Global warming is the new religion of First World urban elites
Geologist Ian Plimer takes a contrary view, arguing that man-made climate change is a con trick perpetuated by environmentalists
The Canadian oilsands industry has been getting a rough ride in recent months in the U.S., where many politicians have lined up to urge restrictions on imports of Canada's 'dirty oil.' California is moving to a low-carbon fuel standard, big-city mayors have targeted oilsands as a driver of global warming, a
Photograph by: Tim Fraser/Calgary Herald, Canwest News Service
Ian Plimer has outraged the ayatollahs of purist environmentalism, the Torquemadas of the doctrine of global warming, and he seems to relish the damnation they heap on him.
Plimer is a geologist, professor of mining geology at Adelaide University, and he may well be Australia's best-known and most notorious academic.
Plimer, you see, is an unremitting critic of "anthropogenic global warming" -- man-made climate change to you and me -- and the current environmental orthodoxy that if we change our polluting ways, global warming can be reversed.
It is, of course, not new to have a highly qualified scientist saying that global warming is an entirely natural phenomenon with many precedents in history. Many have made the argument, too, that it is rubbish to contend human behaviour is causing the current climate change. And it has often been well argued that it is totally ridiculous to suppose that changes in human behaviour -- cleaning up our act through expensive slight-of-hand taxation tricks -- can reverse the trend.
But most of these scientific and academic voices have fallen silent in the face of environmental Jacobinism. Purging humankind of its supposed sins of environmental degradation has become a religion with a fanatical and often intolerant priesthood, especially among the First World urban elites.
But Plimer shows no sign of giving way to this orthodoxy and has just published the latest of his six books and 60 academic papers on the subject of global warming. This book, Heaven and Earth -- Global Warming: The Missing Science, draws together much of his previous work. It springs especially from A Short History of Plant Earth, which was based on a decade of radio broadcasts in Australia.
That book, published in 2001, was a best-seller and won several prizes. But Plimer found it hard to find anyone willing to publish this latest book, so intimidating has the environmental lobby become.
But he did eventually find a small publishing house willing to take the gamble and the book has already sold about 30,000 copies in Australia. It seems also to be doing well in Britain and the United States in the first days of publication.
Plimer presents the proposition that anthropogenic global warming is little more than a con trick on the public perpetrated by fundamentalist environmentalists and callously adopted by politicians and government officials who love nothing more than an issue that causes public anxiety.
While environmentalists for the most part draw their conclusions based on climate information gathered in the last few hundred years, geologists, Plimer says, have a time frame stretching back many thousands of millions of years.
The dynamic and changing character of the Earth's climate has always been known by geologists. These changes are cyclical and random, he says. They are not caused or significantly affected by human behaviour.
Polar ice, for example, has been present on the Earth for less than 20 per cent of geological time, Plimer writes. Plus, animal extinctions are an entirely normal part of the Earth's evolution.
(Plimer, by the way, is also a vehement anti-creationist and has been hauled into court for disrupting meetings by religious leaders and evangelists who claim the Bible is literal truth.)
Plimer gets especially upset about carbon dioxide, its role in Earth's daily life and the supposed effects on climate of human manufacture of the gas. He says atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at the lowest levels it has been for 500 million years, and that atmospheric carbon dioxide is only 0.001 per cent of the total amount of the chemical held in the oceans, surface rocks, soils and various life forms. Indeed, Plimer says carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, but a plant food. Plants eat carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen. Human activity, he says, contributes only the tiniest fraction to even the atmospheric presence of carbon dioxide.
There is no problem with global warming, Plimer says repeatedly. He points out that for humans periods of global warming have been times of abundance when civilization made leaps forward. Ice ages, in contrast, have been times when human development slowed or even declined.
So global warming, says Plimer, is something humans should welcome and embrace as a harbinger of good times to come.
jmanthorpe@vancouversun.com
Ian Plimer
Professor
Phone: +61 8 830 37040
Fax: +61 8 83034347
Email: ian.plimer@adelaide.edu.au
Room: G42, Mawson
School of Civil, Environmental
and Mining Engineering
Engineering North N136,
North Terrace Campus
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
SA 5005
AUSTRALIA
Email
Personal | Publications | Research | Teaching | Consulting
Personal
Academic Qualifications
B.Sc.(Hons) University of New South Wales
Ph.D. Macquarie University
Awards and Honours
Member, Advisory Council for the NSW Minister for Primary Industries
Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
Fellow, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Fellow, Australian Institute of Geoscientists
Honorary Fellow, The Geological Society
Member, The Geological Society of Australia
Member, The Royal Society of South Australia
Member, The Royal Society of NSW
Member, The Royal Society of Victoria
Life Member, Society for Geology Appplied to Ore Deposits
Daley Prize (for communication of science) 1994
Goldfields Prize for best paper in Institution of Mining and Metallurgy 1994
Eureka Prize (for promotion of science) 1995
Australian Humanist of the Year 1995
Leopold von Buch Plakette 1998
Eureka Prize (for best science book) 2002
Centenary Medal 2003
The Clarke Medal 2004
Rio Tinto Award for Mining Excellence 2005
Sir Willis Connelly Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 2006
Patron, Mineralogical Society of Victoria
Patron, GeoCentre Museum (Broken Hill)
Patron, Lifeline (Broken Hill)
Publications
Refereed Papers
Spry, P. M., Plimer, I. R. and Teale, G. S. 2007: Did the giant Broken Hill (Australia) Zn-Pb-Ag deposit melt? Ore Geology Reviews 23: 449-466
Plimer, I. R. 2006: Manganoan garnet rocks associated with the Broken Hill Pb-Zn-Ag orebody, Australia. Mineralogy and Petrology 88: 443-478.
Ashley, P. M., Lawie, D., Cook, N. D. J., Lottermoser, B.G. and Plimer, I. R., 1995; Geology of the Olary Block. Dept. Mines and Energy South Australia, Report 95/6, 51pp.
Bierlein, F. P., Ashley, P. M. and Plimer, I. R., 1995: Sulphide mineralisation in the Olary Block, South Australia. Evidence for syn-tectonic to late-stage mineralisation. Mineralium Deposita 30, 424-438.
Bierlein, F. P., Foster, D. A. and Plimer, I. R., 1996: Tectonothermal implications of laser 40Ar/39Ar ages of sulphide-bearing veins and their host rocks in the Willyama Supergroup, South Australia. Mineralogy and Petrology 58, 1-22.
Bierlein, F. P., Haack, U., Förster, B. and Plimer, I. R., 1996: Lead isotope study on hydrothermal sulfide mineralisation in the Willyama Supergroup, Olary Block, South Australia. Aust. Jour. Earth Sci.43, 177-187.
Lu, J., Plimer, I. R., Forster, D. A. and Lottermoser, B. G., 1996: Multiple post-orogenic reactivation in the Olary Block, South Australia: Evidence from 40Ar/39Ar dating of pegmatite muscovite. Internat. Geol. Rev. 38, 655-685.
Haack, U. and Plimer, I. R., 1998: Zum Stoffbestand der Kupferschieferschlacked im Raume Mansfeld-Hettstedt-Eisleben. Mitt. Geol. Saschen-Anhalt 4, 153-162.
Kucha, H., Plimer, I. R. and Stumpfl, E. F., 1998: Geochemistry and mineralogy of gold and PGE's in mesothermal and epithermal deposits and their bearing on metal recovery. Fizykochem. Problem. Metal. 32, 7-30.
Reeves, S. J., Plimer, I. R. and Foster, D., 1999: Exploitation of gold in historic sewage sludge stockpile, Werribee, Australia: resource evaluation, chemical extraction and subsequent utilisation of sludge. Jour. Geochem. Explor. 65, 141-153.
Snoek, W., Plimer, I. R., and Reeves, S., 1999: Application of Pb isotope geochemistry to the study of the corrosion products of archaeological artefacts to constrain provenance. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 66, 421-425.
Kucha, H. and Plimer, I. R., 1999: Gold in organic matter, Maldon, Victoria, Australia. Economic Geology 74, 1173-1180.
Hibbs, D. E., Jury, C. M., Leverett, P., Plimer, I. R. and Williams, P. A., 2000: An explanation for the origin of hemihedrism in wulfenite: single crystal structures of I41/a and I4. Min. Mag. 64, 1027-1032.
Jury, C. M., Leverett, P., Williams, P. A., Plimer, I. R. and Hibbs, D. E., 2001: The status of 'chillagite'. Aust. J. Mineral. 7 (1), 39.
Collier, J. B. and Plimer, I. R., 2002: Supergene clinobisvanite pseudomorphs after supergene dreyerite from Lively's Mine, Arkaroola, South Australia. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie 2002, 401-410.
Plimer, I. R., Besley, R.E. and Brugger, J., 2002: Kasolite from the British Empire Mine, Arkaroola, South Australia. Aust. Mineral. 8, 2, 75-79
Conor, C. H. H., Ashley, P. M., Bierlein, F. P., Cook, N. D. J., Crooks, A. F., Lawie, D. C., Plimer, I. R., Preiss, W. V., Robertson, R. S. and Skirrow, R. G., 2004: Geology of the Olary Domain, Curnamona Province, South Australia. PIRSA Report 2004/8, 75pp.
Conor, C.H.H., Preiss, W. V., Plimer, I. R., Ashley, P.M., Stevens, B. P. J. and Page, R., 2005. Discussion on detachment faulting and bimodal magmatism in the Palaeoproterozoic Willyama Supergroup, south-central Australia: keys to recognition of a multiply deformed Precambrian metamorphic core complex. Jour. Geol. Soc. London 165, 409-416.
Long, Ngaire, Brugger, Joël, McPhail, "Bear" and Plimer, Ian, 2005: An active amagmatic hydrothermal system: the Paralana hot springs, Northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Chemical Geology 222, 1-2, 35-64.
Plimer, I. R., 2006: Manganoan garnet rocks associated with the Broken Hill Pb-Zn-Ag orebody, Australia. Mineralogy and Petrology 88, 443-478.
Refereed Conference Papers
Plimer, I. R., Lu, J., Foster, D. and Kleeman, J. D., 1995: Ar-Ar dating of multiphase mineralisation associated with the Mole Granite. In Mineral Deposits: From their origin to their environmental impacts (Eds J. Pasava, B. K?íbek and Zák, Balkema, 497-500.
Kleeman, J. D., Plimer, I. R., Lu, J., Foster, D. A. and Davidson, R., 1997: Timing of thermal and mineralisation events associated with the Mole Granite, New South Wales. In Tectonics and Metallogenesis of the New England Orogen (Eds P. M. Ashley and P. G. Flood). Geol. Soc. Aust. Special publication 19, 254-265.
Besley, R. E. and Plimer, I. R., 1999: The Ivanhoe Embayment of the Murray Basin. In The Murray Basin (Ed R. Stewart). Aust. Inst. Geoscientists Bull. 26, 10-14.
Gallacher, A. and Plimer, I. R., 2000: The origin of fault zone minerals at Broken Hill. Jour. Proc. Roy. Soc. NSW 133, 14-15.
Plimer, I. R., 2000: Excursion guide. M and M4 excursion to Broken Hill. Museum of Victoria, 27pp.
Kucha, H. and Plimer, I. R., 2001: Au silicates from mesothermal gold deposits. In: Mineral deposits at the beginning of the 21st Century (Ed. A. Pietstryznski), 775-778.
Plimer, I. R., 2001: Science contre créationnisme en Australie. In: Intrusions spiritualistes et impostures intellectuelles en sciences (Eds. J. Dubessy and G. Lecointre). Éditions Syllepse, 271-278.
Plimer, I. R., Blampain, P., Collier, J and Patchett, A., 2003: CML 7 (The South Mine), Broken Hill, Australia. In Peljo, M., editor, The Broken Hill Exploration initiative: Abstracts for the September 2003 Conference. Geoscience Australia Records 2003/13, 132-135.
Plimer, I. R., 2006: Goldschmidt Conference Excursion guide to Broken Hill. Goldschmidt Symposium, 129 pp.
Blampain, P. and Plimer, I. R., 2006: The Western Mineralisation - Rasp Mine. In Korsch, R. J. and Barnes, R. G., compilers, 2006. The Broken Hill Exploration initiative: Abstratcts for the September 2006 Conference. Geoscience Australia Records 2006/21, 8-13.
Plimer, I. R., 2006: Hydrothermal alteration at Broken Hill. In Korsch, R. J. and Barnes, R. G., compilers, 2006. The Broken Hill Exploration initiative: Abstracts for the September 2006 Conference. Geoscience Australia Records 2006/21, 138-144.
Spry, P. G., Plimer, I. R. and Teale, G. S., 2006: Partial melting of the Broken Hill lead-zinc-silver deposit: Fact or fiction? In Korsch, R. J. and Barnes, R. G., compilers, 2006. The Broken Hill Exploration initiative: Abstracts for the September 2006 Conference. Geoscience Australia Records 2006/21, 161-165.
Books
Plimer, I. R., 1994: Telling lies for God (Random House, ISBN 0 09 183852 X), 303pp.
Plimer, I. R., 1997. A journey through stone (Reed, ISBN 0 7301 0499 0), 176pp.
Plimer, I. R., 1997: Mineral collecting localities of the Broken Hill, Tibooburra and White Cliffs areas (Peacock, ISBN 0 909209 73 1), 144pp.
Plimer, I. R., 2000: Milos - geologic history (Koan, ISBN 960-7586-43-3), 261 pp.
Plimer, I. R., 2001: A short history of planet Earth (ABC Books, ISBN 0 7333 1004 4), 250pp.
Sharwood, J., Khun, M., Gregory, E., Holland, J., Jones, C., Kennedy, J-L, Plimer, I., Styles, S., Taylor, N., Vlakos, P., Werry, J. and Willis, J., 2004: Science Edge. Thomson Nelson.
Selley, R. C., Cocks, L. R. M. and Plimer, I. R., 2005: Encyclopedia of Geology. Elsevier Press, Vol. 1 (594pp), Vol. 2 (545pp), Vol. 3 (659 pp), Vol. 4 (692 pp) and Vol. 5 (807 pp).
Unrefereed Journal Articles
Plimer, I. R., 2003: The past is the key to the present. IPA Review 55, 9-13.
Chapters in Books
MacNamara, G., Chalmers, R. O., Birch, W.D. and Plimer, I. R., 1999: The Identities and Their Minerals. In: The Minerals of Broken Hill (Ed W. D. Birch). p.34-57. Museum of Victoria/Broken Hill City Council.
Plimer, I. R., 1999: The Making of the Minerals. In: The Minerals of Broken Hill (Ed. W. D. Birch). 70-87.Museum of Victoria/Broken Hill City Council.
Plimer, I. R., 2003: As old as the hills, p. 124-144, in Chesworth, A., Hill, S., Lipovsky, K., Snyder, E. and Chapworth, W. Darwin Day Collection One, The single best idea ever, Tangled Bank Press, 466ppp.
Research
Research Interests
Characterisation of the stratigraphy, structure and alteration associated with the Broken Hill orebody.
Teaching
Courses Taught
- Earth Systems (Science)
- Introduction to Mining (Engineering)
- Geology for Engineers (Science, Engineering)
- Honours supervision (Science)
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