News

David Legates, Scientist With Record Of False Climate Change Theories, Hired By NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hired a climatology professor who has spent his career questioning the fundamentals of climate science and change.

David Legates, a University of Delaware professor has been hired as NOAA’s deputy assistant secretary of commerce for observation and prediction.

Over the last 20 years, Legates has rejected the overwhelming peer-reviewed research showing human activity is the driving force behind unsustainable climate change.

He has been featured in a video pushing the debunked theory the sun causes global warming, and testified before the Senate in 2014 that a climate report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change falsely stated that humans are a cause of global warming.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

In 2007, Legates co-authored a paper questioning previous findings regarding the role global warming has in destroying polar bear’s natural habitat. That research was partially funded by grants from Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute lobbying group and ExxonMobil, according to InsideClimate News.

NPR reported that during the same year, then-Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D) wrote a letter to Legates in which she asked him to refrain from publicly casting doubt on climate change while he was working as the state climatologist.

Several scientists have criticized the NOAA for hiring Legates, giving the climate issues the country is facing currently, including forest fires in California and hurricanes on the East coast.

Michael Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, wrote in an email to NPR that Legates has “misrepresented the science of climate change, serving as an advocate for polluting interests as he dismisses and downplays the impacts of climate change.”

Mann added: “At a time when those impacts are playing out before our very eyes in the form of unprecedented wildfires out West and super-storms back East, I cannot imagine a more misguided decision than to appoint someone like Legates to a position of leadership at an agency that is tasked with assessing the risks we face from extreme weather events.”

Katherine Huggins

Recent Posts

VIDEO: Trump Watches SpaceX Launch Alongside Elon Musk & Ted Cruz

https://youtube.com/shorts/YVrfbMZSVRE?feature=share US President-elect Donald Trump drew cheers as he arrived in Texas on Nov. 19 to watch…

2 days ago

Foreign Policy Experts Voice Concern About Trump’s Nomination Of Tulsi Gabbard For Director Of National Intelligence

After President-elect Donald Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, as his nominee for…

3 days ago

Trump’s Pick Of Vaccine-Skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alarms Scientific Community

President-elect Donald Trump's announcement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be his pick for Department…

4 days ago

VIDEO: President-Elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk & Cabinet Picks Attend UFC Fight In NYC, Crowd Chants “USA”

https://youtube.com/shorts/6CUvTmS87UM?feature=share President-elect Donald Trump arrived to cheers at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in…

4 days ago

Trump Pick Of Matt Gaetz For Attorney General Sends Shock Waves Through Capitol

President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) as his attorney general has sent shockwaves through…

5 days ago

VIDEO: Fights Break Out In Stand During France-Israel Match

https://youtube.com/shorts/TD8RNJl-NBk A fight broke out in one of the stands at the Stade de France…

5 days ago