Here’s why Fielding should support us on climate

DG says:

02:38pm | 16/07/09

Coral bleaching on the GBR occurs because of the run off from the large amount of cane farms and others near by.
Coral thrives in warmer waters, if anything warmer weather will help the reef grow.

Ian says:

02:43pm | 16/07/09

Gee Kevin, perhaps you could help make us ‘more aware that we need to act on climate change now’ by answering Fielding’s questions! Show some evidence that he is wrong, that your CPRS will solve the problem and we’ll get behind you.

MarcH says:

02:43pm | 16/07/09

Latest science on climate change indicates that “There appears to be something fundamentally wrong with the way temperature and carbon are linked in climate models”

Rudd has not done his homework ...again. This rates a fail: E- best stick to twitter.

http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=12794&SnID=1419357327

pete says:

02:45pm | 16/07/09

well, the most obvious responses to this are, if the government is so concerned about climate change, why were’nt higher targets set for carbon emissions which will lead us right into the oxymoronic phrase clean coal (no such animal) no matter what spin is put on it. Frankly, I think the government should have grasped the nettle on the uranium issue and gone for a switch to nuclear power and before you assume anything about me, I voted for your lot.

However, if you(the govt) do not show more drive and leadership on climate you will be a one term wonder I forecast a greater presence of greens in the lower chamber next election if your progress to date is anything to go by

Dont call me disgruntled, just disappointed and disenchanted and I’m not alone. you have a very silent political problem out here, waiting for the next election

Alan of Newcastle says:

02:49pm | 16/07/09

Interesting that you don’t mention the one thing that Steven Fielding and others have been hammering on about for weeks. Namely the graph that shows CO2 concentration going up and temperatures being steady then dropping over the last decade or so. Can you address this please? No of course not. If Al Gore can’t then how can you be expected to. The only people who are using science in this debate any more are the so called “skeptics” like Steve Fielding and Ian Plimer.

No one is denying that the climate is changing. Maybe we can even agree that it will have some negative consequences. However if we can’t establish that CO2 emitted by human beings is the culprit then there’s no point in lowering everyone’s standard of living is there?

It’s only a matter of time before scientific consensus and world opinion swings over to the side of the “skeptics”. I’m sure you can see the trend. Why not do something visionary by agreeing with the science rather than movie stars and help Australia become an energy superpower so that when the world discards this madness and starts trying to develop again Australia will be right there at the forefront. Future generations will thank you.

Sol Granberg says:

02:49pm | 16/07/09

I just wrote this on the PM’s blog and was censored by his RuddWall:

SIR

You could start to make people more aware (read: interested) by dropping the spin from your blogging and talking real terms.

The CPRS in August without significant amendments. It is fundamentally flawed.

Leave it to the Liberals next time to design a proper market-oriented solution. Labor has rarely, especially under your government, been able to prove that they are not sick with cronyism and, in the case of the CPRS, counterproductive and biased concessions.

Sol.

- - - - -

So much for a Prime Minister that is committed to: “a more accessible, open and transparent way of governing.”

Margaret Gray says:

03:08pm | 16/07/09

Dear Kevin,

You seek Senator Fielding’s support yet neither you nor your Minister for Climate Change can answer the most simple of scientific questions: why is atmospheric CO2 conc. going up but not temperature?

Talking about the loss of “iconic natural wonders” like the Great Barrier Reef is fatuous nonsense and offensive to those of us not blinded by the bureaucratic rhetoric and hollow spin you and your cabinet excel greatly at.

How can we take anyone seriously whose carbon abatement ‘solution’ is to squirt CO2 underground into vast geological formations for perpetual storage.

Before you wantonly commit Australia to massive social upheaval and economic larceny, humour us “skeptics” (read: heretics) and just answer the Senators questions. Show us the conclusive evidence that incontrovertably supports your AGW hypothesis.

You owe your voters at least that much.

