Dear University of Virginia: fire Pat Michaels!

onDec 2, 2006 @ 23:25 PST

In Laurie David’s great new quick read book, The Solution is you! , she pens a letter to the University of Virginia regarding Pat “the coalman” Michaels:

To: University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences

Numerous media outlets reported that one of your professors, Dr. Patrick Michaels , has accepted upwards of $150,000 from coal interests and coal-burning electric utility companies for his advocacy against the overwhelming consenus on global warming.

Is this solicitation of funds from industries that pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases in line with the university’s mission?

Is it your policy to allow your science professors to openly solicit and then accept industry funds to promote a viewpoint that is in conflict with the vast majority of the worldwide scientific community?

Clearly, a conflict of interest such as this deserves immediate attention and a swift repsonse. On behalf of the students at the University of Virginia and the questionable future that global warming holds for them, nothing short of his resignation will do.

Given the coal industry’s deep pockets to continue funding lies while record heat waves sweep the country, I’m quite certain Michaels will have no problem finding a job within that industry.

Sincerely,

Laurie David

(Man, I wish I had written this letter! As a second-best, DeSmog will be doing it’s own letter to the University of Virginia and I hope you will too).

If you need the address or the fax number for the University, here you go:

Department of Environmental Sciences University of Virginia,

Clark Hall 291 McCormick Rd PO Box 400123 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4123

FAX:(434) 982-2137

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.