“ Few challenges facing America and

the world are more urgent than combating

climate change.The science is beyond “
dispute and the facts are clear.
— P R E S I D E N T- E L E C T B A R A C K O B A M A , N O V E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 0 8

With all due respect

Mr.President,that is not true.
e, the undersigned scientists, maintain that the case for alarm regarding climate change is grossly overstated.
W Surface temperature changes over the past century have been episodic and modest and there has been no net
global warming for over a decade now.1,2 After controlling for population growth and property values, there has been
no increase in damages from severe weather-related events.3 The computer models forecasting rapid temperature
change abjectly fail to explain recent climate behavior.4 Mr. President, your characterization of the scientific facts
regarding climate change and the degree of certainty informing the scientific debate is simply incorrect.
SYUN AKUSOFU, PH.D JOHN FERGUSON, PH.D JOEL KAUFFMAN, PH.D DICK MORGAN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES, EXETER UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
UPON TYNE (RETIRED) PHILADELPHIA (EMERITUS)
ARTHUR G. ANDERSON, PH.D NILS-AXEL MÖRNER, PH.D
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, IBM (RETIRED) EDUARDO FERREYRA DAVID KEAR, PH.D STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
ARGENTINIAN FOUNDATION FOR FORMER DIRECTOR-GENERAL,
CHARLES R. ANDERSON, PH.D A SCIENTIFIC ECOLOGY NZ DEPT. SCIENTIFIC AND DAVID NOWELL, D.I.C.
ANDERSON MATERIALS EVALUATION INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH FORMER CHAIRMAN, NATO
MICHAEL FOX, PH.D METEOROLOGY CANADA
J. SCOTT ARMSTRONG, PH.D AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY RICHARD KEEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CLIFF OLLIER, D.SC.
GORDON FULKS, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
ROBERT ASHWORTH GORDON FULKS AND ASSOCIATES DR. KELVIN KEMM, PH.D
LIFETIME ACHIEVERS AWARD,
CLEARSTACK LLC GARTH W. PALTRIDGE, PH.D
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEE GERHARD, PH.D FORUM, SOUTH AFRICA
UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA
ISMAIL BAHT, PH.D STATE GEOLOGIST, KANSAS (RETIRED)
UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR ALFRED PECKAREK, PH.D
MADHAV KHANDEKAR, PH.D
GERHARD GERLICH, PH.D FORMER EDITOR, CLIMATE RESEARCH
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
COLIN BARTON TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT BRAUNSCHWEIG
CSIRO (RETIRED) DR. ROBERT A. PERKINS, P.E.
IVAR GIAEVER, PH.D ROBERT S. KNOX, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
NOBEL LAUREATE, PHYSICS UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER (EMERITUS)
DAVID J. BELLAMY, OBE
THE BRITISH NATURAL ASSOCIATION IAN PILMER, PH.D
JAMES P. KOERMER, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE (EMERITUS)
ALBRECHT GLATZLE, PH.D PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY
JOHN BLAYLOCK SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, INTTAS
LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL (PARAGUAY) BRIAN R. PRATT, PH.D
GERHARD KRAMM, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
LABORATORY (RETIRED) UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS
WAYNE GOODFELLOW, PH.D
EDWARD F. BLICK, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA JOHN REINHARD, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA (EMERITUS)
WAYNE KRAUS, PH.D ORE PHARMACEUTICALS
JAMES GOODRIDGE KRAUS CONSULTING
CALIFORNIA STATE CLIMATOLOGIST (RETIRED) PETER RIDD, PH.D
SONJA BOEHMER-CHRISTIANSEN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF HULL
OLAV M. KVALHEIM, PH.D JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY
LAURENCE GOULD, PH.D UNIV. OF BERGEN
UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD CURT ROSE, PH.D
BOB BRECK ROAR LARSON, PH.D
AMS BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR 2008 BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS)
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE
VINCENT GRAY, PH.D AND TECHNOLOGY
JOHN BRIGNELL NEW ZEALAND CLIMATE COALITION PETER SALONIUS M.SC.
CANADIAN FOREST SERVICE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON (EMERITUS) JAMES F. LEA, PH.D
WILLIAM M. GRAY, PH.D
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY GARY SHARP, PH.D
MARK CAMPBELL, PH.D DOUGLAS LEAHY, PH.D
METEOROLOGIST CENTER FOR CLIMATE/OCEAN
U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY
KENNETH E. GREEN, D.ENV. RESOURCES STUDY
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
ROBERT M. CARTER, PH.D PETER R. LEAVITT
JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY CERTIFIED CONSULTING METEOROLOGIST THOMAS P. SHEAHAN, PH.D
KESTEN GREEN, PH.D WESTERN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
MONASH UNIVERSITY
IAN CLARK, PH.D DAVID R. LEGATES, PH.D
PROFESSOR, EARTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE ALAN SIMMONS
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA, OTTAWA, CANADA WILL HAPPER, PH.D AUTHOR, THE RESILIENT EARTH
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
RICHARD S. LINDZEN, PH.D
ROGER COHEN, PH.D MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE ROY N. SPENCER, PH.D
FELLOW, AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY HOWARD C. HAYDEN, PH.D OF TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA—HUNTSVILLE
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT (EMERITUS)
PAUL COPPER, PH.D HARRY F. LINS, PH.D. ARLIN SUPER, PH.D
LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS) BEN HERMAN, PH.D CO-CHAIR, IPCC HYDROLOGY AND RETIRED RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA (EMERITUS) WATER RESOURCES WORKING GROUP METEOROLOGIST, U.S. DEPT.
OF RECLAMATION
PIERS CORBYN, MS
WEATHER ACTION MARTIN HERTZBERG, PH.D. ANTHONY R. LUPO, PH.D
U.S. NAVY (RETIRED) UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI GEORGE H. TAYLOR, MS
RICHARD S. COURTNEY, PH.D APPLIED CLIMATE SERVICES
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL DOUG HOFFMAN, PH.D HOWARD MACCABEE, PH.D, MD
PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHOR, THE RESILIENT EARTH CLINICAL FACULTY, STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUARDO P. TONNI, PH.D
MUSEO DE LA PLATA (ARGENTINA)
UBERTO CRESCENTI, PH.D BERND HUETTNER, PH.D HORST MALBERG, PH.D
PAST-PRESIDENT, ITALIAN GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN RALF D. TSCHEUSCHNER, PH.D
OLE HUMLUM, PH.D
SUSAN CROCKFORD, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF OSLO BJORN MALMGREN, PH.D DR. ANTON URIARTE, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA GOTEBURG UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS) UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO
A. NEIL HUTTON
JOSEPH S. D’ALEO PAST PRESIDENT, CANADIAN SOCIETY JENNIFER MAROHASY, PH.D BRIAN VALENTINE, PH.D
OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENT FOUNDATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
FELLOW, AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY

