"State Climatologist"? A critical perspective on the issues

Part 1 of 2: Pat Michaels, Virginia "State Climatologist"? A critical perspective on the issues

The Washington Post ran an article on September 17 on the controversy
over whether Pat Michaels, long-time voice of the global warming
denial machine, was entitled to continue to identify himself as the
Virginia State Climatologist. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine doesn’t want
Michaels appearing to speak for the state on global warming issues.
This guest contribution provides a critical perspective that goes
beyond what was developed in the Post’s coverage—about the legitimacy
of Michaels’ designation as state climatologist, about Michaels’
funding sources and think tank affiliation, and about the meaning
of “climatologist” in the contemporary scientific context.

See Details
http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/

Part 2 of 2: Minnesota "Climate Science": Perspectives on the issues

Questions about climate change go to a number of different people in Minnesota, as shown in an article by a meteorologist at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClimateArchive/message/3269

Questions also go to "A Climatology Working Group" in MN that includes:

State Climatology Office - DNR Division of Waters
University Extension Climatology Office in Minnesota
Academic Climatology - University of Minnesota

A statement on climate change by the Climatology Working Group says:
... "The subject matter is of professional interest to us, but we make
no claim of expertise in this highly complicated and politicized field
of study. Our thoughts on the issue are well represented by a policy
statement prepared by the American Association of State Climatologists
(AASC)". ...
http://www.twincitiesams.org/

Use of "highly complicated and politicized field of study" for climate
change science has downplayed for many years the accepted consensus by an overwhelming number of the world's climate science modelers that
global warming is happening due primarily to greenhouse gas emissions,
and that the rate of global warming is expected to have very serious
consequences during this century (some already taking place due to
increased risk).

Temperature plots:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/patneuman2000/my_photos

Discussion:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClimateArchiveDiscussion/