Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming's Unfinished Debate

S. Fred Singer · David R. Legates · Anthony R. Lupo · William Happer

Jan 2021 · Independent Institute

About this ebook

"In Hot Talk, Cold Science, Fred Singer looks at the issue of climate change the way a physicist should. He asks probing questions and offers reasoned possibilities. He notes the obvious weaknesses that others too often ignore.... Fortunately, some like Dr. Singer still prefer the joys and value of scientific inquiry."
—Richard S. Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor Emeritus of Meteorology, M.I.T.

The revised and expanded third edition of Hot Talk, Cold Science forms the capstone of the distinguished astrophysicist Dr. S. Fred Singer's lucid, yet hard scientific look at climate change. And the book is no less explosive than its predecessors—and certainly never more timely.

Singer explores the inaccuracies in historical climate data and the failures of climate models, as well as the impact of solar variability, clouds, ocean currents, and sea levels on global climate—plus factors that could mitigate any human impact on world climate.

Singer's masterful analysis decisively shows that the pessimistic, and often alarming, global-warming scenarios depicted in the media have no scientific basis. In fact, he finds that many aspects of increased levels of CO2, as well as any modest warming, such as a longer growing seasons for food and a reduced need to use fossil fuels for heating, would have a highly positive impact on the human race.

As alarmists clamor to impose draconian government restrictions on entire populations in order to combat "climate change," this book reveals some other startling, stubborn contradictory facts, including:

• CO2 has not caused temperatures or sea levels to rise beyond historical rates.
• Severe storms have not increased in frequency or intensity since 1970—neither have heat waves nor droughts.
• Global "climate change" is not harming coral reefs.
• Any increases in CO2 concentrations across huge time spans haven't preceded rising global temperatures, they've followed them by about 600 to 800 years—just the opposite of alarmist claims.
• "Carbon" taxes and other "solutions" to the global warming "crisis" would have severe consequences for economically disadvantaged groups and nations.
• Alarmist climate scientists have hidden their raw temperature data and deleted emails—then undermined the peer-review system to squelch debate.

In sum, despite all the hot talk—and outright duplicity—there is no "climate crisis" resulting from human activities and no such threat on the horizon.

With the assistance of renowned climate scientists David R. Legates and Anthony R. Lupo, Singer's Hot Talk, Cold Science is an essential, clear-headed book of scope and substance that no one who claims to value science, the environment, and human well-being can afford to ignore.

About the author

S. Fred Singer was one of the world's preeminent authorities on energy and environmental issues. A pioneer in the development of rocket and satellite technology, Dr. Singer designed the first satellite instrument for measuring atmospheric ozone and was a principal developer of scientific and weather satellites. Author of more than 400 technical articles in scientific, economics, and public policy journals, plus more than 400 articles in popular publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Washington Post, Dr. Singer received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University.

David R. Legates is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics at the University of Delaware. He is former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Observation and Prediction and former Executive Director of the United States Global Change Research Program. His research has appeared in such scientific journals as the International Journal of Climatology, Journal of Geophysical Research, and Theoretical and Applied Climatology.

Anthony R. Lupo is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of Atmospheric Science and Principal Investigator of the Global Climate Change Group in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He has been a Member of the Working Groups I and III for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and he is Associate Editor of the Monthly Weather Review. His peer-reviewed publications have appeared in such scientific journals as Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, International Journal of Biometeorology, and International Journal of Climatology.