Since I’m not legally allowed to show the American Physical Society logo (they complained last time) this will have to do:
A GAGGLE IS NOT A CONSENSUS
You have recently received a letter from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), purporting to convey a “consensus” of the scientific community that immediate and drastic action is needed to avert a climatic catastrophe.
We do not seek to make the scientific arguments here (we did that in an earlier letter, sent a couple of months ago), but simply to note that the claim of consensus is fake, designed to stampede you into actions that will cripple our economy, and which you will regret for many years. There is no consensus, and even if there were, consensus is not the test of scientific validity. Theories that disagree with the facts are wrong, consensus or no.
We know of no evidence that any of the “leaders” of the scientific community who signed the letter to you ever asked their memberships for their opinions, before claiming to represent them on this important matter.
We also note that the American Physical Society (APS, and we are physicists) did not sign the letter, though the scientific issues at stake are fundamentally matters of applied physics. You can do physics without climatology, but you can’t do climatology without physics.
The APS is at this moment reviewing its stance on so-called global warming, having received a petition from its membership to do so. That petition was signed by 160 distinguished members and fellows of the Society, including one Nobelist and 12 members of the National Academies. Indeed a score of the signers are Members and Fellows of the AAAS, none of whom were consulted before the AAAS letter to you.
Professor Hal Lewis, University of California, Santa Barbara
Professor Fred Singer, University of Virginia
Professor Will Happer, Princeton University
Professor Larry Gould, University of Hartford
Dr. Roger Cohen, retired Manager, Strategic Planning, ExxonMobil
List of 160 signers of the APS petition available at http://tinyurl.com/lg266u
Regarding the National Policy Statement on Climate Change of the APS Council: An Open Letter to the Council of the American Physical Society
As physicists who are familiar with the science issues, and as current and past members of the American Physical Society, we the undersigned urge the Council to revise its current statement* on climate change as follows, so as to more accurately represent the current state of the science:
Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, accompany human industrial and agricultural activity. While substantial concern has been expressed that emissions may cause significant climate change, measured or reconstructed temperature records indicate that 20th 21st century changes are neither exceptional nor persistent, and the historical and geological records show many periods warmer than today. In addition, there is an extensive scientific literature that examines beneficial effects of increased levels of carbon dioxide for both plants and animals.
Studies of a variety of natural processes, including ocean cycles and solar variability, indicate that they can account for variations in the Earth’s climate on the time scale of decades and centuries. Current climate models appear insufficiently reliable to properly account for natural and anthropogenic contributions to past climate change, much less project future climate.
The APS supports an objective scientific effort to understand the effects of all processes – natural and human –on the Earth’s climate and the biosphere’s response to climate change, and promotes technological options for meeting challenges of future climate changes, regardless of cause.
* The statement of the APS Council, adopted on November 18, 2007 is as follows:
“Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth’s climate. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion and a range of industrial and agricultural processes.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth’s physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.
Because the complexity of the climate makes accurate prediction difficult, the APS urges an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on the Earth’s climate, and to provide the technological options for meeting the climate challenge in the near and longer terms. The APS also urges governments, universities, national laboratories and its membership to support policies and actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.”
