Climate change skeptics or climate change ignoramuses?

Which of our Parliamentarians are among the ignoramuses?

There is also the 'precautionary principle' that needs to be considered.

The voters in a democracy have the right to know who among their representatives in Parliament are climate change deniers.

Introduction

I have written about climate change itself on a number of other pages on this site (see the box on the right); the subject of this page is confined to climate change skepticism and climate change ignorance, particularly in the Australian Parliament.

Below is a list of those federal parliamentarians who deny climate change and those who accept the reality of anthropogenic climate change (anthropogenic – caused by Man). I had hoped that a few other people would be willing to contact their parliamentarians and put the question; however no-one did, so most of the responses are those from South Australian Senators, to whom I wrote.

Still ignorant in 2011 In August 2011 the Western Australian branch of the Liberal Party passed a motion, by a large majority, calling for a royal commission into the science of climate change. The science is settled; has been settled for years. This simply shows the woeful ignorance of science that exists among members of the WA Liberal Party.

Why do so many deny climate change? George Marshal wrote: "In the case of climate change, then, we can intellectually accept the evidence of climate change, but we find it extremely hard to accept our responsibility for a crime of such enormity." I have written more on this under climate change denial.

Others have financial reasons for arguing that either no out-of-the-ordinary climate change is happening or that it is not being caused by the activities of humanity, remember how long the tobacco industry denied that their products had any adverse health effects. I believe the fossil fuel industries and other high-polluting big-money industries are influencing some Parliamentarians to the point where they are willing to deny climate change so as to support these industries' continued profitability.

Some Parliamentarians may deny climate change out of honest ignorance; there is a lot of convincingly expressed dis-information about.

Why you should contact your MP

I can, and have, asked my MP, and all the senators in my state, for their stance on climate change; I have the right to expect a reply. If I ask for the positions of other MPs they will most likely ignore my letter, but you have every right to expect to be told what your MP and the senators of you state believe about climate change.

A form letter that you can modify and use is provided below. Also below is a link where you can find out which electorate you live in.

Climate change deniers in Parliament

For the purpose of this page I have used the term "Climate change denier" for anyone who believes that the definition given above is essentially false.

The 4 Corners referred to at the left is the ABC TV program that aired on 9th of Nov. 2009.

CC deniers in the Parliamentary Liberal Party:

• Senator Cory Bernardi (said on 4 Corners, "The Earth is not actually warming, we still have rain falling. We have crops still growing. We can go outside and we won't cook.")
• Senator Julian McGauran (said on 4 Corners, "No I won't be supporting an ETS under any circumstances".)
• Senator Nick Minchin (said on 4 Corners, "I don't mind being branded a sceptic about the theory that that human emissions and CO2 are the main driver of global change - of global warming. I don't accept that and I've said that publically." When asked, "What proportion of the Liberal Party are climate change sceptics do you think from your discussions?" said, "If the question is, do people believe or not believe that human beings are causing, are the main cause of the planet warming, then I'd say a majority don't accept that position.")
• The majority of the others, if Senator Minchin is to be believed; they should make their stance public.

• Senator Barnaby Joyce
• Senator Ron Boswell?

• Senator Steven Fielding of the Family First Party seems undecided but leans toward denying climate change.

Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, said in late November 2009 something like "Climate change is absolute crap", but more recently he has said that he accepts anthropogenic climate change as real. A very serious matter to speak so ambiguously about!

Climate change accepters in Parliament

For the purpose of this page I have used the term "Climate change accepter" for anyone who believes that the definition given above is essentially true.

Climate change accepters among the Australian Greens in Federal Parliament: all?

Climate change accepters in the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party: This is the biggest unknown; I suspect that very few would admit being skeptics even if they believed that anthropogenic climate change was not happening.

