Overview - Climate Change Astroturf Fronts

Astroturf fronts have stridently denied that mainstream scientific consensus supports global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which represents mainstream views one of their favorite targets. Whereas the IPCC represents over 2000 scientists, virtually all of which are published contributors in fields relevant to climate science and global warming mitigation, astroturf fronts have relied exclusively on a handful of consultants (one to two dozen at most). Of these, the lion’s share of the actual “science” consulting has been restricted to the following;

• S. Fred Singer: A professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and of “Humane Studies” at George Mason University. He is best known for founding the SEPP discussed above but has been widely recruited, and funded, by the fossil fuels, coal, auto, and tobacco industries.
• Patrick Michaels: Also a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, He has published some climate science research, but nearly all of it has since been discredited. He is best known for his ubiquitous op-ed pieces in Far-Right forums and his book “The Satanic Gases” co-authored with Robert Balling. He has a history of deliberately editing data in his consulting work. In at least one case he was caught falsifying data during Congressional testimony. He’s also come under fire recently for claiming to be the Virginia State Climatologist—a claim he continues to make even though the State of Virginia disputes it.
• Robert Balling: Director of the Office of Climatology at Arizona State University. Also known primarily for his advocacy efforts rather than any published climate science. His most noted works are his books “The Heated Debate: greenhouse predictions vs. climate reality” (published under the auspices of the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, a California-based Far-Right think tank), and “The Satanic Gases”, which he co-authored with Patrick Michaels.
• Sallie Baliunas: An astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, she is one of the most widely contracted, and cited of contrarian industry consultants. She is best known for her belief that solar activity (particularly sunspots) drives global warming. She co-authored at least 3 papers that have been embroiled in scandal for publishing work riddled with errors and omissions under questionable peer-review standards. Among these was the paper that accompanied the OISM Petition, which also drew charges ofplagiarism and a sharp denunciation from the National Academy of Sciences.
• Sherwood Idso: Another astrophysicist with Harvard-Smithsonian with a track record similar to Baliunas’. He too co-authored the same scandal-ridden papers associated with Baliunas and has also been a ubiquitous figure in Far-Right circles.
• Richard Lindzen: Sloan professor of atmospheric sciences at M.I.T., Lindzen is best known for his attempts to demonstrate the existence of negative climate feedback mechanisms that will neutralize the impacts of global warming. His most recent and credible such effort was published in 2001 and has come to be known as the “Iris Hypothesis”. While theoretically viable it has run into a number of observational difficulties and is not widely accepted. Lindzen has also received some notoriety of late because the main character in Michael Crichton’s book “State of Fear” appears to be based on him. The novel, which is about a sinister plot by “radical environmental terrorists” to make global warming “seem” real by altering global weather, was actually a thinly veiled attempt at pseudoscientific and political commentary.
• John Christy: Director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the Alabama State Climatologist. He is best known for his pioneering work with Roy Spencer on the use of satellite-based remote sensing to measure lower temperature trends that have been a key component of climate change studies. He was also a lead author of portions of the IPCC Year 1995 and 2001 Reports summarizing the current state of climate change science. Christy has acknowledged that human activity has impacted climate, but he believes the impact will be minimal.
• Roy Spencer: A principle research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and formerly Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. A colleague of John Christy, Spencer is also known for pioneering work in remote sensing of troposphere temperature trends. He is a regular contributor to Tech Central Station where he is a member of their Science Roundtable.