Queensland: stop climate brainwashing in schools

14 July, 2012 by

Climate sense

A few days ago, The Australian reported on the fact that, in the Queensland curriculum, science is regarded as a “social and cultural activity”, an approach totally at odds with the concept of the scientific method:

“Science is a social and cultural activity through which explanations of natural phenomena are generated,” it says.

“Explanations of natural phenomena may be viewed as mental constructions based on personal experiences and result from a range of activities including observation, experimentation, imagination and discussion.

“Accepted scientific concepts, theories and models may be viewed as shared understandings that the scientific community perceive as viable in light of current available evidence.”

In other words, we are talking about here is “post-normal science” where objective truths are no longer paramount, and where various societal “interpretations” can be overlaid on bare scientific facts. As I quoted in a blog post back in 2010:

The guiding principle of normal science – the goal of achievement of factual knowledge – must be modified to fit the post-normal principle…For this purpose, post-normal scientists should be capable of establishing extended peer communities and allow for ‘extended facts’ from non-scientific experts…In post-normal science, the maintenance and enhancement of quality, rather than the establishment of factual knowledge, is the key task of scientists… Involved social actors must agree on the definition of perceptions, narratives, interpretation of models, data and indicators…scientists have to contribute to society by learning as quickly as possible about different perceptions…instead of seeking deep ultimate knowledge. (source: Eva Kunseler, Towards a new paradigm of Science in scientific policy advising)

It’s utter garbage of course. But nowhere has this new flexibility of post-normal science been exploited more effectively than in the teaching of climate change in schools. Political correctness and “social and cultural interpretations” have trumped scientific objectivity, so that students are fed a stream of eco-propaganda cut-and-pasted from environmental activist groups press releases, which masquerades as impartial science.

The typical line would go like this:

Man-made emissions of CO2 are causing global temperatures to rise and we should cut our emissions urgently to avoid the risk of dangerous climate change. A tiny minority of scientists (or “deniers” as we should call them), funded by large oil companies who want to maintain the status quo, are paid to state that climate change is not happening/is a hoax/is a Marxist plot/etc etc…

Dissent is suppressed at all costs and only the “authorised” line is plugged. If you think this is exaggerated, have a look at the extract from a geography text book at the end of this post (see original here).

But it seems that a number of Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP) members are in favour of an overhaul of Queensland’s education system, specifically the teaching of climate:

LNP members have overwhelmingly voted to ensure the removal of “environmental propaganda” about climate change from schools.

The motion, proposed by the LNP’s Noosa State Electorate Council, calls on Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek to require Queensland schools to “remove environmental propaganda material, in particular post-normal science about ‘climate change’, from the curriculum and as adjunct material at exam time”.

The mover of the motion, LNP member Richard Pearson, railed against “those false prophets who would poison the minds of our children in our schools”.

“Few people understand that the so called science of climate change is really what can be defined as ‘post-normal’ science,” he said, arguing it went beyond traditional understanding of science based on experimentation and falsifiable theories.

Another member spoke against the motion, saying he was concerned when people tried to dismiss differing opinions and he believed children to have access to all information.

The motion was nonetheless passed with overwhelming support from the LNP members at the gathering.

At last year’s conference, LNP president Bruce McIver questioned the role of humans in driving climate change, arguing the climate was always changing and children were being “brainwashed” in the way climate science was taught. (source) [Update: The Australian has more here]

I guess we wait for the brainless alarmists to start saying that this is akin to teaching creationism alongside evolution or that gravity isn’t settled science or some other idiotic comparison. No, it isn’t. Whereas there are centuries of hard empirical evidence for both evolution and gravity, there are about 20 years of flaky computer modelled projections on which the entire climate scare is based, not to mention the massaging of temperature data to prop up The Cause.

