Australia Institute labels gas industry input in NT fracking impact research 'totally inappropriate’

The nation's five largest fracking companies are set to help measure the environmental impacts of fracking in the Northern Territory, presenting a "totally inappropriate" conflict of interest in the eyes of one thinktank.

An alliance called GISERA will research and
 give advice on gas development in the Territory.

Last week, the Northern Territory Government awarded a $450,000 grant to the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) to deliver "independent and transparent advice on gas development in the Territory”.

This research was among the 135 recommendations the NT Government accepted when it lifted a ban on fracking earlier this year.

Read Jane Bardon’s story from ABC News - “Australia Institute labels gas industry input in NT fracking impact research 'totally inappropriate’.”

Climate sceptic group IPA suggested as co-host of Australian visit by Trump's environment chief

An organiser of Scott Pruitt’s Australian
  visit suggested the Institute of Public
Affairs should be a co-host. 

The climate sceptic thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs was mooted as a co-host of an Australian visit by Donald Trump’s beleaguered Environment Protection Agency head, Scott Pruitt, which may have included discussion with local officials on whether environmental deals should be changed or cancelled.

Emails released to the US environment group the Sierra Club under freedom of information laws show that Matthew Freedman, a Washington consultant who describes himself as “a close personal friend” of the Australian environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, played a central role in organising Pruitt’s proposed August trip before it was cancelled when Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas gulf coast.

In the US, the emails are of interest as evidence that Pruitt relied on business figures and lobbyists to plan and justify his overseas travel. They were first published by the New York Times.

Read Adam Morton’s story from The Guardian - “Climate sceptic group IPA suggested as co-host of Australian visit by Trump's environment chief.”

Tony Abbott's climate change claims just don't stack up

Former prime minister and current backbencher Tony Abbott gave a speech at the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a climate sceptic thinktank, on Monday night.

t
The real Tony Abbott emerges in an
incendiary climate change spech

It was an interesting lecture in that it claimed that climate change isn't real (the "so-called 'settled' science of climate change [is] absolute crap") and also is real but nothing to worry about as the results could be beneficial.

But how accurate were his arguments?

In the same speech, Mr Abbott declared that Australia needed to adopt "evidence-based policy rather than policy-based evidence", which seems like an excellent idea.

So let's take him at his word and look at the evidence for the claims he has made.

Read the ABC News opinion piece boy Tony P. Street - “Tony Abbott's climate change claims just don't stack up.”