Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Editorial: Climatologist storm still hasn't cleared
The state climatologist cannot serve two masters.
From the RoundTable blog
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For a while, no one was sure who was in charge of the state climatologist. Now that the governor's office has concluded that state code does not give Gov. Tim Kaine that authority, University of Virginia officials have the unenviable task of raining on climatologist Patrick Michaels' parade.
The climatologist popped onto the commonwealth's radar when reports revealed polluting power industries subsidize his ardent criticism of global warming science.
In response, the governor's office requested that Michaels not use his title for activities unrelated to his official duties.
That is not enough. The media and confence organizers would almost certainly continue to mention his title. It gives weight to his pronouncements on human-caused climate change.
It is a tough situation. Michaels is also a UVa professor. State and university officials must not trample his academic freedom. He should be able to pursue his research wherever he believes it leads him, no matter how unpopular his conclusions.
Money is the real problem, not Michaels' specific views. He accepts checks from two conflicting sources. If he supported Al Gore's global warming position and took money from wind, solar and other clean-energy industries, the problem would be the same.
For now, UVa can fix things only by asking Michaels to choose one boss: Virginians or power companies.
Removing him from the state climatologist's office would not undermine his academic independence. He could continue to research, teach, accept funding from polluters and peddle climate whangdoodles, just without the implication that he speaks for all Virginians that his title conveys. Likewise, the conflict would end if he stopped taking cash from industry, something that creates at least the appearance of a state scientist for hire.
In the meantime, some good could come from this messy affair.
Virginians discovered that they have a state climatologist, but his precise relationship as a state official who receives taxpayer dollars remains ill-defined.
The climatologist should provide untainted scientific analysis on current and future weather trends. During the General Assembly's next session, lawmakers should clarify that apolitical job.
