Peter Hehir, in his article “Good science has no bias”, asserts that climate scientists should not, and will not, participate in the climate debate. Before reviewing Peter’s reasoning, it would be helpful to outline the current situation.
Climate scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that atmospheric pollution from the emission of greenhouse gases is the prime reason why the planet is heating, and that the burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to this. The debate has moved on from disputing the science. The fossil fuel industry now accepts that the unabated burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to global warming. And the Albanese Government claims it accepts the science. The main debate no longer is about the validity of the science, it is about the required action to minimise the climate threat. The industry and the government both claim the use of mechanisms such as carbon capture and storage and carbon offsetting justifies the ongoing use of fossil fuels. This is what the fight is about.
Hehir states in his article that, “the accepted reality within the scientific community is that it is absolutely essential for scientists to remain once removed from the policy makers. It’s not the business of science to advocate policy”. He also states that science presents the facts, and it is up to the politicians to draw the conclusions and take the necessary legislative action. This is a sound principle, but it doesn’t work for Australia because both parties of government have chosen to ignore the science and support the ongoing........