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Caleb Rossiter

Caleb Rossiter

Credentials

Background

Dr. Caleb Rossiter is a professor and consultant with a background in international policy. Between 1984 and 1990 he served as deputy director for foreign policy of the Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus of the U.S. Congress. In 1992, he founded Demilitarization for Democracy, a think tank focused on arms control policy, and helped found the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines. In 1998, Rossiter made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in New York’s 31st congressional district.5“Biographical Sketch,” calebrossiter.com. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/8JDp3 6“Caleb Rossiter,” american.edu. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Yru6K

Rossiter joined the School for International Service at American University in Washington D.C. in 2002, teaching quantitative analysis, international relations, African history and politics, and the “use and misuse of statistics and models in the climate change debate.”7“Caleb Rossiter,” american.edu. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Yru6K 8“Curriculum Vitae,” calebrossiter.com. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/J0udL

In 2014, it was reported that Rossiter’s Associate Fellowship at the Institute for Policy Studies was terminated after he published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in which he referred to the scientific consensus on climate change as “unproven.”9“Global Warming Witch Hunt Continues With Caleb Rossiter,” Investors Business Daily, June 16, 2014. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/IV3JY

According to Rossiter’s website, he continues to teach at AU as an adjunct professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and the AU website lists him as a faculty member of the College of Arts & Sciences. He is a member of the CO2 Coalition, a non-profit organization that receives funding from the Mercer Family Foundation, and refers to climate change science as “greatly exaggerated.”10“Caleb Rossiter,” american.edu. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Yru6K 11“Curriculum Vitae,” calebrossiter.com. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/J0udL 12“About,” co2coalition.org. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/f8YPr

Stance on Climate Change

September 12, 2014

Writing in an op-ed for American University’s The Eagle, Rossiter dismissed a fellow columnist’s appeal for AU to divest from fossil fuels:

“As someone who has guided students through the models and statistics of climate change here at AU for the past decade, I can tell your readers that the models, while fascinating in their construction, are in their infancy, both in looking backwards and in looking forwards. They certainly have misfired badly over the past 15 years, predicting one of those degrees of temperature rise but seeing, in reality, absolute zero.”13Caleb Rossiter. “Divestment brings certain harm to Africa,” The Eagle, September 12, 2014. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/RdOTk

Key Quotes

July 25, 2019

Appearing at the Heartland Institute’s climate conference at Trump Hotel in Washington D.C.:

“We must treat this as a war of publicity.”14Joe McCarthy. “’We must treat this as a war of publicity’ Caleb Rossiter of the CO2 Coalition says after asking (to boos) if people want to pay a gallon for gas,” Tweet by @notjoemccarthy, July 25, 2019. Retrieved from Twitter.com. Archived.png on file at DeSmog.

October 31, 2018

In an article published by RealClear Energy titled “The UN’s Terrifying, But Ever-Receding, Human-Caused Climate Catastrophe,” Rossiter criticized a UN IPCC report as being overly alarmist and based on faulty science:

“But don’t be too frightened: the same governments who authorize the UN reports never take the steps needed to reduce the supposedly horrifying carbon dioxide level. Hidden behind their teeth-chattering fear of fossil fuels is their awareness that oil, gas, and coal have helped bring dramatic improvements in health, welfare, and life expectancy, and that alternative methods of generating power are currently available only at unacceptable economic (and hence political) cost.”15Caleb Rossiter. “The UN’s Terrifying, But Ever-Receding, Human-Caused Climate Catastrophe,” RealClear Energy, October 31, 2018. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/KRiVz

September 9, 2014

In an op-ed for American University’s The Eagle, Rossiter encouraged AU students to doubt the contribution of climate change to extreme weather events:

“We certainly hope that students will form an opinion, based on the way we have taught them to analyze evidence for themselves, about whether it was more likely natural fluctuation or industrial gas that caused the one degree rise in temperature from 1860 to 2000, and whether that one degree rise has led to havoc in hurricanes, droughts and sea level rise. But the data are weak on all of these questions, and it is not our job to make those judgments for them.”16Caleb Rossiter. “Divestment brings certain harm to Africa,” The Eagle, September 12, 2014. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/RdOTk