MF says:

03:16pm | 16/07/09

Hey Ian (that you Plimer?), how about you address the massive list of inconsistencies and inaccuracies in “Heaven and Earth” generated by CSIRO?  I’d really like to see your response.  Seriously.  Tell them how they’re wrong - point by point.  Just how they showed you’re wrong - point by point.

JDV says:

03:17pm | 16/07/09

Could the PM please tell us what a 5% reduction of man made co2 by Australia will amount to if that is what the CPRS is all about?

Lets see -5% of 1.4% of 0.117% of total global GHGasses = 0.00008% = ZILCH
Lets see -that’s bound will stop runaway warming err… cooling err… climate change.
But watch - he will sell it!

Ilajd says:

03:18pm | 16/07/09

Why won’t you answer Steve Fielding’s questions Kevin?

Old Clive says:

03:18pm | 16/07/09

Kev vie has to do someting real quick because he critisised honest John for stalling, when was that 18 months ago, and what has he done since then, signed Kyoto, boy that certainly helped the supposition that all these egghead scientist believe in , the cavemen are to blame for getting rid of the iceage and the extinction of the dinosaurs. U betcha.

iansand says:

03:20pm | 16/07/09

For how long to you plan to talk about things before actually doing something?  Why aren’t you rolling about laughing at the idea of “clean coal” - a great idea unconnected to any concept of actually working?

Razor says:

03:22pm | 16/07/09

Prime Minister - I have two questions of fact for you.

By how many parts per million will the proposed Australian ETS reduce global CO2 concentrations?  And, by how many Centigrade will Australia’s ETS reduce global temperature and when?

IJK says:

03:28pm | 16/07/09

I’m going to be shallow: love the photo - Kev’s RMs vs Al’s full-on Texas tooled leather numbers. How many climate-changing farting cows did it take to make yours, Al? (Hey Kev, the sock-trouser gap is not a good look).

Graham N says:

03:42pm | 16/07/09

Yes Kevin it’s important for YOU to get Fielding’s support on climate change so you can go to Copenhagen and stand up there on your soap box in front of the world and look like a HERO. Are you sure this is about climate change and not about YOU?

Niall says:

03:54pm | 16/07/09

It’s amazing how many people still use blogs to push political ideology. What practically every commenter above fails to acknowledge is the reality of climate change, aside from the spurious link between CO2 and temperature over an almost infinitesimally small geological time period of 10 years. Sure, there’s politics at play, that’s the nature of the beast, but the planet’s climate IS changing and not towards clemency. At the risk of quoting a Chinaman, “A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step”. If no nation makes a move on climate change consensus, waiting for some other nation to do so, then no consensus will ever be achieved. Someone has to be first.

Brad Coward says:

03:58pm | 16/07/09

As you spent so much of your time on a plane, Prime Minister, what are you doing to offset your personal carbon footprint ?  Leaving Julia Gillard in Canberra to do your job every time that you’re out of the country playing “look at me I’m a statesman”, doesn’t count.  But feel free to use that as your response if one of your script-writers can’t think of an answer.

Jack says:

04:00pm | 16/07/09

This is just 360 words of you talking about your last trip abroad where you peacocked and flexed like the big man on campus.

You’ve done nothing except tell us how important you are and how much we should follow your lead because, as you said, you are important and you hang around with important people.

In the aether that is the internet, people who act like self-important twits get flamed deservedly so. Is this what you want Kevin? A flame war against the internet?

Even if Fielding is wrong -  who knows, he might be - you’re giving him electoral oxygen by being so dismissive towards him. If you can’t get down and explain it yourself, get a minion who can.

Allan says:

04:10pm | 16/07/09

I would be much more confident in the predictions if the Auditor General or the Australian Audit Office audited the base research.
At least set the standards to which these reports are written too.
The IPCC reports are built on the shoulders of research that has been challenged and some that has not had it’s supplementary data released so the research can not be analysis.
If scientists are using public money to progress their research and they work in Govt Dept’s, that data and research is public property and every skerik of it should be available to the public!

Trivia's Better than Rhetoric says:

04:29pm | 16/07/09

Not at all shallow, IJK. You raise far more urgent and pressing issues than anything else people are crapping on about here.

