Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for April 2009

April Quadrant

By

Folks,

 

The April edition of Quadrant has published a written version of the talk that I gave at the Heartland-2 conference in New York, under the title “A New Policy Direction for Climate Change”. It can be accessed online at:

 

http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2009/4/a-new-policy-direction-for-climate-change

 

The same issue also contains an very useful analysis by Tom Quirk of the perils of computer modelling, though I can’t find an electronic copy posted (if anyone finds one, perhaps they could distribute the details).

 

Lastly, if anyone wants to become depressed then try a browse through some of the 122 and counting submissions to the Australian Senate enquiry into the draft emissions trading legislation, at:

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/economics_ctte/cprs_09/submissions/sublist.htm

 

Perhaps it’s just the ones that I’ve picked out to look at, but my God there’s a mountain of self-serving rubbish here. Amongst it, though, there are a few shining lights, including No. 28, from Viv Forbes and the Climate Science Coalition.

 

 

Cathy

Team of Climate Sceptics Invited to UN Copenhagen Conference

By

THE fifteenth United Nations Climate Conference (COP-15) will be held in Copenhagen in November. While only one official view on the science, that of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is usually put forward at these gatherings, this year the United Nations has agreed to support an alternative and probably rival overall assessment from a team of climate change sceptics.    

This decision follows a recommendation from Vaclav Klaus, the well-known climate sceptic who currently holds the European Union Presidency.     

The recommendation was first made to President Klaus by David Henderson, a former chief economist at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) based on the work of Irving L. Janis on ‘Groupthink’.  

According to the late Mr Janis irrespective of the personality characteristics and other predispositions of the members of a policy-making group, when the decision-makers constitute a cohesive group and are under stress from external threats it can lead to illusions of invulnerability and belief in the inherent morality of the group leading to self-censorship, illusions of unanimity and an incomplete consideration of alternatives solutions to the issue at hand.  

[Read more…] about Team of Climate Sceptics Invited to UN Copenhagen Conference