Key Deeds

July 15, 2020

Rossiter wrote an article at RealClear Energy claiming Stacey Abrams and Tom Steyer “are now trying to run me out of town” following a request for Facebook to review information produced by the CO2 Coalition.17Caleb Rossiter. “Environmental Facts vs. Environmental ‘Fact-Checkers’,” RealClear Energy, July 15, 2020. Archived July 31, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/xiGGQ

In the article, Rossiter claims “our organization’s problems started” once the group and scientists behind Climate Feedback began fact checking the CO2 Coalition’s work after it was certified as an unbiased source on climate issues by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies which is also responsible for what Rossiter describes as the “left-leaning” PolitiFact. Rossiter wrote the first “false” label applied to a Washington Examiner article Rossiter had written with Patrick Michaels.18Caleb Rossiter. “Environmental Facts vs. Environmental ‘Fact-Checkers’,” RealClear Energy, July 15, 2020. Archived July 31, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/xiGGQ

“The ‘false’ label triggered a wave of censorship from Facebook’s algorithms, blocking reposting and advertising,” Rossiter lamented.19Caleb Rossiter. “Environmental Facts vs. Environmental ‘Fact-Checkers’,” RealClear Energy, July 15, 2020. Archived July 31, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/xiGGQ

He accuses Eric Michelman, who supported Climate Feedback, for “promoting climate alarmism and silencing opposing views.”20Caleb Rossiter. “Environmental Facts vs. Environmental ‘Fact-Checkers’,” RealClear Energy, July 15, 2020. Archived July 31, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/xiGGQ

“Since Michelman had decided that the science was settled in favor of a 97 percent consensus on catastrophe before he even founded Climate Feedback, his group should never have been let into a network of ‘unbiased’ reviewers,” Rossiter wrote.21Caleb Rossiter. “Environmental Facts vs. Environmental ‘Fact-Checkers’,” RealClear Energy, July 15, 2020. Archived July 31, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/xiGGQ

May 7, 2020

Rossiter co-wrote an article with Patrick Moore at Marc Morano‘s Climate Depot where they “rebut” a Washington Post article. In their piece, Moore and Rossiter claim “Climate Change Actually NOT the Cause of Coastal Flooding.”22Patrick Moore and Caleb Rossiter. “Dr. Patrick Moore & Dr. Caleb Rossiter Rebut Wash Post: Oops! Climate Change Actually NOT the Cause of Coastal Flooding,” Climate Depot, May 7, 2020. Archived October 5, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/Ff6yd

September 19, 2019

Rossiter spoke at an event at Georgetown University designed to rebut a nearby official climate change debate forum for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.23Jenni Fink. “Georgetown College Republicans Host Rebuttal to Climate Forum Featuring 2020 Candidates,” Newsweek, September 19, 2019. Archived September 19, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/nkuC3

The Georgetown event, “Climate Forum: a Rebuttal,” was sponsored by the Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR), also featured Marc Morano, CFACT’s Paul Driessen, Kenny Stein of the Institute for Energy Research, and Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute.24“Climate Forum: A Rebuttal,” Facebook, September 19, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.

GUCR advertised the event on Facebook as “bringing five climate policy &[sic] climate science experts to provide an alternative perspective.”25“Climate Forum: A Rebuttal,” Facebook, September 19, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.

As the forum began, student protesters disrupted the proceedings, causing campus police to remove everyone from the room. The event resumed when college staff prohibited protesters from holding signs, and with the promise of removal if they continued to disrupt the speakers.26Annemarie Cuccia, Sarah Watson. “Protesters Disrupt Rebuttal to Climate Change Forum,” The Georgetown Voice, September 19, 2019. Archived September 20, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/gGu5f

Rossiter’s presentation, “There’s No Climate Crisis, Just an Energy Crisis: How Fossil Fuels Save Lives in Africa & America,” suggested climate change was caused by the sun rather than humans.27Riley Rogerson. “College Republicans’ Climate Forum Rebuttal Met With Protests,” The Hoya, September 20, 2019. Archived September 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/0wqbq

“There is not enough evidence,” he said, “to support high confidence that humans’ carbon dioxide has affected temperature enough to change the overall trend.”28Riley Rogerson. “College Republicans’ Climate Forum Rebuttal Met With Protests,” The Hoya, September 20, 2019. Archived September 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/0wqbq

May 9, 2019

Caleb Rossiter, representing the CO2 Coalition, signed on to an open letter organized by the American Energy Alliance designed to fight against an electric vehicle tax credit.29“Dear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:” May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller.

