Galileo and Climate Change

Just the other day my stockbroker sent out an email to his address list, myself included, with the following:

 

GLOBAL WARMING

 

Great Video, it is what we have all been thinking for some time

 

A well-presented short video of the facts:

 

I clicked the link and watched the short video (for your convenience rather than a link I have nested the video itself above)….

Mr Malcolm Roberts presents a few minute monologue with the help of a couple of props and a table in an otherwise bare and clearly low-cost presentation. An engineer who trained at the University of Queensland, Mr Roberts, who also holds an MBA out of the US, gave his succinct and lucid account of why he believes carbon dioxide emissions are not dangerous, how very little of the atmospheric carbon dioxide is man-made and ultimately how climate change is not real. Following another link takes you to a confessional by Mr Roberts about who he is, what he stands for and how he is doing this purely voluntarily, pay free.

But all that doesn’t make him right! At least not in my mind.

Another link claims to go to Mr Roberts’ website but rather, clicking it opens only a pdf-file about himself. On the other hand his website, or one that I did find, is called “Conscious”; based on the virtues of the three “Cs”: if we Care we will look to find the Core of the problem to effect a Cure.

All too vague and simplistic for mine. A catchy slogan without any real substance.

The “website” to me appears as a hurriedly put together advertorial and nothing more, with links to a number of political and other arguments touted by himself and his Galileo colleagues.

The Galileo Movement or Project, I am not sure which they are known by, is a not-for-profit organisation with radio broadcaster Alan Jones as its patron. Mr Roberts serves as Project Leader in the organisation and his bona-fides are spruiked on the “Who We Are” link on the Galileo site:

An engineer by training, his managerial and leadership experience included statutory responsibility for thousands of people’s lives based on his knowledge and real-world experience of atmospheric gases, including carbon dioxide. As a leader and then adviser in industry, he has dirtied his hands leading the cleaning of environmental legacies and setting new standards in environmental protection.

For almost four (4) years Malcolm has researched the science and politics of global warming. He speaks out passionately and strongly after discovering fraudulent misrepresentations of the science by advocates claiming humans are guilty of causing global warming.

His publicly available Personal Declaration of Interests are available on his web site…

The stated aims of the Galileo site are:

Short-term: inform citizens through the internet and affiliated organisations.

Medium-term: raise funding to inform citizens by influencing and purchasing media time.

The ultimate aim is to use pressure from voters and non-voters to persuade our politicians of all parties that restricting Australia’s production of carbon dioxide is futile, wasteful and dangerous.

And this is where it gets most interesting…

Expected life-span: The intent is to terminate the Galileo Movement when the push to price carbon dioxide is destroyed. That’s anticipated to be by the next federal election.

Well, well. The intent of this not-for profit organisation is to in turn self-destruct only once they have destroyed the “carbon tax”, which they anticipate to be by the next federal election. Reading between the lines, these guys are focused on removing the current government; and once done, will walk away happy in the knowledge that the Australian Liberal Party will then repeal the soon to be “Carbon Tax” Law.

To my mind this website and the entire “Galileo” organisation smacks of a hurriedly put together project by a bunch of right-wing stooges.

I replied to my stockbroker...

In reply to Mr Roberts, Alan Jones, and others connected to the unfortunately named “Galileo” Movement, and as a counterbalance to the argument you have sent to your clients, no doubt with all good intent, I thought I would offer another opinion and in so doing suggest we always need be careful when saying something is fact:

There is a nice article at the Daily Climate which goes into a little more detail than Mr Roberts cares to when discussing carbon dioxide, and is easily found at:

http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2011/08/carbon-facts-dont-tell-the-whole-story


The story was thought to be good enough to be repeated at Scientific American, as a click on the link below demonstrates:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=galileo-movement-fuels-australia-climate-change-divide


Scientific American in-fact felt the guys at “Galileo” were worthy of further mention, as at:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-carbon-dioxide-is-greenhouse-gas


An independent site might be:

http://www.rationalskepticism.org/earth-sciences/galileo-movement-and-the-use-of-bad-science-t24976.html


So I simply say… with all this conjecture, who really knows? But my instincts tell me that Mr Roberts and “Galileo” have a hidden agenda; and their agenda may just line up favourably with your clientelle. But some investors are not simply looking to make big bucks, but rather (and also) to be informed, and stay up to speed with current information from all sides – and clearly “Galileo” is not that.

No-one is saying the guys behind “Galileo” do not have a right to do what they do. That is the beauty of freedom of speech. And one thing we learn in life is that every freedom comes with its own in-built responsibilities. And I would have preferred my stockbroker send me both views rather than sell me his.

Nevertheless, the beauty too of free speech is the right of reply.

It’s all very interesting. You be the judge.