— APS News; January 2008 (Volume 17, Number 1)
SIGNATURES:
30 October 2009 162 Signatures
Harold M. Agnew President, General Atomics Corporation (1979 -1984) White House Science Councilor (1982 -1989) Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory (1970 -1979)
E.O. Lawrence Award 1966, Enrico Fermi Award 1978, Los Alamos Medal (with H.A. Bethe) 2001 Member National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering; Fellow APS, AAAS
Sol Aisenberg President, International Technology Group Formerly Staff Member, MIT; Lecturer, Harvard Medical School; Visiting Research Professor, Boston University
Ralph B. Alexander Former Associate Professor of Physics Wayne State University President, R.B. Alexander & Associates Technology and market analysis in environmentally friendly materials and coatings Author, Global Warming False Alarm (Canterbury)
Moorad Alexanian Professor of Physics and Physical Oceanography University of North Carolina -Wilmington Member Mexican Academy of Sciences, American Scientific Affiliation
Louis J. Allamandola Director, Astrochemistry Laboratory NASA Ames Research Center Fellow APS, AAAS Member ACS, American Astronomical Society, International Astronomical Union
James L. Allen Engineer/Scientist International Space Station Program The Boeing Company (retired)
Arthur G. Anderson Vice President and former Director of Research IBM (retired) Member National Academy of Engineering, Fellow APS, Fellow IEEE
Eva Andrei Professor of Physics Rutgers University Fellow APS
Robert H. Austin Professor of Physics Princeton University Fellow APS, AAAS; APS Council: 1991-1994, 2007-2010 Member National Academy of Sciences, American Association of Arts and Sciences
David A. Bahr Associate Professor and Chair Department of Physics Bemidji State University
Franco Battaglia Professor of Chemical Physics and Environmental Chemistry University of Modena, Italy Life Member APS
David J. Benard Aerospace Scientist (retired) Co-Inventor of the Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser
Lev I. Berger President California Institute of Electronics and Materials Science Author, Semiconductor Materials; and Material and Device Characterization Measurements (CRC Press)
Stuart B. Berger Research Fellow and Divisional Time-to-Market Manager Xerox Corporation (retired)
Ami E. Berkowitz Emeritus Professor of Physics University of California at San Diego Fellow APS
Barry L. Berman Columbian Professor and Chair Physics Department The George Washington University Fellow APS
Edwin X. Berry Atmospheric Physicist, Climate Physics, LLC Certified Consulting Meteorologist #180 Member American Meteorological Society
Frances M. Berting Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board and Committee (2000-present) Los Alamos County Council (2001-2008) Formerly Materials Scientist, Hanford (DOE), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Westinghouse, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Vladislav A. Bevc Associate Professor, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey (retired); Formerly Member of the Technical Staff, The Aerospace Corporation; Physicist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution (Stanford University) Senior Member IEEE
Clifford Bruce Bigham Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. (retired) Senior Member APS, Sustaining Member CAP
Arie Bodek George E. Pake Professor of Physics University of Rochester Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics (APS) 2004 Fellow APS
John W. Boring Professor Emeritus of Engineering Physics University of Virginia
Lowell S. Brown Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Washington Scientific Staff Member, Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow APS, AAAS
Daniel M. Bubb Associate Professor and Chair Department of Physics Rutgers University -Camden
Timothy D. Calvin President, Bearfoot Corporation (retired) Fabricated rubber products for the DOD, shoe and automobile industries Member ACS
William J. Camp Emeritus Director: Computation, Information, and Mathematics Sandia National Laboratories Co-founder, IUPAP Commission C-20, The Commission on Computational Physics Nova Award for Invention of the Cray XT3 Computer Architecture (Lockheed Martin Corporation) Fellow APS, Member IEEE Computer Society
Mark L. Campbell Professor, Department of Chemistry United States Naval Academy Life Member APS
Gregory H. Canavan Senior Fellow and Scientific Advisor, Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow APS
Jack G. Castle Senior Scientist Sandia National Laboratories (retired) Fellow and Life Member APS
Joseph F. Chiang Professor and Former Chairman Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry State University of New York, Oneonta Life Member APS
Roger W. Cohen Manager, Strategic Planning and Programs ExxonMobil Corporation (retired) Otto Schade Prize (Society for Information Display) 2006 Fellow APS
Barry D. Crane Project Director Institute for Defense Analyses Life Member APS
Steven R. Cranmer Astrophysicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Karen Harvey Prize (AAS) 2006 Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Member: American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union
J. F. Cuderman Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff Sandia National Laboratories (retired), Life Member APS
