Wednesday, March 14, 2007

 

Another Howard Crony Outs Himself as a sceptic


In 2007 (March) Finance Minister, Nick Minchin, questioned the link between fossil fuels and greenhouse gas pollution.
He claimed, in a aletter to Clean Up Australia's Ian Kiernan, that "a number of eminent scientists remain in the 'sceptical' camp." Senator Minchin quotes columns written by the Canadian newspaper columnist Lawrence Solomon promoting the work of Danish scientist Henrik Svensmark whose research has proved to contain numerous calculation and methodological errors.
Senator Minchin also referred to a critique of the Stern report by retired James Cook University professor Bob Carter. 'Professor Carter, whose background is in marine geology, appears to have little, if any, standing in the Australian climate science community. He is on the research committee at the Institute of Public Affairs, a think tank that has received funding from oil and tobacco companies, and whose directors sit on the boards of companies in the fossil fuel sector,' says the Sydney Morning Herald.
A spokesman for Senator Minchin said: "The senator stands by his comments in that letter."
Professor Carter told the Herald yesterday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had uncovered no evidence the warming of the planet was caused by human activity. He said the role of peer review in scientific literature was overstressed, and whether or not a scientist had been funded by the fossil fuel industry was irrelevant to the validity of research.
"I don't think it is the point whether or not you are paid by the coal or petroleum industry," said Professor Carter. "I will address the evidence."
Ex-Professor Carter has not published anything on the topic through the peer review process.
Nick Minchin is not alone in Howard's Cabinet. Senator Ian MacFarlane is also a self-professed sceptic.

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