The Week That Was - July 19 2012

This week, the US is still cooking, Tony Abbott voices his opinion in the tabloid press, Brumby’s narrowly miss being hung out to dry and some say renewable energy is set to skyrocket and much more.

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“Political ordination is the strongest predictor for what people believe about climate change.”
- Dr Kelly FieldingUniversity of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research 

This news just in – The Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland has calved an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan.

The US continues to be battered by wild weather, and the American Meteorological Society said the extreme weather is consistent with its projections. 

Commercial television took the time to explain in a more even handed way, what the science is saying about our climate changing – be sure to mute the bizarre shampoo commercial prior to watching this report filed by Seven Sunrise.

While at home our Opposition leader Tony Abbott expresses his view that the carbon price will increase Australia’s emissions by eight per cent by 2020.  He says so in a self-penned article published in the News Limited press. 

In the meantime an Australian study shows that hundreds of rural towns will cease to exist in Australia if people choose to be sceptical about climate science. Some of those towns may be in Queensland – just a thought for the LNP to consider while it strengthens its push to remove climate science from the school curriculum.

I wonder, has Mr Abbott read the most recent offering from Simon O’Connor? He explains that much of the brouhaha around the economic impacts of the carbon price is – indeed – hot air. 

And speaking of hot air rising, the bread bosses at Brumby’s have managed to escape a big fine after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has made it clear its throwaway line about blaming price increases on the carbon price was on the nose.

And solar panel suppliers Polaris and ACT Renewable Energy have been warned and sanctioned by the ACCC for their claim that the carbon price would cause four hundred per cent increase in electricity prices by 2019.  Maybe they use the same calculator as Mr Abbott’s office….

The Climate Institute has developed a useful tool to explain everything you need to know – and probably more – in its Carbon Jargon 101 ‘explainer’.

This week think tank The Grattan Institute argue for giving the government the right to auction contracts to allow large scale renewable energy providers a shot at producing cheap electricity. At the same time, International Energy Agency head Maria van der Hoeven tells us to expect a 45% jump in installed renewable energy in the next five years - just ask the Japanese.

The Australian Industry group says in its report Energy shock: Pressure Mounts for Efficiency Action that business is feeling the pinch due to rising energy prices. The report also says that business has been slow to invest in clean energy and efficiency measures – with most businesses looking for ‘quick wins’. Maybe being more efficient will mean using less energy and that will sort that out? 

Look here at research which shows how your politics indicates if you think climate change is real science or ‘a pseudo-science occupied by astrology, creationism, crystal healing and homeopathy.’ See you next week!