{"id":366050,"date":"2025-02-14T07:23:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T06:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366050"},"modified":"2025-02-14T07:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T06:23:57","slug":"climate-advocacy-not-scholarship-unlv-professor-leffel-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366050","title":{"rendered":"Climate Advocacy, not Scholarship: UNLV Professor Leffel at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Master Resource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Robert Bradley Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI will debate you on the condition that we hold the debate in the form of a WWE professional wrestling match, because that\u2019s about as seriously as I take you.\u201d (- Benjamin Leffel to author, below)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Leffel<\/a>, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Leadership, University of Nevada Las Vegas, posted<\/a> on LinkedIn (with this link<\/a> to Science<\/em> magazine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Dear foundations and philanthropies:
Thousands of high-impact research grant proposals are being pressured to change their language for fear of angering the Trump regime. Many researchers will be looking to foundations instead of federal sources like NSF as a result. Now is your time to shine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I commented<\/a> on his post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Yes! End federal grants and spare the taxpayer! Climate scientists should be more amenable to doing controversial projects that are less alarmist or even pro-CO2.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Leffel then asked<\/a> out of the blue, \u201cwhere does your research funding come from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I answered<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Several thousand free market and classical liberal donors who like our principled, classical liberal positions. Might seem strange to you, but my beliefs have always come first. Ever since I was in the gasoline lines in the 1970s thanks to price controls.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And added<\/a>: \u201cWhen are we going to debate there in Las Vegas? I have challenged you for months. I have a strong case against climate alarmism and for energy exceptionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leffel responded<\/a>: \u201cI will debate you on the condition that we hold the debate in the form of a WWE professional wrestling match, because that\u2019s about as seriously as I take you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I responded<\/a>: \u201cAre you an intellectual? A scholar? Your reply indicates anger at climate and energy realism. Again, let\u2019s debate!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funny thing, or not so funny. This professor is a lot like two others I have encountered on social media. Quotations from each are illustrative. Alarmist Gunnar Schade<\/a> of Texas A&M said<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026 there are plenty of climate science deniers here [on LinkedIn] to vehemently argue for the defendants\u2019 case [in Mann v. Steyn]\u2026. It is profoundly saddening when you realize that the platform I am writing this on would most probably not remove these people\u2019s posts in the form they were written had somebody reported them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Censorship is what Schade wants, and predictably, he blocked me on LinkedIn. And then there is Schade\u2019s mentor and running mate at Texas A&M, Andrew Dessler<\/a>, who has stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Hey assholes. We\u2019ve been telling you for decades that this was going to happen if we didn\u2019t reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You didn\u2019t listen and now it\u2019s all happening. We hope you\u2019re happy. Enjoy the heatwaves, intense rainfall, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and many other things, you fucking morons.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Leffel, Schade, Dessler \u2026 They cancel and ignore their worthy opponents rather than subject themselves to the harsh light of day. They are exaggerators<\/em> and more like lawyers pleading a case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Comment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is hard being green when CO2 is green and wind\/solar\/batteries are not. They go Michael \u201cClimategate\u201d Mann whose strategy is \u201cReport, block. Don\u2019t engage<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all, the skeptics of climate alarm and forced energy transformation are winning. The other side had better step up or step down. A sabbatical to reexamine climate and energy issues would be ideal for these smug professors that pay no price for being wrong, unlike most everyone else in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes! End federal grants and spare the taxpayer! Climate scientists should be more amenable to doing controversial projects that are less alarmist or even pro-CO2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":366052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829997,691819659,691833283,691818130,691833284],"class_list":["post-366050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-carbon-dioxide-co","tag-climate-scientists","tag-professor-leffel","tag-renewables","tag-research-funding","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02084726.jpg?fit=1920%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1xe2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":263300,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=263300","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":0},"title":"John Christy on making sense of data in the climate change debate","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/22\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann notes climatologist Dr. John R. Christy as a compelling voice on the other side of the climate change debate. Dr. Christy, a pioneer in measuring global temperatures by satellite, discusses challenges to understanding data from satellites, balloons, and terrestrial weather stations.