Professor Warwick McKibbin is an economist and Board Member of the Reserve Bank of Australia and I agree with him completely so I am posting his quote from AUSSMC about todays ‘climate consensus’ announcement.  Have a read, particularly the bit about failing on the Hawke/Keating reformist legacy.

“The Labor party’s climate approach is extremely disappointing. The science and expert input has made a strong case for action for more than a decade. A majority of Australians already want to take action on climate change. What would be required to come out of a Citizens Assembly to convince the government to take action? An absolute majority – a majority in key electorates? This appears to be another 2020 summit style delay to make it appear that action is being taken when the purpose is purely delay for political advantage. Australian’s deserves better than this. If the Hawke and Keating governments had taken the approach of a Citizens Assembly to consider the major economic reforms of the 1980’s, Australia would have be a third world economy floundering in the wake of the global financial crisis. The floating of the dollar, tariff reductions and labour market reform would not have been understood nor supported by a Citizens Assembly. What is proposed is not leadership – it is abdicating responsible action…

It is hard to decide which of the Coalition or Labor policies on climate change are worse. It is appalling to see the politics of asylum seekers, applied to climate change policy.”

No wonder the east coast of the US and Eastern Europe are sweltering through a heatwave. Check-out the temperature change for June 2010 showing 4-5degrees above average conditions across most of the land in the Northern Hemisphere.

It makes me wonder how much evidence is enough to warrant meaningful action??

With the Rudd government apparently taking strategic advice from the ALP right-wing hacks to shelve the CPRS, the argument was put forward  that the world circumstances had changed to justify it. Isn’t that true – given the enormous increase in global investment in clean technology during 2009 (32% increase), with China pursing becoming a low-carbon hub.  Here is a lovely little snapshot (see below) for the right-wing hacks (inside and outside the ALP)  who continue to promote typrewriter’s (coal,oil) as the world is moving to Ipads (clean-tech).   Sticking with a pollution economy makes no economic sense and this Mongolian nomad makes that pretty clear. Lets hope PM Gillard doesn’t listen to right-wing hacks like PM Rudd did. (PS My view is  that whatever your feelings for Rudd, a political execution like this of a 1st term PM is disgusting)

Anyway, Skeptical science has launched a new Climate Science iPhone app  which may be useful next time you are sitting down to someone like Sheehan or other commentators who somehow believe thousands of climate scientists are conspiring against the world. 

Penny Sackett, the chief scientist was interviewed and was spot on when she talked about the politicisation of science and the dangers of this in our society – listen in to what she has to say.

An example of this politicisation of science can be viewed at Andrew Bolts comments on my interview – this guy just cant accept any evidence beyond himself.  Take a look at how Bolt tries to say I’m somehow a spokesperson for the ‘left’ in my quote about Monckton.Here is my quote from the interview:

Lord Monckton is a former political adviser for a UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. I think it’s very dangerous for us to take scientific advice from someone like that.

Then Bolt says this in his blog:

But check instead the truly pathetic kind of arguments – mere political sloganeering from the Left – advanced by McNeil, who calls himself a scientist

Andrew, I know you cant help yourself in politicising science when it doesn’t suit your world view, but the point I was trying to make was that taking ANY advice from ANY political advisor (left or right) on scientific development is immensely dangerous, just as it is for Bin Laden to take advice on the evils of western liberal democracies from his own ideological cave.  Are you going to accept Lord Monckton to do brain surgery aswell? He must be an expert in that too right?  It may be an ideological decision and make you feel good before the surgery  but just slightly on the stupid side.  Thats why the politicsation of science from the likes of Bolt, Lord M et al is so dangerous in growing the worlds future all-round prosperity.