The Tuesday night meeting in Brisbane on the WUWT Australian tour had a bit of unexpected fireworks courtesy of Aussie reef scientist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. The meeting started off with some protestors outside holding placards with the tired old messages claiming “funding by big oil”…etc. Professor Ove actually incited this on his blog, saying that “The Climate Shifts crew and other scientists will be there en masse to record and debunk the lies that will be told.”
The “en masse” was about 5, maybe 6 people by my count. Ove is the one at right below.
I’ve never met Dr Ove, never corresponded with him, and after watching his behavior firsthand, I’m not sure I would have wanted to. His behavior left me with the impression that he was the antithesis of a professional person. At least the lady from Oxfam and the fellow in the green shirt who came up to me afterwards had manners, even though they disagreed with me, and I thank them for that. Ove never made the effort to say hello.
Andrew Bolt and his readers explain it far better than I could:
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From Andrew Bolt’s blog:
Matt Ridley has his book The Rational Optimist fact-checked by five warmist scientists, including our own alarmist, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. Conclusion:
After reading their critiques, I stand even more firmly behind my conclusion that the threats to coral reefs from both man-made warming and ocean acidification are unlikely to be severe, rapid or urgent.
He explains why. And then starts fact-checking Hoegh-Guldberg instead…
(Thanks to reader Brady.)
UPDATE
Reader Brendan reports from the lecture tour of Watts Up With That’s Anthony Watts (dates and cities here):
Your mate Ove Hoegh-Guldberg turned up with an acolyte/personal photographer at Anthony Watts’ talk in Brisbane tonight. He didn’t actually ask Anthony any questions and seemed only interested in hijacking the Q&A at the end to snipe at Bob Carter. This included calling Prof. Carter “crazy” at one point for questioning the IPCC consensus and also refusing to return the microphone to one of the helpers.
While Prof Carter maintained a disciplined, academic tone it seemed David Archibald had other ideas. When answering a question about who was making money from climate change Archibald alluded to certain members of the audience getting millions of dollars to conduct “stupid” research on the reef. However, the high ground yielded by Archibald with this comment was quickly regained when Ove then dramatically sprung to his feet and shouted to the audience how he was the butt of the slight.
Reader BcuBed adds:
Andrew,
The … professor tried to commandeer the WUWT Seminar in Brisbane last night. I think he even mentioned you. My wife summed him up pretty well – “Who is that arrogant a/hole”.
Despite Bob Carter giving him three minutes of stage time he still continued to push his way into the thread of the meeting, much to the disgust of one of the audience who chimed in with “I did not travel for three hours to hear you, so sit down”.
These holier than thou academic types never seem to get it and then they wonder why they are losing public confidence. The “Trust me I’m a doctor (or professor)” mentality and “I know better than you” just does not wash with the average person.
The presentations by Anthony Watts and David Archibald were well-received by the audience and Bob Carter did a great job chairing and summing up the evening. Well worth the effort of going along and helped to confirm my view of what a d… the reefman is.
For my debate with Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, click on the second item on the Index at this ABC site.
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The odd thing is, if Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg had simply asked at the start to make a statement (like a professional scientist normally would) Professor Carter (who chaired the meeting) would have gladly done so and I would have given my approval as well, even though he has called both myself and Dr. Carter “liars” in advance. He hadn’t even seen the presentation. His conduct and constant hijacking of the microphone finally irritated me enough to shout out “Hey, go rent your own hall!”. Ove ignored me and kept on.
This head butting really doesn’t accomplish anything, and looks bad for professional science, unless of course you are playing “State of Origin” footy, in which case Ove-like antics seem to be the strategy.
By the way, QLD thrashed NSW 34-6, with NSW only making a goal in the 79th minute last night. My first introduction to AU footy was like watching the Superbowl in the states, and I thank my hosts sincerely for setting me up with good company with which to expose me to the sport in style. After watching Ove, I noted that the footy at least had basic rules of conduct I could follow, they even put one fellow on report with possibly suspension, for bad behavior.