Jerry M. Cuttler President, Cuttler and Associates, Inc. Engineering, consulting, and licensing services for the nuclear power industry President, Canadian Nuclear Society 1995-1996 Fellow Canadian Nuclear Society, Member American Nuclear Society
James H. Degnan Principal Physicist Directed Energy Directorate Air Force Research Laboratory Fellow APS
Joseph G. Depp Founding President and CEO, Accuray Incorporated (retired) Stereotactic radiosurgery technology Founding President and CEO, PsiStar Incorporated Life Member APS
Riccardo DeSalvo Senior Scientist Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) California Institute of Technology Member ASME
James A. Deye Nuclear and Medical physicist Life Member APS
Eugene H. Dirk APS Division of Astrophysics, and Division of Computational Physics Topical Groups on Gravity, and Precision Measurement and Fundamental Constants
David H. Douglass Professor of Physics University of Rochester Fellow APS
Paul J. Drallos President and CEO, Plasma Dynamics Corporation (retired) Kinetic & fluid dynamic computer simulation services
Murray Dryer Emeritus Scientist Space Weather Prediction Center (retired), NWS National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Member American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, AIAA
William T. Duffy Jr. Professor Emeritus of Physics Santa Clara University
David F. Edwards Physicist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (retired) Formerly Los Alamos National Laboratory; Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Colorado State University; Lincoln Laboratory, MIT
Albert G. Engelhardt President and CEO, Enfitek, Inc. Environmental control and security systems Senior Life Member IEEE
James E. Enstrom Research Professor Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center University of California at Los Angeles Life Member APS
Jens G. Feder Professor of Physics of Geological Processes University of Oslo Fellow APS
Douglas E. Fields Associate Professor Department of Physics and Astronomy University of New Mexico
Michael M. Fitelson Chief Scientist, Micro-Systems Enablers Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
Harold K. Forsen Senior Vice President, Bechtel Corporation (retired) Governing Board, National Research Council (1994-2003) Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering (1995-2003) Arthur Holly Compton Award (ANS) 1972 Member National Academy of Engineering; Fellow APS, ANS, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Bruce L. Freeman Senior Experimental Physicist, Ktech Corporation Formerly Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M Coauthor Explosively Driven Pulsed Power (Springer);
Explosive Pulsed Power (Imperial College) Member IEEE Plasma Sciences, Directed Energy Professional Society
Peter D. Friedman Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Member American Geophysical Union, ASME, American Nuclear Society
Michael H. Frese Designer/Developer of Multiphysics
Simulation Codes and Applications Founder and Managing Member of NumerEx, LLC Member SIAM, IEEE Ian J. Fritz Research Physicist, Sandia National Laboratories (retired) R&D 100 Award 1991 Basic Energy Sciences Sustained Outstanding Achievement Award (DOE) 1993 Lockheed Martin NOVA Award 2001
Rodger L. Gamblin Managing Director Corona Color, LLC
John C. Garth Research Physicist Air Force Research Laboratory (retired) Member ANS, ASTM, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Computational Medical Physics Working Group
G. Roger Gathers Senior Scientist, M. H. Chew and Associates Physicist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1967-1993) Author, Selected Topics in Shock Wave Physics and
Equation of State Modeling (World Scientific Publishing)
Gary J. Gerardi Professor, Department of Chemistry and Physics William Paterson University
Ivar Giaever Institute Professor, School of Engineering and School of Science Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Nobel Prize in Physics 1973 Member National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering; Fellow APS
George T. Gillies Research Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science; and Research Professor, Department of Physics University of Virginia Clinical Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Fellow APS
Damon Giovanielli President, Sumner Associates scientific consultants Former Division Leader, Physics Division Los Alamos National Laboratory LANL staff member, program and line manager (1972-1993) Fellow AAAS
Albert Gold Associate Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences Harvard University (retired)
Ronald B. Goldfarb National Institute of Standards and Technology Life Member APS
Laurence I. Gould Professor of Physics University of Hartford Member Executive Board of the New England Section of the APS Chairman (2004), New England Section APS
Paul M. Grant EPRI Science Fellow (retired) IBM Research Staff Member Emeritus Senior Life Fellow APS
Howard D. Greyber University of Pennsylvania (retired) Formerly Princeton University, LLNL Theory Group, Northeastern University Member American Astronomical Society, Fellow Royal Astronomical Society
Ronald J. Gripshover Senior Research Physicist Naval Surface Weapons Center (retired)
