Patricia Espinosa, Outgoing UN climate chief. By Koch / MSC - link, CC BY 3.0 de, link

Which Woke Mediocrity will Replace the Outgoing UN Climate Chief?

Essay by Eric Worrall

h/t Dr. Willie Soon; If you think the current UN climate chief is bad, wait until you see the new candidates.

Who will replace Patricia Espinosa as the UN climate chief? 

Published on 18/05/2022, 2:00pm

The Mexican diplomat is stepping down in July after six years in the top climate job. Female candidates from Africa and Asia are tipped to be best placed to succeed her

By Chloé Farand and Joe Lo

Who is best suited to lead the world into delivering critical emission cuts this decade? 

That’s the question being asked at the UN headquarters in New York. Mexican diplomat Patricia Espinosa is stepping down as head of UN Climate Change in July after a six-year stint.

Discussions for her replacement have been slow to get going. The job ad for her successor was posted on the UN website on Friday, leaving just over a month for governments to put their candidates forward before the 24 June deadline.

Applicants will need to demonstrate senior leadership experience, “strategic vision and an intimate understanding” of climate and development issues. Ministerial experience is a plus. The job is based at the UN Climate Change headquarters in Bonn, Germany, and the salary is $207,000, according to the latest UN pay grid.

With previous executive secretaries from Europe and Latin American, there is a push for African and Asian candidates to be given a chance. Female applicants are “especially welcome,” the advert stipulates.

Read more: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2022/05/18/who-will-replace-patricia-espinosa-as-the-un-climate-chief/

I haven’t written much about Patricia Espinosa because she didn’t really do much, just kind of delivered a few dreary position statements and the occasional scolding for not doing what we were told.

Her predecessor, the Paris Agreement architect and communist revolutionary’s daughter Christiana Figueres, at least had some entertainment value. You could always rely on her to keep the laughs coming, with her frantic but mostly aimless energy, and her outlandish attacks on Capitalism.

You can view the new lineup of candidates by clicking the link, but be warned, that is a minute of your life you won’t get back.

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Tom Halla
May 19, 2022 2:03 pm

Does Xi have any daughters?

Scissor
Reply to  Tom Halla
May 19, 2022 2:07 pm

One.

Garboard
Reply to  Tom Halla
May 20, 2022 3:14 am

She’s a Harvard grad

Pauleta
May 19, 2022 2:09 pm

She looks bright.

Scissor
Reply to  Pauleta
May 19, 2022 3:47 pm

It’s the glow from much good food.

yirgach
Reply to  Scissor
May 20, 2022 5:24 am

Looks like she wants to chomp on those microphones.

Reply to  Scissor
May 20, 2022 9:05 am

At first I thought it was a picture of Roseanne Barr.

May 19, 2022 2:13 pm

How about St. Greta? She already lives quite close to Bonn.

John Bell
May 19, 2022 2:13 pm

GRRR! Useless, highly paid, elitist bureaucrats whose money comes from taxes (capitalism) wanting to tear down capitalism. Makes me blood boil.

Douglas Pollock
May 19, 2022 2:17 pm

So this “womxn” or “menstruating person” is finally leaving. Good for the world.

Reply to  Douglas Pollock
May 20, 2022 2:09 am

Not so fast.

The term “menstruating person” is surely offensive if she’s dried up.

Perhaps “person who might once have had the ability to menstruate” is more appropriate?

Can’t be too careful you know.

Reply to  HotScot
May 20, 2022 9:18 am

Wouldn’t it be hilarious if they designated only persons with XX chromosomes?

They wouldn’t do that but they may say the applicant has to identify with a menstruating person.

David Elstrom
May 19, 2022 2:20 pm

Sadly, the UN government sustenance to numerous otherwise useless people who would all quickly perish if this corrupt organization ceased to exist.

Rocketscientist
Reply to  David Elstrom
May 20, 2022 11:47 am

The bottom half of the class needs jobs too. And, automation has rendered most superfluous.
Those who can do, Those who cannot teach, Those that are fit for neither administrate.

May 19, 2022 2:21 pm

“Which Woke Mediocrity will Replace the Outgoing UN Climate Chief?”

St. Greta of Angst. She’s perfect for the job. No skills, high school dropout, spoiled rotten by woke parents. What more could you ask for? That is, unless Griff is applying for the job.

Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 2:23 pm

$207,000 is rather a lot to pay for a worthless, meaningless job that does nothing.
But then, that statement could be enlarged to the UN as a whole, and especially to UN FCCC. 30 plus years of useless futility and 26 expensive COP ‘jamborees’ concerning a non-problem except in faulty climate models. The non-problem also comes with a ruinous renewables non-solution.

ECS is ~1.7, not 3.4.
Sea level rise has not accelerated.
Arctic summer ice has not disappeared.
Children still know snow.
Weather extremes have not increased.

If the ‘science is settled’ making all these faulty predictions, why keep funding it?

Mr.
Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 2:35 pm

The climate predictions are the quintessential examples of Einstein’s caution that –

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”.

Reply to  Mr.
May 20, 2022 12:10 am

These people will reply (adapted from Einstein’s quote):
“The definition of veracity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different beliefs to come out.”
Unfortunately, that is exactly what the MSM and their new “Trusted News Initiative” are doing.

Peter W
Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 5:19 pm

Having followed this business for some time, I have taken note that recently winter has been a bit on the cool side, and this summer is now starting out rather warm. From what I have read about the big ice ages, they consist of relatively short, hot summers and long, cold winters. If the recent past is prolog, as I suspect, it will be most interesting to watch how the new person handles it.

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 5:22 pm

Do you know what the cost of living is in Bonn?

Rud Istvan
Reply to  Retired_Engineer_Jim
May 19, 2022 5:39 pm

Less than Munchen, where I lived for almost 6 years. And remember all the freebies Germany provides theirs.

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 6:53 pm

I also lived on Muenchen. Lovely place. Sorry Rud – my comment needed a sarc tag.

Rod Evans
Reply to  Retired_Engineer_Jim
May 19, 2022 10:20 pm

It was a truncated sentence, They meant to say “Will be based in Gabon” All of the would be candidates, with the exception of maybe the Canadian blond would feel right at home and a $200K+expenses salary will be plenty to keep you in luxury in Gabon ‘sweetie’ as Patsy would say. 🙂

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 5:27 pm

Hi Rud,

Not sure or your source for ECS ~= 1.7C/doubling, but close enough for a MAXIMUM UPPER BOUND of the parameter. However, since atmospheric CO2 changes LAG atmospheric temperature changes by ~9 months in the modern data record (MacRae 2008), ECS may in fact be so low as to be non-existent.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/06/06/a-wuwt-comment-rebuke/#comment-3263875

These authors both used full-Earth-scale observations to calculate their upper-bound CS. Repeating, see underlined below:
 
Both Christy & McNider (2017) and Lewis & Curry (2018) proved that climate sensitivity to increasing CO2 is too low to cause dangerous warming. To calculate an upper-­‐bound on climate sensitivity to CO2, both papers made the same very conservative assumption:
Both papers assumed that ALL the observed global warming is ascribed to increasing
atmospheric CO2, and then calculated the maximum climate sensitivity to a hypothetical doubling of atmospheric CO2 of only about 1 degree C, which is too low to cause dangerous global warming.
 
1.     Christy and McNider (2017) analysed UAH Lower Troposphere data since 1979:
“Satellite Bulk Tropospheric Temperatures As A
Metric For Climate Sensitivity” By John R.
Christy and Richard T. McNider
Asia-­‐Pac. J. Atmos.
Sci., 53(4), 511-­‐518, 2017
 
2.     Lewis and Curry (2018) analysed HadCRUT4v5 Surface Temperature data since 1859:
“The Impact of Recent Forcing and Ocean Heat Uptake Data on Estimates of Climate
Sensitivity” By Nicholas Lewis and Judith Curry
 
Climate computer models used by the IPCC and other global warming alarmists employ
climate sensitivity values much higher than 1C/doubling, in order to create false fears of catastrophic global warming.
____________

That approach is as good as it gets – full-Earth scale so no scale-up errors, and a conservative assumption that ALL observed warming is due to increasing CO2 – so it is an upper bound solution for CS. If NO warming was due to CO2. calculated CS would be zero. Theoretically, CS could be zero or even negative, but it is highly improbable that it is more than ~1C/doubling.
 
More extreme/esoteric arguments are possible, but not that credible.

______________________________

More Full-Earth–Scale Proof of Low-to-Nil ECS:
Atmospheric CO2 is increasing. Where is that #$%^&* Global warming?

