Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to Australian Federal Science Minister Karen Andrews, climate deniers are robbing Australia of the time and energy to deal with climate change by perpetuating an already settled debate.
Climate change deniers robbing Australia of time to respond to impacts, Science Minister Karen Andrews warns
Australia is wasting time debating the merits of climate change and should instead focus its attention on responding to the impacts it is having on the country, a senior Liberal minister has warned.
Key points:
- Karen Andrews wants people to move on from ideological debates about climate change
- The Science Minister says the focus should be on adaptation and mitigation strategies
- She says the science of climate change is settled and is apparent in Australia
Science Minister Karen Andrews said it was time to move on from ideological battles, which she said had robbed the nation of the time and energy needed to respond to climate change.
“Every second that we spend talking about whether or not the climate is changing is a second that we are not spending on looking at adaptation [and] mitigation strategies,” she said.
“It really is time for everyone to move on and look at what we’re going to do.”
Ms Andrews, a former engineer, said the science on climate change was settled.
Her intervention comes in the wake of the Bureau of Meteorology confirming 2019 was Australia’s hottest and driest year on record.
“Let’s not keep having debates about climate change,” the Cabinet minister said.
“Let’s accept that the climate has changed, the climate is changing and we need to look at what we’re going to do about that.“
…
Karen’s comments will be unwelcome news for companies worried about Australia’s soaring energy costs. If doing nothing is no longer an option the government will consider, the costs and rising risk of blackouts caused by the transition to unreliable renewables will continue, and will likely get worse.
Obviously we heard a very different message a few weeks ago from the delightful Craig Kelly. But Craig Kelly is a backbencher, while Karen Andrews holds an important ministerial portfolio. So I think it is reasonable to conclude Karen Andrews is more representative of the Morrison government than Craig Kelly.
Australia’s bipartisan climate action agenda has real economic consequences. Late last year Bluescope Steel diverted a billion dollars investment to the USA, a billion dollars worth of investment in jobs and national income, because of concerns about soaring Australian energy prices.
I doubt Bluescope is the only company planning to scale back involvement in Australia’s increasingly uncompetitive economic environment. Karen Andrews comments are a message to energy intensive businesses like Bluescope, companies which might be hanging on in case the situation improves, that whichever political party wins the next election there is no point hoping for a better future.
Update (EW): Prime Minister Scott Morrison has explicitly endorsed Karen Andrews comments on climate policy.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Another high-quality scientist from… Australia.
https://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2020/01/15/ipcc-experts-8-discredited-papers/
She obviously does not follow Tony Heller, or any other fact finding reporter of all things climate related.
No engineer worthy of the title would even use a phrase like it’s settled science. All real engineers know science is never settled. The very nature of scientific inquiry is based on the presumption, that nothing is settled…ever!
When the lady proclaims that the science is settled, I know precisely what her engineering qualification is worth. And why she is not in engineering but in politics.
Those who can, do.
Those who can’t, teach.
Those who can’t teach, go into politics.
” . . .adaptation [and] mitigation strategies,” AU Federal Science Minister Karen Andrews
Has she elaborated?
In favor of well-managed land — clearing and burning as fire-wise folks prefer, is she?
Proper electricity that is not intermittent?
Better water supply — how?
Morrison got a fire on its hands, gets manhandled by the Extremists that seem to be partly responsible for some of the fires and does the 180. And in no time, the love affair gets real kinky as he seems to have fallen in love with the smell of his farts. Do you remember what people elected you on last time? Seems not. That will be fun when the next election comes up.
“ideological battles …had robbed the nation of the time and energy needed to respond to climate change.”
“It’s not the government that’s the problem, it’s those horrible people that complain about corruption and point out that the government’s excuse for it makes no sense. We’ll just make disagreement with what we do illegal and all of Australia’s problems will be solved.”
From the view of the left, the problem with most countries lies in the voters.
Which is why the left works so hard to import new voters.
Okay, the U.S. will sell to China instead.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-buy-52-billion-additional-180456689.html
One of the special people that I’ve met attending many of the Heartland Climate Conferences was Australian Joe Nova. I’m reasonably sure it was in New York in 2009, ICCC-2. Besides the skeptics view presented on her website, with the able assistance of her electrical engineer husband, she did a Youtube video on “How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Grid in Three Easy Steps.” It elaborates the moronic actions of the corrupt Australia politicians taking money from the GREEN CABAL.
with the able assistance of her electrical engineer husband
That would presumably be David Evans who developed the “ground breaking” Notch Theory which predicts cooling “any time now” – or perhaps not quite yet. Whatever, the Jo Nova site has gone a bit quiet on the Notch Theory recently.
