From the “Arse-over-apex logic” department, in particular, the Alliance for Climate Protection, whose chairman is a certain Mr A Gore [never heard of him – Ed], which suggests that focussing on climate change as soon as a new US president took office could help pull the world from the financial brink.

“My very strong belief is that we need to reorient our investments toward this transition to a clean energy economy, and it will be the engine of growth for getting us out of the doldrums that we’ve gotten in right now,” Cathy Zoi told the Reuters Global Environment Summit this week.

In other words, pour billions more dollars into Gore’s coffers. You’ve got to hand it to her – she said it with a straight face. And also at the Reuters Environment Summit (carbon footprint the size of Liechtenstein) was another renowned climate expert:

The anthropogenic roots of global warming are clear to Prince Albert of Monaco, who told the Reuters summit he didn’t “adhere” to Palin’s skeptical view.

“There are obviously cycles, but how can you not consider the graphs that have been shown to us?,” Prince Albert said. “Those who can’t see the correlation between man-made activities and greenhouse gas emissions, it’s going to be hard to convince them; but somehow we will have to do so.”

I think we all agree that there might be a just a teensy weensy correlation between man-made activities and greenhouse gas emissions (which is why we are all talking about cutting them, perhaps?), but it’s the link to climate we’re arguing about. 0/10 – must try harder.

Read it here.

From the “Feeble link to Climate Change” department.

Underwater cacophony caused by commercial and military ships has become so intense that it is killing whales, according to scientists at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Sounds ranging from the hum of yacht motors to sonar blasts strong enough to destroy a whale’s inner ear are wreaking havoc on the ability of these cetaceans to migrate, feed and breed, they said on Thursday as a historic case began to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But hang on, they haven’t played the climate change joker yet… no, sorry, here it is:

Research published in the United States last week shows that climate change is amplifying the problem.

The acidification of oceans caused by rising sea temperatures reduces sound absorption in the water by up to 40 per cent, meaning that noise travels much further. “Ambient noise levels in the ocean … are set to increase significantly,” the study, published in the Geophysical Research Letters, concluded.

Read it here.

I wonder how many millions of Australian dollars have been, or will be, flushed down the drain as a response to Ross Garnaut’s claims that we should abandon sheep and cattle and farm kangaroo instead, to reduce emissions. The farming industry has gone into overdrive to rebut those claims (see previous posts here and here) and is having to divert already scarce resources into completely unnecessary research in order to do so. And now the wool industry is getting in on the act as well, focussing on genetic modifications to reduce emissions.

Cooperative Research Centre professor James Rowe says one element is to look at the genetic variation of animals. He says this may help breeders select sheep that produce less gas.

“The genetic angle is brand new, nobody has successfully looked at the genetic variation,” he said.

Professor Rowe says researches will try and select sheep that produce less methane gas, while still producing quality wool.

Read it here.

… but then tears it up again. Origin Energy, one of Australia’s largest electricity and gas suppliers, has said that Prof Garnaut’s recommendations for cutting emissions don’t go far enough, suggesting a 10-20% cut by 2020.

A spokesman for the Climate Institute said yesterday that the call for harsher cuts was surprising and encouraging.

That was after he’s picked himself off the floor… But (there’s always a “but”), here comes the punchline:

However, like many other energy producers, Origin said it feared what an emissions trading scheme could do to its bottom line if not all costs from an ETS could be passed on.

In other words, we’re very happy to recommend a 20% cut in emissions by 2020, so long as we don’t have to pay for it. Guess who will, however? You and me and every other customer of Origin in Australia. Typical.

Read it here.

As always, a great read.

Desperate Attempt to Sell Product Alert. Here in Aus, we have a brand of waste disposal units which attach to the waste pipe of your sink, named InSinkErator, which is trying to make us assuage our guilt about the environment by installing of one of their products.

Other research findings reported that respondents were most concerned about drought and climate change, and importantly a FWD [food waste disposal] unit addresses these concerns as they use little water and power.