Mike Gruntman Professor of Astronautics University of Southern California Author, Blazing the Trail. The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry (AIAA) Luigi G. Napolitano Book Award (International Academy of Astronautics) 2006 Member American Geophysical Union, Associate Fellow AIAA
George Hacken Senior Director, Safety-Critical Systems New York City Transit Authority Formerly Senior Member of the Technical Staff, GEC-Marconi Aerospace Chair, New York Chapter, IEEE Computer Society Member AMS, SIAM, ANS, AIAA, New York Academy of Sciences
David S. Hacker Senior Staff Research Engineer Amoco Corporation (retired) Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Chicago Circle (1965-1981) Fellow AIChE
Sultan Hameed Professor of Atmospheric Science School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University, New York
William Happer Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics Princeton University Fellow APS, AAAS Member National Academy of Sciences
Howard C. Hayden Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Connecticut Editor, The Energy Advocate Author, A Primer on CO2 and Climate (Vales Lake)
Dennis B. Hayes Research Physicist Los Alamos, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories President, Lockheed Martin Nevada Technologies, Inc. (retired) Fellow APS
Jack M. Hollander Professor Emeritus of Energy and Resources, University of California, Berkeley Vice-President Emeritus, The Ohio State University First Head, Energy and Environment Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Fellow APS, AAAS
David B. Holtkamp Scientific Staff Member, Physics Division Los Alamos National Laboratory
John C. Ingraham Scientific Staff Member, retired Los Alamos National Laboratory Member American Geophysical Union
Helen Jackson Research Physicist, Air Force Research Laboratory Wright Laboratory Member Materials Research Society, IEEE
H. Richard Johnson Co-Founder and Former CEO Watkins-Johnson Company (retired) Member National Academy of Engineering, Life Fellow IEEE
James R. Johnson 3M Company (retired) Member Carlton Society (3M Hall of Fame) Member National Academy of Engineering
O’Dean Judd LANL Fellow Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired) Technical Advisor and Consultant Fellow APS, IEEE, AAAS
Andrew Kaldor Distinguished Scientific Advisor Manager of Breakthrough Research ExxonMobil Corporation (retired) Fellow AAAS, Member ACS
Alexander E. Kaplan Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The Johns Hopkins University Max Born Award (Optical Society of America) 2005 Alexander von Humboldt Award (von Humboldt Foundation) 1996 Fellow OSA
Thomas J. Karr Director in the Advanced Concepts & Technology Division Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1984-1996) Editor, Applied Optics (1991-1994) Member OSA, AAAS; Senior Member IEEE
Jonathan Katz Professor of Physics Washington University
William E. Keller Leader, Low Temperature Physics Group 1971-1985 Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired) Fellow APS
John M. Kennel Autonetics Division, Boeing North American (retired) Formerly Electronics Division, Northrop Grumman Corporation Member AAAS, AIAA
Paul I. Kingsbury Manager, Physical Properties Research Department Corning Inc. (retired)
Robert S. Knox Professor of Physics Emeritus University of Rochester Member APS Council (1985-1988) Fellow APS
M. Kristiansen C.B.Thornton/P.W.Horn Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Texas Tech University Fellow APS, IEEE
Moyses Kuchnir Applied Scientist Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (retired) Life Member APS, Member IEEE, AAAS
Joseph A. Kunc Professor, Physics and Astronomy University of Southern California Fellow APS
Robert E. LeLevier Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1951-1957) Physics Department, RAND Corp (1957-1971) R&D Associates (1971-1983) Eos Technologies, Inc. (1983-1993)
Paul L. La Celle Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering Former Chair, Department of Biophysics University of Rochester Alexander von Humboldt Senior Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Frankfort
Robert E. Levine Industrial and Defense Physics and Engineering (retired) Member ACM, IEEE
Harold W. Lewis Professor of Physics Emeritus University of California at Santa Barbara Chairman, Defense Science Board Panel on Nuclear Winter Chairman, APS Reactor Safety Study Fellow APS, AAAS
John D. Lindl James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (APS) 2007 Fellow APS, AAAS
Xavier Llobet Research Associate Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Gabriel G. Lombardi Senior Scientist, Phase Coherence, Inc. National Research Council Associate (NIST, 1980-82) Life Member APS, Member OSA
Michael D. Lubin Colonel, United States Air Force (retired)
Alfred U. MacRae President, MacRae Technologies Member National Academy of Engineering, Fellow APS, IEEE
Phillip W. Mange Associate Superintendent, Space Science Division Scientific Consultant to the Director of Research, Naval Research Laboratory (retired)
John E. Mansfield Vice Chairman Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Kristanka Marinova Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty of Chemistry Sofia University
Joseph Maserjian Senior Research Scientist, California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory (retired)
John H. McAdoo Aerospace Physicist Member IEEE, AAAS
Thomas A. McClelland Vice President, Commercial Products Frequency Electronics, Inc.
