More bad press for Viriginia's State Skeptic Michaels

onSep 17, 2006 @ 07:38 PDT

Today’s Washington Post takes an in-depth look at notorious climate change skeptic Pat Michaels and the recent controversy arising from an electric utitlity industry association memo pointing him out as a scientist willing to sow public doubt for the right price (which is apparently around $100,000 according to the memo). Here’s a few highlights:

“Michaels, a professor at the University of Virginia, also moonlights as one of the country’s most aggressive and, in some circles, most reviled skeptics about the scientific consensus on climate change. It was that role that landed Michaels in the center of a small controversy in Richmond last month, when the administration of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) asked him to be clear that he is not speaking for the state when discussing issues such as global warming.”

”… [Michaels] position [on climate change] has earned him wrath from others in the climate-change debate who say that Michaels – especially when he is quoted as a state climatologist – creates the false impression of another side to a closed debate. “He’s sort of one of the central figures in what I would call a disinformation campaign,” said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

If you are interested in looking deeper into Michaels and his controversial crusade against the scientific consensus on climate change, check here, here, here, and here.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.