While Fielding was in America courtesy of the Heartland Institute, it's a pity he didn't look up the folks at the United States Global Change Research Program, which is a joint venture between the White House and 13 federal agencies.

Yesterday they released a report entitled "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States" [ http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts ].

From ABC News:

<< The report is the first issued since Barack Obama became President and it contains the strongest language on climate change to come out of the White House.

A lead author of the report, Dr Jerry Melillo, says climate change is fact, not opinion.

"It is clear that climate change is happening now. The observed climate changes we report are not opinions to be debated. They are facts to be dealt with," he said. >>

[ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/17/2600335.htm ]

I'm more inclined to believe a diverse group of multi-agency government scientists than a discredited bunch of industry shills like those at the Discovery Institute, but I'm not a born-again fundy hypocrite.

And Curmudgeon - Professors in Australian universities are quite well-paid. Your scurrilous comments regarding Prof Beder's motivations are not only contemptible, but also hypocritical in the extreme - coming from a journalist.

Personally, I think Wong's proposed ETS is a dog, but Fielding's hypocrisy is not the way to deal with it.

Erk - I meant Heartland Institute, of course.

A good liar first convinces him/herself that the lie is true and then proceeds to try and convince others.

Unfortunately for the deniers the evidence is overwhelmingly against them and their history of underhand tactics as followed by the tobacco industry, Exxon Mobil etc has been exposed for all to see.

The more the lies, the more their strategies and tactics are exposed.

Thank you Sharon for publicizing the untenability of Fielding's position on climate change.

This explains it all!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5329857034306331360

Any other opinion is just BullSh!t People all over the world need to grow a pair and put these fraudsters where they belong, in the nut house.

First, the general considered opinion that Senator Fielding would perhaps not be in any Parliament in any true democracy. He represents a very small fundimentalist religious portion of our Australian public, obtaining his Parliamentary seat by a peculiar quirk of the voting law. Yet he has the Parliamentary power to oppose or circumvent the wishes of the majority of the voting public. Appears to be quite wrong.
To trot of to the USA, surmised at taxpayer expense, to investigate or perhaps reinforce his existing climate change beliefs, only highlights his apparent lack of all round political knowledge. Of course in keeping with his particular beliefs the USA is said to be
the fount of all knowledge?
One has only to look at the Australian rainfall pattern over the last 10 years to observe the quite dramatic normal weather change to abnormal weather change. This has coincided with the also quite dramatic increase( can I say explosion?) in fossil fuel usage. "Senator Fielding just look out of the window"!

cjmorgan - "Professors in Australian universities are quite well-paid. Your scurrilous comments regarding Prof Beder's motivations are not only contemptible, but also hypocritical in the extreme.."

Hmm .. also applies thus, surely .."Professors in Australian universities are quite well-paid. Your scurrilous comments regarding Prof Plimer's motivations are not only contemptible, but also hypocritical in the extreme .."

I don't remember you coming out defending Prof Plimer while all and sundry of the devout were castigating him for writing a book just for financial gain .. did you? So do you apply the same defence to Prof Plimer or is a selective outrage you suffer from?

Jack from Bicton and kulu, you will look very foolish if Senator Fielding, who is neither sceptic nor believer, falls on the believers side should the "science" convince him. Or are you so unsure of the science, since you rely on personal attacks, that you know he can't be convinced, is the science so weak you have to berate people into your camp? If he does fall on the believers side, will he still be a liar, kulu?

BTW - Senator Fielding paid his own way to the USA and has made that clear every time he speaks, keep trying though, you play the man badly but one day might even attempt to play the ball.