GW Debate Continues- IS Problems

Questioning of Dangerous Global Warming Thesis Continues

The Australian has continued the questioning of the dangerous global warming thesis it set in train over the weekend. Today’s letters column is devoted entirely to the issue and its opinion page has two excellent questioning articles (see below).

The Financial Review also continues the questioning by senior journalist, Ben Potter, of the ANU’s decision to divest its superannuation fund of 7 investments in corporations which were said to “cause social harm”. This has forced the ANU, even under Chancellor Gareth Evans, to start backtracking and it appears the “blacklist” may be reviewed (see article below Santos does ‘social good’: ANU’s Evans).

However, the naive Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has joined other uneducated Anglican Dioceses in the fossil fuel divestment of super funds. The publication that, despite his past record including action as a terrorist, an Anglican preacher seems to be leading the way to further destroy the image of that church, on top of its failure already to publish any criticism of extremist Islamic groups. In his article below (Say No to Coal Killers) Gary Johns rightly suggests it should be “Christians for Coal”  as that is the best  way of reducing poverty in developing countries.

Meantime, expert climate scientist, William Kininmonth, has just had accepted (after extensive editorial exchanges) in a new journal a detailed analysis of “Physical Theories and Computer Simulations”. This traces through time the various attempts to model how climate behaves  and how sensitive it is to human engendered influences, including of course the usage of fossil fuels. My interpretation is that Kininmonth demonstrates that, despite many attempts that include assumptions about data which is not available, the modelling has established no scientific basis to support government action to reduce usage of fossil fuels. Put in more scientific language, the paper concludes in the final paragraph:

“The real sensitivity of climate to anthropogenic activity must remain an open question. The complexity of the climate system and the importance of energy exchange processes on scales below that of the computational grids in use, with their necessary approximations and assumptions, mean that in their present state of development, GCMs are an inadequate tool to resolve the question of sensitivity or to project future climate states. Empirical evidence suggests that the shortcomings of GCMs, particularly in relation to their representation of the hydrological cycle, have exaggerated the potential for climate change due to anthropogenic activities” (the full text is attached).

This is an important contribution to the analysis of the dangerous warming thesis. It will doubtless give rise to warmist anger and dismissal, particularly as it comes at a time when international conferences run by warmists will be trying to obtain agreement by countries on a formula for reducing emissions.

Convert from Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, will be addressing this and other aspects of the green ideology during his current visit to Australia. If you wish to hear him, contact me at 03 9867 1235.

Can  Islamic State be Stopped

The AFR has published a very sobering assessment by Peter Jennings, head of the bipartisan body Australian Strategic Policy Institute and former Defence Dep Sec, of the attempts by the US and one or two other countries to stop IS. The title of the article below –No tipping point looms in war on Islamic State – tells the main story. But note the clear implication of incompetence in the Iraqi government and its army, which is being painted by Obama and others as the vehicle that will be used to defeat IS. Yet if 14 divisions, each with 20,000 troops, are finding it difficult to defend Baghdad, the situation is dire. One can only hope that the 200 Australian Special Forces will survive.