About
As an undergrad at Harvard Terry Robinson majored in History and Science. He has always been fascinated by climate history and science. But his father was a lawyer. After finishing Harvard Law School, his practice specialized in complex business litigation, which commonly involved difficult scientific issues. As a trial lawyer, he mastered the rules of evidence and the procedures for weeding out hearsay and speculation from admissible evidence. He analyzed scientific opinions to test whether they were properly based in fact and theory. He examined and cross examined scientists appearing as expert witnesses. He devised ways to present complex scientific evidence so that it was clear and persuasive to nonscientist fact-finders, i.e. judges and juries.
Now that he is retired (and between pickleball games and playing duplicate bridge), he has time to read a great deal about climate science and policy. He has carefully reviewed the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Assessment Report, published in 2021-2022 and prior Assessment Reports.
Over the years a number of things have become apparent to him –
When scientists write about climate science and policy, it tends rapidly to get overly complex, lengthy, and tedious for nonscientists to follow.
What the media says about climate science tends to be quite different from what the IPCC says in its various Assessment Reports, particularly the current report.
Scientists disagree a lot more than the media acknowledges. The more one seeks for scientific certainty, the more disagreement one finds. Unfortunately the climate is very complex and, at the present time, defies understanding on many key issues. Unfortunately when the media claims that “scientist agree,” the media is often wrong.
When the media discusses climate change issues, its presentation often fails to mention important facts that contradict its position.
This website and the associated monthly newsletter are intended to address these issues.
The tone will be light with lots of images and clear text that avoids scientific jargon and attempts to give nonscientists an overview of particular issues.
The IPCC Assessment Reports are the best available comprehensive summaries of climate science, so those will provide the basic scientific foundation for the presentation.
When scientists disagree on particular issues, the disagreement will be identified and appropriate explanation provided so that the nature of the disagreement can be understood, and so that the reader can get some idea of the strength of the opposing positions.
Relevant factual data that is commonly omitted by the media will be presented.
The overall goal is to present for the reader’s consideration admissible and balanced evidence on scientific and policy issues. The readers, as jurors, will reach their own verdict.
In addition to authoring this web site and newsletter, Terry Robinson lectures on climate science issues in a style that mirrors these publications.