Fred Singer

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Siegfried Frederick Singer (born September 27, 1924 in Vienna) is an atmospheric physicist. He is best known as President and founder (in 1990) of the Science & Environmental Policy Project, a non-profit group which disputes the prevailing scientific opinion on climate change.

The group is also skeptical about the connection between CFCs and ozone depletion, between ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer[2] [3] [4][5][6] and between second hand smoke and lung cancer[7][8][9]. Singer has also worked with organisations with similar views, such as the Independent Institute, the American Council on Science and Health, and the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Singer is a Distinguished Research Professor at George Mason University and Professor Emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia, and an Adjunct Fellow of "Frontiers of Freedom" [10]. He is a fellow of a number of scientific bodies, including the American Physical Society.

Contents

[edit] Degrees and awards

Singer holds a degree in Electrical engineering from Ohio State University and a PhD in Physics from Princeton University.[1]

In 1959 he was selected as one of "Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation" by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce.

[edit] Career

In the 1940s and 50s Singer was involved in designing instruments used in satellites to measure cosmic radiation and ozone [11].

Previous government and academic positions:

  • Director of the Center for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Maryland (1953-62)
  • Special advisor to President Eisenhower on space developments (1960)
  • First Director of the National Weather Satellite Service (1962-64)
  • Founding Dean of the School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences, University of Miami (1964-67)
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water Quality and Research, U.S. Department of the Interior (1967- 70)
  • Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1970-71)
  • Professor of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia (1971-94)
  • Chief Scientist, U.S. Department of Transportation (1987- 89)

[edit] Global warming

Dr. Singer emphasizes natural factors over anthropogenic causes, to explain the Modern Warming Period (1880-2006). Singer wrote:

The scientific world had known about the sunspot connection to Earth’s climate for some 400 years. British astronomer William Herschel claimed in 1801 that he could forecast wheat prices by sunspot numbers, because wheat crops were often poor when sunspots (and thus solar activity) were low. Not only did the Maunder minimum (1645-1715) coincide with the coldest period of the Little Ice Age, the Sporer minimum (1450–1543) aligned with the second-coldest phase of that period. [12]

His most recent peer-reviewed sole-author publication on global warming was a letter about other scientists' research which appeared in Eos, December 16, 1997.[2] However, Singer is also listed as co-author of two 2004 articles in Geophysics Research Letters.[3]

[edit] Publication on health effects of tobacco

In 1994 Singer was Chief Reviewer of the report Science, economics, and environmental policy: a critical examination published by the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI), of which he was a Senior Fellow.[4] The report attacked the US Environmental Protection Agency for their 1993 study about the cancer risks of passive smoking and called it "junk science". [13], [14].

[edit] Accusations of conflict of interest

Environmentalists arguing against Singer's ideas say that he has a conflict of interest, i.e., financial ties to oil and tobacco companies [15], [16]. In 1993 APCO, a P.R. firm, sent a memo to Ellen Merlo, vice-president of Philip Morris, stating: "As you know, we have been working with Dr Fred Singer and Dr Dwight Lee, who have authored articles on junk science and indoor air quality (IAQ) respectively ..."[5]

The 1994 AdTI report was part of an attack on EPA regulation of environmental tobacco smoke funded by the Tobacco Institute.[17] Singer was also involved with the International Center for a Scientific Ecology [18], a group that was considered important in Philip Morris' plans to create a group in Europe similar to The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC). Singer is also a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute,[6] another recipient of Philip Morris and ExxonMobil funds.[7]

A nonsmoker himself, Singer serves on the Science Advisory Board of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)[8], which strongly opposes smoking but otherwise tends to support industry positions on health issues.

In a February 2001 letter to the Washington Post, Singer denied receiving funding from the oil industry, except for consulting work some 20 years prior. SEPP, however, received multiple grants from ExxonMobil, including in 1998 and 2000.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Singer's CV
  2. ^ Unknowns About Climate Variability Render Treaty Targets Premature, EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, Volume 78, page 584, December 16, 1997
  3. ^ See SEPP, "Further reading"
  4. ^ The EPA and the science of environmental tobacco smoke / [1]
  5. ^ Monbiot, George "The Denial Industry" The Guardian, September 19, 2006
  6. ^ Independent Institute - Research Fellow: S. Fred Singer
  7. ^ Sourcewatch: Independent Institute
  8. ^ ACSH Scientific Advisors
  9. ^ Exxonsecrets.org - Factsheet: S. Fred Singer

[edit] External links

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