Part 2: Examining William Happer, Fraudster Against Humanity

The Depravity of Climate Science Denial

Risking civilization for profit, ideology and ego.

Global Warming: Happer’s Neglected Facts

(Feb. 9th - Silly me.  I was actually expecting my bud Anonymous 12/12 (Veizer?) to check back the way he promised.  Ready to engage in some serious debate.  But alas, another self-certain loud mouth runs for cover - and since I'm very busy and to be honest literally sick of our current political situation in particular the Democrats continued utter ineptness, this exercise in futility is off the burner again.  The sense of abandonment and hopelessness, along with the terror of what's coming next - because it certainly will be uglier than anything America's white bread liberals can imagine, if current trends are allowed to continue - is getting too heavy.

And no one is out there trying to really engage and network, beyond boosting membership counts.  If we aren't changing minds, we are losing!

To inform and empower and engage, nothing, nothing, nothing, while the Trumpsters are running circles around us with their reality fabrication machine.  It's enough to drive an empathetic observant thoughtful person into the sick bed.  Thus I need to pull my focus in toward what I do have a little bit of control over, my day to day, the people and commitments in my life, and to savor the little time of peace and happiness we have left.)

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First, Crucial Facts Republicans and Happer Neglect:

Climate change: Where we are in seven charts

By Nassos Stylianou, Clara Guibourg, Daniel Dunford, Lucy Rodgers, David Brown and Paul Rincon  |  January 14, 2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46384067

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STATE OF THE CLIMATE

State of the climate: Heat across Earth’s surface and oceans mark early 2019

Zeke Hausfather   |  April 23, 2019 |

https://www.carbonbrief.org/state-of-the-climate-heat-across-earths-surface-and-oceans-mark-early-2019

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The Trump administration says the climate will warm by a disastrous amount — and there are few plans to address it

Jeremy Berke Oct 1, 2018

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-administration-climate-will-warm-by-7-degrees-by-2100-2018-10

• A report released by the Trump Administration said the climate is going to warm by 7 degrees Farenheit by 2100.
• The report was written to justify President Trump's decision to freeze federal gas-mileage standards for cars and light trucks by 2020.
• The predicted effects of climate change, including increased flooding associated with hurricanes, wildfires, and heat waves are already becoming a reality.

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A Grave Climate Warning, Buried on Black Friday

ROBINSON MEYER  |  NOVEMBER 23, 2018

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/national-climate-assessment-black-friday/576589/

In a massive new report, federal scientists contradict President Trump and assert that climate change is an intensifying danger to the United States. Too bad it came out on a holiday. …

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Happer says: Most research that tries to project future climate has focused on developing and applying complex computer models that attempt to simulate the Earth’s climate system. 

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Right.  Computer models are powerful.  Think about it, they can even build passenger jet planes.  All sorts of complex modern marvels are totally dependent on “computer modeling,” it’s not to be dismissed.

Those models are filled with increasingly precise information, precise enough to make air to air missiles a reality.  The experts really do know a thing or two that the likes of Happer simply disregard. 

"Who Says CO₂ Heats Up Our Planet?" 

Worse, Republicans don’t want to learn!

Detailing William Happer’s Fraud Against Humanity

Anonymous12/12* (Veizer?) ignored the information I shared, instead he came at me with the following,

“CC wrote: “You can start here: The Band Saturation Effect - New Modtran Model 1 http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/1090132/uiconf_id/20652192/entry_id/1_etyzlvw7/embed/auto?" 

*My reply. - Will Happer is far more qualified in this area and one of those annoying sceptics too.” 

I’ve even read claims that William Happer is ‘the authority’ that provides the scientific basis that could be used to challenge the EPA’s endangerment finding of the atmospheric pollutant CO₂.  

Curiously, this Republican “authority” on climate science, has never studied the topic, nor done any research in the ‘area’ of climate sciences, nor presented any serious scientific papers on any aspect of the topic!

