"Climate Scientist Tells Congress: Obama Science Czar ‘Put a Target’ On My Back Due to ‘My *Heretical* View’ on Climate....
"In early 2014, not long after I appeared before Congress, Obama’s science adviser John Holdren testified before the same Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He was asked about his public statements that appeared to contradict the scientific consensus on extreme weather events that I had earlier presented. Mr. Holdren responded with the all-too-common approach of attacking the messenger, telling the senators incorrectly that my views were 'not representative of the mainstream scientific opinion.' Mr. Holdren followed up by posting a strange essay, of nearly 3,000 words, on the White House website under the heading, 'An Analysis of Statements by Roger Pielke Jr.,' where it remains today.
"I suppose it is a distinction of a sort to be singled out in this manner by the Obama's science adviser. Yet Mr. Holdren’s screed reads more like a dashed-off blog post from the nutty wings of the online climate debate, chock-full of errors and misstatements.
"But when the White House puts a target on your back on its website, people notice.
Almost a year later Mr. Holdren’s missive was the basis for an investigation of me by Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
Rep. Grijalva explained in a letter to my university’s president that I was being investigated because Mr. Holdren had 'highlighted what he believes were serious misstatements by Prof. Pielke of the scientific consensus on climate change.' He made the letter public.
The 'investigation' turned out to be a farce.
In the letter, Rep. Grijalva suggested that I— and six other academics with apparently heretical views—might be on the payroll of Exxon Mobil (or perhaps the Illuminati, I forget).
He asked for records detailing my research funding, emails and so on.
After some well-deserved criticism from the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, Rep. Grijalva deleted the letter from his website.
The University of Colorado complied with Rep. Grijalva’s request and responded that I have never received funding from fossil-fuel companies.
My heretical views can be traced to research support from the U.S. government.
Almost a year later Mr. Holdren’s missive was the basis for an investigation of me by Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
Rep. Grijalva explained in a letter to my university’s president that I was being investigated because Mr. Holdren had 'highlighted what he believes were serious misstatements by Prof. Pielke of the scientific consensus on climate change.' He made the letter public.
The 'investigation' turned out to be a farce.
In the letter, Rep. Grijalva suggested that I— and six other academics with apparently heretical views—might be on the payroll of Exxon Mobil (or perhaps the Illuminati, I forget).
He asked for records detailing my research funding, emails and so on.
After some well-deserved criticism from the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, Rep. Grijalva deleted the letter from his website.
The University of Colorado complied with Rep. Grijalva’s request and responded that I have never received funding from fossil-fuel companies.
My heretical views can be traced to research support from the U.S. government.
"But the damage to my reputation had been done, and perhaps that was the point.
Studying and engaging on climate change had become decidedly less fun.
So I started researching and teaching other topics and have found the change in direction refreshing."
Much more!
Studying and engaging on climate change had become decidedly less fun.
So I started researching and teaching other topics and have found the change in direction refreshing."
Much more!
Full report: http://bit.ly/2oi6AXb
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