Comments on: Bjorn Lomborg Pulled From Australian Consensus Centre Project

By: Bjorn Lomborg’s WSJ Response to Nixing of Australian Project – Greg Laden's Blog

Thu, 14 May 2015 14:13:48 +0000

[…] in the Wall Street Journal lamenting the decision of the University of Western Australia (UWA) to nix previously developed plans to accept a $4 million dollar payment from the conservative Australian government, to be matched by university money, to implement a […]

By: Astrostevo

Astrostevo — Wed, 13 May 2015 02:02:35 +0000

Meanwhile in other new climate news just out of Australia our Bureau of Meteorology has now officially declaredan El Nino :

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-12/bureau-of-meteorology-declares-an-el-nino-event/6464592

Now matching the previous NOAA assessment. Not looking forward to this summer.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 09 May 2015 18:37:45 +0000

John, thanks, I was just looking at that!

By: John Mashey

John Mashey — Sat, 09 May 2015 18:28:02 +0000

In a month of numerous articles, I don't know of many that Lomborg actually responded to, but I know of one: Andrew P. Street's View from the Street: So, is Copenhagen Consensus Centre just a US postbox? See dissection of Lomborg's error-filled response" claiming Street in error, plus another to add to my list of fun quotes: "Most sinister is Street's allegation – apparently copied from a climate change activists' blog – that the Center is a “foreign conduit” designed to avoid taxation. This malicious claim is unsupported by facts." Actually, I'm not an activist for climate change, I was happy with California's climate when I moved here 30+ years ago. Too bad it's changing.

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 09 May 2015 08:32:47 +0000

#5 Much is made by the awful Christopher Pyne of the need to get Lomborg’s ‘consensus methodology’ its rightful place in Australia. This is of course nonsense; there is nothing patent, unique or indeed very interesting about Lomborg’s procedures….so, of course the center could have functioned without him.

I think the Vice Chancellor will be feeling a little had, the more he reflects on Lomborg’s insertion into his space. I think Johnson was seduced by profile. Now he knows more…

By: Sou

Sou — Sat, 09 May 2015 07:39:40 +0000

Victor, I found the VC’s press release quite strange. Very mixed messages. Your point is a good one. Why, if Bjorn isn’t going to be around, isn’t going to get paid, shouldn’t a centre be able to manage without him? Sure, they’d have to build new methods and models and couldn’t use the Lomborg ones – but that would be a good thing. (I expect Bjorn probably opted not to get paid by the University – it would seriously reduce his income, assuming UWA has limits on personal benefits from outside consultancies and contracts, like most Australian Unis these days.)

By: John Mashey

John Mashey — Sat, 09 May 2015 06:42:06 +0000

Lomborg wasn’t involved in the day-to-day operations in Massachusetts either … but he did get $975K in compensation for 2012-2013 and CCC said he traveled 200 days/year already.
Perth is a long way from anything, so indeed I suspect he wouldn’t have been there much.

By: Victor Venema (@VariabilityBlog)

Victor Venema (@VariabilityBlog) — Fri, 08 May 2015 19:44:23 +0000

Strange that Vice Chancellor Paul Johnson first downplays the importance of Lomborg: Bjorn Lomborg would not be involved in its day-to-day operations. This quote seems to be there to make it less bad that Lomborg has been spreading so much misinformation. And then he writes, as you report: I have today spoken to the Federal Government and Bjorn Lomborg advising them of the barriers that currently exist to the creation of the Centre. This quote suggests the reverse: that Lomborg is the most important person of the Consensus Centre, which everyone expect for the Vice Chancellor thought in the first place.

By: Brainstorms

Brainstorms — Fri, 08 May 2015 15:28:07 +0000

Paul Johnson sounds just like a prostitute voicing regrets at being unable to accept a high-dollar proposition from a wealthy john due to “unwelcome publicity”.

Poor baby.

By: Doug Alder

Doug Alder — Fri, 08 May 2015 14:39:11 +0000

And then there is this – Down Under is ruled by a bunch of yobs

“Maurice Newman, chairman of Tony Abbott’s business advisory council, says UN is using debunked climate change science to impose authoritarian rule”

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/08/australia-pms-adviser-climate-change-is-un-hoax-to-create-new-world-order