In Australia, about the closest we have to a Science Minister these days is Greg Hunt, the Minister for Envirnoment.
Talking about a 20-year Antarctic Strategic Plan, released today, Australia's Environment Minister , Greg Hunt said:
"Whether it's in relation to the walrus population, whether it's in relation to penguins, you can have iconic species which can attract community interest,"
The ABC website commented dryly:
Although no walruses live in Antarctica, the Minister's commitment to preserve Antarctic biodiversity was welcomed by Antarctic researchers.
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What, no polar bears?
ReplyDeleteI should hope not; they're a bloody menace. Sure, they look cuddly from a helicopter, but get up close and they reveal an entire other side to their nature. And they're huge!
DeleteThe Southern Hemisphere already has more than its fair share of deadly fauna. The line has to be drawn somewhere.
What do you expect from the guy who chose to ignore detailed briefings from BoM on AGW/natural disaster links in favor of Wikipedia?
ReplyDeleteAnd what's with that ABC story? A 20 year plan has been prepped by Dr Tony Press, Hunt lights a sparkler and waves it around, but where is the detail? How does this square with the funding cuts that are affecting the CSIRO and the Antarctic Division?
LOL channel seven, Andrew Okeefe " after add for south african tourism " greg could go and watch the walruses migrating across the savannah"
ReplyDeleteHe should have checked Wikipedia.
ReplyDelete"The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere"
"Environment Minister Greg Hunt was given a thorough briefing about the effects of climate change on Australia's weather patterns three weeks before he told a BBC radio interview he had sourced information on bushfires and global warming from Wikipedia."
The documents shatter claims made by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who last year dismissed any link between global warming and bushfires, and show the extent to which the government has been advised of climate change's influence on recent extreme weather in Australia.
Mr Hunt was questioned on Newshour on October 23 last year and appeared to use Wikipedia to defend the Prime Minister's assertion that United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres was "talking out of her hat" when she said bushfires were linked to climate change.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bureau-warned-greg-hunt-about-climate-change-before-he-cited-wikipedia-20141006-10qyg0.html#ixzz3FnLqB4xn
Greg is youngish, bright, and very ambitious- anyone doubting this should read the profile of him in the Good Weekend a while back (or have a look at his profile on Wikipedia ;^) ) . While he might have written an Honours thesis on the polluter pays principle, later behaviour suggests any commitment to that principle would appear to be somewhat malleable.
ReplyDeleteHe's playing politics now, and being ambitious, he'll do whatever's needed to get ahead, even if it involves floundering in front of tv cameras- tying himself in logical knots to accept the science but deny the need for decisive action on climate change. It's all about looking after the PM and demonstrating tribal loyalty, because that's what you will be rewarded for.
He'll probably he'll wear this error for a while, and it might result in him acquiring the nickname 'walrus'. Labor parliamentarians might ask him Questions without Notice regarding the status of walruses in Australia's Antarctic Territory, and sing 'goo goo g'joob' as he walks past. But it will all be worth it if he gets a promotion to a senior Ministry.
Then there's life after politics to consider - no-show jobs at think-tanks, non-executive directorships, 'consultancies', and other such rewards for services rendered.
Delete"Goo goo g'joob" :) Love it.