The physical rough and tumble footy match gave me a far better impression of Australia than Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg’s rough and tumble did.
– Anthony
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I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of tangling with O H-G at Andrew Bolts blog earlier this year.
The man has known nothing but government grant employment all his adult life. The AGW scare has been a gold mine for him and his fellows at the Great Barrier Reef authority. No wonder he is passionately protecting his self interest.
p.s. Ove is easy to debate. He has older peer reviewed papers contradicting his current stance on coral bleaching due to 0.1DegC per decade temp increase. Quote these papers to him and he runs away like the coward that he is.
This man has, by this boorish behaviour, no doubt done his “cause” more harm than good.
My very sincere thanks, Anthony, and also to David Archibald and Bob Carter, for your superb efforts to educate the populace, and for the impact you are no doubt having.
I’m glad you enjoyed the footy, and sorry you weren’t able to see a slightly more closely matched game.
Australia had the bad luck of drawing Germany for their first match in South Africa.
♫♫♫
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby…♫♫♫
So you went over the rainbow….
to meet those day-dreaming global warming guys
I was there on Tuesday.
Ove was very passionate and clearly believed deeply in what he was saying/doing.
When given 3 minues to talk be basically said AGW is happening because all scientists say so and that AGW is right because the IPCC says so, as if that would have been new to the audience. Anthony on the other hand had presented a talk with data, observations and a reasoned argument.
I’d like to see Ove debate with Bob Carter and Anthony when he has had time to prepare a reasonable presentation with the emotion removed and the reason injected.
I thought that Bob Carter (the chairman that evening) handled it very well and on balance it was good to give Ove 3 minutes to talk,
Anthony, Richard Fernandez has put up a post about you and he going on a late nite food run – sounds like a wonderful trip! I had a marvelous time reading about two of my favorite bloggers searching for Harry’s Cafe de Wheels.
and he gives a very good summary of a talk you gave, if you haven’t seen it yet:
http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/06/13/whitewash-versus-paint/
Anthony, good tip for microphones handed out to audiences, keep a volume control handy. If you can patch in some birds tweeting, even better.
Hope your having lots of fun Anthony while we suffer through all of these long days without you at the controls! Aye mate? :0)
I see that Steve Milloy (JunkScience.com) was nice enough to send them a T-shirt. I have one just like it. I don’t think they got the message.
Aussie reef scientist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is one of those people who, if they didn’t already exist, you would have to invent. People are stranger than fiction.
As an Aussie, that interview was almost too embarrassing to watch.
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg appeared to be your typical, alarmist cherry-picker who wanted to stress one particular point (arctic ice reduction), ignore the antarctic increase but still make comments that the interviewer was not looking at things globally when it suited his (Ove’s) purpose.
He also claims that people are not looking at long enough timescales then produces a temperature graph of only 150 years or so. It was only 6-12,000 years ago that the Great Lakes of North America were formed BY GLACIERS so, personally, I’m extremely pleased that the Earth has warmed up a little since then.
PS – looking forward to seeing Anthony and Co in Adelaide
I actually rather like that T-shirt. It’s “non-denominational”, so to speak. Skeptic and true believer alike can both wear it.
“stevengoddard says:
June 16, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Australia had the bad luck of drawing Germany for their first match in South Africa.”
We got lucky. Ballack and 4 or 5 other top players all fell ill or got injured before the World Cup. Nobody expected the team to be that successful.
Sorry, Ossies.
Yes, but he is Australian! I mean, they are very brash, curt, sometimes rude – and say it like it is. Some actually like that, as you know where you stand. Personally I don’t, as there’s no need to be rude. But having met lots of Australians I’m in no wonder that you can very easily end up in a bar-fight there for just disagreeing with someone’s viewpoint! Unfortunately they can’t moderate their tone of language. English Formula 1 racer, Lewis Hamilton, was recently called a [snip] by an Australian government minister! They seem to think this is acceptable language, but to us it comes across as boorish and ill-mannered. And even saying that you get called a snob.
