Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick writes in Inside Story (31.8.16) about the 150 years of climate science research and evidence that new One Nation senator for Queensland, Malcolm Roberts, chooses to ignore in refuting man-made climate change.
‘The dust of the most recent Australian election has finally settled, and thanks to the double dissolution there are many new faces in the Senate. Among them, despite receiving only seventy-seven first-preference votes, is Malcolm Roberts, who holds the second One Nation seat for Queensland.
‘Roberts, a former coalminer and industry consultant, has quickly become Australia’s best-known, most outspoken and, if I may say, most absurd climate sceptic. Anyone who has seen Roberts during his recent TV appearances, especially on ABC TV’s Q&A, will be familiar with his belief that there is “not one piece of empirical evidence” that climate change is caused by humans.
‘I wonder, does Roberts know what empirical means?
‘… In a recent interview, esteemed climate communicator John Cook stated that it is unlikely the plethora of actual evidence will ever change Roberts’s view. But it is disturbing that the fallacies our new senator perpetuates may sway some people. We can only hope that their research into anthropogenic climate change is conducted more comprehensively than Roberts’s.’