Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Carbon Trading

The World in 2050: Nuclear Powered

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MatildaWay1_Neil HewettWORLD leaders are meeting in Italy and high on the agenda is climate change, in particular the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today’s declaration to reduce emissions by 50 percent globally by 2050 is aspiration. I say this because if it were imperative the timeframe would be a bit more meaningful.

Indeed few of today’s leaders will still be alive in 2050 and none of them will be in power.

So what will the world be like in 2050 and will this target have been achieved? [Read more…] about The World in 2050: Nuclear Powered

Time for New Climate Policies?

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An international group of academics is urging world leaders to abandon their current policies on climate change.  The authors of How to Get Climate Policy Back on Course say the strategy based on overall emissions cuts has failed and will continue to fail.   Read more here.

Due Diligence on Science Underpinning Carbon Trade

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YOU will have heard on the news over the last three weeks of the activities of Senator Steve Fielding in Australia. Steve is an independent cross-bench senator who holds a casting vote over the passage of the Australian ETS (termed the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme).

After attending the Heartland-3 climate conference in Washington in early June this year, Steve returned to Australia and asked Climate Minister Penny Wong three simple questions about climate change. The Minister replied, first in a meeting at which her Chief Scientist (Penny Sackett) and departmental science adviser (Will Steffen) presented a briefing paper, and secondly in writing. Senator Fielding then asked his advisory scientists – Bob Carter, David Evans, Stewart Franks and Bill Kinimonth – to perform an audit of the Minister’s replies to his questions.

Copies of Senator Fielding’s original questions, Minister Wong’s written reply, and other papers relevant to the matter are available for download from: http://joannenova.com.au/global-warming/the-wong-fielding-meeting-on-global-warming-documents/

Senator Fielding’s summary of the results of his discussions with Minister Wong can be found here: http://www.stevefielding.com.au/climate_change/.

The Due Diligence Paper has now been released publicly by Senator Fielding’s office (July 3, 2009):  https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/data/7%20%20Carter-Evans-Franks-Kininmonth%20Due%20Diligence%20on%20Wong-Z%20.pdf

[Read more…] about Due Diligence on Science Underpinning Carbon Trade

Fielding the Hard Questions on Climate Change (Part 2)

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IN the Australian Parliament, or more particularly the Australian Senate, the vote of one senator may be important for the passage of the government’s cap and trade legislation, also known as the emission trading scheme.   

Senator Steve Fielding recently returned from ‘The Third International Climate Change Conference’ in Washington indicating that he was unconvinced carbon dioxide was driving global warming and that he would like to meet with the Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, to ask a few questions.   The Australian media immediately tried to brand him a ‘sceptic’, but Senator Fielding has continually denied that he is a sceptic, just that he has an obligation to get to the bottom of a couple of issues before he votes on the important legislation.

Senator Wong organised to meet with him and Australia’s chief scientist Penny Sackett.  The meeting apparently took place yesterday and Senator Fielding apparently brought along some other scientists including some so-called sceptics.  

[Read more…] about Fielding the Hard Questions on Climate Change (Part 2)

The Daily Telegraph on Steve Fielding

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Steve Fielding, in just one trip to Washington, has discovered what he does not know about global warming … Fielding’s finding is of historic proportion. He has returned with a series of serious questions about the Rudd Government’s agenda that go to the heart of the most important piece of legislation… Read more here.