William JR Alexander
Credentials
- Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Civil and Biosystems Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa.1 “Who’s Who on Inhofe’s List of 400 Global Warming Deniers,” The Daily Green, January 11, 2008.
Background
Alexander is a retired professor of Civil and Biosystems Engineering from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
He spent the later years of his career helping develop water resource and flood analysis methods, in addition to “disaster mitigation and climate change studies.”2 “Linkages between solar activity, climate predictability and water resource development” (PDF), Presentation at Lavoisier Group’s 2007 Workshop ‘Rehabilitating Carbon Dioxide’ June 29-30, 2007. Republished by Solarchords.com.
Stance on Climate Change
According to JR Alexander, global warming will not:3 “An assessment of the likely consequences of global warming on the climate of South Africa” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies. Archived January 29, 2011.
- Pose a threat to water supplies
- Adversely affect agricultural production
- Increase the risk of floods and droughts
- Increase the spread of malaria
- Increase the eutrophication of water in dams
- Increase soil erosion
- Result in the loss of natural plant and animal species
- Or result in desertification.
Key Quotes
There is “no scientifically believable evidence to support the alarmist claims” regarding the existence of climate change.4 “Climate Change in the Western Cape. Fact or Fiction?” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, June 2010. Republished by Climate Realists.
Key Deeds
July 14, 2008
William JR Alexander was signatory to an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calling for the UN to “lead the UN into abandoning the CO2-based theory of global warming and nullifying its former recommendations.”5 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
“The assertion that the recent rapid rise of CO2 is unique and dangerous is both deceptive and irrelevant because CO2 does not drive the world’s climate,” the letter claimed, adding “ there is clearly no evidence for the CO2-based theory of global warming. Indeed, there is only evidence against it.”6 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The letter was signed by many notable climate change deniers, including but not limited to:7 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
March 2008
Alexander is listed as a “Climate Expert” who signed the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change.8 “CLIMATE EXPERTS WHO SIGNED MANHATTAN DECLARATION,” International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed February, 2012.
The Declaration states that “global climate has always changed and always will, independent of the actions of humans, and that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant but rather a necessity for all life.”
It concludes that “’global warming’ is not a global crisis.”
December 13, 2007
Alexander was a signatory to the 2007 open letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations preceding the UN climate conference in Bali.
The letter describes CO2 as a “non-polluting gas” and suggests that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not prevent global warming.9 “Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,” December 13, 2007. Reprinted by the Science and Public Policy Institute.
April 2006
Signatory to an open letter to Stephen Harper urging inaction on climate policy, stating “allocating funds to ‘stopping climate change’ would be irrational” because it is supposedly a natural phenomenon.
Affiliations
- Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) — Alexander is listed by Senator Inhofe as a scientist who doubts the existence of man made global warming.10 “Who’s Who on Inhofe’s List of 400 Global Warming Deniers,” The Daily Green, January 11, 2008.
Publications
According to a search of 22,000 academic journals for the name “WJR Alexander,” he has published three research articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Two of Alexander’s articles have been published in the Energy and Environment Journal. Energy and Environment, edited by climate change skeptic Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen, has been described as a journal skeptics can go to when they are rejected by the mainstream peer-reviewed science publications. It has also been widely criticized for allowing the publication of substandard papers.
Some of Alexander’s work has been published in a “Guest Weblog” for the Pielke Research Group. The founder of the site is Roger Pielke Sr., a research scientist for the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) and a global warming skeptic.
Alexander has published “two books and many published papers and presentations on the
development and application of risk analysis methods related to floods, water resources and
natural disasters.”
Peer-Reviewed Articles:
- WJR Alexander. “Development of a multi-year climate prediction model” (PDF), Water SA Vol. 31 No. 2 (April 2005).
- Alexander, WJR. “Floods, droughts and climate change,” S. Afr. J. Sci./Suid-Afr. Tydskr. Wet. Vol. 91, no. 8 (August 1995), pp. 403-408.
- W.J.R. Alexander; F. Bailey; D.B. Bredenkamp; A. Van der Merwe; N. Willemse; “Linkages between solar activity, climate predictability and water resource development : technical paper,” Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, Volume 49, Issue 2 (2007), pp. 32-44.
- W J R Alexander, F Bailey, D B Bredenkamp, A van der Merwe and N Willemse. “Linkages between solar activity, climate predictability and water resource development” (PDF), Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, Vol 49, No 2 (June 2007), Pages 32–44, Paper 659. Republished by Solarchords.com
- William J.R. Alexander. “Linkages Between Solar Activity and Climatic Responses,” Energy & Environment, Volume 16, Number 2 (March 2005).
- William J.R. Alexander. “The IPCC: Structure, Processes and Politics Climate Change – the Failure of Science,” Energy & Environment, Volume 18, Number 7 – 8 (December 2007).
Sample Not Peer-Reviewed Articles:
- WJR Alexander, “Climate change and its consequences – the manipulation of science” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, August 19, 2011.
- “Climate change in the southern and western Cape. A critical assessment,” University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, February, 2006.
- “Climate Change in the Western Cape. Fact or Fiction?” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, June 2010. Republished by Climate Realists.
- “An assessment of the likely consequences of global warming on the climate of South Africa” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies. Retrieved from Klimarealistene, Nov 4, 2011.
- WJR Alexander. “Climate Change – There is no Need for Concern” (PDF), The Water Wheel, January/February 2004 (“Viewpoint” section).
Other Resources
Resources
- 1“Who’s Who on Inhofe’s List of 400 Global Warming Deniers,” The Daily Green, January 11, 2008.
- 2“Linkages between solar activity, climate predictability and water resource development” (PDF), Presentation at Lavoisier Group’s 2007 Workshop ‘Rehabilitating Carbon Dioxide’ June 29-30, 2007. Republished by Solarchords.com.
- 3“An assessment of the likely consequences of global warming on the climate of South Africa” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies. Archived January 29, 2011.
- 4“Climate Change in the Western Cape. Fact or Fiction?” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, June 2010. Republished by Climate Realists.
- 5“The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 6“The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 7“The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 8“CLIMATE EXPERTS WHO SIGNED MANHATTAN DECLARATION,” International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed February, 2012.
- 9“Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,” December 13, 2007. Reprinted by the Science and Public Policy Institute.
- 10“Who’s Who on Inhofe’s List of 400 Global Warming Deniers,” The Daily Green, January 11, 2008.
