Hi Dan

There are many people with good reason to wake up worried about the weather – farmers, builders, tree-changes, and SES volunteers, for example. Happily, I’m not one of them. I prefer mild warmish weather when I don’t run the aircon, and moderately wet weather to keep the garden green.

I do, however, worry about climate. It’s not the same thing.

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Hi ttbn

Yes, Gore is alarmist, and Lindzen is a genuine recognised expert in climate (unlike Viv Forbes). Lindzen accepts that human activity is generating greenhouse gases that are causing global warming, but believes the effect will be modest and possibly benign. Most other climate scientists disagree with him.

This is not surprising. Complete consensus is rare (and probably unhealthy) in science.

Most important policy decisions are made in circumstances of imperfect knowledge, and it is possible that Lindzen is right, and it is not necessary to act to reduce emissions.

A common approach to managing risk in these circumstances is to use a risk matrix - how likely is it that an event will occur, and how severe will its consequences be.

It is possible that we could waste a lot of money and cause a lot of unnecessary economic disruption if we adopt emission-reduction measures, and it turns out that Lindzen is right.

But if we fail to cut emissions, and it turns out that Lindzen is wrong, the consequences will be far, far worse.

And given that most climate scientists disagree with Lindzen, and their evidence seems compelling, the most reasonable conclusion based on current knowledge is that it is not very likely that Lindzen is right.

So from a risk management perspective it makes sense to act on climate change even if it turns out to have been unnecessary.

Those in favour of a 'green battery-driven world" should read Siddharth Kara's book "Cobalt Red"

Rhian. Agree with your informed take.

And we do not need to tank the economy to deal with climate change. In fact, the very opposite and a recharged economy on steroids and super charged.

The privileged elite never get out of their air condition cars offices and air-conditioned homes. And are simply too busy making money to give a monkey's for the planet.

Moreover, if the science proves their activities are harmful, junk the science, call it woke, or blame all the bad stuff on the scapegoated lefties.

We could restart manufacture in this country if absurd power prices stopped sending them offshore.

Every industrial application and every industrial electric motor that turns anything, burns energy and when the cost of that energy vastly exceeds the wages bill, then the industrialist has no choice but abandon Australia for a more competitive industrial environment.

I mean if our car industry was powered by MSR thorium/MSR nuclear waste burners, we wouldn't have had to subsidise it to the tune of 1 billion a year. And even then, only because we were insanely wielded to coal.

Adopt MSR nuclear waste burners with unspent fuel, i.e., nuclear waste, we are paid annual millions to accept, and the world of manufacture will beat a path to our door.

It wasn't the coalition that killed manufacture in this country, but our stupid addiction to coal. All the finger pointing in the world changes nothing only affirmative and sane action.

Forget that MSR thorium/nuclear waste burners are carbon free. It's the economy, stupid.
Alan B.

Dear RHian.

Seriously Alan, climate is not the weather? That sadly for you is not a fact.

This climate change nonsense, is fast creating a nation of beggars

Dear Dan

NASA would disagree

<https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html>

What actually brought about the previous climate changes, pollution from stone age technology or the burning of country perhaps ?
Whatever modern mankind is doing now is obviously contributing to the changes we're experiencing lately but it's not fossil fuel. It's greedy, selfish humans who don't know when to stop polluting & over-harvesting natural resources. These people blame the big companies when it's these same people themselves who cause this insane rush for 'more" !
Everything they demand to be delivered to their door is petroleum-based yet they all cry climate change & greedy companies.
There really needs to be stirring of the gene pool asap !