Imagine the crime of trying to audit the BOM?
Last year, Graham Lloyd wrote in The Australian about how the BOM had made whopping two degree adjustments to data which turned cooling trends to warming trends and instead of improving the data, it created discontinuities. The BOM’s eventual explanation lamely exclaimed that the stations “might” have moved. (And they might not, too. Who knows, but remember this is what 95% certainty looks like.) Lloyd wrote about how historical records of extreme heat at Bourke had effectively been thrown in the trash. Who cares about historical records?
In response to the embarrassment and revealing questions, Tony Abbott wanted an investigation. But Greg Hunt, and The Dept of Environment opposed the investigation and opposed doing “due diligence”. What are they afraid of? Instead, Hunt helped the BOM set up a one-day-wonder investigation with hand-picked statisticians that wasted another nine months before admitting that the BOM methods would never be publicly available or able to be replicated. If it can’t be replicated, it isn’t science.
The BOM’s defense is always that their mystery method is considered “best practice” by other agencies around the world — who share the same incentives to exaggerate warming, and who also use unscientific and undisclosed (though different) adjustments.
It’s clear Greg Hunt doesn’t want good environmental data. Nor does the ABC, which is already talking about how they hope to get money from the Turnbull government.
4 Sept: Guardian: Daniel Hurst:
Abbott considered investigation into ‘exaggerated’ Bureau of Meteorology temperature data
Documents show former PM was briefed on setting up a taskforce into whether the Bureau of Meteorology exaggerated records – as claimed in the Australian
But the environment minister, Greg Hunt, pushed for the then prime minister to drop the idea.
The documents, obtained by the ABC under freedom of information laws, show the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) prepared a brief for Abbott in September 2014 noting that recent articles published by the Australian had “accused [the bureau] of altering its temperature data records to exaggerate estimates of global warming”.
The brief said the bureau’s climate records were “recognised internationally as among the best in the world” and used “a scientific approach that has been peer-reviewed”. “Nevertheless, the public need confidence information on Australia’s, and the world’s, climate is reliable and based on the best available science,” the then secretary of PM&C, Ian Watt, wrote…
PM&C subsequently prepared a new brief for Abbott suggesting he agree to amending the terms of reference for the taskforce so that it would merely provide “coordination and advice” on “quality assured climate and emissions data for Australia”. The brief said Bishop had “agreed to the removal of reference” to the bureau…
ABC’s Jake Sturmer reports on Greg Hunt:
One Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet bureaucrat described a Department of Environment official as being “on a campaign” to get the references to BoM removed from the taskforce’s responsibilities.
Further documents appear to show Mr Hunt convinced senior cabinet members to remove any references of “due diligence” or “quality assurance”.
Sturmer doesn’t seem to think that actively avoiding due diligence was important enough to warrant getting opinions from people who did want due diligence. Nor does he notice that the one-day forum was never going to look for evidence that the BOM adjustments were unjustified. Like most ABC journalists, he gullibly accepts that a lack of evidence from a non-investigation, is worth something, and he doesn’t contact skeptical scientists to get a different view:
The review confirmed the credibility of the Bureau of Meteorology in its report released in June 2015, which did not find any evidence that the BoM had been adjusting its figures to fit a pattern of global warming.
The ABC should not be privatized because it is hopelessly culturally biased, it should be privatized because it is incompetent. ABC journalists are lousy researchers.
It is a bland truism that people dependent on Big-Government have a billion incentives to support Big-Government.
Did the ABC dislike Abbott because he threatened their income stream? A mere week after the coup they are already talking about getting more money:
The ABC is hopeful the installation of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister will allow it to claw back some of the $250 million slashed from the broadcaster last year as tension between the government and broadcaster cools off.
The shift from Tony Abbott to Mr Turnbull represents a change at the top of the government from one of the Coalition’s biggest critics of the ABC to one of its biggest supporters.
“There will be no more culture wars,” a Liberal source said, flagging an end to the open hostilities between the government and the ABC during recent times.
The ABC bothered to FOI the government about an investigation of the BOM, but they don’t appear to have FOI’d, or even asked the BOM, or the Dept of Environment about why they don’t want “due diligence” done. Evidently the ABC prefer unscientific, hidden methods that supports the global warming narrative, rather than good meteorological data acquired in a transparent and open manner. Some things matter eh? Their actions show it’s not about the environment, but about supporting fellow rentseekers and co-lobbyists for big gov.
How many tax dollars are used to get more tax dollars?
ABC commenters:
stevepol
10:19 AM on 24/09/2015
If Mr Murdoch wants to fund an investigation into BoM and its climate change science then let him pay for it.
Exactly. And if the ABC want to cover up for incompetent government agencies, stop them getting taxpayer funding to do it. Ditto the BOM. A private agency could manage our climate records for less, and provide taxpayers with full transparency and reasonable answers. Private news services already do a better job than the ABC.
Quiller67
11:20 AM on 24/09/2015
There is no conspiracy there is only data. If you look at all the data with correct methodology there is only reality. Anthropogenic climate change is real and is going to kill hundreds of millions over the next century.
And the “correct methodology” is whatever the rentseekers say it is.
Credit to Jennifer Marohasy who has been asking the hardest questions about the BOM methods, and credit to Graham Lloyd and The Australian for being brave enough to point out problems with the sacred BOM.
For those who say Tony Abbott didn’t do enough, ponder that so many Liberals in his own party were not also calling for an investigation, or indeed, were actively working to stop taxpayer funded agencies from answering scathing questions from taxpayers. One man, even a PM, can’t undo forty years of damage without a team to help him.
h/t Pat, Steve. Andrew Bolt.
There is not a single bit of doubt that the data has been manipulated.
But why?
Surely the BoM is above assisting and abetting academics who wish to milk the public purse by dreaming up scare-mongering projects.
502
Purely in the interest of offending lots of readers, may I suggest the criminal gene can be passed down from generation to generation.
Nevertheless, the great grand parents of BOM ‘climate scientists’ would be appalled by the duplicity of their descendants, perhaps transportation in chains from Australia to East Anglia (CRU) or Connecticut (Mann’s hang out) should now be considered as appropriate punishment for their routine and massive data manipulation in support of a dodgy political agenda.
173
Purely in the interest of offending lots of readers, may I suggest the criminal gene can be passed down from generation to generation.
Nevertheless, the great grand parents of BOM ‘climate scientists’ would be appalled by the duplicity of their descendants, perhaps transportation in chains from Australia to East Anglia (CRU) or Connecticut (Mann’s hang out) should now be considered as appropriate punishment for their routine and massive data manipulation in support of a dodgy political agenda.
22
A very good question. One I can’t even speculate on.
However, I’ll add one curious piece of human psych. Why does a cleptomaniac continue to steal stuff when they have no need to steal it, or wanted the stuff they actualy steal? There is some sort of “naughty” gene out there that just has to do what they know is wrong.
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toorightmate
“There is not a single bit of doubt that the data has been manipulated.”
Evidence for that claim?
119
They admitted it.
They said they Homogenised it.
They admitted it
No scientific reason to bother about this old irrelevant data except for one thing.
It could be manipulated and used by astute politicians, and associates, to confuse the masses while all those involved raided the Treasury.
KK
232
And now look at one of the news reporters on the net has as a headline today:
“One Goldman Sachs chart shows that India won’t save the coal industry”
This is the latest Tristan Eddis item clearly linking Goldman Sachs with the warmer imperative.
Probable implication is that “Renewables” will be the big go and who will profit from more focus on saving the planet?
KK
122
There are several well prepared dissitations on this.
Jennifer M’s work is outstanding and the guy who analysed the Nullarbor debacle has really shown how “homogenisation” is a load of crap.
The USA efforts have similarly been pathetic.
It is now obvious that the BoM is a centre for failed scientists and failed statisticians (it’s the 99% who give the other 1% a bad name).
102
toorightmate.
“There are several well prepared dissitations on this”
Some references to the peer-reviewed scientific literature would be nice.
Jennifer Marohasy is entitled to her opinion, but I am not accepting an “argument from authority” from someone who accused the BOM of fraud on her website. Plus I saw her on the ABC Q&A that time and her scientific arguments against AGW were poor.
