There is also a ray of hope in the very same edition of the Economist (May 28th 2011). In the special report on Australia (p.13), paragraph four begins ‘And then there is the climate. No one knows whether it is really changing or, if so, whether man is playing a part. Australia has more than its share of climate-change sceptics, and they can point to the many droughts, cyclones and floods that have afflicted the country for centuries’.

I assume that this was written by somebody paid to write about the real Australia, who doesn’t fully grasp the Economist’s party line on AGW. Anyway, a bit of encouragement beside the rest of the anthropocene nonsense.

Like you, I’ve been a reader of the Economist for decades. Like you, I used to think highly of it. And yes, about five years ago an Economist appeared with a cover which said ‘The Heat Is On’, with a picture of desert and cacti. And that was the Economist going belly up on one of the most important issues of our time. It is now truly feeble. I was interested in what you had to say about the owner — I didn’t know that. And Matt Ridley was obviously a great loss. Do we know the names of the children who now pretend to be environmental journalists at the Economist? The Economist, like the BBC, is totally hermetic when you try to look inside and comment on the stories and opinions expressed. Letters don’t seem to make any difference, which is why blogs like this are such an asset.

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/05/agenda-revealed.html

Shale gas drilling suspended after earthquake near Blackpool

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/8549340/Shale-gas-drilling-suspended-after-earthquake-near-Blackpool.html

The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded a 1.5 magnitude quake last Friday which was felt by at least one person. The epicentre was within 1.2 miles of where gas exploration is taking place near Blackpool, Lancashire.

I posted the live interactive GeoNet link http://www.geonet.co.nz over at Bishop Hill just to show that 2′s are like rain in NZ

homeopathic quantities of a trace gas

The best description I have ever heard. Laugh out loud!

The people of Christchurch and Japan would be pleased indeed for us to control natural forces, but the deaths and widespread destruction they suffered are testament to the fact that we don’t control them

Indeed this is the case. We are informed today that Christchurch has a 23% chance of a major earthquake in the next year. This is, of course, based on a computer model, so the jaded and cynical might not think much of these warnings.

We are told, however, that this information was released inadvertently via city councilor Sue Well’s blog. How jolly fine of them to share this information with us mere taxpayers

So here we have a nearly 1/4 chance of an event in my city, that could cause widespread loss of life and property. This information was released “by accident”, and yet we are fed this daily propaganda about homeopathic quantities of a trace gas that will disrupt our climatic system.

A pox on them all, indeed.

Thanks for the encouragement, my friend. Coming from you, it really means something.