The Climate Crisis is a Scam - Professor Ian Plimer
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What does Professor Ian Plimer mean by calling climate science a cult?
You said that climate science is the biggest cult in scientific history. Why do you say that?
Because it's costing the planet trillions. There's a very large body of people out there who actually are using science to promote scams. It's absolutely crippling Western countries who are going down this path because you cannot run an industrial economy on sea breezes and sunbeams.
What you're saying is there have been times in the history of this planet when there's been hundreds of times more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there is today.
Yes. We've had times in the past when the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere was at least 10% and perhaps 20% compared with 0.04%. And what did we have then? We had the biggest ice age that this planet's ever enjoyed.
Why does the scientific community have a consensus on climate change?
On the one hand, you say it's not commensurate with the science. On the other hand, you're the only scientist who's been saying this for a long time. How do you explain that?
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Ian, welcome to Trigonometry.
How does climate change relate to historical climate patterns?
Thank you. Great to have you on. Tell us a little bit about you before we get into the conversation itself.
I was born and bred in Sydney. I had a passionate interest in rocks as a child.
What are the implications of viewing climate change as a religion?
I used to take them into the Australian Museum and the curator was very kind with me. He spent a lot of time with these dreadful rocks, explaining what they meant. 20 years later, I was publishing with him. So that really made his life, but he made my life also. And... I followed my passion at school and at university. I had to repeat a year at school because I was far too young.
How does hubris factor into the climate change narrative?
These were the post-war days where kids just poured into school. And because I could read and write, I got put into a higher class. And because I still could read and write better than anyone else, up into a higher class. So I finished school at 15. And that was far too young to go to university. So I repeated a year. I went to university and followed my passion.
What has changed in the conversation around net-zero policies?
And when I finished my undergraduate degree, I took an extra year to study things that I really liked. I studied counterpoint in music. I did psychology because that's where all the girls were. I did botany because I was interested in the relationship between plants and soils and how we do in geology look at vegetation and work out what the rock types are and what's going on. I did political science, which was a comparison of the British, American and Australian systems. And they were all very interesting. And I did English literature. So I felt then that my degree was complete. And then I went and worked underground at Broken Hill, which is a mining town that's been operating since 1883. And that was fascinating.
And I did an honours degree working on the rocks underground.
How can humanity thrive despite climate change?
And then I went off and did a PhD, again, working underground. This was in far north Queensland. At the same time, I was part-time tutoring in university. part-time tutoring in university, that's right. And then I moved back to Broken Hill. And that was probably the most productive period of my scientific life.
Why is nuclear power not more widely discussed in the climate debate?
I was publishing a lot of work. I was working in the field, I was working underground. And then I went to the head office of the company in Melbourne. And I left them on a day which I can never forget. We were passengers in their corporate jet.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What does Professor Ian Plimer mean by calling climate science a cult?
0:02–0:47
2
Why does the scientific community have a consensus on climate change?
0:47–1:49
3
How does climate change relate to historical climate patterns?
1:49–2:00
4
What are the implications of viewing climate change as a religion?
2:00–2:24
5
How does hubris factor into the climate change narrative?
2:24–2:41
6
What has changed in the conversation around net-zero policies?
2:41–3:34
7
How can humanity thrive despite climate change?
3:34–3:53
8
Why is nuclear power not more widely discussed in the climate debate?
3:53–1:06:34
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from TRIGGERnometry
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