Shell and Exxon New in 1980 The Seriousness of Climate Change

For its part, Exxon warned of “potentially catastrophic events that must be considered.” Like Shell’s experts, Exxon’s scientists predicted devastating sea-level rise, and warned that the American Midwest and other parts of the world could become desert-like. Looking on the bright side, the company expressed its confidence that “this problem is not as significant to mankind as a nuclear holocaust or world famine.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/sep/19/shell-and-exxons-secret-1980s-climate-change-warnings?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Electric Bikes and Scooters

Electric Scooters

CAD$989
Portability
Weighing only 8.5 kg, the design of the mini+ blends with the compactness this model is acclaimed for. The built-in trolley wheels on the mini+ allows you to trolley it around with ease. The additional trolley wheels also allows the scooter to stand vertically to save space. This model is perfect for students getting around campus or just running errands in the city. With its minimal footprint, this foldable electric scooter takes up very little space and is perfect for taking it with you into cafes, supermarkets, offices and even classrooms.

Safety
The INOKIM mini+ is equipped with 6-inch pneumatic front tire, and a rear 6-inch solid tire which handles bumpy surfaces well, and provides better traction on slippery surfaces, making your ride comfortable and safe. The INOKIM mini+ comes with 2 braking systems: the front EABS electric brake and a rear fender brake.

Extras
The INOKIM mini+ is also equipped with a built-in USB port for charging your devices on the go. Handle bar height is also adjustable to your preferred riding position. This version is equipped with dual riding modes: an energy saving mode and a performance mode.

Rad Electric Bike

CAD$2099 Rad Wagon Electric Cargo Bike

PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Powerful 500W Shengyi direct drive hub motor with regen braking
Adheres to Canadian ebike regulations
48V 14Ah (672Wh) Samsung Lithium-Ion battery rated for 800 charge cycles
Total Payload Capacity: 159 kg
Rear Rack: 54 kg
Kickstand: 45 kg
Running Boards: 18 kg per side
32 km/h top speed
Estimated 40-72+ km range
Half twist throttle and intelligent 5 level pedal assist
Full LCD display including speedometer, wattmeter, and odometer
Integrated headlight
71 cm cargo rack with wood panels (20mm diameter tubing)
21-speed Shimano Altus drivetrain
Dual-leg, spring-loaded kickstand
180 mm Tektro mechanical disk brakes
26" x 2.3" Kenda K-Rad Tires
Bike Weight: 32.7 kg

CAD $1999 RadCity Electric Communter Bike

PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Powerful 500W Shengyi direct drive hub motor with regen braking
Adheres to Canadian ebike regulations
48V 14Ah (672Wh) Samsung Lithium-Ion battery rated for 800 charge cycles
Total Payload Capacity: 125 kg
Rear Rack: 27.2 kg
32 km/h top speed
Estimated 40-72+ km range
Half twist throttle and intelligent 5 level pedal assist
Full LCD display including speedometer, wattmeter, and odometer
Integrated headlight
Front suspension fork with rebound adjustment and lockout
7-speed Shimano Acera drivetrain
180 mm Tektro mechanical disk brakes
26" x 2.3" Kenda K-Rad Tires
Bike Weight: 27.7 kg

CAD $1950 Motorino MTf

Its 80psi high pressure road tires provide a stunningly efficient ride. This is the case especially when these tires are combined with the lightest foldable bike in the e-bike industry. The Motorino MTf weighs a mere 15kg (32lb). It can be folded in seconds, easily stored in a car trunk or carried on public transit. In fact the small size tires and the light weight of this bike mean that steep hills can be confidently overcome even without the help of the motor.

The five levels of assistance provide an automatic start to your ride, giving you the right amount of power for your needs. The MTf also features a proportional throttle allowing you finely-grained control over the power of the bike. When combined with the five Shimano mechanical gears and the powerful motor this level of control over your ride means you only pedal exactly as much as you desire.

The concealed battery is locked inside the frame. It can be charged from within the frame or removed to be charged as your needs require. This lightweight battery is a mere 3 lb. Despite this weight, this battery packs a punch. It is a high density Panasonic lithium battery, capable of an impressive range of 50 km. We also offer a higher capacity battery that will add an additional 20 km to your range as an optional upgrade.

The Motorino MTf comes equipped with an external USB port so that you can easily charge your cell phone on the go. The handlebar and seat have been designed to be adjustable for all heights, making the Motorino MTf the perfect casual electric bike for all users.

Motorino MTf comes with traveler’s case and is light enough to carry. Its long seat post and adjustable length of the handlebar makes it suitable for people even over six feet tall. The smaller size tires and it’s light weight make it easy to pedal uphill even without the help of the motor. If you need to ride long distance the battery is small and light enough to carry one or two extra, each of them capable to power your ride for another 70km.  This makes this bike excellent companionship if you are on a cruise trip, travel abroad, on RV trip or have it inside your boat as a land cruiser.

