Carbon tax on ice, climate science left to deal with pause in proceedings

Graham Lloyd writes at the Australian:

Had things gone to plan, this week the four modern-day explorers from Vancouver, Canada, would be nearing the end of their marathon expedition to row the 3000km Northwest Passage across a melted Arctic Ocean.

It was a journey conceived to concentrate attention on climate change and set the scene for the release this month of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fifth update report on the science of global warming.

What must have seemed like a publicity sure bet when the voyage began in June ended in hasty retreat as an unexpectedly cold season saw the Arctic’s summer ice cover almost one million square kilometres more than the previous year.

If the expedition had continued, the purpose-built rowboat and its intrepid adventurers risked being left stranded in the ice.

It appears to be a recurring theme in the climate change debate. Things did not go as expected: a frustrating mix of unpredictable weather and Murphy’s Law.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/carbon-tax-on-ice-climate-science-left-to-deal-with-pause-in-proceedings/story-e6frgd0x-1226718786991