Indur M. Goklany

Indur M. Goklany
Residence Vienna, Virginia
Education B.Tech. (1968), M.S. (1969), PhD (1973)
Alma mater Indian Institutes of Technology, Michigan State University
Occupation Science and technology policy analyst
Employer United States Department of the Interior
Notable work The Improving State of the World
Website
goklany.org

Indur M. Goklany is a science and technology policy analyst for the United States Department of the Interior, where he holds the position of Assistant Director of Programs, Science and Technology Policy.[1]

He has represented the United States at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and during the negotiations that led to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.[2] He was a rapporteur for the Resource Use and Management Subgroup of Working Group III of the IPCC First Assessment Report in 1990,[3] and is the author of Clearing the Air (1999), The Precautionary Principle (2001), and The Improving State of the World (2007).

Education

Goklany holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering. His B.Tech degree is from the Indian Institutes of Technology and his M.S. and PhD are from Michigan State University.[2]

Views on climate change

Goklany has spoken against the use of biofuels and ethanol as he believes it drives the price of food beyond the reach of the poor. In an op-ed for The New York Times, he wrote, "Ironically, much of the hysteria over global warming is itself fueled by concerns that it may drive numerous species to extinction and increase hunger worldwide, especially in developing countries. Yet the biofuel solution would only make bad matters worse on both counts".[4]

He took part in the making of Policy Peril: Why Global Warming Policies are More Dangerous than Global Warming Itself, a film created by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.[5]

He has also been critical of the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the United Nations Population Fund over their stance on population growth saying, "For many groups like the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), World Population Day, which fell on July 11, is another chance to bemoan 'the relentless growth in human population,' while the United Nations Population Fund says 'stabilizing population would help sustain the planet.' The problem, however, is not population but poverty."[6]

He is also a regular guest poster on Watts Up With That?.[7]

Publications

Books
  • Goklany, Indur M. (2006). The Improving State of the World: Why We're Living Longer, Healthier, More Comfortable Lives on a Cleaner Planet. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-930865-98-3.
  • Goklany, Indur M. (November 2002). The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal of Environmental Risk. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-930865-16-7.
  • Goklany, Indur M. (November 26, 1999). Clearing the Air: The Real Story of the War on Air Pollution. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-882577-83-5.
Papers

References

  1. "Staff Directory". Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Indur M. Goklany". World Economic Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  3. Climate change: the IPCC response strategies (PDF). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 1991. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-55963-103-7
  4. Goklany, Indur M. (April 23, 2007). "Unintended consequences". New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  5. Brickley, Adam (August 17, 2009). "New Movie Seeks to Refute Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’". CNS News. p. 1. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  6. Goklany, Indur M. (July 15, 2009). "Apocalypse When?". Korea Times. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  7. "Search Results for: Indur M. Goklany". Watts Up With That. Retrieved May 27, 2010.