Harold Mirels Principal Scientist, The Aerospace Corporation (retired) Fellow APS, AIAA Member National Academy of Engineering
Jim Mitroy Lecturer in Physics, School of Engineering and Information Technology Charles Darwin University, Australia
Michael Monce Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Geophysics Connecticut College Member AAPT, American Geophysical Union
Nasif Nahle Scientific Research Director Biology Cabinet, Mexico Member AAAS, New York Academy of Sciences
Rodney W. Nichols President and CEO, New York Academy of Sciences (1992-2001) Vice President and Executive Vice President, The Rockefeller University (1970-1990) Secretary of Defense Medal for Distinguished Meritorious Civilian Service (1970) Fellow AAAS, New York Academy of Sciences
Gordon C. Oehler Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Working Group Chairman, Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. Corporate Vice President for Corporate Development, SAIC (1998-2004) National Intelligence Officer for Science, Technology and Proliferation (1989-1992)
William P. Oliver Professor of Physics Tufts University Life Member APS
Frank R. Paolini Adjunct Professor of Physics University of Connecticut at Stamford (retired) Senior Member APS, Member IEEE
Daniel N. Payton III Senior Scientist, SAIC (1992-present) Eos Technologies (1984-1992) Technical Director of Nuclear Technology Air Force Weapons Laboratory (1976-1984)
Erik M. Pell Xerox Corporation (retired) Author: From Dreams to Riches – The Story of Xerography (Carlson) Edward Goodrich Acheson Medal (Electrochemical Society) 1986 President, Electrochemical Society (1980-1981) Fellow APS, Honorary Member ECS, Senior Member IEEE
Thomas E. Phipps, Jr. Physicist (retired) Operations Evaluation Group, MIT US Naval Ordnance Laboratory Senior Member APS
Donald Rapp Chief Technologist, Mechanical and Chemical Systems, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (retired) Professor of Physics and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas (1973-1979) Author, “Assessing Climate Change” and “Ice Ages and Interglacials” (Springer-Verlag) Fellow APS
Ned S. Rasor Consulting Physicist Formerly President and CEO, Rasor Associates, Inc. Member IEEE, AIAA
Richard T. Rauch NASA Stennis Space Center Life Member APS, Associate Fellow AIAA
John E. Rhoads Professor of Physics Midwestern State University (retired) Member SPE
Harry I. Ringermacher Sr. Research Physicist General Electric Global Research Center AIP “History of Physics in Industry” Participant at GE Sir William Herschel Medal (American Academy of Thermology) Copper Black Award (American Mensa) 2003 and 2007
Stanley Robertson Emeritus Professor of Physics Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Berol Robinson Principal Scientific Officer UNESCO (retired) Member AAPT, AAAS, Association des Écologistes Pour le Nucléaire
Daniel J. Rogers Staff Scientist Applied Information Sciences Department Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Member OSA
Robert C. Rohr Reactor Physicist Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (retired) Former Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Kelly R. Roos Professor of Physics Bradley University
Isaac C. Sanchez William J. Murray, Jr. Chair in Engineering and Associate Chair Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
U.S. Department of Commerce Medals 1980, 1983 Edward U. Condon Award (NIST) 1983; SPE International Research Award 1996 Member National Academy of Engineering, Fellow APS
Raymond E. Sarwinski President, Cryogenic Designs, Inc. Life Member APS
Nicola Scafetta Research Scientist, Physics Department, Duke University Member American Geophysical Union
Mark D. Semon Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy Bates College Member American Academy of Forensic Scientists, American College of Forensic Examiners
Thomas P. Sheahen President/ CEO, Western Technology, Inc. (energy sciences consulting) Member AAAS; APS Congressional Science Fellowship (1977-78) Author, Introduction to High Temperature Superconductivity (Springer)
Arnold J. Sierk Technical Staff Member Theoretical Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow APS
Joseph Silverman Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Maryland Fellow APS, ANS
S. Fred Singer Professor of Environmental Sciences Emeritus University of Virginia First Director of the National Weather Satellite Service Fellow APS, AAAS, American Geophysical Union
Frans W. Sluijter Professor, Department of Applied Physics Eindhoven University of Technology Former Chair, Plasma Physics Division, European Physics Society Former Vice President, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Member Dutch Physical Society, Institute of Physics UK
John R. Smith Project Physicist, Experimental High Energy Physics Department of Physics University of California, Davis Life Member APS
