Climate-change denial feels the heat

Date
    January 13, 2013


A generic heat wave

It's personal ... 45 per cent of respondents in a survey conducted by Griffith University reported a direct personal experience of climate change.      

Scepticism about climate change in Australia may be something else that will melt during the nation's great heatwave.    

''There's a powerful climate change signal in extreme weather events in Australia,'' said Joseph Reser, an adjunct professor at Griffith University's school of applied psychology. ''The current heatwave is outside people's experience.''

A study released by the university and co-written by Professor Reser found Australians were more ready to accept climate change was happening - and many believed they were experiencing it.

The peer-reviewed national survey conducted in mid-2011 and published late last year found 39 per cent of respondents viewed climate change as ''the most serious problem facing the world in the future if nothing is done to stop it''.


Two-thirds saw climate change as a serious problem ''right now''.    

Conditions across the country in recent days would provide evidence to support this view. A delayed monsoon over northern Australia has left a string of high-pressure systems to dominate weather patterns over the continent for a fortnight. Temperatures have reached 49 degrees in some areas while the country posted a record average temperature of 40.33 degrees last Monday. Seven of the 20 hottest average maximum days have a 2013 time stamp.    

Just 4.2 per cent of the survey's 4347 respondents selected the option ''there is no such thing as climate change'' and 8.5 per cent could be considered strong sceptics, Professor Reser said.

He said a ''remarkable'' finding was 45 per cent of respondents reported direct personal experience of climate change. By contrast, the ratio in the US was about a quarter, he said.

That experience included floods (29 per cent), bushfires (23 per cent) and cyclones (18 per cent).

Perceived climate-change experiences varied according to voting intentions. Some 75.7 per cent of Green voters and 60.3 per cent of Labor selected the ''We are already feeling the effects'' option. Among National Party supporters, 40.5 per cent picked the option but just 32.7 per cent of Liberal voters did.

Results of a test about climate change also saw divergent results.

''Those who voted Green or Labor were simply more objectively knowledgeable about the phenomenon and the issue,'' he said. ''Our female respondents were generally more knowledgeable, more concerned.''    

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/climatechange-denial-feels-the-heat-20130112-2cmhu.html#ixzz2HnUo0o1j

KJT1981 wrote on Jan 13^th, 2013 at 7:19am:





hilarious...

PANIC PANIC PANIC>.. the world is burning burning burning..

be warned all you people unles you vote green next election you will die from HEAT..or maybe COLD depends on what certain scientist predict..

but be warned.. only vote green if you wish to STOP CLIMATE CHANGE>>.

The Australian Greens care about climate change.  The Australian Greens - They get the VOTE.    

Quote:



NO THEY DIDNT IN ACT

Swagman wrote on Jan 13^th, 2013 at 9:15am:



conned you mean it will be exposed as the con of the century...

when infantile's believe mankind has some super power that we can turn the tide and change the wind..and stop cyclones and stop ice melting...

then all I can say is.. Yes there is a Santa..

the greens tell me so.

I am wondering if Bobs out there waving his magic wand... so something happens that tells us CARBON TAX is working... it was his idea remember?

skippy. wrote on Jan 13^th, 2013 at 9:32am:







your very good at wishing bad things on people that disagree with you..

skippy. wrote on Jan 13^th, 2013 at 9:32am:


Anyone remember the bushfires that surrounded Sydney in 2001-2002?

The Christmas 2001/2002 bushfire emergency officially began on 24 December 2001 with the outbreak of major bushfires in the Cessnock, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith areas. Although the main fire activity ended on 7 January 2002 following heavy overnight rain around Sydney

Total area burnt      753,314 hectares

Houses destroyed      109

Houses damaged      40

Outbuildings destroyed      433

Vehicles destroyed      222

Stock destroyed      7,043

Beehives destroyed      243

Other buildings (commercial, industrial) destroyed      33

http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=475

How about the 1994 fires during which 185 homes were destroyed and 4 lives lost.

1993 - 1994, December - January, North Coast , Hunter and Sydney bushfire

    Four dead - two civilians and two fire fighters
    800 fires destroyed 800,000 hectares
    225 homes and other buildings destroyed and a further 150 damaged
    Evacuations - 27,250 people
    Firefighters - estimated 20,000 

Widespread severe bushfires occurred as extreme weather conditions began to develop along the NSW eastern seaboard from the Queensland border to Batemans Bay in the south, and as far inland as Bathurst.

In excess of 800 fires started between 27 December 1993 and 16 January 1994. Ultimately over 800,000 hectares were burnt. 204 significant bushfires were burning at the height of the crisis. Worst-affected areas were the Hunter, Blue Mountains and Sydney regions.

The most serious losses occurred in fires in the Sydney region, in particular at Jannali and West Como, where about half of the total homes lost in the State were destroyed. Two fire-fighters and two civilians died. One of the civilians was a woman who sheltered in a swimming pool at Jannali, but died of airway burns due to the intense heat of the air she was breathing.

A total of 225 buildings were destroyed and about 150 homes were damaged, varying from minor to serious. Also thousands of small insurance claims were lodged for minor damage (eg smoke damage to soft furnishings) or food spoilage due to lack of refrigeration caused by widespread blackouts. Approximately 27,250 people evacuated - 20,000 fire-fighters deployed from across Australia and New Zealand for over three weeks as hot westerly winds persisted. Some 40 national parks were affected.

http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/content.php/598.html

KJT1981 wrote on Jan 13^th, 2013 at 10:00am:

Well if he does he may well burn your house down Matty, with extra points if you're in it.