The arguments against the BOM are of the nature “we don’t like what the BOM says, therefore they are crooks”.
120
Hypocrite.
1. You accept and toss argument from authority all the time. It’s your main form of “reasoning”.
2. Jennifer Marohasy has laid out her reasoning, graphs, data, in detail for years with references.
Again, low grade, unresearched, unreasoned comment. Do better. please.
252
JM has accused BoM of fraud and a lot of other commentators as well, Bom Cannot take offence and sue because they would be forced to reveal the method, if any, of the shonky Homogenization! So I repeat it again: Bom Is a shonk outfit, fraudsters and liars when it comes to historical and present day temperature records. The article, on this site on September 26th, 2015 also demonstrates that they falsified and invented records! that is not Science it’s a con job! Now sue me for smearing your “good” name BoM!
30
The fact that two satellite data sets and four radiosonde data sets do not support it.
82
TedM.
“The fact that two satellite data sets and four radiosonde data sets do not support it.”
Subject change – as far as I am aware the BOM does not present a temperature data set derived from satellite data
115
Possibly not, however John Christy *did* use both weather balloon & satellite surface temperature data to completely shred all the AR4 climate model predictions in August 2012 with his submission to the US Senate Committe of Public Works on the matter.
Quite frankly, if you acceept the BOMs revisionist view of climate history ( data ) then eevry themometer is wrong, therefore the BOM might as well give up weather forcecasting forever……the irony is they dont see the simple flaw in their logic big enough to drive a RET trading merchant bank through…..
Nuff said.
PS – quite a lot of my friends are blue collar. They quite simply cannot see the logic and/or “evience” for CAGW and consider it a complete typical politically fabricated lie, so the CAGW crowd have lost that section of the public. Problem is now that the CAGW mob will have to implement a dracoinian police state to quell the rioting when it starts
if they dare try and lock down society through green nonsense any further. Its one thing to let the middle class delude itself through rationalizing CAGW with zero evidence ( they do it quite well ) , its another to try and shove nonsense down the blue collar mobs throats…..caveat emptor for the CAGW luvvies….
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OriginalSteve.
I better remind you the UAH and RSS data sets are revised all the time. Damn satellites keep drifting in their orbits.
08
Harry makes it so easy for us doesn’t he?
What a dum–a-s
113
Mark D.
“What a dum–a-s”
No evidence or arguments presented, just name-calling.
113
Harry it isn’t “name calling” if it is accurate and descriptive. Arguments and evidence are all provided amply by yourself.
123
Yeah Mark leave the poor clueless dum-a-s alone. 🙂
72
You, my good friend is a dumb a-se.
And yes, I am a name caller.
In fact, I also have a name.
And, I am not yet quite senile enough to remember that it was bloody hot when I was a kid.
And, if you have that view of Jennifer M’s work, then – may God forgive you.
51
How big a majority does Hunt have in his own electorate? When this gets out to those who voted for him and are not happy about the treatment dished out to Tony Abbott –could they make difference ?
421
Good question. If there were large funded NGO’s supporting taxpayers (instead of big-government) there would be a funded team looking at all the margins for the most unliberal-Liberals. A targeted campaign to vote for Nationals or independents in a few key seats could make a big difference. Though Hunts seat would require a lot of work.
Parliament: Greg Hunt Member for Flinders
Flinders: strong Liberal seat. In Sept 2013 election was 55% first prefs for Libs. Two party preferred 62%.
2011 Census Profile: “At 20.5% Flinders has the nation’s fifth highest proportion of residents aged over 65, the highest proportion of any Victorian electorate.”
“He holds a Bachelor of Law with First Class Honours from Melbourne University and has been the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a Masters in International Relations at Yale University in the United States.
He has worked at the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, as well as contributing to the development of health and educational programs for those in the developing world, and teaching remedial literacy both in Australia and the United States.
He has also worked as the Associate to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, and was Australia’s Chief Electoral Observer in Cambodia in 1998.”
243
Well Jo,
After the next Election, when all those traditional Liberal voters get to vote their disgust at Ex PM Tony Abbott’s backstabbing, Greg Hunt may find himself in the unemployment line!
Let’s hope so.
I’m in the loop with many conservative voters, and they are really pissed off!
This labor lite dick, needs to be taught a lesson.
So do the Liberals full stop.
Vote the Nationals in the lower house.
Vote the ALA in the Senate.
Let’s tell the Liberals, plain and simple, we don’t follow the UN green scam!
532
Add me to that list BA. Things will be interesting, I am in Joe Hockey’s electorate so our by-election will be interesting, even though quite a few of the Liberals around here are Turnbull lite Libs.
It will be very interesting to see who runs here, and how they market themselves.
160
Yep!
I can’t wait for the bloodbath!
90
Me too.
50
…tell the Liberals… …see how they market themselves…
Yesterday got a questionnaire in the mail from local Liberal Federal member, among the questions were ones seeking our feelings about the carbon tax, climate change, and border security. No explanation why. Gee, survey participants can even win a tablet if they are lucky! Are we being softened up for eventual offsets trading by the Minister for Goldman-Sachs? Anyone else get a survey?
Already wrote to our rep saying I noted with disappointment he voted for Turnbull in the revolt, and that I would now be looking for someone else to vote for.
170
Yep. I’m with you The Black Adder.
However, given that the National Party doesn’t run a candidate in my electorate, the electorate of Curtin – Julie Bishop’s seat – I’ll be voting for a Global Warming sceptic in the form of an independent for the House of Reps and for the Nationals in the Senate.
I’m particularly pleased to see that Warren Truss, the leader of the Nationals, obtained a written agreement from Turnbull that there’d be no change to the current climate policy of the Government. Not that the current policy is ideal, but Turnbull is a warmist and could very easily look to bring in a Carbon Dioxide tax in one form or another. So congratulations to the Nationals for locking the backstabbers into the existing policy.
320
Hunt and Bishop must have six legs each with all the white-anting they’ve been doing.
Are they too hoping for a post-Canberra cushy policy wonk position cajoling China into self-deprecation?
80
SS,
Not only does ALA support the exposure of the climate change scam.
It is also strong on the changing face of Australia and its traditional culture.
The way Europe is looking at the moment, I’m nearly positive in the fact, that at Paris in December, Climate will be the least of their worries!
90
On the other hand, check out “The Australian Liberty Alliance”.
I don’t know anything about them except what I see on their site; but what I see there looks pretty good to me.
Time to dump these clowns who claim to be the “Liberal Party”, and get in some decent people.
http://australianlibertyalliance.org/
181
I live in the electorate of Bronwyn Bishop – former speaker of the House of Representatives and who also voted to depose Tony Abbott in the recent leadership spill.
Unfortunately the Nationals do not field a candidate in my seat but due to recent events I have written to the Natiinals to request they field candidates in all Federal seats.
A vote for Malcolm Turnbull is still better than a vote for the Labor party but being able to vote for a leader and party who is not beholden to big government and the global warming gravy train is far more palatable. Environment Minster Greg Hunt’s disgraceful defence of the BOM fudging was the final straw for me.
111
Do we know how those prefs. will be distributed? Personally Im not voting for anyone who will pref. either of the major parties. The safest way to do that is to draw a picture or write a joke. Bill Shorten is a good joke to write, Malcolm Turnbull is another. Just make sure you include the words “not voting for” if you put their names.
40
You control your own preferences (that’s what all those numbers on the voting paper are for) – this talk about preference “deals” & “swaps” is very misleading & refers only to what is printed on a how to vote card. I know that at the last Federal Election I was only 1 of 7/1743 who voted below the line in the senate, and only 1 of 5/1340 who voted below the line for the NSW upper house (DPPM , and PPM respectively) – I start with the highest number for the top of the greens and work my down, the socialist /communist the same way – yes it does take time, but there are usually some helpful websites that allow you to “test” your vote & print of your own HTV for the senate
50
Bingo !
30
Hunt is a classic progressive; there is not a conservative bone in his body.
240
LOL “progressive”? One of the most misused terms in modern society. There is nothing progressive about wanting your power from 13th century windmills and pricing it out of the reach of your industries.
121
Yes Safety Guy “progressive” is a appointed term by people of Left Wing ideological persuasion. A misnomer if ever there was one.
70
You should always write “Progressive” with a capital P and quotes.
Capital, because it’s a proper noun (not to be confused with the concept of progress) and quotes because it was someone else’s idea to use that word.
30
Jo
I think you are onto it with
It would take a lot of organisation but if the effort is targeted with the right people standing in those seats it would be the best way for the conservative voters in Australia.
210
And was hanging around Canberra a lot mid 90’s with Downer… Attending many student events in the inner north with his partner of the time
51
.
GEEAngry
Did you teach him this
Gee
Aye’m surprised mate”
40
Hmm. Hunt not downer and my comment was a reply but not to you
22
Greg doesn’t seem to have much in the way of statistical credentials. He also is illogical. BOM credibility is preserved by statisticians investigating its
methods for homogenisation. Credibility is already lost by a year long fight refusing to follow orders and immediately dropping the check on change of PM. The
stench is that of a 2week dead whale lying on a beach.
Those dropping the Libs better watch out for Janet Albrechtsen. Today she sets up a strawman, saying we are all like voters for Corbyn, the ultracommunist UK Labor leader. She calls Malcolm’s lot Centrists. She seems to equate the rest as near fascists. Like the Liberal Party, she misses the point. Abbott
was decent, achieved massively and with PPLS was as Centrist and profeminist as the rest of them. He is an achiever, a decision maker. Turnbull and Bishop are
not. They have to have new ‘committees’ for decisions whilest having no Abbott policy complaints. They have to have losers some time and cannot make those decisions. They have moved the Liberals so far left of centre they are now indistinguishable from Labor. They have converted Defence into a S.A. welfare agency. Bishop is said to have signed up to the UN Agenda 2030, that shibbolith left from Copenhagen, ‘based’ on AGW and promising $100B a year to developing countries. The point is, it is pointless voting for the current Liberals if you are conservative. You actually have no voice.
10
As a distant observer, I recall Abbott’s claim that he would “frontshirt” a certain leader about a certain plane crash. However, after the two met, Abbott’s bellicose rhetoric was suddenly toned down while other comparable western leaders’ was not. My take is that obviously Abbott may have learned a thing or two about the true circumstances of the plane crash that made him uncomfortable to say the least. And this tempered his enthusiasm.
Hence I do think his removal was not only a convenient green coup but also the result of this meeting, as if he was not anymore considered a safe ally.
I know it’s pure conjecture from my part, but hey, someone proves me wrong and I’ll accept it gladly.
00
Abbott in fact made the running on that disaster. The Europeans were backing away from saying much at all. Russia controlled their energy supplies. The only other party interested except Abbott, was the Danes. In fact this was Abbott’s baby, and from it Bishop got most of the international exposure and made her name in the Security Council address she gave from the seat gained by Rudd. The ‘shirt front’ was the emotional response to the downing of a civilian aircraft for no valid reason, by a Russian made missile. The launcher quickly backed out into Russia immediately after the event. The ‘shirt front’ expression was used against Abbott in the same way as the fact he dared wear budgie smugglers for Life Saving, drive a fire truck for Bushfire fighting and ate raw brown onions. All economy shattering events I’m sure. All much worse than the debt and deficit and ~ETS left by Labor – if one listens to the Press.
00
I am disgusted with the covering up and damage control.
201
If company data gets audited, why not scientific agency data?
It’s a fair question.
These agencies are not like private companies which are subject to the market, and which have to produce a profit, and so without any real market forces acting on them (where people can withdraw their support if they think they are exaggerating) there is a tendency to exaggerate and for genuine mistakes to occur without any repercussions, or even any scrutiny.
It’s obvious where this will tend to lead to any economist, or anyone with any basic knowledge of human psychology: self-serving exaggeration and self-interest.
331
Good question however a few months ago the Abbott Government passed legislation in the House of representatives to require unions to be audited, to have the same compliance requirements as public companies, but the bill was blocked by the hostile Senate.
210
Gee, I wonder why it was blocked?, after all, unions are well-known to be free from corruption or self interest.
210
Why not, indeed.
Of course the red herrings are all in play at the ABC and other outposts of the global warming religion – the data is available, they say; the kind of adjustments made are available, they say; so what is the problem?
The ‘problem’ of course that results cannot be replicated because there is no consistent record of why some data has been adjusted.
ACORN, in other words, is not founded on scientific principles, but on mere assertion – the authoritarian diktat of the cushioned elites.
Heaven forfend that someone should require that a scientific result be demonstrated and not merely trumpeted.
191
Start with the UN, then shut the UN down…..pull all its funding.
40
While the news that a review of the BOM data was considered I am not at all surprised that Hunt persuaded his colleagues to give it a miss.
Look at the backlash from the ALP and unions over the Heydon RC and then imagine the storm that would erupt from the ALP, the Greens, BOM, CSIRO, the ABC, Fairfax and all the acadenic institutions with skin in the $$$”climate reserach” game. Look at the reaction to proposals to get involved with even Bjorn Lomborg. CAGW is a holy cow to these people and they would just go nuts. I don’t blame any government for leaving it alone when there are other more pressing things to do.
That said, BOM’s time will come. Reality will catch up.
301
I would assume that Andrew Bolt, would have this saga under his wings?
Regards
Climate Heretic
130
I’m sure I’m not alone on this but all politicians aren’t to be trusted, I was hopeful with PM Abbott that the climate pendulum would shift away from Agenda 21 or economic suicide and things looked good at the start, but after a few weak responses to the global climate shrills my gut told me something wasn’t right in the LNP camp, I’ll admit to venting frustration at Abbott for lack of decisiveness at key moments in directing Australia away from buying into the globalist club and looking out for ourselves first.
After the spill we are seeing some interesting insights into the ex-PM and the environment he had to operate in, this frustration I harboured might have been misplaced but only time will tell on that one, indeed this may have been a rare case of having a fairly honest person in politics that actually believed in the potential of his country and it’s people, if proven to be true I will send an email personally apologising and giving my condolences on the death of democracy.
321
Christopher Monckton tried to warn us that Tony Abbott was a good guy and that he was under attack for not getting on board the gravy train.
441
Why is this a surprise? Turnbull knew something had to be done to block any impediment to introducing a carbon tax or ETS. I can hear it already at the next election. Turnbull will be saying “I promise I will not introduce a….” you know the rest and what happened later.
270
Here are Lord Monckton’s comments. https://youtu.be/NG0WcjGHkEw
82
I’m well aware of Monckton’s earlier warning of this possibility, unfortunately it looks like Abbott might’ve been Australians true wishes adrift on a sea of green scum, this irks me as I voted for Abbott to try and pull Australia out of a globalist death spiral and back on a path to realise our true potential, now when you question people why they thought Abbott was bad they struggle for an answer simply because he was hounded by the MSM and continuously painted in a negative light which engineered the public to project that response, F$#@ing infuriating!
352
ABC News on line reports;
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-24/government-discussed-bom-investigation-over-climate-change/6799628
40
ABC, what a joke.
Just look at this interview of the usurper the other day:
So, according to the ABC, the ‘the real issues that affect people’s lives’ are the republic, SSM and climate change!!!
Talk about out of touch (and the ABC is obviously Turnbull’s crowd).
211
Scaper, remember our discussion on the BoM and Greg Hunt?
60
No, I don’t exactly remember the exchange. Perusing through my emails, it must have been around late August last year.
I contacted the Minister with my concerns about BOM and asked him to look into it. A week later he responded, “I have looked into it and no there is no evidence to back the claims.”
I responded, “You should inform your colleagues as I believe there might be an email campaign on this.” 28/08/2014.
There was a campaign and the people were ignored (dismissed), to be polite. I remember warning people here of such but YOU took offence, instead of reading between the lines!
I am a sceptic, especially when it comes down to conspiracy theories and from what I’ve read on this subject…I remain so. There is a struggle going on, the full blown warmists and the hard core sceptics are of no consequence as the middle ground is where it is at.
20
Interesting comment, however, from what I can see the ‘hard core warmists’ are pretty much in control of the ‘left’ media (ABC, Fairfax, Guardian).
I would not call them of ‘no consequence’ because they pull the middle ground towards alarmism.