William Happer used to be a recognized authority in the relatively simplistic area of atomic physics, optics and spectroscopy.  But, that’s the end of it!  

Happer’s education and experience is totally inadequate for understanding complex global system science!    As I detail in this review.

What Happer has is that astounding Republican amorality and chutzpah, he’s good at fighting dirty and rhetorical fancy dancing, not to mention he’s politically extremely right wing and proud of it.  Oh have I mentioned William Happer receives retirement income from the coal industry?  

Shhhh, it’s a secret:

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/watch-industry-funded-climate-denier-goes-off-on-camera-lies-about-fossil-fuel-funding/

Someone with such passionate political interests can never be an unbiased reviewer of science.  But all that honesty integrity sort of thing seems out of fashion these days. 

Happer is a political advocate, a salesman for his product.  Truth and learning about this Earth is the last thing on his mind.  Yet they should have been the first things on ours.  

In the following I consider Happer’s own words and compare them to the backdrop of readily available current scientific understanding.  As usual you’ll find many links to further supporting information along with an appendix of relevant articles and videos at the end of this examination of Dr. Happer’s public claims.

Let's Debate William Happer's CO2 Delusion

Anonymous12/12  (Veizer?) inspired me to take on Mr. CO2 Coalition's Dr. William Happer by examining his "Carbon Dioxide Benefits the World - talking points”. 

As I was finishing my closing to part one of that review, it occurred to me this was turning into a good stand alone declaration and invitation, why bury it?  The review itself to be posted shorty:

Closing thoughts regarding Happer's Carbon Dioxide Benefits the World.

In the final analysis Dr. Happer and Republican climate science myths are deluded nonsense. 

Projecting a comic book image of our Earth, one driven by willful ignorance, corporate power-politics and self-interested avarice with a sociopathic disregard for humanity; this biosphere we depend on; and the future.  

Educationally, it’s pure garbage!  Nothing in it is serious science or objective information.

I defy any Dr. Happer fan to engage in an honest open constructive fact-based debate, that can intelligently dispute my claims.  

Bullying, threats, dirty tricks can shut down the discuss, but can you come up with serious honest arguments and evidence?  

Can you teach anything constructive? Can you learn anything from new information?

So, what is the deal with Earth and climate and CO₂ and current events?

Anonymous12/12 (Veizer?) drops by with more complaints.

I received some more comments from Anonymous12/12 yesterday.  Same games, so once again his comments get rejected.  Though, I’m certainly not going to ignore them because they so perfectly represent what rational people are up against and what I’m trying to write about.  

Anonymous12/12’s three comments offer another good vehicle for me to try to convey what I’ve learned from decades of listening to the disingenuous contrarian monologue.  Mostly I’m addressing Anonymous12/12, but occasionally I switch my attention to readers, all of it is food for thought.  The embedded images show that I haven’t changed any of his words.  

What's the point.

Dissect the debate, understand what they are going to come at you with.
  
Be prepared! 

(latest edit Jan 5, near midnight)

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Unknown at 11:56 AM  (2/3)

(click on image)

Peter, Firstly happy new year to you. 

Hopefully less insults hypocrisy about insults 

when there have been many more from your side*. 

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*I think not!

The irony of your type complaining about hypocrisy isn’t lost on me.  

Yes, I did say your previous comment typified the behavior of an Intellectual Juvenile Delinquent.  After reading these comments, I see nothing has changed. 

You continue exhibiting a certain thuggish behavior.  
Why not respect my rules?

I’m ready for a serious dialogue, but you aren’t offering one, you have games on your mind.

A good faith dialogue is upfront and with a free exchange of information and references done in plain english.  That said, I will share your comments on my terms and with appropriate commentary.

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Can you please send a copy of the interaction between 14 scientists and the work of Drs Shaviv & Veizer the link isn’t working. 

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Send a copy?  Sure, give me an email address.

Or you could look for yourself: https://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Climate/Climate_Science/Contrarians.html  (the following is a fraction of what you can find over there.)

