News
4/14/2009
Climate Change
"Few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change.The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear."
— PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
With all due respect Mr.President,that is not true.
We, the undersigned scientists, maintain that the case for alarm regarding climate change is grossly overstated. Surface temperature changes over the past century have been episodic and modest and there has been no net global warming for over a decade now.1,2 After controlling for population growth and property values, there has been
no increase in damages from severe weather-related events.3 The computer models forecasting rapid temperature change abjectly fail to explain recent climate behavior.4 Mr. President, your characterization of the scientific facts regarding climate change and the degree of certainty informing the scientific debate is simply incorrect.
SYUN AKUSOFU, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
ARTHUR G.ANDERSON, PH.D
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, IBM (RETIRED)
CHARLES R.ANDERSON, PH.D
ANDERSON MATERIALS EVALUATION
J. SCOTT ARMSTRONG, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
ROBERT ASHWORTH
CLEARSTACK LLC
ISMAIL BAHT, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR
COLIN BARTON
CSIRO (RETIRED)
DAVID J. BELLAMY, OBE
THE BRITISH NATURAL ASSOCIATION
JOHN BLAYLOCK
LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY (RETIRED)
EDWARD F. BLICK, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA (EMERITUS)
SONJA BOEHMER-CHRISTIANSEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF HULL
BOB BRECK
AMS BROADCASTER OF THEYEAR 2008
JOHN BRIGNELL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON (EMERITUS)
MARK CAMPBELL, PH.D
U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY
ROBERT M. CARTER, PH.D
JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY
IAN CLARK, PH.D
PROFESSOR, EARTH SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA, OTTAWA, CANADA
ROGER COHEN, PH.D
FELLOW,AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
PAUL COPPER, PH.D
LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
PIERS CORBYN,MS
WEATHER ACTION
RICHARD S. COURTNEY, PH.D
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
UBERTO CRESCENTI, PH.D
PAST-PRESIDENT, ITALIAN GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
SUSAN CROCKFORD, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OFVICTORIA
JOSEPH S. D’ALEO
FELLOW,AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
JAMES DEMEO PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS (RETIRED)
DAVID DEMING, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
DIANE DOUGLAS, PH.D
PALEOCLIMATOLOGIST
DAVID DOUGLASS, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
ROBERT H. ESSENHIGH
E.G. BAILEY EMERITUS
PROFESSOR OF ENERGY CONVERSION
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
CHRISTOPHER ESSEX, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OFWESTERN ONTARIO
JOHN FERGUSON, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE
UPON TYNE (RETIRED)
EDUARDO FERREYRA
ARGENTINIAN FOUNDATION FOR
A SCIENTIFIC ECOLOGY
MICHAEL FOX, PH.D
AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY
GORDON FULKS, PH.D
GORDON FULKS AND ASSOCIATES
LEE GERHARD, PH.D
STATE GEOLOGIST, KANSAS (RETIRED)
GERHARD GERLICH, PH.D
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT BRAUNSCHWEIG
IVAR GIAEVER, PH.D
NOBEL LAUREATE, PHYSICS
ALBRECHT GLATZLE, PH.D
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, INTTAS
(PARAGUAY)
WAYNE GOODFELLOW, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
JAMES GOODRIDGE
CALIFORNIA STATE CLIMATOLOGIST (RETIRED)
LAURENCE GOULD, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD
VINCENT GRAY, PH.D
NEW ZEALAND CLIMATE COALITION
WILLIAM M. GRAY, PH.D
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
KENNETH E. GREEN, D.ENV.
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
KESTEN GREEN, PH.D
MONASH UNIVERSITY
WILL HAPPER, PH.D
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
HOWARD C. HAYDEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT (EMERITUS)
BEN HERMAN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA (EMERITUS)
MARTIN HERTZBERG, PH.D.