Was that pic shot at Kirribilli? What a dive. It looks about as welcoming as a corporate conference room.

How come Al’s got a big pink folder stuffed with papers while Kev’s only got a few pages? Tea or coffee in their cups? Is that Kevs BlackBerry and what is it sitting on? What is that grey panel behind Al? Maybe it’s a suggestion box.

C’mon folks, dispense with the partisan posturing—these are the questions we need answered.

pete m says:

04:37pm | 16/07/09

Here’s why you should support more research before joining the AGW bandwagon.

Using the IPCC recommended statistics filter, this graph shows how the IPCC endorsed and world’s leading models have predicted climate, as against the actual data:

http://www.climateaudit.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/rahmstorf_ipcc.gif

In less than 2-3 years, we’ll likely see a divergence between the models and real data as at their predictions of today.

Not only has Rahmstorf 09, the leading paper on “worse than we thought” got it horribly wrong (they didn’t even understand their filter was no more complicated than a triangular filter - they tried to say it was some whiz bang new dynamic one), but they changed the length of time applied for the filter, the size of the filter and the input data. 

Actually, the data is “better than we thought”.  So much better that if it continues in this vein, we may even start worrying abut global cooling!

Yep, that sure is change we can believe in.  Instead of cap and change, it will be stimulus burn.

David C says:

04:41pm | 16/07/09

It appears people are for renewable energy, the issue will be the price people are prepared to pay for it. People are also happy it seems to put in place measures to help us adapt to climate change, whatever that may require and also dependent on cost.
What seems to be the issue here is the ETS and its goal of reducing CO2 emissions. You say we need something to take to Copenhagen but it seems that these meetings agree to do more of what we havent done in the past. If we failed to get any agreements in the previous meetings why do we think we will get agreements now?
This is all being made more complicated by the fact this is all based on models that are throwing up a few questions of late that are just not being answered credibly. Provide the evidence that the people want and you might find this all falls in to place. Until then the “discussion” will only get more intense. And the fact the AGW crowd is getting more shrill is only making it worse.

Vanessa says:

04:44pm | 16/07/09

Climate change, natural or man made - I don’t care.  BUT - why do you feel the need to introduce a Carbon Credits Trading Scheme?  It is a TAX, plain and simple.  Governments and certain people/companies will get rich off it, but us ordinary citizens will pay for something that may or may not be real.  Howabout better education and discussion concerning “climate change” - not propaganda drivel.

Peter from the Ville says:

04:52pm | 16/07/09

Keven
Why are you planning on, destroying jobs, stopping investment, increasing energy costs, increasing the COL and so it goes on, all based on a hypothesis. Your ridiculous claims are easily refuted. Your spin would make a clothes dryer dizzy. Fielding is the only one with his finger on the pulse. The sooner you are gone the better of Australia will be.

Rationalist says:

05:17pm | 16/07/09

Why no nuclear power for Australia, Kevin?

Alex says:

05:29pm | 16/07/09

Because that’s what Howard wanted and he wasn’t very popular…Rationalist

phil says:

05:37pm | 16/07/09

peter from the ville let me get this straight the bloke who dresses up like a returnable bottle. This is the bloke with his finger on the pulse.The sooner people like you are gone the better. Keep swinging kev

ben says:

06:05pm | 16/07/09

Good job Kevin, it takes half an hour of googling to realise that the arguments of skeptics are rife with holes. The consensus of CLIMATOLOGISTS (not all scientists – I’m talking about the ones who are relevant) agree that carbon emissions is contributing to global warming, and there is not a single credible peer-reviewed paper that contradicts this. Whether or not it’s happening is simply no longer a question, and the number of commentators who (well meaningly) seem to think so is quite disturbing.

The question is what we should do. Personally, I’m astounded that a government that claims to feel so strongly about the issue has done so little for alternative energy, and has actually taken away the solar rebate. It almost seems like your trying to burn less fossil fuels….without reducing how much fossil fuel is burnt. Until someone invents clean coal, which certainly hasn’t happened yet, we can’t reduce co2 emissions and protect the coal industry at the same time. As a young person, I implore you to focus on the right priority, or it will be me and my children’s generation who will pay the price.

