Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for March 2011

Europe Giving up on Climate, More Interested in Economy?

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The Spectator magazine sponsored a debate ‘The global warming hysteria is over: Time for a return to sanity’ held on Tuesday at the Royal Geographical Society in London. 

According to Andrew Montford who attended the event:

“I was a bit disappointed overall – none of the presentations managed to combine slick presentation with a strong coherent argument…

“Here are some of the things that stuck in my mind. The first was the sense of anger in the auditorium. People were just very, very annoyed about what was going on. There were times when the warmists on the stage looked taken aback by the heat that they were receiving.

“Simon Singh’s presentation was memorable, but unfortunately mostly for the wrong reasons. He set up what he called a credibility spectrum, with scientists and academies on one side and sceptics on the other and called on us to trust the establishment on the climate change issue…

“Benny Peiser’s talk was the one that intrigued me. He essentially argued that the science is irrelevant – that the public have made their minds up and that they vote out any party that pushes the green line too far. He also noted that they have moved on to other issues, such as the economy.”

Benny is clearly of this opinion writing in Public Policy Europe that:

“The global warming hysteria is well and truly over. How do we know? Because all the relevant indicators – polls, news coverage, government u-turns and a manifest lack of interest among policy makers – show a steep decline in public concern about climate change.”  

This may be the situation in Europe, but unfortunately we are lagging behind in Australia.   At least, it would appear the Australian media and government doesn’t seem to realize that the public is giving up on the issue even here. 

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Links
http://www.bishop-hill.net/blog/2011/3/30/the-spectator-debate.html
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/136/climate-fatigue-leaves-global-warming-in-the-cold

Petition Urging the Australian PM to Delay Introduction of the Carbon Tax Legislation

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Hi,   My apologies if you’ve already seen this, but I’m giving it as wide a distribution as I can and hope that you will do the same.

This link is to a petition urging the Prime Minister to delay the introduction of carbon tax legislation until after an election:

http://www.epetitions.comeonaustralia.com/petition/sign/pid/9

Please sign the petition if you agree with its terms.  Thanks, Case Smit

Calling for Essays in Defence of Back Radiation

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MOST scientists sceptical of the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) accepted that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; they simply don’t believe it is very potent relative to other natural forces.  But there are a group of physicists, most notably several of the authors of the book ‘Slaying the Sky Dragon: Death of the Greenhouse Gas Theory’ who even argue against the greenhouse effect theory. 

For some weeks, every Friday, I have been publishing an essay from one of these scientists a Mexican Nasif S. Nahle – though Nahle is not an author of ‘Slaying the Sky Dragon’.  When I first started publishing Dr Nahle I received emails from various sceptics suggesting that in promoting his work I was doing a disservice to the sceptic’s cause; that I should not be challenging the basic accepted physics of back radiation.

The essence of greenhouse theory is that thermal radiation from the earth’s surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated including back towards the earth’s surface.  As a result of this back radiation the temperature of the earth is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism.

Dr Nahle argues that there is no warming from back radiation and one reason is because heat cannot flow from a cooler area (the atmosphere) to a warmer area (the earth surface). 

I have enjoyed posting essays from Dr Nahle as he argues from first principles, and with examples, and he engages with his critics in the comment threads.    In short, he provides food for thought.

And given the importance of back radiation to greenhouse gas theory, I have been surprised that there has not been a more definitive rebuttal of his core argument in the comment threads.   Indeed it is irrelevant to argue that he is wrong because his work is not published in the peer-reviewed literature, or that it does not accord with what is written in mainstream textbooks or that it is too specific.  

I am keen to publish more essays on this important topic, particularly from the more mainstream perspective that is in defence of back radiation as a core part of anthropogenic global warming theory.

[Read more…] about Calling for Essays in Defence of Back Radiation

Invasive Carp in the US

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Voltage coursing through electrical barriers designed to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes may need to be raised to keep out juvenile fish, U.S. officials said on Friday.   Read more here.

What to Listen to, Read, and Action This Week

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“THE Gillard government’s chief promoter of the climate change debate has admitted even a global effort to cut carbon emissions would not lower temperatures for up to 1000 years… 
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/no-fast-result-in-cuts-flannery/story-e6frg6xf-1226028366173

“JULIA Gillard has told Labor MPs to warn voters that a failure to back a carbon tax will lead to more bushfires and droughts as well as coastal inundation and shorter skiing seasons.   MPs have also been instructed to warn constituents that unchecked climate change would lead to people in northern NSW experiencing a climate like that of Cairns, in far north Queensland…
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/mps-told-to-warn-of-climate-mayhem/story-fn59niix-1226028368404

“UNTIL now, the Productivity Commission has been excluded from Australia’s climate change debate. Now he has been let in, Gary Banks has thrown a hand grenade into Julia Gillard’s rush to bed down a carbon tax by mid next year.   
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/productivity-commission-chief-turns-up-the-heat-on-carbon-tax-debate/story-e6frg9p6-1226028337294

Consider this an open thread.  Let other readers of this blog know what you are watching, listening to, and reading, this week by way of a comment.

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Cartoon via Bishop Hill
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2011/3/25/more-flannel-josh-88.html

‘Carbon Tax’ Hurt Labor Vote in NSW

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Tonight, in the Australian state of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell has swept 16 years of Labor government into history with a landslide victory.   The magnitude of his 17 per cent swing has surprised many.  Labor is likely to end up with as few as 20 seats in the 93-seat parliament.

During the election campaign, while Mr O’Farrell could have played it safe and stuck to state issues, he choose to also campaigned on the federal issue of the carbon tax.   Remarkably, Mr O’Farrell also mentioned the carbon tax and the need to “fight the carbon tax” in his victory speech.

According to Samantha Maiden writing in the Herald Sun: While the outcome was regarded as a foregone conclusion, Labor MPs at a state and federal level complained the Prime Minister’s decision to announce a carbon tax hurt the campaign.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/election-leads-to-labors-bloodbath/story-fn7x8me2-1226028702873