COOLING DOWN THE FEARS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Matt Ridley writing in the Wall Street Journal says the real question we now need an answer to is: How much warming will a doubling of carbon dioxide produce?

Forget the Doha climate jamboree that ended earlier this month. The theological discussions in Qatar of the arcana of climate treaties are irrelevant. By far the most important debate about climate change is taking place among scientists, on the issue of climate sensitivity: How much warming will a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide actually produce? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has to pronounce its answer to this question in its Fifth Assessment Report next year.

HOW IS EARTH RESPONDING TO HIGHER CO2?

Dr Craig Idso, author of a new report at the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change has found great benefit for the Earth's biosphere from higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide.

"The productivity of the planet’s terrestrial biosphere, on the whole, has been increasing with time, revealing a great greening of the Earth that extends throughout the entire globe.

Satellite-based analyses of net terrestrial primary productivity reveal an
increase of around 6-13% since the 1980s.
There is no empirical evidence to support the model-based claim that future carbon
uptake by plants will diminish on a global scale due to rising temperatures. In fact, just the opposite situation has been observed in the real world".

SEA LEVEL IS NOT RISING

Renowned sea level expert Professor Nils-Axel Morner in a paper at the Science & Public Policy Institute again points out the facts on global sea level.

"Two distinct satellite systems, using very different measurement methods, produced raw data reaching identical conclusions: sea level is barely rising, if at all. Sea level is not rising at all in the Maldives, the Laccadives, Tuvalu, India, Bangladesh, French Guyana, Venice, Cuxhaven, Korsør, Saint Paul Island, Qatar, etc".

CLIMATE ALARMISM 'OVERREACH' IS BUSINESS AS USUAL

Jo Nova at her website highlights a series of reports by the ABC's Sarah Clarke with Professor Matthew England as the primary interviewee and calls it a rare unequivocal overreach in climate change reporting.

While such reports may be rarely unequivocal in their overreach there is certainly nothing rare about egregious examples of unsubstantiated climate alarmism in many media reports. 

Chris Uhlmann from the ABC 7.30 Report appears to be having trouble keeping a straight face while introducing this report from Hayden Cooper.

DOHA'S POLITICS OF ENVY

Environment editor Graham Lloyd reviews the recently conclude climate conference in Doha in this article in The Australian.

Another round of talk that produced no meaningful outcome from a flawed process  while the technology driven shale gas bonanza is producing large decreases in emissions.

Meanwhile Climate Change Minister Greg Combet remains coy about Australia's financial contribution to the $100 billion 'compensation fund'.

CLIMATE TALKS DEAD AS A DOHA

The Australian newspaper editorialises about the failed Doha climate conference:

"As in Copenhagen three years ago, the Doha conference was derailed by the push for a redistribution of billions of dollars of wealth from the West to poor and developing countries under the guise of helping them adapt to climate change and compensate them for its effects. The US and other developed nations were never going to cave in to such extortion, nor should they".

Meanwhile David Wroe in The Canberra Times laments the outcome of the 18th conference on climate:

"Green groups and climate change experts have warned that the meagre progress made at the latest international climate talks will not be enough to keep global warming to a manageable level".