Thanks

ANDIKA says:

06:09pm | 16/07/09

G-day PM,
Nice of you to finally join us normal folks and Blog with us.
Now what’s the big deal? The PM quotes “..it(s) recognised the clear message from climate science that the increase in global average temperature must not exceed 2°C”. So again, what’s the big deal? The temperature varies all the time doesn’t it? I mean, that’s why we have four seasons after all. Besides, life flourishes when its warmer and here’s and easy exercise to test this theory, count how many animals species live in say Siberia and then compare how many animal specials live in say the jungles of PNG. Spoiler Alert – more live in PNG!
And please stop using our Great Barrier Reef as a so called victim of Climate Change –the reef is at risk from poor water quality from runoff, mass coral bleaching and cyclic outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.  If it wasn’t for NATURAL CLIMATE CHANGE, the reef would be here in the first place! How many reefs do you see grow in temperate waters? F All – That’s what!
Finally, the PM tells us and I quote, ‘This scheme will for the first time put a limit on Australia’s carbon pollution. By taking action at home in Australia, we can give businesses certainty and give momentum to the international negotiations that are so crucial for our national interest.’
Who’s he trying to BS here? While there are mammals on the Australian continent – there will always be carbon pollution because that’s what we mammals do – breath! As for business certainty, the only thing certain is this. Brazil, Russia, India & China (BRIC countries) will Not agree to the lofty goals set for discussion in Copenhagen in December this year. Anyone who thinks differently is kidding themselves. If our PM was really fair dinkum, he’d wait and see what happens in the US Senate and at the very minimum, provide Australian industry the same protections Present Obama will give US businesses. And FFS PM, stand up for Australians for a change and that includes that poor bloke Stern Hu trapped by a totalitarian regime.

Dissident says:

06:11pm | 16/07/09

So what about the elephant in the room: emission-free nuclear energy. Hyprocrites like you and your party are against it and refuse to even discuss it, yet are all for mining Uranium!

pete b says:

06:30pm | 16/07/09

It’s good to see some debate and argument on this issue. Will the secretive (control freak) Senator Conroy work on net censorship to restrict free debate on such controversial topics Kev? For me, this dumb Labor spin on ‘clean coal’ has undermined my respect of your leadership on this issue. You treat us like we are bit stupid.

davido says:

06:38pm | 16/07/09

The undisputeble fact is this: the planet is getting warmer.
On every continent and in every country people of different political values, ethnicity, race and religion have systematically tracked the gradual increase in the temperature of the planet over the last 50 years.

Now what are you going to do about it?

BrianN says:

06:39pm | 16/07/09

Hey Punch - you’ve gotten PM Kev to respond to Felding on Climate Change - reckon you can get him to respond to Millsy on Marriage Equality??

Max says:

06:44pm | 16/07/09

I would like to see as many questions that can be asked before any act is put through parliament. Just because our politicians push their ideas on us, it does not mean it is good for us, or for that matter, if all the politicians really know what they are talking about. I just can not help but wonder if there is a bigger global issue being played out. Who really is going to win out in the end? Big business usually !!

Michael says:

08:05pm | 16/07/09

I have never felt more dread for our nation, the first time I saw you on TV sir I knew you would lead this country, I never thought you would lead us closer to oblivion.

Geoff from Ourimbah says:

08:16pm | 16/07/09

Well, PM I thought you liked hanging round successful people.
Al Gore is a failed politician. Al Gore put out a movie which the British High Court found to be full of Inconvenient Lies. Al Gore then lied to the ABC’s 7:30 report by saying the British court found in his favour.
By the way, CO2 is innocent.

Cynic says:

08:31pm | 16/07/09

If anything this article proves just how little our govt knows about what they plan to impose on us..Yet they are willing to introduce yet another tax , that is something they know.. real solutions to climate change will not involve taxes, it will involve renewable and nuclear power., and considerable change in the way we as a species live.

