Peter Gleick’s career as a scientist may be over following his admission that he both solicited and distributed Heartland Institute documents.
But when one door closes, another opens.
Gleick has a promising future as a bus inspector. Specifically, the underside of said transportation. Less than 24 hours after admitting his role in fakegate, Gleick has a number of vehicles already lined up:
The AGU scrubbed his name from their website’s scientific ethics page.
The NCSE accepted his resignation so fast they almost broke his arm:
As part of NCSE’s expansion to defend the teaching of climate science, Gleick had agreed to join NCSE’s board of directors. On the same day as he posted his statement, however, he apologized to NCSE for his behavior with regard to the Heartland Institute documents and offered to withdraw from the board, on which he was scheduled to begin serving as of February 25, 2012. His offer was accepted.
Time found some space under the wheels of their bus:
The problem for climate advocates, of course, is that suspicion will only grow that Gleick falsified the original document now that he has admitted using deception to get the additional memos. (And just so we’re clear, this is deception — no reputable investigative reporter would be permitted to do what Gleick did. It’s almost certainly a firing offense.)
One way or the other, Gleick’s use of deception in pursuit of his cause after years of calling out climate deception has destroyed his credibility and harmed others. (Some of the released documents contain information about Heartland employees that has no bearing on the climate fight.) That is his personal tragedy and shame (and I’m sure devastating for his colleagues, friends and family).
Peter Gleick’s no hero, but one final notion deserves thought: Heartland has promised to pursue legal charges against Gleick, charges that might just stick. It would seem odd if Gleick became the nation’s second Fossil Felon.
Climate politics plays out on a vast tableau of pollution, corruption, corporate influence, email theft and intrigue. Yet the only other felon doing hard time in the United States for a climate crime is Tim DeChristopher, serving a two-year stretch at a federal prison for subverting a federal oil and gas lease sale by subverting fake bids.
So much for karma.
Indeed.
Unfortunately for the hapless, but well-funded Peter Gleick, buses tend to all arrive together. I’m sure another one will be along in a minute.
This is one of the best posts, ever! It had me LOL at my work desk, and I work with a VW bus load of hippies!
This is one of the best posts, ever! It had me LOL at my work desk, and I work with a VW bus load of hippies!
Well now Peter will have time to actually read Donna Laframboise’s book, and be able to update his assessment of it on Amazon.
Well now Peter will have time to actually read Donna Laframboise’s book, and be able to update his assessment of it on Amazon.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. I’m laughing at Gleick’s “superior” intellect.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. I’m laughing at Gleick’s “superior” intellect.
ExWarmist : comment of the week.
ExWarmist : comment of the week.
I instinctively disliked Gleick when I first read an article he wrote a coupla years ago (or did someone email it to him anonymously?). His type of “science” is based on techniques like standing at a bus stop and predicting arrival times (to 0.1 second accuracy) from counting buses in a ten-minute interval. He missed the bus years ago, and if he’d caught it would very likely (>90%) have produced a forged ticket.
Off-topic, but why do so many climate “crooks” look like ageing hippies with scraggly beards and a supercilious “know-it all” look in their eyes? Mann, Flannery, Gleick, to name but 2.9999999999.
He appears to have all the qualifications needed to get a job working for Murdoch’s replacement to the News of the world.
I’m kinda surprised the NCSE accepted his resignation. His behavior is exactly what they typically do, he’d fit right in.