Climate change

Climate Change: Scientists Put Up

Labor View from Bayside - March 15, 2010 - 9:36am

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have tabled more evidence in response to the climate contrarians recent offensive:

AUSTRALIA's two leading scientific agencies will release a report today showing Australia has warmed significantly over the past 50 years, and stating categorically that "climate change is real".
... The report states that temperature observations, among others indicators, "clearly demonstrate climate change is real", and says that CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology "will continue to provide observations and research so Australia's responses are underpinned by clear empirical data".
Climate change is real and it's here: report

You can download the report here. Read more »

"Australia can do very well without Quadrant, the Institute of Public Affairs and The Australian...

Peter Martin - March 13, 2010 - 10:55pm

...We cannot do without science and scientists. The time has come to make a choice."

- John Quiggin

Here's his full piece:

It is a commonplace to observe that Australia’s scientific institutions and organizations, have played a central role in promoting Australia’s prosperity and in maintaining our country’s place as a leading contributor to the growth of knowledge. Read more »

In the Spirit of Godwin

Hyperidian Bannerman - March 12, 2010 - 3:53pm

Here’s an interesting piece I happened across in today’s Oz
A Howard government appointee to the ABC board, Chairman Maurice Newman, has openly attacked the journalistic and managerial ethics of the broadcaster he heads the board for, over the issue of Climate Change. The text of his address can be read here.

”The proof of the pudding is in the eating and is reflected in our audiences’ approval of our services and the positive knock-on effect this has had for our recent funding success. Let us never lose sight of this reality. Our future is inexorably intertwined with how diligent we are in faithfully discharging our obligations under our Act and Charter.” Read more »

UN Climate Review Red Herring

Labor View from Bayside - March 11, 2010 - 6:48pm

The United Nations is to review IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) processes. The IAC (InterAcademy Council) has been charged with this task.

It is not a review of the Climate science itself. It's about "quality control":

REVIEW'S TERMS OF REFERENCE
Analyse the IPCC process, including links with other UN agencies

Review the use of non-peer reviewed sources, and quality control on data

Assess how procedures handle "the full range of scientific views"

Review how the IPCC communicates with the public and the media

Scientists to review climate body (BBC 10 March 2010)

Let's hope it restores public trust.

The report, due in August, is a red herring. It's time for action not this distraction. Its results will be ignored or distorted by the climate contrarians. Read more »

"Climate balance urged at ABC"

Peter Martin - March 11, 2010 - 8:42am

The headline on the story in the The Australian overstates things.

None of the direct quotes in the story back it up.

But if the ABC Chairman was calling for "balance", well...

...it would take things back to the 1970's when, as I mentioned earlier Keith Fraser was the Controller of News.

Historian Ken Inglis had access to the ABC's internal files and writes in This is the ABC (at page 285):
Read more »

Science fights back at Universities Australia Climate Forum, Canberra 18 March 2010

North Coast Voices - March 15, 2010 - 12:18am

Universities Australia is to be commended for encouraging the science community to respond to those barbarians noisily hammering at the gate.

Hopefully transcripts of forum speeches will be posted online for the wider dissemination.

From the Science In Public website:

Climate Change: bridging scientific knowledge and public policy

Thursday 18 March 2010

The Mural Hall, Parliament House, Canberra, 8.30am – 12.30pm

Australia's Climate Action Summit 13-15 March 2010 Canberra

North Coast Voices - March 13, 2010 - 12:15am

From the Environmental Defender's Office (NSW) weekly bulletin:

Australia's Climate Action Summit 2010

The grassroots climate movement summit is happening in Canberra at the Australian National University between 13-15 March. http://www.climatesummit.org.au

The real agenda of climate deniers

en Passant - March 11, 2010 - 9:24pm

We are witnessing a frenzy of climate “scepticism”. Following the hacking of emails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, the right are arguing that the science of human-caused global warming is wrong.

Their offensive has a clear purpose—to reverse the growing public belief that rising emissions of greenhouse gases are causing climate change.

Concern about climate change has brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets worldwide. The real target of the climate sceptics is this movement and the demands it is raising.

Climate sceptics claim the leaked emails show that scientists deliberately suppressed evidence contradicting their conclusions. They say that this makes the whole science of human-caused global warming flawed.

US Republican Sarah Palin calls climate scientists a “politicised scientific elite” that “manipulated data” to “hide the decline in global temperatures”. Read more »

Editorial interference by the ABC’s chairman

Larvatus Prodeo - March 11, 2010 - 4:10pm

ABC Chairman Maurice Newman made a few comments yesterday that may go a long way to explaining some of the pressures editors and producers at the public broadcaster may be under – specifically on the issue of anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

This collective censorious approach succeeded in suppressing contrary views in the mainstream media, despite the fact that a growing number of distinguished scientists were challenging the conventional wisdom with alternative theories and peer reviewed research.

While claiming some of his best friends were journalists, Newman attacked the profession for uncritical group thinking on a range of issues (Enron, tech meltdown and the GFC) and further outing himself – with language that could only be described as that of climate skepticism.

Of course Newman is welcome to hold whatever views he wishes, that is not the issue. Read more »

ABC Blinded By "GroupThink" Claims ChairmanABC chairman Maurice Newman o...

The Orstrahyun - March 11, 2010 - 1:23am

ABC Blinded By "GroupThink" Claims Chairman

ABC chairman Maurice Newman on why he believes the Australia media in general, and to a less defined degree ABC news and current affairs, has been intolerant of climate change doubters. Newman blamed "GroupThink".

Excerpts from an interview on ABC's PM :

"The media hasn't been good at picking these things up and it's really been the question of what is conventional wisdom and consensus rather than listening perhaps to other points of view that may be sceptical.
"And I brought in as well in that vain what's been going on in climate change where there's been clearly a point of view which has been prevailing in the mainstream media, and the fact that again perhaps consensus and conventional wisdom may not always stand us in good stead. Read more »