Andy from Kirra says:

08:33pm | 16/07/09

Re davido @ 638pm

Yes mate and guess what? It’s been happening for BILLIONS of years and will continue to happen and what we humans contribute via indurstry is F all compared to the natural biocycle.

ANDIKA says:

08:36pm | 16/07/09

Re ben @ 605pm

Re ‘As a young person, I implore you to focus on the right priority, or it will be me and my children’s generation who will pay the price.’

Yeah you’re right - the $200BILLION in DEBT

Louisa says:

08:43pm | 16/07/09

This is just another photo opportunity for Rudd the red.  I am bored with the man.  Vacuous sums him up perfectly

Luke says:

08:50pm | 16/07/09

Climate change sceptics only need to look at the majority of scientific proof to see that climate change is happen, and that man is playing a role in this. Whether you are a support of rudd and his government or not the fact remains that our generation has a moral responsibility to the plant and future generations to act on climate change. While the governments scheme is not perfect it does start to tackle the problem.  We need to at now on this matter before it’s too late.

Luke says:

08:50pm | 16/07/09

Climate change sceptics only need to look at the majority of scientific proof to see that climate change is happen, and that man is playing a role in this. Whether you are a support of rudd and his government or not the fact remains that our generation has a moral responsibility to the plant and future generations to act on climate change. While the governments scheme is not perfect it does start to tackle the problem.  We need to at now on this matter before it’s too late.

iDragon says:

09:03pm | 16/07/09

Hi Kev, if you don’t mind.
Could you please clarify my queries:

- Don’t you think that the Climate Change is largely attributed to our mismanagement of the land and water resources?
And the second query
Where are the $10b designated to be spent on the Murray Darling basin by the previous government?

My last query is:
- Who are the beneficiaries of the proposed scheme? I would like to know, who will make most money out it? Would it be banks or the recruitment companies working for the Government?

Leo says:

09:32pm | 16/07/09

This small block of rock,dirt and water what we call Earth always has been changing.Sometimes it gets warmer, sometimes colder.That process takes thousands mayby millions of years.Plant and animal species,where we are part of will come, adjust or die off.This takes all a very long time.So why are people screaming and carrying on like this will happen next week?
Mankind, animals and plants will adjust,mayby different than we think but there will be life on earht till the sun burns out in 3.5 billion years
Where are you worried about?

Andrew says:

09:34pm | 16/07/09

Kevin, If you want Fieldings vote, all you or Penny Wong have to do is answer his question. Why, in this decade, has CO2 gone up yet temperature has decreased? Its should be a simple question to answer if your so convinced your right.

Edward Roy says:

09:49pm | 16/07/09

The only climate change Rudd et al are really interested in is a change in the political climate. Any threat to the current climate of sunshine and ALP happiness must be countered at all and any cost. Australia will be paying for Kev’s conceit for many, many years to come, probaly into the next ice age.

cohenite says:

09:52pm | 16/07/09

Nothing needs to be done about global warming PM because Anthropogenic global warming [AGW] is not happening; this is conclusively shown in a new scientific paper by Dr David Stockwell;

http://arxiv.org/abs/0907.1650

As for you persisting in this outrageous alarmism that indicators of AGW are getting worse will you PLEASE look at the official measure of Ocean Heat Content [OHC] which shows the oceans have been cooling since 2005;

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/index.html

In addition, the University of Colorado and their satellite device, Jason-1, show that sea level has decreased, that is dropped, since 2006.

Despite these facts, you, Senator Wong and Professor Will Steffan continue to peddle this outrageous nonsense that things are getting worse. WHY?

Mo says:

11:08pm | 16/07/09

Wish all these ‘experts’ would stop reading reports and try going for a walk every day.  If they took the time to get out and about they would realise that averages don’t matter as much as the gap between extremes.  My Cocker Spaniel isn’t the brightest bulb in the canine chandelier, but even she noticed that last summer was very hot and this winter has been very cold.  The trees in our local park are showing the effects of prolonged drought and many days of stronger than usual winds.  If a Cocker Spaniel can recognise climate change when she experiences it, why can’t Steve Fielding?

