Robert (Bob) Carter (Deceased)

Credentials

Ph.D., University of Cambridge, Palaeontology, 1968. [1]
B.Sc. (Hons), University of Otago, Geology, 1963. [1]

Background

Robert (Bob) Carter died in January 2016. He was a former research professor at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, and advisor to multiple climate science denial organisations around the world. He was head of the university's School of Earth Sciences between 1981 and 1999 and then held unpaid adjunct professorial positions. In January 2013 the university allowed his adjunct status to lapse, citing lack of input into the university. He was a marine geologist and environmental scientist. [2], [3]

In response to claims made by Bob Carter that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had not uncovered evidence that global warming was caused by human activity, a former CSIRO climate scientist stated that Bob Carter was not a credible source on climate change and that “if he [Carter] has any evidence that [global warming over the past 100 years] is a natural variability he should publish through the peer review process.” [4]

Carter wrote numerous newspaper articles primarily for UK and Australian newspapers that attempt to disprove global warming. He also wrote two books. [63]

In reference to his involvement with the Institute for Public Affairs (IPA), Carter stated in a March 15, 2007 Sydney Morning Herald article: “I don't think it is the point whether you are paid by the coal or petroleum industry.” [4]

According to leaked documents Carter received $1,667 a month from the Heartland Institute, an organization with an intense focus on climate change skepticism. Carter was to be paid for his work as a co-author and editor on Heartland's Non Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) reports. [5]

Carter was a co-editor on the 2011 “Interim ” NIPCC report and is a co-editor and author of the 2013 NIPCC report Climate Change Reconsidered II, timed to coincide with the release of the United Nation's fifth major IPCC report on climate change. [6], [7]

Stance on Climate Change

September, 2014

“Science is never settled, but the current state of 'climate change' science is quite clear: There is essentially zero evidence that carbon dioxide from human activities is causing catastrophic climate change.” — Tom Harris and Bob Carter, New York Post. [62]

April, 2006

“There IS a problem with global warming. […] it stopped in 1998. […] That industrial carbon dioxide is not the primary cause of earth's recent decadal-scale temperature changes doesn't seem at all odd to many thousands of independent scientists. They have long appreciated - ever since the early 1990s, when the global warming bandwagon first started to roll behind the gravy train of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - that such short-term climate fluctuations are chiefly of natural origin.” [8]

Key Quotes

February, 2015

“The accusations that Willie’s funding sources dictate what he writes in his research papers are of course untrue; as they would also be untrue if alleged against the many other distinguished scientists that you employ whose funding is derived from external sources.

[…] If one wanted to sum up Willie Soon in a single sentence, it would be that he radiates scientific expertise, obeisance to empirical data, enthusiasm, commitment to communication, concern for both scientific and personal integrity and good humour in roughly equal measure.” [21]

September, 2013

“No one should trust the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report issued today. The IPCC has a history of malfeasance that even includes rewording recommendations of expert science advisers to fit the alarmist agenda of participating governments.” [61]

November, 2006

”[…] the empirical data stressed by climate rationalists will ultimately prevail over the predictions of the unvalidated computer models. Perhaps then we will be able to attend to the real climate policy problem, which is to prepare response plans for extreme weather events, and for climate warmings as well as coolings, in the same way we prepare to cope with all other natural hazards.” [10]

May, 2004

“The first thing to be clear about is that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.” [9]

“contrary to strong public belief, the effects of increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are generally beneficial. Enhanced plant growth has many obvious benefits, amongst them increased natural vegetation growth in general, and increased agricultural production in particular. And to maintain or slightly increase planetary temperature is also very much a global good if – as Ruddiman and other scientists assert – the human production of greenhouse gases is helping to hold our planetary environment in its historic, benignly warm, interglacial mode.” [9]

Key Deeds

May 2, 2016

Bob Carter was listed among “Key Scientists” who had footage included in Marc Morano's movie, Climate Hustle. The full list included the following: [11] Marc Morano's Climate Hustle was released in U.S. theatres on May 2, 2016. Bill Nye described it as “not in our national interest and the world’s interest.” [53]

The film was produced by the Committee for Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and CDRCommunications. As noted at Desmog's project, ClimateHustler.org, CFACT has received funding from ExxonMobil, Chevron, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars from foundations associated with Richard Mellon Scaife. CFACT has also received at least $7.8 million in “dark money” through DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund. [54], [55]

CDR Communications was behind the 2010 video by the Cornwall Alliance titled Resisting the Green Dragon, which claimed environmentalism was a “false religion” and a “global government” power grab. Chris Rogers of CDR Communictions is also chairman of The James Partnership, the umbrella arm that includes the Cornwall Alliance as one of its projects and pays the salary of Calvin Beisner, Cornwall’s founder and spokesperson. [56]

Climate Hustle initially premiered on December 7, 2015 in Paris, France during the COP21 United Nations summit on climate change. [57], [58]

“We are putting together what I think is the most comprehensive, unique, entertaining and humorous climate documentary that has ever been done or attempted,” Morano had said before the film was released. [59]

“The reason that this is a unique film,” Morano has said, “is that we are going for a pop culture-friendly… sarcastic approach and we actually give both sides in this movie.”

