Posts by Perisoreus

Harrison Schmitt, relevance of climate scientists

First, minor clarification. Harrison Schmitt is not just a former astronaut and senator, he has a PhD in geology and is well versed in planetary geology. Such disciplines are as important for understanding climate change as climatology. Why? Two main reasons. In terms of scientific understanding, you need historical understanding of the earth to put present observations in context. In terms of trustworthiness, let me be blunt. I have nothing against climatology or climatologists. But as a profession, they are extremely vested in anthropogenic global warming. I can't blame them for not wanting to rock the rock the boat. People from other scientific fields have a better chance of approaching the issue more neutrally. Yes, some may have different incentives, e.g., if your work supports fossil fuel development. But here's where Schmitt is particularly interesting. A few years ago, at least, he was promoting an alternative engery source, fusion power using lunar helium-3. He could have used CO2 as a supporting argument, like the rest of the nuclear industry, but he did not, because in his scientific judment, it's not a very big concern. He's not some oil company shill.