Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Opinion

Outgoing Longwave Radiation and the Greenhouse Effect: Ken Gregory

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Outgoing longwave radiation and the greenhouse effect HAS the greenhouse effect increased with man-made greenhouse gas emissions? Canadian Ken Gregory asks and answers this question concluding…

The greenhouse effect as characterized by the normalized greenhouse factor has increased by only 0.19% from 1960 to 2008. The temperature change from 1960 attributable to AGW is less than 0.1 C. The extrapolated temperature change attributable to AGW at doubled CO2 concentration is 0.26 C. The data shows that the IPCC estimate of climate sensitivity at doubled CO2 concentration of 3.0 C is unrealistic.

Read more here: http://www.friendsofscience.org/assets/documents/OLR&NGF_June2011.pdf

US Supreme Court Impressed by Climate Sceptic

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There was an important ruling last week in the USA. Would-be regulators of carbon dioxide lost an appeal in the Supreme Court.

They lost on technical grounds and in the process the Court cautioned, by way of a footnote in the judgement, that the science of climate change is hardly settled. Rather than citing some evidence, however, the Judge cited an article about the views of physics and sceptic Freeman Dyson, published in of all places, the New York Times Magazine and over two years ago.

You can read the article entitled ‘The Civil Heretic’ by Nicholas Dawidoff here… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/magazine/29Dyson-t.html?pagewanted=1

You can read the Supreme Court ruling here…
http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/10-174.pdf

Irresponsible: SA Politicians Unite Against Upstream Communities and Environments

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ADELAIDE in South Australia is a one paper town. Everyone reads the Adelaide Advertiser. Today, as usual, it’s full of parochial chatter including a one page advertisement devoted to a statement from all 23 South Australian Federal MPs (Green, Labor and Coalition) blaming the problems of the Lower Lakes and Coorong on upstream irrigators and their “chronic overuse of water”.

Of course the Adelaide Advertiser has never let the facts get in the way of a good story and so, without explaining that there is a local solution to the problem, their journalist Catherine Hockley supports the advertisement organised by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) with a nonsense story headlined ‘Politicians unite to rescue the Murray’

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/politicians-unite-to-rescue-the-murray/story-e6frea6u-1226080269703

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Carbon Tax as a Failed European Policy

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IF a new federal tax of $11.6 billion represents economic reform, then the Australian political culture has changed fundamentally, and economic reform means roughly the opposite of what it meant under Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard.

“First, rectify the names,” as Confucius said. The complete inversion of the language of economic reform under the Gillard government, especially in relation to the proposed carbon tax, is a clue to the much more fundamental question at hand.

Australia faces a profound and defining strategic choice. The carbon tax is part of that choice…

Read the entire article by Greg Sheridan here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/labors-euro-vision-provides-the-smoke-and-mirrors-for-a-carbon-tax/story-e6frgd0x-1226077328365

[Labor’s Euro vision provides the smoke and mirrors for a carbon tax, Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor
From:The Australian, June 18, 20111, 2:00AM ]

Major Drop in Solar Activity Predicted

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Three separate studies of the sun all predict that we may be about to enter a period of low temperatures because of unusually low solar activity. Comparisons are being made with the last grand minimum, the coldest period of the Little Ice Age, which occurred between 1645 and 1715. Known as the Maunder Minimum this was a period when crops failed across Europe.

Following is the press release from the annual meeting of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society, being held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces…

WHAT’S DOWN WITH THE SUN?
MAJOR DROP IN SOLAR ACTIVITY PREDICTED

A missing jet stream, fading spots, and slower activity near the poles say that our Sun is heading for a rest period even as it is acting up for the first time in years, according to scientists at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

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Asking for a FairGo for Live Export: Scot Braithwaite

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My name is Scot Braithwaite and my life has basically revolved around live export since I was 10 years old. I was unloading cattle boats in Malaysia at the age of 13. I have worked for all the major cattle companies including as a Head Stockman in the Northern Territory. I have a degree in economics from the Queensland University and I personally have sold more than 1.5 million head of cattle into Indonesia since 1991. I am presently employed as the marketing manager for Wellard rural exports.

I am writing to you after the ABC 4 Corners Television program to say that although I abhor the treatment of the animals shown in the video, your one sided approach to the subject and the possible effect of that of a ban on live exports is too big a price to pay for a report based on the evidence of an organization that’s charter is to shut us down. I have the following points to make. I would like to have the same time as those who denigrated my life to show you the other side of our industry. To show you what is really going on. In Australia there used to be thing about “A fair Go”. You have gone with images provided by one person followed up by your investigative journalist who spent a week in Indonesia. Your report makes out that close to 100% of Australian cattle are treated as was shown on TV.

The ship that appears in the footage “for less than 30 seconds” is a vessel that cost tens of millions of dollars to build. We have had 3 separate media groups sail with this ship and it can in no uncertain terms be described as best in class. The Wellard group has another 3 vessels of the same standard with another 2 being built in China. This is a total investment of 400 million dollars to ensure that livestock exports from Australia are undertaken at the utmost levels of cow comfort and animal welfare.

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