JLVernonPhD presents "American SciCo"

Stephen Schneider dies by heart attack.  No surprises here.

My man, Stephen Schneider, was a warrior.  Much like the great gladiators of Roman times, he stood face to face with the enemies of climate science and destroyed them.  However, he wiped out his opponents with his intellect and wit.  He didn’t discriminate between the media and fake scientists when unloading on those who have failed us in delivering the message of the global warming threat.  Often times, his passion became palpable to his audiences.  He didn’t scream or yell often, but as he would speak, the veins in his neck would swell and his face would turn first pink, then bright red.  Of course, when he reached his climax of emotion, one would wonder if his head or his heart could take much more.  Ultimately, he would pause, calm himself, take a drink of water and toss out a final expletive to drive his point home.  I’ve seen it in interviews and panel discussions. He was a man’s scientist!  He’s the guy you want in your corner in a bar debate.  I don’t know if he had groupies, but in the cage match that is the climate debate he was our Chuck Liddell!  And, if you asked me, I’d say he should have had the same benefits. 
While attending the 2010 AAAS conference in San Diego, Schneider was on display again.  I captured a few of his thoughts by tweeting them to the world.  I thought I’d share them here:
Stephen Schneider: MSM biz model: send general news reporter to cover science, send specialist to Super Bowl, despite the fate of earth in balance. #AAAS10
11:50 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

SS: Fox and MSNBC are essentially propaganda. #AAAS10
11:47 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

Question: Is it helpful to characterize the media as “Fox News.” SS: Outside of a few, there’s been such an incredible dumbing down of MSM.
11:45 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

SS: [Scientists] If you don’t have fast synapses don’t do talk shows, don’t sit on the other side of Limbaugh. #AAAS10
11:25 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

Steve Schneider: Encourage popularizers who follow responsible practices, expose those who are unclear or biased. #AAAS10
11:20 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

SS: Scientists have failed to overcome the false doctrine of media balance. #AAAS10
11:07 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

Stephen Scheider science is not a democracy. Quality trumps equality. #AAAS10
11:05 AM Feb 19th from TweetDeck

Schneider put up a good fight starting way, way back in the 70’s.  Consistent with climate change deniers’ usual tactics, he was accused of promoting the concept of global cooling, back in the day.  However, after reviewing the literature you will find that he was actually communicating in “scientist speak” which often gets us into trouble.  By “scientist speak,” I mean that we, scientists, often use too many qualifiers in our arguments.  An example can be seen in the attached video, Schneider clarifies his position on global cooling (@ 4:20) by stating that “under these assumptions (meaning the leveling off of temperatures in the 70’s) this is what you get (meaning global cooling)” and, further, “other scientists say that could trigger an ice age.” 

Ignoring the ill-founded criticism levied against Scheider in regards to cooling, his position has been consistent since as early as 1979.  See video here where a very Paul Simon-looking Schneider definitively states that carbon dioxide could lead to catastrophic environmental change.

In closing, I am proud to have met him, received his message personally and I look forward to witnessing the rise of the next wave of brave scientists who will effectively speak truth to power a la Stephen Schneider.  Farewell S.S.

Accompanying video is a fantastic history of the climate change debate.