Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for June 2009

Worrying About Small Changes

By

IN the documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, Al Gore used the tale of a frog in a warming container not jumping out, but rather boiling to death, as a caution against inaction, against letting small changes, small increases in temperature, go unaddressed.   

But what if, since the movie was released in 2006, there has been a small drop in temperature? [Read more…] about Worrying About Small Changes

US ‘Cap n Trade’ Carbon Act Passes First Major Hurdle

By

YESTERDAY President Barrack Obama praised the House of Representatives for its “Historic action with the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act …  It’s a bold and necessary step that holds the promise of creating new industries and millions of new jobs, decreasing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil… Now it’s up to the Senate to take the next step.”  [Read more…] about US ‘Cap n Trade’ Carbon Act Passes First Major Hurdle

How the US Temperature Record is Adjusted

By

There has been criticism of the potential for official weather stations in the USA to record artificially high temperatures because of the changing environments in which they exist, for example, new asphalt, new building or new air conditioning outlets.   Meteorologist, Anthony Watts, has documented evidence of the problem and Canadian academic, Ross McKitrick, has attempted to calculate just how artificially elevated temperatures might be as a consequence.

A reader of this blog, Michael Hammer, recently studied the official data from the US official weather stations and in particular how it is adjusted after it has been collected.   Mr Hammer concludes that the temperature rise profile claimed by the US government is largely if not entirely an artefact of the adjustments applied after the raw data is collected from the weather stations.

[Read more…] about How the US Temperature Record is Adjusted

Cattle as Part of the Australian Landscape

By

 WHY do so many environmentalists consider cattle something to be excluded from the Australian landscape? 

According to Ian Mott, a third generation landholder, they modify parts of the landscape but they do not destroy it.  In the following note, Mr Mott suggests modifications to government advice on the management of livestock in riparian zones. 

[Read more…] about Cattle as Part of the Australian Landscape

Defining the Sceptics (Part 4)

By

“GROWING up as your daughter, you have always taught me to live with an open mind, and to seek out facts before I choose a side of the fence whether it be agreeing or disagreeing with your own.”

This comment from Caroline Marohasy represents to me the essence of being a sceptic: A sceptic considers alternatives before making a decision.   An opinion will eventually form, but first there will be some reasoning.

A modern education may provide skills in writing and reading, even mathematics, but not necessarily in the ability to reason – especially if the education is value laden.  

*********

Notes and Links

The comment from Caroline Marohasy can be found at ‘A Progressive Environmentalist’, https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/2005/04/a-progressive-environmentalist/#comments .  The photograph shows Ms Marohasy modeling in Brisbane in 2006.   More in this series, and also ‘Defining the Greens’ can be found at https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/tag/philosophy/ – scroll down.