Charles says:

12:16am | 17/07/09

Prime Minister, before discussing climate change with leaders of the world’s major developed and developing countries in Italy recently, I would have liked to have read that you had arranged a meeting with President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, who I’m sure you know is something of a climate change skeptic, if only to hear what he had to say on the matter. After all, the man is a colourably good politician and has even written a reasonably popular book, Blue Planet in Green Shackles, expounding his ideas on the matter.

watto says:

06:33am | 17/07/09

Sol, this got rejected by the Ruddwall also - Ruddy doesn’t like dissent! It would be easier & more credible to read Rudd & Fielding if you declared how much $ the coal industry is giving you both -straight up. You want us to pay more tax -an environmental tax - when you want to use more clean dirty coal? Scam!

D. West says:

07:05am | 17/07/09

Rudd if you can’t tackle a serious national-scale economic & ecological change-come-disaster like the Murray Darling, its highly dubious to spin like you could tackle something global. You are punching way above your weight son.

Paul Howell says:

07:48am | 17/07/09

Kevin, please do some research instead of using Australia’s tax payers as guinea pigs for your grandiose politically driven gestures and statements, the spin is NOT required.Climate change or not, if ALL Kyoto levels were reached it would result in a “Possible” .11 degree saving by 2100. What a farce ,it would also result in BILLIONS $$ being wasted andwhole industries going offshore.Also ,our biggest customers spew out more emissions in a fortnight than we could save in 10 years ???
The science is NOT in an agw it needs to be debated properly, why use computer models that do NOT have solar activity and atmospheric cloud data in them ?? because when they are in the ipcc don’t get the results they need.Thats not science thats biased opropaganda.

Selea P says:

08:10am | 17/07/09

Climate change is happening, always has been happening and always will happen. Fair enough it’s a good idea to try and cut back our co2 emissions, but what is this hysterical, scare mongering, jumping up and down like a petualnt child antics really all about? You are in an urgent RUSH RUSH RUSH! You want to be the first! Do you have our country at heart here? You seem to want to destroy our industry, wreck our economy and put unnecessary fear into us all. It really is starting to look like you only have your own self interest at heart here. You would love to see this all go ahead and RUSH off to Copenhagen to grandstand on the world stage. Please Kevin get off your pedistal and come down to earth.

Lake says:

08:18am | 17/07/09

I can’t believe you think climate change has anything to do with the Great Barrier Reef! Haven’t you heard of the crown of thorns star fish? Don’t you know there is chemical run off going straight into the reef from farms? Talking about the GBR in your blog shows you really aren’t very intelegent when it comes to these issues. What you said is rubbish! Are you sure your from QLD??

PaulC says:

10:56am | 17/07/09

Hmmm! the first thing I have noticed with Fieldings example is the data, he has taken his start point from a climatic anomoly of extreme high temperature which all scientists agree was an anomoly but what about the trend line over a longer period say 100 years and filtering the anomolies in other words the median temperature over a much longer period, it is easy to interpret data anyway you like with the right set of figures, from my understanding coral is sensitive to temperature swings and coral will start to bleach when the temperature moves outside its ideal range which is also quite sensitive somewhere in the order of 5deg, I also agree that rural runoff has a large part to play on the reef, so do the Crown of Thorns Starfish. From what I have seen and heard there is a lot of grandstanding with a lot of poeple who believe they are more intelligent than one another. But my question is quite simple do we really want to be breathing this air in the first place? forget global warming, forget climate change which is real and just ask yourself is all this worthwhile to breath fresh air, surely that is the fundamental here, how much polluted air can humans tolerate.

Pete H says:

11:25am | 17/07/09

We’ve had Greenhouse, Global Warming, Climate Change - now we’ve finally arrived at the real reason for all this clap trap - SOCIAL CHANGE.  Now expand on this please.  What little nasties can we expect?

