Aussie farmers calls for ruling party to stop being climate change skeptics

Australian farmers who are "on the front line of rising temperatures and more extreme weather" are calling on the governing Liberal Party to stop being active climate change skeptics, Fairfax media revealed on Friday.

An open letter has been circulated by Australia's farmers urging the Liberal Party to resoundingly defeat a climate skeptic motion, to be considered by the Liberal Party's federal council on Saturday, that is designed to prevent Australia from signing up to any binding emissions reduction targets at the December 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

The motion brought about by party members from Western Australia calls for a review of the evidence "underpinning the man- made global warming theory".

The motion also seeks an investigation into "the reasons for the failure of computer models, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and prominent individuals to predict, among other things, the pause in global warming this century".

"In light of the uncertainty around this issue, Australia does not sign any binding agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year," the motion says.

New South Wales farmer of the Year Derek Blomfield who signed the letter told Fairfax Media on Friday that the science was already in on climate change.

"As a farmer, I find it really disappointing that this is coming from farmers, especially those in WA who are in line for the worst effects of climate change. I can't make sense of their actions," Blomfield said. "I'm not a scientist but I'm pretty sure Brian Mayfield (chairman of the Liberal Party committee pushing the motion) isn't a scientist either. How many times do we have to go back to the science? Is it until they get the result they want? "

"Extreme weather events are a real issue for us in the farming community and we want a strong deal in Paris," Blomfield said.

The open letter calls for Australia to adopt post-2020 targets that will cut carbon emissions by at least 40 percent by 2025, and at least 60 percent by 2030 over the year 2000-pollution levels.

This call is in line with recommendations of the global scientific community.

However, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, leader of the Australian Liberal Party, is said to be considering a target of 24 to 28 percent reduction by 2030, based off 2005 pollution levels, effectively a reduction of 13 to 19 percent on the year 2000.

While the views of the Federal Council, the coordinating body of Australia's Liberal party, and its decisions are not binding on the elected parliamentary officials, these policy positions carry considerable weight as the stated position of the political party. Endi