Scientists detect possible signs of life on Venus

Legates was appointed, unbeknownst to multiple NOAA officials, according to a person from the agency, to serve as the deputy assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and forecasting and will report directly to acting NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs.

Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) called the appointment “a slap in the face to the NOAA scientists who work daily to carry out and communicate climate science to the public and decision makers.”

“Until now, NOAA has largely evaded the kind of unscientific political designations that have devastated the EPA and the Interior,” Goldman told the Washington Post. “With Dr. Legates we run the risk of seeing the same kind of politicization of science and corruption of ethics.”

Legates served from 2005 to 2011 as Delaware’s state climatologist, and resigned under pressure from former Democratic Gov. Ruth Ann Minner when it came to her attention that her views on climate “were not aligned with those of [her] administration.”

“I am directing you to offer future statements on this or other public policy matters only on your behalf or at the University of Delaware, and not as a state climatologist,” Minner wrote to Legates in 2007 after he wrote an amicus brief in accordance with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which opposed Delaware’s attempt to force federal regulation of greenhouse gases.

The appointment, which an anonymous NOAA official referred to as a surprising “weekend midnight hiring,” comes as the agency is monitoring the arrival of Hurricane Sally. The storm quickly strengthened Monday and was expected to trigger an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm surge” off the Gulf Coast.

NOAA’s National Weather Service has also been issuing warnings to the West Coast about the wildfires that have swept through the region in recent days, killing more than 30 people. Agency scientists have contributed to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports on the climate crisis and global warming, including the 2018 study that warned that greenhouse gas emissions will pose a growing threat to the human life if not drastically reduced. in the next 10 to 20 years.

Legates’ appointment to help lead the agency undermines that message, critics say, considering among his climate science work a document called “The IPCC Reconsidered,” a Heartland Institute-funded project that called for more, not less. fossil fuel emissions. .

“The juxtaposition of the apocalyptic wildfires and the announcement of the appointment of David Legates is mind-boggling,” said Jane Lubchenco, who served as NOAA administrator during the Barack Obama presidency. Send. “Just when we need continued truth from the nation’s leading climate agency, a climate denier is hired. This is a sham.”

In their new role, Lubchenco warned, the Legacies “will be in a position to stifle the free flow of accurate scientific information to the public, distort or manipulate scientific findings, restrict monitoring and research, and create a chilling atmosphere for top officials.” quality science and scientists the nation needs. “

Other examples of Legates’ work include a 2007 paper, partially funded by Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute and ExxonMobil, which questioned whether the climate crisis is destroying polar bear habitats as temperatures in the Arctic rise two times faster than the world average. , and sea ice disappears at a rate of 4% per decade.

Along with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Legates spoke at a 2016 panel discussion on Capitol Hill, when both houses of Congress were controlled by Republicans, about the documentary “Climate Hustle,” which questioned the existence of the scientific consensus on man-made climate change. The panel addressed the question: “Are they [scientists] trying to control the weather … or you? “

Brian Kahn, Managing Editor of Earther, tweeted about a talk Legacies gave at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2018 in which the professor posited that global warming has benefits for humans and wildlife, such as growing larger crabs.

Legates’ presentation was a “cesspool of misinformation about how good carbon dioxide really is,” Kahn tweeted.

“He’s not alone in left field, he’s not even close to the stadium,” Lubchenco said. NPR.

Published with permission from Common Dreams.