Hermann Statz Raytheon Corporation (retired) Microwave Pioneer Award (IEEE) 2004 Fellow APS
Nick Steph Chair, Department of Physics Franklin College Member AAPT, ACS
Peter Stilbs Professor of Physical Chemistry Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden Life Member APS
Norman D. Stockwell Senior Project Engineer, TRW (retired) Former Member of the Technical Staff, The Aerospace Corporation Life Member APS, Member AAAS
Thomas F. Stratton Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired) Fellow APS
William R. Stratton Scientific Staff Member Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired) Member AEC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety Chair ANS Nuclear Reactor Accident Study Fellow ANS
Szymon Suckewer Professor of School of Engineering & Applied Sciences Director of Plasma Science & Technology Program Princeton University Fellow APS, OSA
Ronald M. Sundelin Associate Director, DOE Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (retired) Commonwealth Professor Emeritus of Physics, Virginia Tech Fellow APS
Andrei Szilagyi Formerly Chief Scientist, Aura Systems, Inc. Chief Technologist, Radiant Technology Corporation Chief Scientist, NanoMuscle Inc. Member MRS, Electrochemical Society, TMS – The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society
Willard L. Talbert Scientific Consultant (1993-present) Scientific Staff Member, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1976-1993 (retired) Professor of Physics, Iowa State University (1961-1976) Fellow APS
Lu Ting Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University Lead Author, Vortex Dominated Flows (Applied Mathematical Sciences, Springer) Member SIAM, AIAA, AAM
Frank J. Tipler Professor of Mathematical Physics Tulane University Coauthor, The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford University Press)
Salvatore Torquato Professor of Chemistry and the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, Materials Institute and Applied & Computational Mathematics Princeton University 2009 APS David Alder Lectureship Award in the Field of Material Physics Fellow APS
Rusty S. Towell Professor of Physics Abilene Christian University Member IEEE
Edward S. Troy Principal Engineer Aerospace Consulting Wireless, RF, microwave, analog/DSP, and GPS circuits and systems Member IEEE
William B. Walters Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland John Simon Guggenheim Fellow (1986) ACS Award in Nuclear Chemistry (2001) Alexander von Humboldt Senior Fellow, University of Mainz (2002) Life Member APS, Member ACS
Samuel A. Werner Curators’ Professor Emeritus The University of Missouri Guest Researcher, NIST Fellow APS, AAAS
Bruce J. West Adjunct Professor of Physics Duke University Fellow APS
Peter J. Wojtowicz Group Head, Senior Member Technical Staff (retired) RCA Labs, GE, Sarnoff Corporation Fellow APS
Ya-Hong Xie Professor of Materials Science and Engineering University of California at Los Angeles Senior Member IEEE, Member Materials Research Society
M. John Yoder Principal Physicist The MITRE Corporation Life Member APS
Claude Zeller Principal Fellow Pitney Bowles Inc. Member IEEE
Martin V. Zombeck Physicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (retired) Author, Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics (Cambridge University Press) Coauthor, High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of Cosmic Plasmas (Cambridge University Press)

Perhaps my repeated sneering at the Climate Scientologists as “fifth rate physicists” has just been seconded. Though I suppose that someone will argue that they’re not incompetent, they’re just dishonest.
About time real scientists speak up or forever have their study will be tarnished with the AGW hoax.
At best we don’t know what causes the earth climate to change, at worst it’s an outright tax scam hoax that CO2 causes global warming.
Lets count them; 1, 2, 3, … 120. Yep that is the Con Census at the moment.
How much will this pyrric victory last?
By going to the APS web site one can view the banned logo. To me the first impression is that it has a big ‘C’ as its main visual – that could represent “consensus”, but, maybe not. Maybe it is meant to show some reality of physics. If so what?
I suggest the APS give WUWT permission to put this logo to a posting and we’ll see if we can’t suggest some improvements.
Says it all.
Add these 162 signatories to the 32,000 odd listed in the NIPCC report published in June (if thy are not already in there) – see nipccreport.org – and we have an overwhelming concensus of scientists which should have blown the IPCC AGW view to kingdom come. Why hasn’t it already done so?
Brian B (07:36:15) :
Leaving a scientific group? You’re in good company:
Anthony, Where is the source of this letter?
