Questions on climate debate
letter published in The Australian Financial Review, 13 October 2009
Your editorial (October 12) asks: “what is the point of Australia locking in a major economic reform, and one that is entirely dependent on the actions of other nations, before the Copenhagen meeting?”
There is, however, another important question to ask. That is: “Why is that respected newspapers such as the Australian Financial Review have locked themselves in to the science promulgated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when overseas media are raising serious questions about that science and when there are increasing reports of falsification of results by IPCC scientists?”
First The New York Times started to cover its backside by acknowledging the “difficulty” of convincing sceptics when “global temperatures have been relatively stable for a decade and may even drop in the next few years”.
Then the BBC climate correspondent observed: “It seems the debate about what is causing global warming is far from over. Indeed some would say its hotting up”. But not in the main Aussie media.
Also, after IPCC scientists refused to reveal tree rings data used to repeat the hockey stick claim that temperatures rose only after industrialisation started, statistical analysts have now managed to access the data. What did this reveal? That the IPCC guys cherry-picked, and that use of the complete data reveals a completely different pattern of temperatures that falsifies the IPCC analysis and is not alarming.
A further question might be asked viz, given the availability of technologies that do not produce CO2 emissions and, given that Australia’s most valuable asset is coal, why isn’t our media querying the need for urgent action to reduce such emissions and suggesting that we wait for the alternatives to become more economically viable? Overseas reports suggest that within 5 years mini-nuclear power plants will likely be available on an economic basis.
Yours faithfully
Des Moore
Director, Institute for Private Enterprise.
South Yarra Vic