…

Homeowners can drastically reduce their carbon footprint by installing a FWD unit. InSinkErator encourage consumers to make a real difference to their impact on the environment.

You really can’t make this stuff up. Read it here.

No, not really, although they will be racing hybrids next year. From the “Token Gesture” Department:

Formula One teams and drivers have signalled their readiness to embrace eco-technology and other environmental initiatives being championed by the sport’s governing body.

There is widespread agreement that the fuel-guzzling sport must respond in a responsible way to the environmental challenges of the modern era, with unique green-grooved tyres being run at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The tyres are largely symbolic although next season energy-regenerating hybrid devices, which store energy otherwise lost during braking and convert it into power, will be introduced to Formula One.

Regenerative brakes aren’t going to make much of a dent in the gargantuan copper-bottomed carbon footprint of the whole Formula 1 roadshow…

Top drivers also jumped on board the eco-bandwagon, keen to do their part to raise public awareness of green issues.

“Green technology is the future of Formula One and we can help ensure it will be the future on our roads as well,” said Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

“As drivers in the public limelight it is good that we can help spread these important environmental messages.”

Massa’s teammate, defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen, said he would do anything he could to help save the planet.

“If the safety and the new green technology lessons learned in motor sport are applied to motoring then the sport will have played a really important part in saving lives as well as perhaps helping to save the planet,” he said.

Read it here.

Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Philip Freier, has weighed into the “climate change” debate urging synod members to cut their environmental footprint. He described the challenge of climate change as:

“potentially more grave than any other. ‘Climate change’ as a phrase has come to encapsulate the sickness of our planet, whether in the pollution of our rivers, oceans and atmosphere, or in the depletion of natural resources, global warming and drought, and the consequent impact on people whose lives are already balanced on the precarious margin of survival.”

To my knowledge even the alarmists haven’t tried to link the term “climate change” with pollution of our rivers, oceans or atmosphere (yes, atmosphere as well, as we all know CO2 is not a pollutant), or with depletion of natural resources. Maybe Dr Freier should read the AGW religion’s bible (An Inconvenient Truth) before making any more statements about climate change – it’s about as believable as the “other” bible, anyway…

Read it here.

Two excellent articles from the Heartland Institute (thanks to Climate Change Fraud). The first discusses the growing apathy for climate change alarmism, and quotes our own Dr David Evans, formerly of the Australian Greenhouse Office, who wrote recently in The Australian about the lack of the expected “greenhouse signature” in the atmosphere.

As alarmists continue to push government policies to restrict energy use and the burning of fossil fuels in order to prevent “catastrophic” warming, the world continues to cool. That is leading to increasing suspicion that the call to sacrifice living standards in order to “save the planet” is just political spin designed to persuade the public to accept green taxes and regulations.

Read it here.

The second discusses James Hansen, a NASA “scientist” (although that term must be used in its loosest possible sense), who refuses to take part in debates about climate change or global warming, much like Al Gore, who refuses to debate the issues raised in An Inconvenient Truth. What other possible reason could there be for these refusals, other than a fear of losing those debates?

James Hansen, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) staffer who has called for global warming skeptics to be tried for “crimes against humanity and nature,” has tersely declined an invitation to defend his extremist global warming views in a College of William and Mary debate.

Read it here.

More on the Kangaroo-gate saga, started by Ross Garnaut’s ill-informed suggestion that we should give up on beef and lamb and eat kangaroo instead, to cut down on methane emissions (or farts and belches as they are otherwise known). In order to counter this accusation, the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre is having to waste money (that would be better spent on something else) demonstrating that methane emissions from sheep are not significant enough to abandon sheep farming in Australia.

“It’s just a mask over the nostril-mouth area, as the animal breathes out. That air is then captured into a bladder, not too different from a football bladder.

“The animal is not in any distress … they don’t really object to it. [How can he be sure of that…? Ed] “

It is very interesting to observe how an almost flippant comment has turned into a major story. Stay tuned for more Kangaroo-gate posts in the future!

Read it here.