Moving Forward
Everyday decisions by ordinary citizens matter more than who’s in the White House.
Science, Skepticism, and Irony
An impressive new book about the shortcomings of scientific research is inadvertently ironic.
Benghazi, Fake News, and Extraordinary Heroes
Much of the conservative narrative about Benghazi is wrong.
Environmentalism for the Non-Naive
Like colonialists of old, affluent green activists impose their will on poor people in impoverished countries who have no means of defending themselves.
Sea Turtles and Plastics – The Bigger Picture
Plastics saved sea turtles, when tortoiseshell luxury goods became mass market items.
Freeman Dyson: Quotable Quotes
An important scientist has left us, but his books and interviews remain.
Greens & Feminists: Equally Nasty
Preparing a 20th anniversary edition of my first book helped me realize that environmentalism and feminism both began as reasonable social movements. But then they turned intolerant and extremist.
Is Science Really Self-Correcting?
No one wants to confront scientific fraud. Not managers, not journals, and not lab colleagues. So the system isn’t designed to prevent it.
Another Look at Science
Since the early 1980s, grave concerns have been raised about the process by which scientific evidence gets produced.
Bob Carter: Scientist, Mentor, Extraordinary Human Being
A shining beacon of how to lead by example, I am fortunate to have crossed paths with him.
Fanatics for Mother Gaia
French philosopher Pascal Bruckner says fundamentalist eco activists are steering society in a scary direction.
Waking Up from the Green Nightmare
A scathing critique of anti-human environmentalism, by a prominent French philosopher, is now an affordable e-book.
The Royal Society & the Scottish Referendum
Why has the president of the world’s oldest science body issued a statement about Scotland’s independence vote? Why go near that thoroughly political question with a 10-foot pole?
Skepticism Used to be a Scientific Virtue
20 years ago, scientific superstar Carl Sagan urged us to use our brains – to be actively skeptical.
Climate Skepticism in Norway
There should be spaces in our communities where climate skeptics can speak freely. A group in Norway is an excellent example.
The Three Languages of Politics
People see the world differently. If we’re going to do more than preach to our respective choirs in the climate debate, we need to recognize this.
Canadian Thanksgiving
I’m feeling especially grateful for a recent book review in the Tuscon Citizen – and for the ones left by readers on Amazon.com and it’s related websites.
The Bad Novel and the New Climate Report
Pachauri’s 2010 work of fiction and the credibility of the IPCC’s 2013-2014 climate report are now inextricably linked.
My ‘Wall Street Journal’ Op-Ed
There are many reasons to distrust the UN’s climate panel. Let’s start with political meddling and authors linked to green lobby groups.
Into the Dustbin (my new book)
My new book takes a close look at Rajendra Pachauri, the man in charge of the UN entity that will release a new climate report later this month. It’s available as a paperback, a Kindle e-book, or an instantly downloadable PDF.
See You in September
The (fully-searchable) electronic version of my book, The Delinquent Teenager, will soon cost $7.99 rather than $4.99. This is the only book-length evaluation of the IPCC by an independent journalist. The IPCC will release Part 1 of its new climate assessment in late September.
The IPCC, UFOs & Pseudoscience
The head of the IPCC has written a novel in which the central character is infatuated with pseudoscience and in which UFO enthusiast Shirley MacLaine is presented as credible. The final installment of the Nobel Laureate Summer Reading series.
Nobel Laureate Summer Reading – Part 4
Girl spurns boy, marries someone else, and is anally raped on her honeymoon. Girl comes crawling back to boy, begging for forgiveness, and pleading for one more chance.
Nobel Laureate Summer Reading – Part 3
There’s nothing wrong with writing a sex-saturated novel. But IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri says this book is “all about spirituality.”
Nobel Laureate Summer Reading – Part 2
Between the ages of four and six, our hero is judged to be the smartest, gets “revenge against the whole world,” and is preferred by the girls.
Nobel Laureate Summer Reading – Part 1
Tidbit #1 from Rajendra Pachauri’s 2010 novel. HSBC, the huge multinational bank, has linked its brand to this strange, stilted prose.
More on Stephen Emmott, Author of ‘Ten Billion’
A new book appears to be a rehash of 40-year-old environmental scaremongering endorsed by that era’s men of science.
The Coming Hellhole – Exhibit #7 of the Drama Queen Files
Emergency! Catastrophe! Earth is turning into an unprecedented hellhole – according to an Oxford professor and Microsoft official.
Why Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet
A free, shortish book defends – and celebrates – oil and coal.
