e-PreCIS
February 2010 e-PreCIS
Eighteen months ago in Tokyo, my two year term as President of the Mont Pelerin Society, founded by F.A. Hayek in the wake of World War II, came to an end. I was succeeded by development economist Professor Deepak Lal.
In my Presidential address, I traced the history and intellectual lineage of that famous Society back to the great thinkers of the Enlightenment and speculated about some of the problems and threats to freedom that modern-day liberals faced.
What I singled out in particular was the so-called ‘debate’ about the theory that man-made carbon emissions are responsible for causing potentially catastrophic increases in global temperatures. My concern wasn’t the evidence for this theory, per se, but what I described as ‘the regrettable features of the climate change debate, which I believe has descended into anything but a reasoned and scientific discussion judged by Enlightenment standards.’
My point was that scepticism – the rigorous evaluation of evidence – a fundamental building block of intellectual and scientific progress, was in danger of being swept away by a new form of pre-enlightenment quasi-religious belief and rent seeking:
'What is disquieting, and should be disquieting to all who cherish the principles of the Enlightenment, is the certainty of belief displayed by some of the believers . . . The politics of climate change have become intensely ideological, and far distant from a rational debate which allows for a free exchange of ideas. The debate, such as it is, has struggled to rise above the ridiculous, at its worst demonstrated by the morally offensive use of the labels ‘denier’ or ‘delusionist’ to discredit all who are so ‘unsound’ as to question the dominant interpretation of the science . . .
There is no question that we should apply the best scientific techniques to discover the truth about this issue and then deal with it appropriately. Unfortunately, one has to question the integrity of a great deal of climate research. This is because climate research has become an industry which is heavily reliant on the steady drip of government funding. Competing and challenging research is too often swept away . . .'
Just a year after that speech, a torrent of disclosures about dubious climate science practices has underlined my concerns. Popular tags such as Climategate have been applied and will stick; reputations have been tarnished and many will most likely be trashed. It seems that key scientists have allowed questionable objectives to politicise their science and have put at risk the standard procedures of the scientific method including peer review.
If the disclosures of the past few months do anything, they should restore some balance to this debate and allow competing ideas, theories and evidence to be tested. Apocalyptic visions distilled from the propaganda of climate activists that ended up in official reports should be seen for what they are. That international bureaucracies such as the IPCC should be taken in by such material should come as no surprise.
If anything good comes out of all this it should be to question the increasing dependence by scientists in all fields on government funding. Hopefully, policymakers will also pause to think through the implications of the dirigiste policies they plan to combat ‘global warming’.
News
- Warren Hogan 1929-2009
Long time member of the Centre's Academic Advisory Council Professor Warren Hogan died in December after a short illness. His association with the CIS goes back to the very early days and he participated in various aspects of our academic programmes. A valued colleague and adviser, his last publication for us The Organisation of Residential Aged Care for an Aging Population was published in 2007. A fuller obituary may be found at http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/warrior-in-sydneys-economics-war-20100104-lq2s.html - We at CIS are delighted to see that in the Australia Day honours, the following people associated with the Centre were recognised: Board Member Mr Steven Skala was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) as was former member of the (then) Board of Trustees, Mr Mark Johnson. Alan McGregor Fellow at Consilium 2008, Mr Djambawa Marawili and contributor to the 2009 Consilium Programme, Professor Max Coltheart, were made Members of the Order of Australia (AM), and Mr Bruce Kirkpatrick, former member of the Board of Trustees of the Centre, received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). All are distinguished recipients of their awards and the Centre is delighted that they have been acknowledged for their contributions to Australian life.
- Policy Analyst Elise Parham finishes her tenure at the CIS this week. She delivers the inaugural Meet the Researchers lecture Behind the Moral Curtain: The Politics of a Charter of Rights at the CIS tomorrow night, Tuesday, 2 February.
- Research Fellow John Humphreys also concluded a year at CIS and is currently travelling in Asia. He will continue to contribute to work that the Centre is doing on civil society.
- Di Kennedy has started at the CIS as Development Manager – Corporate, and Jo Summergreene has resumed her role as Development Manager – Foundations and Bequests, after a year on maternity leave.