Climate change accepters in the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party (members of the House of Representatives electorates are in square brackets):

• Senator Sue Boyce (had the courage to cross the floor and vote for the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme);
• Joe Hockey [North Sydney];
• Ian Macfarlane [Groom];
• Judi Moylan [Pearce]; Said "Climate change is real. It is a major challenge of our time..."
• Kelly O'Dwyer; [Higgins] (a bit wishy-washy, said 'Man is making a contribution to CC');
• Christopher Pyne [Sturt]?
• Senator Judith Troeth (had the courage to cross the floor and vote for the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme);
• Malcolm Turnbull [Wentworth];
• No doubt there are more, but who are they?

Climate change accepters in the Federal Parliamentary National Party: none?

Climate change accepters on the cross benches: all except Steve Fielding?

Letter requesting your MP's stance on climate change

(Links that will help you find out who your MP is, and who the Senators for your state are, are given below. I have written to all the Senators for SA and my own MP, Rowan Ramsey.)

Feel free to modify the letter, but please carefully consider any modification you make to the definition.

Your address;
December 3, 2009;

Rowan Ramsey,
Member for Grey,
Parliament House,
CANBERRA 2600

Dear Rowan;

Whether or not you believe that climate change is happening and is caused by Man's activities I'm sure that you will agree that it is a very important issue; in my opinion it is the most important issue in the world today. Voters have the right to know where their political representatives stand on the important issues.

For the purpose of this letter the theory of climate change can be defined as...
"Climates are changing, a number of these changes are potentially catastrophic, and the changes are primarily caused by the activities of mankind."

Can you please inform me of whether you accept the above as essentially true or false?

Yours faithfully, Your name.

List of Senators - by states

Political affiliation abbreviations:

• ALP, Australian Labor Party
• AG, Australian Greens
• CLP, Country Liberal Party
• FF, Family First
• Ind, Independent
• LP, Liberal Party
• NATS, National Party

Too small to make a difference?
The great fallacy

Senator Alan Ferguson used a variant of this argument when arguing in Parliament against the adoption of the Rudd Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme; he said that Australia is "responsible for less than 1½ per cent of the world's emissions" and implied that since our contribution was so small there was no point in risking our economic well-being by reducing our greenhouse gas production.

This argument is quite invalid. Any individual could use the same excuse to refuse to reduce his contribution to greenhouse gasses, no matter how wastefully he used the Earth's resources.

If all Western European nations were to decide to become a single nation, then that nation would be the third biggest greenhouse producer in the world (after China and the USA). Would that mean that suddenly, because of this unification, Europe's responsibility to act on climate change would become much greater? Of course not! Liechtenstein has 33 000 people, its contribution to global greenhouse must be very small, but as a part of the new nation of Western Europe would all the people of Liechtenstein suddenly have a much greater responsibility to change their behaviour? Of course not!

China and the USA are the biggest greenhouse polluters, they are also among the biggest countries, both in area and population. If each province in China was to declare itself an independent country tomorrow – each producing much less greenhouse gasses than the whole of China – would this mean that all of the new states would have a much reduced responsibility to lessen their greenhouse gas production rates? Again, of course not! It is the per-capita greenhouse gas production rate that matters, and this is where Australia is among the worst in the world.

Consider Senator Ferguson's argument mentioned above; Australia produces about 1½ per cent of the world's greenhouse gasses, but it has only 0.3% of the world's population, therefore the average Australian is responsible for (1½ divided by 0.3 = 5) five times as much greenhouse gas as the average global citizen.

Per-capita Australia is the greatest greenhouse gas producer among the OECD nations. Of all the countries of the world, Australia, at 26 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person per year ranks ninth; the USA at 23 tonnes ranks 14th; and China at 3.9 tonnes ranks 121st. The only countries that are worse than Australia are a few poor nations that are ravaging their forests and several Middle-Eastern oil nations that have oil to burn.

Australia (and the great majority of individual Australians) has an ethical responsibility to greatly reduce its greenhouse gas production rate.

Links

A list of members of the House of Representatives (lower house) can be found here, a list of Senators (upper house) is on this page.

Concluding remarks

As of the time of writing, 2009/12/03, the names listed under deniers and accepters have been placed according to information I have picked up from ABC coverage of recent events. I believe the placements to be right, but am open to correction.

Index