IPA update

Climate Change: The Facts 2014, a new book from the Institute of Public Affairs is now available. It couldn't come at a more important time. You can buy your copy here. The carbon tax might be gone and the planet might not have warmed since 1998 (as even the IPCC acknowledged last month in its Fifth Assessment Report) but the climate change debate is far from over. Tony Abbott is still going to give $200 million to the United Nations' 'Green Climate Fund'. This is after he called the Fund the 'Bob Brown bank on an international scale'. The federal government says it 'accepts the climate change science' – but the government never says exactly what the 'science' is that it accepts. The science is clear. There's been no warming since 1998. Supporters who donated $25 or more to finance the publication of this book have already been sent a complimentary copy, as have all the IPA's Premier members. I'm delighted that the generous support of IPA members also allowed us to send a copy to every federal member of parliament and leading journalists and commentators, to ensure that they receive at least one source of reliable information about climate change. Yet we will keep on hearing that this year or last year or next year will be the world's 'hottest on record'. For example, earlier this month the World Meteorological Organization put out a press release with the heading '2014 on course to be one of the hottest, possibly hottest, on record'. However, as British scientist Matt Ridley (who delivered the 2013 CD Kemp Lecture for the IPA) has said: this predicted record would only be one-hundredth of a degree above 2010 and two-hundredths of a degree above 2005 – with an error range of one-tenth of a degree. True scientists would have said: this year is unlikely to be significantly warmer than 2010 or 2005 and left it at that. At the climate change talks in Paris next year there's going to be a push from green groups for the world to have 'zero net emissions' by 2050. As Robert Bryce from the Manhattan Institute said when he spoke to the IPA earlier this year: out of the world's population of 7 billion people, 1.2 billion people don't have electricity. For every one person that has gained access to electricity in the last twenty years from wind and solar power, 13 people have gained electricity thanks to coal. Kevin Rudd of course talked about climate change as 'the greatest moral challenge of our generation' – and of course he was wrong. I believe we do have a moral challenge – it is to help bring electricity to those 1.2 billion people who don't have what Australians take completely for granted. If ever the world adopts a 'zero net emissions' policy it is almost guaranteed that those who don't have electricity still won't have electricity by 2050. That's why Climate Change: The Facts 2014 is so important. And why your financial support for the IPA's work is so important. We must keep on arguing for the science and for the evidence. I'm also pleased to let you know that next year the IPA will be holding Climate Change Briefing Sessions for IPA members and supporters around the country. It will be an opportunity for you to hear from experts and ask them questions about the latest on climate change science. The briefings will be presented by two outstanding scientists – IPA Emeritus Fellow Professor Bob Carter, and Professor Stewart Franks from the University of Tasmania. Both Professor Carter and Professor Franks are contributors to Climate Change: The Facts 2014. The first three briefings will be in Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane in February and I'll let you know about dates for other locations early in the new year. The details for the briefings are: Perth Monday, 16th February  5.00pm for 5.30pm Hyatt Regency Perth 99 Adelaide Terrace, Perth Sydney Wednesday, 18th February  5.00pm for 5.30pm Radisson Blu Hotel 27 O'Connell Street, Sydney Brisbane Thursday, 19th February  5.00pm for 5.30pm Hilton Brisbane 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane These events are free, but you do need to register your attendance. To book your place visit http://rsvp.ipa.org.au or email Sarah Wilson on swilson@ipa.org.au or call Sarah here at the IPA office on 03 9600 4744. Thank you for your support. In 2015 the IPA will keep arguing the science of climate change just as we have been every year for the last two decades. P.S. To purchase your copy of Climate Change: The Facts 2014, click here. John Roskam Executive Director Institute of Public AffairsMobile 0415 475 673 | Phone 03 9600 4744 | Fax 03 9602 4989 | Email jroskam@ipa.org.au Web www.ipa.org.au | Address Level 2, 410 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000  Become a member of the IPA today | Subscribe to ‘Hey…what did I miss?’