Rhetoric clouds climate change debate

23 Jul 2012, 9:00 am   -   Source: AAP
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(AAP)

(AAP)

Heated debate on climate change and the carbon tax has left Australians confused, Climate Commission members say.

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Relentless political debate over the carbon tax has confused the public and slowed Australia's response to global warming, climate change experts say.

Climate Commission member Gerry Hueston says the heated argument over carbon pricing is baffling, given both sides of federal politics have committed to the same long-term goals for cutting emissions and shifting to renewable energy.

"I think it's a very loud debate and the noise is killing off more sensible discussion," Mr Hueston told AAP.

"There's no fundamental disagreement on the science, what the target should be and what Australia's contribution should be, but the rhetoric is getting in the way of progress, and it's creating uncertainty."

Uncertainty, Mr Hueston said, also pervades the public's understanding of climate change itself.

The debate has been hijacked by two groups with polar opposite views: climate change deniers and naive folk who believe immediate action will save the world overnight, he says.

"There are those saying nothing needs to be done, and those that say you can act very quickly now and solve the problem," Mr Hueston said.

"They're the loudest voices that are being heard, and frankly the public are left in the middle, concerned and confused."

Chief commissioner Tim Flannery agrees, and says another challenge in the effort to drive action on climate change is the fact that its effects are creeping up slowly, rather than arriving with a bang.

"This is a multi-decade challenge, and we're not very good at holding people's attention for that sort of lengthy period with this sort of thing," Professor Flannery told AAP.

"People realise there's a problem ... but then to decide on a course of action and take action, it takes time.

"Globally, there's more action being taken, but emissions continue to rise."

The best the commission can do, he said, is work to cut through the chatter and increase the public's understanding through education.

"We're hardly the radical greenies we're painted to be... We're just actually making sure people have access to decent information," Professor Flannery said.

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Your Comments

"Deniers"

Fred - from Sydney, 10 months ago

The term "denier" has been borrowed from the expression "holocaust deniers" and is an insult to every person who understands real scientific method and who disagrees with "The Experts" such as Flannery. "Climate Change" has become a new religion which left behind true science a long time ago.

don't confuse the real issue

Justin - from wollongong, 10 months ago

Australians aren't confused they're pissed off, just bring on a federal election and everything will become clear.

The Science is NOT settled

Al Black - from Sydney, 10 months ago

Even the most fanatical supporters of the Global Warming theory can only point to a 0.7 degree increase in temperatures since the Industrial Revolution began, and this increase has stalled since 1997: it is possible the climate is beginning another cooling phase for the next few decades, only time will tell. We have plenty of time to establish the truth: Obviously such a tiny increase in temperatures is nothing to worry about, and does not justify draconian Taxes and subsidies to "Fix" it.

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