The House Science committee will host a climate science hearing next week that promises to be something more akin to a sparring match between climate scientists who don’t always get along.
The Science, Space and Technology panel next Wednesday will dive into the assumptions and science behind climate change, and how the science is influencing policymaking in Washington.
“The purpose of the hearing is to examine the scientific method and process as it relates to climate change,” said a statement from the committee. “The hearing will also focus on the underlying science that helps inform policy decisions.”
One scientist on the list, Dr. Michael Mann, is likely to ruffle at least a couple of feathers at the hearing, say aides.
Mann, who is a professor at the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, has said that the United Nations’ climate panel of scientists must reflect the “diverse views within the science community.” Yet, he has routinely criticized scientists he disagrees with, including others testifying on next week’s panel.
Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. will also testify at next week’s climate science hearing. He’s a professor at the Environmental Studies Department at the University of Colorado. But to Mann he’s a “carnival barker” who nobody should listen to, according to Twitter rant back in 2015.
Dr. Judy Curry, a former professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who will join Pielke next week, has also been the target of Mann’s criticisms.
He once called her opinions on climate science “boiler plate climate change denial drivel.” Curry has been an outspoken critic of climate forecasting.
Pielke, on the other hand, accepts much of the climate findings of the mainstream, showing global temperatures are rising due to increased carbon pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. But he has been a critic of how politicians have used the data, and has maintained that the projected effects of global warming on extreme weather have been exaggerated.
John Christy, a professor from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, will also testify. He has been a critic of mainstream climate modeling.
