Harry Clarke

I prepared these notes for a conference at Peking University, Beijing that I will be attending this coming Saturday. It is late in the day but comments are very welcome.
1. Introduction.   Carbon taxes and, more generally, taxes on greenhouse gas emissions, are a widely advocated means of reducing such emissions to address anthropogenic climate change – see, [...]

I guess that if you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, was raised from the dead - and could both walk on the water and raise the dead - that it is not completely incomprehensible that you might not believe the science of climate change or the Darwinian theory of evolution.  The more extreme forms of Christianity can [...]

A very useful, enjoyable and concise Youtube on climate science by Peter Sinclair. The video refutes the message that those suopporting climate science are inept at spreading its message. Other videos by Peter Sinclair at his blogsite here. HT ClimateSight.

Jagdish Bhagwati argues in the Financial Times (subscription encouraged) that developed countries should be subject to a strict tort liability for damages done because of cumulative past greenhouse gas emissions. I disagree with most of his views but cite them (see below) given his pre-eminence as a trade theorist, development economist  and trade policy analyst.

I have argued several times (here, here) that it is wise to be very pessimistic about the consequences of continued unmitigated releases of greenhouse gas emissions.  If this is alarmism then it is a rational form of alarmism.  Rational because, as has been repeatedly pointed out, the costs of averting a climate catastrophe are small.  Robert Frank, one [...]

I regret that Malcolm Turnbull was replaced by Tony Abbott as Liberal Party leader. To me it is the replacement of a decent hard-thinking politician by a populist clown who stands for nothing of consequence. Turnbull has stated he will cross the floor to vote for the Government’s CPRS. It is hard to see he [...]

I sent this to The Age a few days ago but they neither published it nor responded to its submission.

Another retrieved post – thanks Christina.

“Data collected by the Bureau of Meteorology indicate that Australia’s annual mean temperature for 2009 was 0.90°C above the 1961-90 average, making it the nation’s second warmest year since high-quality records began in 1910. High temperatures were especially notable in the southeast during the second half of the year, with Australia, Victoria, South Australia and [...]

Another retrieved post – thanks Christina.

Another retrieved post from hacking attack:

I mentioned in an earlier post that the animated film Unchained Goddess unambiguously forecast anthropogenic climate change in 1958.  I’d only seen a clip and couldn’t find the complete film in local video stores so bought a copy from Amazon.  It is an outstanding, partly animated, documentary film by Frank Capra [...]

One of the posts lost in the recent hack attack concerned Lord Monkton’s visit to Australia.  Conservatives around Australia (Albrechtsen and even Barnaby Joyce)* are seeking to distance themselves from this silly toff.  I liked the following summary of the great Lord Monkton from DeSmogBlog.  The mad Lord Monkton repeats the usual delusionist nonsense at a [...]

The extreme political right are showing their hatred for the movie (that I reviewed recently) Avatar presumably because of its pro-environmental and anti-military themes.  It is hard for me to appreciate the viewpoint of those who see something positive in environmental destruction and in killing people  but that seems to be where these kooks end [...]

The Pew Climate Centre have shown that over the last year or so a decreased proportion of US citizens believe climate change is a serious public policy issue and a reduced number believe there is solid evidence that anthropogenic warming is occurring.   Climate change delusionists might be credited with inducing these changed opinions but the [...]

It is the start of a new decade and the occasion to review a simple fact. The decade to 2010 was in terms of global mean surface temperatures the hottest in recorded history – that is, over about 160 years. It was 0.2 degrees C hotter than the 1990s which were, in turn, the previous [...]

This post is a dump file that I will return to.

China’s is criticising the US in Copenhagen ostensibly because the US is refusing to endorse the developed-countries-alone-must-make-absolute-emissions-cutbacks implication of the soon to be defunct Kyoto Agreement. This is an empty negotiation stance.  The Copenhagen meetings are seeking to devise a successor agreement to Kyoto and to rectify the obvious deficiencies of that agreement. Moreover, the US [...]

This editorial in The Guardian – reprinted in 56 newspapers around the world – says it all. The science of climate change is clear and the stakes are huge. Significant cuts to global emissions are needed and this requires a reorientation in energy planning and in current and planned lifestyles around the world.  

Wow.  Abbott as an unprincipled weathervane on climate change. It is an accurate description of Tony Abbott with one exception. Malcolm misrepresents by asserting that Abbott claims his policy will be zero cost.  He doesn’t claim that but, by avoiding the use of market instruments, the Abbott policy will be high cost.

‘Tony himself has, in just [...]

While many have devoted time and effort trying to predict what will come out of the Copenhagen meetings I have largely elected to wait-and-see.  Even that is difficult – this article from Bridges I found useful. It is the first in a series and I will update.