Tag: Tim Flannery

Hamilton sticks the boot in on Flannery

5th February 2009

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Image source: usyd.edu.au

After publicly criticising Tim Flannery a couple of years ago for playing into the Howard goverment’s hands with his “advocacy of do-nothing green consumerism” and his pro-nuclear stance, Clive Hamilton has really upped the ante today with an article in Crikey entitled: Flip-flop Flannery is a climate change opportunist. A “talented science populariser can be a policy flake” says Hamilton, as he casts aspersions on the coherence of Flannery’s views. While it is probably true that Flannery has been cosying up to the those on the right of Australian politics a little more than is conscionable given their record on climate change and the environment more generally, flicking through my copy of The Weather Makers, I don’t think he can be accused of not arguing for government intervention. Having said this, if Hamilton’s broadside does anything, it should at least cause Flannery to come out and state his position more clearly.

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The Weather Makers

24th July 2007

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Image source: www.international.mq.edu.au

The guy on the left prays to God for rain. The guy on the right explains why rain (or lack thereof) has got nothing to do with God and, using science, lays the blame firmly at the door of homo sapiens. Having recently finished reading his excellent book, The Weather Makers, Tim Flannery has now succeeded in making my ‘people I would most like to invite around for a BBQ’ list. I’m not sure this is an accolade that will compete with his recent ‘Australian of the Year’ gong, but listening to him, and reading his books, he seems like the type of bloke who wouldn’t turn down a veggieburger and cold one if it were offered at short notice. Apart from the fact he is a good bloke, he is also very clever and The Weather Makers should be compulsory reading for all people who care about the future their children will inherit. Please note deliberate non-reference to grandchildren here … yes, it’s that close … and yes, we are in deep do-do’s unless people like the bloke on the left don’t get their heads out of the sand. We are the weather makers and the evidence is on our TV sets right now with record floods in the UK and China, heat waves in Greece, and drought in Australia.

Nuclear nongs

5th May 2007

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www.antinuclearaustralia.com

The Australian Labor Party (ALP), having won some respect under the new leadership of Kevin Rudd in recent weeks sank back to new lows, in my opinion, with its recent Conference resolution to allow new uranium mines. This is a huge mistake on the part of the ALP because by joining the Government in favouring nuclear power as a solution to reducing reliance on fossil fuels it means that, yet again, it has forgone an opportunity to differentiate itself from the ruling party. Listening to Tim Flannery on ABC radio this week, the ALP would do well to take advice from him. Flannery, author of best-seller, The Weather Makers, makes the point that given the widely acknowledged problems with nuclear power (e.g. dealing with waste, the time and cost involved in constructing nuclear power plants, and the dangers associated with plants becoming targets for terrorist attacks) it makes an inordinate amount of sense to explore this option only as a last resort. Far better, suggests Flannery, to go as far as you can to reduce emissions by increasing the efficiency of energy use and exploring clean and safe renewable energy options. If future demand for energy can be met through these means, the taxpayer can save a whole lot of money, the environment will experience less damage, and the community will be a safer place to live in. The lack of thought by the major political parties regarding climate change is also exemplified by Flannery’s observation that they have yet to identify what increase in temperature they consider to be unacceptably high, and what policies they plan to put in place to ensure this scenario does not eventuate.

Tim Flannery, by the way, is Australian of the Year. I hope he is Australian of the Year next year and the year after too.