He is a denier of moderate notoriety. Desmog has him cataloged: http://www.desmogblog.com/ian-plimer
And, he is also of interest because he is an actual bonafide scientist, albeit with few if any scientific credentials in climate. One of a number of examples showing that genuine scientists are not necessarily adverse to taking fossil fuel industry and mining industry money in return for spreading deceit about science. Typical of many scientist deniers in that he is too old to have heard about climate science until late in his career.
He has written several denier books and articles. Not sure which one you refer to, but his scientific background no doubt helps package his anti-science disinformation more convincingly.
Plimer is (as Andy said) an Australian Professor of geology a few years ago he was indeed much quoted by denier here, he then published a book and did the rounds of Australian TV shows. He made the mistake of appearing on the ABC show lateline a national broadcast current affairs show with an excellent reputation against Tony Jones one of the best known interviewers in the country.
Jones let Pilmer dig himself a massive hole making numerous references to 1934 being the warmest year globally. Before he responded that this was simply not true and that applied to the U.S. regional temperature only. Pilmer tried to back peddle but he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Soon after that he seemed to fall of the face of the Earth. But denier logic is wait a few years and every one will forget, it seems, it the same logic they use when they keep recycling long disproved theories like "It's the Sun" or "It's volcanoes"
Plimer himself is on the boards of several mining companies, companies that have massive vested interests in there being no action taken on climate change.
Not sure how his past (over the top) reactions to religious issues has to do with climate change
He is a scientist and I found this In the late 1990s, Plimer went to court alleging misleading and deceptive advertising under the Trade Practices Act 1974 against Noah's Ark searcher Allen Roberts,[68][69] arising from Plimer's attacks on Roberts' claims concerning the location of Noah's Ark. Before the trial, Plimer was forcibly ejected by police from public meetings at which Roberts spoke.[65] The court ruled that Roberts had indeed made false and misleading claims on two of 16 instances cited by Plimer, Plimer had failed to show the other 14, and the two were minor enough to not require remedy, so Plimer lost the case,[71][72][73] and was ordered to pay his own and Roberts' legal costs estimated at over 500,000 Australian dollars.[74][75][76] so maybe it was why you don't hear much of him.
I think he is an Australian geology professor who was tied to the denier cause some time ago haven't heard him mentioned here in a long time.
To put it simple he is a fraud He among other things misrepresented data from the USGS
I've got the jist of it but would be interested in what you've discovered.
