Adult debate: Letters, 23 February

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.

January was warmer than average

Your correspondent Harry H Walker (Times 11 February) asserts that this summer the southern hemisphere has been colder than usual. The National Climate Data Centre in the USA reports in its "State of the Climate Global Analysis" that in January this year there has been quite a large contrast between temperatures in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. But while both were warmer than average, the Southern Hemisphere experienced its sixth warmest January in the 133-year period of record.

If Harry Walker believes that this summer has been cooler locally, averages from daily temperature data taken from Metservice.com in the BOP Times shows this summer's temperatures (Dec- mid Feb.) to be average, and the previous five years' summers to be warmer than average.

Harry Walker may be interested to learn that confidential documents leaked from The Heartland Institute (Chicago), a climate change denial think-tank, reveal how big business pays for climate change denial, including by paying climate-sceptic Australian scientists.

P B Archer, Mount Maunganui

Adult debate

Predictably, Eddie Orsulich (Letters 18/2), having failed in rational debate, resorts to the "Warmists" preferred mode, cheap ad hominem attack, albeit quite wittily expressed. If I were equally childish, I would ask, "Eddie would you mind awfully standing up next time you speak; it's coming out muffled?" But then I prefer an adult debate on science rather than a kiddies' sand-pit spat.

Niwa's ("No Idea What's Ahead") crystal ball-gazing for EBoP (News 15/2) by Georgina Griffiths (PhD?) should really have been contextualised by: "These are projections from our (somewhat questionable) computer's climate models, fed on 'homogenised fudge' for data and our blind, quasi-religious belief that mankind's trivial contribution to CO2 is the prime cause of CAGW. But please provide funding".

It is logical that records at the peak of a slight temperature rise can be said to be the highest since 1880 (although doubtful), but there has been no rise for 15 years, despite rising CO2.

It is indeed possible that temperatures may rise 1.9C by 2090, but it is equally likely (but more probable) that they may fall, and possibly by more than 1.9C, given present trends.

Orchardists, don't pack up your frost fans just yet!

Dave Finney, Matua

No rates decrease

To L Somerfield re Western BOP Council new valuations and rates. At a meeting with council staff in Omokoroa late last year, the residents were told just because your valuations had gone down, don't expect a decrease in your rates, as the rate dollar take was way down so therefore your rates have to go up.

Wendy Galloway, Omokoroa