Moreover, some (prominent) members of the government appear to be ‘hard core warmists’.
Or is it that what I call ‘hard core warmist’ you call ‘middle ground?’
30
Remember that most of the $250 million taken from the ABC was funding for DFAT’s Australia network broadcasting into Asia. The ABC is trying to give the impression that it came from base funding, rather than funding for a special task the ABC no longer has.
190
“The BOM methods would never be publicly available or able to be replicated”
Perhaps they were using software provided by Volkswagen.
That worked well. I like the quoted response of “Quiller67”
“If you look at the data with the correct methodology there is only reality”
Trouble is, nobody knows what the correct methodology is – or is going to find out – possibly because the BOM doesn’t know itself. “Quiller67”, like his peers, is happy in a world of unreality.
201
On the other hand
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/23/hail-vw-heroic-resistants-green-tyranny/
41
Murdoch’s Spectator and the ever-predictable Tristan:
24 Sept: Business Spectator: Tristan Edis: Abbott’s probe into the Bureau of Meteorology illustrates his bizarre priorities
It is truly sad but predictable — Tony Abbott and those he trusted relied on a newspaper for their science.
These accusations about data falsification were actually rehashed rubbish that had been floating around for a long time, perpetuated by individuals and groups linked not to institutions known for high-calibre scientific research, but rather groups intent on pushing conservative political views.
In this specific case its source was Jennifer Marohasy, who had worked for the notorious Australian Environment Foundation. In spite of its name, which might suggest it was concerned with protecting the environment, it was essentially set up by the anti-regulation Institute of Public Affairs as a front group to attack and undermine government environmental protection measures…
In every case the claims have been shown to be complete rubbish, but not before wasting considerable time and resources within scientific institutions that provide an incredibly valuable service to their countries and besmirching the reputations of their staff…
…the Bureau’s raw data and the methods they apply in managing the quality of data (in order to address issues such as the movement of weather stations over time) are readily available, highly transparent and subject to independent review…
To his credit, it appears that Environment Minister Greg Hunt sought to head off the Prime Minister’s department from establishing a taskforce that would give credibility to the conspiracy claims surrounding the bureau. Also, the review of the bureau that Hunt eventually commissioned — called the Technical Advisory Forum — confirmed the credibility of the Bureau of Meteorology’s data…
No wonder he (Tony Abbott) performed so badly in the polls.
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/9/24/policy-politics/abbotts-probe-bureau-meteorology-illustrates-his-bizarre
110
“the bureau’s raw data and the methods they apply in managing the quality of data ……are readily available, highly transparent and subject to independent review”.
The accuracy of the raw data is not in doubt. “Managing”, that is adjusting the raw data for “non climate” factors, is obfuscated, not “available and transparent” in any way. It is certainly subject to much independent review, most of which has been published or referenced on this site. Unfortunately all the review findings have been ignored (except briefly by Tony Abbott). The “dependant” review confirmed the government position as have the many hundreds I have seen in 50 years of observing politics.
41
Could this be the same Tristan who comments on this blog? His thought processes seem the same!
20
When he first arrived here some years ago I felt that he was using the time here to bone up on the arguments used by anti climate change warriors (not the D word).
He writes for the online publication Business Spectator which I mentioned earlier today.
20
CAGW gatekeeper Lisa – can u believe this? read all:
24 Sept: SMH: Lisa Cox: Bureau of Meteorology defends climate data after revelations Abbott’s department considered probe
The agency said that while it welcomed scrutiny of its scientific work “the bureau has always confidently maintained that it has not altered climate records to exaggerate estimates of global warming”…
One bureau source told Fairfax Media that forecasters were instructed to be “more careful” when discussing climate change after Mr Abbott was elected in 2013.
The source said the instructions were unofficial but passed down through government channels.
“It was common knowledge that the Liberal Party were not as convinced about climate change, and they just asked us not to be too keen about all these records being broken all the time,” the source said.
Seven of Australia’s 10 warmest years on record occurred in the past 13 years…
A review published in July by a technical advisory forum set up to examine the bureau’s data backed the accuracy of its records, but recommended some improvements in the clarity and presentation of its information…
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bureau-of-meteorology-defends-climate-data-after-revelations-abbotts-department-considered-probe-20150924-gju6s2.html
121
“”Adjusting for these biases, a process known as homogenisation, is carried out by meteorological authorities around the world as best practice to ensure that climate data is consistent through time.””
. . .
Yeah, consistently warmer.
141
Just repeating my previous post:
Check out “The Australian Liberty Alliance”:
http://australianlibertyalliance.org/
72
***BBC even less interested in digging for facts than ABC. “no independent evidence” they claim:
24 Sept: BBC: Unattributed: Abbott office wanted weather bureau probe amid climate claims
PHOTO CAPTION: Mr Abbott was a global warming sceptic before reluctantly accepting climate change science
In 2014, climate sceptics accused the BoM of manipulating temperature data to accord with global warming predictions.
***There was no independent evidence to back the claims.
Accurate temperature records play a key role in climate change modelling and forecasts…
The allegations of data manipulation were originally published by News Corp newspaper The Australian, in August 2014, based on comments made by climate change sceptic and biologist Jennifer Marohasy…
SCARY PHOTO CAPTION: Australia is expected to suffer more and hotter bushfires because of climate change
Scientists and climate change activists are hoping Australia’s new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who has previously called for tough action against climate change, will change the government’s current policies.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34344497
81
what a joke:
23 Sept: Guardian: Climate leaders should work with oil companies to put a price on carbon
Six oil companies are calling for a global carbon pricing system. You may be skeptical, but here’s why the idea is no joke
by L Hunter Lovins and Felix Kramer
(Hunter Lovins is president of Natural Capitalism Solutions. Ex-entrepreneur Felix Kramer writes at BeyondCassandra.org)
Whatever the motives of the oil companies, when such big polluters are willing to put a price on their emissions – a practice that could cost them significantly more to do business – it’s a big deal…
The world can’t tolerate a weak Paris accord…
A Citibank report last month found that failing to act on climate change will ultimately cost trillions of dollars more than taking action. Pricing carbon may be the only way to avoid catastrophic climate change…
Last September’s People’s Climate March – and analyses like Risky Business, and IMF Energy Subsidy Reform – have all added momentum to the effort to create a decarbonized economy. It’s now becoming common for investors and insurers to talk about carbon bubbles and stranded assets…
Oil companies may be strange bedfellows in the fight against climate change, but, in this case, joining forces to put a real price on carbon presents the best chance for the world to minimize the devastating impacts of climate change.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/sep/22/oil-un-summit-climate-week-paris-carbon-pricing
60
Excuse the naieviety of a mere Irishman, but if the dots are joined up what do we get?
Mr Hunt blocks a proper enquiry. Down the line he knows he will get kicked out. His friends in the greatest scam of all will repay him for his treachery. A nice cushy number with the UN and Agenda 21? Look at his CV.
You one time lucky Aussies used to like a bet,what odds will you give me?
191
It is now abundantly clear,
Past temps. must never appear,
To be bucking the ‘trend’,
So are put on the mend,
By some meteorological seer.
300
It is now abundantly clear,
That Abbott is out on his ear,
Greg Hunt was the snake
With reputations at stake
Who protected the BOM’s fake veneer.
311
Ruairi has always been our resident poet,
As if no one on this fine blog didn’t know it,
But now appears Winston as yet another budding lyricist,
Both poets endeavouring to bring to account the “Warmist Narcissist”.
PS – us geos rarely engage in poetic activities so to quote the great Mel Blanc’s headstone, Mel being the Looney Tunes guru of cartoon voices,
“THAT’S ALL FOLKS”
60
It would be very useful if someone could either produce or provide a document detailing the wind farm and other renewable investments in Australia, how much they cost, who pays and where the money goes (overseas).
I say this because I read today that each wind turbine costs the taxpayer $400,000 with the proceeds going offshore, but there was no supporting documentation.
111
2012:Smart meters, but at whose expense?
Cameron O’Reilly, the scion of the Heinz food empire and former chief of media group APN, along with John B. Fairfax, the Smorgon family and Kerry Stokes are a few of the high-profile names to have made a killing from the sale of smart meters.
