Cold temperature ties record in Pueblo, Colorado, snowfall breaks record, 12/29/14

12/31/14, "Snow breaks, temps tie records," Pueblo Chieftain, chieftain.com, Gayle Perez

Via IceAgoNow.info

=======================

Ed. note: Above text is via screen shot. Google wouldn't permit copy and paste from above chieftain site or any other sites I just tried that report on recent cold and snow in Colorado. $2 billion a day was spent on the notion of man caused global warming from 2011-2012.
.
 Source for $2 billion a day from 2011-2012:

12/5/14, "India contests UN report on climate financing," financialexpress.com, PTI, Lima, Peru

“Finance for climate action flowing globally stood at USD 650 billion annually in 2011-2012, and possibly higher,” the report said."... 

==========================

The CO2 industry was off to the races after George H. W. Bush signed Maurice Strong's 1992 UN global warming agreement: "The George H.W. Bush administration signed the UNFCCC in Rio on June 12, 1992, and the U.S. Senate ratified it unanimously shortly thereafter, on October 15, 1992."...

==================

In 1992 Bush flew to Rio with his EPA chief, hand picked (end of pg.) while serving as WWF president. Fellow WWF member Maurice Strong was chief promoter of the UN Rio agreement:  
 
"Maurice Strong has played a unique and critical role is globalizing the environmental movement. Secretary General of both the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which launched the world environment movement, and the 1992 Rio Environmental Summit, he was the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)."...

"Maurice Strong with US Secretary of State [under George H.W. Bush] Condoleezza Rice," mauricestrong.net

"After the Earth Summit, Strong continued to take a leading role in implementing the results of Rio through establishment of the Earth Council, the Earth Charter movement, his Chairmanship of the World Resources Institute, Membership on the Board of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Stockholm Environment Institute, the African-American Institute, the Institute of Ecology in Indonesia, the Beijer Institute of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and others. Strong was a longtime Foundation Director of the World Economic Forum, a Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank, a Member of the International Advisory of Toyota Motor Corporation, the Advisory Council for the Center for International Development of Harvard University, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund, Resources for the Future, and the Eisenhower Fellowships."... 

====================
===================

Source: 1989 Bush selection of "professional environmentalist" to head EPA:

subhead, near end of page, "Clean Air Act:

"Bush also showed his support for the environment by appointing the first professional environmentalist to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when he chose William Reilly as its head in 1989."...

Above, 1990, George HW Bush signs Clean Air Act. EPA Chief, former WWF Pres., William K. Reilly, at left seen clapping. photo, epa.gov
.

Above, 1992 at Rio Summit, EPA Chief Reilly, center, Al Gore, right, John Chafee, left, EPA photo

=====================

Comment: Care of the environment moved to the back of the bus when the CO2 industry took over. For example, though often sold as the same thing, air pollution and CO2 mitigation aren't related:

11/13/14, "COLUMN-For China, pollution and climate change are not the same problem: Kemp," Reuters, John Kemp, Market Analyst, opinion 





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DENVER — Colorado is getting hit by another wave of snow, this time with bitterly cold weather in store. - See more at: http://www.chieftain.com/news/region/3198359-120/snow-denver-hit-accidents#sthash.Q9BA8wX6.dpuf

by gayle perez the pueblo chieftain

Snow breaks, temps tie records

Firefighters rescue 130 trapped in snow on California highways, snowcats carried stranded to area Church where Red Cross administered aid, 150-200 cars towed-LA Times

12/31/14, "Winter storm strands drivers in Southern California mountains," LA Times, Joseph Serna and Nicole Charky

"Up to 200 cars were towed and more than 130 people rescued after a blustery winter storm stranded motorists on Southern California’s steep, icy mountain roads, officials said Wednesday.

At one point, about 300 cars were stuck on Highways 330 and 18 in Big Bear as snow began piling up from the storm, said California Highway Patrol Officer Marcelo Llerena. Between 150 and 200 cars were towed off the road and will have be picked up later by their owners, he said.

San Bernardino County firefighters, meanwhile, were busy rescuing more than 130 people who were trapped in about a foot of snow along Highway 138, which winds through the San Bernardino Mountains between Crestline and Silverwood Lake, said county fire department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez.

Firefighters worked to free the trapped drivers and check for injuries, completing the rescue operation at about 3 a.m. Wednesday, she said. No serious crashes or medical emergencies were reported, and 50 people were transported to First Baptist Church in Crestline, where Red Cross workers providing supplies and assistance, officials said.

Nearly all of State Route 38 -- from Forest Falls Boulevard in Forest Falls to Big Bear Dam -- was closed late Tuesday as vehicles became stranded in the snow.

The cold storm from Canada has brought heavy winds and several inches of snow across Southern California.

Wind advisories were implemented across the Southland, with gusts up to 70 mph predicted in mountain passes from Ventura to Orange and Riverside counties. Fremont Canyon in Orange County saw winds up to 57 mph, while Malibu Hills saw gusts up to 70 mph."

--------------------------------
 
12/30/14, "More than 130 stranded by snow in San Bernardino Mountains," LA Times, Matt Hamilton

"San Bernardino fire crews are preparing to rescue more than 130 motorists stranded in about a foot of snow, officials said late Tuesday.

The drivers were stuck on a section of Highway 138 that winds through the San Bernardino Mountains between Crestline and Silverwood Lake, said San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez.

“Everyone is OK,” Martinez said. “But we need to get those people out of there as quickly as we can.”

Three snowcats were en route to carry the stranded motorists to a church, where ambulances will in turn transport them to a shelter, Martinez said."...

[Ed. note: What about separation of church and state?]

(continuing): "Drivers across the San Bernardino Mountains encountered difficulty with the arrival of white powder, with the California Highway Patrol reporting calls of stranded motorists for much of the night.

The southbound 15 Freeway in Hesperia was closed just before 9 p.m. because of several cars stuck in the snow, said CalTrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga.

Nearly all of State Route 38 -- from Forest Falls Boulevard in Forest Falls to Big Bear Dam -- was closed as vehicles became stranded in the snow.

Kasinga cautioned that drivers on the 15 Freeway should be prepared for traffic breaks and intermittent closures. Alternatively, she advised staying put, if possible....

The cold storm from Canada has brought heavy winds and several inches of snow across Southern California.

The National Weather Service forecast snow across the region to as low as 2,000 feet above sea level.

The Antelope Valley and San Gabriel Mountains were expected to see a dusting, while higher elevations in Los Angeles County were expected to see up to 5 inches.

Strong winds were reported from Ventura down to the southern reaches of Orange County. Fremont Canyon in Orange County saw winds up to 57 mph, while Malibu Hills saw gusts up to 70 mph.

National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Martin said the strong winds would continue through Wednesday morning but drop off in the late afternoon. The snow and light rain are expected to move out by late Wednesday.

“When things clear out, it should get colder,” Martin said.

The Antelope and San Luis Obispo valleys could see lows between 12 and 20 degrees Wednesday night, while the flats of Los Angeles and Ventura counties will see lows from the 20s and to the low 30s." via IceAgeNow.info

Image: "A driver puts chains of his vehicle Tuesday before heading to his home in Forest Falls. (Rick Sforza / AP)"





.

72.5% of US is under 32F. Average temperature across US is 25.6F, 12/31/14-Weatherbell

12/31/14, Temperature map of 48 US states, Weatherbell

.

97% of scientists agree, roads in Algeria blocked with snow due to government lack of preparedness. Algerians protest tragic consequences of gov. lack of attention to snow-El Bilad

12/30/14, "Snow emergency occurs in several states," elbilad.net, Algeria, Albulad.nt, google translation from Arabic

"Dozens of roads severed and collapses of buildings and facilities."

"Snow brought heavy rains that swept through 25 states across the nation, a state of emergency, over the past 48 hours, paralyzed traffic in more than 220 road nationally and Olaúaa and municipal, which has necessitated the intervention of public authorities to evacuate the affected people and decryption isolation. In contrast, the General Directorate of Civil Protection called that counted yesterday 5 dead and dozens injured as a result of extreme weather, citizens and families, "to reduce and abolish unnecessary movements during these days because of deteriorating weather conditions."

 
Thousands of people out in the villages and Madacher yesterday both Ahras market and ڤalma and El Tarf, Skikda, Khanshalah, to protest in the streets against the local authorities ''left them to their fate on their own after snow blocked all catering outlets with food and Energetic ", as the population rose up against power outages as occurred in the municipality of El Eulma Annaba, where protesters did not hesitate to close the municipal headquarters to protest the situation tragic. And an authorized source from the National Gendarmerie reported that snowfall in the last hours leading to interruption number of national and state roads across the national territory are behind a wave of protests by citizens that have been controlled by units of this security apparatus. And cause precipitation continued snow in Tizi Ouzou in cutting the national road No. 15 link between Tizi Ouzou and Bouira Strait Tirordh municipality Iferhounène National Road No. 33, the link between Tizi Ouzou and Bouira near the old stadium to Mount Tikjda Municipality White Bomahdi. As snow accumulation led to cut state levels Road No. 253 link between this state and the state of Bejaia level Tezit village in the municipality of Eliltn. Official toll and added that the snow caused in Blida in cutting the national road No. 64 link between Medea and Blida at a high level engraved municipality Bougherra, the same situation in Medea with traffic crashes on the level of the National Road No. 64 link between Medea and Blida, 12 kilometers to the level of the circuit Municipal Baath.

