A journalist friend recently sent me this:
I just got my “Journalist’s Guide to Global Warming Experts” from The Heartland Institute in the mail. They list four “experts” in Texas. It’s an awesome list. …
Robert Bradley, energy expert
H. Sterling Burnett, policy analyst
Dr. John Dale Dunn, emergency physician
Michael Economides, petroleum engineer
As you probably know, the Heartland Institute is one of the world’s premier climate denialist organizations, so you can be pretty sure these guys reject the mainstream scientific view.
Notice anything odd about the list? Despite the fact that there are dozens if not hundreds of reputable climate scientists working in Texas, the Heartland Institute is unable to get a single of them onto their list.
Apparently expertise is not required to be an expert for Heartland. In fact, I’m pretty sure if you can repeat the following phrase — “the climate stopped warming in 1998!” — you qualify.
This reinforces a point I’ve been making for a while: there are a few credible scientists who dispute the basic message of the IPCC. But not many. You can probably count them on your fingers and toes: Singer, Lindzen, Michaels, Spencer, Christy …
This list of Heartland “experts” is strong evidence that legitimate climate skeptics are like the your child’s imaginary friends: he swears they exist, you just can’t see them.
