"Plus it is now common knowledge that we never see the world as it is. And that everything we see "out there" is a brain and nervous system created, and projected, apparition or vision."

Thank you Ho Hum. I see my apparitional Milo is ready.

How dare Senator Fielding expect some science to back the man made global warming religion. Being a Professor in Social sciences surely qualifies Professor Sharon Beder more than an engineering degree (right). Thankfully more and more are waking up to the fraudulent claims of Al Gore and Tim Flannery. Sharon obviously isn't one of them.

I really don't like the word Skeptic . If I don't know much about a subject I might decide to borrow a couple of books from the Library and from them come to some conclusions , Senator Fielding did something similar we both decided to study the science up a bit , now some influential people want to brand me and sneer "skeptic" there by injuring my efforts . My knowledge cost me a lot of time and 50 bucks for Prof Plimer's "Bible on Climate History Plus".

I regard myself as a "Conservative" plus " Greenie" or at least I did ; now I skip the Green bit , I now find the Greens too arrogant , their we know best attitude seems to me to be ignorance exemplified their teaching mantra lost crippled by fashionable know all's. What a shame a definite loss to the community of man .

As for Senator Fielding it is entirely up to him to draw conclusions from what he learned in America and act accordingly as are his voters at the ballot box . We should applaud the Senator for traveling so far to to get up to speed on what is going to be a very expensive project for very little gain in my opinion .

You all seem to be missing a more important point.
Forget the climate change,the problem is that peak oil is passed and we are not ready to live without it.
Renewable energy means that the fossil fuel can be left in the ground or at least used only slowly.
The already overlarge and increasing population means the energy emergency will be sooner and more sudden than need be.
Bill Gates ,don't waste money supporting male cicumcision.Spend it on
condoms instead to protect from infection AND to reduce the population growth.
Energy is used directly and to make fertilizer.
Energy now is divided by 6,000,000,000.
When it is divided by 9,000,000,000 and suddenly stops then no one will care about climate change.

"Further delaying measures to prevent climate change".
If Senator Fielding held the balance of power in (say) China, USA or India perhaps his tactics would amount to something other than a miniscule impact on global carbon emissions. What we do in Australia in the absence of reduction measures taken by the world's leading emitters of carbon dioxide and methane amounts to bugger-all on a global scale.

why all this heat on fielding? of course he's allowed to consider whatever evidence he wishes. of course he's allowed to take a stand on whatever he thinks worthwhile. senator fielding is honest, hard working, and well-intentioned. it's just that he also happens to be as dumb as a rock.