Authorities are calling on citizens to cancel non-essential movements.

 
As snow accumulation led to cut the national road No. 15 link between Bouira and Tizi Ouzou Strait Tirordh Aghbalou municipality as well as the National Road No. 30 link between Bouira and Tizi Ouzou, in a place called Tizi Lincoln mayor Sharig National Road No. 33, which are linked Petkjdh. According to the same source, the snow caused the disruption of traffic in the Sidi Bel Abbes on National Road No. 13 link between Telagh and Daye."...via IceAgeNow.info

Image of snow clearing from El Bilad

=======================

From IceAgeNow.info:

"http://www.elbilad.net/article/detail?id=28005

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link

“Today I found this news item from Algeria on the internet,” says Argiris.

“Although translate.google.com is not working perfectly while translating from Arab to English, I understand that there have been massive protests by angry civilians who blame their government for not helping them enough during heavy snowfall. 

“This is in line with what mister Felix predicted. This kind of news is always hard to find in English language and the warm bias MSM do not publish it. But Google-searching with the use of Arab keywords in recent news items I could find it. 

“In this so-called “hottest year ever” it would be a good thing if more people were informed about what is happening in the real world.”"

.  

Pope Francis Errs in Linking Church to Green Movement. Aside from his views being inaccurate, they'll make the poor even poorer-IBD Editorial

NYC Cardinal Dolan is a vocal green, cites Pope Francis, and endorsed the Sept. 2014 so-called climate march.

---------------------------------- 

12/29/14, "Pope Francis Errs In Linking Church To Green Movement," IBD Editorial
.
"Pope Francis' recent leftist statements should trouble Catholics and non-Catholics alike, but even more disturbing are the pope's latest declarations on the dramatic action needed to fight climate change. 
 
The Vatican apparently now has been infiltrated by followers of a radical green movement that is, at its core, anti-Christian, anti-people, anti-poor and anti-development. The basic tenets of Catholicism — the sanctity of human life and the value of all souls — are detested by the modern pagan environmentalists who worship the created, but not the creator.

At its core, Big Green believes that too many human beings are the basic global problem. [***] People, according to this view, are resource destroyers. Climate change, they say, is due to the overpopulation of Mother Earth.
.. 
The head of the Catholic Church should denounce — not praise — such anti-human thinking. It violates Pope John Paul II's famous letter reminding us that creative human beings are a resource, not a curse.
.. 
Instead, the pope unwittingly has linked arms with the people who have provided finance, intellectual credibility and applause for radical and immoral population-control policies including eugenics, millions of forced abortions and sterilizations, and one-child policies, all in the name of "saving the planet."
. 
Francis is reportedly preparing a lengthy encyclical message for early 2015 to the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on the need for decisive action on climate change. He may even be preparing a U.N. speech on the topic.
.. 
Earlier this year, he said: "The monopolizing of lands, deforestation, the appropriation of water, inadequate agro-toxics are some of the evils that tear man from the land of his birth. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness."
.. 
The science behind this is bunk. As we've documented repeatedly, there is no scientific basis for the claims that the planet has been hit with more severe weather events over the last decade or that we are witnessing "great cataclysms" above the historical norm.
.. 
The number of hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, typhoons, monsoons, earthquakes, floods, freezes and so on is not on the rise, according to the best scientific evidence available. Not only are natural disasters no more prevalent today than 100 years ago, but deaths and damage to communities from catastrophic weather events have dropped greatly as wealth and incomes have risen.
.
The church has missed the vital connection between increased economic development — thanks to human ingenuity and free-market capitalism — and humanity's ability to overcome the sometimes random and ravaging effects of nature.
.. 
Death rates, especially for children in the poorest areas of Africa, South America and Asia, fall because people can leave "the land of (their) birth," thanks to higher incomes and transportation.
. 
What climate-change action will the Vatican endorse? Almost all the leading anti-climate-change initiatives endorsed by the Green Movement — cap and trade, carbon taxes, regulations against using abundant fossil fuels — are merely regressive taxes that hurt the poor the most.
.. 
What is the ethical and moral basis for going to poor villages and telling those living at subsistence levels that they have an obligation to save the planet by staying poor and using less energy? Cheap and affordable electric power is the best antidote for extreme poverty, disease, malnutrition and human deprivation. It should be celebrated.
.. 
Ironically, the pope in separate declarations has spoken out about the immorality of "income and wealth inequality" and "trickle-down economics." The radical climate change agenda he has made peace with would make the poor poorer and income inequality worse.

