Australian Climate Science Coalition (ACSC)

Background

The Australian Climate Science Coalition (ACSC) has been described as an offshoot of the the Australian Environment Foundation (AEF), a group in turn created by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). ACSC was largely funded by the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC). The ACSC website is no longer online, and it is unclear if the group is still in operation.¹

ACSC was formed by a “group of professional people interested in encouraging continued scientific research into the world’s climate and in particular into the effects of increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere” and it “works closely with the International Climate Science Coalition.” ICSC described the ACSC as an “affiliate.”² ³

According to the group’s founding media release, members of the ACSC questioned “where is the evidence for dangerous human caused global warming?” The release describes ACSC as a “apolitical, not-for-profit affiliate of the AEF.”⁴

ACSC’s list of scientific advisors included a range of prominent climate change deniers including David Archibald, Bob Carter (deceased), David Evans, Viv Forbes, William Kininmonth, Cliff Ollier, Ian Plimer, Tom Quirk and numerous others. Max Rheese, former Executive Director of the Australian Environment Foundation, held the same position at ACSC.⁵ ⁶

Stance on Climate Change

John Nicol, Chairman of the ACSC, issued the following statement at the group’s formation:

“We do not believe that past and current climates are sufficiently well understood to enable projections of future climate changes to be accurately predicted. Our purpose is to exchange scientific ideas and to encourage proper political and social debate on this intriguing subject.”⁷

Funding

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in February 2012 that in 2009, the ACSC accepted $60,699 (almost all of its $62,910 budget that year) from the American CSC. The American CSC is an offshoot of the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC).⁸

In 2010, financial statements to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show the ACSC again accepted a donation of $46,343.23 from the American CSC, but no further funds appear to have been received from that source since then.⁹

Financial documents suggest the activities of the ACSC were heavily wound back after the American donations ended. In the tax period ending July 2011, the ACSC had only $296 in its bank account and an income of just $126 that year, compared to an income of $50,920 the previous year.¹⁰

Key People

Max Rheese — Executive Director.¹¹

Scientific Advisory Panel

Name	2009	2014	Description
Bob Carter (Now Deceased)	Y	Y
Cliff Ollier	Y	Y
David Archibald	Y	Y
David Evans	Y	Y
Ian Plimer	Y	Y
John McLean	Y	Y
John Nicol	Y	Y	Chairman
Lance Endersbee AO	Y
Tom Quirk	Y	Y
Viv Forbes	Y	Y
Walter Starck	Y	Y
William Kininmonth	Y	Y

Actions

August 10, 2009

The ACSC Luncheon hosted two guest speakers, Jay Lehr from the Heartland Institute and Robert Carter. Marcus Suresh, supported by Ron Manners and the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, wrote a summary of Lehr’s and Carter’s views at the event.¹²

In his exposition, Suresh claims that “so called environmental zealots or global warming alarmists” have distributed “propaganda materials” and “dubious media coverages” leading to the “commercialization” of the science of global warming and carbon emissions. His paper aims to present “a summary of arguments against man-made global warming” as “presented during the 2009 Australian Climate Science Coalition Luncheon.”¹³

He summarizes Jay Lehr’s views that “Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant but an essential building block of life,” and that “climate is volatile and independent of man.” Suresh interprets Carter’s speech as primarily covering adaptation to “natural climate change” and he declares that “We must abandon the rhetoric to ‘stop climate change’ from propagandists.”¹⁴

February 1, 2009

Lord Christopher Monckton was a speaker at a luncheon lecture titled “Apocalypse? NO! ‘Global Warming’ is not a Global Crisis” co-hosted by the Australian Climate Science Coalition and the Institute for Private Enterprise. Ian Plimer accompanied Monckton.¹⁵

August 2009

The ACSC organized a “whistlestop tour on climate and the ETS” of Australia to counter a proposed emissions trading scheme. Representatives included, Jay Lehr of the Heartland Institute, and Australian climate change skeptic Bob Carter.¹⁶

Lehr wrote an editorial in Brisbane’s Courier Mail during the tour while Bob Carter went to Canberra to lobby MP’s.¹⁷

November 2008

William Kininmonth, “Science Advisor” to the ACSC, spoke about “Climate Change and how he believes it is just a cycle – based on historical facts.” View the five-part video series, via YouTube, below:¹⁸

October 11–12, 2008

According to the group’s formative press release, guests at the Australian Environment Foundation’s (AEF’s) third Annual Conference were introduced to the newly formed Australian Climate Science Coalition.¹⁹The press release read:

“Members of the ACSC, like many scientists in Australia and overseas, encourage people to discuss, question and debate key climate change issues and, in particular ask: where is the evidence for dangerous human caused global warming?”²⁰