Carlito Redbeart says:

11:34am | 17/07/09

Kevin Rudd -
a roaring ghost, walking all waters of this world….
a genie, released from a bottle of Queensland rum -
a tight, bureaucratic mandarin, claiming “Global Warming’ is originating in human activity ....
This ignorant guy loads your next generations with heaps of debt and you just let it happen, what is wrong with you Australia, ?

Patrick says:

11:49am | 17/07/09

I highly doubt Rudd reads these comments guys

Macca says:

12:17pm | 17/07/09

Al Gore is, at best, a dangerous ideological ally Mr Rudd.

The fact that the Antartic Ice Sheets continue to grow in recent years:  http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25349683-601,00.html
makes me question climate change models / theories / gibberish.

Furthermore, why introduce an Emissions Trading Scheme that will weaken some of Australia’s most struggling industries (manufacturing) and penalise those industries which have driven our economy for so long (mining)?

Create Sustainability with some real leadership Mr Rudd. Spend 0.5% of GDP on renewable energy sources, wind, geothermal, solar and dare I say it, nuclear (we are not soviet Russia, its safe).

Or alternitively, Increase Government spending and places in Universities on Environmental sicence and Engineering.

You say you are in touch with young people, Mr Rudd, and this is an issue which you believe they tune into. Empower them to make a difference, rather than penalise the coal workers who keep my house warm and my lights on.

Rick says:

01:03pm | 17/07/09

Climate change and the condition of our deteriorating environment are very important issues that need attention.  I am so happy that the leader of our Nation is doing this even if he requires improved assistance in tackling particular issues.  I wonder, would people prefer us to be lied to again and our taxes used to kill some more innocent people around the world?
In reality, the problem that faces us is behavior, a war if you like, where we have to win the hearts and minds of all, because we are all responsible.  If we want to win this war we need to include everyone and pool our knowledge and resources together.  By demonstrating respect towards one another we can achieve this and we will all win.
I like to thank our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for his contribution and support with one of humanities most important challenges and wish him every success in working together with all people.

Lawrence says:

01:04pm | 17/07/09

“How do you think we can make Australians more aware that we need to act on climate change now?”
Well Mr Rudd your the KING OF SPIN, so I sugest you just keep spin’n! Aussie’s seem to be falling for your spin, so keep it up before they realise your just all spin.

Helena says:

01:49pm | 17/07/09

Hang in there Fielding, I don’t agree with you on alot of things but I do in this case. To ruin our industry our economy and turn us into a third world country without enough facts and answers is frighening! and irresponsible! Slow down Kevin, we know you don’t have alot of time to show the world what a hero you are. So put Australia first and yourself second.
Also Kevin is your screen name “Rick” by any chance? or is that you Wayne?

Zaf says:

04:36pm | 17/07/09

Gosh, I bet you’re sorry Labor directed those preferences to Family First, hmm?

Bayrunner says:

06:31pm | 17/07/09

Polls in the Courier Mail and Herald-Sun today show about 75% of Australians don’t believe humans are causing global warming. Fielding seems to have a wider supporter base than Rudd regarding this very important issue. Not bad for a minor party senator without a spin team! Fielding’s engineering background equips him well to understand the issues. He also knows that, in science at least, right is might.

Dave Cochrane says:

03:12am | 18/07/09

“The latest scientific research on climate change confirms our worst fears.  Climate change is happening faster than we previously thought, creating a more serious threat to our economy, our environment and to future generations.”
I suppose it might be too much to expect you to back this up with any evidence?

Kelly Cochrane says:

03:51am | 18/07/09

No matter how many times I read your piece Kevin, I cannot find a single piece of evidence to back up your opening statement.  OK, so we know that temperature change has NEVER been shown to follow CO2 changes (temperature change has always PRECEDED CO2 change in the past) and we know that recent CO2 rises have been met with static temperatures in the last 10 years (apart from the recent dip).  But surely somewhere there must be good solid hard evidence for your assertion?  Thanks in advance.

