On the money trail with Tony Jones

Last night on ABC TV's Lateline, Tony Jones once again presented a range of views about climate change - whether or not we should be very scared about climate change, or whether to be really, really petrified. Representing the very scared, he had economist Professor Ross Garnaut (whom he gave a hard time) and in the really, really petrified corner he had climatologist, Professor David Karoly (who had it pretty easy).

As we know, Tony was recently paid somewhere in the vicinity of $5,000 - $10,000 to appear at Carbon Expo on the Gold Coast (pictured).

However, this is not the first time Mr Jones has discovered that there is coinage in alarmism. In 2006, he was also paid to attend the 2006 Environment Business Association Business and Sustainability Summit held in Sydney (bottom of page 2 here).

The Chair of EBA and platinum sponsor of that event (through the Purves Environment Fund) was one Robert Purves. Purves is also founder and pretty much the sole benefactor of alarmist body, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. Members of the Wentworth Group are a handpicked group of alarmists including - waddayaknow? - Professor David Karoly.

According to the Carbon Expo program, the man who introduced Mr Jones to the Gold Coast crowd, was once again, none other than his old mate and benefactor, Mr Robert Purves, Chair of EBA and co-host of Climate Expo.