Gareth Morgan – impressive talk, but questions remain

We went along to hear Gareth Morgan last night. We aren’t the type to go to a finance talk, so it wasn’t that. He is touring the country, talking about his trip to Antarctica, and raising money fro a pest-eradication programme on a sub-Antarctic island.

I was prepared to ask the obvious question: how does he justify, cranially, his involvement in growth economics, with his conservation efforts.

I didn’t. The man spoke too sincerely, and too thoughtfully, for that to be a valid question. A case of someone being too proactive, to knock. He has a better grasp of Climate Science, than anyone outside the science profession; with the perhaps exception of Gwynne Dyer. His graphic of the warming Southern Ocean (the temperature differential is much bigger at the poles) was irrefutable.

A great wee graph – nicely presented. ht: PT.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120618-global-resources-stock-check

Otago Daily Times, RNZ News, Interest.co, and ? Swallowing the spin.

A wee while ago, a fellow named Maugeri, produced a paper. He hides behind the Harvard name, for respectability, but the outfit is a funded think-tank (read, lobby).

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/2510/leonardo_maugeri.html

What he produced, was immediately rebutted:

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-08-07/peak-oil-denial-debunking-attempted-debunking

But the ODT, RNZnews, and earlier, Interest.co.nz, chose to put it up. I don’t mind Interest.co – they put up other stuff, and allowe a discussion. I do have a problem with RNZ – no need to please sponsors, and an expectation that they will ascertain the truth. The ODT, of course, have a permanent in-build bias you could drive a bus through, and no apparent peer-review mechanism which holds up an internal mirror. They didn’t use the original article, by the way – but a once-removed (fudge) opinion based on same. As per ODT practice (Dene Mackenzie/Peter Mackintyre) the opinion has a statement-of-fact-appearing headline.

It’s not on line on the ODT site, but here it is:

http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/08/09/the-coming-glut-in-oil-%E2%80%93-and-its-impact/#comments

The bio says it all – a spinner regurgitating spin. The difference is that she doesn’t have ‘truth’ in her mission statement.

 

ps – this is a better treatment. The reporter is smart enough – honest enough? – to be sceptical.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/7474715/Oil-isn-t-running-out-expert

Being an Aussie, he had better realise that ‘electric cars’ are 80% ‘coal cars’, though. You have to remember what makes the electricity….