Patrick Michaels

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Patrick J. Michaels
Born (1950-02-15) February 15, 1950 (age 74)
United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Chicago,
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known forWork on global warming
Scientific career
FieldsClimatology, Ecology
InstitutionsUniversity of Wisconsin,
University of Virginia,
Cato Institute
ThesisAtmospheric anomalies and crop yields in North America (1979)
WebsitePatrick J. Michaels, Cato Institute

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Michaels (born February 15, 1950) [1] is a climatologist and the director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute.[2] He was a research professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia for thirty years.[2]

Education

Michaels received an A.B. in biological science in 1971 and an S.M. in biology in 1975 from the University of Chicago.[3] He received a Ph.D. in ecological climatology in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[3] His doctoral thesis was titled, Atmospheric anomalies and crop yields in North America.[4]

Career

Michaels was a research and project assistant in the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin from 1976 to 1979.[3] After obtaining his Ph.D. he became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia in 1980, advancing to Associate Professor in 1986 and finally Professor in 1996.[3] Michaels was the Virginia State Climatologist from 1980 to 2007 and past president of the American Association of State Climatologists.[3]

He has been a visiting scientist at the Marshall Institute and a senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute.[3] Currently he is the director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute.[2]

Michaels was an adjunct professor and senior research fellow in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University.[5][6]

He has been a member of the American Association of State Climatologists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of American Geographers, the American Meteorological Society and Sigma Xi.[3]

Views on climate change

He is one of the most widely quoted global warming skeptics[7] and has described himself as a skeptic.[8] He contends that the changes will be minor, not catastrophic, and may even be beneficial.[9]

He has written extensive editorials on this topic for the mass media, and for think tanks and their publications such as Regulation.[9]

[S]cientists know quite precisely how much the planet will warm in the foreseeable future, a modest three-quarters of a degree (C) [in 50 years]

All this has to do with basic physics, which isn't real hard to understand. It has been known since 1872 that as we emit more and more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, each increment results in less and less warming. In other words, the first changes produce the most warming, and subsequent ones produce a bit less, and so on. But we also assume carbon dioxide continues to go into the atmosphere at an ever-increasing rate. In other words, the increase from year-to-year isn't constant, but itself is increasing. The effect of increasing the rate of carbon dioxide emissions, coupled with the fact that more and more carbon dioxide produces less and less warming compels our climate projections for the future warming to be pretty much a straight line. Translation: Once human beings start to warm the climate, they do so at a constant rate.[10]

Michaels asks:

Why is the news on global warming always bad? Perhaps because there's little incentive to look at things the other way. If you do, you're liable to be pilloried by your colleagues. If global warming isn't such a threat, who needs all that funding?[11]

Funding controversy

On CNN, Michaels responded to a question about private industry funding his research stating, "Well, you know, most of my funding, the vast majority, comes from taxpayer-supported entities. I would make the argument that if funding colors research, I should be certainly biased more towards the taxpayers, of which I am one, than towards industry."[12]

ABC News reported that the Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), a Colorado electric cooperative, contributed $100,000 to Michaels in February 2006.[13] An Associated Press report said that the donations had been made after Michaels had "told Western business leaders ... that he was running out of money for his analyses of other scientists' global warming research" and noted that some viewed it as a conflict of interest, while others viewed it as "the type of lobbying that goes along with many divisive issues".[14] Michaels is open about the money and sees no problem with it.[15] He said the money will help pay his staff and stated, "Last I heard, anybody can ask a scientific question, [...] It is a very spirited discussion that requires technical response and expertise."[15]

According to Fred Pearce, fossil fuel companies have helped fund Michaels' projects, including his World Climate Report, published every year since 1994, and his "advocacy science consulting firm", New Hope Environmental Services.[16]

Selected publications

Michaels is the author of several books including Sound and Fury: The Science and Politics of Global Warming (1992), The Satanic Gases (2000), and Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media (2004) and is the co-author of Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science They Don't Want You to Know (2009).[2]

