Australias shameful war on science.

Fossil-fuel industry doubles donations to major parties in four years, report shows

Coal, oil and gas companies trying to ‘buy political power’, says Australian Conservation Foundation

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/12/fossil-fuel-industry-doubles-donations-to-major-parties-in-four-years-report-shows

“Australia has been experiencing warmer, drier conditions lately — a result in part to something called a Positive Indian Ocean Dipole, a phenomenon similar to El Niño.
As a result of westerly winds in the equatorial region weakening, warm water from the deep ocean shifts towards Africa from the Indian Ocean and cool water rises up in the east. For Australia, this temperature difference means drier and hotter weather for much of the continent.

Fingerprints of climate change

However, that's not the only factor. The country has been experiencing long-term drought conditions, even when there isn't a positive dipole. In Eastern Australia, which includes New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria where the fires are the worst, rainfall has been the lowest on record.
New South Wales alone has been the driest on record with rainfall 36 per cent below the 1961–1990 average, according to Australia's weather and climate agency.

The Murray-Darling Basin that stretches from Queensland southwest to South Australia, has experienced the driest 34 months on record, compared to other 34-month records starting in January. Victoria, where a state of disaster was declared, has also had its driest 34 months on record. “

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/world/australia/fires-red-skies-Mallacoota.html?fbclid=IwAR18mDsO5Vt4o6nmBBdL1r22hoEs8BsRCfFyc95MUw5fIUkozmyAULt8q00

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/australia-bushfires-1.5414325?fbclid=IwAR2AxgyICjGeLxe2b6VySHEt_YFo5OolQ7kKSjH2xzJ6IN8jJH_avZ1trAY

Why are the Australia government doing nothing?

Climate denialism is bought and paid for by a rotten political system - corruption that comes from the dominance of political donations in public life, the lack of transparency around donations, and the way they facilitate the influencing of policy by vested interests. The persistence of climate denialism in Australian politics reflects the wealth of mining and energy companies prepared to use a deeply flawed political system to wield power.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/11/18/climate-denialism-rotten-political-system/?utm_campaign=Weekender&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wkndr=S2FjbnI2MHlOSEJobXh5eEVDdUpCQT09

Australia has become the complacent country. Complacent about its future economic competitiveness. Complacent about climate change. Complacent about how to navigate our future in the region given China’s rise, America’s response and a neighbourhood increasingly torn between the two. Complacent too about the gradual erosion of our democracy itself through a growing “pay for play” culture from financial donations to political parties, an increasing assault on the independence of the public service and the abuse of monopolistic media power.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/06/democracy-overboard-rupert-murdochs-long-war-on-australian-politics?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR0Xq-BviEZHVjn5bdyHJ-pwOJG9QOJxgYWG_UT3awLICYNEqLkaOtxgkUU

https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/the-financial-times-has-published-a-brutal-editorial-about-australia-20191227-p53n41?fbclid=IwAR0oUSZX5N-pweyLmR8Rbdv281nSFX6XCT9kEjCPZiPTHSvKwNR70Z01QdE

https://twitter.com/thejuicemedia/status/1210084754369867776?s=20

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/21/gina-rinehart-company-revealed-as-45m-donor-to-climate-sceptic-thinktank?fbclid=IwAR0v1bB7dMS9owZ_yJn-v2Rtw40ykwp0BwZpEa8iU8rAqRSJzhydfIXqLCg



The coal industry has infiltrated Australia's federal government through a secretive network of ties, working to influence Australia’s political decisions at the highest level: right up to the office of the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison

http://act.greenpeace.org.au/dirtypower

The Peter Ridd nonsense debunked:

“Dr Ridd was not sacked because of his scientific views. Dr Ridd was never gagged or silenced about his scientific views, a matter which was admitted during the court hearing.”

James Cook University professor Peter Ridd's sacking ruled unlawful

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/16/james-cook-university-professor-peter-ridds-sacking-ruled-unlawful

Great Barrier Reef expert panel says Peter Ridd misrepresenting science

Exclusive: Panel head Ian Chubb compares ‘roadshow of Dr Ridd’ to tobacco industry strategy defending smoking

Great Barrier Reef expert panel says Peter Ridd misrepresenting science

State government-funded managers urge cane farmers to question reef science

Exclusive: Speaking tour by controversial academic Peter Ridd is being supported by sugarcane managers paid for with Queensland government funds

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/15/managers-funded-by-queensland-government-grant-urge-cane-farmers-to-question-reef-science

https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/03/28/climate-science-deniers-new-hero-peter-ridd-institute-public-affairs

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-23/peter-ridd-reef-science-climate-change/11026540

https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/could-salvatore-vasta-be-australias-worst-judge-20190225-h1bp1k

He’s true Heartland. We’re trying to track any direct payment by them or other serious breach of contract with JCU. My meeting with the legal team is tomorrow. I’ll give them all the data so far Also trying to find any link between the Vasta family with mafia. Salvatore senior, Angelo who was a disgraced judge and disgraced son Sal jnr who ruled against the university. Sal’s brother is conservative politician appointed in the Tony Abbott era. On lots of parliamentary committees with IPA buddies. It’s incestuous. The appeal brief won’t allow new evidence about Ridd but aim to discredit the judge. 15 appeals overturned since 2015. He was ordered to take time off for counselling about continuing intimidatory tactics in court. That was a couple of months after Ridd’s trial. His grandfather had passed away only a few months prior as well. Gotta get the judge on political bias, history of inappropriate behaviour and rulings, personal issues and no precedent mentioned in his decision

Peter Ridd funded by IPA Rinehart - Murdoch. Ridd’s mentor and colleague was Bob Carter. Both were at my JCU uni during my tenure. Bad boys. Check him out with the law suit against the uni. It’s BS. Court case being paid by a Rinehart and crowd funding . This other guy Cohen is a corrupt mongrel.

Yes and influencing gov policy at the top. Sacked from JCU for academic misconduct. Nothing to do with science but the murdochrisy is all about “freedom of speech” to dissent scientific “opinions.” Ridd slandered his boss Terry Hughes who is a world leading reef biologist. Nothing to do with dissenting speech because the same uni awarded Ridd his professorship despite 20 years of denial. The uni’s appeal against Ridd’s $1.2 million compensation. The judge is Sal Vasta ... appointed to the bench by personal friend George Brandis. He is very close to being disbarred just like papa Angelo Vasta from Jph Bjelke Peterson.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/21/gina-rinehart-company-revealed-as-45m-donor-to-climate-sceptic-thinktank

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Public_Affairs

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/how-gina-rinehart-bought-the-ipa,11749

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Great Barrier Reef world heritage values damaged by climate change, government admits
Report to Unesco by the federal and Queensland governments says key features have deteriorated since reef was listed in 1981.

Great Barrier Reef world heritage values damaged by climate change, government admits

Real science tells us the Great Barrier Reefs are not in a good condition.

Scientists mobilise as bleaching resumes on Great Barrier Reef

During 2015–2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching, the third global-scale event since mass bleaching was first documented in the 1980s. Here we examine how and why the severity of recurrent major bleaching events has varied at multiple scales, using aerial and underwater surveys of Australian reefs combined with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures. The distinctive geographic footprints of recurrent bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002 and 2016 were determined by the spatial pattern of sea temperatures in each year. Water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effect on the unprecedented bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local protection of reefs affords little or no resistance to extreme heat. Similarly, past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of bleaching in 2016. Consequently, immediate global action to curb future warming is essential to secure a future for coral reefs.
Scientists mobilise as bleaching resumes on Great Barrier Reef

Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals

Key points from the study:

• 2015-2016 saw record temperatures that triggered a massive episode of coral bleaching across the tropics
• Coral bleaching events should no longer be thought of as individual disturbances to reefs, but as recurring events that threaten the viability of coral reefs globally
• The Great Barrier Reef has had three major bleaching episodes, in 1998, 2002 and 2016, with the latest being the most severe and with catastrophic levels of bleaching occurring in the northern third of the Reef (a region approximately 800 km or 500 miles in length)
• The amount of bleaching on individual reefs in 2016 was tightly linked to local heat exposure
• The cumulative, superimposed footprint of the three mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef has now encompassed virtually all of the Great Barrier Reef
• Past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of the bleaching in 2016

Evidence for ocean acidification in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.


Ridd was not sacked because of his scientific views. Ridd was never gagged or silenced about his scientific views, a matter which was admitted during the court hearing. “Some have thought that this trial was about freedom of speech and intellectual freedom. Media reports have considered that this trial was about silencing persons with controversial or unpopular views,” Vasta said in his judgement.“Rather, this trial was purely and simply about the proper construction of a clause in an enterprise agreement.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/16/james-cook-university-professor-peter-ridds-sacking-ruled-unlawful

Ridd's roadshow is just like how tobacco industry defended smoking. Ridd is the rotten egg the polluter industries always looks for. Someone who is willing to become a marionette for blood money. And now the shameful Denial for profit Movement in Australia have their man. Their puppet. Speaking tour by Peter Ridd is being supported by sugarcane managers paid for with Queensland government funds.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/15/managers-funded-by-queensland-government-grant-urge-cane-farmers-to-question-reef-science 

The judge who ruled for Ridd is as crocked as catholic priests.

https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/could-salvatore-vasta-be-australias-worst-judge-20190225-h1bp1k

Ridds claims that the barrier Reef is OK is parotting claims from tobacco industry claiming there was no link between smoking and lung cancer. Most comprehensive study on the Barrier Reef concludes its damaged by CC:

https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2017/march/scientists-mobilise-as-bleaching-resumes-on-great-barrier-reef

https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v543/n7645/full/nature21707.html

Other studies find the same conclusion:

http://www.pnas.org/content/109/44/17995

History will punish Ridd and his ilk hard. He sold his soul at the crossroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/28/great-barrier-reef-expert-panel-says-peter-ridd-misrepresenting-science

Bonus New Zealand report:

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/media/our-atmosphere-and-climate-2017-final.pdf

Venice are always sinking myth

https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/distribuzione-annuale-delle-alte-maree-110-cm




Severe flooding in Venice that has left much of the Italian city under water is a direct result of climate change, the mayor says.

The highest water levels in the region in more than 50 years would leave "a permanent mark", Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted.

"Now the government must listen," he added. "These are the effects of climate change... the costs will be high."

Venice mayor blames record flood on climate change

“The average sea level rise predicted by the IPCC, the United Nations body for assessing climate change, is 0.43 metres by the end of the 21st century, and it could be as high as a metre or more. In Venice, higher water levels, adding to the effect of subsidence, are creating new, possibly unsustainable, stresses on the lagoon defences and the city. Already, higher water levels cause rising damp in Venice’s ageing walls, crumbling the bricks and rusting the ties that hold up the buildings. The effect of higher water is also aggravated by lagoon erosion. While the tides took between 90 minutes and two hours to enter a century ago, now they enter in an hour. “

Deep trouble: can Venice hold back the tide?

Venice mayor blames record flood on climate change

“The results show that RSL in Venice was always rising at an increasingly fast rate.”

A novel proxy and the sea level rise in Venice, Italy, from 1350 to 2014