Farmer driven Monaro Farming Systems (MFS) will hold a carbon forum workshop in Nimmitabel on July 6 from 1pm through to and including dinner. In a government submission earlier this year, chairman David Mitchell stated one of the MFS’s aims is to manage research and development on the Monaro.

The three Nimmitabel workshop speakers are Dr Jeff Baldock, senior CSIRO soil carbon research scientist, Mick Keogh, director of the Australian Farm Institute, and Professor Ian Plimer, professor of mining geology and emeritus professor of earth sciences at the University of Adelaide.

The inclusion of Prof Plimer has some in the community concerned. His bestselling book, Heaven And Earth: Global Warming - The Missing Science, centres around humans having no effect on climate. The inference is that if we do not cause climate change, we need not alter our actions to reduce it.

Dr Matthew Nott, founder of the Bega-based action group Clean Energy for Eternity Inc., is concerned that the book may have influenced many including Senator Steve Fielding, who earlier this month posted on his website his thoughts about climate change.

Senator Fielding wrote that he needs more information to make a decision on whether he agrees or disagrees that manmade carbon dioxide emissions are the main driver of global warming.

“I expect the sort of people who will be turning up to that [the Nimmitabel carbon forum will be sceptics,” Dr Nott said.

“Ian Plimer’s book has had a huge impact. I don’t think it’s common knowledge that he has been incredibly misleading about his references,” he said.

MFS project officer Nancy Spoljaric said the speakers were chosen to present a balanced debate showing several sides of the carbon argument.

“We picked Ian Plimer because he’s obviously on one side of the whole climate debate. We wanted to balance him with Mick Keogh, who is going to talk about the effect on farmers of legislation,” Ms Spoljaric said.

“Jeff Baldock is one of the leading researchers on carbon and carbon sequestration. We want to keep farmers informed and up to date with the whole policy side as well as local effects in the near future,” she said.