The Way Nature Intended
The natural world is heartless and cruel. Yet we humans equate ‘natural’ with ‘good’.
David Suzuki: All Mining Must Stop
According to Canada’s most prominent environmentalist, the mining of gold, silver, copper and other minerals poses an unacceptable risk to the planet’s atmosphere.
How Climate Scientists Think
Nobel-winning work about self-delusion and flawed judgment applies to all of us – even climatologists.
Earth Day an Oil Industry Scam?
According to 1960s radicals, the environmental movement has been funded and orchestrated by fossil fuel interests.
Earth Day 1970 (The Drama Queen Files, Exhibit #4)
The language being used in 1970, the year Earth Day was born, hasn’t changed much: Crisis. Catastrophe. Endangered. Extinction.
New Beginnings
It’s springtime. Here’s hoping that our eyes are opening along with the blossoms.
Speaking of the Children
Half of children perish in pre-industrial societies. Take your pick: a bucolic, green fantasy world – or one that’s safe for kids.
For the Sake of the Children
Climate crusaders urge us to Think of the children! But that can be used by anyone to advance any argument under the sun.
Seeing Polar Bears
Most polar bear info is filtered through an activist lens. Here are some alternative views.
Papering Over Sappy Bill McKibben
A new, 73-page paper about America’s “most visible environmental activist” doesn’t mention that he’s an emotional basketcase.
Writing About Climate Change
Is a new academic network just a cover for climate activists?
Happy New Year!
The German translation of my book is now in bookstores, readers of this blog are generous souls, and a troubling examination of free speech on university campuses sheds light on the climate debate.
Celebrating Human Life
A searing critique of environmental thought has emerged from an unlikely source – contemporary French philosophy.
Australia, I’m Looking Forward to Meeting You
Reserve your spot on my four-city speaking tour – or purchase the brand new Australian edition of my book.
The Activist Economist & the IPCC (Part 2)
The author of a 2007 book on climate change failed to mention his own IPCC involvement while pointing to that body as an authority. This is called an undisclosed conflict-of-interest.
Bob Carter: A Geological Perspective
A climate debate that includes Al Gore’s climate ideas – but not Bob Carter’s – is no debate at all.
German-Language News
It’s official. The Delinquent Teen is being translated into German and will be for sale in German bookstores later this year.
What Financial Meltdowns Teach Us About the IPCC
When I describe the surreal world of climate science to people who are strangers to that world I know it sounds fantastical. But there are strong parallels with the recently destroyed economies of Iceland, Greece, and Ireland.
‘Delinquent Teen’ Press Clippings
Reviews of my book continue to appear in Switzerland, South Africa, the UK, and the US.
My Own Josh Cartoon
The IPCC has, so far, ignored my book. But perhaps I’m having an impact nevertheless.
News & Reviews
At the end of 2011 Treehugger.com continues to portray IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri as a saint.
When the IPCC Makes an Error, Is it the Journalist’s Fault?
I trusted the IPCC’s website when it listed the lead authors of one of its chapters. If that list is wrong am I the party who hasn’t been careful?
Book Sightings & an Invite to Germany
Some book reviews, an excerpt in The Huffington Post, and an invitation to speak at a climate change conference in Munich.
A Paperback is Born
My book is now available as a paperback. Thank you for your patience.
I’m Interviewed About Peter Gleick & Other Matters
I’ve not commented on Peter Gleick’s one-star review of my book on Amazon.com prior to this interview.
Paperback Update
The paperback edition of The Delinquent Teenager will make its debut within the next 48 hours.
WWF Issues Press Release About My Book
The World Wildlife Fund says the charge that scientists linked to its organization have infiltrated the IPCC is ‘ludicrous.’ I suppose it’s a total coincidence that more than 2/3rds of the IPCC report’s chapters included at least one WWF-affiliated individual.
National Post Excerpt & Review
Canada’s National Post newspaper is running an excerpt of my book this weekend. It may be the only newspaper on the planet employing three climate skeptic journalists.
Book Review in an Arizona Newspaper
The Delinquent Teenager has been reviewed in the Tuscon Citizen.
You Folks Are Fantastic!
Thanks so much for the purchases, the reviews, and the growing momentum! See a sample of the PDF edition here.
Please Review My Book on Amazon
Please consider leaving a review of my book on the Amazon store websites. These reviews really do matter.
A Book is Born
Digital editions of my book can now be purchased from Amazon.com, as well as Amazon outlets in the UK, Germany, and France. An instantly-downloadable PDF edition is also available.
