36 Climate Deniers in Search of Credibility

The following 36 (not really climate) scientists recently signed a petition to Congress on the subject of climate change.  This is what I could find out about them.  Many retirees.  Many persons strongly associated with right-wing causes.  Almost no climatologists.

Syun-Ichi Akasofu, University of Alaska—80 years old—geophysicist, studies auroras

Scott Armstrong, University of Pennsylvania – Professor of Marketing

James Barrante, Southern Connecticut State University – (Retired) physical chemist.

Re Barrante:  “To downplay the astoundingly strong evidence favoring the consensus model of Earth’s climate and present a view that is not just outside the mainstream, but at odds with the evidence–and to an audience of children, no less–is simply beyond the pale. It is scientific misconduct of the shabbiest nature. One cannot engage in such misconduct and be trusted as a scientist. —Comment by Ray Ladbury — 7 May 2010 Realclimate comments page.

Richard Becherer, University of Rochester – Optical physicist.  Last scientific publication in 1979.

John Boring, University of Virginia Medical Center – Microbiologist – last scientific publication in 1985. (Retired)

Roger Cohen, Manager, Strategic Planning and Programs ExxonMobil Corporation (retired), American Physical Society Fellow

David Douglass, University of Rochester

A 2007 paper by Douglass and coworkers published by the Heartland Institute questioned the reliability of 22 of the most commonly used global climate models analyzed by Benjamin D. Santer and used by the IPCC to predict accelerated warming in the troposphere.^[1][2] Santer and 17 co-authors later rebutted Douglass’ paper. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.1756/abstract

Don Easterbrook, Western Washington University –

Caught misrepresenting climate data here:

http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/06/don_easterbrook_caught_in_a_li.php

Robert Essenhigh, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University – (Retired)  — Research was in the area of coal dust and coal technology.

Martin Fricke, Senior Fellow, American Physical Society (?) – no information

Lee Gerhard, University of Kansas (retired) State geologist (retired) Member – American Association of Petroleum Geologists

Ulrich Gerlach, Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University

Based a math book on Ayn Rand’s Objectivism.

Laurence Gould, University of Hartford (retired) — Wrote an easily refuted resignation letter to the American Physical Society.

Bill Gray, Colorado State University (retired) – Hurricane forecaster

Will Happer, Princeton University – Board member, George Marshall Institute – a conservative propaganda outlet.

Howard Hayden, physicist, University of Connecticut (retired) – Associated with the conservative propaganda outlet the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT).

Craig Idso, Founder, Chairman of the Board, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change – Craig’s brother Keith is the Vice-President and his father Sherwood the President of the same organization.

Sherwood Idso, USDA, U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory (retired) — See previous entry.

Richard Keen, University of Colorado, atmospheric physicist with peer-reviewed work in the area of atmospheric volcanic particles.  No peer-reviewed work on climate.

Doral Kemper, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, (retired) – worked in the area of soil erosion.

Hugh Kendrick, Formerly Acting Director Office of Plans and Analysis, Formerly Asst. Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Programs, DOE (retired)

Richard Lindzen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Debunked here before, most recently Simple Sam & Dr Lindzen’s Missing Ingredients

Anthony Lupo, Department of Soil, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Missouri – Published climatologist, although not in the area of climate change.

Patrick Michaels, Cato Institute –(Cato Inst. is an ideologically-driven institution with no science programs.)  He has recently been made the subject of an inquiry about whether he misled the US congress about the extent of his fossil fuel industry funding.

Donald Nielsen, University of California, Davis (retired) Professor of soil hydrology

Al Pekarek, St. Cloud State University – Geologist who has been involved in petroleum exploration. No peer-reviewed publications in any area.

John Rhoads, Professor of Physics, Midwestern State University (retired)

Nicola Scafetta, Research associate, Duke University – Thinks climate change is caused by Jupiter and Saturn. See Empirical evidence for a celestial origin of the climate oscillations and its implications

Gary Sharp, Center for Climate/Ocean Resources Study – Expert in tuna

S. Fred Singer, University of Virginia – (Retired) Now a professional climate change denier centrally associated with the denial industry.  Formerly denied the connection between cancer and tobacco smoke on behalf of the tobacco industry.

Roy Spencer, University of Alabama – Intelligent design advocate.  Belongs to the Heartland Institute and the George C. Marshall Institute – Extreme right wing propaganda organizations.

George Taylor, Past President, American Association of State Climatologists

— Despite his former position, George Taylor is not and never was a climatologist and has no training in the field.

Frank Tipler, Tulane University – mathematical physicist with his own version of Intelligent Design called the “Omega Point” – the Omega Point being found in the end to be Jesus Christ.

Leonard Weinstein, National Institute of Aerospace Senior Research Fellow (retired)

Numerous of Weinstein’s mistaken ideas about climate change are addressed here:

http://www.skepticalscience.com/How-do-we-know-CO2-is-causing-warming.html

Samuel Werner, neutron physicist, University of Missouri (retired)

Thomas Wolfram, University of Missouri (retired) – Works in lasers and semi-conductors.

Tagged: carbon dioxide, climate, CO2, eco, Environment, global warming, green, politics

Posted in: climate change, politics