Clive Hamilton, Executive Director of The Australian Institute, has written a rather pointed piece for today’s Sydney Morning Herald suggesting that Tim Flannery, author of a recent book on global warming, is “a trump card” in Prime Minister John Howard’s “nuclear power play”. It also suggests that the government has bought off environment group the WWF:
“WWF (formerly the World Wide Fund for Nature) is the foremost of the friendly organisations. It is close to the Government, providing a stream of favourable commentary on its policies and bestowing several awards for the Government’s environmental achievements, including three “Gift to the Earth” awards, which the Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, displays in his office. In return, the Government has been generous, sending tens of millions to the fund for various programs.
The force behind the emergence of the organisation as the leading group backing the Government’s environment policy is the businessman Robert Purves. He has made a very large donation to WWF and is now its president.
Purves has drawn Tim Flannery into the orbit of conservative environmentalism by funding the preparation of Flannery’s book on climate change, The Weather Makers. … Purves is said to have spent $1 million promoting Flannery’s book, including costly backlit billboards outside Qantas Club lounges around the country.”
This is not the first time Clive Hamilton has thrown mud at WWF, his first shot was perhaps publication of a report titled ‘Taming The Panda’ just a couple of years ago.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Australians, tell me the truth.
You love your country and take gigantic pride in her and her democracy. We Americans do to. And while we Americans reveal in our flag waving you guys are a bit more restrained and see us as pretentious with our jingoism. I know you do. It’s the Brit in ya (wink).
I like the egalitarian, beer-drinking bloke that tells it like it is. I like that you are not prissy. When MP Julia Gillard told your minister of health “I move that that sniveling grub over there be not further heard.” I died laughing. Not at Australia but with her. You see I look at that as a sign of a healthy people who value free speech and hate pretension. And later on
read the reat at http://amassachusettsrepublican.blogspot.com/
Now I’m really confused.
If WWF is being funded ( at least partly ) by the evil, worker-hating, refugee bashing, American Imperialism supporting, human rights denying Howard dictatorship, then doesn’t that mean we should presume it’s ( WWF’s) pronunciations are nothing more than paid propoganda?
What about WWF’s support of the AGW theory?
Has the federal government got value for our money ?
Coming on top of the creationist joining the AGW camp http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/03/robertson-global-warming/
this is all getting to be too much.
Yeah good point Jim, and what about the Australian Government’s support for the AGW theory, and expenditure of billions to mitigate emissions? Maybe the relationship goes both ways, and John Howard is under the thumb of the WWFers.
If Clive Hamilton actually knew anything about environmental science he would debate Tim Flannery on the the merits or otherwise of Flannery’s case. The fact that the doesn’t suggests Hamilton can’t. Is there ever been any evidence to the contrary?
Flannery is not an environmental scientist.
Science is framing hypotheses and testing them.
Louis, when has Clive Hamilton everr done that?
Siltstone,
who said Clive Hamilton did that?
Clive was agonizing about the purchase of a new coat thinking it would make him to much of a comsumerist.
Isnt this the message that sends sends lefty central planners into a pink fit;
“Flannery is an advocate of individual consumer action as the answer to environmental problems. Instead of being understood as a set of problems endemic to our economic and social structures, we are told we each have to take personal responsibility for our contribution to every problem.”
Allowing individuals responsibilities is heresy to the collectivist!
Unfortunately I missed reading Clive Hamilton’s response to Tim Flannery’s pro-nuclear spruik. I don’t know about the WWF and Robert Purves, but I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Tim Flannery was being used by the pro-Government forces.
Tim Flannery is a passionate and informed environmentalist, but I think he’s got a few mental blocks, and is quite likely to be unaware of the politics of the nuclear industry. He probably hasn’t really thought about the secrecy of its history, its intrinsic connection with nuclear weapons, the U.S.A’s panic about what to do with nuclear wastes and Howard’s blinkered devotion to the Bush administration.
The green politicians also condemn the WWF and other groups for their relationship with Government, take this example in the Senate yesterday:
“Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (4.41 pm)—I rise today
to say that I believe that Senator Campbell has finally exposed the complete lack of merit in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. When the government introduced this, the majority of the conservation movement across the country said that it was completely flawed legislation because
it relied almost entirely on the discretion of the minister to determine the fate of any development project that was referred to the minister.
It was only the WWF, the Humane Society, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and the Queensland Conservation Council who stood with the federal minister of the day and made wild claims that it was the biggest win for the environment in 25 years.”
Senator Milne seems unaware that her leader is currently using the Act, that the WWF supported, to sue Tasmania’s forest industry!
I am not an Australian, and therefore not entirely familiar with your system of government. Is it true, as appears from Clive Hamilton’s claims, that your government is actually able to donate tax money to charities/activists/political lobbyists such as the WWF, and in such quantities?
If I came to Australia and set up shop as an NGO, could I get some of this money? I would appreciate some advice.
Only if you are going to do something distructive.
Schiller Thurkettle
Apparently so
There is a long tradition of Federal payments to NGO groups extending back to the ALP Labor governments, so why does this relationship to WWF/Flannery have to be singled out?
Louis and Detribe,
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve long thought that charities took voluntary donations from people who believed this-and-that. When the government levies a tax, you pay up, or get stripped of your property and go to jail. But you get stripped of your property and go to jail because your fellow citizens, through their representatives, have agreed that you are a criminal.
In Europe, there is a Church tax, and if you don’t want to pay the tax to support the Church (which is variously Catholic and Protestant), all you have to do is register as an atheist.
Can Australians register as not believing in the WWF?
Schiller.
P.S. In the US, activists, charities and lobbyists have to beg for money, as is appropriate.
Schiller
It is essentially politics and vote buying – and I am totally opposed to any tax funding in NGO or charity so I rather intrigues the WWF gets such donations.
Schiller – while we’re registering for opt-outs I think most of us are opposed to our hard earned being used to introduce air-conditioning to the Middle East using building ventilation technology. BTW what are you guys intending to invade next – it’s been a while.
Is there somewhere we havent invaded Luke? – sloppy work if it is true!
CV63 Kitty Hawk is in Fremantle Port right now so I suppose that could be called an ‘invasion’ of sorts. The local economy is booming!
AGW theory and the conservative government’s support of it is just another example of the madness of crowds.
It is pure politics – better support it just in case.