Der Weltklimarat IPCC wurde 1988 von der UNO sowie der Weltmeteorologie-Behörde (WMO) ins Leben gerufen. Aufgabe sollte ursprünglich die unparteiische Aufarbeitung der Klimaliteratur sein. Allerdings „vergaß“ der IPCC schnell seine ihm zugedachte Schiedsrichtertätigkeit und entwickelte sich zu einem Sprachrohr und Druckinstrument des Klimaalarms. Vor einigen Jahren deckte die kanadische Journalistin Donna Laframboise in diesem Zusammenhang eine enge Verflechtung des IPCC mit Umweltaktivistenorganisationen wie etwa dem WWF auf.
Am 17. Januar 2015 gab es nun eine weitere Episode in dieser wenig ruhmvollen Zusammenarbeit zu bestaunen. Bild Online berichtete:
UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon hat den ungarischen Umweltexperten Janos Pasztor zu seinem Topberater für Klimawandel ernannt
[…] Pasztor hat derzeit einen ranghohen Posten bei der Organisation World Wildlife Fund International inne. Von 2011 bis 2012 war er Mitglied eines UN-Gremiums zum Thema globale Nachhaltigkeit. Zudem war der Ungar schon für das UN-Umweltprogramm tätig und wirkte an der Klimarahmenkonvention der Vereinten Nationen mit.
Die Verbandelung von WWF und UNO geht also in die nächste Runde. Und man macht sich nicht einmal die Mühe, die fragwürdige Zusammenarbeit zu verstecken. Wie kann bei einer solchen personellen Besetzung die wissenschaftliche Unabhängigkeit der UNO in der wichtigen Klimafrage garantiert werden? Wie können Interessenskonflikte ausgeschlossen werden?
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Der belgische Klimaforscher Jean-Pascal van Ypersele hat derzeit den Vizevorsitz beim IPCC inne. Nun bewarb er sich auf den Präsidentschaften-Posten. Eine Reihe von internationalen Wissenschaftlern hat sich nun an die Belgische Regierung gewandt, damit sie die Kandidatur noch einmal kritisch überprüfen. In einem Brief vom 12. Januar 2015 beklagen sich die Forscher darüber, dass van Ypersele den Dialog mit Andersdenkenden verweigert, klimaskeptische Veranstaltungen verhindert und Klimarealisten abschätzig betitelt habe. Den vollen Wortlaut des Schreibens gibt es auf Occam’s razor.
We, the undersigned who are authors of the book “Climate: 15 truths/Climat: 15 Verites qui derangent,” along with a number of associated researchers, hereby make a formal request of the Belgian federal government to review the previous government’s support of Prof. van Ypersele for the presidency of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who is now an official candidate for this position. (www.elic.ucl.ac.be/modx/elic/index.php?Id+951 )
We ask this in consideration of the following evidence of what we believe to be a lack of impartiality and intent to interfere in free scientific inquiry and freedom of speech on the part of van Ypersele as evident in the following instances:
1) Refusal to engage in civil debate; public dismissal and denigration of esteemed scientific colleagues: Prof. van Ypersele systematically refuses to debate relevant climate change issues, whether at a scientific or policy level (http://www.rtbf.e/info/emissions/article_l-evolution-climatique-un-debat-scientifique-ou-religieux?id+8100968)
2) Use of pejorative terminology against qualified expert critics of the IPCC: Prof. van Ypersele calls critics of the IPCC as ‘negationists’ – a pejorative term used for Holocaust deniers (http://www.uclouvain.be/46803.html )
3) Intervention to block freedom of speech and free scientific/academic inquiry at a university level: Prof. van Ypersele intervened to block a scientific conference at the Universitaire Stichting (Brussels) which would have included internationally recognized experts such as Prof. Fred S. Singer (University of Virginia, USA, former project leader of NASA for the atmospheric satellite temperature measurement) and Prof. Claes-Goran Johnson (Royal Polytechnic School, University of Stockholm, specialist in atmospheric turbulence and thermodynamics); these like thousands of others have valid scientific criticisms of the IPCC’s official position;
4) Escalation of public bullying through inflammatory language against scientists and critics: Prof. van Ypersele is a member of the George Lemaitre Centre for Earth and Climate Research (TECLIM – Universite Catholique de Louvain), an organization that designates critics of the IPCC as guilty of “crimes against humanity” – a term typically reserved for war criminals (http://www.elic.ucl.ac.be/modx/elic/index.php?id=315);
5) Party to an organization and on-line petition (since removed) attempting to impose disciplinary action on a university colleague who engaged in free academic inquiry that criticized the IPCC official position: Prof. van Ypersele is a member of the George Lemaitre Centre for Earth and Climate Research (TECLIM – Universite Catholique de Louvain) that requested that university authorities impose disciplinary sanctions against his colleague.
6) Evidence of bias/lack of impartiality: While already party to the IPCC organization, in 2004, Prof. van Ypersele worked for the powerful environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO) Greenpeace and wrote a report on their behalf “Impact of climate change in Belgium.” The report featured a catastrophic science-fiction scenario as its introduction, inappropriate in an allegedly-scientific document. Greenpeace has recently been identified by India as posing a threat to national security for its efforts to shut down economic development and any use of fossil fuels; Greenpeace in Europe has demanded an exit from fossil fuel use and from nuclear energy and advocates for political ideologies that would bankrupt the Social Security and pension system of Belgium.
