THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XI, Issue # 140, June 14, 2009
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
AUSTRALIA LEADS MEDIA DEBATE ON GLOBAL WARMING
By Dennis T. Avery
DOES AUSTRALIA REALLY NEED A CARBON EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME? HOW CAN AUSTRALIA'S CURRENT
LABOR PARTY (CENTER-LEFT) GOVERNMENT BE SO SURE THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS CAUSED RECENT GLOBAL
WARMING, CONSIDERING THAT WORLD TEMPERATURES ARE NOW COOLING, THOUGH CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS ARE
STILL RISING? IS GLOBAL WARMING A NEW PHENOMENON, OR SOMETHING THAT IS JUST PART OF A 1500-YEAR
CLIMATE CYCLE? WHY CAN'T THE HIGH CORRELATION BETWEEN SOLAR RADIATION & GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
CHANGE BE A PLAUSIBLE ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION FOR GLOBAL WARMING? WHAT IMPACT IS THE PROPOSED
CARBON EMISSIONS REDUCTION SCHEME LIKELY TO HAVE ON THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY?
FULL STORY:
A major country is getting media debate on the science of global warming for the first time ever, thanks to
Australia’s Senator Steve Fielding. As one of a half-dozen swing votes on Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd’s
massive carbon tax bill, Fielding recently spent his own money to attend an international conference of climate
skeptics in Washington, D.C.
“It seems every Australian has an opinion on the Rudd [Labor Party, Center-Left] government’s emission trading
scheme,” wrote Senator Fielding in The Australian on June 8, 2009. “The one question, however, that no
one seems to be asking, is whether or not we even need an emissions trading scheme at all?”
Fielding now has an appointment to talk warming theories with Australia’s Environment Minister, Penny Wong.
He wants to know how Minister Wong can be sure that humans have caused the recent warming, since global
temperatures are now cooling, though CO2 levels are still rising.
Senator Fielding says that, 500 years ago, the whole world “knew” the sun revolved around the Earth. Galileo
dared challenge the prevailing dogma anyway, and was put under house arrest for the rest of his life.
Galileo’s story reminds Fielding of the present debate on climate change.
“Opponents of the popular opinion that global
warming is a direct result of carbon emissions,
a group that includes many notable and
distinguished scientists, are often derided and
quickly dismissed. As an engineer, I have been
trained to listen to both sides.”
Minister Wong said in a recent media interview: “We’ve had 13 of the 14 hottest years in history in the last 15 year.”
This isn’t quite true; but even so, she is talking about recent history. Fielding is talking about the Medieval
Warming 700 years ago, and the Roman Warming 2000 years ago — and more than 500 previous global warmings
before that. The ice cores, fossil pollen, and seabed sediments tell us those warmings were hotter than today.
I know, because I met Fielding at the skeptics’ conference, and gave him a copy of the fully-referenced best-seller
Unstoppable Global Warming — Every 1,500 Years.
After Fielding returned home, he wrote:
“The question of whether global warming is a
new phenomenon or something that is just part
of the naturally occurring 1500-year climate
cycle was never raised in any of the
discussions I have had with the Rudd
government.”
“After speaking to a cross-section of noted
scientists, including Ian Plimer, author of
Heaven and Earth, I quickly began to
understand that the science on this issue was
by no means conclusive. I plan to put some
of these question to Penny Wong and her
advisers when we next sit down to discuss
the carbon pollution reductions scheme, just
as I did when I spoke to climate change
experts in President Obama’s administration
[during the week of June 1-5, 2009]."
“Has the Minister seen [data] which shows
that solar radiation is highly correlated to
global temperature change, and if so, why
can this not be a plausible alternative
explanation for global warming?”
Senator Fielding has been harshly treated by Australian interviewers, but says the carbon emission reduction
scheme --
“ . . . will unquestionably lead to thousands
of Australians losing their jobs, more than
23,000 in the mining industry alone. It is a
scheme that will send the cost of basic
goods and services upwards at a time when
we can least afford it and will leave the state
governments $5.5 billion worse off by 2020.
As a federal senator, I would be derelict in
my duty to the Australian people if I did not
even consider whether or not the scientific
assumptions underpinning this debate were,
in fact, correct. ”
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Anglosphere -- The English-Speaking World:
The U.S.A., Britain, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand
Political Environmentalism Versus Human Progress & Prosperity:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
The Earth's Natural History, Global Climate Changes,
& the Future of Human Life & Civilization on the Planet:
Science, Ideology, & Public Policy
Political Economy -- Philosophies, Systems, & Public Policies:
Government, the Economy, & Economic Prosperity
Dennis T. Avery is an environmental economist, and a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.
He was formerly a senior analyst for the U.S. Department of State. He is co-author, with S. Fred Singer, of
Unstoppable Global Warming -- Every 1500 Hundred Years. Readers may write him at PO Box 202, Churchville,
Virginia, 24421, or email to cgfi@hughes.net
Return to Top of Page
Go to the WEBSITE INDEX
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Public Issues & Political Controversies
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
Most Recent Articles
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Volume XI, 2009
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Subject Matter Highlights
Return to POLITICAL EDUCATION Homepage
CONTACT & ACCESS INFORMATION
This is not a commercial website. The sole purpose of the website is to share with interested persons information regarding civics,
civic and social education, political science, government, politics, law, constitutional law and history, public policy, and political
philosophy and history, as well as current and recent political developments, public issues, and political controversies.
POLITICAL EDUCATION, CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS
POLITICS, SOCIETY, & THE SOVEREIGN STATE
Website of Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.
Government, Politics, Public Policy, Legal Issues, Constitutional Law, Government & the Economy, Cultural Values, Foreign Affairs,
International Relations, Military Defense & National Security, Geopolitics, Terrorism & Homeland Security, American National Interests,
Political Systems & Processes, Political Institutions, Political Ideologies, & Political Philosophy
INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE WEBSITE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity