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Particle physicist Professor Brian Cox mocks One Nation climate change denier Malcolm Roberts

ONE of the world’s most well-regarded scientists has mocked climate change deniers, including one Australian politician.

Rohan SmithRohan Smith
@ro_smith
4 min read
August 16, 2016 - 9:39AM
"Climate change data has been manipulated"

ONE of the world’s most accomplished scientists clashed with a climate change denier from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party on Monday night. The result? Captivating television.

British physicist Professor Brian Cox and newly-elected Queensland Senator Malcolm Roberts went head-to-head over climate change science on the ABC’s Q&A program.

Viewers knew the showdown was coming long before it started. Mr Roberts has previously questioned the legitimacy of claims that humans are responsible for a warming planet. He’s even called for a royal commission into climate science.

Professor Cox was asked to help explain the science to Mr Roberts. He attempted to do just that, at one point even throwing a pair of graphs in the politician’s direction.

“I could sit here until I’m blue in the face,” Prof Cox began.

“2015 and 2016 in particular have seen quite a shocking acceleration in many of the measures, be it surface temperatures, ocean temperatures, etc.

“So the first few months of 2016 I noticed have been above the average ... now, you can’t read too much into individual years. You have to be careful because you see these graphs and they’re spiky, but there’s a clear rise.”

He warned data suggests that by 2024 average temperatures could increase by two per cent.

“There are some shocking predictions, actually, that you see where places in the Middle East, for example, that are already experiencing temperatures sometimes in excess of five degrees — essentially become uninhabitable for certain periods of time.”

Prof Cox told the panel: “The absolute, absolute consensus is that human action is leading to an increase in average temperatures. Absolute consensus. I know you may try to argue with that, but you can’t.”

The graph Mr Roberts took exception to. Picture: Courtesy ABC/Q&A
The graph Mr Roberts took exception to. Picture: Courtesy ABC/Q&A

Enter Mr Roberts who offered: “No, not may (argue with that). I will.”

But his argument got off to a shaky start and drew laughter from the studio audience when he said NASA had manipulated Prof Cox’s graphs.

“The thing that tells me (is) that graph has something wrong with it,” Mr Roberts said.

Host Tony Jones interrupted to ask whether Mr Roberts was aware that he was arguing with “the interpretation of a highly-qualified scientist”.

“I’m saying two things. First of all, the data has been corrupted ... been manipulated,” Mr Roberts said.

When asked by who, he said: “By NASA”.

Prof Cox asked whether Mr Roberts believed NASA landed men on the moon.

Mr Roberts said he was unconvinced by climate change research and that, if he were in government, he would “want to see empirical data” that climate change is the result of human activity before sacking the country’s climate scientists.

“The Australian sea levels in the last 20 years has moved at an average of 0.3mm per annum. That equates to about 30mm in a century. That is entirely natural and normal. There is that doubt about it.”

But he found little help from the rest of the panel.

Mathematician and presenter of SBS gameshow Letters and Numbers Lily Serna said: “There is overwhelming consensus” that humans are responsible for climate change.

“First of all, I cannot believe we’re having this conversation. I feel we should be moving on and discussing how to create mitigation processes, how we’re going to create adaptation processes,” she said.

“I think that as far as I’m concerned, the conversation is over. The second thing I want to say is that there is overwhelming consensus with climate change scientists that this is real.”

The Government’s Science Minister Greg Hunt rejected Mr Roberts’ position, too.

“From my perspective, from the Government’s perspective, what we do is we take the advice of not just our agencies, but the international agencies as well — in particular, the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, the Department of the Environment, Department of Industry, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Climate change denier Malcolm Roberts was outnumbered on the Q&A panel. Picture: Courtesy ABC/Q&A
Climate change denier Malcolm Roberts was outnumbered on the Q&A panel. Picture: Courtesy ABC/Q&A

“You’ve had increase of about one degree in global temperatures over just the last century. And what you see as part of that, obviously, is the physical impact. The international community, though, comes to very similar conclusions. The World Meteorological Organisation, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, NASA — all these different organisations — and I don’t think they are either subject to a collective folly, nor do I think that they’re subject to some sort of conspiratorial conclusion.”

On social media, users took Mr Roberts to task for his comments. The final word, however, was left to Prof Cox, who asked Australians to do their own research.

“I would encourage everyone watching it, because it is very difficult in these situations because many numbers are bandied about and people are shouting at each other, but I would recommend that you look at the trusted sources on the web — NASA is one of them — but the Australian Government is one as well.

“Have a look for yourself, look at the beautifully presented reviews and the data on the modelling.”

Australia has committed to reducing emissions to 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030. That target represents a 50-52 per cent reduction in emissions per capita and a 64-65 per cent reduction in the emissions intensity of the economy between 2005 and 2030, according to the Envirionment Department’s own statistics.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/particle-physicist-professor-brian-cox-mocks-one-nation-climate-change-denier-malcolm-roberts/news-story/b6e11a59cc39b6ea96ea89377da239a7