Climate Change

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Room 54-1724

Cambridge, MA 02139

Office (617) 253-2432

home (617) 332-4342

Email rlindzen@mit.edu

March 9, 2017

President Donald Trump

The White House

Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

On 2 March, 2017, members of the MIT Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate (PAOC)

sent a public letter to the White House, contesting the Petition I circulated. The Petition, signed

by over 330 scientists from around the world so far, called for governments to withdraw from the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Since MIT’s administration has made the climate issue a major focus for the Institute, with

PAOC playing a central role, it is not surprising that the department would object to any deemphasis.

But the PAOC letter shows very clearly the wisdom of James Madison’s admonition,

in the Federalist, 10:

“No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his

judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. With equal, nay with greater reason, a

body of men are unfit to be both judges and parties at the same time.”

For far too long, one body of men, establishment climate scientists, has been permitted to be

judges and parties on what the “risks to the Earth system associated with increasing levels of

carbon dioxide” really are.

Let me explain in somewhat greater detail why we call for withdrawal from the UNFCCC.

The UNFCCC was established twenty five years ago to find scientific support for dangers from

increasing carbon dioxide. While this has led to generous and rapidly increased support for the

field, the purported dangers remain hypothetical, model-based projections. By contrast, the

benefits of increasing CO2 and modest warming are clearer than ever, and they are supported by

dramatic satellite images of a greening Earth.

We note that:

 The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) no longer claims a greater

likelihood of significant as opposed to negligible future warming,
 It has long been acknowledged by the IPCC that climate change prior to the 1960’s could not

have been due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Yet, pre-1960 instrumentally observed

temperatures show many warming episodes, similar to the one since 1960, for example, from

1915 to 1950, and from 1850 to 1890. None of these could have been caused by an increase in

atmospheric CO2,

 Model projections of warming during recent decades have greatly exceeded what has been

observed,

 The modelling community has openly acknowledged that the ability of existing models to

simulate past climates is due to numerous arbitrary tuning adjustments,

 Observations show no statistically valid trends in flooding or drought, and no meaningful

acceleration whatsoever of pre-existing long term sea level rise (about 6 inches per century)

worldwide,

 Current carbon dioxide levels, around 400 parts per million are still very small compared to the

averages over geological history, when thousands of parts per million prevailed, and when life

flourished on land and in the oceans.

Calls to limit carbon dioxide emissions are even less persuasive today than 25 years ago. Future

research should focus on dispassionate, high-quality climate science, not on efforts to prop up an

increasingly frayed narrative of “carbon pollution.” Until scientific research is unfettered from

the constraints of the policy-driven UNFCCC, the research community will fail in its obligation

to the public that pays the bills.

I hope these remarks help to explain why the over 300 original signers of the Petion (and

additional scientists are joining them every day) have called for withdrawal from the UNFCCC.

Respectfully yours,

Richard S. Lindzen, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences

SUPPORTING SIGNERS:

Most of signers of the Petition, agree with my remarks above. In the limited time available to

prepare the letter, it has been reviewed and approved by the following:

ABDUSSAMATOV, Habibullo Ismailovich: (Dr. sci., Phys. and Math. Sciences. ); Head of

space research of the Sun sector at the Pulkovo observatory, head of the project The Lunar

Observatory, St. Petersburg, (Russian Federation).

ALEXANDER, Ralph B.: (Ph.D. ,Physics, University of Oxford ); Former Associate Professor,

Wayne State University, Detroit, author of Global Warming False Alarm (2012).
BASTARDI, Joseph: Chief Meteorologist, Weatherbell Analytics.

BRIGGS, William M.: (Ph.D., Statistics & Philosophy of Science); Author of Uncertainty: The

Soul of Modeling, Probability & Statistics.

CLOUGH, Charles: (MS., Atmospheric Science); Founder and Retired Chief of the US Army

Atmospheric Effects Team, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, Retired LtCol USAF (Res) Weather

Officer.