Considering John Kerry’s Failure to Communicate with GOP’s T. Massie 4/9/2019

Kerry’s Failure to Communicate with and Confront GOP.

I made these remarks after finishing a review of some deceptive opining by Mike Hulme.  

It occurs to me I'd like to share the same message over here

since I seriously am looking for someone to work for.

citizenschallenge - at - gmail com

Watching GOP Rep. Thomas Massie April 9th questioning of John Kerry I was struck by how much Massie’s questioning and attitude resembled a smug entitled middle schooler, gotcha games and all.  It was laughable.  If not for the societal tragedy of having such a know-nothing in such a position of power.

That’s why I vowed to give his little theater a closer look when I could.  Now I can and of course it turns out more convoluted and time consuming than expected.  Instead of the single post I had originally envisioned, I’m going to have to go with installments.  

My first post was a closer look at the person who was at the heart of Massie's “pseudoscience” word play.  Namely, Trump’s climate “brain trust” the infamous William Happer a man who’s a firm believer in taxes being more important than truthfully understanding climate science.  A one time physicist who in old age hires himself out to attack active scientists.  

William Happer is motivated by extreme right wing political passions and a paycheck.  He is the poster boy of a Professional Pseudoscientist if there ever was one. 

That collection serves as supporting information for this second installment where I’ll focus on Rep Massie’s bizarre and basically unhinged insinuation that climate science is pseudoscience.  

Documenting Peabody Energy's failed courtroom deception - John Mashey

A month ago I posted: Judge rules: Drs. Spencer, Lindzen, Happer are not credible expert witnesses! about the rejection of the nonsensical claims of a number of expert climate science contrarians by a court of law.  It was a reminder that truth really does matter.  Today I saw that John Mashey has done a review of that court case and its highlights, including links to most the relevant documentation in this DeSmogBlog Repost.  It's a data gold mine for the serious student who wants to delve into the details of how contrarians try to deceive and I'm happy to add it to my collection:

Peabody's Outlier Gang Couldn't Shoot Straight In Minnesota Carbon Case, Judge Rebuffs Happer, Lindzen, Spencer, Mendelsohn, Bezdek

Overview On 04/13/15, Peabody Energy followed other major coal companies into bankruptcy, and days later lost a battle in a landmark legal war on Minnesota's Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). The "best" gang1 of climate denial outliers they could hire tried to confuse the court with absurd claims in both science and economics. The Judge was…

Judge rules: Drs. Spencer, Lindzen, Happer are not credible expert witnesses!

So reports John Abraham (Professor of thermal and fluid sciences at the University of St. Thomas, Minn) in a recent UK Guardian story about this important milestone.  It's no great shock to anyone who's spent any time examining the claims of these Godfather's of 'science by echo-chamber, slander and misrepresentation'. 

To me it represents a small victory in the struggle to expose the fundamentally dishonest nature of these central luminaries of the Republican/libertarian PR machine.  The one dedicated to confusing the public and leaders about serious climate science among other important issues.

Lately, real life has kept me too busy for serious blogging, but this news is worth sharing.  Particularly after the past week and my depression caused by realizing that Mr. Trump actually will become the GOP standard bearer.  It was a nice reminder that some rationality still exists out there.  

Though that rationality seems tougher and tougher to find, watching supposedly "principled" Republican Party leaders eat all their grand principled words as they scurry to fall in line under Herrn Trump.  Principled Right-wing, indeed.  You aren't kidding us.

Following are quotes from Dr. Abraham's story, that I hope encourage you to link to the full story.  There you'll find all sorts of further links to various related stories and information.

Following that I tag on a report from Greenpeace: Exposed: Academics-for-hire agree not to disclose fossil fuel funding (It's no wonder the Republican crowd hate Greenpeace, but someone has to get the facts and evidence out there.).  Take a look at what drives this Dr. Happer.  

I wonder how my Republican pals would compare Happer's misdeeds with Dr. Mann's?  Then explain to me why Happer isn't being dragged out to be tarred and feathered, like they used to do in them good ol' days.