In an interview with Ezra Levant, Morano said:

“I am not interviewing a lot of the main climate sceptical scientists because I feel like they have been interviewed by many other people and their stories have been told. I am trying to find another layer of scientist whose stories have not been out there yet. You will see a lot of new names in this.” [59]

See a preview of the film below:

At the Paris premier of the film, reporters from Desmog and the Irish Times were denied entrance after having their RSVPs accepted days earlier. [60]

December 7, 2015

Robert (Bob) Carter appeared at the United Nation’s Conference on Climate Change, COP21, in Paris, France with the Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) to “hold a ‘counter-conference’ … called the Day of Examining the Data.” [51]

Other notable climate science deniers that were in attendance at the “counter-conference,” included: S . Fred Singer, Willie Soon, Christopher Essex, James Taylor, Patrick Moore, Wolfgang Müller, James Inhofe, and Christopher Monckton. [52]

Watch Robert Carter's “counter-conference” presentation with the Heartland Institute, below (Robert (Bob) Carter's presentation begins at 1:44:40):

December 1 - 3, 2015

Bob Carter was a speaker at the “Paris Climate Challenge” (PCC) an event organized by the newly created Independent Committee on Geoethics (ICG) with the goal of “Challenging the groupthink of COP21.” View video of his speech below: [71]

November 30, 2015

Bob Carter was an author of a Heartland Institute/NIPCC publication released on the first day of the United Nations' twenty first conference of the parties (COP21) in Paris. According to the the Heartland Institute press release, The Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change's book, titled Why Scientists Disagree about Global Warming: The NIPCC Report on Consensus “emphatically rejects claims of a 'scientific consensus' on the causes and consequences of climate change.” [12]

Contrary to the book's premise, multiple studies and surveys have shown that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate warming trends over the past century are due to human activities (NASA for example). [13]

In addition to Bob Carter, authors included Craig D. Idso of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change (CSCDGC) and S. Fred Singer of the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP). The NIPCC itself is sponsored by the CSCDGC, SEPP, and The Heartland Institute. [12]

CSDGC, IPA, and SEPP are all secretive about their funding sources. Still, available data at ExxonSecrets and the Conservative Transparency Project show they have received funding from ExxonMobil, Donors Capital Fund, Scaife, and Koch-related Foundations.

June 11-12, 2015

Bob Carter was a speaker on Panel 9: “Climate Change Reconsidered II: Human Welfare, Energy, and Policies,” at the Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, D.C., with S. Fred Singer, Craig Idso, and Christopher Monckton. [14]

View Bob Carter’s Panel 9 presentation at the Heartland Institute’s ICCC10, below: [15]

Bob Carter was also a speaker on Panel 11: “Attacks on Scientists and the Corruption of Science,” at the Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, D.C., with William Briggs, Tim Ball, and Christopher Monckton. [14]

View Bob Carter’s Panel 11 presentation at the Heartland Institute’s ICCC10, below: [16]

May 12, 2015

Bob Carter was a signatory to an open letter to Pope Francis on climate change. The letter invites the Pope to reconsider his views on climate change before his upcoming encyclical letter on the environment, which is widely expected to call for measures to prevent climate change in the interests of the world’s poor. The open letter was coordinated and signed by Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance. [17]

According to the letter, “Good climate policy must recognize human exceptionalism, the God-given call for human persons to 'have dominion' in the natural world (Genesis 1:28), and the need to protect the poor from harm, including actions that hinder their ascent out of poverty.” [17]

Another excerpt below:

”[…] the [climate] models are wrong. They therefore provide no rational basis to forecast dangerous human-induced global warming, and therefore no rational basis for efforts to reduce warming by restricting the use of fossil fuels or any other means.”