They were major shareholders of Landis + Gyr, the company that amassed about 56 per cent of the market in deals to supply the electricity distributors in Victoria.
Their big payday came in 2011 when O’Reilly sold Landis + Gyr to Toshiba for $US2.3 billion.
~ ~ ~
Bill shock: Smart meter charges set to cost most Victorians more in 2015
50
In Newcastle we had power outages a few months ago.
They lasted a week in some suburbs and few areas got power back in less than three days.
Welcome to the scam of modern electricity distribution.
The deal is that some group bought the power lines on the basis of reco0vering costs plus a small profit over time.
The government in power at the time legislated to allow the new grid owner to recover the cost of a completely new line system in about 5 years. Talk about organised crime.
That’s why you are paying heaps more for power.
KK
60
I could never understand why the consumer had to pay for the smart meter. In what other area do you have to pay the supplier of a product for the instrument they use to charge you?
60
This blog has been a great way of communicating with people looking for a better world;
Lets help keep it going.
Just bought some chocolate.
Just look in the tip jar at the non paypal options
http://joannenova.com.au/about/donations/prefer-a-different-option/
KK
121
Time for The Climate Sceptics to be reformed.
81
.
Aren’t they still going?
What about 2016 election candidates?
60
Give up being sceptical about global warming, global cooling is now.
71
The scam still goes on.Today Perth reached 30 deg C.No other reading in the proximity got above 24 deg C.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but this release by the ABC of ‘Abbott’s Probe’ was designed to taint any future questioning of the BoM’s methodology.
It is time we also questioned the cosy relationship between the ABC and the BoM.
151
Don that’s not correct – Perth Metro (Mt Lawley) reached a max temp today of 31.5 degrees – same as Swanbourne on the coast and Perth Airport reached a maximum of 31.3 degrees. I do agree that the BOM, ABC, Fairfax Group etc are “Warmist to the Core”. If you look at the Weatherbell Global Temperature Maps, most of the Australian continent in 2015 is either at the long term average or below average. These maps never appear on the MSM nor the UAH & RRS Satellite Global Temperature Record of the Lower Atmosphere. It is the latter charts that clearly show 18 + years of “Global Temperature Flat-lining” on planet Earth. I have shown many friends of mine these charts and they say – “I have never seen these charts before”. Thank you very much (not)the MSM for hiding he “Pause” and instead promoting “Non-existent AGW”.
101
King Geo,
I concede that we were looking at different data.Mine was from a television automated report – somewhat more regional than yours ( and I may have got the date wrong.) This does not explain the constant anomaly that appears to exist in Perth’s temperature.
What does interest me is your mention of an 18 year time interlude and the overall temperature ‘flatlining’ for the planet.
Australia is currently (since January,) in the grip of a Five Year Solar induced orbital Dry Period, made up of various one and two year orbital ‘Dry Cycles’. This last happened in 1997 – and previously in 1979, etc. (18 yrs)
Australia is one of the last countries to be affected in these orbits, so the rest of the planet has already been through up to 18 months of ‘Dry’.(depending on the longitude.)
Note the lack of snow (precipitation) but maintenance of cold temperatures this recent Winter.
Despite the lack of cloud cover and precipitation – surface temperatures are cooling. The tell-tale indicator is the increase in sea-ice at both poles.
Thus the overall outlook would seem to be Drier and Colder.
These ‘Dry Cycles’ were identified and a method for their prediction provided by Alex S. Gaddes in his work ‘Tomorrow’s Weather’ (1990). An updated version (including ‘Dry Cycle’ forecasts to 2055,) is available as a free pdf from dongaddes93@gmail.com
41
A simple fact:
“In the opinion of the Forum members, unsolicited submissions received from the public did not offer a justification for contesting the overall need for homogenisation or the scientific integrity of the Bureau’s climate records.”
517
Which is a real surprise right, given that the members of the forum were hand-picked by the BOM. Not that they could give any reason for this opinion…
232
A simple fact:
If someone says something is science it should be open to replication. No replication, no science.
Even a humble member of the public should be able to replicate the results of BOM’s temperature record, if they choose to do so.
But they cannot choose to do so, the BOM denies them that choice; all must be taken on trust of the ‘world’s best practice’ (they say).
This is a double failure: a failure of our democratic institutions to actually be responsible to the public it is supposed to serve and a failure of what purports to be science to actually be science.
81
To “sillyfilly” I see you are STILL attempting to scare everybody with this global warming FRAUD.
How are you CHILDREN feeling?
God help them!
Your unfounded FEARS are going to make your children SUICIDAL & MANIC DEPRESSIVE.
That will be on your conscience.
You are guilty of CHILD ABUSE and a DANGER to your children!
It won’t be too long before we read [snip] in the newspaper, just like this one…..
Baby shot over global warming fears:-
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,26793969-952,00.html?from=public_rss
[Too angry Angry. Less personal and less yelling PLEASE?] ED
31
Lord Jim –
not what u r asking for, but two examples from the UK, one which has been cancelled, Navitus, the second allegedly proceeding:
12 Sept: UK Telegraph: Christopher Booker: Bad luck Greenies, this wind farm has bitten the dust
Despite the axing of one madcap scheme, the Government still shows no sign of a sensible strategy for keeping the lights on
To the rage of the Greenies and the delight of countless thousands of local residents, the Government announced on Friday its rejection of the £3.6 billion scheme by a ***Franco-Dutch consortium (EDF-Eneco) to build a monster wind farm covering up to 76 square miles of sea between Dorset and the Isle of Wight, blocking off some of the most valued sea views in southern England…
The only reason why those foreign firms were attracted to “Navitus Bay” (a name no one had heard of until they invented it) was the colossal subsidies the Government gives to offshore wind farms, which would have earned them £430 million a year, more than two thirds of it in subsidies paid through our electricity bills…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/11859814/Bad-luck-Greenies-this-wind-farm-has-bitten-the-dust.html
Consortium includes Norwegian & German companies:
22 Feb: UK Telegraph: James Delingpole: The great wind farm farce
Ed Davey’s plan for 400 turbines to be erected off the Yorkshire coast will be a heinous burden on the taxpayer
Dogger Bank Creyke Beck is its name – and though it may seem a bit of an unfamiliar mouthful now, in future years it will trip off the tongue very nicely as the answer to any number of trivia questions.
As well as being the world’s largest offshore wind farm (covering 430 square miles), it will be the most expensive to build (£6-£8 billion), the most heavily subsidised (by as much as £900 million a year) and the one that does the most lasting damage to the UK economy…
Hence the involvement of Forewind (an international consortium of energy companies SSE, RWE, Statkraft and Statoil) in this massive capital project. Like sharks to blood, they have been lured by the eye-wateringly generous sweetener being offered by the Government…
If and when it is completed, Creyke Beck will cost energy users around £900 million a year in subsidies that will serve no purpose other to enrich shareholders in the Forewind consortium – among them the company’s chairman Charles Hendry who, as a former energy minister, appears to have done very well out of DECC’s ongoing close relationship with the renewables industry…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11425563/The-great-wind-farm-farce.html
Statoil is part of Shell’s Energy Transitions Commission about which I’ve posted links today on jo’s “turnbull is already saying…” thread and in the Guardian article in the comments above.
btw there are some wondering if the relentless MSM attacks on David Cameron in the UK in recent days, in particular those regarding a tacky, tabloid-type book by Tory Lord Ashcroft & former Sunday Times writer, Isabel Oakeshott, are a result of Cameron cutting some CAGW policies he was forced into when in coalition with the LibDems. the aim seems to be to have him replaced. not impossible.
61
Turnbull was well rewarded for keeping his hands off “his” ABC.
90
Just saw Hunt talking to Tony Jones on Lateline and reading between the lines I think the government intends to break up the Coalition, while at the same time attracting Green and Labor voters to replace the Nats.
60
The National Party needs to split from the (now) Leftist Liberal Party and run candidates in all electorates……..
00
Here’s the toe rag.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2015/s4319361.htm
41
Tim Flannery on Turnbull’s ABC talking about his new book.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/atmosphere-of-hope/6795698
10
I have always suspected Hunt, especially when he refused to answer Bolt’s question as to how much the temperature would change if all Australian CO2 emissions stopped.
