Lindzen on climate science advocacy and modeling – “at this point, the models seem to be failing”. Ah, science by letter-to-the-editor. Climate change is “natural”, who knows if this latest bit means anything? The head of the Climatic Research Unit is “deservedly maligned”. Climate scientists lack “courage” because they’re brainwashed by “a generation of environmental propaganda” and are simply chasing grant money. Just the facts, eh Dr. Lindzen?
The best bit of his letter is this classic tidbit of double-standard denialist-speak: Lindzen says that not being able to offer something better than current models is OK because the models aren’t perfect anyway. He brazenly calls this “the normal scientific approach.” Um, Dr. L; the “normal scientific approach” is to formulate a theory that better describes the evidence. Until then you’ve got bupkis. In twenty years of blather no denialist has met this basic and obvious threshold.
Dr. Richard Lindzen was actually lead author of Chapter 7, ‘Physical Climate Processes and Feedbacks,’ of the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment Report. This chapter was the bit that doesn’t say anything about whether climate change is happening or what is causing it… He’s also a regular on the right-wing foundation grouch-for-hire lecture circuit.
