TONY EASTLEY: The former prime minister John Howard has lent his support to a book which argues the theory of human-induced global warming is a scam.

Last night the former prime minister, who once supported an emissions trading scheme himself, launched the publication, the work of geologist Professor Ian Plimer.

The book, called How to Get Expelled From School, rejects the predominant scientific opinion on climate change.

AM's Lexi Metherell went to the book launch at the Sydney Mining Club.

LEXI METHERELL: How to Get Expelled from School is Professor Ian Plimer's follow up to his book Heaven and Earth.

The new work includes 101 questions for students to use to challenge their teachers on climate science.

IAN PLIMER: After Heaven and Earth came out I had many parents write to me to say, look, what do we do, our kids are being fed activism? I want my children to have the basics of science, I don't want them to be fed activism.

JOHN HOWARD: The progressive left has got their grip on the commanding heights of education instruction in this country.

LEXI METHERELL: The book is billed as, quote, "an anti-global warmist manual for the younger reader".

Yet the man who launched it last night, John Howard, went to the 2007 election promising to address global warming.

JOHN HOWARD: I proposed an emissions trading scheme. And some people say, well why on earth did you do that? And I did it because I thought the way in which it was structured and predicated as it was on the rest of the world moving in the same direction, and also predicated on a structure that would preserve the international competitiveness of those industries that gave our country a competitive trade advantage, it could do no harm.

LEXI METHERELL: Mr Howard says he's become increasingly interested in the climate change debate because of the persistent attempt, he says, to silence dissent.

JOHN HOWARD: The epitome of the corruption of the language in this debate is the use of the word "denier". And we all know that when you use the word denier in the context of any generation represented in this room, you are talking about people who denied the deaths of 6 million Jews in the Nazi extermination camps.

LEXI METHERELL: The launch came around 24 hours after the conclusion of climate change talks in Durban, at which the major emitters, the US, China and India, agreed to work towards a global binding pact.

JOHN HOWARD: My reading of what was agreed at Durban was that there was an agreement to commence some negotiations in the hope of reaching an agreement. Now there's nothing, can I say to you my friends, there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, I don't want to rid - I have been involved in many international conferences where there has been agreement to have a further discussion in the hope of reaching an agreement. I once was involved in that in relation to trying to bring about the removal of a tyrant called Robert Mugabe, he's still there.

LEXI METHERELL: Professor Plimer was kept busy last night signing copies, mostly for members of the Sydney Mining Club where the launch was held.

MALE ATTENDEE: Ian Plimer's speech was brilliant.

FEMALE ATTENDEE: It was very interesting. I thought it was very well balanced, he brought up a lot of points that I hadn't thought about. So I thought it was very good.

MALE ATTENDEE 2: He's got a sensible attitude to the science and he's a well known geologist. And as he says, geology isn't welcomed in the science debate.

TONY EASTLEY: Guests at the book launch last night; Lexi Metherell our reporter.