There was a British Rail slogan about booking holidays: "It's better, remember, in June and September." Of course families with children couldn't take advantage of that. They had to holiday during August when the weather was often poor.

My father claimed that there was always good weather in Goodwood week (30th July-3rd August) and during Wimbledon. Though I remember one Wimbledon that was rained off, and people there had to put up with singalongs led by Cliff Richard.

Charles Dickens, in his childhood, might have remembered his parents talking about the last time that the Thames River in London froze solid. We have historical record of about twenty times it has done this. And, once again we know: "it will do so again." But we do not know when nor why.

I guess I just get exasperated when I listen to people "pontificating" about the weather, and about climate in general, as though they were somehow "certain." "So certain," in fact, that they believe that they are entitled to tell the rest of us how we "must" live. When I, at least, am entirely "certain" that they have utterly no legitimate basis for this "certainty." That no one possibly ever could have, during their "blink of an eye" entire tenure on this very strange orbiting place. I say, don't pretend to know what you can't. Try your best, yes. But, don't pretend. And, don't dictate to the rest of us.

Well, at the risk of repeating myself:
How does such agnostic negativity help? Are we not supposed to use the brains we have?

I actually agree with you to a point. This whole exercise of mankind ruling himself and the earth has been an unmitigated failure, and this thread is highlighting one aspect of that. That knowledge is not new. It was first (to my knowledge) foretold in 96 A.D. It's not new to the fossil fuel industries that have reaped the profits. It's just new to the public at large.

@hazel: You're across the Irish Sea. I'm sure your statistics would be different there. We serve as the first (and most well-used) urinal for all trans-Atlantic storms heading over on the Gulf Stream - what's left of it. Your country OTOH, will serve as the urinal for all North Sea depressions heading West.

Bull.
When I was a kid that was pretty true. Our best weather prediction was the Old Farmers Alamanac which was based upon statistics and weather history. By the 1960s they could 50% accurately predict weather three days out. By the 1980s it was 90% a week out. It has gotten WAY better these last few decades. Now they do not predict the % chance of rain for the next day, they can predict the % chance BY THE HOUR! Accurately! And it keeps getting better!

(And, or course, the short term weather has little to do with long term climate change except as a consequence. It is an odd things to discuss in this thread!)

We can be VERY sure that when the Gulf Stream current and the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre collapse that temperatures in the UK will drop to levels that will make it likely. And, the experts often do know why. Exactly when is crystal ball stuff, but investigating what happened in the past is a matter of studying the evidence and making smart conclusions. It is kinda like CSI, without the crime. So when you say "We don't know" you have to qualify that "we" carefully. What you really mean is that YOU don't know.

One thing I'm aware of my own ignorance on is how and why so many of the people that are hurt most by government policy buy into corporate and elite propaganda that maintains and increases that divide.

Some appropriate anecdotes - Back in the early 70s I drove across 3/4 of the US twice. The first time, in '72, I was shocked that St Louis was literally out of a Sci Fi dystopia film shrouded in a thick orange fog and people to a man were wearing masks even on downtown main streets. There were loud complaints about the EPA but in '74 my return through St. Louis was shocking again but for the opposite reason. It was clean and nobody was wearing masks.

In the mid 70s I worked a little over a year for a dairy farmer who had a hilarious anti OSHA poster on the milk barn wall depicting a caricature of an OSHA cowboy on a horse with various ridiculous gear installed including a wrap-around bumper on his horse. We had a discussion one day about OSHA the EPA and several government programs that were designed to help some groups of people in certain niches. I pointed out that I agreed there was considerable silliness in such programs but how silly they were often depended on where you lived. In Colorado we had to irrigate so hay stayed green even when baled and Eastern farmers often didn't believe that was even possible but it was because their hay got bleached by Sun combined with Rain, rain that never happened in the late seasons in the West.

My boss related to that, of course but he was jaw-dropping shocked when I told him the river in Cleveland had caught fire several times. He had zero experience of just how neglectful some corporations could be that would dump flammable and toxic chemicals in the rivers.

The purpose in my telling such experiences is that they embody a lot of what can occur in such a big and diverse country and this is analogous to the differences between Weather and Climate. Since the advent of The Webz and Search Engines there is simply no excuse for remaining "Provincial" and ignorant of The Big Picture and how that affects each of us, no matter where we live, ultimately. If you imagine trillions of dollars of damage to our ports won't affect you, I submit you emulate ostriches.

I will back that.
I grew up in cleaner country, but where I live now is (was) a steel town. It is clean and beautiful, until you look the older buildings (often brick) that are from pre-EPA: those are still stained black and gray from the soot and ash that was in the air for decades. And those stains are too deep to clean out, you have to tear the buildings down or cover them up to not see them.

The EPA saved lives. Yeah, some things sound stupid until you look close enough to see the pain.

A "Tidal powered car", now there's something interesting!

Play Bonny!

Quite a poorly written article, the writer seems very confused:
Is he thinking that the ocean water is going to be poured into the car's engine or something???

Meanwhile, in the promotional materials from the company producing the thing, they clearly explain the tidal energy is used to recharge electric vehicles, and there is a picture of a Tesla being charged...
https://novainnovation.com/news/tida...nd-to-net-zero

Hmmm... I'm inclined to agree, a bit confusing. They could use the electricity generated by tidal energy to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen, using the Hydrogen to power a car with a fuel cell but that's not what the article says. Why mention Hydrogen in the article at all? Strange.

Play Bonny!

On a change of tack, with no personal agenda behind it, I thought guys might find this interesting
heat-waves-in-north-pacific-may-be-due-to-china-reducing-aerosols

"Ford Cuts Battery Orders as EV Losses Top $100,000 Per Car
Automaker is shifting its strategy for EVs as demand wanes
Suppliers in South Korea, China grapple with unsold inventory


May 10, 2024 at 2:48 PM CDT

Ford Motor Co. has begun cutting orders from battery suppliers to stem growing electric-vehicle losses, according to people familiar with the matter, as it throttles back ambitions in a rapidly decelerating market for plug-in models.

Ford continues to maintain partnerships with its battery suppliers, which include South Korea’s SK On Co. and LG Energy Solution Ltd., as well as China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., said the people, who asked not to be identified revealing internal decisions."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...00-000-per-car


Grok (Ai):
Ford Motor Co. has hit the brakes on its electric vehicle ambitions, cutting orders from battery suppliers as losses per EV soar past $100,000. The move comes amid a slowdown in the EV market, with Ford forecasting EV losses of up to $5.5 billion this year. The company's Model e unit has been identified as the main drag on its performance, prompting a strategic shift that includes reducing spending on battery-powered models by $12 billion, delaying new EVs, cutting prices, and postponing and shrinking planned battery plants. While some industry observers question the viability of the EV market, others point to Ford's actions as a sign of broader challenges facing the sector. As the automaker reevaluates its electric vehicle strategy, the road ahead remains uncertain, with Ford's decision to cut battery orders serving as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the EV industry.

And that has NOTHING to do with the construction of the battery plants right here in the USA that will be a closer, faster, cheaper supply with almost no shipping costs? ;-)

Interesting video on how the Finns are storing renewable energy for later use, "Heating cities with sand and water" Using thermal "batteries" to smooth out the lulls in renewable energy generation. Very interesting 9 1/2 mins video! I notice that Mr Trump is going to scrap all wind turbines (because they spoil his view) once/if he becomes president again. I wonder if he's going to do a King Canute when the sea level rises at Mar-a-Lago?

Play Bonny!