Ayn Rand’s Thought: Living and Dead
For those interested in Randian scholarship, the most recent issue of Cato Unbound presents a critical discussion of Rand’s moral and political ideas between four philosophers with different views of her work and its significance. Of particular interest from a critical perspective is Roderick Long’s response essay.
Penny Wong a Climate Change Skeptic?
Leading the charge in pushing for ALP’s “Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme” has been Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong. However, Penny’s real conviction (or lack thereof) on the matter may have been revealed by the following unlikely story:
Scientists have found camels to be the third-highest carbon-emitting animal per head on the planet, behind only cattle and buffalo. Culling the one million feral camels that currently roam the outback would be equivalent to taking 300,000 cars off the road in terms of the reduction to the country’s greenhouse gases.
Given that Australia’s feral camel population is already considered an environmental problem, you’d think this one would be a slam dunk, but the story continues:
But Climate Change Minister Penny Wong told The Australian there was little point doing anything about Australia’s feral camels as only the CO2 of the domesticated variety is counted under the Kyoto Protocol.
But what about the planet, Penny?
Forget the absurdity of not counting feral animals for a moment (though that is a story in itself), but if you sincerely believe that carbon is a serious pollutant, would you not wish to do something about it? Just because it doesn’t “count” towards the bureaucratic Kyoto protocol, surely it still counts towards carbon going into the atmosphere? The only logical conclusion from this is that she doesn’t really believe what she says – that she does not consider carbon to be a serious pollutant.
[Hat Tip: Andrew Bolt]
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