DOIRON, Harold H.: (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston 1970 ); Retired

VP Engineering, InDyne, Inc.; Senior Manager, McDonnell Douglas Space Systems; and former

NASA Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle Engineer Chairman, The Right Climate Stuff Research

Team, composed of NASA manned space program retirees.

EASTERBROOK, Donald J.: (Ph.D.); Professor Emeritus of Geology at Western Washington

University; former president of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of GSA,

Associate Editor of the GSA Bulletin for 15 years, and many other professional activities. He

published four books and eight professional papers in the past year.

FORBES, Vivian R.: (BSc., Applied Sciences); FAusIMM, FSIA, geologist, financial analyst

and pasture manager, author of many articles on climate, pollution, economic development and

hydrocarbons. (Australia).

HAPPER, William: (Ph.D., Physics); Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics (emeritus)

Princeton University; Director of the Office of Energy Research, US Department of Energy,

1990-1993.

HAYDEN, Howard "Cork": (PhD.); Professor Emeritus, University of Connecticut.

IDSO, Craig: (PhD, B.S., Geography, Arizona State University, M.S.,Agronomy, the University

of Nebraska - Lincoln in 1996 ); Chairman of the board of the Center for the Study of Carbon

Dioxide and Global Change.

LEGATES, David R.: (PhD, Climatology, University of Delaware); Certified Consulting

Meterologist.

LUPO, Anthony: (Ph.D., Atmospheric Science); Professor of Atmospheric Science, University

of Missouri.

MARKÓ, István E.: (PhD,Organic Chemistry, Catholic University of Louvain); professor and

researcher of organic chemistry at the Catholic University of Louvain ( Belgium).

MOCKTON, Christopher: ; The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (United Kingdom).
MOORE, Patrick: (PhD., Ecology, University of British Columbia, Honorary Doctorate of

Science, North Carolina State University); National Award for Nuclear Science and History

(Einstein Society).

NICHOLS, Rodney W.: (AB Physics, Harvard); Science and Technology policy Executive

Vice President emeritus Rockefeller University President and CEO emeritus, NY Academy of

Sciences Co-Founder CO2 Coalition.

SINGER, Fred S.: (Ph.D., Physics, Princeton University, BA, Electrical Engineering, Ohio State

University); professor emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia. He

directs the nonprofit Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP), which he founded in

1990 and incorporated in 1992 after retiring from the University of Virginia.

SOON, Willie: (PhD); Independent Scientist.

SPENCER, Roy W.: (Ph.D., Meteorology '81; M.S., Meteorology, '79; B.S., Atmospheric &

Oceanic Science, '78); Principal Research Scientist, University of Alabama in Huntsville; codeveloper

of method for satellite monitoring of global temperature; author of numerous papers

on climate and satellite meteorology.

STEWARD, H. Leighton: (MS., Geology); Environmentalist, No. 1 New York Times Best

Selling Author, Recipient numerous national environmental awards or directorships including

the EPA, Louisiana Nature Conservancy, Audubon Nature Institute, the National Petroleum

Council and the API. Former energy industry executive and chosen to represent industry on

Presidential Missions under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.

MOTL, Lubos: (PhD., Physics ); former high-energy theoretical physics junior faculty at

Harvard University (Czech Republic).

WYSMULLER, Thomas H.: (BA, Meteorology ); Ogunquit, Maine, NASA (Ret.); Chair,

Water Day 2013, UNESCO IHE Water Research Institute, Delft, The Netherlands; Chair,

Oceanographic Section, 2016 World Congress of Ocean, Qingdao China; NASA TRCS charter

member.

ZYBACH, Bob: (PhD., Environmental Sciences, Oregon State University); www.ORWW.org,

author of more than 100 popular articles and editorials regarding forest history, wildfire

mitigation, reforestation planning, and Indian burning practices.