Man-Made Climate Change: Issues and debates

[Ian Murray]

Aussies back stronger climate action: Lowy

Australians overwhelmingly support taxpayer-funded investment in renewable energy and bigger cuts to carbon emissions to combat climate change, a poll shows.

Some 90 per cent support federal subsidies for renewable energy technology and more than three quarters (77 per cent) support more ambitious cuts to emissions this decade, according to Lowy Institute research released on Wednesday. ...

[MichaelBaron]

Blockade a city and open the door to the right: zealots do Dutton a favour

The return of a Coalition government in 2025 is a long shot, whether under Peter Dutton or anyone else. But oppositions have come roaring back to government after a defeat, especially the Coalition.

And if the unlikely happens and the conservatives are back in Canberra in three years, perhaps historians will see the seeds having been sown in the first six weeks of the Albanese government.

The Blockade protests have been an exercise in bloodymindedness. Ironically, most of their commuter victims on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the morning peak are likely to be voters who supported climate-action candidates in North Sydney, Mackellar and Warringah.

The Blockade spokespeople and their champions repeatedly assert that no social change has happened without disruption and some inconvenience to the populace. That assertion might apply in jurisdictions such as the US and South Africa, but much less so in the social laboratory of the Australian federation since 1901. ...

Blockade the city....any chance of acting in a civilized way not to disturb people's work/leisure time?. Their behaviour does not make me want to support their cause. On the contrary, want to offer my skills to teach martial arts to motorists to help them get by while travelling...looks like its the only way~

[MichaelBaron]

Aussies back stronger climate action: Lowy

Australians overwhelmingly support taxpayer-funded investment in renewable energy and bigger cuts to carbon emissions to combat climate change, a poll shows.

Some 90 per cent support federal subsidies for renewable energy technology and more than three quarters (77 per cent) support more ambitious cuts to emissions this decade, according to Lowy Institute research released on Wednesday. ...

No problem with backing up any initiatives...but does it mean roads need to be blocked?

[Ian Murray]

Closing of oil and coal power plants linked to drop in preterm births

The shuttering of eight oil- and coal-fueled electric plants in California was associated with a sizeable decrease in preterm births among women living nearby, researchers say.

Their study took advantage of a “natural experiment” when six oil-fueled electricity-generating plants and two coal-powered plants were retired. Using data collected from 2001 to 2011, they found that preterm birth rates among women exposed to the highest amounts of pollution from the plants fell from 7 percent of births to 5.1 percent after the plant closures. ...

[MichaelBaron]

Closing of oil and coal power plants linked to drop in preterm births

The shuttering of eight oil- and coal-fueled electric plants in California was associated with a sizeable decrease in preterm births among women living nearby, researchers say.

Their study took advantage of a “natural experiment” when six oil-fueled electricity-generating plants and two coal-powered plants were retired. Using data collected from 2001 to 2011, they found that preterm birth rates among women exposed to the highest amounts of pollution from the plants fell from 7 percent of births to 5.1 percent after the plant closures. ...

It does smell like data torturing .

[Scott Colliver]

It does smell like data torturing .

No it does not. Why would it be in the least bit surpirsing that less polution would mean less early births?

[MichaelBaron]

No it does not. Why would it be in the least bit surpirsing that less polution would mean less early births?

I am no expert in neither early birth or polution so it is neither surprising nor not surprising for me. However, curious how they've done the data analytics . Big Data analytics is always tricky and the fall from 7% to 5.1% could be attributed to a number of factors so wondering if the study assumed that all other factors (other than the closures) remained unchanged .

[MichaelBaron]

I am no expert in neither early birth or polution so it is neither surprising nor not surprising for me. However, curious how they've done the data analytics . Big Data analytics is always tricky and the fall from 7% to 5.1% could be attributed to a number of factors so wondering if the study assumed that all other factors (other than the closures) remained unchanged .

To quote the article ''The improvement was greatest among non-Hispanic Asian and black women '' as I assume impact is same on all races...would be interesting to see how for women living in same area....some ethnica groups have been gaining greater benefits...if we assume polution was the main factor.
Btw, I am certainly against polution etc. but do not like it when people turn analytics into the ''assumptions game''.

[Ian Murray]

To quote the article ''The improvement was greatest among non-Hispanic Asian and black women '' as I assume impact is same on all races...would be interesting to see how for women living in same area....some ethnica groups have been gaining greater benefits...if we assume polution was the main factor.
Btw, I am certainly against polution etc. but do not like it when people turn analytics into the ''assumptions game''.

If you are interested in the methodology, you should not rely on a wire service report but go to the source material, here and here, where your concerns are addressed by experts in their field.

Considering that "a persistent and substantial racial disparity in preterm birth rates exists in the United States, with a disproportionate impact on non-Hispanic black mothers and infants", a commensurate decrease in preterm births with the removal of sources of pollutants might result, and in fact happened.

[Patrick Byrom]

To quote the article ''The improvement was greatest among non-Hispanic Asian and black women '' as I assume impact is same on all races...would be interesting to see how for women living in same area....some ethnica groups have been gaining greater benefits...if we assume polution was the main factor. Btw, I am certainly against polution etc. but do not like it when people turn analytics into the ''assumptions game''.

So why would you assume that the "impact is same on all races" without any evidence? Housing is very segregated in the US, which probably explains the disparity.

[MichaelBaron]

So why would you assume that the "impact is same on all races" without any evidence? Housing is very segregated in the US, which probably explains the disparity.

We are talking about particular area. If a report claims that race factor is being considered - we should be able to assume that all of the races considered are represented in the area to a sufficient extent to form a sample.

[MichaelBaron]

''The poll of 1,001 Australians undertaken in June for the IPA, asked respondents whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Australia should pause its commitment to the policy of net zero emissions by 2050, as the UK has done, until we have enough energy supplies to avoid blackouts.”

61% Agree
22% Neither agree nor disagree
17% Disagree
Source: https://www.2gb.com/podcast/aussies-...h7wE1OiGa3KOjg

[Scott Colliver]

''The poll of 1,001 Australians undertaken in June for the IPA, asked respondents whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Australia should pause its commitment to the policy of net zero emissions by 2050, as the UK has done, until we have enough energy supplies to avoid blackouts.”

61% Agree
22% Neither agree nor disagree
17% Disagree
Source: https://www.2gb.com/podcast/aussies-...h7wE1OiGa3KOjg

It seems to be quite a biased way of asking the question and I am not surprised a majority agreed given the way it was asked.

[MichaelBaron]

It seems to be quite a biased way of asking the question and I am not surprised a majority agreed given the way it was asked.

We can change the question around to '' Would you be prepared to pay higher price for energy as well as slow-down development of the Australian economy if this is what Net Zero requires?

[Scott Colliver]

We can change the question around to '' Would you be prepared to pay higher price for energy as well as slow-down development of the Australian economy if this is what Net Zero requires?

But is that what Net Zero requires?
I am not sure it is so the question is very biased.