81
Im sorry…….did I just see a Southern Cross Television newsfeed stating that Volkswagen was being accused of using “Climate Cheating Software”???
Pardon my french, but just WTF is going on?
80
Yes, their (diesel engine) software detected an EPA emission test and dropped the power and the NO2 emissions to pass the test. Otherwise they were 20x over the limit and their fines so far top $77Bn. The software detected that the steering wheel was not being used. BMW passed. Diesels have increased efficiency with the higher temperatures and compression and diesel is 10% more energetic, leading to higher mileage, but at the cost of higher NO2. The losses to Volkswagen/Audi are staggering already and could get worse.
As for Climate, this is about smog and poison, not climate. Still it all gets mixed up. If we could get rid of cars, planes, trucks, farmers, miners, the planet would be saved, but for whom?
90
Well Aaron M, what Volkswagen apparently did is what happens whenever government imposes overly burdensome regulations: They look for a way around them!
Creatively, VW apparently modified the computer engine control software to provide super clean running during a compliance test knowing that it was impractical to have it run that clean in real-world application. (see: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/22/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-explained_n_8177606.html )
According to Lefty Greens, we should all be happy that VW is potentially ruined at the hands of regulators.
71
Clearly the VW people learnt a few tricks off the Climate Scientists especially those at NASA in charge of the GISS data set.
52
Yes, Im aware of the noxious gas output cheating, ’emissions cheating’ but what is this ‘climate cheating’ crap?
10
Funny thing is the use of AdBlue and other Urea based diesel exhaust fluids lead to increased water vapour emissions, maybe hoisted by their own petard where the bed wetters are concerned as they tend to believe humans to have complete control over the universe.
Of course they would have to understand the way earth’s cycles work before the irony is realised……
61
Abbott is not gone, just seething. Climate Change is, in his words, crap.
The problem for Turnbull is not the Liberals or Labor but the Nationals. They are dead against another Climate tax, pacifying left wing inner city Greens like Turnbull, the ABC, the BOM and people smugglers. Without the Nationals Turnbull cannot govern and they will start to make demands. Neither they nor the public will tolerate a return to the massive deaths of the people smugglers or a carbon tax, something even Julia recognized in her infamous and absolute promise.
Poor poll results for Turnbull will have the Nationals and newbie MPs demanding Abbott’s return, or a Climate Tax from Paris. Malcolm, another 150 million dollar self indulgent like Rudd, will have a short honeymoon with the press and especially with the ABC. How long will it last? Will he dare touch the Pacific solution again? Will he agree to taxing everyone on Carbon again? Does he really think he can get a working government without the Nationals? Will the Liberal party fragment and will Abbott, like Rudd, bide his time? Is Morrison the real threat?
The ABC and BOM need to be sold. The public cannot trust either and the reasons they were formed are long gone, like steam trains. You never know, Morrison might be tough enough to do it. Now it is Turnbull who has to fear revolt in the ranks. He may attract Green votes, but he will destroy the coalition. The Nationals are not for turning.
162
If it can’t be replicated, it isn’t science.
And anyway the BOM says it is “best practice”. How would they know, when you can’t check it.
It could help reading climate4you.com by Ole Humlum. He is a bit tired of NASA and GISS and their always changing anomalies.
71
el gordo –
everyone should at least read the transcript of Tony Jones interviewing Hunt on the ABC Lateline link.
apart from one mention of Abbott’s name by Jones in the opening question, his name is never mentioned again by either of them.
re the following: Tony Jones doesn’t ask who was on his list? why was there such a long delay? will the purchase of international carbon credits be allowed?
22 Sept: Thomson Reuters: Peter Schwab: Cabinet will decide Climate Change Authority’s future
A list of Climate Change Authority (CCA) board appointments, including a new chair, will be decided by the new federal Cabinet, a source close to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told Carbon Extra…
Four CCA board positions had already been left vacant for many months despite federal environment minister Greg Hunt forwarding a list of potential members to former PM Tony Abbotts’ office some time ago, Carbon Extra understands…
Meantime, Hunt’s spokesperson denied media reports ANU economist Professor Warrick McKibbin would be offered a CCA board position. His “name has never been put forward and is not being put forward”, the spokesperson told Carbon Extra. McKibbin told Carbon Extra today (Sept 18) that was correct. Hunt had never directly sought his view on a CCA appointment but he had been “sounded out” by a senior department official. He’d rejected the offer because he “couldn’t work with the board” which was “skewed to the left”…
Many sources believe DA – the ERF and a safeguard mechanism to regulate emissions – could be transformed into such a scheme, especially if the govt axed its opposition to major emitters using international carbon credits to acquit any liabilities…
http://sites.thomsonreuters.com.au/workplace/2015/09/22/cabinet-will-decide-climate-change-authoritys-future/
Mr Hunt also revealed he was about to appoint five new members to the Climate Change Authority board before last week’s leadership change delayed the decision.
“We were almost in the position to appoint five new members to the board that I suspect will be all high quality in any event. We were very close then there were some changes,” he said.
He said after a portfolio direction meeting expected in the next week or so, he was likely to move ahead with the appointments…
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/greg-hunt-very-supportive-of-renewables-industry-20150922-gjse3p
it’s almost as if Hunt knew of the impending coup and these vacancies were left unfilled until Turnbull was in power.
true, the new Govt no longer needs the Nats to pass CAGW policies. they have the support of Labor, the Greens and the MSM.
40
24 Sept: Guardian: Suzanne Goldenberg: Pope’s climate push is ‘raving nonsense’ without population control, says top US scientist
Paul Ehrlich writes in Nature Climate Change that Francis is wrong to fight climate change without also addressing the strain from population growth on resources
The critique in “Society and the Pope’s encyclical” (LINK), part of a special package from scientists on the encyclical, marked a rare note of dissent from scientists and campaigners. Many hope that the pope will drive home his call to action on poverty and the environment in his speech to Congress on Thursday…
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/24/popes-climate-stance-is-nonsense-rejects-population-control-says-top-us-scientist
24 Sept: CLIMATE DEPOT SPECIAL REPORT: The Vatican’s Advisors: An Unholy Alliance with the UN Global Warming Agenda
Full PDF Report Available Here:
Here are profiles of some of the key radical voices with whom the Vatican has associated itself.
UN Advisor Jeffrey Sachs
Catholic activist Liz Yore detailed Sachs’ view on overpopulation.
“At a 2007 international lecture, Sachs claimed that ‘we are bursting at the seams.’ The focus of Sachs’ overpopulation mantra is primarily the continent of Africa. He argues that if only poor African countries would just lower their fertility rate, the world and Africa would thrive economically. This fear mongering is nothing new. Sachs is standing on the shoulders of Paul Ehrlich, architect of the ‘sky is falling’ deception perpetrated in his 1968 book, The Population Bomb.”…
German climate adviser Hans Joachim Schellnhuber
At a meeting in Japan in 2004, Scientist Tom Wigley found prominent EU warmist Schellnhuber to be “a bit of a laughing stock among these people.”
Schellnhuber has also declared human society needs to be managed by an elite group of “wise men.” He referred to this idea as his “master plan” for the “great transformation” of global society…ETC
http://www.climatedepot.com/2015/09/24/special-report-unholy-alliance-exposing-the-radicals-advising-pope-francis-on-climate/
30
saving the poor from CAGW (beneits):
24 Sept: WSJ Blog: Jeffrey Sparshott: The Wealthiest Households Claim 90% of Tax Credits for Buying Electric Cars
The federal government offers up to $7,500 in tax credits to purchase an electric vehicle, part of a broader national policy to encourage efficient use of energy and curb carbon emissions.
Almost all of those benefits are going to the wealthiest U.S. households, according to an analysis by University of California, Berkeley, professors Severin Borenstein and Lucas Davis.
“We find that the top income quintile has received about 90% of all credits,” Messrs. Borenstein and Davis said.
The pattern is similar, though not as extreme, for other so-called clean-energy tax incentives. The authors dig through tax records to determine who’s claiming credits for residential energy-efficiency improvements, solar panel installation and purchase of alternative-fuel or electric vehicles.
