Climate sea-lioning

The Herald reports that there is a "storm brewing for the Climate Change Commission". The "problem"? Polluters are unhappy with its economic projections saying that action will not be as costly as they have previously claimed:

Last week a coalition of over a dozen New Zealand business and industry groups - including heavyweight exporters DairyNZ and the Meat Industry Association, Federated Farmers, mining group Straterra, the Motor Industry Association, the New Zealand Initiative, and BusinessNZ - penned a formal letter to Rod Carr, chair of the Climate Change Commission.

"We are pleased that the commission has, in response to requests, begun to release the models and underlying data that supports the commission's findings," it said.

"However, to constructively contribute submissions so that the commission is as well-informed as possible, we must be able to thoroughly review and comment on data and models which will influence major decisions about the future of our economy and society."

"Given the delay in the release of crucial modelling data (not all of which is out yet)," the letter asked for an extension of the March 14th deadline for submissions by at least two weeks.

The members of this "coalition" reads like a who's who of climate denial in New Zealand, and I'm shocked that they are being taken seriously by the Herald. These organisations long ago surrendered any pretence of good faith on this issue, and you'd expect that to be recognised by any professional journalists. As for their tactics, its basicly sea-lioning: "show us the models!", "show us the models under the models!", "Prove that 1+2=2!" We saw exactly this shit from the (now defunct) New Zealand Climate Science Coalition, and as in that case the purpose is purely doubt-mongering and delay, a naked attempt to undermine action and preserve their pollution-based profits.

As noted above, these organisations are not acting in good faith on this issue, and the Commission, the government, the media, and the public should treat them accordingly and ignore them.