The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

320. Climate Science: What Does it Say? | Dr. Richard Lindzen

106 snips
Jan 5, 2023
Dr. Richard Lindzen, a renowned atmospheric physicist and former MIT professor, shares his contrarian views on climate science. He discusses the impact of water vapor on climate models and critiques the influence of politics on scientific discourse. Lindzen highlights challenges in academia, including ideological conformity and changing student interests. He raises concerns about the accuracy of climate predictions, stresses the importance of nuance in environmental discussions, and argues for a reevaluation of mainstream narratives surrounding climate change.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Early Environmental Concerns

  • In the 1960s, there was a push to control the energy sector, initially focusing on global cooling and acid rain.
  • These concerns later shifted to global warming and CO2 emissions when temperatures began to rise in the 1970s.
INSIGHT

Climate Narrative Critique

  • The narrative that climate is solely determined by the greenhouse effect is flawed and oversimplified.
  • The Earth's climate system is complex and dynamic, with distinct regions like the tropics and extratropics behaving differently.
INSIGHT

Feedback Loop Skepticism

  • Richard Lindzen expresses skepticism about positive feedback loops significantly impacting climate change.
  • The putative contribution of CO2 to warming may be smaller than the margin of error in water vapor measurements.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app