From 2006 to 2012, the most recent data available, tax credits totaled $18.1 billion, the authors find…
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/09/24/the-wealthiest-households-claim-90-of-tax-credits-for-buying-electric-cars/
10
24 Sept: UK Daily Mail: It’s an inconvenient truth, but the global warming zealots are to blame for the deadly diesel fiasco, writes STEPHEN GLOVER
In a well-ordered society, you might expect the government to have discouraged the proliferation of diesel vehicles. In fact, egged on or bullied by the Greens and climate-change zealots, politicians over the past 20 years have been doing the precise opposite. It seems hard to believe, I know, but it’s true…
In 2001 the Labour government introduced a new tax regime whereby cars were taxed according to how much carbon dioxide they produce, a development that enormously favoured diesel over petrol…
Gordon Brown, then Chancellor, also introduced tax incentives to encourage company car buyers to plump for diesels. Across the EU, car manufacturers were encouraged to develop diesel models.
As a consequence, about half of new cars in Britain are now diesels. In some European countries such as France and Italy, where there have been similar inducements, the proportion is even higher…
You may say ministers didn’t realise that diesels discharge dangerous emissions — but you would be wrong. A 1993 report published by the Department of the Environment was fully aware of the potentially lethal effects of diesel cars…
I am neither a climate-change zealot nor what is invidiously termed a ‘denier’. But the fact that there has been no recorded increase in global temperature over the past 17 years — a period during which carbon emissions have soared because of the rapid economic growth of countries such as China and India — suggests to me that we should treat the more hysterical claims of the Green lobby with caution.
But this is not an area of rational debate…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-3246885/It-s-inconvenient-truth-global-warming-zealots-blame-deadly-diesel-fiasco-writes-STEPHEN-GLOVER.html
50
25 Sept: Bolt Blog: The Turnbull network emerges
The Australian’s Niki Savva welcomes the move she’s long demanded, and the demise she long advocated:
“Peta Credlin … ended up destroying [Abbott].”…
Will Glasgow adds context:
“First Tony Nutt reunited with Arthur Sinodinos… Then Nutt favourite and legendary Liberal advancer Vincent Woolcock reappeared at Malcolm Turnbull’s signing in last Tuesday…
“You know order has been restored when Vincent is opening and closing doors,” a relieved Liberal told us.
***”Woolcock is the husband of political columnist at The Oz, Niki Savva.”
More (LINK)
Vincent Woolcock, a former staffer to Mr Costello….
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/the_turnbull_network_emerges/
that would be ABC media darling Savva, of course.
2 July: BusinessInsider: Simon Thomsen: Liberal insider Niki Savva has attacked Tony Abbott for his ‘over the top’ responses
Savva takes the PM to task over his recent pronouncements on Islamic State “coming after us”, as well as his attacks on the ABC, suggesting that in both instances, Abbott has overplayed his hand.
Back in February, when the prime minister’s leadership looked deeply troubled, Savva wrote a devastating column detailing poor relationship Abbott and his office had with many Coalition backbenchers, which culminated in to 39 MPs voting for a spill in the Liberal leadership.
Today she compares him to a Mad Max character “programmed to bludgeon rather than persuade” describing his comments about Islamic State “coming after us” as a “jarring, juvenile expression from a supposedly intelligent man was not the language of a commander-in-chief seeking to reassure his followers”.
“There is no doubt Abbott is using it relentlessly, ruthlessly, often crassly, to rebuild his stocks and wedge his opponents,” Savva says…
“Talking of leftie lynch mobs, asking whose side the ABC was on, demanding that heads roll, accusing the national broadcaster of betrayal — while consistent with Abbott’s view of the world that whoever is not with him is agin him and those agin him must be removed — was completely over the top,” Savva argues.
Then she zeroes in on the malaise she believes is inflicting both sides of politics – uninspiring leaders – with a warning that Turnbull remains in the wings…
Here’s how she sums up the shortcomings for both the PM and Bill Shorten:
“Abbott’s fate hinges on the ***polls.”…
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/liberal-insider-niki-savva-has-attacked-tony-abbott-for-his-over-the-top-responses-2015-7
***would that be those dubious, manipulated polls, Niki?
30
Further to the seemingly ‘anomalous traits’ in Perth’s temperature – we have just been told by the ABC that the temperature today will reach 24 deg C – 4 deg above ‘normal’.This presumably means it was 11 deg above ‘normal’ three days ago when it was 31 deg C.??????
51
David Maddison –
heard a few minutes of Flannery’s Big Ideas – shut down coal, shut down coal, SA will shut down all coal by 2017, blah bah. from the ABC summary:
ABC Big Ideas: Tim Flannery: atmosphere of hope
While the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions remains, nonetheless, Tim Flannery is upbeat and optimistic about the future and in his new book atmosphere of hope he charts a way forward for action on climate change…
Highlights of the inaugural Mick Dark lecture for the future – When mice turn on giants: how communities are defeating climate change. Presented by Varuna: the writers house in partnership with the Blue Mountains conservation society. Wentworth Falls school of arts, 19th September 2015…
how many rent-seekers will be in attendance?
25 Sept: Energy Matters: An Evening With Tim Flannery Sells Out
Former Australian of the Year, Professor Tim Flannery, will speak to more than 400 people at a sold-out SunEdison-sponsored event at Castlemaine Town Hall in Victoria this Saturday night.
An Evening With Tim Flannery, hosted by the Hub Foundation, will see the Chief Councillor of the Climate Council speak on the topic of transitioning Australia towards a decarbonised economy, provide an update on the latest climate science and the current impacts of climate change in Australia.
Also at the event will be a petition for signing; urging the Victorian government to introduce its own Renewable Energy Target, provide greater incentives for energy efficiency, to shut down the Hazelwood power station by 2017 and to increase the state’s solar feed-in tariff…
MASH 2 solar power systems will be supplied and installed by SunEdison; which is also involved with other similar successful initiatives elsewhere in Australia…
Editor’s note: Energy Matters is a SunEdison company.
http://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/tim-flannery-mash2-em5099/
20
“BOM – oh what a tangled web we weave”
From the “_Note” file accompanying the dataset (it contains the Longitude Latitude )
Latitudes and longitudes are provided to 2 decimal places. However, in many cases the
geographic coordinates of a station will not be accurate to 2 decimal places. More precise
positioning may be available upon request (see contact details).
023090 SA ADELAIDE (KENT TOWN) -34.92 138.62 (new ACORN dataset)
023090 SA ADELAIDE (KENT TOWN) -34.9211 138.6216 (original LONG TERM dataset)
In the older dataset the Longitude and Latitude were to 4 decimal places. By reducing this (ACORN dataset accuracy) to 2 decimal points, the station’s position can now be calculated to within a cricket field or two.
There are kids utilizing the data from BOM to create wonderful 2D/3D weather images , and some of the work is really impressive. BOM might like to recruit them as they really skilled with XML, RDF and CSV file formats. (probably do a better job than their current staff)
51
both articles behind paywall:
25 Sept: UK Times: David Charter/Ben Webster: BMW and Mercedes hit as fraud scandal spreads
BMW was sucked into the widening Volkswagen fraud scandal yesterday after a report stated that emissions from one of the carmaker’s models were far higher than the European Union limit.
Shares in BMW fell by nearly 10 per cent at one point after it was claimed that emissions from the X3 were 11 times the legal threshold under the same tests that first raised concerns about VW…
The disclosure came on a day of crisis in the car industry as the German government admitted that software used by VW to cheat in American laboratory tests was also used in Europe…
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/engineering/article4567380.ece
25 Sept: UK Times: Exhausting Dishonesty
EU officials and the transport secretary must clarify when they learnt of flaws in diesel emissions tests and why they have not acted more swiftly
All the worst scandals have a prequel in which they are open secrets. Anybody even on the periphery of the automobile industry has known for years that many carmakers’ claims about the performance of their products are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Features in which the official claims of miles-per-gallon of new vehicles are contrasted with actual, real-world levels have long been commonplace, with the latter invariably clocking in at about two thirds of the former…
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article4567091.ece
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24 Sept: Guardian: Arthur Nelsen: UK, France and Germany lobbied for flawed car emissions tests, documents reveal
Exclusive: Countries publicly calling for investigations into VW emissions rigging scandal have privately fought to keep loopholes in car tests for carbon emissions
Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the three countries lobbied the European commission to keep loopholes in car tests that would increase real world carbon dioxide emissions by 14% above those claimed…
“It is unacceptable that governments which rightly demand an EU inquiry into the VW’s rigging of air pollution tests are simultaneously lobbying behind the scenes to continue the rigging of CO2 emissions tests,” said Greg Archer, clean vehicles manager at the ***respected green thinktank, Transport and Environment (T&E). “CO2 regulations should not be weakened by the backdoor through test manipulations.”…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/24/uk-france-and-germany-lobbied-for-flawed-car-emissions-tests-documents-reveal
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meant to add ***why the MSM obsession with positive adjectives to describe every carbon outfit?