Judith Curry comments on her blog Climate Etc. that “Arguably the most effective ‘pushback’ comes from Cal Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, who coordinated An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Climate Change.” [18]

March 1, 2015

Carter was listed as a writer/endorser of a Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) briefing paper titled “The Small Print: What the Royal Society Left Out“ that accused the Royal Society of “presenting a misleading picture of climate science.” [72], [73]

“As an example, the Royal Society addresses the question of why Antarctic sea ice is growing,” said Prof Ross McKitrick, the chairman of the GWPF’s Academic Advisory Council, “but in doing so they present a recently proposed hypothesis as if it were settled science. Failing to admit when the answer to an important question is simply not known does a disservice to the public. We believe that this new paper does a much better job of presenting the whole picture to the public.” [73]

The paper was written/endorsed by the following “experts”: [72]

February, 2015

Bob Carter spoke up to defend Willie Soon after pieces were published in The Guardian and the New York Times accusing Soon of failing to disclose a conflict of interest in recent scientific papers. The New York Times writes “He has accepted more than $1.2 million in money from the fossil-fuel industry over the last decade while failing to disclose that conflict of interest in most of his scientific papers.” These articles were written in light of documents obtained by Greenpeace through freedom of information filings. [19], [20]

The letters defending Soon are addressed to Wille Soon’s supervisor, Dr. Alcock, and colleagues. Carter refers to a recent reference written for Soon where he describes him thus: “If one wanted to sum up Willie Soon in a single sentence, it would be that he radiates scientific expertise, obeisance to empirical data, enthusiasm, commitment to communication, concern for both scientific and personal integrity and good humour in roughly equal measure. “ [21]

Lord Christopher Monckton wrote a similar letter defending Soon, as well as James Delingpole in the Breitbart. [22]

December, 2014

Bob Carter was a contributor to the book Climate Change: The Facts published by the Institute of Public Affairs and featuring “22 essays on the science, politics and economics of the climate change debate.” The Institute of Public Affairs, while not revealing most of its funders, is known to have received funding from mining magnate Gina Rinehart and at least one major tobacco company. [23]

The book includes essays and articles from a range of climate change skeptics, with contributors including the following:

November 14, 2014

Bob Carter co-wrote an article in The Washington Times with Tom Harris on President Obama's “Global Warming Propaganda.” They accuse Obama of “grandstanding and attempted sabotage of the agenda” by focusing on climate change issues at the 2014 Group of 20 summit meeting in Brisbane, Australia. [24]

According to the two authors,

“That global warming stopped 18 years ago and the warming of a few tenths of a degree between 1979 and 1997 shows no sign of being other than of natural origin is apparently unknown to the president. Taking action on climate change is to be a cornerstone of his presidential legacy. Bankrupting the domestic coal-mining companies is just an added bonus in Mr. Obama’s eyes.” […]

“Mr. Obama and other global political leaders need to reconsider their misinformed belief that climate policy and energy policy should be interwoven. In reality, the two policy streams urgently need to be disentangled.”

July 7 - 9, 2014

Bob Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute’s Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC9) in Las Vegas, Nevada. [25]

He spoke on Panel 4: “NIPCC vs IPCC” with Craig Idso, Willie Soon, and Fred Singer. Video of the panel can be viewed below.

Panel 4: NIPCC vs IPCC

Panel 4 Q & A

DeSmogBlog has done in-depth research on the other speakers and sponsors from Heartland's ICCC9, which can be found here.

May 21 - 23, 2012

Bob Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's 7th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7). [27]

DeSmogBlog researched the co-sponsors behind Heartland's ICCC7 and found that they had collectively received over $67 million from ExxonMobil, the Koch Brothers and the conservative Scaife family foundations. [28]

Carter's speech, titled “The Misrepresentation of Science in the Public Domain” can be viewed below.

July 1, 2011

Bob Carter gave a Keynote Address at the Heartland Institute's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC6.) [3]

His speech can be viewed below.

Research done by DesmogBlog found that 17 of the 43 sponsors of the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, including the Heartland Institute itself, have collectively received over $46 million from either Scaife Foundations, Koch Foundations, or ExxonMobil and its foundation.

October 1, 2010

Bob Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's Fifth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC5) [76]

His speech, titled “The Reconstruction of Past Sea-Level Change: Policy Implications” can be viewed below.

May 2010

Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's Fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4.) His speech, titled “Ancient Sea Level and Climate Change” can be viewed below. [75]

DeSmog has done research on the co-sponsors of the conference and found that 19 of the 65 sponsors (including Heartland itself) have received a total of over $40 million in funding since 1985 from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries family foundations or the Scaife family foundations.

June 2009

Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's Third International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC3.) He spoke in Panel 3: Science, along with Craig Idso and Patrick Michaels. Video of the panel can be viewed below. [74]

Panel 3: Science

March 30, 2009

Bob Carter's signature appears on a full-page ad funded by the CATO institute that appeared in numerous newspapers including the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune in 2009. [30], [31]

The advertisement objects to President Obama's declaration that “few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change” and claims that “there has been no net global warming for over a decade” and that the dangers of global warming are “grossly overstated.” [32]

March, 2009

Bob Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's Second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2). According to Carter: [33]

“IPCC climate policy (Plan A) – to prevent hypothetical human-caused climate change by reducing CO2 emissions – hasn’t worked and won’t work. Policy Plan B needs to be that countries develop their own capacity to prepare for and adapt to real, natural climate change; they will then be well positioned to cope with hypothetical (human-caused) climate change, should any eventuate.”

