NZ Climate Science Coalition: An Open Letter to the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand

3 October 2018

An Open Letter to the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand

The debate on man-made global warming.

Over the last year a series of exchanges between the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) and the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition have revealed the following:

• The RSNZ admit that climate change is contentious but will not debate it.


• Our complaint that the RSNZ failed to provide evidence of their recent claims that human activity causes dangerous global warming was dismissed because it was “insufficiently grave”. This response raises the important question of why the RSNZ didn’t provide evidence of dangerous man-made global warming. We conclude that the country’s premier scientific institute has no foundation for its claim that man-made greenhouse gases cause dangerous global warming.


• A similar complaint against the president of the RSNZ was dismissed on the incredible grounds that the RSNZ need not adhere to its own code of ethics. Again, the RSNZ failed to provide evidence of a human cause of dangerous global warming.

That the RSNZ claims that humans cause dangerous global warming without being able to provide supporting evidence is scandalous.

We note recent articles on Kiwiblog by Bryan Leyland and Professor Geoff Duffy that point out shortcomings in the mainstream climate science have received many comments with the majority favouring the views of the authors. The science is far from settled and debate is needed. By ignoring the need for debate the RSNZ puts its reputation at risk and threatens to damage science in New Zealand.

The RSNZ betrays basic scientific principles. In particular, it disrespects the original motto of the Royal Society, London: “take nobody’s word for it” and ignores the UK Society’s original policy never to hold or promote a view on a scientific matter. The original Society in the UK was formed to promote debate on scientific subjects. The Royal Society of New Zealand was formed for the same reason but now suppresses debate on an important contemporary subject.

We ask that you put this letter before the next meeting of the Council of the Society. We ask that the Council return the RSNZ to its scientific roots and encourage debate on contentious scientific matters like anthropogenic global warming. The RSNZ's public statements recommending and endorsing attempts to mitigate man-made global warming are likely to cost the country billions of dollars. Yet the RSNZ is unable to provide evidence that justifies the need for such costly action.

We ask that the RSNZ no longer take a position on scientific matters, including man-made global warming and, instead, encourage debate.

Signed by:

Professor Emeritus Geoffrey G Duffy   DEng, PhD, BSc, ASTC Dip., FRSNZ, FIChemE

Dr Doug Edmeades, MSc (Hons), PhD, Dip Mgt, ONZM­

Bryan Leyland, MSc, DistFEngNZ, FIMechE, FIEE(rtd), MRSNZ

Gary Kerkin BE(Chem) Canterbury, MEngSc (Melbourne)

Dr Jock Allison, ONZM, FNZIPIM

Don Esslemont

Terry Dunleavy, MBE, MRSNZ, FWINZ

Richard Treadgold

Dr John McLean

John Sexton

Don Nicolson

For further information contact: Hon Secretary, Terry Dunleavy at terry.dunleavy@nzclimatescience.org.nz