Where’s her list of significant things for Australians to do to make a difference?
son of mulder — watch the video it should be perfectly obvious. If you are an Australian, pose that question on her website. The link is on the right of this website.
I have been fighting these Greenies for 27 years with limited success—these bastards don’t go away because they are brainwashed on propaganda.
Actually I’m hoping for an asteroid hit.
Jo Nova’s presentation wasn’t there when I posted. Interesting but it doesn’t answer my question aimed at Karen Andrews. Kafka couldn’t have made it up. The other day I learned that stopping all flying in the world would reduce Anthropogenic CO2 by only 2%. The only real problem to be solved is Peak Oil whenever that might be and your asteroid..
Peak Oil is not a problem. It has been calculated that if ALL fossil fuels were stopped, the temperature difference would be 0.07 deg. But who is listening?
My hope is that Scott Morrison gives her the boot immediately. His popularity would soar.
No, actually it’s a tossup on who is crazier. AU or the Swedes
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200113104203.htm
If you view the BOM temperature record for Australia, it begins at 1910. That seems very strange when you know that temperature records go back to the 19th century. But it is not so strange when you realise that prior to 1910, the temperatures were higher. 1906 for example was notorious for having 50c temperatures during the summer. This is how they pull the wool over your eyes. I wonder if this “science” minister even knows that.
“Every second that we spend talking about whether or not the climate is changing is a second that we are not spending on looking at adaptation”!
Ya should have stopped right there lady, but no, the politician in you just can’t stop enjoying the sound of your own voice! Adaption is what Humans have done for thousands of years, why stop a good idea?
So much virtue signalling at others expense, it is a shame! Of course SHE uses fossil fuels every day, but then she is special.
She wants you to raise the white flag….just give up and give her the money and power – DICTATORSHIP.
We’re not even adapting to to past weather events, let alone future climate events.
People’s memories are short, these fires that are global news will soon be forgotten about and no real land use management will take place.
Local council laws will not allow vegetation management.
Greens will continue to fight to protect trees.
Houses will continue to be built at beach front, flood plain, riverbank. People will continue to think past extreme flooding won’t happen to them.
Yet fires and floods and cyclones will continue to happen. And their costs will become greater.
Some suggestions on things that the government should announce as emergency measures to cope with climate change:
– emergency works along the coast to cope with 1.8 mm per year sea level rise. I suggest adding 2 mm every year to a series of dykes in low lying parts;
– removal of houses in high density urban areas and replacement with trees to cope with the urban heat island effect;
– immediate closure of all coal power stations and related high energy use industries that need continuous power (such as supermarket fridges). The government could issue hamster wheels to individuals to power domestic air conditioning units on hot days – thus solving both unemployment and the obesity crisis in one swoop.
– banning all air travel (except officials travelling to COP conferences) – think of the major industries that would develop from the re-introduction of clippers (round the world schooners last used in the 19th century)
– conversion of all land used for meat production to quinoa production. Again this would get rid of the obesity crisis after the crop failed from either too much or too little rain. While some might argue that this would be a step too far, moral purity should not be compromised and sacrifices (and fasting) are good for the soul.
– immediate banning of all internal combustion engines (except for ministerial cars). Just think of the advantages – having to walk (in 40C weather) to work – again resolving the obesity crisis, and the great expansion in horse drawn transport. The poo and urine I am sure would be great for recycling and a tourist attraction (especially on 40C days)
Heavens, Australia could become the Venezuela of the South Pacific with just a bit more imagination and some enlightened thinking such as displayed by the minister.
” I suggest adding 2 mm every year to a series of dykes in low lying parts”
John, if you watch the Sydney mardi gras parade, you’ll see that they are already tall enough.
Probably, inertia and complacence are a national trait. I am out of all sympathy. Don’t fight it or fix it, let the government do it they’re here to help, remember!
yeah agree the level of ignorance complacence and “make a law” the govt must fixit..is driving me barmy too
wtf? happened to our independent self reliance
guess we got eddycated out of it..
