Humourist has new view on global warming

Is global warming all that bad if Takapuna Beach becomes the new Copacabana and all the women are bronzed and wearing thongs?

That’s one of the questions North Shore author Peter Janssen asks in his book Stuff The Planet: How to speed up global warming.

The lack of "sensible debate" about global warming sparked Mr Janssen to write the book illustrated by North Shore Times cartoonist Malcolm Evans.

"I think global warming, climate change has become such a sacred cow that no one is even thinking rationally about it," Mr Janssen says.

"If you don’t agree you’re in denial and not dealing with it."

Mr Janssen hopes through humour he can help spark "rational debate".

"We should be able to laugh at anything," he says.

"I’m sure some people see it as totally irresponsible but if you cannot laugh at something you really have a problem.

"It’s so over the top. If people take offence at it they’re really a bit thick."

Mr Evans was happy to provide cartoons to keep debate alive on the issue.

"If you can get a message across through humour it’s always a good thing."

Mr Janssen says not enough is known about the climate to make predictions.

There is less than 100 years of accurate data when we need to base theories on millions of years, he says.

"Global warming is an easy way for politicians and hasbeen rock stars to think they’re doing something about the environment but it’s just hot air."

Vast sums are spend by the government on global warming reports but it can’t come up with the money to fix important local environmental problems, he says.

Anything slightly ununusual about weather is attributed to global warming, Mr Janssen says.

For example glaciers were melting 10,000 years ago but many reports raise fears about them rapidly disappearing, he says.

Mr Janssen says global warming is portrayed as a bad thing but it has some upsides for New Zealand.

For example, the droughts in Australia helped provide a boom for New Zealand dairy exports and our farmers

Perhaps the ultimate irony about the issue for Mr Janssen is that in the 1970s scientists were warning about global cooling.

That would worry me much more," he says as he pictures being able to ski down the slopes of Rangitoto Island.

- © Fairfax NZ News