also give Boaver to Swedish dairy cows for alleged climate-saving purposes.

Climate change requires urgent action… This is a great example of innovative scientific solutions and actions we are taking to create a sustainable and resilient future for dairy. It will be exciting to see how far this will take us”, it said.

Following the recent public outcry against the milk giant and the supplement, Arla Sweden has issued a new press release stating that “Boaver has the potential to reduce methane emissions from cows and is part of our work to reduce the climate footprint of our products”.

Our commitment to reducing our climate impact is unwavering, but we would never do anything to jeopardize the health of consumers or the well-being of animals”, it further claims, lamenting the large amount of “misinformation” circulating online.

“Used in 25 countries”

According to Arla, Boaver cannot be passed on to humans when they consume dairy products, is considered safe and it further claims that there is no evidence that the supplement harms animals.

Boaver is specifically designed to be broken down in the cow’s digestive system and quickly decomposes into naturally occurring compounds already present in the cow’s stomach. This means it does not pass from the cow into the milk. Boaver has been developed over 15 years and is used in around 25 countries for more than 200,000 cows”, it continues.

However, many seem to be unimpressed with Arla’s promises that the supplement is good and harmless, and a selection of the criticisms and their outcomes can be found below:

Climate policy free-for-all

The exaggerated climate crisis

The billions promised at climate meetings for poorer countries will come from household tax revenues. This means thousands of crowns annually for each household – a cost expected to rise in the future.

Published 27 November 2024
– By Tege Tornvall
Photo: COP29
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

The recently concluded climate meetings in Colombia and the oil city of Baku once again confirmed the true nature of the UN’s annual climate summits:

These climate meetings are political free-for-alls over funding and the allocation of the promised $300 billion to poorer countries. The goal is to incentivize these nations to abandon cheap, abundant, and reliable energy sources (coal, oil, and gas from the ground) in favor of expensive, unreliable, and resource-scarce energy (such as “renewable” wind, solar, and bioenergy) under the pretext of combating climate change.

Media reports from these meetings often focus on how poorer countries want to pressure richer nations for more money. The total amount now discussed is no longer $100 billion but $300 billion annually.

These funds come from the taxes of ordinary households. The world’s wealthier nations, home to about 1 billion of the planet’s 8.2 billion people, are expected to shoulder this burden. At an exchange rate of roughly SEK 11 per dollar, $300 billion equals SEK 3,400 (€295) per person annually.

For an average household, that amounts to SEK 7,000 (€610) per year – and this figure is expected to rise. Are households in wealthy nations aware of this? Many of them already struggle financially or live in poverty.

On top of this, higher energy and living costs will follow. This could undermine continued economic growth in currently prosperous democracies and lead to disputes over funding and allocation within these nations. For this reason, the entire climate issue is more about politics than science.

This is especially true considering that Earth’s climate is determined by the lower atmosphere and is primarily influenced by how much solar energy reaches the planet’s surface, particularly its oceans.

 

Tege Tornvall