Panelist Who Dissents on Climate Change Quits

NYTimes ^ | 8-23-2005 | Andrew C.Revkin

[Reagan Man]

A scientist who has long disagreed with the dominant view that global warming stems mainly from human activity has resigned from a panel that is completing a report for the Bush administration on temperature trends in the atmosphere.

The scientist, Roger A. Pielke Sr., a climatologist at Colorado State University, said most of the other scientists working on the report were too deeply wedded to particular views and were discounting minority opinions on the quality of climate records and possible causes of warming.

"When you appoint people to a committee who are experts in an area but evaluating their own work," he said in an interview, "it's very difficult for them to think outside the box of their research."

Administration officials said the resignation would not affect the quality or credibility of the report, a draft of which is being finished in the next few weeks.

The report, the first product of President Bush's 10-year climate change research program, is likely to be closely scrutinized by climate scientists and environmental and industry groups for any sign of bias or distortion.

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[thackney]

bump

[patton]

Administration officials said the resignation would not affect the quality or credibility of the report...

LOLOLOLOL

[Tarpon]

Global warming is nothing but a political football of the left. The end game is to destroy the U.S. economy.

[Jeff Blogworthy]

ping

[AZ_Cowboy]

This is rapidly becoming quite a problem in the Scientific community. It is increasingly difficult to be able to hold positions of influence or receive funding if you don't have the "right" set of beliefs and opinions. This is NOT good for science nor is it good for the general public.

[Paradox]

Its a shame what is happening to Science. There is one major meteorologist, who is very often quoted by the media William Gray who is a GW sceptic. He is the hurricane prediction guy. I was surprised to find out in this thread that he is a sceptic.

[auntyfemenist]

Administration officials said the resignation would not affect the quality or credibility of the report...

Unfortunalty...

[Always Right]

Administration officials said the resignation would not affect the quality or credibility of the report, a draft of which is being finished in the next few weeks.

That's because it had no credibility to begin with, so how could this stain hurt.

[patton]

LOL. good one.

[Hendrix]

"Its a shame what is happening to Science."

Bad science is being used to further the left's political ideology. Global warming may be happening, but the science that man is the problem or that we can really do anything feasible to change any warming is very weak.

Global warming is the left's newest method of trying to put a damper on American capitalism to try to preserve the failing socialistic European countries (Those countries cannot compete with capitalism in the long run). If you notice, all the socialist and communist nut jobs are really pushing the global warming theory on very bad science.

[Kevin OMalley]

This is rapidly becoming quite a problem in the Scientific community. It is increasingly difficult to be able to hold positions of influence or receive funding if you don't have the "right" set of beliefs and opinions. This is NOT good for science nor is it good for the general public.
***I see this on the creation/abiogenesis conflict as well. Is there any way to get some objective data on the magnitude of this problem?

[Bigh4u2]

"Administration officials said the resignation would not affect the quality or credibility of the report"

Nope!

Junk science is still junk science.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>Junk science is still junk science.

Ditto and amen.

[neverdem]

I'm surprised the Times is giving this defection any coverage.

[cogitator]

That's a shame. Pielke is a good voice to have. Here's his blog (I haven't checked to see if he has commented on his resignation from the panel).

Prometheus: The Science Policy Weblog

He didn't comment on his resignation, but his August 22 piece says this:

"Some important things to say before proceeding -- As I have written often on these pages, I accept the IPCC WGI consensus position on climate change and I am a strong advocate for policy action on climate change. I am also quite concerned by the role of science and scientists in the highly politicized context of climate."