Unprecedented Fires Around The Globe Another Tipping Point

What is not being expressed by the media with sufficient emphasis is the escalating climate change fires that are now burning around the world and getting larger every year. The fires are indeed another tipping point that will cause the planet's temperatures to rise significantly on top of the escalation currently underway with fossil fuels. I am not sure that these fires and other tipping points such as CO2 emission from decaying plastics or CO2 releases from permafrost were ever in the models used by scientist to calculate the 1.5 or 2-degree estimate. However without these tipping points, we are on a trajectory to blow past 2 degrees at the moment, and there may well be a host of tipping points that have not yet been considered.
What I don't understand is why the media both public and private is still talking in such careful tones. They should be, given what is going on, ringing alarm bells and headlining these issue one after another every evening as the significants of this is far higher than most of the political controversies that are going at the moment. These stories are not really about the weather or whose house burned down it is about the planet burning down.

California Fire Impact on Climate

The fires burning around the globe represent another tipping point that will accelerate climate change. During the burning process that occurs in forest fires, 15% of the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the remaining stored carbon is released slowly over the next decade as the fire debris decays. So the remaining 85% of the carbon will continue to be released over the next 10 to 15 years.

If we take just California's annual carbon release from their fires, putting aside that 2018's fires are far larger than previous fires, the emission of carbon from these fires alone is equivalent to 8 million passenger vehicles driven for one year. However, when you factor in the after fire carbon release then the figure is 19 million additional cars on the road.

Fort McMurray Fire Impact on Climate

The massive fires in Fort McMurray Alberta in 2016 released 41 megatonnes of CO2 but it was a mixture of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. To put that in perspective the none fire or land use release of greenhouse gas emissions in 2014 by Canada was 732 megatons, and of course, the current emissions are higher and escalating. Keep in mind the Fort McMurray figure does not include the other 85% carbon release that will occur over the next 10-15 years.

2017 British Columbia Forest Fire

In 2017 British Columbia had its largest forest fire season on record, and 2018 is likely to be larger. In 2017 the initial 15% release by August was 190 million tonnes of greenhouse gases which is triple its annual carbon footprint. It was expected to be another 20% before the fire season was over.

Natural Resources Canada

Siberian Fires Smoke Reaches Canada with Health Risks

NASA Image

The Siberian Fires burning in the have reached a point of 10 million acres and are burning out of control with no hope of containing them. In addition to the severe impact on the climate the fires also contain an impact on human health NASA has expressed it as follows:  Naturally burning timber and brush from wildfires release dangerous particles into the air at a rate three times as high as levels known by the EPA, researchers at Georgia Tech found.  The study also found wildfires spew methanol, benzene, ozone and other noxious chemicals.  Residents that smell smoke or see haze in the air should take precautions against breathing too much of it and stay tuned to local air quality information.

Feedback Loop

The research scientist at the Canadian Forest Service commented on the increasing amount of greenhouse gas release from fires as a dangerous "feedback loop." Climate change will continue to increase and accelerate as a result of increased fires and the lengthening of the fire season. This, in turn, will create even longer and more intense fire seasons around the world.

Reference

As California burns, climate goals may go up in smoke — even after the flames are out
Carbon release in wake of Fort McMurray wildfire spikes greenhouse gasses
'It's alarming': Wildfire emissions grow to triple B.C.'s annual carbon footprint
Smoke from Siberian Fires Reach Canada
BC wildfires caused in part by and contributing to climate change
B.C.’S Greenhouse Gas Emissions Have RISEN IN FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Plastic pollution: How one woman found a new source of warming gases hidden in waste - BBC News

New Climate Change Tipping Point

Sarah-Jeanne Royer Phd. has discovered that plastics are continually off-gassing in the environment initially it was thought this was restricted to CO2 but now it is apparent they are emitting ethylene, methane and propane into the atmosphere. Since plastics have only been around since the 50s the issue is minor at the moment but the problem will escalate quickly as these plastics are now beginning to break down in our environment and our production of plastics has increased exponentially. What Dr. Royer has discovered is another tipping point that will further escalate climate change that is now attacking our ecological and climatical systems that sustain the earth.

Plastic Industry Refuse to Cooperate

When the plastic industry was questioned about their process by so she could understand the dynamics of the problem the industry essentially excommunicated her. What does this mean? Does this mean they are perfectly aware of the looming danger of plastics? Does this mean they like many industries before them want to continue knowingly down a dangers path just because it is lucrative? I certainly don't understand why an industry based on science would not collaborate with another scientist who is trying to work on an issue that could seriously impact our ability to sustain life on the planet. You would think if they felt there was a problem with the research they would want to set the record straight, the reaction the scientist reported from the industry is frightening.

Research Paper Abstract

Mass production of plastics started nearly 70 years ago and the production rate is expected to double over the next two decades. While serving many applications because of their durability, stability and low cost, plastics have deleterious effects on the environment. Plastic is known to release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which has a negative impact on biota. Here, we show that the most commonly used plastics produce two greenhouse gases, methane and ethylene, when exposed to ambient solar radiation. Polyethylene, which is the most produced and discarded synthetic polymer globally, is the most prolific emitter of both gases. We demonstrate that the production of trace gases from virgin low-density polyethylene increase with time, with rates at the end of a 212-day incubation of 5.8 nmol g-1 d-1 of methane, 14.5 nmol g-1 d-1 of ethylene, 3.9 nmol g-1 d-1 of ethane and 9.7 nmol g-1 d-1 of propylene. Environmentally aged plastics incubated in water for at least 152 days also produced hydrocarbon gases. In addition, low-density polyethylene emits these gases when incubated in air at rates ~2 times and ~76 times higher than when incubated in water for methane and ethylene, respectively. Our results show that plastics represent a heretofore unrecognized source of climate-relevant trace gases that are expected to increase as more plastic is produced and accumulated in the environment.

About Sarah-Jeanne Royer

Over the past ten years, Sarah-Jeanne has been involved in 19 oceanographic expeditions in polar (Arctic and Antarctic), tropical and sub-tropical regions where on some occasions she was the chief scientist and responsible for the supervision of master and PhD students. Her research has been published in 15 scientific journals, presented at 18 scientific conferences where she gained a lot of expertise in report writing and grant writing.

After working in quantifying oceanic gases in the global ocean for more than ten years, she has now specialized herself on plastic pollution and marine debris in the environment. She published two papers one on the validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms by Jung et al., 2018 and her latest paper on the production of greenhouse gases by plastics that has caught a lot of attention with the media. She has many ongoing projects from citizen science to the tracking of marine debris in the ocean to a time series of the prevalence of micro-fibres in coastal regions.



References
a story by Matt McGrath the BBC Environment correspondent 02 August 2018
University of Hawai'i News
Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment, Plos one
Sarah-Jeanne Royer's Research Gate 
sarahjeanneroyer.com

Kinder Morgan's Burnaby Tank Farm Could Destroy Large Area of Burnaby Killing and Injuring Thousands

In the middle of the city of Burnaby, in the middle of Vancouver's lower mainland the most densly populated city in Canada, between its local neighbourhoods, an urban forest and the University of Simon Fraser is Kinder Morgan's tank farm. A tank farm where the oil and diluted tar sands the products delivered by the Kinder Morgan pipeline are stored before shipping. Current the tank farm contains 1.7 million barrels of product to be expanded to 5.6 million barrels. The existing tank farm has long been a serious risk for the city and university, but more than tripling its storage capacity will increase the magnitude of destruction and death that will occur if a fire breaks out.

Burnaby Mountain Terminal

Concerned Professional Engineers (CPE) registered Professional Engineers have done a risk analysis of the Burnaby mountain tank farm and found the site unsafe. They have recommended it be relocated away from residential areas to Robert Banks terminal at the end of a causeway surrounded by the sea. Any fire at the current location of the tank farm facility could not be extinguishable they have concluded as there is a lack of firefighting positions because of its location. There are no safe access routes from which a firefighter could stage a response to a fire.

Existing Tank Farm

Tank Farm After Expansion

Such a fire could cause a "boilover," something that has happened at other tank farm fires, that would discharge heated molten crude oil outwards of 2000 feet from a single tank, resulting in a massive life hazard area. This area is likely to include the entire tank farm; the Forest Grove, Meadowood, Sperling-Duthie communities, and the only access road to the forested Burnaby mountain cutting of the whole university at the top of the mountain from being able to escape. It would also likely set fire to the the urban forest which could rage up the mountain and into the campus where thousands would be trapped.

Location of Tank far in the City of Burnaby

Adding diluted tar sands to the facility will introduce an additional risk to surrounding communities as was found in the Kalamzoo River spill which forced residence out of their homes because of the toxic fumes, some of these residence never returned. The crew that tried to clean up the spill had to wear respirators.

The existing Kinder Morgan tank farm has no immediate communication plans, protocols or procedures for notifying surrounding communities. So it is quite likely that it would be some time before a coordinated effort to address the fire could be made.

Not in Cities!

If you look at the placement of most tank farms they are not usually placed in densly populate cities like Burnaby, but rather in isolated areas for obvious reasons. The tank farm in Burnaby is one of a few inappropriately placed tank farms that needs to be relocated. If you look at the history of tank farm fires and explosions,  few videos are located below, they are devistating to any near by community.
So what might happen to a tank farm fire here in Burnaby especially if the most likely time for a fire might be during the heat of a summer? Initially the explosion and flying parts might do damage to the surrounding businesses and housing development. The ensuing fire which the experts say can not be fought will likely spread both into the surrounding communities and into the forest above the tank farm. SFUs two roads would be immediately cut of first because of exploding tanks and second from the fires. 

The Imfamous Whiting Indiana Tank Farm Explosion

James River Tank Farm Explosion

San Juan Puerto Rico Tank Farm Explosion

B-Roll of an explosion in San Juan Puerto Rico Oct. 24, 2009. Scenes include aerial shots of the fires.

Excellent Video on the Tank Farm Risk

References:

Whiting refinery explosion seemed like the end of the world

Mexico: Possible Geothermal Energy Resource Discovered off Baja California

Geothermal energy potential found in deep waters off Los Cabos (Mexico News Daily)

“We found that there were wells [with water] of 90 degrees C. When we went to get samples, we calculated that the temperature of the deposit was close to 200 C, which suggested that it could produce a lot of energy,” Leading researcher Rosa María Prol said.

Mexico News Daily article July 11, 2018.

Ireland Is Officially the First Country to Divest From Fossil Fuels

The rolling hills of Ireland.Photo: Giuseppe Milo (Flickr)

"The Irish have beaten the rest of us to it. The Republic of Ireland is the first country in the world to move toward divesting from fossil fuels. The divestment process should be wrapped up in five years, per the Guardian.
First, the move to divest has to pass through parliament, though. The lower house of parliament passed a bill Thursday to sell off fossil fuel investments in its $9.3 billion national investment fund, including those in coal, oil, gas, and peat, which is organic plant matter extracted from swamps."

The Guardian Article by Damian Carrington.

Provincial Government Behaviour Stuck in Last Century

The Province of BC has been fixated on a dangerous hydro-electric project in Northern BC. Unlike most countries, either advanced or not they have not abandoned hydro technology, anchored in the 19th century. This technology that began in 1881 ran its course through the first part of the 20th century as a miracle of technology. In the latter half of the century as new more modern methods of energy were being developed, the enormous drawbacks of hydro began to emerge. The enormous destruction of the ecological systems that we depend on for food began to become more and more apparent.
Why then would the Provincial government continue to pursue this failing technology at a time when there are cheaper more reliable methods to produce electricity? Especially in a Province where its geothermal capacity could not only power the whole province and also make it a power exporter.
One only needs to look at the insanity that went on with Meager Creek.

Well MC6 being flow-tested at Meager Creek, BC/ Canada (source: Western GeoPower)

The province has been talking about operationalizing this geothermal resource since 1984.
Meagre Creek is a high potential geothermal field, that if developed as a modern binary geothermal power plant would have a very large capacity. What seems to be getting in the way of forcing a fast development of this project is a diversion of funding and emphasis to a large dam project in the peace river that will destroy an agricultural area with one of the longest growing seasons in the province.
In the interim, the province has issued yet again another lease in this area until 2037. One can only hope that this time the company developing this resource will not leave to go elsewhere where there is greater interest, like last time.
Canada is falling further and further behind the times with its continued emphasis on hydro and fossil fuels (both last centuries technologies), and are now quite out of step with the rest of the world. If Edison and Rockefeller were starting out today they would not be looking at hydro and fossil fuels they would be looking at geothermal power plans.

Combined Heat, Power and Metal Extraction CHPM

Heat Power and Metal Extraction

At various locations in the world, geothermal power plants have been extracting metals from geothermal liquids, while producing electrical energy for the grid. Now an organization called CHPM203 is in the process of researching and designing systems that can do this more effectively while creating a scientific resource for future improvements in the process. They see the merging of mineral extraction and the production of electrical energy as a more sustainable financial model that solves two key problems. How to mine without damaging the ecological system and how to produce a clean constant source of energy. 

http://www.chpm2030.eu/introduction/

Geothermal Power Plant Advantages

A geothermal electric plant has a number of advantages it is clean green energy, it operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week, it has the smallest footprint of any power plant, it is the cheapest method of producing green energy and it's waste hot water heats cities. It can also extract minerals without having to create any environmental damage. So what are the minerals that have been extracted from geothermal liquids? Here is a short list of some of these minerals zinc, silica, lithium, manganese, boron, lead, silver, antimony and strontium.

Krafla, Geothermal Power Plant Iceland

So who is CHPM2030, it is a project funded by the European Commission tasked with improving a disruptive technology that can help Europe meet both its energy and strategic metals needs. They are partnered with 12 universities and agencies in addition to a number of third parties. Click here for a complete list. 

Geothermal Power Stations Around the World

Geothermal electric plants can be found all over the world in 24 countries and more countries are building these plants every year. In 2010 they produced 10,1715 kilowatts of power an increase of 20% since 2005. In the US alone there are 77 geothermal electric power stations producing clean energy. The Philippines, after the US, is the second largest producer of geothermal and it supplies 27% of the power needs of the country. Unfortunately, Canada is the only major country on the "Ring of Fire" that has not yet develop geothermal electric energy, and it has massive untapped reserves. 

Geothermal Plants in Japan

Sonoma Plant at Geysers, California Grid

Geothermal Plants in the US

Methods of Producing Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy uses a process similar to other steam turbine power stations except it needs no fuel it uses heat from the earth's core to heat water to drive the turbines. There are four types of power stations currently being used.

Dry Steam Power Stations

This is perhaps the most primitive of the systems as it uses steam directly from the earth to drive turbines.

Dry Steam System

Flash Steam Power Stations

This method of producing power from the earth's heat is slightly more refined than the Dry Steam Power Station, it uses high-pressure hot water to flash steam from cold water, which in turn drive the turbines. However it is old technology.

Flash Steam Power Station

Binary Cycle Power Stations

This is the modern method of producing geothermal electricity from the earth's heat. It fundamentally is a heat exchanger where geothermal liquids are passed by a secondary fluid that has a much lower boiling point than water. Thus it can drive a steam turbine using considerably lower temperatures. This is how modern Geothermal Plants are constructed. 

Binary Cycle Power Station

Geothermal Closed Loop Power Stations

This method of producing geothermal energy is revolutionizing the production of geothermal power as it does not require finding a hot water source. It simply circulates a liquid usually, usually one that has a lower boiling point, through a closed loop drilled into the earth's surface. This means, of course, it could be used much more easily outside of the ring of fire, anywhere in the world. 

Source ECO2G Infographic Green Fire Energy

Geneva's 150,000 Residence to Have Geothermal Heating

Geneva's pilot project, as reported in Think Geothermal, to provide geothermal heating to 150,000 residence from this first project alone. At 744 meters they reached water that is a constant 33 degrees Celsius, and it flows at 50 liters per second. What has been learned will inform a scientific and regulatory framework for developing sustainable geothermal heating and energy throughout the country.

The Footprint of the Geothermal Project is extremely small, and so will be the facility. (Source: Geothermie2020)

On the other side of the Swiss border, France has been following their progress and will implement their own systems to provide this low-cost clean heat and power. Like a number of cities in the world such as Reykjavik,  the heating of buildings and hot waters for showers will be much less expensive and completely fossil fuel free and not draw against the electical grid.
Details about this project can be found at the following link: http://www.geothermie2020.ch 

Hot water flows at well drilled in Geneva/ Switzerland, June 2018 (Source: Geothermie2020)

B.C. Has Enough Geothermal Potential to Power Entire Province and Export Large Surplus

The British Columbia Resource Estimate Mapping Project has created a database that demonstrates BC as enough geothermal energy to power the entire province. However, this is based only on the shallowest studies of sedimentary zones where the data exists. It is well known that the extensive volcanic zones where data does not exist have much greater potential for geothermal power. So it is much more likely that geothermal potential of the Province could power not only the Province,  but it could become an enormous exporter of clean and cheap electrical energy.

Geothermal electric power is the cheapest energy on the planet with the smallest footprint and runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week forever. It is not dependent on wind, sunshine or rainfall.

New Pipe Line Explodes

Pipelines are cheaper than rail but not safer, in this instance, TransCanada Pipelines got really lucky and no one was injured but these lines also go through heavily populated areas, what if.....

TransCanada Pipeline Explodes in West Virginia. A newly installed TransCanada natural gas pipeline exploded early Thursday in the remote Nixon Ridge area of Marshall County in West Virginia. No injuries were reported but flames and smoke from the blast could be seen as far as 20 miles away, residents told local media. Area police told CBS News the fire was "very large—if you can see it from your house, evacuate."

Geothermal power plant in the works for Torquay area

This is the third geothermal plant announcement in Canada the first was in BC Valemount, the second in Alberta using exhausted oil wells and the this one using an aquifer. The Saskatchewan plan is a small experimental plant but it could easiely scale up to produce a considerable amount of power. Geothermal plants unlike hydro power do not produce methane gas, permanently destroy farm land, decline in power production because of siltation or are effected by climate change. Geothermal plants on the on the other hand have a very small footprint, run day and night uniterupted, and are the cheapest source of power on the planet. They usually start small and continue to expand their capacity over time.
In Arthur White-Crummey's article in the Regina Leader-Post, May 18, 2018, he points out the following:
Marcia said drilling will begin this summer. SaskPower has already signed a deal to buy the energy, which Marcia thinks will start flowing out in about two and a half years. She said there could then be opportunities to build 10, 20 or even 30 megawatt facilities, which could be repeated across the 100 kilometre long aquifer.
Ultimately, she suspects the aquifer could yield up to 500 megawatts of power — enough to power 500,000 households.
But there’s a lot of uncertainty over whether the technology can be economically viable. The first facility is meant to demonstrate that it can work. Marcia said the government funding will help them get the $8 million project off the ground.
I suspect that this geothermal capacity in the province has been grossly underestimated and that the capacity of this province like most locations could power the entire Province.

DEEP Earth Energy Production Corp.'s prototype design for what the company is looking to build as a geothermal power plant at Estevan. The turbine technology the company plans to use is called organix rankine cycle and the plant would be similar in size to a farm Quonset. PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEEP EARTH ENGERY PRODUCTION CORP -

British wind farms overtake nuclear for the first time

Article in the Renewable Energy Magazine
Thursday, 17 May 2018
by Robin Whitlock

Wind farms in the UK have enjoyed another record-breaking three months, producing more electricity than nuclear over the quarter, according to a report by Drax Electric Insights.
Britain’s wind farms produced 18.8 percent of electricity over the quarter, and at their peak they supplied 47.3 percent of the country’s demand (another new record). This happened overnight on March 17th, when temperatures once again dipped below freezing. There has been much debate on whether wind can be relied upon during a cold, calm spell, but during the six sub-zero days this quarter, wind provided between 12 percent and 43 percent of electricity demand, operating at a minimum of 4.4 GW.

BC's Flooding it is Climate Change!

Much of the discussion about the 2018 floods in British Columbia has been focused on the human disaster that has been created in Boundary country in BC as it should be. But very few strong statements have been made about the facts behind the disaster and without a discussion around those facts how can we really address this issue and the new normal in the years to come. From extreme winters, abnormal fire seasons and flooding well beyond any 200 year standard, Climate Change is bringing a new normal to BC and if we do not recognize this reality and change our systems, mode of thinking and discuss this reality we are in big trouble.

For several years, experts have been linking the sharp rise in Spring temperatures in this Boundary area to Climate Change. Yet even this linkage falls short of discussing the many impacts of climate change all over the world such as increased crime, terrorism, mass migration, electoral manipulation, damage to food sources, disease brought on by rising seas, damage to port infrastructure, mass extinction, the list goes on. We are in short moving towards our own extinction as the dangerous levels of carbon which have been accepted by the Paris Agreement are not going to be met, we are not going to stay with 1.5 or 2ºC. We are on a path to 3.4ºC and accelerating. This does not include the impact of such things as the mass release of methane from the melting of the Arctic, one of many so called "tipping points,"  a gas 85 times worse than the release of carbon. This path would make our planet virtually uninhabitable for most humans and most species.
So what is the solution? We need to discuss the facts and share them with our friends as big media and our polititians seem incapable of diseminating this information or discussing the realities of what we are facing.

Some are already doing this in admirable ways. Among them are transportation planner Eric Doherty, Climate Race cofounder Ben West, Greenpeace's Mike Hudema, and Seth Klein of the B.C. office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Trans Mountain Insanity

Impacts of Tar Sands Expansion on the Paris Agreement

In David Suzuki's article in The Guardian he points out the following:

This pipeline project and consequent scaling up of oilsands extraction also jeopardize Canada’s ability to meet its international Paris Agreement commitments. Expanded oil and gas production that comes with the Trans Mountain project would require the rest of Canada’s economy to reduce emissions by half by 2030 and 85% by 2040 to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets. This would be very difficult if not impossible.

That’s not the only science-based analysis ignored by the federal government in its assessment of this pipeline’s value to Canada.

Is It Fraud to Lie About an Oil Spill?

Jun 9, 2018, 8:50 PM by Glacier Media

The Kindermorgan pipeline near Kamloops reported a 100-litre spill, but then we find out it was actually 4,800 litres! How is it possible to make decisions when even the mandatory reporting regulations ebb and flow, is it really at the discretion of the company to decide what they are going to say publicly? How can one make any fact-based decisions when the facts are shift like the dunes in a desert? The big question is what other more important facts are not correct?

Leak in Coldwater BC Renders Land Unusable

Even after fixing the pipeline the land is still unusable by its occupants, and they refuse to do more unless a right of way agreement is signed by the landowners. Not only was the land damaged but during the clean up the occupants lost part of their livelihood. The experience has made the local Indian Band question the plans for a new pipeline as it would present a clear and present danger to the aquifer that they are dependant on for their drinking water. It would appear that often these leaks are not resolved and permanent damage to local environments and economies continues unchecked,

Bitumen Sinks in Water And Can Not Be Cleaned Up

In 2010 an Enbridge pipeline carrying bitumen mixed with dilutant burst, flowing 50 million litres of tar sands and toxic dilutants into the environment, causing the evacuation of homes some of which can no longer be lived in. And after five years the bitumen which sank into a 56km stretch of the Kalamazoo River still remains, after the company completed some clean up it was decided it could not be completely cleaned up without destroying the river's ecosystem. So no, it can not be cleaned up and yes it does sink.
In addtion to this international scientific review have also shown that any clean up of bitumen in the environment would be at best only 15% to 20% of what was spilled. 

Did Canada buy an oil pipeline in fear of being sued by China?

Article by Bruce Livesey, 31 May 2018, in The Guardian

1. China's PetroChina bought a 60% interest in two tar sand projects which has an estimated 5 billion barrels of oil, and in 2012 their CNOOC state company bought Nexen the third largest Canadian oil and gas company.
2. Harper in 2014 ratified the Canada-China Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (Fipa). Fipa is used by corporations to challenge public policies, community decisions, native land claims and anything that might prevent the transfer of oil. 
3. If any of these processes interfere with extracting bitumen or oil then Canada can be sued for damages.

New Ship Fuel Regulations Could Sink Tar Sand Expansion

Article by Paul McKay, May 24th, 2018 in The Energy Mix

In Paul's article, he highlights the following developments which will cause significant problems for the ability to market tar sand oils.

1. The United Nations, International Maritime Organization (IMO), has brought in regulations on fuel that can be used by ocean-going vessels. This would restrict the use of Bunker C fuel that which has a high amount of sulphur content. 
2. The new regulation requires a .5% content in ship fuels which represents a 700% reduction.
3. Estimates suggest that 15 of the largest ocean-going vessels currently emit as much sulfur annually as all the cars in the world.
4. A major reduction of 75% in bunker fuel production is already occurring as new refineries are begin reconfigured to meet the new four million barrel market for cleaner fuel.
5. Alberta bitumen has 11 times more sulphur than conventional crude. So the US refinery purchase of diluted bitumen is now slowing to a trickle.
6. The market has already reacted as major oil companies around the world are selling and writing off their losses in the tar sands.
7. These same companies and others are buying up refineries and converting to refine cleaner fuel reducing the number of refineries around the world that could process bitumen.
8. Alberta tar sands bitumen, due to its much more expensive method of refining, cannot match the quality or price of the cleaner fuels coming from other countries.
9. China has initiated an air pollution requirement that will stop the importing fuels with higher sulphur content and the even higher content of bitumen from Alberta.
10. China itself is now exporting oil and petroleum-based products, which could undercut Alberta's tar sands bitumen.
11. There is no documentation that there are any long-term contracts from any Asian countries for the bitumen, a fundament requirement for ensuring the economic viability of the tar sands.
12. It is unlikely that there would be large private investors for the pipeline as pension funds, insurance companies and global banks have already vetoed a tar sands investment.
13. Last year Norway's Statoil, ExxonMobil, Marathon Petroleum, Total S.S., Conoco Philips, Royal Dutch Shell, and Koch Industries sold off 22.5 billion in Alberta bitumen assets to a steep financial loss.

Liberals’ ‘Collective Insanity’ over Trans Mountain Creating New Western Alienation, Say BC Politicians

Proposed joint scientific panel on oil spills called too little, too late.

By Christopher Guly 10 May 2018 | TheTyee.ca

In his article for The Tyee he makes the following points:

1. A proposed joint scientific panel involving the BC to collaborate and monitor spill issues was rejected by Federal Government.
2. There is increasing alienation from BC towards Canada.
3. The proposed panel on spills was called a PR stunt by Climate Change Minister Catherin McKenna
4. The science behind a bitumen spill has not been explored.
5. A leading climate scientist Andrew Weaver, reports that clean up from pipeline and tanker accidents are not supported by rigorous science.
6. The Royal Society of Canada concluded that more research is necessary to understand the impact of a bitumen spill.
7. The National Energy Board has refused to look at the scientific report from the Royal Society of Canada. Instead, they have accepted Kinder Morgan's research.
8. It is likely, to avoid conflicts with the Kinder Morgan research, the Federal Government has muzzled Department of Fisheries scientists, whose research show bitumen spills cannot be cleaned up.
9. Climate scientist Andrew Weaver also confirms there are no examples in the world where bitumen has been successfully cleaned up. In fact, the last cleanup in the US was abandon after years of trying to clean it up.
10. Canada's chief science advisor has refused to look at the science claiming lack of funds.
11. Trudeau's avoidance of the science and promotion of a failing Texas company is sending alienation ripples throughout the country from British Columbia to Quebec.

Kinder Morgan's Record in National Parks

Kinder Morgan's record around spill is not a clear-cut as they would like one to believe, for example in Jasper National Park one of Canada's more precious jewels they have had six breaches of their existing pipeline. Typically it is undetected until some passer-by notices the environmental damage. The company often says there have been no spills but this is just not true until they are pressed for the facts. In 1966 inside the Park a spill released 1.1 million litres of crude oil and less than a decade later a pipeline spontaneously leaked 125,000 litres of crude covering about 200 square feet of the park. The examples go one.

Kinder Morgan Pipeline not OK with First Nations

Contrary to the statements made by Kinder Morgan about First Nations acceptance of their pipeline, which leads the general public to believe they are supportive, First Nations are in court challenging the building of the pipeline. They are also opposed to BC's building of site C dam which is another environmental disaster in the making.

Loop Terminal in Louisiana Will Make the Pipeline Uneconomical

Points taken from Paul McKay's article in Opinion March 7th,  2018

In February 2018 a supertanker pulled into the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, LOOP, this bi-directional oil port filled the tanker at 100,000 barrels an hour. These tankers which carry over 2 million barrels of oil mean tankers that leave Vancouver would only hold a quarter the amount 550,000 barrels. The refinery in Asia would have to pay for four tankers to ship the same amount of oil from a LOOP ship, at a much more cost.

This to say nothing of the high-quality product they would receive compared to the inferior bitumen product laced with combustibles, 102 times more copper, 21 times more vanadium, 11 times more sulphur, 11 times more nickel, 6 times more nitrogen and 5 times more lead. The bitumen product would also have a much lower ratio of hydrogen to carbon making it less efficient when combusted. 

So not only will the bitumen be more expensive to ship it will be far more expensive to refine. Which means refineries they will not pay the same price for the bitumen. Perhaps this is why Exxon-Mobil, Conoco-Phillips, Royal Dutch Shell, Total S.A. and Statoil have taken billion dollar losses to abandon the bitumen fields.

These are the reasons—hiding in plain sight—why Western Canada bitumen fetches the infamous “discount” price per barrel compared to oil supplies shipped from Texas and the North Sea. The LOOP terminal for VLCCs will magnify that spread, and no mythical Asian refiner, trader, or nation is likely to purchase for long a dirtier product that costs more and arrives on slower, smaller boats.

Canada Proposes Fighting Climate Change by Increasing Output by 40%?

