Friday 19th of April 2024

Can a leopard change his spots?

“In view of the uncertainties about climate change and possible effects, it seems premature to take major action either reacting to possible effects or to limit greenhouse gas emissions."

 - McFarlane (1990)

“It is not proven that climatic changes will occur and the effects are not predictable with our current state of knowledge… it remains to be proven that a greenhouse effect is, in fact, occurring.”

- McFarlane (1990) 

Ian McFarlane, Federal minister for Industry and Resources is founder of Central Pacific Minerals and South Pacific Petroleum and former oil company CEO.  Ian is one of the key delegates at the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate Change (AP6) argues for no caps on greenhouse emissions, stating that the private sector, with "incentives" will solve our greenhouse problems if we leave them to it.

Today he says "The commitment to lowering greenhouse gas comes with an economic cost".  Does Ian still not appreciate that a "stay the course" approach has (ever increasing) economic costs too?  And why is economic cost all that matters?  Why think that the "free market", unregulated, will solve global warming?  Didn't it cause this problem in the first place?

Why are their no leaders in the current government and if there is, why have they lead us astray?

What a farce this meeting is.

 

Ref: MacFarlane, I. 1990, ‘The Greenhouse Effect: an Oil Industry View’. Greenhouse – What’s to be done?,  Pluto Press.  Leichhardt.