How do you criticize politely someone who just doesn’t mind whether or not he tells the truth?

The tireless Dr. Tim Ball, who will apparently go anywhdre on earth to deny climate change, has washed up on a UK television program called The Great Global Warming Swindle. Ball is heralded in the promotional material as a “Climatologist and Prof Emeritus of Geography at the University of Winnipeg.”

An Emeritus professorship is an honour that Ball neither earned nor deserves. U of Winnipeg insiders say that the university administration has specifically asked that Ball stop advertising himself as such. Clearly, to no avail.

The mystery here is not just why Ball continues to overstate his credentials. The mystery is why organizations like the Natural Resources Stewardship Project continue to associate with someone whose credibility lies in shreds. Why would the energy industry lobby firm, the High Park Group, risk embarrassing its clients by continuing their association? (Mind you, the High Park Group is sufficiently embarrassed that its website client list doesn’t offer a single name, but that’s another issue.)

Anyway, for an anticipatory review of the television denier-fest, check the Guardian, here .