7) Invokes claims of a ‘scientific consensus’ which does not exist:
We, the undersigned, see Prof. van Ypersele’s actions as those of a radical ecological militant and that his possible ascension to the presidency of the IPCC would lead to a further politicization and poisoning of the scientific debate on climate change that is in need of calm and civil discussion:
Issued this day in the city of Brussels, Belgium Jan. 12, 2015
Anne Debeil, Civil Engineer Chemistry, engineer-consultant in security & environment
Drieu Godefridi, Lawyer, Doctor of Philosophy, Essayist
Henri Lepage, Economist
Istvan Marko, PhD Chemistry, Professor at Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Henri Masson, Civil Engineer, Doctor in Applied Sciences, Professor emeritus at Universiteit Antwerpen and Visiting professor at Maastricht School of Management
Lars Myren – Civil Engineer Chemistry, engineer-consultant in security & environment
Alain Preat, Doctor of Geology, Professor at Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
The signatories act in a personal capacity.
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Brief biographies of the signatories are noted below.
News reports of this communique may be seen at:
http://belgotopia.blogs.lalibre.be/archive/2015/01/12/communique-du-collectif-15-verites-qui-derangent-1138694.html
http://jlduret.blog.sfr.fr/2015/01/le-futur-president-du-giec-est-pas-un-perdreau-de-l-annee.html
http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2015/01/controverse-inzake-kandidatuur-jean-pascal-van-ypersele-voor-voorzitterschap-vn-klimaatpanel/
http://www.ockhams-scheermes.be/190814336
BIOGRAPHIES
Anne Debeil, chemical engineer, Free University of Brussels, post university degree Safety level 1, Antwerp University, expert recognized by the Flemish Environmental Administration for Major Accident Reporting (Seveso Reporting) and former expert for Environmental Impact Reporting (air and water), has been active in her entire career in the environmental and safety field. Engaged since 2006, in promoting an open debate on climate science and energy policies, after the announcement by IPCC protagonists that the “science is settled”.
Drieu Godefridi, master in law, PhD in philosophy (Sorbonne) has authored several books, notably in the field of epistemology. In 2010 he published « Le GIEC est mort, vive la science », translated in English under the title « The IPPC: a scientific body? ». In 2013 he had a debate on Belgian television with Jean-Pascal van Ypersele (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAiQ2OAnAxI), which was one of the first, and the last, contradictory debates to which Prof. van Ypersele ever agreed.
Henri Lepage is a French economist best known for his book „Tomorrow Capitalism“, published in 1978, that played an important role in reviving interest in France for free market market research and neo-liberal theory. Now retired – after serving as an administrator at the European Parliament in Brussels – he devoted most of his career documenting the limits and ineffectiveness of „command and order“ public policies compared to market and property-based strategies – in particular as applied to the field of ecology and environmental goods.
Lars Olof Myrén, chemical engineer, Chalmers Gothenburg, former expert recognized by the Flemish Environmental Administration for Major Accident Reporting (Seveso Reporting), has been mainly active in his career in the engineering, energy and process safety field. Engaged since 2006, in promoting an open debate on climate science and energy policies, after the announcement by IPCC protagonists that the “science is settled”.
Istvan E. Marko is professor of chemistry at the Université catholique de Louvain and director of the organic and medicinal chemistry laboratories. Among others, he delivered during five years lectures on the chemistry of the environment. These lectures became an eye opener and he became deeply interested in the science related to climate. He debated with Professor Van Ypersele about climate change at the first „café chimique“ organized by the Royal Society of Chemistry. After that, Prof. Van Ypersele refused to debate about climate science with him. Marko’s position on the climate debate led the warmist community at the UCL to file a petition against him asking for his dismissal from the university.
Henri Masson, M Sc.Chemical Engineering, PhD Chemical Engineering. Professor Emeritus University of Antwerp (Belgium) in environmental and energy technologies, economics & management. Visiting Professor Maastricht school of management (The Netherlands), research methods (with emphasis on non-linear time series and complex systems structure and dynamics). Previously, Visiting Professor of Environmental Management and eco-design-life cycle analysis at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland). Past Director of SEII ( European Society of Engineers and Industrialists). Past Vice-President of FEDDE (European Federation of Ethics and Sustainable Development). Author of more than 150 (peer reviewed) scientific papers and communications at international congresses.
Alain Préat is Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Faculty of Science, Biogeochemistry and Earth System Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, and at the University of Soran, Kurdistan (Iraq). His research led him to publish about 140 papers in international and national journals, and to present more than 160 conference papers. He is the holder of eight courses at the ULB (5 mandatory and 3 optional), excursions and field stages, he taught at the third cycle in several French universities and led or co-managed a score of 19 Doctoral and Post-doctoral theses and has been the promotor of nearly 50 Masters theses.
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Abschließend noch gute Nachrichten aus den USA: Der texanische Senator und bekennende Klimaskeptiker Ted Cruz leitet nun das Subkomitee für Raumfahrt und Wissenschaft im US-Parlament, wie futurezone.at am13. Januar 2015 meldete.