Weather Channel Founder Slams Bill Nye – “A Pretend Scientist In A Bow Tie”
By Paul Homewood
The new film, Climate Hustle, which is due to screen today in the United States, has not had much attention over here.
From the Mail:
Weather Channel founder John Coleman has attacked Bill Nye ‘the science guy’ for raining on his parade ahead of the release of new climate-change denying film ‘Climate Hustle.’
Coleman, a meteorologist of 60 years who will introduce the film on its one-night-only screening on May 2, objected to Nye’s remark that the film is ‘very much not in our national interest and the world’s interest.’
‘I have always been amazed that anyone would pay attention to Bill Nye, a pretend scientist in a bow tie,’ Coleman said Friday, according to Climate Depot.
Coleman continued: ‘As a man who has studied the science of meteorology for over 60 years and received the AMS [American Meteorological Society’s] "Meteorologist of the Year" award, I am totally offended that Nye gets the press and media attention he does.’
The film, marketed with the tagline ‘Are they trying to control the climate… or you?’ suggests that man-made global warming is a hoax.
Its website says that an ‘overheated environmental con job [is] being used to push for increased government regulations and a new "Green" energy agenda.’
Nye, a children’s TV host who has made a career out of presenting science-themed shows, is highly critical of climate change deniers.
When asked by the filmmakers whether climate-change deniers should be jailed, Nye replied, ‘Well, we’ll see what happens. Was it appropriate to jail the guys from ENRON?’
He continued: ‘Was it appropriate to jail people from the cigarette industry who insisted that this addictive product was not addictive and so on?’
Although Nye stopped short of actually recommending jail terms, Coleman – the original weatherman on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ – said: ‘That is the most awful thing since Galileo was jailed for saying the Earth was not the center of the Universe.’
‘In 20 or 30 years, when Nye is an old man, he will realize how wrong he was as the Earth continues to be a just a great place to live.’
Although Nye is not a professional scientist – he has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering – his beliefs are in line with the majority of climate scientists, who agree that climate change is occurring due to man-made pollution.
And Coleman’s belief that man-made climate change is not happening is in line with the majority of meteorologists – 64 percent of them in 2013, according to a study by social scientists from George Mason University, the AMS and Yale University.
That’s because most meteorologists are not climate researchers or experts, nor do they have to perform climate research as part of their jobs, The Guardian reported.
Weather forecasters were specifically named as an example of AMS members who do not have to do any climate research as part of their job.
‘Climate Hustle’ will have a one-night-only screening, with an introduction by Coleman and followed by a discussion panel including Bill Nye, at select theaters on May 2.
Nye, no more than a joke children’s entertainer, has made a fool of himself on climate matters many times before, for instance here, here and here.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Hi Paul….does anyone know how we can see “Climat Hustle” in UK????????
Marc Morano is hoping to organise something later in the year.
Paul,
I am delighted that you followed through on the “Greenland” case, the response has been very interesting.
However, if you will forgive me as one of your greater fans, I rather resent the implication that graduate Engineers are somehow just “pretend” scientists. If Physics is the queen of science then mechanical Engineering is King. Ours is the science into which all others feed. We not only have to understand the many branches of science and mathematics that are around (chemistry/materials science, electronics, physics, mathematics, aerodynamics etc) but have to be able to manipulate them in new ways to make things that work. If we are wrong we kill people. If we were wrong as often as climate scientists we would be in jail.
Bill Nye is clearly not a good Engineer but you should be more respectful to his profession, or at least those of us who try hard to practise science as it is supposed to be practised – with rigorous respect for facts, logic and reason.
Sorry – keep up the good work, you are doing an absolutely invaluable job. Thank you.
Very best wishes
Malcolm (Mike) Bell
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Appears to me , you’re lashing out to the wrong person .
One of my sons is a senior structural engineer and another is an aircraft designer and my niece is a senior doctor and I am very proud of what they do.
HOWEVER, they would be the first to agree that they are only science USERS – and, actually, it turns out that most of the science they were taught is irrelevant in their work because of the naivety and impracticality of the academic scientists who presumed to teach them.
It is not always the fault of the real scientists, of course. I had occasion to question a regulation of the EU regarding permitted levels of a a substance, because it did not seem to make sense. I tracked down the scientist responsible for the offending item. He apologized and explained that it had gone up through a committee chaired by “a scientist turned bureaucrat.” Unforunately, this latter was no longer much good at maths and the concept of an American billion had been confused with the concept of a European billion . Thus the regulation set a limit which was a thousand times lower than intended. I asked, more in hope than expectation, when this would be put right. He lauged and said “Never! We don’t make mistakes, do we? However, we can’t measure the difference, so I suggest ignoring it. ” Unfortunately, technology has moved on, and now the difference can be measured!