In the end (a word or two from the editor)

I cannot resist giving the last word to well-known Brisbane engineer David Hood – a friend and serious climate change action advocate – with his concern over the visit of supreme sceptic Lord Monckton. Here’s what David wrote to the Brisbane Institute, which is jointly sponsored by the Queensland Government and the Brisbane City Council. In fact, Queensland’s Minister of Transport and the City’s CEO are among the Institute’s Board of Directors. Read More

“I am appalled that the once respected Brisbane Institute (BI) is giving credence to thoroughly discredited climate sceptics.  

“Last year BI entertained Jay Lehr, the Science Director of The Heartland Institute, that well known think tank funded by the tobacco industry to lie about smoking being safe, and now funded by Exxon Mobil et al to tell the world that burning fossil fuels is safe for the planet.  

 “As if that wasn’t enough, BI is now supporting and funding that well know crackpot, Lord Monckton, and his mate Professor Ian Plimer at a debate here in Brisbane on 29 January.   This event is bringing significant discredit upon BI which says it is simply allowing both sides to have their say.  

“I would have thought that when 98% of refereed scientific and engineering research papers agree that anthropogenic climate change is happening, and when the largest gathering of world leaders ever in history agreed just last December at COP 15 in Copenhagen that “climate change is happening, is caused by human activity, is serious, and requires immediate solutions” there is no further debate.

“The problem world leaders had, as you well know, was in agreeing what those solutions are, and when to implement them.   In other words, we have moved on a long way on from debating the science. 

“This event is putting the Brisbane Institute, and its supporters, in a very bad light, by giving credence to well known purveyors of false science, cherry picked data, partial or out of context quotes, and simply false information. It is great shame to see BI exposing itself to ridicule from the science and engineering community.”

That’s the word- or two – from David Hood. More from me next week.

Ken Hickson