Bob Foster

 Credentials  

• Honorary Fellow in the School of Ecology and Environment at Deakin University.

"Adelaide University engineer by qualification, a geoscientist with the Shell Group by
experience, and latterly was GM Marketing at BHP Petroleum." [1]

 Background

Bob Foster is a founding director and board member of the Lavosier Group in Australia. Foster is described as "an Adelaide University engineer by qualification, a geoscientist with the Shell Group by experience, and latterly was GM Marketing at BHP Petroleum. [2]

Stance on Climate Change

• "The IPCC hypothesis, that all or most of this warming is the result of human-caused changes to the composition of the atmosphere, runs counter to the weight of available evidence." [3]

• "Much more likely as an explanation of the 1925-44 warming, is the combined effect of increased flow of equatorial surface water into the Arctic via the North Atlantic and increased output of solar warmth." [3]

• "Crucially, at least since a global record of atmospheric temperatures became available from 1979, there has been little or no warming of the lower atmosphere. Therefore the observed warming at the surface, during this time at least, is most unlikely to be greenhouse warming." [3]

• "Sceptics like me invoke a variable Sun-climate connection – our externally-driven climate is ever-changing at time-scales from the millennial to the quotidian. Because timing, although not yet magnitude, of influences on the Sun - and hence Earth - can be calculated in advance, the direction of climate-change can be predicted. Cooling has begun, should be discernible by 2015; and the next Little Ice Age cold period will be fully-developed by 2030." [4]

Key Quotes

• "In my opinion, someone who believes that by 'doing the right thing' about fossil fuel consumption we can stabilise climate, will believe anything." [3]

• "People don’t drive climate; it’s the Sun. Instead of manning the barricades in defence of an implausible hypothesis, humanity would be better served if the Society were to lead an open-minded search for improved understanding of our ever-varying climate." [5]

Key Deeds

January, 2008

Foster made a submission (PDF) to the Garnaut Climate Change Review.  The Garnaut Review was commissioned by Australia in 2007 to "conduct an independent study of the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy."

Foster's entry argues that there is not a consensus on man-made climate change, and that much of our observed warming is due to solar cycles.

August, 2000

Wrote an open letter to The Secretary Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Parliament House. In his letter he attempts tries to disprove global warming and discredit the Kyoto Protocol. This includes how "The IPCC hypothesis, that all or most of this warming is the result of human-caused changes to the composition of the atmosphere, runs counter to the weight of available evidence."

Foster attaches a study he has written titled "The Kyoto Protocol: don’t forget the science." His article concludes that the "IPCC’s hypothesis that 20th C warming is all or largely the result of human-caused GHG emissions, is almost certainly wrong."

 Affiliations 

• The Lavoisier Group Inc. — Founding director and current board member.

• Shell — Geoscientist.

• BHP Petroleum — GM Marketing.

• Environment Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors — Victorian representative.

Source: [2]

 Publications

Many of Bob Foster's articles are available at the Lavoisier Group website. According to a search of Google Scholar for a "Bob Foster," and a "Robert J Foster," Foster has not published any articles in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate change.

 Resources

1. "The Kyoto Protocol: Don't Forget the Science" (PDF), The Lavoisier Group, September, 2000. 

2. "IPCC’s Third Assessment Report: Too Much 'Imagination Block'" (PDF), The Lavosier Group, April, 2001.

3. "Inquiry Into the Kyoto Protocol: R.J. Foster Submission" (PDF).

4. "Submission to: Garnaut Climate Change Review" (PDF). Bob Foster, January 2008.

5. "The Royal Society and the 'dead hand of consensus'", Warwick Hughes. April 23rd, 2006.