“The American Energy Alliance has organized a coalition to proclaim in one unified voice that there should be no expansion of the misguided electric vehicle tax credit,” Thomas Pyle wrote in a statement, quoted at The Daily Caller. “There is no question that the electric vehicle tax credit distorts the auto market to no gain.”30Christ White. “CONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLA’S TAX CREDITS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICH’,”The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

According to Pyle and others who signed the letter, electric vehicle tax credits “overwhelmingly benefit the rich.” DeSmog’s Koch vs. Clean project has systematically debunked this, among other well-rehearsed talking points and misinformation put forward by industry about electric vehicles.31Christ White. “CONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLA’S TAX CREDITS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICH’,”The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

The letter cites research by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a group that has received over $600,000 from ExxonMobil and millions from “dark money” groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.

May 6, 2019

Rossiter was announced as the new Executive Director of the CO2 Coalition, taking over the organization’s daily operations. In a press release, Rossiter said:32Press Release. “Former Greenpeace Leader Dr. Patrick Moore to Chair CO2 Coalition,” StreetInsider.com, May 6, 2019. Archived May 10, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/vAb7s. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“We’re the scientists and economists saving the people of the planet from the people who claim to be ‘saving the planet.”33Press Release. “Former Greenpeace Leader Dr. Patrick Moore to Chair CO2 Coalition,” StreetInsider.com, May 6, 2019. Archived May 10, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/vAb7s. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

May 1, 2019

Rossiter co-hosted a CO2 Coalition briefing with Craig Idso on Capitol Hill to present findings from a report titled “What Rising CO2 Means for Global Food Security.”34“May 1 Event: What Rising CO2 Means for Global Food Security,” CO2Coalition.org, April 25, 2019. Archived April 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/apt99

The Coalition’s report described carbon dioxide as “a non-polluting, non-toxic gas” and “a powerful plant food.”35“May 1 Event: What Rising CO2 Means for Global Food Security,” CO2Coalition.org, April 25, 2019. Archived April 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/apt99

The briefing also suggested that increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 would result in higher crop yields:

“The CO2 added to the air has already ‘greened’ the planet: since 1900, it has increased crop production on the order of 15 to 30 percent, and satellite imagery shows that deserts are even shrinking in places as new plants encroach on their edges. […] this effect will only improve as carbon dioxide continues to rise from four one-hundredths of one percent of the atmosphere today to, perhaps, six one-hundredths of one percent in 50 years.”36“May 1 Event: What Rising CO2 Means for Global Food Security,” CO2Coalition.org, April 25, 2019. Archived April 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/apt99

Rossiter also revealed that the CO2 Coalition would be targeting their message at first- and second-term members of Congress who haven’t made up their minds about climate change. “They’re up for grabs,” he said.37Scott Waldman. “Defenders of CO2 expand presence in Congress,” E&E News, May 2, 2019. Archived May 7, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

January 22, 2019

Attending the annual LibertyCon convention in Washington, D.C., which was funded in part by the Mercer Family Foundation, the Charles Koch Institute, and Google, Rossiter gave a presentation in which he stated:

“There has been no increase in storms, in intensity or frequency. The data don’t show a worrisome trend.”38Stephanie Mencimer. “Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Sponsored a Conference That Promoted Climate Change Denial,” Mother Jones, January 22, 2019. Archived January 28, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Yir8O

He also proclaimed that carbon-based fuels improve life expectancy in developing countries by increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, acting as a “fertilizer,” and ensuring electricity generation, concluding:

“I come not to bury your carbon but to praise it.”39Stephanie Mencimer. “Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Sponsored a Conference That Promoted Climate Change Denial,” Mother Jones, January 22, 2019. Archived January 28, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Yir8O

