San Diego Lyncean Group hosted Dr. S. Fred Singer, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia and Chairman, NIPCC (Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change) on January 12 at the Fleet Science Center.  Prof. Singer's work on climate change added to science perspectives presented previously to the group.

The science

Dr. Singer stuck to the science, as the Lynceans requested.  After all, the Lynceans are scientists, researchers, and engineers interested in the technical aspects of the topic. 

Singer said he would focus on whether climate change is natural or manmade.  The Lynceans were all ears. 

Change, always change

The climate has been changing for millions of years.  “There is no reason why this would change in this century,” Singer said.

The IPCC, a governmental panel on climate change, says changes are due to human activity.  The NIPCC, the non-government panel that Singer heads, says changes are due to natural forces. Singer spent the early afternoon showing technical analyses substantiating his conclusions, which differ substantively from the IPCC’s. 

Not right

The computer models upon which the IPCC stakes its catastrophic claims are wrong, Singer asserted.  He raised questions about both the data used and their interpretations, indicating that analysis of temperature data “is spurious,” incomplete, based on cherry-picked initial conditions and a few selected runs. 

A call to do nothing

Breaking from protocol with a few economic and political remarks, Singer announced that climate change is a non-problem.  Regarding politicians holding climate change as a social issue, Singer lamented that they’re destroying the economy.

“The best solution is to do nothing,” he said, adding an opinion that “it takes real courage for politicians to do nothing.”  After all, politicians must think we elect them to do something, even if that something does nothing, costs dearly, or, at the worst, ruins the nation. 

Heads in the audience nodded in silent agreement.  The Lynceans tolerated, if not welcomed, the momentary departure from science.     

Butt of attack

Dr. Singer has been the butt of literary abuse by politicians and global warming advocates. He carries a copy of Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway’s Merchants of Doubt, marked with the places he’s named in the book with their scathing attacks. Too-many-to-count paper post-it markers fringe the pages.   

Climate change advocates and alarmists have a way of signaling who they’re afraid of.  Singer is a marked man in their book. 

What the science says

The Lynceans listened to Singer with interest, displaying no such rude behavior as those actively opposing his work.  They went away with another point of view, from a scientist whose expertise engages people and promotes discussion of a science that’s still uncertain. 

Singer simply says that climate change causes are natural.