Furthermore, whereas there are no political gains to be made from evolution and gravity, climate change has been swamped by political motivations of global organisations like the UN and the IPCC (which, having been infiltrated by environmental activist groups, have already made up their minds that CO2 is to blame and are just desperately searching for evidence to back it up) and national governments, implementing pointless gestures like the carbon tax to appear politically correct (and in Australia’s case, stay in power).

For anyone to claim the “science is settled” and that only the approved version be taught in schools is delusional. At least Queensland LNP is taking a stand against this brainwashing.

Extract from NSW Year 8 Geography text book:

Propaganda (click to enlarge)

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Queensland environment minister questions scale of human climate impact

5 June, 2012 by

Climate sense

A glimmer of climate sense from the new Queensland environment minister, who states the realist position that yes, humans affect the climate, but how much we can’t be sure. He should have gone on to say that the remedies proposed are eye-wateringly expensive, will cripple our economy and will do nothing for the climate – maybe he will next time.

The ABC reports this as heresy, of course, and wheels in a “conservationist” to put the ABC’s view, er, I mean the opposing view:

Queensland’s new Environment Minister is the latest politician to voice scepticism about man-made climate change.

Andrew Powell says he is yet to be convinced of the degree to which humans are responsible, but he does support efforts to reduce carbon pollution.

“I believe the climate is changing, I am still to be convinced of the degree to which we are influencing that,” Mr Powell said.

“But having said that, are we polluting the environment? Certainly. Are we using a non-renewable source of energy? Certainly. Do we need to address both of those factors? Most definitely.”

But his comments have alarmed conservation groups.

Toby Hutcheon, from the Queensland Conservation Council, says his comments are inconsistent with the State Government’s official position.

“I hope that Andrew is simply talking as an individual, and not as the responsible minister for Queensland,” Mr Hutcheon said.

“Because that would certainly suggest a change of position by the Government that has long held the view that climate change is a serious threat to Queensland and is being caused predominantly by human activity.” (source)

But there’s more good news as pointless environmental gestures are being wound back, allegedly because the carbon tax will make them redundant. That’s not the correct reason – they are redundant anyway and should be abandoned even without the carbon tax. None of them will do anything for the climate, after all.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Queensland: Green tokenism to be slashed

28 March, 2012 by

Celebrate, as another state begins the task of dismantling pointless and damaging green gestures. Yesterday it was Victoria, today, Queensland.

And delicious irony, the man who set them up now has to take them down – brilliant, Campbell Newman!

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has ordered Anna Bligh’s husband to begin dismantling green energy programs he helped create, as the new LNP government moved to slash environmental spending to offset the federal carbon tax.

The showpiece of the Gillard government’s $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program is now in jeopardy, after Mr Newman yesterday pulled the plug on $75 million in state funding pledged for the $1.2bn Solar Dawn solar thermal project near Chinchilla, west of Brisbane.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday suggested the federal government might withdraw its own $464m contribution, promised only last month. “If the new Queensland government chose to breach the existing financial commitment to the Solar Dawn project, the Australian government would naturally need to consider its own position,” Mr Ferguson said.

Mr Newman yesterday declared his LNP government would axe seven other green schemes, on the grounds the carbon tax would make them redundant. “We now have a federal government that is imposing a great big carbon tax on us and the rest of the country that is meant to solve all these (environmental) problems,” he said.

Mr Newman has given the job of dismantling the programs to the bureaucrat who set them up – Greg Withers, who is married to Ms Bligh.

“We want him to unravel those programs ’cause he’s the bloke who set them up,” Mr Newman said. “There are rumours going around that he’s packed up his office. I want to say very clearly that is news to me; he is, as far as I’m concerned, an employee of the Queensland government, and we would like him to do a few things for us at the moment.” (source)

Great stuff.

But Gillard’s not listening, as she believes that people will warm to the carbon tax when it finally lands:

JULIA Gillard intends to tough out her dramatic collapse in support in opinion polling, convinced the looming introduction of the carbon tax will allow her to regain control of national political debate by exposing Tony Abbott as a scaremonger.

