The New Zealand
Climate Science Coalition
Hon Secretary, Terry Dunleavy

26 July 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Coalition responds to media statement earlier this evening by Hon David Parker

The New Zealand Climate Science Coalition finds it strange that the Minister of Energy, David Parker, has replied to and rejected the formal request addressed personally to the Prime Minister for a Royal Commission to inquire into the science and economics of climate issues.

The words used by Mr Parker in his media statement rejecting the Royal Commission proposal confirm the degree of confusion and justify the need for a searching and independent review of climate issues.

"The Minister says and I quote him: by far the majority of climate scientists agree that there is no longer any doubt our climate is changing due to human activity unquote. Does the Minister also believe that the course of evolution would change because someone claimed that a majority of fundamentalist preachers agreed that the world was created 6000 years ago? As Galileo demonstrated, science depends entirely on the validity of the scientific research, not on a show of hands. The recent Barton /Wegman report in America casts serious doubt on much of the research that is used to justify claims of man-made global warming and, by implication the whole of the IPCC process. This report shouts out 'the science is NOT settled'.

"The Minister goes on to concede that climate change may not be occurring, but that anyway we should reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels, keep our air clean, and maintain our forest cover to protect soil and water quality. We agree that these are admirable goals, but they can be achieved without burdening our economy with the half billon dollars or more costs of the Kyoto Protocol that will do little - if anything - to effect climate change.

"Like the Minister, we too want to preserve our unique environment for our children and our children's children and that will be easier to achieve if future generations are not condemned to become paupers and peasants, struggling to find the money to buy carbon credits, in a land short of modern technology and amenities.

"Clearly, the Minister has been badly advised by the almost religious zealotry of people whose reputation and income would be at risk if they faced facts and accepted that the climate is subject to natural cyclical and seasonal variation and that there is ample evidence of nothing abnormal about the climate over the last 150 years. Until the climate modellers can prove that their models have accurately predicted the climate five years ahead, we should not use their 'predictions' to justify embarking on hugely expensive climate change policies.

"We addressed our request to the Prime Minister because we have regard for her pragmatism and her realism. When she adds the impact of the Wegman report to the lack of credibility of the computer models from which these exaggerated climate scenarios have been constructed, she will see the sense in appointing a Royal Commission to differentiate reality from spin, " said Mr Leyland.

M o r e

For editorial backgound: Internet links relative to these issues are:

NAS report: http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/07192006hearing1987/hearing.htm

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=cea34354-baf-467b-9f49-4ef98f416e71

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=68ec347c-6959-40cf-aac7-795b1a9291e8

Barton/Wegman Report: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=68ec347c-6959-40cf-aac7-795b1a9291e8

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/home/07142006_Wegman_fact_sheet.pdf

McKitrick and McIntyre: http://www.climateaudit.org

New Zealand Climate Science Coalition: http:/www.climatescience.org

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