Why am I passionate about this?
I am a university professor with a deep interest in the systems that shape our lives. In my previous job, I led a research team at NASA, studying software safety for the space shuttle and International Space Station. But after my kids were born, I started thinking about how climate change would affect their future, and I decided to switch my research to investigate how the computer models used to predict future climate change are developed and tested and how much we can trust their predictions. That was more than twenty years ago. I’ve been working on climate change problems ever since, and I’m keen to share what I’ve learned.
Steve's book list on how scientists discovered global warming threat
Why did Steve love this book?
No list of books on this history of climate science would be complete without this one, even though the book is about far more than climate change. I think this should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand misinformation and media culture. In example after example, with meticulous research, the book shows what happens when science gets in the way of profit.
I found the book especially strong at exploring the underlying patterns in which industry groups work to undermine the credibility of scientific results, injecting enough doubt to forestall regulatory action. I particularly like the chapter on climate science, although if you read the earlier chapters first (on acid rain, ozone holes, and second-hand smoke), none of what they describe will surprise you.
13 authors picked Merchants of Doubt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
The U.S. scientific community has long led the world in research on such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting quality of life. Our scientists have produced landmark studies on the dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world in vehement denial of these dangers. Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific…