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I could fill a page or more of your worthy newspaper with comments on Ray Fleming's latest foray into the climate change argument (”Looking Around, Sunday July 24). At least he now acknowledges the existence of the so-called “climate change deniers”. However I will content myself with just 2 quotations.

The first comes from Ian Plimer's masterly 2009 book “Global Warming: The Missing Science”. (491 pages of closely argued science and 2311 references to published scientific papers). Plimer is the Professor of Mining Geology at the University of Adelaide and the Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He has this to say on page 11 of his book: “The history of temperature change over time is related to the shape of the continents, the shape of the sea floor, the pulling apart of the crust, the stitching back together of the crust, the opening and closing of sea ways, changes in the Earth's orbit, changes in solar energy, supernoval eruptions, comet dust, impacts by comets and asteroids, volcanic activity, bacteria, soil formation, sedimentation, ocean currents and the chemistry of air. If we humans, in a fit of ego, think we can change these normal planetary processes, then we need stronger medication” The second quotation comes from the 2009 Report of the Non-Governmental International Panel on Climate Change “Climate Change Reconsidered”, (742 pages of closely argued science and well over 1000 references to published scientific papers). The Lead Authors of this Report were Professor Fred Singer, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at the University of Virginia and Dr.Craig Idso, Chairman of the Centre for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. The Report has this to say on page 21: “The scientific debate over the causes and processes of global warming is ongoing and there is no case for governments to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (of which carbon dioxide constitutes only about 4%) in an expensive and likely futile attempt to alter the course of future climate.”

Bryan Oliver
Camp de Mar