Hickman on Lovelock » Climate Resistance

Lovelock observes, for instance, that environmentalism has developed into something resembling a religion, which is mirrored by a religiosity amongst some sceptics. On the first point, Lovelock is hardly the first to point it out. And though as a description it seems to explain the excesses of environmentalism, it isn’t enough to explain how green thinking developed in this way.  And the second point seems to present environmentalists as equal and opposite forces, which is inaccurate, as we know, because ‘scepticism’ simply isn’t a political force — it has very little institutional muscle through which it can assert itself . Similarly, the substance of many arguments on Hickman’s own articles seems to have been that a handful of tiny and barely-funded organisations have been able to thwart the progress of huge NGOs and governments seeking to establish global political institutions to ‘tackle climate change’.

Sahara Climate Fluctuations Study Shows That Blaming Man For Climate Change Is “Completely Unscientific”

Contrary to what many may believe today, the climate of the Sahara desert is far from being steady. Rather, it has gone through profound cyclic changes over the last 10,000 years. For example it was much greener 8000 to 5500 years ago, a time when it was teeming with wildlife.

What caused the “green Sahara”? The average temperature back then was approx. 1°C higher than today (with atmospheric CO2 concentrations 35% lower). The cause was likely the solar intensity maximum on the northern hemisphere due to the Earth’s orbital orientation (Milankovitch Cycles).

A warmer planet made the Sahara wetter in the past. Is that the case today? How have the Sahara and its neighboring regions changed over the recent years? Listening to the prophesies of some scientists influenced by special interests, you’d think man-made climate change was causing the Sahara to expand catastrophically.

But Lüning and Vahrenholt write that the real picture is entirely different

Battling Ambiguity: A Public Guide to Understanding the Science Behind the Great ʻhockey Stickʻ Debate - OhioLINK ETD: Pike, Stephanie

The carbon tax is now all grab and no planet-save | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog

Paul Kelly on a ludicrous tax that will not achieve its megalomaniacal aim - a cut in the expected temperature of the world:

A bizarre fate has befallen the carbon tax. It is de-coupled from its purpose. Debate about emissions reduction targets and saving the planet has slipped from the radar. When Gillard appeared on the ABC’s Q&A last Monday she was quizzed about the carbon tax but not climate change. Three years ago climate change would have been the main issue. Now it is about a tax-cash payment policy with Climate Change Minister Greg Combet boasting nine out of 10 households will be better off.

The political transformation is obvious: because people will no longer pay higher prices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the policy has turned into a net tax-transfer bonus that stands and is justified in its own right.