Update: also see John Mashey's detailed documentation: 

"Peabody's Outlier Gang Couldn't Shoot Straight In Minnesota Carbon Case, Judge Rebuffs Happer, Lindzen, Spencer, Mendelsohn, Bezdek"  

http://www.desmogblog.com/2016/06/07/peabodys-outlier-gang-couldnt-shoot-straight

Peabody coal's contrarian scientist witnesses lose their court case

Peabody Energy brought contrarians Spencer, Happer, and Lindzen to testify on their behalf, but the judge wasn’t convinced by their case

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/may/02/peabody-coals-contrarian-scientist-witnesses-lose-their-court-case

John Abraham | May 2, 2016

In Minnesota, an administrative hearing resulted in a judicial recommendation that will have impacts across the country. It was a case argued mainly between environmental groups (such as Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and their clients Fresh Energy and the Sierra Club) and energy producers (such as the now-bankrupt coal company Peabody Energy) regarding what a reasonable social cost of carbon should be.

I was called as an expert witness in the case along with respected climate scientist Dr. Andrew Dessler. We were opposed by the well-known contrarians Drs. Roy Spencer, Richard Lindzen, and William Happer (who has recently received attention related to his charged fees in the case). (bold added) In full disclosure, Dr. Dessler and I were not paid for our work in the case. I recently wrote about the testimony and provided links to the testimonies submitted for the case. The judge’s recommendations and how they will impact energy decisions in the USA were the keys to this trial.

... A summary of the ruling can be found here and the full report is available here.

Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Dr. William Happer attack science... again

The crazy-making never seems to end.  When ideology blinds rationality it's an ugly thing as we can witness in the latest 
(May 9th, 2013) broadside from Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Dr. William Happer, at the ever ready to mislead Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed pages {also here, here, here, to mention a few.}

It's another example of contrarian science in a vacuum - where you can get away with writing a bunch of impressive sounding stuff and present it to under-educated, politically scared people, desperate for soothing news, and ready to embrace anything that gives them the answers they want - rather than the truth they need.

Now if Schmitt and Happer had something serious to offer, they would write up a paper and have it published in a professional scientific journal where experts could judge the merits of the claims made.  But, they've never done that, believing that past glories is all it takes to establish their legitimacy.

Instead they write an op-ed filled with so much misdirection and misrepresentations we can drive a high school science class through it.  I don't have that, but I do have a review from those reporters of climate science over at SkepticalScience.com which is worth sharing.

With no further ado, I present a serious evaluation of their May 9th, 2013 article: 

Schmitt and Happer manufacture doubt (via Skeptical Science)

Posted on 15 May 2013 by Dumb Scientist Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Dr. William Happer, who have scientific backgrounds but are not climate scientists, just wrote an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. Despite their claims, global warming continues. This continued warming is confirmed by GRACE,…

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'Climate Consensus' Data Need a More Careful Look.

It's ironic that I know this Roger Cohen fellow, who's become a regular at the Wall Street Journal's OpEd page, and one of the three signees of the most recent example of Wall Street Journal's disregard for honesty and scientific integrity. He used to do lectures around town and he's very good at ignoring the science when presented to him - while continuing to repeat dishonest spins on what climatologists have been learning and observing.  In fact, Roger was instrumental in my become more activist and vocal about the lies being spread by folks who's only real interest is in protecting profits.

Thus, I dedicate this repost of a Skeptical Science article to another one of the over the hill cold-warriors who'd rather stick to ancient dogmas and who display a contemptible disregard for what we are doing to our children's future -

Here's to you my pal Roger Cohen, you old fraud.

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The Continuing Denial of the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change (via Skeptical Science)

Posted on 24 July 2012 by Andy S One of the perennial Skeptical Science top ten climate myths is “There is no consensus” (currently at number 4 in popularity). Consensus means the elements of knowledge that research scientists tend not to discuss or actively investigate any more. Consensus is…