Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

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Jared Diamond Just Keeps Making It Up

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JARED Diamond is not a man to spoil a good story for the sake of the truth. 

Some years ago I reviewed the chapter on Australia in his highly acclaimed book ‘Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive’.  I found it full of factual errors that played to popular myth while denigrating Australian primary industries. 

Today I received a copy of his article ‘Annals of Anthropology: Vengeance is Ours’ published by The New Yorker in April 2008, which Professor Diamond claims tells the true story of Daniel Wemp and the battles he led in the  New Guinea Highlands.   Along with this article I also received research by Rhonda Roland Shearer exposing it as a hoax. 

Rather than the true story of clan warfare that resulted in the death of 30 men and the theft of over 300 pigs, the story may well represent nothing more than the contrived ramblings of an aging Professor inspired by a yarn from a man who fancied himself as a hero once responsible for the marshalling of hundreds of warriors and the provision of some sex on the side.      

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Defining the Greens (Part 3)

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WHAT we consider to be the ‘right’ sort of environmental protection is necessarily going to be influenced by our understanding of nature.

According to Harald Kehl, the modern environmentalist either subscribes to a dualistic-anthropocentric (speculative) definition of nature with a philosophical-religious background or a scientific (hypothetical-deductive) proposition influenced by modern epistemology.   

Those who subscribe to the dualistic-anthropocentric definition would probably consider global warming foremost a moral issue, while the latter might consider it more a technological problem.  

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On a Tortuous Political Problem: Bob Carter

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Oppose the ETSLAST Wednesday, I had the privilege of appearing in front of the Australian Senate Select Committee on Climate Policy.

My main advice to the committee was that making a decision regarding an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) must be considered as a cost:benefit matter.

According to the only estimates that I could find, after ramp-up the cost of the Rudd ETS scheme is going to be about an additional $3,500 tax per year per Australian family. On the other side, the benefit will be a theoretical (i.e. modelled) reduction in temperature of less than 1/1000 deg. C.

I asked the committee if they had such figures in front of them (they didn’t), and expressed willingness to drop my estimates in favour of better-founded ones if the committee could provide them. Not a finger, or tongue, stirred!

Beyond recommending that a proper cost:benefit analysis should apply, I argued also for the implementation of a (Plan B) policy of adaptation to climate change in place of the intended (Plan A) emissions trading system. This follows the policy that I espoused in a recent talk at the New York Heartland-2 Climate Conference, a written version of which has been published in the April edition of Quadrant.

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Scepticism Increasing Under Obama

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Public hostility toward George Bush and the Republicans likely expressed itself in part as hostility toward global warming scepticism, with which Bush and the Republicans were identified. As soon as the Republicans lost power, many in the public lost their fervour in opposing climate change scepticism.  Read more here from Lawrence Solomon.

Launch of Book by Well Known Sceptic: Heaven and Earth by Ian Plimer

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The book entitled ‘Heaven And Earth’ by one of Australia’s foremost Earth scientists and outspoken climate change sceptic, Professor Ian Plimer, is “brilliantly argued”.  At least that’s according to Paul Sheehan writing in the Sydney Morning Herald.   Find out for yourself by attending one of the book launches and getting yourself a copy:

The ADELAIDE book-launch at Parliament House, Adelaide is SOLD OUT!

However, you can come to a ‘Second Launch’

Wednesday, 22 April 2009, 5.30pm

Pagoda Chinese Restaurant

189 Glen Osmond Road, Frewville SA 5063

Supper provided, drinks at bar prices

email – Damian Wyld – thomasmore@chariot.net.au

 IN MELBOURNE – the book launch is SOLD OUT!

However, you can still meet Ian Plimer and have your copy signed
beforehand

6th May, 2009 between 04:30pm – 5:30pm

Location: The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne

UPDATE  MELBOURNE

I was hoping you could make a slight amendment to details about Ian Plimer’s Melbourne book launch on your blog.  Due to demand, we’ve now booked a larger room and we’re able to accommodate more people.

 

The details are as follows:Date:                            Wednesday 6th May, 2009

Time:                           5:30pm – 6:30pm
Location:                     The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne

RSVP essential:           Bree Ambatzis, 03 9600 4744 or bambatzis@ipa.org.au

 

IN SYDNEY

Meet Ian Plimer at a book signing –

May12 between 3.30pm  and 4.30pm

Abbey’s Bookshops

131 York Street Sydney

NSW 2000 Australia

IN WAGGA WAGGA

Meet Ian Plimer at a book signing

April 24th, at 11am

Angus and Robertson,

Shop 6, Marketplace,

Wagga Wagga