His writing has been published in major scientific journals, including Climate Research, Climatic Change, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Climate, Nature, and Science, as well as in popular serials such as the Washington Post, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Houston Chronicle, and Journal of Commerce.[2] He was an author of the climate "paper of the year" awarded by the Association of American Geographers in 2004.[2]

Science papers

  • Michaels, P.J.; Singer, S.F.; Knappenberger, P.C.; Kerr, J.B.; McElroy, C.T. (1994). "Analyzing ultraviolet-B radiation—is there a trend?". Science. 264 (5163): 1341–1343. Bibcode:1994Sci...264.1341M. doi:10.1126/science.264.5163.1341. PMID 17780851.
  • Michaels, Patrick J.; Knappenberger, Paul C. (1996). "Human effect on global climate?". Nature. 384 (6609): 522–523. Bibcode:1996Natur.384..522M. doi:10.1038/384522b0.
  • Michaels, Patrick J.; Balling Jr., Robert C.; Knappenberger, Paul C.; Knappenberger, PC (1998). "Analysis of trends in the variability of daily and monthly historical temperature measurements" (PDF). Climate Research. 10: 27–33. doi:10.3354/cr010027. ISSN 0936-577X.
  • Davis, Robert E.; Knappenberger, Paul C.; Novicoff, Wendy M.; Michaels, Patrick J. (2002). "Decadal changes in heat-related human mortality in the eastern United States" (PDF). Climate Research. 22: 175–184. doi:10.3354/cr022175. ISSN 0936-577X.
  • Davies, R.E.; Knappenberger, P.C.; Michaels, P.J.; Novicoff, W.M. (2003). "Changing heat-related mortality in the United States". Environmental Health Perspectives. 111 (14): 1712–8. doi:10.1289/ehp.6336. PMC 1241712. PMID 14594620.

Books

See also

  • iconGlobal warming portal

    • References

    1. ^ Schultz, James (February 19, 1996). "Earth Men: Michaels: When it comes to matters of global warming, scientist is on of the nation's leading contrarians". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
    2. ^ a b c d e f "Patrick J. Michaels: Director, Center for the Study of Science". Cato Institute. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
    3. ^ a b c d e f g "C.V. Patrick J. Michaels" (PDF). United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. February 12, 2009. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
    4. ^ Michaels, Patrick J. (1979). "Atmospheric anomalies and crop yields in North America". University of Wisconsin-Madison. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
    5. ^ "SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY: PUBP 710-xxx - PUBLIC SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY" (PDF). George Mason University. 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
    6. ^ "Patrick J. Michaels: Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies". Cato Institute. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
    7. ^ Doughton, Sandi (11 October 2005). "The truth about global warming". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
    8. ^ http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6129
    9. ^ a b Michaels, Patrick (Fall 2000). "The Way of Warming" (PDF). 23 (3). Regulation. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    10. ^ Michaels, Patrick (16 October 2003). "Posturing and reality on warming". Washington Times. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
    11. ^ "Our Climate Numbers Are a Big Old Mess", Wall Street Journal, 4-18-08
    12. ^ Michaels, Patrick (August 17, 2002). "Greenspan Declines to Cut Interest Rates; Politicians Try to Blame Each Other For Recession; Is Global Warming Just Bunk" (Interview). Retrieved 2012-09-01. {{cite interview}}: Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help)
    13. ^ Clayton, Sandell (July 27, 2006). "ABC News Reporting Cited As Evidence In Congressional Hearing On Global Warming". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    14. ^ Borenstein, Seth (26 July 2006). "Utilities Give Warming Skeptic Big Bucks". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
    15. ^ a b "Funding a Global-Warming Skeptic". Wired. Associated Press. July 27, 2006. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
    16. ^ Pearce, Fred, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming, (2010) Guardian Books, ISBN 978-0-85265-229-9, p. X.

    External links

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