Difference between revisions of "Stewart Franks"

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{{climate change}}[[Image:Stewart.franks.jpg|thumb|right|Stewart Franks<br><span style="font-size:0.7em">Quote: "The IPCC] It is actually run by a very small group of about six to eight leading members of the IPCC who all agree that scaring people about climate change is very good for their careers." Stewart Franks, 2009, talking to a Parliamentary Committee on Climate Policy in Australia.<ref name="franks1">{{cite web |url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;orderBy=_fragment_number;query=((Dataset%3Acommsen)%20SearchCategory_Phrase%3A%22committees%22)%20CommitteeName_Phrase%3A%22select%20committee%20on%20climate%20policy%22%20Responder_Phrase%3A%22prof.%20franks%22;rec=0 |title=SELECT COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE POLICY - 15/04/2009 - Emissions trading and reducing carbon pollution |accessdate=2011-04-09 |publisher=Australian Government |year=2009}}</ref></span>]]
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'''Stewart William Franks''' is a professor of engineering at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He is a [[AGW denier|global warming sceptic and denier]] who regularly appears on television and radio to put the sceptics' and denialists' case. Franks is a hydrologist, not a climatologist, although he likes to style himself as a "hydro-climatologist" because, as he himself says, "nobody knows what that is".<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm826GwqFBY</ref>
  
'''Stewart William Franks''' is an Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. He is a [[global warming sceptic]] who regularly appears on television and radio to put the sceptics' and denialists' case. Franks is a hydrologist, not a climatologist, although he likes to style himself as a "hydro-climatologist" because, as he himself says, "nobody knows what that is".<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm826GwqFBY</ref>
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Franks is a "proud member" of a right-wing, corporate funded think tank called the [[Institute for Public Affairs]].
  
==Conflict of interest==
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==Coal industry funding==
Despite repeatedly denying<ref name="franks-denial">{{cite web |url=http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2009/12/stewart-franks-quite-frankly-puzzles.html |title=Stewart Franks quite frankly puzzles |accessdate=2011-04-09 |publisher=Blogspot |year=2009}}</ref> any funding from polluting industries, in fact he received AU $85,000 in 2006 from ''Macquarie Generation'', a state-owned corporporation with a core business producing and wholesale selling electricity on the National Electricity Market in Australia. This corporation operates two of the largest coal-powered stations in New South Wales (consuming a combined total of 13 million tonnes of greenhouse gas producing coal per annum) and is part of the national energy industry.
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Despite repeatedly denying<ref name="franks-denial">{{cite web |url=http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2009/12/stewart-franks-quite-frankly-puzzles.html |title=Stewart Franks quite frankly puzzles |accessdate=2011-04-09 |publisher=Blogspot |year=2009}}</ref> that he has received any funding from polluting industries, Franks in fact received AU $85,000 in 2006/7 from ''Macquarie Generation'', a state-owned corporation selling electricity on the National Electricity Market in Australia and one of the largest CO<sub>2</sub> emitters in Australia. This corporation operates two of the largest coal-powered stations in New South Wales (consuming a combined total of 13 million tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> producing coal per annum) and is part of the national energy industry.
  
He was forced to admit this funding when questioned by a parliamentary committee, but immediately claimed the money went to his "student" and not himself.<ref name="franks1" />
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On at least two occasions, in a major newspaper<ref name="liar">{{cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/rebels-of-the-sun/story-e6frg8gf-1111113169740 |title=Rebels of the sun |accessdate=2011-04-28 |publisher=News Corp |author=Matthew Warren |year=2007 |month=March}}</ref> and on national TV,<ref>Channel 7, Weekend Sunrise show, 13 February 2011</ref> he denied receiving any funding from polluting industries, despite receiving money from ''Macquarie Generation''.
  
==Climate change scepticism==
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He was forced to admit this funding when questioned by a parliamentary committee, but immediately claimed the money went to a "student" and not himself.<ref name="franks1">{{cite web |url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;orderBy=_fragment_number;query=((Dataset%3Acommsen)%20SearchCategory_Phrase%3A%22committees%22)%20CommitteeName_Phrase%3A%22select%20committee%20on%20climate%20policy%22%20Responder_Phrase%3A%22prof.%20franks%22;rec=0 |title=SELECT COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE POLICY - 15/04/2009 - Emissions trading and reducing carbon pollution |accessdate=2011-04-09 |publisher=Australian Government |year=2009}}</ref>
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==Climate change denial==
 
Franks uses the familiar arguments of the denialist camp:
 
Franks uses the familiar arguments of the denialist camp:
  