September 2018

Caleb Rossiter appeared in a video by the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Life:Powered campaign describing “Energy Poverty.”40“Poverty is Energy Poverty,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Texas Public Policy Foundation,” September 28, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

2017

Rossiter appeared in the film “Climate Hustle,” which was co-written by ClimateDepot.com‘s Marc Morano. Speaking about the role of carbon-based fuels in spurring economic development, he said:

“Climate justice in limiting carbon dioxide emissions is a crime against Africa.”41“Climate Hustle – Full Cast & Crew,” IMDB.com. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/7VZqB

In a document to support the film, a bio of Rossiter stated he was a member of the Democratic Party and was proud to be “politically left”.

June 18, 2014

An article for The College Fix recounted the story of how Rossiter once flunked a student who had submitted a paper affirming the role of human activity in climate change:

“I had to raise her grade because she certainly had cited the evidence they had given, but I just couldn’t give her much of a grade because she should have been able to see – as most people should be able to see – that the computer models were just guessing and sort of notional, and just kind of playing around to get a good fit, but didn’t have much scientific basis.”42Dominic Lynch. “EXCLUSIVE: Prof Fired For Calling Global Warming ‘Unproved Science’ Stands Firm,” The College Fix, June 18, 2014. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/74OL5

May 4, 2014

Rossiter published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “Sacrificing Africa for Climate Change,” in which he criticized Western climate policies for limiting economic expansion on the continent, referring to anthropogenic climate change as “unproven science”:

“The left wants to stop industrialization—even if the hypothesis of catastrophic, man-made global warming is false. … Western policies seem more interested in carbon-dioxide levels than in life expectancy.”43Marc Morano. “Fired for ‘Diverging’ on Climate: Progressive Professor’s fellowship ‘terminated’ after WSJ OpEd calling global warming ‘unproved science’,” Climate Depot, June 12, 2014. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/XQjXl 44Caleb Rossiter. “Sacrificing Africa for Climate Change,” Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2014. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/rI8Ix

In response to Rossiter’s op-ed, the Institute for Policy Studies terminated his Associate Fellowship, telling him in an email:

“Unfortunately, we now feel that your views on key issues, including climate science, climate justice, and many aspects of U.S. policy to Africa, diverge so significantly from ours that a productive working relationship is untenable. The other project directors of IPS feel the same.”45Marc Morano. “Fired for ‘Diverging’ on Climate: Progressive Professor’s fellowship ‘terminated’ after WSJ OpEd calling global warming ‘unproved science’,” Climate Depot, June 12, 2014. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/XQjXl

March 2010

In a blog post titled “Climate Catastrophe: Convenient Fibs and Dangerous Prescriptions,” Rossiter derided acceptance of climate change by “the left” as a distraction created by the likes of the IPCC and Al Gore:

“American skies and waters are a lot healthier today than they were in 1970 because the environmental movement forced elected politicians to cater to their beliefs, but acceptance of America’s global role of domination remains as fixed in mainstream politics as ever. Leftists are trying to use global warming as a “giant lever” to link the two concerns, but they are expending resources on what is certainly a non-solution to what is most likely a non-problem, and providing legitimacy to the liberals who control the climate change debate…”46Caleb Rossiter. “Climate Catastrophe: Convenient Fibs and Dangerous Prescriptions,” calebrossiter.com, March 2010. Archived January 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/d0iiN

Affiliations

Social Media

Publications

According to his website, Rossiter has published numerous books and reports, primarily on the subject of international relations, and his articles and op-eds have been featured in the Washington Post and the SAIS Review.54“Curriculum Vitae,” calebrossiter.com. Archived January 29, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/J0udL

His books include:

  • Let’s Talk About Not Talking: The Left’s opposition to debate is dangerous – especially for anti-imperialists (2018)
  • The Chimes of Freedom Flashing: A Personal History of the Vietnam Anti-war Movement and the 1960s (1996)
  • The Turkey and the Eagle: The Struggle for America’s Global Role (2010)
  • Ain’t Nobody Be Learnin’ Nothin’: The Fraud and The Fix for High-Poverty Schools (1987)

Other Resources

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