In 2017 Mark Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University wrote a paper entitled, “Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar.” This would make good reading in the enthusiast, climate change environs of Governor Gavin Newsom’s California, but its content was taken to task by a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and its lead author Christopher Clack, CEO at Vibrant Clean Energy, a firm that creates energy modeling software.
Jacobson sued for defamation. At a February 2018 hearing where PNAS asked that the suit be dismissed Jacobson assumed that the case would be settled and thus dropped the suit – he guessed incorrectly. Instead, the defendants filed a countersuit called a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (FLAPP) which appeals that the plaintiff must pay legal fees.
In issuing her final decree District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Wingo, “finds that the three asserted “egregious errors” are statements reflecting scientific disagreements, which were appropriately explored and challenged in scientific publications; they simply do not attack Dr. Jacobson’s honesty or accuse him of misconduct.
Adding insult to deserved injury just a few days ago, Wingo ordered Jacobson to pay $600,000.00 in legal fees. The original $10 million USD lawsuit was initiated by the mindset of a climate change promoter, like his comrades, who conclude that their science, their scientific remedies, and especially opinions are untouchable. I link the article on this case here.
This story did bring to mind two defamation and libel lawsuits made by Michael Mann, Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State and much-discredited scientist for his creation of the long-term hockey stick temperature graph using proxies such as tree rings, ice cores, corals, and lake sediments. On behalf of advocate climate change scientists everywhere, the temperature graph conveniently eliminated the Medieval Warm Period (WMP). Mann’s “trick” became legendary even bringing out a song when his study evidenced that the temperatures should continue downward in the 20th century, but to conceal the decline he merely and deceptively entered actual temperatures.
After a short period of climate praise by the climate racists at the United Nations, the graph was fully discredited by two Canadians, Steve McIntyre a mathematician and mining consultant, as well as Ross McKitrick a professor of economics at the University of Guelph, specializing in environmental economics and policy analysis. But, the lawsuit was not brought against these two but against two other Canadians.
The first suit was a case of libel brought against Dr. Tim Ball, climatologist and a public speaker and writer who was previously a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Winnipeg. Relative to Mann’s temperature graph, Ball said that Mann “should be in the state pen, not Penn State.” In his defense in court, Ball requested that Mann produce all of his research documents in preparing the hockey stick graph.
After eight years, and Mann’s continued unwillingness to bring forth the research documents, because obviously they were corrupted and distorted, the court dismissed the case. Still not taking the blame and showing no remorse Mann concluded, “The dismissal involved the alleged exercise of discretion on the Court to dismiss a lawsuit for the delay.” The gall and arrogance of proponent activist scientists never cease.
Sadly for the true and honest science of climate, Dr. Tim Ball passed away on Sunday, September 25, 2022. After spending his life savings on his defense against Mann, Dr. Ball was awarded full legal fees. The case has been over for three years, and yet, the abhorrent Mann has yet to pay a penny. Dr. Ball’s family has allowed a GoFundMe page to simply pay for the funeral and other expenses.
The second case involves Canadian Mark Steyn author and commentator. He resides in the state of New Hampshire. His peculiar accent might have come from attending the all-boys education facility in Birmingham, England known as King Edward's.
In 2011, along with the National Review, Steyn was sued for defamation and libel by Mann. Mann had asked the newspaper and Steyn to retract a piece written by Steyn that accused Mann of deception and engaging in data manipulation and corruption and that he needed to be investigated by his employer Penn State University.
In the pages of the National Review, Steyn wrote, “Michael Mann was the man behind the fraudulent climate-change “hockey-stick” graph, the very ringmaster of the tree-ring circus. And, when the East Anglia emails came out, Penn State felt obliged to “investigate” Professor Mann. Graham Spanier, the Penn State president forced to resign over Sandusky, was the same cove who investigated Mann. And, as with Sandusky and Paterno, the college declined to find one of its star names guilty of any wrongdoing. If an institution is prepared to cover up systemic statutory rape of minors, what won’t it cover up? Whether or not he’s “the Jerry Sandusky of climate change”, he remains the Michael Mann of climate change, in part because his “investigation” by a deeply corrupt administration was a joke.”
Steyn and the National Review, using the same ploy as Tim Ball, asked for Mann’s research documentation. This case was dismissed in November of 2020. As with the Ball case, Mann would not show or bring any evidence substantiating his temperature graph. Further in 2020, Michael Mann lost a motion in the DC Superior Court and has now been ordered to pay all the legal fees of the National Review and Steyn.
Each of these actions is simply abusive litigation in an effort to stifle and suppress truthful debate on climate change against those that oppose the fallacy.
On a closing note, I link an article by Mark Steyn on the death of Dr. Ball who Steyn says, “had all the qualities of a true warrior: courage, integrity, indomitable resilience.” The article further illustrates, quite potently, just how disgusting a human, or subhuman, is Michael Mann.
So glad to have listened to this. So sad that Tim Ball had to suffer such loss, but what courage to stay the course! God Bless his soul!