The downfall of Malcolm Turnbull was in large part engineered by the right wing climate denial faction of the Liberal Party – it was not merely a matter of personality clashes, as some pundits would have you believe. On this, I agree with Dennis Atkins and Alan Kohler (speaking on ABC with Geraldine Doogue): According to Atkins, "the Liberal Party seems incapable of dealing with the issue of emissions, of climate change. A senior minister who's … [Read more...]
The Ehrlichs on the future of global civilization
For anyone interested in the prospects for human civilization on this planet -- and irrespective of whatever views you may already hold -- the recent exchange between the Ehrlichs (Paul and Anne) and Prof Michael Kelly, made available for free at the venerable Proceedings of the Royal Society, is definitely worth reading. Paul Ehrlich and Michael Kelly are both Fellows of the Royal Society, the prestigious academy of natural sciences … [Read more...]
The Australian newspaper still stokes fake climate scepticism
In August 2012 I decided to make a wholly futile gesture: I would stop buying The Australian newspaper. This was in protest at the grossly irresponsible way in which that paper (and in fact the entire Murdoch stable) has stoked the fires of public misunderstanding and mistrust of climate science over the past decade. (See for example: How The Australian Newspaper Warps The World of Climate Science; and Top physicist accuses The Australian … [Read more...]
Alberta tar sands bet the climate
Every so often we hear about how Alberta tar sands are the answer to the peak oil scenario. There are said to be 180 billion barrels of heavy crude oil mixed in with the tar sands in Alberta. But there are serious problems with this using these tar sands as a 'fix' for our oil addiction. First, NASA climate scientist James Hansen warns that we must keep Alberta tar sands in the ground rather than burn them, otherwise we will fry the planet … [Read more...]
George Schultz speaks out on climate change
George Schultz was secretary of state in the Reagan administration for seven years. He has been a part of the Republican establishment in American politics since the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Eleanor Hall, Schultz has come out with a clear acknowledgement that human-caused climate change is real: The facts are that a new ocean is being created in the arctic, and the … [Read more...]