Deserving of much greater attention, JoNova posts this excellent critique of a person who “earns” income from promoting “climate change”, who provides the government with the
Stupidity is contagious (Photo credit: AJC1)
false foundation for a carbon tax, and who provides the media with the material to brainwash the Australian public . Basically it is simply an issue of peddling propaganda.
You will see from Jo’s article that her criticism is readily and logically justified.
Stephan Lewandowsky’s work is a case study in government funded inanity. Some Australians are sure that burning coal will make storms stronger. Others are not convinced. In November 2012 Lewandowsky’s intellectual contribution to science in Australia was to call the unconvinced “stupid”. If that’s not inane enough, at the same time he claimed that he didn’t recieve funding from any organisation that would benefit from his article.
How many taxpayer dollars went towards funding that? No conflict of interest?
Are Australian Research Council funds used as a form of third party advertising for Labor Government policy?
Writing in “A storm of Stupidity, Sandy, Evidence and Climate Change” on The Conversation, his reasoning is like this: some scientists reckon that a very bad storm called “Sandy” has “links” to man-made emissions of a trace gas. Lewandowsky reasons that because those scientists are called “experts”, anyone who questions them should be called stupid. (He thinks this article and that tweet were overdue). Though, in a twist, apparently he doesn’t actually think the unconvinced are actually stupid, he thinks they are ethically “disembodied” people who “mislead”. (As an aside, notice how he approves of news articles that call them stupid even though he doesn’t really think they are. Is that a commitment to accuracy, science, and evidence, or a commitment to marketing and PR?)
In the end, a government appointed group of “experts” like the Climate Commission, declared that humans made a storm worse, and a government funded psychologist says they’re right and everyone else is dumb (or as good as liars) because they are not convinced we are changing the weather.
Note the “Disclosure Statement” next to the “Stupid” headline.
“Stephan Lewandowsky
Australian Professorial Fellow, Cognitive Science Laboratories at University of Western Australia
Disclosure Statement
Stephan Lewandowsky does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.”
Stephan Lewandowsky is funded by Australian Research Council Grants (ARC). The ARC is headed by a Labor Party Minister (though you’d have trouble figuring out which one, after Julia Gillard’s emergency reshuffle). The ARC site has a link to a “Minister” which now points at eight ministers. The top dog, probably, is The Hon Craig Emerson.
Let the money flow
Stephan Lewandowsky is a Winthrop Professor according to his CV. UWA tells us that is the highest level of researcher, earning $ 162,396. And that says a lot about standards at UWA, in the School of Psychology, and at the mostly government funded “Conversation” (which got $6 million in grants to get started). Lewandowsky’s name is listed on ARC grants totalling $2 million since 2007. (See here and here). More often, his “Disclosures” simply say he gets money from the ARC and has no commercial interest.
No Conflict of Interest?
The Australian Labor Party is an organization which has hinged everything on a belief that man-made climate change is a problem worth spending billions on. Their future and status are arguably “improved” if seemingly independent experts write about how smart they are, and how stupid the voters are who disagree with their climate policy. The Labor Party is not funding Lewandowsky directly, but Labor party members are in Government now, and decide what the Australian Government funds. The ARC is “an independent body” whatever “independent” means when the panel appointments, and the size of their funding is determined by the Government (and amount to about $880 million per annum). The ARC mission is to deliver policy and programs that advance Australian research and innovation globally and benefit the community. Note the word “policy”.
Access the complete source article here.
[Please excuse the taking of the opportunity to slip in a ‘related article’ naming another scientist of the same ilk, targeted by Tony Abbott for being part of the ‘climate change’ “scam”, Tim Flannery. (“Abbott to shoot climate messenger”)].
Related articles
- AGW – On People who Live in Glass Houses (tgrule.com)
- Lewandowsky Timeline (geoffchambers.wordpress.com)
- Don’t let Cook and Lewandowsky see this… (wattsupwiththat.com)
- Climate Commission back in firing line (bigpondnews.com)
- Lew’s Crew’s Loose Screws: by Brad Keyes (geoffchambers.wordpress.com)
- Abbott to ‘shoot climate messenger’ (smh.com.au)
- Lewandowsky – Strike Three!! What a riot! (noconsensus.wordpress.com)
- Lewandowsky, Cook claim 78,000 skeptics could see conspiracy survey at Cooks site where there is no link (climatedepot.com)
The GOLDEN RULE 
What a sad, sad state of affairs for science and human society.
After failing to use scientific information and technology to advance the evolution of mankind:
1. Einstein’s 1905 discovery that rest mass (m) is stored kinetic energy (E)
2. Observing this powerful new source of energy during the Nuclear Age, and
3. Having an opportunity to occupy the Moon and Mars during the Space Age
World leaders now face this harsh reality:
_ a.) A growing world population
_ b.) Increasing demand for energy per person
_ c.) A limited natural supply of fossil fuels on Earth, and
_ d.) Science advisors and propaganda artists trained to deceive the public for the past sixty-seven years – since the United Nations was formed on <b24 Oct 1945 – out of fear and loathing that civilian control of governments and human access to information about nuclear energy might destroy life on Earth.
– Oliver K. Manuel