BHP, Climate Doubters, involved now in Australia’s CSIRO

A poor climate for debate at CSIRO, The Age, Paddy Manning, July 3, 2010 QUESTIONS are being raised about the closeness of BHP Billiton and the CSIRO under chief executive Megan Clark. A former technology vice president at BHP, Clark was appointed in late 2008 ……. there is concern about the imbalance in research funding at CSIRO, particularly in responses to climate change. ”Renewables like solar [and] thermal seem to have been totally underfunded, whereas carbon capture and storage or clean coal technologies seem to be getting a disproportionate share of funding.”……

According to CSIRO’s operational plan for 2009-10, headcounts in the energy group roughly favour fossil fuels 70:30 with 212 people working on petroleum resources (136) or clean fossil fuels (76) and 82 people working on renewables…..

Enter brand-new chairman Simon McKeon, a lawyer who chairs the Melbourne operations of Macquarie Bank – a group not known for its transparency…..

Simon McKeon – ‘Surely mankind can come to a landing sooner rather than later as to whether the climate is changing and then start to take a view on what the implications of that are?”

Score: Creeping managerialism (1), scientific debate (0).

A poor climate for debate at CSIRO

July 3, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming, energy, secrets and lies, solar, wind | antinuclear, Australia, BHP, BHP Billiton, carbon, climate change, climate change - global warming, energy, nuclear, renewable, secrets and lies, solar, wind

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1.This month.

The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.

The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.

Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items