Our new prime minister desperately wants to be seen and remembered as a “Climate Change Champion”. So much so that in his first week he has killed off an inquiry into the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
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The reason for the due diligence inquiry agreed to previously by Tony Abbott was to justify the BoM's treatment of recorded historical temperature measurements by a process they call “homogenisation”.
Dr Jennifer Marahosy an eminent scientist and author together with other independent scientists and statisticians have challenged the BoM's “homogenisation” techniques, which change (lower) actual recorded temperature readings going back over a century. The BoM claims the manipulation of the figures was due to minor relocation of recording sites, inaccuracy of old instrumentation and like factors.
Dr Marohasy has demonstrated that actual readings (raw data) show almost no change in the temperatures in fact a minor reduction of 0.35degrees C over the century to 2010.
The homogenised figures produced by the BoM come up with an increase of 1.7 degrees C over the period.
The Environment Minister Greg Hunt killed off the inquiry being concerned it may damage the BoM's reputation.
Surely if it had nothing to hide its reputation would remain intact. We must now hope that the many thousands of temperature readings taken over more than a century by conscientious employees are not destroyed for political expediency.
Perhaps our local member Peter Hendy could reassure us that all the valuable raw data figures will be retained by the BoM at least until we have a government and prime minister more interested in the truth. I am happy to wait until Mr Hendy has answered the pertinent letter on trust by Mary-Ellen Turbet in last weeks Merimbula News Weekly.
Readers interested in more information should google Dr Marohasy.
Alex McQueen
Merimbula
