On this day, December 6 in 2006, Australian journo Elizabeth Farrelly points out that, despite those grifters hiding behind the “only 0.x% of emissions” want you to believe, 0.x% is still a big deal.
Elizabeth Farrelly of the Sydney Morning Herald was alive to the same issue when she questioned whether the 0.1 per cent of global emissions which would come from Anvil Hill was ‘in fact so small when even 0.1 per cent of the Stern review’s estimated $9.1 trillion cost of climate change gives $9.1 billion.
(Bonyhady, 2007: 17)
Farrelly, E. 2006. Victories for the Environment Turn Up Heat. Sydney Morning Herald, 6 December.
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 382ppm. At time of writing it was 419ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]
The context was this –
The coal mining boom was in full swing. Its defenders needed to find ways to avoid scrutiny.
Also, vale Pete Gray.
Why this matters.
It’s a basic point – don’t let people bullshit you with percentages, when it is the absolute numbers wot matter.
What happened next?
The coal mine got built. Of course it did.