Well I am a member of the APS via the Optical Society of America (one of the founding groups), and also of the AAAS; and neither one of those organisations has ever contacted me and asked me for even an opinion let alone any rationale for having an opinion.
The AAAS constantly sends me “Alerts” which essentially outline “their” position, and what “important” legislation is in the works; presumably with the idea that I shoulkd support that.
Well if “the science is settled”, the only legislation I am intereted in re climate; is to now defund any future climate research; and start funding the engineering that will be needed (they say) to develop alternatives in the way of energy.
Perhaps you climate “researchers” in academia should redirect your careers into engineering; with a lean towards energy engineering; which would be the biggest stumbling block towards a more livable future for all humanity.
Just my opinion of course; I’m not interested in influencing legislators (not my privilege); but I am happy to try and educate them.
The Iraqi Information Minister is found at last. Presumed dead, who would have guessed he would turn up at Copenhagen with the “Mother of all Climate Theories”?
Wow, a lot of impressive heavyweights in that list. I’m impressed with the number of those scientists who having now retired from those institutions; where speaking out of the party line could be terminal; have now come out from under the bushel, and spoken their mind.
Too bad that it is Academia, where freedom of speech is reputedly sacrosanct; that actually has the most repressive censorship.
I’m glad I got out of academia early to work in situations where my efforts could actually make a difference to the well-being of people everywhere.
This comes nicely in the wake of my telling Tom Fuller’s survey that the stifling of debate was “worse than expected” “unprecedented” etc.
And I hear that the bad era of Connolley as Wiki admin has finally ended… so when you now want to express your frustration with bad science, you can help directly with reinstating Wikipedia entries to something resembling balance again…
…. well, I hope so. I’ll still count those chickens when they hatch…
Is the Iraqi information minister now working for the American Physical Society?
Last time while he talked US army tanks were crossing the screen just back of him!, now it seems the same is happening. 🙂
The deniers’ cavalry is coming!
The APS has 46,000 members ( http://aps.org/about/history/index.cfm or maybe more since I am not sure how up-to-date that number is). So, the 162 members who signed this statement represent ~0.35% of the membership.
blockquote>
We also note that the American Physical Society (APS, and we are physicists) did not sign the letter, though the scientific issues at stake are fundamentally matters of applied physics. You can do physics without climatology, but you can’t do climatology without physics.
The APS has a standing statement on climate change still in effect that is very clear on the subject. As the authors of this piece note, it is currently under review, which may be the reason why the APS chose not to sign at this time…i.e., that it was simply bad timing. Or, maybe they weren’t asked to sign or weren’t able to respond in time. Who knows.
Gail Combs says:
To this physicist, it was perhaps the most embarrassing paper ever to find its way into any peer-reviewed physics journal. The basic flaw in the logic behind one of its major claims, that the atmospheric greenhouse effect violates the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, can be illustrated by a simple problem that one could give to first-year physics students once you have introduced the subject of heat transfer via radiation.
George E. Smith:
That is a big strawman that you have erected. Nobody in the know claims that there are not still significant uncertainties regarding climate change. However, just because there are many aspects that scientists are trying to understand better does not mean that they don’t understand anything…and, in particular, understand enough to be able to say with quite a bit of confidence that, “Houston, we have a problem!”
While I am very encouraged that the APS president didn’t join with the 18 other org “leaders” supporting Kerry/Boxer & Waxman/Markey Cap&Steal it is incredible that any of them would join in.
I think I am very surprised that the ACS joined in the support letter considering their member revolt. I must guess the revolt was short lived.
I suggest that the “Leaders” of the supporting orgs be targeted for dismissal by their members for misrepresenting them. It appears this may be too optimistic, from a realist pov.
I was not aware of this Oct support letter and am more disheartened by the state of science in the US.
I have forwarded Anthony’s above APS post to my Sen. Voinovich (opposeing C&S), Sen. Brown (supports C&S) and my Rep. Fudge (supports C&S and the name is the only thing funny about her).
LEIF – Thanks for the link.
IMO, the APS has been cowardly in their foot dragging to correct their view of AGW. For more than a year now they have claimed to be studying the AGW issue with an eye to amending their statement. Given the high number of prominent members who have asked for a change in language and the APS pubs editor’s claim to re-examine the issue, it is time for honest leadership. And willingness to admit error.
