Ray Evans

 Credentials 

• M.Eng Sc. (Melb). [1]

 Background

Ray Evans is an office-holder and co-founder of numerous Australian front groups and right wing think-tanks. He is President of the HR Nicholls Society, Secretary of the Bennelong Society, Treasurer of the Samuel Griffith Society and Secretary of, and main contact for, the Lavoisier Group. [2]

According to one profile (PDF), Evans joined the Western Mining Corporation in 1982 and continued to work as a consultant. He has been Secretary of the Lavoisier Group since 2000 where he has “written extensively on the global warming issue.”

Evans was Executive Officer at Western Mining Corporation (WMC) from 1982 until 2001, during which time he was a close associate of WMC CEO Hugh Morgan. "My role was to engage in the culture wars and provide him with feedback," Evans says of his work for Morgan.

Together with Morgan, he helped found the HR Nicholls Society in 1985.

Stance on Climate Change

• "The global warming scam has been, arguably, the most extraordinary example of scientific fraud in the post-War period. So many people, and institutions, have been caught up in the web of deceit, master-minded by environmental activists working through NGOs and their manipulation of the IPCC processes, that the integrity of Western science is seriously at risk." [4]

Key Quotes

"If Kyoto is brought into effect the economic dislocation which must follow its implementation will be unprecedented in modern times. It will be equivalent to the famines of the early 19th Century in its disruptive power (except that the famines were followed by good seasons)." [5]

"Environmentalism has largely superseded Christianity as the religion of the upper classes in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States." [6]

Key Deeds

November, 2006.

Published Nine Facts About Climate Change (PDF — Note that this links to a 29-page pamphlet of the same name) through The Lavoisier Group. His book was introduced by former mining executive Arvi Parbo at Parliament House in February, 2007.

Here are some sample quotes taken from the nine "Facts" (Note that Evans's book has been debunked by RealClimate, and by other sources):

• "Carbon dioxide is necessary for all life on earth and increasing atmospheric
  concentrations are beneficial to plant growth, particularly in arid conditions."

• "The decarbonisation of the world’s economy would, if attempted, cause huge
  economic dislocation…"

• "…astro-physicists who study sunspot behaviour predict that the next 25–50 years could be a cool period similar to the Dalton Minimum of the 1790s-1820s."

• "…increasing atmospheric concentrations beyond current levels
  will have no discernible effect on global temperatures."

In January, 2006, Evans wrote a similar pamphlet titled Nine Lies About Global Warming where he "sought to summarise for the lay reader the state of the debate about increasing
atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide."

 Affiliations 

In an ABC Radio interview, Clive Hamilton, director of the Australia Institute, described Evans as "responsible for establishing the Lavoisier Group as well as a number of right-wing organisations, the H.R. Nichols Society, the Benelong Society, the Samuel Griffith Society, all of which he was either President of Treasurer; they often shared the same post office box."

These are some of his known affilations: [7]

• The Lavoisier Group — “Secretary,” and Co-founder.

• Western Mining Corporation (WMC) — Former Executive.

• Ray Evans & Associates — Director since July, 2001.

• H.R. Nichols Society — Co-founder and President.

• Bennelong Society — Board Member and past Secretary.

• Samuel Griffith Society — Contributed to past Society conferences. 

 Publications

According to his profile at On Line Opinion, Evans has published in fields including environmentalism, Indigenous peoples' movements, and economic and political issues affecting the mining industry.

According to a search of Google Scholar, Evans has not published any articles in peer reviewed journals on the subject of climate. He has, however, published numerous articles through the Lavoisier Group.

Sample Articles

• Ray Evans. "Nine Facts About Climate Change" (PDF). The Lavoisier Group, November, 2006.

 Resources

1. Ray Evans, Tom Quirk, Alan Moran. "Australia under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (sic) Act 2009" (see PDF "About the Authors," page 4). The Lavoisier Group, September 2009.

2. Clive Hamilton. Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change. Black Inc. Agenda (May 1, 2007).  Page 136.

3. "Ray Evans," SourceWatch Profile.

4. "Climate change is bunk: Ray Evans tells us why," Crikey, February 28, 2007.

5. Ray Evans, "The Kyoto Protocol: Fast Road to Global Governance" (PDF), The Samuel Griffith Society.

6. "Greenhouse sceptics to congregate." The Age, February 28, 2007.

7. "On Line Opinion's Editorial Advisory Board." On Line Opinion. Retrieved Aug 24, 2011.