Australia avoided av real disaster by not electing a Labour Government, a party totally infested with extreme greenies. Instead, we got a Liberal Government that is only better in parts with ministers like Kevin Andrews who realize that CAGW is a fraud. The seizure of the education system by green socialists is proving to be a major problem. The only saving grace is that the average person does not see why they should pay for better weather when it comes around of its own accord every so often.
The laughable problem is there are millions of Australians who believe that if the ALP had won back in May last year there would not be these wildfires. Really! This is how stupid Australia has become.
Anybody who makes the extraordinary statements Australian Federal Science Minister Karen Andrews has about ‘climate change’, displays both her ignorance of the underlying science and evidence and astonishingly, also the basic principles underlying the ‘Scientific Method’.
Science is never settled and every detail of the widely accepted norms needs to be constantly tested in light of new evidence and understanding.
The Minister clearly has no understanding of the underlying science and empirical evidence specifically applying to Solar and Terrestrial radiation as it impacts upon and influences the Earth and its climate, specifically through the ‘Greenhouse Effect’, or she would not have made the statement she did.
If she was conversant with this she would understand that:
Water vapour is the overwhelmingly dominant greenhouse gas both in effectiveness per molecule of gas and quantity of it in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is a minor greenhouse gas both in effectiveness per molecule of gas and quantity of it in the atmosphere.
The limited spectra (centred around the 14.9 micron wavelength) where carbon dioxide is primarily active is also occupied by water vapour, limiting its greenhouse warming effect.
Man’s additional contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels is estimated by the IPCC at 3.8%, with land use change adding an extra 0.5%.
95.7% of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is from natural causes.
It is clear from these readily verifiable facts, that man’s impact, if any, on raising global temperatures is so small as to be insignificant and impossible to measure.
Historical evidence indicates that when levels of carbon dioxide were many time higher than todays, there was no correlation with global temperature.
Government ungently need to initiate a public, independent, due-diligence process to clearly establish the facts so that future policy can be sound, responsible and evidence based.
The coalition keeps shooting itself in the foot selecting snowflakes such as Andrews into positions such as Science Minister.
A lecture to the deplorables such as the one above will disenfranchise so many of those who help Scott Morisson the unwinnable election.
Economic vandalism from the conservatives!
Dear Liberals – please have a look at how well POTUS is doing.
Start draining our own swamp as it is just as expansive as the one in the USA.
Many Government Ministers are nervous about re-election and are reluctant to come out fighting for pro or anti because voters are swinging all over the place on cc.
However, voters like me get rather worried when settled science is quoted. Those who rely on it are usually demonstrating that they have done inadequate personal study and rely on others. This does not work when the end result is a daisy chain of uneducated equivicators continuously misinforming each other.
This pattern is distressingly common in governments.
Geoff S
i range every pollie for my electorate and asked bluntly
whats your stance on warming?
any that supported it got a redline
and I told them so before ending the call
TedM,
Maybe it is kW per linear metre.
But, make it 1,000 times bigger than reality to virtue signal to post-modernism, where the retold message matters more than the scientific answer.
Geoff S
I answered that the first time you posted it.
OK than, stop talking and adapt. With one of the largest known reserves of Uranium / Thorium, start with Nuclear Energy. Second, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, so ban coal exports, it’s time Australia stopped helping other countries destroy our planet. Open up all land for gas exploration, especially coal seam gas. Build dams everywhere. Implement a worthy carbon tax – $120.00 a tonne and ban cattle grazing. Limit aviation by changing the voluntary climate change mitigation tax to a mandatory tax and not $6.00, make it $100.00. Quadruple car registrations for V8’s, tripple for V6’s, double for V4’s, etc. Don’t plant trees, we have enough problems with bush fires already. DIDN”T THINK SO!
Australia’s very own “Climate Barbie”.
When the governing Liberal party is ruled by lobbyists dancing to the tune of the renewables industry, why aren’t we surprised?
Adaption is the only solution and always has been (although no serious problem will arise in my opinion).
But that’s not the game.
The game and fanatical aim of green masters (the monetizers) is ‘a price on carbon’.
They’re scrambling to downplay adaption as a solution.
You just needed to watch The Drum (ABC) last night to see that . . .