As Robert Tracinski points out, this is not how science works. It’s almost like Warmists do not want their studies and such reviewed for accuracy because they have ulterior motives
(The Federalist) If we have such an overwhelming scientific “consensus†about the supposed threat of catastrophic man-made global warming—and about the political and economic solutions to it—then why do advocates have to sue scientists to prevent them from questioning it? That’s the question raised by a $10 million lawsuit lawsuit filed by Stanford engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson accusing other scientists of defamation for critiquing his scientific work in favor of “renewal energy.â€
That’s not how science works. That’s not how any of this is supposed to work.
Jacobson made a name for himself and became something of a media celebrity for publishing a study in 2015 that claimed the United States could provide 100 percent of its energy needs from wind, solar, and hydroelectric power by 2050—and at a lower cost than with fossil fuels. (snip)
Earlier this year, a group of 21 experts led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Christopher Clack definitively debunked Jacobson’s claims in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper’s abstract sums up the case: “In this paper, we evaluate that study and find significant shortcomings in the analysis. In particular, we point out that this work used invalid modeling tools, contained modeling errors, and made implausible and inadequately supported assumptions. Policy makers should treat with caution any visions of a rapid, reliable, and low-cost transition to entire energy systems that relies almost exclusively on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.â€
Jacobson intentionally excluded nuclear energy in his study, which is one of the reason he got pushback. So, yeah, he’s gone on to sue for defamation, as they asserted he made a modeling error.
Tacinski goes on to note that, for one thing, this is not defamation, and the point of the suit is to harass scientific rivals with frivolous lawsuits, in much the same way Michael “Robust Debate” Mann has sued those who took on his “hockey stick” silliness. This is all meant to discourage scientists and others from criticizing sloppy and/or complete mule fritters papers in the future, as, people might not want to spend the time and money defending against frivolous suits.
