Tim Flannery accuses Maurice Newman, who does not have a scientific background, of using his position for ‘personal crusade’

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Tony Abbott’s top business adviser, Maurice Newman, has been invited to meet climate scientists following his assertion that the world is in fact in danger of cooling, rather than warming.



Newman used an opinion piece in the Australian newspaper on Thursday to say the world was “ill prepared” for a period of global cooling, accusing governments of being hostage to “warming propaganda” from climate scientists.



On Friday Tim Flannery, head of the Climate Council, told Guardian Australia he was keen for Newman to meet him and other scientists.



“I’d be happy to meet with him to explain the facts, we’ve made the offer and we await with baited breath,” he said.



“But there are deeper issues to this. Maurice Newman is a business adviser to the prime minister; you’d expect him to be representing the interests of the business community.



“But what he’s saying fundamentally misrepresents the interests of business, which faces a huge risk, along with the rest of us, from climate change. He’s using his position for a personal crusade in what, I think, is a serious dereliction of duty.”



Newman, who does not have a scientific background, has written a number of articles on climate change, as well as appearing on the ABC to discuss the topic, since his appointment as chairman of the prime minister’s business advisory council.



He has said that Australia has become “hostage to climate-change madness” and has also attacked the renewable energy industry.



Climate scientists have roundly rejected Newman’s theory that a drop in solar activity will see the world dramatically cool, pointing out that the influence of warming greenhouse gases is far greater than solar cycles.



Flannery said: “[Newman] is just demonstrably wrong. This is a fundamental problem for the prime minister, who needs to make him do his job. Anyone would be deeply embarrassed by this kind of performance. I have no idea where this idea of global cooling has come from.”



Gerry Hueston, former head of BP Australasia and member of the Climate Council, said: “Newman holds views that are out of step with those held by serious energy businesses globally and mainstream business in general.



“His views are scientifically wrong and completely ignore the economic and business risks that climate change presents. It is worrying that he is providing this sort of ill-informed advice on energy policy and climate risk to the highest levels of government.”



On Thursday, Labor called Newman’s comments “terrifying”, while Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt called on Abbott to fire Newman. The prime minister’s office has yet to respond to questions put to it by Guardian Australia on Newman’s repeated pronouncements on climate change.



A spokeswoman for Newman said he was not aware of an invitation to meet Flannery or other scientists.



According to the IPCC, the world has warmed by about 1C over the past century and will warm further, by up to 4.8C, by 2100, based largely on the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