We'd like to hear the pope say this: The science on global cooling, global warming, climate change — or whatever the left calls it these days — is unsettled at best.
.. 
But if climate change is a threat, the best response is not to empower heavy-handed and incompetent command-and-control governments to fight it, but let free people use their wealth, technology, ingenuity and creativity to solve it. If the corrupt U.N. or Greenpeace is our salvation, we're all doomed.
.
Francis recently declared we should be wary of putting a "crude and naïve trust in those wielding economic power," a clear slap at capitalism. But surely it's more true of those "wielding economic power" in government.
.. 
We would remind Francis that the greatest acts of barbarism and the most villainous violations of basic human rights in history — slavery, the Holocaust, China's one-child policy, Stalinism, Pol Pot's killing fields, Mao's starvation of millions, and on and on —have been perpetrated by the statists.
.. 
Most of these acts of death and destruction were defended in the name of some greater and grandiose planetary cause — Marxism.
.. 
The Church's mission is to save souls. Free people and free enterprise should be left to fix what ails the planet." via Climate Depot
.
=========================
.
***Club of Rome, page 75: "The common enemy of humanity is man."

1991, From1993 ed.: "The First Global Revolution," A Report by the Council of the Club of Rome, Alexander King and Bertrand Schneider.

"We came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like, would fit the bill....The real enemy then is humanity itself."...

9/3/1991, "The First Global Revolution: A Report by the Council of The Club of Rome Paperback – September 3, 1991, by Alexander King (Author), Bertrand Schneider (Author)" 
..
===================

Comment: If the Pope wants to help the poor, he should call for the UN to be closed down. Billions of no strings US taxpayer dollars are given to the UN yearly. UN parasites and their equatorial dictator pals get richer while the world's poorest become poorer and more desperate especially in Africa.

=======================

Added: In my experience, Catholics can be sold anything if it's packaged as caring and compassion. Catholics believe they're engaging in holy "creation care" by signing on with the $2 billion dollar a day radical green agenda. NY Cardinal Dolan is a vocal Green, cites Pope Francis, and endorsed the Sept. 2014 so-called climate march:
.
9/16/14, "People’s Climate March," Archdiocese of New York blog

"You can find more information at https://franciscanaction.org/article/fan-participates-peoples-climate-march and at http://peoplesclimate.org/faith/"

----------------------------
.
Comment: I have several relatives who consider themselves serious Catholics. The most important expression of their Catholic faith is adherence to the radical left agenda.
.
=================

P.S. Isn't IBD pals with Boehner and McConnell? They've shepherded AGW for decades into the $2 billion dollar a day industry it is today. Each has daily access to microphones and could tell the truth in one or two sentences but won't. It's too big to fail. They just say, "I'm not a scientist."

====================

Citation for $2 billion a day global warming industry:

12/5/14, "India contests UN report on climate financing," financialexpress.com, PTI, Lima, Peru

“Finance for climate action flowing globally stood at USD 650 billion annually in 2011-2012, and possibly higher,” the report said."...

==================

"The George H.W. Bush administration signed the UNFCCC in Rio on June 12, 1992, and the U.S. Senate ratified it unanimously shortly thereafter, on October 15, 1992."...

12/3/14, "Finance for Climate Action Flowing Globally," UNFCCC PRESS RELEASE, COMPILED ON BEHALF OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, Lima, Peru

"Hundreds of billions of dollars of climate finance may now be flowing across the globe annually according to a landmark assessment presented today to governments meeting in Lima, Peru at the UN Climate Convention meeting.

The assessment – which includes a summary and recommendations by the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance and a technical report by experts – is the first of assessment reports that puts together information and data on financial flows supporting emission reductions and adaptation within countries and via international support.

The assessment puts the lower range of global total climate finance flows at $340 billion a year for the period 2011-2012, with the upper end at $650 billion, and possibly higher.

Support from developed countries to developing countries amounted to between $35 and $50 billion annually, with multilateral development banks (MDBs), climate-related Official development Assistance (ODA) and other official flows (OOF) representing significant shares of resources channeled through public institutions.