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/00Screenshot-2023-06-22-115844.png?fit=964%2C557&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/00Screenshot-2023-06-22-115844.png?fit=964%2C557&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/00Screenshot-2023-06-22-115844.png?fit=964%2C557&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/00Screenshot-2023-06-22-115844.png?fit=964%2C557&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":281211,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=281211","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":1},"title":"Professor William Happer IPA lecture \u2013 The Crusade Against Carbon Dioxide \u2013 September 2023","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/30\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Institute of Public Affairs In September 2023, Princeton University\u2019s Emeritus Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics, William Happer, spoke to an audience in Brisbane, Australia about the crusade against carbon dioxide and integrity in climate science. Professor Happer is one of the world\u2019s leading scientists and climate realists, having made\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"madness of crowds\"","block_context":{"text":"madness of crowds","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=madness-of-crowds"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Screenshot-2023-09-30-132233.png?fit=967%2C564&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Screenshot-2023-09-30-132233.png?fit=967%2C564&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Screenshot-2023-09-30-132233.png?fit=967%2C564&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Screenshot-2023-09-30-132233.png?fit=967%2C564&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":276310,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=276310","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":2},"title":"CLINTEL World Climate Declaration","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/29\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate science should be less political, while climate policies should be more scientific. In particular, scientists should emphasize that their\u00a0modeling output is not the result of magic: computer models are human-made. What comes out is fully dependent on what theoreticians and programmers have put in: hypotheses, assumptions, relationships, parameterizations, stability\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Emergency\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Emergency","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-emergency"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00tince-1.png?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00tince-1.png?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00tince-1.png?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00tince-1.png?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00tince-1.png?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":257989,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=257989","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":3},"title":"Scientists Pushing Net Zero Complain of Hurty Feelings on Twitter","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/18\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"There has been another sighting of the regular complaint that climate scientists are being subject to hurty comments on Twitter. The\u00a0Guardian\u00a0reports a \u201chuge\u201d rise\u00a0in abuse since Elon Musk took over the platform last year.","rel":"","context":"In \"climate deniers\"","block_context":{"text":"climate deniers","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-deniers"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00tweetrvlsoft.jpg?fit=1200%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00tweetrvlsoft.jpg?fit=1200%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00tweetrvlsoft.jpg?fit=1200%2C417&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00tweetrvlsoft.jpg?fit=1200%2C417&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00tweetrvlsoft.jpg?fit=1200%2C417&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":329682,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=329682","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":4},"title":"Cambridge Professor Right to Slam Climate \u2018Scientists\u2019 Peddling Catastrophism","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/22\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The world of climate science is in a terrible state. Riven with political activists claiming to be scientists, funded by green billionaires and state actors interested only in the Net Zero agenda, reported by blockhead mainstream journalists who believe science can be \u2018settled\u2019 \u2013 and increasingly being questioned by bored\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Cambridge Professor Ulf Buntgen\"","block_context":{"text":"Cambridge Professor Ulf Buntgen","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cambridge-professor-ulf-buntgen"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0methode_times_prod_web_bin_a17486a3-b915-4a61-a876-c3200ab58a2f-1.jpg?fit=1118%2C629&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0methode_times_prod_web_bin_a17486a3-b915-4a61-a876-c3200ab58a2f-1.jpg?fit=1118%2C629&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0methode_times_prod_web_bin_a17486a3-b915-4a61-a876-c3200ab58a2f-1.jpg?fit=1118%2C629&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0methode_times_prod_web_bin_a17486a3-b915-4a61-a876-c3200ab58a2f-1.jpg?fit=1118%2C629&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0methode_times_prod_web_bin_a17486a3-b915-4a61-a876-c3200ab58a2f-1.jpg?fit=1118%2C629&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294418,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294418","url_meta":{"origin":366050,"position":5},"title":"In Memoriam Professor Ray Bates","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Ray Bates was one of those outstanding, enquiring minds that used to make the sciences endlessly fascinating. I first came across him a decade ago at a dinner in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, before we were to debate the climate question before the members of the Law\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-10-135155.png?fit=1175%2C694&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-10-135155.png?fit=1175%2C694&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-10-135155.png?fit=1175%2C694&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-10-135155.png?fit=1175%2C694&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-10-135155.png?fit=1175%2C694&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=366050"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366053,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366050\/revisions\/366053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/366052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=366050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=366050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=366050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}