RECORD-BREAKING MAY COLD/SNOW HEADED FOR DENVER, SEATTLE AND MANY OTHERS, AS CROP PANTING WOES PERSIST; + OUT-OF-SEASON CYCLONE DRIVES ANTARCTIC AIR UNUSUALLY-FAR NORTH INTO BRAZIL
May 19, 2022 Cap Allon
The COLD TIMES are returning…

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Reply to  Allan MacRae
May 20, 2022 8:34 am

The temperature reports from around Brazil are particularly shocking. Two degrees C in Brasilia? Wow.

Reply to  Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
May 20, 2022 12:08 pm

U want to try our Baltic states
We are pss..d off with never ending strong cold winds from NE NW and cold polar air.
The geese are still flying, but temps in the morning are still close to freezing, and almost no leaves appearing yet.
It’s the latest coldest spring I can ever remember while in France currently it’s boiling hot with african air enveloped so much it’s like the month of august heatwave (canicule )in May and no end in sight…….phew!!

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 5:49 pm

I’m not convinced that ECS is as high as ~1.7 but it’s certainly a lot closer to reality than 3.4.

PMHinSC
Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 19, 2022 6:17 pm

Any discussion of ECS begs the question as to whether atmospheric CO2 can double.
If CO2 is predominately manmade then Keeling data should be closely coupled to population.
Using worldometers.com 1960-2020 population in billions and Keeling data at the beginning of the same decades, anachnoid.com/polysolve/ calculates a 4-order polynomial with an R^2 of 0.9999366.
Using this polynomial, and worldometers.com population projections to 2100, CO2 maximum is 644ppm in 2100. If Worldometers’ population project of essentially 0% growth in 2100 is accurate, any CO2 increase beyond 2100 would have to be natural and discussions of ECS are of academic interest only.
Note that Excel gives different polynomial coefficients (with an R^2 of 1!) which resulted in a 7% high value in 1960-2020 data.

Bob Weber
Reply to  PMHinSC
May 19, 2022 7:14 pm

Good point PMHinSC, glad to see the five more years of data had the same result.

comment image

Reply to  PMHinSC
May 19, 2022 7:16 pm

You can’t simply use population. Something like world GDP has to be used, because commerce mirrors energy use better than number of people, along with a world population gaining wealth, or at least reducing extreme poverty.

Reply to  PMHinSC
May 20, 2022 1:19 am

Coupling CO2 rise to population seems extremely unlikely as the rate of individual energy use varies markedly and the average production over population varies markedly in different societies.

PMHinSC
Reply to  AndyHce
May 20, 2022 7:51 am

To Bob Weber, BobM, and AndyHce: thanks for the comments.
The polynomial relationship between population and Keeling data carries an R^2 of 0.9999366 and an accuracy from 1960-2020 of 0.1%. Hard to believe that this relationship is just happenstance (I don’t believe in coincidences). Just because we believe something is true does not make it true.

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Reply to  PMHinSC
May 20, 2022 8:50 am

PMH

We cannot get our hands on enough carbonaceous fuel to push the concentration up to 600 ppm. The only way it could rise that much is if the oceans warmed a lot, and outgassing was high enough to overcome the increased uptake.

If we admit that most of the rise in CO2 is from the warming ocean, we raise as well the calculation as to what was the human contribution to the current 420 ppm (since 1850). As detailed in a recent article on this site, the answer is 19 ppm.

If everything we burned of a fossil fuel nature only increase the atmospheric concentration was 19 ppm (the rest being natural warming driving outgassing, producing further warming driving outgassing, etc) then we are going to have no AGW problem at all.

While this is a disappointment to many who have carve a nice living out of the business of climate alarm, it is a relief to a terrorized public.

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 20, 2022 11:14 am

$207,000 is rather a lot

I live on a pension of 1/10 (one tenth) of that after 40+ years of professional life helping others creating wealth or puting food on their tables. It was my bad choice: would be better that 50 years ago I had decided to be a useless (or even noxious) bureaucrat.

fretslider
May 19, 2022 2:23 pm

“…governments to put their candidates forward”

Let the arm twisting and ear stroking begin.

Dave Fair
Reply to  fretslider
May 19, 2022 3:50 pm

I nominate Admiral Rachel what’s-her-name, Deputy something-or-other in Homeland Insecurity and one of the few women in the world that suffer from male-pattern baldness.

Reply to  fretslider
May 20, 2022 12:22 am

I personally would nominate one of the groundhogs that predict climate is several places in North America. It’s “deep understanding” of climate would be just a good. It’s predictions couldn’t be worse that with the models, and the salary would be certainly much lower, releasing funds for other U.N. useless jobs which at least, would maybe generate less damage.

HOJO
Reply to  fretslider
May 20, 2022 9:03 am

Don’t forget the additional deposits along the way

Bob
May 19, 2022 2:27 pm

It doesn’t matter one liar is just as bad as another.

Reply to  Bob
May 20, 2022 1:21 am

Some liars are more convincing that others.

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Reply to  AndyHce
May 20, 2022 8:53 am

Bad liars are easier to spot. Choose the most ideological and incompetent candidate so no one who counts takes them seriously.

May 19, 2022 2:29 pm

Maybe they can find a Nigerian prince to take the part.

Or a Kenyan monkey.

John Bell
May 19, 2022 2:52 pm

She looks like she is living high on the hog, off the fat of the land, a bit plump.

May 19, 2022 3:06 pm

Willie Soon is ethically Chinese and originally from Malaysia.

He’s highly qualified and can apply for the UN job. All he need do is identify as a female AGW believer, and he’d be the perfect candidate. A minority “woman.” And a recent convert to the AGW religion. What’s not to like?

Every wokester knows that a “woman” has far more intersectional status than any boring unquoted woman-woman. Willie would be a shoe-in.

Then, once in power, Willie reverts back. Oops.

Rud Istvan
Reply to  Pat Frank
May 19, 2022 3:12 pm

Fun fantasy. Good one.
But Willie (Wei-Hok) Soon has time and again shown he has stiff moral fiber that would not allow this—unlike most warmunists.

Old Man Winter
Reply to  Pat Frank
May 19, 2022 10:28 pm

“highly qualified”

That could kill the job app immediately if word ever got out about that.

BTW, does the UN have a biologist on staff that knows what a woman is?

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Reply to  Pat Frank
May 20, 2022 9:04 am

Willie is ethically Chinese? I wonder what that implies. Gonna have to think about that one. I know him to be ethnically Chinese which means an oppressed minority in that place. That is good training for the abuse he would later unfairly suffer in academia and beyond. No wonder he is mentally tough.

For those interested, there is the oldest Chinese cultural centre in Johor that dates back to the 1850’s – surprisingly recent. One of my friends in K-L was raised in a concentration camp. It is a complex place.

czechlist
May 19, 2022 3:10 pm

I nominate AOC or how about a panel consisting of the entire squad. They would be less dangerous in that position than they are in Congress

LdB
Reply to  czechlist
May 19, 2022 6:01 pm

She already has her freebie job

CD in Wisconsin
May 19, 2022 3:16 pm

Employment advert:

“Time for a changing of the guard in the position of high priest/priestess in the Holy Church of Climate Alarmism. New applicants must be someone who remains firmly committed to the alarmist faith and to carrying out the duties that enable church membership to continue growing and prospering.

Applicants must ensure that any science which threatens the belief in climate alarmism is discredited or ignored using any means necessary. Experience in the fields of propaganda and public indoctrination preferred.

Radical political leftists are especially encouraged to apply.”

.

Paul Hurley (aka PaulH)
May 19, 2022 3:42 pm

I understand ex-truth czar Nina Jankowicz may be looking for a job. 😉

Streetcred
May 19, 2022 4:03 pm

Hahahaha ! They should appoint the lady from South Africa, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane !

I don’t know if readers know much about South African politicians and bureaucrats, but they are, across the board, poorly ‘educated’ and can hardly string two words together that make any sense.

Nobody would know what she is saying most of the time !

Tom Abbott
Reply to  Streetcred
May 20, 2022 2:32 am

“I don’t know if readers know much about South African politicians and bureaucrats, but they are, across the board, poorly ‘educated’ and can hardly string two words together that make any sense.”

Like Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s torture listening to this woman.

carey
May 19, 2022 4:25 pm

South Africa’s minister of women, youth and persons with disabilities has been a vocal advocate for gender-responsive climate policy. what?

Steve Oregon
May 19, 2022 4:42 pm

They may go to the bottom of the barrel with Jane Lubchenco.

May 19, 2022 4:44 pm

Eight of the nine candidates are female communists and one is a male communist.

Gilbert K. Arnold
Reply to  Alec Rawls
May 19, 2022 5:26 pm

Thank you for saving me from wasting a minute of my time

May 19, 2022 5:44 pm

Does the Climate Chief have a Rain Dance committee? They should. It would be more effective than whatever it is they do. They should be looking at someone from a Pueblo tribe from the American Southwest as the next climate chief. They know their rain dances.

Reply to  Eric Worrall
May 20, 2022 9:34 am

You may be on to something there. The leftists are poor at research, generally speaking, so it might get past the gatekeepers.
Now if only there was a suitable candidate amongst aboriginal tribes.
We might be able to find one in New Mexico where the current administration is hamstringing oil and gas drilling.

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Reply to  stinkerp
May 20, 2022 9:06 am

In Alberta all we have are rain dunces.

H.R.
May 19, 2022 7:43 pm

I really wish they’d give the job to St. Greta.

Everyone else is just playing pattycake while Greta would dive right in and really screw the pooch.

God love a meadow muffin, but that girl is as thick as two planks, and would have the UN scrambling to cover up Greta’s efforts to actually do something before anyone notices it’s all a screw-the-World money grab.

I do really like that St. Greta always calls BS on the hypocrisy of the alleged COP and gub’mint saviors of the planet.

I have to give Greta props for that.

H.R.
Reply to  Eric Worrall
May 19, 2022 9:08 pm

Yup, Eric, but again, that’s why I’d back Greta. She’d be the mother of all monkey wrenches in the gears of the IPCC.

The PTB found out she’s as dumb as a box of hammers and doesn’t know when to ‘turn it off’.

“Uh-oh… error, error. Danger Will Robinson! Put a lid on that kid!”

But then that’s why I like our Miss Greta. Those are her good points ;o)

Alex B
Reply to  H.R.
May 19, 2022 9:44 pm

Don’t insult hammers, they manage to hit the nail on the head.

Rod Evans
May 19, 2022 10:41 pm

Now come along WUWT there is clearly only one possible candidate for this very important role of Climate Change leader at the UN.
Who do we know that is in a senior political role, and has shown an ability to achieve absolutely zero? Who do we know that ticks the ‘none male’ box also ticks the ‘none white’ person box and likes to conduct stage managed interviews on camera with child actors?
Who do we know, that even the Democrat party are desperate to find a role for? A role that will take away their anxiety about sleepy old Joe’s longevity and the standing by replacement.
She even has all the big words sorted out to help her, You need those, in the very important role of Climate Change head at the UN. She even knows Russia is ‘Big’ and Ukraine is ‘small’ a perfect candidate, step up to the podium the ever embarrassing Kamala Harris VP (Vacuous Person) your taxi has arrived.

H.R.
Reply to  Rod Evans
May 20, 2022 5:55 am

VP (Vacuous Person)”

I’m stealing that one, Rod. 👍👍

Rod Evans
Reply to  H.R.
May 20, 2022 10:09 am

Please do. 🙂

May 20, 2022 1:12 am

Is that $207,000 salary monthly or yearly?

Derg
Reply to  AndyHce
May 20, 2022 8:56 am

Monthly seems reasonable 🤓

IanE
Reply to  Derg
May 20, 2022 10:12 am

Quite so! I mean, I know they do it as a public service, but they still have to eat, you know!

James Bull
May 20, 2022 3:50 am

All they need to do is follow the Whitehouse example and go for the one that ticks the most diversity boxes like the new press talking head who’s only qualifications that matter were her gender, sexual orientation and colour. Her inability to string words together to make coherent sentences doesn’t seem to be a problem. Oh and to spout whatever the CCP controllers of the UN want.

James Bull

IanE
May 20, 2022 10:12 am

Greta, of course!!!

May 20, 2022 10:55 am

Presumably the candidate will be screened for critical attributes such as gender, race, political affiliation, perceived historical victimization, fragments of indigenous genetics, and membership in the Sleepy Joe fan club.

May 20, 2022 11:06 am

You can view the new lineup of candidates, but be warned, that is a minute of your life you won’t get back. ”

Thank you Eric, for the advice. It took me a few minutes more than one because is good information.

All candidates are either lawyers or economists (or have been finance ministers of their countries). One has a degree REMOTELY, VERY REMOTELY connected with environmet, science, etc. (physical chemistry), the lady is very interested in a treaty on plastic polution… Oh, OK, there is also one “climate scientist”…

It can be expected that no one out of that bunch will understand what climate is.

Enough said…

Zane
May 21, 2022 4:11 pm

Where do they find these horrors?

yarpos
May 22, 2022 11:52 pm

Of course they will get worse and worse. They are the product of a indoctrination system rather than an education system. They have been consistently rewarded for mouthing climate platitudes. In the corporate world it the same with “ESG” indoctrinated managers.

It works up to a point, but as the people at CNN, Disney, Netflix, Gillete and the grid operators in the UK, Germany, Texas and California can attest, sooner or later you run into reality.