U.S. NAVY (RETIRED)
DOUG HOFFMAN, PH.D
AUTHOR, THE RESILIENT EARTH
BERND HUETTNER, PH.D
OLE HUMLUM, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF OSLO
A. NEIL HUTTON
PAST PRESIDENT, CANADIAN SOCIETY
OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS
CRAIG D. IDSO, PH.D
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CARBON DIOXIDE
AND GLOBAL CHANGE
SHERWOOD B. IDSO, PH.D
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (RETIRED)
KIMINORI ITOH, PH.D
YOKOHAMA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
STEVE JAPAR, PH.D
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL
PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
STEN KAIJSER, PH.D
UPPSALA UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
WIBJORN KARLEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF STOCKHOLM (EMERITUS)
JOEL KAUFFMAN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES,
PHILADELPHIA (EMERITUS)
DAVID KEAR, PH.D
FORMER DIRECTOR-GENERAL,
NZ DEPT. SCIENTIFIC AND
INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH
RICHARD KEEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
DR. KELVIN KEMM, PH.D
LIFETIME ACHIEVERS AWARD,
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FORUM, SOUTH AFRICA
MADHAV KHANDEKAR, PH.D
FORMER EDITOR, CLIMATE RESEARCH
ROBERT S. KNOX, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER (EMERITUS)
JAMES P. KOERMER, PH.D
PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY
GERHARD KRAMM, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS
WAYNE KRAUS, PH.D
KRAUS CONSULTING
OLAV M. KVALHEIM, PH.D
UNIV. OF BERGEN
ROAR LARSON, PH.D
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
JAMES F. LEA, PH.D
DOUGLAS LEAHY, PH.D
METEOROLOGIST
PETER R. LEAVITT
CERTIFIED CONSULTING METEOROLOGIST
DAVID R. LEGATES, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
RICHARD S. LINDZEN, PH.D
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
HARRY F. LINS, PH.D.
CO-CHAIR, IPCC HYDROLOGY AND
WATER RESOURCESWORKING GROUP
ANTHONY R. LUPO, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
HOWARD MACCABEE, PH.D,MD
CLINICAL FACULTY, STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL
HORST MALBERG, PH.D
FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
BJORN MALMGREN, PH.D
GOTEBURG UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
JENNIFER MAROHASY, PH.D
AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENT FOUNDATION
JAMES A MARUSEK
U.S. NAVY (RETIRED)
ROSS MCKITRICK, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
PATRICK J.MICHAELS, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OFVIRGINIA
TIMMOTHY R.MINNICH,MS
MINNICH AND SCOTTO, INC.
ASMUNN MOENE, PH.D
FORMER HEAD, FORECASTING
CENTER,METEOROLOGICAL
INSTITUTE, NORWAY
MICHAEL MONCE, PH.D
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE
DICK MORGAN, PH.D
EXETER UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
NILS-AXEL MÖRNER, PH.D
STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
DAVID NOWELL, D.I.C.
FORMER CHAIRMAN, NATO
METEOROLOGY CANADA
CLIFF OLLIER, D.SC.
UNIVERSITY OFWESTERN AUSTRALIA
GARTH W. PALTRIDGE, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA
ALFRED PECKAREK, PH.D
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
DR. ROBERT A. PERKINS, P.E.
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
IAN PILMER, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE (EMERITUS)
BRIAN R. PRATT, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
JOHN REINHARD, PH.D
ORE PHARMACEUTICALS
PETER RIDD, PH.D
JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY
CURT ROSE, PH.D
BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
PETER SALONIUS M.SC.
CANADIAN FOREST SERVICE
GARY SHARP, PH.D
CENTER FOR CLIMATE/OCEAN
RESOURCES STUDY
THOMAS P. SHEAHAN, PH.D
WESTERN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
ALAN SIMMONS
AUTHOR, THE RESILIENT EARTH
ROY N. SPENCER, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA—HUNTSVILLE
ARLIN SUPER, PH.D
RETIRED RESEARCH
METEOROLOGIST, U.S. DEPT.
OF RECLAMATION
GEORGE H.TAYLOR,MS
APPLIED CLIMATE SERVICES
EDUARDO P. TONNI, PH.D
MUSEO DE LA PLATA (ARGENTINA)
RALF D.TSCHEUSCHNER, PH.D
DR.ANTON URIARTE, PH.D
UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAISVASCO
BRIANVALENTINE, PH.D
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
GOSTAWALIN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG (EMERITUS)
GERD-RAINERWEBER, PH.D
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENAL
PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
FORESE-CARLOWEZEL, PH.D
URBINO UNIVERSITY
EDWARD T.WIMBERLEY, PH.D
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY
MIKLOS ZAGONI, PH.D
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
ANTONIO ZICHICHI, PH.D
PRESIDENT,WORLD FEDERATION OF SCIENTISTS
P A I D F O R B Y T H E C A T O I N S T I T U T E , W W W. C A T O . O R G
1. Swanson, K.L., and A. A. Tsonis. Geophysical Research Letters, in press: DOI:10.1029/2008GL037022.
2. Brohan, P., et al. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2006: DOI: 10.1029/2005JD006548. Updates at http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature.
3. Pielke, R. A. Jr., et al. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2005: DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-86-10-1481.
4. Douglass, D. H., et al. International Journal of Climatology, 2007: DOI: 10.1002/joc.1651.
Back to News
|
|