Funding through dedicated multilateral climate funds – including UNFCCC funds ($ 0,6 billion) – represented smaller shares during the same period, and do not include the recent pledges for the Green Climate Fund amounting to nearly $10 billion. 

The assessment notes that the exact amounts of global totals could be higher due to the complexity of defining climate finance, the myriad of ways in which governments and organizations channel funding, and data gaps and limitations – particularly for adaptation and energy efficiency.  
.. 
In addition, the assessment attributes different levels of confidence to different sub-flows, with data on global total climate flows being relatively uncertain, in part due to the fact that most data reflect finance commitments rather than disbursements, and the associated definitional issues....  
.. 
The assessment also recognizes the need for understanding the impacts of climate finance associated with emissions reductions and activities to boost resilience to climate change.... Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, said: “Finance will be a crucial key for achieving the internationally-agreed goal of keeping a global temperature rise under 2 degrees C and sparing people and the planet from dangerous climate change”.
.. 
“Understanding how much is flowing from public and private sources, how much is leveraging further investments and how much is getting to vulnerable countries and communities including for adaptation is not easy, but vital for ensuring we are adequately financing a global transformation,” she said."...







.

Historic US CO2 partner Communist China now blocks Gmail, has tightened all censorship in past two years, runs 'world's most sophisticated internet censorship system'-AFP

12/29/14, "China blocks access to Gmail in 'internet sovereignty' drive," AFP, Beijing via Khaleej Times (UAE)

"Analysts say China operates the world's most extensive and sophisticated Internet censorship system and routinely blocks foreign websites."

"China has blocked the last remaining way to access Google’s popular e-mail service, experts said on Monday, as authorities work to establish “Internet sovereignty” by controlling what enters the country via the web.

Gmail, the world’s biggest e-mail service, has been largely inaccessible from within China since the run-up to the 25th anniversary in June of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

But users could still access the service by using third-party mail applications, rather than the webpage.

“But they have blocked those ways of accessing,” said Jeremy Goldkorn, founder of Danwei, a Beijing-based firm that tracks Chinese media and the Internet.

“I think this is pretty confirmed. It is now already four, five days, so this is real,” he said.

Analysts say China operates the world’s most extensive and sophisticated Internet censorship system and routinely blocks foreign websites.

“There is an increasingly aggressive attitude towards what they (Beijing) call ‘Internet sovereignty’ and they are confident about talking about Internet censorship in positive terms,” Goldkorn added.
.
“The past two years have seen a consistent tightening of all kinds of censorship on the Internet and media.”

A graph showing Internet traffic from China accessing Gmail dropped sharply on Friday, according to Google’s Transparency Report, and has not returned to normal levels.
.
“We’ve checked and there’s nothing wrong on our end,” a Singapore-based spokesman for Google told AFP.

Internet users in China were irate on Monday, with many spewing vitriol on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service.
“The reason for blocking of Gmail domestically is political problems... it reflects the grim situation facing the political environment,” one user said....

China tightly controls the Internet, and only a fraction of its online population of 632 million can circumvent government restrictions.

Controls include the blocking of foreign websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube using a system known as the “Great Firewall”, as well as routinely deleting content the ruling Communist Party deems offensive."





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Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass as of Dec. 28, 2014 is ahead of mean, DMI

12/28/14, "Current Surface Mass Budget of the Greenland Ice Sheet," DMI.dk.en

"The accumulated surface mass balance from September 1st to now (blue line, Gt) and the season 2011-12 (red) which had very high summer melt in Greenland. For comparison, the mean curve from the period 1990-2011 is shown (dark grey). The same calendar day in each of the 22 years (in the period 1990-2011) will have its own value. These differences from year to year are illustrated by the light grey band. For each calendar day, however, the lowest and highest values of the 22 years have been left out."...







.

16.7F on Christmas night in UK, many cars abandoned in snow. Huge number of rail passengers Saturday caused temporary closing of London station. Per UK Met Office, 'Level 3 amber cold weather alert' and 'yellow warning of snow'-UK Independent

3/20/2000, "Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past...Children just aren't going to know what snow is." Independent UK, Charles Onians."According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".
----------------------------
12/27/14, "UK weather: Travel chaos continues as King's Cross train delays add to snow on roads," UK Independent, Lizzie Dearden

"Drivers were wading along snow-covered motorways to recover their abandoned cars this morning as rail passengers faced delays and cancellations across the country.

The worst of the snow is over, according to the Met Office, but it will be slow to melt in near freezing temperatures and there is a warning for ice over much of the UK.