Dallas Beaufort says:

02:06pm | 18/07/09

Politically prescriptive pontifications will not deliver the necessary performance based reductions of poisonous chemicals which are currently ignored (see no evil, hear no evil) when, man made global warming climate change fear mongering is used to intoxicate the population for political purposes only.
Start to tell the truth and your position and evidence will improve in the eye of the voters mind!

Peter C says:

03:44pm | 20/07/09

“The latest scientific research on climate change confirms our worst fears.  Climate change is happening faster than we previously thought”
Where is your reference for this assertion?  You didn’t adress Fielding’s points at all.  You presented no evidence. Your article was off the topic. You used emotive language to prey on fear. You’d probably get a fail if it was some school homework.

P.S. Maybe we can put a cap on your CO2 emissions…you give off too much hot air.

Richard Han says:

12:11am | 21/07/09

The problem with “popular” science is that it is consensus science. The danger with consensus science is that too often it is used to drive a political agenda or social policy – remember “Nuclear Winter” modelling?

Real science does not depend on consensus. Dolton’s Atomic Theory is based on real experimental science and not consensus modelling.

The problem climate “scientist” have with their current hypothesis is that it’s “What if” science (or “Spreadsheet” science) based on modelling. Modelling has its place in so far that it’s a useful tool to develop/study a hypothesis. It can never give a definitive or unequivocal conclusion. That is why the IPCC reports include a “disclaimer” (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Addressing Uncertainties) in their reports. In 2007, IPCC report stated that human activity is “very likely” the driving force, an upgrade from “likely” in their 2001 conclusion.

Real science does not work that way. Science requires us to design and collect data from replicable scientific experiments to prove or disprove a hypothesis or theory. Climate Modelling cannot and does not. And to believe in the truth of modelling hypothesis requires a lot of faith; just like religions require a lot of faith! 

CO2 emission arising from industrial activity, transportation and electricity generation (the three major sources) should to be treated as just another pollutant. It’s a pollution issue. So why not treat it like lead and NOx or SO2? If the problem is pollution then the ETS can be scrapped; this will disappoint traders, brokers etc. We did not have Pb trading and yet reduced it by over 90% and we stopped the use of CFC without a trading scheme. If we looked at CO2 from a pollution perspective it becomes very clear (no pun intended) that whole Climate Change (alias Global Warming) debate is on the wrong end of the stick.

Warren Hampton says:

09:27am | 21/07/09

“If we act NOW” - destroy Australias economy, massive job losses, more taxs, lower standard of living, putting fear into us all.
“If we don’t act Now” - look at Nuclear Power, more discussion and focus on renewable energy,
The world will not self destruct in a few years.
Rushing ahead on this important issue is only going to be something we may regret.
Other leaders around the world are taking a more cautious approach to this issue and so should Australia.

James says:

01:50pm | 20/11/09

Ok deniers this is why Kevin Rudd won’t answer Steve fieldings questions, because Steve Fielding hasn’t got the first clue about data analysis and is embarrassing himself and Australia with his lack of Brainpower

The reason he thinks temperature is not going up with CO2 is because he has not referenced global average temperature to the same baseline as is commonly accepted 1961-1990, and he has not shown more than 15 years of data, if he did those things the link would be obvious.

Don’t be a hack, really put the time in to learn the basics before you parrot comments you will only end up looking silly.

New Zealand says:

08:50am | 25/11/09

We have had our coldest spring here in New Zealand for in 30 years. I am yet to be convinced that global tempretures are going up let alone the fact that the amount of CO2 that makes up the atmosphere is causing it. I think you should check your facts James, and mabe you will discover how the urban heat effect is warping tempreture data that all these doom and gloom predictions are based apon.

chris says:

11:01am | 10/03/10

Kev, of all people you should know that the people who are pushing climate change are the very same lot who are trying to destroy Western society with same sex marriage, evolutionary theory, moral relativism et al. They will take it apart from the top down, the bottom up or both at the same time.
You are either a Christian politician like Steve Fielding, walking the walk, or a Christian Politician like John Howard, just talking the talk.

One day your walk will take you to a talk with God, how are you going to spin your way out of that one?