Today’s award for idiotic comments goes to John Connor, Chief Executive of the Climate Institute (whatever the hell that is – you may as well have a “Sun come up in the morning” Institute…), who said yesterday:

“Remember, according to Garnaut, under 550ppm we lose the reef as we know it and the economic viability of the Murray Darling for want of an extra $3 per week of income and the other price impacts”

As usual, he ties Australia’s emissions reduction directly to the loss of the barrier reef and the problems with the Murray-Darling (which most intelligent commentators acknowledge is due to over extraction rather than “climate change”) to a local reduction in CO2, which, as I’m getting bored of writing, will make no difference whatsoever to global (or local) climate.

Read it all here.

In comparison with [the Garnaut Report], creationism is the very font of scientific objectivity.

Another interesting article from a freethinking journalist, pointing out the blindingly obvious, that even 100% reduction in Australia’s emissions will make no difference to the global climate, or even the local climate. Many people seems to think that reducing CO2 in Australia will somehow change the climate in Australia, which is complete rubbish. Atmospheric gases diffuse across the globe ensuring that concentrations are broadly similar everywhere.

So let’s work it out – Australia reduces emissions by 20% (say), which is 20% of our already tiny contribution of 1.5% of global emissions. So crippling our economy will reduce global CO2 by 0.3% – as I said before, this will do absolutely nothing, even if CO2 is a temperature driver, which is far from proven.

He also makes the first hint that Rudd’s introduction of an ETS may lose him the next election. The Opposition have a chance here to give the Aussie public a choice…

Read it here.