“”” stevengoddard says:
June 16, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Australia had the bad luck of drawing Germany for their first match in South Africa. “””
Well ‘scuse me; but that namby pamby thing they are playing in South Africa hardly qualifies as “Footy.”
I thought that Anthony was referring to “Footy” otherwise known as “Australian Rules”.
Now that really is football.
Of course American “Football” should be called handball; because you never actually put foot to ball, until you have failed to advance ten yards, in which case you try to kick the ball out over the side line; way up field; and of course you failat that so somebody catches it and runs it back for a TD; talk about dumb; allowing a run back.
So every colelge and professional NFL coach should be made to watch that silly whirled cup thing; to disabuse himself of the notion that soccer players can actually kick the ball. Even with a round ball, it goes ove the net; round the net; anywhere but in the net.
Then those coahces would go looking for Rugby fullbacks to kick the ball for them or even betetr get some Aussie “Footy” players. Every single chap on the field; with the exception of the referee, is allowed to kick the ball; any time he wants to in real “Footy”.
Too bad you had to watch that SA farce; even in the opening game against Mexico; SA got handed a draw; by disallowing a first half Mexico goal on a botched offside call. Well the frogs don’t allow instant replay in their FIFA excuse for “Footy.”
O H-G appears to be a brown footy boob.
[Bad pun for you ornithologically minded.]
Charles and Steven Mosher are doing a fantastic job, while Anthony is away.
Anthony,
You should also take time for a trip to the MCG in Melbourne to watch an AFL game so that you can appreciate the diversity of our football codes in this country. I trust your hosts in Melbourne can arrange for that to happen.
In response to John Trigge. John, Ove also came out with the 150 year timeframe at the Brisbane meeting, which to those of us in the audience with a true geological background was just another example of the lack of understanding of a marine biologist for real earth history as you rightly point out.
http://www.footytube.com/
George Smith – I think he’s talking about State of Origin, in which of course, scoring is called a try not a goal and which definitely has nothing to do with soccer ( english – football).
Anthony – this Saturday night is a good one for Rugby with New Zealands All Blacks playing the Welsh national team. If you can catch it you can get really confused as that is Rugby not to be confused with Rugby League, which shouldn’t be confused with Australian Rules which shouldn’t be confused with Football. 🙂
Ghost of Jim C – Yes we Aussies and Kiwis can come across as abrupt to other cultures but of course thats what makes our culture different ( and Aussies are way ruder than Kiwis :)) however in regards to Louis Hamilton I believe it was when he was busted by Police doing donuts on a public street in his Mercedes sportster – definitely a dickhead IMO.
anthony,
glad u got to see australia’s greatest rugby league footballer of all time, darren lockyer, captain of queensland.
also wish i could have attended your event, but u didn’t visit my little town. i was there in spirit though.
it’s good ove attended – nothing like getting up close and personal to discover how zealous he is.
best wishes for the rest of the tour.
The distance between extreme self-righteousness and mental instability is a small one.
“stevengoddard says:
June 16, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Charles and Steven Mosher are doing a fantastic job, while Anthony is away.”
You as well; i love your animations!
My family and I enjoyed the presentation in Brisbane enormously – it was great to meet Anthony and have a chat (though the terrible acoustics of the hall made it difficult).
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg was truly obnoxious, and while I expected no less of him, it was a real eye-opener for my wife and son to see just how flimsy their whole case is, and how reliant on the standard rhetoric of the quoting the IPCC as some infallible source.
And for a man who has a uncommon name in this country to get all huffy and offended when someone mispronounced his name just reveals the type of person he is.
Kudos to Anthony and Bob Carter for the way they handled it with grace and dignity.
Any other Aussies on the blog, make sure you see Anthony while he is here. Highly recommended.