Judith Curry: “Relax, there is no climate emergency!“

Judith Curry graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in geography. She then earned a Ph.D. in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago. Her research interests include hurricanes, remote sensing, atmospheric modeling, polar climates, air-sea interactions, climate models, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for atmospheric research. She was a member of the National Research Council’s Climate Research Committee and has published over a hundred scientific papers and co-edited several major works in climate science. Curry served on the NASA Advisory Council Earth Science Subcommittee whose mission was to provide advice and recommendations to NASA on issues of program priorities and policy. She was also a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Working Group from 2004 to 2009, a member of the National Academies Space Studies Board from 2004 to 2007, and a member of the National Academies Climate Research Group from 2003 to 2006. Dr. Curry retired from her university position in 2017, partly because of what she described as “anti-skeptic bias“, which she attributed to the political nature of climate science, and that’s part of what she talks to Luis Razo about today – the very tricky relationship between science and politics. Curry’s academic page: Curry’s web page: For ways to support EISM, please visit Time Stamp: 00:00 -- Introductory Invitation to support EISM 00:28 -- Post-interview remarks by Razo 01:50 -- The importance of agreement / political disagreements 04:16 -- Start of interview 04:49 -- Dr. Curry’s professional background 07:15 -- The goal of human flourishing 08:45 -- Not allowing Africa to develop fossil fuels is unjust 10:35 -- What’s more important: the environment or people? 11:45 -- CO2 in the atmosphere the weakest part of the argument 12:40 -- Sea level has been rising since the mid-19th century 13:50 -- The worst climate in the U.S tool place in 1930’s 14:30 -- Is economist Jeffrey Sachs wrong about climate and sustainability? 16:50 -- What are the forces driving the modern climate debate? 22:35 -- Curry’s position on RCP 4.5 24:00 -- Is Curry in the minority among climate scientists? 26:15 -- What are some alternative approaches accoring to Curry? 27:24 -- Curry’s position on wind and solar energy 28:22 -- The U.S. is advancing with small nuclear climate technology 29:30 -- The importance of electricity for the future 31:40 -- How receptive are Currry’s critics to debate? 33:00 -- Curry’s current activity and consulting 34:20 -- Curry’s upcoming book: “Climate, Uncertainty, and Risk“ 36:40 -- The importance of collective decisions and public policy