Newsletter: 2nd Quarter 2007
Climate debate
Last issue’s guest contributor, Dr. Len Walker, came under attack by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Researcher, Dr. Paul Fraser, in Melbourne’s The Age, earlier this year.
Dr. Fraser refuted many of the points Dr. Walker made regarding human activity having little to no effect on climate change, including the “fact that the Earth has cooled since 1998… despite… increasing carbon dioxide levels”.
Dr. Fraser agrees with Dr. Walker that 1998 was the warmest year the Earth has experienced since accurate instruments recorded temperature, and carbon dioxide levels have increased 4 per cent since that time. But as is always the case when arguing climate change and its relationship to human activity on the world, is not that straight forward.
More than carbon dioxide contributes to the fluctuation of global temperature.
There is a lot of grey area when it comes to the climate change debate, it is questionable as to whether there will ever be a satisfactory answer for it - one answer accepted by all.
The debate between the climate change sceptics and the climate change believers is set to continue and heat up, as controversy over the documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle bought by the ABC demonstrates. This documentary is scheduled to air sometime in July.
One thing is certain, for right or for wrong, governments around the world are coming under stronger pressure to address the climate change issue.
