An excellent summation of the Greens responsibility for the defeat of the CPRS. Ironically, if the Greens were to finally wake up to their stupidity,they would realise the bill currently delayed in the Senate is even more "polluter friendly" than the one they earlier defeated in such a short sighted and cavalier fashion.

If we believe that pollution is a great worry we should remember that recycling is a pollution solution. Read http://www.colorado.edu/econ/Kenneth.Boulding/spaceship-earth.html
If we believe that man is increasing world temperatures, ask what the USA Senate Inquiry wrote;
USA Senate Inquiry into CRU emails.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=7db3fbd8-f1b4-4fdf-bd15-12b7df1a0b63
If we wonder if there is any doubt about the CRU's emails ask why the UK Parliament have set up an Inquiry.
Evidence presented to the UK Parliamentary Inquiry by Stephen McIntyre.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/climatedata/uc3202.htm
ditto by Prof McKitrick
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/climatedata/uc3102.htm
ditto by Dr Sonja Bochmer-Christiansen, Editor of Journal Energy & Environment, published by Multi-Science
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/climatedata/uc2602.htm
Ask if we have suffered an increase in temperatures. Read
Surface Temperature Records: Policy Driven Deception
SPPI Original Paper By Joseph D’Aleo & Anthony Watts, Jan 27, 2010 pages 10 to 14 are best.
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/originals/policy_driven_deception.html
USA’s Contiguous Temperature Trends using NCDC raw & adjusted data.
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/Rate_of_Temp_Change_Raw_and_Adjusted_NCDC_Data.pdf
The Global Average Urban Heat Island Effect in 2000 Estimated from Station Temperatures, Population
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog
Please Carol, we didn't want the CPRS Bill to pass because global warming is a non problem that is best solved by doing nothing.

The way in which we all first world countries live in this present day is unsustainable and we all know this. It is the twisted debates of parliament in not only Australia but all over the world which has put doubts in peoples minds about the authenticity of the matter. Australia being a developped nation may have little impact on the world in terms emmissions, however Australia is a leading nation and there is no denying this fact. Now i am a firm believer that Australia needs to take action in reducing our emmissions however suppressing our economy is not the correct way in doing so. This needs to be rethought and redrawn not by informed politicians but by another separate body selected by parliament with the proven capabilities of understanding the issue. Now we do not just want scientists in this body but also economists who will hopefully help keep the important of our economy in the climatologist's minds.

Qanda, that is a question I have asked myself a hundred times, from 5 different directions, & I can't come up with a definitive answer. I am sure money, prestige, pride, fame & a few other things like arrogance, ratbag greenie beliefs, & obedience to their political masters all get a look in somewhere, with all, or some of them, to some extent, but I still wonder why.

You see, until a couple of years ago, like most uni graduates, I simply believed what we were told. It was inconceivable that these people could be so wrong, or lie to us, on such a matter. Besides what would they have to gain?

Then, someome I respected gave me his opinion, & some references. The more I read, the more angry I became. Then I did some math, & became totally disgusted.

As a horseman, I get very angry with people who tow horse floats, badly, discourteously, blazing a trail of ill will for me.

As a B Sc, to say I am very angry that a bunch of "scientists" would cheat & lie, to try to hide the fact that they are WRONG, on such an important matter, puts it very mildly. No punishment is too great for these con men.

Yes, they probably thought they were right, once. Now they know they are wrong, & are prepared to destroy the lives of millions, rather than admit it.

The amount of data tampering they have used speaks of desperation, & their desire to "correct" satellite & Argo bouy data, drives the final nail in the coffin of their own making.

Perhaps some of them still hope some miracle will save them, & their reputations, but only those who believe in fairies.

Well, you did ask.

In fairness to the Greens, it is ludicrous to suggest that in the case of a cost of living impost such as the CPRS, 'public opinion is gradually won over to tougher measures'. Prominent Greens have already suggested 'democracy may need to be abandoned in order to fight climate change', so perhaps it is the author who is misjudging the Greens. Presumably the fight against climate change applies whether the planet is warming or cooling, so satellite climate data doesn't come into play for the Greens, nor in this article. Also notably absent from this article of recent climate political history, is any mention of the collapse in the credibility of the climate alarmist camp since the CRU leaked email event of November last year. This has been compounded by an endless stream of scandals surrounding non-peer reviewed material and errors contained within the IPCC 2007 report. Phil Jones of the CRU, University of East Anglia has now admitted the medieval warm period may have been hotter than recent years (so much for Michael Mann's alarming hockey stick graph). He has also admitted that temperatures are back to 1995 levels (fortunately he must have finally come across the satellite data). There are investigations into climate science in the UK and the US and then we have articles such as this one, blindly locked in a time warp in history, just like our current government.

An obvious response: if sensible people on both sides of the ideological divide agree that a policy is wrong, then it probably is wrong. If this is evidence-based government, then let's have more of it!