Columnist ignored real climate experts

In his recent piece “We are at the Emily Litella moment on climate change,” Michael Barone trades in the tired trope of “it is cold out so climate change is wrong.” As he attempts to score points against the science of climate change, he cites Bill Gates (a billionaire), Ted Nordhaus (a writer), Al Gore (a politician), Mark Carney (another politician), Larry Fink (a CEO), and three times Emily Litella (a comedian playing a fictitious character).

Astute readers should notice that Mr. Barone fails to cite a single practicing scientist who has professional expertise in climatology. Grab a random climatologist or planetary scientist at a conference, and they will tell you that the link between greenhouse gas emissions and global climate trends is well-studied, that extreme weather events are becoming more common due to human activity, and that action is needed now to prevent further damage. But how can these legions of credentialed experts stand up to Barone’s citation of a politician saying something wrong 20 years ago?

It is ironic that Mr. Barone finishes his piece with a justification for growing public distrust of scientists after spending three whole columns misrepresenting science and turning his back on actual experts. As an astrophysicist, I am happy to report that scientists are generally more than happy to talk your ears off about their work and how it can change the world. Mr. Barone would have learned this had he talked to a scientist in preparation of his article.

Mr. Barone points to doubts about climate science and the struggle against COVID as evidence for scientists being untrustworthy. After a moment of reflection, it is more clear that distrust of experts is linked to the misuse of science by pundits with ideological axes to grind.

Stephen DiKerby

Wheaton