Anyone hoping to avoid the wintry conditions on roads today was faced with chaos on parts of the rail network, with trains to and from King's Cross in London cancelled all day because of overrunning engineering works.

Shuttle buses were taking passengers to Finsbury Park, where amended services were due to run north to Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland.

But huge numbers of extra passengers flooding into the north London station forced it to be  temporarily closed because of overcrowding on Saturday morning, with travellers comparing it to a "war zone". Tickets are being made valid on Sunday and Monday because of the inconvenience.

Signalling problems near Southampton were causing delays and cancellations on South West Trains between Salisbury, Romsey, Portsmouth and Fareham.

Fallen trees brought down by high winds overnight were affecting services through Basingstoke, Hastings and Tunbridge Wells, while over-running engineering works between London Paddington and Hayes were delaying services on routes to Oxford, Cardiff and Exeter.

People were hit by trains in Northampton and Gowerton, in Wales, also causing temporary line closures.

Last night saw roads in Yorkshire grind to a halt in heavy snowfall, as many motorists chose to abandoned their stuck vehicles in Sheffield after queuing for up to four hours
.
Many drivers became marooned by heavy snow in Yorkshire, Chesterfield and the Peak District, where the RAC said people were experiencing “big problems”.

“We are rescuing people who are bogged down in snow there," a spokesperson said. That seems to be the biggest area of problems in the UK. We are seeing higher volumes of calls than we would usually get on a Saturday this time of year. Some motorists are abandoning their vehicles."

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport and Leeds Bradford International in Yorkshire closed while their runways were cleared of snow as a band of wintry weather crossed the country from Merseyside and north Wales through the Midlands and Yorkshire.

Both airports were reporting arrivals and departures resumed as normal on Saturday morning but delays were still being reported at Manchester Airport. Leek, near the Peak District in Staffordshire, saw the worst of the snow with 10cm (4 in), the Met Office said, with Cranwell in Lincolnshire also seeing 7cm (3 in).

Police warned of hazardous conditions last night, especially in Staffordshire and Cheshire, with several roads made impassable....Leicestershire Police warned of snow causing disruption in the north of the county, urging people to only travel if "absolutely necessary" and to avoid the A1, where large vehicles were stuck.

Snow had been predicted to fall in parts of north Wales, the North West and the Midlands, with a Met Office Level Three amber cold weather alert in place and a yellow warning of snow across a large swathe of the UK since yesterday morning....

The snow made conditions difficult for some of yesterday's football matches, including in the West Midlands as West Bromwich Albion lost 3-1 to Manchester City in a game played in a blizzard at The Hawthorns.

The Met Office had earlier said there was a 90 per cent chance of severe cold, ice or snow in parts of England between this afternoon and New Year's Eve.

An area including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia, the North West, Yorkshire and as far south east as London and Kent has been put on a separate yellow alert for snow.

Christmas night was the coldest of the year so far, with minus 8.5C (16.7F) recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

Temperatures could also drop as low as minus 10C (14F) in some places at the start of next week as the cloud and wet weather gives way to clearer skies.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "As winter weather grips some areas of the country we would advise people intending to travel to check weather and local conditions before they set out."...

Top image: "Some drivers stuck in queues for four hours and two airports forced to close," UK Independent

Second image: "Referee Mark Clattenburg during the Premier League football match between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in the Midlands, Reuters/Toby Melville"





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Almost $2 billion a day spent 2011 to 2012 on the notion that excess CO2 that only exists in China is killing the planet. This amount is separate from 'transformational funds' sought by Green Climate Fund-UN report

12/5/14, "India contests UN report on climate financing," financialexpress.com, PTI, Lima, Peru

"India today contested a landmark UN report that said a whopping USD 650 billion was spent for projects aimed at adaptation and emissions reduction between 2011-2012.
.
The report was presented at the UN Climate Convention Summit here yesterday by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Standing Committee on Finance.

“Finance for climate action flowing globally stood at USD 650 billion annually in 2011-2012, and possibly higher,” the report said.

Annual public and private flows from developed to developing countries ranged from USD 40 billion to USD 175 billion, it said.

Reacting to the UNFCCC report, India said the figure actually ranges from USD 340 billion to USD 650 billion, given gaps in data.

Rajashree Ray, Additional Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, told PTI here that the figure includes “all flows from all countries”.

The range includes projects between developed countries, which would not benefit developing countries who are in need of the funds.

Ray said that even though the annual flow of funds between developed to developing countries ranged from USD 40 billion to USD 175 billion, it is misleading because “there is no agreed operational definition on climate finance multilaterally” and thus what kind of project funds can be counted in that range is up for debate.

