Fred Singer

For the Ontario politician, see Ephraim Frederick Singer.

S. Fred Singer
Singer in 2011
Born(1924-09-27)September 27, 1924
Vienna, Austria
DiedApril 6, 2020(2020-04-06) (aged 95)
Rockville, Maryland, U.S.[1]
NationalityAustrian, American
Alma materOhio State University, Princeton University
OccupationPhysicist
Organization(s)Professor emeritus of environmental science, University of Virginia
Founder and president, Science & Environmental Policy Project
Known forEarly space research; first director of the U.S. National Weather Satellite Service (1962–1964); involvement in global warming controversy

Siegfried Fred Singer (September 27, 1924 – April 6, 2020)[1][2] was an Austrian-born American physicist and emeritus professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia,[3] trained as an atmospheric physicist. He was known for rejecting the scientific consensus on several issues, including climate change,[4][5][6] the connection between UV-B exposure and melanoma rates,[7] stratospheric ozone loss being caused by chlorofluoro compounds, often used as refrigerants,[8] and the health risks of passive smoking.

He is the author or editor of several books, including Global Effects of Environmental Pollution (1970), The Ocean in Human Affairs (1989), Global Climate Change (1989), The Greenhouse Debate Continued (1992), and Hot Talk, Cold Science (1997). He also co-authored Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years (2007) with Dennis Avery, and Climate Change Reconsidered (2009) with Craig Idso.[9][10]

Singer had a varied career, serving in the armed forces, government, and academia. He designed mines for the U.S. Navy during World War II, before obtaining his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University in 1948 and working as a scientific liaison officer in the U.S. Embassy in London.[11] He became a leading figure in early space research, was involved in the development of earth observation satellites, and in 1962 established the National Weather Bureau's Satellite Service Center. He was the founding dean of the University of Miami School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences in 1964, and held several government positions, including deputy assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, and chief scientist for the Department of Transportation. He held a professorship with the University of Virginia from 1971 until 1994, and with George Mason University until 2000.[9][12]

In 1990 Singer founded the Science & Environmental Policy Project,[9][13] and in 2006 was named by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of a minority of scientists said to be creating a stand-off on a consensus on climate change.[14][15] Singer argued, contrary to the scientific consensus on climate change, that there is no evidence that global warming is attributable to human-caused increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, and that humanity would benefit if temperatures do rise.[16] He was an opponent of the Kyoto Protocol, and claimed that climate models are not based on reality or evidence.[17] Singer was accused of rejecting peer-reviewed and independently confirmed scientific evidence in his claims concerning public health and environmental issues.[9][14][18][19]

  1. ^ a b Schwartz, John (April 11, 2020). "S. Fred Singer, a Leading Climate Change Contrarian, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "Dr. S. Fred Singer, R.I.P." The Heartland Institute. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "Retired faculty" Archived September 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, University of Virginia, accessed December 28, 2010.
  4. ^ Leaked Email Reveals Who's Who List of Climate Denialists. Bagley, Katherine. Inside Climate News, March 12, 2015
  5. ^ Dunlap, R. E.; Jacques, P. J. (2013). "Climate Change Denial Books and Conservative Think Tanks: Exploring the Connection". The American Behavioral Scientist. 57 (6): 699–731. doi:10.1177/0002764213477096. PMC 3787818. PMID 24098056.
  6. ^ Gillis, Justin (June 15, 2015). "Naomi Oreskes, a Lightning Rod in a Changing Climate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Singer, S. Fred. "Ozone, Skin Cancer, and the SST" Archived February 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Science & Environmental Policy Project, July 1994, accessed May 18, 2010.
  8. ^ Singer, S. Fred. "The hole truth about CFCs" Archived February 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Science & Environmental Policy Project, March 21, 1994, accessed May 18, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Scheuering, Rachel White, "S. Fred Singer," in Shapers of the Great Debate on Conservation: A Biographical Dictionary, Greenwood Press, 2004, p.115-127
  10. ^ "S. Fred Singer, Ph.D." Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Science & Environmental Policy Project, accessed May 13, 2010.
  11. ^ "Astrophysics: Capturing a Moon and Other Diversions", Time magazine, February 21, 1969, p. 2.
  12. ^ Levy, Lillian. Space, Its Impact on Man and Society. Ayer Publishing 1973, p. xiii for general background.
  13. ^ For an early article of Singer's on this issue, see Singer, S. Fred. "On Not Flying Into a Greenhouse Frenzy", The New York Times, November 16, 1989.
  14. ^ a b "The Denial Machine". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. November 15, 2006. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. From the program The Fifth Estate; updated October 24, 2007. Video not archived. Also see Singer, S. Fred (February 11, 1996). "Anthology of 1995's Environmental Myths". Washington Times.
  15. ^ Also see Revkin, Andrew. "Skeptics Dispute Climate Worries and Each Other", The New York Times, March 8, 2009.
  16. ^ Louise Gray (November 18, 2009). "Fred Singer to speak at climate change sceptics conference". Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  17. ^ Tierney, John. "Lessons from the Skeptics' Conference", The New York Times, March 4, 2008.
  18. ^ Oreskes, Naomi; Conway, Erik M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. New York: Bloomsbury Press. ISBN 9781596916104.
  19. ^ Singer, S. Fred (2003). "The Revelle-Gore Story: Attempted Political Suppression of Science" (PDF). In Gough, Michael (ed.). Politicizing Science: The Alchemy of Policymaking. Hoover Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.