What the Prime Minister of Canada is proposing is a 40% increase in oil sands expansion or 70 to 100 megatonne per day increase in emissions. They call this a "hard cap." What this is equal to is doubling the emissions from all cars, trucks, buses and boats in Ontario. In other words, there is no way Canada can meet their Paris climate agreement and increase the capacity of the oils sands for decades to come. To say nothing of the enormous environmental risk being taken both in the oil sands area, along with the dangerous pipeline route or the massive increase in tanker traffic. Keep in mind one of our major pollution sources is in fact tankers themselves, and this has not yet be addressed.

International tourism accounts for 8 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide

Global Tourism Has a Bigger Share of Carbon Emissions Than Thought
The U.S. has the biggest footprint, both from foreign visitors and Americans travelling abroad
Article by Chelsea Harvey, E&E NewsMay 8, 20

In general, affluence has a major influence on global tourism emissions—as the researchers note, “wealthier people travel more.” The association is so strong, in fact, that for groups making any more than $40,000 per capita, a 10 percent increase in wealth results in a carbon footprint increase of 13 percent.
A transportation expert said the study comports with current estimates of aviation’s contribution to emissions. “Globally, aviation we think is responsible for between 2.5 and a little under 5 percent of anthropogenic climate change effects,” said Dan Rutherford, aviation and marine program director for the International Council on Clean Transportation.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/global-tourism-has-a-bigger-share-of-carbon-emissions-than-thought/

Another extreme heat wave strikes the North Pole

Washing Post Article by Jason Samenow

Temperature difference from normal over the Arctic analyzed by European model on May 7. (WeatherBell.com/)

As the warm air intruded the Arctic, sea ice melted suddenly. The Norway Ice Service tweeted the sea ice area near Svalbard, the small island chain between Norway and the North Pole, fell by about 32,000 square miles (82,000 square kilometers) to the second lowest area on record. The amount of ice lost is enough to cover the entire state of South Carolina.

In four of the past five winters, the North Pole has witnessed dramatic temperatures spikes, which previously were rare. Now, in the lead up to summer, the temperature has again shot up to unusually high levels at the tip of the planet.
Scientists say this warming could hasten the melt of Arctic sea ice, which is already near record low levels.
In just the past few days, the temperature at the North Pole has soared to the melting point of 32 degrees, which is about 30-35 degrees (17-19 Celsius) above normal.

330 MW Sarulla geothermal plant in Indonesia completed with third unit online

http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/330-mw-sarulla-geothermal-plant-in-indonesia-completed-with-third-unit-online/

Think Geoenergy story reports the following:

The Project is the world’s largest single-contract geothermal power plant and is located in Pahae Jae and Pahae Julu Districts, North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The U$1.7 billion project generates approximately 330MW, enough to power 2.1 million Indonesian households.

Unit 1 of Sarulla Geothermal Power Plant, North Sumatra/ Indonesia (source: Ormat Technologies)

California to require solar panels on most new homes

It's the first state where the renewable energy is mandatory.

There's no question that solar power is entering the mainstream, but California is about to give it a giant boost. The state's Energy Commission is expected to approve new energy standards that would require solar panels on the roofs of nearly all new homes, condos and apartment buildings from 2020 onward. There will be exemptions for homes that either can't fit solar panels or would be blocked by taller buildings or trees, but you'll otherwise have to go green if your property is brand new.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/06/california-to-require-solar-panels-on-most-new-homes/?guccounter=1

World’s biggest geothermal power plants

Geothermal electric plants will be our future source of electrical power the flows 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There are a number of different ways of producing electricity from the earth's heat in these plants dry steam, flash steam and the most modern method binary cycle.
The following is a list of the largest geothermal plants currently in production, more details can be found in the article in the Energy Business Review.

1. The Geyser Geothermal Complex 1,517 MW, California.
2. Larderello Geothermal Complex 769MW, Italy
3. Cerro Pieto Geothermal Power Station 720MW, Mexico
4. Makban Geothermal Complex 4580MW, Philippines
5. Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant 303MW (40MW thermal energy), Iceland
6. Tiwi Geothermal Complex 289MW, Philippines
7. Malitbog Geothermal Power Station 232.5MW, Luzon Island
8. Wayang Windu Geothermal Power Plant 227MW Indonesia
9. Darajat Power Station 259MW Indonesia.

The thing to keep in mind is unlike hydroelectricity, which also has significant environmental impacts, geothermal plants are constantly expanding their capacity. Whereas hydro dams have diminished capacity over time and are prone to climate change impacts such as flash floods and drought. 

http://geothermal.energy-business-review.com/news/worlds-biggest-geothermal-power-plants-040518-6140349

Big Queensland business first to use Tesla Powerpack to go off-grid

The combination of high electricity prices, falling technology prices and serial political incompetence is pushing more and more Australian businesses to invest in solar and storage.
The Clean Energy Regulator has forecast that the commercial and industrial solar market will increase four-fold this year, and could deliver a large-scale power plant’s worth of generation capacity to the grid in 2018 alone.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/big-queensland-business-first-use-tesla-powerpack-go-off-grid-77891/

Source: Linked Group Services

Source: Linked Group Services