Of Footnotes & Factchecking (book update)
My book-length exposé of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will be available soon.
E-Book Tipping Point
Amazon.com says e-books have begun out-selling hardcover and paperback books combined. Climate titles that don’t have an e-book edition are now at a serious disadvantage.
Bill McKibben’s Bad Example
Those seemingly nice people brimming with such concern for the planet are actually profoundly intolerant.
Is Everything Really Getting Worse?
David Suzuki says the planet is in “far worse shape” today than 50 years ago. But a growing library of exhaustively researched books claim the opposite.
Future Babble
Possessing scholarly expertise is one thing. Being able to predict the future is another matter entirely. Future Babble is a book that explores the question of why expert predictions fail – and why we believe them anyway.
Speaking of Holiday Cheer…
Please consider supporting this blog and my book-in-progress. Via a PayPal donation button, you can buy me a holiday cocktail, so to speak.
Why I’m Giving ‘The Hockey Stick Illusion’ for Christmas
It’s difficult to read Andrew Montford’s Hockey Stick Illusion book and not conclude that something is terribly amiss – in the world of science, in scientific publishing, and within the bowels of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The Shoddy Climategate Inquiries
A new report examines three UK inquiries launched after the Climategate documents surfaced in late 2009. Intended to restore public confidence, those inquiries have done nothing of the sort.
The Book the IPCC Plagiarized
Entire passages in the IPCC’s 1995 report were lifted from a 1993 book authored by Anthony McMichael – the IPCC person in charge of the health chapter.
IPCC Says Climate Prediction Impossible
In its 2001 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admitted that long-term climate prediction is not possible. So why are we telling kids the world won’t be habitable by the time they grow up?
The Auditor – A Cartoon by Josh
A cartoon pays homage to Steve McIntyre, a private Canadian citizen who believes climate research findings need to be verified by independent third parties. Having led a multi-year crusade to ensure this happens, an excellent book has now been written about McIntyre’s efforts.
Let There Be No More Scientific Consensuses
Science is about doubt – not certainty. Journalism is supposed to reveal – not conceal. When scientific organizations claim there’s a consensus, they step over the line into political advocacy. When media outlets trumpet said consensus they “disappear” highly-qualified, dissenting scientists.
The Cult of the Expert
Experts have often been spectacularly wrong. Believing their predictions – rather than thinking for ourselves – isn’t smart.
Our Hyperactive Planet
Planet Earth experiences frequent volcanoes, earthquakes, electrical storms, tsunamis & tornadoes. It’s unlikely that this immense, complex system can be controlled by humans.
We HAVE Heard This Rhetoric Before
A book published in the 1970s argued passionately that society couldn’t afford to ignore the danger posed by global cooling. The evidence was too strong, it said – and scientists who disagreed were being irresponsible. Sound familiar?
Scientific Organizations – Should We Trust Them?
Since the 1970s, some scientists have embraced social & political activism. The public needs to be aware, therefore, that not every pronouncement made by a “scientist” is neutral or disinterested.
Bullies Need Not Apply
Rather than working to persuade the skeptically-minded, global warming activists condemn. They name-call. They accuse. This isn’t the sort of behaviour one associates with an iron-clad case.
Climate Confusion
Roy Spencer is a bona fide climate scientist who disagrees with the dangerous global warming hypothesis. I review his book Climate Confusion – and also discuss Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature.
Political Idealogues Are Bad for the Environment
When political ideology is taken to an extreme, when it becomes the primary driving force behind decision-making, really bad things happen to both humans and the environment. Mao’s War Against Nature is a scary book – and a cautionary tale.
Bias: How the Media Distort the News
Bernie Goldberg worked on news shows for 28 years at CBS television. His book has illuminating things to say about purported investigative news programs & other topics. “Scaring the hell out of people makes for good television,” he writes, “even when it makes for shallow journalism.”
Exploring a long list of highly questionable media scare stories, Goldberg reminds us that, in 1987, Oprah Winfrey told her viewers 1 in 5 American heterosexuals would be dead from AIDS within 3 years.
The Honest Broker
A moderate and pragmatic voice in the climate debate, Roger Pielke Jr. argues in this book, The Honest Broker, that scientists deserve this label when they present a variety of options to the public – rather than advocating a single course of action.
An Appeal to Reason
Nigel Lawson’s An Appeal to Reason provides an overview of the good reasons to be skeptical of the hype surrounding global warming. The world would be a more sensible place if journalists, politicians & educators spent a few hours reading its 100 pages.