Our guest speaker on Tuesday was Brian Leyland.
Brian was introduced by Roger Gower.
Brian’s address was entitled “if the planet is warming why is it so cold outside?”
In his address Brian opened by saying you need to believe half of what you see and half of what you hear. This is because, he contends, much of what we see and read about climate change, the health impacts of chemicals, the energy impact of wind or solar power is incorrect or just plain wrong.
In man-made global warming, sea level rise, the benefits if any of wind and solar power, possible fuel alternatives and electric cars.his
address Brian looked at the use of the DDT,
Dealing with each;
DDT - its use as approved by the World Health Organisation but many people than because of its apparent side-effects. The net effect of the ban is that other methods of mosquito control are used that are ineffective and possibly dangerous. In places where malaria should have been eliminated through the use of DDT, malaria is still present as other controlled substances have failed to work.
Man-made global warming;
Brian contends that the evidence does not support the assertion global warming is caused by human activity. Indeed Brian postulates that there is a cooling phase about to occur.
Brian pointed to the models which have been bandied about for now over three decades and notes that in general terms the models used do not match what happens in reality.
The inexorable rise of sea levels;
Brian accepts that there has been some sea level increase but it is no-where near extreme levels at some say. Rather than meters per year any increase can only be measured in millimetres a year.
Much has been said of the effect of sea level rise on coral atolls in the Pacific. Empirical analysis suggests according to Brian that atolls actually can increase in size through time as the coral grows on itself. The problems facing the atolls are caused by other things environmental problems, waste and population growth nothing to do with an increase in sea level.
Wind/solar power;
Brian has a very low impression of these two power sources. Reliance on such creates system instability. Wind power is not available on calm days especially on cold calm days in winter when demand is high.
And then there are the effects of subsidies given to promoters of wind powered generation to build and maintain their devices. There is also the visual impact on the environment and in due course the cost of maintenance repair and ultimately removal of the wind turbines when they reach the end of their life spans.
Brian made the point that wind power is not cheap is its supporters claim. It requires subsidisation to get off the ground and is expensive to produce.
Brian is an advocate of nuclear power safe and environmentally friendly, indeed far safer he says than dams which can fail catastrophically. Witness recent dam failures in Laos and problems experienced in California with one of its major water supply dams last year.
Brian suggested as a hysterical reaction to the Fukushima earthquake and its effect on the Fukushima nuclear reactor. He made the point that more people were killed being moved out of the area then by any issues arising from the radiation issuing from the reactor - that is to say none.
Brian is not a fan of electric cars either. They are slow to recharge, and the costs of infrastructure will be exorbitant both for recharging facilities and added power production needed to fuel these vehicles.
Brian is also not a fan of the current mania for trams. He contends that they are inconvenient, expensive and obsolete solution to a problem which could be resolved by way of fully automated vehicles such as autonomous cast taxis or buses providing on an Uber type basis the convenient on demand door-to-door transport system.
As always Brian is a provocative speaker about these issues and doesn't parrot the party line adopted by so many in the media. Brian's address was enjoyed by members present.
