Welcome to my climate change web site. The site is under construction, but as its various sections are completed, you will be able to access them using the navigation pane or the links below.
The article on the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases explains, in everyday language, the basic principles of physics and chemistry that underpin the science of climate change. It also includes a history of the science. An experiment that you can perform in your own home to demonstrate the greenhouse effect of water vapour is provided.
Because the full rise in atmospheric temperatures lags behind mankind's emissions of greenhouse gases, due to the thermal inertia of the oceans, it is important to understand that more warming is "in the pipeline".
Temperature records show the warming in recent decades is unprecedented in the history of man. The decade 2000 to 2009 was hotter than 1990 to 1999, which in turn was hotter than 1980 to 1989. The medieval warming was due to changes in the Gulf Stream and had nothing to do with the greenhouse effect. It was local and confined to the North Atlantic. Changes in temperature on a global scale always correspond to changes in CO2 concentrations, and the relationship between the two is known as climate sensitivity. It can be estimated using computer models, and measured using ice core data.
CO2 is also responsible for ocean acidification, a separate problem independent of the greenhouse effect.
This section provides information to help clarify areas of public confusion.
This section will explore technological, economic and political solutions to the challenge of climate change. Technolgical solutions include clean energy and carbon sequestration. The relative costs of these are compared.
In December 2009, the Liberal / National federal opposition repudiated the concept of an emissions trading scheme (ETS). Up until that time it had been the official policy on both sides of Australian politics. The retreat by the opposition followed a year in which the views of climate skeptics were promoted in some newspapers at the expense of the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists. This highlighted to me the critical need for our parliamentary representatives, whatever their political persuasion, to be given the opportunity to digest the fundamental science of climate change in an accessible form. This series of letters to parliamentarians over the course of 2010, using simple graphs and everyday language, attempts to do just that.
Essays and booklets I have had published that relate to climate change, including its scientific, ethical and spiritual dimensions. Also includes reviews of books by other authors that I have found helpful.
This section may one day offer consultancy services to governments and corporations.
This section will provide links to other sites on climate change science and solutions.
A link to the author's personal web site.
This site uses frames in order to provide a permanent navigation pane on the left of the screen. If you wish to view or print the content without the navigation pane, or if you wish to capture the URL of a particular page within this site, click on the "Full Screen" link at the foot of the page you are interested in.