Alan I now decline such invitations because I consider them to be a trap. A symmetric one-to-one or four-to-four debate with skeptics does not work in the eyes of the public. It becomes a rhetoric thing. The public gets out that the scientists disagree, which is the primary objective of the organizer. This is a pity bceause beyond climate change there is a real debate to have on energy choices and so on.
Olivier (depuis / from smartphone) > Le 6 sept. 2019 à 02:03, Alan Robock <rob...@envsci.rutgers.edu> a écrit : > > Dear Colleagues, > > Last night I attended CNN's Climate Town Hall, and asked my Senator Cory > Booker a question about solar geoengineering research. You can see it > starting at 27:44 on > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHIMD2E6DgE&list=PL29Rq0wvBhgOcY9ew5490FwzT5U5N6CqT&index=11&t=0s > He immediately called me "Sir," and said he did not know anything about it, > but would find out. Today Rutgers got an email from his office asking for > more information and I will explain what it is and why we need more resources > for research. > > I did not intend to embarrass him. I submitted the same question to CNN to > be asked of all 10 candidates, and they decided to invite me and have me ask > it of my own Senator. I spent 4 hours in the audience listening to Biden, > Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, O'Rourke, and Booker, and was the last person to > ask a question. It was a long time, but very interesting. Mine was the only > geoengineering question. Booker referenced one, and it must have been to one > of the four other candidates who appeared before my 4 hours. > > The other interesting email I got today was the one below. How do you > recommend I answer? My plan is to say that appearing there would give > legitimacy to a "debate" about settled science. I have not debated global > warming deniers for years now for this reason. > Alan > > Alan Robock, Distinguished Professor > Associate Editor, Reviews of Geophysics > Department of Environmental Sciences Phone: +1-848-932-5751 > Rutgers University E-mail: rob...@envsci.rutgers.edu > 14 College Farm Road http://people.envsci.rutgers.edu/robock > New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551 USA ☮ http://twitter.com/AlanRobock > > > -------- Forwarded Message -------- > Subject: INVITATION: Sept. 23 Debate on Global Climate Change and Need > for Action > Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2019 13:11:59 +0000 > From: Jim Lakely <jlak...@heartland.org> > To: rob...@envsci.rutgers.edu <rob...@envsci.rutgers.edu> > > > Dr. Robock, > > [NOTE: This letter is sent on behalf of Frank Lasée, president of The > Heartland Institute.] > > In the wake of your excellent public performance on CNN last night, The > Heartland Institute would like to invite you to participate in an interactive > discussion and debate on climate change in New York City on September 23 in > conjunction with the United Nations Climate Action Summit. The goal of the > Heartland Institute event is to broaden public knowledge about the most > important and most discussed issues related to climate change. > > The event will feature up to five climate experts and policymakers who warn > of an imminent climate crisis, and up to five climate experts and > policymakers who are skeptical of an asserted crisis. Each evenly matched > side will be given equal time to make their case in a live event streamed > globally on YouTube. Each participant will be given time to make an opening > statement as well as answer questions posed by a moderator. One participant > from each side will be allowed to present a final summary. > > We welcome suggested questions from each side. The moderator’s questions may > also include: > > § Does the world really have just 12 years left to radically transform our > lifestyles and energy sources to prevent unstoppable and catastrophic climate > change? > § Will melting glaciers release cataclysmic ancient diseases? > § How have United Nations climate models fared in their temperature > predictions? > § How much of the observed warming is caused by people and how much is > caused by nature? > § Is climate change making extreme weather events more frequent and severe? > § Is climate change causing a refugee crisis? > § Is observed climate change already harming food production? > § What observational evidence would induce you to change your current > position on the causes and consequences of climate change? > § Would action by the United States or Western democracies have much impact > without substantial reductions from China and other rapidly developing > nations? > § Is it possible for scientists with differing views to cooperate together > rather than form isolated camps? > > The Heartland Institute will cover all of your travel expenses and will > contribute $1,000 to the charity of your choice in lieu of a personal > honorarium. We hope this event will provide a valuable public service by > increasing public knowledge on key climate change issues and also bringing > together scientists from all perspectives to facilitate greater future > cooperation and scientific advancement. > > Regards, > > Frank Lasée > President > The Heartland Institute > > EMAIL SENT BY: > Jim Lakely > Director of Communications > The Heartland Institute > 3939 North Wilke Road > Arlington Heights, IL 60004 > o: 312-377-4000 > f: 312-277-4122 > c: 312-731-9364 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/d18c8eaf-fd05-2fbe-8de8-fb90b6ac745f%40envsci.rutgers.edu. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. 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