JAMES DEMEO PH.D CRAIG D. IDSO, PH.D JAMES A MARUSEK GOSTA WALIN, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS (RETIRED) CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CARBON DIOXIDE U.S. NAVY (RETIRED) UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG (EMERITUS)
AND GLOBAL CHANGE

DAVID DEMING, PH.D GERD-RAINER WEBER, PH.D

ROSS MCKITRICK, PH.D REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENAL
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SHERWOOD B. IDSO, PH.D UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (RETIRED)
DIANE DOUGLAS, PH.D PATRICK J. MICHAELS, PH.D
PALEOCLIMATOLOGIST KIMINORI ITOH, PH.D FORESE-CARLO WEZEL, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
YOKOHAMA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY URBINO UNIVERSITY

DAVID DOUGLASS, PH.D TIMMOTHY R. MINNICH, MS EDWARD T. WIMBERLEY, PH.D

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER STEVE JAPAR, PH.D MINNICH AND SCOTTO, INC. FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY
REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL
ROBERT H. ESSENHIGH PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE ASMUNN MOENE, PH.D
E.G. BAILEY EMERITUS MIKLOS ZAGONI, PH.D
FORMER HEAD, FORECASTING
PROFESSOR OF ENERGY CONVERSION REVIEWER, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL
STEN KAIJSER, PH.D CENTER, METEOROLOGICAL
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY UPPSALA UNIVERSITY (EMERITUS) INSTITUTE, NORWAY

CHRISTOPHER ESSEX, PH.D WIBJORN KARLEN, PH.D ANTONIO ZICHICHI, PH.D

MICHAEL MONCE, PH.D PRESIDENT, WORLD FEDERATION OF SCIENTISTS
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO UNIVERSITY OF STOCKHOLM (EMERITUS) CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

PA I D F O R B Y T H E CAT O I N S T I T U T E , W W W. CAT O . O R G
1. Swanson, K.L., and A. A. Tsonis. Geophysical Research Letters, in press: DOI:10.1029/2008GL037022.
2. Brohan, P., et al. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2006: DOI: 10.1029/2005JD006548. Updates at http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature.
3. Pielke, R. A. Jr., et al. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2005: DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-86-10-1481.
4. Douglass, D. H., et al. International Journal of Climatology, 2007: DOI: 10.1002/joc.1651.