Murdoch says sorry over ClimateGate. What about ACT?

The Green Party is calling on climate deniers like the ACT Party to apologise to the New Zealand climate scientists whose reputations they tried to besmirch in light of the grovelling apology by Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in the UK over AmazonGate, part of the ClimateGate series of allegations.

“ACT has been promoting ClimateGate and has used baseless allegations to drag climate scientists through the mud in order to undermine policies it opposes, like the Emissions Trading Scheme,” Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said.

Murdoch’s papers The Times and The Sunday Times were forced to apologise for an article that falsely claimed climate change impacts on the Amazon were bogus. The scientist concerned complained to the UK’s Press Complaints Commission against The Sunday Times, accusing it of publishing “inaccurate, misleading or distorted information” about climate change.

The ACT Party has used parliamentary privilege to attempt to besmirch the reputation of New Zealand climate scientists connected to the University of East Anglia, the university at the heart of the ClimateGate allegations.

“In light of this apology over AmazonGate, and the University of East Anglia being cleared by reports from the UK House of Commons, Lord Oxburgh’s Independent Panel and the original peer review, the last nails are now being driven into the coffin of these false allegations,” Dr Norman said.

“It’s time for ACT and the other climate deniers to own up and apologise to the scientists involved, particularly those based in New Zealand.

“We need robust science to underpin Government policy, not a climate of fear where good scientists are afraid to share what they know.

“It’s time to move beyond the childish games of ClimateGate and have the real debate about how we can cut emissions to save the future of our civilisation”, Dr Norman said.

The Guardian’s coverage of the Sunday Times apology:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jun/21/sundaytimes-scienceofclimatechange

ENDS

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Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>