Climate Etc.: Much more than an "et cetera"
A eulogy to scientific courage standing up to Big Climate’s political activism
Yesterday my Inbox received another always welcomed Climate Etc. email from Judith Curry. Since climate hysteria took over the news narrative, I looked forward to these regular emails and reading Judith’s latest article, guest piece, news commentary or summary. But last night, the email subject line was “RIP Climate Etc.” Judith was stopping her blogsite after 16 years of being the voice of reason in a world of irrational climate alarmism.
Professor Curry was leaving on a high-point, citing a number of recent victories (many thanks to her indefatigable work) that suggested to her the site was no longer necessary:
“There have been some decisive battles in the past two years, notably President Trump’s election, the DOE Climate Report, and widespread acknowledgement that RCP8.5 is an implausible emissions scenario. As a result, many news agencies have dropped or substantially reduced their climate desk, we don’t hear about climate change so much in the media (particularly as related to extreme weather events). Also, we can’t underestimate the impact of substantially reduced funding for climate-related NGOs, with USAID and other funds drying up.”
That being said, I could not help but feel sad about the end of an era built around a site where science, not consensus or position, was respected. Judith has been an icon of scientific courage, and she used her site to encourage scientific debate and promote others doing good work in the climate field. She served as a role model to so many in the field of science communications and science and policy (including myself).
In standing up to Big Climate, with its big money and big egos, Judith Curry also took her fair share of verbal and reputational abuse. In 2019, I posted one of her clear-eyed responses to the Extinction Rebellion fear campaigns on social media and was surprised to get more than 40, mostly negative, attacks on Curry’s person.
But unlike the Mud-Pit Michael Manns of the world, she deflected the slurs with grace, wit and humor. In academic pissing contests, Judith reminded us that science was always about the facts and data (rather than networks and titles). She never let her own authority and achievements distract us from that. At a time when the term “skeptic” was considered an insult, Judith’s steadfast strength reminded us that integrity has a greater resilience than emotional activism or ad hominem attacks.
Many of us may have forgotten what a pioneer site Climate Etc. had been in the field of climate science communications. Started in 2010, in the wake of the ClimateGate leaked emails from the University of East Anglia, Judith Curry’s first post said:
“My engagement in the blogosphere over the past several years have convinced me that the blogosphere has untapped potential for educating the public and for enabling large-scale collective intelligence to address the scientific and policy challenges associated with climate change.
The climate blogosphere is a vibrant environment but the signal is often hidden by the noise.”
The threads and comments section were indeed vibrant, and I often turned to Climate Etc. as a best practice case study in my communications lectures. The site was a vital source for ideas for my own work (I set up The Risk-Monger in 2010 as well, at a time when activist NGOs and special interests ruled the Internet). I used to reserve time on Sunday evenings for Judith’s weekly summary of “things that caught my eye”, notably her science policy and science communications sections.
The cost of keeping the site active through all of the technical issues was too high ($16,000 in the last four years) so Judith decided to wrap it up. As many of the climate research issues have become “boring” with the models and politicking, she is looking forward to a more “peaceful life with family and friends” in a new house, a new dog and a new garden … as well as a new Substack page (one can always hope).
At a time when the world had gone mad, with activists gluing themselves to buses, teenage savants growling at compliant world leaders and the mainstream media reporting the imminent Climageddon with each weather report, the community Judith Curry had built around her Climate Etc. site were the keepers of the flame, protecting the true objective of science while resisting the personal attacks from the billionaire-funded Climate Industrial Complex. That Judith could close her site with the flame of open scientific discourse on climate issues burning brightly, gives us hope for the other well-funded, wide-networked Big Change campaigns we are still struggling under.
Thank you Judith for inspiring us and reminding us of the true value of science and the cost of defending it.