But the whole exercise is so deeply jaded by misanthropic prejudice that some of us no longer expect anything of substance. It has been one long, tedious study in the failures of artificial intelligence, re-education and computer “modeling.” Each day that continues the farce of blaming human beings for global warming – is a triumph for shameful hubris of the “enlightened.”
Joel Shore (11:24:17) :
“The APS has 46,000 members ( http://aps.org/about/history/index.cfm or maybe more since I am not sure how up-to-date that number is). So, the 162 members who signed this statement represent ~0.35% of the membership.”
If you look at the roster, you see a good number of college professors and chairs (and retirees and emeritus).
In light of the current anti-scientific climate and the extreme orthodoxy of the AGW church that controls the modern science world like a gigantic suffocating octopus…the older (and often retired) physicists are not in fear of their jobs or research funding…as much as the younger ones are.
The younger ones have to keep bread on the table for the family…so many of them dare not speak against the great Oz.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA
Ah memories:
“I solemnly tell you, there are absolutely no icebergs in the arctic. All such reports are lies by the infidel Bush. And if any icebergs do appear, I assure you we will meet them at the gates with shoes and CO2.”
Morano (Climatedepot.com) has recently linked the following NOAA/NWS lesson post which is most amazing in stating “…there is no evidence that it (CO2) is causing an increase in global temperatures.”. It may be quite a novelty to catch this lesson before it is dropped. I can’t imagine NOAA leaving it up very much longer:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/ll_gas.htm
“It has been thought that an increase in carbon dioxide will lead to global warming. While carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing over the past 100 years, there is no evidence that it is causing an increase in global temperatures.
In 1997, NASA reported global temperature measurements of the Earth’s lower atmosphere obtained from satellites revealed no definitive warming trend over the past two decades. In fact, the trend appeared to be a decrease in actual temperature. In 2007, NASA data showed that one-half of the ten warmest years occurred in the 1930’s with 1934 (tied with 2006) as the warmest years on record. (NASA data October 23, 2007 from http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/Fig.D.txt)
The 1930s through the 1950s were clearly warmer than the 1960s and 1970s. If carbon dioxide had been the cause then the warmest years would have understandably been in the most recent years. But that is not the case.
The largest differences in the satellite temperature data were not from any man-made activity, but from natural phenomena such as large volcanic eruptions from Mt. Pinatubo, and from El Niño.
The behavior of the atmosphere is extremely complex. Therefore, discovering the validity of global warming is complex as well. How much effect will the increase in carbon dioxide will have is unclear or even if we recognize the effects of any increase.”
Note for those APS members who do not like being “represented” in things without your consent. Nov. 8 will be the review of the APS politicized position on GW. Those leading the petition have requested the rank and file members to email or otherwise contact the APS councilors and officers to express their view on the subject.
those 160 names represent a who’s who of outstanding members who are opposed to this sort of political bunk going on in a professional organization. It is not the sum total of members opposed to such things but rather a prestigious sampling of those who do not like being used as pawns in a game of politics.
Those responsible for the original pro AGW letter without even polling the membership should be removed from office as they have misused that office and confidence placed in them. While that wont happen, it is another travesty that it has not.
The internal politics of such an organization is something that few members have any concern over for the most part. It’s usually left to the politically interested parties (the usual suspects) who in general spend their time mouthing off about the importance of diversity and try to contrive ways to end the inequity caused by unrelated circumstances – usually without doing any serious damage to budgets or to the organization (or to society) so members are content to let them play their little games and to just ignore them.
OT While…Mega oil field found:
Repsol & BHP confirm two new finds at Shenzi Field
http://www.arabianoilandgas.com/article-6439-repsol-bhp-confirm-two-new-finds-at-shenzi-field/1/print/
Thanks Gene
My mum bought me James Gleick’s ‘Genius’ biography of Feynman when I was a teenager and it made me become a physicist. DISREGARD was the best phrase and ‘You’re only as good as your last experiment’. I still use them today. It’s amazing how many people get carried away with too simplistic ideas.
Leif Svalgaard (08:40:22) It should be pointed out that the American Association for the Advancement of Science letter to the AGU did not specify CO2. They state as follows:
“Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is
occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the
greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.”
I am still waiting for proof that any greenhouse gases are the primary drivers of global temperature increases.