She explained that “in many cases here, the climate is a co-benefit and entire investment is counted as climate finance”.

Thus, development and aid projects are being double-counted as climate finance by certain developed countries or the climate financing is not a separate entity, but a subset of the country’s development budget.

Both of these descriptions fall outside of the UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund 

goals of having 

new and transformational funds

available to India and other developing countries for climate-related projects.

The UN also states that “assessing investments in adaptation is particularly difficult often because they can form part of a larger project” but this is critical to the understanding of climate finance by developing countries and their formulation of their intentionally determined national contributions (INDCs).

If there is no clear definition of what climate financing entails, developing countries may not be able to accurately gauge what climate-related projects and mechanisms they are able to undertake and include in their INDCs.

These domestic plans will form part of a comprehensive and fair 2015 Paris agreement.

Yesterday, India told rich nations that they cannot be absolved of their past “sins”, and demanded that they should compensate developing nations for the effects their greenhouse gas emissions have had on climate.

India said it is “not equitable to talk about what a country is emitting now” because that country could be currently reducing their emissions.

“This fact does not absolve them (rich nations) of all (past) sins,” Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Susheel Kumar, who is the interim head of the Indian delegation, said.

He said India believes that developed countries should be held responsible for their high levels of emissions which have caused harm to developing countries, like itself. That responsibility should come in the form of compensation and a fair 2015 Paris agreement.

Kumar said India’s goal on adaptation during the 12-day UN climate change summit talks is for it “to be there in the entire text”.

“We would also like a long-term global goal for adaptation to be clearly articulated in qualitative and quantitative terms.” Kumar said, adding that “for a developing country, adaptation becomes a more immediate need (than mitigation).”"

======================
====================== 

"The George H.W. Bush administration signed the UNFCCC in Rio on June 12, 1992, and the U.S. Senate ratified it unanimously shortly thereafter, on October 15, 1992."...

12/3/14, "Finance for Climate Action Flowing Globally," UNFCCC PRESS RELEASE, COMPILED ON BEHALF OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, Lima, Peru

"Hundreds of billions of dollars of climate finance may now be flowing across the globe annually according to a landmark assessment presented today to governments meeting in Lima, Peru at the UN Climate Convention meeting.

The assessment – which includes a summary and recommendations by the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance and a technical report by experts – is the first of assessment reports that puts together information and data on financial flows supporting emission reductions and adaptation within countries and via international support.

(Note - Further comments on the report by Standing Committee Co-Chair Stefan Schwager and Member Seyni Nafo can be seen at 2:35 in the video diary of Day 3 at Lima on the UNFCCC Newsroom) 

The assessment puts the lower range of global total climate finance flows at $340 billion a year for the period 2011-2012, with the upper end at $650 billion, and possibly higher.

• Support from developed countries to developing countries amounted to between $35 and $50 billion annually, with multilateral development banks (MDBs), climate-related Official development Assistance (ODA) and other official flows (OOF) representing significant shares of resources channeled through public institutions

• Funding through dedicated multilateral climate funds – including UNFCCC funds ($ 0,6 billion) – represented smaller shares during the same period, and do not include the recent pledges for the Green Climate Fund amounting to nearly $10 billion.

The assessment notes that the exact amounts of global totals could be higher due to the complexity of defining climate finance, the myriad of ways in which governments and organizations channel funding, and data gaps and limitations – particularly for adaptation and energy efficiency.  

In addition, the assessment attributes different levels of confidence to different sub-flows, with data on global total climate flows being relatively uncertain, in part due to the fact that most data reflect finance commitments rather than disbursements, and the associated definitional issues.  

The assessment is an important contribution of the Standing Committee on Finance that enhances transparency and clarity on climate finance flows – including information on international support to developing countries.

In addition, the assessment includes a set of recommendations by the Standing Committee on Finance to the Conference of the Parties, which, among other things, include ways to strengthen transparency and accuracy of information on climate finance flows through working towards a definition of climate finance and further efforts that would enable better measurement, reporting and verification.

The assessment also recognizes the need for understanding the impacts of climate finance associated with emissions reductions and activities to boost resilience to climate change.

The 2014 Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance Flows has been prepared by the Standing Committee on Finance following a mandate by the Conference of the Parties (COP). The 2014 report was prepared with input from a wide range of experts and contributing organizations that collect data on climate finance flows.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, said: “Finance will be a crucial key for achieving the internationally-agreed goal of keeping a global temperature rise under 2 degrees C and sparing people and the planet from dangerous climate change”.