His speech, titled “The Problem is NATURAL Climate Change, Stupid!” can be viewed below.

DeSmogBlog researched the funding behind the conference and found that sponsor organizations had collectively received over $47 million from energy companies and right-wing foundations, with 78% of that total coming from the Scaife Family of foundations.

May 2 - 4, 2008

Bob Carter was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's First International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1) in New York. His speech, titled “The Context of Modern Climate Change” can be viewed below. [69]

According to the Heartland Institute's event description, “The claim that global warming is a 'crisis' is itself a theory. It can be falsified by scientific fact, just as the claim that there is a 'consensus' that global warming is man-made and will be a catastrophe has been dis-proven by the fact that this conference is taking place.” [70]

March 8, 2007

Bob Carter was listed on the “panel” for The Great Global Warming Swindle as a climate change skeptic. [34]

In an interview with ABC, Carter describes how “increasing [carbon dioxide] in the atmosphere is actually a benefit to human kind.” [35]

The Great Global Warming Swindle received critical response from the scientific community, including a letter to ABC that was signed by thirty-seven British Scientists who claimed “the misrepresentations of facts and views, both of which occur in your programme, are so serious that repeat broadcasts of the programme, without amendment, are not in the public interest. In view of the seriousness of climate change as an issue, it is crucial that public debate about it is balanced and well-informed.” [36]

In an interview between ABC Australia’s Tony Jones and the film’s director Martin Durkin, The Great Global Warming Swindle’s validity and scientific accuracy were also put into question. [37]

Feb 5, 2007

Carter was an “expert reviewer” of the Independent Summary for Policymakers (ISPM), essentially a critical review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report. [38]

The ISPM is published by the industry-supported Fraser Institute which received over $60,000 from ExxonMobil and which is also financially-supported by several tobacco companies including Philip Morris and British American Tobacco.

Affiliations

The Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) — Past Emeritus Fellow and Science Policy Advisor. [39]
Tech Central Station — Past Contributor. [9]
Australian Environment Foundation — Past Founding Member and director. [40]
ICECAP — Previous “Expert.” [41]
Heartland Institute — Past “Expert.” [42]
Global Warming Policy Foundation — Past Academic Advisory Council member. [43]<
International Climate Science Coalition — Previous Chief Science Advisor. [44]
Galileo Movement — Past “Independent Adviser.” [45]
Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI) — Past Science Adviser. [46]
Repeal the Act — Past Patron. [47]
European Institute for Climate and Energy — Past Advisory Board member. [48]
Australian Climate Science Coalition — Past Scientific Advisory Panel member. [49]
New Zealand Climate Science Coalition — Founder. [50]

Publications

According to a search of 22,000 academic journals, Carter published over 50 original research in peer-reviewed journals mainly in the area of stratigraphy, the study of rock layers and layering. Carter's articles on global warming have largely appeared in economics journals, rather than mainstream science journals.

Carter wrote opinion columns on climate change, with several published in the Rupert Murdoch-owned The Australian newspaper and minor Australian publication Quadrant. A list of Carter's past publications is available on his website.

Samples include:

R.M. Carter. “Knock, knock: where is the evidence for dangerous human-caused global warming?” Economic Analysis & Policy (Journal of the Economic Society of Australia - Queensland), 32(2) (2008), 107-202.
R.M. Carter, C.R. De Freitas, I.M. Goklany, D. Holland, and R.S. Lindzen. “Climate science and the Stern Review,” (PDF) World Economics, 8 (2007), 161-182.
D. Holland, R.M. Carter, C.R. De Freitas, I.M. Goklany, and R.S. Lindzen. “Climate change. Response to Simmonds and Steffen,” (PDF), World Economics, 8 (2007), 143-151.

Books

Carter published Climate: The Counter Consensus, was published in July 2010. Reviewing the book, Australian climate scientist David Karoly said Dr Carter lived in a world where “it is OK to select any evidence that supports your ideas and ignore all other evidence.” Leading New Zealand climate scientist Dr James Renwick said the book was “a curious read, full of misinformation, straw-man arguments, and poorly-documented assertions.” [64], [65]

His second book, Taxing Air: Facts & Fallacies About Climate Change, was released in May 2013 and was co-written with cartoonist John Spooner and fellow sceptics Bill Kininmonth, Martin Feil, Stewart Franks and Bryan Leyland. The Institute of Public Affairs sent copies of the book to Australian Members of Parliament and hosted a launch event. Australian mathematical physicist Ian Enting, author of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute book Twisted: The distorted mathematics of greenhouse denial, has analysed the book, describing it as being characterised by “half-truths and slanted misrepresentation” and “appalling hypocrisy.” [66], [67], [68]