Rejection of science permeates the most powerful office in the Land Down Under

Australia’s most effective pseudoscience: climate change denial

Ketan Joshi
theguardian.com, Monday 24 February 2014 23.21 EST

A survey for the American National Science Foundation conducted in 2001 found that 60% of respondents agree that “some people possess psychic powers or extrasensory perception”. 30% agreed that “some of the unidentified flying objects that have been reported are really space vehicles from other civilisations”.

I’ve heard these stats and felt a rush of pride, knowing that we’re spared such grandiose nonsense in Australia – but it’s misplaced. The power of systematic denial of science in Australia has been badly underestimated.

The world of pseudoscience has blurred edges, ranging from homeopathy to intelligent design. It’s characterised by the presentation of non-scientific claims as scientific. A classic example of pseudoscience I’ve encountered in my time in the clean energy industry is a phenomenon known as “wind turbine syndrome” – a collection of non-scientific claims reliant on anecdotal evidence and discredited, non-peer-reviewed research (the latest study finding no evidence that turbines can make people sick was just published).

Climate denial is different, in that it relies more on cherry-picked data than anecdotal evidence. Additionally, many pseudosciences exist solely as a marketing tool for improbable claims, whereas climate denial exists to negate a probable claim. In recent years, climate denial has become the most effective pseudoscience in Australia.

(Continued here.)