“Perhaps the most serious flaw in [The Population Bomb (1968)] was that it was much too optimistic about the future…. Signs of potential collapse, environmental and political, seem to be growing.” – Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Betrayal of Science and Reason (1996).

“Very sad news. Paul was a friend and a hero. He will be greatly missed.” – Professor Michael E. Mann, X

When it comes to the climate debate, Paul R. Ehrlich joins Climategate as a major reason to reject alarmism. And who other than Michael “Climategate” Mann praised Paul “False Alarm” Ehrlich.

The Sierra Club and other mainstream environmental groups could not muster the courage to RIP one of their own. The New York Times obituary had to focus on the famous false alarms. But not Michael Mann. Ehrlich and Mann are two peas in the neo-Malthusian pod.…

“And yes, there is empirical, peer-reviewed support for the conclusion that climate deniers, in general, are truly awful human beings.” (- Michael Mann, below)

Michael “Climategate” Mann cannot get out of his own way. His arrogant, condescending social tweets speak for themselves–just as the words, sentences, and paragraphs of the East Anglia emails did. He is not the kind of person you would want in just about any endeavor, much less as a climate scientist trying to present a case.

This post traces Mann’s angst on X and then at BlueSky, his successor to X.

This is my final post on this platform (aside from my social media team’s pro forma posts noted below) until it is no longer owned by Elon Musk. “But on X, my social media team is reposting things” [Joe Romm?].

“Climate deniers are often simply awful people.”

Michael Mann, September 15, 2019

An army of climate denier bots & trolls have been released to deflect attention from the unprecedented climate change-fueled extreme weather we’re witnessing. If you encounter, report first. Then block. Don’t engage!

Michael Mann, July 19, 2022

Not people. Mostly bots.  July 19

In response to a Sierra Club study, “Climate Deniers Are More Likely to Be Racist. Why?” Michael Mann answered: “Because, in general, they’re pretty awful people. Racism, misogyny, climate denial often come bundled:   September 3, 2019.

Jonathan Watts, “Climatologist Michael E Mann: ‘Good people fall victim to doomism. I do too sometimes‘” The Guardian, February 27, 2021.

The Victim

“For more than two decades I was in the crosshairs of climate change deniers, fossil fuel industry groups and those advocating for them – conservative politicians and media outlets.…

“One of the lessons of Climategate is that scientists are all too human…. The next few chapters … expose how some climate scientists bent the rules of scientific engagement in ways that blurred the distinction between doing good science and preserving their own reputations.” – Fred Pearce, The Climate Files, p. 79.

When reputable scientists have different views of the same subject–such as climate sensitivity to anthropogenic forcing–the players need to be assessed. Who is less emotional and less bombastic? What is the track record of the players? And in an unsettled, still young area such as climate science, who expresses humility in the face of unknowns.

This leads to the central character of the Climategate scandal, revisited at MasterResource last week, Michael Mann, who has remained as unapologetic and strident as ever in the last decade.…