John Christy works for the University of Alabama at Huntsville as a climate scientist and distinguished professor of atmospheric science. He also serves as the director of the Earth Systems Science Center at the university. His work with satellite-based temperature monitoring has earned him NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. Christy was offered the position of chief scientist at NOAA by the Trump administration, but turned down the offer.
During the Trump presidency, Christy helped to compile an analysis for the Environmental Protection Agency. When presenting his analysis to the EPA’s board, he made the claim that carbon levels simply do not affect the climate in a notable way.
Christy stated: “My analysis showed that it doesn’t make a difference which rule you pick,” when discussing whether or not the tougher carbon restrictions put in place by the state of California make any difference compared with lesser national restrictions. Christy concluded that restrictions did not matter since carbon levels do not affect the environment anyway.
Christy’s stance on climate change puts him at odds with many colleagues. The vast majority of climate scientists readily admit that climate change is real, and much of the disagreement revolves around climate models constructed by scientists to project future climate trends based on current climate action. Most climate projection models that scientists agree on are brushed off by Christy as not fully realized and he holds that the warming trends they project are nothing to worry about. In his own words: “There’s a climate establishment, and I’m not in it”.
In recent years, Christy has become a favorite of conservative legislators, who often request his advice on environmental issues in order to give their anti-environmental claims credibility. Christy gives lawmakers opposed to environmentalism a credible voice to dismiss climate change.
Friends of John Christy:
Donald Trump: former president of the United States
Roy Spencer: climate scientist and meteorologist
Climate of Denial