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***Will vision become reality? no.
25 Sept: Guardian: Liz Ford: Global goals summit: dignitaries convene for a day to define the world
Three years in the making, 17 goals, 169 targets, 193 countries: the moment has arrived for the world to stride towards a better future. ***Will vision become reality?
All countries will be required to implement the goals and ensure that everyone benefits…
Those involved in the negotiations believe the inclusion of a goal calling for urgent action on climate change will make it harder for governments not to commit to strong action when they meet in Paris in November for UN talks…
However, while the goals have garnered broad support, there are concerns they will not be truly transformational because they do not call for the structural change of global financial markets or trading systems.
***There are also questions about where the trillions of dollars to fund the goals will come from.
A financing conference held in Ethiopia in July failed to alleviate funding concerns as ***no new money was brought to the table, and the proposed intergovernmental tax body that would have given poorer countries greater decision-making powers on generating their own revenue was not endorsed.
While overseas aid will continue to play a large part in funding, ***the private sector will be increasingly called on to provide resources…
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/sep/25/global-goals-summit-dignitaries-convene-for-a-day-to-define-the-world
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full of poll stuff, including how Turnbull is the most popular PM in more than 5 years, etc. guess the Libs might be as sceptical about the accuracy of the polls as I am!
25 Sept: Australian: Jared Owens: Christopher Pyne vows ‘twelve months of hell’ for Labor
“Three year terms are … a very short space of time. We’ve only had two years; we would like another year before the next election because that’s what the people expect,” Mr Pyne told the Nine Network…
25 Sept: news.com.au: AAP: No reason for early election, Pyne says
GOVERNMENT frontbencher Christopher Pyne is resolute the federal election will be held in September next year, saying there is no reason to hold an early poll.
“WHY would we? Three-year terms are short enough as they are,” he told the Nine Network on Friday…
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putting on a show for Obama:
25 Sept: CarbonPulse: Stian Reklev: China to confirm national ETS delay, pilots set to run a year longer
In a press briefing for reporters covering President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States White House officials said a joint climate change statement due Friday would include a formal announcement that China will launch a national ETS in 2017.
China had originally intended to start the market in late 2016, but in recent months it has looked increasingly likely that the launch would be pushed to 2017 to give officials more time to prepare.
The delay means the seven pilot markets are likely to operate a year longer than originally intended…
http://carbon-pulse.com/china-to-confirm-national-ets-delay-pilots-set-to-run-a-year-longer/
reality:
24 Sept: CarbonPulse: Stian Reklev: Chinese carbon firms turn to OTC equity market for fresh funding
Chinese specialist carbon companies are turning to the OTC (over the counter) equity market for external cash injections to stay afloat while seeking to gain a foothold in the emerging emissions market in its uncertain early days…
While China is gearing up to launch a national ETS in early 2017, revenue is uncertain for many of the companies seeking a place in the market because there are only limited opportunities to earn money so far….
Chinese carbon firms have had difficult times financially since demand for CERs from European buyers withered earlier this decade, and many have been forced to close down. The immature and illiquid Chinese pilot markets have not been sufficient to fund the industry…
Chinese carbon firms have had difficult times financially since demand for CERs from European buyers withered earlier this decade, and many have been forced to close down. The immature and illiquid Chinese pilot markets have not been sufficient to fund the industry…
http://carbon-pulse.com/chinese-carbon-firms-turn-to-otc-equity-market-for-fresh-funding/
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what universe does John Garnaut inhabit? well, he is the son of Ross Garnaut, which probably explains this rubbish:
25 Sept: SMH: John Garnaut: China climate change pledge to Barack Obama also a gift to Malcolm Turnbull
Now that China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Washington with an emissions trading plan, policy inaction has become the harder sell.
Quixotic campaigns against wind farms and other acts of enviro-economic sabotage are now politically untenable, if they weren’t already.
And the global headwinds on climate policy that helped destroy the Rudd and Gillard governments, and bring Abbott to power, have turned into a tailwind for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
China’s scheme will risk being rorted and possibly paralysed amid the contradictions of Chinese market-Leninism, if recent travails in the markets for shares, futures, bonds and currencies are anything to go by.
***But Mr Xi’s new emissions trading plan is symbolic of changes already made as much as a promise of things to come.
The world’s most powerful leaders are giving Mr Turnbull a chance of working with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Environment Minister Greg Hunt to restore Australia’s constructive role in the global fight against global warming, without upsetting the delicate chemistry of the Coalition party room.
Action in this area would have the important side-benefit of re-opening a productive channel of cooperation with China, at a time of rising regional tension…
In short, the geo-political climate is changing rapidly in Mr Turnbull’s favour.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/china-climate-change-pledge-to-barack-obama-also-a-gift-to-malcolm-turnbull-20150925-gjv0eb.html
25 Sept: Bolt Blog: China pretends it will cut emissions, while making sure we cut our throats
(The Australian) Environment Minister Greg Hunt has cast doubt on China’s willingness to impose an effective price on greenhouse gas emissions, noting its regional cap-and-trade schemes have given almost all of their carbon credits away for free.
Speaking after reports that China was moving toward an emissions trading scheme, Mr Hunt told Sky News: “A quarter of the world’s emissions are coming from China and that is set to increase by 150 per cent from 2005 to 2030…
“I’d be very interested to know what percentage of permits are given away for free; it’s 99 to 100 per cent for the pilot schemes, and that may well be the case here.” …
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/china_pretends_it_will_cut_emissions_while_making_sure_we_cut_our_throats/
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Mr Hunt said: “People wrongly assume that an emissions trading scheme is the only market mechanism. But there’s also an auction, or in our case a reverse auction mechanism, which is a market mechanism.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/exclusive-turnbulls-change-on-climate-20150925-gjv9l6.html#ixzz3mkO7ExGM
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook
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Concerning “Best Practices”:
I am an interested observer. I am not a scientist, merely a rather intelligent someone who deals with extremely large volumes of data (trust me, the global temperature data set is small, almost trivially so compared to large data sets) and complex data structures for a living.
A current pet “hate” of mine, is the “Best Practice” mantra that has crept into the lexicon of the IT industry, and obviously now the “climate change” industry as well.
Over the past years, I have regularly and without mercy, crushed weak intellects who hitch their careers on “best practices”. My experience is that the individuals concerned are typically the feeble minded, incapable of dealing with the specific issues at hand at the requisite technical and intellectual levels. The number of “best practices” I have demolished in my professional career is long, and in every case the need was brought about by individuals who simply did not understand what they were proposing. What is worse, the logic, and rationale behind the so-called “best practice” was rarely publicly available – the “best practice” was invariably offered by a “position of authority” (a vendor or vendor nominated expert) and the acolytes swallowed it raw, unquestioned.
“Best Practices” are in many, many cases a crutch for the intellectually weak and hiding place for the political weasels (often one and the same set of people).
ps: I arrived at this blog via a reference posted on a technical forum frequented by engineers relating to the VW “scandal”. For those of you who cannot connect the dots, in the final analysis, the VW scandal is a direct result of governments intervening in the energy and automotive markets in pursuit of pointless CO2 goals.
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Good point about “best practices”. Thanks and welcome. There are a lot of engineers around here…
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I made a slight word sequence error.
It should have read ” … rather a merely intelligent …”.
I could not see any way to correct this.
Also, how does one post into a thread? I think I had better RTFM, if I can find it 😀
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