David Appell: Another Bad Climate Apple

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 9, 2024

“The Master Resource people are whores of the fossil fuel industry. (Yes, that certainly includes you.)” – David Appell to author, March 5, 2014

If temperament and dramatis personae matter, the climate alarmists lose resoundingly to their scientific critics. I have gotten to know the quite reasonable, friendly Roy Spencer, John Christy, Craig D. Idso, Richard Lindzen, and other leaders of the so-called climate realist, global lukewarming school. And Marlo Lewis et al. (CEI); James Taylor, Sterling Burnett, et al. (Heartland); Craig Rucker, Marc Morano, et al. at CFACT; and many more on the advocacy side.

All of “us” know the difference between straight analysis and advocacy versus ad hominem argumentation. Our side is polite … but tough on naked pleas for government authoritarianism or civil disruption by climate alarmists/forced energy transformationists.

On the other hand, by email and social-media interaction, I have encountered the quite emotional, spiteful bad apples of climate alarmism, including John Holdren, Joe Romm, Andrew Dessler, and Gunnar Schade. And remember Peter Gleick? Also, the Climategate bunch led by the wrath-warped Michael Mann?

And compare Paul Ehrlich to Julian Simon to see the difference between a scholar and a master of insults.

Appell’s Outburst

I was reminded of this with a recent post by Roy Spencer, “David Appell, Awaiting the Death of Climate Skeptics” (September 4, 2024). Spencer began: “This blog received the following comment from our alarmist friend David Appell, freelance writer.” Here is what Appell wrote:

Roy, nobody who is serious about climate change takes you seriously. You’re a denier who has made too many mistakes. No one who knows anything is going to bother commenting here–they upset you so much that all you can think to do is block them.

You long ago left the realm of science. As they say, science advances one funeral at a time. Nobody believes your time series anyway. You did that to yourself.

Spencer’s Reply

In his usual measured terms, Spencer replied:

As many here know, our UAH temperature dataset is used by researchers around the world, including those who believe the more alarmist narrative of anthropogenic climate change. It has been validated with global weather balloon data in multiple peer reviewed studies.

And I’m not sure why exactly I am a “denier”; that has always mystified me. I’m even part of the supposed 97% that believes the climate system is warming partly (maybe even mostly) from our CO2 emissions. John Christy and I even published a climate sensitivity paper that assumes ALL recent warming is from CO2 emissions.

Also, I routinely allow comments here from people who disagree with me on the science. Very few people have been blocked, and those from bad behavior.

So, I think David was just having a bad day. I imagine these are difficult times for freelance writers since everyone with internet access can now be one. He’s again talking about shutting down his pro-climate alarmism, pro-COVID vaccination blog, Quark Soup. Too bad. So, for those who might want to send wishes of moral support, he can be reached at david.appell@gmail.com.

Comment

David Appell is fighting depression, just as Spencer politely points out. “There’s no point anymore,” Appell recently wrote on his blog.

I will delete this blog in a few days. I would really like to be done with this and just stop thinking about it.

But he hedges:

I’ll get over my latest low and will post more. Not sure it will always be about climate change, though. Things I come across that I like to share.

Thanks, but I’ll probably be back. I do an “I quit” post every time I get depressed, or so. Always came back. I should delete this post but don’t want to remove the comments.

Strange. If he really has “climate anxiety,” he can cure himself by opening his mind to the positive, optimistic view of carbon dioxide enrichment in a high-energy world. He advertises himself as “always learning,” but perhaps it is a closed mind that is giving him fits.