Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

People

Asking Difficult Questions of the Environmental Establishment

By

Hi Jennifer,

As you probably know, we have been annoying lots of people by daring to practice journalism and ask difficult questions of the environmental establishment. We’ve rounded up for you some of the highlights of the last few months.

The third installment of our Hypocrites series – with a look at Prince Charles’s eco-Hypocrisy as he jet sets across the world telling us to live with less – attracted a lot of publicity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhpNJAKq7dE&utm_source=NOT+EVIL+ALL+CONTACTS&utm_campaign=cb79456fee-Josh+Fox+Q+%26+A+E-blast+3&utm_medium=email

The UK Independent reported on it overseas, and closer to home, it was picked up by blogs and media including the The Washington Post and Fox News.

Then, Phelim questioned Josh Fox on the accuracy of his Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland, that claims drilling for gas with fracking method makes tap water flammable. Fox, who admitted leaving out facts, he deemed “not relevant”, got so upset about us posting online a video from the Q&A, that he got his lawyers to pull it down, first from YouTube, then from Vimeo. We don’t like inaccurate documentaries and dislike censorship even more, so we created our own website to host the video, where people can see what this environmental filmmaker was trying to hide from them.
http://fightgaslandcensorship.com/?utm_source=NOT+EVIL+ALL+CONTACTS&utm_campaign=cb79456fee-Josh+Fox+Q+%26+A+E-blast+3&utm_medium=email

[Read more…] about Asking Difficult Questions of the Environmental Establishment

Europe Giving up on Climate, More Interested in Economy?

By

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. 

************

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

Calling for Essays in Defence of Back Radiation

By

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

Can Earthquakes Be Forecast?

By

A very strong 8.9 magnitude earthquake has hit Japan and tsunami warnings have been issued across the Pacific.

New Zealander, Ken Ring, forecast the recent devastating earthquake in Christchurch and forecast an increased likelihood of earthquakes between September 2010 and May 2011 because of the increased gravitational pull on the earth given the current alignment of Jupiter and Saturn.

I would link to Mr Ring’s website but it appears to be down tonight.

What to Listen to, and Read, This Week

By

1. Michael Duffy in Conversation with Stewart Franks

This afternoon at 4pm the very clever climate scientist Stewart Franks will be on ABC Radio National’s Counterpoint in conversation with Michael Duffy.  Make sure you listen in.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/counterpoint/default.htm

2. Bronwyn Herbert asks why there is no water in Lake Eucumbene

Sometime this week I am hoping the ABC TV 7.30 Report will feature a story from Bronwyn Herbert on the mismanagement of Snowy Hydro waters.    

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/

And the story started at this blog, scroll here, https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/tag/snowy-hydro/

3. Graham Young on enlightenment values and gay marriage

My advertising revenue, which would add up to about $7,000 per year at current readership levels (nearly 20,000 page views each week), has plummeted because of a boycott of On Line Opinion and Domain blogs (of which I am one) by activists within the gay lobby.

Graham Young explains today:

“We published a series of articles on gay marriage after we were approached by Rodney Croome calling for a conscience vote on gay marriage, and in the context of the Prime Minister urging all parliamentarians to go out and consult with their electorates on the issue.  It is important to us that we cover the ambit of arguments as much as possible, so of course we approached writers from all sides, and received submissions from many more…

“For 11 years On Line Opinion has been my passion. It’s been my passion because I’m a child of the Enlightenment and I was raised to believe that not only do people have a right to an opinion, but they have a responsibility to continually test and examine that opinion in the light of what others think and believe…

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11583

It was Graham Young who got me blogging, and who has insisted I keep blogging.

4.  And More

Later this week I plan to post part 2 from Luke Walker on finding that AGW signal (amongst all the natural climatic variability) and part 4 from Max Talbot on Snowy Hydro.

************
Consider this an Open Thread and I will try for the same each Monday.
Consider donating to the continued operation of this blog.   There is an orange button at the top right hand corner of this page.

More Politics from Ross Garnaut: A Note from Des Moore

By

LAST November Ross Garnaut was commissioned, for an unknown fee, to produce an Update of the Review of climate change he completed in 2008. Garnaut is an economist who describes himself as an independent expert but he acts like a believer in a greater role for government and has worked closely with Labor governments. As one commentator put it yesterday, “his work has been a key feature of Labor’s campaign to introduce a carbon trading scheme”. Indeed, his first Update and associated comments present a blatantly political perspective in portraying all developments since the Review as supporting the need for emission reducing action by government and dismissing or ignoring the reality that those developments have clearly heightened the uncertainties about the so-called science and whether there will be any agreed international political action.  

[Read more…] about More Politics from Ross Garnaut: A Note from Des Moore