Doug Sheridan: In Praise of Steve Koonin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright

[Note: Doug Sheridan is a keen energy analyst and writer who posts frequent commentaries on LinkedIn. I read him on a regular basis and, if you are on LinkedIn, you should read him, too. Enjoy.]

Steve Koonin writes in the WSJ, there's a disconnect between public perceptions of climate change and climate science—and between past govt reports and the science itself. Energy Sec Chris Wright understands this. It's why he commissioned an independent assessment by a team of five senior scientists, including [Koonin], to provide clearer insight into what's known and not about the changing climate.

Collectively, the team brought to the task more than 200 years of research experience, almost all directly relevant to climate studies. The resulting peer-reviewed report is entirely the authors' work, free from political influence—unlike previous assessments. It draws from UN and US climate reports, peer-reviewed research, and primary observations to focus on important aspects of climate science that have been misrepresented to nonexperts.

The report's the first from DC in years that deviates from the narrative of a climate headed for catastrophe. That it's findings surprised many speaks to a gov't failure to communicate climate science accurately to the public.

The report attracted strong criticism, despite its grounding in established science. Almost 60,000 comments were submitted to the Federal Register in the month after its publication. The Environmnental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists filed a lawsuit to prevent the Energy Dept or EPA from using the report in decision-making.

Most of the challenges have no scientific backing. Though scientists supporting the so-called consensus on climate change have organized several serious critiques, these at most add detail and nuance, without negating the report's central points. They still merit response, which will form the next round in an overdue public debate on the effects of GHG emissions.

Climate policies must balance the risk of climate change against a response's costs, efficacy and collateral effects. The report may draw anger, but it accurately portrays important aspects of climate science. Acknowledging facts is essential for informed policy decisions.

Our Take 1: Koonin's a national—if not global—treasure and hero. He's also immensely courageous. His book, Unsettled, which makes clear he's no denier of human-caused climate change, has heavily informed ours and others' views on the science of climate change. He's also brought badly needed attention to the distortive effects of money and politics on the framing of the science.

Our Take 2: Koonin's position isn't that climate change doesn't warrant our attention. Rather, his position is we don't know enough about how the climate will actually unfold to justify turning global society on its head. Although we suspect we're a bit more concerned about where climate change will take Earth and humanity than Koonin, we weigh heavily the evidence, analyses and reasoning he emphasizes. Those looking for balanced and good-faith expertise on the subject of climate change should read his book.
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[Note: If you haven’t already done so, Mr. Koonin’s book, “Unsettled,” is a must read for anyone who wants to learn how the IPCC’s annual climate alarm bibles are compiled and how they are completely mis-portrayed by the corrupt western media. You can buy it for an extremely reasonable price at Amazon.]

That is all.