Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ

SCIENTISTS in Hobart, Tasmania, for the meeting of the Australian and
New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science last month can’t
say they haven’t been warned. Just in case they thought otherwise, the modelling
of climate by computers is not infallible.

A paper on agriculture and climate change handed out by Barrie Pittock
from the division of atmospheric research at CSIRO, Australia’s national
research organisation, ended with an ‘important disclaimer’. Models involve
oversimplification of the real physical processes that are not fully understood,
the disclaimer said.

‘Accordingly, no responsibility will be accepted by CSIRO or the EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency) for the accuracy of forecasts or predictions
made in this report or for any person’s interpretations, deductions, conclusions
or actions in reliance on this report.’