"when our grandchildren ask us why we did nothing about climate change"

I will reply, because the science was sloppy, uncertain and now as you can see grandchild, just plain wrong...

Clive

I think you are too optimistic.

Most Ozzies (and Yanks and Poms)do not have a care in the world about CO2 or PO.

If they are aware of it, they they do not have a clue about personal actions which they could take.

Anecdotal Examples:

1 As a rough guide to this just have a look around on any evening in any city or suburb on any night, at number of light bulbs people leave burning for no purpose.

I live in a middle class suburb where one individual has in excess of 20 external lights burning away all night - to see 3 or 4 outside a house is commonplace.

2 Another example - 4 wd vehicles are still selling well - and as I understand it - are still getting preferential tax treatment - these are mostly mostly used in urban situations.

3 Qld Government is still subsidising petrol

4 Governments are still buying large vehicles, prehaps not V6 's anymore - but they are not buying eg Yaris's or Swifts -

5 Governments still spending huge sums - billions- on new road projects eg Goodna By pass - thus encouraging car use over alternatives - and wasting resources. These are popular decisions - demanded by voters.

The very first thing that should happen is a HUGE information campaign - similar to initial grim reaper AIDS - to educate people to the real dangers which lie ahead - people must be mobilised and educated - without this we will get nowhere.

Such a campaign must inform people that growth and profligacy is not a possible option.

When you listen to government and opposition the arguments are all about how best to generate more power to to sustain the unsustainable life styles of us all.

When I hear a politician tell us that we must consume less, much less, then I may begin to take Governments seriously. I dont think that even Bob Brown or Peter Garrett have done this - its just too drastic for them - it may cost them votes.

I'm was one of the so-called deniers of "global warming", and my denial certainly wasn't shaken by the doomsayers' hasty changing of "global warming" to "climate change" when we had some very cool and icy patches amid all the warming hullabaloo. Clive's climate comrades looked very silly at the time. There is still an opportunity for them to look even sillier, and Clive's book could end a very short life in the remainders box yet.

Let's meet Clive el at half way and accept that we might, at the present time, be experiencing some climatic disturbance. Many rational (as opposed to the loud ones who get all the publicity because it suits the media) scientists and meteorolgists advise that cyclic (note that) changes do occur, but getting knotted up and blaming the evil John Howard and CO2 emissions is pointless. Humans are not responsible for climate "change" and, therefore, can do nothing about it. They also point out that the prolonged, but perfectly normal for Australia, drought has aided the scaremongers in their drive to further confuse the issue and strike fear into the hearts of the plebs.

If we really need to worry about anything, it is not climate change, but people like Clive Hamilton who use ju ju instead of common sense.

The really disgusting things is that they do it to sell a book or earn themelves a name - even a bad name as history will probably show

Just the usual Clive Hamilton spin and fantasy about "Climate Y2K".

I will tell the grandchildren about how this bunch of green spivs tried to rush the community into the expensive indulgence of their delusions by using every con in the spivmeisters handbook.

But I won't need to explain further because they will already be familiar with the ludicrous claims that have since become the object of ridicule.

They will thank me for having the foresight to see through the BS and for realising that our understanding of climate, and the technologies needed to deal with change, were still in their infancy like the 1950's computing dinosour that cost $4 million, took up a whole floor of a building and could deliver less than todays calculator.

They would thank me for allowing them to address the real issues with cheap, 6th generation technology instead of loading them up with a huge debt for a rushed response with an obsolete technology that tries to fix an overstated and, in most part, imaginary problem.

They would probably ask how people could be so stupid as to believe the climate was excessively warming when the previous three interglacials had all peaked at temperatures a whole 3 degrees C warmer than those at the end of the 20th century.

And I would simply point out the extent of substance abuse and the "dumbing down" of the media to lowest common denominator public opinion and the collective loss of the capacity to distinguish between an often repeated opinion and a few simple, unfashionable facts.

"It is now clear that most Australians ... are facing up to the truth about global warming" A most interesting statement, but what is the truth about global warming and what is mere speculation. The truth about global warming is that it is happening. There are no other truths about global warming; there are only speculations. The favourite speculation is that global warming is being caused (almost) entirely by an increase in greenhouse gasses - carbon dioxide in particular. This speculation is based on very dodgy mathematical modelling, where in effect the outcome is used as an assumption in the creation of the model. Very poor science indeed!

The speculation that global warming is due to greenhouse gasses fails to esplain two other observations - and for any hypothesis to be accepted it must explain all observations. It fails to explain the relatively recent phase of global warming experienced on this planet - the Mediaeval Warm Period which pre-dated the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. It also fails to explain why Mars is, according to recent NASA observations, also experincing global warming. This latter observation would seem to suggest that one would need to look outside of either earth or Mars to find the factor influencing both planets.

Another speculation, but one which does fit the observations, is that changes in solar activity are causing these global climate changes. It is established that there was an increase in solar activity during the Mediaeval Warm Period, and a decrease in activity during the following Little Ice Age. It is also observed that there is increasing solar activity now. The reason, of course, why this remains speculation, is that as yet there has been no proposed mechanism why this change in solar activity would cause global warming. However the empirical evidence is strong. I think it beyond the bounds of probability that the earth and Mars are simultaneously experiencing global warming, and that there is not a common cause affecting both planets.

We must prepare for global warming, because it is very likely there is nothing we can do to control it!

You know

when we are informed about this the scientists are still argueing or being payed to say what has been the cause.

Is it due to oceanic problems
Ozone
co2 gasses.

Now if these people say the complete story it would be better.

We are told that it is all to co2 but then research also says oceanic problems so when you are just pointed in one dirrection and told we need to use this to cut this down, is it not only big business running the fear on whos fault it is.

We know there is a problem, Government has been talking since the last labor government was in power, but still nothing has occured from both sides.

It is about votes and neither side wants to really disadvantage anyone and lose votes.

So when the people get serious then we can do something.

www.tapp.org.au