The Heathrow Snow chaos report is out. I've just skimmed it...

http://www.realclimategate.org/2011/03/the-heathrow-report-is-out-rare-rate-of-snow-fall-since-records-began-6-years/

It includes a little reminder to reflect the new thoughts on ‘climate disruption’ vs global warming, this highlighted in bold in the report.

"Even under global warming, periods of extreme cold are still possible for the UK (54)"

I thought this was quite funny, the hourly rate of snowfall was considered rare, Rare since records began (6 years!)

"The rate of snow that fell at Heathrow was rare
52 The most significant feature of the snow event of 18 December at Heathrow may have beenthe rate at which snow fell, with nearly 7cm falling within the hour prior to midday. This is rare at Heathrow. A snowfall rate of 7cm in one hour has not been observed at Heathrow since hourly records began in 2005. Daily snowfall increments of 7cm or more have occurred only six times since 1970. Rates of snowfall at Gatwick and Stansted for this event did not exceed 5cm in one hour and 3cm in one hour respectively."

Perverse Weather Events – or just weather?

The Chief scientists for the Department of Transport:

“There is a general trend for the mean atmospheric temperature across the planet to increase. But whilst that is happening local conditions may well produce perverse weather events.” – Professor Brian Collins

http://www.baa.com/assets/Internet/BAA%20Airports/Downloads/Static%20files/BeggReport220311_BAA.pdf

Cumbrian Lad, note that DEFRA is also withdrawing £0.5M from the Climate Change Partnerships which are, I think, local authority based, so the increase is only from £1.5M to £2M, not a doubling.

Nobody, that's interesting. It would be useful to look into this change of funds to see if there is in fact a net reduction in costs (which was I think the whole point of quango reduction) or just a swapping around of names/titles and ctually an increase in costs as would seem likely if EA are going to spend twice as much doing the same job as UKCIP

From the Treasury Budget documents:

Environment
1.110 The Government is committed to being the greenest Government ever. A simple, efficient
and cost effective policy framework will meet environmental objectives while supporting growth
and maintaining a sound fiscal position. Market-based solutions to price carbon are at the heart
of this approach, achieving objectives at the lowest possible cost.
1.111 The Government will increase the proportion of tax revenue accounted for by
environmental taxes. Tax policy will be developed in the context of wider Government levers
(such as voluntary agreements and regulation) and overlap of policy instruments will be avoided.
The Government announces that:
􀁴 following consultation, a carbon price floor for electricity generation will be
introduced from 1 April 2013. The carbon price floor will start at around £16 per
tonne of carbon dioxide and follow a linear path to £30 per tonne in 2020 to drive
investment in the low-carbon power sector. The carbon price support rates for 2013-14
will be equivalent to £4.94 per tonne of carbon dioxide.
Budget 2011 33
􀁴 Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) will be extended to 2023. The climate change
levy discount on electricity for CCA participants will be increased from 65 to 80
per cent from April 2013 to continue to support energy intensive businesses
exposed to international competition. A consultation on proposals to simplify the
agreements will be published by summer 2011; and
􀁴 it remains committed to providing public funding for four Carbon Capture and
Storage (CCS) demonstration plants. However, consistent with its objectives for
tax simplification, it will not proceed with the CCS levy. It will instead fund its
commitments to CCS demonstrations from general taxation.
1.112 The Government is committed to ensuring that the Green Investment Bank (GIB) has
the resources to help the UK to move towards a low-carbon economy. The Government
announces that the initial capitalisation of the GIB will be £3 billion and that the
GIB will begin operation in 2012-13, a year earlier than previously anticipated. Government
investment alongside private finance should mean that there is in the region of an additional
£18 billion of investment in green infrastructure by 2014-15 as a result of the GIB. The Spending
Review allocated £1 billion for the GIB and the Government is aiming for the remaining £2
billion to be funded from the sale of assets. This will include the £775 million net proceeds
already received from the sale of High Speed I, ensuring that funding is in place to allow GIB
investments from 2012-13. The Government will enable the GIB to have borrowing
powers from 2015-16 and once the target for debt to be falling as a percentage of
GDP has been met.
1.113 The Government is committed to the success of the Green Deal and will act to encourage
and incentivise take-up so that the Green Deal will appeal to households, businesses and
prospective providers alike, before it is introduced in 2012.

Ful documents at: http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf

Cumbrian Lad, quite right, but the reason why I mention it is that UKCIP is one of the major funding streams for the Oxford University Environmental Change Institute, a key hang out for warmist groupies in the soft and social sciences. Pity poor Myles Allen who is just about to move from physics to the ECI.

Bizarre - eco-warriors smash up vehicles in former coal mine which was being restored to agricultural use - http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/scotland/39We-smashed-up-100k-pit.6738969.jp

Nobody - It seems Defra is withdrawing £1m of funding from UKCIP but the job is being passed to the Environment Agency to do, along with £2m in funding. Now that's what I call inflation.

@Josh

Can't open the link you gave to Roger Helmer's site. I see it is wordpess, which has been upsetting WUWT as well.

DEFRA is to stop funding the UKCIP - see Environment Agency takes on business advisory climate adaptation role for details

Nestle boss

"It is absolutely immoral to push hundreds of millions of people into hunger and into extreme poverty because of such a policy, so I think – I insist – no food for fuel."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/biofuel-policy-is-causing-starvation-says-nestl-boss-2250075.html

Another failed Green Policy