You are invited to the official launch of Global warming and climate change: what Australia knew and buried by Dr Maria Taylor.

About the book:

Relevant to both Australian and overseas audiences, this is the untold story of how Australia buried its knowledge on climate change science and response options during the 1990s — going from clarity to confusion and doubt after arguably leading the world in citizen understanding and a political will to act in the late 1980s.

‘What happened and why’ is a fascinating exploration drawing on the public record of how a society revised its good understanding on a critical issue affecting every citizen. It happened through political and media communication, regardless of international scientific assessments that have remained consistent in ascribing causes and risks since 1990. How could this happen? The author examines the major influences, with lessons for the present, on how the story was reframed. Key have been values and beliefs, including economic beliefs, that trumped the science, the ability of changing political leaders and the mass media to set the story for the public, as well as the role of scientists’ own communication over time and the use and misuse of uncertainty.

The book, published by ANU E-Press, will be officially launched by the Hon John Kerin and Tom Reddington from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Hard copies are $28 RRP or the book is available free in e-book form from http://press.anu.edu.au/titles/global-warming-and-climate-change/

About the author:

Maria Taylor is an award winning journalist and former documentary film-maker whose work over more than three decades in both Australia and the United States has focused on sustainable resource management and environmental issues. Taylor lives and works in regional NSW, where she publishes a monthly community newspaper, The District Bulletin.