Rant

I am so tired of climate change deniers! I am really quite irritated at them. My tolerance has worn out. I was thinking just that last night as a thunderstorm passed over us - in the middle of winter. I know there is a difference between weather and climate, but the documented increasing incidents of extreme weather (as predicted by climate scientists) indicates a changed climate. Fed up with certain local deniers, I wrote the following for our local currency (River Exchange and Barter System) monthly newsletter.

What is it called when someone predicts something and then they are right about it? Success? Do we call it success?

What do we call someone who has studied something for decades and is at the cutting edge of research in that field? An expert? Do we call them an expert?

It would appear that the "experts" of climate change (ie scientists) have experienced a good deal of "success" lately. Lets take extreme weather. The climate scientists predicted that global warming would lead to increasing incidences of extreme weather world wide. A number of peer reviewed papers have been published confirming this prediction quantitatively. But their success is our failure. Weather extremes cost individuals, governments and economies tens of billions of dollars annually. Just as REBS seeks to enable a strong local economy less vulnerable to volatile forces outside our community, what would it look like for Wanganui to protect itself from the volatile forces of climate change and the associated extreme weather?

Many of you will have seen your home owner insurance premiums skyrocket because of the Christchurch earth quakes and increases in reinsurance costs. What happens when the reinsurance costs of climate change pile on top? Plus rates increases to fix municipal infrastructure damage? And a compromised NZ economy due to impacts on agriculture?

Maybe it is time to listen to the "successful" "experts" and act accordingly.

Peace, Estwing