* climate change is due to [[La Nina]] and [[El Nino]], not CO<sub>2</sub>
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* Climate change is due to ''La Niña'' and ''El Niño'', not CO<sub>2</sub>
* we cannot be sure the warming will be dangerous, so we should do nothing
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* We cannot be sure the warming will be dangerous, so we should do nothing
* we need to know more about planetary albedo and how it changes before we can take any action on CO<sub>2</sub>
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* We need to know more about planetary albedo and how it changes before we can take any action on CO<sub>2</sub>
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* The computer models used by climate scientists are abused by them for their own ends. "They just plug the gaps to give them results that they want. That is that CO<sub>2</sub> is bad for the planet—according to the models, not according to the observations thus far."<ref name="franks1" />
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* There is insufficient data on climate change and CO<sub>2</sub> to establish any cause and effect
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* Many climate scientists have not tested the hypothesis of CO<sub>2</sub>-induced global warming and are only going along with the majority opinion to further their careers
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* Action on climate change should be delayed because it may lead to more expensive energy for developing nations, which will impact on global poverty
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* Australia has always had climate extremes and reducing CO<sub>2</sub> will make no difference to that, and people have been brainwashed into believing it will.
  
 
==Related SourceWatch articles==
 
==Related SourceWatch articles==
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==External resources==
 
==External resources==
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* [http://www.utas.edu.au/engineering/people/stewart-franks Frank's Academic page]
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==External articles==
 
==External articles==
  
*
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* [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/emissions-not-making-rivers-run-dry/story-e6frg73o-1111117458497 Article authored by Franks claimed the Australian droughts had nothing to do with climate change] — published by the [[News Corporation]]-owned conservative broadsheet, [[The Australian]]
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[[Category:Climate change]]
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[[Category:Global warming skeptics|Franks, Stewart]]
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[[category:Australia]]

Latest revision as of 07:03, 10 July 2014

Stewart Franks
Quote: "[The IPCC] It is actually run by a very small group of about six to eight leading members of the IPCC who all agree that scaring people about climate change is very good for their careers." Stewart Franks, 2009, talking to a Parliamentary Committee on Climate Policy in Australia.
CoalSwarm|Template:Navbar-Coalbarons}}

Stewart William Franks is a professor of engineering at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He is a global warming sceptic and denier who regularly appears on television and radio to put the sceptics' and denialists' case. Franks is a hydrologist, not a climatologist, although he likes to style himself as a "hydro-climatologist" because, as he himself says, "nobody knows what that is".[1]

Franks is a "proud member" of a right-wing, corporate funded think tank called the Institute for Public Affairs.

Coal industry funding

Despite repeatedly denying[2] that he has received any funding from polluting industries, Franks in fact received AU $85,000 in 2006/7 from Macquarie Generation, a state-owned corporation selling electricity on the National Electricity Market in Australia and one of the largest CO2 emitters in Australia. This corporation operates two of the largest coal-powered stations in New South Wales (consuming a combined total of 13 million tonnes of CO2 producing coal per annum) and is part of the national energy industry.

On at least two occasions, in a major newspaper[3] and on national TV,[4] he denied receiving any funding from polluting industries, despite receiving money from Macquarie Generation.

He was forced to admit this funding when questioned by a parliamentary committee, but immediately claimed the money went to a "student" and not himself.[5]

Climate change denial

Franks uses the familiar arguments of the denialist camp:

  • Climate change is due to La Niña and El Niño, not CO2
  • We cannot be sure the warming will be dangerous, so we should do nothing
  • We need to know more about planetary albedo and how it changes before we can take any action on CO2
  • The computer models used by climate scientists are abused by them for their own ends. "They just plug the gaps to give them results that they want. That is that CO2 is bad for the planet—according to the models, not according to the observations thus far."[5]
  • There is insufficient data on climate change and CO2 to establish any cause and effect
  • Many climate scientists have not tested the hypothesis of CO2-induced global warming and are only going along with the majority opinion to further their careers
  • Action on climate change should be delayed because it may lead to more expensive energy for developing nations, which will impact on global poverty
  • Australia has always had climate extremes and reducing CO2 will make no difference to that, and people have been brainwashed into believing it will.

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm826GwqFBY
  2. Stewart Franks quite frankly puzzles. Blogspot (2009). Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
  3. Matthew Warren (March 2007). Rebels of the sun. News Corp. Retrieved on 2011-04-28.
  4. Channel 7, Weekend Sunrise show, 13 February 2011
  5. Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 SELECT COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE POLICY - 15/04/2009 - Emissions trading and reducing carbon pollution. Australian Government (2009). Retrieved on 2011-04-09.

External resources

External articles