Copenhagen: the script for a disaster movie

Post the Copenhagen climate change debacle, our notoriously shy and retiring Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is noticeable by his absence. Could this be because the majority of the 193 delegates attending the conference were not in accord with his suggestions about a Treaty thus giving him little opportunity to declare how he had saved the planet?

Worse still, despite his self vaunted view of how the Chinese valued him, China seemed to pay little heed to him when decision time came because, apart from the US, the Chinese seemed to think delegates from Brazil, America, South Africa and India more important.

As for climate change scientists and environmentalists who think the IPCC data on global warming is holy writ, let me say to them a lot of people think holy writ is questionable to say the least. And though I am a sceptic about climate change I respect both the scientists’ and environmentalists’ opinion, but not that it adds up to planetary doom.

Unfortunately, global warming is the cause that fits the bill for Greens and politicians such as Al Gore, Bob Brown and Kevin Rudd who need causes to serve their ambition. Let me add that I believe there is a difference between Gore, Brown and Rudd the difference being Brown is sincere in his belief - extreme though it might be - in climate change, while Rudd’s belief and that of the sycophants around him, of whom 114 also went to Copenhagen, seems to me a matter of political convenience as is Gore’s politically inconvenient truth. As for myself, my belief is that man, who has managed to survive every past doomsday prediction and gone on to make the world a better place, will continue to do the same.

Having said that let me go further and say that if, in times past, the armies that followed benefits previous doomsayers had won we would still be waiting for many items we use today. Indeed we could still be living as hunter-gatherers. Perhaps some Greens would prefer this, but not me. My preference is for today’s lifestyle not the lifestyle of centuries ago. I suspect, too, that many Greens would share my preference.

Indeed, I feel confident that once the global warning scare has died down, man, with his infinite capacity to develop technology that will ensure the maintenance of as much of our environment as possible, will also develop technology that will help us keep on keeping on in comfort.

The global warming argument is all about energy. In my view 100 years from now, the environment will have changed and technology will have been developed that will make Nuclear Fusion the world’s main energy source. Unlike nuclear fission, fusion energy is waste free and clean.

I believe also, that not only advances in genetics will be helping the world produce food in arid areas to help meet the needs of an ever increasing population but also that technology will have been developed that will make redundant the use of water for mundane daily chores.

It is in areas such as these that we should be spending most of our research money instead of spending it covering the earth with wind farms and fields of solar panels that will contain the inexorable tide of progress. Unfortunate as it is, every society has its Luddites who rail against progress.

There were Luddites against the printing press, steam engine, motor car and other developments too numerous to mention. And while I think of the Greens as the Luddites of today as technology advances, new Luddites will emerge and on occasion many people will be seduced by what seems like irrefutable evidence of future doom.

Fortunately, as in centuries past, common sense will ultimately prevail and the world will carry on. And while Luddites in the future will also predict doomsday and arguments will rage about who is right and who is wrong, my only wish is that I could there to take part in them.

I also think science will make future debacles like Copenhagen un-necessary.