http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/pete-wilson-and-damon-jalili/ Pete Wilson and Damon Jalili are social researchers at a leading market and social research firm. As part of their work, they provide high-level strategic analysis and insight of research data to government and corporate Australia. With backgrounds in psychology, medicine, education, peace & conflict studies and rock’n'roll, they are crusaders in the campaign to rebuke idiotic uses of statistics. They are well respected for their views on the correct use of decimal points, the actual length of a piece of string and their ability to predict the future trend of anything. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-we-cant-lead-on-co2-we-shouldnt-in-sport-or-science/ “Australia generates 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse emissions and this ETS will reduce world levels by the smallest sliver, which self-evidently will have nil effect on global climate whether you believe in climate warming or not.” Barnaby Joyce – The Innate Problems With Labor’s Emissions Trading Scheme, 17/12/2008. Using numbers to lend credibility to a flimsy argument is not a new tactic. In the case of those opposing serious action on climate change however, one statistic about Australia’s proportionate global emissions forms the central flimsy plank of their argument. The argument goes that given Australia is responsible for only 1.5% of global emissions, anything we do to reduce CO2 levels is hardly going to make a dent globally. We can’t save the Great Barrier Reef, so the rest of the world is going to have to. It must test well in focus groups because everyone opposing action on climate change has been trotting it out ever since the debate began. And let’s be honest, as a message it is working. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Pete Wilson and Damon Jalili) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-we-cant-lead-on-co2-we-shouldnt-in-sport-or-science/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-we-cant-lead-on-co2-we-shouldnt-in-sport-or-science/#item1870 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:35:08 +0000 Pete Wilson and Damon Jalili | Author bios | The Punch