“Understanding how much is flowing from public and private sources, how much is leveraging further investments and how much is getting to vulnerable countries and communities including for adaptation is not easy, but vital for ensuring we are adequately financing a global transformation,” she said.

“I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Finance and the numerous experts and organizations who have contributed to this important assessment. It provides a baseline and a foundation upon which future assessments and more importantly future climate action can be refined and focused,” said Ms. Figueres.
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“This first biennial assessment represents a milestone of the work of the Standing Committee on Finance. It is an important information tool for Parties to the Convention that provides a picture of climate finance flows and how they relate to climate actions, including the objectives of the Convention” said Standing Committee on Finance co-chairs Diann Black Layne and Stefan Schwager.

“Going forward, the Standing Committee on Finance will contribute further to improvements in the information on climate finance flows, including through collaborations with data collectors and aggregators,” they added.

More Facts and Figures from the 2014 Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance Flows Report:

• Global total flows: Most climate finance in 2011/2012 is raised and spent at home

• The same pattern is seen in developing countries where just over 71 per cent comes from national sources. 
•  Around 95 per cent of global total climate finance is spent on mitigation or cutting emissions with 5 per cent on adaptation. 

• Subsidies for oil and gas and investments in fossil fuel-fired generation are almost double the global finance for addressing climate change. [***]

• Flows from developed to developing countries: Multiple sources were involved in providing funding to support climate action in developing countries ranging from Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to multilateral climate funds – including funds administered by the Operating Entities of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.

• For example, finance from MDBs is around between $15 and $23 billion annually; multilateral climate funds including via the GEF were about $1.5 billion, including those linked to the UNFCCC at about $0.6 billion a year.

• 48 to 78 per cent of finance is reported as fast-start finance (2010-2012), in Biennial Reports (2011-2012), through multilateral climate funds, and through MDBs supports mitigation, or other/multiple objectives (6 to 41 per cent).

• Adaptation finance in the same sources ranges from 11 per cent to 24 per cent.

Notes to Editors

The assessment has tried to identify the flows to various sectors and initiatives–real precision in this area will have to await future assessments and the numbers need to be treated with caution.

Adaptation Investments Unclear

Assessing investments in adaptation is particularly difficult often because they can form part of a larger project such as an investment in a port of water supply system.

Meanwhile, there is also no universal operational definition of what constitutes adaptation and in addition publicly funded adaptation actions within countries–both developed and developing–is rarely reported or available.

As a result, flows from developed to developing countries are not really known with precision.

The biennial assessment and overview of climate finance flows can be found on the UNFCCC website.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Nuttall, UNFCCC Spokesperson: +49 228 815 1400 (phone), +49 152 0168 4831 (mobile), nnuttall(at)unfccc.int 

John Hay, Communications Officer: +49 228 815 1404 (phone), +49 172 258 6944 (mobile) jhay(at)unfccc.int

About the UNFCCC

With 196 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties. For the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. In Doha in 2012, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which establishes the second commitment period under the Protocol. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

See also UNFCCC Press page"

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***Re: Subsidies for oil and gas: Pre-tax subsidies for oil and gas take place "mostly in Middle East/North Africa, Central/Eastern Europe, and Emerging and Developing Asia," per 2013 IMF Report. Following chart p. 11:

"On a pre-tax basis, subsidies for petroleum products, electricity, natural gas, and coal reached $480 billion in 2011."...p. 1

1/28/13, "Energy Subsidy Reform: Lessons and Implications," IMF.org. "Executive Summary"
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"In poorer countries, scrapping these direct subsidies tends to be  extremely contentious. Nigeria saw strikes and protests in 2011 after proposals to scrap a fuel-import subsidy."... 

 
"In Nigeria, they’re not fans of scrapping fuel subsidies. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)," via Wash. Post. 

6/18/12, "Why $775 billion in fossil-fuel subsidies are so hard to scrap," Wash. Post, Brad Plumer 

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More on the US and UNFCCC, originally published in 2007, updated in Oct. 2014:

"UPDATE: Global Warming: A Comparative Guide to the E.U. and the U.S. and Their Approaches to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol," nyuglobal.org

  By Deborah Paulus-Jagrič

"Parties to the (UNFCCC) Convention agreed to consider climate change in such matters as agriculture, industry, energy, natural resources, and activities involving sea coasts, and thus to attempt to slow the process of global warming. 

 

The Conference of the Parties (hereafter “COP”), which is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC, meets annually to review progress on the Convention."...

http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Climate_Change_Kyoto_Protocol.htm  





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