There is some good sense in this article. But one more factor could be added: empirical data actually suggest that the IPCC model projections are wrong. The models project increasing temperatures but these are not occurring. The apocalyptic futures predicted by some climate activists are so extreme that, as the author suggests, people think 'I can't do anything'. But more, they then note that none of the changes are actually happening, which makes them doubtful that the predictions are likely to be true anyway. The author cites a 2007 survey, but my guess is that AGW will be much lower down on the Australian priority list today. And the longer we continue without average global temperature increasing in harmony with CO2 increases, the more doubtful they will be.

QUOTE<<..Newspaper polls..show readers nominating the problem..as that posing the greatest risk..to their quality of life.>>>..we have all seen how surveys/are designed to get the desired result...

even i..[a global hollowcost denier]..would say yes...a carbon-tax of 4000 extra expenditure..will pose the greatest threat to our finantial well-being

<<A 2007 international poll..found 92 per cent of Australians favoured measures to combat global warming,>>>..interesting todays article needs to quote..an UNNAMED 2007 survey..to make the point..<< putting them/first among the 12 nations surveyed.>>..[should add]..in 2007

<<Yet,as social psychologists and marketers know,>>..funny/sad..i thought we should be consulting CLIMATOLOGIST/appologists,..not phyc warfare marketeers

<<there is no straight line,>>>..clearly the crooked use bent lines..and suspect growth curves and models that contradict the fact's[anyone ever compare the modeling to the REALITY?]

<<and often only a tenuous relationship,..between what we know and what we do.>>>..such is the way of marketeers selling us a NEW TAX

<<..Staggeringly,few of the efforts designed to mobilise action on climate change appear to be underpinned by proper national research on public motivation and,>>>..why the science rebuttals and negative finantial annalysis excluded

yes clearly this article..[like all the others is..<<<communications framing>>..to pretend debate/where its simply selling us on the fears..to bring in a new tax...4000 per family..[at 30 dollars a ton carbon,...

who's MARKET value..will be SPECULATED to as much as the tax PAYERS will bear,..thanks be the the same derivitives speculators that bankrupted the finance industry..[that..the cash income..from the new GLOBAL carbon tax./will revitalise]..ie more industry..to rebuild the industry infastructure..we just went bust building...

building the 'green ecomony' is about..the economy stupid..[look at spain who went green..[now has the highest unemployment,..because the only jobs are in the building of it

[then just letting the sun/wind..do it FOR FREE..with the consumers stuck with the tax and doubled energy costs for-ever..

[ie no ancilary economic activity..[ie no jobs]..because its SOO green,..you just need to wipe the dust off the solar cells..[to reap in the extra cash..forever

see our subsidies built it..with OUR carbon TAX-credit..[what did the capitalists put in?...but do we get free/power at the end....NO..we pay double..for the free energy supply..OUR TAXES BUILT..green jobs my butt..

Well put, 'under one god'!

"There can be a tone of self-righteousness, a kind of shrill moral indignation, in the speech of those of us who protest and campaign … We know that we are on the side of the angels, and in our own way we can fail to do justice to the complex reality of most human action and motivation. We get something out of 'being right' … (and) satisfaction from making those who do not agree with us wrong."

Bachelard has hit the nail on the head. The "how dare you question US?" brigade will not convince anyone of anything. The " I am right and you are wrong" attitude has seeped through the debate like a stinking virus. Those who dare question any of the "facts" are labelled a sceptic or GW denier.

Australians are starting to see through the hype and soon anyone pushing the GW barrow will be quickly relegated to the opposition benches (where they belong).

Agreed Sparkyq, here we are, trying to eliminate bullying from the school playground and adult workplace but then get bullied in spades daily by the press and all the save the "whatever" organisations too varied and numerous to list any longer.

No the failure in not in communicating, it's that too much communicating is being done by so many for such little effect. Is it possible to stop every death, extinction, plastic bag, bad guy/girl, violence, terrorist, molecule of CO2, CFC, THC, GBD, whale eater hunter, war, torture, molestation .. and on the list goes on. Mate, locally we're just trying to get a new shed built at the oval and we're the only ones who care!

We have so many organizations including the government all trying to spin us their particular shtick that we have fatigue.

The folks who are appalled at the government not doing what they want have probably all noticed the government is spinning madly trying to get us to do what they want and are losing heart.

Would'nt life be simpler if lying was considered a sin. More than that,a punishable offence eg a permananent tattoo on the forehead .Glorifying it as spin, call it uninformed opinion, a guess, whatever, if in doubt, kick it out.
Morals went out the window with the advent of television.

It doesn’t matter that “Nine out of 10 of those polled by The Guardian newspaper said they had lost faith in the ability of decision makers to take the action necessary to restrict global temperature.”

Global temperature doesn’t need to be (and cannot be) ‘restricted’ because nature is doing it for us. The planet has been cooling since 1998. Nature and the climate is doing very well with what it has always done and will always do. Little old man can relax and get on with life, despite the hysteria from alarmists relying on ‘consensus’ rather than science.

The thing that they should not be relaxed about is the idiotic threats of Government to impose carbon taxes which will have no effect on nature, but which will set the Western world (the only people stupid enough to do such things) on the road to a miserable Third World existence.

Of course “some Australian scientists are despondent”. They now fear that their giant con will be treated with the contempt it deserves. They will be lose faith, be reviled and, just thinking about all those lovely funds and grants they will lose in itself is enough to make them feel despondent!

They should be glad that we treat false prophets of doom only with contempt. In the dark ages, when the panic-causing predictions of the nutters supposed to know everything proved to be wrong, the population turned on them and dealt with them summarily