In the early 1980s, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, scientists at the United Kingdom’s University of East Anglia established the Climate Research Unit (CRU) to produce the world’s first comprehensive history of surface temperature. It’s known in the trade as the “Jones and Wigley” record for its authors, Phil Jones and Tom Wigley, and it served as the primary reference standard for the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) until 2007. It was this record that prompted the IPCC to claim a “discernible human influence on global climate.”

Now begins the fun. Warwick Hughes, an Australian scientist, wondered where that “+/–” came from, so he politely wrote Phil Jones in early 2005, asking for the original data. Jones’s response to a fellow scientist attempting to replicate his work was, “We have 25 years or so invested in the work. Why should I make the data available to you, when your aim is to try and find something wrong with it?”

Apparently they never thought “it was the sun”.

If it were up to me, I’d cast a vote against the ETS as well. It is inadequate and sends a message of compromise to other countries that – if repeated – will not do much to achieve respectable emission reduction goals. But Fielding’s reasoning against it (what started this thread) is dangerous politicking indeed.

But to hedge against a potential comment from Kasphar – I still see my views against the ETS as mostly political. If I took a purely technical / scientific perspective; any reduction would be better than the status quo. But looking through a more political lens, passing a weak ETS now would provide political traction for unfounded claims of victory and less support for more action in the future. This is why I answered ‘political’ above.

I believe your work will be considerably easier now than it would have been just a few years ago. Greens around the world continue to become enlightened about the realities of nuclear power. Your efforts are desperately need to accelerate that transition – more perhaps, than you may realise if James Hansen et al are close to the mark.

Again – good luck!

I share your frustration with the Green’s attitude to nuclear power. I hope that can change with time, correct information and enough supportive voices. Its a question of values and strategies. I think the Green’s values on climate change are right but their strategy (no nukes) is wrong. I’d rather try to change the Green’s strategy (one reason I recently joined the party) than the other mob’s values. If you’d rather work it the other way round, go convert the other mob, and if you get there first I’ll change my colours.

In his book “Collapse”, Jared Diamond finds a handful of key factors contributing to the collapse of civilizations – productive soil, congenial climate, war, nearby trading nations, etc. The factor that surprised me was ‘values’. The Greenland Viking settlement failed in part because eating seal was against their values as european christians, and they starved while their Inuit neighbours thrived rather than compromise this value. On the other hand, the people of the Pacific island of Tikopia, despite the high status of keeping pigs in their society, slaughtered the lot because of the environmental damage they caused. Rejecting this value helped save their civilization.

The (non-Promethean) environmental movement’s opposition to nuclear power strikes me as exactly this sort of value problem. Holding to an antinuclear position as a value could ultimately contribute to our own civilization’s collapse, but rejecting that value could help save it. One hopes they choose wisely.

Politicians look to the next election and recent statements from the Greens reflect a desire to really cash in from the next one. Milne bashes the ETS and one whole day later, Ludlam spews misinformation about nuclear power [the most significant, untapped, credible solution for Australia]. It seems to be nothing more than strategic, election politics.

Statesmen look to the next generation. Unfortunately it takes about that long for a decent statesman, a ‘bold leader’, to come along. Milne had to regress to the 1960′s and relocate to the other side of the planet to quote Kennedy for example.

In the short term Peiser’s quote may appear valid, but one can not lobby the laws of physics.

:)

I’ve emailed the senator’s office previously (regarding his position on the recent transparency bill rejected by the Senate). All I received was an automated reply basically acknowledging the receipt of my emailed question. No response since.

Enjoy the Gold Coast. Don’t eat too much plenkton, bro.

Mack,

Cheers Bro. Gold Coast! Thet’s totely beached as Bro!