But Labor insiders are continuing to warn that the Prime Minister’s broken promise over the introduction of the $23-a-tonne tax has so badly undermined her public standing among voters that she must address the integrity issue and change her political style. As Ms Gillard and her advisers put their faith in seeking to shift the political debate towards the economy yesterday, the Coalition chimed in on cue with an internet video ridiculing her claim on Monday that voters could trust her to manage the economy by highlighting her pre-2010 election promise not to introduce a carbon tax. (source)

Let’s just hope people have long memories.

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Abbott will call double dissolution on carbon tax

26 March, 2012 by

Double dissolution?

Glad to see this spelt out clearly. If Abbott wins the election next year, and the Senate refuses to pass his legislation repealing the carbon tax, he will not hesitate to call a double dissolution.

For our overseas readers, under the Australian constitution, if the Senate votes down a government bill twice, the government may call an election in which both houses of Parliament (Senate and House of Representatives) are dissolved and re-elected. See here for more information on this procedure.

The issue for a potential incoming Abbott government is that the Senate would still be controlled by the Labor/Greens, who are likely to resist any attempt to repeal the carbon tax:

Australians will head quickly back to the polls if the Coalition wins the next federal election but fails to persuade the Senate to repeal the carbon tax, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott warned yesterday.

A jubilant Mr Abbott said the carbon tax had played a role in the Liberal National Party’s overwhelming victory at the Queensland election which saw Labor’s presence in the state Parliament reduced to about seven MPs.

Outgoing Queensland premier Anna Bligh and her predecessor Peter Beattie insisted the election had been fought on state issues but both urged their interstate and federal Labor colleagues to quickly learn from the humiliating defeat.

Mr Abbott said the carbon tax had been one of the issues which had contributed to former Brisbane lord mayor Campbell Newman’s election success. He said a federal Coalition government would do whatever was necessary to repeal the carbon tax, including calling a double dissolution election.

But Mr Abbott doubted a Labor opposition would ”commit suicide twice” by supporting the tax in the Senate. [I wouldn’t bet on it, Tony, given their record of incompetence and stupidity – Ed]

”If I’m wrong, if an incoming Coalition government can’t get its carbon tax repeal legislation through the Senate, well, we will not hesitate to go to a double dissolution,’‘ he told Sky News. (source)

It’s hilarious how Labor and Bligh are desperately portraying this defeat as a minor local difficulty, without any federal ramifications, especially when a survey of Queensland voters put “energy prices” at the top of their list of concerns – something directly influenced by mad green climate policies pursued by Labor at a federal level.

Oh well, let them go on believing that if they wish – the last thing we want is for them to come to their senses.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , ,

Queensland votes: landslide for LNP

24 March, 2012 by

A referendum on the popularity of the carbon tax, perhaps? Watch out Julia, you’re next!

ANNA Bligh has conceded defeat after a blood bath for Labor at the Queensland election.

“It’s clear tonight that the people of Queensland have spoken with the strongest possible voice and they have voted for a change of government,” she said.

Ms Blight congratulated the Liberal National Party and leader Campbell Newman on what she called an historic victory.

“I wish Campbell Newman all the best as he embarks on the task of forming a new government and of assuming the responsibility of office,” Ms Bligh said.

Ms Bligh gave special thanks to her deputy, Andrew Fraser, who has lost his western Brisbane seat of Mount Coot-tha.

“He is one of the brightest and best minds that I’ve ever worked with,” she said. “He is one of the most decent human beings that I’ve ever met, and he’s all that any leader could ever ask for in a deputy.

“I believe that he’s a young man with a magnificent future.”

The Liberal National Party is on track for a landslide win in Queensland, with Labor to be left with 10 or fewer seats, an exit poll shows

The poll, for the Nine Network, gives the LNP 63 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, to Labor’s 37 per cent.

That’s a 13 per cent swing against the Bligh Labor government, leaving it with 10 or fewer seats in the 89-seat parliament. (source)

Ouch.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,
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